Looking to buy an iPhone, iPad or Mac for the holidays? Here are the best deals

There’s little more than a week left for the Christmas holidays, and a number of retailers are discounting iPhones, iPads and Macs. Here are the best deals on each of these product categories. iPhone 5s Walmart In-store: $199 → $119 Sam’s Club In-store: $199 → $119 Best Buy: 16GB: $199 → $125 32GB: $299 → $225 64GB: $399 → $325 MacMall: 16GB: $199 → $120 32GB: $299 → $220 64GB: $399 → $320 Target In-store: $199 → $150 iPhone 5c Walmart, In-store: $99 → $27 Sam’s Club, In-store: $99 → $25 MacMall 16GB: $99 → $20 32GB: $199 → $120 Best Buy: 16GB: $99 → $50 32GB: $199 → $150 Target In-store: $99 → $0 ($50, but you get a free $50 gift card) Retina iPad mini Toys R Us, In-store: $299 → $260 Walmart, In-store: $299 → $249 ($299, but you get a free $50 gift card) RadioShack, In-store: $299 → $199 ($299, but you get a free $100 gift card) Target, In-store: $299 → $269 ($299, but you get a free $30 gift card) iPad Air MacMall: $499 → $479 Toys R Us: 16GB: $499 → $450 32GB: $599 → $550 Macs Best Buy: $100 off MacBook Air $160 off 21.5-inch and 27-inch iMac MacMall $24-$49 off 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro $59-$99 off 15-inch Retina MacBook Pro $29 off 13-inch MacBook Air Up to $102 off iMac Best Buy and MacMalls’s promotions are valid in-stores as well as online. Let us know if you’ve spotted great deals on Apple products in the comments below. [via MacRumors] Continue reading →

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Researchers able to activate MacBook camera without triggering the warning light

One reassuring feature of the Mac was its camera indicator light that glows when an app is accessing the front camera. This feature protects you from spying eyes that want to activate the camera to film you as go about your business. Mac owners believed they were safe as long as the indicator light was off, but that assumption is unfortunately wrong says a new research paper. As reported by The Washington Post, a pair of researchers from Johns Hopkins have figured out a way to activate the camera on a MacBook without turning on the indicator light. Computer science professor Stephen Checkoway and graduate student Matthew Brocker were able to bypass Apple’s built-in security by reprogramming the chip inside the camera module itself. A new set of instructions applied to the chip allow the camera and its indicator light to be activated independently. Someone with this knowledge would be able to turn on the camera covertly without any indication that it was recording video and snapping pictures. More than a concept, The Washington Post was given a copy of the researcher’s proof of concept software and confirmed that the camera can be activated without triggering the indicator light. This exploit has been successfully tested on the iMac G5 and other early Intel-based iMacs, MacBooks, and MacBook Pros models manufactured in 2008 or earlier. Mac owners with newer Macs shouldn’t rest on their laurels as well-known security researcher Charlie Miller says this exploit may be applicable to newer systems as well. “There’s no reason you can’t do it — it’s just a lot of work and resources but it depends on how well [Apple] secured the hardware,” Miller says. So are you a little less comfortable with the camera that is staring at you when you use your Mac? There is one solution to stop this spying and its called duct tape. Continue reading →

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Delta bans inflight phone calls as FCC moves closer to approval

The FCC may be inching closer to lifting the ban on in-flight mobile phone use, but that doesn’t mean you’ll be eavesdropping on a dozen neighboring conversations anytime soon. If you fly on Delta, you’ll be able to bask in the silence of a call-free cabin for your entire flight.According to Engadget, Delta CEO Richard Anderson sent out a memo to all 80,000 employees telling them that the airliner will not allow cellular or VoIP calls on any Delta flights. Though all voice calls will be outlawed, the airliner will support texting, email and other quieter forms of communication as soon as they are made available. Read for yourself the promise of peace made by Delta in the full memo enclosed below: Last week the U.S. Federal Communications Commission voted to seek public comment in consideration of lifting its ban on in-flight cell phone use. Delta will not allow cellular calls or internet-based voice communications onboard Delta or Delta Connection flights. Our customer research and direct feedback tell us that our frequent flyers believe voice calls in the cabin would be a disruption to the travel experience. In fact, a clear majority of customers who responded to a 2012 survey said they felt the ability to make voice calls onboard would detract from – not enhance – their experience. Delta employees, particularly our in-flight crews, have told us definitively that they are not in favor of voice calls onboard. Delta has moved quickly when technological and regulatory breakthroughs provide opportunities to make flying better for our customers. That is why we were the first to file our plan with the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration to allow customers to use portable electronic devices below 10,000 feet. Similarly, if the FCC lifts its ban on cellular use in flight, Delta will move quickly to enable customers to use text, email and other silent data transmission services gate to gate. Even as technology advances and as regulations are changed, we will not only consider what we can do, but as importantly we will also consider what is right for our customers and our employees. This is yet another example of how we continue to have your back and how we also rely on your professionalism and experience to guide our actions and decisions. Thanks for all you do every day for our customers, our colleagues and our business. I don’t know about you, but Delta just became my favorite US airline. Continue reading →

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China Mobile still in talks with Apple over the iPhone

