As we ring in the first day of December, let us toast winter. More specifically, let us toast what a user calls their “winter edition” computer setup in Berlin, Germany, featuring a powerful MacBook Pro, a gorgeous 5K display, a cool mechanical keyboard and the best tool of all for toasting — a bottle of extremely good, peat-forward scotch from Islay, Scotland.
If your computer setup could use a new external display, don’t sleep on Amazon’s Black Friday bargains on Samsung monitors. You can nab steep discounts of up to nearly half off regular prices on a few items, with more like a third off on many others.
And the selection is as wide as some of those ultra-wide displays! If you want to spend less, you can skip 4K-resolution screen and find choices with 1080p resolution.
Samsung just launched the T5 EVO, a consumer-oriented solid state drive that provides up to 8 terabytes of storage, the most currently available in a portable SSD.
And the lower-capacity versions cost less than the equivalent Samsung T9 pro-grade drives that also hit store shelves recently.
It might seem unlikely that a computer setup could take 2 years to build and idealize — until you see just how loaded and beautiful it is. Today’s M2 Pro Mac mini went through many iterations in the past couple of years, its user said, and now they’re finally happy with it.
And they should be. The setup rips through gaming and streaming tasks using an awesome lineup of gear. Read more below and check out that gear list.
The Matter connectivity standard helps different devices and smart-home platforms like Apple HomeKit and Amazon Alexa work together. And with an update Monday, it added nine home-appliance types and got other improvements, the Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA) behind it said.
Matter specification 2.1 adds support for refrigerators, dishwashers, laundry washers, robot vacuums, air-quality sensors, air purifiers, fans, stand-alone room air conditioners, and smoke and carbon-monoxide alarms.
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The Samsung T9 solid-state drive is small enough and tough enough to go almost anywhere. And it’s available in capacities up to 4 terabytes.
I put the recently launched SSD to the test with a range of Apple devices and came away pleased with the design and performance. That said, Mac users can’t take advantage of one of its best features.
A problem users face with home computer setups is how to separate work from personal use. Today’s setup brings work and personal laptops to the mix — both M1 Max MacBook Pros, coincidentally — along with three displays, including a massive OLED smart TV.
And as is often the case on social media, solid advice sounded loud and clear above the noise.
Cult of Mac reader Nick Howard sent us his clever M1 Mac mini computer setup. It’s clever because it pulls a disappearing act, with very little effort on Howard’s part, whenever it’s not in use. Almost like magic.
“I love this setup as it’s completely unobstrusive when not being used and, in use, it offers the perfect combination of screen size and display of information for me, [while] remaining minimalist,” he said.
Samsung used a short video to join Google in urging Apple to add support for Rich Communication Services to iMessage, which would end the blue bubble vs. green bubble divide.
The reason for their campaign is obvious: if Apple made the change, people would be more likely to switch from iPhone to Samsung’s Androids.
The quote in the headline above may be overly dramatic. Steve Jobs might not give a hoot that someone’s running macOS on an HP desktop machine. But the discussion on social media about whether it’s even worth it to bother with a hackintosh anymore is pretty interesting.
And if you’re into gaming, check out this guy’s mechanical keyboard and mouse.
The just-launched Samsung T9 solid-state drive is small enough and tough enough to go almost anywhere. And it’s available in capacities up to 4 terabytes.
The USB-C drive offers high-speed data transfers, and support for USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 allows files to move even faster … but not for Mac users. If you’re considering alternatives, the Samsung T7 is another excellent option known for its reliability and speed.
Quite a few excellent alternatives to Apple’s pricey Pro Display XDR and Studio Display exist for those in need a good external monitor to go with their Mac. Today’s featured Mac mini setup brings up another one — the 34-inch Samsung Odyssey G8 series curved gaming display.
If you like curves and especially if you like gaming, read on the see if the display might be a good choice for you.
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Some computer setups are bare-bones but functional, others are swanky as all-get-out. Leaning toward the latter, today’s setup rocks a powerful M2 Ultra Mac Studio desktop computer driving a new, 49-inch Samsung G9 super-ultra-wide display. If you’re looking for a mac mini monitor, check out this impressive Samsung ultra-wide monitor setup.
But that’s not all the finery the solid standing desk supports. Festooned with key lights, it’s also a great videoconferencing station, with a premium webcam, a mounted USB microphone and killer speakers.
