Steve Sande

<p>Now that things have calmed down a bit since the introduction of the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, I've decided to start going through the vast pile of cases that we've accumulated for the newest iPhones. Today's review looks at three cases from <a target="_blank" href="http://techarmor.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">Tech Armor</a> -- the <a target="_blank" href="http://www.techarmor.com/ajax/index/options/product_id/6589/" rel="noopener noreferrer">SlimProtect</a> (US$10.95), the <a target="_blank" href="http://www.techarmor.com/tech-armor-apple-iphone-7-clear-flexprotect-tpu-case-6619.html" rel="noopener noreferrer">FlexProtect</a> ($12.95) and the <a target="_blank" href="http://www.techarmor.com/tech-armor-apple-iphone-7-plus-clear-polycarbonate-tpu-case.html" rel="noopener noreferrer">ShockFlex</a> ($17.95). </p>

<p>Good try, Google. The new Google Pixel phones were released yesterday to much hoopla, but not before a lot of leaks made the world aware of the features and foibles of the latest smartphones from Google-land. Not only were most pundits aware ahead of yesterday's announcements that the Pixel would look remarkably like an iPhone 7, but benchmarks began showing up in <a target="_blank" href="http://www.geekbench.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">Geekbench 4</a> several weeks ago. Despite Google's best try at making the Pixel phones just like the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, they're lacking in sheer performance.</p>

<p style="margin-left:0px; margin-right:0px">Siri, I am so, so sorry.</p><p style="margin-left:0px; margin-right:0px">I missed telling our readers about your birthday yesterday, even after I took some amazing screenshots where you and I talked about how you were now five years old. You really don't look a day over three!</p>

<p>For a lot of families, it's almost impossible to keep files, content like music and photos, and information from apps like Calendar and Contacts synched across devices. Family sharing in iCloud can be mind-bogglingly confusing, and more often than not family members need to log in and out using multiple Apple IDs to merge data. Today's deal includes three Mac apps that make it simple to keep everything running smoothly across a number of iPhones. We call it <a target="_blank" href="https://deals.appleworld.today/sales/iphone-family-pack-anytrans-phoneclean-phonerescue?utm_source=appleworld.today&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=iphone-family-pack-anytrans-phoneclean-phonerescue_100516" rel="noopener noreferrer">the "iPhone Family Pack"</a>, and it's available for 85% off the usual price for just $23.99.</p>

<p>On September 30, the developers at NOTES 17 released the latest version of their cross-platform task and data management app — <a target="_blank" href="http://www.pagico.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer">Pagico 8</a>. Apple World Today is thrilled to be sponsored by Pagico 8 this week, and we’d like to share details of the updated app with you.</p>

<p>Back in the days of very easily-scratched device screens -- like the old Palm devices -- you pretty much <em>had</em> to use some sort of screen protector or your display would end up looking like it had been hit with a belt sander. When the iPhone arrived with its hard glass screen, the fear of scratches disappeared...but then we started seeing what happened when the screens were impacted by a drop. There's no need to be worried about scratches or impacts with NewerTech's <a target="_blank" href="http://www.newertech.com/kxs/" rel="noopener noreferrer">NuGuard KXs Screen Armor</a>, available for most iPhone and iPad models starting at just $14.99.</p>

<p>Apple World Today readers are no strangers to Drobo's products and its BeyondRAID technology. The original Drobo device had four drive bays and a FireWire connector, while newer models have grown in both capacity and the speed of connectivity. Today the company acknowledged the fast and compact USB-C interface by announcing a new product -- the <a target="_blank" href="http://drobo.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">Drobo 5C</a> ($349).</p>

<p>It's always a good time to think about your backup plans...before you need to do a restore. At Apple World Today, we're big fans of three-level backup redundancy. First, most of us use Time Machine for our primary local backup. There's a second app -- <a target="_blank" href="http://bombich.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">Carbon Copy Cloner</a> -- that's used to produce a second, separate local backup that's bootable. And finally, we use online backups to insure that a physical disaster like a fire or flood won't ruin our day. IDrive is one of the best online backup firms out there, and if you <a target="_blank" href="https://www.idrive.com/idrive/deals/pdn/appleworld" rel="noopener noreferrer">sign up using this Apple World Today link</a>, you get your first year of 1TB of online storage for 75% off -- that's just $14.88.</p>

<p>You can never have too many Lightning cables. Maybe you've misplaced one or two, perhaps you need an extra long one that will stretch to the back seat so your little passengers can stay charged up. This Daily Deal is what you've been looking for: <a href="https://deals.appleworld.today/sales/3-pack-10-foot-lightning-cable-for-iphone-5-6-6s-6?utm_source=appleworld.today&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=3-pack-10-foot-lightning-cable-for-iphone-5-6-6s-6_100716"><strong>three ten-foot Lightning charging cables for just $22</strong></a>.   </p>

<p>You know how it is -- first you just have one iPhone, then someone else in the family gets one, and you're having so much fun with those that you get a couple of iPads. Before you know it, every power outlet in the house is cluttered with Apple power bricks and cables! We have a solution for you: the <a target="_blank" href="https://deals.appleworld.today/sales/avantree-powerhouse-4-port-4-5a-22-5w-fast-charging-station-black?utm_source=appleworld.today&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=avantree-powerhouse-4-port-4-5a-22-5w-fast-charging-station-black_093016" rel="noopener noreferrer">Avantree PowerHouse 4 Port Fast USB Charging Station</a>, available now in the Apple World Today Deals Shop for just $35.99. That's 28% off of the regular price of $49.99.</p>

<p>We're back with another edition of Fashion Friday! As you may remember, Dennis went through his vast wardrobe of Apple-themed attire a few months ago, taking photos of all of the amazing shirts, hats, and other garb. Well, my collection is only half-vast, but over the next month or so I'll be providing you with photos of some of the shirts, hats, and other garb I've accumulated over the years.</p>

<p>The end of September is upon us, and that means that the drone pilots have been out cruising over Cupertino to show the progress at Apple Campus 2. The entire place is really coming together -- solar panels cover 40% of the "ring" roof, there's only a tiny gap that doesn't have a roof covering yet, trees are starting to be planted, a lot fewer cranes are in action at the site, and so on. Maybe it's just me, though, it looks like it still has at least 6 months to go before people are in that building...</p>

<p>This just showed up on <a target="_blank" href="https://youtu.be/XR6JtMIdMuU" rel="noopener noreferrer">YouTube</a> about an hour ago. A wonderful, beautifully photographed, and generally sweet look at the expressive features of iOS 10 Messages.</p>

<p>The iPhone 7 has been out for just a few weeks, and the rumors are starting to swirl about the next-generation phone likely to be released next September. KGI analyst Ming-Chi Kuo is forecasting that Apple will use glass front and back panels similar to the iPhone 4/4s in the iPhone 8, mainly because demand for the new Jet Black iPhone 7 is exceeding supply due to manufacturing constraints.</p>

<p>macOS Sierra brings Siri to the desktop, and Mac users are beginning to find a lot of ways to put Siri to work. One of my favorite uses so far is to use Siri to make unit conversions and do calculations.</p>