Indholdsfortegnelse for December 2019 i MacLife

macOS Catalina was pushed out to compatible Mac devices last month — if you’re wondering whether your Mac is supported then you’ll be pleased to know that the majority of Macs — such as MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, iMac and Mac Mini — from 2012 are in, meaning you have no excuse not to upgrade (unless you’re hanging on in there with an older version). If you’d like to know exactly which models are applicable to the Catalina update, Apple has them listed at bit.ly/catsprt. Back in Mac|Life #159, we showed you how to prep your Mac for the Catalina update, but it also might be worth checking out the Apple Support page on how to upgrade (bit.ly/catupgr) because it takes you through the basic steps of installing Catalina. Now…

BENRO 3XS LITE When handheld filming needs even more than iPhone 11 Pro stabilization, this motorized 3-axis gimbal folds to travel. $99 from xseries.benrogear.com HYPERDRIVE USB–C HUB Adds two USB–A ports to your USB–C MacBook charger that charge and connect other devices. $39.99 for 13–inch, $49.99 for 15–inch from hypershop.com MOSHI OVERTURE Want stylish protection for your iPhone 11 Pro or Pro Max? This vegan leather folio includes a removable drop–proof case. $44.95 from moshi.com…

I have received a recall notice to have the battery in my MacBook Pro replaced. At first I was very impressed that Apple was offering to replace the battery free of charge. I thought all I would have to do was arrange to take it into one of their stores or my local dealer and wait an hour or so to have everything done. On reading Apple’s instructions and talking to my local dealer, I realized the process was unfortunately not as straightforward as I had hoped. No, I had to take my MacBook to an Apple store or dealership for initial tests, then they would send it thousands of miles away for the battery to be replaced. My local dealer thought the whole process would take somewhere between two…

IT HAS THE the same icon as the iTunes app, and works similarly except for the eviction of TV Programmes, Films, Podcasts, and Audiobooks. Links to your Library and Playlists appear on the left, populated with the tracks already on your Mac or synced via iCloud Music Library. Any connected iOS device will also appear in the sidebar, but almost all of iTunes’ local sync and backup functions have moved to the Finder. > Words don’t come easily The Lyrics feature has moved from a tab on the Up Next pop–up in iTunes to its own icon at the top right of Music’s window, beside Up Next. Click this to see… well, maybe nothing. Lyrics are only available to Apple Music subscribers, and don’t exist yet for all tracks. Unlike…

IF YOU USE the Mail app with its default settings, you may not notice much difference, but there are a few new features. If you’ve stuck with the old list view rather than adopting Mail’s recent three–pane structure, this can no longer be activated by ticking “Use classic layout” in Mail > Preferences > Viewing. On the View menu, check “Use column layout” and uncheck “Show Side Preview” to get the same arrangement. You’ll find other options in these two locations. > Block, Mute, and Unsubscribe The new version of Mail adds quick ways to prevent email annoyances. Muting a thread turns off notifications, so a busy conversation doesn’t ping constantly. Blocking a sender marks or bins their messages, and unsubscribe sends a request to remove you from an email…

WHEN THE IPOD was invented, the only way to get content onto it was from your Mac, using iTunes. That ability to sync from macOS to a connected iOS device persists, with a Summary screen appearing when you select the device’s icon in iTunes, offering to sync various types of media or back up your device to the Mac’s storage. In macOS Catalina, it’s moved to the Finder — a more logical place. Unfortunately, this hasn’t tempted Apple to add full file browsing. > To sync or not to sync Direct sync has always been confusing. The process may remove content as well as adding it; stick to syncing with one Mac. iCloud sync, with iTunes Match or iTunes Music to include your own imports, may be more convenient, and…

WHETHER YOU’VE JUST bought your first Mac or are looking for an app for a specific task, deciding which one to invest your time and money in can be tricky. Apple has tried to help with the App Store, showcasing apps and publishing user reviews. But, of course, not all apps for the Mac are on the Mac App Store and user reviews aren’t always helpful. So here’s our guide to the best apps in 13 categories for Mac, iPhone, and iPad.…

> LOGIC PRO X $199.99 From Apple, apple.com Features Virtual drummer + customizable guitar and bass rigs + vintage synths and organs FOR MANY MAC users, GarageBand does everything they need when it comes to recording and creating music. For those working in a professional environment, however, Logic Pro X is the choice. Logic is optimized for Mac hardware, and the latest version includes tweaks to take advantage of the jaw–dropping, number–crunching feats of which the forthcoming Mac Pro is capable. These include support for up to 56 processing threads and five times the number of plugins of previous high–end Macs. For mere mortal machines, Logic now supports up to 1,000 audio tracks and 1,000 software instruments, with support for 1,000 auxiliary channel strips, 1,000 external MIDI tracks, and 12…

