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These wireless earbuds give AirPods a run for their money [Deals]

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Pamu Mini Slide
Get up to 10 hours of wireless audio with these small but powerful Bluetooth 5.0 earbuds.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

AirPods have basically become synonymous with wireless earbuds. But they’ve been out for long enough that alternatives are available which last longer and cost less. So if you’re ready to up your personal audio game, it’s time to look beyond Cupertino.

FBI wants Apple’s help to unlock iPhones used by suspected Pensacola shooter

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FBI director says Feds still can't unlock iPhone in Pensacola shooting case
FBI wants Apple's help.
Photo: Dave Newman/Flickr CC

The FBI wants Apple to help unlock two iPhones owned by a man suspected of carrying out a fatal shooting attack. The shooting took place last month at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida.

In a letter sent Monday, the FBI said it had been granted permission to search the phones belonging to Mohammed Saeed Alshamrani. However, it has been unable to access them since they are password-protected.

New OtterBox screen protector fights bacteria on your filthy iPhone

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OtterBox antimicrobial screen protectors are murder on microbes.
I bet you didn't know your iPhone could be so dirty.
Photo: OtterBox

Your iPhone is a hotbed of bacteria that sullies your face every time you take a call. But it doesn’t have to be that way, thanks to the world’s first antimicrobial screen protector from OtterBox.

Amplify Glass, which is registered with the EPA and manufactured by Corning, promises to suppresses the growth of common stains and odor-causing bacteria that can build up on your phone.

JBL takes on AirPods with cheaper, more colorful wireless buds

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JBL earbuds
These AirPods rivals are cheaper and, with their range of colors, more cheerful than Apple's.
Photo: JBL

CES-2020-bug-2Given what a ridiculously massive hit the AirPods have been for Apple, it’s no shocker that other companies are keen to jump aboard the wireless earbuds train with their own rival versions. This one, from America audio company JBL, looks highly reminiscent of Apple’s AirPods.

The main differences? It comes in a range of colors, and costs just $99.95. That makes it a cheap and cheerful alternative to Apple’s premium version.

Zagg loads up 10.2-inch iPad with keyboards and cases

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Zagg Slim Book Go and Zagg Messenger Folio
Versions of the Zagg Slim Book Go and Zagg Messenger Folio for the 2019 iPad were unveiled at CES 2020.
Photo: Zagg

CES 2020Those with the 10.2-inch iPad launched last year will soon have significantly more case options, thanks to announcements made today at CES 2020. Zagg unveiled a collection of three keyboard cases, while its Gear4 subsidiary added two protective cases.

Sony 2020 models join Samsung with AirPlay 2 & HomeKit support

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Sony X950
The Sony X950 is part of the new 2020 range. All models support Apple's AirPlay 2 & HomeKit.

CES 2020Sony announced Monday a revamped line of its LED and OLED flatscreens, all with support for Apple’s HomeKit and AirPlay 2. The new models join Samsung, also supporting the Apple technologies.

The news did not include any mention of incorporating the Apple TV app into the new models.

Sengled smart bulbs get even smarter with Apple’s HomeKit automation system

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Sengled Smart Hub now has HomeKit support
With HomeKit support, give Siri commands to the Sengled Smart Hub to pass on to smart bulbs.
Photo: Sengled

CES 2020Accessory maker Sengled added support for Apple’s HomeKit to its smart home hub. This enables iPhone users to control Sengled’s smart bulbs through Siri commands.

The company also added to its lineup of smart home products with new lights and a smart plug.

Incipio’s plant-based iPhone cases are ready for your composting pile

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incipio
Incipio's Organicore cases decompose within 6 months.
Photo: Incipio

CES 2020 It’s finally possible to protect your iPhone from drops without adding extra plastic to our overflowing landfills.

Incipio, one of the largest smartphone case makers on the planet, is backing the plant-based plastics with its slim new iPhone 11 cases made out of Organicore, a 100% compostable material that can decompose in a compost pile in just six months.

