As expected, the Apple Pay mobile payments service for the latest iPhone and Apple Watch models has gone live in Australia, where it is already Thursday. Apple Pay for apps is also available for devices without NFC, such as recent iPad models.

The service debuted earlier this week in Canada, following the late 2014 launch in the United States. Currently, the service is limited solely to American Express card users in both Australia and Canada. Apple is in talks to expand the service to more banks and cardholders in the future.

Apple’s website for Australia also notes that support for store cards and loyalty reward card for individual retailers is coming soon to the Australian version of Apple Pay. In addition to this week’s Canada and Australia launches, Apple has expanded support in the United Kingdom. Apple has said that, in partnership with American Express, Apple Pay will expand to Asia and more European regions in 2016.

Apple has also said that Apple Pay will soon expand to apps such as Kickstarter and The Fancy, while also coming to retail shops like Dominos and Cinnabon next year.

Filed under: iOS Devices

For more information about iOS Devices continue reading at 9to5Mac.

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Apple’s iPad Pro is finally here, but what makes it so special? Today we’re getting into our first impressions with the iPad Pro and figuring out if it’s worth the hype. The Happy Hour podcast is available for download on iTunes and through our dedicated RSS feed.

New episodes of Happy Hour are available every Wednesday. As mentioned, you can download this podcast via iTunes or plug in our RSS feed link into your favorite podcasting app. Send an email to listenermail@9to5mac.com (or click here) and your question/comment may be featured in an upcoming episode of Happy Hour.

Note: iTunes (web interface and app) may still be propagating the new episode which could take up to 24 hours. Subscribing to the podcast feed will guarantee the latest episode is downloaded.

Hosts:

• Zac Hall
• Benjamin Mayo
• Jeremy Horwitz

Here’s what we discussed in this episode:

• Opinion: Blame early software for iPad Pro’s weak work ethic, size for its awkwardness at play
• iPad Pro diary: It’s day seven, and decision time …
• iPad Pro’s keyboard has an annoying shift key bug, here’s how to fix it
• Review: Logitech’s Create for iPad Pro gets the backlit keyboard part right, but not the case
• Review: Zagg’s Messenger Universal is a smarter, cheaper iPad Pro keyboard and stand
• iPad Pro unboxing and impressions

Also, check out our iPad Pro unboxing and impressions video:

If you missed our 40th episode last week, you can subscribe and find every episode or start off from the previous episode here.

Remember: Subscribe on iTunes to catch all of the episodes as they go live and send in your questions/comments to listenermail@9to5mac.com.

Filed under: Happy Hour Tagged: Apple, Happy Hour, iPad, iPad Pro, Podcast

Continue reading more about Apple, iPad, and iPad Pro at 9to5Mac.

What do you think? Discuss “Happy Hour Podcast 041 | iPad Pro Impressions” with our community.

There’s a new software update awaiting Apple TV developers today. tvOS 9.1 beta 3 is now available for registered developers testing apps against the upcoming software update to Apple TV. The initial iOS 9.1 beta for developers was released a couple weeks ago, but no visual changes have surfaced yet aside from Siri support for Apple Music, which Apple promises will be available early next year for all Apple Tv 4th-gen owners.

While the new Apple TV runs the modern tvOS platform and has an App Store for games and many other types of apps, customers have highlighted incompatibility with Apple’s Remote apps for iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, and Apple Watch (where it’s built in). Bluetooth keyboards that are supported by Apple TV 3rd-gen and prior boxes aren’t yet supported by the new Apple TV either. Apple’s Podcasts app on earlier Apple TV models has also not yet made its way to the new box.

When it launches to the public, tvOS 9.1 will be the first big point update for the new Apple TV since it launched at the end of October. The very first software update for the new Apple TV, tvOS 9.0.1, was released with no visible changes in early November. That update likely includes bug fixes and performance improvements, although release notes for Apple TV updates weren’t presented during the update.

Thanks to the new Apple TV App Store, the biggest changes to the entertainment box comes in the form of new apps and services like Plex and other popular services and games.

