Reviews - page 3

The Blip file transfer app is a delightful utility that lets you move extremely large files and folders quickly across the internet — directly from your computer to somebody else’s.
With Blip, there’s no middleman uploading to and downloading the file from a cloud, and no pesky web app to sign into. It’s like beaming your files onto someone else’s computer.
It’s the easiest, most straightforward way to send someone large folders of files or complex projects from your Mac, iPhone, PC or Android device. And best of all, it’s totally free and secure. You can get it from blip.net.

With the ever-growing number of devices on my desk, a charging station has become a non-negotiable accessory. Instead of juggling multiple chargers, cables and adapters, a charging station can keep everything organized.

That’s where Acefast’s 6-in-1 80W foldable GaN charging station shines. Despite its compact size, it can charge up to six devices simultaneously, all while reducing the clutter and chaos on my desk. 

After the purported dimensions of the first folding iPhone leaked a few weeks ago, it didn’t take long for mockups to hit MakerWorld, a popular site for people with 3D printers to share their models. I got my hands on one of those models, and I have lots of thoughts. If the rumored folding iPhone looks anything like this, it’ll be weird.

For one thing, it’s almost as short as the original iPhone, but wider than the widest iPhone ever. Lots of design questions remain unanswered, too. Where will the volume buttons go, since there isn’t any room on the left side? Will it only have one speaker, like the iPhone Air? Will the two cameras arranged horizontally across the back mean the camera sensors are in landscape, not portrait?

I’ve been fiddling with a 3D model of the first folding iPhone all week. Here are my thoughts and observations.

The Kingston Dual Portable SSD brings up to 2TB of storage to anyone in the process of transitioning from the old USB-A to the smaller USB-C standard. It’s small enough to easily carry around, and fast enough to quickly handle large files.

I ran tests on the drive to see how the portable SSD fares in real-world use. Read on to see how well it performed.

Update: Anker renamed the Soundcore Work AI Voice Recorder reviewed below as Soundcore Work AI Note Taker to more directly reflect the main use of the product, the company said Tuesday. Its listings tend to put it down now as “note taker/voice recorder.” Soundcore also noted the problem I had with Find My functionality should be fixed now on production units. 

Original review: In an ecosystem where seamless integration matters most, the new Soundcore voice recorder and note taker arrives with a compelling proposition for Apple users. As this Soundcore Work AI Note Taker review finds, the coin-sized device promises to transform how iPhone and Mac users capture, transcribe and organize voice recordings.

After examining its features through an Apple-centric lens, here’s what you need to know about whether this $159.99 recorder deserves a spot in your productivity arsenal.

If you love YouTube but hate YouTube ads, Vinegar is the best Safari extension you can download. It can block YouTube ads on your iPhone and Mac and restores many native system features like playing videos in the background, picture-in-picture, and more.

YouTube ads are freaking insufferable. But if you don’t want to plunk down the dough for YouTube Premium (currently $13.99 per month), you can pay a one-time fee of just $1.99 to buy Vinegar and block YouTube ads on all your Apple devices.

If you ever watch YouTube, Vinegar is life-changing. Get it now on the App Store for iOS, iPadOS and macOS.

It’s the new year! I have three apps that’ll help your New Year resolutions, to make sure you don’t break your streak within the very first week. 

Whether you’re trying to exercise more, work more efficiently or change your daily habits, these three apps will help you make a better 2026. Apple Fitness+ is a truly excellent service that serves up slick, highly produced videos that will help you work out. Toggl Track can help you stay focused at work, with running timers you can tag with projects and native calendar integration. And Goal Streak Calendar can help you achieve something new or break a nasty old habit, with daily reminders and streaks.

Check out our list to see how you can transform your 2026 with just three apps.

Your iPhone is a powerful computer held back by its single port. Connect the Satechi OntheGo 7-in-1 Multiport Adapter, and you can connect to a wide range of accessories — external monitors, SSDs and more — all without adding too much bulk. It really builds upon the phone’s capabilities.

I’m not saying it’ll turn your iPhone into a mini MacBook, but if you’re toting a laptop on trips simply to watch TV shows or give a presentation on a large screen, this hub is for you.

Plus, it stands out by connecting to the MagSafe magnets built into your iPhone, so the accessory conveniently clings to the back of your device.

I tested it out with my iPhone 17 to see what the multiport adapter has to offer. Here’s what I found.

After testing the Alogic Edge 40-inch Ultrawide 5K2K monitor with my M4 Pro MacBook Pro, I can confidently say the display represents one of the most compelling alternatives to Apple’s own monitors for productivity-focused users. The expansive high-res screen real estate and the sleek design are beautiful — and at a pretty reasonable price point of $1,349 (marked down 10% from $1,499). 

Apple delivered some of its most memorable advertising campaigns in 2025, blending storytelling, humor and technical innovation. From emotional tributes to playful satire, the tech giant demonstrated why it remains a marketing powerhouse.

Here are the best Apple ads of 2025, which really helped define Cupertino’s creative year.

2025 was a busy year for Apple. The company launched multiple new products, some of which pushed its lineup forward in meaningful ways. However, others left plenty to be desired. Looking back, it’s clear that Apple delivered both standout successes and some head-scratching misses.

Here’s a look at the best and worst Apple products of 2025 — the ones that got everything right, and the ones that missed the mark completely.

macOS is powerful out of the box, but with the right apps, the experience gets even better. In 2025, several Mac apps became essential to my daily workflow, reducing friction and boosting my productivity.

Here are my five favorite Mac apps of 2025. All of them are free (or at least free to try), although some require payment to access advanced features.

