Steve Sande

<p><span>If you took a look at last Saturday's </span><a target="_blank" href="https://appleworld.dreamhosters.com/blog/2015/5/30/caturday-distilunions-working-cats" rel="noopener noreferrer">Caturday</a><span> post, then you'll recognize the case that I'm reviewing today. In that post, One of DistilUnion's beautiful working cats -- Louie -- was seen modeling one the newest products from the accessory manufacturer: the </span><a target="_blank" href="http://www.distilunion.com/collections/wally-wallet-cases/products/wally-iphone-6-plus-wallet-case" rel="noopener noreferrer">Wally Wallet Case for iPhone 6 Plus</a><span> ($49.99), now available in a stunning gray leather.</span></p>

<p><span>This week, we're giving you a look at two of the office cats at design house and accessory manufacturer </span><a target="_blank" href="http://distilunion.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">DistilUnion</a><span>, Pemba and Louie. Here's what one of their human office mates, Lindsay Windham, had to say</span><span> about the feline co-workers:</span></p>

<p>Here are some of the best free apps, app updates and new apps that have landed in the App Store recently. Today’s notable apps include a discount on 2Do; the new Sago Mini Boats; and an update to iWatermark+. All app prices are USD and subject to change. Some deals may expire quickly, so grab them while you can.</p>

<p><span>Since the days of the first iPhone in 2007, Apple has sold the smartphone -- set up for AT&T service ---- as a subsidized purchase. In other words, you'd buy your iPhone for a discounted price with a 2-year AT&T contract, say $199 or $299, as opposed to $599 and $699 for a non-subsidized phone. Well, it appears that those days are over. Last night, Apple removed the option of purchasing a new iPhone on a two-year contract with AT&T from the online Apple Store. Instead, all purchases are now done with AT&T's Next plan using a monthly fee.</span></p>

<p><span>Your iPhone and iPad need power, and recent devices are equipped with the handy slimline Lightning adapter. When you get a new iOS device, it comes with the standard Apple Lightning cable and an AC adapter. But cables get lost or broken, so chances are quite good that eventually a replacement cable will be needed. Today I'm taking a look at two Lightning power accessories: the </span><a target="_blank" href="http://www.tylt.com/ribbn/" rel="noopener noreferrer">Tylt Ribbn</a><span> 4.8A Car Charger (US$49.99) and the </span><a target="_blank" href="http://www.scosche.com/lightning-to-usb-cable-flatout-led" rel="noopener noreferrer">Scosche FlatOUT LED</a><span> charge/sync cable ($19.99). Both of these accessories have one thing in common -- flat MFi (Made for iPhone/iPad) compliant cables.</span></p>

<p><span>Skype is an extremely popular way for people around the globe to connect to each other through messaging, audio calls, and video calls. But up until now, the service has always required a standalone application on your Mac. Back in March, Microsoft opened a beta of a web-based Skype service to a small number of users; now that beta has been opened to anyone in the US and UK.</span></p>

<p><span>On Monday, June 8 beginning at 10 AM PT/1 PM ET, Apple executives will be taking to the stage at Moscone West in San Francisco to launch the 2015 Apple Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC). </span><a target="_blank" href="http://bit.ly/AWTWWDC2015" rel="noopener noreferrer">We'll be providing coverage of all of the announcements as they happen through a Google Hangout</a><span>, but today we're providing you with an idea of what we think will be the top items of discussion. </span></p>

<p>Here are some of the best free apps, app updates and new apps that have landed in the App Store recently. Today’s notable apps include a discount on Toca Doctor; the new Arpeggist; and an update to iWatermark. All app prices are USD and subject to change. Some deals may expire quickly, so grab them while you can.</p>

<p><span>Todoist has released </span><a href="https://developer.todoist.com">a developer platform today</a><span>, paving they way for integration with products and services you love. Right away, service's developers have added support for Evernote, GitHub and Google Calendar. </span></p>

<p>As you may recall from my days at TUAW and here at Apple World Today, I’ve reviewed a <em>ton</em> of keyboard cases, keyboard folios, and wireless keyboards made for use with the iPad. Today I’m looking at the <a href="http://www.brydgekeyboards.com/collections/ipad-air">BrydgeAir</a> from Brydge Keyboards. It’s a $169 ($189 for gold finish) wireless keyboard for the iPad Air and iPad Air 2 that is decidedly different than some of the other keyboard covers and cases I’ve reviewed in the past.</p>

<p>It’s time to save some of your hard-earned money with our Daily Deals, featuring highlighted deals for AWT readers, hardware discounts and our own handpicked iOS and OS X sales. All prices are USD and subject to change. Please check prices before you purchase as some deals may expire quickly.</p>

<p><span>With more news about Apple's HomeKit home automation framework expected to be announced at next week's Worldwide Developer Conference, it's not surprising that </span><a target="_blank" href="https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204893" rel="noopener noreferrer">the company has published a new support page detailing how the Apple TV can be used as a remote access hub</a><span> for controlling HomeKit accessories.</span></p>

<p><span>You know those Beats Pill XL speakers (an Apple product now...) that look like a multivitamin for a Lord of the Rings cave troll? Apple's </span><a target="_blank" href="https://www.apple.com/support/beats-pillxl-recall/" rel="noopener noreferrer">advising customers to stop using those speakers</a><span> and will issue a $325 refund to those who</span><span> return the device to the company.</span></p>

<p><span>Speaking to the Electronic Privacy Information Center's Champions of Freedom event on Monday, Tim Cook voiced Apple's opposition to mining customer data, saying, "</span><span>Like many of you, we at Apple reject the idea that our customers should have to make tradeoffs between privacy and security. </span><span>We can, and we must provide both in equal measure. We believe that people have a fundamental right to privacy."</span></p>

<p>Here are some of the best free apps, app updates and new apps that have landed in the App Store recently. Today’s notable apps include a discount on Guardian Saga; the new Spark - fast and smart email for your iPhone; and an update to Stat. All app prices are USD and subject to change. Some deals may expire quickly, so grab them while you can.</p>