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Faraday Future is taking on Apple Car with a Batmobile

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Faraday Future's concept car looks like a batmobile.
Faraday's FFZero1 is out of this world.
Photo: Faraday

Cult of Mac CES 2016 full coverage No, that car you see above is not a real Batmobile — but it is just as exciting. Built by Faraday Future, the FFZero1 is a concept smart car that’s back from the future, with a 1,000-horsepower electric engine that goes from zero to 60mph in under three seconds.

This weird-looking headband uses lasers to fight balding

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The Laserband 82 uses lasers to regrow your mane.
The Laserband 82 uses lasers to regrow your mane.
Photo: Buster Hein/Cult of Mac

Cult of Mac CES 2016 full coverage LAS VEGAS — Can you use lasers to regrow hair?

The folks at HairMax are at CES 2016 to show that yes, it is totally possible to stimulate hair follicles to regrow your skimpy, thinning head of hair into a thick, furry mane. However, there is a catch: You have to have the right type of baldness.

The LaserBand 82 brings laser revitalization to the home with its 82 medical-grade lasers that provide a full treatment for hair loss in 90 seconds. Cult of Mac caught up with HairMax at CES, the largest orgy of tech gadgetry in the world, to get a heads-on look at the funky futuristic headgear.

Hold onto your seats! Here’s an update on the Apple tax investigation

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money
Ireland has a few more weeks to wait to find out if it's broken the law.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

After having initially been promised for a Christmas deadline, it now appears that both Apple and Ireland will have to  wait until February to receive the verdict of European Union regulators on whether or not Ireland has broken international tax rules by letting Apple shelter profits worth tens of billions of dollars there.

The Bluetooth headset that keeps you awake at the wheel

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While it rests in your ear, the Vigo headset keeps an eye on you to make sure you stay awake at the wheel.
While it rests in your ear, the Vigo headset keeps an eye on you to make sure you stay awake at the wheel.
Photo: Vigo

Cult of Mac CES 2016 full coverage Pounding coffee and Red Bull can only do so much to keep a driver from falling asleep at the wheel. But one company has developed a discreet Bluetooth headset that nudges you before you doze off.

The Vigo Bluetooth headset uses an infrared sensor, an accelerometer and an algorithm that tracks blinking patterns and head motion and notes changes to quantify mental energy in real time.

EFF: T-Mobile’s Binge On breaks net neutrality by throttling all HTML5 video

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The EFF agrees: T-Mobile's Binge On plan is just throttling.
The EFF agrees: T-Mobile's Binge On plan is just throttling.
Photo: T-Mobile

T-Mobile, America’s uncarrier, claims that its Binge On program allows its customers to stream an unlimited amount of video from select services without taking away from their data caps. And that’s true.

But according to the Electronics Frontier Foundation, what’s also true is that Binge On throttles streaming speeds on literally every other HTML5 video service out there, degrading video performance across the board no matter where you stream. Boo.

Booze bots, badass routers, high-flyin’ drones and more at CES

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The Vuze is a VR camera that captures scenes in 360-degrees. It'll be sold as a kit that includes a headset, and it's pretty cool.
The Vuze is a VR camera that captures scenes in 360-degrees. It'll be sold as a kit that includes a headset, and it's pretty cool.
Photo: Leander Kahney / Cult of Mac

Cult of Mac CES 2016 full coverage LAS VEGAS — CES 2016 is about to kick off. The world’s biggest consumer electronics show, which is held each January in Las Vegas, starts this week. At a press preview Monday night, we got a peek at some of the industry’s latest, greatest offerings.

Here’s some of the stuff we think is pretty cool. Check out a cocktail robot, a monster Wi-Fi router that promises to eliminate dead spots, and a fixed-wing drone that flies like a hawk.

HP borrows from Apple for its MacBook-inspired EliteBook Folio

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hp-elitebook-folio-collaboration
Is HP's new laptop a MacBook beater?
Photo: HP

Cult of Mac CES 2016 full coverage Most of the time you hear about another tech company “borrowing” from Apple’s design language it’s a Chinese smartphone maker creating an iPhone knockoff. Not so with HP, which just unveiled its gorgeous new EliteBook Folio notebook — which happens to look a whole lot like a MacBook.

