Apple’s latest updates for iOS, tvOS, and WatchOS are now available

While Apple may be actively testing iOS 12 in its public beta, that doesn’t mean it can’t release a new version of iOS 11 too. In fact, that’s exactly what it has done with the release of iOS 11.4.1, tvOS 11.4.1, and watchOS 4.3.2.

As you might expect, iOS 11.4.1 is largely a big fix, but the company’s update notes are a little vague as to what to expect in the new operating system. We do know, however, that it improves reliability for Find My AirPods, offers better syncing with mail contacts, and more.

The update notes for WatchOS are even more vague — Apple simply says that watchOS 4.3.2 includes “improvements and bug fixes.” The new version of watchOS can be installed by heading to the Watch app, hitting General > Software Update. The tvOS update is available to download, but there doesn’t seem to be any available update notes for its release. Last but not least, a software update for HomePod is rolling out, with similar basic changes.

Of course, that doesn’t mean Apple isn’t working hard on new features for its devices. As mentioned, a number of public betas are currently available for testing, though if you’re an average consumer, we recommend waiting until the new software comes out of beta. When it does, however, you’ll get a number of great new features. For example, iOS 12 boasts Screen Time, a feature aimed at helping users better manage how much time they spend on their phones. It also allows users to more easily manage their notifications — thanks to the fact that notifications will now be grouped based on type.

Apple is also testing a new version of WatchOS, bringing the operating system up to version 5. WatchOS 5 boasts a number of helpful new features, including Automatic Workout Detection, which, as the name suggests, will begin automatically tracking your workout when it determines you’ve begun. It also now supports Apple Podcasts, and even third-party content on the Siri watch face.

Last but not least is the new MacOS, MacOS Mojave. Mojave brings with it some very helpful new features. For starters, with Mojave, macOS will finally have a “Dark Mode,” changing the light colors to dark ones on all Apple-built apps on the Mac.

The incremental new updates should be available now, while Apple’s more extensive upgrades will be available sometime in the fall.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Everything Apple announced at WWDC, from iOS 12 to MacOS Mojave
• Apple’s iOS 13 could feature a revamped Files app and better multitasking
• MacOS Mojave brings Dark Mode, stacking, and a redesigned App Store to Macs
• Apple’s macOS reaches a historic milestone in its life span
• How to download and install the MacOS Mojave public beta

AMD’s next batch of Ryzen desktop CPUs may focus on better power efficiency

Although AMD introduced its second-generation Ryzen desktop processors in April, a recent leak shows another batch is on the way that will focus on power efficiency. One of the unannounced processors in question is the Ryzen 7 2700E, which appeared in the 3DMark database with a 45-watt power draw. That is extremely low given the current Ryzen 7 2700X consumes a heftier 105 watts of power.

The listing shows that the unannounced Ryzen 7 2700E chip will pack eight cores with a base clock speed of 2.8GHz along with hyperthreading. The listing doesn’t provide any other CPU-related information outside the underlying testbed: MSI’s B450M Mortar motherboard, 8GB of system memory, a Hitachi hard drive, and Windows 10 64-bit.

This isn’t the first appearance of AMD’s Ryzen 7 2700E chip. You can currently find it on ASRock’s CPU Support List here, showing the chip with part number YD270EBHM88AF. Other notes include the chip’s code name — Pinnacle Ridge — the 45-watt power draw, and 4MB of cache. It’s joined by the six-core Ryzen 5 2600E with 3MB of cache, a base speed of 3.1GHz, and a power draw of 45 watts.

AMD’s second-generation Ryzen desktop processors are based on the company’s refreshed “Zen” architecture. This second wave includes the Ryzen 7 2700X and the Ryzen 7 2700 that replace the previous first-generation chips released in 2017. So far, we haven’t seen any leaks pertaining to a replacement for the older Ryzen 7 1800X. Meanwhile, the Ryzen 5 2600X and the Ryzen 5 2600 replace its two predecessors while we have yet to see replacements for the Ryzen 5 1500X and Ryzen 5 1400.

AMD’s big push with its “Zen” architecture is that it crams more performance-per-watt than its competitor. For instance, Intel’s Core i5-8500 with six cores clocked at 3GHz and 9MB of cache retails for $192 while AMD’s Ryzen 5 2600 features six cores at 3.4GHz and 16MB of cache at $199. AMD is also the first to bring eight-core processors to the mainstream market.

Given their low power requirement, AMD’s unannounced second-generation “E” chips may be sold directly to device manufacturers for high-end laptops, budget desktops with small power supplies, small form factor “mini” PCs. AMD may not even officially reveal these chips at all, but silently make them available to its hardware partners.

On the horizon is AMD’s Threadripper 2 CPUs, the sequel to 2017’s enthusiast desktop processor family. The chips are slated to arrive sometime in the second half of 2018 based on AMD’s revised Zen (aka Zen Plus) CPU architecture. The company’s second-generation Zen architecture, Zen 2, will supposedly appear in processors in 2019 followed by the refreshed Zen 2 Plus design in 2020.

