David Snow - page 73

If you like cute, Ugreen’s got you covered. Its new Ugreen Nexode RG fast chargers are adorable little “robots” that can charge iPhones, iPads and more. “RG” stands for “Robot GaN,” meaning they’re gallium nitride (GaN) chargers.

And they really only look like robots. They’re not going to walk your dog or rise up and destroy humanity or anything. Probably.

The company sent me a trio of the little cuties to check out. You could get several for different electrical outlets, and when they’re not plugged in, they could stand guard over your computer setup.

Thread wireless mesh networking is strongly associated with the Matter smart-home automation standard, so some people found it surprising Apple would include Thread radio technology in iPhone 15 Pro models in addition to Bluetooth and Wi-Fi wireless connectivity.

A new report surfaced theories about what Apple’s up to and what future impacts it might have.

Apple TV 4K became a more versatile living room device with Monday’s launch of FaceTime on tvOS 17, Apple said, referring to it as “a powerful integration of hardware and software.”

“Users can make calls directly from Apple TV 4K, or start calls on iPhone or iPad, and hand them off to Apple TV 4K,” Apple noted. “FaceTime on Apple TV 4K takes advantage of Continuity Camera support to wirelessly connect to iPhone or iPad, and leverages the devices’ cameras and microphones to bring participants together on the TV.”

If you have an aging Intel-based iMac or Mac mini that’s slowing down like an old codger, today’s featured iMac setup shows a relatively simple way to revitalize your machine and keep using it.

All you need is an external solid state drive (SSD) and the knowledge, below, to make it your computer’s replacement startup disk.

Belkin’s new ScreenForce UltraGlass 2 Treated Screen Protectors for iPhone 15 models are made of its strongest and most durable glass yet, the company said Thursday.

You can pick up the protectors at either Belkin.com or Apple.com. And when they arrive by the end of the month in Apple Store locations, you can take advantage of a free precision fitting service.

Lots of folks agonize over choosing a new iPhone color when fresh handsets like the 15 series come out — even Apple CEO Tim Cook.

Or so he said in a brief interview sometime around  iPhone 15’s release Tuesday. But in explaining his choice of Natural Titanium, he managed to praise every available color equally, and even in exactly the same way.

The No. 1 complaint about Apple displays? They’re too expensive. People love them, but not everyone will pony up the cash to grab a $1,600 Studio Display or, heaven help us, a $5,000 Studio Display XDR.

Today’s featured MacBook Pro setup provides a much-cheaper alternative that might work for some people. It uses a pair of old-but-beautiful Cinema Displays that cost a grand total of $74.

With the iPhone 15 series and new Apple Watches now out, the accessories floodgates are open. One of the first products through is an updated Twelve South HiRise 3 Deluxe charging stand. And it’s made for MagSafe and ideal for iOS 17’s Standby Mode.

So you can turn your iPhone into a classic bedside alarm clock or smart display with various widgets. And you can charge it alongside Apple Watch and AirPods.

Need a compact and potent MagSafe charging station to replace a slow 3-in-1? Coming out just after iPhone 15’s release, Ugreen’s unusual new Nexode 100W GaN Charging Station could fit the bill, charging up to four devices at once.

Rolled out Thursday, the speedy charger takes up a small space by putting a MagSafe platform for iPhone that tilts up on top and USB-C and USB-A ports in the squat body. The company sent me one to try.

The new Ugreen Nexode 100W GaN Charging Station, rolled out Thursday, combines MagSafe charging for iPhone with GaN USB-C charging for other devices in a compact form factor, the company said.

I’ll have an in-depth review of the new charger, which Ugreen said is ideal for home and on-the-go use with the new iPhone 15 and other MagSafe iPhones, on Friday.

Frustrated young scientist Brie Larson explores her love of cooking — it’s chemistry, after all — and her distaste for the patriarchy in the second trailer for upcoming limited series Lessons in Chemistry. Apple TV+ set it on the table for hungry viewers Thursday.

Larson plays a young scientist in the 1950s who is wrongly terminated from a lab job before becoming host of a cooking show where women’s rights serve as a crucial ingredient. You can have a bigger bite when the series debuts October 13.

How would you like to score a 13.6-inch M2 MacBook Air for $899, a couple hundred bucks off the regular price?

More than 4,600 people on Best Buy’s website give the slender laptop a rating of 4.9 out of 5.0. And now it’s on sale.

