There’s a new company called Absorbits tackling the problem of wet iPhones and other smartphones. The company’s self-titled products is a sleeve designed to draw moisture out of a wet device. It’s reusable, comes in four colors, and is a DIY solution for drying your iPhone for $9.99 through Amazon. I haven’t tested it yet, but will should I dunk my iPhone in the future.
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
Apple Seeds tvOS 11 Developer Beta 9 (15J5378a)
Thursday’s release accelerates an already accelerated release cycle, as the last developer beta for tvOS 11 hit on Monday of this week.
Apple Releases iOS 11 Developer Beta 9 (15A5370a)
Apple has the pedal to the metal on iOS 11, as it released the second developer beta in a week: iOS 11 Developer Beta 9 (15A5370a).
Apple Sends Media Invites for September 12th 'Let's Meet at Our Place' Event
The date of the event is in keeping with rumors, and Apple is expected to announce new iPhones, Apple Watches, Apple TVs, and possibly the WWDC-teased iMac Pro.
The Storyteller's Must-Have Mac Bundle: $29
We have a bundle of apps called the Storyteller’s Must-Have Mac Bundle. It features seven Mac apps from Mariner software, including StoryMill, Narrator, Mariner Writer, Contour 2, Montage, Persona, and MacJournal, all for $29.
Tim Cook’s Political Junket and Amazon’s Master Plan for Alexa - ACM 426
Is Tim Cook running for President? Bryan and Jeff take a look at his recent higher public profile and the political junket he seemed to take through the midwest. They also talk about Amazon’s recent improvements to Alexa and how they fit in with the company’s master plan for the platform.
New Carpool Karaoke Trailers from Apple Music Turn to Sports
Throughout its existence, Carpool Karaoke has featured excellent singing, but fans of these athletes won’t have to worry about that in these trailers.
Data Rescue 4 for Mac: $49
We have a deal on Data Rescue 4 for Mac, a data recovery utility. It can recover files from crashed hard drives, cameras, and more. It’s $49 through us.
Apple Adds Augmented Reality Best Practices to Developer Guidelines
Apple offers these guidelines so that developers can meet the company’s expectations and also make the most out of their apps.
Apple Releases Developer Guidelines for Making In-App Purchases in the App Store for iOS 11
One of the marquee features in the revamped App Store in iOS 11, the guidelines instruct developers on how to code their in-app purchases to be displayable and purchasable directly on the App Store.
Dual Magnets, Dual Pivots, and the Ability to Attach Your Phone to Just About Any Surface
We have a deal on the ClutchIt Double-Sided Magnetic Phone Mount. The video below is the company’s crowdfunding pitch, and they successfully brought the device to market. It has dual magnets and dual pivots, and is designed to attach to any metallic surface or “nearly any surface with metal plate pads.” It’s $29.95 through us.
You Won't Believe How Real This Food Looks in an ARKit Demo Video
Check out this ARKit demo for a menu app called Kabaq. The idea for the app is that a restaurant builds their menus to show customers what their food would look like on the plate in front of them. And wowza, does it look real! At least in this demo video. AppleInsider found it, along with another great ARKit video, and they noted the developers see cookbooks using their technology, too. Either way, it’s a much more practical application of augmented reality (AR) than the games that have dominated early exposure so far. This app is made possible by ARKit in iOS 11, which is expected to ship in September.
CleanMyMac 3: $27.99
We have a deal for you on CleanMyMac 3 the popular Mac maintenance utility app. You can get a single user license through us for $27.99, with 2-Packs and 5-Packs available, too.
Apple Seeds tvOS 11 Developer Beta 8 (15J5374a)
Along with iOS 11 developer beta 8, macOS High Sierra developer beta 8, Apple released tvOS 11 developer beta 8 (15J5374a) on Monday.
Apple Seeds watchOS 4 Developer Beta 8 (15R5371a) to Developers
Apple didn’t include patch notes for the release, but as with other operating systems in Apple’s developer beta program, each seed is a mix of bug fixes, tweaks, and various stages of feature rollouts.
Apple Seeds macOS High Sierra Developer Beta 8 Build (17A358a)
Apple is using each release to squash bugs, tweak the interface, and try different approaches in new features.
Apple Releases iOS 11 Developer Beta 8 (15A5368a)
Monday’s release continues an accelerated release cycle, as the last round of developer betas hit just one week ago.
iPhone 8's Price, The SciFi World of Twistron - TMO Daily Observations 2017-08-25
Bryan Chaffin and John Martellaro join guest-host Dave Hamilton to dig into whether the rumored price of Apple’s not-yet-announced iPhone 8 is too expensive. They also talk about the science fiction promise of a new material called Twistron. It’s super cool.
5-in-1 Clip and Snap Smartphone Camera Lenses: $17.99
We have a deal for you on the 5-in-1 Clip and Snap Smartphone Camera Lenses. It’s a kit with 5 camera lenses for your smartphone, and the holder clips onto your device. so it fits different smartphones, It’s $17.99 through us.
Tim Cook Is in Austin, Might Make an Augmented Reality Announcement
Funny enough, part of those rumors were quickly confirmed by Austin Mayor Steve Adler.
Apple Officially Announces Iowa Data Center, Pledges $100 Million for 'Public Improvement Fund'
The announcement comes just a couple of days after the project was first rumored, but it includes a kicker: a pledge of “up to” US$100 million to a “Public Improvement Fund.”
Apple's Titan Car Struggle, iPhone 8 vs. Samsung Galaxy 8 - TMO Daily Observations 2017-08-24
John Martellaro and Jeff Butts join guest-host Bryan Chaffin to talk about Apple’s perils an lessons in trying to make a car. They also discuss the perennial topic of whether this is the year when—finally—Apple can’t compete with whatever Samsung announced earlier in the year. (Spoiler: no, it’s not.)
These Are the Apple Pro App Versions Compatible with macOS High Sierra
Apple alerted some owners of its pro apps that older versions may not run on macOS High Sierra—here are the version numbers that will.
Clip On Smartphone LED Selfie Light: $10.99
Check out the Clip On Smartphone LED Selfie Light. It’s a ring of LEDs that fits in your pocket and clips on to your iPhone for taking a well-lit selfie. I’d have covered it as a Cool Stuff Found if we weren’t running a deal on it. Speaking of which, it’s $10.99 through us.
