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Samsung’s Gear S2 is coming to tackle the Apple Watch

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samsungs-gear-s2-is-coming-to-tackle-the-apple-watch-image-cultofandroidcomwp-contentuploads201509Gear-S2-and-classic-jpg
Gear S2 and Gear S2 classic hope to appeal to traditional watch wearers.
Photo: Samsung
Gear S2 and Gear S2 classic hope to appeal to traditional watch wearers. Photo: Samsung
Gear S2 and Gear S2 classic hope to appeal to traditional watch wearers. Photo: Samsung

After teasing the new Gear S2 smartwatch during its Galaxy Note 5 unveiling earlier this month, Samsung has confirmed all the juicy details we’ve been waiting for.

The new wearable will be available in two flavors — the Gear S2 and Gear S2 classic — both of which have round faces and are aimed at consumers who “prefer more timeless watch design.” But will the devices be good enough to trip up the Apple Watch?

Apple Pay transaction limit rises in the U.K.

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Apple Pay is coming to the U.K. this fall.
Apple Pay just got a bit better for U.K. customers.
Photo: Apple

There’s no logical reason why Apple Pay transaction costs should be limited, but in the U.K. users have been stuck with a limit of £20 ($30) since the service first debuted in July.

Thanks to the rise of people using both Apple Pay and contactless cards in general, however, that number has now been increased by 50 percent to £30 ($46).

A great reason not to jailbreak your iPhone

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More and more jailbreak software, such as Pangu, has come from China.
Screenshot: John Brownlee/Cult of Mac

If you enjoy customizing your iPhone, jailbreaking can be a positive thing — although that doesn’t mean it comes without risks.

According to a new report, around 225,000 Apple accounts have been stolen by malware on jailbroken iPhones, in what is claimed to be “one of the largest known thefts of its kind.” In some cases, this data was then used to make unauthorized purchases.

Yikes!

Apple wants to take on Netflix with its own original programming

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Watch out Netflix, Apple might start making shows too.
Watch out Netflix, Apple might start making shows too.
Photo: Netflix

Apple is planning to unveil its new Apple TV set top box in a little over a week, and it looks like the company may be considering funding its own TV shows to go with its big play to dominate the living room.

The iPhone maker has held preliminary conversations in recent weeks with executives in Hollywood to feel out interest in Apple spearheading efforts to produce original entertainment content, according to a new report that claims Apple is ready to take on Hulu, Netflix, and Amazon Prime video.

How to get YouTube back on your Apple TV (second gen)

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Here's how to get YouTube back on your second-gen Apple TV.
Here's how to get YouTube back on your second-gen Apple TV.
Photo: FireCore

Although Apple’s September 9th event looks like it will super charge the Apple TV into a PlayStation-killing video game console, it’s not the indisputable king-of-the-hill of streaming media boxes right now. Roku, Fire TV, Chromecast… all have their advantages over the Apple TV except for one killer feature: AirPlay Mirroring, which allows the Apple TV to stream anything running on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac.

Unless you have an Apple TV, you can’t use AirPlay Mirroring… right? Actually, you can, as long you have a Raspberry Pi.

Weather Network app claims it can tell you when it is going to rain

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Back to the Future Part II weather network app
The Weather Network's latest app update might make this a reality.
Photo: Universal Pictures

We’re not quite through 2015 yet, so app developers still have time to make the prophecies foretold by director Robert Zemeckis’ documentary Back to the Future: Part II come true. And to that end, The Weather Network’s latest app update uses radar and algorithms to predict when, exactly, it is going to start and stop raining.

The new feature, appropriately called “Rain Start Stop,” claims to give you a few hours to finalize the details on your outdoor activities.

Hit iOS game pulled for Apple Tax evasion

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Avoiding the Apple tax isn't smart.
Avoiding the Apple tax isn't smart.
Photo: Mixi

Free-to-play mega hit Monster Strike was pulled from the App Store this past weekend for trying to get around Apple’s in-app purchase system.

The app was offline on Saturday the 29th of August from 5:30 pm until around 1 am Sunday morning, costing the Japanese developer an estimated $600,000 in revenue. The Android version was not taken down, and the iOS version is back online as of Sunday.

A monthly magazine where your life is the subject

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Magazine
For $8.99 per month, your iPhone camera roll can become a glossy magazine.
Photo: Recently

It sounds cool and convenient to say your photo album is in your phone. But your life spread across the pages of a glossy magazine sounds a whole lot better.

A new iOS app called Recently turns the camera roll on your iPhone into a monthly magazine. The one-step app is free and for a subscription fee of $8.99 a month, the creators will send you an elegantly designed magazine of up to 100 photos.

Electronics-sniffing dogs can root out USB drives

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Bear is one of five electronics-sniffing dogs
Bear is one of only five electronics-sniffing dogs.
Photo: NBC News

Criminals don’t just have to worry about someone finding their drug stashes anymore, as police have started to employ highly trained, electronics-sniffing dogs to root out illegal material on USB thumb drives and SD cards.

Only five dogs have acquired this particular set of skills that can make them a nightmare for cybercriminals and child pornographers.

Turn your kitchen timer into a time-lapse video tool

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The Hobie attaches to a kitchen timer for an inexpensive way to get time-lapse and 360-degree videos.
The Hobie attaches to a kitchen timer for an inexpensive way to get time-lapse and 360-degree videos.
Photo: Overlab Experimental Design

Photography equipment can be expensive, but there are plenty of items lying around the house that can help you get your shots. Why buy a pin-hole camera made of fine hardwood when you can make one out of an oatmeal container?

Designer Mattia Ciucciarelli wants to spare us the cost of an expensive tripod head for time-lapse and 360-degree videos with a device he calls the Hobie that attaches to the common kitchen timer.

Selfie-obsessed driver slams into tree

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Just don't, ok?
Just don't, ok?
Photo: Maine State Police

Enough with the constant need to take photos of ourselves, ok?

According to a report in the Bangor Daily News, 29-year-old Jordan Toner decided to lean in to a selfie taken by one of his seven passengers while driving along Deering Lake Road at about 1:30 pm this past Saturday.

Needless to say, it turned out badly, with Toner driving the 2014 Mazda CX5 off the road and into a tree.

Apple and Cisco team up to give iOS a biz boost

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Cisco work phones are getting optimized for iPhone.
Cisco work phones are getting optimized for iPhone.
Photo: Camilo Rueda López/Flickr CC

As part of its ongoing effort to penetrate the enterprise market, Apple announced today that it is partnering with Cisco to create fast lanes for iOS business users that use Cisco networking hardware.

Apple revealed the new partnership this morning, detailing how Cisco’s enterprise environments will provide a unique experience for iOS devices and apps in the future.

Under-the-hood tweaks come in new El Capitan beta

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el-capitan-beta
New El Capitan beta is here.
Photo: Apple

In this eighth beta for Apple OS X developers (the sixth version for those involved in the OS X El Capitan public beta), Apple continues to improve and polish the latest operating system for Mac.

Build 15A279b, as it’s cleverly named, doesn’t have a lot of notes about what’s changing, but we can assume there will be a bunch of internal fixes that may not be readily apparent to the average user.

Pop culture blows it when it comes to Steve Jobs

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Michael Fassbender as Steve Jobs.
Michael Fassbender as Steve Jobs.
Photo: Universal Pictures

Steve Jobs is often portrayed as an egotistical tyrant in the books, movies, and documentaries that try to encapsulate the Apple CEO but according to someone who was both one of Jobs closest friends and a bitter rival, pop culture has totally blown it when it comes to portraying Steve.

Former Apple CEO John Sculley says he’s optimistic that the upcoming Steve Jobs movie written by Aaron Sorkin will fix some of his problems with how Jobs’ personality has been misrepresented.

Smarter watches: Android Wear works with iPhones now

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smarter-watches-android-wear-works-with-iphones-now-image-cultofandroidcomwp-contentuploads201508android-wear-ios-jpg
iOS users can now use iPhones with Android Wear.
Photo: Google
android-wear-ios
iOS users can now use an iPhone with their Android Wear watch. Photo: Google

Google’s smartwatch platform, Android Wear, has officially gained support for iPhones. The Android Wear for iOS app is currently rolling out and anyone with an iPhone 5, iPhone 5c, iPhone 5s, iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus can start using the Android Wear app at last. Just make sure you’re running iOS 8.2 or later.

The move comes somewhat randomly but makes total strategic sense for Google.

