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Safely carry your cameras with this magnetic locking strap

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Keep that expensive camera secure.
Keep that expensive camera secure.
Photo: Dora Goodman Cameras

Most of us take pictures with our phones, but if you walk around with one or more actual cameras from your fancy collection, a boutique camera maker has a new strap that could change your life.

The Goodman Camera Strap with Mag-Lock takes the tensile strength of Kevlar cord and marries it to a quick-release magnetic locking harness system attached to a handmade leather camera strap.

Up your game with a new Keychron Q3 custom mechanical keyboard

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mechanical keyboard deals -- Keychron's tenkyeless Q3 follows the popular Q1 and Q2 custom keebs.
Keychron's customizable, tenkyeless Q3 followed release of the popular Q1 and Q2 custom keebs.
Photo: Keychron

Keychron launched its Q3 80% tenkeyless (TKL) full metal custom mechanical keyboard on Tuesday. Following sold-out initial runs of its Q1 and Q2 customizable keebs, the Q3 is a full aluminum mechanical keyboard with gasket mount design. It features hot-swappable switches, a high-grade aluminum case, QMK/VIA mapping support and more, the company said.

Exclusive 60% discount! Run Windows programs on Mac with Parallels Pro

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It's the best of both worlds: run Windows on Mac with this app.
Grab this discounted subscription to Parallels Pro before it disappears.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Choosing between Mac and Windows isn’t hard: Mac is clearly better. Apple’s computers have an intuitive user interface, fantastic apps and much better hardware. But Windows is ubiquitous, and there are a ton of Windows-only apps that Mac users sometimes need.

Fortunately, you don’t need to choose between Mac and Windows because Parallels Desktop Pro Edition lets you run Windows and macOS at the same time. And right now, it’s on sale for just $32 (regularly $99) if you use Cult of Mac Deals’ exclusive discount code GET60NOW.

But hurry: This outrageous deal must end at 11:59 p.m. PDT on March 31, 2022.

WhatsApp plans big improvements to voice messaging ‘in the coming weeks’

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WhatsApp voice messaging improvements
Faster playback, the ability to pause recordings, and more on the way.
Image: WhatsApp

WhatsApp on Thursday revealed significant improvements to voice messaging across Android and iOS. The update adds the ability to change the speed of audio playback, pause and resume recording, and more.

It also allows voice message playback to continue when users back out of a conversation to catch up with another. Users can look forward to seeing the changes “in the coming weeks,” WhatsApp said.

Get more from your data with this spreadsheet database app

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Edit, analyze & share with this discounted spreadsheet subscription.
The Stackby app combines spreadsheets with databases, and you can save big on a lifetime subscription.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

So much time is lost when you’re constantly moving between spreadsheets and databases. When you must use one app to organize information and another to analyze it, things can get clunky and overly complicated.

Stackby is a unique app that combines the ease of a good spreadsheet with the analysis and sharing tools of a database. For a limited time, a lifetime subscription to the Stackby Personal Plan is also on sale for $69 (regularly $300).

Apple finally lets ‘reader’ apps like Netflix and Spotify link to their own sites

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Apple lets reader apps link to their own sites
It's a start.
Image: Apple

Apple on Wednesday confirmed a significant change to its App Store policy that finally allows “reader” apps like Netflix and Spotify to link to their own websites for things like creating and managing accounts.

Until now, including an external link for this kind of purpose was prohibited, and would have resulted in App Store expulsion. That meant a poor user experience for a whole bunch of popular services on iPhone and iPad.

That’s finally changing, but of course, Apple plans to make it as complicated as possible for developers to enjoy it.

Apple wants to handle some of its own financial services

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Apple’s financial results were all the company could ask for.
Apple supposedly wants to reduce the financial services it outsources.
Graphic: Cult of Mac

Rather than letting existing financial companies handle all its payment processing, Apple wants to bring some of it in-house, according to an unconfirmed report. And the Mac-maker would also like to take on a range of other related services itself.

The goal is to reduce the amount of money Apple has to pay outside companies for financial services.

YouTube TV launches picture-in-picture feature on iPhone and iPad

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YouTube TV
Picture-in-picture support for iPhone and iPad comes to YouTube TV. But not to all YouTube users.
Image: YouTube/Cult of Mac

YouTube TV subscribers with an iPhone or iPad can now watch shows in a small window while another app is open. The feature is rolling out now.

However, picture-in-picture support is not yet available for all mobile users of the YouTube application, as has been promised.

Stream almost any 4K video to Apple TV or Chromecast with this app

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This app lets your Apple TV stream in 4K.
If high-definition video (and audio) is your thing, this streaming app is a must.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Convenient as they are, Apple TV, Chromecast and AirPlay 2 can’t do everything. Some videos don’t stream in high quality — or can’t stream at all. This lifetime subscription to the Airflow video streaming app lets you stream almost any video while keeping the quality high.

And right now, this app for Mac and Windows is on sale for $15.99 (regularly $19).

On the inside, Apple Studio Display looks more sophisticated than expected

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On the inside, Apple Studio Display looks more sophisticated than iMac
One of these is an iMac and the other is the Apple Studio Display. Which is which?
Photo: iFixit

iFixit showed people the interior of the new Apple Studio Display next to a partially disassembled iMac and asked them to pick which is which. You can play along at home by looking at the image above.

Most people got it wrong. Apple’s latest external monitor (on the left) is packed with features, and that’s reflected in its surprisingly complex internal design.

iFixit put the device through a full teardown and found that many of the most important components of the new external monitor showed up in previous Apple devices.

