It looks like a normal ballpoint ink pen, and it is, but hidden away in Bond-esque, spy gadget-fashion is a built-in 1,000 mAh battery with a Lightning connector, a 16GB USB flash drive, and a stylus attachment that lets you go from paper to touchscreen. 

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Filed under: Reviews Tagged: Beyond Ink, pen, stylus

There’s a nice GarageBand for OS X update out now awaiting Mac users. GarageBand 10.1.1 on the Mac gains the ability to work with Apple’s other music-related iPhone and iPad apps, plus the update adds over 2,600 new Apple Loops and sounds to work with, Apple says.

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Filed under: Apps, Mac Tagged: GarageBand

Twelve South today has unveiled their new TimePorter travel tote and portable charging stand for the Apple Watch. The TimePorter case resembles a premium eyeglass case, and includes space to hold the Apple Watch charging cable, extra Watch bands, and the USB charger. The case also doubles as a charging stand and Apple Watch display when opened up.

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Filed under: Apple Watch Tagged: Apple watch, TimePorter, Twelve South

Keep up with the best gear and deals on the web by signing up for the 9to5Toys Newsletter. Also, be sure to check us out on: Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook, Google+ and Safari push notifications.

TODAY’S CAN’T MISS DEALS:

Beats Solo2 Wired On-Ear Headphones (multiple colors) $90 shipped (Orig. $200), more

Digits, the calculator for humans on iOS is now available for free (Reg. $4)

Add Bluetooth to nearly any speaker w/ the Mpow Streambot Mini for $14 Prime shipped

Apple Deals:

Apple iPad Pro 12.9-inch Wi-Fi 128GB in all colors: $760 shipped (Reg. $949)

Apple 12-inch Retina MacBook 1.1GHz/8GB/256GB: $990 shipped (Reg. $1,299), more

Apple 15-inch Retina MacBook Pro (Newest Version) 2.2GHz/16GB/256GB: $1,600 shipped (Reg. $1,999)

Apple TV 4th gen: 32GB $109 (Reg. $149), 64GB $154 (Reg. $199) w/ VISA Checkout

What if I told you that you could get a great Apple Milanese Loop knockoff for a tenth of the price ($16 Prime shipped)?

Apple Watch 42mm Space Gray Milanese Loop Band + Aluminum Dock: $27 Prime shipped (Reg. $35)

Cut the Rope Time Travel for iPhone and iPad goes free for the very first time (Reg. $1)

Brothers A Tale of Two Sons iOS puzzle-adventure game gets its first price drop: $2 (Reg. $5)

Transistor action RPG for iOS matching its lowest price ever: $3 (Reg. $10)

App Store Free App of the Week: CHOMP interactive storybook goes free for the first time ($3 value)

Apple offers Day One 2 iOS journal app for free ($10 value)

MORE NEW GEAR FROM TODAY:

Audio-Technica’s best selling ATH-M50x studio headphones + FiiO A3 amp $130 shipped ($180+ value)

• Smartphone Accessories: GOOLOO Car Jump Starter Power Bank $64 (Reg. $100), more
• Daily Deals: Sony Portable Bluetooth Speaker w/ AirPlay $160, more
• LEGO Deals: Big Bang Theory Living Room $46, Minecraft Ender Dragon $49, more
• Onkyo’s 4K A/V Receiver and 5.1-Ch. Speaker bundle for $300 shipped (Reg. $400)
• Games/Apps: Assassin’s Creed Syndicate $30, iOS freebies more
• Mojang reveals 27 new skins for Minecraft Story mode, here’s how you can get them for free
• Browse reddit like a boss with a free 3-month gold membership upgrade ($12 value)
• Amazon Gold Box – Reebok running shoes 50% off: Men’s Crossfit Nano Pump Shoe $70, more

PNY 480GB 2.5-inch Internal Solid State Drive: $100 shipped (Orig. $150) wp.me/p1xTlR-PQv https://t.co/2rDIRZxTfG

—
9to5Toys (@9to5toys) April 07, 2016

MORE DEALS STILL ALIVE:

iPhone SE and Galaxy S7/Edge cases in a variety of styles/colors from $3 shipped

Walmart launches iPhone SE $100 discount, other Apple/Samsung devices too!

