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Top stories - page 342

Jump on Presidents Day deals on gear and gadgets [Deals]

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Gear Gadgets Roundup
Score deals on wireless headphones, wireless power banks, even a charging case that doubles as a gaming console.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

These days, any distraction from politics is a welcome thing. So take this Presidents Day to swoop up some awesome deals on gear and gadgets. That includes VPN subscriptions, noise-canceling headphones, a 3-in-1 wireless power bank, even a phone case that doubles as a gaming console.

This shortcut mutes iPhone audio when you enter Do Not Disturb

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mute audio orange speaker
Quiet!
Photo: Oleg Laptev/Unsplash

The Do Not Disturb mode built into iOS is excellent. It hides incoming alerts, and generally stops you from being disturbed by outside forces. But it won’t save you from yourself. What if you accidentally click on a YouTube link or — more likely — that GIF you clicked in Tweetbot turns out to be a noisy video? The sudden racket will surely wake your spouse.

Today we’ll see how to make a shortcut that automatically silences your iPhone whenever it enters Do Not Disturb mode.

Pro colorist pans Apple Pro Display with science and one-liners

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YouTuber Vincent Teoh reviews Apple Pro Display
World's best pro display? Vincent Teoh says not so much.
Screenshot: Vincent Teoh/YouTube

Professional colorist and YouTube HDTV reviewer Vincent Teoh says he cannot recommend Apple’s $5,000 Pro Display XDR to creatives who do commercial color grading.

But the pricey monitor’s “beautiful design will look good in the office of a divorce lawyer,” Teoh says.

Here’s your last chance to save on lifetime access to this top-reviewed language app [Deals]

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Babbel App Image
Learn 14 languages and get over 10,000 hours of high-quality, bite-size language education online.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Studying any language is a lifetime endeavor, so the tools you use to learn should be yours forever. With this deal on one of the most popular language learning apps around, you can get a lifetime subscription for al 60% discount.

Microsoft’s upcoming Windows 10X OS is ‘very smooth’ on a MacBook

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Windows-10X-MacBook
And it's still in preview for now.
Photo: @imbushuo

Microsoft is working hard on a new version of Windows that promises to be faster, more efficient, and more secure. Windows 10X is available only in preview form for now, and it already runs surprisingly well on a MacBook.

One developer installed an early version of the software on an Apple machine, and it is proving to be “very smooth” so far.

iPhone SE 2 will be a low-cost powerhouse, and we talk details, on The CultCast

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CultCast 427
Apple's prepping iPhone SE 2!
Photo: The CultCast

This week on The CultCast: Apple is prepping iPhone SE 2, but trouble in China could mean massive production delays across the entire tech industry. Plus: macOS leaks hint at big CPU upgrades on the way; and a celebrity calls out the MacBook’s troubled keyboards.

Our thanks to Squarespace for supporting this episode. Easily create a beautiful website all by yourself, at Squarespace.com/cultcast, and use offer code CultCast at checkout for 10% off your first purchase.

How sneaky kids use AirPods to ‘talk’ in class

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fake AirPods talk in class
Totally legit Apple AirPods.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

When I was a kid, we communicated in class by writing notes on pieces of paper, and passing them to other kids. It was called “passing notes,” and is now probably taught in schools as an artisanal pastime, along with “going outside” and conkers. In 2020, kids use insane workarounds to avoid actual writing.

Today we’ll see how to “pass notes” using nothing but two $700 iPhones and two $160 pairs of AirPods.

How to add attachments from the Files app in Gmail for iOS

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Gmail iOS iPhone X
Google has been giving Gmail for iOS a lot of love lately.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Gmail is finally adding the ability to add attachments to emails straight from the Files app for iOS, giving users another crucial productivity tool.

Until now, the only way to send stuff from your Files app via Gmail was by using the sharing tool inside the Files app and creating a new email with it. Now users can reply to emails inside of Gmail for iOS and add attachments from Files without having to jump between apps. We’ll give you a quick rundown on how to use the nifty feature that’s starting to roll out to users globally.

SwitchGlass is a supercharged Dock replacement for Mac

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SwitchGlass -- almost exactly the same as the Dock.
SwitchGlass -- almost exactly the same as the Dock.
Photo: John Siracusa

SwitchGlass is a handy new Mac app from John Siracusa. It’s like a superpowered dock, conceptually honed from the regular macOS dock by removing some annoyances, and adding some extra subtleties. It’s certainly not the most powerful dock-replacement app out there, but if your needs align with Siracusa’s, then you’re going to love it.

Strava finally adds support for Apple’s Workout app. But there’s a big but …

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Strava is ready to play nice with Apple
Strava is ready to play nice with Apple
Photo: Graham Bower/Cult of Mac

Strava is a brilliant app for sharing your workouts and analyzing your fitness activity. But its Apple Watch app is not so great. That’s why I prefer to use Apple’s built-in Workout app and then view my data afterward on the Strava website.

The trouble is, up until now, the only way to do that was by relying on third-party apps such as HealthFit, which provide the missing link that syncs Apple’s workouts with Strava.

Strava has been promising to come up with a solution for years. And this week, the company finally delivered. It’s a huge step in the right direction, but I won’t be deleting HealthFit just yet. Here’s why.

