Steve Sande

<p>Unless you've been on a self-imposed internet hiatus for the past month, you've probably seen an ad for <a target="_blank" href="http://getcmra.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">CMRA</a>, which is billed as "The Camera For Apple Watch." I was curious about the device so I took the liberty of checking out press materials for the Apple Watch band that will include two small cameras.</p>

<p>Santa apparently left Apple something nice under the tree this year. Brean Capital analyst Ananda Baruah thinks that Apple could end up the first fiscal quarter of 2017 (ending December 31, 2016) with earnings of greater than $76 billion. That figure would be better than the record set just last year. Of course, Santa may also be leaving a lump of coal for later in the year...</p>

<p style="margin-left:0px; margin-right:0px">On this day with the shortest amount of daylight in the Northern Hemisphere (yes, it IS the Winter solstice!), we have a variety of stories for you, all of which were sputtered out by Steve in between coughing fits that were thankfully edited out:</p><ul><li>Kim Dotcom has a rumor -- Apple's going to buy a Hollywood Studio in 2017</li><li>Honda's new 2017 CR-V comes with support for Apple CarPlay</li><li>Super Mario Run was downloaded 40 million times in the first 4 days, a new App Store record</li><li>There's an update available for versions of the Apple AirPort Extreme</li><li>Apple's now selling refurbished Apple Watches online</li></ul>

<p>Our second deal of the day comes to you from <a target="_blank" href="http://digiarty.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">Digiarty</a>, the folks behind WinX DVD Ripper for Mac and other great media management apps for the Mac. The <a target="_blank" href="https://deals.appleworld.today/sales/macx-media-bundle?utm_source=appleworld.today&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=macx-media-bundle_122116&utm_term=scsf-89947" rel="noopener noreferrer">MacX Media Management Bundle</a> features three apps worth $169.85 -- but you'll get all three for $19.95. </p>

<p>I usually put up my Christmas lights around Thanksgiving, and in the past that has meant putting LED light nets on some shrubs, running a string of lights along the gutter line of the house, and then changing out some security bulbs in the front yard with red and green lights. This year, my travels kept me from doing that so I had to figure out a way to get lighting done in minutes rather than hours. Fortunately, I was able to make the house look festive very quickly with <a target="_blank" href="https://blisslights.com/store/" rel="noopener noreferrer">BlissLights laser projectors</a> ($139.00), HomeKit, and Siri.</p>

<p>Today we're going to give our readers twice the deals. First, we have the <a target="_blank" href="https://deals.appleworld.today/sales/strong-foundations-for-computer-science-bundle?utm_source=appleworld.today&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=strong-foundations-for-computer-science-bundle_121916&utm_term=scsf-89910" rel="noopener noreferrer">Complete Computer Science Bundle</a> for just $39, and this afternoon we'll entice you with one more incredible bargain. </p>

<p>On Monday, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) issued a recommendation asking 11 tech and delivery companies to work on <a target="_blank" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/19/technology/google-digital-maps-railroad-crossings-ntsb.html?_r=0" rel="noopener noreferrer">integrating the locations of more than 200,000 rail grade crossings into digital mapping products</a>. The companies are Apple, Google, HERE, TomTom, INRIX, MapQuest, Microsoft, Omnitracs, OpenStreetMap US, Sensys Networks, Streetlight Data, Teletrac and United Parcel Service of America..</p>

<p>I'm showing by age by using that old <a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timex_Group_USA#Slogan:_It_takes_a_licking_and_keeps_on_ticking" rel="noopener noreferrer">Timex watch tagline</a> made famous by <a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Cameron_Swayze" rel="noopener noreferrer">John Cameron Swayze</a>, but it appears that Apple's new wireless AirPods can put up with a lot of abuse and still keep working. <a target="_blank" href="https://9to5mac.com/2016/12/20/apple-airpods-still-work-after-10ft-drop-test-washing-machine-cycle-and-water-submersion/" rel="noopener noreferrer">9to5Mac put a pair of AirPods through a lot of abuse</a>, putting the buds and charging case through drop tests of up to ten feet, submersion in water, and even a wash cycle with detergent. To quote blogger Benjamin Mayo, "Incredibly, they still work after all of that with only minor scuffs."</p>

