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COVID-19 might mean no new emoji in 2021

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2020 emoji
No new emoji might appear in 2021, so these 2020 additions might be the last for a while.
Photo: Emojipedia

The group that’ll determine which emojis would have been added next year said Wednesday that it’s delaying its decision by six months, until September 2021. This raises the possibility that there’ll be no new emoji characters in next year’s iPhone operating system update.

The new 2020 emoji list has already been unveiled by the Unicode Consortium.

Huawei just had to copy the Apple Card

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Huawei Card is coming soon
Huawei Card borrows quite a bit from Apple Card.
Artists Concept: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Huawei unveiled its own credit card April 8, just a year after the debut of the Apple Card. That might be a coincidence if the Chinese company didn’t have a long history of copying Apple.

Google offers 2 months of free Stadia Pro gaming service

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Google’s Stadia will run on MacBooks and iPads, not just Android devices.
This free trial to the Google Stadia Pro cloud gaming service gives your Mac, iPhone or iPad access to top-tier games.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Google said Wednesday that it’s offering two free months of the cloud-based gaming service Stadia Pro to gamers in 14 countries. This includes access to nine games, including GRID, Destiny 2: The Collection, and Thumper.

The company is doing this to help combat feelings of isolation many might be feeling during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Constantly charge your iPhone with Xvida case and clip-on battery [Review]

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Xvida Magnetic Wireless Charging Case and Portable Battery Pack review
Combine the Xvida Magnetic Wireless Charging Portable Battery Pack with the Charging Case to make an iPhone battery case.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

The Magnetic Wireless Charging Case from Xvida protects your iPhone from drops and blows, but that’s just the start. Magnets set into its back allow it to easily attach to a range of other accessories made by this company. That includes a wireless charger that adds hours of use to the handset.

I’ve tested both the Xvida Magnetic Wireless Charger Portable Battery Pack and the protective case that it pairs with to see how they stand up to real-world use.

Apple Maps highlights food deliveries and pharmacies

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Apple Maps helps you find food and medicine in the COVID-19 crisis.
Apple Maps helps you find food and medicine during the COVID-19 crisis.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Apple Maps has been tweaked to make it easier to find businesses people are more likely to need during a shelter-in-place order. The default navigation app for iPhone now gives greater prominence to grocery stores and food delivery than it does to restaurants and fast food chains.

Totallee UV Phone Sanitizer kills germs, and recharges your iPhone

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Totallee UV Phone Sanitizer and iPhone charger
An iPhone placed in the Totallee UV Phone Sanitizer will be bathed in UVB and UVC rays.
Photo: Totallee

Drop your iPhone into the Totallee UV Phone Sanitizer and a pair of ultraviolet lights will kill the germs and bacteria that handsets tend to get coated in. And, as a bonus, this accessory also works as a wireless phone charger.

Totallee makes no promises this product works against the novel coronavirus that’s causing the current pandemic. But earlier studies have shown that the UVC light this accessory emits is effective against other viruses.

Sling TV promises week of free streaming service, no strings attached

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Sling TV
The “Stay in and Sling” offer promises 7 days of Sling TV, with no credit card required to sign up.
Photo: Sling TV

It’s not necessary to enter credit card info to sign up for a week of free Sling TV live channels and on-demand movies. The streaming service includes CNN, HGTV Cartoon Network and much more. And it’s all available for seven days with no strings attached to people sheltering at home during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Google Maps spotlights nearby delivery and take-out restaurants

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Google Maps adds Takeout and Delivery buttons
Tap on the Delivery or Takeout buttons in Google Maps to see open eateries that are closeby.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

A pair of easy-to-see buttons have been added at the top of the Google Maps iPhone and Android apps to help users find restaurants in their area that offer takeout and delivery service. These point people toward nearby eateries still offering service during the coronavirus crisis.

Apple builds 1 million face shields a week for medical workers

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Apple CEO Tim Cook shows off a face shield Apple is making for medical workers.
CEO Tim Cook shows off a face shield Apple is making for medical workers.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Apple CEO Tim Cook said Sunday that the company is building face shields for medical workers. These are already being distributed in the US, and the plan is to make a million of them a week to be sent to around the world.

In addition, Cook revealed the company has sourced, but not yet donated, over 20 million face masks. The head of Apple said “We’re working continuously and closely with governments at all levels to ensure these are donated to places of greatest need.”

