David Snow - page 117

This text editor post is presented by UltraEdit. 

Whether you’re a blogger, a web editor or a software developer, automatic formatting can mess with your writing. That’s why you need a text editor, which is similar to a word processing program but lets you work with nothing but plain text and symbols.

If you write code, a text editor is the most important thing to have (after expertise in your coding language, of course). That’s true whether you use HTML or a more complex and powerful tool, like C++ or Python. But how do you pick a suitable text editor?

For some time now, the wireless earbud market has grown toward the bursting point, with all sorts of options for active noise canceling buds with wireless charging, long battery life, solid waterproofing and other features for prices between $75 and $150.

But if you’re sick and tired of paying less for more, Sony has something new for you. You can pay $178 for earbuds without ANC or wireless charging, plus pedestrian battery life and minimal waterproofing. Meet the all-new Sony LinkBuds Truly Wireless Earbuds!

What do you get for that price? Sony’s reputation, plus an interesting new compact, lightweight, open-style design that might work great for at least some people.

It’s safe to say not everyone loves Apple’s stock carrying case for its flagship headphones, AirPods Max. You might even say some people hate the case. So it’s worth noting when an alternative comes along, like Intelli’s stylish new CarryOn case, released Tuesday.

And they look like a solid choice to carry AirPods Max whether or not you’re traveling at 30,000 feet.

If your computer setup tends to get cluttered — and whose doesn’t? — you have a new tool. That is, if you own a 24-inch iMac or plan to get one, anyway. On Tuesday Twelve South rolled out an updated version of its popular BackPack shelf just for the latest M1 desktop Macs.

Using the BackPack shelf, you can stash all sorts of stuff, like USB-C hubs, hard drives and other devices, out of sight behind your computer.

There’s something special about old Apple gear. Maybe that’s why it comes up fairly frequently in Cult of Mac‘s Setups coverage. One of the most-beloved classics in Apple’s storied history of beloved products is the Cinema Display. Today’s featured setup sports not one but two 30-inch Cinema Displays, the big stunners Steve Jobs introduced to an absolutely dazzled Worldwide Developers Conference audience in 2004.

So, naturally, questions came up about how to best use them with a newer Mac.

This cloud storage post is presented by pCloud. 

If you’re looking for reliable cloud storage, you might want to skip the likes of Google Drive and Dropbox and go straight for pCloud. The Switzerland-based company, subject to strong privacy laws, offers affordable, super-secure cloud-based storage and backup for individuals and businesses.

Even better, right now you can get 75% off all individual lifetime plans in the company’s Valentine’s Day promotion. You can read more about that, as well as pCloud’s benefits, below.

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Just a day after Apple touted its beefed-up privacy precautions for AirTags — in the wake of criminal incidents involving the tracking devices — an article in The New York Times on Friday showed their superiority to Tile and GPS trackers.

A reporter tracked her husband using all three kinds of devices. She found the AirTags not only better at tracking him in an urban area, but also better at tipping him off to the tracking.

Blogger Derek Seaman may be an IT systems architect in his day job, but he also designs and builds advanced computer setups. That is, if his home office is any indication. Which it is.

He shared his MacBook Pro-driven workstation — actually, the whole room — with Cult of Mac recently.

Those in the market for fast charging on the go, take note. On Tuesday, mobile charging specialist Excitrus launched its new 100W Magnetic Wireless Portable Charger, featuring a 20800mAh battery and MagSafe compatibility.

Apple said in a statement Thursday it will update AirTags item trackers with new privacy warnings, better warning sounds and smarter Find My tracking. The efforts comes as the company tries to improve security in the wake of criminal activity involving the devices, such as theft and stalking.

To make sure your AirTag has the latest security improvements, check for the AirTag update regularly.

If you’d like to improve your experience using HomeKit-enabled accessories on iOS, it might be time to try Home Widget for HomeKit. It already provides quick access to the Home app from your Home Screen, and it got a refresh on Wednesday, adding sensor support, different panel sizes and more.

In the tradition of media personalities helming book clubs — Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon — Apple Books welcomes a new book club with a new host. The Canadian is not exactly a household name in the U.S., but he has a track record with Apple. It’s Apple Music Hits live radio host George “Strombo” Stroumboulopoulos, who said in a tweet on Tuesday he’s going literary.