<p>Steve apparently picked up the flu on his trip to South America and is feeling rather under the weather, but he managed to make it all the way through today's podcast recording without having a coughing fit. The news?</p>

<p>To me, one of the most annoying things about the current iMac is the location of the USB ports and SD card reader. To plug any USB device into the iMac, you have to reach around to the back of the device and the same is true for the SD card reader. Satechi's <a target="_blank" href="http://www.satechi.net/index.php/metallic-series/satechi-aluminum-usb-3-0-hub-card-reader-silver" rel="noopener noreferrer">Aluminum USB 3.0 Hub + Card Reader</a> (US$29.99) brings those ports out to the front of the iMac where they're easily accessible.</p>

<p>Holding an iPhone in your hand to shoot photos or video can be problematic. Sometimes you want to have a good grip on your phone with both hands, which can make it hard to tap the shutter button or volume toggle to take the photo. The two-handed grip can sometimes introduce fingers into the frame, and "one-handing" it is not only fairly impossible, but introduces the possibility of dropping the phone. olloclip has a solution; the $49.99 <a href="https://www.olloclip.com/shop/accessories/pivot/"><strong>Pivot</strong></a>, which is a pivoting handheld grip that holds the iPhone securely in a variety of shooting positions. </p>

<p style="margin-left:0px; margin-right:0px">It's Friday, and if you haven't checked out the latest Apple news before you head to the theatre to see Star Wars: Rogue One, we have a short update that you can listen to while standing in line at the theater:</p><ul><li>You're not imagining things; Super Mario Run <em>is</em> using a lot of data</li><li>Apple has made a small R&D investment in Indonesia, one benefit of which will be that it can sell iPhones in the country</li><li>AirPods will be available in Apple Stores starting on Monday, December 19</li><li>Have a 4th-generation Apple TV? There are new Aerial Screensaver videos to watch!</li></ul>

<p>Numeric keypads, once a staple of keyboards everywhere, are now the Rodney Dangerfield of input devices -- they get no respect. Almost every keyboard used to have that cluster of keys on one side that could be used for quick number entry or even serve as a calculator keypad, but Apple's offerings like the Magic Keyboard 2 dispense with the numeric keypad in the name of simplicity. Well, accountants and number crunchers need those keypads, which is why companies like Satechi make wireless keypads. Today I'm looking at the $39.99 <a target="_blank" href="http://www.satechi.net/index.php/metallic-series/satechi-slim-aluminum-keypad-silver" rel="noopener noreferrer">Satechi Slim Rechargeable Aluminum Bluetooth Keypad</a> (AKA "Slim Wireless Keypad), a perfect accompaniment to Apple's Magic Keyboard and Magic Trackpad 2.</p>

<p>When it comes to video content of almost any type, there's no place quite like YouTube. Whether your tastes run to music videos, videos of pugs or kittens, old airplanes (my weakness) or weather disasters, you can find it on YouTube. But what happens when you're away from a network and want to watch something? Today's deal for <a target="_blank" href="https://deals.appleworld.today/sales/softorino-youtube-converter-for-mac?utm_source=appleworld.today&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=softorino-youtube-converter-for-mac_121616&utm_term=scsf-89982" rel="noopener noreferrer">Softorino YouTube Converter for Mac</a> lets you download all of your favorite YouTube videos and music for viewing or listening on your iPhone, iPad or Mac without a network connection!</p>

<p style="margin-left:0px; margin-right:0px">Thanks for coming back to the AWT News Update podcast after an almost month-long hiatus; we love seeing the listener numbers climbing back to their previous level! Today's news:</p><ul><li>Finnair and Japan Air Lines are two new clients for the Apple-IBM Mobile First collaboration and will both be using iPhones and iPad Pros to improve aircraft maintanance</li><li>Guess how much it will cost to replace a single lost Apple AirPod? We tell you in the podcast...</li><li>Pebble owners - Fitbit says it will keep your watch going for at least another year, including those services that connect it to iOS</li><li>A new iPhone 7 ad made for Japan shows off a unique capability of the iPhone 7 models and Apple Watch Series 2 in that country</li></ul>