Speaker maker Soundmatters has just released an audio device you can talk to without looking like a crazy person. And even better, it’ll talk back with the voice of Apple’s digital assistant, Siri.
The aptly named Dash7+Siri has all the functions of the basic mini soundbar, but it also lets you issue commands directly to the speaker with the press of a button.
It might sound like the black-and-white portion of a late-night informercial, but the fact is that we have a lot of stuff that needs charging and syncing, and not every cable will work. But the LMcable, which is currently seeking support on crowdfunding site Kickstarter, aims to take some of that pain away.
It’s a cool idea: One end of the LMcable is a standard USB plug that fits into your computer or wall adapter. The business end, however, is a multitasker. Orient it one way, and it’s a micro USB bit; flip it over, and it fits the Lightning port standard to Apple’s mobile devices. And anything that might help out our increasingly tangle-prone cord storage is alright by us.
Google Photos users can finally edit their images on the web, thanks to new browser-based tools that are available today.
The update sidesteps the need to use a third-party editing app to apply filters, effects, and other modifications — and allows you to view your images on a larger screen while perfecting them.
The Zuli smartplug has been out since September, but starting today, it’s gained some cool new functionality: You can now use its companion app to control Philips Hue smartbulbs.
This joins the device’s existing features like Presence, which turns on lights and adjusts the thermostat as soon as you enter a room, and schedules and tracks power usage of connected devices through the app. But if you have Hue devices and don’t already own Zuli, is its new superpower enough to justify the purchase?
Probably not, honestly. But it has enough going on that you might want to check it out, anyway.
Steve Jobs didn’t let his kids play with iPads and, far from being out of touch with modern parenting, it turns out that he was being quite progressive.
That’s according to a recent study carried out by the University of Michigan, which found that parents with “difficult” children are far more likely to give them iPads to pacify them — particularly during high-stress times like eating, being in public, doing chores, or going to bed.
In a Congressional hearing today that included both Apple’s chief attorney and government officials, FBI head James Comey didn’t win many people over to his side.
The meeting allowed both sides to make their arguments for and against Apple creating a less secure version of the iPhone’s operating system that would allow officials to get by the password lock on a dead terrorist’s phone. And things seemed to go squarely in the company’s favor, although it was not without its caveats.
At Cult of Mac, we review all sorts of products, from the latest electronics lovingly created by Apple (and by Cupertino’s competitors) to smartphone accessories, sporting goods, kitchen appliances and other essentials — basically, anything that makes our lives better.
If we review something, we’ve spent time putting the product through its paces, messing around with it, comparing it to similar products and generally evaluating it to death. We’re here to represent the interests of our readers, not manufacturers, and will confidently and honestly report back on what we experience without bias.
Positive reviews should be read as recommendations to the reader and not as promotions for the manufacturer. With that said, Cult of Mac makes these promises as part of our effort to be transparent about our ground rules for writers and our policies on review units and affiliate links.
• We don’t mix business with editorial.
• We clearly mark every review we publish.
• We use affiliate links when applicable, but they have no bearing on our editorial ethics. Writers have no involvement in our affiliate link program.
• We receive no money or compensation for reviews aside from the usual advertising revenue generated by pageviews and the small commissions paid by affiliates when a reader follows a link from our site to their store and makes a purchase.
• We disclose when we receive a review unit from a company.
• We cannot review every product we receive.
Manufacturers: please submit review requests to [email protected]. We treat all correspondence as confidential. If you like, you can send review units for possible review to:
Cult of Mac
Attention: Reviews editor
3150 18TH ST
Suite 277, PMB 201
San Francisco, CA 94110
From time to time, we run sponsored posts, which are clearly marked as such. Find more information on Cult of Mac’s sponsored posts.
Long before the original iPad debuted, I dreamed of the day that Apple made the ultimate portable netbook that wouldn’t destroy my bank account and could be carried around everywhere.
Apple wisely never got into the short-lived netbook trend, but you can get pretty much the next best thing by combining the iPad mini 4 with Zagg’s new Slim Book case that adds a great detachable keyboard to the world’s best tiny tablet.
Pebble has slashed $50 off its latest Time and Time Round smartwatches.
The permanent price cut lowers the starting prices of these models to $149.99 and $199.99, respectively — and makes them more competitive against other affordable wearables from the likes of Asus, Fitbit, and Jawbone.
Apple is rumored to unveil a new 9.7-inch iPad on March 21st, and while it may not pack as big a screen as the iPad Pro, it will be way better at taking photos and videos.
Rather than matching the iPad Pro camera, a new rumor claims Apple may give the new iPad the same sensors found in the iPhone 6s.