David Snow, an expert on Apple hardware and software, writes on a variety of technological and cultural topics for Cult of Mac. They include Apple news, technology buying guides, and features about computer setups and Apple TV shows and movies.
With 30 years of experience covering technology and other subjects, he has written and edited for numerous print and online publications, including CMP Media, TechTV.com, CNET, Wired News, Red Herring magazine, Law.com, The National Law Journal and Law Technology News magazine. Among other roles, he served as executive editor of the Law.com network of websites and editorial director, technology, for ALM Media.
Snow graduated with a B.A. from Syracuse University with majors in magazine journalism and psychology. While there, he worked as a reporter for The Daily Orange newspaper and associate editor of Equal Time magazine.
Founder of the blog At the Waterline, he can be reached on X (formerly Twitter) via @atthewaterline and on Mastodon via @dsnow.
The Targus UV-C LED Disinfection Light sanitizes your desktop. Photo: Targus
Laptop case maker Targus rolled out its UV-C LED Disinfection Light for sale Friday. The CES Innovation Awards Honoree is a no-touch way to reduce pathogens on desktop devices.
Its UV-C Light technology breaks down DNA of microorganisms crawling all over your keyboard and other gadgets.
The phone bot talks to telemarketers so humans don't have to. Photo: Mart [email protected]
People don’t answer the phone as much they used to, especially because they can usually see who’s calling. But if you have a history of hating telemarketers’ tenacious harassment, now you can get some payback.
A new report points out you can hire a phone bot that uses artificial intelligence and voice cloning to keep those unwanted callers tied up until they give up and hang up.
Creatives can work their magic right on Clarity Pro Touch's interactive touchscreen. Photo: Alogic
Alogic’s new Clarity Pro and Clarity Pro Touch 4K UHD Display Monitors build on the success of the company’s Clarity 4K UHD Display Monitor. Both 27-inch monitors feature an 8MP auto-retractable webcam, an eight-port USB-C hub and built-in speakers. And the Clarity Pro Touch adds a touchscreen, bringing a whole new dimension of usability.
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“We have added best features to Clarity Pro and Pro Touch, making them the ultimate tools for graphic designers, animators, photographers, videographers, scientists, research professionals and more, offering them spectacular displays that help their work shine, contributing to their overall productivity,” said Ritesh Kumar, Alogic’s co-founder and sales director.
Beats Studio Pro may look a lot like Beats Studio3, but come packed with much-needed upgrades. Photo: Beats
Apple will release the new Beats Studio Pro over-ear headphones July 19, according to the same anonymous source who correctly predicted the recent release of Beats Studio Buds+.
The new cans are expected to have high-end features a la AirPods Max, like Beats’ latest active noise cancellation (ANC), and to come in four colors.
Razer Moray wired in-ear monitors are designed for marathon gaming and streaming sessions. Photo: Razer
Razer, known for gaming gear, sounded off Tuesday with its first in-ear monitors (IEM) — Razer Moray.
Designed for gamers and streamers, the new wired earbuds emphasize THX-certified audio, natural noise isolation and lightweight comfort for long gaming and streaming sessions, the company said.
That M1 Max Mac Studio is about to get replaced for not quite handling renders. Photo: [email protected]
It seemed only yesterday M1 Max Mac Studio showed up as the new powerhouse in town, ready to take on all tasks. But in today’s featured setup, it’s on the chopping block for failing to handle heavy-duty rendering work for animated films well enough. The designer running the setup eagerly awaits an M2 Ultra Mac Studio.
Meanwhile, he uses Universal Control to pair his powerful desktop with an M1 iMac for basic tasks and relies on massive amounts of external storage for his humongous files.
It may be described as "4D," but don't expect stuff to actually burst out of your screen. Photo: Nanoleaf
Nanoleaf says its new 4D Screen Mirror Camera and Lightstrip Kit will “take your entertainment experience beyond the screen.” And now you can finally preorder the hardware, which the company unveiled at CES in January.