Filed under: Apple TV, Developers Tagged: Apple TV, betas, Bluetooth, Bluetooth keyboards, Podcasts, remote, Siri, tvOS, tvOS 9.1

Continue reading more about Apple TV, Bluetooth, and Siri at 9to5Mac.

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Nomad is ending 2015 with a bang. Having moved from small plastic accessories into using luxury materials including metal, leather, and wood, Nomad is flexing its design muscles with four new Apple device chargers that are equally attractive and creative. There’s a deluxe metal Apple Watch/iPhone travel charger called Pod Pro, the wood-encased iPad battery pack PowerPlant, a hybrid iPhone battery and car charger named Roadtrip, and a Lightning battery-equipped leather Wallet. Three of the accessories look as if they were expressly designed to be holiday gifts, while the fourth is less exotic, but practical.

The common thread here is “portable power.” Pod Pro steps up from Nomad’s Apple Watch-only Pod (reviewed here) by more than tripling the power to 6,000mAh, and adding iPhone charging. PowerPlant packs an iPad-ready 12,000mAh cell inside a solid American Walnut wood block. Roadtrip serves as a car charger in your car, doubling as a portable iPhone battery pack for on-the-go use. And Wallet guarantees you’ll have a 2,400mAh battery and Lightning cable anywhere you go. Below, I’ll quickly walk through all of these new accessories so you can get a sense of whether any or all of them is right for you, or your favorite gift recipient…

Pod Pro

Out of all four of these accessories, the one that initially interested me the most was Pod Pro, Nomad’s bigger and better sequel to the early Apple Watch charging dock Pod. Featuring a clean circular design that resembles Apple’s just-released plastic Apple Watch Magnetic Charging Dock, both Pod models wrap a self-supplied Magnetic Charging Cable around a circular battery core. While Pod has an 1,800mAh battery that can recharge an Apple Watch around 3 times, Pod Pro’s 6,000mAh battery — and integrated Lightning cable — can be used either to keep your Apple Watch running for 9 days, or to refuel both your iPhone and Apple Watch on the road. It charges the iPhone at 1 Amp and the Apple Watch at 500mA.

In my testing, Pod Pro was able to deliver a 134% recharge to a power-hungry iPhone 6s Plus, as well as a 100% recharge to a 42mm Apple Watch — both notably Apple’s largest devices of their kinds. Nomad suggests that Pod Pro can recharge both an Apple Watch and an iPhone twice, and that’s true if you’re using a smaller iPhone and/or Apple Watch. You’ll come closer to a 2x charge with an iPhone 6 or 6s, and do even better with any iPhone 5-series phone. A small four-light indicator on the base is triggered with an adjacent button to let you know how much energy is remaining, and a micro-USB cable can be used to refuel Pod Pro’s battery.

Like Pod, Pod Pro looks and feels great. The gunmetal cap is solid, magnetically attaching to the plastic cable-wrapping and battery core, which has a large anti-slip rubber pad on the bottom. To hold the bigger battery, it’s larger — a 3.9″ diameter versus Pod’s 3.1″ — but the added size of the still puck-like shape doesn’t radically change its Apple Watch compatibility. You can place open-band Watches on its top, and either loop closed-band Watches (like the Milanese, shown above) around its bottom if you’re willing to risk scuffing. Tighter bands (including the Link Bracelet) may not fit that way.

The alternative is to follow the example set by Apple’s new dock, and pop the inductive charger puck out of Pod Pro’s top hole. To do this, you just need to feed your charging cable’s USB plug through Pod Pro’s gunmetal cap. I wouldn’t for a moment call this ideal, but it works if you’re using a closed band.

While Pod Pro isn’t cheap, it delivers much better value for the dollar than Apple’s Magnetic Charging Dock, as the materials, integrated battery, and Lightning charging option make it worth actually carrying around as a travel recharger for your Apple Watch and iPhone. Due to its capacity, I would personally pick it over the original Pod even if I was just looking to keep an Apple Watch running on the road, but go with the version that suits your budget and needs.

