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It’s official: Apple Watch will grow on you

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Apple Watch Citymapper
Apple Watch: To know it is to love it.
Photo:

A recent study that measured the brain activity of people using the Apple Watch suggests that even the most skeptical of users came to like the wearable after some hands-on time with it.

The findings come from “neuromarketing” group eMerite, which connected electroencephalograms to 20 people and studied their reactions as they tried out different functions of Apple’s smartwatch.

Inside Microsoft’s Fifth Ave store that looks just like an Apple Store

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Microsoft's Fifth Ave store is open for business.
Microsoft's Fifth Ave store is open for business.
Photo: Microsoft

Microsoft officially opened its flagship store on NYC’s historic Fifth Avenue today just blocks away from Apple’s iconic glass cube, and it’s taken a few pages from the iPhone-maker’s playbook in the process.

The doors to Microsoft’s new store opened just in time for the release of the new Surface Book and Surface Pro 4, but Microsoft says it’s totally cool if Apple fans bring in their devices too.

“If you bring your iPhone in here, I’d love to show you how to use Office on it,” said Kelly Soligon, senior director of retail stores marketing at Microsoft. There are signs of Apple’s influence throughout the store through, from the giant glass facade to the glass staircase.

Take a look inside:

This piece of plastic could be your go-to GoPro accessory

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The SLOPES can give you 20 different positions for your GoPro camera.
The SLOPES can give you 20 different positions for your GoPro camera.
Photo: SLOPES

You’ve got an idea for a shot with your GoPro camera. But you don’t have the right mount, or the tripod you carry won’t go low enough or fit in a space with that great angle.

Photographer Ruogo Zhou has designed a hunk of plastic that cradles the GoPro and provides it 20 different angles for shooting. It’s a small polyhedron support that can fit in tiny spaces and it goes by the name SLOPES.

ThinkTank skips the bling for understated elegance in camera bag for women

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The Lily Deanne bags for female photographers by ThinkTank.
The Lily Deanne bags for female photographers by ThinkTank.
Photo: ThinkTank

My female friends who are photographers bristle when you bring up the idea of a camera bag being designed for women. The few women’s camera bags they’ve seen have tended to be cutesy – and cutesy doesn’t cut it.

They want the same things in a bag as the men – roomy, stealthy and sturdy. Why should gender matter in the design?

ThinkTank, an industry leader in camera bags for every kind of photography, may have found the right combination of aesthetic and function in a new line of bags created for women.

You could own 4,096 bits of space history when computer chip goes up for auction

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This computer chip is from the first computer ever used in a spacecraft.
This computer chip is from the first computer ever used in a spacecraft.
Photo: Heritage Auctions

A memory chip that originated from the first digital computer on a manned space flight will be up for auction next month in Dallas. For those calling in a bid, the smartphone in their hand has more than 250 million times the capacity of this chip.

The onboard computer for Gemini 3 aided astronauts Gus Grissom and John Young with several phases of their March 1965 mission, including prelaunch and re-entry. The 4.25-inch chip, a Random Access Non-Destruction Readout Memory Plane contains 4,096 bits of information, equal to about half of a K.

Here’s how not to drown your massive iPhone collection

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iphone-dunk-test
Yep, this wasn't how he'd planned it.
Photo: Zach Straley

Although Apple hasn’t confirmed it, there have been rumblings that the new iPhone 6s is more water-resistant than its predecessors. So what better way to make a viral stress test video than to strap every iPhone ever made on a board, lower them into a tray of water, and observe the order in which they stop working?

Done properly, such a concept should let its creator sit back and watch the retirement fund ad revenue roll in. Well, done properly it might. Done incredibly haphazardly, on what looks like the world’s most buoyant piece of wood, it’s not quite such a winner.

Check it out below.

The new Apple-infused Beats Pill+ goes on sale

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beats-pill-plus-apple
Go get your prescription: the Beats Pill+ is out.
Photo: Beats

The latest entry to the Beats line of speakers and the first one under Apple’s supervision, the Beats Pill+ is now available. At $229, it’s $30 more expensive than its predecessor, the Beats Pill 2.0, but it has much more to offer. This Bluetooth speaker apparently has improved sound quality, a tweaked design, and unsurprisingly charges via Lightning cable.

