Best List

Recharge your Apple Watch & iPhone with this compact 2-in-1 battery pack [Review]

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zens
Zens' Powerbank charges an iPhone and Apple Watch simultaneously.
Photo: Zens

When traveling, if you forget your charger, you’re often hosed. Especially for the Apple Watch. That’s why I keep a Zens Powerbank battery pack in my bag. The Powerbank features a built-in charger for the Apple Watch, plus a USB port for plugging an iPhone or iPad.

It’s light and easy to carry around, yet has enough juice for recharging an Apple Watch almost 12 times. Best yet, the Zens Powerbank battery pack is available now in Cult of Mac’s Watch Store. 

Best List: Zens Power Bank is a great little Apple Watch battery [Review]

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Zens Apple Watch Power Bank
Cool, compact, and incredibly useful.
Photo: Lyle Kahney/Cult of Mac

Update: The Apple Watch Powerbank by Zens is now available at the Watch Store with free shipping!

Best List: Apple Watch Powerbank by Zens

Most external batteries for the Apple Watch are BYOC — Bring Your Own Cable — and have bulky winding systems for tucking the cable away.

Not the compact Apple Watch Powerbank from Zens, perhaps the most portable external battery pack on the market.

Nerve Black messenger bag will trigger an impulse to buy [Review]

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booq Nerve Black messenger bag
The Nerve Black messenger bag by booq delivers some serious attitude.
Photo: David Pierini/Cult of Mac

Best List: Nerve Black messenger bag by booq

Most messenger bags would look out of place slung over the shoulder of a leather-clad Harley rider. Not the Nerve Black by booq: It exhibits a transcendent cool, whether paired with a business suit or motorcycle chaps.

There’s no cowhide on this bag. Yet the water-repellent tarpaulin flap looks a lot like leather and makes a striking first impression.

Best List: Espin electric bike is a nice ride at a budget price [Review]

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Espin Sport electric bike
The Espin electric bike is a fun and functional electric bike at an entry-level price.
Photo: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac

Best List: Espin Sport electric bike

I love electric bikes, but a lot of them look butt-ugly. Their batteries and motors are strapped to the frame, ruining their lines. Stromer’s bikes, which integrate motor and battery into the frame, are a notable exception. But the latest Stromers cost an eye-watering $7,000 and up.

Enter Espin’s electric bikes, which look like Stromer’s but cost just $1,888, a steal for an eBike this capable and fun.

Sonos Playbase home theater speaker is skinny but can make a noise [Review]

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Sonos Playbase home theater speaker
The new Playbase home theater speaker from Sonos is slim but packs a punch.
Photo: Lyle Kahney/Cult of Mac

Best List: Playbase home theater speaker by Sonos

As TVs get flatter, their sound gets worse. Enter Sonos’ latest home theater speaker, the $699 Playbase, a thin and flat home theater/streaming music system designed to sit underneath your TV.

Like the TV above it, the Playbase is thin, but it packs a significant punch. Resembling a pizza box with rounded corners, it features 10 speakers, including a muscular built-in subwoofer, and it can make quite a noise. In fact, it sounds fantastic.

The Playbase is louder and punchier than Sonos’ current home-theater speaker, the Playbar, and a lot more unobtrusive. You don’t really notice it’s there, until it starts shaking the room.

Best List: Moshi wireless earbuds sound like a bargain [Reviews]

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Moshi's Mythro Air Bluetooth earphones
Moshi's Mythro Air are quality Bluetooth earphones at an affordable price.
Photo: Lyle Kahney/Cult of Mac

Best List: Mythro Air wireless earbuds by Moshi

Moshi’s Mythro Air wireless earbuds look good and sound good. They offer all-day battery life, a clever magnetic clip to keep them in place, and a unique feature that allows you to share music from a single source to two sets of Mythro Air earbuds.

Best of all, they cost $69.99, and sound better than premium earbuds costing two or three times more.

