Aura

HomeKit shakes things up at CES 2022

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HomeKit was a stand-out star at CES 2022
CES 2022 brought daily announcements of new devices with Apple’s HomeKit home-automation system.
Photo: Cult of Mac

There is a lot to get HomeKit fans excited at this year’s CES tech showcase in Las Vegas. Quite a few companies announced products that will support Apple’s home-automation system, including lights, door cameras and more.

Glitzy projects like concept cars get more attention, but HomeKit accessories are more likely to make people’s lives better.

Track your fat, body mass and hydration levels with this $95 Apple Watch strap

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This Smart Strap is the perfect companion for your Apple Watch
The Aura Smart Strap is the perfect companion for your Apple Watch.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

If you received a brand-new Apple Watch this holiday season, you’re in luck! There are a ton of third-party accessories on the market, from fashionable watch straps to sleek charging stands.

Some, like this nifty Aura Smart Strap, give your Apple Watch additional functionality that complements its fitness-tracking capabilities. Normally retailing for $118.99, you can get an Aura Smart Strap for just $95.19 using coupon code HOLIDAY20 at checkout.

Aura band makes your Apple Watch even smarter

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Aura Band
Everything that makes the Aura Band great is coming to Apple Watch.
Photo: Aura

CES 2019 bugThere aren’t many health and fitness statistics Apple Watch can’t track, but to make up for some of those that are missing, there’s the impressive new Smart Strap from Aura.

By sending electricity through your body (without hurting you), the Smart Strap can measure your weight, fat, muscle mass, and more. It won’t cost you much more than a regular Apple Watch band, either.

Decompress from holiday stress with a handy meditation app [Deals]

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Backed by machine learning, this meditation app delivers short, daily customized mindfulness exercises to help get relaxed and re-centered.
Backed by machine learning, this meditation app delivers short, daily customized mindfulness exercises to help get relaxed and re-centered.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

The holidays can be hell on the nerves. From traveling and prepping big meals to shopping for gifts and adjusting to the changing weather, there’s plenty to stress over. So why not get yourself something that’ll help your mind unwind?

Turn your phone into a tool for relieving stress [Deals]

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Your iPhone doesn't have to be a distraction. With the Aura app, it can actually help you get back in touch with the moment.
Your iPhone doesn't have to be a distraction. It can actually help you get back in touch with the moment.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

For all their many uses, let’s face it: our smartphones are a major source of distraction. But it doesn’t have to be that way. In fact, with the right app, your phone can actually help you regain focus and reduce stress.

Writing assistants, unlimited phone plans, and more [Week’s best deals]

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Writing assistants, meditation apps, lifetime phone plans and more are all part of this week's best deals.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Here at the Cult of Mac Store, we delight in finding great new deals on tools and tech every week. This go around, we’ve got a gravity-operated mobile car mount, and a super useful writing assistant. Additionally, we’ve got an app to guide you in meditating (really), and a phone plan year of unlimited talk and text. Discounts run from a third to as much as 90 percent off, red on for more details:

Coding classes, wireless earbuds, meditation apps and more [Week’s Best Deals]

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This week's best deals will turn your phone into a mindfulness tool, make your PDFs more flexible, and more.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

It’s getting hot out there. But it’s still nowhere near as hot as the new deals coming into the Cult of Mac Store. This week we’ve added an app that’ll change how you work with PDFs, and a set of future-ready Bluetooth earbuds. There’s also a comprehensive set of courses in Apple’s Swift coding language, and an app that turns your phone into a mindfulness tool. Most are discounted by half or more, read on for more details:

Black Friday deals on health and fitness: A Withings gift guide

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Withings Black Friday gift guide
Great Black Friday deals slash up to 70 percent off Withings fitness and health gear.
Photos: Withings

This post is brought to you by Withings.

Don’t let shopping stress you out and spoil the holiday spirit. Gifts that are useful and beautiful are always a safe bet, and these Black Friday deals on health and fitness products from Withings — one of our favorite purveyors of quality gear — mean you can save up to 70 percent on the perfect gifts for 2016.

But don’t delay: These excellent deals on Withings fitness trackers, home health gadgets and smart scales won’t last forever. Prices go back up Tuesday!

Beastly all-in-one proves the iMac could be great for gaming

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The Aura is spectacular inside and out.
Photo: Digital Storm

Apple doesn’t have gamers in mind when choosing components for its latest Macs, but PC maker Digital Storm has proven that it’s possible to build a beastly gaming rig into the iMac’s gorgeous all-in-one form factor.

Check out the company’s stunning new Aura PC, which puts NVIDIA’s latest GTX 1080 graphics card behind a 34-inch curved display.

How to get desktop notifications for Gmail in OS X without using Mail

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You can use Gmail's web app and get Notifications in OS X with Aura.
You can use Gmail's web app and get Notifications in OS X with Aura.
Photo: Cross Coded

If you use Gmail – and let’s face it, most of us do – one of the biggest draws of using an external app, like OS X Mail, is being able to get Notifications when new emails arrive. Unfortunately, many email apps don’t support Gmail’s best features natively, like labeling, search or automatically filtered inboxes.

If you’d like to get Notifications when a new Gmail comes in, but continue to use the Gmail web app instead of a dedicated client, here’s how.

Escape Amazon’s evil Kindle empire with the cheeky Kobo Aura

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Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac
Kobo's ebook reader trumps even the best Kindle on several fronts. Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

I just switched from Kindle to Kobo. Why? Amazon. It’s currently extorting publishing house Hachette by delaying orders and refusing to allow pre-orders for certain titles. The exact machinations are secret, but many people agree that Amazon is demanding discounts on ebooks.

I don’t want to see authors forced to get a second job to survive, so I switched. No more Kindle ebooks. I switched to Kobo, which has a great e-ink reader, a deep book catalog, and – most importantly – breakable DRM.

The results are mixed, with ups and downs for both the service and the hardware.

Get To Sleep – And Wake Up – Perfectly Using The Withings Aura [CES 2014]

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New Withings Aura helps you make the most of your sleepy time.
New Withings Aura helps you make the most of your sleepy time.
Photo: Cult of Mac

CES 2014 bug LAS VEGAS — If you’ve ever had trouble falling asleep, or you’ve felt crappy waking up, it might be worth your while to check out the Withings Aura. The new app-enabled sleep machine comes from the folks that brought you other fitness gadgets like the Wi-Fi Body Scale and the Pulse.