Evan Killham - page 10

$1,500 iPhone 6s case does not grant wishes

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Advent Gray iPhone 6 case
The Advent iPhone 6 case makes the phone it holds look like cheap garbage.
Photo: Gray International

Are you in the market for an iPhone 6 case that makes the money you spend on the phone itself look like pocket change? A limited-edition accessory can help you make that dream come true.

The Advent comes courtesy of Gray International, and it looks like every cent of its $1,500 price point. And that’s probably because it bears more than a passing resemblance to the billion-dollar stealth bomber.

Check out the fancy case in all of its overly dramatic glory in the promotional video below.

Apple Maps trains its eye on Amtrak routes, Boston transit

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Amtrak in Apple Maps
Amtrak routes are now available in Apple Maps.
Screengrab: Evan Killham/Cult of Mac

The next stage of Apple Maps’ Transit roll-out is live today. The latest update includes public transportation in Boston and, more interestingly, select Amtrak train routes in the northeastern U.S.

OK, well it’s all pretty interesting. But, you know. Trains.

Dead-simple Apple Watch app will motivate you to the max

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Clicker app for Apple Watch
Clicker will help you keep track of the number that matters most to you. Whatever that is.
Photo: Evan Killham/Cult of Mac

If you have something to count, a new Apple Watch app will let you do so quickly and easily.

Clicker comes from developer Craig Hockenberry, and it’s a crazy-simple way to count anything you have that needs counting. And it’s here to motivate you.

How to get past Philips Hue’s ‘iCloud Sync’ roadblock

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Philips hue lighting
Sure, the lights are all pretty now. But at what cost, Philips?
Photo: Philips

Pro Tip Cult of Mac bugYou should be excited to get Siri up and running with your new Philips Hue bridge and control your lights with the power of your voice, but one annoying error might stop you. It definitely had me scouring the Internet for answers when I was setting up my smartbulb system this afternoon, and I’d love to save you that time.

Because if you’ve spent $200 on fancy lightbulbs, you probably want to start using them right away, damn it.

Chipgate FAQ: Everything you need to know about iPhone 6s controversy

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battery
"Variable performance depending on who made your processor" was maybe not high on Apple's feature list.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

If you’re confused about the so-called ‘Chipgate’ controversy swirling around the Internet today, we’re here to help.

It just wouldn’t be an iPhone launch without something going awry, and the latest outcry concerns the relative performances of the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus’ A9 processors, especially their effects on the phones’ battery lives. And if that all sounds a bit technical and boring, it is. But it’s not too hard to understand.

No, Apple didn’t purge ‘Chipgate’ app from App Store

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The A9 processors inside Apple's new iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus come from two different manufacturers and appear to perform differently. And thus
The A9 processors inside Apple's new iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus come from two different manufacturers and appear to perform differently. And thus "Chipgate" is born.
Image: Austin Evans/YouTube

As iPhone 6s owners freak out over whether their new smartphones might be saddled with a performance-deficient chip, an app that makes it easy to identify the type of chip inside the new smartphones mysteriously vanishes from the App Store.

It’s enough to get “Chipgate” conspiracy theorists churning, but the reality is a little less dark than all that.

Wearables aren’t flying with the IT crowd

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Time travel without a flux capacitor - right on your wrist.
But ... Apple Watch doesn't even connect to Wi-Fi.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

A new study suggests that the increased popularity of wearables like the Apple Watch and fitness trackers in the workplace is giving information technology professionals the willies.

IT tool and service provider Ipswitch polled 288 workers who feel like the burgeoning devices might present some problems, especially if they’re connected to company-owned Wi-Fi networks.

Apple TV vs. Roku 4: Which box will hold your attention?

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Apple TV versus Roku 4
Which streaming box has earned a place by your TV?
Photo: Evan Killham

Those on the lookout for a new streaming box this fall will have a tough decision to make when the fourth-generation models of both Apple TV and Roku hit the market. And while they both have some solid features, which one you end up buying depends a lot on what you already own.

Here’s how the two streamers measure up.