Best List: Moshi’s AirPlay Spatia speaker looks old-fashioned but is anything but [Review]

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Moshi's Spatia Wireless AirPlay Speaker speaker has retro looks, but is thoroughly modern under the hood.
Moshi's Spatia Wireless AirPlay Speaker speaker has retro looks, but is thoroughly modern under the hood.
Photo: Lyle Kahney/Cult of Mac

Best List: Spatia wireless speaker by Moshi

Wireless speakers tend to be cheap and nasty — or fantastic and expensive.

There are exceptions, though, and Moshi’s Spatia wireless AirPlay speaker is one of them.

At $399, the Spatia isn’t cheap by any means, but its sound and features rival systems costing much more.

And does it sound sweet. With five drivers, including a subwoofer, the Spatia serves up a rich, wide soundstage. Lots of speakers claim “room-filling sound,” but the Spatia truly fills the bill.

Best List: Shure MV51 is a tough, versatile microphone for iPhone field recordings [Review]

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Shure MV51 microphone
Shure's MV51 microphone is MFi-certified and great for recording with an iPhone or iPad.
Photo: Lyle Kahney/Cult of Mac

Best List: MV51 microphone by Shure

Looking like something Elvis Presley would rock, the Shure MV51 is a handsome, retro-styled microphone well-suited to podcasting with an iPad or iPhone. Sturdy and portable, I find it great for recording on the go. It’s small enough to throw into a jacket pocket and, because it’s made of all metal, it’s nigh indestructible.

Paired with an iPhone and Shure’s well-designed recording app, it’s a lot more compact than most podcasting rigs, and versatile enough for most recording situations. Best of all, the audio it captures sounds great.

Best List: Udoq charging station keeps everything organized and topped up [Review]

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Udoq's docking station
Udoq's docking station is compatible with just about any mobile device.
Photo: Lyle Kahney

Best List: Udoq universal charging stand

There’s a constant war in our house for charging bricks and cables. I like to keep chargers in certain places so I know where they are — beside the bed for example. But they constantly disappear, thanks to my light-fingered kids.

It drives me bananas, which is why I like the Udoq, a universal charging stand that neatly organizes and charges between two and eight devices. It can’t be easily half-inched.

Best List: Moshi’s Avanti headphones are light and stylish [Reviews]

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Moshi's Avanti headphones are easy to wear and easy to carry. They sound [pretty great too.
Moshi's Avanti headphones are easy to wear and easy to carry. They sound [pretty great too.
Photo: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac

Best List: Avanti On-Ear Headphones by Moshi

I like the convenience of carrying earbuds in my pocket, but I’ve never liked jamming them in my ears. I love the sound of full-size headphones, but not the bulk.

I’ve discovered a happy middle ground. Moshi’s new $200 Avanti On-Ear Headphones are lightweight, folding headphones that sit atop your ears, not in them or over them.

They’re like a pair of soft pillowy hamburger buns that sound pretty darn great.

Aluminum charging stand will elevate your Apple Watch [Reviews]

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Your Apple Watch will thank you for keeping it above the mess.
Your Apple Watch will thank you for keeping it above the mess.
Photo: Rob LeFebvre/Cult of Mac

Best List: Aluminum Apple Watch charging station by Satechi

I’ve got an Apple Watch problem. I need to keep it charged up, but it continually gets lost in the clutter on my dresser.

You might tell me to just clean up the top of my bedroom furniture, but I like that my new solution allows me to elevate my Apple Watch above the mess. The Satechi aluminum charging stand for Apple Watch keeps my wrist computer charged up and ready to go without getting lost in the cruft of my bureau’s disarray.

Hermès-style Apple Watch bands won’t empty your wallet [Reviews]

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All of Arrow & Board's products are handmade in a tiny workshop in Austin.
Photo: Traci Dauphin/Cult of Mac

Best List: Triple Tour Split Strap by Arrow & Board

With the deluge of Apple Watch bands on the market, I wanted to wrap my wrist in leather for a reasonable price.

Unwilling to drop $500 on the luxe Hermès Double Tour, I was delighted to discover the wares of Arrow & Board, a tiny company from Austin, Texas, that produces made-to-order, handcrafted leather accessories at modest prices.

