We have a deal on the Revogi Smart Bluetooth LED Bulb, a smartbulb you don’t need a hub to control. It works over Bluetooth, and is controlled from an iPhone or Apple Watch app, or an Android device, if that’s your thing. You can control color and intensity, with support for 16 million colors. It’s $24.99 through us.
Bryan Chaffin
Bryan Chaffin is the cofounder of The Mac Observer and currently serves as Afternoon Editor. He has contributed to MacAddict and MacFormat magazines, and co-authored the last two updates of iPad and iPad Pro for Dummies with Bob “Dr. Mac” LeVitus and Ed Baig. You can find out more about Bryan at his personal site, GeekTells, or find his Twitter link below.
Articles by Bryan Chaffin
Talking to an E-Learning Teacher about Apple and EdTech - ACM 455
Bryan Chaffin and Jeff Gamet are joined by Laura Bain, E-Learning Coordinator at a private school in Brisbane, Australia, to talk about Apple and the “Let’s Take a Field Trip” event. They discuss what it’s like in the trenches of E-Learning, including the ongoing battle between Apple, Google, and Microsoft. You’ve been hearing a lot of tech pundits talk about Apple and education, but this conversation has a voice from the trenches.
How to Enable CPU Frequency Monitoring in iStat Menus
There are a couple of steps you have to take to do it, but they’re easy and Bryan Chaffin will show you how.
The Complete 2018 Learn to Code Bundle: $49.99
We have a deal on the Complete 2018 Learn to Code Bundle, aimed at people who want to develop with PHP, Ruby on Rails, Java, Javascript, Python, and more. It includes more than a thousand lectures, more than 220 hours of content, and more. It’s $49.99 through us.
Apple Releases iOS 11.3 for New iPad
There’s no indication of when the update will be available for other devices, but we don’t expect it to be much longer.
Apple Updates iWork, Including Smart Annotation with Apple Pencil (in Beta)
Apple rolled out several improvements to its iWork suite, including drawing, book creation, a beta for Smart Annotation (i.e. support for Apple Pencil), and more.
Apple + Education Home Page Redesign
Apple did a rare redesign for its home page Tuesday, one featuring the education themes of its Chicago EdTech media event. It utilizes a a version of the Apple logo drawn with Apple Pencil on iPad. During the media event, Apple showed slides with the same kind of imagery, including sketches of the presenters and other announcements. Apple used the event to announce new education software and a new iPad aimed at education, including support for Apple Pencil.
Apple Announces Schoolwork, a Cloud App for the Classroom
The free, cloud-based software allows teachers to assign specific activities within an app to a child. It also allows them monitor that activity as the class works on assignments.
Tim Cook Calls for 'Well-Crafted' Regulation Protecting Privacy
Mr. Cook’s comments came in the wake of news that Facebook profile data was used in ways that violate Facebook terms of service, and that Facebook knew about the privacy breach and didn’t tell users.
Amazon Kindle Adds Split View to iPad, Plus Continuous Scrolling
Amazon Kindle rolled out an update to its iOS app recently with some major feature enhancements.
pCloud Premium Plus Cloud Storage 1-Year Subscription:
We have a deal on cloud storage service pCloud Premium Plus. It’s a one year subscription for 2TB of space, including 2TB of download bandwidth, all through a 256-bit TLS/SSL connection. One year is $29.99 through us.
Rob Janoff, Apple Logo Designer, Talks Design on March 28th
He’ll be talking design, including working on that famous 6 color Apple logo.
Azio Mechanical Keyboard Marries Retro Looks and Backlit Keys [Update on Mac Support]
I spotted the Azio mechanical keyboard as a sponsored post in my Instagram feed last night, and I thought it was super cool. Originally funded on Indiegogo for more than $388,000, the Azio keyboard is shipping now. The one shown in the image below is the Azio Retro Classic BT (for Bluetooth), with a USB version available, too. It’s not quite steampunk, but it’s close, and there are several other styles, too. There are also also different color options for each model. There are also models with modern key shapes, and some much cheaper entry-level models, but I love this typewriter feel on the Retro Classic. It’s priced at $189 for USB and $219 for Bluetooth. The video is from the original Indiegogo campaign. [2nd Update: Azio told me that the Bluetooth version supports the Mac and comes with replaceable keys. The USB version is Windows only. – Bryan] [3rd Update: I’ve now published an Azio Retro Classic BT Mac review].
