water

Read Cult of Mac’s latest posts on water:

Samsung charged for allegedly misleading Galaxy promises

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Samsung shows its phones being used in pools, but its warranty won’t cover that.
Photo: Samsung

Samsung has been charged by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) for allegedly making false promises about its incredibly popular Galaxy S smartphones.

The watchdog says Samsung marketing made misleading representations about smartphone water-resistance.

The South Korean company depicted its devices being used in swimming pools and on the beach — then reportedly turned down warranty claims from customers who suffered water damage when using their phones in similar environments.

Aura band makes your Apple Watch even smarter

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Aura Band
Everything that makes the Aura Band great is coming to Apple Watch.
Photo: Aura

CES 2019 bugThere aren’t many health and fitness statistics Apple Watch can’t track, but to make up for some of those that are missing, there’s the impressive new Smart Strap from Aura.

By sending electricity through your body (without hurting you), the Smart Strap can measure your weight, fat, muscle mass, and more. It won’t cost you much more than a regular Apple Watch band, either.

Shower while grooving to your favorite tunes [Week’s Best Deals]

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This week's best deals include a shower-proof Bluetooth speaker, mobile VPN protection, and more.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

We’re back for another round of the very best deals on gear and gadgets in the Cult of Mac Store. This week, we’ve got an extra huge Bluetooth shower speaker, a simple but powerful mobile VPN, a handy app for cutting down on reading times, and a set of workout-ready Bluetooth earbuds. Everything in this week’s roundup is discounted by 75 percent or more, read on for more details:

Expel water from your iPhone speaker grille using only sound

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iPhone 7 soaked in water
A crafty Redditor discovers a simple and free way to clear trapped water from your iPhone 7's speaker grille.
Photo: Apple

Apple touts the new iPhone 7 as being water-resistant enough to take into the shower. There’s really no good reason to bathe with your smartphone, but the point is that iPhone 7 owners don’t need to worry about a little rain or spilled tea.

Naturally, some people waltzed into their shower stalls with their expensive new phones in hand — just cuz — and some found a weakness in the iPhone 7’s water-resistance. Luckily for foolhardy iPhone owners everywhere, a Redditor discovered a simple hack for getting the water out.

iPhone 7 is water-resistant, but warranty won’t cover ‘liquid damage’

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Photo: TechSmartt
iPhone 7 wouldn't suit Aquaman.
Photo: TechSmartt

The new iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus are the first iPhones to receive IP67 dust and waterproofing certification. However, before you start planning all the new underwater activities you plan to do with your new handset, it’s important to know that those claims are advisory only.

In fact, as the small print for iPhone 7 makes perfectly clear, liquid damage is not covered under warranty.

From iPhone lens kits to waterproof smartwatches, the latest deals at Cult of Mac [Deals]

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These 3 lenses will up your iPhone camera game into DSLR territory
These 3 lenses will up your iPhone camera game into DSLR territory
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Wow, this week we brought in a truly great haul of fresh deals. It’s all about variety — lenses to take even better photos with your iPhone, a combination smartwatch/fitness tracker that’s waterproof, a kit of custom screwdrivers for repairing electronics, and courses in product management. There’s something here for everybody, and all at massively reduced prices.

Take a look:

Mini shock-absorbers could save your next iPhone from a nasty drop

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Apple doesn't want this happening to your future iPhones.
Photo: Cult of Mac

Apple’s always on the lookout for ways to improve the resiliency of its devices. For this reason, the U.S. Patent and Trademarks Office today published a new patent application from the company — calling for retractable drop-proof bumpers to be built into future iPhone housing, capable of doubling as a flotation device in case your handset accidentally lands in water.

The magic that makes iPhone 6s so water-resistant

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Apple doesn't want your iPhone dying if you accidentally drop it in the toilet.
Photo: iFixit

No, it’s not a collective delusion — the iPhone 6s really is more water-resistant than its predecessors.

In a new teardown carried out by our friends at iFixit, the iPhone 6s was found to include a gasket-style “mystery adhesive” around the handset display, specially designed to keep water out.

San Francisco Apple Store gets unintended water feature

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Photo: Amanda Hoac
An impressive fountain, if not an entirely planned one. Photo: Amanda Hoac

The Apple Store in downtown San Francisco got its own water fountain yesterday… sort of.

In the afternoon, a construction worker carrying out work on the the corner of Stockton and Ellis Streets, near to the Union Square brick-and-mortar store, accidentally burst a fire hydrant — resulting in a spectacular geyser of water erupting outside the Apple Store.

Although it didn’t last for long, the spectacle certainly made an impression on onlookers: one of whom filmed it using the slo-mo function on their iPhone.

