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News - page 1035

Smart pet collar is like Apple Watch for your dog

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Kyon-Pet-Tracker
On second thought, the Kyon Pet Tracker might have more sensors than the Apple Watch.
Photo: Kyon

Pet owners like to pretend their animal friends can speak with human words. Some even do a little voice when they’re projecting emotions and motivations on to their buddies. It’s okay — I do it, too. But an upcoming device might make your role as Puppy Lorax unnecessary because it will do the talking for you.

It’s called the Kyon Pet Tracker, and that simple and almost cold name belies its really impressive functionality: Not only does it tell you where your best dog (or cat) friend is at all times, but it can also warn you when they’re in danger or lost. And it does so with a cool app and an adorable onboard LED display.

Check it out in action in the video below, but be warned that the part where the collar saves the dog from drowning is really sad.

Assassin’s Creed: Identity takes a stab at action role-playing

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This is why you look up from your iPhone when you're walking on tall buildings.
Photo: Ubisoft

It’s been a hot minute since everyone’s favorite stealthily murderous parkour series last graced iOS devices, but Assassin’s Creed is back courtesy of a new Assassin’s Creed: Identity game, which has just launched worldwide.

Check out the trailer below:

Sorry, FBI! Apple wants to make it even harder to hack iPhone

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Apple Security Jacket
This probably wasn't the move the FBI was hoping Apple would make.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Apple has reportedly started work on creating new security measures for the iPhone that would make it even harder for governments to break into a locked iPhone using the methods being discussed as part of the current San Bernardino court case in California.

There is no word on exactly how Apple plans to approach the problem, but it said to have been working on a solution prior to the recent court case. One possible solution may relate to a new backup strategy for iCloud authentication, which Apple itself would not be able to decrypt.

Arizona county attorney picks politics over privacy

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iPhone mobile encryption touch id
Sorry, Maricopa County Attorney's office. No more iPhones for you.
Photo: Olly Browning/Pixabay

Saying that Apple’s refusal to help an FBI investigation puts the company “on the side of terrorists,” Maricopa County, Arizona’s county attorney’s office will no longer issue iPhones for official use.

Prosecutor Bill Montgomery issued the public statement today after privately communicating the new policy to “applicable staff” on Sunday.

Tim Cook to ABC: ‘This case is not about one phone’

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Tim Cook ABC News interview
Tim Cook has a statue of Robert F. Kennedy in his office.
Photo: ABC News/"World News Tonight with David Muir"

In an interview with ABC News tonight, Apple CEO Tim Cook described the code the FBI is asking the company to make to crack San Bernardino shooter Syed Farook’s iPhone as “the software equivalent of cancer.”

Cook sat down in his office with World News Now anchor David Muir to explain why the tech giant is defying the U.S. government. And while he does sympathize with those directly affected by December’s mass shooting, which left 14 people dead and 22 injured, he emphasized that the issues under debate right now are bigger than this one case.

Tim Cook: FBI demands are both hard and wrong

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Tim Cook's office David Muir interview ABC News
Tim Cook will make the company's case for encryption to ABC News this evening.
Photo: ABC News/"World News Tonight with David Muir"

If you can’t wait to see Apple CEO Tim Cook’s talk with ABC News anchor David Muir in a few hours, the network has released a couple of interesting previews ahead of the airing.

In them, Cook addresses both the difficulty of the company’s refusal to the FBI’s demands to unlock a terrorist’s phone and his less-than-satisfactory dealings with the Obama administration and the Justice Department.

Check out the clips below.

Congressional ‘Crypto Commission’ may tackle Apple vs FBI debate

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Apple's fighting the FBI for the right to privacy.
Photo: Apple

Apple CEO Tim Cook has said that he wishes the company’s current battle with the FBI will be resolved by Congress, rather than in a courtroom, and it appears that he just may get his wish.

Lawmakers in both the House of Representatives and the Senate plan to propose a new commission be created that will specialize on finding the balance between citizens’ right to privacy, while also combating terrorism and other issues of national security.

Siri-ously? Apple’s virtual assistant finally coming to Mac

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Siri
Your Mac is about to get a new virtual assistant.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Siri spread from the iPhone to the Apple Watch and Apple TV in 2015, but this may finally be the year Apple’s virtual assistant lands on Mac.

Apple is planning to make Siri this year’s big OS X feature, according to a new report that claims Siri integration into OS X 10.12 will be unveiled at the Worldwide Developers Conference in June.

Xiaomi shames iPhone by showing off new image stabilization tech

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xiaomi-shames-iphone-to-show-off-new-image-stabilization-tech-image-cultofandroidcomwp-contentuploads201602Xiaomi-Mi-5-white-back-jpg
Mi 5’s new camera is a-Mi-zing.
Photo: Xiaomi
Xiaomi-Mi-5-white-back
Mi 5’s new camera is a-Mi-zing. Photo: Xiaomi

Xiaomi’s brand new Mi 5 handset boasts a revolutionary new image stabilization technology, and there’s no better way to showcase that than by shaming the iPhone.