Smartphone Accessories: Bose SoundLink Bluetooth Speaker III $249 shipped (Reg. $300), Aduro 2-Outlet USB Surge Protector $10, more

• Storage: WD My Passport Ultra 1TB USB 3.0 Portable HDD $50 (Reg. $60), more
• Learn to build amazing apps with the Apple TV Developer Course: $19 (Orig. $199)
• Buy 3 accessories, save 20%: iPad Pro Keyboard $143, Apple Pencil $87, more
• Aukey Aluminum USB-C Hubs w/ Prime shipping: 7-ports for $19 or 4-ports for $8
• Google Nexus 5X 16GB now just $230 shipped (Reg. $349)
• Discounted fans: Vornado 660 Whole Room Air Circulator $82 (Reg. $100), more
• Green Deals: 25% off Natural Magnetic Wooden Block Sets from $24, more
• Free Small Fry and Drink with the purchase of an Arby’s Sandwich!
• Grab a free Kindle download of Jane Austen’s ‘Mansfield Park’ w/ Audible Narration
• You can now live stream an MLB game every day for free courtesy of Yahoo
• Home Theater: Pioneer 4K 3D AirPlay A/V Receiver $400, more
• UE BOOM 2 Waterproof Bluetooth Speaker in all colors: $150 shipped (Reg. $200)
• T-Mobile offering $200 off any iPad when you buy an iPhone on installment plan
• Green Deals: Collapsible Solar Lantern $14, more
• Start programming with the ‘Learn Python 3.0 Visually’ Kindle eBook for $1 (Reg. $10)
• The classic-style Doom and Destiny RPG games drop to just $1 each on iOS (Reg. $3 ea)
• Game Dev Story for iOS now matching its lowest price ever: $1 (Reg. $5)
• iTunes gift cards w/ free email delivery: $100 for $90, $50 for $45, more (10% off)
• Amazon Fire TV 4K Streaming Media Player $85 (Reg. $100), more
• Amazon is giving Prime members up to 3 magazine subscriptions for free: Wired, GQ, more
• Green Deals: Etekcity 3-pack of Remote Outlet Switches $17 (Reg. $25), more
• Browse the web anonymously: $60 (Orig. $80)
• Samsung 48-inch Smart UHDTVs: 3D 120Hz $925 (Reg. $1,200+), Curved 60Hz $629 (Reg. $830)
• Here’s how you can get a 90-day membership to BJ’s Warehouse for free
• Final Fantasy XV gets a new playable demo, now available for free on PS4 and Xbox One
• Green Deals: WORX WG156 2-in-1 Electric Trimmer/Edger $80 shipped (Reg. $107+), more
• Kindle First eBook freebies for April: Golden Age, The Secret Healer, Blood Defense, more
• Google Play Metal Albums for $0.99: Trivium’s Silence In The Snow (Orig. $11), more

Buy a refurbished Apple AirPort Express Wi-Fi router w/ 1-yr warranty for $49 shipped (Orig. $99)

NEW PRODUCTS & MORE:

Ryobi’s new Ultra Quiet Garage Door Opener has a Bluetooth speaker and more

• Roku introduces a new quad-core streaming stick with a slimmed down design
• Apogee releases its most affordable full-featured Mac recording interface yet
• The Yecup 365 travel mug uses your iPhone to heat or cool your drink
• ROAM-e follows you around in the sky and takes selfies on demand
• Sprint customers can now (but probably shouldn’t) pay monthly for Amazon Prime
• Seagate unveils the “world’s first” USB-powered 8TB desktop hard drive
• Sony’s new RX10 III digital camera goes big with a 24-600mm lens and 4K capabilities
• Unboxing the awesome, pricey C-3PO and Stormtrooper Bluetooth speakers [Video]
• QWERKYWRITER is a mechanical Bluetooth keyboard that takes us back to simpler times
• Build an Alexa-enabled device using a Raspberry Pi
• Review: Fitbit Alta pairs smart fitness tracking with a small and beautiful design
• The Kuvée smart wine bottle brings the Internet of Things to grapes near you
• This Kickstarter project allows up to 10 people wirelessly listen to nearly any source
• TCL’s new 4K Roku-enabled UHDTVs hit every price point
• The Tovala iOS-connected oven scans and automatically prepares your dinner

Filed under: Tips and Tricks Tagged: 9to5Toys, Amazon, app deals, Beats Solo2, Best Buy, Daily Deals, Digits, free apps, Gold Box, headphones, Mpow Streambot Mini, on-ear, the calculator for humans, video games, Wired

It has been widely speculated that the method used by the FBI to access the San Bernardino iPhone might not work with phones that have the Secure Enclave, and this has now been effectively confirmed. FBI director James Comey told CNN that the method doesn’t work with the latest iPhones.