Once it ships, you get a big light strip to set up behind your TV. The camera lights it up with colors reflecting what’s on the screen. And you can mix in other Nanoleaf smart lights, too.
You can use the BentoStack to neatly store you Apple accessories (and charge them). Photo: Function101
Do you ever feel like you could be neater and less disorganized? Some of us always feel like that. But plenty of tools exist to help you get organized, like the Function101 accessories listed for 20% this week in the Cult of Mac Store.
You can find 10 helpful items in the Function101 collection, from desktop organizers to cable-management must-haves. See some highlights of the sale below. The sale runs through July 5.
Insta360's new Go 3 action camera shoots by itself, but also fits into its Action Pod for charging and use with a flip LED screen. Photo: Insta360
People love shooting video with their iPhones, but action cameras are gaining in popularity as they get smaller and even easier to stick on a ski helmet or bicycle handlebars.
Case in point: Insta360 just released its Go 3 action camera, which is about the size of your thumb when detached from its remote charging pod with flip LED screen.
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Here's the Ezmo, laden with cash and cards, serving as an iPhone stand. You can widen the stand's angle and mount the iPhone in landscape orientation, too. Photo: David Snow/Cult of Mac
Whether you carry a wallet bursting at the seams or you’re a two-cards-and-cash-in-a-clip person, Journey has a new product you might want to give a go. It’s the Ezmo Magnetic Wallet and Phone Stand.
It’s a high-quality leather product that fixes to your iPhone. But whether you want it to be your daily carrier for cash and cards depends on how little you feel you can get by carrying around with you. The company sent me one to try out.
2023 Mac Pro with Apple M2 Ultra Photo: Apple/Cult of Mac
Apple’s latest Macs are powerful and versatile. So much so that some people wonder if anybody will want the top-of-the-line Mac Pro desktop, even with its new M2 Ultra chip.
A new report found an audience for the top desktop lacking, given the capabilities of Mac Studio and MacBook Pro. But others suggest Mac Pro is here to stay.
Caller ID service and spam blocker Truecaller now offers call recording on Android and iOS. Photo: Truecaller
The Truecaller app is already well known as a caller-ID service and spam blocker. And now it lets you record incoming and outgoing calls on your iPhone in the United States.
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That’s incredibly helpful — not to mention quite legal (see below). And it means you can capture all the details of a call, even if you’re a sloppy notetaker or you don’t have a pen handy. With Truecaller’s new Call Recording feature, you won’t miss a thing.
They're small enough to fit on your desk, but they promise big sound as well as clarity. Photo: Fiio
Back when Fiio released its jack-of-all-trades R7 desktop hi-res audio player and amplifier in March 2023, it promised its new SP3 powered desktop speakers would follow, its first active speakers. And so they have, released earlier this month.
They could be the perfect companion for the R7 and a variety of desktop audio needs. They carry Hi-Res Audio certification and feature decent connectivity options via cable.
Al Gore was using Cinema Displays, but you get the idea. See Gore in the photo below. Photo: [email protected]
What do you get when you combine a high-end Mac Studio with three Studio Displays? You get a killer workstation. And in the case of today’s featured computer setup, you get a comparison to Al Gore, noted climate evangelist, former U.S. vice president and senator, and total Apple guy in more ways than one.
The user playfully implied he based his setup on Gore’s triple-Cinema Display workstation of yesteryear.
Klipsch's new R-40PM and R-50PM (pictured) have connectivity built in for turntables and almost any other sound source. Photo: Klipsch
Klipsch unveiled two new powered Bluetooth bookshelf speakers in its Reference series recently. The R-40PM and R-50PM speakers replace older “41” and “51” models, upgrading design, pumping up bass response and broadening connectivity with a phone preamp so you can easily connect a turntable, in addition to most other sound sources via USB and other line-in connections.
What you don’t need with these speakers is an amplifier, because they’re powered already.