Apple TV+ dropped the final trailer and some fine move-poster images Wednesday for Martin Scorcese’s Killers of the Flower Moon, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro and Lily Gladstone. And if the powerful video, below, doesn’t make you want to see the film, nothing will.

The streaming service often calls upcoming movies and shows “highly anticipated,” and it’s no exaggeration in this case. The epic historical drama premieres October 20 in theaters, including IMAX screens, and afterward on Apple TV+.

Spam calls to your iPhone are an annoying distraction and — as many folks would say — a violation of your privacy. But you don’t have to live with them if you use Incogni.

The new Apple Originals podcast Magnificent Jerk tells the unbelievable story of an eccentric uncle who plays at acting and screenwriting but turns out to be a Chinese gang leader whose life ends up on screen in a low-budget action flick starring Rob Lowe in a fake mustache, according to a new trailer dropped Wednesday.

Former Washington Post journalist Maya Lin Sugarman — the guy’s niece — hosts the podcast. It debuts September 18.

At this point, considering the cinematic chops of iPhone cameras — especially in the new iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max — we expect to see full-length feature films. But we’ll take another “Shot on iPhone” pop music video like the one Apple’s pushing for Olivia Rodrigo’s song “get him back!”

The sassy music video, shot entirely on iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max, dropped Tuesday along with the arrival of the new iPhone 15 lineup.

Tim Cook and a surprisingly stone-cold Mother Nature had a staring contest at Apple Park during the Wonderlust event Tuesday. And in Apple’s telling, Tim Cook won.

He played himself in the keynote segment while Octavia Spencer, star of the canceled Truth Be Told on Apple TV+, played a feisty Mother Nature taking executives to task on environmental-initiative progress.

But in the end she chilled out, because Apple had some progress to show, including its first carbon-neutral products.

The new iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max handsets feature a lightweight titanium design with contoured edges, a new Action button, powerful camera upgrades and the A17 Pro chip to jack up mobile gaming, Apple said at its Wonderlust event Tuesday. And surprisingly, only the Pro Max’s price went up.

 “This is the most pro lineup we have ever created, with a state-of-the-art titanium design, the best iPhone camera system yet that enables game-changing new workflows, and the A17 Pro chip, which ushers in a new chapter of performance and games never before seen on iPhone,” said Greg Joswiak, Apple’s senior vice president of worldwide marketing, in a press release about the new models. To know more, read why the iPhone 15 might be Apple’s cheapest since 2007.

The new oval-shaped EpicBoom Bluetooth speaker joined Ultimate Ears’ lineup Monday, promising loud, bass-driven, 360-degree portable sound, the Logitech subsidiary said.

You can preorder the $349 boomer now for September 15 shipping.

This post’s headline sounds like a joke, invoking technology used in antique radios, TVs and amplifiers, but the wireless headphones behind it seem entirely serious.

“écoute: the world’s only vacuum tube headphones, designed to compensate for the deficiencies of digital listening,” say the Indiegogo and Kickstarter funding-campaign pages. The French word “écoute” translates to “listen” in English.

Not long after the successful debut of its EP900 system, Bluetti is set to electrify the energy-storage sector again with its powerful new EP800 energy storage system launching September 15.

If Apple’s holding a major event, then it’s a good bet someone’s preparing bingo cards for it. Ahead of Tuesday’s Wonderlust event, we found a few options for you to play along while Cupertino’s rumored announcements unfold.

On Friday we mentioned dual-Studio Display setups seem relatively rare, but now we can hardly glance at social media without seeing one, or even several.

Today’s featured Mac Studio setup fits the bill with two Studio Display perched on 3D-printed stands. You can’t see the computer in the photo above. That’s because it’s mounted under the standing desk.

Who doesn’t love working with PDFs? The obvious answer is everyone. PDFs can be a pain. But these days, PDF editing tools are getting smarter and easier to deal with. For instance, Superace Software’s UPDF, an easy-to-use PDF editor that’s now enhanced by artificial intelligence.

UPDF‘s AI boost makes it easy to summarize, translate and explain the contents of PDFs. It can also boost your writing capabilities, greatly speeding up the task of creating PDFs.

Amazon bargain site Woot! is often cute with its sales lingo for Apple sales like the current deals it offers on 2021 iPad Pro models through September 17.

“2021 Apple iPad Pro (Your Choice): Having an Apple addiction is a very expensive hobby,” it says at the top of the page. So true.