Apple TV dominates streaming, but it makes people sad

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Apple TV 4 brings iOS apps to the big screen.
We're getting really mixed signals here, Apple TV.
Photo: Apple

A new study puts Apple TV at the top of the streaming-box charts, but it’s faring less well in public perception on social media.

Adobe draws data for its quarterly survey, Digital Video Benchmark, from hundreds of apps and billions of online views. And the second chunk of 2015 had some surprises.

Tiny gizmo will make you less of a loser

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The O wearable and app
The O wants to make sure you never forget your unicorn again.
Photo: The O

A new gadget hopes to help you keep tabs on your important items before you lose them.

The O is a small, electronic tracker that pairs with an app on your iPhone. You place it on (or attach it to) something you don’t want to leave behind, and you’ll get alerts if you do. It’s kind of the same “You forgot your phone” feature that we were hoping to get out of the Apple Watch when it strays out of range of its paired handset, but these little pucks are cool, too.

Apple welcomes new batch of HomeKit-compatible devices

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Apple HomeKit
HomeKit is getting closer to helping you live in the future.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s list of HomeKit-compatible devices is finally starting to look impressive.

The company’s smarthome framework has been off to a bit of a slow start since Apple first unveiled it at its Worldwide Developers Conference last year, but this fall might be when it actually hits its stride. The list of available compatible devices is growing, according to an update on Apple’s website.

iPhone 6s availability map shows some interesting gaps

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iphone-6s-rose-gold

Photo: Apple

Apple’s new iPhone 6s is poised to take most of the world by storm — and the rest by mail.

The company claims that its latest gadget, which had its initial launch on Friday, should be available in 130 countries by the end of the year, and our survey of regional Apple home pages gives us a pretty good idea of what the big board in Cupertino’s war room might look like. Check it out below.

Handy map shows how iPhone 6s will conquer the world

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iPhone 6s 3d
The iPhone 6s is ready to spread across the globe.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Apple is already looking ahead to how the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus will take over the world, according to our survey of individual countries’ region-specific Apple sites.

If you don’t live in one of the first 11 countries that received the new phones on Friday, you may not have long to wait, as our findings reveal the next 105 or so places Apple plans to sell the 6s. Check out the map below to see when it’s coming to your neighborhood if it hasn’t already.

10 essential apps for your new iPhone 6s

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iphone-6s-3d-touch
Okay, you have the phone. Now what?
Photo: Apple

If you’ve braved a line (or just waited impatiently for your mail or a delivery from your local courier) and finally have your hands on an iPhone 6s or 6s Plus of your very own, you may be wondering what do do with your new precious. Sure, you could call all your friends and tell them you’re speaking to them through your shiny new gadget, like I did with my Apple Watch.

And I’m here to tell you that everyone loves that.

But you’re probably looking for some cool apps to play around with, and it may be hard to know where to start — especially if this is your first iPhone. So here are a bunch of apps that should be at the top of your list.

Prep photos perfectly for your custom Apple Watch face

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Apple Watch Update
Get ready to make custom Apple Watch faces like a champ.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

With watchOS 2, you can now use any photo in your library to make a custom Apple Watch face. And that gives you a lot of freedom to make the wearable your own, but sometimes, you and the watch might have different ideas for how to treat your pictures.

Here’s a quick and easy way to make sure that your Apple Watch looks exactly how you want it to.

Apple fans (and a robot) line up around world for iPhone 6s launch

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Apple Store Hamburg line iPhone 6s
Apple fans are turning out in force in Hamburg, Germany for the iPhone 6s launch.
Photo: Thomas Knoop (via Twitter)

We figured tonight’s iPhone 6s launch would draw some crowds, and sure enough, they are. Fans all over the world are lining up to be the first to get their hands on Apple’s latest hardware, and we have the pictures to prove it, starting with that massive batch of Hamburgers above.

Here are crowds outside of Apple Stores from across the globe.

How to keep your Apple Watch display on longer in watchOS 2

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Chances are you'll see quite a few more of these in the coming years.
Don't go anywhere, Apple Watch -- we're not finished yet.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Here’s another tip that’s snuck into watchOS 2: Did you know that you can keep your Apple Watch awake longer now while you’re using it?

