StackSocial Offers 10 Mac Apps in Summer ‘Name Your Own Price’ Bundle and MacBook Air in Giveaway [Mac Blog]

StackSocial has just launched a new “Summer Blockbuster Mac Bundle” that offers up to 10 apps with 10% of all profits going to one of three charities. Buyers can “name their own price” for the bundle and every purchase includes the following three apps:

– DiscLabel ($40)
– SyncMate Expert 5 ($40)
– Tangerine! ($25)

If a buyer pays more than the current average price displayed on StackSocial’s sales page for the bundle, the buyer will receive all 10 apps offered which includes the three apps listed above plus the following seven apps:

– Path Finder 6 ($40)
– Fantastical ($20)
– Flux 4 ($125)
– Gemini ($10)
– Logoist ($20)
– Tunes Cleaner ($40)
– MacX iPhone DVD Ripper ($40)

The total retail value of the bundle is $400. As with its last “Name Your Own Price” bundle in April, StackSocial is encouraging higher purchase prices by giving away an 11-inch MacBook Air in a random drawing with entries earned by taking a position on the price leaderboard while the bundle is available for purchase.

The bundle will be on sale until July 6.

MacRumors is an affiliate partner of StackSocial.

Video Compares 5.5-Inch iPhone 6 Model to Samsung Galaxy Note 3

While there have been plenty of videos comparing the 4.7-inch version of the iPhone 6 to the Samsung Galaxy S5 and other smartphones, there haven’t been many comparing the 5.5-inch iPhone 6 to other devices.

However, YouTube channel TechSmartt (via AppleInsider) has acquired a dummy of the 5.5-inch iPhone 6 and compared it to the Samsung Galaxy Note 3, offering a look at Apple’s rumored “phablet” against its main competition.

When compared to the 5.7-inch Note 3, the 5.5-inch iPhone 6 is slightly taller. This correlates with an earlier size comparison that found the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 was the same height or taller than leading Android smartphones that had slightly larger screens.

If believed, these dummy models signal that the 5.5-inch iPhone 6 could be taller than the Note 3′s height of 151.2mm. The extra height is largely due to a carryover of design decisions from previous iPhone models, which include identically sized top and bottom bezels. These bezels contain the FaceTime camera, the Touch ID Home button and numerous sensors.

Halfbrick’s Entire Library of Games is Now Free, Including Fruit Ninja, Monster Dash [iOS Blog]

Popular game developer Halfbrick Studios has made its entire catalog of apps free to download, which means titles like Fruit Ninja, Fish Out of Water, Monster Dash and Age of Zombies are all free.

While some of these titles, like Fruit Ninja have been free many times in the past, other titles, like Colossatron and Fish Out of Water have not been offered for free. As noted by our sister site TouchArcade, Halfbrick has not commented on the sale, so it is unknown whether the change is permanent or temporary.

A full list of the free apps can be found below, along with download links.

– Fruit Ninja [Direct Link: iPad/iPhone]
– Fruit Ninja: Puss in Boots [Direct Link: iPad/iPhone]
– Colossatron [Direct Link]
– Fish Out of Water [Direct Link]
– Age of Zombies [Direct Link]
– Monster Dash [Direct Link]

New Apple TV Beta, iOS 8 Beta 2 Lay Groundwork for Upcoming Family Sharing Feature [Mac Blog]

Alongside the second iOS 8 beta released earlier today, Apple also released a new version of the Apple TV software. The two updates appear to have laid the groundwork for Family Sharing, as there’s a new section for “Family Purchases” in the iOS App Store’s Purchased tab and a new iCloud Family setting for the Apple TV.

As noted by 9to5Mac, Family Sharing on the Apple TV (and on the App Store) is not yet functional, but as described by Apple during the Worldwide Developers Conference, it allows users to share purchased content across accounts.

Image courtesy of 9to5Mac
Families of up to six people with iTunes accounts that use the same credt card can share content like apps, iBooks, music, movies, and more, across all of their devices using iCloud. Family Sharing also lets families share photos, videos, a calendar, reminders, and more, to keep everyone in the family connected.

On the Apple TV, it is likely Family Sharing will let users access TV shows, movies, and music that has been downloaded by family members.

Today’s Apple TV software update was only available for the third-generation Apple TV (and Rev A), so it is unclear if features like Family Sharing will be limited to those devices, excluding second generation Apple TVs.

Though it is not yet available, Family Sharing will be implemented before OS X Yosemite and iOS 8 are released to the public this fall.

Yosemite ‘Hand Off’ Feature Likely Limited to Macs with Bluetooth LE

Over the weekend, we posted a story that Apple’s Handoff feature was limited to Macs that support the Bluetooth 4.0/LE specification. Handoff/Continuity allows OS X and iOS device users to seamlessly transition between the two operating systems. However, there was some debate about the accuracy of that claim at the time, though now it seems almost certain to be true.

Bluetooth 4.0 was was first introduced in the MacBook Air and Mac mini in Mid 2011. The feature has since made its way into later Mac releases, finally coming to every Mac as of the 2013 Mac Pro.

Apfeleimer put together this nice graph showing which Macs support Bluetooth 4.0/LE.

The full bars represent Macs that can run OS X Yosemite, while only Mac models in the green bar timeframes support the required Bluetooth protocol for Handoff. For iOS users, the iPad 2 is the only device that is capable of running iOS 8 but doesn’t come with hardware support for Bluetooth LE.

