Two new iPhone SE models for 2020? Photo: Sam Mills/Cult of Mac
I forgot how good it feels to hold 4 inches of magic in my hands.
Spending the past year and a half with the luxurious 5.5-inch screen of the iPhone 6 Plus and 6s nearly convinced me that bigger really is better. But after using the iPhone SE, I’m starting to rethink everything I love about iPhone.
The moment I clasped the iPhone SE it was like reconnecting with an ex-lover. Everything is familiar and yet it has somehow improved in nearly every single way. I’ve been re-captivated by its beauty, brains, and brawn all over again, even though on the outside, it looks like such a boring device.
How can an iPhone that looks so old feel so right?
Stream your favorite playlists with the E3. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
These days, very few of us actually purchase individual albums or singles, thanks to the growing popularity of subscription-based services such as Apple Music and Spotify. Playing these streaming services through Bluetooth speakers is just as easy as playing them from your iPhone. But what if you want to play your favorite Spotify playlists without having your phone glued to you?
Introducing the GGMM E3 Wi-Fi Smart Cloud speaker. I admit, I’d never heard of GGMM either. Launching on Kickstarter last week, the E3 boasts a ton of features to earn the “smart” title, including cloud music play, favorites, multiroom play and much more.
Check out the video after the jump to see it in action.
Protect your connection when logging on over public Wi-Fi networks. Photo: Cult of Mac Deals
Hopping on a public Wi-Fi network can make anybody feel vulnerable, and with good reason — there are plenty of risks of identity theft and other security threats lurking around unguarded web access points. This Wi-Fi Hotspot Protector is a great way to log on with peace of mind, detecting imminent security threats, encrypting all your online traffic, and more. Right now you can get a lifetime subscription for just $29.
You just want to touch it, right? Photo: Rob LeFebvre/Cult of Mac
Best List: Sugr Cube wireless speaker by Sugr
Oh, my, is this a cute little speaker. It’s so adorable that I’ve waited through three software updates and spent more time charging the speaker to test than almost any other one I’ve ever reviewed.
Why? Because this thing is drop-dead adorable. The Sugr Cube looks like something straight out of Cupertino: I wouldn’t be surprised to find one sitting on an Apple retail store display table before long.
Apple was awarded a patent for bump transfer of data between iPhones. Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
The next iPhone you get may come with super-fast data speeds that are 100 times faster than Wi-Fi. Based on references found in iOS 9.1’s code, it appears that Apple is testing Li-Fi capabilities on the iPhone that use light pulses instead of radio waves to transmit data.
Hidden inside iOS 9’s system library cache file there’s a specific mention of “LifiCapability.” The reference was first spotted by 19 year-old developer Chase Fromm on Twitter:
A new type of Wi-Fi is on the way. Photo: Ming Xia/FlickrA new type of Wi-Fi is on the way. Photo: Ming Xia/FlickrWith CES, aka the world’s biggest consumer electronics show, coming up this week, we’re about to hear a whole lot more about the Internet of Things and smart, connected gadgets.
Which makes this the perfect time for the announcement of a new type of Wi-Fi called Wi-Fi HaLow, which is an extension of the upcoming 802.11ah Wi-Fi standard, designed to end up inside fitness trackers, home sensors and other smart gadgets.
Blinking Christmas lights might be messing with your Wi-Fi. Photo: Taryn/Flickr CC
Noticed a sudden drop in your WiFi speeds as the holiday season approaches? According to a new report from a telecom watchdog your ISP isn’t at fault. Blame your Christmas lights.
Virgin Media’s Smart Pavement keeps you connected on the go. Photo: Virgin
You’ll never be without an Internet connection in U.K. towns and cities in the future, thanks to Wi-Fi-emitting sidewalks.
Chesham in Buckinghamshire has become the first town to deliver Wi-Fi at speeds of up to 166 Mbps, seven times the average broadband speed in the U.K., through “Smart Pavements” courtesy of broadband provider Virgin Media.
