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Ed Hardy - page 246

Magical Hogwarts Mystery rakes in $40 million and counting

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Harry Potter
Technically, Hogwarts Mystery is free, but in-app purchases have generated millions for its developer.
Photo: Jam City, Inc.

An RPG set in the Harry Potter universe is a huge hit. Hogwarts Mystery only debuted two months ago and has already made its developers $40 million.

There are a couple of reasons for this success. The obvious one is it’s Harry Potter. Duh. But the other is that this game so frequently requests in-app purchases that it’s garnered heavy criticism.

Get $100 for using this iPhone-only bank account

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The Finn by Chase app helps track spending.
The Finn by Chase iOS app helps track spending. You can even rate your purchases.
Photo: JPMorgan CHase

JPMorgan Chase now offers an all-digital bank account. Finn by Chase is for people who prefer to do everything on a phone, as this checking and saving account is only accessible on an iPhone or iPad.

To grab people’s attention, the bank will give $100 to new customers who complete at least 10 qualifying transactions within 60 days of opening the account.

Massive explosions predicted during Fortnite event tomorrow

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Fortnite event happening Saturday
Fortnite could pop a big rocket on Saturday.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Something is going to happen in the Fortnite game tomorrow. What that will be is a bit of a mystery, but it’s causing a lot of buzz.

Whatever the deal is, it’s happening at 1:30 pm Eastern Time on Saturday. In-game TV screens are showing a countdown clock, and that’s when it hits the zero hour.

New Seattle Apple Store focuses on education rather than products

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Seattle Apple Store has a giant screen
A giant screen for Today at Apple classes is the focus of the Seattle Apple Store.
Photo: Steve Ringman/The Seattle Times

You can still buy MacBooks and iPads at new Apple Store in Seattle, but that’s not the main emphasis. Instead, this retail location is built around a giant screen that’s used for educational events.

Of course, these educational events are all product related, like how to take better pictures with an iPhone. Or run a small business with an iPad.

Apple Maps getting revamped to suck less

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Apple Maps
After going from terrible to mediocre, Apple Maps is set to become good.
Photo: Apple

Apple has begun gathering its own data about the U.S. road network, rather than buying this information from other companies. The goal is to significantly improve Apple Maps.

This app was a disaster when it launched 6 years ago, and although there have been significant improvements, it has been the butt of jokes ever since. Apple wants to change that.

Trump praises Apple at groundbreaking for Foxconn’s U.S. plant

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President Trump: Apple encryption could protect ‘criminal minds’
At a groundbreaking ceremony for the Wisconsin Foxconn plant, President Trump applauded Apple's contribution to the U.S.
Photo: Gage Skidmore/Flickr CC

A groundbreaking ceremony today for a huge Foxconn plant was attended by President Trump. Foxconn is best known for assembling the iPhone, but this plant in the Midwest will produce LCD screens.

Although Apple isn’t directly involved with the production facility, the president still used his speech this morning to applaud the iPhone maker.

Why Apple should build a car

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Apple Car might be coming, but will it be special?
Something like this concept Apple car would become a reality if a couple of analysts are correct.
Image: Aristomenis Tsirbas/Freelancer

For the last few years, Apple has been investigating making autonomous cars, even though this is well outside its core competency of computers and their accessories.

The move leaves many observers scratching their heads, but a pair of analysts put together reasons why self-driving automobiles should be Apple’s next product category.

5 key areas Siri needs to improve in

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Siri Alexa in voice report
A survey found what people use their smartspeakers for, which should serve as a blueprint for Siri improvements.
Photo: Apple

Most people would agree that Siri is way behind its competitors. But Apple recently made moves that indicate it’s working to improve this voice assistant.

A British survey discovered what smartspeaker owners actually use them for. This could help Apple decide what new features to add to Siri, as well as the ones that need shoring up.

More powerful HomeKit Window AC units hit store shelves

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GE HomeKit window AC unit
This GE window AC unit is HomeKit compatible, making it far more intelligent than typical ones.
Photo: GE

The first window air conditioning unit with HomeKit launched this spring, and now GE has followed up with several more that can cool larger areas.