> TRIPIT PRO $Free (IAPs) From Concur, tripit.com Features Creates itinerary from emails + check–in reminder + interactive airport terminal maps TRIPIT PRO ALLOWS you to keep all your travel documents and booking confirmations in one place and uses them to build an itinerary for each trip. It can also help you find a better seat, remind you when to leave for the airport, and when to check–in. There are apps for iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch. Simply forward booking confirmation emails to a TripIt email address and it takes it from there. Support for Siri Shortcuts allows you to check on progress just by asking Siri. It’s not cheap if you go for the Pro version ($49 a year), which you’ll need to get all the features, but if…

> NOTABILITY $11.99 (IAPs) From Ginger Labs, gingerlabs.com Features Syncs audio recording with notes + Apple Pencil support + convert handwriting to text NOTE–TAKING IS an art few of us have mastered. Trying to listen to what’s said in a meeting or lecture while noting down what has already been said is tricky. But Notability has you covered. It records audio while you make notes by typing or handwriting with an Apple Pencil. And then it syncs the audio with the notes, allowing you to tap anywhere to hear what was said at that point. You can also import documents and then sign or annotate them, and organize notes into separate folders. Notes are organized in the Library and you can search for words in handwritten notes, as well as…

> iTUNES U $Free From Apple, apple.com Features Courses from top universities + Apple learning initiatives like Everyone Can Code THERE ARE LOADS of great apps for learning to code, or learning to play a musical instrument, or learning languages. For the latter category, Duolingo stands out for the way it turns language learning into a game. For learning an instrument, Yousician is excellent, combining theory with technique and songs you actually want to learn. But for its sheer breadth of opportunities and possibilities, iTunes U is unbeatable. And the app is completely free. Best of all, however, is the fact that the available courses are created and made available by some of the world’s top learning institutions including Stanford and Harvard universities in the US, and the Open University…

From $699 From Apple, apple.com Features A13 Bionic, 64, 128, or 256GB storage, 6.1–inch LCD display with True Tone, P3 gamut and 326 ppi pixel density, dual 12MP ultra–wide and wide cameras (rear), 12MP camera (front), IP68 splash, water and dust resistant The iPhone 11 is Apple’s big surprise for 2019. Unlike its previous “entry–level” iPhone — the XR — the iPhone 11 isn’t to be seen as the poor man’s choice. It’s the iPhone that will appeal to most people thanks to a brilliant blend of features and a seriously welcome price tag of just $699 (lower even than that of the XR when it launched). IT’S ALL ABOUT THE CAMERAS Though the glass and aluminium design of the iPhone 11 is mostly unchanged from last year’s XR, aside…

From $329 From Apple, apple.com Features A10 Fusion chip, 32 or 128GB storage, 10.2–inch display, 264ppi, Smart Connector Apple’s previous generation 9.7–inch iPad was its best value model, and this year’s entry–level iPad continues the trend, but it’s now a bit bigger and better. At the fore of its minor upgrades is a marginally larger 10.2–inch screen. It might not sound like much of an increase, but it will make using Split View on iPadOS more comfortable, or allow you to take greater advantage of the Sidecar feature in macOS Catalina that turns your iPad into a second Mac display. To keep things looking clear, Apple has also increased the pixel count to match the stretch in the screen, so although the pixel density hasn’t raised, it retains the visual…

$19.99 From Apptorium, apptorium.com Needs macOS 10.14 or later; 64–bit processor Sidenotes sits at the side of your screen, out of the way but always accessible while you work, and it sits on top of every other window. Notes can be color–coded and grouped into folders, created directly from the contents of the clipboard, and formatted as plain text, Markdown, or code. And you can drag and drop images, links and code snippets onto them. It’s a great way to keep snippets of text or images in front of you while you work. You can also use it for to–do lists, and the support for different folders means you can keep only the notes you need visible. Sidenotes also supports share extensions to share notes with other apps. There are…

$199 From Klipsch, klipsch.com Features Fast–charging case, four mics, IPX4 Klipsch’s first set of true wireless buds come with a heavyweight fast–charging case in a brushed metal finish. Three small lights indicate the amount of juice left in increments. The buds themselves are black, with rose–gold branding across the top of their elliptical housing. The neck of the unit is quite long, and while some users will prefer the deeper fit of the buds, others may find it uncomfortable. The central buttons on each unit perform functions such as pausing a track — once you get the hang of short or long–pressing the bud to facilitate your request. There is no noise–cancelling tech here, but there are four mics — and in our tests, voice calls were nice and clear.…