The new 27-inch Samsung ViewFinity S9 Monitor with 5K resolution started shipping to addresses in the United States Monday, the company said. It comes along with specs and price very similar to Apple’s popular Studio Display.
The new monitor, which won a CES Innovation Award earlier this year, costs $1,599 — just like Studio Display. But Samsung’s comes with a tilt- and heigh-adjustable stand while Apple charges $400 for one.
We look at a lot of computer setups on social media, but sometimes what drives conversation among commenters surprises us. With today’s Mac Studio rig with an odd couple of mismatched displays, the main debate concerned … keyboards for iPad.
Specifically, when an iPad is so wonderfully light, what keyboard case doesn’t weight it down too much?
When you remodel your home office, isn’t that a great excuse to revamp the ol’ computer setup? That’s what happened with today’s featured rig, which relies on a new MacBook Pro and a Samsung super-ultra-wide display.
But all commenters wanted to talk about was the accent wall and the solid-wood DIY standing desk. And the killer Klipsch audio got some love, too.
iPhone pulled in its highest-ever Q2 share of the global smartphone market, according to an analysis firm. Apple’s total shipments were down, just not down as much as shipments of Androids from rival handset-makers.
The good news for Apple is that consumers around the world are more interested in premium smartphones than ever before.
Increasingly, gamers and other users replace traditional computer monitors with large smart TVs or ultra-wide monitors that eclipse screens like Apple’s 27-inch Studio Display and 32-inch Pro Display XDR in size. Today’s featured M2 Max Studio Display setup sports a 55-inch Samsung 8K OLED smart TV, for example.
Everybody loves plenty of screen real estate, but ergonomically speaking, is it healthy? Today’s setup represents the debate, offering pros and cons.
On social media we see plenty of people flaunting pristine computer setups, and even completely staged ones. But plenty of them are “lived in,” and some aren’t necessarily complete. People sometimes call out for help: “How do I make this better?”
Today’s featured M1 MacBook Air setup is example of the latter. The user asked for advice and got it. But he didn’t agree with some of it. See below.
Before reading past the jump, take a look at today’s featured M1 Mac mini computer setup in the photograph above and see if you can quickly identify the two items that aren’t from peripherals giant Logitech — other than the main computer, display and furniture.
Both items are on the small side, so it might take a hard look to spot them. Answers below in the post and at the bottom just above the gear list.
Shipments in the global smartphone market declined by 14% YoY in Q1 2023 to 280.2 million units. Despite the slowdown, Samsung replaced Apple as the world’s largest smartphone maker during the period.
Apple, however, continued its dominance, with iPhones accounting for nearly half the revenue generated by the smartphone market in Q1 2023. The company also took the lion’s share of the market’s profit.
The Samsung T7 Shield is a credit-card-size external SSD designed to survive drops, rain and dust. The 1TB version is currently down to $79.99 on Amazon — half the cost it was when the solid-state drive launched a year ago.
And there are deals on the 2TB and 4TB versions, too.
Are two Macs better than one in a computer setup? People’s opinions differ. What’s overkill to one person could be a perfectly sensible use of resources to another.
Until recently, today’s featured setup ran just an M1 MacBook Air. But then the user added an M2 Mac mini. To discover all the reasons why — especially if you need an excuse to add a desktop machine to your laptop setup or vice versa — read on. If you’re looking for ways to streamline your workflow, you might also want to explore how to control MacBook with iPhone, which can enhance productivity and device integration.
Several companies, including Samsung and Western Digital, have cut prices on SSDs and memory cards for World Backup Day. Save up to $80 on the rugged Samsung T7 Shield, while the SSD that’s WD’s closest rival is also on sale.
A 1TB SanDisk microSD card is surprisingly affordable. And the JetDriveLite specially made for MacBooks card readers is available at a discount, too.
Some of the deals are only available on March 31, so don’t procrastinate.
Attractive or fun decor can really give a computer setup an edge. Real plants. Vintage Apple gear. Epic Lego sets. Today’s featured MacBook Pro setup sports a detailed replica stormtrooper helmet from Star Wars.
It overlooks a Darth Vader-worthy 49-inch Samsung curved gaming display and an Elgato Stream Deck, which is associated with video streaming tasks but can also do a lot for productivity in general through shortcuts.