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One of Apple Arcade’s best games, a great notes app, and the best Twitter client [Awesome Apps of the Week]

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Awesome app icons fading into distance
There’s plenty to love in this week’s installment of Awesome Apps!
Photo: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac

Whether you’re a gamer, a social media junkie, a productivity geek, or just love adding personality to your device, this week’s Awesome Apps of the Week offer something for just about everyone.

For those of you that don’t feel like any of those describe you, some of this weeks apps may still check a box or two for you.

Master video production with this super bundle

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Learn to make videos you'd actually watch with this bundle.
This video production bundle covers videography, cinematography, screenwriting & more.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

A lot more goes into making videos than pointing and shooting a camera. To make good-quality videos, you have to be a bit of an expert on everything from screenwriting to camera hardware. Because getting a degree in film can cost upwards of $100,000, The 2021 Complete Video Production Super Bundle is here to give you a deep dive into all the skills that go into video production, and right now it’s on sale for $34.99. 

Apple households need this powerful Linksys mesh router [Review]

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Linksys Velop AX4200 Tri-Band Mesh WiFi 6 System review
iPhone, Mac and iPad users, the Velop AX4200 might be the mesh Wi-Fi router you’ve been looking for. Especially if you also use HomeKit.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

The Linksys Velop AX4200 Tri-Band Mesh WiFi 6 System offers the features Apple users need. And that’s especially true for fans of HomeKit as the routers add extra security to these home automation accessories. Plus, the system offers an improved version of Wi-Fi.

To test the system out, I added Linksys mesh Wi-Fi routers to my home. Here’s how they work in real-world use.

Design concept dreams of ‘HomePod TV’ and ‘HomePod Show’

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The HomePod TV would pair great audio with great TV.
The HomePod TV concept would pair great audio with great TV.
Photo: www.handy.abovergleich.ch designed by Eric Huismann

Apple’s original HomePod, the big smart speaker that predated the HomePod mini, lasted less than three years on the market. It never became a hit for the Cupertino tech giant. But a new design concept from a Swiss outfit imagines it coming back in two new forms.

Bluetti Power Week showcases 5 new products plus sale items and freebies

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Bluetti Power Week sees the introduction of new products and special deals.
Bluetti Power Week sees the introduction of new products and special deals.
Photo: Bluetti

Recently, power supplies purveyor Bluetti added five new charging products to its fleet — two new portable power stations, two “industry first” battery modules and a DC-charging tool that adds capacity to most of the company’s products.

And, with Bluetti Power Week running between August 20 and August 30, many of the company’s other products are deeply discounted. Plus, you can take advantage of some freebies.

Apple launches invite-only app to make Siri smarter

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Siri
Siri may be in for new voice lessons soon.
Photo: Apple

Apple quietly introduced a new app to the App Store earlier this month. It’s called Siri Speech Study. It allows participants — by invitation from Apple — to opt in and share voice requests and other data to help improve the voice-activated digital assistant’s performance.

Going from a tricked-out 27-inch iMac to an M1 MacBook Air [Setups]

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What happens when you go from a 2017 27-inch iMac to a 2020 M1 MacBook Air?
What happens when you go from a 2017 27-inch iMac to a 2020 M1 MacBook Air?
Photo: [email protected]

Redditor 1st_thing_on_my_mind posted about replacing the main machine in his computer setup. He swapped out a 2017 27-inch iMac stacked with 64GB of RAM in favor of a 2020 MacBook Air flexing 16GB of integrated memory. “THATS A DOWNGRADE” hollered one commenter.

And yet the switch pretty much worked out for 1st_thing.

Access your Mac desktop remotely with Remotix

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Remotix allows you to access your mac from anywhere.
Keep your business in sync with Remotix, the Mac remote desktop software.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

A computer serves as a digital home for important documents, media and applications – which is why having a  “work” computer separate from your “home” computer can sometimes make things complicated. 

