This week on Trying, the Apple TV+ show uses the hackiest sitcom elements imaginable as a backdrop for Jason and Nikki’s emotional problems and Scott and Karen’s awakenings.

Tyler is taken by a miscommunication. Jen is having a crisis of confidence at a crossroads in her life (and Nikki’s about to make it worse). Bev’s got Jason and Nikki in a vice, and Karen may have found her calling.

Does any of this matter when every joke makes your skin crawl? No, not really.

The new Soundcore Space A40 True-Wireless Noise Cancelling Earbuds came out Thursday alongside their sibling Space Q45 over-ear headphones.

Upon release, both products made a lot of noise about strong active noise cancellation (ANC) and massive battery life. And like the headphones, which I already reviewed, the earbuds don’t disappoint.

While their marquee qualities are strong ANC and lengthy play time, the A40 buds also sound good and feature lots of opportunities for audio customization.

You might not need the latest, greatest computer if you just need a laptop to get the job done. So, whether you’re looking for a travel computer that you aren’t afraid to toss in a bag, or need a budget laptop that can get you through the school year, buying refurbished MacBooks is the way to go.

One example is this refurbished 13.3-inch MacBook Air that’s been marked down to just $250.

Oh, brother, here we go again. See is back for its third and final season with more grim, doomy, portentous, heavily filtered, scowling, medieval dystopian tedium for you.

The Apple TV+ show about a future Earth where most everybody is blind takes one last lap through Joseph Campbell and the big book of heroic cliches.

Jason Momoa’s Baba Voss is on the lam, Kofun’s a father (and hates everything about it), Maghra’s having no fun at all being queen, and Kane is still insane in the membrane. Strap in.

You won’t need an iPhone 14 or iPhone 15 for satellite connectivity. SpaceX and T-Mobile have announced their plan to bring cell connectivity everywhere in the US using satellites.

The service won’t require your phone to have satellite connectivity or any special chip. The Un-carrier says it will work with the “vast majority” of phones already on its network.

If you labeled either side of a Venn diagram with “has access to a full scanner” and “needs a scanner,” how much crossover would there be? Instead of waiting for a scanner to be available, iOS users can put one in their pocket.

Need to scan a page from a textbook? Maybe send a project outline to your new boss? Whatever the situation, having your iPhone double as a document scanner proves incredibly useful, and that’s exactly what you get with iScanner. And this convenient document scanner app is on sale for $39.99 (regularly $199).

There’s no reason the Mac mini has to take up unnecessary desk space. Apple can and should build the entire computer into the keyboard. The result would minimize clutter, making it an ideal computer for anyone living in tight quarters. And it would be quite portable.

It’s completely possible with tech Apple has now. Here’s how.

Apple introduced its second Impact Accelerator class Thursday. It’s made up of leaders from 16 minority-owned businesses that work in environmental services. They’ll be trained and mentored to help grow the businesses, which may end up partnering with Apple.

And at the same time, they’ll advance “a shared goal of creating a greener world,” Apple said.

Tired of slumming it with just a regular ol’ expensive Apple Watch? Well, you could dress it up a bit if you fork over $15,000 for an Apple Watch case smothered in more than 400 diamonds.

I mean, you deserve a special treat now and again, don’t you? A company called Golden Concept thinks so.

iPhones made up more than half of all smartphones shipped in North America during the second quarter of 2022, according to a market research firm. This marks the third quarter in a row that more than 50% of the handsets shipped in the region came from Apple.

Samsung, the next nearest rival, had less than half as many shipments in Canada, Unites States and Mexico.

TP-Link just flipped the switch on a new lineup of smart LED light strips and light bulbs, some of which you can use with HomeKit or other home-automation systems.

The main selling point here is budget-friendliness. Prices range from $25 to $50, so you won’t break the bank lighting up your space.

If you’re counting down the days until an international trip, you might want to prepare yourself in the meantime. Of course, you need to pack the appropriate clothing and book your stay. But being able to communicate with the locals may be just as important, if not more so.

The Babbel language app can lead you down the right path. And, for a limited time, new users can purchase a lifetime subscription and start learning up to 14 languages for $199 (regularly $499).

