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News - page 140

New ‘4D’ TV screen mirror kit jacks up entertainment

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It may be described as
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.

Beloved farming sim Stardew Valley+ heads for Apple Arcade

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‘Stardew Valley+’ is only one of the games coming soon to Apple Arcade.
Stardew Valley+ is only one of the games coming soon to Apple Arcade.
Image: ConcernedApe

The popular farming simulator Stardew Valley will debut on Apple Arcade in July. The award-wining game promises many hours of entertainment, with farming, ranching, fighting monsters and even getting married.

In addition, Apple’s gaming subscription service will also soon add other classic titles, including Ridiculous Fishing EX, Millionaire Trivia+, Slay the Spire+ and more.

Get organized with Function101 accessories at 20% off

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You can use the BentoStack to neatly store you Apple accessories (and charge them).
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.

Apple’s upcoming Steph Curry documentary is completely Underrated

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Apple TV+ documentary ‘Underrated’ will show the surprising life of Steph Curry
No one expected a kid at a Division I college to become the sports phenomenon he is.
Photo: Apple TV+

Basketball superstar Steph Curry will get a documentary on Apple TV+ in July. The trailer for Stephen Curry: Underrated gives a first look at the athlete’s rise to fame.

The film uses a mix of archival footage, new interviews and “intimate cinéma vérité” to explore the life of the basketball great.

Tiny new action camera shoots at 2.7K resolution anywhere

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Insta360 Go 3 action camera
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.

Harry Potter: Magic Awakened game takes you back to Hogwarts

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‘Harry Potter: Magic Awakened’ game takes you back to Hogwarts
Harry Potter: Magic Awakened mixes role-playing with card collecting.
Image: Warner Bros. Games/Netease

Players become students at Hogwarts and engage in magical duels against dark wizards in Harry Potter: Magic Awakened, which launched Tuesday. It’s a collectible card (CCG) and massively multiplayer (MMO) game, and is free to play — with in-app purchases.

There are versions for iPhone and iPad. (Android too.)

M1 Max 16-inch MacBook Pro gets a massive $800 discount

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Some MacBook Pro wait times already stretch nearly to Christmas
Get the M1 Max-powered MacBook Pro with a massive $800 off.
Photo: Apple

Looking to buy a powerful new MacBook Pro but cannot stretch your budget for the M2 Max model? Apple’s 2021 16-inch MacBook Pro with M1 Max is down to $2,699 after a whopping $800 discount.

This makes it a great alternative to Apple’s newer 2023 MacBook Pro models. If you were looking to buy the M2 Pro-powered MacBook Pro, consider purchasing the M1 Max variant instead.

Did Apple accidentally make Mac Pro unnecessary?

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2023 Mac Pro with Apple M2 Ultra
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.

Darkboard offers creatives an iPad stand for drawing and notetaking

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Astropad Darkboard makes drawing on an iPad more comfortable
The iPad's slender bezels won't make drawing a challenge any more with Darkboard.
Photo: Astropad

The Astropad Darkboard is a new lightweight, ergonomic drawing surface for iPad. It gives artists a place to rest their arm while drawing without covering the tablet’s screen.

After a successful launch on Kickstarter, the product is now available worldwide.

Take a look at these impressive third-party apps for Vision Pro

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Broadcasts running in the Vision Pro simulated living room
Broadcasts, seen here in the Vision Pro Simulator’s living room environment.
Image: Steve Troughton-Smith

The first screenshots and videos of apps being built for Vision Pro show just how easy it is to port iOS apps to Apple’s upcoming augmented reality headset.

Apple just released the visionOS software development kit last Wednesday, and already people are refitting their iPhone apps for Apple’s new mixed-reality platform and sharing the results online.

The apps include Broadcasts, which lets you tune in to internet radio and livestreams — and leave a little Now Playing window anywhere in your virtual space. With cooking app Crouton in visionOS, you can place timers all around your kitchen. And Tasks, a powerful to-do app, works exactly as it does on your Mac and iPhone.

In my opinion, this is what will ultimately make visionOS succeed where similar mixed-reality platforms failed: It builds heavily on the same technologies that underpin iOS. If you can build an iPhone app, you can build a Vision Pro app.

Here’s a gallery of what some popular indie apps look like running on Vision Pro.

Fiio’s new powered desktop speakers bring hi-res audio

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They're small enough to fit on your desk, but they promise big sound as well as clarity.
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.

‘After dreaming of Al Gore’s setup for 15 years, finally I got this’ [Setups]

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Al Gore was using Cinema Displays, but you get the idea. See Gore in the photo below.
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.

iPhone 14 Emergency SOS via satellite saves hiker with broken leg

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iPhone 14 Emergency SOS via satellite saves hiker with broken leg
Juana Reyes was very happy she’s not an Android user on Saturday.
Photo: Mike Leum/Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department

A California hiker who broke her leg in the Angelos National Forest was able to get help thanks to the Emergency SOS via satellite service built into the iPhone 14 series.