Amazing screen cleaner offers post-wipe protection [Reviews]

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Whoosh Screen Shine 02
Don't even ask what this iPad looked like before.
Photo: Evan Killham/Cult of Mac

Best List: Whoosh Screen Shine Duo+

I don’t try to get my screens all fingerprinted and gross — they just get that way all on their own. It’s inevitable, really; we touch most of the screens we use throughout the day, and our hands are way dirtier than we think. I own more microfiber cloths than I do Lightning cables, but apparently my hands are grubbier than a normal human’s, so I need some more help. And apparently, that extra step is Whoosh Screen Shine.

It’s a screen-cleaning system that adds a bit of spray into the mix and claims it can repel fingerprints. I tried out the Duo+ version, which includes both desk- and travel-sized bottles, and it’s made my endless smudge hunt much more bearable.

Woven-nylon Apple Watch band might actually be worth $50 [Reviews]

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The woven-nylon Apple Watch band is a winner.
The woven-nylon Apple Watch band is a winner.
Photo: Lewis Wallace/Cult of Mac

Best List: Woven nylon Apple Watch band by Apple

If you’ve ever ordered anything online, you’ve probably experienced delayed dissatisfaction. You wait for the product, it finally arrives, you rip it open — and it’s nothing like the picture you saw on Amazon, eBay or whatever. The item is smaller, the color is crappier, the quality’s just not there.

The new woven-nylon Apple Watch bands are similar — but opposite! They look even better than they do on the Apple website. And, despite what you might think about nylon as a watchband material, Apple’s latest accessories pack a premium punch.

Sphear earbuds are so comfy, you’ll forget they’re in [Reviews]

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So comfy, you'll forget you're wearing them, except for all the music.
So comfy, you'll forget you're wearing them, except for all the music.
Photo: Rob LeFebvre/Cult of Mac

Best List: Sphear in-ear monitors by Focal

When I think earbuds, I don’t think comfort. They’re light and let you take naps while in, but there’s really only so long I can handle keeping them in my ears.

That’s why this new set of “in-ear monitors,” called Sphear is so exciting — I’ve had them in to watch Netflix on an iPad, gone for a long training run, and just wore them around the house while working and making dinner for my kids.

Every time I put them in, they impress me with their balanced tone and high-quality sound. Most of all, though, I forget I’m wearing them. They’re that comfortable.

iOS-friendly flash drive makes sharing data simple [Reviews]

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This flash drive will connect to your Mac and your iPhone.
This flash drive will connect to your Mac and your iPhone.
Photo: Rob LeFebvre/Cult of Mac

Best List: Xtra Drive by Naztech

We’ve all been using flash drives on our Macs for ages, ever since Apple dropped the disk drives from its computer lineup.

iPhones and iPads don’t have a USB port, so it’s hard to use the same external thumb drives on the go.

The new Xtra Drive from Naztech is the best of both worlds, providing a single microSD card-based solution that has both a USB and a Lightning connector that will let me back up and transfer files from my iOS device to any computer.

Super-thin case gives your iPhone a natural look [Reviews]

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The Woodline case by Pad & Quill will class up your iPhone with ease.
The Woodline case by Pad & Quill will class up your iPhone with ease.
Photo: Rob LeFebvre/Cult of Mac

Best List: Woodline iPhone Case by Pad & Quill

I’m generally of the function-over-form sake when I choose an iPhone case, but this delightfully thin Rosewood iPhone case has me rethinking that.

It’s not just that it’s thin — it’s classy. The deep brown hues and real woodgrain transform my iPhone 6 Plus from an object of tech-envy into more of a naturally lust-worthy product.

Bluetooth smartlock is beyond low-key [Reviews]

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Never lose a key or forget a combination again.
Never lose a key or forget a combination again.
Photo: Rob LeFebvre/Cult of Mac

Best List: Noke padlock

Padlocks are essential for sheds, locker rooms and bicycles, but damn do I continue to forget my combination or lose my key.

Noke (the “e” is long, for “no key”) has this problem solved for iPhone-toting folks like me with its fantastic, easy-to-use smartlock that will never ask you for a combination again. Heck, even if your iPhone is missing, you can use Noke’s special key fob that ensures you’ll never be locked out from your gym clothes (or lawnmower) again.

