Steve Sande

<p><span>Developer John Saddington is one very busy guy. About a month ago he released version 1.2 of his popular </span><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/desk-writing-blogging-notetaking/id915839505?mt=12"><span>Desk</span></a><span> text/Markdown editor for OS X (US$29.99) to the Mac App Store, and now he’s just finished version 1.3. What has he added to Desk in a month?</span></p>

<p>Today is <a href="http://www.worldbackupday.com/en/"><span>World Backup Day</span></a> – a once-a-year reminder for everyone to assess their backup solution and ensure their data is being saved properly. While many people use a local storage option like a hard drive or NAS to backup their computer files, the conventional backup advice suggests you should also have a secondary backup online in case of fire or theft, which could destroy your local backups. To help you find an online backup up provider, we profile some of the most popular services for archiving your files online.</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 Screens VNC, the new Compass Point: West game and a major update to Wunderlist. All app prices are USD and subject to change. Some deals may expire quickly, so grab them while you can.</p>

<p>Apple today updated its <a href="http://investor.apple.com/"><span>investor relations page</span></a> to confirm that it will announce its quarterly earnings for Q2 2015 on Monday April 27th [Via <a href="http://www.macrumors.com/2015/03/30/apple-to-announce-q2-2015-earnings-on-april-27/"><span>MacRumors</span></a>]. The quarterly earnings statement will be released at approximately 1:30 PM PDT/4:30 PM EDT followed by an earnings call to discuss the results at 2:00 PM PDT/5:00 PM EDT.</p>

<p><span>Facebook last week announced its new Messenger platform, which brings third-party apps to the messaging tool. Today, the company rolled out an update to</span><span> </span><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/en/app/facebook-messenger/id454638411?mt=8">Facebook Messenger </a><span>that </span><span>brings GIFs, collages, videos and more to your messaging stream.  While GIF curator and creators are the most popular apps, third-party Messenger apps available at launch also include ESPN, Action Movie FX, Pic Stitch, GIPHY and others. </span><span> </span></p>

<p><span>On the first day Apple World Today was open for business (Feb. 9, 2015), </span><a href="https://appleworld.dreamhosters.com/blog/2015/1/31/twelve-south-parcslope-a-new-macbook-stand-with-some-history-built-in">our first published review</a><span> was about the </span><a target="_blank" href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00SCX76XG/appwortod-20/" rel="noopener noreferrer">Twelve South ParcSlope</a><span> (US$49.95, affiliate link), an aluminum stand for MacBook. While the ParcSlope gathered a five-star rating from AWT for its sleek design and solid construction, it's hardly a stand that you can take with you everywhere. Little did we know at the time that Twelve South had another, much more portable MacBook stand waiting in the wings. The </span><a target="_blank" href="https://www.twelvesouth.com/product/baselift" rel="noopener noreferrer">BaseLift for MacBook</a><span> ($39.99) is now available from Twelve South, and it can be used anywhere to give your laptop a lift and your thighs some insulation from the heat (or cold) of your favorite Apple computer.</span></p>

<p>Apple today has expanded its Reuse and Recycling program to include non-Apple devices such as PCs and smartphones from HTC, Nokia, LG and others. According to <a href="http://www.macrumors.com/2015/03/30/apple-smartphone-trade-in-program-europe/"><span>MacRumors</span></a>, this new trade-in program is available in the United States, the <a href="http://store.apple.com/uk/iphone/reuse-and-recycle"><span>UK</span></a> and several other European countries.</p>

<p><a href="https://appleworld.dreamhosters.com/blog/2015/3/23/accessible-apple-building-a-wheelchairbed-mounted-idevice-setup-part-1">In my previous article</a>, I asked readers to tune in this week for part two of my "Building a Wheelchair/Bed Mounted iDevice Setup" series, where I would focus on iDevice mounts and cases. The article will appear later this week as a special edition of Accessible Apple, so please stay tuned.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/pro-discrimination-religious-freedom-laws-are-dangerous-to-america/2015/03/29/bdb4ce9e-d66d-11e4-ba28-f2a685dc7f89_story.html">In an op-ed piece written for The Washington Post online</a>, Apple CEO Tim Cook formally announced his opposition to "pro-discrimination religious freedom laws," such as Senate Bill 101, <a href="https://iga.in.gov/legislative/2015/bills/senate/101">which you can read in its entirety here</a>. The so-called "religious freedom" law passed in Indiana last week, which opponents say could give business owners the right to refuse service to gay customers. </p>

<p>How did the last week go for those of you who decided to take the challenge and start (or keep) tracking your health? For me, the week was kind of a wash; my Achilles tendon was hurting, which kept me from walking a lot. However, I still managed to get some walking in… Sadly, I was bad over the weekend and actually ended up 0.3 lb from last week…</p>

<p><span>On Friday, Gary Allen -- the brains behind the </span><a target="_blank" href="http://ifoapplestore.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">ifoAppleStore.com</a><span> website -- wrote a farewell piece. After 14 years of providing the most detailed news about Apple Stores to readers and other bloggers, </span><a target="_blank" href="http://www.ifoapplestore.com/2015/03/27/my-work-here-is-done/#more-18240" rel="noopener noreferrer">Allen has decided to move on</a><span>.</span></p>

<p>Like many parents, I want my children to be technology savvy, so I encourage them to use my Apple gear in ways that are educational and fun. They already know how to use my iPad for games, but I want them to explore the creative side of the device and understand how powerful it is as a content creation tool. One of the best tools for this type of exploration is iMovie, which we use to create videos that we host on Vimeo and post on a family blog. </p>

<p><span>It's a double feature Caturday! That kitty you see scrunched between the MacBook Pro with Retina display and the Apple monitor is Krispy, who until recently was one of Catherine Fambrini's office mates. Catherine tells us:</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 Reverser Cam - Backward Video Camera, the new MLB Manager 2015 and an update to Dark Sky - Weather Radar, Hyperlocal Forecasts, and Storm Alerts. All app prices are USD and subject to change. Some deals may expire quickly, so grab them while you can.</p>

<p style="margin-left:0px; margin-right:0px">Today's top stories on the AWT News Update:</p><ul><li>Instapaper adds Tweet Shots, background updates, and speed reading features</li><li>A new technology promises 10 TB solid state drives that are faster and less expensive per gigabyte of storage...</li></ul>