David Snow - page 96

Let there be lighted Zoom calls [Setups]

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You, too, can have a clean, well-lighted place for Zoom calls.
You, too, can have a clean, well-lighted place for Zoom calls.
Photo: UGenya806@Reddit

Redditor UGenya806, who works in marketing for San Francisco-based DocuSign in Germany, takes appearances on Zoom calls seriously. After all, their job has always been remote and will remain so, even when others return to offices following the COVID-19 pandemic.

UGenya806’s setup centers on an M1 Mac mini tethered to dual Dell 24-inch 4K monitors and a CalDigit TS3 Thunderbolt 3 Dock. The mini is connected wirelessly to a Magic Keyboard and a Magic Trackpad.

A stand-mounted MacBook Air rounds out the mix, but is usually used separately as a standalone machine, not with the peripherals.

iToolab UnlockGo removes various locks on Apple devices

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iToolab UnlockGo: For when you're locked out of your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch.
UnlockGo: For when you're locked out of your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch.
Image: iToolab

This device access feature is brought to you by iToolab UnlockGo.

Anybody can get locked out of their iPhone, iPad or iPod touch. It’s not a good feeling. Fortunately, if you run into trouble with your device screen passcode on an Apple device, iToolab UnlockGo can bypass it.

Perhaps you forgot your Apple ID password. Or your device is disabled. Or maybe you bought a second-hand device with another Apple ID logged in.

Nice rig. Here are 28 ways to make it better. [Setups]

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If you want suggestions for how to improve a computer setup, just ask.
If you want suggestions for how to improve a computer setup, just ask.
Photo: No-Top-5065@Reddit

To be fair, when Redditor No-Top-5065 posted pics of their MacBook Air-based computer setup, they asked for suggestions on how to improve it.

“Any recommendation on how can I improve my desk setup? Not into gaming, work and study most of the time,” said the post’s headline.

In iOS 15, the Wallet app will store your driver’s license and house keys

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The Wallet app will soon let you board a plane with your iPhone rather than a physical drivers license.
The Wallet app will soon let you board a plane with your iPhone rather than a physical drivers license.
Photo: Apple

During its WWDC keynote presentation Monday, Apple showed off updates to the iPhone Wallet app in iOS 15 that may finally let it replace your actual wallet.

In addition to securely storing credit cards and discount codes, soon it will serve as a key to many locks as well as a virtual driver’s license.

Amazing retro-innovation draws adulation [Setups]

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A MacBook Pro and widescreen display setup has a secret weapon: a desktop whiteboard.
A MacBook Pro and widescreen display setup has a secret weapon: a desktop whiteboard.
Photo: TheCrunks@Reddit

If you look at enough computer setups, you get used to seeing the amazing technology that impresses people on social media sites. But then, sometimes the cool innovation, or let’s say killer retro-innovation, is just an unfamiliar form of whiteboard with dry-erase notes scribbled on it.

Redditor TheCrunks has an admirably capable but compact setup with plenty of tech to like.

This portable power station speedily charges two MacBooks at once — anywhere

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With the Bluetti EB70 Portable Power Station, your devices will be charged no matter what happens.
With this portable power station, you can keep your devices charged no matter what happens.
Photo: Bluetti

This power station post is brought to you by Bluetti.

When’s the last time you went camping and had no concerns about keeping your devices charged? Now you can get $99 off the compact Bluetti EB70 Portable Power Station and charge everything — even two 16-inch MacBook Pros at once — at full speed, anywhere.

Add dumb appliances to your smart home setup with SwitchBot

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SwitchBot Hub Mini simplifies and enhances your home automation.
SwitchBot Hub Mini simplifies and enhances your home automation.
Photo: SwitchBot

This home automation post is brought to you by SwitchBot.

These days, people control more and more aspects of their lives remotely through apps. And it’s no longer just “smart” devices like wired doorbells, thermostats and lights. Even your not-so-smart devices can join the party.

Now, with SwitchBot products, you can control many of your ordinary, old-fashioned appliances and use them with home-automation systems like Siri, Amazon Alexa and Google Home.

Join the One Dollar Club

And even better, right now you can try SwitchBot for just a buck by joining the One Dollar Club.

SwitchBot makes about a dozen products. Today we’ll focus on two, the SwitchBot Bot smart switch and the SwitchBot Hub Mini smart remote. They can be used separately or together.

