Dennis Sellers

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Fantom Drives has announced the new G-Force 3.1 external flash storage suite for use with throughput intensive video and creative applications. </p>

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;">WaterField Designs has introduced the <a href="https://www.sfbags.com/products/tech-folio-gear-case" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Tech Folio</a>, a premium case to organize electronic accessories and a 10.5-inch iPad or similarly-sized tablet. </p>

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Current iMacs have really good speakers, but they could be better. A newly granted Apple patent (number 10,045,461) hints that the company is working on this by including built-in subwoofers with air cooling. </p>

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Logitech has announced the $69.99 <a href="http://www.logitech.com/news/powered/stand" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Logitech POWERED Wireless Charging Stand</a>. Designed in collaboration with Apple, it’s a wireless charging stand for use with the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone X that allows you to charge and use your smartphone simultaneously.</p>

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;">After comparing five different mobile payment platforms, <a href="https://www.consumerreports.org/digital-payments/mobile-p2p-payment-services-review/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>Consumer Reports</em></a><em> </em>says Apple Pay Cash is the best person-to-person payments service. It compared Apple’s service to others, weighing security, privacy, support, and more.</p>

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;">The ability to make requests on a HomePod via the “Hey, Siri” command can be very useful. However, it can also be irritating.</p>

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Humphrey Bogart reportedly said, "The only thing you owe the public is a good performance." So let's forget the Scientology stuff. Let's ignore the speculation on his hair (or lack of it) and his sexuality. And let's admit that John Travolta — who has lots of movies available for rent or sale on iTunes — is the most interesting actor around.</p>

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Since Steve and I can’t cover everything, at the end of each week day, we’ll offer this wrap-up of news items you should check out.</p>

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;">The global tablet applications processor (AP) market declined 6 % year-over-year to reach $445 million in the first three months of 2018, according to Strategy Analytics Handset Component Technologies service report, “<a href="http://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.strategyanalytics.com%2Faccess-services%2Fcomponents%2Fhandset-components%2Fmarket-data%2Freport-detail%2Ftablet-apps-processor-market-share-q1-2018-intel-and-qualcomm-gain-share&esheet=51848660&newsitemid=20180806005470&lan=en-US&anchor=Tablet+Apps+Processor+Market+Share+Q1+2018%3A+Intel+and+Qualcomm+Gain+Share&index=1&md5=6aaf4e049601c00e636726963ed732da" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Tablet Apps Processor Market Share Q1 2018: Intel and Qualcomm Gain Share</a>.”</p>

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Google Play provides over three times as many downloads as the iOS App Store in Russia, though in 2018, the U.S., Russia, and Turkey all experienced significant growth of iOS downloads, according to Newzoo’s 2017 Global Mobile Market Report.</p>

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Apple has had major problems gaining a foothold in India with iPhone sales on the decline even as they rise in the rest of the world. However, the tech giant is reportedly working on plans to change this, though the procedures may be controversial.</p>

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;">In a <a href="https://www.macworld.com/article/3294939/ipad/ipad-pro-vs-galaxy-tab-s4-surface-go.html)" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>Macworld</em> post today</a>, Michael Simon says that the iPad Pro needs more than smaller bezels if it’s going to take on the Galaxy Tab S4 and Surface Go. And he’s absolutely right.</p>

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;">The California Institute of Technology “notched a couple” of wins in its patent fight with Apple over Wi-Fi technology when the Patent Trial and Appeal Board ruled that the iPhone maker failed to show that numerous claims in one of CalTech's patents weren’t infringed, reports <a href="https://www.law360.com/technology/articles/1069733/ptab-upholds-caltech-wi-fi-patent-in-dispute-with-apple-?nl_pk=ade0cf2b-ea3f-464b-bc93-d8e19277ac63&utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=technology" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>Law360</em></a>.</p>

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;">There’s a rumor that Apple will release a new Mac mini this year. I hope it’s true. And I have an idea that might spur sales of the tiny Mac and the iPad Pro: let us use the tablet as a screen for the Mac mini. </p>

<p style="white-space: pre-wrap;">If you have a newish Mac laptop — particularly the 12-inch MacBook Pro — you know there’s a dearth of slots. Kingston’s $79.99 <a href="https://www.kingstongo.com/us/hub/nucleum-usb-type-c-hub" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Nucleum</a> is a 7-in-1 USB hub that can help overcome this limitation.</p>