What you need to know

The jeweler took standard AirPods and covered them in gold.
The AirPods were taken apart and reconstructed in the process.
They’re still fully functional.
There’s no such thing as too much bling.

Apple doesn’t make its own AirPods Edition, but if it did you can be pretty sure they wouldn’t be cheap. Apparently still scarred by the $10,000 price tag of the Apple Watch Edition, Apple has left it to someone else to work their magic. And that’s exactly what YouTube jeweler Pablo Cimadevila has done.

We’ve seen plenty of high end, gold plated iPhones in the past but we don’t often get to see the manufacturing process. This time Cimadevila brings us along for the ride and the video is as amazing to watch as the golden AirPods are to look at.

The finished result is what the jeweler calls Airgolds. But don’t get too attached to them because you can’t buy them. That’s probably a good thing too. We can’t imagine they’d stay in your ears with all that super slipper…

Disney just held their annual D23 event, jam-packed with new programming and information about their upcoming Disney+ streaming service and Apple has released more trailers for the shows set to debut on their upcoming Apple TV+ streaming service.

And… one of these things is not like the other. So, what does it all mean for Disney, for Apple, and for us? Let’s figure it out.

Disney+

Where to start with Disney+? Specific to my interests, in addition to the already announced Falcon and The Winter Solider — and, please, Marvel, the man’s name is Captain America now, get it right — WandaVision, Loki, and Hawkeye shows, Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige added three more to the list: Ms. Marvel, She-Hulk, and Moon Knight.

All with the same star-power you see in the MCU movies, and with stories that intertwine with those movies — probably the most successful and certainly the most audacious in history.

For Star Wars, in addition to the Mandalorian and the C…

Google says the hacked websites received thousands of visitors per week.

What you need to know

Google’s Threat Analysis Group (TAG) found a number of malicious websites that were being used to attack iPhones.
The malicious websites were reportedly targeting iPhone users for a period of at least two years.
iOS vulnerabilities that were being exploited by hackers were patched after Google reported its findings to Apple.
The Project Zero team at Google has announced that it discovered a small collection of hacked websites that were being used to attack iPhones. According to the Project Zero team, merely visiting these hacked websites was enough for the exploit servers to attack the visitor’s iPhone.

Google’s Threat Analysis Group (TAG) collected a total of five unique iPhone exploit chains, which covered every version from iOS 10 up to the latest iOS 12 version. Once the attackers gained access to a device and a monitoring implant was installed, they could access sensitive informati…

What you need to know

Credit card payments are the most popular.
Only 9% use Apple Pay.
53% are still using checks.
But people still use checks!

With the number of smartphones in use across the United States you could be forgiven for thinking that Apple Pay would lead the way in payments. But it doesn’t, and neither does any other form of mobile payment. Instead the humble credit card takes top spot, followed by a legacy alternative, cash.

That disappointing news comes via a new report by CNBC which outlines the most popular payment methods in the country. Mobile payments are so unpopular in the United States that they’re beaten out by PayPal which has 44% adoption. By comparison, Apple Pay sits at just 9% while Google’s products equate for only 6%.

Compare those numbers with China and the outlook is very different. WeChat Pay is by far the most popular with 84% of users having availed its services. Second is AliPay with 81%. Credit cards? Just 54%.

Places such as China and…

Apple’s latest iPad Pro models, both the 11-inch and 12.9-inch, are the first to ditch the headphone jack. That means you can’t plug in your trusty wired headphones directly. On top of that, the models have also swapped out the Lightning port for a USB-C port, so you can’t use any Lightning headphones either. If you want to use wired headphones with your new iPad Pro, you’re going to need a pair of USB-C headphones. While there isn’t a ton of options out there for USB-C audio, there are several sets of headphone worth looking into.

Noise-cancelling earbuds

Libratone Q Adapt

Staff favorite

Libratone’s Q Adapt offer a unique type of ANC (which has four levels), and a Hush mode that squares things up when you receive an incoming call. They also come with three different sizes of tips, to ensure you get the best fit you can, meaning they won’t fall out of your ears when you’re using them.

$129 at Amazon

Great value

Essential Earphones HD

Although this pair of headphones was e…

The usually forgettable Whismur is enjoying a higher profile in Pokémon Go, so let’s make sure you can grab one.

There’s a good chance you’ve never given much thought to Whismur during your time playing Pokémon Go. It’s not a particularly useful pocket monster, nor does it stand out much for its type (Normal, naturally). So, really, the only distinctive thing about it is those plus sign eyes. Is Whismur sleeping? Is it shy? The anime suggests the answer to both those questions is ”quite possibly.” But Whismur is from the Hoenn region, meaning it’s suddenly in demand thanks to the A Thousand-Year Slumber research task.

Yep, you dissed Whismur before, but now you need it, so let’s talk about how to catch some.

Why do I need to catch Whismur again?

Probably not to use it for raids! Whismur isn’t especially powerful, and its evolutions, Loudred and Exploud, aren’t anything special. But one of the tasks in the second part of A Thousand-Year Slumber asks you to catch thre…

Best answer: Yes! The newly updated Osmo Mobile 3 is a packable gimbal that blows away the competition. The combo pack includes needed extras that more than justify the extra few bucks.

The full kit: Osmo Mobile 3 Combo ($139 at DJI)
Gimbal only: Osmo Mobile 3 ($119 at DJI)
It’s a great deal

DJI’s latest release, the Osmo Mobile 3 combo, is the best deal going for those who take video footage or stills while on the road or at home. Fresh software updates like Active Track 3.0, gesture control, and various creative modes make investing in an Osmo Mobile 3 a no-brainer.

But why go for the combo pack? Simply stated, you can’t buy the extras included separately without paying through the nose. The combo pack includes the usuals: Osmo Mobile 3 with a built-in battery, a power cable, a soft storage pouch, wrist wrap, and four anti-slip pads. On top of that, you’ll also get the super stable Osmo Grip tripod. This is great for snapping perfect stills and selfie videos. Also included is a…

Can’t wait to use your titanium Apple Card? Here’s how to get it activated first!

Now that the Apple Card is available to everyone (here’s how to sign up for it), it’s never been easier or more rewarding to just use Apple Pay everywhere that it’s available. I know I’ve certainly started to ask more often if a place takes Apple Pay, and am rather disappointed when they don’t, but I’d rather still use the titanium card over my debit card whenever possible.

While the main benefit of using the Apple Card is that 2 percent cashback when you use it with Apple Pay, there is still a physical card available if you want, but it only offers 1 percent cash back on purchases, though you still get the 3 percent if you use the physical card at an Apple Store or pay for Apple services. It’s super easy to request the physical card, and it’s completely free! Honestly, it’s pretty fun to whip out that titanium card and show it off.

Here’s everything you need to know about how to request the physical…