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David Snow - page 109

Freshen up your look with a pastel Apple Watch band

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Brighten up your wrist with a pastel Apple Watch band.
Brighten up your wrist with a pastel Apple Watch band.
Photo: Laut

Delicate pastel hues aren’t just for Easter eggs and watercolor paintings. When applied to your Apple Watch as a band, a pastel color can seriously brighten up your wrist and freshen up your whole look.

If you’ve had enough of the basic blacks and browns, you can get the Laut Huex Pastels Apple Watch Band for just $30 in the Cult of Mac Store.

‘Time machine’ app takes you inside Apple Store history

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Sure, time travel exists. But in this case, you can only go to four places.
Sure, time travel exists. But in this case, you can only go to four places.
Photo: Michael Steeber

If you missed some of the biggest Apple Store openings ever, don’t worry. Now there’s an app for that. The Apple Store Time Machine app transports you to opening day at four iconic locations with a surprising amount of detail.

Michael Steeber created the interactive app to take you back to opening day in four places (and times): Tysons Corner (McLean, Va.), Stanford Shopping Center (Palo Alto, Calif.), Fifth Avenue (New York, NY) and Infinite Loop (Cupertino).

Anker pushes GaN envelope with 6 new fast chargers

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Anker launched a new range of advanced GaN chargers Monday.
Anker launched a new range of advanced GaN chargers Monday.
Photo: Anker

Anker Innovations said Monday at a special event that new partnerships have birthed a new lineup of Gallium Nitride (GaN) fast chargers for use at home and on-the-go.

The six new compact, efficient GaNPrime chargers range in power output from 150W down to 65W and cover a lot of possible uses. The range includes wall chargers, a power bank and a power strip.

“GaNPrime represents a new era in charging,” said Steven Yang, CEO of Anker Innovations. “In addition
to delivering a faster and safer charging experience, our new GaNPrime chargers offer significant savings in energy consumption, reinforcing Anker’s commitment to a more sustainable future.”

Apple spends $1.3 billion to fight homelessness

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Apple is working with affordable housing organizations to build new homes and provide housing stability for individuals and families in communities across California.
Apple is working with affordable housing organizations to build new homes and provide housing stability for individuals and families in communities across California.
Photo: Apple

Apple spent $1.3 billion recently to help remedy the California housing crisis, the company said Monday, following up on its pledge three years ago to spend $2.5 billion on an array of projects.

The Cupertino tech giant highlighted its new Veterans Square unit in Pittsburg, California, among other developments.

Nice MacBook Pro, but it’s all about that cool hybrid-model canine [Setups]

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The M1 MacBook Pro and Samsung ultra-wide display form the setup's core, but the canine unit at right is a crucial feature, too.
The M1 MacBook Pro and Samsung ultra-wide display form the setup's core, but the canine unit at right is a crucial feature, too.
Photo: [email protected]

People love posting impressive photographs and descriptions of their computer setups online. And other people love either drooling over them or mercilessly criticizing them.

But no matter what technology appears — lets say a new-ish M1 MacBook Pro, a 4K wide-screen display, an excellent 4K webcam, rock-solid input devices and a reliable standing desk, as in today’s featured setup — it’s all forgotten if there’s a pet in the picture.

New toggle in iOS 15.6 turns on government emergency alert tests

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When the government sends out test emergency alerts, you can be in the know.
When the government sends out test emergency alerts, you can be in the know.
Photo: FEMA

Worried that the U.S. government is trying to make sure emergency alerts it sends to smartphones are working — and you don’t even know about it?

Well, now you can make sure you receive those test alerts thanks to a new toggle Apple added to iOS 15.6 and the third iOS 16 beta.

Lawmakers call for quick votes on Big Tech antitrust bills

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Some lawmakers urge votes take place before recess.
Some lawmakers urge votes take place before the upcoming recess.
Photo: Jens June/Pixabay

A letter from progressive members of the U.S. House of Representatives this week urged Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to call for votes soon on a pair of antitrust bills that would rein in the power of tech giants like Apple and Google in an attempt to open up competition from more companies.

Without votes “in the next few weeks,” lawmakers’ upcoming months-long recess could delay action considerably.

Download striking ‘Apple Stage’ wallpaper for Mac, iPad and iPhone

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Basic Apple Guy's new wallpaper is based on Jony Ive's work.
Basic Apple Guy's new wallpaper is based on Jony Ive's work.
Photo: Basic Apple Guy

Designer and Apple maven Basic Apple Guy offered a delightful surprise Friday with his new “Apple Stage” wallpaper for Mac, iPad and iPhone.

The stunning rainbow wallpaper sports a design inspired by the real-life, six-color stage structure created by Cupertino design legend Jony Ive at Apple Park.

