Of all of the bundles we’ve covered this holiday season, few have the headliners like FX Photo Studio Pro, Camtasia, Crossover, Little Snapper and Printopia as the $49 iStack Mac Bundle. That’s the good news. The bad news is that it ends today so click or get off the pot.
Details below or at StackSocial o.O
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Adding another Mac Software bundle to the mix this holiday season, MacUpdate throws in a solid lineup of apps for $49.99, many of which retail for more alone.
You get:
1. Data Rescue 3 ($99.99)
* 2. Espresso 2 ($75.00)
* 3. Snapz Pro X 2.5 ($69.00)
4. TotalFinder ($18.00)
* 5. TotalSpaces ($15.00)
* 6. Mac DVDRipper Pro 4 ($24.95)
* 7. PopChar X 6 ($38.00)
8. MoneyWell 2 ($49.99)
* 9. Swift Publisher 3 ($29.95)
* 10. Company of Heroes ($29.99)
* 11. Roller Coaster Tycoon 3 Platinum ($29.99)
* BONUS. Live Interior 3D Pro ($129.95)
Available to first 12K.buyers only.
* = has never been in a bundle before (at least for the version that we’re selling, which are all paid upgrades from previous ones — like version 4 of Mac DVDRipper Pro)
The total value is $478.87, or $608.82 with Live Interior 3D Pro. For the next two weeks, only $49.99
A variety of great holiday gifts are marked down this weekend across many US retailers. Here’s a wrapup of notable deals from 9to5Toys.com.
High on our list is the 25% off the entire store sale at ThinkGeek. Knock out all of your gadget shopping in one fell swoop.
The best deal on a MacBook has to be a new “Chromebook killa” last generation MacBook Air for $699 at MacConnection. (Check all low prices on our MacBook Pro, MacBook Air and other Apple product pages).
Retailers are also kicking down the prices of 30-pin speaker-docks. Amazon’s deal of the day is a JBL OnStage IIIP 30-Pin iPod/iPhone Speaker Dock 2/3rds off for $59.99 shipped. Woot! today has the high end Sony iPhone/iPod/iPad speaker dock which sells elsewhere for double or more. Best Buy also has a number of Phillips Speaker dock/clock radios and more. Got a Lightning connected device? Check out our roundup for adapters/accessories.
More fun stuff below:
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From 9to5Toys.com:
Mac bundle season continues with a big one from StackSocial. Dubbed the Mac Utility Bundle, they’ve managed to knock $20 off the price of Parallels ($79 regular price) alone and added 4 more helpful utilities to boot. Great way to start off any Mac purchase you may be doing this holiday season.
Details below or on StackSocial.
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I’ve never put Dragon Naturally speaking up against Mountain Lion’s built-in dictation that theoretically uses the same Nuance speech recognition engine. Macworld did this week, however, and it came away with some stark differences. They found the Nuance client software adds some niceties and does a better job at learning your patterns.
If, however, you want to dictate regularly, for more than short, occasional texts, Dragon Dictate is the way to go. The program learns from what you say and from your corrections, improving its accuracy over time, and also allows you to edit text using your voice, to control applications and much more.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEKer84625Q]
The above ad has entered heavy rotation this weekend, while Best Buy has new deals on Apple- and Apple-related products (including $25 off $250+ purchases):
Best Buy takes 15 percent off all iTunes Gift Cards, both physical and digital, with free shipping.
Best Buy also continues to have significant discounts on iPod Touches, Nanos and Shuffles, as well as the rest of Apple products (including refurbished Airports starting at $39).
The competition is also moving, as MacMall continues to have big savings with its Cyber Monday sale and impressive “Door busters”:
11.6″ MacBook Air dual-core Intel Core i5 1.7GHz, 4GB & 64GB Flash Storage $849.99 ($150 off)
13.3″ MacBook Air dual-core Intel Core i5 1.8GHz, 4GB & 128GB Flash Storage $1,019.99 ($180 off)
iPad 2 16GB Wifi: $329 ($70 off and the lowest price we’ve ever seen new)
…while Amazon continues to match many competitive prices.
