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Killian Bell - page 180

AT&T’s DirecTV Now may come with a free Apple TV

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Siri Remote Apple TV
One big reason why you'll want to try DirecTV Now.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

AT&T is planning to give away free Apple TVs to customers who sign up to DirecTV Now for at least three months, according to a new report. Those who commit to at least one month will receive a free Amazon Fire TV Stick.

Gmail for iOS gets a fancy new look and new features

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gmail
Gmail gets some much-needed love on iOS.
Photo: Google

Google’s official Gmail app for iOS is finally getting some much-needed love. The latest update brings a “fresh new look” that makes Gmail feel like a real app that Google actually cares about — rather than just an ugly wrapper for a mobile webpage.

Has Apple become boring? [Friday Night Fights]

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FNF
Are you still excited by Apple in 2016?
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple might be the biggest company in tech, with revenues that make eyes water every quarter, but even some fans think it’s getting a little boring in Cupertino.

Friday Night Fights bug Following last week’s big MacBook Pro event, Apple has delivered everything it had planned for 2016. We’ve had upgrades to iPhone, Apple Watch, and the 12-inch MacBook; brand new AirPods (though those aren’t shipping yet); the diminutive iPhone SE and the 9.7-inch iPad Pro.

But was all that enough, or could Apple have done more? None of these releases were really that revolutionary, and investors are still waiting for Apple’s next big thing. So, is it true? Is Apple really boring now?

Join us in this week’s Friday Night Fight as we battle it out over these questions and more!

Samsung forced into another mass recall as washing machines attack

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burning-money
Samsung's set for another big loss.
Photo: CC-licensed -- Flickr/3dom

2016 will be a year to forget for Samsung.

The South Korean company has been forced to recall 2.8 million washing machines in the U.S. following reports that they are falling apart during use. One unlucky customer suffered a broken jaw when the top of their unit blew off.

MacBook Pro parody ad pulls exactly zero punches

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macbook pro
The new MacBook Pro is stunning, but not without its flaws.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s latest MacBook Pro is a stunning feat of engineering, but it isn’t without its fair share of compromises. These shortcomings get showcased in the parody ad below, which pulls no punches when highlighting all of the $1,799 notebook’s nasty flaws.

Pokémon GO has a plan to stop you leaving

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Pokémon Go
Niantic has a plan to keep you coming back to Pokémon GO.
Photo: Niantic

Already bored of Pokémon GO? So are millions of others, it seems — but Niantic has tricks up its sleeve to get you back. With an update that’s coming “soon,” Pokémon GO will get daily and weekly bonuses that will encourage you to keep playing.

Logic Pro X to get MacBook Pro Touch Bar support in early 2017

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logic-pro-x
Logic Pro X on the MacBook Pro.
Photo: Apple

Almost all of Apple’s own applications will support the MacBook Pro’s new Touch Bar when it starts shipping in a couple of weeks, but not Logic Pro X. Instead, users will have to wait until early 2017 for compatibility, according to a new report.

Android security chief insists Google Pixel is just as secure as iPhone

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Pixel
Android 7.1 Nougat is as strong as iOS.
Photo: Google

Android gets a lot of stick for being insecure, but it’s not always deserved. According to Adrian Ludwig, director of Android security, Google’s new Pixel smartphones running the latest version of Android are just as secure as the iPhone.

AirPods might get delayed until 2017

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airpods
AirPods were originally scheduled to arrive in October.
Photo: Apple

If you had AirPods on your Christmas list, it might be time to cross them off. A new report claims we could be waiting until January next year for Apple’s fancy new wireless earphones to go on sale.

Why Apple needs to design its own MacBook chips

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A10 Fusion
The Mac needs an Apple processor.
Photo: Apple

Apple is getting a lot of stick for failing to give users a 32GB RAM option onthe latest MacBook Pro — but there’s a good reason why 16GB is the most you can get.

It’s also the reason Apple needs to start designing its own processors for the MacBook family.

Awesome Aluminum Apple Watch bands, world’s smartest earphones and more [Crowdfund Roundup]

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Crowdfund Roundup
Help turn these awesome ideas into reality!
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

You can find some incredible new gadgets on Kickstarter and Indiegogo that often go unnoticed. We’re rounding up some of the best every week to help them get the funding they need to become a reality.

This week, we’ve chosen a stunning aluminum band for Apple Watch, the “world’s smartest” wireless earphones, a smart clock that displays your notifications, and an incredibly intelligent bottle that can rid your water of contaminants.

Is the MacBook Pro’s Touch Bar a touchscreen replacement? [Friday Night Fights]

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fnf
Would you prefer a touchscreen?
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple’s new MacBook Pro has arrived with its exciting OLED Touch Bar, giving users a brand new way to interact with macOS. It’s the closest we’ll get to a touchscreen on a Mac — at least for the foreseeable future — but is it a suitable replacement?

Friday Night Fights bugThe Touch Bar is already supported by all of Apple’s own apps, and the company says developers are quickly adapting their own software for it. It’s only going to get more useful over time, but would a Mac touchscreen be even better?