THE MONITORS EXAMINED in this group test all have their good points, and that’s on top of their affordable price tags. You’d probably be happy with any of these, but a couple did stand out above the rest. Samsung’s S24H85 wasn’t the slimmest, but it is higher resolution than the rest. Yet the cost is also highest by far, so it couldn’t take pride of place. At 22 inches, Dell’s P2219HC is slightly smaller than the others, but it’s a strong performer with good connectivity options. (Dell also deserves praise for using no polystyrene in its packaging, something we wish other manufacturers would consider.) It didn’t achieve top scores in our Datacolor colorimeter tests, but the differences between all these units was just a few percent. USB–C isn’t a requirement…

Free (IAPs) From Nintendo, mariokarttour.com Made for iPhone, iPad, iPod touch Needs iOS 10 or later Nintendo has a knack for churning out game after game featuring its ever–marketable roster of familiar faces. Even if most are great fun, few are hugely innovative. That’s a little different with Mario Kart Tour. While most iOS racing games are played in landscape, Mario Kart Tour opts for portrait. It works better than expected — you get a clearer view of the track ahead, making it easier to aim at your rivals and deploy the tools and tricks that are the core of any Mario Kart game. Nintendo scores more points with its control system, which has been designed to allow you to race one–handed, much like Super Mario Run. Your vehicle automatically…

Free (IAPs) From Plex Inc, plex.tv Made for iPhone, iPad, iPod touch Needs iOS 9.3 The market is full of choices for streaming media, but the DIY route of Plex means you’ll never have to deal with a favorite show being yanked from the airwaves. If you have the file on a machine running the Plex Media Server, in any format, it’s yours. And Plex’s ability to stream through the internet at large means that libraries are easily shared. If your connection can handle it, friends and family can tune in to your libraries too. This iOS app has recently had a huge overhaul, one which fixes our biggest bugbear with previous editions: its navigation. Where picking categories and accessing content tucked away in libraries was once an infuriatingly obtuse…

$3.99 From Charlie Chapman, darknoise.app Made for iPhone, iPad, iPod touch Needs iOS 12.1 or later White noise can block out the sounds of the world to help you concentrate, and it can help you get to sleep by giving you something to listen to that won’t stimulate your brain. But what works for one person might not work for another, so Dark Noise offers more than 30 different kinds of white noise, from crackling campfires to the sound of heavy rain. The emphasis here is on the sounds, and they’re all very high quality recordings. The differences between some can be very subtle; for example the difference between white, brown, grey and pink noise is just a matter of minor pitch differences, but it’s easy to find something soothing…

Given that deals have been made with a number of manufacturers, we can say for certain that Apple is being a lot more friendly and open with its streaming protocol. This means there’s a whole lot of expansion waiting to happen. Don’t expect AirPlay to come to Android phones, but do expect a growing list of speakers, TVs, and mixed multimedia devices to support it in the coming years. AFFORDABLE AIRPLAY The Apple TV 4K is a perfectly capable device, but it’s also two years old — a new version as a combined Apple TV+ and AirPlay 2 flagship would not be outside the realms of possibility. Similarly, the HomePod is not old, as such, but the demise of Airport Express may lead Apple to add a new product in…

RARELY HAS A selection of hardware impressed us like this one. In fact, this is a first: we’ve not awarded a full five stars to every entry in this section of the magazine before. That should be evidence enough that if you’re looking for an AirPlay 2 speaker, any one of these will serve you wonderfully. In the end we’ve put the Libratone Zipp Mini 2 in the top spot, mainly because we have to pick a winner, and because of its convenience. AirPlay 2 is really all about its multiroom experience, and scattering a few of these compact, flexible devices around the home (or, indeed, taking one around with you) makes it the clear winner on that count. But here’s the caveat: if money was no object, we’d fill…

Until relatively recently there was little support for Acrobat PDF documents built into the iPad, but this changed with iOS 11. Apple hasn’t yet delivered a bundled app comparable to Preview for viewing PDFs and completing forms, but there are some good quality third–party solutions which are either free or inexpensive. Most popular are two free apps from Adobe: Acrobat Reader for PDF (bit.ly/ml161rdrpdf) and Fill & Sign (bit.ly/ml161lsgn), the second of which is aimed particularly at completing and sending PDF forms. As with all Adobe products, both apps use a special version of Adobe’s own engine for reading and rendering the PDF, and tend to cater for a wider range of forms than products from other vendors. This is because Adobe supplies its proprietary form design software to businesses…