Apple hasn’t mentioned this feature much, if at all; we couldn’t even find it on the details screen when we upgraded. But it’s a great addition to the firmware that will save you a little frustration and a lot of wrist-flipping.

Here’s how to do it.

Pro Tip: Your Apple Watch’s Activation Lock may already be on

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Apple Watch Siri
Yes, Siri. It's already on.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Pro Tip Cult of Mac bugThis week’s release of watchOS 2 brings a much-needed security update to Apple’s wearable by adding Activation Lock to the device, and the great news is that you may not even have to do anything to add it.

Activation Lock has been around for a while for other Apple devices, and its purpose is to keep thieves from using them even if they manage to get ahold of your preciouses. The first version of watchOS only included basic locking features and a passkey, which wouldn’t keep smart evildoers from gaining access to sensitive data like your Apple Pay data.

Here’s how the feature shows up on the Apple Watch.

How to set up third-party complications in watchOS 2

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watchOS 2 third party complications
Third-party complications are here in watchOS 2.
Photo: Evan Killham/Cult of Mac

Third-party complications have arrived to the Apple Watch in watchOS 2, and setting them up is far from complicated.

The new operating system for Apple’s wearable dropped this week, and this is one of the features the company has talked up the most. And rightly so, because it adds a ton of new functionality to the device.

Here’s how to put a wealth of new information on your watch face.

4 watchOS 2 improvements you didn’t know you wanted

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Apple Watch Update
The new custom faces aren't the only great part of watchOS 2.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Apple’s second major iteration of its wearable firmware, watchOS 2, is finally out today, and it has some extra fun features hiding along with all of the ones the company has been talking about since it first announced the update back in June.

Sure, native apps and custom watch faces are cool, but watchOS 2 also contains some smaller updates that you have to look for. Here are some of the hidden gems.

FAQ: Everything you need to know about the XcodeGhost App Store hack

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Pirate Flag
Steve Jobs' old mantra about "It's better to be a pirate than join the navy" probably wasn't on Apple's application form.
Photo: George Hodan/Public Domain Pictures

If you’re as confused as we were when we first heard about the major App Store hack over the weekend, we’re here to help.

Here’s a compilation of everything we know about the XcodeGhost story, and we’ll be updating it as more develops.

How iOS 9’s Wi-Fi Assist frees users from slow connections

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Name-changer: Passbook is  called Wallet in iOS 9.
iOS 9's Wi-Fi Assist hopes to help you keep your connection strong.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

A new, slightly hidden feature in iOS 9 hopes to help keep your connection as strong as possible.

Apple’s latest version of its mobile firmware contains a lot of obvious changes (Passbook is now called Wallet, for example), but a lot of the biggest and best changes are buried away just waiting for you to discover them. One of these hidden gems is the Wi-Fi Assist feature, which might just solve one of the most annoying issues we saw in earlier versions of the operating system.

Here’s what it is and how it can help you.

Apple Watch heart monitor saves teen’s life

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Apple Watch alerts user of irregular heart rhythms in sleep
Keep an eye on this. It might keep you out of the grave.
Photo: Evan Killham/Cult of Mac

A teen sought medical attention after his Apple Watch heart monitor gave him persistently high readings, and that decision saved him from an untimely death.

Paul Houle, a 17-year-old football player, bought Apple’s wearable a few days before he started pre-season training at Tabor Academy in Marion, Mass. After two practices in one day, he noticed that his heart rate was sitting around 145 beats per minute, even hours after he’d stopped exercising.

He wouldn’t know until later, but he was experiencing a potentially life-threatening condition.

How to fix iOS 9’s Slide to Upgrade bug

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It's time to get ready for your iOS 9 upgrade.
You did back everything up, right?
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Some users trying to upgrade to iOS 9 this week have run into a serious problem: After the download happens, they find themselves stuck on the “Slide to Upgrade” screen upon restart. This bug renders their iPhones unusable, which is about the least useful state for an iPhone to be in.

But Apple has noticed, and it’s offering a fix. Here’s what you do to fix the annoying Slide to Upgrade bug.