When people think of home automation, they generally think of whole-house systems. But that’s overkill in cooler climes. These single-room window AC units can be controlled by an iPhone app from anywhere.

Millions of Americans watching World Cup on their iPhone or iPad

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World Cup iPhone watching is a thing.
Extremely heavy downloads of apps like Fox Sports Go show that World Cup iPhone watching is a thing.
Photo: Fox

Living in America, it’s sometimes easy to forget the FIFA World Cup is going on now in Russia. Soccer isn’t one of the Big Four U.S. sports. Heck, most Americans don’t even call it by the right name.

But the fact that new downloads of the Fox Sports Go app grew 950 percent during the first week of the World Cup shows there are vast numbers of people living in this country watching the matches on their phones or tablets.

iPhone spared from Trump’s tariffs, for now

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iPad and iPhone tariffs aren't happening. Yet.
iPad and iPhone tariffs aren't happening. Yet. There are still no extra fees for shipping Apple's devices from China, but that could change..
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

The Trump administration is headed for a trade war with China, and there’s danger that Apple will get caught in the middle.

That said, the tariffs on Chinese imports going into effect in July won’t affect the iPhone or iPad. However, these devices could easily be part of a later round, which President Trump promises will be 10x bigger.

Amazing 2018 iPad Pro concept packs all the new features we want

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2018 iPad Pro concept art
Not today!
Photo: Álvaro Pabesio

Edge-to-edge phone screens are all the rage, so it’s not surprising that people want them in tablets too.  A artist shows what the iPad Pro would look like if the screen bezels were considerably reduced.  

His concept device also includes other improvements, including better cameras, Face ID, and a faster processor.

iPhone X camera officially ‘studio quality’

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Apple ad says iPhone X takes studio-quality portraits.
There were some complaints after Apple ads claimed the iPhone X takes "studio-quality portraits."
Photo: Apple

The advertising regulatory body in the UK ruled that Apple can say that the  iPhone X takes “studio-quality portraits.”

An ad for this smartphone promised “Radically new cameras with Portrait Lighting. Studio-quality portraits. Without the studio.” However, this brought two complaints to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA).

Future-proof your iPad keyboard case with ZAGG Nomad Book

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ZAGG Nomad Book
The ZAGG Nomad Book is a keyboard case that fits a range of tablets, including the 10.5- and 9.7-inch iPads.
Photo: ZAGG

The ZAGG Nomad Book is a keyboard case designed to fit around range of tablets 10.5 inches or smaller. That means it can be used with every iPad released for the past several years except the very largest.

ZAGG also just introduced the Messenger Folio. This has many of the benefits of the Nomad Book but was created specifically for the iPad Pro 10.5.

Wi-Fi is about to get way more secure

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smart-gadgets-are-getting-their-own-wi-fi-standard-in-2018-2-image-cultofandroidcomwp-contentuploads201409150272362_95f26266a2_b-jpg
After the changes being implemented in WPA3, you might feel less nervous about public Wi-Fi.

Part of the reason public Wi-Fi is so risky to use is that the security built into this short-range wireless networking standard hasn’t had a significant upgrade since 2004. But that’s about to change.

The Wi-Fi Alliance introduced Wi-Fi CERTIFIED WPA3, the next generation of Wi-Fi security. This adds new features to simplify Wi-Fi security and enable more robust authentication. The enterprise version offers increased cryptographic strength.

Apple’s Tim Cook has no time for short-term investors

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Tim Cook is going to BoxWorks.
CEO Tim Cook says short-term investors aren't needed at Apple.
Photo: Apple

Apple stock price has dropped steadily throughout June. That likely bothers short-term investors, but not Tim Cook. Apple’s CEO thinks long-term, and says planning no farther than the next quarterly earnings report is a recipe for disaster.

“If you’re making a decision based on the short term investors, you’re going to be guaranteed to be making terrible decisions,” Cook said yesterday.

macOS Mojave public beta finally here

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Mojave
After being announced at WWCD 2018 earlier this month, the macOS Mojave public beta was just made introduced.
Photo: Apple

Those in the general public eager to try out Apple’s next Mac operating system can now do so. The first macOS Mojave public beta was just released.