The new club is called Strombo’s Lit. Bookworms in the U.S., U.K., Canada and Australia can check it out now on the Apple Books app.

If you’d like a change from plastic or silicone cases for your iPad Pro, you have a new option. Accessories maker Nomad rolled out two new premium leather products Wednesday, the Modern Leather Case and the Modern Leather Folio. Depending on how you feel about leather, you may find they offer a touch of class without much bulk.

Both products feature full-grain leather. Their slim design offers protection mainly because of specs like a raised TPE bumper and a polycarbonate layer.

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When you spend loads of time at a desk, it’s natural to wonder how you might remain chained to it but still somehow get exercise. That’s why under-desk treadmills exist, of course. But can you really get things done while walking in place?

Today’s featured M1 MacBook Pro setup answers the question and offers up a couple of other tantalizing tidbits, like a killer iPad stand and affordable bookshelf speakers with isolation pads.

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Nothing, the audio brand from OnePlus founder Carl Pei, just updated its Ear 1 true wireless earbuds to include Siri voice support. That makes the inexpensive earbuds a little more competitive with competitors like AirPods and AirPods Pro. After all, the Ear 1 buds already have a lot of premium features.

CalDigit said Tuesday its newly released Thunderbolt Station 4 dock for MacBook Pro sports 18 ports — the most ever on a Thunderbolt 4 dock. The company said it’s also the only TB4 dock with 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet as well as 98W of charging power.

Dell said it has started shipping two new monitors that are the first on the market using LG’s new IPS Black Technology, rolled out at CES in January. IPS Black promises 35% deeper blacks than typical 4K displays, which tend to have poor contrast in favor of other benefits (mainly brighter colors). That’s effectively doubles the usual contrast ratio to 2000:1.

If you depend on your display for the best possible image — say, like a designer does — the new monitors could offer the great color IPS displays are known for, but with solid contrast, too.

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Apple TV+ set a premiere date of April 29 and put out an initial trailer for the Apple Original horror-thriller series Shining Girls on Friday. And it’s seriously spooky. What with all the blurred reality and scary-shapeshifting-killer vibes, the trailer makes the show look both disturbing and disorienting.

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When Apple demonstrated its new Universal Control feature during its Worldwide Developers Conference keynote back in June 2021, it made Apple fans drool. Too bad Cupertino made everyone wait longer than expected to get their hands on it.

But now, Universal Control is finally in beta testing ahead of its public release, and the anticipatory drool is once again flowing — especially among those who get to test it out.

The owner of today’s iMac Pro-based featured setup, a game developer and blogger, is no exception.

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Since Apple Music launched in 2015, it has offered first-time subscribers a three-month free trial — a very tempting proposition in a competitive streaming market. But now the service has cut the free trail for first-timers to one month, starting this week.

Apple Music continues to offer a six-month free trial to those who buy eligible audio devices.

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In a first look at season 2 of the political thriller Tehran, Apple TV+ put out a photograph showing the series’ new cast member, Emmy Award-winner Glenn Close. And the streaming service said the first episode will premiere on May 6.

Anyone with a curious cat knows the desktop can be one of their favorite spots. Sometimes it’s like they’re trying to ensure you can’t work, as they sit or stretch out right on top of the keyboard or in front of the screen. And that’s just when you’re sitting there. Who knows what they do when you’re away. Other than dreaming up other ways to hasten your unemployment.

Lucky for you, today’s featured computer setup shows a simple method for protecting peripherals like input devices — keyboard, mouse, perhaps a trackpad — from pushy pets. And if you’ve got canines, take heart. It also works for dog slobber.

Apple users do the darnedest things with old gear. Recently a guy stuck a USB-C port in an iPhone X and got $86,000 for it on eBay. We profiled a Romanian developer who designs games for souped-up vintage Macs. Then there was the guy who merged an M1 Mac mini with an iMac G4.

And now we find a clever TikTok user crafting a retro-cool iPad case with an Apple Watch charger out of a classic iBook G3 laptop.

A new Apple TV+ trailer for the Apple Original documentary series Lincoln’s Dilemma shows Honest Abe in a new light, as historians reflect upon what he was really about and how the changing country challenged the president who never asked to be “The Great Emancipator.”

The four-part series hits Apple TV+ all at once, not one episode at a time, on February 18.