Mobile accessory brand Spigen unveiled its new Spigen ArcPack Portable Charger on Monday. It features a 10,000mAH battery pack and 30 watts of quick-charging power for your devices on the go.
This week we teamed up with Kuxiu to put an X40 3-in-1 foldable magnetic wireless charger and stand in the hands of one lucky winner.
This charger, which retails for $89.99, can juice up an iPhone, AirPods and Apple Watch all at once. And it’s perfect for travel, thanks to its light weight and compact size. It tips the scales at just 6.9 ounces, so you can take it anywhere and just pop it in your pocket for extra convenience.
Threads is the new social media platform with Twitter-like features, coming from Instagram. As on Twitter, you can make short text posts with a few attached images or video, write replies, quote posts, repost them, etc. But you’re not starting fresh again: You sign in with your Instagram account and instantly access the same network of people who you follow and all your followers.
Since Twitter’s slow-burn downfall began last year, a few hot new replacements have been propped up, with varying degrees of staying power. Mastodon is the open-source, volunteer-driven network that courted the nerdy types in the tech community — but no one else. Bluesky, backed by Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey, has been scaling slowly on an invitation system. Post, T2 and countless others were the fashion of the day but burned out fast.
Threads has three great things going for it: It’s incredibly easy to join, it’s built off your existing network of friends, and it’s very simple to use. If you liked Twitter, you’ll like Threads. While I don’t like Threads as much as Mastodon, its future interoperability with the open-source alternative means we can all be happy on whatever service we choose and stay in touch.
Nathan Pyle’s humorous Strange Planet graphic novels are being made into an Apple TV+ animated series that’s now set to launch in late summer.
The show uses brightly colored aliens to poke fun at all of us.
★★★★☆
With the EZCast Beam J4a, you can carry a big-screen TV everywhere you go. The pico projector is amazingly small, but is ready to show movies, games or presentations wherever you need it to. Just plug it into your Mac or iPad.
I love this thing. Absolutely freaking love it. But that doesn’t mean it’s perfect. Read on to see what I mean.
The iPhone 15 Pro Max will cost more than last year’s equivalent version, according to an analyst. If true, this will be the first time the largest and most powerful of Apple’s flagship handsets has seen a price change since 2019.
The analyst also predicts the entire iPhone 15 series will go into production in August. The four new models are expected to launch in September.
Summer provides plenty of opportunities to get outside, whether you’re at a sports game, concert or just taking in nature. If you’d like to get a better view of memorable moments along the way, take advantage of this limited-time sale on a set of versatile camera binoculars.
During Deal Days, our version of Amazon’s Prime Day, you can pick up these HD Digital Camera Binoculars for only $99.97 (regularly $199) with free shipping — no coupon necessary. You’ll have to be quickly, though, since this deal only lasts through July 14 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific!
Meta just launched Threads, a new text-based social networking service that goes head-to-head with Twitter. Meta’s Facebook and Instagram have always competed with Twitter, of course, but Threads does so directly. The two apps are nearly identical.
Twitter has struggled since being acquired by Elon Musk in 2022, and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg clearly sees an opportunity to supplant it.
With all the buzz about its upcoming Vision Pro augmented-reality headset, Apple sent out a reminder that iPad Pro also has AR capabilities. The tablet powers Deep Field, an application that lets children use an Apple Pencil to draw plants inspired by works of art, and have their creations rendered into 3D via the magic of augmented reality.
If you have a passion for cooking, then you don’t have to debate whether or not it’s worth investing in quality tools.
A capable and high-quality knife set is a great place to start. Luckily, you don’t have to wait for Prime Day to score savings on new, much-needed kitchen artillery. During Deal Days, our version of Prime Day, you can grab this exclusive buy-one-get-one (BOGO) deal on this eight-piece Seido Japanese knife set with gift boxes for only $139.99 (regularly $429). Act fast since this deal only lasts until July 14 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific!
★★★★☆
Platonic heads into the home stretch this week as the Apple TV+ comedy about two friends who interrupt each other’s lives and relationships digs into jealousy.
Charlie takes his anger out on a co-worker in the strangest way imaginable. Sylvia takes out her anger directly on Charlie. And Will takes out his anger on his co-workers, who in turn take out their frustration on him. It’s less of a listening and learning week than a wit’s end week on this very easily consumed show.
A federal judge in Louisiana issued a broad injunction Tuesday limiting federal government contact with social media sites over what the Biden administration may see as disinformation spreading out of control.
The ruling is one of many upcoming that frame a fight over the constitutionality of curbing social media’s influence in light of the First Amendment’s right to freedom of expression.
A smartwatch like your trusty Apple Watch might be able to screen you for Parkinson’s disease up to 7 years before symptoms would show up if you have it, according to a fascinating new study.