Adding a second 27-inch monitor in portrait mode enhanced the setup. And look at that classic PowerBook G4 poster! Photo: [email protected]
Adding a second or third external display in portrait mode can really enhance a computer setup and its workflow. The owner of today’s featured MacBook Pro setup lucked into a second monitor and set it up vertically. Many people find the orientation suits certain tasks, like coding or reading email.
And who doesn’t love a classic Apple poster? Don’t miss the nice framed PowerBook G4 poster on the wall above the desk in the photograph above.
The Beanie Bubble, starring Zach Galifianakis, premieres July 28 on Apple TV+. Photo: Apple TV+
The first trailer for upcoming Apple TV+ movie The Beanie Bubble has a lot of fun with the Beanie Babies fad of the 1990s.
“Witness the crazy … behind the craze,” shout title screens in all caps between scenes. And Zach Galifianakis and Elizabeth Banks, as the partners behind the bean-filled-stuffed-animal business, do a good job of showing it.
Charge up to three devices at once from the new power bank's big 25,000mAh battery. Photo: Ugreen
Ugreen introduced its latest on-the-go charger for MacBooks and other gear Thursday. The new Ugreen 145W Power Bank offers fast charging and a rather large 25,000mAh battery capacity.
The company said, “the intelligent power bank can charge three devices simultaneously and even charge a 13-inch MacBook Air in just 90 minutes.” If you’re looking for the best GaN charger, check out this great option that provides high-speed charging in a compact design.
Denon's sleek new earbuds feature proprietary tech that helps personalize your audio. Photo: Masimo
Venerable audio brand Denon, founded in 1910 and now owned by health-and-audio-device maker Masimo, introduced its first sets of wireless noise-cancelling earbuds with audio personalization Tuesday — Denon PerL and PerL Pro featuring Masimo AAT.
AAT stands for “adaptive acoustic technology,” something Masimo enhanced when it absorbed Australian sound-personalization innovator Nura months ago. Hear that, AirPods Pro 2?
What's old is new again? What's new is old again? Something like that. It's a mechanical Apple Watch. Photo: NanoRobotGeek
I always had a thing for mechanical watches’ intricate machinery. But I gave up my Swiss timepiece for Apple Watch’s amazingly smart functionality.
And now someone has gone to the trouble of marrying the two on video. He replaced a nearly defunct Apple Watch’s circuitry with watch-movement technology first established more than 200 years ago.
And the end result is a gorgeous watch, if you dare try this sort of recycling project yourself.
Nine new subcategories of Podcasts with their own popularity charts help you narrow down the search. Photo: Apple
If you feel lost in a sea of podcasts without a paddle, Apple offered some new rowing implements Tuesday. After all, navigating podcasts can feel as hopeless as floundering among streaming TV shows and movies.
The company said Apple Podcasts will elevate nine “new and noteworthy” subcategories for browsing, plus related popularity charts and the new Podcasts by Language browsing tool.
A place for everything and everything in its place -- including your Apple TV remote. Photo: Elago
Always wondering where you left the Apple TV remote? Maybe you should always put it in the same place when you’re done with it. And Elago makes that easy with its updated magnetic Metal Plate R1.
Just stick it to a surface on or near your TV and your R1 remote sticks to it. And viola, once you get in the habit of putting it back there, your remote is always where it’s supposed to be.
"Silent" may be a stretch, but Kensington's new full-sized mechanical keyboard cuts down on the keystroke noise. Photo: Kensington
Kensington unveiled a new “silent” mechanical keyboard for business and home use Tuesday. It’s the new MK7500F QuietType Pro Silent Wireless Mechanical Keyboard with Meeting Controls.
“Ideal for use in noise-sensitive home or office work environments, the MK7500F delivers a combination of beauty, durability and functionality, to provide professionals with a premium, quiet typing experience,” the company said.
A roving laptop station holds and iPad Pro plus Magic Keyboard and Magic Trackpad. Photo: [email protected]
Today’s featured computer setup sports something we don’t see often — multiple stations for different uses. And its colossal 65-inch smart TV, used as a computer display as well as a home theater screen, is pretty unusual, too.