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Apple TV+ will screen indie hit CODA in theaters for free

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CODA will show for free in theaters from Friday, February 25 through 27.
CODA will show for free in theaters from Friday, February 25 through 27.
Photo: Apple TV+

In celebration of CODA‘s Oscar nomination for Best Picture, Apple TV+ said Friday it will celebrate by re-releasing the indie hit in theaters next weekend. And you’ll be able to watch it for free.

You can see the film for free in theaters from Friday, February 25 to Sunday, February 27.

How to enable Conversation Boost on AirPods Pro

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Enable Conversation Boost on AirPods Pro
Make others much easier to hear.
Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

AirPods Pro aren’t your average wireless headphones. Apple packed in a whole bunch of brilliant features that allow you to enjoy clearer FaceTime calls, quieter flights, and more. One of those is the brilliant Conversation Boost.

Designed for those who are hard of hearing and introduced last August, Conversation Boost allows AirPods Pro to function a little like hearing aids. When it’s active, it amplifies the voice of the person you’re speaking to.

Here’s how to use it.

Create your best witchy life with Wylde Flowers on Apple Arcade

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Create your best witchy life with ‘Wylde Flowers on Apple Arcade
Help a witch grow plants, tend animals, make friends and maybe even fall in love in Wylde Flowers.
Screenshot: Studio Drydock

Help a young witch grow the family farm in Wylde Flowers, a magical sim game that debuted Friday on Apple Arcade. You’ll also need to increase your spell skills if you want to help your local coven solve a mystery.

The enchanting game is available now for a range of Apple computers.

On The Afterparty, even a cartoon isn’t funny [Apple TV+ recap]

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The Afterparty recap,
What's going on here? Whatever it is, it isn't amusing.
Photo: Apple TV+

This week on Apple TV+ show The Afterparty, we hear from the final suspect who attended the reunion that ended with pop star Xavier’s murder. So, if you’ve loved hearing about these events over and over — congratulations! You’re getting them one more time, this time delivered in the form of an unremarkable animated TV show.

Newly single mom Zoë takes Detective Danner through her version of the events that took place that deadly night. Naturally, she makes plenty of detours to talk about her life as a mom and a divorcee, and how hard all of this has been for her.

Her story would prove more compelling if these points hadn’t already been made in the previous five episodes of this dreadful show. It only took half of this short season for The Afterparty to run out of steam. All in all, it’s a pitiful display from comedy performers who should know better.

Carry an AirTag in style with clever Orbitkey holders [Review]

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Orbitkey AirTag holders reviews
Attach an AIrTag to your keys or other item with the Orbitkey Leather Holder or Slim Case.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Orbitkey offers a pair of AirTag holders that make it easy to attach Apple’s tracking tag to your keys or purse. The Slim Case has a minimalistic design, while the Leather Holder wraps the AirTag in a stylish sleeve.

I used both holders to see how they stood up to real-world use.

Union! Apple retail employees move to unionize

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Union! Apple retail employees move to unionize
While these Apple Store employees are clearly happy, some don’t feel they are being paid as much as they could. So they’re unionizing.
Photo: Apple

Workers at some Apple Stores are reportedly planning to unionize. Employees are two stores are close to filing paperwork with the National Labor Relations Board and more are moving in that direction.

They say their goal is a larger share of Apple’s huge profits.

Lincoln’s Dilemma delivers a compelling history lesson [Apple TV+ review]

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Lincoln's Dilemma review: Apple TV+ Abraham Lincoln documentary offers fresh look at the Great Emancipator.
The new documentary offers a fresh look at the Great Emancipator.
Photo: Apple TV+

New Apple TV+ docu-series Lincoln’s Dilemma delivers a fine history lesson in classical PBS form. The four-part series, which premieres today, brings you the story of Lincoln’s presidency and the ways in which he approached the issue of slavery, from his first dealings with the issue until his death at the hands of a Confederate sympathizer.

Stewarded by executive producer/directors Jacqueline Olive and Barak Goodman, executive producer Jelani Cobb and a host of historians and activists, the series’ form is likely too sturdy and utilitarian to change the way anyone views Lincoln.

However, the filmmakers’ intent is admirable. They set out to neither oversell nor undersell Lincoln and his views on slavery, how history has sought to simplify the political figures of the 1860s, and how the Great Emancipator was and was not an adequate moniker for the 16th president of the United States.

Wearable smart camera understands silent voice commands

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The wearable infrared camera can see what you're saying.
The wearable infrared camera can see what you're saying.
Photo: Cheng Zhang@Cornell University

Ever been in a situation where your hands aren’t free but you can’t speak out loud to Siri voice assistant, either? There could be a camera coming that understands your voice commands even if you’re not making a sound.

Two Cornell University researchers created a wearable infrared smart camera that detects voice commands not by sound, but by measuring movements in the neck and face from under the chin.