According to AMD, the motherboard socket used to support the mainstream chips, AM4, will remain in use until 2020 if not later.

Editors’ Recommendations

• AMD’s second-generation Ryzen desktop CPUs hit the market starting at $199
• Sony’s next PlayStation may have an AMD Ryzen processor
• HP’s mainstream Pavilion PCs refreshed with latest AMD Ryzen, Intel Core CPUs
• AMD leaks Ryzen 2000-series expansion with mobile and Threadripper CPUs
• AMD combats upgrade woes with ‘crates’ featuring discounted hardware bundles

The best alternatives to Microsoft Office

Microsoft Office once had an unquestioned stranglehold on the world of productivity suites and programs. However, the forced subscription for the latest version and high-price of the 2016 alternative have given rise to a retinue of options that fall outside Microsoft’s banner. The best alternatives to Microsoft Office allow users the freedom to create and edit — many are even compatible with files made in Word, Excel, and other Microsoft’s programs. If you’re loyal to Microsoft’s product, it’s worth trying out the Office web-based applications, which emulate a lot of the primary features of Office right in your browser for free.

Outside of that, there are capable alternatives available for both Windows and MacOS, whether you’re looking for a quick means to spell check the copy on your resume or string together complex formulas prior to an important business presentation. Below are a few of our favorites.

At a glance

Software
Category

FreeOffice
Best Microsoft Office alternative overall

Google’s G Suite/Google Apps
Best web-based option

LibreOffice
 Best full-featured option

WPS Office
Best Microsoft Office clone

iWork
Best Mac option

FreeOffice

The best Office alternative

Mark Coppock/Digital Trends
Mark Coppock/Digital Trends

The latest version of SoftMaker’s FreeOffice — released in 2016 — comes with full compatibility for DOC, DOX, XLS, XLSX, and PPT file formats, with a lot of work going into making them “loss free.” This means you won’t find any unexpected surprises when transferring your files into Word, which makes the software perfect for those who want a free alternative to Word but still need to work regularly with Word software.

FreeOffice is also easy on the eyes and should be very familiar to Word users. The toolbars and document-creation options are similar to those in the Office suite, and the latest software updates further ensure the program is quick and relatively void of loading times. Even PlanMaker, the suite’s Excel alternative, offers features such as conditional formatting and pivot tables, which past Excel users will be able to jump into without the need of a tutorial.

FreeOffice is also an excellent choice for carrying out professional projects. Not only does it provide compatibility with password-protected files, but it can also help you create PDF files or ePUB files, track document changes, and switch between languages on the fly. More common features — i.e., spellcheck and smart typing — also wait in the wings, ensuring you’re not missing anything Office-related.

Download now for:

Windows Android Linux

Google’s G Suite/Google Apps

The best web-based option

Mark Coppock/Digital Trends

Google’s online suite should need no introduction. The cloud-based software remains ideal if you need to work with others on a project — particularly if everyone is familiar with Google Drive, where files can be stored and shared. The current iteration of Docs supports PDFs, DOC files, and even iWork files, so you need not worry about information being lost. It also integrates with most of Google’s other services, including Gmail, Calendar, and Google Plus. There’s also the G Suite productivity solution for businesses, which is a strong competitor to Microsoft’s Office offerings in many enterprises.

The interface is classic Google — minimalist and oft-confusing. Certain tools or abilities may be hidden deep in menus or not made available for unknown reasons, which can make the software difficult to pick up without any previous experience. Still, if you’re used to Chrome or Chrome OS, then you know what to expect and shouldn’t have much problem navigating the menus.

Plus, the ability to work on documents, edit work, and discuss changes with others who are also working on the same file — all in the same window — is incredibly useful and implemented well across different file types. For some, this is a reason to choose Google’s offering over Microsoft’s — paid or otherwise. This is a great choice for those with limited storage (like Chromebook users), or for those who need to edit at a distance.

Access it now via:

Google Docs G Suite

LibreOffice

The best full-featured option

Mark Coppock/Digital Trends

The creators of LibreOffice took a look at Microsoft Office and said, “Let’s make sure we can do everything Office can’t.” By now, the differences are so numerous that someone has created a useful (and lengthy) graph that showcases the extra compatibility that LibreOffice offers compared to Microsoft’s suite. This includes support for a vast number of document formats in both MacOS and Windows. If you’re using more distinctive software and are worried that Office won’t be able to handle your industry-specific formats, then LibreOffice is more than happy to step in.

The open-source community behind LibreOffice remains active, and continues to create extensions that allow you to equip your apps with any features you may need. Recent updates include improvements to interactive forms within documents, new presentation templates, and a cloud-based version of the suite for remote use. And given both “Fresh” and Nightly beta modes are currently available, you’re also guaranteed to see regular improvements with LibreOffice.

Ultimately, if you like Office but are looking for a highly-customizable alternative that can expand on the tools Microsoft provides while offering solid compatibility, LibreOffice is for you. Of course, learning and building LibreOffice into the software you want may take a little work, so give yourself plenty of time to learn what’s at your disposal.

