Steve Sande

<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 Modern Combat 5, the new Alpha Omega game, and an update to Snapheal from Macphun. All app prices are USD and subject to change. Some deals may expire quickly, so grab them while you can.</p>

<p>Security company FireEye <a href="https://www.fireeye.com/blog/threat-research/2015/03/freak_out_on_mobile.html"><span>recently examined</span></a> iOS and Android apps to determine whether they are vulnerable to the recently publicized FREAK attack. Using a man-in-the attack, a hacker can intercept these HTTPS connections and force the vulnerable clients to use a weakened form of encryption. Once compromised, the hacker can access the sensitive data being transmitted via HTTPS.</p>

<p><span>When we look at devices like the iPhone 6 at a mere 6.9mm thickness or the new MacBook weighing just 2 lbs and a scant 13.1mm thick, it's hard to remember what it was like when the first iPods came out. YouTube user </span><a target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/user/canoopsy?feature=hovercard" rel="noopener noreferrer">Canoopsy</a><span> made a video tribute to the second-generation iPod that shows just how far Apple and technology have come in 14 years. </span></p>

<p>A relative handful of people have been able to wrap an Apple Watch around their wrists, but that’s not keeping accessory manufacturers from working on clever and useful gizmos to keep your Watch protected and charged. <a href="http://hellonomad.com">Nomad</a> has announced two products for the Watch. First up is the US$59.99 <a href="http://www.hellonomad.com/products/pod-for-apple-watch">Pod</a>, which combines a niche for the Watch’s magnetic charging pad, a spool to wrap the cable around, and an 1,800 mAh battery pack into one sleek package. The company is also touting the $59.99 <a href="http://www.hellonomad.com/products/stand-for-apple-watch">Stand</a> for Apple Watch, a sleek aluminum stand for charging your smartwatch.</p>

<p>Popular recipe app, <a href="http://thewholepantryapp.com/"><span>The Whole Pantry</span></a>, was quietly pulled from the Australian and US app stores amidst allegations of fraud by app creator Belle Gibson, reports <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/digital-life/smartphone-apps/the-whole-pantry-belle-gibsons-app-quietly-pulled-from-sale-in-australia-us-20150318-1m1234.html"><span>The Sydney Morning Herald</span></a>. The 23-year-old entrepreneur rose to fame, supposedly even working closely with Apple on a Watch app, following her claim that she healed herself from terminal brain cancer using a healthy lifestyle.</p>

<p>On March 9, Tim Cook announced that the <a href="http://apple.com/watch">Apple Watch</a> will be available for pre-order on April 10, 2015. What's more, interested customers can visit an Apple Store to see the device in person, and even try one on. For many, getting hands-on time with the device will be as easy as strolling into the store on the 10th, as long as you don't mind waiting a bit (and you're in a country where the Watch is set to debut).</p><p>We've complied the following information on how you can see an Apple Watch in person on April 10th. Ready your wrist! Here we go.</p>

<p>It's time to save some of your hard-earned money with our <a href="https://appleworld.dreamhosters.com/?tag=deals"><span>Daily Deals</span></a>, featuring exclusive 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>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 ColorStrokes, the new Adventures of Poco Eco - Lost Sounds game, and an update to VSCO Cam. All app prices are USD and subject to change. Some deals may expire quickly, so grab them while you can.</p>

<p><span>It’s a bit of deja vu as </span><a href="http://twitter.com/stevensande">Steve</a><span> and </span><a href="http://twitter.com/rossrubin">Ross</a><span> check out a very different kind of connected lock from the </span><a target="_blank" href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1425492550/sesame-your-key-reinvented" rel="noopener noreferrer">Sesame lock</a><span> and a MIDI alternatives to </span><a target="_blank" href="https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/keys-modular-led-music-keyboard-with-gestures" rel="noopener noreferrer">Opho Keys</a><span>, both discussed in </span><a href="http://backerjack.com/the-backerjack-podcast-episode-9-the-lock-the-keys-and-captures-in-sticky-situations/">Episode 9</a><span>, In this first double-digit episode, the podcast takes on:</span></p>

<p><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/pivots/id916408504?mt=8">Pivots for iPhone</a><span style="font-size:17px"> (free with in-app purchase) is a clever little game that makes me question my addition skills. The premise is simple: arrange a row of numbers so that they add up to 15. Succeed and gain points. Fail, and lose time from the ticking clock. Here's our look at Pivots.</span></p>

<p>If you are looking for a unique apartment, you should check out this living space located inside an Apple Store building.  As noted by <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ifoapplestore.com/2015/03/14/live-above-an-apple-store-for-a-price/" rel="noopener noreferrer">ifoapplestore</a>, the two-bedroom, two-bath luxury apartment costs US$495,000 and includes amenities such as an in-building fitness center, access to an underground car park and a swimming pool.</p>

<p><span>Nintendo today <a target="_blank" href="http://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/pdf/2015/150317e.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer">announced</a> that it is partnering with Japanese mobile gaming company DeNA to produce smartphone games featuring Nintendo characters. </span></p>

<p><span>Anyone who is a professional tech or consultant who supports Apple technologies knows about </span><a target="_blank" href="http://mactech.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">MacTech</a><span>, the preeminent journal of Apple technology. </span><span>This year, MacTech is holding a series of </span><a target="_blank" href="http://pro.mactech.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">MacTech Pro Events</a><span> in cities around the United States to get you up to speed on the latest technologies you need to know. </span></p>

<p style="margin-left:0px; margin-right:0px">Hope you had a pleasant Monday! Today we have a few Apple news items that hit our radar:</p><ul style="margin-left:0px; margin-right:0px"><li>Watchaware compares polling for the iPad in 2010 to the Apple Watch in 2015, and finds that in both cases, 40 to 50% of those polled said they would not buy the item. The iPad has sold 200 million units so far...</li></ul>

<p><span>I'm getting a little irritated with the glowing success stories about the Pebble Time smartwatch. I have to admit that I was caught up in the record-breaking </span><a target="_blank" href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/597507018/pebble-time-awesome-smartwatch-no-compromises?ref=home_popular" rel="noopener noreferrer">Kickstarter campaign</a><span>; the Pebble Time and Pebble Time Steel have now captured (as of publication time) over $18.7 million dollars in pledges and over 73,000 backers. But is the Pebble Time even in the same ballpark as the soon-to-arrive Apple Watch? Hell, no.</span></p>