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Reviews - page 45

Swan Song is smart sci-fi done right [Apple TV+ review]

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Mahershala Ali in Swan Song
Mahershala Ali in Swan Song
Photo: Apple TV+

Just before the end of the year, Apple TV+ has one more prestige item to push. New sci-fi movie Swan Song stars multiple Academy Award winner Mahershala Ali and multiple Academy Award nominee Glenn Close.

Swan Song, which premieres Friday on Apple TV+, is a number of things: an inspirational disease drama, a sleek sci-fi parable, a clone movie, and the feature debut of an Academy Award-winning short film director, Benjamin Cleary.

Arriving so soon after Tom Hanks’ ho-hum Finch, viewers could be forgiven for preparing for the worst. Thankfully, there’s no need.

Yobybo X-Boat Pro ANC earbuds: If the buds fit, (maybe) wear them [Review]

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The Yobybo X-Boat Pro earbuds come with a USB cable and a sleek
The Yobybo X-Boat Pro earbuds come with a USB cable and a sleek "open" charging case.
Photo: David Snow/Cult of Mac

I think it was a Kickstarter campaign that first drew my attention to the Yobybo X-Boat Pro noise-cancelling earbuds, “the first open-casing true wireless stereo headphones with LDAC,” the company said, referring to Sony’s hi-res codec. Well, while the sleek “open” case is super-cool and the buds’ sound is vibrant, some earbuds just aren’t for everyone.

Grid Studio’s framed iPhone is a teardown in a box [Review]

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Framed original iPhone from Grid Studio
Score up to 20% off on Grid Studio frames for Earth Day
Photo: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac

I have two original iPhones in my possession. One sits in a junk drawer, untouched and unloved for many years.

The other has been carefully disassembled and the parts arranged in a handsome black frame that hangs on my office wall. Made by Grid Studio, the Grid 1 is my own personal iPhone teardown in a box.

Swagger plays a high-stakes emotional game [Apple TV+ recap]

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Swagger recap: The team faces new challenges this week.
The team faces new challenges this week.
Photo: Apple TV+

Team Swagger goes to the nationals this week on the Apple TV+ show about the star players of Baltimore’s youth basketball league. Trust is put to the test. Bodies and minds are injured. And, at the center of it all, Jace flails around when he should be flourishing.

This show heads into its final matches with a strong dramatic game.

Dr. Brain season finale serves up the ultimate brain sync [Apple TV+ recap]

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Dr. Brain season finale recap: Brain scientist Sewon braces for the most important brain sync yet.
Scientist Sewon braces for the most important brain sync yet.
Photo: Apple TV+

Apple TV+’s exciting new South Korean sci-fi series Dr. Brain draws its first season to a thrilling close this week. Sewon has one last brain sync to perform — and it’s the most important operation he’s ever conducted.

He needs to get everything right in order to save his son (and redeem himself in his own heart for the job he’s done as a father and a husband). The race is on to find out if he and his cohorts can stop Myung from stealing his son’s body.

Dickinson finally faces its essential truth [Apple TV+ recap]

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Dickinson recap: Emily and a dead man peer into the abyss this week.
Emily and a dead man peer into the abyss this week.
Photo: Apple TV+

Dickinson, Apple TV+’s soon-to-be-missed show about the great poet, arrives at its moment of truth this week. The episode, titled “My Life had stood – a Loaded Gun -,” is the one the entire show has been building toward — and there are still two left to go before this final season concludes.

Will Emily Dickinson become who history understands her to be, or is there some greater truth for this version of the poet? Strong performances and fearless writing guide the show into uncharted territory this week.

On The Shrink Next Door, Marty’s big breakthrough underwhelms [Apple TV+ recap]

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The Shrink Next Door recap: What this show needs is a serious comeuppance.
What this show needs is a serious comeuppance.
Photo: Apple TV+

Apple TV+’s The Shrink Next Door hits the boiling point in this week’s episode. After suffering three decades of passive aggression, manipulation, bad advice, greed and sabotage, Marty finally has his fill of Ike and decides to take action.

It’s too little too late for Will Ferrell‘s character — and for this increasingly unpleasant show — which is about to wrap up on a distinctly unsatisfying note.

MagPod combines sturdy MagSafe iPhone stand and handle [Review]

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STM Goods MagPod review
STM Goods MagPod is a go-anywhere iPhone stand.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

The STM Goods MagPod is a beefy iPhone tabletop tripod that magnetically attaches to the handset. And it can do double duty as a handle. Use it for keeping an eye on your texts or making FaceTime calls.
I put the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 accessory to the test in this review.

