Reviews - page 45

The second season of Apple TV+’s first crime series is drawing to a gripping close. This week Truth Be Told, podcaster Poppy Parnell’s cause grows in righteousness even as the noose tightens around her childhood friend Micah Keith.

The little show that could soldiers on, propelled by the searing charisma of one of the best casts on TV.

MagSafe is a huge step forward in wireless charging for iPhone. But Apple’s own MagSafe Charger is somewhat boring and pretty overpriced. The Wood Charger from Limited77 is a great alternative.

It works just like a MagSafe Charger, magnetically attaching itself to the back of iPhone 12, and it charges just as quickly. It’s also much more affordable. Want to know more? Here’s our full review.

The Kingston DataTraveler Max is blazing fast. It supports USB 3.2 Gen 2 so the new flash drive can transfer data at up to 1,000MBps. And it uses USB-C so can be plugged into any Mac and most iPads.

I tested Kingston’s speed claims under real-world conditions. And data transfers are so quick it made me want to pitch out all my old flash drives.

If you’re looking to save a few bucks on true wireless earbuds with active noise cancellation, you could certainly do worse than the recently released EarFun Air Pro 2 ANC Wireless Earbuds. They deliver quality sound and a solid feature set for $79.99 — much cheaper than a lot of premium buds. And sometimes you can get them at an even lower price (see below).

If you have fond memories of the ’70s tech that was generously steeped in woodgrain panels, you’ll love this sweet iPhone 12 case from Limited77.

It combines a flexible, shock-absorbing shell with a wooden finish that gives your smartphone plenty of protection and a little extra character. It’s also fully compatible with MagSafe accessories.

Check out our full review right here — and bag yours at 17% off the usual price.

The Apple TV+ series about a true crime podcaster and her circle of friends is closing in on the truth, but will it be too late for it to matter? In this week’s episode of Truth Be Told, Poppy Parnell is reaping what she’s sown. But her one-time friend Micah Keith is right behind her.

Neither will be the same when this case is closed.

Alex is back on The Morning Show and the ratings are up, but is everyone happy? Her presence has everyone scrambling to prove that they’re on the right side of things. Meanwhile, disgraced former anchor Mitch just won’t go away.

Apple TV+’s inside look at the world of TV broadcast journalism stands at a precipice — and just below are mountains of crisis.

Foundation, Apple TV+’s big Isaac Asimov adaptation, wades into the murky waters of intergalactic politics this week. Brother Day hears of a potential rebellion, Salvor Hardin plays a pawn in a game of genocidal chess, and Hari Seldon’s words haunt all and sundry.

Can any side keep it together long enough to enact their decades-old agendas? Foundation, growing stronger by the minute, serves up more questions than answers.

Apple TV+ brings its first bilingual sitcom to audiences with Acapulco, a workplace comedy with a nostalgic bent. Eugenio Derbez produces and stars in this look back at Mexican resort culture in the 1980s.

Will audiences continue their love affair with the Latin star?

The popular Apple Magic Keyboard turns an iPad into a laptop, but unlike some rivals, it doesn’t include physical media controls. However, the HyperDrive 6-in-1 USB-C Media Hub adds these advanced options. And that’s only the start, as it also includes ports for connecting a monitor, headphones and a range of useful USB-A accessories.

I love it. Here’s why.

Power banks in the new MyCharge Mag-Lock series use the magnets from Apple’s MagSafe system to attach to an iPhone. They come in 3000mAh, 6000mAh and 9000mAh capacities, with the largest able to triple the length of time a handset can go between charges. No power cable is needed and you can use your iPhone while it’s charging.

I put all three sizes of the power bank to the test. Read on to find out how they stood up.

If you’ve ever wished you could merge your iPhone and Nintendo Switch, I have great news. The GameSir X2 Lightning wraps around your handset and adds physical buttons and joysticks in a design reminiscent of the Switch Lite. And it includes a Lightning connector so it plugs directly into your iPhone.

I spent many hours playing games with this accessory — probably more than were necessary for testing. Here’s why I love it.