Dutch IT guy rocks with iMac, electric guitar and audio interface [Setups]

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This computer setup's centerpiece is a 24-inch iMac.
This computer setup's centerpiece is a 24-inch iMac.
Photo: [email protected]

We like Friday Setups posts to be on the fun side. We look for entertaining gear, wacky decor and exotic locations. Today we found a Dutch guy who works in IT management via his M1 iMac.

That doesn’t sound especially fun, but he also wields a pretty badass electric guitar.

He runs the axe into a Focusrite audio interface and listens to his musical creations on a killer set of cans, too.

Apple and Tim Cook crank up lobbying efforts amid antitrust scrutiny

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Mr. Cook goes to Washington a lot more than he used to.
Mr. Cook goes to Washington a lot more than he used to.
Photo: CSPAN

With Apple in the antitrust spotlight both abroad and in the U.S., Cupertino is spending more than it ever has before on political lobbying.

And CEO Tim Cook has become one of the most politically active tech executives in the country.

Wait times get shorter for Studio Display shipments

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Apple can ship you a new Studio Display in 1 to 2 weeks now.
Apple can ship you a new Studio Display in 1 to 2 weeks now.
Photo: Apple

Back in May, Cult of Mac wrote about wait times for Studio Display shipments stretching into August. But now, four months after Cupertino rolled out the $1,600 monitor, shipping-time estimates are dropping fast in many countries, including the U.S.

New Apple Pay promotion offers up to 70% off at major retailers

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Apple Pay fun in the summertime: Get big discount from 13 retailers.
Apple Pay fun in the summertime: Get big discount from 13 retailers.
Photo: Apple

Cupertino sent out a new summer-themed Apple Pay promotion Thursday with special deals on clothing, shoes, accessories and more. You can get up to 70% off items from GOAT and significant discount from a dozen other retailers. That means you can get the crazy-looking Yeezy 450 ‘Sulfur’ sneakers for $157 (regularly $200).

The discounts come from popular stores like Crocs, Ray-Ban, J.Crew, Lands’ End, Gymboree, Matt & Nat, The RealReal and others. Hit the links below.

Last chance: Protect your iPhone 13 with SwitchEasy accessories — at 20% off!

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Protect those all-important camera lenses.
Protect those all-important camera lenses.
Photo: SwitchEasy

When you spend a pretty penny on an iPhone 13 — OK, more like a thousand bucks, probably — you realize you better protect the dearly expensive gadget. Good thing SwitchEasy features all the accessories you need. You have your choice of cases, plus screen protectors and more.

And best of all, you can get 20% off all SwitchEasy iPhone 13 accessories in the Cult of Mac Store. But you need to act fast: This sale ends at 11:59 p.m. PDT on July 21.

New Eve motion sensor supports Thread and senses ambient light

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The updated Eve Motion now supports Thread networking and senses light to trigger automations.
The updated Eve Motion now supports Thread networking and senses light to trigger automations.
Photo: Eve Systems

Eve Systems offered its second-generation Eve Motion sensor Thursday, adding a light sensor and Thread mesh networking support. The device detects motion to activate other HomeKit-enabled devices.

And it’s actually less expensive than the previous model by $10.

The Thread standard that will be integral to the upcoming Matter home automation technology standard that helps different manufacturers’ devices work together.

AirTag battery indicator disappears from Find My app after iOS 15.6 update

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AirTag battery indicator disappears from Find My app after iOS 15.6 update
When you look for an AirTag in Find My, you no longer see a battery icon. unless it's very low.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Yesterday’s iOS 15.6 update and the newest iOS 16 beta show a surprising move on Apple’s part. It took away the Find My app’s AirTag battery indicator.

Previously, when you opened an AirTag card in Find My, you’d see a small battery icon showing remaining power below the tracking device’s name and location, Now you don’t, or at least not until remaining power is critically low.

Chic stripes enhance a Saffiano leather Apple Watch band

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Made from vegan Saffiano leather, the band features chic stripes.
Made from vegan Saffiano leather, the band features chic stripes.
Photo: Casetify

Some people buy vertically striped shirts in order to look slimmer. But on an Apple Watch band, stripes generally just make it look different from every other strap out there.

Casetify calls its Saffiano leather Apple Watch bands with such decoration “Chic Stripes,” and it looks like a pretty accurate description. Buy one of these affordable bands and you might look a little more chic.

So check out the pair of elegant choices in the Cult of Mac Store’s Casetify Chic Stripes collection.

Modder shows how to 3D-print new AirPods case (and add USB-C)

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Ken Pillonel put a USB-C port in an AirPods charging case.
Ken Pillonel put a USB-C port in an AirPods charging case.
Photo: Ken Pillonel

The guy who brought us the world’s first USB-C iPhone (and sold it for $86,001 on eBay) is now training his soldering pen on the AirPods charging case.