Engrossing Truth Be Told returns to the scene of the crime [Apple TV+ review]

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Octavia Spencer as Poppy Parnell on Truth Be Told
Octavia Spencer plays true-crime podcaster Poppy Parnell.
Photo: Apple TV+

Truth Be Told, the Apple TV+ series about a true-crime podcaster, makes its triumphant return this week after winning a host of awards and setting up a new-yet-old-fashioned kind of TV heroine.

In the show’s second season, which kicks off today, star Octavia Spencer and a host of the greatest actors in America keep Truth Be Told rooted in a relatable reality.

Puzzle to the rhythm of new Tetris Beat

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‘Tetris Beat’ is coming soon to Apple Arcade
Take “Tetris” and give it some rhythm and you get “Tetris Beat.”
Photo: Apple Arcade

This isn’t your parents’ Tetris. N3TNetwork updated the classic puzzle game to give it some rhythm — the result is Tetris Beat.

It launched today on the gaming service Apple Arcade.

Apple could host multiple events in September for a bunch of new products

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There are lots of things that make Apple so great, Cook says.
But don't get your hopes up.
Photo: Apple

 

 

Cupertino has previously staggered its fall events over September, October and November. But according to some sources, it will unleash a barrage of hardware within just a few weeks this time around.

We’re expecting big refreshes for iPhone and Apple Watch, as well as a new iPad and iPad mini, third-generation AirPods, and more.

Google wants to bring Android games to your Mac

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Android games on the way to Mac
It wants to "provide the most reach of any platform."
Photo: Oppo

Google plans to bring Android apps and games to Mac and Windows in the coming years, according to internal documents recently made public as a result of the ongoing lawsuit between Apple and Epic Games.

As part of a project it calls “Games Future,” the company wants to make quality games available “on all screens.” The service is expected to run alongside Stadia, Google’s platform for streaming PC games to any device.

MagStand elevates your iPhone and adds MagSafe compatibility

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MagStand for iPhone
Get yours for under $20.
Photo: MagStand

MagStand is a slim, sturdy, and foldable stand that sticks onto the back of your iPhone and is always ready to go when you need it. It’s great for watching movies and hands-free FaceTime calls — and it’s affordable.

What’s more, MagStand makes your older iPhone compatible with MagSafe accessories. Bag yours today from the Cult of Mac Store.

Steve Jobs planned low-cost iPhone nano back in 2010

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ipod_touch
Apple hoped to make an iPhone nano based on the iPod touch.
Photo: Apple

Rumors circulating way back in 2011 said Apple was planning an iPhone nano, its first budget iOS device. The handset didn’t come out for years and it used a different name, but new evidence proves the early leaks were 100% accurate.

Pokémon Unite brings online team battles to mobile next month

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Pokémon Unite
Preorder today to get "special rewards."
Photo: The Pokémon Company

Pokémon Unite, the newest mobile release from The Pokémon Company, will make its App Store debut next month. You can preorder the team-based battling game now ahead of its official debut on iPhone and iPad.

Nintendo also confirmed this week that the Pokémon Home app will pick up support for its next-generation Pokémon games — Brilliant Diamond, Shining Pearl, and Pokémon Legends: Arceus — early next year.

This fingerprint-protected USB drive is $50 cheaper for now

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This secure USB drive is $50 off
This USB drive is equipped with a fingerprint scanner.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

A computer isn’t actually the safest place to store precious pictures, important files and irreplaceable documents. A laptop is convenient, but if you want to safely move and store your information, then you need a Tokk Fingerprint USB.

These awesome, secure flash drives are as compact as they are safe. And right now you can get one on sale for $49.99.

90+ organizations urge Tim Cook to drop Apple’s photo scanning plan

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Groups oppose Apple photo scanning
The largest campaign so far against Apple's new child safety features.
Photo: Benjamin Balázs

An international coalition of more than 90 policy and rights groups is urging Apple to drop plans to scan user photos for child abuse material (CSAM).

In an open letter addressed to Apple CEO Tim Cook, published on Thursday, the coalition said it is concerned the feature “will be used to censor protected speech, threaten the privacy and security of people around the world, and have disastrous consequences for children.”