PowerPlant

Of all four accessories here, I have the least to say about PowerPlant, which is the simplest concept — albeit with the best name. Measuring roughly 5.9″ by 2.9″ by 0.6″, it’s a genuine wood box made from American Walnut, a design you’d be hard-pressed to find in other Apple device batteries. Decidedly rectangular but smooth, it houses a 12,000mAh battery with a 2.1A micro-USB input, twin 2.1A USB outputs, and a button to trigger a four-LED light panel on the top. The color of the box is a rich, attractive brown, accented by black and gunmetal plastics, with silver ink on the bottom for specifications and branding. A micro-USB cable is included to refuel the battery, which given the high capacity requires an overnight charging session.

During my testing, PowerPlant was able to deliver a 103% recharge to an iPad Air 2, which is 13% lower than the similarly 12,000mAh myCharge HubUltra I tested earlier this year. While that isn’t bad given that HubUltra sells for 10% more, it’s fair to say that 12,000mAh batteries are becoming much more common and affordable. The Aukey PB-N28 I reviewed is now selling for under $20, though it’s seriously low on frills; you’ll have to compromise on everything from power indicator lights to charging and recharging performance to use it. PowerPlant has the same capacity, but a much nicer presentation at a premium price. Speaking for myself, I’d sooner go with a metal-clad, more powerful, and less expensive option such as Anker’s PowerCore+ 20100, but if you love wood enough to wrap your external iPad battery in it, PowerPlant is a reasonable option.

Roadtrip

Like batteries, there are hundreds of car chargers out there, and very little innovation to distinguish them from one another. Built with an anodized aluminum face and soft touch rubber body, Roadtrip breaks from the pack in several ways. First, it’s the very rare car charger with both USB and USB-C ports; you supply the charging cable of your choice. Second, both ports can be used simultaneously, and though the packaging and web site differ on this point, Roadtrip delivers 3.0-Amps of total power, with 1.5A out per port. Third and finally, there’s actually a 3,000mAh battery inside, so when you’re done driving somewhere, you can pull it out of your car’s power outlet and carry it around for power. In my testing, the battery delivered a 75% recharge to my large iPhone 6s Plus; smaller iPhones will get a full recharge.

Depending on how much you drive — and how much you alternate between driving and walking — Roadtrip could either be extremely convenient or somewhat confounding. It strikes me as more practical than the only other dual-purpose car charger I can recall, Incase’s Car/Wall Charger, which awkwardly grafted wall blades onto a car charger years ago. If you drive to work — or drive then transfer to a train or subway to get to work — you can have a battery that’s ready to use anywhere throughout the day, then recharged by plugging it back into your car before you drive home.

The only question is whether you drive enough for your car’s power outlet to fully recharge Roadtrip between uses; Nomad notes that “it’s almost always 100% full and ready to use,” which will be accurate if it has two hours of collective time to recharge in your car, without an iPhone attached. When your iPhone’s attached, it will recharge the iPhone first, then itself, extending the spare battery’s charging time. Roadtrip is therefore best suited to commuters with long travel times, and other people who — as the name suggests — have long road trips ahead. It’s not for everyone, but those who need it will appreciate what it offers in a single, reasonably-priced enclosure.

Wallet

Last but certainly not least is Nomad’s new Wallet, which is the most distinctive item in this collection — and the one that has the most potential to become a breakout hit. Made from black Saffiano leather, Wallet was “tirelessly prototyped” until it could fit a 2,400mAh battery into a design that’s “true to the size of a standard wallet.” In person, Wallet looks bigger than the deliberately compact and awesomely minimalist Flipside Wallet I carry, but it’s around 2/3 the size of my iPhone 6s Plus, and not much larger than the leather wallets I used to carry around.

Nomad made some pretty smart choices when designing Wallet. The cash compartment is large enough to hold bills of any currency, and six visible card slots are augmented by two hidden compartments for business cards or other items. By placing the battery and pop-out Lightning cable in Wallet’s spine, Nomad manages to make its charging solution basically undetectable in a front pocket; the core is also fortified with aluminum to preserve the battery’s integrity, which could be an issue for people who sit on their back-pocketed wallets.

