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Reviews - page 69

Stay secured with Encrypt.me VPN App [50 Essential iOS Apps #10]

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Encrypt.me protects an open network
Encrypt.me keeps your information safe on unsecured networks
Photo: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac

50 Essential iOS Apps: Encrypt best VPN app There has been a lot of talk about online security lately. Having good internet habits is important, and using a good VPN like BulletVPN features is a great way to make sure your data doesn’t end up in the wrong hands. Encrypt.me is an easy-to-use, easy-to-understand VPN app for iOS (and Mac, Android and Windows) that can help keep you safe.

Take your podcast listening up a notch with Overcast [50 Essential iOS Apps #9]

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Overcast offers a simple interface and great features. It's the best podcast app around.
Overcast offers a simple interface and great features.
Photo: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac

50 Essential iOS Apps: Overcast best podcast app Podcasts are a great way to stay informed and entertained, or just to pass time. The number of podcasts is booming, and if you listen efficiently you can hear even more of them.

With the Overcast podcast app for iOS, you get a great podcast listening experience along with some awesome time-saving features.

PodPocket is the rare AirPods accessory you’ll actually love [Review]

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PodPockets review: A great AirPods accessory.
PodPockets review: A great AirPods accessory.
Photo: Lewis Wallace/Cult of Mac

The AirPods case is a tiny miracle that looks like a dental floss container. Maybe you like that white plastic design, but to me it looks a little clinical. Not to mention the fact that when my wife inevitably gets a pair of AirPods, we’re going to be constantly confused about which little white charging case is hers and which is mine.

Who needs the bickering? For just under $20, you can wrap your lily-white case in a colorful silicone shell called a PodPocket that will eliminate all confusion in multi-AirPods abodes. That’s exactly what PodPockets do, but that’s not all they do. They also help keep your AirPods safe and sound.

Save money on iTunes with CheapCharts [50 Essential iOS Apps #8]

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CheapCharts shows currently on sale movies
CheapCharts can save you you money on iTunes and the App Store
Photo: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac

50 Essential iOS Apps: CheapCharts is best App Store sales app iTunes and the App Store are two of the best online stores for buying digital content like movies and books. They’re also really good at getting you (the customer) to spend money. CheapCharts for iOS is the perfect companion to the App Store and iTunes Store, helping you get apps and digital content at the best price possible.

Transit app makes public transportation a breeze [50 Essential iOS Apps #6]

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Transit for iPhone shows upcoming times
Transit shows nearby transportation options and upcoming arrival times.
Photo: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac

50 Essential iOS Apps: Transit Public transportation can be a nightmare. Traveling in an unfamiliar city or relying on trains and buses to get around can leave you feeling overwhelmed and frustrated.

Transit for iPhone makes finding train bus, and subway schedules simple. With support for more than 80 U.S. cities and dozens more around the world, it is one of the most useful apps for making the right choice of transportation.

Capture notes quickly with Drafts [50 Essential iOS Apps #5]

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writing in Drafts for iPad
Drafts is where writing starts, before moving on to its final destination.
Photo: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac

50 Essential iOS Apps: Drafts 5 note taking and writing app While there are dozens of note-taking and writing apps available on iOS, few strike the balance of rich features and simple design the way Drafts does. Whether you’re looking for a quick way to digitally jot down a passing thought, take notes in a meeting, or store an address or phone number, the Drafts app makes it easy to quickly capture text before taking action.

Tweak your photos to perfection with Snapseed [50 Essential iOS Apps #4]

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tune image editing tools in Snapseed
Snapseed's editing tools are accessed with a flick of your thumb
Photo: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac

50 Essential iOS Apps: Snapseed Photo Editing app The iPhone’s camera is arguably one of the best cameras most people will use for capturing life moments. Sometimes, though, those photos don’t turn out quite as perfect as you hope. The iOS Camera and Photos apps have some basic editing tools, but if you’re looking for more fine-tuned tweaks, Snapseed is a powerful, free photo editor for iOS that helps revive and tweak your shots.

Hiya Caller ID and Blocker keeps robocallers at bay [50 Essential iOS Apps #3]

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Incoming Scam Phone Call
Spam and Robocalls are out of control and must be stopped!
Photo: Cult of Mac

50 Essential iOS Apps: Hiya Caller ID and BlockerKnowing when to answer a call from an unknown number is a game of chance. It might be a family emergency, or it might be a scammer trying to rip you off. Hiya Caller ID and Block is a simple iOS app that attempts to determine whether incoming phone calls are telemarketers, spam, or something worth picking up for.

