We have a great deal on a ZeroLemon PowerCube 50000mAh Portable Power Station. In addition to its large capacity of 50,000mAh, it also has 8 outputs, including DC, AC, USB, and a Quick Charge 3.0. It’s 60% off through our deal, at $159.99
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
Movies Anywhere Lets You Watch Your Movies on Any Platform, Including iTunes
The service acts as a central clearing house allowing users to buy (or who bought in the past) a movie from one retailer to watch it on any of the other participating platforms.
Blockchain.info Adds Support for Bitcoin Cash, Unlocks Bitcoin Cash Held Since August 1st
Starting today, Blockchain.info wallet users can store, exchange, and send Bitcoin Cash within those wallets.
Is Apple Working on a New OS, Apple TV Pros and Cons, and Feature Drift - Pop.0 15 [Video Podcast]
In episode 15 of Pop.0, Bryan Chaffin and John Kheit debate whether or not Apple—or anyone else—is working on any kind of next generation operating system. They also discuss what’s good and bad about Apple TV, and how Apple’s lack of feature parity across its product lines is dooming new technologies like 3D Touch, Touch Bar, and more. If you enjoy it, please subscribe. (WARNING NSFW: PROFANITY & RANTS)
Nix Mini Color Sensor Works with Your iPhone: $69
We have a deal for you today on the Nix Mini Color Sensor. This little device is a color sensor that reports to your iPhone (or Android device). More specifically, it will match a given color to an existing color library of more than 28,000 brand name paint colors, as well as RGB, HEX, CMYK, and LAB colors. It’s $69 through us.
Dow Jones Fake News, Cook’s Barnstorm Tour, iOS 11 Control Center - ACM 432
Tim Cook continues to raise his profile, tweeting more publicity photos of his visits to lots of places, including a Normandy war cemetery. Bryan and Jeff reexamine the idea that Mr. Cook may be thinking of political office. They also talk about Dow Jones’s brief flirtation with publishing fake news about Apple, and how Apple has changed the way on/off buttons work in iOS.
Apple Releases iOS 11.0.3 to Address Feedback Issue with iPhone 7, Touch Issue with iPhone 6s
The unexpected update is a maintenance release intended to squash two specific issues.
Paww WaveSound 3 Noise-Cancelling Bluetooth Headphones: $79.99
We have a deal on the Paww WaveSound 3 Noise-Cancelling Bluetooth Headphones. Using multiple microphones, these headphones block out as much as 20dB of unwanted ambient noise. They’re $79.99 through us.
Apple to Pay Spielberg More than $5 Million Per Ep for 'Amazing Stories' Reboot
Apple and Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Television and Universal Television have struck a deal for a reboot of Mr. Spielberg’s Amazing Stories. According to The Wall Street Journal, Apple will pay “significantly” more than $5 million per episode for the series in a deal for 10 episodes. The show, which was created by Steven Spielberg and originally ran in the 1980s, will include Mr. Spielberg as executive producer. It’s a significant investment for Apple, which is looking to develop a stable of high-end flagship programming that will bring viewers to its Apple Music service. The Wall Street Journal noted that Apple hired Sony Corp.’s top Hollywood television executives Zack Van Amburg and Jamie Erlicht earlier this year.
App Camp for Girls Looks for Funding to Expand to App Camps 2020
App Camp for Girls is looking for help in its next big stage of growth to become App Camp 2020. Working to address the gender inequity in tech, App Camp holds intensive developer training for middle school-aged girls, transgender, and gender non-conforming youth. Part of that growth for App Camp 2020 includes expansion to three new cities. To do this, the organization wants to raise $75,000 through a campaign on Indiegogo. App Camp is a great organization, and it’s lead by Jean McDonald, formerly of Smile Software, and counts our own Kelly Guimont as Founding Volunteer. They do important work, and we hope this fundraising campaign is hugely successful. Kick in if you can, and help spread the word, too. In the video, Ms. Guimont tells it like it is.
Last Chance for Blocs 2 for Mac: $39.99
Stack Commerce let us know today that this is your last chance for our deal on Blocs 2 for Mac, a visual web design tool that lets you create websites without writing a line of code. There’s a lot more information in the deal listing, and you can get it through us for $39.99. That deal expires at midnight tonight (October 10th, 2017).
Apple Is Looking Into Reports of Swollen Batteries in iPhone 8
It’s not clear that this is a wide-spread issue, but Apple said, “We are aware and looking into it.”
