★★★★☆
The BenQ PD3420Q is a ultrawide monitor designed to appeal to creative professionals with its atypical shape and color consistency with MacBooks.
The 34-inch screen has a 2K resolution and a 21:9 aspect ratio. And there are some nice additions, like a HotKey Puck and built-in KVM.
I tested the PD3420Q in my home office, exploring the advantages and drawbacks of the very wide screen.
★★★★★
Season two of Prehistoric Planet will fill the heart of any dinosaur-obsessed child with joy. And adults should watch, too — especially anyone who still thinks dinos are slow-moving, stupid creatures that are just waiting around to go extinct.
These new episodes, which Apple TV+ doled out this week, combine cutting-edge CGI with the latest in paleontology. The result is a series that’s stunningly beautiful, exciting to watch and as scientifically accurate as possible.
Qi2 is a new wireless charging standard expected to go into widespread use later in 2023. And, according to an unconfirmed report, the upcoming iPhone 15 will be one of the handsets that supports it, including 15W charging.
That’s not surprising, considering Qi2 is heavily based on the MagSafe system built into current iPhones.
A new power bank from Belkin includes a built-in wireless charger that can juice up the latest Apple Watch models in the minimum amount of time. The battery also can simultaneously replenish an iPhone through its USB-C port.
The BoostCharge Pro Fast Wireless Charger for Apple Watch + Power Bank 10K launched Thursday.
A newly published patent filing shows Apple is exploring the possibility of building support for the Find My device locating system into a future version of the Apple Pencil. At the very least, the stylus might be able to play an alert sound to make it more findable.
Other products from the company already have this feature.
OpenAI’s ChatGPT for iOS makes the much-hyped chatbot easy to use on an iPhone. It’s powered by the same artificial intelligence as the web version, so it’s useful in many ways for people on the go. Plus, the app has its own voice-recognition system. And the basic version is free.
The ChatGPT AI already stirred up enormous controversy. But here are some suggestions for how to use the new iPhone application in positive ways.
The 2023 Mac mini with the powerful Apple M2 processor is already an amazing deal, and shoppers can now save even more by buying a refurbished unit.
These are primarily desktops that consumers bought then returned so supplies are limited. There are no units with the M2 Pro processor available at this time, for example.
Walking into a doctor’s office to be greeted by a public announcement of the medical condition you’re there to have treated would be a nightmare. A nightmare that plays out in the latest Apple video advert.
But one person in the ad is safe from embarrassment: the one who stores her medical data in the iPhone Health app, which Apple designed to protect user privacy.
The always-on display in recent iPhones will get a new use in iOS 17, according to a tipster. The device will reportedly show upcoming appointments, controls for smart home accessories, and more.
We won’t have long to wait to find out if this is an accurate leak — the official unveiling of iOS 17 at WWDC23 is expected in under two weeks.
The Snoopy Show season 3 premieres in June on Apple TV+, with Charlie Brown’s dog, his pal Woodstock and the rest of the Peanuts gang setting off for more fun. The trailer for the new season shows the irrepressible pooch becoming an airline pilot, a surfer, a skater, a pirate and much more.
And this is just one of the Peanuts shows coming soon to Apple TV+, including a new series.
Responding to years of requests for iPad versions of professional-grade software, Apple released Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro for iPadOS on Tuesday.
These are not “lite” versions of Apple’s video editing and music creation software. They are equivalent to the macOS ones, but adapted for iPad. And that includes additional features.
With Generative Fill in Photoshop, users can select an area in their image then tell the app what they want added and the application will generate the addition through the power of artificial intelligence.
It’s the latest addition to Adobe Firefly, a collection of tools for generative AI.
Two weeks from today, Apple will launch the first 15-inch MacBook Air, according to multiple tipsters. This will be the largest consumer-oriented notebook Apple has ever offered.
You don’t need to wait for WWDC23 to get the details, though. Here’s everything that has leaked out about this soon-to-be-released Mac.
Apple is apparently responding to criticism that it doesn’t offer real competition for OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Bard, two AI-powered chatbots that have made so many headlines in recent months. Job postings show the Mac-maker is on a hiring spree for people skilled in generative AI.
Perhaps Apple’s voice-activated system Siri is in for a significant jump in capabilities.
The first company to assemble iPhone in India is reportedly getting out of the business. Wistron is selling the plant where it puts together Apple handsets to Tata Group, an Indian multinational based in Mumbai.
At the same time, Foxconn and Pegatron continue to grow their commitments to manufacturing iPhones in India.
Silo, Ted Lasso and Ghosted all showed up in this week’s lists of the most-watched streaming movies and TV shows. They offer further proof that Apple TV+ can successfully compete against Netflix, Prime Video and Disney+.
In fact, Silo currently ranks as the most popular series on any streaming service.
★★★★☆
EZCast Pocket lets a range of computers connect wirelessly to an external display. No additional software is needed — it’s very nearly as easy to use as a cable, but without the cable clutter.
I tested the affordable and very portable wireless video adapter in my home and on a business trip. Here are its strengths and occasional weaknesses.
Note: When this review was first published in March, there was so much interest that EZCast Pocket sold out almost immediately. Amazon once again has the product in stock so we’re re-publishing the review.
The first betas of iOS 16.6 and macOS Ventura 13.5 went to developers on Friday. The same is true for iPadOS 16.6 beta 1, watchOS 9.6 beta 1 and tvOS 16.6 beta 1.
The timing might seem odd because Apple is expected to unveil iOS 17, macOS 14 and the replacements for its other operating systems in a couple of weeks, but this is normal.
A recent study found that web browser clutter is a source of stress for many people. It’s a result of keeping large numbers of tabs open and disorganized.
Here are some tips for managing the number of browser tabs you keep open, including using Safari’s system for organizing them.
OpenAI introduced ChatGPT for iOS, an application that brings the much-hyped chatbot powered by artificial intelligence to iPhone users.
It is free and has all the features of the web version, which means it is ready to answer questions with generally correct answers. Plus, this iOS version supports OpenAI’s speech recognition system.
Georgia is now the fourth U.S. state to support digital driver’s licenses and IDs stored in the Wallet app on iPhone or Apple Watch. The major advantage is speeding up the process of moving through security checkpoints at airports.
It’s another step in Apple’s goal of replacing physical wallets with iPhone.
The VR/AR headset roughly the size of a pair of ski goggles that Apple is widely expected to introduce next month isn’t even close to CEO Tim Cook’s original goal for the project, according to info leaking from the company. Instead, Cook wanted a slim pair of AR glasses that could be worn all day,
As it stands now, that lightweight version of the product remains years away.
Vietnam is the latest country to get an online Apple store to shop for iPhone, Mac and other products.
It’s the latest move in the company’s efforts to increase sales in Asia — Thursday’s opening comes a month after Apple opened its first retail stores in India.
The Mac mini with M2 processor is a bargain at its regular price, and $100 off makes it an even better deal. That cuts the price of Apple’s newest desktop to less than $500.
That’s for the base model — and you can save even more by jumping up to the version with an M2 Pro and double the RAM and storage.
The percentage of U.S.-based iPhone owners who just dumped their Android has grown in recent years, according to a market-analysis company.
That’s exactly the opposite of what conventional wisdom says should be happening. Nevertheless, the percentage of Android switchers hasn’t been this high since 2018.