Make building websites as easy as stacking blocks [Deals]

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Blueprint
Instantly build websites with 200 examples pages, 500 responsive blocks, over 30 navigation panels and more, no coding knowledge required.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Designing a web page can be slow going. There are numerous types of devices that websites need to be responsive for, so prototyping can feel like flattening bumps in a rug. That changes with the right wire framing tool.

What’s the point of drag and drop on the iPad?

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Even the Magic Mouse combines touch, drag and drop better than the iPad.
Even the Magic Mouse combines touch, drag and drop better than the iPad.
Photo: Harpal Singh/Unsplash

The iPad added drag and drop in iOS 11. We’re now on the third version of iOS to support this potentially super-useful feature, and yet it still doesn’t work. Third-party app support remains spotty and inconsistent. And, worse, drag and drop doesn’t work properly even in some of Apple’s own apps.

What’s going on?

Mac Pro orders delayed until March in some markets

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President Trump will tour Apple's Mac Pro factory in Texas this week
Ordering a Mac Pro in Europe requires some patience.
Photo: Apple

Order a Mac Pro in Europe today and it won‘t be delivered for almost a month. This is almost certainly a result of factory shutdowns in China in the midst of a coronavirus outbreak. But Americans can get this new desktop Mac far quicker.

How to stop all those App Store subscription-renewal emails

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subscription-renewal emails
This is how subscription-renewal emails used to arrive.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

If you have any App Store subscriptions, you will be familiar with the emails you get every time one renews. And if you subscribe to more than a few monthly plans, then maybe you even get annoyed by them. If your tolerance to this kind of thing is particularly low, we have good news for you: You can now opt out of App Store subscription-renewal emails that Apple sends.

Apple could be planning ‘AirPods Pro Lite’ for 2020

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AirPods Pro and Transparency Mode make for fine hearing aids.
AirPods Pro and Transparency Mode make for fine hearing aids.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Apple could be planning to introduce more affordable AirPods Pro buds. A new report claims Cupertino is in talks with suppliers in Taiwan over “AirPods Pro Lite,” which are expected to debut later this year.

It is believed Apple is also planning to shift production of other devices — including iPad, Apple Watch, and iMac — to Taiwan as the coronavirus epidemic continues to cause problems in China.

Galaxy S20 vs. iPhone 11: 5 features Apple should steal in 2020

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Galaxy-S20-lineup
The Galaxy S20 lineup looks impressive.
Photo: Samsung

The wait for Samsung’s impressive newest smartphone lineup is almost over. The Galaxy S20, Galaxy S20+, and Galaxy S20 Ultra go on sale next month, with prices starting at $999.

You probably won’t be ditching your iPhone to get one if you’re a big fan of iOS, but you might be a little jealous of those who are. Samsung’s new devices offer a number of awesome new features iPhone users can only dream of for now.

Here are five that Apple should steal in 2020.

Samsung’s new Galaxy Z Flip phone folds up like a clamshell

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Z Flip
Say hello to the Galaxy Z Flip.
Photo: Samsung

The future of folding phones took a step in a new direction today with Samsung’s unveiling of the Galaxy Z Flip.

Taking a different approach to folding displays than the disastrous Galaxy Fold, the Z Flip packs a screen that folds from a tiny clamshell device, into a full-size 6.7-inch smartphone. And it comes with some novel uses that could change how app design is approached.

MacBook vs. iPad: Which one is right for you?

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Ableton on Mac and iPad.
iPad vs. MacBook: Which platform is better for your needs?
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Looking for a portable Apple computer? You have two choices — a MacBook or an iPad. Both excel at different things. The iPad is super-portable, silent and cool. The Mac is more flexible, offers more connections, and can run much more complex software.

It may be that you already know whether you need a Mac or an iPad. If you use apps that only run on the Mac, or if you need to hook up a lot of extra hardware, then a Mac is your only option. But if you desire the ultimate in portability, or you want to use a touchscreen or an awesome Apple Pencil stylus, you need an iPad.

If you’re on the fence, wondering which portable Apple computer best fits your needs, this article will help you decide. The MacBook vs. iPad battle is on …

AirPods sales could blow past 100 million units this year

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Demand could far exceed supply for AirPods this holidays
The launch of Apple’s new AirPods Pro in October helped the company record steady growth last year.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Apple’s AirPods will once again dominate the market for truly wireless headphones in 2020, according to a market research firm. And sales will hit 100 million units this year.

The only real question is which company will come in second in this market.

Apple restores banned BlueMail app but devs say fight is not over

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Mac App Store
The email app BlueMail finds itself on the outside of the "closed garden."
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Banned email app BlueMail is back in the Mac App Store, just one week after its developers tried to publicly rally other small companies to speak out against Apple’s App Store practices.

Ben and Dan Volach’s eight-month appeal of Apple’s ban ended Tuesday when the App Store relisted BlueMail. But the brothers say they will continue to fight Apple in court on claims the tech giant stole patented features of the app before booting it from the App Store.

Gear up and take your iPhone photography to a new level [Deals]

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These top iPhone photo accessories will help you capture the perfect image.
These top iPhone photo accessories will help you capture the perfect image.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

The cameras on our iPhones are crazy good, but they’re still limited. Taking great photos means having the right hardware. If you want to upgrade your visual game for iPhone, you’ll want to check out this gear roundup, from smart gimbals and ring lights to wide-angle lenses and more.