ShutterGrip Puts a Handle on Your iPhone for Taking Photos: $29.99
We have a clever little device for today’s deal, ShutterGrip. It’s a grip that fits on your iPhone and it has a Bluetooth button for triggering your camera. It’s designed to make your iPhone (or Android device, if that’s your thing) easier to hold and balance while you’re snapping pics, and it fits on most devices with or without a case. This is one of those products I’d have made a Cool Stuff Found if we weren’t running it as a deal.
Apple's Spike Jonze and FKA Twigs 'Welcome Home' Commercial Mostly Practical Effects
Adweek has a great behind-the-scenes video that shows—among other things—that all that stretchy-house stuff from Apple’s new HomePod ad was done with practical effects, rather than CGI.
IK Multimedia Ships Leslie Rotary Speaker Amp Models
IK Multimedia shipped AmpliTube Leslie and T-RackS Leslie on Thursday. Announced in January, these are amp models for the famous Lesli rotary speakers. I love a great guitar sound coming through a Leslie, having played in a band that used one. And, of course, A Hammond B3…man, I love a Leslie! Anyhoo, this software package for AmpliTube and T-RackS include: Leslie Type 147, 122, 122A; Leslie 3300w, Leslie G-37, Leslie Studio 12. It also includes five Leslie amp models, including: Leslie Type 147, Leslie Type 122 – vintage tube model; Leslie Type 122A – new tube model; Leslie 3300w – new hybrid amp, and the Leslie G-37/Studio 12 – new hybrid amp. The AmpliTube and T-RackS apps are US$99.99 each, or you can get both for $149.99. They’re available now. The promo video below gives a nice overview of what they can do.
iPhone X 'Fly Market' Commercial: Song, Dance, Face ID, and Apple Pay
Apple has a new spot out, and I love it. It’s called Fly Market, and it features a young man dancing through a street market using Apple Pay and Face ID on his iPhone X to buy clothes and a present for his mom. The song is “Back Pocket” by Vulfpeck, a great tune. This commercial has charisma, and I love the imagery—I think it’s great. I’d love to hear what you think.
Ztylus Revolver M Series iPhone Lens Kit:
Check out the Ztylus Revolver M Series of camera lenses for iPhone 7/8, iPhone 7/8 Plus, and iPhone X. It comes with a case that has a magnetic attachment on the back. Attach the lens kit, and rotate the lens you want into place, as shown in the video. It comes with six lenses, including two telephoto lenses, macro, super macro, wide-angle, and fisheye. It’s $49.99 through us.
The Facebook Dance, Autonomous Cars, and our AI Future - ACM 454
Bryan and Jeff discuss the ongoing #deletefacebook discussion and whether it’s a tempest in a teapot. They also talk about autonomous vehicles, regulation, and our future with driverless cars, and also our future with artificial intelligence.
Muse, the Alexa Voice Assistant for Cars: $59.99
Alexa fans now have a way of adding Alexa to their cars with Muse, a device that sits between your iPhone (or Android device) and your car. It allows you to tap into Alexa for music controls, controlling your home Alexa devices, and more. Check out the deal listing for details.
Apple Integrates IBM's Watson Services into iOS for Images, Models, and Machine Learning
This allows enterprise developers to tap into Watson’s advanced machine learning technology, including the ability to tag and classify images, create new models, and train models with continuous learning.
Apple Seeds tvOS 11.3 Developer Beta 6
This update is believed to include support for Dolby Vision on some Sony TVs, and it may include AirPlay 2, as well.
Pay What You Want for the 2018 Arduino Enthusiast E-Book Bundle
We have a great deal for Arduino fans, a collection called the 2018 Arduino Enthusiast E-Book Bundle. Better yet, you can pay what you want. Pay anything, even a penny, and get one of the ebooks. Beat the average price ($10 as of this writing), and you’ll get all ten ebooks in the bundle. Beat the leader’s price, and you’ll be entered into a drawing for a Surface Book.
Apple Maps Adds Transit Directions for West Virginia
Apple Maps added support for transit directions in West Virginia this week, as first noted by AppleInsider. The directions included below are transit directions within the city of Charleston, WV. Support for this area isn’t listed on the Apple Maps feature list, yet, but they are live now. Our screenshot was taken early evening, Monday.