Reviews

Apple introduced MagSafe accessories for its new iPhone 12 lineup today at its October 13 iPhone event. MagSafe will make charging your iPhone 12 easier and faster than previous wireless generations; the frustration of placing your iPhone "just so" for wireless charging will also soon be a thing of the past. The line of MagSafe accessories includes cases, chargers, and wallets that connect to your iPhone with magnets. Read on to learn about MagSafe improvements to the iPhone 12, how MagSafe accessories work, what kind of gear you'll be able to purchase, and what MagSafe means for the iPhone accessory market. If you enjoy learning about wireless charging, fast charging, and charging myths, we can also give you the 411 on how to safely charge your device, MagSafe or otherwise.

Are you looking for a way to support people of color and the Black Lives Matter movement? One easy thing you can do is support black app developers by downloading and using their apps. Here's a collection of apps from black developers to try out, including kids' apps, community apps, free game apps, a reading app, a restaurant app, a money management app, and more. Enjoy!

As winter descends upon the northern hemisphere, we Apple device users have plenty of apps and accessory options to keep us active during the brisk days and cold nights. Let’s take a look at some of the most useful and innovative winter-centric apps for your iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV, as well as high-tech gear to keep you warm and connected during frosty outdoor excursions.

Apple's over-ear headphones have been rumored for over two years, and now, they're here. Apple announced the AirPods Max on December 8; they're currently available for pre-order and ship on December 15, just in time for Christmas. Apple calls these headphones "the ultimate personal listening experience... radically original, completely reimagined, and elaborately simple". The high-fidelity, wireless AirPods Max and offer Active Noise Cancellation with Transparency mode, Adaptive EQ, spatial audio with dynamic head tracking, and more. The catch is... the price is $549! If you're an audiophile, that price point won't make you blink but, for everyone else, it seems a bit outrageous. So, what makes the AirPods Max so expensive and, how do they compare to similar high-quality headphones from Bose, Sony, and Beats?   

An adventurous or active lifestyle means you're more likely to invest in an iPhone that takes great pictures and videos to capture your favorite memories, such as the iPhone 12 Pro or Pro Max. Unfortunately, adventure and shenanigans go hand in hand with an increased likelihood of dropping or damaging your phone. I can't count the number of times my iPhone has fallen off of a rock climbing wall, slipped out of my backpack on a hike, or tumbled from a saddle bag while riding. Needless to say, I'm a bit of a protective iPhone case connoisseur, and I have high expectations of any case I use. With that in mind, I've put together a list to help you narrow down your search for the best drop-tested, shock proof, or otherwise strong and durable iPhone case.

There are so many types and brands of phone cases out there that it can be hard to know which is the best iPhone case for you. Personally, a wallet phone case suits my needs best, based on my tendency to lose small items. Having an iPhone case with a card holder for my ID, debit card, and, of course, coffee punch card has been so convenient that I've used an iPhone wallet case with every new iPhone I've purchased. Let's go over my favorite iPhone wallet cases of 2020, so you can pick your very first iPhone wallet case, or find the best wallet case for your new iPhone 12. We'll go over an Otterbox case, two options from Smartish, and more, that will fit everything from an iPhone 7 and iPhone 8 through the iPhone 11 and iPhone 12 lines.  

If you're willing to make the investment to add a HomePod or HomePod mini to several rooms in your house (if not all of them), you'll be able to take advantage of the new Intercom feature. Intercom is incredibly handy, allowing users to send and receive communications via a network of Bluetooth connected devices. This means that, for instance, instead of yelling to your kids that dinner is ready, now Siri can do it for you. That's right, you can now use Intercom to make Siri do some of your parent-to-child yelling. Just keep in mind that they, too, can join in the fun!

I have reviewed a number of robot vacuums over the years and it looks like the folks at Neabot have done as as well. They have learned a number of lessons and launched a Kickstarter for their Neabot NoMo Hands-Free Robot Vacuum ($499). I rarely write about crowdfunded projects, but this is a real product and Neabot sent me a review unit to try. The only thing I didn't get to try was the free companion mobile app that promises to let you control the path of the vacuum. The app wasn't ready in time for my review.

