David Snow - page 87

California peripherals specialist Cooler Master just updated its popular 65%-format mechanical keyboard (CK721) to create the company’s first fully customizable board, the wired CK720. You can swap out its switches without a soldering iron to easily get the typing feel and sound you like best.

“We’re huge fans of custom-built mechanical keyboards ourselves, so we wanted to make sure the CK720 is a great steppingstone into the hobby,” said Dennis Liu, Cooler Master’s peripheral general manager, in a press release. “Whether you like smooth linear switches with maximum thock, or a sharp tactile typing feel with a marbly sound, the CK720 has the ability to achieve it.”

The Halloween Sale in the Cult of Mac Store has something for everyone. Even within specific accessory types by one brand, you find choice. Take Mifa’s Apple Watch bands, for example. Today’s your last day to get 10% off in the week-long sale.

You can glam up your Apple Watch considerably with the Sparkle Bracelet, which looks like a million bucks. Or you can go with the ultimate classic strap with a Classic Leather band.

If you were a kid, wouldn’t you like to use a remote control to just “turn off” your parents for a while? But what if you couldn’t figure out how to turn them back on?

That’s one of many scenarios that flash past in the trailer for Circuit Breakers Apple TV+ released Monday. It’s a science-fiction series about middle-schoolers set in the near future. It premieres November 11.

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In the world of computer setups, sometimes it seems like some sort of display arms race is going on. Even five or six screens isn’t uncommon anymore, with a few external displays added to the devices with built-in screens, and all in play in the workstation.

But how about no external displays? Does that work for you? It does for today’s featured MacBook Pro and iPad Air setup. See why below. And don’t overlook that unassuming but very special desk lamp, either.

If you’re looking for quality audio at an affordable price, you can certainly do much worse than Edifier products. The Chinese company consistently comes across with great value, and that’s the case with the Edifier MS50A powered wireless smart speaker.

The company sent me one of the handsome, wood-paneled speakers to test out. Though it’s not the smartest smart speaker on the block, it looks and sounds great for the price. I’ll get into more detail below.

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The Australian company Rode is well-known for its array of microphones and other gear for content creators in media and at home. But now the company has launched a new sub-brand called Rode X with wares aimed straight at streamers and gamers.

So far you can get two new USB mics and software to go with them.

When you look at the gear in today’s setup you might say, what is this, an ad for Elgato? The workstation is rife with Elgato devices widely used by streamers for video-production workflows, like its popular Facecam, Wave:3 microphone and Stream Deck.

But the MacBook Pro setup isn’t used for streaming at all.

The software engineer who occupies the well-appointed workstation finds perfectly productive things to do with all that Elgato gear, other than streaming.

Ugreen expanded its product range Thursday with the launch of its new 13-in-1 USB-C Docking Station, designed for M1 MacBooks and other laptop computers.

Taking advantage of the dock’s whopping baker’s dozen of ports, you can use it to connect a wide range of external devices to your laptop.

Mobile charging specialist Excitrus introduced its 105W Power Bank Ultimate Thursday, a small but potent charger with an 18,000mAh battery for on-the-go device charging.

The company called the iPhone-sized device “one of the smallest [on] the market with around 100W power output.”

If you’ve built up a big collection of Mac apps, especially if they’re from various sources, it’s a chore keeping them up to date for optimal functionality and security. That’s unless you have a stellar utility like MacUpdater.

Now available in version 2.3, MacUpdater makes keeping your software updated effortlessly. And better yet, Cult of Mac readers can get 15% off the software’s price with a special coupon. See below.

The Cupertino tech giant expanded its free Apple Learning Coach program Wednesday to invite more tech instructors of various stripes across the U.S. to join. Once certified, they can show school teachers how to get the most out of Apple products to help their students.

Folks like tech coaches and digital learning specialists who want into the program can apply by November 16, Apple said.

Some people need more than one or two displays. Like software developers. Today’s featured MacBook Pro-and-custom-PC setup manages to rely on five different screens like some sort of mini Mission Control. But launches controlled from here are new software products and updates, not rockets.

A new iPhone 14 is a substantial investment in what may be your most important piece of technology — often in-hand, always within reach. So shouldn’t you protect it? iPhones have become tougher over the years, but you wouldn’t want to risk yours being out of commission even for a day.