With any sleep problem like this, the first step is to reset the System Management Chip (SMC) and the Non–Volatile RAM (NVRAM, formerly PRAM). In many cases, that should restore normal function, but running some versions of macOS makes specific models prone to sleep and wake problems, particularly MacBook Pro models connected to external displays. This probably relates to the EFI firmware supplied with that release, and updating to the latest version can fix it. Apple now only provides those firmware updates as part of macOS and its security updates. There’s a list of versions for recent models at bit.ly/ml161efi. Another cause is an incompatible kernel extension. Those are harder to address, but most third–party extensions should now be installed in/Library/Extensions — look at that for anything old and unneeded.…

Some years ago, Apple stopped supplying Mac firmware updates separately, and now delivers them inside macOS upgrades, updates, and security updates instead. For example, the macOS Mojave 10.14.1 update, High Sierra Security Update 2018-002 and Sierra Security Update 2018-005 all brought a set of firmware updates which also changed the numbering system for the firmware. Some Macs don’t appear to install these correctly, though, and one common feature to such problems is that the internal storage of that Mac has been replaced, normally with a non–Apple product, such as an original hard drive which has been upgraded to an SSD. One workaround is to replace the original storage in order to perform the required update, but as “firmware” is largely stored on disk that may not have any effect when…

REQUIRES An iPhone, an Apple ID, iPhone X or later and iOS 13 or later for Memoji stickers YOU WILL LEARN How to add GIFs and stickers to Messages IT WILL TAKE 5 minutes CONVERSATIONS IN THE Messages app needn’t be limited to text. You can brighten things up by adding animated GIFs and colorful stickers to the conversation with a few taps. Anyone can add a GIF quickly and easily thanks to Messages’ built–in GIF tool. Sending a sticker requires you to download a sticker pack from the App Store first. There’s a huge range to choose from, both free and paid-for, so you’re sure to find something you like. If you have an iPhone X or later, you can add Memoji and Animoji to your Messages conversations. These use…

× DEBIT Apple Card care instructions warn of damage from leather, pockets, other credit cards OH NO Security nightmare for Twitter as hackers take over boss Jack Dorsey’s own account NIXED Apple offers free repairs as some older Watch models develop cracks around the glass ✓ CREDIT Well, there’s a great argument for Apple Pay right there… OH BRO If this keeps happening, they may eventually tweet something more popular than Jack FIXED Who knew that the Apple Watch was actually repairable?…

1 Sennheiser Momentum Wireless In the continued absence of Apple over–ear headphones, these $399.95 cans feature restrained styling, active noise cancelling, Siri support, and a built–in Tile tracker. And they look a lot harder to misplace than AirPods. 2 Asus ZenWiFi XT8 Just as we’ve all invested in 802.11ac Wave 2 mesh routers for reliable Wi–Fi, 802.11ax is here, aka Wi–Fi 6. Among the first with a next–gen mesh solution is Asus, offering a two–box tri–band kit at a price yet to be announced, likely north of $500. 3 Sonos Port Replacing the Sonos Connect, this $399 slab upgrades existing hi–fi kit to a multi–room audio source or speaker. Supporting AirPlay 2, it has both Wi–Fi and Ethernet, a 12V trigger to power up compatible units, and built–in EQ. 4…

1 GoPro Max gopro.com $499 GoPro’s most advanced camera to date has two lenses for taking spherical shots, but it’s not about VR. For a start, it’s a super–flexible action cam, with two lenses that can take video in all kinds of different lens widths. Choose which way the touchscreen should face, and which direction the footage should be captured, all with incredible stabilization. Or capture spherical footage, but show only a standard rectangle in the finished app — you can choose what to show, and move the window around easily, within the app. It’s a video miracle. 2 Libra bit.ly/libraks From $109 With the release of iPadOS, we’re truly close to the iPad becoming a laptop replacement. Case in point: this Bluetooth keyboard takes advantage of the new limited…

APPLE REFERS TO it as “the Apple TV app”, but it’s actually just called “TV”. Serving the same purpose as its counterpart in iOS, this new macOS app replaces the Films and TV Programmes tabs in iTunes. Since there’s no need for a track display at the top, Apple has left intact the horizontal tab bar that it removed in Music, which is slightly confusing. The Films and TV Shows tabs here access the relevant sections of the iTunes Store, while selecting Library switches the display to show your existing video collection in the left sidebar — which in turn has sections for Films and TV Shows. The Kids and Watch Now tabs each offer iTunes Store recommendations across both film and TV; Watch Now also highlights items from your…