Klean Kanteen water bottle goes everywhere with me (and I mean everywhere)

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Klean Kanteen's Reflect might be the world's most perfect water bottle. Photos: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

If I leave the house for more than a quick trip to the corner store, I take my Klean Kanteen Reflect with me. It sits in my Velo backpack when I walk, it slips into the bottle cage on my bike when I ride, and it passes through airport security — empty and ready to be refilled in the departures lounge — when I fly. It is my single most-used gadget after my iPhone and iPad, but unlike those I don’t feel I have to replace it every year. It doesn’t need an annual upgrade, and every dent, scratch and scar makes it look even cooler.

The Reflect is a water bottle rolled from 18/8 stainless steel and capped with a “stainless unibody bamboo cap.” The cap is sealed with a silicon O-ring and has a carrying loop on top; the body comes in two finishes — brushed or polished.

Apple is also a big fan. On Earth Day last month, the company gave every employee an Apple-branded Klean Kanteen.

iPhone-Controled Miracle Machine Turns Water Into Wine

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The Miracle Machine is an iOS-connected device that turns bread into fish. Wait, no… It turns water into wine. Only instead of doing it lickety-split to please an angry crowd like that Jesus fella did back in the time of the dinosaurs, it does it with grape juice and yeast, and takes however long it takes for wine to ferment to make.

Bluetooth Water Bottle (Yes, Really) Talks To Your iPhone, Reminds You To Drink

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Warning: Sarcasm follows.

“Are you drinking enough water?” asks BluFit. Well are you? This is how to tell:

  1. Are you thirsty?

If the answer to the above question is “yes,” then you should drink some water.

I’m kidding, of course: BluFit is in fact a totally legit gadget that makes it easy to track how much water you drink. What is it? It’s a water bottle that connects wirelessly to an app on your iPhone.

Seriously.

iPad Mini Goes Up Against New iPad, Google Nexus 7 In Drop Test [Video]

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The iPad does not like being dropped on its face.
The iPad does not like being dropped on its face.

Now that the iPad mini’s been on sale a few hours, it’s time to address the issue you’re all itching to know about. I’m talking, of course, about the drop test. Apple’s new tablets have been put to the test against Google’s $199 Nexus 7, and the iPad mini does surprisingly well, only sustaining any real damage when dropped on its face onto concrete.

Apple’s EarPods Packing Is So Environmentally Friendly It Turns To Mush In Water [Video]

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Once it's gone, it's gone.
Once it's gone, it's gone.

Apple’s efforts to be greener mean it boasts some of the most environmentally friendly gadgets on the planet. The new iPhone 5, for example, is one of the greenest smartphones money can buy. Apple also tries to make its packaging green. In fact, the packing for its new EarPods is so environmentally friendly that it turns to mush when you submerge it in water.

It Takes A Lot Of Water To Kill An iPhone 5 [Video]

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What a waste of good coffee.
What a waste of good coffee.

If you’ve ever managed to spill liquid on an electronic device, then you’ll know that it doesn’t take too much to kill them completely; liquid and electronics simply do not mix. But you might be surprised by how well your iPhone 5 fares when it comes into contact with its biggest enemy.

Apple Helps City Tap Ancient Underground Stream

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When Apple makes a major investment in a community, it can be a contentious thing, sometimes leading to a lot of environmental controversy. For Apple’s latest data center in Crook County, Oregon, though, Apple is doing something for the local community that would seemingly be pretty hard to criticize: tapping an ancient, recently discovered underground stream to give the city clean water.

Bargain Hunters Spend $4,700 On Potatoes, Cans Of Coke Disguised As iPhones & Laptops

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Don't buy iPhones from people in the street, because they probably aren't iPhones.
Don't buy iPhones from people in the street, because they probably aren't iPhones.

A gang of con men in Manchester, England, have managed to scam unsuspecting customers out of over £3,000 (approx. $4,700) since February by selling bottles of water, cans of Coke, and bags of potatoes which they claim to be iPhones and laptops. In some cases they are taking £1,400 (approx. $2,200) per transaction.

Use A Droplet Of Water Instead Of A Macro Lens On Your iPhone Or iPad [iOS Tips]

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Detailed close-up taken with an iPhone. Courtesy of OS X Daily.
Detailed close-up taken with an iPhone. Courtesy of OS X Daily.

Your iPhone’s camera might be good enough to replace your old point-and-shoot — especially if you have the iPhone 4S — but it does have some flaws. For instance, it’s not great at taking those really close-up shots for catching the smallest details; it just doesn’t focus.

But with just a droplet of water, you can add a macro lens to your iPhone that allows you to capture  crystal clear high-resolution close-ups. Here’s how!