If you’ve ever fancied a MacBook that runs Windows, this is probably the closest you’re ever going to get!

Free wireless EarPods will make up for iPhone 7’s missing headphone jack

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A concept for how the iPhone 7 may look.
Photo: Erin Huismann

The iPhone 7 may be the best part of nine months away, but supply chain sources are starting to shed some light on what we can expect from Apple’s next generation handset.

One thing which seems more and more certain is that Apple plans to ditch the 3.5mm headphone jack in an effort to push users toward wireless headphones instead.

iPhones, iPads and Mac, oh my! Apple’s next big earnings call will be January 26

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On January 26, we find out how many millions of iPhones Apple sold over Christmas.
On January 26, we find out how many millions of iPhones Apple sold over Christmas.
Photo: Apple

Mark your calendars. Apple is set to announce its Q1 2016 earnings January 26.

Apple confirmed today via its Investor Relations portal that it will be releasing financial results for the first fiscal quarter of 2016 (re: September through December 2015) at 2 p.m. Pacific on January 26.

Microsoft excited to almost reach iPad levels of success with Windows 10

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It's on many devices, but we still don't know what kind of devices.
It's on many devices, but we still don't know what kind of devices.
Photo: Microsoft

Microsoft is excited, as it’s almost got as many installs of Windows 10 as there are iPads. Of course, the Redmond-based tech company didn’t put it in as many words, rather shouting out that Windows 10 is on now on a ton of devices.

“As of today,” writes Microsoft on its website, “there are more than 200 million monthly active devices around the world running Windows 10.”

That’s surely a lot of installs, showing significant growth.

Parrot goes Disco and gives its new drone wings

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The Disco drone looks more like a hawk.
The Disco drone looks more like a hawk.
Photo: Buster Hein/Cult of Mac

It looks like the new hotness in drone technology — which many of us associate with quadcopters — is wings. Parrot, the company most well-known for its AR Drone and various mini-drones, is bring an all-new entry into the drone space: the Disco fixed-wing drone.

If you’ve ever wanted to fly your own remote-control plane and haven’t gotten into the technology yet, this just might be your time.

Sleep Number’s ‘It’ bed will help you improve your sleep habits

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sleep-number-it-bed
The bed that might know more about how well you sleep than you do.
Photo: Sleep Number

Cult of Mac CES 2016 full coverage Sleep Number is perhaps one of the very few companies at CES that actually wants to put us to sleep instead of keep us awake with bright screens and games all night. It’s very latest method for accomplishing that goal is the It bed: a bed that will track different aspects of your sleep patterns during the night to inform you on just how well you’re sleeping at night. Plus, it’ll integrate with its own app and other third-party apps to do that.

Griffin’s Travel Power Bank keeps your Apple Watch charged for days

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griffin-apple-watch-travel-power-bank
For when Apple Watch needs an energy boost. Or four.
Photo: Griffin

Cult of Mac CES 2016 full coverage Griffin Technology introduced several new products ahead of CES 2016 that aim to improve the way you charge your Apple devices. A prominent pick is a tiny portable battery called the Travel Power Bank that delivers much needed on-the-go power to the often inadequate Apple Watch.

“With our compact, all-in-one battery and charging cable on hand, users can leave their Apple Watch charging cable safe at home with no worries about running out of power,” said Andrew Biddle, Category Manager of Power Products at Griffin Technology.

New USB-C cable brings magnetic power to your 12-inch MacBook

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When Apple left off MagSafe connection to its USB-C MacBook, Griffin came up with a solution.
When Apple left off MagSafe connection to its USB-C MacBook, Griffin came up with a solution.
Photo: Griffin

In making a smaller MacBook, Apple took away one little thing that could have us tripping – literally. Gone with all the ports on the slim 12-inch MacBook with a single USB-C port is the magnet in the connector that kept your charging cord securely plugged in.