Of note, MacConnection’s Tech Holiday sale has some pretty remarkable prices, including: MacBook Airs starting at $699, Retina MacBook Pros starting at $1,559 ($140 off Apple’s Price), and Mac Minis starting at $549.
As always, check our Apple product pages for the latest best prices on iPads, iPad Minis, iPod Touch, Nano, Shuffle, MacBook Pros, Airs, iMacs, Mac Minis, and Apple TVs. More of our holiday shopping coverage below:
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Adobe is offering special BLACK FRIDAY pricing on Adobe.com for Lightroom 4, Photoshop Elements 11, Premiere Elements 11, and the Photoshop Elements and Premiere Elements 11 bundle.
Holiday Pricing: Valid Nov. 22 through Nov. 28
From 9to5Toys.com:
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MacMall starts its Black Friday early with discounts on a monster selection of Macs, hard drives, iPods, and more by up to $799 off. Plus, all orders over $25 qualify for free shipping. We’ve already populated our new Apple Products section with all the new low prices so check them out.
Notables include AppleTV for $89, Retina MacBook Pros starting at over $100 off, MacBook Airs starting at $897.
That’s the biggest sale we’ve seen from MacMall this year. (We saw up to $675 off in February.) Deals ends November 24 at 3 am ET.
We’ll be updating 9to5Mac and 9to5Toys with deals this whole long weekend so stay tuned.
AAPL owners are finally getting some good news this morning as AAPL stock price ticks north over 5 percent today. Analyst Brian White calls the recent sell-off which has eroded a quarter of Apple’s value as “insanely, insane”.
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We’re hoping to get more specific shortly. [AU Apple Store]
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The bundles, they don’t get better than this: MacLegion’s $50 holiday bundle (normally $540 – that’s over 90 percent off) includes 10 great apps, and the first 5,000 customers also recieve Alarm Clock Pro (normally $19.99) as a bonus.
As always, MacLegion ensures all the apps included are the latest versions each developer has to offer. MacLegion bundles entitle you to full after-sales support as well as valid upgrade paths for later software releases, just as if you had bought each application from the developers themselves.
Our faves include Flexbits’ Fantastical calendar application, Algoriddim’s djay music mixing system, and the timeless TechTool Pro system utility.
All of the apps and descriptions follow:
After a particularly long outage today, Apple says it has restored access to both iMessage and FaceTime.
9to5Mac readers first started alerting us today around 3:30PM ET. The outage lasted around four hours and was up and down for some users.
This outage was the latest in a long string of problems for Apple’s iMessages platform which seems to go down on a weekly basis.
[tweet https://twitter.com/9to5mac/status/270257763236597760]
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It isn’t just the no-named guys overseas (which actually work quite well!).
Now mainstream accessories maker Griffin has started to ship its own Lightning products—beginning with the $25 Lightning lighter adapter. Expect a lot more where that came from in the near future.
Other manufactures, including Scoche, Belkin, and JBL, have announced Lightning products, but these are the first cables we’ve seen actually shipping from a mainstream supplier.
From 9to5Toys.com:
Amazon today has a big sale on storage with notable deals on Transcend storage products. Whether you are adding an SD Card or USB stick to your Mac for some extra sneakernet or backup space, or using it for a camera or peripheral, pretty much any size and speed is covered here.
Standouts include the 64GB and 32GB Jetflash USB2 Flash Drives for $27.99 and $13.99 respectively.
From 9to5Toys.com:
MacConnection offers the base model MacBook Air that was replaced this summer, new in box, for $699. This Air includes an Intel Core i5-2467M 1.6GHz Sandy Bridge dual-core processor, 11.6″ 1366×768 LED-backlit display, 2GB RAM, 64GB SSD, AirPort Extreme (802.11n wireless), Bluetooth 4.0, Facetime camera, Thunderbolt port, and Mac OS X 10.7 Lion. Ground shipping is free.