Apple named coolest wearables brand over Samsung, Rolex, Ralph Lauren

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As smartwatches grow in popularity, the Apple Watch will continue to be the hands-on - or wrist-on - favorite.
As smartwatches grow in popularity, the Apple Watch will continue to be the hands-on - or wrist-on - favorite.
Photo: Apple
Apple Watch is the coolest wearable yet, apparently. Photo: Apple
Apple Watch is the coolest wearable yet, apparently. Photo: Apple

Apple Watch is by far the most successful smartwatch to date in terms of sales, so perhaps it’s no surprise that Apple has been voted the “coolest wearables brand” by smartphone users.

The Cupertino company not only beat technology rivals like Samsung and LG to the top of the list, but also high-end watchmakers and fashion brands like TAG Heuer, Rolex, and Ralph Lauren.

First Apple Store in Singapore set to open in 2016

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Knightsbridge-670x640
The swanky new site for Apple's first Singapore Apple Store?
Photo: Techinasia

Apple is set to open its debut brick-and-mortar retail store in Singapore, according to a message sent out by health and exercise chain Pure Fitness.

In a message directed at patrons, Pure Fitness revealed that it is one of several tenants closing their premises in Singapore’s upscale retail building Knightsbridge, “to make way for the opening of Singapore’s first Apple store [sic] later in 2016.”

New app lets you weigh your plums on an iPhone 6s

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Measure plums on an Apple. For some reason that struck me as weird.
Measure plums on an Apple. For some reason that struck me as weird.
Photo: FlexMonkey

Here’s a use for your iPhone 6s’ 3D Touch feature you may not have thought of before: acting as a set of mini kitchen scales.

That’s not exactly how FlexMonkey’s Plum-O-Meter app works, but it’s a pretty neat demo of how Apple’s pressure-sensing handset can be used to weigh small objects, such as plums. Check out the juicy video below.

Jobs done? Sorkin’s biopic flops on opening weekend

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Michael Fassbender is Steve Jobs.
Steve Jobs may play the orchestra, but there's not much of an audience.
Photo: Universal Pictures

Steve Jobs had his toughest two days at the box office this weekend since the real Jobs launched the poor-selling Power Mac G4 Cube.

The long-awaited Aaron Sorkin biopic turned to not be that eagerly-anticipated after all, since it limped to a disappointing $7.3 million on its first weekend of wide release.

Jamie Foxx shows off Siri in new iPhone 6s ads

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I kind of wish Siri could've told him not to do Amazing Spider-Man 2.
I kind of wish Siri could've told him not to do Amazing Spider-Man 2.
Photo: Apple

Apple debuted three new iPhone 6s ads over the weekend, showcasing not only the new features of Apple’s latest handset, but also its impressive ability to rope in A-list stars to help sell its products.

Two of the ads, “Flip a Coin” and “Crush,” feature Django Unchained star Jamie Foxx, while the third, “The Camera” boasts NBA MVP Steph Curry. Check them out below.

Cult of Mac Magazine: We ❤ emojis

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Cult of Mac Magazine issue 111
This week has gotten us pretty emoji-nal.
Cover design: Stephen Smith/Cult of Mac

It’s emoji time, thanks to fresh iOS 9 and OS X updates that bring a ton of new pictograms to the Apple universe. In this week’s edition of Cult of Mac Magazine, we’ve got great emoji how-tos, Apple news, and product reviews, plus the story of a Mac developer who schemed up a brilliant way of battling software pirates, Klingon-style.

All this and more awaits you in Cult of Mac Magazine – be sure to download our fantastic app today.

Here are this week’s top stories.

Catch our hands-on first impressions of the new Apple TV on The CultCast

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Pre-orders start Monday—  which one are you getting?
Pre-orders start Monday— which one are you getting?
Photo: Business Insider

This week on The CultCast: our hands-on first impressions of the new Apple TV! Plus: the new and notable in OS X 10.11.1 and iOS 9.1. And if you want to hear why a half-cyborg Woz might one day lead the AI armies of Armageddon, stick around till the end for an all new (and totally ridiculous) Get To Know Your Cultist, #FutureDay edition. Because quite frankly, your life might. Just. DEPEND on it…

Our thanks to Squarespace for supporting this episode. Build a beautiful website quick at Squarespace.com, and enter offer code CultCast at checkout to get 10% off.

This charging hub is like having a tiny R2-D2 for your mobile devices [Deals]

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The Twist+ World Charging Station can charge up to five devices at once from a single outlet in 150 different countries.
The Twist+ World Charging Station can charge up to five devices at once from a single outlet in 150 different countries.

