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Apple named coolest wearables brand over Samsung, Rolex, Ralph Lauren

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As smartwatches grow in popularity, the Apple Watch will continue to be the hands-on - or wrist-on - favorite.
As smartwatches grow in popularity, the Apple Watch will continue to be the hands-on - or wrist-on - favorite.
Photo: Apple
Apple Watch is the coolest wearable yet, apparently. Photo: Apple
Apple Watch is the coolest wearable yet, apparently. Photo: Apple

Apple Watch is by far the most successful smartwatch to date in terms of sales, so perhaps it’s no surprise that Apple has been voted the “coolest wearables brand” by smartphone users.

The Cupertino company not only beat technology rivals like Samsung and LG to the top of the list, but also high-end watchmakers and fashion brands like TAG Heuer, Rolex, and Ralph Lauren.

Xiaomi rumored to be ‘borrowing’ Apple’s 3D Touch tech

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xiaomi-rumored-to-be-borrowing-apples-3d-touch-tech-image-cultofandroidcomwp-contentuploads2015102015-09-25-191408-jpg
Xiaomi wants to bring Apple's 3D Touch technology to its smartphones.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Android
Xiaomi wants its users to enjoy 3D Touch, too. Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Android
Xiaomi wants its users to enjoy 3D Touch, too. Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Android

Xiaomi isn’t exactly known for having its own ideas, so why would you expect it to act any differently when Apple introduced its innovative new 3D Touch feature for the iPhone 6s?

True to form, a new rumor coming out of China claims that Xiaomi has patented its own version of the technology. Because, of course it has.

Attack of the Clones: 5 totally shameless iPhone 6s ripoffs

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attack-of-the-clones-5-totally-shameless-iphone-6s-ripoffs-image-cultofandroidcomwp-contentuploads201510Screen-Shot-2015-10-21-at-161545-png
Spot the difference. The Apple legal team edition.
Photo: Apple/Lenovo
Spot the difference. Photo: Gizmodic
Spot the difference. Photo: Gizmodic

Jony Ive sure hates rival companies ripping off the iPhone for their latest flagship handset design. Which is why we’d respectfully suggest that Jony doesn’t click the link below, unless he wants to ruin his Wednesday before it even starts.

From the curved edges and color options to the prominent antenna lines, all that’s missing is the Apple stamp of quality. And Jony’s permission, of course.

Misfit unveils faster, more accurate Shine 2 fitness tracker

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The new Misfit Shine 2 delivers better fitness tracking.
The new Misfit Shine 2 delivers better fitness tracking.
Photo: Misfit
Misfit Shine 2 has arrived. Photo: Misfit
Misfit Shine 2 delivers better fitness tracking. Photo: Misfit

Misfit is back with a major update to its award-winning Shine fitness and sleep tracker. The new Shine 2 is faster and more accurate than its predecessor, with an added 3-axis magnetometer and updated hardware that promises improved responsiveness and snappier syncing.

Samsung building robot army to replace human factory workers

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samsung-building-robot-army-to-replace-human-factory-workers-image-cultofandroidcomwp-contentuploads201510Terminator-2-5-jpg
Like this, except hopefully without the whole Skynet thing.
Photo: TriStar
Like this, except hopefully without the whole Skynet thing. Photo: TriStar Pictures
Like this, except hopefully without the whole Skynet thing. Photo: TriStar Pictures

Samsung has received a multi-million dollar investment from the South Korean government to develop factory robots to help win manufacturing work currently being lost to cheap human labor in China.

Samsung’s been working on its own 3D Touch display for a while

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samsungs-been-working-on-its-own-3d-touch-display-for-a-while-image-cultofandroidcomwp-contentuploads2015102015-09-25-191408-jpg
Samsung wants Galaxy users to enjoy 3D Touch, too. Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Android
Samsung wants Galaxy users to enjoy 3D Touch, too. Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Android

Samsung is expected to follow Apple’s footsteps and build a pressure-sensitive display into next year’s Galaxy S7, according to recent reports — and now a new patent backs up those claims with proof that the South Korean company has been hard at work on a similar technology for over a year.