There was some uncertainty about this being an absolute requirement, though in the WWDC sessions, Apple clearly states that Handoff runs on Bluetooth LE technology. However, now with the release of Yosemite Developer Preview 2, Apple has added a new field for Continuity Support in the System Information. The new field falls under the Bluetooth category:

Owners of late generation Macs seem to be showing Continuity support in line with the chart above, while older Mac owners are seeing Continuity support set to “No”. It’s not yet clear if adding a 3rd party Bluetooth 4.0 dongle will enable support on older Macs.

OS X Yosemite is in developer beta right now and will be released to customers later this year. Handoff support in the early betas remain spotty, so even those with supported devices may not see the feature working. Apple, of course, could change requirements over time.

OS X Yosemite’s ‘Dark Mode’ Now Available via Terminal Command [Mac Blog]

OS X Yosemite’s dark mode, which was demoed on stage at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference, has yet to make it into the beta as an available setting. It is, however, possible to get a glimpse of dark mode with a Terminal command, as discovered by iOS developer Hamza Sood.

To enable the somewhat functional dark mode: sudo defaults write /Library/Preferences/.GlobalPreferences AppleInterfaceTheme Dark

— Hamza Sood (@hamzasood) June 17, 2014

The command enables an early version of dark mode, which is clearly not yet complete, likely explaining why it is not yet officially available in the beta. Users should, of course, use caution when deciding whether or not to try this feature for themselves. Dark mode can be undone with a second Terminal command.

The second beta of OS X Yosemite was released to developers earlier today, bringing several new changes like the return of Photo Booth and a new look for Time Machine. The public release of the software will likely come in the fall, after several more beta iterations.

Facebook Launches New ‘Slingshot’ Messaging App [iOS Blog]

Facebook today launched a new app called Slingshot, which is designed to compete with popular ephemeral messaging app Snapchat. A video and photo messaging app, Slingshot allows users to send media to friends, who are unable to view it until they share something back.

Shots taken with the camera can be edited with captions and doodles, and then sent to multiple friends or a single friend. Slingshot requires a phone number to sign up, but it does not force users to sign up with or use Facebook. When a message is received, it is “locked” until a user sends a shot of their own, a feature Facebook hopes will encourage more active sharing.

Slingshot lets you quickly share moments–little and big–with lots of people at once. Shoot a photo or video of what you’re up to and sling it to a bunch of friends. They won’t be able to see your shot until they sling something back. Tap on a shot to react, or simply swipe it away.

As with Snapchat, pictures and videos are deleted shortly after they are viewed, though the app does allow users to take screenshots of content.

Slingshot is not Facebook’s first attempt at a Snapchat competitor. Back in 2012, while Snapchat was still in its infancy, Facebook company introduced Poke, allowing users to send ephemeral messages. The unsuccessful app was removed from the App Store in May 2014.

Slingshot was initially released and then pulled earlier this month by mistake, but it is now officially available from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]

Apple Offers Discounts on Hachette Pre-Orders Amid Publisher’s Dispute With Amazon

Apple is offering discounts on several popular e-books from Hachette Book Group, the publisher currently embroiled in a dispute with Amazon. As noted by Re/code, Apple is promoting a sale on several Hachette titles under a “Popular Pre-Orders: $9.99 or Less” section in the book section of the iTunes Store, which includes upcoming titles from major authors like James Patterson, Michael Connelly, and J.K. Rowling (under pen name Robert Galbraith).

While Apple does not specifically mention the books on sale are published by Hachette, every book in the 26-book section is indeed a Hachette title. An Apple PR representative confirmed the promotion to Re/code, but declined to discuss pricing or other details.

For those unfamiliar with the dispute, Amazon and Hachette have been at war for the last month, after negotiations over profit-sharing failed. Amazon has since refused to take pre-order sales of Hachette books and has also ceased discounting existing Hachette titles, leading to much higher prices, in an effort to get Hachette to agree to better terms.

An Apple PR rep confirmed the promotion, but wouldn’t discuss the pricing or any other details. So we have to assume that either Hachette is lowering wholesale prices on its own titles to help Apple tweak Amazon, or Apple is lowering the retail price on its own, and losing margin in order to tweak Amazon.

Amazon released a public statement in May, noting that it was not optimistic about resolving the disagreement with Hachette in the near future. That means Amazon customers must pay more for Hachette books and must wait for books to be launched to make a purchase, a situation that benefits Apple as it is still able to offer customers pre-orders on popular titles.

Apple Releases iOS 8 Beta 2 to Developers

Apple today released the second beta of iOS 8 to developers, just over two weeks after unveiling the new operating system at its Worldwide Developers Conference. The update, build number 12A4297e, is available through Apple’s over-the-air updating system on iOS devices and will also be available via the iOS Dev Center.

Apple has also released Xcode 6 beta 2, new beta software for the Apple TV, and OS X Yosemite Update 1.0.

iOS 8 introduces a range of new features, including improved integration with OS X through Continuity, a Health app, Family Sharing features, interactive notifications, a new QuickType Keyboard and improvements to several apps like Safari, Mail, and Messages.

iOS 8 is only available to developers at the current point in time, but it is expected to be released to the public this fall after several additional beta iterations. Based on past history, iOS 8 will likely be released alongside new iPhones, and possibly the much-rumored iWatch.