Weekly update on automation and productivity apps.
Major product updates.
Halide Mark III lands as a “massive upgrade” to the pro iPhone camera app
Lux Optics has shipped Halide Mark III, billing it as the most significant rewrite of its acclaimed iPhone camera app to date. The team’s stated goals are simpler: produce the most beautiful photos possible from an iPhone, include everything in the box so users don’t need a stack of companion apps, and offer a streamlined experience that works for both beginners and pros. Expect refreshed RAW handling, a redesigned interface, and improved processing — and watch for migration notes if you’ve built a workflow around Mark II.
DEVONthink ships its own MCP server — your AI assistants can now talk directly to your database
This is a significant move. DEVONthink has added a built-in Model Context Protocol (MCP) server, meaning AI tools like Claude or ChatGPT can now read, search, and act on the contents of your DEVONthink databases through a standardised channel. In plain terms: rather than copy-pasting between your knowledge base and an AI chat, you can ask the AI a question and have it pull directly from your DEVONthink library. Requires macOS Sequoia or later. For a knowledge-management power user, this turns DEVONthink into a much more active partner.
Inoreader adds passkey sign-in
You can now log in to Inoreader using a passkey — the modern, password-less authentication standard built into iOS, macOS, Windows, and most password managers. No more typing a password and waiting for a verification code; Face ID or Touch ID on your device is enough. It’s faster, more secure (passkeys can’t be phished), and works seamlessly across devices that share the same passkey provider.
Permute 4 is out — and Charlie Monroe has published a full upgrade FAQ
Permute, the popular Mac video and audio converter, has reached version 4. If you bought directly from the developer, you can upgrade by entering your old license code into the upgrade form. App Store buyers get a dedicated upgrade tool that verifies their prior purchase. The FAQ covers all the edge cases — discounts, bundle owners, refunds — so it’s worth a read before you click upgrade.
Plaud teams up with PITAKA on a new magnetic case for Note Pro and Note
Plaud has partnered with accessory maker PITAKA on a magnetic case for the Plaud Note Pro and Plaud Note recorders. The case is built from PITAKA’s signature woven aramid fibre — the same material used in their iPhone cases — making it slim, lightweight, and durable. Designed to feel like part of the device rather than a bulky add-on. A nice option if you’re carrying a Plaud daily.
App updates & patches.
Service changes.
Orion browser.
A heavy week of bug reports as RC 1.0.7 stabilises and iOS gets compact-tab teething pains
The week’s Orion feedback was dominated by Release Candidate 1.0.7 (build 146) on Mac and 1.4.x on iOS/iPadOS — and the volume of issues suggests Kagi’s team is approaching a major release. On Mac, users reported .test development domains failing to open, Quick Searches not working, an intermittent inability to open new tabs via Cmd+T, YouTube ads bypassing the content blocker on macOS 14, and the RSS icon disappearing from the address bar (a personal favourite of yours).
On iPad and iPhone, the new compact tab bar and Liquid Glass menu redesign are drawing the most feedback — users want consistent icon orientation, a fix for an erratic vibration bug on the start page, and parity in the pinned-tab context menu. Extensions remain a sore point: Proton Pass logins keep failing with an “extension version mismatch” error, and on iPadOS the TwinMind extension installs but won’t open. There are also critical regressions reported on Mojave through Monterey — a reminder that this is the last Orion release that will support those older macOS versions, so users on aging hardware should plan accordingly.
The takeaway: lots of activity, lots of fixes inbound. Worth watching for the 1.0.7 GA release.
New Mac utilities.
Leaf
Quietly watches for inactive apps wasting memory in the background and nudges you when it might be time to quit them. A polite RAM cop for the menu bar.
ChocolateBar
Adds a second row beneath your Mac’s menu bar — bringing notch-blocked icons and your open windows back into view. Helpful if your MacBook’s notch eats half your menu bar items.
RetroMac
Turns your Mac into a glowing slice of digital nostalgia, complete with CRT shimmer, VHS fuzz, and classic desktop themes from the Mac OS 9 and Windows XP era. Pure novelty — but a fun one.
SmartClose
Makes macOS behave a little more like Windows by quitting apps automatically when their last window closes. A small fix for a long-standing macOS quirk.
Tug
Setting a timer the natural way: pull down from the menu bar, release when the duration feels right, and the timer starts. No keyboard, no math, no dialog box.
LingoBar
Turns your menu bar into a language tutor, surfacing bite-sized vocabulary throughout the day with audio pronunciation and flexible learning modes — and zero streak anxiety.
WhatCable
Reveals what your USB-C cables are actually doing — translating hidden power, speed, and e-marker data into plain language so you can stop guessing whether that cable is “fast” or “slow.”
Raybeam
Lets you share a draggable, resizable portion of your screen in video calls. Great for presenting just one app or window without exposing the rest of your desktop chaos to colleagues.