Friday 5: Awesome paid Mac App Store apps [Video]
On this week’s edition of Friday 5, we explore several additional paid Mac App Store apps that I use on a regular basis. Apps include titles like Bumpr, which lets you choose the browser that links are opened in, along with Affinity Designer, a remarkably deep vector illustration app that can be had for an outstanding price.
9to5Toys Lunch Break: $350 off 12-inch MacBook, iPad mini 4 Wi-Fi 128GB $350, Apple Watch Bands from $9, more
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TODAY’S CAN’T MISS DEALS:
Best Buy 4-day Sale includes $100 off iPad Pro, $350 discount on MacBooks, more
Daily Deals: iPad mini 4 Wi-Fi 128GB $350, Logitech K830 Illuminated Keyboard $60, more
Save 30% on Apple Watch bands from Clockwork Synergy
Apple’s 13-inch MacBook Pro w/o Touch Bar $1,280 ($219 off, Tax NJ only)
Apple’s Touch Bar-equipped 13-inch MacBook Pro 512GB now $1,740 shipped
Apple’s entry-level 13-inch MacBook Air on sale for $750 shipped
Beats Powerbeats3 W1-enabled Wireless In-ear Headphones down to $130 shipped
BeatsX Wireless In-Ear Headphones go to $120 at Amazon and Best Buy
Beats Solo3 Wireless On-Ear Headphones $160
Duet Display for iOS/Mac goes 50% off: $10 (Reg. $20)
- Earn to Die 2 for iOS drops to lowest price in over a year at $1
- The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes on iOS now just $1
- App Store Free App of the Week: Cut the Rope Magic on iOS free (Reg. $1)
- Warbits iOS turn-based battle sim hits lowest price ever: $1 (Reg. $4)
Review: Pad & Quill’s Leather Roll Top Backpack has impeccable craftsmanship and style
9to5Rewards: SkylinkNet Plus Alarm System Starter kit [Giveaway]
MORE NEW GEAR FROM TODAY:
Sony 2.1 Channel Sound Base with Bluetooth and HDMI $118
- Margaritaville Frozen Drink Maker + Free Salt/Lime Tray $100 shipped
- SanDisk Ultra Fit 64GB USB 3.0 Flash Drive $16
- Soyan Leather and Fabric Sleeves for MacBooks from $7
- Logitech Pop Home Switch Starter Pack for $60 at Amazon (40% off)
- Samsung 55-inch 4K HDR Smart Ultra HDTV $900 ($200 off), more
- Breaking Bad: The Complete Series on Blu-ray for $35 (Reg. $90+) at Amazon
- Smartphone Accessories: Aukey SoundTank Bluetooth Speaker $33, more
- Symphonica all-wood natural acoustic speaker for iOS/Android devices
- Logitech Harmony Smart Control down to $70 (Reg. $99+)
- Games/Apps: Borderlands 2 Complete $12, Civ VI $30, iOS freebies, more
- Foxshot could be the lightest portable action camera for iOS
NEW PRODUCTS & MORE:
The Gamller controller won’t drain your iPhone battery and makes playing games a snap
VAUX makes Echo Dot portable, adds battery and external speaker
Knops are the volume control to your life
- GoPro provides details on upcoming Fusion spherical camera
- Cold War card game uses hidden messages to uncover double agents
- Mu tag is the world’s smallest item tracker
- The Mirabook turns your smartphone into a fully functional laptop
- Super Nintendo Classic Edition Console reportedly on the way!
- Fujifilm’s new hybrid camera is perfect for Instagram fanatics
- V-Moda Forza Metallo Wireless earbuds offer water-resistance
- Master & Dynamic’s MA770 speaker is housed in hand-finished concrete
- AOC brings new 40-inch Curved 4K Display stateside with a bevy of inputs
- Reservoir Dogs Bloody Days hits Steam next month + new trailer [Video]
- Play your favorite retro games with a Raspberry Pi-powered console
- DECCO is an iOS-connected monitor that sends alerts when your child opens a door
- Geneva’s Touring S DAB and Bluetooth Radio offers a precision aluminum design
- Crosley’s Limited Edition Star Wars Turntable drops on Record Store Day
- Bose unveils Revolve 360-degree Bluetooth Speaker made from solid aluminum
- PowerUp replaces your MacBook Pro charger and adds much more to the mix
- Candy Crush and Moschino release Jeremy Scott designed apparel collection
MORE DEALS STILL LIVE:
Lutron Caséta Smart Lighting Bundle w/ HomeKit support: $120 (Reg. $160)
Sony 75-inch 4K HDR Smart Ultra HDTV $2,899 shipped ($1,000 off)
Sony h.ear Wireless Noise Canceling Headphones back to $179 shipped
TP-Link Wi-Fi Smart Plug with Alexa control starting at $18
Sleep Cycle for iOS gains new snore detection feature
Sleep Cycle’s alarm clock app is already one way to do sleep tracking from your iPhone and log the data into Apple’s Health app. Now the latest update adds a new feature to Sleep Cycle that may offer insight into sleep quality: snore detection.