Viking platformer Oddmar will take you to visual Valhalla [Review]

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Oddmar from Senri & Mobge
Can new platformer Oddmar live up to Leo's Fortune?
Photo: Senri & Mobge

The makers of superb 2014 game Leo’s Fortune are back with a new action platform game for iOS. Trading Leo for a cartoony world based on Norse mythology, Viking-themed platformer Oddmar lands in the App Store today.

Can this new iOS platformer repeat the success of its spiritual predecessor?

Stay ahead of the storm with Dark Sky Weather [50 Essential iOS Apps #2]

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Dark Sky app on iPhone
The Dark Sky app provides a useful look at the next hour.
Photo: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac

50 Essential iOS Apps: Dark Sky Weather app Weather is something we all deal with, and an accurate idea of what’s coming can help inform your day-to-day decisions. With the Dark Sky Weather app, you can know exactly when to expect a change in weather conditions.

Unlike many of its competitors, Dark Sky goes deeper than a simple high-level summary of the day’s forecast. It offers hyperlocal forecasts for your exact address, with down-to-the-minute notifications about changing weather conditions. Uncannily accurate, it’s a shining ray of light in the storm of weather apps.

The best Apple Pencil apps that aren’t for drawing

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apple-pencil-jar
Don't leave your Apple Pencil in the jar.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

You have a new iPad, and you have a new Apple Pencil. Time to learn how to draw, right? Not necessarily. Just like a regular pen or pencil, there are ton of other things you can do with an Apple Pencil. You can write, of course, but you can also play games, compose musical scores, do coloring in books, edit photos, and even play the Apple Pencil like a musical instrument.

Let’s take a look at the best non-drawing apps for Apple Pencil.

Best Apple Watch chargers, stands and cases for Series 3 [Updated]

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studio
Power up your Apple Watch Series 3 in style with our top picks for best chargers and stands.
Photo: Studio Proper

From pocket-size, portable chargers to sleek, modernist stands and cases, Cult of Mac Watch Store has your Apple Watch Series 3 charging needs covered.

We’ve rounded up our favorite stands and docks for Apple Watch Series 3 from some of the best brands on the market — Nomad, Zens, Twelve South, Just Mobile and more. Plus, a number of new brands including Amber and Proper. Whether you’re on holiday, on the go, at work or at home, we’ve got a charging solution to fit your needs. Check out our great lineup below.

Deliveries: The best way to track packages on iOS [50 Essential iOS Apps #1]

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Deliveries for iOS
Deliveries helps keep track of packages in transit
Photo: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac

50 Essential iOS Apps As online shopping becomes an integral part of our lives, one pain point remains: Keeping track of when all our precious packages will arrive.

That’s why online shoppers will love iOS package-tracking app Deliveries. It eliminates the irritation of keeping track of where packages are and when they’re going to be delivered. Forget about dealing with the nightmare of order-confirmation emails and online accounts. Deliveries consolidates info on all the packages in transit to your home. Then it lets you keep tabs via a single timeline in an easy-to-use app.

Introducing ’50 Essential iOS Apps,’ a series on the best iOS apps around

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50 Essential iOS Apps
The best and most useful apps for iPhone and iPad
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

50 Essential iOS Apps With a mind-boggling 2.2 million apps in Apple’s iOS App Store, how do you find what’s good? That discovery problem is why we’re starting the 50 Essential iOS Apps series, a curated list of the best iOS apps on the planet, with new apps added every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

Throughout this series, we will highlight essential iPhone and iPad apps in a variety of categories. We will show off apps that display excellent design, functionality, features and value. Or, most often, a combination of those desirable traits. Whether you’re looking to boost your productivity, take advantage of important data or just have a little fun, we’ll recommend great iOS apps to suit your needs.

OnePack backpack lives up to its roomy name [Review]

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OnePack backpack
A discreet backpack that holds more than you think.
Photo: David Pierini/Cult of Mac

Marketing language often invites a reviewer to find the flaw in the claim. So skepticism was in order when the OnePack arrived with the declaration of being the “Most Functional Backpack.”

I have a backpack for every time I heard that one. But of all the backpacks I’ve shouldered for reviews, OnePack at least comes close to keeping its word.

Foobot is the smart air monitor that warns you of indoor pollution [Review]

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Foobot review: The unobtrusive Foobot stands less than 7 inches high.
The unobtrusive Foobot stands less than 7 inches high.
Photo: Luke Dormehl/Cult of Mac

Thunderclap Newman once sang that there’s something in the air. The Foobot smart air monitor promises to tell you what that something is.

Designed to detect a variety of air conditions in your home, the pint-size Foobot gathers loads of data about indoor pollution. It then let you delve into that information on your iPhone or iPad. So is it a “must have” device or one gadget too many? Get our initial thoughts in our Foobot review.