Satechi makes the best Apple Watch travel charger we’ve seen [Review]

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Satechi USB-C Magnetic Charging Dock for Apple Watch review
Satechi Charging Dock for Apple Watch is about the same size as Apple’s wearable.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

The Satechi USB-C Magnetic Charging Dock for the Apple Watch is more portable than Apple’s own. And because it uses USB-C, it’s easier to use with a MacBook or iPad Pro — just plug it straight in.

I put the Satechi USB-C Magnetic Charging Dock for Apple Watch through a battery of tests. Here’s how it stood up.

Watch Epix movies and shows for free through Apple TV app

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Epix is available through the Apple TV app.
Just open the Apple TV app to access Epix streaming content at no charge.
Photo: Apple/Epix

All the streaming content of the cable channel Epix is reportedly free to Apple users until May 2. Original shows like Pennyworth and Godfather of Harlem as well a wide selection of movies are available from Epix through the Apple TV app.

Facebook allegedly tried to buy Pegasus spyware to secretly track iPhone users

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Facebook Onavo Protect iOS
Facebook’s Onavo Protect did the opposite of protecting users. And it could have been more effective with Pegasus spyware.
Photo: Facebook

NSO Group accuses Facebook of trying to buy access to its Pegasus surveillance software so it could better track the activities of iPhone users.

The spyware supposedly would have gone into Onavo Protect, a VPN app Facebook pulled off the App Store back in 2018 for violating Apple’s data-collection policies.

FCC eyes boosting Wi-Fi speeds by opening 6GHz spectrum

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home Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi over the 6GHz spectrum, if approved, could offer up to 2Gbps wireless connections.
Photo: Alan Levine/Flickr

The FCC will vote April 23 on a proposal to expand Wi-Fi to the 6GHz band. If approved, the move would add almost five times the bandwidth to the short-range wireless networking standard used by MacBooks, iPads, and virtually every other mobile device. That could bring faster Wi-Fi connections, with less interference from nearby computers.

Amid booming popularity, Zoom commits to improved security and privacy

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Zoom promises to work harder to protect user privacy.
Millions have turned to the Zoom video-conferencing service, but it’s also facing criticism for security lapses.
Photo: Zoom

Zoom had over 200 million daily meeting participants in March, about 20x the average, as people isolate themselves during the COVID-19 pandemic.

But this video conferencing service faces criticism for a lack of security. That’s why Zoom CEO Eric Yuan on Thursday stopped all work on adding new features to its software to instead focus on fixing problems with privacy and public trust.

These MacBooks will hit Apple’s dreaded ‘vintage and obsolete’ list soon

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The new MacBook Air has more graphics power than it appears at first. Photo: Apple
Remember the 11-inch MacBook Air? Probably not.
Photo: Apple

MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models that launched in 2013 and 2014 will reportedly be placed on Apple’s list of “vintage and obsolete products” at the end of April.

Despite what the name implies, this doesn’t mean these devices just became useless. Instead, it’s going to be harder to get them serviced.

Cloudflare’s Warp, a free and fast VPN for Mac, enters beta testing

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Cloudflare Warp for macOS
Warp for macOS, now in beta, promises a fast and free VPN.
Photo: Cloudflare

Cloudflare on Wednesday began beta testing a macOS version of Warp, its virtual private network currently offered only on iPhone. The VPN encrypts all internet traffic for the Mac it’s installed on, helping to protect the user’s privacy.

VPNs add security, but are often slow. Cloudflare promises its service is fast. And it’s free.

iOS 14 could add two-factor authentication to iCloud Keychain password manager

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setup iCloud keychain
iCloud Keychain password manager could be getting support for an advanced security feature.
Photo: Cult of Mac

The iCloud Keychain password manager built into iOS and macOS is reportedly getting support for two-factor authentication. This is a feature now only available in third-party password managers like Dashlane. It would make storing and using passwords more secure.

iWork for Mac embraces iCloud Drive folder sharing [Updated]

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iWork for Mac puts an emphasis on collaboration.
iWork for Mac has a new collaboration tool. And there’s an array of other improvements, too.
Photo: Apple

All the apps in Apple’s free iWork productivity suite for Mac now support iCloud Drive folder sharing, a collaboration feature that debuted last Tuesday in macOS 10.15.4.

This new feature is a highlight of each iWork application — Pages, Numbers and Keynote — reaching version 10.0. And there are numerous other enhancements, too.