> YOU NEED A BUDGET $Free (IAPs) From You Need A Budget, youneedabudget.com Features Budgeting advice + can hook into your bank accounts + goal tracking THERE’S NO SHORTAGE of personal finance apps available for the Mac and iOS. They vary widely in quality, however, and it often seems like the best budgeting apps are not Mac compatible. Also, the advent of open banking means there are a growing number of apps that can move your money around automatically, for example by rounding up the cost of a coffee to the nearest pound and putting the remainder in your savings account each time you buy another cup. Some of these new–breed apps, though, are tied to specific banks, like Monzo. For those yet to embrace the banking revolution, there is…

> HIYA $Free (IAPs) From Hiya, hiya.com Features Auto call blocking + number ID + reverse lookup THE IPHONE’S PHONE app allows you to block specific phone numbers, but Hiya goes one better. It maintains a database of telemarketers and robocallers, and alerts you when you get a call from them. You can block known culprits or have Hiya alert you when a call comes in that’s likely to be a scam. It encourages users to contribute to community knowledge by reporting scams and fraud. You can look up a number in Hiya’s database, and add numbers from Hiya to Contacts. Basic features are free, with advanced protection requiring the Premium version. Open the setting app Tap phone then Call Blocking & identification…

> AGENDA $Free (IAPs) From Momenta, agenda.com Features Agenda view + Markdown support + excellent organization tools THERE ARE MANY things to admire about Agenda on iPhone, iPad, and Mac. But it’s the feature that gives it its name that stands out. The Agenda view displays upcoming tasks by project so you can see your priorities at a glance. Each project can contain a number of notes, and notes can either be regular text or to–do lists. They can have files attached to them, be moved to a different project, or shared with another app. Markdown support makes formatting easy, and you can create Siri Shortcuts to quickly display lists. We also love the fact that it’s free, and you only pay for additional features.…

From $999 (Pro), $1099 (Pro Max) From Apple, apple.com Features A13 Bionic chip, 64, 256 or 512GB storage, 5.8–inch (Pro) or 6.5–inch (Pro Max) Super Retina display with P3, XDR and True Tone, 458ppi pixel density, IP68 water resistance (4m), 6.63 ounces (Pro), 7.79 ounces (Pro Max) Let’s just get this out the way nice and early: the iPhone Pro (and its larger sibling, the Pro Max) is the best iPhone you can buy. Shocked? We think not. What might surprise you is the price, which hasn’t gone up since the XS and XS Max came out. However, the standard iPhone 11 is cheaper than the XR before it, so the gap between that and the base Pro has increased, making it a little harder to justify buying the flagship…

WHILE IT’S EASY to get distracted by the latest high–end, high–price 4K and 5K displays, most of us find it better to place something more humble on our desks. This applies even more when you’re setting up a home office, and the price of 24–inch HD–level displays has reached very affordable levels. We selected four monitors at the 24–inch level, as well as a 22–inch and 27–inch model, and put them through their paces to see which comes out on top once cost, build and performance have been taken into account. Price is an important factor here, but it is still important to select a display that will do a good job. Never forget that you will be staring at your screen far more than any other bit of technology…

Free (Premium $9.99/month) From Adobe, adobe.com Made for iPad Needs iOS 12.4 or higher For a long time, Adobe’s iPad apps were essentially cut–down versions of its desktop software. More recently it has begun to develop apps specifically for the iPad, helped in no small part by advances in hardware and software technology and tools like the Apple Pencil. Fresco is just such an app, built from the ground up for iPad, with desktop versions slated to follow at some point. It runs on all recent iPads and Minis, though a more powerful Pro model will give the best experience as well as more screen real estate to work with. Adobe has managed to take a very powerful set of graphics creation features and make them as approachable and usable…

$4.99 From Halcyon Products, neural.cam Made for iPhone, iPad, iPod touch Needs iPhone 6 Plus or newer, iOS 12 Low light performance has always been a weak spot for smartphone cameras. With such small physical apertures, software is used to reduce noise and increase exposure after a shot has been taken. This is what NeuralCam for iOS does, pretty much exclusively. There aren’t many features you might normally find in a camera app — you can’t even zoom, though on phones with more than one lens you can switch between wide and zoom lenses, and also use the selfie lens. Auto and manual focus modes are available, but the main point of the app is capturing better detail in low light. Holding the phone steady, you take your shot and…