This appears to be the same version introduced last week as the second developer beta.

Tim Cook says Apple will never keep quiet about social issues

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Tim Cook opening remarks WWDC 2017
CEO Tim Cook apparently laid out Apple's three policy priorities.
Photo: Apple

Whenever Apple CEO Tim Cook weighs in on a social issue, like his recent disparaging comments about U.S. immigration policy, there are always voices urging him to be quiet and concentrate on making great products.

Speaking at a forum in San Francisco this evening, Cook said that changing the world is in his job description.

T-Mobile FamilyMode brings parental control over every device in the house

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T-Mobile FamilyMode Home Base
The T-Mobile FamilyMode app and Home Base promise control over every Internet-connected device in your house.
Photo: T-Mobile

Parental controls are a hot item. Apple is building them into iOS 12, kid-friendly apps have them, and T-Mobile just unveiled its solution: Family Mode.

This includes iOS and Android apps than can limit what children do online. And the Family Mode Home Base connects to the home Wi-Fi router and lets parents put restrictions on every device in the house.

Get ready for NFL football on iPhone

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Wilson connected football
CBS and the NFL ironed out their differences, allowing your iPhone to stream football games for the first time.
Photo: Buster Hein/Cult of Mac

CBS has been struggling to find stand-out content for its All Access streaming service beside Star Trek: Discovery. That problem has been solved. 

The entire 2018 NFL ON CBS schedule, including Super Bowl LIII, will be streamed live on All Access. That includes smartphones and tablets, a significant development.

iPhone hacking van is a spy’s wet dream

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WiSpear iPhone hacking van
The WiSpear hacking van sounds like a prop from Mission Impossible, not a product on sale at a recent trade show.
Screencap: Thomas Fox-Brewster

Sometimes it’s hard to tell if something is real or was dreamed up by a Batman villain. That’s the case with the WiSpear iPhone hacking van.

This tool supposedly can be used to install malware on an iOS or Android device from a third of a mile away.

Apple, other tech titans cross swords on consumer privacy

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Apple takes privacy seriously
Apple takes consumer privacy seriously, but Google and Facebook don't. Can an industry trade group that includes all three company reach any kind of consensus?
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

The Information Technology Industry Council will meet on Wednesday. This trade group, made up of Apple, Google, Microsoft, Facebook, and others, will discuss consumer privacy.

The proceedings are likely to be contentious, as these companies have very different views on the subject.

Hacker discovers bypassing iPhone passcode limit just requires a keyboard [UPDATED]

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iPhone passcode limit can be bypassed with a keyboard
A hacker claims the iPhone passcode limit can be bypassed with an external keyboard.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Companies like Grayshift help police bypass the passcodes on locked iPhones. One might think that this requires some byzantine hacking skills. Apparently not.

A hacker reports that iOS has a soft spot when it comes to external keyboards, allowing someone to send as many passcode attempts as desired. The passcodes have to be submitted correctly, though.

Tinder explores becoming slightly less of a hookup app

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Tinder Picks currently only for iPhone
The new Tinder Picks option -- currently testing exclusively on iOS -- helps you find people you have something in common with.
Photo: Tinder

Tinder Picks is a feature this dating app is testing that might make it a better way to find people you’re compatible with emotionally, not just sexually.

Picks takes the user’s profile and shows them pictures of people who have similar jobs, educations, and interests.

Amazon’s unlimited reading app finally arrives on iOS

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Amazon FreeTime Unlimited for kids now available on the Apple App Store.
Amazon FreeTime Unlimited offers kids age-appropriate videos, books, and apps. It's now on the Apple App Store.
Photo: Amazon

Amazon FreeTime Unlimited just made the jump to to the Apple App Store. This service for children ages three to twelve offers thousands of books, movies, and games for a flat monthly fee.

The service launched years ago on Amazon’s own tablets, but only became available for iPad and iPhone today.