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Apple Watch finally gets cellular support in New Zealand

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Apple Watch Series 5 California Face
It could be one of many new faces.
Photo: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac

Apple Watch users in New Zealand can now take advantage of cellular connectivity on compatible devices.

Local carrier Spark has become the first to roll out eSIM support and a new plan aimed specifically at wearables. It only serves Apple Watch Series 5 for now — but support for other devices will come later.

Magnetic bands could mess with Apple Watch Series 5 compass

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Compass
Compasses and magnets don’t mix.
Photo: Apple

One of the best new features on Apple Watch Series 5 may not work well — or at all — depending on what type of band wear with your watch.

Like all compasses, the Apple Watch Series 5 compass is sensitive to magnetic interference. Cupertino warns customers on its website that some of its bands with magnetic clasps could adversely affect compass readings.

Stay away from these bands if you want your Apple Watch compass to work.

Microsoft plans dual-screen Surface tablet with Android apps

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Microsoft-Surface
It will look very different to a standard Surface tablet.
Photo: Microsoft

Microsoft is rumored to be working on a new dual-screen Surface tablet that will run Android apps.

The slate, which is codenamed Centaurus, will reportedly pack two 9-inch displays that fold together like a book. Supply chain sources expect it to launch in the first quarter or first half of 2020.

Apple Watch 4 with LTE expands its reach across Europe

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Man’s brand new Apple Watch turns out to be toilet plunger
Man’s brand new Apple Watch turns out to be toilet plunger
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

The Apple Watch Series 4 with LTE connectivity is now available in Austria and Finland for the first time. You can order yours from Apple or select carrier partners, with prices starting at €529.

Apple’s newest wearable will also arrive in Israel later this week.

Apple and Qualcomm end their long legal war

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Qualcomm patents
It’s finally over!
Photo: Qualcomm

The legal war between Apple and Qualcomm is finally over.

In a surprise announcement, the two companies revealed that they have agreed to drop all litigation against each other, bringing an end to a dispute over royalities and patent infringements that spanned multiple countries.

AT&T’s ‘5G E’ speeds are slower than LTE on other networks

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No matter what your AT&T iPhone says, everyone else says “5G E” is 4G.
No matter what your AT&T iPhone says, everyone else says “5G E” is 4G.
Photo: Cult of Mac/@Siddavarapu

Customers on AT&T’s ‘5G E’ networks aren’t getting the huge speed gains promised by one of the nation’s largest carriers.

In an attempt to get a headstart on the 5G wave, AT&T has renamed a large portion of its 4G network to ‘5G E.’ The carrier calls it 5G Evolution and says its the first step towards the 20Gbps speeds promised by 5G, but a recent study found that AT&T’s 5G E network is actually slower than LTE Advanced speeds on other carriers.

Look at how mediocre AT&T’s speeds are:

Lawsuit takes aim at Apple’s cellular devices

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watchos
Apple is accused of violating multiple LTE patents.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple is on the receiving end of a new lawsuit, claiming that it is infringing more than seven patents relating to LTE cellular standards. The lawsuit potentially affects devices including the iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and others.

The lawsuit was filed by multiple firms under the umbrella group Optis Wireless Technology. They are asking for damages “in the form of reasonable royalties.”

Ranking every iPhone by 4G data speeds

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iPhone XS
Gigabit LTE on the iPhone XS is screamin fast.
Photo: Apple

Holding onto your old iPhone could be causing you to lose out on some serious 4G LTE speed gains made by carriers over the last few years.

A new study on the average iPhone 4G download and upload speeds in the United States found that iPhone 6 owners and earlier see seeds that are nearly 10Mbps slower than the latest iPhone models.

Samsung’s next phone could pack 6 cameras and 5G

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Galaxy S9
The 2019 Galaxy lineup is coming in February.
Photo: Samsung

The iPhone is set to get some huge competition from Apple’s biggest rival in 2019.

Samsung is reportedly planning to unleash its biggest phone ever for the 10th anniversary of the Galaxy lineup. If the report is accurate, Samsung’s Galaxy S10 will pack two times as many camera lenses as the iPhone XS Max and come with an even bigger display.

First iPhone XS and XS Max reviews: Great phone, but not revolutionary

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iPhone Xs Max
This is what we've been waiting for.
Photo: Apple

Early reviews for the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max have already come in and while most of the people that have tested the new device are impresssed, this years models aren’t as big a leap as the iPhone X.

Testers are raving about the camera, A12 processor, big display and faster LTE. The new phones are truly impressive, but if you have an iPhone that came out in the last two years, you might want to see what the experts are saying first.

