Reviews - page 50

With new Apple TV+ series Mr. Corman, Joseph Gordon-Levitt returns to our screens after a brief hiatus and well … I can’t say I was ready to have him back. A few more years in the deep freeze might have taught him no one’s interested in the foibles of a white man trying to navigate sexual politics in 2021.

While the Apple Magic Keyboard is an outstanding way to transform an iPad Pro into laptop, it’s not necessarily the best option. The Brydge 12.9 Max+ is also a very capable keyboard case for Apple’s premier tablet. I use both and pitted them against each other. And I found definite advantages to Brydge’s offering.

Just place your iPhone 12 on the Mophie Snap+ Wireless Charging Stand and the two will cling together magnetically thanks to the MagSafe system. The stand makes it easier to see the iPhone’s screen on portrait or landscape mode, and your handset is getting recharged at the same time.
I’ve used accessory on my desk for close to a week now. Here’s why I like it.

In the latest docuseries from Apple TV+, the world’s most in-demand producer takes a step out from behind the boards to lead us on a meditative quest to better understand the elements of music and music production that inspire him. Watch the Sound With Mark Ronson serves as a master class in mixing, mastering, experimenting and breaking it down.

Double your iPhone 12’s battery life by attaching the Mophie Snap+ Juice Pack Mini. The two devices connect magnetically with Apple’s MagSafe system, and power flows wirelessly. It’s really simple.

I took the 5000 mAh power bank on a recent holiday to truly put it to the test. It came though with flying colors. And it costs far, far less than Apple’s similar MagSafe Power Bank.

The big American heart in the body of the United Kingdom is beating again. Ted Lasso is back for another season of relentless positivity, and fans of the hit Apple TV+ comedy can rest easy. They know exactly what they’re getting.

The title character, played by Saturday Night Live alum Jason Sudeikis, returns for more unorthodox soccer coaching with his deep bench of homespun aphorisms intact. In short, if you liked the first season — and who didn’t? — you’ll enjoy this one as well.

The Satechi Aluminum Stand & Hub turns your iPad into a useful desktop. Not only does it prop up your tablet, it includes six useful ports. And it goes almost anywhere, from a meeting room to a coffee shop.

I’ve used the tablet stand for weeks, including on a recent vacation. Here’s why I love it… despite a limitation or two.

With a murderers’ row of talent behind and in front of the camera, and nods to handsome musicals and TV of the past, Schmigadoon! could become a major crossover hit for Apple TV+.

The new musical comedy injects a thoroughly modern sensibility into the classic Brigadoon storyline. Loaded with the obligatory singing and dancing you’d expect, it’s good and occasionally great.

If you like musicals, you’ll almost certainly love Schmigadoon!. The only question is, is the public’s thirst for musical theater enough to sell this high-concept gamble?

The time has come for a bool hunt in Lisey’s Story! In the Apple TV+ series finale, Lisey and Dooley reach their final showdown — and get their last look at the brutal past just in the rearview mirror.

It’s a fitting end to the Stephen King-written miniseries about the widow of a famous writer and the crazed superfan who hunts her down. If you’re an Apple TV+ subscriber and haven’t watched this show yet, a rewarding binge awaits.

If you want to use your iPad like a laptop, adding a Brydge keyboard has long been the best way to do it. There are other solutions — a lot of them, in fact — and many are more affordable. But none of them are as good as a Brydge keyboard.

And no Brydge keyboard has been better than the new Max+ for iPad Pro. Like its predecessors, the Max+ is beautifully built from anodized aluminum, with a backlit keyboard that delivers a stellar typing experience. The big difference with the Max+ — which makes it even better than the Pro+ — is a larger, more reliable trackpad and a new, much more seamless magnetic docking system for your iPad.

The Max+ is not only the best Brydge keyboard ever made, but also the best third-party keyboard you can buy for iPad Pro. Here’s our full review.

Lisey has both of her sisters by her side as crazed stalker Jim Dooley approaches for their final showdown. But is everything as cut-and-dried as it appears?

The penultimate episode of Lisey’s Story, the Stephen King miniseries on Apple TV+, has one last round of games to play.

With a showdown on the horizon, Lisey gets back in touch with her sisters — in the most intense way imaginable — in this week’s installment of Lisey’s Story, the fantastical Apple TV+ series based on Stephen King’s novel.

It’s only a matter of time before Lisey has to take down her foes, real and imaginary, and she’s gonna need all the help she can get.