Colorful canvas bands a strong, stylish fit for Apple Watch [Review]

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Monowear-Urban-Canvas-Apple-Watch-1
Canvas doesn't have to be dull.
Photo: Adel Neal/Cult of Mac

Monowear’s gorgeous Urban Canvas bands are a terrific match for Apple Watch. They’re nicely priced at just $38, and they come in a range of great color options that go well with almost anything.

Here’s why they’re some of the toughest and most surprising Apple Watch bands I’ve worn to date.

See a stunning afterlife in Park Chan-wook’s ‘Shot on iPhone 13 Pro’ short

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Dead warriors like this one are fierce and playful in Park Chan-wook's short.
Dead warriors like this one are fierce and playful in Park Chan-wook's short.
Photo: Apple

Most people use the awesome filmmaking potential of iPhone 13’s Cinematic Mode to shoot vids of their cats. But not South Korean director Park Chan-wook. In the latest in Apple’s “Shot on iPhone” series, he takes you into afterlife in a short film packed with martial arts wizardry and dream-like sequences. It’s called Life is But a Dream, and it’s shot entirely on an iPhone 13 Pro.

Even if you and your cat had a famous director’s resources — the cast, the sets, the costumes, the rich folklore — you still probably couldn’t come up with anything like this. But thanks to the technology in your iPhone, you can try.

Displays: To stack or not to stack? [Setups]

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Would you put a 28-inch 4K monitor on top of this 35-inch display, or next to it?
Would you put a 28-inch 4K monitor on top of this 35-inch display, or next to it?
Photo: [email protected]

When you see a computer setup with two monitors stacked on top of each other, what do you think? Maybe something like … doesn’t the person have to crane their neck to look at the top one? Isn’t it uncomfortable? Where does the webcam go? What’s wrong with side-by-side, maybe with one in portrait (vertical) mode instead of landscape?

The person behind today’s featured setup is confronting those very questions on the way to deciding a common multi-display conundrum: to stack or not to stack? That is the question.

iOS 15.4 lets some iPhone users download software updates over 4G

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If your iOS 15 update gets stuck on the Apple logo, try Tenorshare ReiBoot for Mac.
It's about time.
Photo: Tenorshare

iOS 15.4 gives some iPhone owners the ability to download software updates over a 4G LTE data connection for the first time.

It was previously possible to use 5G to get the latest over-the-air releases on iPhone 12 and iPhone 13. But Apple is now expanding that functionality by giving users in certain territories the ability to use 4G LTE as well.

Windows 10 lifetime license $13, Office $28, super discounts up to 91% for February sale!

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Keysbuff offers great deals on Microsoft software activation keys.
Keysbuff offers great deals on Microsoft software activation keys.
Photo: Keysbuff.com

This software activation key sale post is presented by Keysbuff.

Miss the Valentine’s Day sale at Keysbuff.com? Don’t fret. Cult of Mac readers can coast through the end of February on super discounts from software activation keys provider Keysbuff. You can save up to 91% off the full price on Windows 10 and get great savings on many other Microsoft software titles.

Just use promo code COM at Keysbuff.com to get an extra 25% off the site’s already-low prices on keys for Windows 10 Pro Global, Microsoft Office 2021 Pro and others in the list below. You can purchase many products with lifetime licenses.

Severance thrills with a sci-fi descent into workplace hell [Apple TV+ recap]

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Adam Scott in Severance
Who said maintaining a work-life balance should be easy? Or nonsurgical?
Photo: Apple TV+

New Apple TV+ dark comedy/thriller Severance centers on a company man with an unusual relationship to himself and his job. Every day he goes to work, and his brain stays behind.

At work Mark’s a new man — one who doesn’t have to think about his grief or his petty social problems. At home, he’s a sad sack who doesn’t know he’s about to stumble into a conspiracy.

Comedy veteran Ben Stiller and first-time showrunner/writer Dan Erickson collaborated on Severance, which premieres Friday. The unconventional show takes pointed satirical swipes at modern workplace culture, but ultimately offers a deeper look at the meaning of life.

How to schedule messages to send later in Slack for iPhone, iPad and Mac

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How to schedule messages in Slack
Avoid sending important messages at inconvenient times.
Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Not a good time to send that important message to a colleague in Slack? The widely used communication platform lets you schedule messages to send later on desktop and mobile. You simply choose the date and time, and Slack takes care of the rest.

The feature comes in particularly handy if you work with colleagues in other time zones and don’t want to bother them after hours. Here’s how to send Slack messages later on iPhone, iPad and Mac so they arrive at appropriate times.

Learn a language, read books in 12 minutes, and stay safe online — for life

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This bundle will keep you busy for years!
This bundle will keep your productivity humming.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Rosetta Stone is one of the most reliable ways to learn a new language short of actually living where the language is spoken. The Social Distancing Lifetime Subscription Bundle Featuring Rosetta Stone gives you the chance to learn all 24 of the platform’s languages. Plus, you get a fantastic virtual private network (to keep your browsing safe) and the 12min microbook library.

