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.
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.
★★★★☆
Here's the Ezmo, laden with cash and cards, serving as an iPhone stand. You can widen the stand's angle and mount the iPhone in landscape orientation, too. Photo: David Snow/Cult of Mac
Whether you carry a wallet bursting at the seams or you’re a two-cards-and-cash-in-a-clip person, Journey has a new product you might want to give a go. It’s the Ezmo Magnetic Wallet and Phone Stand.
It’s a high-quality leather product that fixes to your iPhone. But whether you want it to be your daily carrier for cash and cards depends on how little you feel you can get by carrying around with you. The company sent me one to try out.
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.)
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.
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.
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.
Caller ID service and spam blocker Truecaller now offers call recording on Android and iOS. Photo: Truecaller
The Truecaller app is already well known as a caller-ID service and spam blocker. And now it lets you record incoming and outgoing calls on your iPhone in the United States.
SPONSORED
This post is brought to you by Truecaller.
That’s incredibly helpful — not to mention quite legal (see below). And it means you can capture all the details of a call, even if you’re a sloppy notetaker or you don’t have a pen handy. With Truecaller’s new Call Recording feature, you won’t miss a thing.
Don't wait for Prime Day to score Curiosity Stream for only $180, the best price ever. Photo: Cult of Mac Deals
Does your favorite streaming service pander to the lowest common denominator? Like everything else online, TV content providers use algorithms to find out what most viewers like and feed them more of it, and that usually doesn’t include a lot of brain food.
If you’re starved for shows and movies that educate and entertain, there’s never been a better time to check out Curiosity Stream, a streaming home for thousands of documentaries. Cult of Mac readers can score lifetime access for only $179.97 (regularly $399) during our iteration of Prime Day, but only through July 14!
Expand your workstation with a $125 discount on this 4K touchscreen monitor. Photo: Cult of Mac Deals
Ready to maximize your setup’s screen real estate — and give it a touchscreen boost? Right now, you can add an additional HD monitor at a low price.
You don’t need to wait until Amazon Prime Day to take advantage of great savings on the Desklab Portable 4K Touchscreen Monitor, currently available for only $249.97 (regularly $375) with no coupon necessary. Get early access to special pricing during our Deal Days event, which lasts through July 14. You’ll have to act fast, though, as supply is limited for this innovative monitor!
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.
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.
We’ll plug a USB-C cable into the iPhone 15 Pro Max right there. Screenshot: Majin Bu
Those eager to get their hands on the upcoming iPhone 15 Pro Max should check out a short video showing a case supposedly designed for Apple’s next flagship smartphone. This helps confirm a few details that previously leaked out.
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.
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.
Act fast and start learning a new language with Babbel, now only $180 during our version of Prime Day. Photo: Cult of Mac Deals
Can you even remember what you learned in those boring high school French or Spanish classes, filled with rote memorization and writing exercises? There are better ways to master a foreign language than they way you learned way back when.
Thanks to apps like Babbel, you can learn a new language in your own way, on your own time. And right now, there’s good news for anyone prepping for a vacation or wanting to expand their communication abilities. Cult of Mac readers can now score lifetime access to Babbel for only $179.97 (regularly $399) during our version of Prime Day. This fantastic price drop only lasts until July 14!
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.
A strong cast lead by Isaiah Hill, and plenty of action both on and off the basketball court, Swagger is a slam-dunk drama. Photo: Apple TV+
In this installment of 3 Reasons to Watch, we’re touting stellar Apple TV+ basketball drama Swagger, produced by Kevin Durant and creatively shepherded by Reggie Rock Bythewood.
The show, about a high school phenom assailed by personal and professional pressures, just returned for its second season. And like its heroes, Swagger shows no signs of slacking now that the game is getting tougher. Here’s why you should give it a shot.
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.
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.
Attack your ear wax with this minicam/cleaner combo. Photo: Cult of Mac Deals
Those of us who suffer from wax buildup in the ear know that when things get bad, it’s all you can think about. It’s one of the toughest itches to scratch, whether you’re using your bare finger (gross) or a cotton swab (possibly harmful, as most ENT specialists can tell you).
The problem is that you can’t see what you’re doing, and the structure of the ear canal increases the possibility that you’ll do more harm than good. Now, technology has finally caught up to the problem with the Smart Visual Ear Cleaner.
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.
Save 29% on an app that automatically helps your Mac feel new. Photo: Cult of Mac Deals
Your Mac is kind of like your house. Unless you’re diligent, it’s normal for a mess to start to build up. On your computer, that may look like half-downloaded apps, unused software, large untouched files, and other digital clutter.
If you want to freshen your Mac up without manually finding and deleting all your unnecessary files and apps, get CleanMyMac X. This one-time purchase could have your Mac feeling clean and quick, and you can get it for one or two Macs with 29% off the regular price.
★★★★☆
Score! Swagger is back for season two. Photo: Apple TV+
Apple TV+ sports drama Swagger returns for a second season in fine form this week. Reggie Rock Bythewood’s account of a high school basketball star and his supportive coach continues with fresh challenges for Jace and his team to face.
With Jace gearing up for college, he needs Ike back in his corner after a brief separation. But will Ike make a good fit at Jace’s new school? This week’s episode, entitled “The World Ain’t Ready,” is thrillingly alive in its depiction of life in Baltimore and the pressures of being very good at what you do.