The feature enables those range of cellular network coverage to call for rescue.

Apple is reportedly working on iMac with 30-inch-plus screen

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New iMac with 30-inch display in development
Would you buy an iMac with a 30-inch+ display?
Photo/Graphics: Apple/Rajesh

Aside from the inevitable iPhone refresh (and the headset everyone’s buzzing about), Apple reportedly has several other major new products lined up for launch in 2023 and the first half of 2024. This includes revamped iPad Pros with OLED displays, new Macs powered by a next-gen M3 processor and an upgrade to the Apple Watch Ultra.

Apple also is supposedly in the early stages of developing an iMac with a display that measures more than 30 inches.

Better apps to track calories, simplify your life and tickle your brain [Awesome Apps]

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Awesome Apps text over back of iPhone
Here are some awesome apps to check out.
Photo: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac

To say that it’s been a while since we featured new or interesting Awesome Apps would be an understatement. Fortunately, all that time has allowed me to discover a few great, useful apps to share with all of you. Whether you need something to help keep you in shape this summer, or want a quick and easy way to record a call on your iPhone, we’ve got some awesome apps for you.

And as I’ve said in the past, if you have something you want us to check out for a future Awesome Apps post, be sure to email your suggestions or tweet them over or toot at me.

Tom Holland’s The Crowded Room is a hit for Apple TV+

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'The Crowded Room' stars Tom Holland in a thriller with a surprise ending.
Tom Holland‘s star power helps put his Apple TV+ series near the top of the charts.
Photo: Apple TV+

The Crowded Room, a psychological thriller starring Tom Holland, is bringing in plenty of viewers. For two weeks now, the Apple TV+ series has been among the most popular shows on any streaming service.

And it’s not the only Apple series doing well — Silo continues to draw a large audience, too.

Here come the replaceable iPhone batteries [The CultCast]

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An iPhone teardown and The CultCast logo (episode 600)
The EU plans to cram more changes down Apple's throat: This time's it's replaceable iPhone batteries.
Image: iFixit/Cult of Mac

This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: Those EU technocrats plan to force Apple (and everybody else) to make batteries in their devices easier to replace. The specifics remain vague. But is forcing changes to the iPhone and iPad design a good thing or a bad thing?

Also on The CultCast:

  • Apple gives us a peek at how the software sausage will be made for the upcoming Vision Pro headset. Looks promising!
  • Some of the features coming to the Photos app in iOS 17 work wonders. Others not so much.
  • HomePods are about to get a long-awaited feature — sort of.
  • The latest Mac sales data seems impossible to believe.

Listen to this week’s episode of The CultCast in the Podcasts app or your favorite podcast app. (Be sure to subscribe and leave us a review if you like it!) Or watch the video live stream, embedded below.

Play Bluetooth devices and turntables alike over Klipsch’s new powered speakers

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Klipsch's new R-40PM and R-50PM (pictured) have connectivity built in for turntables and almost any other sound source.
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.

Portrait-mode monitor and classic Apple poster pump up workstation [Setups]

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Adding a second 27-inch monitor in portrait mode enhanced the setup. And look at that classic PowerBook G4 poster!
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.

Apple Arcade’s collection of classic games continues to expand

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Retro Goal+ is one of three recent additions to Apple Arcade.
Retro Goal+ is one of three recent additions to Apple Arcade.
Screenshot: New Star R&D/Apple

The sports games Retro Bowl+ and Retro Goal+ hit the Apple Arcade on Friday. And Bold Moves+ was added earlier in June. These are the latest classic games to make their way to the subscription service, and join many others already available.

This is in addition to all the original games that are Apple Arcade exclusives.

Apple Card and Apple Pay could soon launch in India

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Apple Card works hand-in-hand with iPhone
Apple wants to bring Apple Card and Apple Pay to India.
Photo: Apple

Apple is reportedly in talks with HDFC Bank to bring Apple Card to India. The latter is among the country’s largest credit card issuers and private banks.

The Cupertino giant also held discussions with NPCI to launch Apple Pay in the country.

MacBooks make up a whopping 77% of Mac sales

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2023 MacBook Pro.
Most of the Macs that consumers buy look like this.
Photo: Apple

If you own a Mac, it’s almost certainly a MacBook rather than a desktop. New data from a market research firm shows that Apple’s notebooks made up the lion’s share of macOS sales over the last year.

Of desktop models, the all-in-one iMac is the most popular. On the other hand, the cheapest Mac is among the lowest-selling, according to the analysts.

The Beanie Bubble trailer finds the crazy in ’90s Beanie Baby craze

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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.