During testing, the compromises I noted were in power controls and capacity. In the name of streamlining, Wallet offers no button to trigger the four white LED remaining power indicators, or turn power on and off; it starts working when you plug it into your iPhone, and stops when you unplug it or run out of power, providing no way to check the power level without interrupting charging. You use a separate included micro-USB cable to recharge it, which would ideally take place on your nightstand while you sleep — keeping your wallet connected to your computer’s USB port mid-day is quite an unusual sight.

While I found Wallet’s look and feel to be pretty nice, its battery is the smallest in this group. During my testing, the 2,400mAh capacity was just able to completely fill an iPhone 5c — basically identical to the iPhone 5 — before becoming unable to charge further. So while Nomad promises a “full charge for your iPhone 6s,” that’s probably optimistic. In a separate test refueling the slightly larger-capacity iPhone 6, Wallet fell well short of a 100% charge, and Apple’s Plus models obviously demand even more energy. From my perspective, Wallet is best understood as a highly compact way to carry around at least a partial backup charge for any iPhone on the go, and so long as you don’t expect a complete recharge from the latest models, you’ll be satisfied with its performance.

More From This Author

Check out more of my editorials, How-To guides and reviews for 9to5Mac here! In recent months, I published a holiday gift guide for Apple photographers, and a lot of different topics of interest to Mac, iPad, iPhone, iPod, Apple TV, and Apple Watch users.

Filed under: General, iOS Devices, Reviews Tagged: Apple watch, Batteries, chargers, iPad, iPhone, iPod, Nomad, Pod Pro, PowerPlant, Roadtrip, wallet

For more news on iOS Devices, iPhone, and iPad continue reading at 9to5Mac.

What do you think? Discuss “Review: Nomad’s Pod Pro, PowerPlant, Roadtrip + Wallet wrap iPhone/iPad batteries in luxury materials” with our community.

Just a week after the last version, Apple has released iOS 9.2 beta 4 to testers for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. The first iOS 9.2 beta appeared alongside Xcode 7.2 beta in late October. We’ll dive into the latest beta and update with any changes we discover.

Included in the release up to this point has been an improved Safari View Controller for web links you open within other apps, support for AT&T’s new NumberSync feature for using your iPhone number on other connected devices, and Arabic language support with Siri for the first time.

For non-developers and users not using public beta versions, iOS 9.1 is the latest version of the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch software. Released last month, that update included more than 150 new emoji characters, improvements to Live Photos on iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, tweaked wallpapers, and more.

Public beta testers can also access the latest iOS 9.2 beta 4. The corresponding OS X 10.11.2 beta 4 hit the Mac App Store for developers and public beta testers yesterday.

Filed under: Developers, iOS Tagged: Arabic, betas, developers, iOS, ios 9.2, NumberSync, Safari View Controller, Siri, Xcode

For more information about iOS, iOS, and Siri continue reading at 9to5Mac.

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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.

Heads up! During Black Friday/Cyber Monday you’re going to have to follow us on Twitter to get the best deals since many sell out too quickly to post.

TODAY’S CAN’T MISS DEALS:

Bluetooth On-ear Headphones: SOL REPUBLIC Tracks Air $70 shipped (Reg. $100), more

Apple’s 12-inch MacBook w/ Retina display 1.1GHz/8GB/256GB (Gold): $1,149 shipped (Reg. $1,299)

Amazon’s Black Friday deals go live later this week w/ mobile shoppers getting extra perks

Top 5 ways to score the year’s best online Black Friday deals

10 can’t-miss deals for the holiday season: HDTVs, iPad Air 2, iPhone 6s, more

Apple Watch sale at Best Buy, $50 off across the board, starting at $299 shipped (Open box $278)

20% off iTunes Gift Cards: $100 for $80, $50 for $40, $25 for $20

Giveaway: mophie juice pack reserve battery case for iPhone 6/s (multiple winners)