Parkinson’s damages the brain slowly, so early detection via smartwatch could offer treatment advantages as new therapies develop.
Apple TV+ dropped the official trailer Wednesday for its upcoming historical drama Killers of the Flower Moon. The sprawling period piece is filled with the rage and bloodshed of one of America’s most-enduring murder mysteries.
Based on a nonfiction account of a deadly conspiracy by white men to capture oil wealth held by the Osage Indian nation members in early-1900s Oklahoma, the Marin Scorsese film counts Leonardo Di Caprio and Robert De Niro among its sprawling cast.
Amazon is knocking a sweet 20% off second-gen AirPods Pro ahead of next week’s Prime Day sale. Take advantage of the deal, and you can get Apple’s best AirPods Pro for $199.99, down from $249.
While not the lowest price ever seen, this is still a terrific deal you should not miss.
★★★☆☆
Apple TV+ terrorist thriller Hijack finally takes off this week, introducing real challenges and intense, investigative set pieces as the people on the ground try to figure out if the plane has been taken over, and if so, why — and what can be done about it.
The calm, cool and collected interloper played by Idris Elba takes action as the plane he’s on descends further and further into chaos. The episode, entitled “Draw a Blank,” is the best this show has yet been.
Everybody gets in the zone when it’s time to work out. Music is one great way to get there, but AirPods aren’t always the safest option if you’re biking or jogging on busy roadways. Audiophiles have been conditioned to think that earbuds are best when they drill sound waves directly into the ear, but these open-ear induction headphones are at the forefront of a new wave in personal audio.
During Deal Days, our version of Prime Day, Cult of Mac readers can get a pair of these innovative bone-conduction headphones for only $24.97 (regularly $79) with no coupon necessary. But you’ll have to move quickly, as this deal only lasts until July 14 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific!
Adding a second screen to any computer can instantly take your experience to the next level. For gamers that need additional playing real estate, or remote workers looking to boost productivity, the way to do it is with the USteam F22 15.6-inch 1080P FHD portable monitor, now on sale for only $129.99 (regularly $229.99) with no coupon necessary.
The super-low price is due to our epic Deal Days sale. It’s our answer to Prime Day — Black Friday in the summer, if you will. That means you don’t have long to snap it up. This price is only available through July 14 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific (while supplies last).
Want to see the world without being stung by the skyrocketing costs of flights? There’s a simple hack to save serious bucks on your summer vacation, and it comes in the form of getting alerts on ultra-low flight deals. Dollar Flight Club does precisely that. And right now, you can grab a Premium Plus+ lifetime subscription for only $59.97 (regularly $1,690), with no coupon necessary.
This discount on lifetime access to DFC’s Premium Plus+ plan is only available during our exciting Deal Days campaign — our version of Prime Day. So, you’ll have to act fast since this deal only lasts until July 14 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific!
The number of Apple TV+ subscribers has more than tripled in the past two years, according to data from a market-analysis firm.
Apple’s streaming service now sits in the middle of the pack in the battle against competitors like Netflix, Hulu and Disney+.
Everybody loves to eat a nice dinner out on the town, but have you checked restaurant prices lately? Outrageous! However, a limited-time discount can save you a lot of money when dining out.
For a limited time, you can get two $100 gift certificates to Restaurant.com for just $20 (regularly $200)! Grab it now during Deal Days — our version of Prime Day — where you can get special pricing on tech, software and services.
SwitchEasy makes an array of cool bands for Apple Watch in different styles and with various materials, from stretchy nylon to stainless steel mesh. In the SwitchEasy Flash Sale, the Cult of Mac Store has four excellent choices on sale for 20% off the regular prices through July 3.
Check out all four SwitchEasy bands for Apple Watch below.
Monitor mounts and the like may not be terribly glamorous or exciting, but they can do an awful lot for a computer setup.
Today’s featured MacBook Pro workstation uses them to make the laptop and two other crucial pieces of hardware easy to move around. And they keep the hardware off the desk, creating space for other items.
Canada’s 2,000 wildfires made news all over the United States when the resulting smoke drifted south in June. The fires burned more than 14 million acres, serving as a wake-up call for heightened attention to wildfire preparedness — especially because the United States is no stranger to its own conflagrations, with more than 72,000 communities at risk.
★★★☆☆
The Arzopa Portable Monitor A1C is a 15.6-inch, 1080P monitor ready to be connected to a Mac, iPad or gaming device over USB-C or HDMI. Given its relatively low price, the screen is one of the better options available for those on a tight budget.
It’s currently available at a price below $100, which is significantly lower than the cost of rival products.
I tested the portable display in my home office and on a recent vacation. Here’s what I found.