Download now for:

Windows MacOS Linux

WPS Office

The best Microsoft Word clone

Mark Coppock/Digital Trends

WPS’s Office alternative comes with Writer, Presentation, and Spreadsheet, all of which mimic programs in Microsoft’s iconic suite. All files you create with these apps will be fully compatible with their Microsoft counterparts, and there’s an extra suite of PDF conversion tools in the event you need to export or import in a more ready-friendly format. Plus, the suite is available for free on both Android and iOS devices.

WPS is ideal if you’re used to a specific interface in Word programs and want to mimic the experience as closely as possible. No time to learn new tools? No worries. Even the template options are based on Microsoft’s traditional templates, which makes it easy to find your favorite way to start and fill out a document. Plus, the interface more closely resembles newer versions of Microsoft Office than many of our other picks, so jumping in immediately may be even easier than you expect.

WPS isn’t content to copy Microsoft in all things, however. The software touts a few useful tools of its own, including organic ways to change paragraph layout with your mouse, advanced section navigation, and document tabs that allow you to quickly manage multiple documents. This makes WPS Office a great choice for laptops and/or schoolwork.

Download it now for:

Windows Linux Android iOS

iWork

The best Mac option

Mark Coppock/Digital Trends

Apple’s iWork wasn’t originally designed for compatibility with Office Docs, but over time, the developers decided to add more functionality. You can import Microsoft files and edit them in Pages, Numbers, or Keynote as needed, which is a huge advantage that makes iWork the perfect Office alternative for those working on a Mac. These days, even Windows PC users can use iWork if they don’t mind doing so via iCloud (Apple currently doesn’t offer compatible desktop versions).

Of course, accessibility is more determined by your familiarity with iWork than anything else. These apps may be able to produce similar documents in the end, but they don’t really resemble Microsoft office when it comes to the interface. Tools are located in different places and tend to be a little more obscured than their Microsoft counterparts, so if this is your first time using these apps, you can expect a steep learning curve before things become simple.

Also, keep in mind that iWork is made to function alongside iCloud. If you currently use the cloud backup solution then that will make it much easier to share documents over the cloud and store them off-site if necessary. If your whole team is on board, this can be extremely useful, but as with the aforementioned Google Docs and G Suite, everyone needs to be on the same page. If you’re a mobile user, you also want to note that the iWork suite is broken into three separate apps, each of which needs to be downloaded individually.

Download for MacOS:

Pages Numbers Keynote

Editors’ Recommendations

• How to convert a PDF file into a Word document
• How to use Google Docs
• The best portable power stations
• Check out the best Xbox One deals and bundles for June 2018
• The 100 best iPad apps for your Apple tablet

Amazon Prime Day Guide: Everything you need to know

It sounds cool, but is it really?

Odds are by this point you’ve heard of Amazon Prime Day, but that doesn’t mean you actually know what it is and why you should care about it. Is July 16 just another day for Amazon to push some silly sales out to people, or is it a meaningful shopping event? Should you be planning ahead for things to buy, or just winging it?

Well, there’s a lot to know about Prime Day, so let’s get right into it.

What is Amazon Prime Day?

Underneath all the advertising jargon you’ll read about Amazon Prime Day is a rather large shopping event that kicks off on July 16 at 3pm ET. It used to be a one-day event, but Amazon has since expanded that, and this year it will feature 36 hours of pure deal madness. Amazon claims that Prime Day is bigger than Black Friday and Cyber Monday, and basing it off of what we saw last year, it is entirely possible that the company can pull that off this year.

The shopping event is exclusive to members of Amazon’s Prime service, which offers free 2-day shipping on millions of items, access to Prime Video, photo storage, and much more. An Amazon Prime membership now costs $119 a year, but you can get a free 30-day trial to get all the benefits without shelling out any cash. Yes, that means that you’ll be able to shop all the Prime Day deals, get the free 2-day shipping, and all without paying anything for it. Keep in mind that after the 30 days Amazon will charge you for the year in full, so you’ll want to set a reminder to cancel if you don’t want to keep it.

How does Amazon Prime Day work?

Prime Day is not as straightforward as some other big shopping days, and that’s not such a bad thing. There are some things that you’ll want to keep in mind, especially if you are looking for deals on specific products. Last year, Amazon released deals in batches every three hours. This year, some of the promotions are based around six-hour blocks, so it’s possible the company has extended the times each deal will be available to accommodate for the longer event.

