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Ed Hardy - page 237

Google Maps now suggests where to go, not just how to get there

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Google Maps’ new For You tab tries to help you have fun.
Google Maps’ new For You tab tries to help you have fun.
Photo: Google

Google Maps is going beyond just giving driving directions. It’s new “For You” tab provides updates on restaurants, stores, or entire neighborhoods.

This free feature launched for Android over the summer, and begins rolling out to iOS today in dozens of countries.

Apple’s Beddit sleep tracker gets more-polished look, new app

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The resigned Beddit 3.5 (left) looks more like an Apple product than the earlier version.
The resigned Beddit 3.5 (left) looks more like an Apple product than the earlier version.
Photo: Apple

A new version of the Beddit sleep monitor launched today. This is the first version since Apple acquired the company making this accessory last year, and the result is better  hardware and software, though few new features.

Lego Ninjago AR app brings toys to virtual life

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Lego Ninjago AR brings playsets to life in a mixed reality in game.
Lego Ninjago AR brings playsets to life in a mixed reality in game.
Photo: Lego

At Apple’s developer conference in June, Lego demonstrated an app built with ARkit that placed real Lego sets in virtual environments. The first version of that software just launched today.

Lego Ninjago AR lets players interact with certain Dragon Hunters sets. And two people can play together thanks to the multi-player capabilities added in ARkit 2.

Sorry, iPhone: U.S. consumers just aren’t that into you

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Long-term iPhone XR demand could eventually lead to greater sales than the iPhone XS.
The iPhone XS models and the iPhone XR just don’t seem to be as enticing as their predecessors.
Photo: Apple

2019 isn’t shaping up to be an good year for Apple. A survey of potential customers in the U.S. and in China found lower interest in iPhone than last year.

Apple’s little-known sleep tracker could get big update soon

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Beddit 3 sees you when you’re sleeping; it knows when you’re awake.
Beddit 3 sees you when you’re sleeping; it knows when you’re awake.
Photo: Beddit/Apple

The FCC granted its approval for Apple to make a “Sleep Monitor.” This is almost certainly an improved version of the Beddit, a product the company acquired last year.

It will apparently join Apple’s growing lineup of health-tracking products.

Get a second iPad Pro USB-C power charger for $29

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The power charger from the 2018 iPad Pro isn’t well suited for travel.
The power charger from the 2018 iPad Pro isn’t well suited for travel.
Photo: Apple

The 2018 iPad Pro comes with an 18W power adapter. Apple just began selling this as a separate item.

Having a second charger for your tablet when you’re on the go is convenient, but Apple’s $29 offering might not be the best choice.

macOS Mojave 10.14.2 tweaks Apple News, adds Real-Time Text support

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Get ready to go dark with macOS Mojave Dark Mode.
Update to macOS 10.14.2 today for a handful of small improvements.
Photo: Apple

September brought macOS Mojave 10.14 with a wide array of new features like Dark Mode. October saw the introduction of version 10.12.1 with Group FaceTime. And today there’s macOS 10.14.2 with… well, what are definitely some very minor improvements.

Apple also just introduced iOS 12.1.1 with improvements for FaceTime and Face ID. In addition, tvOS 12.1.1 was released with some minor bug fixes.

Google and Amazon plan to copy AirPods in 2019

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Earphones
AirPods rule the roost now, but serious competition is coming.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple has a real winner in AirPods. But the company’s slow pace of updating them is reportedly giving competitors a chance to catch up.

A respected analyst says Google and Amazon will have their own versions out next year.

iOS 12 adoption hits 70 percent of iPhone and iPad users

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iOS 12 Support_WWDC18
Phones and tablets dating back to 2013 can be upgraded to iOS 12.
Photo: Apple

A data analysis firm recently estimated that three-quarters of iPhone and iPad users have upgraded to iOS 12. Turns out that was slightly optimistic. Apple revealed today that iOS 12 adoption is actually at 70 percent.

That is vastly better than the number of people who’ve been able to upgrade to the latest version of Android.

