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News - page 1044

Skier swings iPhone 6 on a string to create crazy slo-mo video

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The Centriphone.
The Centriphone.
Photo: Nicolas Vuignier

Swiss freeskier Nicolas Vuignier has created a crazy new photography rig that can create matrix-like slo-mo video, only you don’t need a drone or a bunch of GoPros to pull it off. You just need some string and your iPhone.

Vuignier posted an incredible video of his contraption in action, which he calls the Centriphone. The project has been two years in the making and it looks totally worth it. The device works like a sling that twirls around you to capture 360 views that look absolutely gorgeous in slo-mo. Toss in some powder and half-pipes and it’s an adrenaline junkie’s dream toy.

Watch the Centriphone in action:

Apple asks Supreme Court to reject Samsung’s ‘unexceptional’ appeal

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apple-asks-supreme-court-to-reject-samsungs-unexceptional-appeal-image-cultofandroidcomwp-contentuploads201602Galaxy-S6-edge-iPhone-6s-jpg
Apple wants Supreme Court to kill Samsung lawsuit.
Photo: Kārlis Dambrāns/Flickr CC

In a petition to the Supreme Court, Apple says the high court shouldn’t waste its time with Samsung’s high-profile appeal in the two companies’ long legal battle over patents.

Samsung filed an appeal in December asking for the Supreme Court to take a look at how the damages were calculated, but Apple argues that even though it was awarded $548 million, the case is “legally unexceptional.”

iOS 9 bricks iPhones with unauthorized Touch ID repairs

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touchid

Photo: Apple

Getting a broken home button on your iPhone 6 replaced may cause the entire device to become a worthless brick of metal and glass.

Thanks to a new feature in a software update recently pushed out by Apple, thousands of iPhone users who had their devices fixed by non-official repair shops have been greeted by a disastrous “error 53” message that locks the device — and even the Apple Store can’t bring it back from the dead.

Psychologists explain phantom notifications and ‘ringxiety’

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iphone-4-closeup by alejandro escamilla ringxiety
Give it up, man. It's not actually ringing.
Photo: Alejandro Escamilla/Unsplash

More often than I care to admit, I’ll think I feel a tap from my Apple Watch. But then when I check the screen, I’ve received nothing: no texts, no phone calls, no notifications of any kind. It’s really weird and makes me feel like I’m finally losing it.

I usually just assume the watch shifted a little on my wrist, and that I’m not hallucinating at all. But psychologists are suggesting that what’s happening to me and others (you can admit it; this is a safe place) may be the technological arm of some actual psychological issues dealing with attachment, fear of rejection, and a chronic need for validation.

People are calling this symptom “ringxiety” because I’m pretty sure that we’ve really lost our sense of pride in portmanteaus as a culture.

Google cracks down on shady, fake download buttons

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You'll probably see more of this screen until things get fixed.
You'll probably see more of this screen until things get fixed.
Photo: Google

If you use Google’s Chrome web browser, you’re now even safer from sneaky advertisers that try to get you to download their crummy software with fake download buttons.

Chances are you’ve seen these around, even on some large sites like Sourceforge and CNET, and might have clicked on one or two by accident, as intended.

Google’s new addition to its Safe Browsing initiative will block sites that have these deceptive download buttons on them.

Apple, other tech firms look to get exclusive with NFL

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Apple's going head-to-head to secure streaming rights.
Apple's going head-to-head to secure streaming rights.
Photo: Nathan Shively / Unsplash

Thursday Night Football just got more competitive as Apple, Google, Amazon and Verizon are going head to head to take on the NFL’s highly lucrative sports franchise.

The U.S. football association announced that it was in “active discussions with prospective digital partners” for streaming rights to the same games, according to industry sources.

Finally! A mood lamp that looks like a Slinky

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The right light simply unfolds with Orilamp.
The right light simply unfolds with Orilamp.
Photo: Orilamp

The right light can wake us in a good mood, make us productive in work or art and enhance the romance. But, the right light is not something we normally carry with us.

Orilamp, a portable accordion lamp you control with an iOS app, is trying to change that.