Engineering and robotics student Ken Pillonel put out a new video addressing AirPods’ repairability problem — they’re made to be replaced, not repaired. He demonstrated how he 3D-printed a new case and swapped the Lightning port for USB-C.

Super-clean MacBook Air rig shrugs off all distractions [Setups]

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Solid cable management helps keep this MacBook Air setup clean.
Solid cable management helps keep this MacBook Air setup clean.
Photo: [email protected]

Some of the best computer setups look a little boring at a glance. But that’s just because they include only essential gear and they keep it well lit and free of cable (and other) clutter.

Today’s featured M1 MacBook Air setup is a good example. And that’s not to say it’s plain or overly simple. You can see that in  the well-thought-out gear list below, which features 19 items.

New stacked dual-screen display promises to jack up productivity

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It's two stacked, adjustable 24-inch screens.
It's two stacked, adjustable 24-inch screens.
Photo: Mobile Pixels

Mobile Pixels started a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign Wednesday for Geminos, its new stacked, dual-screen desktop monitor intended to enhance workstations.

This follows last month’s launch of the LG DualUp, a 28-inch screen with a 16:18 aspect ratio, somewhat like two stacked screens in one.

The products aren’t quite the same, but could this be the start of a trend toward tall, oddly shaped monitors?

Get all the free stock video, graphics and sound you need with Videvo

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You can get thousands of audio, video and graphics assets of Videvo.
You can get thousands of graphics, video and audio assets at Videvo.
Photo: Videvo

This post is brought to you by Videvo.

If you’re working on a business or personal project and you want to make it better by adding video, graphics, music or sound effects — without spending a fortune — you should consider Videvo.

The website offers more than 500,000 stock video clips, motion graphics, video templates, music tracks and sound effects — all at your fingertips, and much of it completely free.

Power up with ESR’s new line of speedy MagSafe-compatible chargers

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ESR launched three new MagSafe-compatible chargers Tuesday.
ESR launched three new MagSafe-compatible chargers Tuesday.
Photo: ESR

Need quicker and more convenient charging for your Apple gadgets? Accessory maker ESR launched its CryoBoost line of MagSafe-compatible accessories Tuesday.

The new CryoBoost lineup includes a 3-in-1 charger, a 2-in-1 charger and car charger. They all increase charging speeds by circulating air over the charging coil and your iPhone, the company said.

Home automation gets smarter for Apple TV 4K and HomePod mini owners

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HomePod mini is one of the devices that can be a Thread 1.3.0 border router.
HomePod mini is one of the devices that can be a Thread 1.3.0 border router.
Photo: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac

A major Thread networking standard update Tuesday brings the Matter home automation technology standard a step closer for those who already own certain devices. Namely, gear that can act as a border router in the smart home — like Apple TV 4K and HomePod mini.

Thread 1.3.0 lets Thread devices work with any other Thread border router. That’s big because Thread will be Matter’s main wireless protocol, along with Wi-Fi.

Woman with deadly, hidden tumor saved by Apple Watch

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Apple Watch keeps saving people's lives.
Apple Watch keeps saving people's lives.
Photo: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac

In recent years Apple Watch has shown itself to be a lifesaver, either by calling for help when a person’s incapacitated or by offering health readings that lead a person to see a doctor.

In the latter category it just happened again. A woman in Maine didn’t believe what the wearable was telling her at first. But going to the ER led to open-heart surgery that saved her from a probable fatal stroke.

Strauss & Wagner wired earbuds sound right on the money [Review] ★★★★☆

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It's nice that they come with a carrying pouch, but it's great that they have solid sound and a good fit.★★★★☆
It's nice that they come with a carrying pouch, but it's great that they have solid sound and a good fit.
Photo: David Snow/Cult of Mac

In the ongoing mania for wireless earbuds and headphones, it’s easy to forget that their older wired siblings still have distinct advantages — namely, great sound for less money.

With no need to worry about analog-to-digital conversion and compression for Bluetooth, wired-gear manufacturers can focus on audio quality at a good price.

New York City-based Strauss & Wagner sent me a pair of its EM205 wired earbuds to try out, and they didn’t disappoint. You can find cheaper wired earbuds with good sound, but you can’t really go wrong with these for $39.95. They feature excellent balance and clarity with a comfortable fit and good build quality.

This active band for Apple Watch makes you forget you’re wearing it

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Laut's active band could be your perfect Apple Watch workout companion.
Laut's active band could be your perfect Apple Watch workout companion.
Photo: Laut

Apple Watch makes for a great activity and health tracker, whether you’re just going for a stroll or sweating serious bullets at the gym. But you don’t necessarily want a heavy steel band or a fine leather strap with that, though, do you? You want something designed for exercise. Something light and flexible.

That something is the Laut Active Apple Watch Band. It’s so smooth and light you may forget you’re wearing it, except when its vibrant color catches your eye.