Nuheara assistive earbuds get active noise cancellation, lower cost

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Nuheara IQBuds2 Max are hearables more than just headphones.
Nuheara IQBuds2 Max help you hear conversations in noisy environments.
Photo: Nuheara

CES 2020 Nuheara’s Bluetooth earbuds help users better hear what’s going on around them, as well as play music and podcasts. The latest version adds active noise cancellation, and comes at a considerable price drop.

The new IQBuds2 Max garnered innovation awards in three categories at CES 2020.

Griffin, Aukey debut smaller, lighter, faster wall chargers

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Griffin PowerBlock Range
Griffin PowerBlock Range of Ultra-Compact USB-C PD Fast Charging Wall Chargers with Gallium Nitride (GaN) Technology
Photo: Griffin

CES 2020A slew of smaller wall chargers with better charging speeds are soon to hit the market and two companies – Griffin and Aukey – used the Consumer Electronics Show on Monday to show off their newest units.

Aukey’s Omnia and Griffin’s PowerBlock lineup are made from gallium nitride, or GaN, a next-generation semiconductor material with 100-times the speed of old silicon technology. They are well-suited for high-power transistors capable of operating at high temperatures. As a result, components are smaller, lighter and faster to charge, up to 70% faster than standard chargers.

How to fake Finder Quick Actions on older Macs

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Finder quick actions
Who doesn't love the Finder?
Photo: Cult of Mac

MacOS Mojave and Catalina both have Finder Quick Actions. These are buttons that sit in the preview panel of any file, and let you perform quick actions of the selected file with one click. Actions vary depending on whether you’ve selected an image, a video, and so on. The defaults let you rotate images, crop video, and turn most other things into PDFs. You can also add your own Quick Actions, using Automator.

But what about Macs running macOS High Sierra or earlier? Can you add Quick Actions? The answer is yes, kinda.

Old-school cool: Ronaldo rocks iPod shuffle before soccer match

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soccer star Ronaldo and his iPod Shuffle
An obsolete iPod shuffle hasn't hurt Ronaldo’s game.
Screenshot: Bleacher Report/Twitter

Soccer star Christiano Ronaldo is worth roughly $450 million. He has invested in a hotel chain, owns a $3 million sports car, lives in a $6 million house and has a lifetime deal with Nike worth a reported $1 billion.

But when it comes to listening to music, he’s fine with an iPod shuffle.

Samsung’s new spinning Sero TV coming to U.S. with AirPlay 2

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Samsung Sero TV coming to U.S. with AirPlay 2
Launched last May in South Korea, the Samsung spinning Sero TV is coming to America with AirPlay 2 support.
Photo: Samsung

CES-2020-bug-2With the advent of more verticle videos on social media platforms, Samsung is introducing its Sero pivoting TV in the U.S. with Apple AirPlay 2 support.

Samsung showed off its new Sero TV at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas on Sunday with plans for its release in the second half of this year. No specific price was revealed, but Samsung launched the 4K display in South Korea for roughly $1,640 last May.

Amazon is bringing Fire TV to autos

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Fire TV Edition Smart TVs
Fire TV has all the popular services, including Apple TV+.
Photo: Amazon

CES 2020 Amazon is ramping up its expansion of the Fire TV platform in 2020 by making the streaming media platform available in automobiles and other third-party products.

The company revealed this morning that Fire TV now has over 40 million active users and its coming to even more devices. More than 150 Fire TV Edition devices across multiple product categories will be available by the end of 2020 and everyone from BMW to VOXX Automotive jumping onboard.

Watch Apple TV on LG’s new 8K, 88-inch television. That will be $30,000

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LG's 88-inch 8K, OLED smart tv
Picture this, your Apple TV+ shows in 8K on an 88-inch OLED smart TV from LG.
Photo: LG Electronics

CES 2020LG Electronics used the CES 2020 stage this morning to flaunt a 2020 lineup of more than a dozen new televisions with 4K and 8K displays along with a new Apple TV app.

Imagine watching your Apple TV+ shows on an 88-inch 8K OLED smart TV that is just a penny shy of $30,000.

How to add trackpad gestures to your Magic Mouse

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better touch tool magic mouse
Make the Magic Mouse more magic.
Photo: Harpal Singh/Unsplash

For most computer users, the trackpad is the default control device, and that’s because we mostly use laptops. And Apple’s trackpads are great. If you’ve only ever used MacBook or Magic trackpads, then you won’t know how bad things can get on the PC side of the wall.

