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Apps for iOS, macOS, tvOS, and watchOS power our modern world. 9to5Mac will update you on the latest news, review, and updates for all types of apps. “There’s an App for that”.

The term came became part of our vocabulary when Steve Jobs announced The App Store as part of the iPhone 2.0 software update in 2008.

Over the years, the term has become as common as kleenex for describing applications on all of our devices. Apple’s platforms have apps for just about anything from finance, banking, sports, social media, podcasting, music, and more. We have a guide for helping you discover the best ones as well. Apps are now on everything from our TV, to our smartphones, on our laptops, and all the way down to our wrists.

As new ones are released or existing ones have major updates, the team here at 9to5Mac will bring you the latest news and reviews. If you want to follow along with video footage, be sure to follow 9to5Mac on YouTube. Scroll down below our latest updates on all things relating to applications on iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, and Apple Watch.

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Google Maps SDK for iOS adds 64 bit support and more

Developers that are using Google’s Maps APIs to build iOS apps will be pleased with Google’s latest update to its Google Maps SDK for iOS today. Version 1.6 of the SDK brings one notable new feature for developers that are transitioning their apps to iOS 7’s new 64 bit architecture available for devices running Apple’s new A7 processor.

The SDK now fully supports 64-bit architectures with both the 32 and 64 bit binaries built into a single updated GoogleMaps framework. Google notes that “The correct binary will be selected by Xcode based on your build settings.”

Version 1.6 of the new Google Maps SDK for iOS also includes a few other new features including enhanced marker opacity and min/max zoom settings. A full list of what’s new and fixed is below:

Version 1.6 – November 2013

Download version 1.6.

Features

  • The Google Maps SDK for iOS now supports 64-bit architectures. Both 32 and 64 bit binaries are built into the single GoogleMaps framework. The correct binary will be selected by Xcode based on your build settings. For instructions on building 64-bit applications, please refer to Apple’s 64-bit transition guide. (Issue 5806)
  • Changed some instances of CGFloat to either a float or double where it was more appropriate.
  • Added the ability to restrict min and max zoom on GMSMapView. (Issue 5882)
  • Added opacity on GMSTileLayer and GMSMarker.
  • Core Animation on GMSMapView now requires model values to be set

Resolved issues:

  • Info windows and tappable regions now rotate correctly with markers. (Issue 5896Issue 5969)
  • Padding on a GMSMapView is no longer clamped to its bounds (useful if setting padding on an initially zero-sized map). (Issue 5864)
  • Copyright information now animates when changing GMSMapView size or padding.
  • Info windows are removed if their GMSMarker is removed from a GMSMapView. (Issue 5856)
  • My Location dot uses the last known location information when enabled. (Issue 5590)
  • Resolved two rare race conditions that were causing crashes. (Issue 5795)
  • Resolved an issue where retain cycles were causing memory leaks on GMSMapView and GMSPanoramaView.
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Twitter announces upcoming iPhone app update with new search filters (update: available now)

Update: the new version is available now.

Today Twitter has announced they will be updating their official app for iOS, making it easier to discover what is happening on the microblogging network. The update adds new search filters that allow you to quickly navigate to specific people and Tweets. The filters also allow you to toggle between all relevant Tweets and only the most popular “top Tweets.”

Filters will also allow you to filter by different media types, such as photos and videos. There’s also an option to see Tweets only from the people you follow. The update includes includes a new timeline in the Discover tab that makes it easier to see what’s currently trending. This trending timeline will show topics that are associated with nearby events and TV shows.


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Apple finally updates Find My Friends for iOS 7

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Apple has finally updated one of the last of its apps holding out for iOS 7: Find My Friends.

The social app stood out the most on iOS 7 with its leather stitching and real life paper map theme, but rest assured Apple has redesigned it with iOS 7 in mind.