What looks like two stacked wooden coasters unfold into a half circle or can be stretched out. The intensity of the Bluetooth-enabled LED light source can be controlled by the app and burn for up to seven hours on a charge.

Apple lets you trade in broken iPhones

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apple-iphone-cracked-security-mac-ios-malware-flaw
Apple's new trade-in program won't discriminate against cracked iPhones.
Photo: Faris Algosaibi/Flickr CC

Apple is rolling out several new programs in its retail store locations that will give credit for iPhones with pretty severe damage, according to a report. The program will allow customers with a cracked screen, damaged buttons or damaged cameras to trade in their faulty device without issue. Apple previously wouldn’t accept this kind of damage in its Reuse and Recycle trade-in program.

Amazon Echo adds Spotify to its musical repertoire

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amazon-echo-adds-spotify-to-its-musical-repertoire-image-cultofandroidcomwp-contentuploads201602amazon-echo-jpg
Amazon Echo adds Spotify to its bag of tricks.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Amazon’s Echo smart speaker just upped its music game, adding Spotify streaming to its ever-growing list of skills. Now playing your favorite artists and playlists is just a voice command away — at least if you’re a Spotify Premium subscriber.

Intense new DOOM trailer unleashes the power of Hell

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DOOM is back!
DOOM is back!
Photo: Bethesda Softworks

The demons are back. The first trailer for DOOM‘s campaign mode was revealed this morning by Bethesda, and it’s way more intense than the original version you fought through on your Mac back in the 90’s.

The game puts you in the boots of the iconic DOOM Marine who wakes up to find out the Union Aerospace Corporation’s facility on Mars has been decimated by Hell’s worst demons. You are humanity’s last hope armed with an array of unbelievably awesome weapons, but based on the new trailer humanity is, well, doomed.

Watch the gory action below:

Website lets you be a bigger blowhard than Donald Trump

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Trump did not win Iowa. Sound the horns!
Trump did not win Iowa. Sound the horns!
Photo: trumpdonald.org

The headlines that once elevated Donald Trump now predict his fall from presidential politics. If his second-place showing in the Iowa caucuses is an indication, the comedy will soon turn toward Ted Cruz.

Variety even magazine headlined one story: “Donald Trump: Is the Joke Over?” It doesn’t have to be, thanks to a website that lets you blow a loud trumpet in his face and send his much-talked-about combover flying in the breeze.

Emoji becomes art in ‘Tiny Gallery’ on Twitter

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Gallery by Ryan McGuire - Pixabay tiny gallery
Tiny Gallery is like this but, like, way smaller.
Photo: Ryan McGuire/Pixabay

A new Twitter account called Tiny Gallery will fill your feed with cute scenes from the world’s smallest art space. But it doesn’t use photographs to take you there.

Instead, the creator uses a combination of punctuation marks and emojis to build and paint walls, hang pieces, and populate the little place with visitors. And it’s exactly as cute as it sounds.

Poros backpack lets you commute with style and a little extra power

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The Tetra by Poros greatly reduces low-battery anxiety.
The Tetra by Poros greatly reduces low-battery anxiety.
Photo: Poros

You could say John Borofka has put a handle on power.

He founded Poros, a company that designs travel and accessories bags with built-in battery system to charge your devices. The company’s fourth bag is a stylish backpack called the Tetra.

The Tetra carries a 10,000 mAh lithium ion battery, enough juice to fully charge a MacBook Retina or an iPhone 6s four and a half times. It can be ordered with a dedicated Apple Lightning Connector and is ready for the future with USB-C compatibility.

Sony says ‘major smartphone players’ will use dual-lens cameras in 2016

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iPhone Camera
You could grab your DSLR. Nah, the iPhone will do the job.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple’s favorite camera sensor maker may have just dropped a big hint that a dual-lens camera is coming to the iPhone 7 later this year.

Sony CFO Kenichiro Yoshida revealed yesterday during the company’s Q3 FY15 earnings call that its dual-lens camera platform will be featured in a range of products from “major smartphone players” over the next year.

Could he possibly be talking about the iPhone?