Some iPhone jailbreakers are in for a nasty surprise

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iPhon
iPhon
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

More than a quarter-million Apple users from 18 different countries had accounts stolen after they made themselves vulnerable by jailbreaking their devices, researchers announced today.

The theft represents the largest known theft of Apple accounts caused by malware, according to Palo Alto Networks, adding further caution to Apple users to avoid installing programs not meant for iPhones and iPads.

Apple hires HoloLens engineer for its own AR project

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Apple is assembling an AR team to take on HoloLens.
Apple is assembling an AR team to take on HoloLens.
Photo: Microsoft

Microsoft’s new HoloLens project has shown the tech world where the future of augmented reality might lead, and according to a Wall Street analyst, Apple is making moves to catch up with its own AR product.

Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster reports that Apple has poached Microsoft’s lead HoloLens audio engineer — and that there are other signs Cupertino is assembling an AR team.

The Weeknd blows up VMAs with trippy Apple Music ads

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John Travolta's cameo isn't the only odd thing about the new Apple Music ad.
John Travolta's cameo isn't the only odd thing about the new Apple Music ad.
Photo: Apple

The Weeknd’s performance of “I Can’t Feel My Face” at last night’s MTV Video Music Awards was so hot, even Kanye got up to dance to the song of summer. The singer didn’t go home with a moon man last night but Apple Music debuted a two-part ad that features John Travolta and a trippy club scene.

Watch both ads below:

Kickstarter project puts cameras in the hands of London’s homeless

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The cover of the 2016 calendar called My London photographed by homeless artists.
The cover of the 2016 calendar called My London photographed by homeless artists.
Photo: ROL

David Tovey became homeless on the streets of London after a stroke and found salvation in an unlikely place – a disposable camera.

Tovey was invited to participate in an art project giving Londoners cameras to record life on the streets for a calendar now being sold on Kickstarter. He has had photos selected for the Cafe Art calendar project two years in a row.

Why the new Apple TV will kill your Xbox or Playstation

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The new Apple TV remote will give it Wii-like gaming capabilities.
The new Apple TV remote will give it Wii-like gaming capabilities.
Photo: Matthew Panzarino / Techcrunch

A new report gives us our best insight yet into the radically improved Apple TV expected to be launched next month, including the fact that it will ship with a motion-sensitive controller similar to the Nintendo Wiimote — but a hell of a lot sleeker. And that’s just to start.

How we put the Mac-gic in Cult of Mac’s videos

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Setup
This is where Cult of Mac's videos get edited.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Want a sneak peek behind the scenes of Cult of Mac? In my tech-setup tour video below, I’ll show you where I produce and edit all the videos for the site, and what kind of equipment I use to do it.

This is one of the most-requested videos I’ve had so far, so I won’t keep you waiting any longer — let’s get to it.

Discovery VR, Lara Croft GO, and other awesome apps of the week

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Have an 'appy weekend.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

From undersea virtual reality to a great Mac Instagram client, there have been plenty of interesting apps that have hit the App Store in the past seven days. But which ones to download this weekend?

Thankfully, Cult of Mac is here to help guide you through the best apps of the week. Check below to see our picks:

Training for a marathon? Apple Watch can help

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You Apple Watch can't assess the efficiency of your running style
Apple Watch can help improve your race time (but watch where you're going!)
Photo: Graham Bower/Cult of Mac

With Autumn rapidly approaching, marathon season is almost upon us. So if you’re planning on running a race, now’s the time to ramp up your training.

Whether you are doing a full marathon, a half-marathon or a 10K race, here are my top 10 tips for using your Apple Watch to achieve a new personal best.

Cult of Mac Magazine: Apple’s next big thing(s), hot tips for iOS, Mac and Apple Watch and more

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What's headed our way, Apple fans?
What's headed our way, Apple fans?
Cover: Stephen Smith/Cult of Mac

It’s another week ending, which means its time for us to round up all the great content from Cult of Mac into one delightful Cult of Mac Magazine.

We’ve got all the info we could find out about the upcoming Apple event at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in SF, a ton of useful and hidden tips for iOS, Apple Watch (and even OS X), and some fantastic gaming new that you don’t want to miss.

Check it all out (and more) in this week’s Cult of Mac Magazine, and don’t forget to look at this sneak peek at the upcoming revamp of the entire digital experience.