From 9to5Toys.com:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9oLhYDKOLPk]
MacUpdate offers a Fall MiniBundle with the following seven items for $14.99 (normally $62). Click here for more info or read the app descriptions below:
Hear
Hear can control the volume and quality of each application independently. You can control enable and disable each effect independently. You can apply the effects in any order for dramatic results. You can define and recall presets at any time. Hear’s features include 3D Sound, Equalizer, Speaker Correction, a Virtual Subwoofer, Fidelity Control, and more! You can enjoy Hear’s effects through your computer’s speakers, headphones and external speakers.
Cinch
Cinch gives you simple, mouse-driven window management by defining the left, right, and top edges of your screen as ‘hot zones’. Drag a window until the mouse cursor enters one of these zones then drop the window to have it cinch into place. Cinching to the left or right edges of the screen will resize the window to fill exactly half the screen, allowing you to easily compare two windows side-by-side (splitscreen). Cinching to the top edge of the screen will resize the window to fill the entire screen (fullscreen). Dragging a window away from its cinched position will restore the window to its original size.
Osmos
Osmos features elegant, physics-based gameplay, dreamlike visuals, and a sublime electronic soundtrack all come together in this arcade-puzzle game. Your objective is to grow by absorbing other motes. Propel yourself by ejecting matter behind you. But be wise, ejecting matter also shrinks you. Relax… good things come to those who wait.
Pop Dot Comics
In the past, halftones were tediously inked in by cartoon artists or created in darkrooms. With Pop Dot Comic you can easily and quickly convert your photo into a comic book drawing that’s worthy of the Sunday paper or your favorite pulp-fiction cover. With a library of included “Fun Stuff”, custom messages can be added to speech bubbles and sound effects will give your creation “POW”. When your finished creating a comic book photo save it to your library or post them to your friends and family for funny moments.
AppDelete
AppDelete is an uninstaller for Macs that will remove not only Applications but also Widgets, Preference Panes, Plugins and Screensavers along with their associated files. Without AppDelete these associated items will be left behind to take up space and potentially cause issues. For a proper uninstall don’t just delete but be sure to AppDelete!
Sticky Notifications
Sticky Notifications is the perfect way to leave yourself a reminder. Many of us use sticky notes or scraps of paper, but there’s a better way! Sticky Notifications works by creating Growl or Notification Center notices that remain on your screen until you click to dismiss them. Need to remember to call So-and-So, or pay the cable bill? Don’t write it on a scrap of paper that’ll get lost on your desk. Quickly create and dismiss reminders via Growl or Notification Center with Sticky Notifications.
Fresh
Fresh solves that “Where did I just save that file to?” problem. It also allows you to instantly find attachments you downloaded, no matter what weird name they have. Fresh also makes it easy to rename and save files you just downloaded with a single click. Fresh saves your files to Filed Documents, a special folder where Fresh will file items by date, helping keep you organized.
From 9to5Toys.com:
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Amazon offers Adobe’s entry level photo manipulation tool, Photoshop Elements 11 for just $49.99. That’s half off of the list price and the lowest price we’ve ever seen for this product. It is available both as a boxed copy or as an instant download. The price compares favorably to the $79.99 price point in the Mac App Store.
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Stack Social’s got a solid gamer bundle headed by two great Apps: Call of Duty 4, Modern Warfare and Civ V.
Featuring a tense storyline, filled with plot twists, the title thrusts players into battle like never before. With amazing special effects, including rim-lighting, depth of field, texture streaming and character self-shadowing, players are enlisted into one of the most photo-realistic shooter experiences imaginable.
Sid Meier’s Civilization V Mac reinvigorates the classic turn-based strategy genre with an astonishing new engine built from the ground-up. Players are introduced to an entirely new combat system, deeper diplomatic interactions and a cavalcade of expanded features that deliver a fully immersive experience providing hours of entertainment as players build and defend their empire on their quest to become the greatest ruler the world has ever known.
Company of Heroes redefines real time strategy gaming by bringing the sacrifice of heroic soldiers, war-ravaged environments, and dynamic battlefields to life. Beginning with the D-Day Invasion of Normandy, players lead squads of Allied soldiers into battle against the German war machine through some of the most pivotal battles of WWII.
Battle for Normandy faithfully recreates the experience of tactical land warfare in Western France during World War Two. This is quite possibly the most versatile, genuinely accurate and powerful battlefield simulation to date.