The FBI director also said the purchased tool worked only on a “narrow slice of phones” that does not include the newest Apple models, or the 5S.

This fact also lends support to the main theory about how the hack was performed …

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Filed under: iOS Devices Tagged: Apple vs FBI, Encryption, FBI, Security

It’s been almost 18 months since Reddit acquired the rights to the popular Alien Blue iOS app, stating then that it would be rebranded as an official client, but Reddit: The Official App finally made it to the App Store today.

With the official Reddit app, you can:

• Browse all of Reddit, wherever you are
• Search and discover communities by topic or interest
• Submit your own comments, images, links, and stories for others to view and discuss
• Customize Reddit with themes (including night theme)
• View in either compact view or card view
• Stay up to date with your orangereds with Inbox: messages, comment replies, post replies, and mentions … 

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Filed under: Apps Tagged: Alien Blue, Reddit, Reddit Gold, Reddit iOS app, Reddit iPhone app

The White House will not be supporting draft legislation that would allow courts to force tech companies like Apple to help law enforcement hack into encrypted devices, reports Reuters.

The Senate Intelligence Committee in February announced plans to impose criminal penalties on companies that fail to comply with court orders like the one challenged by Apple and finally withdrawn by the FBI. Remarks by President Obama last month appeared to suggest he would support the proposed legislation, but it now appears this isn’t the case …

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Filed under: AAPL Company, iOS Devices Tagged: Encryption, FBI, Obama, President Obama, privacy, San Bernardino, White House

Until today, the only way to get a premium Apple Watch Hermès band was to buy the band and watch together from the Apple Store, or buy a very-similar (and cheaper) knockoff band and pretend it is genuine. It was also only offered in one color, fauve brown. That is all about to change however. Apple has announced that it will soon start selling Apple Watch Hermès bands standalone and in several new colors.

Soon, customers will be able to buy Double Tour, Single Tour and Cuff bands separately in fauve brown, feu red, blanc white, bleu paon green and blue saphir blue shades. The new bands will be available from April 19, 2016 …

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Filed under: AAPL Company, iOS, iOS Devices, Tech Industry Tagged: Apple, Apple watch, colors, hermes, iOS

Just over a week ago, the FBI revealed that it had successfully unlocked the iPhone 5c used by one of the San Bernardino gunmen without the help of Apple. To this day, the FBI has not publicly disclosed the method it used to gain access, and it’s unclear if it ever will. The National Journal, however, reports today that the FBI has been briefing members of the Senate on how it was able to gain access to the locked iPhone.

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Filed under: AAPL Company Tagged: DOJ, FBI, iPhone 5C, Security

After resisting the temptation for several months, I finally broke down this week and bought an Apple Pencil. I purchased the initial iPad Pro back in November when it first came out, but sold it and switched to the 9.7-inch model last week, and so far I’ve been very happy with that choice. Figuring that I’ll probably stick with this size iPad Pro for at least a year, I decided the Apple Pencil would be a worthwhile investment. And I was right.

I was skeptical of the Apple Pencil when it was first announced, as I assumed it would just be the same as the tacky styluses third-parties had been making for years, but after using it I’ve realized just how wrong I was. The thing that I noticed very early on in my time with the Apple Pencil though, was how crazy good the palm rejection is. Writing with an Apple Pencil on an iPad Pro is nearly as easy as writing on actual paper. As a student, this is a huge factor for me when it comes to note taking, so I decided to dive a little deeper into the apps on iOS that are made for taking notes and are optimized for iPad Pro. Here are some of the ones I would recommend…

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Filed under: Apps, iOS Devices