The Skyhour App Lets You Gift Air Travel By The Hour (on 350 Airlines)

Check out the Skyhour app, an innovative way to gift air travel—by the hour. And it works with more than 350 airlines. Every hour costs $60, and you can send your gift via the app itself, email, SMS, or even in person. The giftee then books the flight through their own copy of the Skyhour app. Seriously, that’s just crazy cool. It lets your recipient decide where they want to fly, when, and on what airlines. In an age of security-related hassles when it comes to buying flights for someone else, this seems pretty darned clever. JetBlue has apparently taken an investment stake in the company, too, suggesting Skyhour has legs. Or wings, or something.

ToasterFridges Yay or Nay, Attention to Detail, and Orville - Pop.0 16 [Video Podcast]

In episode 16 of Pop.0, Bryan Chaffin and John Kheit discuss the pros and cons of “toasterfridges” in light of advancements from Apple and Microsoft. They also ask whether anyone at Apple is still paying attention to details. Venturing into the pop part of the show, they talk about Orville and Star Trek Discovery. If you enjoy it, please subscribe. (WARNING NSFW: PROFANITY & RANTS)

LEGO Women of NASA Kit Coming on Nov 1

LEGO is celebrating women’s contributions to modern science and space flight with a new set called Women of NASA. The kit was designed by science writer and editor Maia Weinstock, and chosen from LEGO’s Ideas fan-submitted projects. It includes Margaret Hamilton and Apollo Guidance Computer code books, Nancy Grace Roman and the Hubble space telescope, along with Sally Ride and Mae Jemison and the Space Shuttle Challenger. The vital role women play in scientific discovery and space flight is horribly underrepresented so it was awesome seeing this kit get the thumbs up in the Ideas program, and now get an official launch date. Woman of NASA includes 231 pieces and will be available on November 1st for US$24.99.

macOS Sierra 10.12 Installer Download Still Available on Mac App Store

During this week’s Mac Geek Gab 679 we discussed how many people have emailed us asking for a macOS Sierra 10.12 installer download link… and no one can seem to find one. Searching the Mac App Store yields nothing and, thus far, there’s no Apple knowledgebase article with a link to it (Update: that KB article now exists). MGG Listener “Kirk van” came to the rescue with this Mac App Store download link to the macOS Sierra 10.12.6 Installer.

3D Printed Moon Light Lamp Looks Like the Moon

I’m newly obsessed with the Moon Light. It’s a 3D printed lamp that looks like the Moon when it’s lit up. Interestingly, it doesn’t look much like the Moon when it’s not lit. There are tons of videos on YouTube from folks, and those videos look pretty much like the company’s promotion pics. It has a warm light and cool light mode, and you can the light and intensity with a touch. It recharges via a USB port, too. It comes in multiple sizes, with the smallest—3.5-inches—coming with a ceramic hand for a base. The larger sizes, up to 7.3-inches in diameter, come on a wooden base. That largest model is $79.99 on TheApolloBox, but I found it on Amazon for $45.99. The 5.7-inch model is $29.99 on Amazon. It’s pretty cool!

Apple Already Patched KRACK Hack in iOS, tvOS, watchOS, macOS

Apple has already patched against the KRACK hack in iOS, tvOS, watchOS, and macOS. iMore publisher Rene Ritchie tweeted that Apple confirmed all four OSes have been patched against the threat. In a separate piece, the site noted that Apple’s AirPort base stations have also been patched against KRACK. The flaw, called Key Reinstallation attack (KRACK) takes advantage of a flaw in the WPA2 standard that lets an attacker decrypt the data flowing through the wireless network. As noted in TMO’s Daily Observations on Monday, Aruba and Ubiquiti enterprise servers have also been patched. TMO‘s Dave Hamilton explained in that episode how router makers are very motivated to get this issue patched, and that firmware updates are in the works at most major manufacturers.

Stranger Things Season 2 Final Trailer is Off the Hook

Stranger Things Season 1 was amazing, and if the final trailer for Season 2 is any indication we’re in for an awesome ride. It looks like the Upside Down isn’t done with Will yet, everyone in Hawkins is in danger, and Eleven is even more bad-ass than before. Stranger Things Season 2 is a Netflix original series premiering on October 27th, just in time for Halloween. How appropriate.

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)

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.

Latest Star Wars: The Last Jedi Trailer is 2 Minutes of Awesome

Star Wars: The Last Jedi is getting closer every day, and with a new trailer out December 15th can’t get here quick enough. We get some BB-8, Rey, Finn, Poe, Kylo, Chewie and his pet Pikachu, plus Luke and Leia. We also get new AT-AT and TIE Fighters, plus epic space battles and light sabers. That’s all in two and a half minutes. Check out the trailer and get ready to be inappropriately excited for the movie.