Amazon will have a few different deal styles running on Prime Day. There are a few different types of deals you can expect to see during the event, including Gold Box deals, Lightning deals, Coupon deals, and direct price drops. Each of these is a little different, so here’s what you can expect from each type:

• Gold Box Deals of the Day: These are Amazon’s daily deals, and generally for these, the company has plenty of stock to fulfill orders on it all day long. We have seen Gold Box deals sell out in the past, but it’s far less often that these sell out than the other types of deals.
• Lightning Deals: Like an actual bolt of lightning, these deals will come and go fast. On an average day, Lightning deals tend to last for around six hours, but on Prime Day it’s likely that the most popular deals will go in the blink of an eye. You can generally join a waitlist if it sells out, but that won’t guarantee that you will actually get the product.
• Coupon Deals: Many sellers will be offering coupon codes as a way to help people save on Prime Day, and these require a little more work. Some will offer landing pages that automatically clip the coupon code for you, and others will require you to manually enter them during the checkout process. The few seconds of extra work can sometimes save you big, though.
• Direct Price Drops: For a vast majority of deals on Prime Day, you’ll visit the page and the price will just be reduced.

Why should I care about Prime Day?

Most people shop all year, not just around Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Odds are there is something that you’re looking to buy, and who likes to pay full price for the items they want the most? Whether you’re heading off to college this year and need some essentials for your dorm room, or you’ve just been putting off a purchase of new luggage, cell phone accessories, headphones, and more, Prime Day may just offer the deal you need to own that new gear.

On Prime Day, Amazon doesn’t have deals in only one or two categories, it’s basically across everything that the site sells. This means there is literally a deal out there for everyone. Seriously. From Echo devices to Amazon services like Kindle Unlimited, Instant Pots, DNA test kits, and almost anything else you can think of, you’ll probably see a discount or ten on some of the most popular products.

As Amazon Prime Day grows in size and popularity, more retailers begin to join in on the fun, too. We’ve already seen Dell kick off a Black Friday in July sale, and eBay already said it will have thousands of exclusive deals on the big day as well. Odds are that you’ll see Best Buy, Target, and other big-box retailers joining in on the online fun. Even if you don’t want to shop at the other sites, it’s still great for the day. We’ve seen Amazon aggressively price-match other retailers in the past, and expect the same will happen if someone tries to beat its pricing this year.

How do I stay on top of Prime Day deals?

Amazon says that Prime Day 2018 will have millions of deals that are available worldwide, and being on a Monday in July odds are you’ll be working and not sitting at a computer all day to shop. Luckily, there are a few great ways to stay on top of the deals, and some of them you can do right from your phone.

First up is the Amazon app. You’ll want to make sure you have it downloaded and installed on your phone. First-time users will actually even get a $10 credit to use on Prime Day for signing in the first time, so don’t miss out. In the Amazon app, you’ll be able to set alerts for upcoming Lightning deals, watch deals that you’re interested in, and quickly check out when they go live.

If using your phone during the workday isn’t permitted, Amazon’s Assistant browser extension may be a better bet for you. You can install it for free, and as a Prime member, you’ll get $5 off your next $25 order for goods sold and shipped by Amazon. You will need to use the Assistant extension to find the deal, but it’s a small trade-off for the additional discount.

Our pals over at Thrifter will also be covering all 36 hours of the event. When it comes to big events like this that are full of deals, the team just doesn’t sleep. From deals that are likely to sell out quickly to coupon codes you may not have uncovered on your own, Thrifter will be the absolute best place to look for a Prime Day deal that you may be interested in. You’ll want to make sure that you are following them on Twitter and signed up for the Prime Day newsletter to have the best deals delivered right to your inbox.

What else should I know?

So, now that you know the basics about Prime Day, here are a couple of pro tips to help you get the absolute most out of the big event that you can. Our first words of advice are “Buy now, think later.” Seriously, some of these deals will sell out in just seconds, and the last thing you’ll want is to miss out on a great price because you were thinking too much about it. Amazon allows you to cancel an order before it ships, and on most items, the company even offers free returns. Instead of missing out, buy the deals that you’re most interested in, and then do your research on the product and such after you’ve completed the checkout process.

With such a wide variety of products being on sale during the event, it’s often times helpful to have some sort of gameplan ahead of time. Think about the things you want to buy and need the most. Jot them down, mark them in the app, and be ready to buy them when you see the deals hit. If you go in blind, you’ll either come out having purchased way too much (which is still a win when it’s discounted) or with nothing at all. The old saying “If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail” definitely applies here.

As mentioned above, you do 100% need to be an Amazon Prime member in order to get in on the Prime Day action. Get yourself the free 30-day trial to help save you money without costing you anything.

Let Thrifter help you

Prime Day just keeps getting bigger and bigger, and it’s really hard to maximize your savings during these big events. The team over at Thrifter is full of professional deal hunters who will literally be providing around the clock coverage of everything on Prime Day. From the best savings, as they hit to roundups of what you should be buying, the team will aim to make it as easy as possible to find the best deals that are available from the first to the last minute.

Drop them a follow on Twitter and sign up for their Prime Day newsletter to have the best deals delivered right to you throughout the day.

Hands-On With the Siri Shortcuts Beta App in iOS 12

Apple last week introduced a beta version of the Siri Shortcuts app that’s designed to let iOS 12 users create Workflow-style shortcuts and assign Siri commands to them, allowing a range of actions to be executed with voice-based requests.

While the app is complex, powerful, and can be explored for hours without uncovering all that it can do, we thought we’d take a quick look at it in our latest YouTube video to give MacRumors readers an idea of what to expect from Siri Shortcuts when it launches this fall.

Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos.
The Shortcuts app (and the Siri Shortcuts feature) is based on the Workflow app that Apple acquired in 2017, so if you’ve used Workflow before, Siri Shortcuts and the dedicated Shortcuts app will be immediately familiar to you.

Shortcuts allows you to create multi-step customizable workflows that can use first-party apps, third-party apps, and Apple services and settings, which ultimately leads to a huge number of possibilities for tasks that can be streamlined and simplified. While much of this was possible with Workflow, adding Siri to the mix makes it easier to execute your shortcuts.

If you’re unfamiliar with Shortcuts, the best way to describe the feature is through examples.

You can create a “I’m going home” shortcut that sets the thermostat at a lower temperature using the Nest app, texts your roommate that you’re on the way home from work, turns on the lights at home, and opens up the Maps app with directions to your house, with the entire action activated using Siri.

Or, as Apple demonstrated during the WWDC keynote, you can make an “I’m going surfing” shortcut that uses a Siri command to get a surf report, display the current weather, calculate an estimated time of arrival to the beach, and prepare a reminder to put on sunscreen. Simpler shortcuts do things like turn a Live Photo into a GIF or surface photos you took a year ago.

When you install the Shortcuts app, you’ll see that it’s already populated with a huge gallery of pre-created shortcut options, along with all of your previously created Workflow shortcuts if you regularly use Workflow.

The Gallery section provides multiple suggestions on how shortcuts can be used, offering up options like “Home ETA,” which shares how long it will take you to get home, “Photo Grid,” which lets you select photos and organize them into a grid,” “Log Day One Activity,” which starts a new diary entry in the Day One app,” and “Make Top 25 Playlist,” which creates a playlist from your 25 most listened to songs.

Shortcuts in the Gallery are organized in different sections like “Designed for Safari,” “Share From Other Apps,” “Essentials,” “Morning Routine,” “Explore Apple Music,” “Stay Healthy,” “Photography,” “Do More Around the House,” “On the Interweb,” and much more, and there’s a search option if you’re looking for something specific.

You can modify any of the shortcuts in the gallery to tailor them to your needs or you can create shortcuts from scratch. All of your shortcuts you download are stored in the Library tab, and if you tap the “+” button in this section, you can create new shortcuts.

When making your own shortcuts, there are a huge range of actions and options to choose from, from both first and third-party apps. You can access actions from apps that include Health, Contacts, Calendar, Maps, Music, Photos, the web, and more, with these options set to expand over the course of the beta testing period as third-party apps begin implementing Shortcuts support.

All of your shortcuts can be “Added to Siri,” which assigns a personalized phrase to the shortcut. Going forward, the shortcut can then be activated using that particular Siri command.

The Shortcuts app is limited to developers at the current time, and developers who have not signed up for the Shortcuts TestFlight beta can do so through the “Request” option available in the download section of the Apple Developer Center.

It is not clear if Apple will expand the TestFlight beta to its public beta testing group, but expect the Shortcuts app to launch alongside iOS 12 this fall.

What do you think of the new Shortcuts app and the Siri Shortcuts feature in iOS 12? Let us know in the comments.

Related Roundup: iOS 12
Discuss this article in our forums

Searchable Transcripts Now Available for WWDC 2018 Sessions

Apple today announced that transcripts are now available for all of the WWDC 2018 videos, which can be found both in the WWDC app and on Apple’s developer website.

Transcripts are searchable and downloadable, so you can quickly locate specific content within each video.

Take advantage of transcripts to quickly discover and share information presented in WWDC18 videos. You can search by keyword, see all instances where the keyword is mentioned in the video, go straight to the time it was mentioned, and even share a link to that specific time.

Apple shares dozens of WWDC sessions led by Apple engineers on its website after each Worldwide Developers Conference. The 2018 content has been available since June, but not all videos featured transcripts.

There are a wide range of topics available, covering iOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS, with all content free for both registered developers and non-developers.
Discuss this article in our forums

Seven best adult coloring apps for Android to help you de-stress

Coloring used to be reserved for children, but in recent years, the endeavor has found a different demographic. What started as a niche hobby has slowly turned into an international trend, as adult coloring books are flying off the shelves all over the world.

According to experts, adult coloring can help with a number of emotional and mental issues. For many, boredom, lack of structure, and stress are the greatest triggers. But the time and concentration that adult coloring takes help the individual abandon the focus on negative issues and habits, and re-focus them in a safe and productive way.

Now, if you’re not the type to always carry around a large book and a set of crayons, then you should know that adult coloring book apps are also an option.

Having a coloring app installed on your device is great when you have a few spare moments at work and you want to relax by doing a bit of coloring without attracting unwanted attention.

In this article we’ve put together a list of seven adult coloring apps which are available for download on the Google Play Store. Most of them are free to download and will provide you with a pretty great artistic experience.

Mandala Coloring Pages

What it is:

Developed by Coloring Games, Mandala Coloring Pages lets you color beautiful Mandalas and create your own designs too.

