These days, everything old is new again. Pop culture is bursting with reboots, references, and a general nostalgia for the comfortable looks and feels of the past. Escapism aside, classic styles are classic for a reason, and they make a great look for modern technology.
The HomePod reviews have been coming out hot and heavy, and they’re surprising. This week on The CultCast, we’ll tell you what people like, love and hate about Apple’s new speaker. If you’re planning on buying one, don’t miss our discussion. Plus: Something strange is happening at Apple HQ … we elaborate; 150 new kickass emojis are coming to your iPhone; and we pitch you the movies, gadgets and food we can’t get enough of in all-new What We’re Into!
Our thanks to Squarespace for supporting this episode. It’s simple to accept Apple Pay and sell your wares with your very own Squarespace.com website. Enter offer code CultCast at checkout to get 10% off any hosting plan.
If you think the Health app is just another pointless junk app that comes preinstalled on your iPhone, think again. Unlike Stocks, Compass or Tips, it is one of the few apps that Apple won’t let you delete. Set up the Apple Health app properly, and it becomes a powerful tool for getting (or staying) fit.
You see, the Health app lies at the heart of Cupertino’s growing health and fitness ambitions. And with its underlying HealthKit API, the Health app provides the framework that Apple Watch uses to gather data on your daily activity, heart rate and workouts.
But the Health app is more than just a place for storing data. With every iOS update, Apple makes major improvements to it. So, if you still think the Health app is a waste of space, it’s probably time you gave it another look. Especially if you own an Apple Watch. You’ll find it contains loads of useful, well-presented data that can help you achieve your fitness goals.
Significant changes to Facebook’s News Feed algorithm mean you might not be seeing as much news as usual. Facebook started prioritizing posts from friends over posts from pages and publications.
While this might be a welcome move for everyone who uses Facebook to stay connected with friends and family, not everyone uses the social network with the same goal in mind. I’m sure a certain number of people still prefer using Facebook simply to keep in the news loop or interact with communities/brands who are not “friends.”
Would you rather use Facebook to keep yourself updated on all things, say, Apple? If yes, here’s how you can make sure to see stories from Cult of Mac at the top of your Facebook News Feed.
Apple won’t need to throttle the performance of iPhone 8 or iPhone X so severely as they age.
Its latest devices use more advanced hardware and a different power management system that allows iOS to avoid unexpected shutdowns without having to cap processor performance.
Writing is rewriting, they say. And a lot of rewriting is just correcting grammar or spelling. And unless you’re a professional copy editor, you’re not getting paid enough to polish every badly written email. So something like WhiteSmoke Web is worth checking out.
Ullu offers a taste of the accessibly exotic with its line of handcrafted leather bands for Apple Watch. The Apple-centric accessories brand offers luxurious bands in stingray and ostrich, as well as its signature Italian leather bands.
Peruse the collection of colorful, artisan-made bands in our Watch Store, and step up your style for spring. Ullu’s Stingray bands for Apple Watch are on sale for $99 (regularly priced at $249). Order now in time for Valentine’s Day!
We live in a world saturated by images. So it’s extra hard to make photographs that stand out, especially as a professional.
Whether you’re looking to make a living or just make nice pictures, it pays to get expert instruction. Unfortunately, that instruction is also something you have to pay for. But not with this packed bundle of photography lessons and resources. Right now, it’s yours for whatever you want to pay.
Apple is investigating another iPhone X bug that’s causing users to miss incoming calls.
Some report that their device refuses to wake when a call is received, leaving them unable to answer it. It appears the problem surfaced in December but Apple has only just acknowledged the complaints.
You have in your hands a brand new iPad. Now what? Sure, you can just go ahead and use it au natural. But consider: While iPads may look like hulking slabs of aluminum and glass, they are deceptively delicate. They cry out for protection.
Gauging which is the best case to safely secure your tablet is not for the faint of heart, given the myriad options out there. That’s where our iPad case roundup comes in. We’ve scoured the best reviews, including our own, and looked at buyers’ favorite cases on shopping sites like Amazon.
Then we gathered our picks into several categories, depending on how much you want to pay, what type of protection you need, and any extra functionality offered (like keyboard cases). And we’ve also put together a list of runners-up — cases that are pretty good, or even great, but just didn’t make our cut.
Who cares if that cheap charging cable you buy is a fake? It’s just a cable, right? Maybe, maybe not. A fake Lightning cable could contain malware, for instance. Or it could be miswired, damaging your iPhone the way a miswired USB power cable can destroy a laptop computer.
The best case is that your device may not sync or charge. The worst case is that your iPhone could get damaged, or the cable could overheat and set fire to your home while you sleep. Here’s how to make sure a Lightning cable is legit.
Make your Apple Watch your own with a truly distinctive, statement-making strap worthy of a double take.
The Batik Strap from French company Clessant is a refreshing take on an everyday accessory. No two are ever alike. And, you can take a look at it now in Cult of Mac’s Watch Store.
Apple’s got big plans for iOS 12, and we’ll tell you all about them this week on The CultCast. Plus: New details tell us more about 2018’s iPhone X Plus; Nintendo says a new Mario Kart is coming to iOS; Apple works to bring iPad apps to Mac; and don’t miss our review of the Elgato Stream Deck, a must-have accessory for you Twitch, Mixer and YouTube streamers.
Our thanks to Squarespace for supporting this episode. It’s simple to accept Apple Pay and sell your wares with your very own Squarespace.com website. Enter offer code CultCast at checkout to get 10% off any hosting plan.
