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The HomePod reviews have been coming out hot and heavy, and they’re surprising. This week on The CultCast, we’ll tell you what people like, love and hate about Apple’s new speaker. If you’re planning on buying one, don’t miss our discussion. Plus: Something strange is happening at Apple HQ … we elaborate; 150 new kickass emojis are coming to your iPhone; and we pitch you the movies, gadgets and food we can’t get enough of in all-new What We’re Into!

Our thanks to Squarespace for supporting this episode. It’s simple to accept Apple Pay and sell your wares with your very own Squarespace.com website. Enter offer code CultCast at checkout to get 10% off any hosting plan.

How much of your time do your grammar and spelling mistakes take up to fix? Probably more than you think, and an app like Grammarly can help. But don’t waste time picking it up, there are just hours left to get it for almost half off.

After months of delays, Apple’s HomePod is finally available in Apple Stores today. Before we get to the reviews, comparisons and tips, with our latest video we give you a tour of what’s in the box, show you how easy it is to set up, show it off in action and my first impressions.

In this week’s issue, you’ll find that story and more. Learn how to set up Apple’s Health app to unlock its awesome fitness potential. Apple is investigating iPhone X’s incoming call bug. Discover how to to see Cult of Mac at the top of your Facebook feed. And, now until Tuesday take advantage of a two-for-$65 promo on Nyloon’s lineup of great nylon Apple Watch bands. Get your free subscription to Cult of Mac Magazine from iTunes. Or read on for this week’s top stories.

After months of delays, Apple’s HomePod is finally available in Apple Stores today. Before we get to the reviews, comparisons and tips, with our latest video we give you a tour of what’s in the box, show you how easy it is to set up, show it off in action and my first impressions.

Check the video out below.

Bulky virtual reality headsets may soon look like retro relics if Apple’s designers have their way.

Details of a new patent from Apple reveal the company is investigating different ways to reduce the size of bulky augmented reality and virtual reality headsets. The patents specifically mentions a tech that its rivals aren’t using, which could give it big advantage if it enters the market.

High-quality audio is the signature feature of Apple’s new HomePod. Apple execs brush off “Siri so stupid” concerns by emphasizing the sound quality of the device.

So the big question is: Will the HomePod be love at first listen? I just unwrapped one of the new Apple smart speakers, and my ears now have a little bit of a crush on HomePod.

HomePod has landed. If you’re an Apple fan who loves audio, it’s a wonderful day. If you’re a speaker company, however, you now have to compete against the biggest tech brand in the world.

Sonos has shown it’s not scared by trolling HomePod with a Spotify playlist that contains a hidden message.

Got an idea for an app rattling around in your head? Know someone who does? Are you looking to learn a valuable and marketable new skillset? If you answered yes to any of these, we’ve got a lesson bundle for you.

Apple is investigating how an AirPod exploded and very nearly injured its owner. A Tampa, Florida man was listening to music at the gym when he noticed smoke billowing out of his ear. Fortunately for him, he took the AirPod out before it ended up in tiny pieces.

Apple has introduced a live news section to its TV app for iOS and tvOS. It hosts a bunch of live feeds from a number of major news providers — but you’ll only see them if you live in the United States.

One great recent addition to GarageBand for iOS is the Visual EQ, an equalizer that is about as far away from the 1980s-style bank of sliders as it’s possible to get. The Visual EQ also shows you a waveform of the actual sound you’re adjusting, so you can see as well as hear the effects immediately. This visual element, combined with a clever three-“band” EQ, makes this a very powerful tool for shaping your music.

Source code for a core component of the iPhone’s software has appeared online in what is described as “the biggest leak in history.”

iBoot, a part of iOS that ensures the device is booting a trusted operating system, was posted to GitHub anonymously. The code could be used by hackers to find vulnerabilities in Apple’s software. The company has already filed a copyright take-down request to have it removed.

A Best Buy employee has revealed Apple’s launch plans for AirPower and its new AirPods case with wireless charging. It seems the lengthy wait for these accessories is almost over.

If you think the Health app is just another pointless junk app that comes preinstalled on your iPhone, think again. Unlike Stocks, Compass or Tips, it is one of the few apps that Apple won’t let you delete. Set up the Apple Health app properly, and it becomes a powerful tool for getting (or staying) fit.