In the video below, Xiaomi pits the Mi 5 against the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus in an optical image stabilization test — and makes them look downright disappointing.

Forget ‘Likes,’ Facebook gives you 5 new emotions to play with

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forget-likes-facebook-gives-you-5-new-emotions-to-play-with-image-cultofandroidcomwp-contentuploads201601Facebookreactions-jpg
Now you can do more than just Like that funny video.
Photo: Facebook
Now you can do more than just Like that funny video. Photo: Facebook
Now you can do more than just Like that funny video. Photo: Facebook

Seven years to the month after Facebook first added a “like” button, the social network has finally acknowledged that there may be emotions other than a vague sense of approval by introducing a range of new emoticons — although, sadly, the much-requested “dislike” is not among them.

Facebook users now have the option of responding to posts with six reactions, including “Like,” “Love,” “Ha Ha,” “Wow,” “Sad” or “Angry.” These are available on both the Facebook website and mobile apps.

Prank iPhone selfie prompts terrified mom to scream for ambulance

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That's a pretty nasty reaction!
Photo: Twitter / @Clairey1x

Everyone likely remembers the first time they saw Apple’s Photo Booth app, and chuckled to their friends while contorting their features to resemble a chipmunk or big-eyed cartoon character.

An amusing new story reveals what can go wrong when sending such pictures, however: A mom in Edinburgh, Scotland, became convinced her daughter had suffered a terrifying allergic reaction after being shown one such image.

Steve Jobs’ legacy lives on thanks to Apple fans’ tattoos

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A kind of love that goes skin-deep.
A kind of love that goes skin-deep.
Photo: greezer.ch/Flickr CC

Steve Jobs had a way of getting under people’s skin. Still does, if you consider the growing number of Apple fans who have had his iconic face or some other Jobs tribute tattooed onto their skin.

Today we celebrate what would have been the Apple co-founder’s 61st birthday by looking at body art inspired by the pioneer of personal computing.

iOS 9 adoption grinds to a halt at 77 percent

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iOS 9 is good, but iOS 10 needs to be spectacular.
iOS 9 may not hit the heights of its predecessors.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

iOS 9 adoption has ground to a halt, remaining static at 77 percent, according to Apple’s latest developer figures.

This is the exact same percentage of iOS 9 users as last time Apple published its adoption figures, on February 8 — and just 1 percent growth from this time last month. Meanwhile, 17 percent of users are running iOS 8, and 6 percent are still using an early version of Apple’s mobile OS.

Ultra-widescreen iPhone could be the best, craziest concept ever

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Oh, you were happy with a 5.5-inch iPhone were you? Cute.
Photo: Sonitac

Unless your name is Timothy Donald Cook, or you could get away with calling him T.C. to his face, chances are you don’t know exactly what Apple’s got planned for its next-gen iPhone 7.

Apple probably doesn’t have the idea of a “widescreen” iPhone 7 — complete with magically expanding display — in mind, but as wacky concept videos go, a new video from designers Sonitac is not only beautifully put together, but genuinely something I’ve not seen before.

Check it out below.

Apple believes Congress should decide iPhone privacy case

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Maybe Apple's lobbying will help it come to a swift resolution.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

The current Apple vs. the FBI privacy case is fast becoming one of the biggest tech stories of 2016. But Apple clearly believes it ought to be elevated even higher — telling a federal judge this week that the case should be kicked up to Congress level, instead of being decided by courts.

Apple supporters rally across the U.S. in protest of FBI

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Protesters gather around the Apple Store in downtown San Francisco.
Protesters gather around the Apple Store in downtown San Francisco.
Photo: Traci Dauphin/Cult of Mac

Apple fans rallied behind their privacy savior in more than 50 cities across the United States today to protest the FBI’s demands that Apple unlock the San Bernardino shooter’s iPhone and compromise the security of millions of users’ data in the process.

Grassroots protests broke out from Albuquerque to Washington, D.C., aiming to raise public awareness about the privacy battle Apple is fighting. The protesters had some harsh words for the FBI.

Apple’s not crippling the Apple Pencil after all

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Apple Pencil
Apple Pencil is the best iPad accessory.
Photo: Apple

Don’t worry iPad Pro lovers, Apple isn’t nerfing it’s fancy Pencil.

The company removed the ability to navigate in iOS 9.3 with the Apple Pencil in the last four beta updates, but Apple reassured users today that it will bring the functional it back by the time iOS 9.3 is available to the public, it’s just fixing a few things in the meantime.