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Apple Just Unveiled a Folding iPhone, and It Looks Good

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Apple has officially launched a foldable iPhone, and to no one’s surprise, it’s the most expensive iPhone yet. Wirecutter was on the ground in Cupertino, California, to report on Apple’s annual product-launch event on September 9, where the company also announced a revamped iPhone 18 Pro, plus new Apple Watches and AirPods. It’s been an interesting year for Apple, one in which new CEO John Ternus took the helm from Tim Cook on September 1. The tech industry is also facing a shortage of components such as memory and storage, which are being funneled to AI data centers. That’s caused prices on many products to increase in recent months, including Apple’s latest iPhones. We’ll dive into longer reviews of Apple’s new gadgets after spending hands-on time with them, but until then, here are the big takeaways from the Apple event. from Wirecutter: Reviews for the Real World https://ift.tt/OClKRHL via IFTTT

The Best Cat Trees

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Cats are usually happy to share your bed, sofa, or computer keyboard, but they also like having spaces where no one else goes. And since cats love to sit up high, a good cat tree should provide an elevated perch where they can lord over their inferior human roommates. It should also have a secure spot that’s inaccessible to curious kids, dogs, or just affection-hungry adults (like me). After testing 17 cat trees, we landed on 11 stable, durable models that might fit in with your home’s decor. These trees range from simple, inexpensive models to elaborate, wildly priced ones. And they should all satisfy your cat’s desire to climb, scratch, lounge, and judge you from above. from Wirecutter: Reviews for the Real World https://ift.tt/D0NlWtB via IFTTT

You Don’t Need a New Phone. Here’s How to Make the One You Have Last Longer.

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Every year, tech companies release new smartphones with appealing but nominal upgrades, enticing you to buy a shinier, fancier version of the thing you already own. But what if there’s nothing wrong with your current phone? If you properly care for it, you don’t need to replace it every year — or even every other year. Recent data shows that most people replace their phone every two to three years, and many carrier plans allow you to upgrade after two years, but that’s unnecessary. Extend the life of your phone, and you can cut down on electronic waste and save yourself a lot of money. If you want to get off the upgrade hamster wheel, here are six ways to make your phone last as long as possible. from Wirecutter: Reviews for the Real World https://ift.tt/y1H95qi via IFTTT

Your Phone’s Camera Roll Is a Mess. Here’s How to Clean It Up.

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I have more than 50,000 pictures stored in Google Photos — over 300 of them taken in the last month alone. These photos, which take up an eye-watering 44 GB of storage space, have accumulated over the past 20 years, and I’ve been lax about organizing them. It often takes me an embarrassingly long time to find the one I’m looking for. Want to see my adorable dog? Hang on a second. Have to send my editor a headshot? Gimme a few. That cool bird I saw at the park? Ask me tomorrow. Don’t be like me. There are ways to clear out the photos you don’t want, find the ones you do, and get your life (or at least your camera roll) together. from Wirecutter: Reviews for the Real World https://ift.tt/VMtRo1r via IFTTT

The Best OLED TV

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Editor’s note: We’re currently looking into recent reports that LG smart TVs like our top pick are extensively spying on your home network and listening in via microphones, even when powered off or in standby mode . This information may affect our current and future OLED TV picks. See What to look forward to for more details. OLED TVs are the best-looking TVs you can buy, capable of delivering extremely high image contrast, rich colors, smooth motion, and much better viewing angles than LCD TVs offer. They carry a higher price, but they’re a worthwhile upgrade for anyone who is truly passionate about picture quality. For most people, we recommend the LG C5 Series because it provides a great-looking picture for a more reasonable price than the competition. But we also have pricier recommendations for hardcore videophiles and gamers willing to pay a premium for the absolute best. from Wirecutter: Reviews for the Real World https://ift.tt/SyuQx2C via IFTTT

The Phone Setting That Every Parent Should Try

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The time I felt most judged as a parent happened just after my third child was born. As friends and family members conveyer-belted their way through my postpartum haze with onesies and trays of lasagna, they’d comment as I picked up my phone (usually to take photo evidence of their first newborn squeeze): “Ivy hasn’t made the cut?” My iPhone’s wallpaper was a photo of my two older kids taken years before. They were sweaty and giddy, sprawled in Brooklyn Bridge Park, and it was a time capsule from pre-pandemic days: before they transitioned from toddlers to actual children, before a mid-lockdown exodus to Philadelphia, before we left our closest friends for a city we’re still struggling to find footing in. My phone’s home screen was stuck in November 2019. The hit of nostalgia it gave me was enough to keep me from making a change. In fact, I didn’t change it until almost a year after Ivy was born. At bedtime one night, I got lost in my iPhone’s settings and stumbled...

The Best Bidet Toilet Seat or Washlet

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Napoleon Bonaparte loved his bidet so much he traveled with it. Then, in his will, he passed it on to his son. That’s the kind of devotion that bidets can inspire. You may not end up passing your bidet down through generations, but you’ll likely be pleasantly surprised how nice you feel after using one. Since 2016 we’ve tested almost 40 bidet seats — in a four-person Brooklyn apartment, with a family of six in New Hampshire, and with another family of five in Los Angeles. Toto’s Washlet S5 is the best we’ve used. For almost eight years we recommended its predecessor, the Toto C5, and this new S5 model, released in 2025, does nothing but improve on the success of that earlier one. from Wirecutter: Reviews for the Real World https://ift.tt/xnWfa9q via IFTTT