Invasion’s aliens plot something nasty [Apple TV+ recap]

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Invasion recap: Tears flow as season one wraps.
Tears flow as season one wraps.
Photo: Apple TV+

The aliens have been defeated … or have they? And if so, what next? Is this the first wave of a prolonged attack? The start of intergalactic war? This week on Invasion, our heroes wake up in a reality that’s been thoroughly altered for the second time since the series opened.

As the first season of the Apple TV+ alien combat show ends, it plants clues that leave us itching for season 2.

New Adonit active stylus works with both iPad and iPhone [Review]

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Adonit Dash 4 review
The Adonit Dash 4 looks great and can be used with either iPad or iPhone.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

The Adonit Dash 4 is an iPad stylus well suited for writing or drawing. And it offers something the Apple Pencil doesn’t: iPhone compatibility. The stylus flips between Apple’s tablet and handset with the push of a button. Or use it with Android.

I tried the Dash 4 with a variety of devices. Here’s what I found out.

Snoopy Presents: For Auld Lang Syne whips up some old-school holiday magic [Apple TV+ review]

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Snoopy Presents: For Auld Lang Syne
The gang's all here as New Year's Eve approaches!
Photo: Apple TV+

Just in time for Christmas, Apple TV+ cooked up a brand-new holiday special from the Peanuts gang. The charming show, titled Snoopy Presents: For Auld Lang Syne, debuts Friday and centers on Lucy’s attempt to pull off a New Year’s Eve party.

It will run alongside several classic Peanuts specials on the streaming service, so we don’t have to judge the new one in a vacuum. Luckily, For Auld Lang Syne pops the cork on some of that old-fashioned holiday magic that makes the Peanuts special so … special.

Invasion gets gory as the alien mystery deepens [Apple TV+ recap]

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Invasion recap: We learn some interesting things about Trevante (Shamier Anderson) this week.
We learn some interesting things about Trevante (played by Shamier Anderson) this week.
Photo: Apple TV+

This week on Invasion, the humans and the aliens seem just moments away from some kind of break in their standoff, but fate is about to throw an 18-car pileup between them.

The Apple TV+ sci-fi series is about to bring back the fireworks in a big way. The Maliks are being shuffled to the Defense Department, Trevante is off to the hospital with Caspar and Jamila, and Mitsuki has to think hard about what’s floating in space.

Start the holiday season right with Mariah’s Christmas: The Magic Continues [Apple TV+ review]

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She's back for Mariah’s Christmas: The Magic Continues
Mariah Carey, aka the "Queen of Christmas," returns with a breezy holiday special.
Photo: Apple TV+

Last Christmas, Apple TV+ made an important play for the hearts and minds of viewers: It gave Mariah Carey a Christmas special. This year, amidst a host of new original Christmas programs, Apple TV+ brings her back to sprinkle more of her magic on the holiday season.

Mariah’s Christmas: The Magic Continues is a short but definitely stream-worthy follow-up to last year’s charmingly chintzy special. Honestly, can anyone get enough Mariah?

Dr. Brain plunges deeper into conspiracy and sci-fi [Apple TV+ recap]

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Dr. Brain recap: The truth is getting closer, and weirder, in this South Korean sci-fi show.
The truth is getting closer, and weirder, in this brain-melting South Korean sci-fi show.
Photo: Apple TV+

Dr. Brain, Apple TV+’s new series from visionary genre specialist Kim Jee-Woon, drives headlong toward answers, both disappointing and cathartic, in the second-to-last episode of the exciting first season.

Can brain-syncing scientist Sewon stop the far-reaching forces at work to destroy him before they succeed? Can Hong redeem himself after causing so much chaos and hurt? Apple TV+’s first South Korean series is poised for a strong close.

Time travel and weed take Dickinson to interesting new places [Apple TV+ recap]

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Dickinson recap: High times lead to laughs this week.
High times lead to laughs this week.
Photo: Apple TV+

Emily and Lavinia visit the future in this very special episode of Dickinson, Apple TV+s alt-history romp about the great poet. They head to 1955 while Austin gets desperate, Betty gets lonely, Henry gets creative, and Mr. and Mrs. Dickinson get high.

It’s a wild episode this week, rootless and maybe a little too cute, but that’s not unusual for Dickinson.

Swagger builds up to the big game [Apple TV+ recap]

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Swagger recap: Jace (played by Isaiah Hill) flies high as his team faces challenges.
Jace (played by Isaiah Hill) flies high as his team faces challenges.
Photo: Apple TV+

This week’s Swagger finds Jace, Ike, Jenna and Crystal at crossroads. The Apple TV+ basketball drama is all business this episode, showing us what the raised profile of their activism has done for the kids on Swagger, good and ill.