Why we like it:

• Allows you to pick from up to 100 different Mandalas. There are several categories to choose from including Simple, Complex, Animals, Floral, Straight and more.
• The app is not just for coloring, it can also be used for freehand drawing.
• You can create your own mandalas by using the Design tool.

Install Mandala Coloring Pages

Recolor

What it is:

Don’t like coloring Mandalas? Recolor is an app filled with diverse artworks that are just waiting for you to bring it to life.

Why we like it:

• If you’re not really a fan of Mandalas, Recolor might be the app for you. It includes over 2000 uniquepictures organized in themed chapter including birds, fantasy, fashion, 3D or patterns.
• Once you are satisfied with your coloring efforts, you can further enhance your picture by adding effects, filters and outline.
• The app also has a social component. It lets you view other people’s work. You can like and comment on their drawings. Just like on Instagram you can also follow your favorite “artists”.

Install Recolor

Colorfit

What it is:

A coloring and drawing app which aims to provide anxiety and stress release.

Why we like it:

• The app includes a large variety of drawings. Some are free to use, but some require diamonds to be unlocked. Fortunately, you can get (enough) diamonds daily simply by check-in. You can also watch short ads to get more.
• Unlike other competing apps, Colorfit also offers a choice in coloring tools including spray paint, pencil or watercolour brush.
• You can create your color palette from scratch or choose from the rich palettes the app already provide.

Install Colorfit

ColorTherapy

What it is:

A coloring app for adults that puts an emphasis on experimenting with different color palettes.

Why we like it:

• The app’s gallery contains numerous image categories including Animals, Canvas, Exotic or Flowers.
• You can try out a number of color palettes including Basic, Vintage or Shades. Once you’re done coloring you can also add filters to your drawing.
• The app gives you access to a customizable brush (size, opacity), on top of the standard color fill option.
• Check out the creations of other users in the Inspiration tab.

Install ColorTherapy

Coloring Book for Adults

What it is:

Offered by App Labs Games, this coloring book app offers a nifty collection of themes for those seeking stress relief through app therapy.

Why we like it:

• It’s super straightforward. Chose a category, then picture and get to work.
• Publish your work so others can view and like your masterpiece. You don’t even have to sign-up with an account.
• Ran out of pictures to color? Try App Labs’ other coloring apps including Mandalas Coloring Book for Adults.

Install Coloring Book for Adults

Colorfly

What it is:

One of the most popular coloring book apps out there. It comes packed with tons of pictures to choose from.

Why we like it:

• While the app’s main purpose is to let you color, it also has a Creative corner where you can design your own creations. Draw your own mandala or take a picture and turn it into a drawing. Alternatively, you can write and color your own message.
• The app also shows the images colored by other people for inspiration.
• Colorfly includes a sub-category of famous paintings you can color, which is really cool. Unfortunately, some require a subscription to be unlocked. And so do additional tools like gradients and brushes.

Install Colorfly

Sidenote: The subscriptions costs $19.99/month.

Colorify

What it is:

Not to be confused with Colorfly, Colorify is an app developed by Vivasouk that allows you to engage yourself in hours of peaceful color therapy.

Why we like it:

• The rich library includes unique categories such as Zodiac Signs or Oriental.
• For each image you select, you can access the Inspiration tab to get an idea of how to color the drawing you’ve selected.
• The app has a gradient tool which is free to use.

Install Colorify

Home theater calibration guide: manual speaker setup

These days, even entry-level A/V receivers are likely to come with some form of auto-setup system that promises to make crucial speaker-related adjustments by simply plugging in a microphone and hitting the go button. Sounds appealing, right? Why would anyone want to spend an hour or more reading a manual, busting out a tape measure, and fiddling with a decibel meter when the auto-setup will do it for you, hassle-free, in a matter of minutes?

Why, indeed. Before the advent of the auto-setup routine, the frustration experienced by consumers while trying to set up their A/V equipment was a major cause for product returns. Auto-setup manages to mitigate that problem and now helps to keep A/V equipment in at buyers’ homes instead of in the return line.

Unfortunately, the measurement and crossover settings provided by these systems aren’t always accurate, and if you don’t know what to look for, you might never know it. Also, these auto-setup systems usually make EQ adjustments that don’t always improve sound quality. In fact, for those with high-quality speakers, using auto-setup can actually make your speakers sound less than their best. What’s the point of buying the best speakers you can afford if you’re not actually hearing what they’re capable of?

With a couple of tools and some guidance, even the most electronically-challenged of us can assure ourselves the very best sound quality by performing a manual speaker setup in their receiver. Here’s our plain language guide to manual speaker setup.

Step 1

Make sure you can see your receiver’s on-screen display (OSD) on your TV

Trying to set up your receiver using its tiny LCD display window is a hassle you don’t need. Instead, make sure that you can see your receiver’s display on your TV. Many modern receivers will put out the OSD via HDMI, but some older receivers require an older style of video connection. If you don’t see a menu pop up on your TV when you press the “menu” or “setup” button on your receiver’s remote control, make sure you have at least an RCA cable handy for connecting the receiver’s composite video (yellow RCA jack) output to one of the TV’s composite video inputs.