Carrot Weather app cheers ‘triumphant return of allergy season’ with major update

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The Carrot Weather, known for snarky forecasts and powerful features, just got a big update.
The Carrot Weather, known for snarky forecasts and powerful features, just got a big update.
Photo: Carrot Weather

If weather apps were judged solely on snarky attitude, there would be one clear favorite: Carrot Weather. But even judged by factors like tracking the weather and variety of features, it’s a darned good app. And now, with a major update released Wednesday “to celebrate the triumphant return of allergy season,” it’s even better.

iPhone might never get in-screen Touch ID

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iPhone 14 won‘t include in-screen Touch ID
Bad news: Looks like an iPhone with an in-display Touch ID scanner will remain only a dream.
Concept: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

An in-screen fingerprint scanner won’t be part of any iPhone for at least three years, according to a trusted analyst. That raises the strong possibility that Touch ID will never again be part of Apple’s flagship smartphones — despite occasional rumors to the contrary.

Apple may have abandoned the idea after a recent improvement to Face ID.

Sturdy folding stand makes MacBooks more ergonomic [Review]

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Sturdy folding stand makes MacBooks more ergonomic [Review]
The Wiplabs Lift is always ready to make typing on your MacBook easier.
Photo: Adel Neal/Cult of Mac

The Wiplabs Lift makes it easier to type on your MacBook by tilting the keyboard up. At the same time, it raises the display closer to eye level. And it offers these benefits anywhere you go because the rugged, aluminum stand folds so you can stow it away.

I put the portable stand to the test … and it really stood up.

Is it OK to use a Mac mini as a stand for your display? [Setups]

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Is it OK to rest your display on top of your Mac mini?
Is it OK to rest your display on top of your Mac mini?
Photo: [email protected]

We’ve written about storing a Mac mini in an upright rather than a flat position to save space. It’s OK to do if the machine’s intake and exhaust vents are not blocked. But what about using your Mac mini as a stand for a display, as in today’s featured computer setup?

It’s not necessarily quite as cut-and-dried as the upright mini question. Whether it’s totally fine or a little risky depends a little more on the specific Mac mini and the kind of monitor you use.

First full Shining Girls Apple TV+ trailer messes with time and reality

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Elisabeth Moss stars in the series and serves as executive producer.
Elisabeth Moss stars in the series and serves as executive producer.
Photo: Apple TV+

When Apple TV+ put out its first, brief trailer in February for its upcoming metaphysical-horror-thiller Shining Girls, it looked disturbing and disorienting. Now the streaming service has put out the first full trailer for the show, which stars Elisabeth Moss and premieres April 29.

If anything, Shining Girls looks even more unsettling — but almost to the point of absurdity.

Learn languages and pick up other life-changing skills with this Rosetta Stone bundle

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This bundle gives you Rosetta Stone and thousands of classes.
Learn 24 languages and thousands of skills with this bundle.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

The great thing about being an adult is deciding what you get to learn. You can pick up a new language, learn to code, figure out what marketing actually is — anything you want.

The Unlimited Lifetime Learning Subscription Bundle featuring Rosetta Stone consists of two complementary components. All together, it gives you the tools to learn loads of new languages and skills. And for a limited time, it costs just $169.15 (regularly $1,794) with coupon LEARN10NOW.

Don’t rely on automatic iOS updates unless you like getting left behind

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iOS 14.4 debuted to the general public on Tuesday.
Automatic updates are designed to drop late.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

iPhone and iPad users should manually install the latest iOS and iPadOS updates if they want to get their hands on Apple’s newest features and improvements as quickly as possible, according to one Cupertino chief.

Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of software engineering, confirmed that automatic software updates don’t drop until one to four weeks after the company makes them available to manual updaters.

Apple makes $50 million commitment to supplier employee development

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Apple supplier development fund
'We put people first in everything that we do.'
Photo: Apple

Apple on Wednesday revealed a new Supplier Employee Development Fund that will offer $50 million to expand access to learning and skills development.

The fund includes new partnerships with leading right advocates, universities, and nonprofits, Apple said. Cupertino will also focus on working alongside supply chain partners to “amplify worker voice” and support rights programs.

$5.5 billion lawsuit accuses Apple of overcharging App Store users

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2021 App Store Awards
Apple just cannot avoid new App Store complaints.
Image: Apple

Apple faces an incredibly pricey lawsuit in the Netherlands, where the company is accused of “market dominance,” “anti-competitive practices,” and overcharging App Store users for apps and in-app subscriptions.

The Consumer Competition Claims Foundation believes Apple has been able to charge “excessively high prices” by excluding all competition and then abusing its “monopoly position.” It says damages could total $5.5 billion.

NFL ‘considers’ its own streaming service for mobile devices

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NFL plans its own streaming service
It could cost just $5 a month.
Photo: Adrian Curiel/Unsplash

There may soon be yet another streaming service to add to your roster. The National Football League is said to be considering a platform of its own, dubbed NFL+, that will stream live games to smartphones, tablets, and laptops.

NFL+ could also provide access to radio, podcasts and team content, according to a new report, which claims teams were briefed on the plans at the annual NFL owners’ meeting that recently took place in Palm Beach, Florida.

Facebook Messenger adds a bunch of handy, Slack-like shortcuts

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Facebook Messenger shortcuts
It's now easier to send silent messages, GIFs, payments, and more.
Image: Meta

Facebook Messenger? Meta Messenger? Just Messenger? We don’t know what it’s supposed to be called these days. But we do know it just added a bunch of useful, Slack-like shortcuts that help you get things done faster.

You can use them to silently deliver messages without notifications, to find the perfect GIF, to send payments and more — all without having to fiddle around inside menus. And Meta says even more are coming later this year.