OnHub wants to make managing your home network easy. Photo: Google
Google is getting into the router business. The search giant today announced a new $200 device called OnHub, and it’s coming later this month to make setting up and managing our home Wi-Fi networks easier than ever before.
For many of us, when our Wi-Fi connection drops out it’s time to freak out. Whether you work from home or in a sprawling office, common things like fluorescent bulbs, microwaves, even an inconveniently placed wall can disrupt an internet connection at just the wrong moment. NetSpot Pro Wi-Fi Optimizer makes wandering into Wi-Fi dead zones a thing of the past by creating an accurate visual map of signal strength wherever you are, an invaluable tool for just $19.99 at Cult of Mac Deals.
The Japanese government is working to bring Free Wi-Fi to Mount Fuji. Photo: Wikipedia
Just when you thought the “Guess where I’m at?” post on social media was a thing of the past, Japan’s government may install free Wi-Fi on Mount Fuji
The government is working with regional officials to set up eight hotspots on the mountain, including the summit for climbers who must first take a selfie before taking in the view.
This glow-in-the-dark sword can vanquish any unsecured Wi-Fi access point. Photo: Cult of Mac
Never able to find an open Wi-Fi signal when you need one? Maybe you should carry around this sword. Modeled after Frodo’s weapon in The Lord of the Rings, it glows when it’s within range of open Wi-Fi.
The next OS X Yosemite update might fix Wi-Fi woes forever. Photo: Cult of Mac
Are you one of the many, many OS X Yosemite users who have been plagued with intermittent, seeming unsolvable problems with Wi-Fi dropping since upgrading from Mavericks? The end to your problems may very well be coming down the pipe.
iOS 8 is cruising through the final stages of development ahead of its fall release, and while most users can’t wait for its arrival, one NY-based startup already had to cut a third of its staff, after privacy changes in iOS 8 have threatened to already make its retail tracking technology obsolete.
Nomi, a startup that creates solutions for retail stores to track shoppers and their spending habits, has laid off 20 of its 60 or so employees, thanks in part to some small changes in iOS 8 that make make it impossible to identify repeat visits from shoppers with an iPhone.
Steve Jobs wanted the names "iPhone" and "iOS." Cisco never stood a chance. Photo: Apple
When the original iPhone launched in 2007, the only thing worse than its abysmal camera was the cellular data provided by AT&T’s sluggish, outage-prone network.
Even Steve Jobs thought AT&T’s data speeds sucked, and according to Re/Code’s Walt Mossberg, Jobs wanted to circumvent the need for cellular data altogether by creating an open WiFi consortium.
The Brother P-Touch P750W label printer works like a charm. Photo: Rob LeFebvre/Cult of Mac
When I was a kid, we used to label everything: toys, boxes, file folders. My parents used one of those manual rotary label dispensers, the kind you had to squeeze hard enough to make each individual letter poke up through the hard plastic label tape. It was a good day when my brother and I got to use the label maker to title our shelves, toys and books (“Rob’s Stuff” was a common theme).
These days, printing labels is a lot easier thanks to computers and label printers like the ones from Dymo and Brother. Typically, you’ve got to connect these to a Mac or PC, and then use special software to send labels to the label printer.
The Brother P-Touch P750W (printer makers really need to work on their model names) is a label printer that can connect to your computer via USB, sure, but also connect either to your existing Wi-Fi network or create its own Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n network to print labels from any device, including iPhones, iPads, Android devices, Windows PCs and Macs.
Yeah, I’ve already labeled some shelves around the house. Old habits, it appears, die hard.
Apple has made yet more improvements to AirPlay in iOS 8 by enabling compatible devices to make direct connections with each other for content streaming. This eliminates AirPlay’s reliance on a Wi-Fi network and fixes one of its biggest limitations.
The workplace can be stressful enough, without adding computer snafus to the mix. As an IT consultant, I hear about a lot of them, usually after disaster has struck.
Here’s how to deal with some of the more common workplace issues – email problems, contacts not syncing, WiFi headaches, deleted files – and keep rolling with your Mac.