Onkyo OSD (image via)

Step 2

Know your receiver’s menu

You can spend time looking at the manual, sure, but getting a hands-on experience with your receiver’s menu by hunting and pecking through it with your remote control provides significant benefits. After browsing for a while, you’ll find that you remember where a lot of the menu options are because you actually navigated there before. Don’t worry if you don’t understand what some of the terms mean. We’ll explain some of the terms as we go on with our setup

Step 3

Place your speakers

We understand that sometimes the room in which your speakers live dictates where the speakers must be placed, and this can also vary based on the types of speakers you’re using. Some of us have entertainment centers with specific places for speakers, or we only have a handful of open spots in which to put a speaker. With that in mind, do the best you can to follow these basic speaker placement rules.

First, take a look at this simple speaker location graphic below:

Note that the center channel should be placed directly below or above your television. Since almost all dialogue comes from this speaker, it needs to be as close to the TV as possible to maintain the illusion that the voices are coming from the picture itself.

Try to place your left and right speakers as far away from each other as you are from your TV, creating an equilateral triangle between your head and the two speakers. It also helps if you place the top of the speaker at about 41 inches off the floor (average ear height).

Next, place your surround speakers above ear level (somewhere between 48 inches and 72 inches) and just behind your listening position. If you have surround back speakers (the sixth and seventh channels), place them in the same positions as the front speakers on the wall behind you.

For the subwoofer, avoid placing it flush with a corner of the room, or within another cabinet like an entertainment center. Subwoofers usually sound best placed a third of the way into the room from the side and front (or back) wall. It is OK to place a subwoofer in the back of the room, but make sure it is at least 3 feet away from your head. If you can’t place the subwoofer well into your room as suggested, keep at least 1 foot of distance between the sub and any given wall.

With your speakers placed and connected to your receiver, it’s time to set up the receiver to handle them properly. Start by accessing your receiver’s menu and selecting the “speaker setup” option. Most receivers offer the same basic adjustments. These include speaker distance, speaker size and crossover setting, and speaker level. We’ll go through each setting one at a time.

Hot dog? There’s finally a wearable that protects your pooch from heat stroke

Giving a wearable device to a dog sounds all kinds of excessive, like the story from a few years back about the Chinese rich kid who bought his pet dog two $12,000 Apple Watch Editions because … well, money. In the case of the so-called Dawg Tag, however, it’s a wearable device that could actually save your trusty canine’s life — despite its name making it sound kind of like a 1990s rapper.

The harness is touted as the world’s first wearable core temperature sensor for dogs. Its goal is to allow owners to keep track of how hot their dogs are to prevent possible heat stroke. It does this by measuring both dogs’ core temperature and air humidity levels through embedded temperature sensors. Unlike wearable devices that simply gather this information and then send it to your phone, the Dawg Tag lets you easily check the numbers via a screen mounted on the dog’s back. Temperature readings and humidity readings are both color-coded to offer at-a-glance ingormation detailing how hot your dog is from moment to moment.

“Thousands of dogs get heat stroke every year,” creator Matthew Edwards, a mechanical engineer who usually works in robotics technologies, told Digital Trends. “We actually lost a family dog due to heat stroke, which is why we started to develop this in the first place.”

According to Edwards, there are current technologies that allow owners to check their dog’s temperature, but none of these are ideal. Solutions range from expensive ingestible pills that track internal temperature to rectal thermometers. Dawg Tag, on the other hand, is noninvasive, affordable, and rugged and water resistant enough that you can use it constantly.

“We have created working prototypes which we’ve tested on all different sizes, breeds, and fur types,” Edwards said. “[We have now launched a] Kickstarter campaign to raise money for production.”

As ever, we offer our usual cautions about the risks inherent in crowdfunding campaigns. However, if you’re keen to get involved, you can head over to the project’s Kickstarter page to pledge your funds. Prices start at $120 for the harness, with shipping set to take place in December 2018. If your pooch could talk, they’d no doubt thank you for getting involved.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Warm up or cool down with the press of a button on the wrist-worn Embr
• Nest vs. Ecobee: Which is the better smart thermostat?
• Space-age toothbrush promises to clean your gnashers in 30 seconds flat
• The best hiking gear for dogs
• Nest Temperature Sensor review

Apple Maps vs. Google Maps

For nearly seven years, Google Maps was the de facto mapping service on iOS and macOS devices — until Apple decided to release a competing version of the software in 2012. However, what seemed like a smart move for the tech giant on paper ended up turning into a PR nightmare. Apple Maps received tons of criticism for incorrect directions, a lack of support for public transportation, and various other glitches and bugs that made the service nearly unusable. Further software development and updates addressed most of these problems, but has Apple Maps been able to bounce back from it’s failed start?