Sound good? The Social Distancing Lifetime Subscription Bundle is on sale with coupon code LEARN10NOW.

Verizon makes Apple Arcade a permanent fixture of its Unlimited plans

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Verizon makes Apple Arcade a permanent perk
Or you can choose a Google Play Pass instead.
Image: Verizon/Apple/Cult of Mac

Verizon this week made Apple Arcade a permanent perk for those who subscribe to one of its Unlimited 5G plans. The carrier last year began offering Apple Arcade for six to 12 months. Now it’s a fixture for eligible customers.

That’s a pretty generous bonus — especially now that Apple’s own Arcade trial is just a month long. And it’s in addition to other Verizon entertainment perks, like access to Hulu, Disney+, ESPN+ and Apple Music.

Berkshire Hathaway calls Apple ‘ungodly well-managed’

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Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway remains bullish on Apple.
Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway remains bullish on Apple.
Photo: Kevin Dooley/Flickr CC

Charlie Munger, investment company Berkshire Hathaway’s vice chairman, laid out high praise for Apple during an interview with Yahoo! Finance on Thursday. He called the Cupertino juggernaut “ungodly well-managed.”

He also described Apple as “one of the strong companies” and said he expects it to remain so.

Light up your room like a lightsaber with these minimalist LED floor lamps

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Don't make light of this deal on an awesome LED lamp.
This minimalist LED lamp changes how your home feels.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Lighting is one of the most important design features for making your home feel right for you.

Want to switch things up? You can control the lighting in your home without sacrificing any space by adding a few of Lamp Depot’s Minimalist LED Corner Floor Lamps to your rooms.

Limited-edition PowerBeats Pro mark NBA’s 75th anniversary

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Would you pay $50 - $75 more for that NBA logo?
Would you pay $50 - $75 more for that NBA logo?
Photo: Beats by Dre

Apple subsidiary Beats by Dre said Thursday its new, limited-edition PowerBeats Pro earbuds will celebrate the NBA’s 75th anniversary, marked through the 2021-2022 season.

Designed in partnership with Canada-based brand and retailer Better, the new Powerbeats Pro are off-white and sport red and blue ear tips. The Beats logo goes head-to-head with the NBA logo on one bud and with the Better logo on the other.

Compass Pro is a strong and versatile iPad stand that’s great on the road

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Compass Pro stand for iPad
A foldable stand that's fit for anything.
Photo: Twelve South

If you find yourself lugging around your iPad on a regular basis, you probably need a stand that’s as mobile as it is effective. Compass Pro perfectly fits the bill with its durable, folding design that’s ready when you need it.

Built by the brilliant minds at Twelve South, the Compass Pro is made from ultra-tough metal and can be adjusted for everything you might want to do with your iPad — including drawing, typing, and watching movies.

True-crime fans: Apple TV+ cracks The Big Conn plus companion podcast

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AppleTV+ logo
AppleTV+ is Apple's streaming service launched in November 2019.
Photo: Apple TV+

A good crime story is hard to resist, and it looks like Apple TV+ has one. A new series and companion podcast called The Big Conn will tell the larger-than-life tale of a Kentucky attorney’s exploits. He defrauded the U.S. government out of $500 billion — the biggest Social Security scam in history.

Apple TV+ premieres the series’ first two episodes at the SXSW Film Festival in March. All four episodes and the podcast launch on May 5 on Apple TV+ and Apple Podcasts, respectively.

Firefox and Chrome may start breaking websites soon

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Websites may have issues with Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox when each one hits version 100.
Websites may have issues with Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox when each one hits version 100.
Photo: Google/Apple

Google, which makes Chrome, and Mozilla, which makes Firefox, warn that those web browsers are about to reach version 100. And that could mean major websites stop working properly with them.

Why? Coded to recognize two-digit version numbers, websites may have trouble identifying browsers with three-digit numbers.

WhatsApp now continues to play voice messages while you do other things

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WhatsApp logo
WhatsApp embraces iOS 15.
Image: WhatsApp

WhatsApp for iPhone just got a big improvement to voice messaging that means you no longer have to put other replies on hold. The app now continues to play a voice message you’ve already started even if you jump into another chat.

It’s part of a bunch of improvements WhatsApp plans for audio notes, which also include the ability to replay a message you’ve recorded before sending it.

Use your MagSafe iPhone anywhere with this portable folding stand [Review]

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Mophie Portable Magnetic Stand review
You can be ready for a video conference with Adam Scott at any time with Mophie’s Portable Magnetic Stand.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

The Mophie Portable Magnetic Stand folds flat but opens to hold up a MagSafe iPhone at a wide range of viewing angles. It’s a convenient way to make FaceTime calls or watch video wherever you go while freeing up your hands.

I tested the foldable stand with my iPhone 13. Here’s why I like it.