$4.99 From Nomada Studio, Devolver Digital, devolverdigital.com Made for iPhone, iPad, iPod touch Needs iOS 10 or later We’ve recently been blessed with a glut of beautiful iOS games: first Sky, then Journey, now GRIS. This latest offering from Nomada Studio is a gorgeous 2D platformer that tasks you with restoring color and life to a ruined gray wasteland. As you explore the world you collect points of light, which form paths across voids and unlock skills to overcome the various obstacles you encounter. Each level is characterized by a color, and each presents different challenges requiring different tactics. The red level is beset by mighty dust storms that temporarily halt your progress, the green areas feature shape–shifting platforms that require precise timing, and so on. Like Journey, everything feels…

Sometimes, before a hard drive fails, you get sufficient warning to be able to rescue as much as you can from it before it packs up completely, as it will continue to mount on your Desktop. In your case, it seems to have suffered internal mechanical failure too rapidly to allow that. Avoid powering it up at all until you’ve decided what to do about this, as that could make the damage worse. Modern data recovery services can dismantle even badly failed hard drives in clean room facilities and mount their platters in special enclosures to recover data. However, this is very expensive and only likely to be worth your while if the files you have lost are very valuable. Typical costs are thousands of dollars, and there’s a limited…

REQUIRES An Apple ID YOU WILL LEARN How to find new apps and download them, how to update your apps, and how to redeem Mac App Store gift cards IT WILL TAKE 10 minutes IF YOU WANT to install new apps for your Mac, there’s a good chance that you will find them on the Mac App Store. Apple’s app repository was totally redesigned in macOS Mojave, with a much greater emphasis on discoverability and editorial content, making it much easier for you to find whatever it is you’re looking for. Apple keeps a firm grip on the Mac App Store, reviewing every single app before it’s allowed to be distributed. That allows Apple to catch dodgy apps and malicious code before they reach you and your Mac. If you…

>iPHONE 6S SERVICE PROGRAM Apple is offering free repairs for iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus phones with a faulty component that may fail and prevent the device from powering on. The issue affects a limited number of units made between October 2018 and August 2019, and Apple’s service program covers them up to two years after initial purchase. You can check your serial number on Apple’s dedicated support page at bit.ly/MAL161-6s-service. >SLEEP APP COMING TO WATCH? Apple’s own App Store listing for the Alarms app on Apple Watch has, apparently mistakenly, included a screenshot referring to a Sleep app in which you can set your bedtime and wake–up time. Such an app does not exist yet on Apple Watch. The Clock app on iPhone has a feature called Bedtime,…

You explained the Unicode/Codepage issue that underlies the challenge of text extraction from some PDF documents, but your recommended solution (contact the author for the original word–processor document) is not the best or necessarily the easiest solution, particularly for an older document for which contacting the author may present a huge challenge. The obvious thing to do in this circumstance is to replace the hidden OCR layer with a new one and re–run the OCR. Most PDF editors have this capability but offer only rudimentary post–recognition editing or limited multi–language specification (your correspondent was dealing with a PDF in both Polish and English). ABBYY FineReader on the Mac allows for OCR of a document in several languages and has high–quality recognition; but it does not, unlike its Windows version, permit…

PREVIOUSLY JUST AN option within iTunes, the Podcasts content category now has its own app on the Mac, just as it has for years on iOS. Podcasts consist of an audio file that might be up to an hour or more long. Because they typically come in series, they’re organized differently from music or videos. Hover over any podcast and a Play button appears, which you can click to stream the latest episode: that is, listen to it online without storing it. Clicking the three dots gives you the option to subscribe. Or click the thumbnail or title for a detailed view with a description and a list of episodes. Here you can add episodes to your library or subscribe, meaning all future episodes are added. (This doesn’t automatically add…

Choose your perfect package GET THE DIGITAL EDITION Only $18 Every Year GET THE PRINT EDITION Only $30 Every Year GET THE COMPLETE PRINT & DIGITAL BUNDLE $42 Every Year Get the print edition of Mac|Life delivered direct to your door, plus instant access on your iPad, iPhone, or Android device. “Mac|Life is the essential magazine for Apple lovers, as beautiful as an Apple product, and packed with informative features, reviews, and tutorials.” Nick Odantzis, Editor Subscribe online today… myfavouritemagazines.co.uk/submcl Or call: 844-779-2822 (toll free) TERMS AND CONDITIONS Prices and savings quoted are compared to buying full-priced print and digital issues. You will receive 13 issues a year. You can write to us or call us to cancel your subscription within 14 days of purchase. Your subscription is for the…

