It doesn’t seem that long since we had a choice to make when it came to external drives: we could opt for spinning metal drives if we wanted high capacities at affordable prices, or SSD if we wanted fast transfer speeds, were willing to compromise on capacity and were prepared to pay the substantial premium. But that’s beginning to change … We’re seeing SSD capacities rise and prices fall, and G-Technology is now taking available of the far greater robustness of a solid-state drive to offer a rugged drive that can handle almost anything you can throw at it....

It’s been a while since we’ve checked in on the state of iPhone and iPad controllers, but I have seen some improvements since we first covered some of the shortcomings with the early batch of game controllers that came out under Apple’s Made-for-iPhone licensing program. Today I’m taking a look at the new Tt eSports Contour MFi controller, a new $65 option that includes a classic Xbox-style design and a built-in stand to hold your iPhone and turn it into a true handheld game console....

Precision. That’s the word that immediately came to mind the minute I picked up my Apple Watch for the first time. Something about this device felt different, on an almost subconscious level, from any other Apple product I’ve used before. Perhaps I was just caught up in the moment. After all, the Watch is the first totally new product to come out of Apple since the introduction of the iPad, which feels like so many years ago....

When Apple decided to drop USB for USB-C I was actually excited about it, contrary to most people’s reactions. Thankfully there are many companies like 23Devices making solid products to help us be more productive with the tools we have. You could chalk up my positive reaction to the fact that I was still using a 2013 MacBook Air at the time. However, when I bought a new computer I was worried that would change my perception of the shift....

I’ve reviewed a lot of iHome clock radios over the past nine years. They weren’t all formulaic, but there was a very clear evolutionary line from the original 2005-vintage, iPod-only iH5 to the iPad-ready iDL95 released last year: take two speakers, stick a clock in the middle, center a dock on the top, then make the enclosure sort of flat but pleasantly curvy. iHome had a winning general concept and look, which it updated annually with small feature, color, and shape tweaks....

The Apple TV+ comedy Mythic Quest announced last week that it will debut a special episode shot on iPhone on May 22. Now, creator and star Rob McElhenney has offered more details on that process in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. McElhenney pitched the idea to Apple, saying he needed 40 iPhones and 20 sets of earbuds. As you might expect, Apple was immediately on board and got the equipment to McElhenney and the team on the same day....

Eton Rukus solar/speaker, GoalZero 7W foldable, and Gomatic 10W Sunvolt This year, the solar charging options have really improved for those who need to charge their iOS (or any) devices away from a wall outlet or car. The three products below are some of the more interesting we’ve seen. The Eton Rukus Portable Bluetooth Solar Powered Wireless Speaker System with 1A USB Output I originally received the Rukus as part of our Best Portable BluetoothSpeakers review roundup but honestly, the speakers on this guy aren’t anything to write home about....

VoiceSnap, a new app from MocaApps LLC, allows you to take photos using voice commands on an iPhone or other iOS device. Rich in features, the app is very customizable and includes the settings needed to make it an effective solution for taking photos. When you first open the app, it asks for permission to use your microphone, and then brings you into a concise, helpful tutorial comprised of seven screens you flip through....

Knives Out director Rian Johnson says he’d be open to making sequels starring Daniel Craig’s detective. Before he jumps back into the galaxy far, far away with an all-new Star Wars film trilogy, Johnson found time to tackle Knives Out, a twisty whodunnit inspired by the likes of Agatha Christie. Assembling an all-star cast headlined by Craig, Chris Evans, Jamie Lee Curtis, and many others, Knives Out is poised to be one of the breakout hits of the fall movie season, offering cinephiles a refreshing reprieve from franchise installments....

[Update: The rumor is even less credible based on this line on the iPhone X product page: “AirPods with wireless charging capabilities coming in 2018.”] A new report today says that the upcoming AirPods wireless charging case will cost $69 and launch at the end of the year. However, we’re somewhat skeptical as we haven’t seen any official details from Apple and the company already charges that amount for standard replacement charging cases....

The idea of a smart home security monitor has been in the back of my mind since the Mirai malware infected so many devices earlier last year. I already take precautionary steps in creating a secure home network, but I wanted an extra layer of protection to work for me. That’s where Cujo comes in. After a few weeks of testing the “smart firewall,” I got to see just how efficient these systems could be....