The Pitaka MagEZ Stand for Tablets, the MagEZ Case, and the MagEZ Folio give your iPad Pro/Air what it needs to be used in the office or on the road. The stylish desktop stand includes a wireless iPhone charger. The ultraslim case magnetically attaches to the stand, or it can be used with the Apple Magic Keyboard, or combined with a folio case. And the folio case can be used on its own.

I tested these Pitaka accessories in combination and individually. Read on to see why I like them.

Scott Landon relives the worst trauma of his childhood on this week’s episode of Lisey’s Story, the Stephen King miniseries on Apple TV+. It’s his turn to go back to the foundational horrors that propel him. And what he finds is ugly indeed.

Apple TV+ has another hagiographic documentary for you, and this one proves just as insubstantial as its last aimless doc. It’s called Who Are You, Charlie Brown?, and it premieres today on Apple’s streaming service.

Unfortunately, if you were hoping for a deep dive into the craft and artistic impulses behind Charles M. Schulz and his world-renowned Peanuts characters, maybe read a book instead.

Central Park, the Apple TV+ animated musical about a family living and caring for the titular New York park, returns for more arbitrary, up-with-people high-jinks in its second season.

Nothing brings out the worst impulses in a writer’s room like encouragement. And the second season of the show — created by Bob’s Burgers duo Nora Smith and Loren Bouchard along with Josh Gad (Frozen) — is aggressively larger and more precious than the first. If it’s not your thing, you’ll be looking for the nearest open window.

Fathom, the new Apple TV+ documentary about whales, tells the story of a couple of women who made it their life’s work to figure out why the humpback sings — and what that song means. Though there’s a lot to like here, and the vibes are admirable, the whole effort could have used more … (30-minute pause) depth.

Fathom, which premieres today, keeps the network’s focus on mass-market biological documentary alive. It joins such outstanding efforts as Tiny World and Earth at Night in Color.

The most controversial change in iOS 15 — moving Safari’s Address Bar to the bottom of the screen — doesn’t deserve the deluge of criticism some users are heaping upon it.

I tried out the latest iOS 15 beta to check out that feature, plus the new Tab Groups and other changes coming to Safari. Here’s what I like and what I don’t.

Mophie Snap+ Wireless Vent Mount uses Apple’s MagSafe system not only to recharge your iPhone but also let the handset magnetically cling to your car’s dash.

I did some road tests with it, as well as the Mophie Snap Vent Mount, a very similar device that doesn’t include wireless charging. Here’s how they performed.

Apple TV+ went fishing for its own Glow but instead landed the transparent, overcooked and overdetermined Physical, which debuts today.

Star Rose Byrne tries as hard as she can to enliven this mishmash of cliches. However, its grotesque, fetishistic anti-nostalgia goes nowhere fast.

Our widowed protagonist comes face to face with the bane of her existence in this week’s episode of Lisey’s Story, the Stephen King miniseries currently giving Apple TV+ a welcome shot of weird. Lisey must face some painful memories in order to avoid an even more painful future.

The Sanho HyperDrive USB-C 6-in-1 Hub clips to an iPad and adds a collection of ports, allowing the tablet to make use of a variety of popular accessories, from mice and headphones to external displays. The multiport adapter offers outstanding functionality in minimal space.

The original version is one of the best iPad accessories ever. I tested the followup and it’s even better.

Adonit Prime is a stylus for iPhone or iPad that combines a premium form with top-quality function. It’s for anyone not satisfied with everyday styli — anybody who wants one that stands out from the crowd.

I tried both the Prime – Dash (the version for iPhone) and the Prime – Note (for iPad). Here’s why they would be at home on any executive’s desk.

With Father’s Day coming up, the Adonit Prime might be just right for the dad who has everything.

PopSockets PopGrips are already wildly popular, and the new MagSafe system in the iPhone 12 series improved on the design. Instead of having to attach with adhesive, the pop-up phone handles cling tightly to magnets built into Apple’s handsets.

I tried the standard PopGrip and the wallet version with an iPhone 12, and they stood up brilliantly to real-world use.

iOS 15 makes it a whole lot easier to move images, text and files between applications. The familiar drag-and-drop action makes the jump to iPhone, and it’s surprisingly simple to use.

I’m testing the first iOS beta on an iPhone 12, and this new sharing system is one of the best additions. There are even benefits for iPad users.