> 1PASSWORD $3.99/month From 1Password, 1password.com Features Compromised password alert + autofill passwords + iCloud syncing MOST ONLINE FRAUD relies on victims not properly protecting their data by using easy–to–guess passwords, or storing details in plain text either on–or offline. The answer is using a password manager — 1Password is our favorite. It works across all Apple devices, stores data securely, and syncs it with iCloud. There are separate sections for online accounts, credit cards, software licences, and secure notes. Also, its Watchtower feature is integrated with haveibeenpwned.com and alerts you when any of your passwords have been compromised.…

> FANTASTICAL 2 From $4.99 From Flexibits, flexibits.com Features Natural language input + Siri Shortcuts support + beautiful UI FANTASTICAL 2 ALLOWS you to create appointments and events using natural language and share them across your devices, as well as set reminders. There are apps for Mac ($49.99), iPhone ($4.99), iPad ($9.99) and Apple Watch ($4.99), and each makes intelligent use of the screen space. On the iPhone, for example, the month view displays an endless scrolling list of appointments below the calendar, but if you turn the iPhone on its side, the app switches to week view. There are lots of pre–cooked Siri Shortcuts for creating appointments and viewing calendars and lists, and you can set time and geofence alerts. The DayTicker is also very useful.…

> CAMERA+ 2 $3.99 From LateNiteSoft, latenitesoft.com Features Clarity tool + RAW processing + manual controls CAMERA+ WAS ONE of the best photo apps on the iPhone, but Camera+ 2 is even better. It offers precise control over manual controls like shutter speed ISO and white balance. But if you don’t need them, they’re tucked away out of sight. For those who prefer to let the camera do the work, the Smile setting detects smiles in–frame and only shoots when they’re detected. And the Stabilization mode only shoots when the camera is stable enough to get a good shot. One of our favorite features is the ability to specify different points in the frame for focus and exposure locking. There are loads of useful features for processing RAW images, allowing…

HEREAT MAC|LIFE we believe you should only buy the things that you really need, which is why our Reviews section is so important to us, and you. We don’t want you to waste time and money on inferior products, and while we aim to include only the best hardware and apps, occasionally we like to include products that look promising, even if they don’t always deliver. We only use carefully selected experts, with specialist knowledge in their respective field, so no matter which review you’re reading, you can be confident the person who’s tested it knows their stuff, allowing you to make an informed purchase. Each review is rated using a five–star system, with half stars, which is easy to understand because we give an explanation next to each one.…

From $399 From Apple, apple.com Features S5 chip with 64–bit dual–core processor, OLED Retina display (40mm: 324x394 pixels; 44mm: 368x448 pixels), compass APPLE WATCH S5 + Always–on screen + More storage - Shorter battery life - Not much of an upgrade APPLE HAS FIXED ONE OF THE BIGGEST BUGBEARS ABOUT THE WATCH, AND IT’S EASILY THE BEST NEW FEATURE On paper the Apple Watch 5 is one of the most underwhelming upgrades Apple has ever unveiled. It’s essentially the Apple Watch Series 4 — last year’s brilliant update — with a compass, more cellular bands to call emergency services worldwide (a noble achievement, if not something people will rip it off the shelves for), more storage baked in, and — drum roll — the screen now never turns off, dimming…

These are budget–friendly displays, but they should still do a good job. We used a Datacolor Spyder5Elite colorimeter to check a number of factors, particularly color accuracy. On–screen controls are often difficult, so we explored making adjustments with these, and we also considered the range and ease–of–use of their physical adjustments. HIGHER… EIZO COLOREDGE CS2420 eizo.com From $859 Where image quality and precision is paramount and price isn’t an object, Eizo’s ColorEdge CS2420 is a great, if costly, option. …OR LOWER? BENQ GW2470HL benq.com Around $110 If price is critical then the BenQ GW2470HL is worth considering. It’s a couple of years old but still a good wallet–friendly option.…

Free (IAPs) From Creaceed, creaceed.com Made for iPhone, iPad, iPod touch Needs Requires iOS 12.2 or later Version 5 of Creaceed’s document scanner and text recognition tool saw it get a major overhaul that included a new interface, new scanning workflow, two new machine–learning optical character recognition engines, and several new editing tools. Version 5.1 adds support for iOS 13’s built–in text recognition — the feature that allows you to search for text in docs scanned in the Notes app — which Creaceed says “brings improved OCR in most situations”. There are three options for using Prizmo, according to the features you need and how much you’re willing to pay. The basic version, that allows you to scan and edit documents, use on–device OCR, and export PDFs, is free —…