Pay What You Want for the Fab 5 Mac App Bundle, Including TechTool Pro 9.5
Our friends at Stack Commerce have put together a new Pay What You Want deal for us called the Fab 5 Mac App Bundle. Pay anything, as little as a penny, and you’ll get MacCleans 6. But if you beat the average price ($11.34 as of this writing), you’ll also get TechTool Pro 9.5, RapidWeaver 7, Hands Off!, and AfterShot Pro 3. Make the leaderboard at any time, and you’ll be entered into a giveaway.
AIM Is Going Away after a Pioneering 20 Year Run
Of course, the real news from Friday’s announcement for many may be something more like, “Huh, AIM is still around?
![How to Make Money from Bitcoin Faucets [Update]](https://www.macobserver.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/bitcoin-keyboard.jpg)
How to Make Money from Bitcoin Faucets [Update]
Bryan Chaffin has been using Bitcoin faucets for years, shares everything he’s learned about making the most out of them. [Updated with new information.]
Moo.do Premium 1-Year Subscription:
We have a deal on Moo.do Premium, a service designed to turn Gmail into a task management system. A one year subscription through us is $19.99.
ZeroLemon JuiceBox 20100mAh USB Type-C Portable Charger: $64.99
We have a deal on the ZeroLemon JuiceBox 20100mAh USB Type-C Portable Charger. This beast can charge all of your devices, including iPhones, iPads, and even USB-C MacBook models. You can charge it with a USB-C cable, or buy an optional standalone charger. It’s $64.99 through our deal.
Apple Releases macOS High Sierra 10.13 Supplemental Update to Address Security Flaws, Bugs
The update fixes two important security flaws, one of which was just recently publicized and three relatively minor bugs in macOS High Sierra.
Watch the Apple Music Trailer for 'Bang! The Bert Berns Story'
Apple Music is premiering Bang! The Bert Berns Story on October 24th. Bert Berns is one of the biggest names in music most of us have never heard. He was a record producer and songwriter, writing or cowriting songs such as “Twist and Shout,” “Piece of My Heart,” “Under the Boardwalk,” “I Want Candy,” and one of my 60s favs, “Hang on Sloopy.” There are many more, and he was one of those behind-the-scenes people who had a huge impact on rock and R&B as those musical forms emerged in the 1960s. Oh, and he was apparently involved with the mob, something I didn’t know. The documentary is being narrated by Steven Van Zandt with lots of historical footage and interviews with artists he worked with or recorded his music. Even Dobby has something to say. Or maybe that’s Keith Richards. Hard to tell any more. In any event, I can’t wait to watch it.
Apple's iTunes Decisions, Apple Music Plans, the Need for LTE, More - ACM 431
In Episode 431, Bryan and Jeff dig into four topics, and they didn’t even run late. They discuss Apple’s App Store-ectomy from iTunes, Jimmy Iovine’s plans for Apple Music, FM radios in our iPhones, and whether or not Jeff is going to regret not getting LTE in his new Apple Watch Series 3.
You Can Still Redeem App Store Download Codes in iTunes 12.7 on Mac
Bryan Chaffin found out when he plugged a code into iTunes just to see what happens, and it worked!
Apple Tests Files and Directory Entries API and New Encryption in Safari Technology Preview 41
This release tests out the Files and Directory Entries API, as well as a new encryption scheme called Elliptic Curve P-521.
Private Internet Access VPN: 2-Yr Subscription
We have a deal on a 2-year subscription to Private Internet Access VPN. We haven’t tested their privacy claims yet, but for those interested in a VPN, this might be a good deal for you. The deal is for $59.95.
60 Mac Tips, Volume 2 from David Sparks and Brett Terpstra
David Sparks and Brett Terpstra launched 60 Mac Tips, Volume 2 on Tuesday. Part of the MacSparky Field Guide series, the new project offers more tips built on the release of Volume 1. They’ve released the book on iBooks with 60 screencasts and two hours of video, or you can get a video-only version on Vimeo. The video below includes an introduction and some free tip excerpts from the book. Subjects include: Siri for the Mac, using the keyboard, Spotlight, Automator, Safari, Mail, Apple Notes, Apple Photos, Terminal Tips, and third-party apps. It’s $19.99 on iBooks, and is available today. The Vimeo version can be purchased through the MacSparky site.