You tap the top of the speaker to pause/play, tilt it 45 degrees left to return to the previous track or 45 degrees left to skip to the next. When I saw this on our sister site 9to5Toys, I wondered whether this would be a gimmick that you use a few times, or a genuinely useful form of control. There was only one way to find out, so I took delivery of one earlier this month to put it to the test …...

Rian Johnson says his upcoming Star Wars trilogy will tap into the franchise’s essence while telling a story featuring all-new characters. The director is currently preparing to release his new murder-mystery film Knives Out, but shortly after that he’ll be making a return journey to the galaxy far, far away. About a month before Johnson’s Star Wars: The Last Jedi opened in theaters two years ago, Lucasfilm officially announced Johnson would oversee a new film trilogy, writing and directing at least the first installment....

Season 3 of AMC’s travel series Ride with Norman Reedus begins by working as a subtle advertisement for the network’s biggest (though declining) hit, The Walking Dead. And why wouldn’t it? Now that Reedus is the ostensible star of the zombie series, taking over for the sort-of departed for Andrew Lincoln, whose Rick Grimes character is reportedly going to be be the focus of a number of Walking Dead “films,” it’s fitting that he would also step into the role of the show’s ambassador, even if it’s at a less-than-primetime time slot....

Ridley Scott has been making remarkable films for over four decades now, starting his career in 1977 and breaking out big time in 1979 when he created one of the greatest horror-sci-fi movies of all-time. Since then, Scott has directed over 25 films and has more in progress, even at the age of 82. Scott has four Academy Award nominations for Best Director, although he never won one. Overall, the films that Scott directed have picked up 40 Oscar nominations, winning nine of them, but his movies have not always found acceptance by a vast majority of moviegoers....

Just Released Fly Delta for iPad | Free Airliner Delta just released the iPad version of its Fly Delta app on the App Store. It allows flyers to browse destinations, plan trips, compare flights, view seat maps, purchase on-board amenities like Wi-Fi, view fly-over photos, download Sky magazines, destination-related music, and movies from iTunes while flying, manage SkyMiles account, check-in to flight, pay for check bags, get flight status, and track flights....

Although Becoming Steve Jobs follows a mostly familiar storytelling arc, Schlender and Tetzeli’s strengths come from two sources: direct access to Jobs from the mid-1980’s until 2011, and interviews with major players conducted after Jobs’ death. While their quotes tend to be short and in service of the larger narrative, the list of participating heavy hitters is non-trivial: Laurene Powell Jobs represents the Jobs family, alongside current Apple executives Tim Cook, Jony Ive and Eddy Cue, ex-Apple executives Jon Rubinstein, Tony Fadell, Katie Cotton, Fred Anderson and Avie Tevanian, Jobs’ top ad men Regis McKenna and Lee Clow, Pixar’s Ed Catmull and John Lasseter, Microsoft’s Bill Gates, and Disney CEO Bob Iger....

Using Google Keep for iOS Google Keep is a free download from the Apple iTunes Store. It works on iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch. Initially, my intention was just to review Google Keep, thinking I had no use for it. But something strange happened along the way: I started using it all the time. Google Keep starts out with a blank slate; a simple interface anyone can get the hang of quickly....

We’ve reviewed a great many Bluetooth speakers over the years – I half-suspect Seth has built an extension to his home out of them. I’ve generally not been tempted myself. If I’m at home, I’m either streaming to the hifi in the living-room, or playing through the (wired) B&W MM-1s in my office. If I’m out & about, I’m listening through my B&W P5 headphones. But there are times when you get chatting with friends about music and you all try to listen to an example on the iPhone speaker, and that doesn’t really cut it....

The latest episode of Rick and Morty season 4 continued the show’s blend of sci-fi antics and scathing pop culture homages - but also included some genuine character development for Rick. “One Crew Over the Crewcoo’s Morty” opened with the titular pair raiding an Indiana Jones-style tomb in search of a gem. Unfortunately, their prize had already been recovered by a self-proclaimed heist artist named Miles Knightly. Forced to gather a misfit crew, Rick and Morty infiltrated HeistCon in order to confront their latest nemesis....