The arrests and accusations fly this week on Apple TV+’s shocking crime drama, Truth Be Told. Podcaster Poppy Parnell needs to get a grip on her situation because her father’s in need, her partners in crime need space, and she’s starting to look too self-obsessed for her own good. Can she pump the brakes in time, or will Micah stop her first?

Animated sci-fi short Blush is small, cute and full of heart. And it’s also a gauntlet thrown down to let the competition know Apple TV+ is getting serious about winning awards.

The long-in-the-making story debuted Friday on Apple’s streaming service, and it definitely swerves into Pixar territory — for better or worse.

Apple TV+’s space opera ramps up this week to show us the goods. But can Foundation get to the business of exciting drama now that the world has been thoroughly built, the characters are in play, and the clock is ticking?

The show has been confident but not quite exciting yet. Let’s see if it can avoid the pitfalls that ruin a lot of Apple TV+’s original programming.

This week on The Morning Show, COVID-19 is here and the newsroom is in shambles ahead of its rebranding. Bradley is jealous, claustrophobic and scheming. Alex is nervous. And everyone’s on the verge of a meltdown, and making very interesting choices indeed.

Can the Apple TV+ drama get out of its own way long enough to become as interesting as it threatens to be?

Jon Stewart is back on TV with more control, more freedom and more gray hair. His new Apple TV+ show, The Problem With Jon Stewart, debuts Thursday and promises to tackle the tough questions facing the world.

But has America missed its smart-ass in chief since he departed The Daily Show in 2015? Is there still a place for Stewart’s left-leaning (fire)brand of comedy in the modern media landscape? Can TV actually exert any kind of power on public opinion anymore? Tune in every week on Apple TV+ to find out.

The OWC USB-C Travel Dock E adds the most commonly used ports to your Mac or iPad. It lets you use an HDMI monitor, two USB-A accessories, Ethernet and more. And the stylish hub ready to be used in your office or on a business trip.

I put the accessory through a battery of tests. Read on to see how well it stood up.

Is there such a thing as the fabled Goldilocks phone? You know, a phone that is just right? Not too big. Not too small. Great camera and screen. Amazing battery life.

Well, the new iPhone 13 Pro is that “just right” phone.

Those looking for an upgrade for the iPhone 11, XS or 8 need search no further than the 6.1-inch iPhone 13. Apple’s latest midsize handset offers far better performance than those older models, a noticeably longer battery life and a better camera. Plus there are some other nice additions, like a smaller notch.

The latest Apple TV+ children’s show, the joyously analog Wolfboy and the Everything Factory, is a celebration of creativity. Will it be the first of the Apple TV+ kids shows to make a splash outside of its subscriber base? Time will tell, but its heart is in the right place.

Apple somehow created the world’s greatest and most disappointing tablet operating system. iPadOS is by far the best you’ll find for larger touchscreens, and yet, it leaves us wanting so much more.

This year’s iPadOS 15 release is an incremental upgrade over its predecessor. It improves upon the split-screen multitasking system, adds some new features like Focus mode, and finally allows us to put widgets anywhere.

But it’s still iPadOS as we know it, and it’s still holding back iPad Pro. We could be doing so much more with the hardware, especially now that the newest models pack even-speedier M1 chips. But Apple won’t let us.

Here’s our full iPadOS 15 review. It lays out what’s good about the new operating system — and explains why we think it’s time for a little more ambition.

The Morning Show gets ready for the triumphant return of Alex Levy, even as current events spiral and everyone sweats bullets. Can Cory keep the newscast together long enough for it to return?

As the Apple TV+ drama grapples with COVID-19 in its second season, the intra-office drama intensifies.

Truth Be Told hurtles headlong toward a crash this week as true-crime podcaster Poppy Parnell and her childhood friend Micah Keith realize they both could represent their mutual destruction.

And once again, a stellar outburst by a supporting character steals the spotlight on this rock-solid Apple TV+ drama.

Apple TV+’s big, expensive sci-fi gamble is finally ready to cash in its bets. After years of production, Foundation — a series based on the work of Isaac Asimov and shepherded by the man who helped turn American culture into a superhero factory — is now streaming.

This very impressive sci-fi show will now have to compete in the attention economy. Can it live up to the hype?