Happy Hour Podcast 116 | tvOS 11 rumors, iPad multi-user, Apple Watch NikeLab, and Earth Day challenges
This week Benjamin and Zac discuss new tvOS 11 rumors, the possibility of account switching on iOS, Nike’s newest Apple Watch, Apple’s Earth Day Activity Challenge, and their new lofty goal of making products from 100% recycled materials. 9to5Mac’s Happy Hour podcast is available for download on iTunes and Apple’s Podcasts app, or through our dedicated RSS feed for Overcast and other podcast players.
Leedarson plans HomeKit support & product line w/ new Gateway hub
Leedarson, one of China’s largest manufacturers and exporters of white labeled lighting products for companies like GE and others, will soon launch HomeKit support for a wide range of home IoT products. It’s also planning an entrance into the HomeKit space as its own brand, with a lineup of lighting, sensors, IP cameras and other home products planned for next year.
The company showed off the new products with HomeKit during IFA’s Global Press Conference in Lisbon this week ahead of the consumer trade show’s main event in September.
Review: Final Draft 10, the Mac app that aims to make light work of screenplay writing
Regular readers will know I’m a big fan of Scrivener, having used the app to write three novels, two novellas and a travel guide. But when I accidentally found myself working on a screenplay for a comedy series, I thought I’d try the industry-standard software for the job: Final Draft.
Final Draft comes highly recommended, used by all the top studios and praised by such screenwriting talents as Aaron Sorkin, James Cameron, JJ Abrams, Sofia Coppola and more. Ben Stiller said that ‘Final Draft is the only screenwriting software I have ever used, and it is the only one I ever will use.’
But priced at a hefty $250 for the Mac app and another $20 for the iPad companion app, it’s not a trivial investment for most of us. So what does it do to earn such praise and justify the cost … ?
Apple’s new Danish data center will supply heat to nearby homes, fertilizer to farmers
Apple’s commitment to environmental sustainability is well established, but the company is going one step further in its new Danish data center. In addition to powering the center entirely from renewable energy, the company is capturing the waste heat generated and feeding it into a district heating system, to warm local homes …
Review: Koogeek Smart Socket adapts your existing bulbs to work with HomeKit & Siri voice control
There are many ways to add HomeKit-connected lights to your home, allowing you to turn them and off from your phone at a tap or with your voice using Siri. You can buy special Philips Hue bulbs, change wall switches with Lutron or Elgato, or plug in lamps to a smart plug socket.
The Koogeek Smart Socket is a different approach to the same problem. It puts an adaptor between your existing light fitting and bulb. All you have to do is screw it in. Keep reading after the jump for my full hands-on …
iMessage add-on service used by White House staff sued for failing to prevent screenshots/photos
Confide, an app which bills itself as a totally confidential messaging service, is being sued for allegedly failing to live up to its security claims. Used by White House staff, the subscription-based service claims that its disappearing messages are proof against both screenshot and even being photographed …
iPhone ASP predicted to rise to $753 in 2018, as Apple readies premium-priced iPhone 8 for the fall
Analysts are expecting the price people will pay for an iPhone to rise significantly heading into next year. Apple analyst Katy Huberty from Morgan Stanley released a report (via BusinessInsider) predicting iPhone ASP to rise to $753 in 2018, up from $695 in the holiday quarter just gone.
Much of this increase is attributed to demand for the upcoming flagship iPhone model with an all-new design, OLED display and (almost) bezel-less front face. This ‘iPhone 8’ is rumored to cost significantly more than Apple’s current lineup. Huberty also notes that more people are buying the iPhone 7 Plus than ever before, which starts at $769 and is priced at a $120 premium relative to the 4.7-inch iPhones.