Why Apple’s Geniuses seem so glad to accept lower pay

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Apple store
Apple Store employees are partially compensated with intangible benefits.
Photo: Apple

Anyone who frequents Apple retail stores knows they can always count on knowledgeable and sympathetic help from an employee. One might assume that Apple retains such people with high salaries. Nope.

Instead, the Geniuses — as some employees of Apple Stores are famously called — work there because they are a select few who believe they are helping customers by selling them Macs, iPhones, etc.

Cheaper Lightning-to-USB-C cables launching sooner than expected

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Lightning cables that plug into USB-C ports charge your iPhone more quickly.
Lightning cables that plug into USB-C ports charge your iPhone more quickly.
Photo: Apple

You could be able to get your hands on less expensive, but still MFi certified, Lightning-to-USB-C cables more quickly than first thought. Apple is allowing third-party manufacturers to produce these, and shipments could start in just a few months.

These cables allow iPhones and older iPads to charge far more quickly than Lightning-to-USB-A ones.

Samsung busted using fake photos to demo a smartphone camera (again)

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Samsung uses this DSLR mage to demonstrate the Galaxy A8 Star’s camera.
Samsung uses this DSLR mage to demonstrate the Galaxy A8 Star’s camera.
Photo: Samsung

Samsung uses an image taken by a professional photographer to show off the capabilities of the Samsung Galaxy A8 Star. That wouldn’t be a problem except the picture was taken with a digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) camera, not the phone Samsung is pretending it came from.

If that wasn’t bad enough, it’s not the first time something like this has happened.

Tim Cook promises Apple ‘won’t give a platform to violent conspiracy theorists’

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Tim Cook opening remarks WWDC 2017
Tim Cook said “I worry less about computers that think like people and more about people that think like computers.”
Photo: Apple

During his acceptance speech for the Anti-Defamation League’s first ever “Courage Against Hate” award today, Apple CEO Tim Cook made it clear that his company won’t shy away from taking moral positions. 

“We only have one message for those who seek to push hate, division or violence: You have no place on our platforms,” Cook said.

Rupert Grint will get terrified in M. Night Shyamalan’s Apple TV series

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This is what Rupert Grint does best, and he’s bringing that talent to Apple TV.
This is what Rupert Grint does best, and he’s bringing that talent to Apple TV.
Photo: Warner Bros.

One of Rupert Grint’s jobs playing Ron Weasley in the Harry Potter movies was looking terrified whenever appropriate. That might be the reason he’s been hired to be in the TV series M. Night Shyamalan is helping create for Apple.

This, like all the programs being filmed for Apple, will reportedly be free to watch on any Mac, iPad, iPhone, etc.

Dodgy apps use Touch ID/Face ID to rip off users

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Touch ID on iPhone
Don’t let an app ask for your identity with Touch ID or Face ID unless you know what it’s doing.
Photo: Apple

A pair of fitness applications were found to be tricking users into authorizing financial transactions. They have been removed from the App Store, but stand as examples of something to watch out for.

If third-party software asks for you to identify yourself with Touch ID or Face ID, carefully consider whether there’s a good reason before doing so.

Hear the Grammy nominations first on Apple Music

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Apple Music will reveal Grammy nominations before the Academy does.
Apple Music will reveal Grammy nominations before the Academy does.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

The Recording Academy is trying something unusual with this year’s Grammy Awards: nominations for some of the categories will be announced via Apple Music.

If you’re very eager to find out which artists are  up for Grammies this year, you can get up early Friday morning and tune in via your iPhone, Mac, or iPad.

Apple Store purchases this week generate donations to AIDS treatment

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Apple calls attention to World AIDS Day with red logos in its retail stores.
Apple calls attention to World AIDS Day with red logos in its retail stores.
Photo: Apple

Apple is a company with a social conscience, and it’s using its high profile to bring attention to the fight against HIV/AIDS.  As part of this, Apple logos at its retail locations around the word went red to observe World AIDS Day.