With Thursday’s release of the new Soundcore Space Q45 Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones and sibling Space A40 earbuds, Soundcore began replacing its Life series of sound products. The company sent me both products to test. This review covers the Q45 cans (my A40 review will appear tomorrow).

I’ve spent a couple weeks with the Q45 over-ear, closed-back headphones. Soundcore pushes two main selling points: strong noise cancellation and long battery life. And with the Q45 headphones, the company has hit it out of the park on both counts.

And they sound good for the price, too.

People love to examine Apple’s event invites looking for hints of what will be unveiled. The starry invitation to the September 7 Far Out event that went out Wednesday might drop a clue to one or more long-rumored features finally coming to the iPhone 14.

And, of course, we’ve seen some deliberately silly suggestions for what the image and theme are hinting at.

Or the Apple logo made out of stars could be simply a cool-looking image. (There are new wallpapers for those who think so.)

It’s not easy getting noticed on the internet. With so much competition on most search engines, ranking high enough to make it to the first page takes a ton of work and research. However, it’s easier if you use the right SEO tools.

LongTailPro is an intelligent keyword research tool that can improve your site’s SEO ranking. And you can purchase 10,000, 100,000 or 1 million keyword lookup credits on sale.

Users who aren’t ready to to take the plunge into full home-automation system like HomeKit and related accessories have another option to make a dumb lock smarter.

SwitchBot recently launched a new version of SwitchBot Lock. The company said it’s the best way to make a door lock smart without refitting, so users can lock or unlock their door via devices like iPhone or Apple Watch.

Better yet, right now you can get 15% off on Amazon, or about $15 off the $100 price.

Apple now offers the parts and tools to fix several MacBook models. This is a hassle but lowers the cost, right? Not necessarily.

The total cost of one of the most-common DIY repairs is more than double what is to have Apple do it.

Concealed in Wednesday’s invite to the Apple early fall event is an augmented reality Easter egg. It’s not just cool – it might be a hint of what to expect.

The graphic for the September 7 “Far Out” event shows the Apple logo made of stars. The AR version is a 3D orb filled with stars floating in space.

Known for camera-rig and lighting hardware, SmallRig released its new, portable Forevala W60 wireless microphone system this week.

That gives podcasters and other content creators a new option for quality audio on the go.

Central Park is coming back with more musical adventures. Season three of the highly rated animated comedy will return to Apple TV+ in early September, and a trailer offering a glimpse at the upcoming fun premiered Wednesday.

The second season of Central Park scored an amazing 100% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

A new interactive website called Design the Next iPhone lets you have a laugh by making whatever monstrosity you want out of Apple’s market-leading handset, due for a major refresh with the iPhone 14 series on September 7.

And each time you make a new design, Apple CEO Tim Cook pops up with some encouraging marketing-speak.

Apple sent out invitations Wednesday to a “far out” event scheduled for September 7. There’s nothing in the invite to indicate what’s on the agenda, but this will almost certainly be the debut of the iPhone 14 lineup and Apple Watch Series 8.

Unlike such events for the past couple of years, members of the tech press are being invited to attend in person.

For details of what’s likely on the agenda, check out our rundown of everything Apple is expected to announce at the “Far Out” event.

Everybody knows a leather Apple Watch band is a timeless and elegant accessory, just as it has been for watches in general for decades. But not all leather bands are equal.

Laut, for example, offers its Prestige Leather Apple Watch Band made from premium Saffiano leather. It finishes your look in style.

And you can get it right now in the Cult of Mac Store for just $49.99.

Some people care deeply about cable management, with nary a cord to be seen in their computer setups. Others couldn’t care less about it, leaving wire-spaghetti all over the place. And folks in the middle want to do it right, but meh, maybe next week, and maybe only somewhat.

Today’s featured MacBook Pro and iPad Pro setup stakes out much of the ground described above. Cable management is in play, but it’s done in a way that drove some neatniks crazy while others applauded the controlled mayhem.

Steelseries, known for gaming headsets, has jumped into the desktop speakers pool with a big splash. Its new Arena line of desktop speakers is the company’s first product of that type.

And it includes what the company calls the world’s first 5.1 surround sound speakers you can run with a single USB connection to a Mac, PC, gaming console or TV.