Reviews - page 40

The Zens Magnetic + Watch Wireless Charger stands in the ranks of MagSafe-compatible chargers designed to be your go-to device for juicing up multiple pieces of Apple gear — and the sleek and compact 4-in-1 device does it in style. But not with a huge amount of charging power.

The Zens Magnetic + Watch Wireless Charger tops up four devices — all at once, if you like.

A puck on a dark metallic stem holds a MagSafe iPhone (12 or 13 series) firmly in place, horizontally or vertically. The surface underneath charges an AirPods case or any Qi-enabled device. A USB-A charging stick lets you top off an Apple Watch in Sleep mode. And a USB-A port on the side powers up something else, like an iPad.

Hooking up with maverick South Korean director Kim Jee-Woon for new sci-fi series Dr. Brain looks like one of Apple TV+’s smartest, and most mind-blowing, decisions.

The energetically unhinged show, which debuts Thursday, centers on a scientist who devises a way to talk to the dead. Can Dr. Brain rival Netflix’s Squid Game, the latest South Korean phenomenon to become a streaming hit? If the exciting pilot is any indication, this could be a wild success for Apple TV+.

When Apple TV+ launched on November 1, 2019, Cupertino had its sights set on creating a serious Netflix rival. Two year on, it may not have conquered the world like fellow streaming newcomer Disney+ did. But Apple TV+ continues to deliver a stream of top-notch shows — and some must-see movies.

With dozens of series and more than 20 feature films, where should you start? Here’s our guide to the best shows and movies on Apple TV+, in no particular order.

Apple TV+ space opera Foundation deals with every kind of ghost in this week’s exciting installment. Haunted ships with death wishes, old friends back from the dead, and new powers discovered in the darkest hour.

Brother Day makes a foolhardy decision to outwit a religious order, Salvor Hardin must cooperate with her captors to keep a rescue mission from becoming a suicide run, and Brother Dawn discovers the joys of sex.

This week on The Morning Show, veteran anchor Alex Levy tracks down her shamed former colleague Mitch Kessler in Italy and demands an ass-covering statement before she returns to the states.

Of course, nothing is ever simple on Apple TV+’s show about the morning news and the nightmarish people who produce it. COVID-19 is ramping up, and Alex won’t be able to leave Italy even if she wants to. So she’s stuck with Mitch, the last place she wants to be.

This is a fine episode from the standpoint of the performances of The Morning Show’s big stars and the writing that paints their characters as believable human beings. It’s also the single worst episode of television you could hope to air right now — a phalanx of bad decisions that would shame an entire season of The Newsroom.

Got your fancy new MacBook Pro? Once you’re done admiring its all-new design and insanely fast chips, you’ll probably want to add some accessories that will help you make the most out of your new machine.

Here are seven essentials that will help you connect USB devices, backup your and transfer your data between difference devices, keep your MacBook Pro protected on the go, and more.

Civilization is collapsing, the adults in the room are dying, and the aliens are starting to reveal themselves. Does anyone stand a chance? Apple TV+’s pulp sci-fi series Invasion encounters new hurdles and reaches paranoid heights this week.

Both Monty the school bully and Ahmed the cheating husband near the limits of their likability and desperation, while Caspar, Aneesha and Mitsuki find new stores of courage and resolve to combat their horrible new realities. And everybody’s fates rest upon what happens next.

With the new Jabra Elite 7 Pro earbuds, I seem to have found near-ideal audio with active noise cancellation (ANC) for both music and phone calls. The compact earbuds offer surprisingly expansive sound and are incredibly comfortable to wear for long periods of time.

The new AirPods 3 are marvelous little earbuds. They sound fantastic, are dead easy to set up and use, and the wireless charging case is a godsend.

Compared to their predecessors, Apple greatly improved just about everything — and they are well worth their $179 price tag.

NBA star Kevin Durant turned his experiences as a young basketball player into Swagger, Apple TV+’s highly promising sports drama. The series, which premieres Friday on Apple’s streaming service, follows the trajectory of a rising basketball star as he becomes a legend with help from his community.

Powered by strong acting, kinetic directing and a compelling storyline about life both on the court and off, Swagger scores from the jump. It looks like one of Apple TV+’s strongest series to date.

This week on Foundation, Apple TV+’s space opera is on a collision course with destruction and death. And even if Salvor Hardin can stop the Anachreons, it might be too late to save Terminus.

The sci-fi series speeds toward its endgame this week, with all of its plot threads in free fall and war inevitable.