With HomePod just over one week away from making its debut, Apple has confirmed which audio sources are officially supported. Apple Music and AirPlay are obviously on the list, but there are some big omissions.
You don’t need us to tell you that the internet is a dangerous place. Surely you need no reminders of the malware, data thieves, and snoops that swim the interwebs. And if you’re aware of all those threats, you’re probably aware that a VPN is one of the easiest security measures you can take to protect yourself.
Live Photos are great. They can capture special moments in a way that some pictures just can’t. The little movie clips that play when you force-touch a Live Photo can show the joy or wonder of the image. But therein lies the problem. They’re basically video clips embedded into photos, which makes sharing them to non-iOS users a nightmare.
A plethora of apps can convert Live Photos into GIFs or a standard video clip, but iOS 11 makes it even easier. Check out our video below to see how to quickly convert a Live Photo into a GIF.
The HomePod’s fancy gimmick is that you can use Siri to control it. Even when the music is loud enough to get your neighbors banging on the walls, Siri can hear you thanks to the six microphones’ ability to ignore the sound from the speakers. But touch is always faster than talk, so a quick tap on the top of the HomePod will often be better than trying to get Siri to understand you.
Colgate’s new iPhone-compatible smart toothbrush promises to transform the way you brush your teeth, thanks to the magic of machine intelligence.
So is the E1 Smart Electronic Toothbrush With Artificial Intelligence like having a virtual dentist at your beck and call? Here’s what we make of it after a week of tooth-cleaning action.
iOS devices are sleek and stylish and exciting to use. But none of those terms usually apply to charging them up. So we’ve rounded up some of the slickest charging accessories for iPhone. From a walnut-lined Qi charger, to an understated wireless charging pad, and a pair of eye-catching Lightning chargers. There’s something here that can juice up anyone’s charging game.
Apple will issue software updates for HomePod with important bug fixes, performance improvements, and (hopefully) new features. Here’s how you will update yours.
We can forget about big new features for iOS 12. Apple is focused on “addressing performance and quality issues” in 2018, according to a new report. Here are five things that should be at the top of the company’s repair list.
The workout data I log with my Apple Watch belongs to me. It‘s not Apple’s — nor is it Nike’s, Strava’s or anyone else’s, for that matter. It is mine. I paid for it with my own blood, sweat and tears. (OK, it’s mostly sweat, but there were some tears along the way, too.) Over the years, I’ve logged more than 18,000 miles of running data and it is something I’m pretty proud of.
So it really bugs me when mega-corporations try to corral my activity data into their fancy walled gardens, like they think they own it. Apple used to be just as guilty of this as all the other workout rustlers. But the folks in Cupertino did a major pivot in iOS 11. They decided to actually put users in control of our workout data. Apple made it easy for apps to share workout route maps with each other via HealthKit.
The trouble is, none of the major fitness apps are playing ball, and that sucks. Luckily, some indie devs are doing the right thing.
Try this: If you’re reading on a Mac, go ahead and pinch in on your trackpad with all five fingers. If it’s enabled, then you’ll see a grid of apps. lots of apps. That’s Launchpad, which is kind of like an iOS home screen for your Mac.
The problem is, it shows all your apps, in seemingly random order. There’s a search bar to narrow things down, but by the time you’ve got that far, you may as well have used Spotlight to launch your app. Happily, the Launchpad is quite customizable. You can make iOS-style folders, and organize the apps into any order you like. Here’s how.
Apple’s new HomePod speaker might be the dumbest smart-speaker on the market.
Based on early reviews and leaked info, it appears that Apple has seriously crippled Siri on the new HomePod speaker and removed some features, making it vastly different than the version of Siri that lives on your iPhone.
Update: Juuk’s added five new Vitero Apple Watch bands now available for preorder, which will ship the first week of February. The new finishes available for preorder are: Vitero Cosmic Grey, Vitero Granite, Vitero Ruby Silver, Vitero Silver and%20Vitero%20Ruby%20Grey.%20Many%20of%20the%20original%20Vitero%20finishes%20are%20sold%20out%20until%20June: Vitero%20Fire, Vitero%20Cerulean, Vitero%20Ruby%20Grey,%20Vitero%20Citron, Vitero%20Sapphire and%20Vitero%20Crimson.
Our%20friends%20at%20Juuk%20have%20done%20it%20again!%20The%20Hong%20Kong-based%20company%20has%20created%20a%20totally%20unique,%20aluminum%20Apple%20Watch%20band%20with%20an%20aggressive%20design%20inspired%20by%20motor%20racing.Juuk’s%20Vitero%20band%20looks,%20feels%20and%20performs%20like%20no%20other%20Apple%20Watch%20band%20on%20the%20market%20–%20or%20any%20watch%20band%20for%20that%20matter.%20When%20these%20bands%20debuted%20a%20few%20months%20ago,%20they%20sold%20out%20quickly%20and%20a%20new%20batch%20won’t%20be%20back%20from%20production%20until%20June.Until%20then,%20Juuk’s%20satiated%20customers%20with%20five%20brand-new%20finishes%20available%20now%20for%20preorder%20to%20ship%20the%20first%20week%20of%20February%20— Vitero Cosmic Grey, Vitero Granite, Vitero Ruby Silver, Vitero Silver and Vitero%20Ruby%20Grey. These%20will%20sell%20out,%20so%20reserve%20yours%20today!