Reviews - page 48

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?

The OtterBox Mobile Gaming Clip for MagSafe uses magnets to connect your iPhone to your Xbox controller. It’s quick but secure. And you can easily rotate between landscape and portrait orientation.

I played a bunch of different games over the weekend using this accessory. Here’s why I like it.

Mitch is gone. Hannah is dead. Alex wants out. Cory wants in! The Morning Show, Apple TV+’s flagship series about the diabolical inner workings of a network news operation, kicks off its second season Friday. And the highs and lows are just as broad as you remember them.

Stars Jennifer Anniston, Billy Crudup and Reese Witherspoon return for another go-round in the show-about-a-show. Can they keep the lights on without Steve Carell on the set? Can they ensure the future of the United Broadcast Association? Are people even still watching the morning news?!?

This week on Truth Be Told, true-crime podcaster Poppy Parnell uncovers some shady truths and half-truths about the object of her big investigation. Micah Keith isn’t who she’s been claiming she is — and there’s gonna be hell to pay when Poppy Parnell finds out.

Halfway through its second season, the Apple TV+ drama cranks the heat up even higher with an intense confrontation and a standout performance.

With the 20-year anniversary of 9/11 around the corner, Apple TV+ funded the new documentary 9/11: Inside the President’s War Room. This was unwise from all but perhaps a business standpoint — but even there it’s a gamble.

This week on Truth Be Told, the Apple TV+ true crime fiction series turns up the heat on podcaster Poppy Parnell and lifestyle (and deathstyle?) guru Micah. The characters find fewer allies everywhere they look.

Poppy (played by Octavia Spencer) knew this case would hurt — but she was hoping the pain would take longer to start.

Surprise broadway smash Come From Away been filmed and sent to Apple TV+. The 9/11 musical follows hard on the heels of the Hamilton concert movie on Disney+.

The question is, will Come From Away come close to the success of its predecessor?

Plug the Twelve South StayGo mini into the USB-C port on an iPad Pro or Air and you’ll add a USB-A port, HDMI and a headset jack. All without sacrificing the USB-C port. And it can be used with a Mac thanks to a handy cable.

I put this matchbook-size adapter through its paces. Here’s how it stood up to my testing.

Apple TV+ drama Truth Be Told looks into a series of dark pasts this week — and finds a host of unsavory things. Can true-crime podcaster Poppy Parnell keep her life together long enough to help anyone else?