This week on The Morning Show, Cory throws everyone a curveball in his attempt to salvage Hannah’s reputation. Bradley, Daniel, Chip, Mia, Yanko, Stella and Laura all go into a panic.

And so, the Apple TV+ show about a morning news show enters crisis mode again. Is it too late to stop the train wreck? Or will Cory’s strategy work?

The second season of Apple TV+’s first crime series ends with a series of reveals, reversals, betrayals and murders. Truth Be Told fully hit its stride this time out, and it’s been a pleasure spending time with podcaster Poppy Parnell’s family, real and adopted.

The season finale mostly satisfies — and leaves me hoping for more.

Right after Foundation took the world by storm and For All Mankind raked in a third season, Apple TV+ is rolling the dice that viewers will get excited about yet another space show. This one’s called Invasion, and it debuts Friday.

The new sci-fi series follows a half-dozen people as an alien invasion force wreaks havoc all over the planet. Can these people get over their foibles and weaknesses to survive? Can this show extend its predecessors’ winning streak on Apple TV+?

Mount the RapidX MyCharging Station on a wall socket and it can juice up all your gear without taking up counter space.

I added the accessory to my office and have been using it to keep my phone and tablet going. Here’s what it’s like to use the MyCharging Station in real life.

Apple’s third-generation AirPods and slightly refreshed AirPods Pro ship with Charging Cases that are fully compatible with MagSafe. And there are whole host of third-party accessories that make MagSafe charging even better.

Choose from a wide variety of docks and trays, in-car mounts and more. We’ve rounded up some of the best MagSafe accessories for AirPods to help you ensure that you’re hard-earned cash is well-spent.

I’ve always had an iPad mini around the house, ever since the first generation. And I’ve always treated it very differently than any other iPad.

With the all-new sixth-gen iPad mini, Apple modernized and pushed the tiny tablet forward in a number of ways. But even in following the design trend of the iPad Pro and iPad Air before it, that doesn’t make it any less niche. And that’s part of what makes it so great.

Apple TV+’s big, shiny space show hits its first set-piece battle this week, but more exciting things are happening in solitude. Foundation hits its stride — and the direction its drama takes proves confident and exciting.

Can the sci-fi show based on Isaac Asimov’s classic continue its upward trajectory toward greatness?

Puppy Place, the latest kids show to land on Apple TV+, is a parade of adorable dogs and teachable moments, designed to deliver lessons about personal responsibility and social issues.

Will it become a hit with either kids or the parents looking over their shoulders? In case Instagram goes down again and you need dogs in a hurry, here’s your show.

In The Velvet Underground, the coolest band of the ’60s finally gets the biodoc treatment from a director who engaged with the group’s legacy throughout his career. Todd Haynes and Apple TV+ finally bring you the story of The Velvet Underground, the band that created punk rock and broke rock ‘n’ roll.

This week on The Morning Show, Maggie Brener’s book is about to come out. Alex is having a panic attack. Chip is having a crisis of confidence. Cory’s on the attack. And Bradley’s having the time of her life.

Apple TV+’s showbiz show juggles tones and sympathies — and drops several of the balls along the way. Things gets good, and then bad, and then good again. It’s time for The Morning Show writers to make some hard choices about which direction to head. Well … it was time weeks ago, but now will do just fine.

The second season of Apple TV+’s first crime series is drawing to a gripping close. This week Truth Be Told, podcaster Poppy Parnell’s cause grows in righteousness even as the noose tightens around her childhood friend Micah Keith.

The little show that could soldiers on, propelled by the searing charisma of one of the best casts on TV.

MagSafe is a huge step forward in wireless charging for iPhone. But Apple’s own MagSafe Charger is somewhat boring and pretty overpriced. The Wood Charger from Limited77 is a great alternative.

It works just like a MagSafe Charger, magnetically attaching itself to the back of iPhone 12, and it charges just as quickly. It’s also much more affordable. Want to know more? Here’s our full review.

The Kingston DataTraveler Max is blazing fast. It supports USB 3.2 Gen 2 so the new flash drive can transfer data at up to 1,000MBps. And it uses USB-C so can be plugged into any Mac and most iPads.

I tested Kingston’s speed claims under real-world conditions. And data transfers are so quick it made me want to pitch out all my old flash drives.

If you’re looking to save a few bucks on true wireless earbuds with active noise cancellation, you could certainly do worse than the recently released EarFun Air Pro 2 ANC Wireless Earbuds. They deliver quality sound and a solid feature set for $79.99 — much cheaper than a lot of premium buds. And sometimes you can get them at an even lower price (see below).