Shortly after being removed as a default installation on Apple products, Google Maps became available as a free download in the App Store. For a time, Google Maps was the most popular free app on the platform. While both apps are similar in terms of function and cost, there are a few key differences that might influence which mapping service you use. We’ll lay them out for you here.

Interface

Before you’ve even entered a location or begun navigating, you’ll notice a few differences in the way maps are represented. On Apple Maps, the surfaces are flatter and show more default locations. The user interface is also clean and simple. You can search for a specific location using the search bar at the bottom of the screen and change the map settings (map, satellite, or transit) by tapping the information button in the upper right. Apple also has custom icons for landmarks such as the Empire State Building, and you can see the current weather at whatever location you’re looking at in the lower right.

As for Google Maps, there are fewer icons initially presented on the screen, but more options to change your map: Explore, driving, transit, satellite, terrain, traffic, and biking. Google also has 3D models of most buildings (i.e. The Empire State Building actually looks like the building and not just like a flat rectangle). Apple has these in some locations, but not as often as Google Maps. Both apps have a current location button on the screen — the arrow on Apple Maps and the bull’s-eye on Google Maps. Google also has a Google Assistant button, quick access to input an address, and settings for your Google account and map (Apple has these functions as well, but they are built into your device’s OS).

When it comes to the actual navigation screen, Apple’s is once again very simple (particularly if you choose driving as your mode of transportation). There are not a lot of icons on the screen, which limits distractions if you’re using the app while driving. If you zoom in or choose the walking option, you’ll see more locations. Google has slightly more icons, but most of them are gas stations and parking lots; places you’d likely stop at if you were driving. Similarly, if you choose walking mode, you’ll see more general locations.

Both base their arrival estimations on current traffic conditions. Red sections along your route indicate heavy traffic, yellow is moderate traffic, and blue is no or little traffic. You may also see various alerts, from accidents to road closures. Google is a bit clearer when it comes to how traffic will impact your commute by showing the travel time in red to indicate there is heavy traffic. Other than the differences mentioned above, this section is very similar for both versions. Google has a few more options on the main screen, such as sound, compass, and quick search, making it easier to tweak your settings on the fly. This information is available on Apple Maps as well, but you have to pull up from the bottom portion of the screen and press the corresponding category, which makes it a bit trickier.

Standout features

There are some standout features for Apple Maps, such as is its integration with iOS. Tell Siri where you want to go, and she’ll start the process for you. You can also open maps, cancel an in-progress route, and make other small adjustments using just your voice. Apple Maps also uses vector graphics, which means you’ll end up using slightly less data than if you were using Google Maps. One of the coolest features for Apple Maps, though, is Flyover Mode. This feature enables you to explore densely populated urban centers in 3D landscapes composed of models of buildings and structures. Flyover also has what are known as City Tours, which guide you around various landmarks in a city. There is no real equivalent in Google Maps (although Google Tour Creator comes close).

As for Google, there is a lot that stands out for this service. Where Apple has Flyover mode, Google has Street View, which provides panoramic views of many streets around the world. Google also lets you customize your routes by adding stops and avoiding tolls. But two of the biggest draws for Google Maps are Google’s bicycle maps and offline accessibility. In a bike-friendly city, this is really handy, and Apple Maps simply doesn’t have that functionality. Apple Maps recently added bike-sharing stations to its list of places, but that’s not really the same, is it? Google also has primo offline planning for those with limited access to WiFi or data. While Apple Maps uses slightly less data than Google Maps, Google makes up for that by allowing you to download entire sections of maps for offline use.

Other differences

Another (and obvious) difference between Apple and Google’s mapping services is that one is owned by Google and the other is owned by Apple. This is worth considering when it comes to how your data is stored and when your app will be updated. Google has different policies when it comes to how much of your data is collected and what it can do with it. Google’s app has received criticism over the location history tracking page, and if you’re concerned about privacy, Apple Maps may be a better choice. On the other hand, Apple Maps is only updated when you update iOS, whereas Google rolls updates into Google Maps whenever it feels like it. It’s also worth noting that while both apps are currently available on Apple devices, you won’t be finding Apple Maps on your Android phone or Windows computer anytime soon, which could be problematic for users who don’t exclusively own Apple products.

On the software side of things, Google tends to have better small city mapping data than Apple. This might just be because Google Maps has been around for longer, but for people who don’t live in a big city, or don’t rely on a car for their primary mode of transportation, it can make a big difference. Google also has information regarding opening times of businesses, descriptions, photos, and user-generated star ratings. Apple has this as well, but less often. Apple does also include TripAdvisor, Yelp, and other third-party app ratings.

So while Apple Maps has made a lot of improvements over the last six years, and works well in major cities, Google Maps is still years ahead of the competition and definitely our top pick. Check out our Google Maps tips and tricks to get even more out of it.

Editors’ Recommendations

• The best mind-mapping software
• Apple is completely rebuilding Apple Maps — and it will start in iOS 12
• Google Maps on Android no longer lets you book Uber rides
• New Google Maps update is rolling out with location-based recommendations
• After being down for a few hours, Apple’s Maps app is working again