Join us in this week’s Friday Night Fight as we battle it out over the Touch Bar and whether it can help macOS users forget all about touchscreen computers.

iCloud hacker gets 18 months in jail for stealing nudes

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Hacker who tried to extort Apple for $100k is spared prison
Ryan Collins has been sentenced for his role in "Celebgate."
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

One of the iCloud hackers behind 2014’s “Celebgate” scandal has been sentenced to 18 months in prison. Ryan Collins helped break into celebrity iCloud accounts and steal private photos, which were later published online.

MacBook Pro Touch Bar plays nicely with Windows

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The new MacBook
The Touch Bar won't be completely useless in Boot Camp.
Photo: Apple

Boot Camp users thinking about purchasing the new MacBook Pro have been wondering what its Touch Bar will be used for when running Windows. The good news is it won’t become completely useless. The bad news is it won’t be anywhere near as exciting.

MacBook Pro’s new Touch Bar is powered by iOS

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macbook pro touch bar
I bet you didn't know that!
Photo: Apple

One thing Apple didn’t tell us during its big MacBook Pro unveiling on Thursday is that its new machine runs iOS. However, it’s not quite the iOS you’re already used to.

Instead, Apple’s mobile operating system is there solely to power the MacBook Pro’s new OLED Touch Bar.

New MacBook Pro is thinner, faster and more magical

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macbook pro
Meet the new MacBook Pro.
Photo: Apple

The MacBook Pro refresh we’ve been eagerly anticipating for months is finally here, and it’s everything we dreamt it would be.

Apple’s new high-end notebooks deliver a sleeker design, Intel’s latest Skylake processors, and that magic Touch Bar with Touch ID that we’ve been hearing so much about. The only real problem is the price.

Siri makes unlikely friend for lonely guys desperate for love

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Sorry, Alexa: Siri still the most widespread AI assistant
"Tell me what you're wearing, Siri."
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

With the improvements Apple made in iOS 10, Siri is more useful than ever. It is proving particularly helpful to lonely guys desperately looking for love, with hundreds of people turning to virtual assistants for “sexually explicit” conversations every day.

What the Xiaomi Mi Mix could tell us about the next iPhone

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Mi-Max-display
Mi Mix is easily the prettiest smartphone to date.
Photo: Xiaomi

Xiaomi’s incredible new Mi Mix smartphone brings a jaw-dropping “edgeless” display, a ceramic design and groundbreaking new technologies.

Unveiled today, it isn’t just the prettiest smartphone of 2016; it’s the prettiest smartphone to date.

The Mi Mix is not an iPhone clone — something Xiaomi has become famous for — but it could tell us a lot about Apple’s next handset.

Your iOS devices can be hacked just by opening a JPEG

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photos in ios 10
Beware this nasty bug in iOS 10.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

If you haven’t already installed Apple’s latest iOS 10.1 update, do it now. Thanks to a vulnerability in earlier release of its software, it’s possible for your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch to be hacked using only a malicious JPEG image or PDF file.

Xiaomi’s stunning Mi Note 2 will help you forget about Galaxy Note 7

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Mi-Note-2-colors
The Mi Note 2 looks just like a Galaxy Note 7 at first glance.
Photo: Xiaomi

Still mourning the loss of your Galaxy Note 7? Xiaomi’s new Mi Note 2 can help you forget all about it. The stunning phablet shares a lot in common with Samsung’s failed flagship — and offers even better specifications.

Apple Watch shipments suffer sharp summer decline

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apple-watch-2
Apple has seen its share of the smartwatch market crumble.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple Watch shipments declined a staggering 71.6 percent this summer, according to IDC, with Apple shifting just 1.1 million units during the third quarter. During the same period last year, the company sold an estimated 3.9 million units.

Apple all but confirms 3 new MacBooks are on the way

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MacBook Pro OLED mockup
Get ready for Apple's new MacBooks.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple has registered trademarks for three new MacBooks days ahead of its “Hello again” press event. Two of them are likely to be the new MacBook Pro in 13- and 15-inch sizes, while the other is expected to be a new 13-inch Retina MacBook.

Can Samsung recover from its Galaxy Note 7 nightmare? [Friday Night Fights]

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Galaxy Note 7 on fire
Will you buy a Samsung phone again?
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Fans have mourned the loss of the Galaxy Note 7 — perhaps the best smartphone released in 2016 — and while a small few are determined to cling onto the device despite the risks, most have handed theirs back and moved on.

Friday Night Fights bugThe whole debacle is going to cost Samsung billions in lost revenue, and it will likely take years for the South Korean company to regain the trust it has lost. But just how detrimental could the problem be for Samsung’s smartphone business?

Join us in this week’s Friday Night Fight as we discuss Samsung’s chances of recovering from the Galaxy Note 7 nightmare.

Teen gang steals $13,000 worth of iPhones from the Apple store

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iPHone 7 sales
iPhones are easy to sell, which makes them a big target for thieves.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple’s latest iPhones sell like hot cakes, which makes them a big target for thieves looking to make a quick buck. One teenage gang stole 19 display units worth over $13,000 from the Apple store in Natick Mall this week — and the “flash mob” robbery took less than a minute.