Smart sidewalks bring free Wi-Fi to U.K. streets

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Virgin Media's Smart Pavement keeps you connected on the go. Photo: Virgin
Virgin Media’s Smart Pavement keeps you connected on the go. Photo: Virgin

You’ll never be without an Internet connection in U.K. towns and cities in the future, thanks to Wi-Fi-emitting sidewalks.

Chesham in Buckinghamshire has become the first town to deliver Wi-Fi at speeds of up to 166 Mbps, seven times the average broadband speed in the U.K., through “Smart Pavements” courtesy of broadband provider Virgin Media.

Hackers can silently access Siri and Google Now on your phone

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Siri
Hey Siri
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Xperia Sirius 60fps Video
Siri can be silently put to work against you, thanks to a new hack discovered by French security researchers that allows attackers to transmit orders to the digital assistant via a radio.

The hack also works on Google Now and utilizes the headphone cord as an antenna to convert electromagnetic waves into signals that register in iOS and Android as audio coming from the microphone. José Lopes Esteves and Chaouki Kasmie — the two French researchers that discovered the hack — wrote in their paper that hackers could use the attack to get Siri and Google Now to send the phone’s browser to a malware site, or send spam and phishing messages to friends.

“The sky is the limit here,” says Vincent Strubel, the director of their research group at ANSSI. “Everything you can do through the voice interface you can do remotely and discreetly through electromagnetic waves.”

iPhone 6s can’t topple the latest Androids in expert camera tests

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Apple brings carrier billing for app purchases to Germany.
Apple brings carrier billing for app purchases to Germany.
Photo: Cult of Mac
iPhone no longer offers the best smartphoe camera. Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Android
iPhone no longer offers the best smartphoe camera. Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Android

Apple’s new iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus may be packing its best iSight camera yet, but it’s not good enough to topple the latest Android devices.

In DxOMark’s expert camera tests, Apple’s latest smartphones achieve a score of 82, which is five points less than the current mobile leader, Sony’s Xperia Z5.

iPhone 6s Plus somehow batters Galaxy Note 5 in real-world speed test

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On your marks, get set, go! Photo: PhoneBuff
On your marks, get set, go! Photo: PhoneBuff

When it comes to specifications, Apple’s latest iPhones look like they’re lagging far behind their Android-powered rivals. But thanks to super-efficient software, they’re not as slow and as outdated as they might look on paper.

This is demonstrated in the real-world speed test below, in which the iPhone 6s Plus somehow batters a Galaxy Note 5.

Google records your voice searches — and you can hear them all

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Ok Google is listening... and recording. Photo: Google
Ok Google is listening… and recording. Photo: Google

Google is incredibly accurate at understanding voice searches, which makes it super useful on mobile when you might want to find information without using your hands. But did you know that the company records every single voice search you make?

What’s more, you can listen back to each and every one.

Samsung Galaxy S7 to rip off the iPhone 6s’ 3D Touch

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The next Galaxy is going to be even better. Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Android
The next Galaxy is going to be even better. Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Android

The pressure-sensitive displays packed into Apple’s latest iPhones give them a unique advantage over their rivals, but not for long.

Samsung is already working to put a pressure-sensitive screen of its own into next year’s Galaxy S7, new reports claim.

Apple Watch is ‘phenomenal’ but not a threat, says TAG Heuer CEO

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TAG Heuer teases its new Android-powered smartwatch.
Photo: TAG Heuer
TAG Heuer teases its new Android-powered smartwatch.
TAG Heuer teases its new Android-powered smartwatch.

Swiss watchmakers have been tripping over themselves to dismiss the Apple Watch as a threat, but TAG Heuer CEO Jean-Claude Biver has come out with what I think is one of the fairer assessments of Apple’s debut wearable device to date.

His take? That the Apple Watch is hella bad news if you’re a low-priced watchmaker, but probably okay if you’re making timepieces over the $2,000 mark.

