Top stories - page 144

The Wiplabs Lift makes it easier to type on your MacBook by tilting the keyboard up. At the same time, it raises the display closer to eye level. And it offers these benefits anywhere you go because the rugged, aluminum stand folds so you can stow it away.

I put the portable stand to the test … and it really stood up.

We’ve written about storing a Mac mini in an upright rather than a flat position to save space. It’s OK to do if the machine’s intake and exhaust vents are not blocked. But what about using your Mac mini as a stand for a display, as in today’s featured computer setup?

It’s not necessarily quite as cut-and-dried as the upright mini question. Whether it’s totally fine or a little risky depends a little more on the specific Mac mini and the kind of monitor you use.

When Apple TV+ put out its first, brief trailer in February for its upcoming metaphysical-horror-thiller Shining Girls, it looked disturbing and disorienting. Now the streaming service has put out the first full trailer for the show, which stars Elisabeth Moss and premieres April 29.

If anything, Shining Girls looks even more unsettling — but almost to the point of absurdity.

German audio powerhouse Sennheiser rolled out its Ambeo operating system for Ambeo soundbars Tuesday, adding AirPlay 2 support and more. The company also distributed a major software update to its Smart Control app, adding new features.

The great thing about being an adult is deciding what you get to learn. You can pick up a new language, learn to code, figure out what marketing actually is — anything you want.

The Unlimited Lifetime Learning Subscription Bundle featuring Rosetta Stone consists of two complementary components. All together, it gives you the tools to learn loads of new languages and skills. And for a limited time, it costs just $169.15 (regularly $1,794) with coupon LEARN10NOW.

iPhone and iPad users should manually install the latest iOS and iPadOS updates if they want to get their hands on Apple’s newest features and improvements as quickly as possible, according to one Cupertino chief.

Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of software engineering, confirmed that automatic software updates don’t drop until one to four weeks after the company makes them available to manual updaters.

Apple on Wednesday revealed a new Supplier Employee Development Fund that will offer $50 million to expand access to learning and skills development.

The fund includes new partnerships with leading right advocates, universities, and nonprofits, Apple said. Cupertino will also focus on working alongside supply chain partners to “amplify worker voice” and support rights programs.

Apple faces an incredibly pricey lawsuit in the Netherlands, where the company is accused of “market dominance,” “anti-competitive practices,” and overcharging App Store users for apps and in-app subscriptions.

The Consumer Competition Claims Foundation believes Apple has been able to charge “excessively high prices” by excluding all competition and then abusing its “monopoly position.” It says damages could total $5.5 billion.

There may soon be yet another streaming service to add to your roster. The National Football League is said to be considering a platform of its own, dubbed NFL+, that will stream live games to smartphones, tablets, and laptops.

NFL+ could also provide access to radio, podcasts and team content, according to a new report, which claims teams were briefed on the plans at the annual NFL owners’ meeting that recently took place in Palm Beach, Florida.

Facebook Messenger? Meta Messenger? Just Messenger? We don’t know what it’s supposed to be called these days. But we do know it just added a bunch of useful, Slack-like shortcuts that help you get things done faster.

You can use them to silently deliver messages without notifications, to find the perfect GIF, to send payments and more — all without having to fiddle around inside menus. And Meta says even more are coming later this year.

Non-fungible tokens show no sign of slowing down. From digital artwork being sold for more than $60 million to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg saying that NFTs are coming to Instagram, there’s never been a better time to break into the NFT space than right now.

The best way to do that? With coursework that gives you a complete overview of the NFT landscape. And right now, you can get an an extra 50% discount on The All-in-One NFT Masterclass for Artists and Entrepreneurs Bundle in our Best of Digital Sale. Simply enter coupon code LEARNNOW at checkout to get this huge e-learning bundle for just $17.50.

One of the impressive features of the growing number of moderately priced, high-quality earbuds on the market is just how long playback lasts between charges. That’s in part because the case where you store them also charges them. But Audio-Technica just rolled out a new set of earbuds that really moves the needle on battery life.

The company’s new ATH-CKS50TW Solid Bass Truly Wireless Earbuds claim up to 20 hours of continuous playback on a single charge, or 50 hours counting the case’s charge. All that, plus the new buds feature low latency and active noise-cancellation (ANC).

Moment added to its lineup of MagSafe-compatible accessories for iPhone Tuesday with three new products and two product updates. The marquee event is the rollout of the Mobile Filmmaker Cage to enhance your iPhone video shooting.