Momax covers two of the best ways to safeguard iPhone 14. One is a slim-but-tough magnetic case in clear or colorful options. The other is a tempered glass screen protector. Together, they’re like armor for your iPhone. And right now, Cult of Mac readers can save 10% on these Momax accessories with code CULTOFMAC10.

Apple TV+ received five nominations for the 32nd Annual Gotham Awards Tuesday, including two nominations apiece for the series Pachinko and Severance and one for the film Causeway.

This comes after Apple took two wins in the 2021 Gotham Awards, which recognize visionary work in indie film and TV. This year’s awards ceremony takes place November 28.

Tech accessories brand Mujjo, known for its leather iPhone cases, introduced a new collection of leather MagSafe wallets for iPhone Tuesday.

The wallets hold three cards and stick to any iPhone with MagSafe — with or without a case — the company said.

You don’t find many brands on Amazon with an average rating of 5 stars, but Zugu is one of them. The company focuses intently on making the best iPad cases it can, and if rave reviews are anything to go by — and they certainly are — Zugu is wildly successful at its endeavors.

After all, seeing all 5 stars filled in for thousands of ratings of each iPad case has got to be reassuring for shoppers looking to protect their tablet. And that includes cases for iPad mini, iPad Air and iPad Pro, in all sizes.

We’ll take a closer look at Zugu’s iPad cases and how the company got to where it is today below.

EcoFlow rolled out three new River 2 series power stations Tuesday. The under-1kWh devices charge to 80% as fast as 48 minutes and offer a long life, making them cost-effective for on-the-go uses like camping as well as home power backup, the company said.

Halloween is the time for kooky costumes, candy-induced belly aches and frighteningly good deals on Apple accessories in Cult of Mac‘s Super Sweet Deals sale. You can get anything made by Elago for 15% off this week.

Just head to the Cult of Mac Store to take 15% off all Elago accessories. That’s 162 products that go along with pretty much everything Apple. See some highlights below.

Apple plans to raise the prices of some of its subscription services by $1 to $3 each, reports indicated Monday. The services include Apple TV+, Apple Music price increase and the Apple One subscription bundle.

Users should see the price increases, listed below, with their next subscription renewal.

If you like buying popular third-party accessories straight from Apple, take heart. The Cupertino tech giant added three new products to its online store Friday from Anker, Mophie and Twelve South.

They are the new Anker 3-in-1 Cube MagSafe charger, the Mophie Powerstation Plus 10K power bank and the Twelve South Hoverbar Tower for iPad floor stand.

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If you have the space on or near your desk for them, Monoprice just put out a pair of powered desktop speakers that promise audiophile sound to boost your computer setup’s audio output.

The Monoprice Monolith MTM 100 Powered Desktop Speakers put out 50 watts of sonic power apiece and feature bass panels on the sides.

The Mac Pro of recent vintage is famously compared to a cheese grater because of the holes in its casing’s design that look like a huge version of the kitchen tool. But did you know it’s not the only high-end product Apple makes that follows that design?

Today’s featured M1 Max MacBook Pro setup shows it. How often do you see the back of a Pro Display XDR in photographs? Plenty of people admiring the setup expressed surprise that the backside of Apple’s top display is full-on cheese grater.

Every year, Apple fans face the same dilemma: Do you really want to cover up your beautiful new iPhone with a case? With the iPhone 14 Pro models, that shiny stainless steel and pristine glass back look beautiful to behold. But these sleek smartphones also look … vulnerable. And drop tests prove they’re not as rugged as Apple might want you to think.

Well, the good news is Mkeke offers clear cases for iPhone 14 Pro Max and iPhone 14 Pro. These affordable cases show off your iPhone rather than hiding it. And the tough and stylish cases are top sellers on Amazon for a reason — several reasons, in fact.

Some Apple Store locations began stocking the exclusive new Level Lock+ last week, letting users open their door locks with their iPhone or Apple Watch via digital keys. And now you can get it online, too.

The functionality takes advantage of the change in iOS 15 last year adding support for home keys in Wallet. It uses NFC radio technology to let an iPhone or Apple Watch near the lock open it.

Three years after the influential Jony Ive vacated the role of hardware design chief at Apple, it’s opening up again, according to a report.

Vice President of Industrial Design Evans Hankey, who stepped into the top job in 2019, plans to step down. And Cupertino hasn’t said yet who will take over when she goes.

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