But that’s just the start. From today through Dec. 7, checking out with Apple Pay in the Apple Store will donate $1 to fighting this epidemic.

Apple approves India’s controversial Do Not Disturb app

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Foxconn moving additional iPhone production to India as coronavirus disrupts work
Apple and India’s government worked out their differences on an iOS app before iPhone was banned from that country.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple today made an anti-spam application developed by the Indian government available on that country’s version of its App Store. The software is designed to help prevent an avalanche of commercial phone calls and texts, but Apple had previously expressed concerns that it revealed too much information about users to the government.

The version of TRAI DND – Do Not Disturb just approved appears to deal with Apple’s concerns.

Pokémon Go player-vs.-player battles teased again

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A major missing feature from Pokémon GO will be added soon.
A major missing feature from Pokémon Go will be added soon.
Photo: Niantic

Every version of Pokémon is about players using pocket monsters to battle other trainers. Well, every version except Pokémon Go, which conspicuously lacks the capability to let you go head-to-head with another player.

Game developer Niantic promised this feature would arrive before the end of the year. The company suggested today that the wait is almost over.

AirPods could someday replace your Apple Watch

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airpods
Ear-worn devices like these AirPods could become the most-used type of wearable.
Photo: Ste Smith/ Cult of Mac

Smart watches are currently the most popular form of wearable, but ear-worn devices are expected to replace them in the coming years. The changeover will take place as AirPods and similar products gain additional features that people now get from Apple Watch and iPhone.

In less than five years, so-called “hearables” could outsell every other type of  wearable by a wide margin.

Apple kicks hundreds more apps out of China’s App store

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The Chinese market is very important to Apple.
The Chinese market is very important to Apple.
Photo: Apple

Apple continues to remove third-party applications from the Chinese version of the App Store for violating its terms of service. It reportedly removed 718 apps this week.

This isn’t the first time there’s been a purge from this software store. But this time none of the applications were breaking Chinese law, just Apple’s own rules.

Get your inexpensive iPhone battery replacement while you can

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iPhone batteries
Battery brand no longer complicates an iPhone repair job.
Photo: iFixIt

If you weren’t tempted by an iPhone XR or XS, and you’ve decided to hold onto your older handset for another year, you should really consider getting the battery replaced. This will add years of usefulness. 

Even better, Apple is offering a special deal that makes it just $29. But this low price is available only for one more months.

Apple’s Product(RED) contributes over $200 million to fight AIDS

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Buying the PRODUCT(RED) version of the iPhone XR contributes to ending the AIDS epidemic.
Buying the PRODUCT(RED) version of the iPhone XR contributes to ending the AIDS epidemic.
Photo: Apple

iPhones, cases and other products in Apple’s Product(RED) line are more than just colorful; they’ve so far been responsible for $200 million going to pay for HIV/AIDS counseling, testing and medication.

Apple partnered with (RED) 11 years ago, with purchases of select products contributing to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

Elvis is in the building for hilarious Apple FaceTime ad

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Don’t miss Apple’s hilarious Elvis-themed Group Facetime ad.
Don’t miss Apple’s wacky Elvis-themed Group Facetime ad.
Screencap: Apple

Apple gives us the gift we really want: more Elvis. Specifically, a collection of Elvis impersonators scattered around the world using Group FaceTime to share their love of the King of Rock and Roll.

This iPhone ad highlights the best new feature in iOS 12.1, the ability to make FaceTime video calls to multiple people simultaneously.

Watch it now:

iPhone XR isn’t a dud. It’s Apple’s best-selling model.

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Long-term iPhone XR demand could eventually lead to greater sales than the iPhone XS.
iPhone XS seems to be selling well, but iPhone XR sales are stronger.
Photo: Apple

In a change for Apple, its best-selling model isn’t its most expensive. A company VP says the iPhone XR has outsold the iPhone XS series since the cheaper device came out last month.

Perhaps this will allay recent nervousness about how well Apple’s latest device is selling.