It’s white, cylindrical, has a spinning head and is full of electrical connectors. It’s not Luke Skywalker’s trusty robotic assistant, but the Twist Plus+ World Charging Station could be yours with its ability to charge five devices simultaneously and through outlets anywhere in the world. It’s a game-changer for the international traveler or anyone who travels with more than one mobile device, and right now you can get one for just $34.99.

Why I’m cheating on my Apple Watch

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I now wear two watches when I’m running. Seriously.
Two-timer: I now wear two watches when I’m running. Seriously.
Photo: Graham Bower/Cult of Mac

After six months of trying to log my runs with my Apple Watch, I finally gave up and bought a dedicated GPS running watch.

There’s a lot to like about Apple’s new wearable. The Activity app, for example, is brilliant at helping people lose weight. But the truth is, as a running watch, it sucks.

Twitter’s ready to make money off Moments

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Twitter
Twitter didn't waste a single moment getting to monetization.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Just a few short weeks after Twitter launched Moments, it’s already gearing up to start the monetization process. Promoted Moments will have brands curate some of their favorite tweets from around the service relevant to the promotion and pack them neatly in Twitter’s newest feature.

Power-cutting cord gives your device battery the perfect amount of juice

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The UsBidi charger for smartphones and tablets.
The UsBidi charger for smartphones and tablets.
Photo: UsBidi

We know that keeping our smartphones and tablets plugged in over night, well past the point of a full charge, will deplete precious battery life. But who among us purposely gets up in the middle of the night to unplug?

The team at UsBidi assumes very few, which is why its developers believe they have something special with a charging cord that automatically cuts off the power to a device when the battery is full.

Should Apple merge iOS with OS X for iPad Pro?

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fnf_1024
It's that time of the week again!
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Is merging iOS with OS X a good idea? For the longest time, the answer to that question has been a resounding no from anyone who appreciates good software — but with iPad Pro on the horizon, there may well be a growing case for it.

Friday-Night-Fights-bug-2The iPad Pro has the potential to be the ultimate 2-in-1 — a laptop that could really replace a notebook when you need to get stuff done. But in many ways, it’s being held back by iOS, which is still very much a mobile platform without many of the basics we have on our desktops — like a file manager.

So, is there now room for a new platform that delivers the best of iOS and OS X, perfectly suited to a tablet that doubles as a notebook?

Join us in this week’s Friday Night Fight between Cult of Android and Cult of Mac as we battle it out over that very question!

Ballmer: Saving Apple in 1997 was ‘craziest thing’ Microsoft ever did

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"Let's talk developers!"
Photo: Bloomberg

Microsoft infamously invested $150 million in archenemy Apple in 1997 as the company was facing bankruptcy right after the return of Steve Jobs, and according to former CEO Steve Ballmer, it was the craziest thing the Windows-maker ever did.

Ballmer spends more of his time on the basketball court now than working on the next big tech ideas, but in an interview with Bloomberg this morning, Ballmer was brought on to talk about the Microsoft’s battle with Amazon. After saying Amazon is not a great place to work, the conversation drifted to Apple and Ballmer actually admitted that “they’ve done a great job.”

Coming from the guy who laughed off the iPhone because he thought the Zune was killer, that’s a hell of a compliment. Watch what Ballmer had to say about Microsoft’s rivalry with Apple below:

Mac dev uses Klingon to make app pirates walk the plank

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How do you say
How do you say "Payback's a bitch" in Klingon?
Photo: Edward Brawer

When a Klingon says bortaS bir jablu’DI’reH QaQqu’ nay,’ it’s not good. It means “Revenge is a dish best served cold” and what is likely to follow is some sort of death blow.

So when Edward Brawer, the developer of the dock replacement software uBar, had pirates of his Mac app in sight, he set his phaser to amusement. Users who ripped him off soon saw the titles on apps and folders switched to the Klingon language.

Become your own cyber security expert with this bundle of lessons [Deals]

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These 11 lessons will make sure your business is caught up with the complex world of cyber threats and security.
These 11 lessons will make sure your business is caught up with the complex world of cyber threats and security.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

A key part of running any effective business these days is securing computers and online accounts against threats from hackers. The Cyber Security Professional Training and Certification Bundle offers 11 courses and more than 13 hours of instruction covering everything from the history of the software development to specific techniques for defending against attacks. It’s an ideal way to become conversant in cyber security or prepare for certification, and right now it’s a massive 98% off the normal price, just $39.