The cage co-stars with the new Moment Strap Anywhere Mount and the new Stick-on Adapter, which can help mount your smartphone in a variety of situations.

Apple Watch Series 7 owners are suffering more charging problems just two months after earlier issues were eliminated. Some owners report that fast charging is broken after installing the latest watchOS 8.5 update.

Faster charging is one of Apple Watch Series 7’s biggest selling points. Top-ups are supposed to be around 33% quicker than on previous models — but only if you’re using the right charging accessories.

Yandex, sometimes called Russia’s version of Google, gathers data from millions of iOS users and sends it to Russia, according to a new report.

AirPods are some of the best wireless earbuds on the market. Once you use them with your iPhone, it’s hard to switch to something else. Unfortunately, all that AirPods magic doesn’t necessarily translate when you use Apple earbuds with a Mac.

There’s a workaround, though. The AirBuddy app adds some of that beautiful, Apple-style simplicity to the “using AirPods with a Mac” equation. And right now the Mac app is on sale for $6.29 with code DOWNLOADNOW.

Apple’s share price was up 0.5% at the end of trading on Monday, marking a 10th consecutive increase for the first time in more than a decade.

That’s despite reports that indicate Apple has been forced to slash iPhone SE 3 orders due to weaker-than-expected demand. But one analyst says investors are more interested in the performance of iPhone 14 later this year.

iTunes has become a slow and bloated mess over the years — which is why it no longer exists on Mac. But for those who are stuck with Windows, suffering iTunes is necessary if you want to enjoy Apple Music. Or is it?

There are other ways to take advantage of your Apple Music subscription on third-party machines. You could use the web app in a browser of your choice, or you could download Cider, a new and far greater iTunes alternative.

Cider, which is also available on Mac if you aren’t happy with the default Music app, offers a clean and simple user interface and almost all of the features we’ve come to expect from Apple’s streaming service — plus extras.

Don’t you just hate it when you accidentally refresh TikTok and lose the video you were watching? It can be incredibly difficult to track down the video again if you don’t know which account posted it. But a solution could be on the way.

TikTok is finally testing a new “watch history” feature where you’ll find all the clips you’ve recently consumed. It’s only available in the beta version of the TikTok app for now — but it could soon roll out to everyone.

Blue light from your iPhone display can make it difficult to fall asleep. And that’s especially true if you’re the type to lie in bed scrolling through social media at all hours.

Many devices come with built-in blue light filters that tint the screen yellow. However, those can actually make sleeping even harder. The Ocushield Anti-Blue Light Screen Protector is an attachable blue light filter for the iPhone 12 mini, Pro, Pro Max and older models. And right now it’s on sale for $29.99 (regularly $63).

The government of Ukraine recently created a chatbot within the Telegram instant messaging app. It lets Ukrainians use their iPhones to report to their country’s defenders exactly where they see invading Russian troops.

Will Smith slapping Chris Rock during Sunday night’s Oscars ceremony shows why Apple should go back to doing live events.

No, not because we need to see deranged audience members assaulting Apple execs onstage. However, the mere possibility that something can go seriously sideways gives live events an undeniable advantage over the type of canned productions Apple began cranking out during the COVID-19 pandemic.

I’m sure this goes against Cupertino’s deeply ingrained cultural bias toward controlling absolutely everything within its power. But if Apple doesn’t get back to putting on live events, its product launches will drift deeper into the uncanny territory of the overproduced infomercial. That’s boring — and it’s bad for both Apple and Apple fans.

Limited77 is now running one of its biggest-ever sales in the Cult of Mac Store. You can enjoy 20% off all the company’s products for a limited time only.

iPhone cases, MagSafe chargers, charging docks and more are available from as little as $20. Check out the full lineup and bag a bargain before this sale ends.

We haven’t seen a tremendous number of computer setups centered on powerhouse 16-inch M1 Max MacBook Pros — much less such workstations featuring both dual displays and paired original HomePods!

But today’s featured setup is an exception. It boasts those impressive characteristics as well as a useful lesson about not judging a book by its cover as well as striving to be kind online.

Do you ever find yourself scrambling to stop music playback on your Mac when a call comes in? QuietMeet is a new app that takes care of that for you.

Compatible with Zoom, Google Meet, FaceTime and other popular services, QuietMeet automatically pauses your music when a call comes in — then resumes it when the call has ended. And it never gets in your way.