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Indie App Spotlight: ‘Minizones’ lets you quickly glance at different timezones from your Menu Bar

Welcome to Indie App Spotlight. This is a weekly 9to5Mac series where we showcase the latest apps in the indie app world. If you’re a developer and would like your app featured, get in contact.


Minizones is a sweet and simple Mac app that allows you to glance at varying timezones across the globe, right from your Mac’s menu bar. It’s a nice tool if you work remotely and have to communicate with coworkers across the globe, or regularly need to communicate with people in varying places.

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Bluesky’s rampant growth has once again proven that competition is a good thing

Threads now rolling out Custom Feeds in its mobile app globally

In recent past, Bluesky has been growing substantially. It quickly ballooned to over 20 million users, and at a point, the service was adding over a million users a day. Between the ban on X in Brazil earlier this year, as well as the results of the 2024 US presidential election – a large group of people have been choosing to leave X.

But, they’re not leaving for Meta’s Threads, the more popular X alternative at the time – they’re going for Bluesky instead.

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How I turned the M4 Mac mini into a travel computer

People have been loving the all-new M4 Mac mini since it was released last month. The combination of power, price, and new smaller form factor has people drooling over what is possible. But for me, the best part was the new size. This had me thinking, can I use this as a mobile desktop solution? The answer is yes, as long as you have the necessary accessories!

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Apple @ Work: What happens when you trade in an old Apple product? Inside Assurant’s new facility to save devices from landfills

Assurant

Apple @ Work is exclusively brought to you by Mosyle, the only Apple Unified Platform. Mosyle is the only solution that integrates in a single professional-grade platform all the solutions necessary to seamlessly and automatically deploy, manage & protect Apple devices at work. Over 45,000 organizations trust Mosyle to make millions of Apple devices work-ready with no effort and at an affordable cost. Request your EXTENDED TRIAL today and understand why Mosyle is everything you need to work with Apple.

Many people in the Apple ecosystem love to stay on the latest and great iPhones, iPads, and Macs. If you’re trading in an old iPhone to one of your carriers, have you ever wondered what happens to them? Especially in recent years, old iPhones continue to offer a ton of value to new people, so I recently talked with the team at Assurant to learn more about their new facilities.

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Here are some of the best protective cases and lanyards for the new AirPods 4

Here are some of the best protective cases and lanyards for the new AirPods 4

Apple recently launched AirPods 4, which are available in two different versions: one with ANC active noise cancellation and support for MagSafe chargers. And if you’ve bought new AirPods 4, read on as we’ve put together a list of some of the best protective cases and lanyards for Apple’s wireless earbuds – now with Black Friday deals.

Our friends over at 9to5Toys have all the latest details on the best Black Friday deals.

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File comparison app Kaleidoscope updated with new merge conflict resolution tools

Kaleidoscope app

Kaleidoscope, the popular file comparison and merge tool, recently released an update with significant improvements to its merge conflict resolution tools. The new version introduces new features and refinements that aim to streamline the process of resolving Git merge conflicts and provide users with a more comprehensive understanding of code changes.

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The new Beats Pill is a better deal than the HomePod mini – and here’s why

Beats Pill

Apple in June announced a new generation of the Beats Pill, a portable Bluetooth speaker under the Beats brand. As my 9to5Mac colleague Chance Miller said in his review here, the new Beats Pill is “better than ever” – and I have to agree. The more I use the new Beats Pill, the more I realize that it’s a better deal than the HomePod mini.

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HomePass 2 makes managing HomeKit and Matter accessories a breeze

HomePass is a must-have app for HomeKit and Matter users, making it easy to keep track of all your accessories. This week, developer Aaron Pearce has unveiled HomePass 2, a complete rewrite of the app that adds several excellent new features for HomeKit enthusiasts.

The premise of HomePass, available on iPhone, iPad, and Mac, is that it gives you a central location to store your HomeKit accessory setup codes. This new version further upgrades that experience.

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Aqara unleashes major Black Friday discounts on HomeKit doorbell cameras, locks, sensors, and much more

The excellent smart home brand Aqara is making it more affordable than ever to give the gift of HomeKit this holiday season — even if the gift is for yourself. 9to5Mac readers can save big on smart home products from Aqara that work with Apple Home, Amazon Alexa, Google Home, and Home Assistant. From connected door locks to doorbell cameras and sensors that power automation, now is the time to take advantage of these great prices from Aqara.

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Apple Black Friday deals-M4 Mac mini-iPad-AirPods

Black Friday deals: M4 iPad Pro $300 off, M4 Mac mini $500 low, Apple gift card deals, Twelve South gear, more

Our master collection of Black Friday deals has now been updated for your cash-saving pleasure, but we have some new deals and additional highlights to put front and center for today’s 9to5Toys Lunch Break as well. Firstly, we are now tracking up to $300 off M4 iPad Pro configurations alongside the most affordable models at new Black Friday all-time lows. The official Black Friday M4 Mac mini deals have arrived with options starting from $500, Amazon is giving out $15 in FREE credit with Apple Gift Card purchases, and Twelve South’s fantastic MagSafe charger, MacBook stands, and more are now at some of the best prices of the year. All of that joins a whole lot more down below too. 

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The best accessories for iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch that make perfect holiday gifts

Apple holiday gifts

It’s the time of year for gift giving, and Black Friday sales are in full swing. But if you’re like me, you might struggle coming up with holiday gift ideas—both for yourself and for others. New accessories are a great place to start, so below you’ll find many of the best accessory options out there for Apple users—for iPhone, iPad, Mac, Vision Pro, Apple Watch, and more.

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Max, Disney+, Hulu, Peacock, more offering major Black Friday streaming discounts

Disney+, Hulu, Max

There are so many streaming services these days, the cost really adds up if you subscribe to more than a few at once. But for Black Friday weekend, almost every streamer is offering huge discounts that make it possible to go on a subscription frenzy without hurting your wallet. You can get Max, Disney+, Hulu, Peacock, and Paramount+ for a fraction of their normal cost.

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HomeKit Weekly: Must-have HomeKit gifts for the 2024 holiday season

HomeKit Gift Guide

With Christmas shopping hitting its peak, time’s running out to get those online orders in before the rush pushes you into the last-minute store scramble. HomeKit accessories make great gifts for any Apple fans—they’re always in demand and add value to any smart home setup. For this week’s HomeKit Weekly, I’ve compiled a 2024 HomeKit gift guide to help you find the perfect addition for your favorite Apple fan.

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Instagram and TikTok used to recruit money mules; risk prison and bank account ban

Instagram and TikTok used to recruit money mules | Rolls of $100 bills

A law enforcement agency has said that both Instagram and TikTok are increasingly being used to recruit money mules, who are either knowingly or unknowingly helping criminal gangs to launder money.

Those caught face prison sentences of up to 14 years, and are also likely to be banned from holding or opening a bank account …

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