MORE NEW GEAR FROM TODAY:

Black Friday Magazine Deals start now from under $4/yr: Wired, Popular Science, Dwell, Rolling Stone, GQ, ESPN, more

• Games/Apps: Nintendo 3DS XL Retro NES Edition $160, iOS freebies, more
• MacBook felt portfolio style sleeve: $12 Prime shipped (Reg. $17)
• Media: Holiday classics on Blu-ray/DVD from $4, more
• Daily Deals: Panasonic LUMIX Camera (DMC-ZS45) $90, 6700mAh Power bank $12,
• Beauty & Grooming Essentials up to 40% off: Braun Wet & Dry Electric Shaver $40

LG 34UC87C 34-inch Curved Monitor: $690 shipped (all-time low, Reg. $750+) wp.me/p1xTlR-JZ0 https://t.co/eeTstlUOGH

—
9to5Toys (@9to5toys) November 18, 2015

BLACK FRIDAY AD LEAKS & NEWS:

Best of Black Friday – Streaming Media Players: Apple TV 64GB $180, Roku SE $20, 2-Pack Chromecast (2nd gen) $50, more

Best of Black Friday – Smart Home: Nest Thermostat $250 + $50 GC, Philips Hue kit $130

Best of Black Friday – HDTVs: 40-inch from $149, Samsung 55-inch Smart $580 (Reg. $1,200), more

Best of Black Friday – iPads, Tablets and e-readers: iPad Air 2 from $360, Amazon Fire $35 (Reg. $50), more

Best of Black Friday – Games: Xbox One/PS4 console bundles, deep discounts on games, more

Best of Black Friday – wearables: Fitbit Flex $59/Charge $90/more, $100 off Apple Watch, Android smartwatches, more

Best Buy’s Black Friday ad brings deals on Apple Watch, Macs, HDTVs, games & more!

• Walmart’s Black Friday ad leak hits with 4K UHDTV deals, iPad Air 2 $100 off, more
• Target previews its top Black Friday deals, launches surprise one-day sale
• Staples Black Friday Ad Revealed: iPad Air 2 from $374, mini 4 $300, more
• Amazon plans dramatic Black Friday discounts for its Kindle, Fire TV Stick & Fire tablet
• Amazon’s Black Friday Deals store is now open for business
• eBay’s Black Friday and Cyber Monday will deliver deals on MacBooks, iPhone, iPad Air 2
• GameStop Black Friday ad leak: PS4/Xbox One bundles $300, new Nintendo 3DS XL $180
• Costco’s Black Friday ad includes deals on Chromecast (2nd gen), Fitbit Flex, more
• Toys R Us Black Friday ad leak: Xbox One/PS4 bundles $300, more
• Sam’s Club Black Friday ad leak: iPad Air 2 Cellular $175 off, Google Play $100 GC $80
• Kohl’s Black Friday ad leak: more PS4/Xbox One $300 bundles, home goods, clothing
• Sam’s Club One-Day Sale: iPhone 6s/Plus $100 off, iPad Air 2 64GB/128GB $150 off
• HHGregg Black Friday: Beats Powerbeats2 Wireless Headphones $100, more
• Sports Authority Black Friday Ad: Free gift cards w/ footwear, FitBit Charge HR $120
• eBay calls on Black Friday shoppers to decide which products will get discounted this year
• BJ’s Warehouse Black Friday ad hits with Samsung 4K UHDTV deals, fitness trackers
• Sears Black Friday Ad: deals on Samsung 4K UHDTV’s, more
• Black Friday ad leaks drop for Lowe’s, Menards, Cabela’s, and more
• Grab 2 free ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ tickets during Black Friday at Kohl’s
• The Office Depot & OfficeMax Black Friday ad doesn’t bring much to the table

Old Navy’s Black Friday ad is here! Massive storewide savings, men’s wool jacket $40, more wp.me/p1xTlR-JWS https://t.co/Nf10e86CjQ

—
9to5Toys (@9to5toys) November 18, 2015

MORE DEALS STILL ALIVE:

SanDisk Connect 32GB Wi-Fi Flash Drive for iOS/Android: $30 Prime shipped (Reg. $40)

App Store Free App of the Week: PDF Expert 5 goes free for the first time ($10 value)

Implosion – Never Lose Hope for iOS goes free for the first time as IGN’s Game of the Month ($10 value)

Hitman Sniper for iOS hits its lowest price yet: $2 (Reg. $5)

• Monitors: Dell 24-inch $240 (Reg. $275+), LG 34-inch UltraWide $400 (Reg. $460)
• 2-Pack SONOS PLAY:1 Starter Set for $349 shipped ($400 value)
• Apple MFi Certified 3.1A 4ft Coiled Lightning Car Charger $12 (Reg. $20)
• LG 43-inch HDTVs: Smart 4K + $150 Dell Gift Card $600 (Reg. $800+), more
• Jabra MOVE Wireless Bluetooth Headphones: $60 shipped (Reg. $100)
• Adobe Elements 14 w/ download: Photoshop as low as $40, Premiere $60
• Sony 7.2-ch. 4K AV Receiver w/ AirPlay and Bluetooth: $298 shipped (Reg. $400)
• Mackie CR4 4-inch Multimedia Monitor Speakers (Pair) $120 shipped (Reg. $150)
• GoPro HERO4: Silver (Prime only): $329 (Reg. $400), Black $395 (Reg. $500)
• Bluetooth: Venstart 10W Speaker $20 (Reg. $33), SoundPEATS In-ears $25 (Reg. $50)
• Shoe-up with with casual shoes and Boots 85%+ off at Amazon’s MyHabit
• iPhone 6/s 3100mAh MFi Apple-certified battery case: $21 Prime shipped (Reg. $43)
• Apple MagSafe 2 Power Adapters from $34 shipped (Reg. $79)
• 12-month EA Access subscription: $25 (Reg. $30)
• USB Deals w/ Prime shipping: Lumsing 10,400mAh Power Bank $13, more
• Nest Cam 3-pack bundle launching this week for $497 ($100 savings)
• Incase’s ‘Mystery Box’ gets you a $150 grab bag of Apple accessories worth $320
• LEGO locations to offer free build sets in-store with registration
• 44 comic issues for free: Batman, Star Wars, Spawn, The Walking Dead, and more

T-Mobile is discounting iPhone 6s/Plus by $100 when bought on an installment plan or outright

Huge savings on pre-owned Apple Watches, deals from as low as $261 shipped

Apple iPod Touch 5th gen 16-64GB sizes, multiple colors: $149-$199 shipped

Apple Magic Mouse 2 (open-box): $68 shipped (Reg. $80)

Apple iPad Mini 2, space gray or silver: $199 shipped ($70 off)

NEW PRODUCTS & MORE:

Pryme Vessyl skips the 8-cup rule for a user specific iPhone-connected recommendation

Mass Fidelity tries to solve virtual stereo sound with its new Core wireless speaker

• What Watch uses Bluetooth connectivity to tab the memorable moments of your life
• Pulse brings Bluetooth LE + iOS connectivity to a slew of Canon and Nikon DSLRs
• Roku surprises with a new “special edition” streaming media player
• Nintendo announces Zelda Twilight Princess HD remaster, more
• Mophie introduces new power banks with a sleek aluminum design
• Yuneec introduces its own stabilized 4K action camera

Filed under: Tips and Tricks Tagged: 12-inch MacBook, Amazon Black friday, Amazon Prime, Apple watch, Best of Black Friday, Black Friday, Black Friday deals, Black Friday HDTV deals, bluetooth headphones, coupon codes, Cyber Monday, Daily Deals, eBay Daily Deals, free, free apps, free shipping, gold macbook, HDTVs, itunes deals, Retina MacBook, sol republic

Check out 9to5Mac for more breaking coverage of Tips and Tricks, Apple watch, and Daily Deals.

What do you think? Discuss “9to5Toys Lunch Break: SOL REPUBLIC Bluetooth headphones $70, Gold MacBook $1,149, Black Friday guides, more” with our community.