And Yet It Moves is set in a unique world, made of ripped paper. Within the paper collage, you can jump, run and last but certainly not least: rotate the world. Learn how to apply the physical consequences of rotation to master the many tricky situations you may encounter.
Created entirely in black and white, LIMBO has often been spoken of in terms of gaming art. Hauntingly beautiful, yet also philosophically provocative. LIMBO features a gameplay mechanic that has come to be known as “Trial by Death” in which the player must die in-game in order to discover the solutions to the puzzles set before him. In the event of this, the player spawns at the last save point and must use what he has learned if he hopes to find his sister and get closure on the events set before him.
…game on!
From 9to5Toys.com:
Apple is currently offering an iPod Touch 8GB with Retina display refurb for $129. That’s by far the lowest price we’ve ever seen for this player which is mostly identical to the 16GB iPod Touch Apple is offering for $199. Speaking of more capacity, 32GB and 64GB for $179and $229 respectively.
These also come with the same 1 year Apple warranty as new products and come in Black and White. See all of your iPod options here.
More deal insanity at 9to5Toys.com
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Seems almost like a coordinated, concerted effort to make AAPL’s stock price more affordable. Who’s buying?
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The Verge reports that Microsoft’s fashionably-late entry into the smaller tablet market will be the smaller “XBOX Surface”.
Microsoft is building its own 7-inch gaming tablet. Multiple sources familiar with plans within Redmond have confirmed to The Verge that initial hardware planning for an Xbox Surface is underway. Specifications for an Xbox Surface 7-inch tablet computing deviceleaked back in June ahead of Microsoft’s Surface RT and Surface Pro announcement. We’re told that the initial specs were accurate and that the final implementation is being worked on.
From 9to5Toys.com:
Woot! again has the amazing Audyssey Desktop speakers for $79.99 with $5 shipping on everything you order. I have these speakers (and happily paid $200 for them) and they are quite simply the best desktop speakers I’ve used.
We are in love with the standalone LES powered speakers (right). Very simple I/Os and almost perfect desktop-level sound makes these incredibly good for the small room or workspace. Sure, they won’t fill up a large-sized room, but you will find much larger/expensive setups for that. $199 Amazon. Bonus: If you want Airplay functionality, throw in a $95 Apple TV and an Optical cable.
You don’t need a subwoofer and with an optical cable, I don’t think you’ll find better sound at double the price.
Bonus deals: Get a new Toshiba Wifi-ready BluRay player with Netflix for $30, or a Toshiba 24″ 1080P slim HDTV for $150
Update: An Amazon spokesperson says this is just a test (but you still can order this per month)“We are always looking at ways to improve the shopping experience for our customers. We are testing a monthly Prime subscription. Beyond that, we don’t have anything further to offer.”
It appears Amazon is joining Hulu and Netflix with a monthly subscription plan for its Prime video streaming service, according to a new pricing scheme found by Hacking Netflix. Some users are seeing the new pricing scheme come up, while others see only the $79/year options (compare right and above).
Amazon also offers a one-month free trial (Hulu free trial, Netflix free trial).
In addition to the free streaming video service, users of Amazon’s Prime get access to free two-day shipping on product orders (amazing to have for the holidays—especially on a month-to-month basis), as well as access to the Kindle lending library.
While Amazon’s streaming player isn’t yet available on Apple TV like Netflix/Hulu, its recent iPad app has impressed us. The $7.99/month price comes out to $95.88 per year. So, if you aren’t timid about joining Prime, it is probably better to jump on the $79/year plan.
With more and more first rate content, according to a recent Changwave/451 Group study, Amazon’s Prime streaming service is said to be gaining on industry heavyweight Netflix (graphed below):
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From 9to5Toys.com:
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Today only, Best Buy is knocking 15% off of iTunes gift cards in all denominations both in physical and online with free shipping. Update: Best Buy Reward Zone members can get 20% off (free to sign up). The discount applies to all of Apple’s media including music, videos, movies, books, iOS and Mac Apps and more.
Perhaps you can knock out your holiday shopping a little earlier this year?
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