Due to its early establishment in the consumer autonomous lighting space, the Philips Hue brand has been one of the most successful and prolific in the home automation market. The Philips Hue Play product line intends to elevate their capabilities beyond simply turning lights on and off by augmenting the home entertainment experience. Are these expensive enhancements worth the aesthetic response they elicit when activated? Read on to find out.

Dire Wolf Digital has been making quite a name for itself as a preeminent digital board game conversion developer. Its latest release is a highly rated board game from 2018 that pits forest creatures against one another for dominance of the land. The game is essentially an area control and resource management title with a couple unique twists and die rolls to spice up randomized outcomes. Has Dire Wolf struck gold digging its conversion expertise into Root ($9.99)? Read on to find out.

With the advent of streaming gaming services along with the migration of Apple Silicon-powered laptops to run iOS applications, the ability to play high-end, graphically intense games on iOS devices has arrived. PlayStation 4 owners have had the ability to stream their PS4 games to their iPads or iPhones ever since Sony released its free PS4 Remote app. Unfortunately, even though Microsoft has provided Android users the ability to do the same for Xbox owners, iOS users are still waiting for official support. Given the ongoing public battles between Apple and Microsoft on being allowed to stream games via Microsoft's Xbox Game Pass service, Xbox owners wanting to stream games to their iOS devices need a third-party alternative. 

One of my favorite digital board game translations of all time is Temple Gates Games' Race for the Galaxy ($6.99). Shortly after releasing Race, Temple Gates announced it was working on the dice-based version of the game, appropriately called Roll for the Galaxy ($9.99). Several years later, the company has finally made good on its promise with the simultaneous release of the game on PC, Android, and iOS. Read on to find out if Roll for the Galaxy is my new favorite digital board game.

Battery chargers are as ubiquitous as wireless headsets, and trying to find that perfect needle in such a large haystack isn't easy. Some chargers have wireless capability with an anemic number of wired ports. Others have huge battery charge storage but are bulky and not that portable. And nearly all the chargers I've reviewed in the past have confusing battery level LED dot indicators that make determining remaining charge level a mystery. Infinacore has addressed nearly all these shortcomings with the Pandora Portable Power (P3) charging device ($39.95). Read on to find out how the company did.

While nearly all of the headphones I review for iPhone Life are wireless, there are those rare occasions when a product comes along that is so unique with lofty claims that warrant further investigation. Such a product is AIAIAI's TMA-2 HD wired modular headphones ($295). Just like vinyl records compared to CD's, wired headphones still offer an edge over their wireless counterparts in terms of audio fidelity since, unlike Bluetooth, there is no compression or manipulation of audio data to factor in wireless transmission data size or errors. And since all iPad models still include a headphone jack and there are people who don't want to deal with the hassles of maintaining a battery charge with their headsets just to quietly listen to music or watch a video, this review is mostly for them.

Apple's new, much more affordable HomePod mini is the anticipated answer to the many drawbacks of the first-ever HomePod. Apple's reports of streamlined syncing, a host of family features such as Intercom and voice recognition, and a seamless feel to your Siri smart assistant experience could make this a must-have for many. Yet it may still be too pricey for those of us who are happy with our Amazon Echo Dots. We'll look at what advocates are celebrating, what doubters are questioning, and what might help you decide whether a HomePod mini would be a good addition to your smart home.

As a major segment of the US population ages, so too grows the number of people showing signs of hearing loss. Whether you listened to or frequented rock concerts or danced the night away at thumping loud parties in your younger years, you may be experiencing hearing loss to some degree. Difficulty hearing can be both frustrating and inconvenient. While your hearing loss may not yet require an expensive audiologist screening or hearing aid, many folks notice that everyday sounds and conversations are inaudible. Olive Union designed an impressive wireless earbud called the Olive Smart Ear ($299) to amplify sound, which allows the wearer to hear different audio frequencies better.  Is it worth the three hundred-dollar price tag? Read on to find out.

You might not get excited by something as mundane as a USB-C A/C adapter, but in this case, you should. The future is USB-C, which gives you greater compatibility, faster charging, and a reversible plug. Apple has embraced USB-C for its MacBooks and the Pro version of its iPads. It's likely that future iPhones will join the party as well. But, you get a USB-C adapter with your MacBook so what's the big deal about the Omnia 100W PD Fast Charger ($54.99) that Aukey sent me to try?

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