Free From Microsoft, microsoft.com Made for iPhone, iPad, iPod touch Needs iOS 11 or later When Wunderlist, one of the most popular to–do list apps on the Mac and iOS, ceased development, it was acquired by Microsoft and re–emerged as To Do. And its heritage is obvious to anyone who used Wunderlist from the second you launch it. Now at version 2, the layout and organization of lists and tasks in To Do is immediately familiar, and that’s no bad thing. And it’s just as aesthetically pleasing, with the option to choose from a selection of images to use as backgrounds to lists. There are a limited number to choose from, but they all look great, and you can use a different one for each list. We’d love to be…

Sonos launched its multiroom audio solution in 2002, utilizing a circle controller suspiciously similar to that of Apple’s crazy–popular iPod. Rather than unleashing its team of legal attack dogs, Apple responded in kind with the Sonos–esque AirTunes, released alongside iOS 4 in 2004. This enabled the sending of audio from iTunes to a speaker–connected AirPort Express, though AirTunes was, given the benefit of hindsight, a fairly limited protocol. It wasn’t until 2010, when Apple upped its abilities to go beyond audio streaming, that the rebranded AirPlay came into its own. It’s a very easy system to understand: a sender device (an iPhone or iPad, a Mac or Apple TV) plays some media, and a receiver device (a speaker, a TV, or anything else with AirPlay capabilities) plays that media back.…

> Libratone Zipp Mini 2 $229 From libratone.com Specs Alexa enabled, 12–hour battery Next to its bigger sister, the Zipp 2 (a device we’ve seen and loved before) the Mini 2 seems like a straightforward sibling clone: smaller, but very similar in appearance. There’s the zippable cover; perfect for a new look, the internal battery which is great for taking the party outdoors, the touch–activated control panel on top, and the sound: a brash, loud, meaty mix that suits a fun time. Whatever it may lack compared to the larger alternative, it makes up for in pep. This is far more than you could realistically expect in such a small package — but if AirPlay 2 isn’t top of your list, Ultimate Ears’ waterproof Boom 3 may offer a different…

ALL ABOUT THE STARTUP SCREENS Are you getting screens that are different to the one you’re used to when starting up your Mac? Or perhaps you’re just curious what each of the screens actually mean? If so, the Apple support page has listed all the screens you might see on start up, at bit.ly/ml161ask1. WHAT TO DO IF YOUR MAC IS LOST OR STOLEN It’s hard to imagine ever losing your Mac (your iPhone, maybe) or it getting stolen, but if it should happen, here are some important steps you must take immediately: bit.ly/ml161ask2. BROKEN BUTTONS? If your iPhone or iPad doesn’t respond when you press a button or switch, here’s what to do: bit.ly/ml161ask3.…

macOS RECOVERY The Recovery system contains tools to help you look up info online when macOS won’t start, and to repair or reinstall the system. Learn more at bit.ly/mlrecovery. SAFE MODE When you start your Mac in Safe mode, macOS performs extra checks and stops certain third–party software from running. See how to use it at bit.ly/mlsafemode. RESET SMC & NVRAM These features handle low–level functions and store key settings for your Mac, respectively. Resetting them can fix various issues described at bit.ly/mlresetsmc and bit.ly/mlresetnvram. HARDWARE ISSUES Your Mac includes tools that check for certain hardware issues without going to a Genius Bar. For Macs introduced in June 2013 or later, see bit.ly/mldiag, otherwise see bit.ly/mlahwt.…

REQUIRES GrandPerspective, some folders to scan you will learn How to quickly spot and remove large files to free up internal drive space IT WILL TAKE 15 minutes MODERN MACS COME with limited storage that typically cannot be upgraded. If you have a 128GB drive, you’re likely stuck with it for the life of the machine. Run low on space and you may be able to work with external drives or the cloud, but those rely on extra hardware or having internet access. You may therefore periodically need to take a look at what you’ve got and refine what you store locally. The quickest free, safe and manual way to make more space on your Mac is to identify large files you no longer require, and get rid of them. This…

REQUIRES iOS 11 or later YOU WILL LEARN How to manage Bluetooth and Wi–Fi connections, switch audio outputs and share passwords with AirDrop IT WILL TA KE 5 minutes THE RELEASE OF iOS 11 in 2017 made some changes to the way Wi-Fi and Bluetooth worked on iOS devices, and it led to some confusion. When is off really off? How does it affect AirDrop and AirPlay? Why did they switch back on when I went for a walk? Using Control Centre to turn Wi-Fi and Bluetooth off is enough to drop any existing connections for the rest of the day, but the system remains available. If you want to turn them off more permanently, you’ll need to use Settings, or put the device in Airplane Mode — not ideal if…