Pro Tip: Force your iPhone to connect to a faster network

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Sometimes your phone won't connect to a perfectly good network slow connection
Sometimes your phone won't connect to a perfectly good network.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Do you ever pull your iPhone out of your pocket and see the dreaded E for EDGE? Or even (gasp) GPRS? Or perhaps you’re so spoiled that you get uncomfortable when you’re on 3G instead of LTE or 4G. Worse, you look over to a friend’s iPhone, which uses the same network you do, and they have a proper, speedy hookup, while you;re stuck with a slow connection.

What’s going on? Is there a way to force your iPhone (or iPad) to use a better available connection? There certainly is.

Save 15 percent on a refurbished Apple Watch LTE

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Refurbished Apple Watch LTE units are available.
Pick up your new Apple Watch for $75 less.
Photo: Apple

Apple began offering 4G-enabled smartwatches last fall, but it seems people don’t return them very often. It’s taken this long to build up a large enough supply of refurbished Apple Watch LTE units that they can finally be offered to the public.

Those who don’t mind a refurb can get this wearable at 15 percent off the regular price.

Apple Watch Series 3, 6 months on

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Series 3 6 months on
Time has flown with the Apple Watch Series 3.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Surprisingly, the Apple Watch Series 3 has been out for six months already. While time has flown by (pun intended), the Series 3 watch has easily become one of my favourite Apple releases of the past year. Although I’ve already done a full review, I wanted to revisit it now that half a year has passed to tell you about my experience with it, what I like, what I don’t and if it’s worth it.

Check out the video below.

New LTE tech brings screaming speeds — but not to iPhones

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T-Mobile LTE speed test

Photo: T-Mobile

T-Mobile has increased LTE speeds to a staggering 500Mbps in New York City. It has become the first carrier to test commercial Licensed Assisted Access (LAA) technology, which sends 4G signals over unused 5GHz Wi-Fi channels to increase bandwidth, in the United States.

LAA will soon be expanding its reach across the U.S. — but you won’t be able to enjoy it on iPhone.

watchOS 4.1 arrives with LTE Apple Music streaming

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Apple Watch Music
Grab the new watchOS update while it's hot.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple Watch Series 3 owners can now get all the features they were promised from Apple’s new wearable at launch, thanks to a new watchOS update that brings some big new additions.

After months of testing, watchOS 4.1 was released to the public this morning. The update adds a number of performance improvements and changes, including LTE streaming for Apple Music.

China blocks LTE on Apple Watch Series 3

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Apple Watch Series 3
New customers cannot sign up due to security concerns.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple fans in China who coughed up more cash for an Apple Watch with LTE almost certainly regret that decision today. The government has reportedly blocked the feature after brief availability with one carrier due to security concerns.

Apple busts out new betas of iOS 11.1 and other platforms

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iphone 8
iOS 11.1 beta 3 is ready for your iPhone.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Developers received a fresh new batch of beta updates today, just one week after Apple seeded the last set.

iOS 11.1 beta 3 is the biggest of the updates, bringing a bunch of new emojis to the iPhone and iPad along with some other refinements and improvements. Apple also released the third beta builds for watchOS 4.1 and tvOS 11.1.

How does Apple Watch’s innovative eSIM work?

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Apple watch series 3
The Apple Watch's cellular connectivity is the big new feature. But how does it work?
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple Watch Series 3 is Apple’s best smartwatch yet. It’s faster, packed full of new features in watchOS 4, and it boasts amazing new cellular connectivity (if you pay more for the LTE model). This is all made possible with a built-in antenna, a UMTS radio, and an eSIM. But how does it work?

Check out the video below to find out.

Software update fixes Apple Watch LTE bug

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Apple Watch Series 3
Apple Watch Series 3 owners can now connect to LTE worry-free.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

LTE connectivity problems that have plagued users since the launch of the Apple Watch Series 3 appear to already be over.

Apple released a new update for watchOS today that reportedly fixes the LTE glitch after the wearable went on sale to the public nearly two weeks ago.

Apple Watch 3 reviews: LTE is big, but battery life suffers

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Apple Watch Series 3
Get yours for as little as $259.
Photo: Apple

Early reviews of the Apple Watch Series 3 are now dropping ahead of its official debut on Friday, September 22. If you’re still in two minds about whether you should upgrade, they should help you make that all-important decision.

The general consensus is that LTE is a great addition to Apple’s wearable lineup. Just don’t expect a drastically different experience, and prepare yourself for some early teething troubles.