Having dead Wi-Fi zones in your apartment or office is a huge inconvenience for all. NetSpot Pro is the answer to all these problems.
NetSpot Pro lets you visualize, optimize and troubleshoot your wireless networks using any MacBook so you can stay connected at all times, never missing a beat, a post or an important email. And Cult of Mac Deals has NetSpot Pro for just $29!
Swann’s bottomless lineup of security and wifi cameras — the company even sells a camera that isn’t actually a camera — has just added a new model, with a unusual twist.
In addition to all the high-tech bells and whistles one might expect from a high-end wifi camera (like the ability to view the feed from an iOS or Android device through an accompanying app) the new SwannSecure also eddddcomes with its own wireless, 7-inch touchscreen monitor.
It’s not even a question anymore — we need to stay connected everywhere, at all times and Cult of Mac Deals is offering a little device to help us do it.
You can connect all your USB devices to The Freedom Stick Bolt and get instant high-speed wireless internet on the go. Even at half the price of a hotspot, the Bolt delivers a fast and secure broadband connection so you can connect without fear of someone else getting on your wifi network. And Cult of Mac Deals has this little gem for only $59 — and that includes 500MB data per month and 1 year of premier service. That’s a savings of 62% off the regular retail price!
Please note: The Freedom Stick Bolt offer is only available to customers in the United States (excludes Alaska). The sale price includes shipping and all sales are final.
Surf, stream, and game with download speeds up to 12Mbps — no cables or chargers required. With no contracts or cancellation fees, you’ll be able to pay for only what you need even if it changes from month to month.
The top features of The Freedom Stick Bolt include the following:
Easy To Use: Plug, play and get online fast
Super Compact: Fits in your pocket so you can take it anywhere you go
Stay Safe And Secure: Your own private internet access point
Supports Most Computers: And devices with a standard USB port, no installation required
Free Data: Get 500MB 100% free every month for a year, no questions asked
Fast Speeds: Enjoy 4G wireless internet (10x faster than 3G)
No Gimmicks: Take advantage of no data caps or speed-throttling
No Contracts: Cancel any time without fees or commitments
For the best answers to your questions regarding this promotion, please contact FreedomPop directly by clicking here. To review all of the system requirements, visit the Deals page.
But that’s not the only offer Cult of Mac Deals has for you today. For a limited time you can get Insync — a drive app that combines multiple account support, advanced syncing and sharing features with elegance and simplicity. Built for the power user, you get the usual suspects of features but get advanced features so you can get work done. Insync is only $4.99 through Cult of Mac Deals, and you can learn more about it — and get it — here.
FreedomPop believes that the “internet is a right, not a privilege,” and Cult of Mac Deals believes that you deserve the best deal possible. That’s why you should take advantage of this offer while you can. Get The Freedom Stick Bolt – along with 500MB data per month and 1 year of premier service — for just $59 from the Deals page today!
Beep is a weird little device that could be either just the thing you’re looking for, or the stupidest accessory ever. It’s a Wi-Fi volume knob that hooks up to your speakers, and streams music either direct from Pandora, or from your iDevice via its own companion app. No AirPlay, no Rdio or Spotify. I told you it was weird.
If you got a kid to draw a picture of a camera, that picture would look just like the new Nikon P340, a device that can be accurately described as “boxy, with knobs.” And it’s gorgeous, kind of like then Lenovo Thinkpad of cameras, and despite its diminutive form it has everything an enthusiast would need – except a viewfinder.
While Tweetbot has added a feature that allows timelines to stream to iPhone and iPad, this is currently limited to Wi-Fi only.
Thanks to a new jailbreak tweak called Tweetbot 3 Stream 3G/LTE, however, the ultra-useful feature can now be carried over to 4G LTE and 3G cellular data networks.
It’s 2014…isn’t it time you had 4G internet access on the go?
With this Cult of Mac Deals offer you’ll get up to speed with the world’s smallest 4G mobile hotspot – The Freedom Spot Photon: Platinum Edition. For a limited time you can get it for $99 – a savings of 54%!