The newest beta of Microsoft Office gives iPad users the option to convert handwriting done with an Apple Pencil or other stylus into text using Apple’s Scribble system. It’ll should be available to all in the near future.

Apple’s handwriting-recognition system uses AI to recognize letters and words, and will allow users to quickly edit a document or spreadsheet on the go with a stylus. But it could also be used to write entire Word docs.

Apple tried to talk Facebook into creating a version of its social network without adverts, according to a new report. Users would pay a subscription fee and would not be tracked for advertising purposes.

Obviously, it didn’t happen.

You don’t have to wait until September to get the details on the next-gen Apple Watch. Many of them leaked out already.

Here’s what to expect out of the upcoming Series 8, and a new “extreme sports” Apple Watch. An updated Apple Watch SE is also supposedly in the offing.

This can be a challenging time of the year for children, as school resumes and several necessities are required. Unfortunately, not all households can handle those costs, which include class supplies and daily meals. For a limited time, you can help kids in need through the power of a purchase. During our Back to Education event, when you pick up the Maglight Mini, an eight-in-one utility flashlight, for only $17.99 (reg. $29), a donation will be made to a deserving recipient.

This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: We’re taking a long look (and listen) at all the hottest new features coming in iOS 16, including the return of the battery percentage indicator. Some of the impending changes look (and sound) great. Others … not so much.

We want two big tweaks: a polished version of the battery percentage indicator, and an iPhone ping that doesn’t sound like garbage. (The existing one is great, and the proposed one is definitely not an upgrade.)

But, hey, there’s still time for Tim Cook’s team of tweakers to bring things up to snuff. In fact, somebody already did the heavy lifting for them on that battery icon (see below)!

American Sign Language is the most-used form of communication for deaf people in the United States, but you don’t have to be hard-of-hearing to find value from it. So whether you want to communicate with the deaf community, become a first responder, do social work or simply pick up a new language, the Complete American Sign Language Master Class Bundle might come in handy. It’s on sale for a limited time for $49.99 (regularly $349).

Surface, the Apple TV+ mystery about a woman with no memory, goes tripping in an episode filled with twists, turns, memories and hallucinations.

Sophie has a secret identity. Her husband, James, has a secret file that Baden the cop needs to steal and investigate. And literally nothing is going to go as planned. Sophie treats herself to a little psychotropic therapy when her therapist lets her down.

She learns a little more than she bargained for in this mostly OK episode.

Have you put off learning to code because it’s challenging to get started? There’s a lot to learn, but that’s nothing a good teacher can’t help with. With the 2022 All-in-One Learn to Code Certification Bundle, you can explore several popular coding languages, and that’s just the start.

This training is also price-dropped during our Back to Education promotion, which ends August 24. Get it for only $39.99 (regularly $3,000) — no coupon necessary.

Play pinball in a galaxy far, far away as an update to Zen Pinball Party adds two new tables based on Star Wars. Enjoy characters and music from some of the bast of the Skywalker saga.

The pinball game launched on Apple Arcade in 2021, and already lets players have a go at tables with a Kung Fu Panda theme, or Trolls, or How to Train Your Dragon.

Loot, the Apple TV+ sitcom about a rich woman discovering the meaning of life through charity work, finally hits the wall I’ve been waiting for after weeks of politesse and a too-overwhelming fear of the vulgar side of comedy.

In this week’s season finale, Molly and the crew head to Corsica for a billionaire energy summit where she must make an important choice. She must decide between her rich, debonair boyfriend and his million-dollar ideas about conservancy, and her friends who want to do real, on-the-ground work and fight the root causes of the problems facing their neighbors.

The Late Show With Stephen Colbert created a parody Thursday night of the psychological thriller Severance on Apple TV+. The segment’s a must-see for fans of the show, or for fans of nouveu-comedy classic The Office, which figures into the mashup heavily.

I just called Severance a psychological thriller. In his lead-in to the video, which you can watch below, Colbert was probably more accurate.

“Severance is easily one of the top dystopian workplace sci-fi mystery black comedy psychological thrillers I’ve ever seen,” he deadpanned, getting a laugh.

Apple TV+ series Trying, the James Corden of sitcoms, invents some new fake problems for its characters to solve this week. Tyler bumps his head, Princess steals a solution to an outcast’s problem, Nikki and Karen don’t feel like moms, Jason is disappointed in his son’s taste, and there may be a new wrinkle in the couple’s decision to keep their kids.

The writers also show their Tory hand this week with jabs at all things lower class — except when it’s necessary for our characters to engage in them. Not even a special cameo from a great villainess can lift this week’s offering above pitiful.

With so many people working from home these days, a whole lot of them spend much of their life in one room — wherever the computer setup is, that is. And that’s all the more the case in apartments and small homes. So improving the setup can have a pretty big impact.