New house with Tesla, new home office with Tesla toys [Setups]

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A new house calls for a first-time home office with an ultrawide monitor and plenty of toys.
A new house calls for a first-time home office with an ultrawide monitor and plenty of toys.
Photo: StevenJ95

Redditor StevenJ95 recently moved from an apartment to a house, allowing him to have a new home office. For the first time. He’s got room enough in there for his MacBook Pro, his Samsung curved ultrawide monitor and even his Tesla Model S, Cybertruck and Supercharger.

OK, those last three are two diecast model cars and a cute little desktop Tesla charger for phones and such. But he does have a real Tesla Model 3 — which he sensibly parks elsewhere — as well as a lot of enthusiasm for the brand, judging by how he decorates his setup.

Retired DJ and TV writer rocks head-spinning gear list [Setups]

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Three setups in one makes for hot fun in the Arizona sun.
Three setups in one makes for hot fun in the Arizona sun.
Photo: Tyler Botha

Arizona-based Tyler Botha, aka theallseeingeye on Reddit, is a TV-focused copywriter for a San Francisco startup and a retired pro DJ. The setup and epic gear list he sent to our attention does triple duty with a capable “WFH Desk,” a powerful “Gaming Corner” and a remarkably complete “DJ Desk.”

Talk about “complete.” Botha’s gear list, represented in the links below, is probably the longest one ever published in a Cult of Mac Setups article. You don’t have to be a DJ to appreciate it, but it helps.

Here come the new M1 iMacs [Setups]

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A pretty blue M1 iMac makes a great first impression.
A pretty blue M1 iMac makes a great first impression.
Photo: 17parkc@Reddit

It’s Christmas in May, June and July. Many people are taking delivery on the colorful new M1 iMacs. Others are jealously awaiting delivery while drooling over photographic evidence on social media of others’ recent shipments.

And computer setups everywhere are being refreshed with the dazzling new all-in-one machines (see Cult of Mac’s M1 iMac review roundup). Redditor 17parkc is just one example, sporting a brand-spanking-new blue iMac. They even posted a video showing off the upgrade.

Prevent hacks to preserve your business’s valuable reputation

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A password manager like Dashlane can keep you from losing your business's good reputation.
A password manager like Dashlane can keep you from losing your business's good reputation.
Photo: Dashlane

This business cybersecurity post is brought to you by Dashlane.

The hard work you put into building your business and managing your business’s reputation should not be compromised by an avoidable hack.

Cyberattacks on businesses and other entities may seem inevitable, but many are avoidable. Given the importance of reputation — which amounts to everything anyone and everyone thinks or feels about your operation — preventing cybersecurity breaches is crucial to defending the overall perception of your business’s trustworthiness to consumers, clients and investors.

Implementing use of a password manager like Dashlane for you and your employees, whether they work remotely or onsite, is among the easiest and most effective ways to protect your business’s reputation, explains J.D. Sherman, CEO of Dashlane. Its web and mobile app simplifies password management for people and businesses.

Designer dazzles with MacBook Pro MX1 concept [Setups]

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Designer Antonio De Rosa uses his setup to render Apple products and more.
Designer Antonio De Rosa uses his setup to render Apple products and more.
Photo: Antonio De Rosa

Designer and concept artist Antonio De Rosa came out with a drop-dead gorgeous rendering of a 16-inch MacBook Pro with an MX1 chip earlier this week that Cult of Mac reported on as a look at something possibly close to the real thing, based on recent leaks and rumors.

A substantially modified 16-inch MBP could be announced as soon as the Worldwide Developers Conference keynote on June 7.

As for the designer of the speculative Apple concept, we decided to chat him up, much like we did recently with another render-master we know.

It’s all in the swanky details and DIY touches [Setups]

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Some DIY touches and nice decor top off a highly functional setup.
Some DIY touches and nice decor top off a highly functional setup.
Photo: callum-edw@Reddit

While London-based dental student and Redditor callum-edw studies how to fix your teeth, maybe you should study how he builds a classy computer setup with solid tech plus a few swanky details and DIY touches.

Callum’s rig centers on a MacBook Air M1 tethered to a 24-inch Dell U2419HC UltraSharp external monitor.

CdkeySales.com: Take 20% off low-price Windows 10 and Office 2019 keys now

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You can now save 20% off Microsoft Officevand Windows activation keys at CdkeySales.com.
You can now save 20% off Microsoft Officevand Windows activation keys at CdkeySales.com.
Photo: CdkeySales.com

This software keys post is brought to you by CdkeySales.com.