TuneIn Premium now streams live NFL games FTW

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Apple TV won't be streaming football this year.
Apple TV won't be streaming football this year.
Photo: NFL
TuneIn is also streaming a bunch of NFL shows. Photo: TuneIn
TuneIn is also streaming a bunch of NFL shows. Photo: TuneIn

TuneIn Premium, the radio streaming app for Android and iOS, just got an awesome new update that lets you tune into live NFL games.

Subscribers get access to play-by-play feeds for all 32 NFL teams, including both the home and away feeds and national radio broadcasts.

Galaxy Note 5 review: The finest phablet money can buy

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20140914_galazy-note5_0038-940x626
This is the first Note that isn't all about specs. Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
This is the first Note that isn’t all about specs. Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Android

After kicking off the “phablet” trend in 2011, the Galaxy Note series has become the bigger and better smartphone in Samsung’s lineup every year — and usually the best phablet on the market. But with this year’s Note 5, a lot has changed.

Samsung has snubbed a number of popular features to take a gamble on the new design language it first introduced with the Galaxy S6 earlier this year. It makes the Note 5 far prettier than its predecessors, but does it make for a better handset overall?

You bet your S Pen it does!

iPhone 6s Plus outsnaps Sony Xperia Z5 in camera tests

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The iPhone 6s' 12MP camera is a great performer. Photo: SuperSaf TV
The iPhone 6s’ 12MP camera is a great performer. Photo: SuperSaf TV

Sony’s new Xperia Z5 has the best smartphone camera available, according to the experts at DxOMark — but that could be about to change.

In a number of real-world tests, the Xperia Z5’s 23-megapixel shooter is outperformed by the 12-megapixel camera inside the iPhone 6s Plus.

Facebook bans user named Something Long And Complicated

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facebook-bans-user-named-something-long-and-complicated-image-cultofandroidcomwp-contentuploads201510Facebook-jpg

If you give yourself a silly name, you can’t complain when it’s not taken seriously.

A British man is learning this the hard way after continually getting his Facebook account closed down by administrators who assume it is fake. Why? His name is “Something Long And Complicated.”

3D Touch is coming to Android next

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3D Touch is coming to Android next. Photo: Synaptics
3D Touch is coming to Android next. Photo: Synaptics

With the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus, Apple has added an entirely new dimension to their touchscreens with the addition of 3D Touch, a new technology that lets you interact with touchscreen elements differently depending on how much pressure you use.

So how long until Android catches up? Not long, it looks like. Synaptics has just announced they’re coming up with a new touch controller that will give Android users their own version of 3D Touch.

How Microsoft’s ambitious new Lumia 950 phones compare to rivals

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Windows 10 Mobile
Windows phones could be about to make a comeback.
Photo: Microsoft
Could you fall in love with a Lumia? Photo: Microsoft
Could you fall in love with a Lumia? Photo: Microsoft

Microsoft’s new Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL have arrived, with high-end specifications, iris recognition technology, and the latest Windows 10 software. But do they have what it takes to persuade you to give up Android or iOS?

Find out in our in-depth comparison below.

Microsoft hails its Surface Book as ‘the ultimate laptop’

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Microsoft's first ever laptop is... actually kind of awesome.
Photo: Microsoft
A welcome surprise. Photo: Microsoft
A welcome surprise. Photo: Microsoft

Microsoft had a surprise up its Windows-loving sleeve today in the form of a new Surface laptop called the Surface Book, the first laptop in history to be built by the company.

Hailed as the, “thinnest, most powerful PC ever created,” the distinctive-looking Surface Book weighs just 1.6 lbs, is 7.7 mm thick, and boasts a 13.5-inch detachable display with 267ppi.

Surface Pro 4 wants to kill iPad Pro and MacBook Air in one go

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Has Microsoft found itself a winner?
Photo: Microsoft
Photo: Microsoft
Photo: Microsoft

Microsoft’s not taking the threat of the iPad Pro lying down. During today’s keynote event, the company called its brand new 12.3-inch Surface Pro 4 “the most productive device on the planet.”

“We have competitors. You may have noticed,” said Microsoft hardware guru Panos Panay as he introduced the tablet. “They’re chasing it, it’s pretty cool.”

The Surface Pro 4 doesn’t look bad, either.