Griffin WatchStand Charging Station: a solid two-in-one dock with some trade-offs

Earlier this month I reviewed the Belkin Charge Dock, a stylish dock for your iPhone and Apple Watch. I praised it for its classy, minimalistic design and embedded chargers, but knew that its steep $130 price tag would be a turnoff for many potential buyers.

This time around I want to tell you about a more affordable option—the Griffin WatchStand Charging Station. It too offers space for your iPhone and Apple Watch to rest and recharge, at less than half the price, but that savings does come with a few tradeoffs.

First, there's design. I don't think the WatchStand looks bad—in fact, Sebastien called its identical smaller sibling "sleek"—but I also don't think it looks anywhere near as good as the Belkin. Second, there are no cables included, meaning you have to supply your own.

So does the WatchStand's price and functionality offset these shortcomings? Let's find out.

Google+ looks a little different today…

Google's ailing Google+ platfom is getting a major facelift today as the Internet company continues to struggle for relevancy in social. Today, a brand new Google+ design went live and it puts the Communities and Collections features front and center.

You should see a prompt to try out the redesigned interface when visiting your Google+ profile through a browser. Revamped Google+ mobile apps for iOS and Android devices will hit in the coming days.

Apple Pay launches in Australia with Amex

After bringing Apple Pay to Canadian users 24 hours ago, the iPhone maker's mobile payment service is now available Down Under with American Express.

Amex issued card members in Australia can now add their card to Apple Pay using the Wallet application on their iPhone or through Settings. Local bank-issued debit and credit cards are not supported yet.

Using Apple Pay with American Express lets customers enjoy all the rewards and benefits of American Express membership and pay with Apple Pay anywhere contactless payments are already accepted.

Google to stream apps you don’t have installed on your phone, right from search results

Google on Wednesday announced that its search engine has now begun to surface app content and said that it's started experimenting with a cool new app-streaming technology to let mobile users accomplish tasks as if they were in the app itself.

“This uses a new cloud-based technology that we’re currently experimenting with,” wrote the Internet giant. App streaming will kick in when a user taps on app content in search results but doesn't have the app installed on their device.

tvOS 9.1 beta 3 now available to developers

In addition to releasing iOS 9.2 beta 4 to developers and public beta testers, Apple on Wednesday also released a third beta of tvOS 9.1 to developers, its operating system for the fourth-generation Apple TV.

The tvOS 9.1 beta 3 update (build number: 13U5077a) is available over-the-air on the new Apple TV to developers who are on a prior tvOS beta, as well as a standalone download through Apple's portal for developers.

Apple seeds iOS 9.2 beta 4 to developers and public beta testers

Following yesterday's release of OS X El Capitan 10.11.2 beta 4, Apple today posted a fourth beta of the forthcoming iOS 9.2 software update for the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad.

iOS 9.2 beta 4 (build 13C5075) is now available to members of the Apple Developer Program as an over-the-air update or through Apple's portal for developers. The update is also available to public beta testers who are signed on the Apple Beta Software Program.

Instagram clamping down on apps that read feeds, offer auto-following, liking or commenting

As part of Instagram's most recent platform update, third-party applications will be no longer allowed to present a user's Instagram feed, a significant change in policy that'll affect numerous mobile applications which pull Instagram feeds.

Going forward, they'll be shutting down services and apps that offer auto-following, liking or commenting.

Photo-editing apps that show only individual Instagram photos won't be affected by this change. All apps must comply by June 1, 2016. The new policies and reviews will go into effect for new apps starting December 3, 2015.

Microsoft completely overhauls Bing for iPhone, implements iOS deep links and more

In an effort to increase pressure on Google, Windows giant Microsoft today pushed a completely overhauled Bing for iPhone into the App Store. The software features a new branding identity reflected on the app's Home screen icon and a matching new-look interface with tight iOS integration via deep linking.

In addition, the app now works offline so you can go back to your bookmarks and search history even when you don’t have an Internet connection.

“We designed the app to bring together the information you need, connected to the apps you trust, to help you 'find' and 'do' faster and easier than ever before,” wrote the team.

Tweetbot for Mac updated for El Capitan’s Split View multitasking and more

The Mac edition of Tweetbot, Tapbots' popular Twitter client, has received an update this morning in the Mac App Store. The refreshed app now supports El Capitan's Split View multitasking mode and can be taken to OS X's native full screen mode as well.

With design refinements made to match Tweetbot 4 for iOS, this edition of Tweetbot for Mac also brings out muting changes and introduces an overahuled tweet details view that now shows conversation and replies in the same order as its iOS counterpart.

Let’s Talk Jailbreak 134: Same same, but different

Episode 134: We discuss Springtomize 3's upcoming iOS 9 release, iPhone rebooting problems, Jeff ditches his jailbreak on his iPhone 6s, Cydia Substrate receives an update, launching apps from folders using 3D Touch, and more...

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Tapity puts Grades and Languages apps for sale, shares revenue stats

The latest developer success story comes from Tapity, an Apple Design Award winner and the brains behind education app Grades and Languages, its popular offline translation app.

They've now put both Grades and Languages for sale in order to focus exclusively on Hours, a gorgeous time-tracking software that I reviewed in the summer of 2014. What's really interesting about this is how forthcoming Tapity's been about stats for these apps.

You might find it interesting to learn what kind of revenue Grades and Languages have been pulling thus far and what potential bidders can look forward to after buying Grades and Langauges.

Official Magnetic Charging Dock for Apple Watch launches for $79

Following yesterday's leaked packaging of an official Apple-branded dock for the Apple Watch, the Magnetic Charging Dock is going on sale this morning via the Apple Online Store and company-owned retail stores in the United States, Germany and a few other markets.

The accessory is priced at $79 and includes a two-meter Lightning cable that attaches to the base of the dock. The Magnetic Charging Dock supports your watch in either portrait or landscape orientation, which is really handy given the Nightstand mode in watchOS 2.