You see, the Health app lies at the heart of Cupertino’s growing health and fitness ambitions. And with its underlying HealthKit API, the Health app provides the framework that Apple Watch uses to gather data on your daily activity, heart rate and workouts.

But the Health app is more than just a place for storing data. With every iOS update, Apple makes major improvements to it. So, if you still think the Health app is a waste of space, it’s probably time you gave it another look. Especially if you own an Apple Watch. You’ll find it contains loads of useful, well-presented data that can help you achieve your fitness goals.

The more we use the internet, the more passwords there are to remember. And the more passwords, the more likely you are to forget one. Or, even worse, the more likely someone else is to find it.

Nintendo’s upcoming Mario Kart Tour game will be “free-to-start” on mobile, developer DeNA has confirmed.

Much like Animal Crossing and Fire Emblem Heroes, you’ll be able to enjoy the game without coughing up any cash, though optional in-app purchases will provide some advantage.

The Unicode Consortium has approved more than 150 new emoji characters that will likely be headed to iOS and macOS later this year.

The new emoji set finally includes male and female faces with red hair, along with bald characters, new superheroes and supervillains, and more.

Significant changes to Facebook’s News Feed algorithm mean you might not be seeing as much news as usual. Facebook started prioritizing posts from friends over posts from pages and publications.

While this might be a welcome move for everyone who uses Facebook to stay connected with friends and family, not everyone uses the social network with the same goal in mind. I’m sure a certain number of people still prefer using Facebook simply to keep in the news loop or interact with communities/brands who are not “friends.”

Would you rather use Facebook to keep yourself updated on all things, say,  Apple? If yes, here’s how you can make sure to see stories from Cult of Mac at the top of your Facebook News Feed.

Since I started running Cult of Mac‘s YouTube channel, I’ve been striving for the best visuals and audio possible. Compare our latest videos with some of our earlier ones, and you should see improvements across the board.

I’ve always neglected audio, but I’ve learned over time that sound proves vital to crafting quality videos. With that in mind, I recently tried out the Rode NTG4+ microphone. Now it’s part of my essential kit for creating videos.

Check out my video review below.

Ever since Apple introduced a measure to stop iPhones from unexpectedly shutting down in iOS 11, politicians and other morons have jumped on the story to gin up publicity for themselves. Now, thanks to their efforts, Apple has added a control that lets you switch off iOS 11’s Performance Management.

If you do switch it off, then your iPhone will stop slowing performance when the battery is too weak to supply enough power, and instead you can again face unexpected shutdowns. Here’s how.

Apple won’t need to throttle the performance of iPhone 8 or iPhone X so severely as they age.

Its latest devices use more advanced hardware and a different power management system that allows iOS to avoid unexpected shutdowns without having to cap processor performance.

Saving money is one of the most important things you can do, and one of the most difficult. We’re told to invest our money in a 401k, the stock market or, by some dubious sources, in cryptocurrency. Unfortunately, each is a risk (some more than others); what really helps is being able to watch and predict the course of your personal finances.

Figuring out if you have diabetes could soon be as easy as strapping on an Apple Watch.

A new study from Cardiogram shows that by using heart rate monitors on wearables like the Apple Watch, neural networks can now detect whether the wearer shows early signs of diabetes with astonishing accuracy.

With only one week until Valentine’s Day, we’re here to help pump up your budget. Whether you’re taking out your special someone or just consuming dangerous amounts of ice cream alone, we’re giving judgment-free cash for all of your old Apple devices.

In less than a minute, you can see how much your old device is worth and have a box on its way straight to your doorstep. Head over to Cult of Mac’s gadget buyback page and see how much you can get. And don’t forget to use the coupon code “cupid” to get an extra $10!

Lire is an RSS reader for iOS, and it just added a great update in the form of drag-and-drop. Now you can grab any news story and drag it either to Lire’s own drop-shelf (iPhone and iPad), or to another app (iPad). It really makes great use of iOS 11’s drag-and-drop, but is let down by other apps’ poor implementation for receiving dropped items.