During Microsoft’s Connect 2015 event today live from New York, the company announced it is open-sourcing its Visual Studio Code program for developers and in the process bringing its Visual Studio Emulator for Android to Mac users.

Microsoft first released the Visual Studio Emulator for Android for Windows users last year, but during its event today promised that Mac users will also soon gain access. The Visual Studio Emulator for Android is a tool within the full Visual Studio 2015 suite, which Microsoft brought to Mac users for the first time back in April. It offers Android devs an easy and free way to test and debug apps.

Microsoft has a sign-up form on its website that will notify Mac users when more info on the upcoming release becomes available. You can tune into Microsoft’s Connect 2015 event live here. The company is also announcing Visual Studio Dev Essentials, a program giving devs access to everything they need for building and delaying apps for free, and updates to Visual Studio cloud subscriptions. 

And the new open-source version of Visual Studio Code is on GitHub here.

Filed under: Apps, Developers, Mac Tagged: android emulator, coming soon, Connect 2015, GitHub, Mac, Microsoft, Open source, Visual Studio Code

Continue reading more about Apps, Mac, and Mac at 9to5Mac.

What do you think? Discuss “Microsoft’s Android emulator coming soon to Mac as it open-sources Visual Studio Code” with our community.

Tweetbot for Mac has learned a handy new feature with the latest update just released. Tweetbot for Mac now supports OS X’s full screen mode, including El Capitan’s new Split View feature that lets you run two full screen apps side-by-side. This works a lot like the split view multitasking features on the iPad Pro, iPad Air 2, and iPad mini 4. Tweetbot 2.2 also brings a few other changes to the Mac…

To access the new full screen and split view features, look for the green circle icon in the top left corner of the Tweetbot window. Like with other supported Mac apps, clicking the green circle once will put Tweetbot in full screen mode, taking up your entire display. If you use Tweetbot as a single column of your timeline, the window will stretch out and fill your whole screen. Full screen is especially useful when used with columns displaying lists and other timelines.

For me personally, split view is much more useful. When used on OS X El Capitan, holding the green circle on supported apps like Tweetbot and Safari will put the apps in a mode that takes up half your display, then lets you choose a compatible secondary app to run alongside it. By default, this puts each app in a 50:50 split unless one of the apps doesn’t support the minimum width. On smaller displays like the 12-inch Retina MacBook, running Safari with Tweetbot next to it as about 1/5th the display offers up extra screen real estate as the dock, menu bar, and other tool bars hide away.

In either full screen or split view, press escape or mouse over to the top right of either window to click the green maximize button again to exit the mode and return to the traditional view.

Here’s the full changelog, including a tweak that makes conversations read more like the updated iPhone and iPad versions:

What’s New in Version 2.2

– Fullscreen support and split screen support in 10.11
– Tweet details now show conversation and replies in the same order as Tweetbot 4 for iOS.
– Control-click on the fav button and fav from any of your accounts.
– Muted keywords can now optionally mute lists and searches.
– Various color changes to match Tweetbot 4 for iOS.
– Fixed an issue where “Find Users” when composing a tweet could end up with no results.
– Main menu: added Tweet > Share > Message Tweet and Open in Browser.
– Various bug fixes.

Tweetbot for Mac is available for $9.99 on the Mac App Store and requires OS X 10.10 or later. If you’re looking for a full-featured alternative to Twitter’s own Mac app before it’s promised refresh, Tweetbot is an easy recommendation for frequent Twitter users.

Filed under: Apps Tagged: full-screen, Mac, multitasking, social, Split View, Tweetbot, Twitter

Continue reading more about Apps, Mac, and Twitter at 9to5Mac.

What do you think? Discuss “Tweetbot for Mac now works in full screen and split view on OS X El Capitan” with our community.