In today’s featured Mac Studio setup, swapping out two smaller displays for one bigger one, adding a desk shelf and making a few other changes made quite a difference in enhancing the workspace.

This post on discount Microsoft software is brought to you by Keysbuff.

The Back to School Sale continues at software activation keys provider Keysbuff.com. You can always score great deals on Microsoft products from them. But as a Cult of Mac reader, you can click on the links below and get an even better deal on Windows 10 — and find major savings on lots of other Microsoft software, too.

To rack up maximum savings, use promo code COM at Keysbuff.com. That will save you an extra 25% off the site’s already-low prices on keys for Windows 10 Pro Global, Microsoft Office 2021 Pro and other software.

Anker deployed a whole squad of six new, compact and capable high-speed GaNPrime chargers to the charging accessory battlefield a few weeks back. They seem equipped to cover pretty much any need, taking different forms and offering different charging capacities and numbers of ports.

The company sent me a few to try out. I already reviewed the impressively potent and portable Anker 747 150W GaNPrime Charger, an adapter. Now I’ll take a look at two other forms — the Anker 733 Power Bank and the Anker 727 Power Station, which is a compact power strip.

They each address specific capabilities a lot of people might look for in a charger. You might want one of each.

AirPods users will soon be able to discover what’s new in each firmware update. The current iOS 16 beta includes a link to a description of the current firmware on Apple’s website.

That’s a notable change from iOS 15 and before, where firmware updates for these wireless earbuds are an almost complete mystery.

Apple TV+ space opera/soap opera For All Mankind closes its confounding third season this week by introducing us to a new character and a new geopolitical rival for the beleaguered space crews.

In this week’s season three finale, entitled “Stranger in a Strange Land,” Ed Baldwin learns Danny’s terrible secret. Jimmy Stevens hangs out with the wrong crowd for just a few minutes too long. Margo’s in trouble, Kelly’s giving birth, Karen’s making bold choices, and Dev is up a creek.

None of that’s going to matter by this week’s third act, of course. Just you wait and see.

If you’ve got the drive, you can pick up a new hobby, get primed to embark on a different career or simply learn something for the heck of it with StackSkills Unlimited. With more than 1,000 courses ranging from graphic design to guitar, there’s plenty of room to follow a new passion with this excellent online learning platform.

Frankly, there may never be a wrong time to learn something new. But the right time is during our Back to Education event. During this sale, you can get lifetime access to StackSkills Unlimited for only $69 (regularly $99). No coupon is needed, but the event ends August 24.

Hurricane Katrina has come and gone and there are 45 unexplained deaths in a hospital in New Orleans. That’s the hook for new Apple TV+ limited series Five Days at Memorial. The titular hospital is a crowbar used to examine the carelessness of U.S. disaster-relief infrastructure, health care and our attitudes toward one another.

This all actually happened. And show creators John Ridley (12 Years a Slave) and Carlton Cuse (Lost) mean to take us uncomfortably close to the truth of what happens when Americans are faced with unprecedented situations … because we are running out of those.

Physical starring Rose Byrne will return to Apple TV+ for a third season. The dark comedy about a female fitness guru is set in the 1980s.

There were some questions about the show’s future after a shaky first season, but season two made continuing the series a no-brainer.

Snoring is no fun for anyone. Obviously, the loud sounds of snoring can prove painful for anybody within earshot. But even if you’re the one sawing logs in your sleep, snoring can take a toll, depriving you of the healthy sleep your body needs.

However, just because you can’t stop yourself from snoring doesn’t mean you’re powerless. It just means you might benefit from an anti-snoring device like the Snore Circle. This gadget stimulates the muscles under the wearer’s chin to help stop snoring, and it’s on sale for $79.99 (regularly $119).

Wouldn’t you pay that much for a solid night’s sleep?

The web browser that Meta built into the iPhone Facebook and Instagram applications can collect far more information about users than they probably realize. It can “track every single interaction with external websites,” according to a developer.

But users don’t have to stay in this sketchy browser. Leaving it is easy – here’s how.

Accessories-maker Grovemade recently added small and medium sizes to its lineup of desk shelves, which are wooden stands or risers for monitors and laptops that help you organize and store other items.

We see the Portland, Oregon-based company’s desk shelves from time to time in people’s workstations in Setups feature articles.

August 11, 1950: Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak is born. While Steve Jobs may be the most admired Apple figure, Woz might be the most well-loved by fans.

In addition to his most famous creation, the Apple II, Wozniak is also responsible for imbuing Apple’s products with his fun-loving personality.

Happy birthday, Woz!

The Scoshe BoomCan MS sticks to the back of a ‌MagSafe‌ ‌iPhone and ups the sound quality considerably. The palm-size Bluetooth speaker magnetically attaches to recent Apple handsets where it also act as a kickstand or a handle. And it’s waterproof and dustproof.

I’ve been using the BoomCan MS for a few weeks… and I love it.