Earlier this month, the WSJ claimed that Apple and China Mobile had inked a deal that would bring the iPhone to the world’s largest carrier. This report was quietly refuted by a China Mobile representative, who said talks were still ongoing. Another report today from Reuters confirmed there is still no new announcement to make. Speaking to reporters during a conference in the Chinese city of Guangzhou, China Mobile chairman Xi Guohua said on Wednesday that his company is not ready to announce a deal with Apple to carry the iPhone. Though nothing is official, a deal can’t be too far away as the carrier is still accepting iPhone 5s pre-orders on its Beijing site, as noted by Forbes. A deal with China Mobile is significant for Apple as the company stands to earn up to $3 billion from China Mobile sales, analysts predict. China Mobile is the world’s largest mobile phone carrier with 759 million customers. It eclipses carriers like Verizon Wireless and AT&T, which have approximately 120 and 110 million customers each, respectively. Wall Street is anxious for a China Mobile deal. When an official announcement didn’t hit the news wire today, Apple’s stock fell slightly as a result. Continue reading →

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Save Space and Battery Life with the OCDock [Deals Hub]

Being able to carry your iPhone around with you all day is great. It’s a wire-free way of having access to all the things you need. But when the battery starts to need replenishing, the cords come out and everything starts to get messy. Stop struggling with wires that tangle and instead charge your iPhone with the tidy, space saving OCDock. It’s on sale now in the iPhone Hacks Deals Hub. The “OC” part of OCDock stands for “Obsessively Clean,” so you know this charging station is ideal for those among us who have no time for messes. The OCDock simply attaches to your iMac or Thunderbolt display stand. A thin, almost invisible cord hides beneath your display and plugs in to the USB port to provide a charge while saving you from the hassle of unraveling a cord and having to put it away when you’re done. You can get the OCDock from the iPhone Hacks Deals Hub for just $54.99. That’s a savings of 30% off the retail price. It’s a great price for a space-saver that will keep your phone powered, so grab this offer today. Continue reading →

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Camera+ updated with new photo filters, editing features and an all-new design

Camera+, one of the most popular third-party camera iOS app, has today been updated to version 5, with an all-new design, a new icon and a bunch of new features like an iOS 7 wallpaper composer, improved editing tools and filters. Here are the main features of Camera+ 5: Clarity Pro At the head of The Lab you’ll find Clarity Pro, which gives you adjustable Clarity and also adds a Vibrancy Boost adjustment which really brings out the life in your photos. Straighten Not only can you manually straighten your photos in The Lab… we’ve also included a slick auto-straighten feature. Tint Easily tone your photos whatever color you please. Go just a tad to set a subtle mood, all-out to make a bold statement, or anything in-between. And if you’re having a hard time choosing a color, simply roll the dice to get a random one… will it come up lucky seven or snake eyes?? Duotone This takes the Tint adjustment and brings it to a whole other level. Try it. We’ll leave it at that. Soft Focus Give your photos a beautiful, ethereal quality with Soft Focus. This one’s addictive so promise not to overuse it, ok? Film Grain For the look of analog film. Fully adjustable so you can get the exact look you want. Sharpen This can often be the answer to a photo that came out a bit blurry. Blur Soften harsh pics. Or go to the extreme to make the perfect iOS 7 wallpapers. More on this later… Saturation Take it down for a cool, faded look. Or crank it up to make your pics pop. Temperature Easily enables you to make your pics look “warmer” or “cooler”. It can be used for a simple compensation, or turned way up for a bold look. Exposure Photo overexposed? Underexposed? This is the fix. Brightness & Contrast Two classic photo adjustments. You’d think that not much needs to be said about these two… but we went out of our way to make them look really good. Highlights & Shadows Boost or cut the bright and/or dark parts of your photos. Compensate for imperfect lighting conditions, or go for an intense, artistic effect. Vignette Top-off the perfect set of adjustments with a stylish Vignette. Not only can you put on a traditional dark one, you can also go light for an airy feel. Camera+ 5 is a free upgrade for existing users, and is priced at $1.99 for new customers. You can update or purchase the app from the download link below. Download link: ➤ Camera+ – $1.99 Continue reading →

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iPhone 5s and iOS 7 rank high in Google’s 2013 Zeitgeist list

According to Google, 2013 was a pretty good year for Apple. So good that several Apple related products were among the most searched for terms on Google during 2013. Not surprisingly, the top ranked Apple term was “iPhone 5s,” which ranked #3 in Google’s annual Zeitgeist list. Zeitgeist means “spirit of the times,” and the list is Google’s way of reflecting on the previous year by analyzing popular and trending search terms. Using search as a cultural indicator makes sense — if people are talking about it and it’s important, then they are also searching for it. Rounding out the top five were Nelson Mandela, Paul Walker, Cory Monteith and Harlem Shake. Following close to the iPhone 5s was iOS 7, which climbed to the #11 spot. The iPad Air also made Google’s full list, clocking in at number 68. This is an impressive showing as Zeitgeist includes all search categories, not just technology. Besides its trending list, Google also released a video that summarizes the year in small bites as well as an interactive map that shows the top five searches in different geographic areas across the world. Continue reading →

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