The new update features transparency, lots of white space, and feels much lighter (which is refreshing if that’s your style). It also abandons the tab bar UI for a single view with sub menus.
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9to5Toys Last Call: TYLT power bank giveaway, Walmart BF ads match, LifeProof Nüüd, hard drive deals, Mac games, more

Be sure to follow 9to5Toys to keep up with the best gear and deals on the web: Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook, Google+

Today’s can’t miss deals:

TYLYT-powerplant-giveaway-9to5toys

Giveaway: TYLT Powerplant 5200mAh power bank w/ 30-pin cable ($75 value)

walmart-store-black-friday-9to5toysWalmart changes the game, will match Black Friday prices from competitors a week before Thanksgiving

lifeproof-ipad-nuud-deal-9to5toys

LifeProof Nüüd case for iPad $75 shipped (Reg. $130)

seagate-drive-deal
USB 3 Hard Drive roundup: 1TB Toshiba/Seagate $60, 3TB Seagate $100, 4TB $150more

COD-Mac-dealGame/App Deals: BioShock Infinite (PS3) $25 shipped, COD: Black Ops (Mac) $12.50, iOS freebiesmore

 

anker-2-4w-car-charger-deal1Anker Dual-USB 24W car charger: $9 (quick charge 2 iPads at once)

Other great deals from today:

The best deals that are still alive:

Black Friday:

New product announcements & reviews:

  • PlayStation 4 launches tonight at midnight, reviews from around the web
  • The best gets better: reVOLT 12W + 12W Dual USB Car Charger for iPod, iPhone and iPad $30 shipped

Yahoo Screen app and PBS arrive on Apple TV, free SNL, Daily Show, Colbert, live news & public TV now on the big screen

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Back in September Yahoo launched a new Yahoo Screen iOS app, a TV remote-like experience for browsing content from Yahoo and sending content to your TV via AirPlay. Today the company announced that it is launching the Yahoo Screen experience directly on the Apple TV.

Yahoo Screen on Apple TV helps you quickly find all the great video Yahoo has to offer —Saturday Night Live, The Colbert Report, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, live news and events, music and original Yahoo programs — so you can enjoy on your big screen.

The app appears to be a similar experience as the iOS app, allowing users to browse through content hosted on Yahoo across categories such as news, sports, food and entertainment and instantly stream content to their TV. Yahoo! has made new deals with Viacom that will bring content from Comedy Central and elsewhere, and it will also live stream original Yahoo programs, news, and live events. A few of the shows already available on Yahoo Screen include Saturday Night Live, The Colbert Report, and The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. You’ll also find content from MLB, UFC, The Onion, ABC News, Martha Stewart, and more.

The apps are being pushed out over the air to the Apple TV in the U.S. now, and we’ve also discovered that a new PBS channel has arrived today (pictured above). The app doesn’t require users to have a TV subscription to access content, but it does require users to sign in using Google+, Facebook, or the app’s registration in order to access PBS broadcasts for their location. The app doesn’t have live content, but it does have many of the network’s new shows shortly after they’ve aired.


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Yahoo Mail iOS app updated w/ ability to swipe through emails

The Yahoo Mail app for iPhone and iPad gets a small but nice update today. For anyone that uses the app, the inability to swipe left or right through messages, something you can do in most other popular mail apps, has been quite an annoyance. Today that changes with version 2.0.3 getting the functionality when viewing emails on iPhone and in full-screen mode on the iPad.

The update also includes stability enhancements and bug fixes.