Give your iPhone X an exoskeleton with the Radius X [Review]

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exoskeleton
Is this the most unusual iPhone X case ever?
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

The futuristic design of Mod-3’s Radius X makes it one of the most unusual iPhone X cases I’ve seen. If you’re after the ultimate minimalist case, or don’t like having a case on your phone but still want to protect it, the Radius X could be the perfect candidate.

In fact, it’s less of a case and more of an exoskeleton (or an updated version of a bumper case). Find out what makes this case special in our video, or read our full Radius X review below.

Best List: This clever car cam from Owl keeps an eye on your wheels [Review]

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Owl car cam
The Owl car cam is a combo dashcam and interior security camera.
Photo: Lyle Kahney/Cult of Mac

I live in San Francisco where car crime in epidemic. Last year there were just under 30,000 reported break-ins — that’s about 85 a day! My car in particular seems to be a magnet for car thieves; it’s been broken into five times in the last couple of years, costing me thousands of dollars in repairs.

So I jumped at the chance to review the new Owl car cam, a combination dashboard cam and interior security device from one of the product design leads of the iPod and iPhone. The Owl combines two HD cameras — one pointing out, the other inwards — with bump-sensing accelerometers and an always-on LTE cellphone connection that sends alerts and live video to my iPhone.

It’s been great. Setup was the easiest of any gadget in recent memory and the video is surprisingly fantastic. Best of all, no one has broken in to steal it — yet!

The iconic Speidel Twist-O-Flex bracelet for Apple Watch [Review]

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speidel
Speidel's classic Twist-O-Flex bracelet is now available in Satin Black for Apple Watch.
Photo: Speidel

Best List: Speidel Twist-O-Flex stainless steel Apple Watch band

My grandfather, who fought in World War II, wore a beautiful mechanical watch. It had an eye-catching expansion band — a stainless steel link bracelet that stretched like elastic. He always took it off to play cricket, and I remember it dangled loosely around my skinny kid’s wrist when I tried it on. He loved that watch, and so did I.

Now I’m wearing a similar expansion bracelet on my Apple Watch courtesy of Speidel, the storied watch-band maker from Providence, Rhode Island. Introduced in the late 1950s, Speidel’s Twist-O-Flex Stainless bracelets are some of the most iconic bands in all of watchmaking. Now they’re available in three finishes for the Apple Watch.

Textor is the missing TextEdit for iOS [Review]

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textor
Textor is like TextEdit for iOS.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

On the Mac, you can quickly open up and edit any text file using TextEdit. And while there are a ton of great text-editing apps on the iPad and iPhone, none of them is quite as simple as the Mac’s built-in app. Until now, anyway: Textor combines the iOS 11 Files app with an ultra-simple text editor, making it possibly the quickest and easiest way to quickly view, edit and even create new text files on an iPhone or iPad.

HomePod vs. Sonos One: Which should you buy?

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Smart speakers
Similar size, similar price, which should you buy?
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

HomePod’s arrival makes the smart speaker market even more confusing for the average consumer. Amazon and Google are dominating right now, but HomePod’s closest rival is actually the Sonos One.

It’s in a similar price range, it’s about the same size, and both speakers focus on sound quality above everything else. I’ve now spent over three weeks with both the HomePod and the Sonos One to help you figure out which one you should buy.

Check out our comparison video below.

Sweet robot vac won’t suck your wallet dry [Review]

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Deebot N79S
The Deebot N79S is sucking awesome.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

No one enjoys vacuum cleaning, so why are we still doing it? Robotic vacuum cleaners have gotten so good — and so much more affordable — that manual cleaning is no longer necessary. I let the Deebot N79S do all my vacuuming for me.

The N79S is an updated version of the best-selling N79. It packs all the same features and the same great design, but now it supports Amazon Alexa. That means you don’t even have to push a button to get it going; you just tell it what to do.

It’s one of the many things that make the N79S one of the best affordable robot vacs you can buy.

These are the best music memo apps for iPhone

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alternative to voice memos
We've come a long way.
Photo: YunHo LEE/Flickr Public Domain

If you like to pretend you’re in a private detective movie, recording yourself with voice-memos as you go about your everyday business, then your app choice is obvious: Voice Memos from Apple. It’s built into your iPhone, it’s simple, quick to use, and rock solid. But if you’re a musician, and you want to quickly capture ideas, the choice is more complicated. Let’s take a look at the best iOS apps for recording music memos.

How to save $1 on every coffee you buy [Review]

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The Square Cash Card is changing the game with coffee discounts.
It's shockingly simple to save $1 on every coffee you buy.
Photo: Chevanon Photography/Pexels CC

Square Cash is the world’s best coffee loyalty program — and it’s time you knew about it.

The Square Cash Coffee Reward program has been the highlight of my last six months. You can either take that as an indictment of my quality of life, or a resounding recommendation for this coffee cash-back program.