Apple’s massive new iPad Pro is only available with built-in cellular connectivity in the pricey 128GB configuration, but all four of the major carriers in the US are offering the $1,079 tablet at discounts on contract or through installment plans. Here’s where you can find the iPad Pro 128GB + Cellular and how much you should expect to pay:

AT&T — Whether you’re picking silver, gold, space gray or you’re hoping to stumble upon another rare silver-gold hybrid, AT&T has you covered with iPad Pro 128GB + Cellular.

If you plan on using your iPad Pro with continuous cellular service for a full two years, you can commit to a 2-year contract and save $100, bringing the $1,079 tablet down to $979. If a $0 down monthly installment plan sounds better to you, AT&T is offering the cellular iPad Pro for that plus $54/month for 20 months.

Shipping may be a slight hiccup, though, as online orders are currently promising shipments between December 3 and December 17 depending on the color. Apple’s own shipments, however, range from December 1 to December 7 for cellular models.

Verizon — Similarly, you can choose between either a 2-year contract discount or a monthly installment plan on any color of iPad Pro 128GB + Cellular through Verizon.

A 2-year service commitment gets you a $100 discount again bringing the $1,079 iPad Pro down to $979. Prefer a monthly installment plan? Verizon is offering the iPad Pro to qualified customers for $0 down and $44.99/month for 24 months.

Verizon currently lists silver and gold iPad Pro models as shipping by Friday, November 20, while space gray models show shipping by December 4.

T-Mobile — iPad Pro 128GB + Cellular in space gray, silver, and gold is also available through T-Mobile now. T-Mobile customers can pick up the $1,079 tablet for $199 upfront and $36.67/month for 24 months with wireless service. You’ll also need a $15 SIM Starter Kit, but this is comparable to other carriers’ similarly priced activation fee.

T-Mobile doesn’t offer a $0 down installment plan or a 2-year contract like AT&T and Verizon, but T-Mo’s $199 down offer goes through Jump On Demand, which potentially lets you trade-in and upgrade your iPad Pro with flexibility if you plan on switching to different devices in the future.

T-Mobile’s website doesn’t list ship dates on iPad Pros before purchase, only breaking out iPhone delivery dates, but it does list the new larger tablets as backordered at checkout.

Sprint — Sprint customers can also get in on the iPad Pro action with all three colors offered. Like Verizon and AT&T, Sprint is offering both 2-year contracts and monthly installment plans for iPad Pro shoppers.

Sprint’s iPad Pro 128GB + Cellular on a 2-year contract goes for $979, $100 off the full $1,079 retail price. Using Sprint’s 24 month Easy Pay plan, qualified customers can pick up the iPad Pro for $200 down and $36.67/month for 2 years.

Sprint notes that leasing options aren’t available for the iPad Pro at this time, and doesn’t list shipping availability for any iPad Pros before checkout.

If you’re planning to keep cellular service with your iPad Pro, the 2-year contracts from AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint offer $100 off upfront, although the installment plans may make the pricey tablet purchase more flexible. Verizon seems to have the best ship dates for now with AT&T promising similar dates to Apple.

Not interested in a cellular iPad Pro or just want a discount without the carriers involved? 9to5Toys.com has also seen modest discounts through MacMall on all iPad Pro models. You’ll also want to bookmark our Black Friday ad coverage which includes iPad Air 2 from $360 and iPad mini 2 from $199.

Filed under: iOS Devices Tagged: AT&T, iPad, iPad Pro, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon

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The Link Bracelet band for Apple Watch is unique in the collection because you can actually take it apart to add and remove segments of the full bracelet to change the size. The new Space Black Link Bracelet Kit lets you buy six extra links for $49 that you can add onto the watch to extend the total length of the Space Black Link bracelet by 40mm, better fitting larger arms. Effectively, this allows the premium link bracelet band to fit wrists that are larger than 205 mm.

Apple launched a similar Link Bracelet Kit for the silver metal band in August, leaving space black owners waiting until today. Interestingly, although the Space Black Apple Watch band is more expensive than the Silver one, the cost of the replacement kits are the same. According to the Apple Store, orders today will ship Tuesday November 24th at the earliest — just in time for the holiday shopping season.

Filed under: Apple Watch Tagged: apple watch bracelet

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