Mice, though, are still better in many ways, especially if you have the large screen of an iMac to traverse. Or if you just prefer accuracy: It’s easier to pinpoint something quickly with a mouse. Apple’s Magic Mouse adds a trackpad’s essential swipe-to-scroll features, but lacks other handy abilities, like tap-to-click, and two-finger taps. Today we’ll see how to add those tricks to the Magic Mouse.

Colgate and Oral-B smart toothbrushes talk to your iPhone for better brushing

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Oral-B iO smart toothbrush has a redesigned brush head.
A redesigned brush head on the Oral-B iO is just one of its improvements.
Photo: Proctor & Gamble

CES 2020It’s easy to mock smart toothbrushes, but most people don’t have very good dental hygiene. High-tech solutions like Colgate’s Plaqless Pro or Oral-B iO might be able to help by giving users feedback with an iPhone application.

Both toothbrushes were honored at CES 2020, with Colgate’s even earning the Best of Innovation award for Health and Beauty.

Boom or bust? 2020 Apple stock price predictions are all over the board

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Apple could be a $2 trillion company by end of 2021
2020 could finally bring us the iPhone upgrade supercycle investors have been dreaming of.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

One of the most bullish Apple analysts is predicting that the iPhone-maker’s stock price still has plenty of room to rise.

Apple shares hit an all-time high of $300 last week and currently trade just under that mark. In his latest note to investors, Wedbush analyst Daniel Ives is predicting huge gains for AAPL in 2020, but not all analysts are nearly as optimistic.

iPhone 12 Pro with faster 5G may not arrive until 2021, analysts warn

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iphone xs upgrade
An iPhone with mmWave 5G could be more than a year away.
Photo: Apple

Apple is expected to introduce its first iPhones with 5G later this year. But if you want an iPhone 12 Pro with the fastest possible 5G speeds, you could be waiting until 2021.

A new report claims that mmWave 5G, which is up to ten times faster than LTE, probably won’t make its way to iPhone this year. That means a successor to iPhone 11 with an LCD screen could be the only model available this fall.

New video takes viewers behind-the-scenes of The Morning Show

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New video take viewers behind-the-scenes of The Morning Show
Apple doesn't want the hype for The Morning Show to die down now the first season is over.
Photo: Apple

Haven’t seen The Morning Show on Apple TV+ yet? With all 10 episodes of the first season of the flagship Apple Original now available to watch, Apple has released a behind-the-scenes video intended to sell new viewers on checking out the series.

And, you know, potentially to help get the show in front of the eyes of TV and film award season voters, too. Check out the video below.

Gaming on a $6,000 Mac Pro is unsurprisingly awful

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Mac-Pro-gaming-GTA-V
Nope.
Photo: Apple

The new Mac Pro looks like it should be ideal for Mac users who enjoy gaming. But despite its $6,000 price tag, game performance is surprisingly (but unsurprisingly?) awful.

If you don’t plan to upgrade the AMD GPU that ships with the machine, you would be better off playing your games on a Nintendo Switch.

Easily and quickly edit stubborn PDF files with this highly rated Mac app [Deals]

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PDF Expert Main
This Apple Editors' Choice Winning PDF editor will transform the way you work and collaborate with documents.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Using a computer means working with PDFs, one of the most common document formats around. But just because they’re common doesn’t mean they’re easy to work with, especially when it comes to editing. With this PDF editor, that changes.

Exclusive: Moonshades is an old school dungeon-crawler 5 years in the making

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Moonshades 1
Moonshades is the work of a one-person-development team.
Photo: Viktor Domonyi

As a kid, Viktor Domonyi loved early computer role-playing games like Wizardry and Eye of the Beholder. Now that he’s grown, the 41-year-old Hungarian web developer-by-day, games developer-by-night wants to bring them back. And he’s willing to sacrifice massive quantities of free time to make his dream a reality.

Welcome to the world of Moonshades: a new (yet convincingly old school) RPG that’s just landed in the App Store. For fantasy fans who wish their 2020 was a bit more 1990 in style, this is the dungeon-crawler for you.