Now’s the time to take advantage of another CdkeySales.com special price offer for Cult of Mac readers. You can get 20% off the site’s already-inexpensive software activation keys for an array of Microsoft Office 2019 and Windows 10 products. See the links below for this round of special deals.

Jamf makes it easy to manage employees’ Apple devices, both remote and onsite

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Jamf excels at Apple enterprise management.
Jamf excels at Apple Enterprise Management.
Photo: Jamf

This Apple Enterprise Management post is presented by Jamf.

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic changed how employers and employees operate, remote work had become increasingly prevalent. By 2016, 43% of the U.S. workforce worked from home at least to some extent, according to Gallup. The pandemic added millions more and might tilt the balance toward remote work permanently.

So, now more than ever, organizations large and small must figure out how to manage, connect and secure all devices their staff members use, in workplaces and remotely. For enterprises that prefer to have iPhones, Macs and iPads in the mix, effective Apple Enterprise Management is crucial.

Before-and-after pics: Guess which one has the steno machine [Setups]

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Note the stenography machine in the foreground of this
Note the stenography machine in the foreground of this "after" photo.
Photo: yyzgal@Reddit

In the before-and-after pics of Reddit user yyzgal’s dual-monitor/MacBook Pro setup, guess which one has the stenography machine? Trick question. They both have it.

And it’s what most Redditors admiring the new-and-improved setup wanted to talk about in the comments section of yyzgal’s setup post. Well, that and the Sonnet eGPU Breakaway Puck hidden behind the laptop in the setup’s “after” photo (above).

Dress it up with a deconstructed iPhone, a drone and custom wallpapers [Setups]

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This artfully executed setup is supposedly in someone's home, not a design museum.
This artfully executed setup is supposedly in someone's home, not a design museum.
Photo: diotav@Reddit

It’s only Monday, but Dutch videographer, designer and web production artist Dion Tavenier probably wins this week’s award for setup design. Cool, spare, architectural — get the Museum of Modern Setups on the phone!

If only there was such a museum. Or such an award.

High school student makes impressive 3D renders of big-time Mac leaks [Setups]

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Ian Zelbo's monitor shows a render of a leaked MacBook Air concept he worked on with Jon Prosser. on.
Ian Zelbo's previous monitor shows a render of a leaked MacBook Air concept he worked on with Jon Prosser.
Photo: Ian Zelbo

It’s not every day you come across a high school student running a successful tech-based business – never mind one whose 3D renderings are routinely seen by thousands of people. But that’s the case with 17-year-old New Yorker Ian Zelbo and his RendersbyIan.

His detailed and realistic renders of leaked tech products, including Macs, get loads of exposure on social media from his clients, the likes of Jon Prosser of @FrontPageTech and Sam Kohl of iupdate.

What good are monitor light bars? [Setups]

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What good is a monitor light bar? Time to shed some light on the matter.
What good is a monitor light bar? Time to shed some light on the matter.
Photo: Strigga@Reddit

When you look at lots of computer setups people pimp out on social media, you see the same questions cropping up among the comments. One common query: What good are monitor light bars? And what are they for, exactly?

It came up again the other day when Redditor Strigga posted about their MacBook Pro-based setup. Almost at the same time, we saw it again in Maize-Calm’s post about finishing up a setup with, guess what, a light bar.

24 years later, Twentieth Anniversary Macintosh still serves [Setups]

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Pictured to the right of a nice modern iMac, the once-glorious flop still gives pretty good sound.
Pictured to the right of a nice modern iMac, the once-glorious flop still gives pretty good sound.
Photo: Cbaltz2@Reddit

By the time of its release in March 1997, the over-the-top-shelf powerhouse known as the Twentieth Anniversary Macintosh had seen its initial price of $9,000 cut to $7,499, or about $12,000 in today’s dollars.

The interesting-but-still-hopelessly unaffordable system — for a time delivered door-to-door and set up by tuxedoed concierges — failed in the marketplace. It went on to become a collector’s item.

These days, a Twentieth Anniversary Macintosh, or TAM, often sells for around $1,500. So Redditor Cbaltz2 kind of scored when he picked one up a while back on eBay for $800. And remarkably, he found a good use for it in the here and now.