Apple TV delivered another stellar year of television in 2025, cementing its reputation as a home for premium storytelling across genres. From stellar sci-fi to sharp Hollywood satire, here are 13 standout series that defined the best of the streaming service’s 2025 lineup of new and returning shows.

You should binge them because they’re great. And what better time to do so than during holiday downtime?

A Thunderbolt 5 dock makes it easy to connect multiple high-bandwidth devices to your MacBook — all with a single cable. While there are plenty of options, as you’ll see from this review, the CalDigit TS5 Plus is the dock for Mac power users.

It stands out from the competition by offering features you’ll not find elsewhere. If you have the budget, the CalDigit TS5 Plus is the Thunderbolt 5 dock to own. Find out what makes it special in my hands-on review.

Cuktech’s 10,000mAh magnetic power bank offers the best of both worlds: wireless charging and fast wired charging. Its lightweight design makes it easy to carry — and its tiny price tag makes it a bargain and a half.

This little wonder even packs a built-in USB-C cable, making it the only power bank you need to toss in your bag.

As you’ll see from our review, if you’re looking for a convenient and reliable iPhone charger at an affordable price, Cuktech’s 10,000mAh magnetic power bank is worth buying.

No one but you can access the files stored on the iKlips S, a tiny SSD from Adam Elements. Simply tap your finger on the drive to unlock it. The biometric security system is similar to Apple’s Touch ID and keeps everything on the SSD private. No passwords are necessary.

File transfers are quick, and the drive uses USB-C, so it works with a broad array of computers, including Mac, iPad and iPhone.

I put the iKlips S through testing for this review and came away quite satisfied with its performance. Just be aware, though, that you’re paying a premium for the extra security. We can get you a 30% discount, though!

The Abxylute M4 game controller is genuinely pocket-size, but clip it to your iPhone and you’ll have all the buttons and sticks you want to play retro and modern games.

It clings to your iPhone’s MagSafe connector, plus it includes a stand for detached gaming.

I enjoyed testing out the pint-size game controller with my iPhone 17, as long as I accepted the reasons for its necessary limitations. The affordable price helped a lot, too.

Have you noticed clean, comfortable air is getting harder to find? Among the reasons I finally left California after many years were the increasingly common and unhealthy “smoke seasons” caused by western wildfires. So I moved back east only to discover Canadian wildfires wafting choking drafts into New England, as well as my old nemesis — humidity. So I finally got myself a serious appliance to deal with indoor air quality. This Turonic PH950 Air Purifier and Humidifier review finds it quite the beast for the tasks, with just a few caveats (no HomeKit!?). But control via app for iOS and watchOS makes it especially convenient. 

The iLive Portable Bluetooth Multimedia Sound Bar/Speaker is ready to bring quality sound back to an old TV. Or connect it to your iPhone to add a soundtrack to your life. It’s portable and offers a multicolor light show when being used at a party.

Connect via Bluetooth or 3.5mm audio jack, and there are more options, too.

The speaker is only $30, and you’re probably reading this review to see if it’s terrible. Have no fear, I tested it out and you can expect decent quality sound, as long as you manage your expectations.

After spending a few weeks with the new SoundPeats Air5 Pro+ earbuds as my daily audio drivers, I’ve come to appreciate what this Chinese audio brand accomplishes at the budget end of the wireless earbud market. These earbuds, released Tuesday, pack an xMEMS Labs’ silicon-based micro tweeter in addition to a more traditional dynamic driver. With a Black Friday sale price of just over $100, they deliver features and performance that can cost twice as much with more established brands.

But do the buds outshine pricier competitors? Not exactly. My experience with their sound quality and adaptive hybrid active noise cancellation (ANC) — “adaptive” being one of the new features that puts the “+” in the name — fell a little flat. I would not be tempted to choose these over AirPods Pro 3 for any reason other than cost.

Ugreen’s DH2300 and DH4300 Plus are network-attached storage devices for people who don’t want to handle the complexity associated with a NAS. They offer tons of local storage, simple setup and a price that makes ditching cloud subscriptions far more appealing.

I wanted a simple setup, since my family would use the NAS for backing up their devices and photos. So I tested both the Ugreen NASync DH2300 and the 4300 Plus to see how well they work.

The newly upgraded Pebblebee Clip 5 Bluetooth tracker tag sends out louder alerts, and its built-in LEDs got brighter. That should help it compete with Apple’s AirTag, as both use the same Find My network.

Plus, it has bonus features, like one that helps you find your iPhone.

I put the accessory through real-world testing — here’s how it came out.

Sandisk gives its new Extreme Fit USB-C Flash Drive the crown as “the world’s smallest 1TB USB-C flash drive.” It’s undeniably very, very small — so tiny that you can leave it plugged into your MacBook. That means it can semi-permanently boost the storage capacity of your older notebook — and at quite a good price.

I tested the miniature external SSD with a variety of Apple devices, including my iPhone. Here’s how it stood up to real-world use.

Bloom is a Finder replacement that will completely change how you work with files on your Mac. 

With a refined interface that makes it feel like a native Mac app, it offers advanced features like a customizable multi-pane layout and enhanced file operations. After using Bloom for several weeks, I’m hooked. It speeds up basic tasks and makes file management on my Mac much easier.

Here’s everything this productivity-boosting Finder replacement can do.

Crossbody iPhone slings are in style, and the Satechi OntheGo USB-C Lanyard Cable is a unique addition to the category. It’s both a strap to make carrying the iPhone easy and a USB-C charging cable.
I put the accessory to the test with my iPhone 17. I especially liked that I can easily swap it between iPhone cases.