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.

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.

Apple Spotlights Portrait Lighting on iPhone 8 Plus with 'Portraits of Her' [Video]

Apple has a new spot called Portraits of Her to promote Portrait Lighting on iPhone 8 Plus. Portrait Lighting is a new software effect on iPhone 8 Plus that allows you to drastically change lighting on photos shot using Portrait Mode. In Portraits for Her, Apple uses a haunting (and beautiful) song called “This Strange Effect” by The Shacks for a soundtrack. The company also had the unnamed actress in the piece lip-syncing the lyrics as she walked through the city, something I don’t recall in another Apple spot. I like this commercial. The music, the camera shots, and the pacing are all lovely, and it’s another good example of Apple showing us a concept (Portrait Lighting) without doing an explainy spot. I’d love to know your thoughts.

Moment Selfie Drone: Amazing 4K Aerial Photography

A new drone has recently launched its Indiegogo campaign, and I managed to get my hands on one. I’ll have a full review of it later. Simply put, this is one of the coolest selfie drones I’ve found. The Moment Selfie Drone truly is a terrific 4K aerial photographer. You heard right — this drone records 4K video. It offers automatic takeoff and landing, and automatic hovering at a specific altitude. You control the Moment with your smartphone. The drone even has a GPS receiver embedded within it. That means if you set it up right, you can enjoy one-touch return to home and land. The app is quite easy to use, and the video it captures is amazing. The follow-me feature works well, and the drone is powerful enough to handle a bit of wind. Check out the video I recorded with Moment (and then edited with Enlight Videoleap).


iStat Menus 6 Adds Notification Center, Notifications, and More

Bjango announced iStat Menu 6 Monday. This is a must-have Mac utility for me and other members of the TMO staff, and the new macOS High Sierra-friendly version adds several new features. First, are notifications based on CPU, network use (!!), disk, battery, weather, and other events. There’s also a new Notification Center widget that gives you a great snapshot view of your Mac’s goings on. There are new color and theme options, and you can rearrange the order in dropdown menus, too. It’s a solid upgrade. Speaking of which, upgrades from previous versions are $9.99, while new licenses are $18. There are family packs available, too.

OWC Intros USB-C Travel Dock with HDMI, SD Card Reader

OWC has a new USB-C travel dock out that’s loaded with ports to make your tech life easier on the go. The OWC USB-C Travel Dock includes two USB 3.1 Gen 1 type A ports, HDMI capable of driving a 4K display, an SD card reader, plus a USB-C power port that can charge Apple’s 13-inch MacBook Pro. It’s available in silver, space gray, gold, and rose gold at the Macsales website for US$49.99.

3D Touch Multitasking Coming Back in Future iOS 11 Update

Adam Zahn, a reader of MacRumors, sent an email to Craig Federighi asking about 3D Touch multitasking. This was a feature that Apple added in iOS 10. It lets iPhone users quickly open the app switcher on iOS by 3D Touching the left edge of the screen. Before this, you had to double-press the home button in order to switch between apps. Adding a 3D touch feature put less strain on the home button, even though the iPhone 7/7+ removed movable button parts. It was still a nice option to have, and I’m glad Apple is bringing it back. Adam’s email saidCould we at least make the 3D Touch app switch gesture an option in iOS 11 so that I could retain the ability to switch apps that way instead of having to double tap the home button? Craig’s response was: Hi Adam, We regretfully had to temporarily drop support for this gesture due to a technical constraint. We will be bringing it back in an upcoming iOS 11.x update.

Craig Federighi's Face ID Q&A on Conan O'Brien

Conan O’Brien has the unaired footage of Craig Federighi’s Face ID Q&A session with audience members at this week’s iPhone X launch event, and by “footage” we mean “opening sketch for the Conan Show.” The questions are absolutely fantastic and exactly what you’d expect from random audience members. It’s also a great example of just how mainstream Apple, the iPhone, and Apple’s media events have become. The video is just over a minute and a half long and worth checking out.

Check out this Tilt-Control Racing Game for iOS

GRID Autosport is coming to iOS (and Android, if that’s your jam). This is racing game, and the iOS trailer looks amazing. It’s being developed for mobile by Feral Interactive. We don’t have a lot of details yet, but the company noted in the comments on YouTube that it will have a career mode, just like the original console version. GRID Autosport will be a tilt-and-touch game. What do you think?