Trip over the cord on earlier MacBooks and it broke away cleanly without sending your laptop flying. Foreseeing the accidents, tech accessory company Griffin has created a USB-C power cable with a quick-release magnetic feature.

Apple TV now finds PBS shows with universal Siri search

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Now find PBS Kids shows with your Siri Remote.
Now find PBS Kids shows with your Siri Remote.
Photo: Rob LeFebvre/Cult of Mac

It looks like Apple has expanded its killer Apple TV feature again, with Siri searches now turning up shows from PBS and PBS Kids.

This is the first sighting of the universal search feature finding results from more than just the apps included in Apple TVs initial launch, which included iTunes, Hulu, Netflix, HBO, and Showtime.

Now when you ask your Siri Remote to find shows that are available on PBS and PBS Kids, like the show about that curious monkey, you’ll see another option to watch via the Apple TV screen.

How to restart (or just ‘sleep’) your Apple TV

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Reboot your Apple TV with style.
Reboot your Apple TV with style.
Photo: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac

Is your Apple TV glitching out in some way? While I’ve not personally seen any weirdness with the rock-solid OS that comes with the Apple TV, it’s possible that you might have.

As most of us know, rebooting our Mac or restarting our iOS devices can save us from all sorts of odd behaviors; the same could be said of Apple TV. Here’s how to restart that little black box of joy, plus an easy way to get it into low-power sleep mode.

5 tech trends you don’t want to miss at CES 2016

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Tech is taking over Vegas for the week.
Tech is taking over Vegas for the week.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Cult of Mac CES 2016 full coverage 2016 is here and that can only mean one thing: It’s time for CES.

The world’s biggest consumer electronics show, CES 2016, is getting underway this week in Las Vegas, which means nerds and all the companies that make the gadgets they love are instinctively flocking to the desert oasis like the salmon of Capistrano.

This year’s show promises to be bigger than ever, with all the latest tech trends on full display. Cult of Mac will be on the scene all week long bring hands-on looks at the coolest and weirdest gadgets CES has to offer.

Here’s what we expect to see at the show:

Smart gadgets are getting their own Wi-Fi standard in 2018

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smart-gadgets-are-getting-their-own-wi-fi-standard-in-2018-3-image-cultofandroidcomwp-contentuploads201409150272362_95f26266a2_b-jpg
A new type of Wi-Fi is on the way.
Photo: Ming Xia/Flickr

A new type of Wi-Fi is on the way. Photo: Ming Xia/Flickr
A new type of Wi-Fi is on the way. Photo: Ming Xia/Flickr
With CES, aka the world’s biggest consumer electronics show, coming up this week, we’re about to hear a whole lot more about the Internet of Things and smart, connected gadgets.

Which makes this the perfect time for the announcement of a new type of Wi-Fi called Wi-Fi HaLow, which is an extension of the upcoming 802.11ah Wi-Fi standard, designed to end up inside fitness trackers, home sensors and other smart gadgets.

Obama uses Fitbit to get a fit bod while snubbing Apple Watch

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fitbit
Obama decided against an Apple Watch.
Photo: Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee

When it comes to wearables, Barack Obama has given the POTUS stamp of approval to the Fitbit Surge, leaving the Apple Watch out in the cold.

Viewers got a glimpse of Obama’s presidential wrist during his recent appearance on Jerry Seinfeld’s web series Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee. Given that Obama’s previously been open about his inability to own an iPhone (which the Apple Watch needs in order to operate) due to security concerns, it’s no surprise he would opt for a Fitbit.

Still, it’s another compelling example of why the Apple Watch 2 needs to be more of a standalone device!

Chief exec admits Samsung is in trouble this year

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chief-exec-admits-samsung-is-in-trouble-this-year-image-cultofandroidcomwp-contentuploads201504iPhone-6-Plus-vs-Note-4-jpg
Samsung is in trouble. Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Android
Samsung is in trouble. Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Android

In a not-exactly-happy New Year message sent to employees, Samsung chief executive Kwon Oh-hyun has warned that growth will continue to slow over the course of 2016 — with the reason being weak global economies and increased competition from the likes of Apple.