What’s New in Version 2.0.3

– Easily swipe through messages: Swipe left and right to page through messages when reading messages on the iPhone and in full-screen mode on the iPad
– Bug fixes and stability improvements

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9to5Toys Last Call: LifeProof iPad mini giveaway, Logitech iPad keyboard cases, Seiki 4K UHDTVs, MacBook Air Haswell, more

Take a few minutes out of your lunch to cash in on some incredible deals. Be sure to follow 9to5Toys to keep up with the best gear and deals on the web: Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook, Google+

Today’s can’t miss deals:

lifeproof-ipad-mini-fre-giveaway-9to5toysGiveaway: LifeProof iPad mini frē case ($100 value)

logitech-folio-keyboard-protective-deal-ebay-1

Refurb. Logitech protective keyboard folio for iPad mini $33, full-size iPad w/ FabricSkin $25

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Seiki 39″ 4K UHDTV $500 shipped (Reg. $700), 50″ $722 w/ free pickup (Reg. $1,500)

macbook-air-sale-discount

13″ Haswell MacBook Air: $975 shipped, $925 for .edu email addresses, Apple SuperDrive $70

iphone-5s-deal-at&t-9to5toys50% Off Popular AT&T Smartphones: iPhone 5s $100, 5c $50, more


Other great deals from today:

The best deals that are still alive:

Black Friday:

New product announcements & reviews:

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Fantastical 2 for iPhone updated with new notification sound, additional toggles and improvements, and more

After a rather successful launch (it was #1 in the App Store for quite a while), Flexibits has updated Fantastical 2 for iPhone with a number of small but notable improvements.

Most notably, Fantastical alerts now come with a notification tone. New options for assigning the app icon badge are available as well.

If you haven’t already tried it out, you can pick up Fantastical 2 on sale for $2.99 in the App Store (regular $4.99) and read our full review here. Fantastical 2.0.1 is a free update to existing customers and available now. (Full change log below.)
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9to5Toys Lunch Break: 50% off AT&T iPhone 5s/5c, OtterBox Armor Series iPhone 5 case 75% off, more

Take a few minutes out of your lunch to cash in on some incredible deals. Be sure to follow 9to5Toys to keep up with the best gear and deals on the web: Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook, Google+

Today’s can’t miss deals:

iphone-5s-deal-at&t-9to5toys50% Off Popular AT&T Smartphones: iPhone 5s $100, 5c $50, more

otterbox-iphone-5-armor-series-9to5toysSOLD OUTOtterBox Armor Waterproof Case for iPhone 5/5s in Arctic/Orange/Neon: $25 shipped (75% off)

logitech-ipad-keyboard-giveaway-9to5toys

Giveaway: Logitech Bluetooth iPad keyboard and stand combo ($70 value)

livingsocial-incase-deal-9to5toysFree voucher to save 50% on Apple accessories from Incase

SEIKI DIGITAL, INC. 55-INCH ULTRA HD TV SEARSSeiki’s new 55″ 4K UHD TV will drop to $850 on Black Friday ($650 off!) or 39″ for $520 right now at Amazon.

PNY-storedge-128GB-64GB-dealPNY StorEDGE flash memory expansion for MacBooks: 64GB $40

The best deals that are still alive:

Black Friday:

New product announcements & reviews:

Google Play Music finally hits iOS with a free month of All Access and programmable radio in 21 countries

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVukJXI5NXM]

After much anticipation, Google finally released its native Google Play Music app for iOS today. The All Access and Radio service was originally announced at Google IO in May with the promise that it would be ported to iOS devices a few weeks later. Then it was rumored last month. Well, today it is really here and Google was nice enough to give us a great look at the service yesterday (video above).

Google’s music ecosystem differs greatly from Apple’s and more closely resembles Spotify or Amazon with a focus on the Cloud. On Macs and PCs you can use it through a browser with an interface that is remarkably robust for a webpage, but obviously not quite as responsive as iTunes, especially with local music.

Play millions of songs, instantly, on any device, including all the music you’ve ever bought…from anywhere.

Google’s Music is in the Cloud (mostly) so you can seamlessly move from device to device, though there is a 5 app limit (but no limit on devices with web browser access). You can upload 20,000 songs for free, create playlists and share with friends, listen to your music anywhere there is a web browser or iOS/Android device. Kind of a no-brainer…
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Nest app update rolling out soon with refreshed interface, Nest Protect compatibility, and more

nestapp

The Nest Learning Thermostat and its companion iPhone app are receiving up new updates soon, according to a post on the Nest blog. The updated app will get a full makeover, including easier access to certain settings and functions of the Nest thermostat. Also included in the new app is support for the Nest Protect smoke detector.

The app’s new interface will make it easier to check or set the status of your Nest thermostat.

Pretty much everything you need to know is there at first glance:

  • The temperature outdoors, visible on the top left.
  • The weather, now with animated clouds, shimmering blue skies or swirls of snow.
  • A big button that lets you instantly switch between home and away. No more tilting your phone into landscape mode to set Away manually.
  • The temperature you’ve set on your Nest Thermostat. If it’s not currently heating or cooling, the thermostat icon will be black. As heat or AC turns on, it’ll turn orange or blue.
  • An icon representing all the Nest Protects in your home. If everything’s ok, you’ll see a green ring. If you’re getting a Heads-Up or Emergency Alarm, the ring will change color to yellow or red.

The update will also introduce new features for the Nest Protect:

  • Every alarm in your home will be listed by room name, and you’ll be able to quickly scan to see if everything’s ok.
  • You’ll see basic status—green, yellow or red—for both smoke and carbon monoxide.
  • “Last update” indicates the last time your Nest Protect connected to Wi-Fi, reporting the status of its batteries and sensors. Assuming there’s no emergency, this happens every half hour in a wired Nest Protect and, to save power, every 24 hours in a battery-powered Nest Protect. If there’s a Heads-Up or an emergency, Nest Protect immediately connects to Wi-Fi to update its status and send you a message in the app.
  • “Last manual test” refers to the last time you manually tested Nest Protect by pushing the Nest button. We recommend testing monthly—it can be a regular fire drill with your family.
  • “Battery life” just tells you if you have to replace your batteries or not.

Finally, the thermostat itself will be getting a few enhancements via an automatic software update. The new software includes features such as “quiet time” mode, changes to its heating algorithm to help keep energy costs down during the winter, and more.

  • Quiet Time is a brand new 4.0 feature that allows you to set times when noisy stand-alone humidifiers and dehumidifiers won’t turn on, regardless of the humidity. That can keep the house quiet in critical moments, like your kid’s afternoon nap.
  • Heat Pump Balance is getting an upgrade, making Balanced and Comfort settings more efficient and using multiple stages of heat for pre-heating.
  • Your Nest Thermostat is now smarter about when to switch between fuel types in dual-fuel systems in order to better protect your system and provide more consistent heating.
  • Your Nest Protect and Nest Thermostat can now connect to improve the Auto-Away algorithm and shut down your heating system if there’s a CO emergency.

The updated app will be rolling out in the iTunes Store in the next few days. The software update on the thermostat will be applied automatically.

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Aperture 3.5.1 released with bug fixes for face-detection overlays, stability improvements, and more

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Apple has published an update for Aperture that fixes a few issues with the app. Version 3.5.1 includes fixes for issues with Temperature & Tint White Balance, face-detection overlays, and the metadata field when switching between photos with the arrow keys. The update also fixes stability issues.

Aperture 3.5.1 is available now on the Mac App Store.

What’s New in Version 3.5.1

• Temperature & Tint White Balance now works correctly
• Fixes an issue related to face detection overlays
• Addresses an issue with metadata field entry when arrowing between photos
• Includes stability improvements

iWork for iCloud apps add promised collaboration features, folders, more

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Back at Apple’s October 22nd iPad Air event, the company also unveiled an update to its iWork for iCloud online productivity suite beta that included new real-time collaboration features, easier sharing, and more. The ability to collaborate went live initially, but today Apple is rolling a handful of other new features to the Pages, Numbers, and Keynote iWork for iCloud apps.

New features going live today include a new list to view all collaborators currently working on a project, as well as “cursors and selections” for each person editing a document, presentation, or spreadsheet. Apple also notes that you can now “Instantly jump to a collaborator’s cursor by clicking their name in the collaborator list.”

In addition, all apps today receive new folders to organize files, the ability to print from the Tools menu, and the Keynote app gets right-click to skip slides.

You can check out the new features in the Numbers, Pages, and Keynote app on iCloud.com now. Full list of what’s new below:
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9to5Toys Last Call: TYLT 1800mAh power bank giveaway, Staples Black Friday, BioShock Inf. $10, StorEDGE deals back, more

Be sure to follow 9to5Toys to keep up with the best gear and deals on the web: Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook, Google+ Today’s can’t miss deals: TYLT_power-bank-1800-mAh-9to5toysGiveaway: TYLT Energi 1800mAh portable USB power bank w/ Micro USB cable

Staples Black Friday: Nexus 7 2nd gen 16GB $199, Toshiba 1TB $50, ZAGGkeys Pro $50, more ps4-hrdware-4-ps4-launch-day-midnight-sony-02PlayStation 4 launches tonight at midnight, reviews from around the web bioshock-infinite-deal-9to5toys-macGet 75% off BioShock Infinite from 9to5Toys & GameAgent

PNY-storedge-128GB-64GB-dealPNY StorEDGE flash memory expansion for MacBooks: 128GB $98, 64GB $40

Other great deals from today:

The best deals that are still alive:

Black Friday:

New product announcements & reviews:

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BlackBerry says BBM expanding to iPad & iPod touch today

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It’s unlikely that this will help BlackBerry come out of its struggles, but the Canada-based smartphone maker says it will be bringing its BBM messaging service to Apple’s iPad and iPod touch later today. Don’t be surprised, though, if the launch gets delayed (based on BlackBerry’s past iOS launch efforts). BBM for iPhone arrived late last month for free. It seems likely that the app will be a Universal download, and we’ll update when it’s out. The iPhone-only launched garnered 5 million downloads in 8 hours.

Update: The app is out… though BBM for iPad is (unsurprisingly?) just the iPhone app working stretched. Although the stretched iPhone app has always been available for cellular iPads, today’s update brings the app to wi-fi only models of the iPad and iPods.


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Gmail iOS app updated with iOS 7 design tweaks, full-screen compose on iPad, & more

Google today is releasing a pretty big update to its Gmail app that on top of introducing tweaked visuals for iOS 7 also includes a handful of new features for iPad.

The iPhone app appears to have received a few tweaks including a slightly redesigned side navigation bar, but the majority of the UI changes are most noticeable in the iPad app. It receives a slimmed down navigation bar on the left that lets users switch between accounts and inboxes in landscape view, as well as new full-screen moss for messages in portrait an composing new emails. Google also says the updated iPad app includes “better scrolling.”

If you hold your iPad in landscape mode, you’ll immediately notice the new left hand navigation bar, which allows you to quickly switch between inbox categories, or between multiple accounts, with a single tap. To help you get through your email faster, you’ll also see a new message counter for each category.

Version 2.7182 of the Gmail iOS app is available on the App Store now.

What’s New in Version 2.7182

iPhone & iPad: Visual update for iOS 7

iPad: Major Update
– New navigation bar to switch between categories and accounts in landscape
– Full screen view of your messages in portrait
– Better scrolling
– Compose new messages in full screen

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Google Music for iOS launch reportedly is ‘imminent’

All the way back in May, Google announced that its new Google Music “All Access” service will be arriving on iOS in the coming “weeks.” However, months have gone by and nothing has launched for iOS. A report last month indicated that the app would arrive at the end of October, and @evleaks has now claimed that the launch is “imminent.” If the app does indeed arrive soon, you can expect full coverage on 9to5.


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HBO Go appears on Chromecast support page, streaming support likely coming soon

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Just a few weeks ago, Pandora became the latest app to receive support for streaming via the Chromecast, as did Hulu Plus just before that. This left a couple of key holdouts, one of which being HBO Go. HBO Go has been rumored as coming to the Chromecast since the device’s launch, with HBO confirming earlier this summer that it was in talks to support the Chromecast in the “future.” It now looks as if the launch is not very far off.

As first noted by Droid Life, Google’s “Now Casting” support page has been updated to include HBO Go. It’s touted as a “new” app, along with Pandora and Hulu Plus. Oddly, however, there is no HBO icon and the description simply reads “none.” This makes it seem like Google’s support page was updated a bit prematurely, although it does signal that a launch is imminent and that the two are still in talks to work together. We wouldn’t be surprised to hear an official announcement from Google and HBO relatively soon.
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Redesigned Facebook Messenger for iPhone launches with phone number integration

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In line with our report from early-October has launched a completely redesigned version of its Facebook Messenger app for iPhone and iPod touch. The new design is in-line with the new, simpler aesthetic of iOS 7, and a similar design launched for Android a few weeks ago. In addition to the new design, the new app brings some new functionality:

  •  The ability to see which friends are using the app
  • Capability to message others through Messenger as long as you have their phone number
  • A fresh new look with navigation to see recent conversations, people on Messenger, and your settings

The update is available via the App Store now as version 3.0. Also in the works, sources say, is a version of the main Facebook application with support for Graph Search. It appears the company has let the interface for that update slip at a developer event:


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First look at Dropbox’s upcoming iOS 7 redesign

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Dropbox today announced some big upcoming changes to Dropbox for Business, its paid enterprise offering that provides accounts for multiple users and enhanced security, support, and team management features. The big new feature is the ability to connect your business account to your personal account and use both simultaneously (pictured above), but the screenshots of an upcoming iOS 7 redesign for Dropbox is what really caught our eye.

Above is the image posted to Dropbox’s blog today showing a completely redesigned iOS app. It looks a lot like a couple images that we’ve got our hands on of the upcoming redesign. Head below for two more shots:
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YouTube Capture updated for iOS 7 with simple sign-in, more editing features

YouTube Capture, which is essentially a dedicated video camera app by Google, delivered version 2.0 today bringing with it an iOS-7 friendly user interface and new features for editing what you record. Getting started is made easier now with support for Google’s single sign-in across its iOS apps; alternatively, you can use the app without logging in sans YouTube sharing.
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eBay for iPhone adds AirDrop and Pinterest sharing, retail pickup option

Taking advantage of a new technology introduced in iOS 7, eBay for iPhone has integrated sharing support for AirDrop in the latest update to its app.

AirDrop sharing allows you to share content you are viewing with others around you without your friends having to search the app or click any links. eBay also integrated Pinterest board sharing in its new version.

Customers in the US and UK now have the option to pickup purchases at local retailers as well.

Download or update the latest version eBay for iPhone for free on the App Store.

(eBay for iPad also received an update, which was mostly supplemental. Both change logs below.)
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9to5Toys Last Call: 3TB Apple Time Capsule $360, Speck iPad case giveaway, Anker 5-port USB charger $16, Black Friday, more

Be sure to follow 9to5Toys to keep up with the best gear and deals on the web: Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook, Google+

Today’s can’t miss deals:

apple-time-capsule-3tb-deal-amazonApple Time Capsule 3TB (newest version) 802.11ac wireless router $360 shipped (Reg. $399), 2TB $289

speck-fitfolio-giveaway-9to5toysGiveaway: Speck FitFolio iPad protective cover and adjustable stand

anker-5-port-usb-saleAnker 5-port Family iPad/tablet/Phone USB charger: $16 shipped

Best Buy & Walmart Black Friday ads bring the year’s best Apple deals


Other great deals from today:

The best deals that are still alive:

Black Friday:

New product announcements & reviews:

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