Yeelight is smart, colorful and perfect for reading [Reviews]

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Colorful as all heck with brightness controls that actually work for reading.
Colorful as all heck with brightness controls that actually work for reading.
Photo: Rob LeFebvre/Cult of Mac

Best List: Yeelight by ipegtop

Most smartbulbs I’ve tried only let me use my iPhone to change the color of the bulb and to turn it off and on. I’ve never found one bright enough to read by, either, making me wonder if it’s even possible with the current technology.

The Yeelight is my answer: It’s a fantastic, app-controlled, touch-enabled smartlamp that’s colorful enough to set a fun mood while also being bright enough to use for my before-bed reading ritual.

Bottom line, this one’s a winner.

Gabba 2 jacket prepares you for the worst [Reviews]

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With a zip of the sleeves the Gabba 2 jacket readies you for any amount of inclement weather.
With a zip of the sleeves the Gabba 2 jacket readies you for any amount of inclement weather.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Best List: Gabba 2 Convertible Jacket

If one Gabba is excellent, then Gabba 2 has to be better.

The Gabba 2 Convertible Jacket is just that — Gabba turned up a notch.

Take what was the highly popular and highly functional original Gabba jersey, add some removable sleeves, and the Gabba 2 jacket is the perfect on-the-road companion.

Smart sensor will blast you with backyard weather data [Reviews]

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Like my own personal weather station for the backyard.
Like my own personal weather station for the backyard.
Photo: Rob LeFebvre/Cult of Mac

Best List: Eve Weather by Elgato

Sure, I can check the weather using any number of built-in or third-party apps on my iPhone, but what if I want to know what the humidity is in my own backyard?

Weather nerds rejoice — we now have a way to access and track the weather from anywhere this simple, easy to use white box and associated app is placed. The Eve Weather outdoor weather sensor melds right in with Elgato’s other HomeKit-compatible products, too, letting me check the details of my local microclimate with ease.

I can also ask Siri what the temperature is in the backyard, which is all kinds of cool.

Virtually indestructible backup battery gets you off the grid for longer [Reviews]

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Rugged, powerful, portable.
Rugged, powerful, portable.
Photo: Rob LeFebvre/Cult of Mac

Best List: GoBatt 12000 Rugged Portable Backup Battery by Scoche

Once a year, I head into the backwoods outside of Anchorage and spend a week or so at a public-use cabin by a lake to unplug and clear my head of the necessary evils of urban living.

There’s no running water, no electricity, no internet. It’s delightful, but it takes some planning to keep my iPhone charged up in case of emergency.

I can’t wait to take this rugged, high-capacity, waterproof backup battery with me this year, as it’s the perfect companion for a modern outdoor adventure.

Beefy iPad Pro case is worth its weight in protection [Reviews]

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As a working iPad, the Pro needs protection like Gumdrop's DropTech Case for iPad Pro.
As a working iPad, the Pro needs protection like Gumdrop's DropTech Case for iPad Pro.
Photo: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac

Best List: DropTech protective case for Apple iPad Pro by Gumdrop

Apple charges a whopping $599 to repair a broken screen on an iPad Pro. With its 13-inch screen, yeah, the Pro has a lot of glass, but 600 bucks is nearly as much as it costs to buy a new one. Yeah, I couldn’t believe it either.

So I’m grateful that my iPad Pro is safely ensconced in the equivalent of a big, rubbery safety blanket. Gumdrop’s DropTech Case looks like a flattened tractor tire, with big ridges on the back for maintaining a grip. It’s not elegant by any stretch of the imagination, but I’m confident it’ll save me a trip to the Genius Bar.

Customize your MacBook with precision skins [Reviews]

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Precision-fitted skins from dbrand let you put a personal wrap on your electronic devices.
Precision-fitted skins from dbrand let you put a personal wrap on your electronic devices.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Best List: MacBook Pro Skin by dbrand

The time I spend hacking away on my laptop at coffee shops, hotel lobbies and conference room floors I inevitably spot another MacBook user with a cooler-looking laptop than mine, filling me with envy.

Well, dbrand has the goods to make the other coffee shop patrons jealous.