Jenna feels like coach Ike is letting her son down — and takes some drastic measures to try and take him off the pedestal on which Jace has placed him. But at what cost?

Lululook stand makes your iPad Pro into a tiny iMac [Review]

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Lululook Urban Magnetic iPad Stand review
Lululook’s iPad stand does an amazing job of turning an iPad into a desktop.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

iPad Pro is the best tablet on the market, but it can be more. Add a stand and you have a pretty good desktop. And you’ll be hard-pressed to find a better option for that than the Lululook Urban Magnetic iPad Pro Stand.

Read on to see why I freaking love this accessory.

The Shrink Next Door craps out a real party pooper [Apple TV+ recap]

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The Shrink Next Door recap: Sometimes parties are no fun at all.
Sometimes parties are no fun at all.
Photo: Apple TV+

Apple TV+’s true comedy The Shrink Next Door heads into its endgame this week. Manipulative psychiatrist Ike has all but moved into his patient Marty’s house in the Hamptons. And the bad doctor has started professionally throwing parties.

However, the longer the party goes on, the less fun it feels. The same is true of this show, which increasingly feels like it should have been a two-hour movie — if it needed to exist at all.

Conveniently mount your iPhone on your Mac with MagArm [Review]

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STM Goods MagArm review
Your iPhone is held at eye level next to your Mac screen by the STM Goods MagArm.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

STM Goods MagArm is an iPhone mount that attaches to your Mac display, either in the office or at a coffee shop. And not only does it hold the handset where it can be easily seen, slip in Apple’s MagSafe charging puck and the MagArm will charge the iPhone too.

I put the accessory for MacBook or Mac desktop to the test. How likely is it to drop the iPhone? Here’s what I found out.

Add Noopl 2.0 to your iPhone to hear better in crowded restaurants [Review]

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Noopl 2.0 review
Don’t struggle to hear in loud restaurants. Try Noopl 2.0 with your iPhone and AirPods Pro instead.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Noopl 2.0 works with AirPods Pro and your iPhone to help filter out crowd noise so you can hear conversations. It’s for people who aren‘t ready for hearing aids but would like help tuning into conversations in noisy environments.

I put the hearing enhancement accessory through real world testing. Here’s how it stood up.

Fill in Wi-Fi dead spots with this powerful wireless network extender [Review]

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Rockspace AX1800 Dual Band Wi-Fi Extender review
Don’t put up with Wi-Fi dead zones. Rockspace’s wireless range extender can fill them in.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Wi-Fi dead spots happen in many homes and businesses, and they can be so frustrating. The Rockspace AX1800 Dual Band Wi-Fi Extender fills in the empty spot(s) in your wireless network, and because it has Wi-Fi 6 it can provide up to 35 devices with speedy connections.

I tested this access point in my home office. Here’s how it stood up to a battery of real-world tests.

On The Shrink Next Door, a tree is never just a tree [Apple TV+ recap]

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The Shrink Next Door recap: You can't help but feel sorry for Will Ferrell's character, Marty. Ike, on the other hand ...
You can't help but feel sorry for Will Ferrell's character, Marty. Ike, on the other hand ...
Photo: Apple TV+

Apple TV+’s true comedy The Shrink Next Door jumps forward to 1990 this week as Ike and Marty take the next step toward their collective doom: They go in on a housing project together. Ike is ready to become one of the beautiful people, something Marty always shied away from despite his massive inherited wealth, and they’re going to do battle over something Marty loves.

The show, which stars Paul Rudd and Will Ferrell, laid the groundwork for a one-sided battle of wills — and now it pushes everything too far. It will be difficult to get excited for another minute of this show after the episode’s conclusion.

Dr. Brain slips deeper into a memory meltdown [Apple TV+ recap]

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Dr. Brain recap on Apple TV+: Neuroscientist Sewon's experimental brain-syncs take him deeper into weird territory.
Neuroscientist Sewon's experimental brain-syncs take him deeper into weird territory.
Photo: Apple TV+

Apple TV+’s exciting new South Korean sci-fi series Dr. Brain dives into the past this week to discover mistakes, regrets and murder.

Brain-syncing scientist Sewon Koh starts to understand that, though he’s at the center of a conspiracy, his own guilt is much more relevant to the crimes in question than he initially considered. It is, after all, not illegal to be a bad husband. But when your negligence leads to kidnapping, murder and fraud, it’s too late to say sorry.