Alto’s Adventure goes free on Android, stays premium on iOS

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altos-adventure-goes-free-on-android-stays-premium-on-ios-image-cultofmaccomwp-contentuploads201511Altos-Adventure-png
Altos-Adventure
Delightful and relaxing, Alto’s Adventure is coming to Android for free. Photo: Snowman Games

Alto’s Adventure, the hit snowboarding game on iOS and Apple TV, is headed to the Android platform February 11.

Android gamers will, by and large, have the same gaming experience as their iOS brethren with one significant difference: this new release will be free on Android while it remains $2.99 on iOS.

Classic Mac gets saved from dumpster only to become a trash bin

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Excuse me, where's the trash?
Excuse me, where's the trash?
Photo: HahaBird/Imgur

We’ve seen old busted Macs get transformed into everything from aquariums to planters, but have you ever seen a Mac go from the dumpster to a trash can you can toss all your rubbish in?

One Redditor has created a trash can fit for Steve Jobs by taking a Macintosh that had been sitting in his attic for 15 years and giving it a second life as a receptacle for all his garbage, complete with a swinging door that looks just like a Mac display.

Square’s Apple Pay reader lands on Apple Store shelves

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Square's contactless payments reader is here.
Square's contactless payments reader is here.
Photo: Square

Businesses across the US are pretty much out of excuses for not accepting Apple Pay now that Square’s wireless card reader is ready for prime time.

Starting today, every Apple Store in the US is now selling the new Square card readers that bring Apple Pay support as well as the ability to accept new chip-and-pin cards for transactions.

An exoskeleton named Phoenix removes cost as a barrier to walking

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an-exoskeleton-named-phoenix-removes-cost-as-a-barrier-to-walking-image-cultofandroidcomwp-contentuploads201602Phoenix001-jpg
Steve Sanchez says the Phoenix is a breakthrough in exoskeleton comfort. “This is the first suit I’ve tried where I don’t feel like I am riding a robot," he said.
Photo: SuitX
Steve Sanchez says the Phoenix  is a breakthrough in exoskeleton comfort. “This is the first suit I’ve tried where I don’t feel like I am riding a robot," he said. Photo: SuitX
Steve Sanchez says the Phoenix is a breakthrough in exoskeleton comfort. “This is the first suit I’ve tried where I don’t feel like I am riding a robot,” he said. Photo: SuitX

Dr. Homayoon Kazerooni has created bionic machinery that can help a person rise out of a wheelchair and walk. Yet, there’s one barrier preventing some people from walking – cost.

This week, Kazerooni’s work takes an important step forward. His company, SuitX debuted a lightweight exoskeleton, dubbed Phoenix, for people with mobility disorders at an initial price of $40,000, about two to four times cheaper than other devices.

Microsoft is acquiring SwiftKey for rumored $250 million

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microsoft-is-acquiring-swiftkey-for-rumored-250-million-image-cultofandroidcomwp-contentuploads2016022016-02-03-095921-jpg
Microsoft snaps up another hot app.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac
Microsoft snaps up another hot app. Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Android
Microsoft snaps up another hot app. Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Android

Microsoft is acquiring SwiftKey, London-based makers of the popular virtual keyboard for Android and iOS, in a deal rumored to be worth $250 million.

SwiftKey insists it will continue to develop its keyboard for both platforms going forward — and it will remain free.

Apple is spending lots of time at Stanford’s VR lab

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VR may be happening soon, and Apple might want to jump in.
VR may be happening soon, and Apple might want to jump in.
Photo: Sergey Galyonkin/Wikipedia CC

Apple may not have shown much interest in diving into virtual reality over the past few years, but the director of Stanford’s Virtual Human Interaction Lab says the company has shown some intense interest in the space recently.

Speaking at a technology conference this week, Jeremy Bailenson revealed that Apple employees have become regulars in his lab recently — and they won’t say why.

DJ Khaled is getting his own Apple Music show

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khaled

Photo: DJ Khaled/Instagram

One of the biggest producers in hip hop (and Snapchat) is coming to Beats 1 Radio.

DJ Khaled revealed on Instagram that he has signed a deal to produce a weekly show for Apple Music called ‘We The Best’ that will broadcast every Friday night. To kick things off, Khaled is going big by exclusively debuting Future’s entire new album Purple Reign.

Check out the trailer below: