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How to take a healthy break when using Mac

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take a break
Not this kind of break.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

When you’re working on playing at your Mac, it’s too easy to just push through the current task, which — at the time — seems like the most important thing in the world. “It’ll only take five more minutes,” you tell yourself, as your carpal tunnels tighten, your back stiffens, and your upper arms atrophy.

What you need is a break. Just two minutes taken every half hour should do you. The problem is remembering. Luckily, there’s an app for that.

Best List: FuelBox is the Swiss army knife of iPhone chargers [Review]

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FuelBox PowerStation
The FuelBox PowerStation has built-in cables, a pair of AC outlets and a mobile battery pack.
Photo: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac

Best List: FuelBox, a home and mobile charging system

There’s a secret magician lurking in our household. We never see them, but they somehow manage to disappear all our charging cables. It drives me batty. The kids, of course, deny any knowledge of the situation. Yet somehow it’s impossible to keep cables around the house. They just keep disappearing.

That’s why I like the FuelBox PowerStation, a charging system that combines a docking station/charging brick with a mobile battery pack. Both the docking station and the battery pack have built-in charging cables — both Lightning and mini-USB. No matter what, the cables can’t disappear.

iPhone SE 2 could pack iPhone X features into compact form factor

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iPhone SE CAD
A miniature iPhone X? Yes please!
Photo: Olixar

If you love the design of the iPhone X, but yearn for the smaller form factor of the 2012-era iPhone 5s, you could well find yourself in luck this year.

According to a new report, Apple’s next-gen iPhone SE is set to be the same size as its predecessor, but boast the same edge-to-edge display and “notch” of the iPhone X. This would mean that it would have more screen real estate than the original iPhone SE, although the body would stay the same size.

These silicone Apple Watch bands are perfect for adventure-seekers [Watch Store]

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carterjett
Carterjett’s Tire Tread Sport Apple Watch Band in Red with Matte Gray hardware.
Photo: Carterjett

Cult of Mac Watch Store is proud to feature a growing and evolving collection of the best Apple Watch bands and accessories on the market. And, we’re excited to announce the latest addition to our curated collection of Apple Watch bands: Las Vegas-based Carterjett.

The result of this creative collaboration is Carterjett’s collection of well-made, great looking Apple Watch bands well-suited for sweat and outdoor activity yet stylish enough to take you into the evening. Best yet, these Apple Watch bands are easy on the wallet.

How to look up anything with one tap on Mac

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dictionary look up macos
Look up!
Photo: Caleb Roenigk/Flickr CC

On the Mac, you have long been able to tap on any word or phrase to look up a dictionary definition. Just click on the word using a three-finger tap on your trackpad, and the dictionary panel appears. But have you tried this recently? Today, in this simple popover panel, you can get full access to not just dictionary definitions, but news, Siri Knowledge, movie details, App Store listings, and lots more depending on what you’re looking up.

Let’s take a look.

Alligator leather makes Hadoro AirPods more luxurious and expensive

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These are just some of the color options for Hadoro AirPods.
These are just some of the color options for Hadoro AirPods.
Photo: Hadoro

Apple’s AirPods are more than wireless headphones; they’re fashion accessories. Hadoro AirPods take that to the next level by using alligator leather to make something any starlet or internet billionaire could be proud to be seen carrying.

The French company produces these cases in seven different colors. A black version includes a pair of matching black AirPods. 

Spiffy new iPhone X cases look like original iMac and iPhone

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Spigen Classic C1 iMac inspired iPhone X-case
Spigen's new iPhone X case is inspired by the original iMac G3, bringing some retro charm to Apple's latest handset.
Photo: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac

I test a lot of iPhone cases and rarely get comments. Most of them aren’t that distinctive. But a new iMac-inspired case from Spigen attracted the attention of my teenage kids and even elicited a compliment: “Cool case, Dad!”

Apple’s ‘butterfly’ MacBook keyboard faces threat of class-action lawsuit

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MacBook butterfly keyboard
The butterfly keyboard used in the MacBook Pro and MacBook has now drawn both a recall petition and a lawsuit.
Photo: Apple

A lawsuit filed in federal court claims that the keyboard used in all the MacBook Pros and MacBooks made in the past few years is defective. The plaintiffs request that this be made into a class-action lawsuit, and that Apple be required to replace all the affected keyboards at no cost to users.

The lawsuit also requests punitive damages because, as the plaintiffs claim, Apple continued to build and sell laptops with the “butterfly” keyboard even though the company knew it was defective.

Turn your device into a programming powerhouse with Coda [50 Essential iOS Apps #12]

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Coda html code editor iPad
Coda makes it easy to edit code, no matter where you are.
Photo: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac

50 Essential iOS Apps: Coda FTP Shell Code appThe iPhone and iPad are arguably one of the most powerful computers most of us own. While much argument has been had as to whether you can do real work on iOS, apps are a proving ground for what an iOS device is capable of. Coda for iOS harnesses the power of iOS to make a feature rich programming app, turning your iOS device into a shell terminal, FTP client, remote file viewer, and pocketable coding app.

New iPhone SE 2 renders reveal gorgeous glass back

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iPhone SE 2 with glass back
iPhone SE 2 looks good in these renders, but they may not be accurate.
Photo: Olixar

New renders of the upcoming iPhone SE 2, which depict its gorgeous glass back, have been revealed by a popular case-maker.

Olixar is already producing accessories for the device based on information it has gleaned from sources in China. Its new screen protector indicates the iPhone SE 2 will be a big surprise, with an edge-to-edge display just like iPhone X.

So long, aluminum! Why the iMac needs a total redesign.

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Will the iMac design ever be this exciting again? The original iMac G3.
Will the iMac ever be this exciting again?
Photo: Apple

When the first iMac debuted 20 years ago, it shook the tech world with its completely unorthodox appearance. The blobby, curvaceous and colorful computer looked, in Steve Jobs’ words, good enough to lick.

It was a statement computer, both for those who owned it and for those who made it.

However, with the iMac not having had a substantial redesign since 2012, Apple’s all-in-one desktop is getting a bit long in the tooth. It’s time for Apple to give it an overhaul with a new iMac design that would get the world excited about Macs again — and prove Apple remains committed to innovative computing.

This leather, button-stud Apple Watch band will fit any wrist size

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form function form
The adjustable length Button-Stud Apple Watch band fits virtually all wrist sizes — from the fleshiest to thinnest!
Photo: Courtesy of Form Function Form

Best List: Button-Stud Apple Watch Band by Form Function Form

Making Apple’s “most personal device ever” personal to you is super-serious business for one Florida purveyor of handmade leather goods.

Echoing the individuality of Apple Watch, Form Function Form takes customization to new levels in the design of its one-of-a-kind Button-Stud Apple Watch Band. This ingenious leather strap has 21 different size options, one of which is sure to fit even the thinnest or fleshiest of wrists. If it doesn’t, the company provides free size adjustments for the entirety of your life.

We’ve added seven new leather colors to the Watch Store lineup! Read on for my review:

How to edit Photos Memories on your iPhone and iPad

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clock memories
A clock is an easy, if lazy, metaphor for memories.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Memories is one of the best features of the Photos app. It gathers together pictures into albums that are surprisingly smart. It picks you best pictures, adds music, and uses things like facial recognitions to focus on the important people in the pictures. The whole thing is presented as a slideshow.

But did you know that you can edit those memories? You can change the title, the duration, the music, and more. Let’s take a quick look how to tweak our memories to make them perfect.

Astro app makes managing email easy and almost fun [50 Essential iOS Apps #11]

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Astro is these best email app for both iOS and Mac.
Mail isn't always best for email.
Photo: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac

50 Essential iOS Apps: Astro email app Email is a necessary evil. Whether it’s personal communications, work-related updates or the latest sale at your favorite store, email is something we deal with nearly every day.

After trying dozens of email apps over the past eight years, Astro is the best email app I’ve come across, and the first that I both recommend and enjoy using.

How to automatically troll telemarketers and keep them busy

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Apple's secret AI sauce gets a new ingredient
Apple's secret AI sauce gets a new ingredient
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

There were 3.4 billion robocalls in April this year, and the chances are it feels like you got roughly half of those to your own phone. These calls aren’t just telemarketing anymore, either. Just like email spam, scams pervade these already-annoying automated calls. One way around this is to unplug your landline phone, and to ignore all phone calls to your iPhone (go to Settings > Notifications > Phone and switch off Allow Notifications).

A better way is to troll the robocallers by hooking them up to a service that answers the calls for you, and uses robots to keep the telemarketers on the line, wasting their time an costing them money. And for that, you need the Jolly Roger.

All the important stuff revealed at Google I/O

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Google I/O 2018 was full of AI surprises.
Google I/O 2018 was full of AI surprises.
Photo: Google

Google just took the wraps off its big software lineup for 2018. If Apple executives were watching, there’s a lot they should be worried about.

Artificial intelligence has always been one of Google’s strengths over Apple. But in 2018, the search company is going all out, putting AI in everything. Pretty much every app the company has is getting some new machine-learning tricks in the next few weeks that make certain iOS features look ancient.

Check out the biggest announcements from this morning’s Google I/O keynote.

Strength is the missing Activity Ring. Here’s how you can close it.

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Strength training is currently Apple’s weakness
Strength training is currently Apple’s weakness
Photo: Graham Bower/Cult of Mac

The Activity Rings on your Apple Watch don’t provide a complete picture of your fitness. There is one important ring missing: Strength. The Rock didn’t get ripped just by standing up once an hour. And both the Exercise and Move rings essentially measure the same thing: cardio.

As any fitness expert will tell you, an effective workout program should combine cardio with strength training. Here’s why strength is currently Apple Watch’s weakness, and how you can use third-party apps to make sure it isn’t yours as well.

Supersized iPhone X display will be whole inch bigger than iPhone 8 Plus

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iphone x
iPhone X Plus will boast an impressive 6.5-inch OLED display.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

The larger iPhone X Plus will be roughly the same size as the current 5.5-inch iPhone 8 Plus, a new report claims. Despite that, its greatly reduced bezel will give it a screen size of 6.5 inches, making it by far Apple’s largest-ever iPhone display.

By comparison, the current iPhone X measures 5.8 inches on the diagonal. The first iPhone, released back in 2007, had a display of just 3.5 inches.

15 Apple Watch-inspired gifts for Mom [Mother’s Day Gift Guide]

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mom
The editors of Cult of Mac Watch Store have rounded up a beautiful collection of Apple Watch bands, chargers and stands specifically picked for Mom in our Mother's Day Gift Guide.  
Photo: Bezels & Bytes

Mother’s Day is on Sunday, May 13 — mark that down and prepare to pay homage to the woman who gave you life. How about a little something for her Apple Watch?

Cult of Mac has rounded up a beautiful collection of Apple Watch bands, chargers and stands specifically picked for Mom in our Mother’s Day Gift Guide.

If you mother is a nerd, a Luddite, a traveler or style maven, we’ve got you covered. There’s a unique gift for every Apple Watch-loving momma out there, and we can vet for the quality and popularity of these bands and stands. Check out Cult of Mac Watch Store’s Mother’s Day Gift Guide.

How to keep using Time Machine without AirPort or Time Capsule

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flux-capacitor
This is what makes Time Machine backups possible.
Photo: Morgan Sherwood/Flickr CC

Apple’s AirPort routers introduced one game-changing new feature to the world: easy backups. Time Machine is Apple’s automatic backup utility, and it made backups easy enough for non-nerds to use regularly.

The easiest way to use it was to buy a Time Capsule, a wireless AirPort router with a hard drive built in. Before Time Capsule, nobody backed up. After Time Capsule, anyone could keep hourly, daily and weekly backups without even thinking about it. But now that Apple has stopped making Time Capsule, and AirPort routers in general, how do you keep using Time Machine?

iOS 11.3 breaks some iPhone 7 microphones

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iPhone-7
How’s your iPhone 7 mic after updating to iOS 11.3?
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple’s recent software updates have broken some iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus microphones.

Users report that they cannot be heard during calls since updating to iOS 11.3 or later. Apple has advised Authortized Service Providers that they can initiate repairs if necessary — even on devices that are no longer covered by a warranty.

iPhone X is a huge hit, the death of 3D Touch, and inflatable paddle boards on The CultCast

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Tim Cook with money bag
Tim Cook
Illustration: Cult of Mac

This week on a very volatile episode of The CultCast: the analysts were all wrong—iPhone X is a massive hit. Plus: the death of 3D Touch starts with 2018 iPhone; the world’s most famous Apple analyst may no longer be reporting on Apple; Apple’s AirPort router lineup is officially dead; and we pitch you our favorite show, movie, and vodka in an all-new Under Review. It’s a juicy one. Hit play and catch the discussion.

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