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News - page 1126

The Internet knows Trump memes it

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Earning his Teflon Don nickname.
Earning his Teflon Don nickname.
Photo: Instagram

For better or worse and depending on your political leanings, Donald Trump is said to have won Thursday night’s debate for the Republican presidential nomination.

Trump also scored a bit of a victory on social media. Whether celebrated or reviled, he was talked about more than the other candidates. Compare the buzz to the professional wrestling term known as heat. Heat can mean cheers for the heroes, but also represent the boos for the heels. Heat in any form is the measure of popularity.

Is it the kind of heat you can warm to or is it just hot air? Either way, the commentary on Twitter and Instagram is entertaining and with a record 24 million viewers watching the debate, the Teflon Don will take all the heat he can get.

Are Android security scares really as bad as they seem?

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

After the discovery of several dangerous flaws in a few short weeks, Android’s security — or lack thereof — has been big news. Google has acted quickly to eliminate the Stagefright flaw that left 95% of Android devices vulnerable to attack, but others have since wormed their way out of the woodwork.

Friday-Night-Fights-bug-2Now fans are asking how these flaws made their way into public Android releases, compromising the security of more than 1 billion users worldwide. Could Google be doing more to prevent it? And are its hardware partners doing all they can to patch holes in their own software?

Join us in this week’s Friday Night Fight between Cult of Android and Cult of Mac as we fight it out over these questions and more!

iPhone 6 can handle a charging elephant and other worldly wonders

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Jen Pollack Bianco captured this juvenile elephant charging her safari vehicle on the iPhone 6.
Jen Pollack Bianco captured this juvenile elephant charging her safari vehicle on the iPhone 6.
Photo: Jen Pollack Bianco

Cult of Mac’s Photo Famous series introduces you to the groundbreaking photographers featured in Apple’s “Shot on iPhone 6” ad campaign.

Mobile photography’s most mobile photographer was on the Skeleton Coast in Namibia and didn’t want to be weighted down.

Jen Pollack Bianco traveled with her usual DSLR equipment — all 26 pounds of it — but when the time came to go on an elephant safari, she left the heavy gear behind. This was a bold choice, considering such encounters rarely happen more than once in a lifetime.

The travel blogger carried her new iPhone 6 and the camera inside proved it could handle a charging elephant.

Apple TV refresh and our picks for worst Apple accessories on The CultCast

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"Finally, an easy way to use my iPad hands-free."
Photo: Prank Pack

This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: Looks like the radically improved Apple TV we’ve be waiting for lands in September — we’ll tell you what to expect. Plus: Apple is not going to be your next wireless carrier; more Beats Radio stations are in the works; and don’t miss our picks for the “best of the worst” Apple accessories.

Apple Music-style curation could be a great fit for TV

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Apple's new improved TV could be coming as early as this fall.
Curation could be a game changer for Apple TV.
Photo: Robert S. DonovanFlickr CC

Could Apple carry its Apple Music human curation obsession over to its much-rumored Apple TV refresh?

During Jimmy Iovine’s new interview with Wired about Apple Music, Iovine — unprompted — chose television as another example of a place Apple could incorporate its belief in humans trumping algorithms when it comes to recommendations.

Iovine said that:

Curation is why Apple Music leaves rivals in the dust, Iovine says

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Jimmy Iovine talks Apple Music at WWDC 2015.
Jimmy Iovine talks Apple Music at WWDC 2015.
Photo: Apple

Once Apple Music finds its groove there’s going to be no way for rivals to compete with the service, according to Beats co-founder and Apple exec Jimmy Iovine.

“Curation is a big thing to us, and no one is going to be able to catch us or do it better,” Iovine says in a new interview, in which he stresses Apple Music’s not-so-secret weapon — human focus.

#FightingWords.

New Steve Jobs trailer hits us with more Sorkin-ized Jobs-isms

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Michael Fassbender as Steve Jobs.
Michael Fassbender gets intense in new TV spot.
Photo: Universal Pictures

With Aaron Sorkin and Danny Boyle’s Steve Jobs movie just two months from its U.S. release, Universal has just dropped a new TV spot on us.

Aside from reconfirming that actor Michael Fassbender looks nothing like Steve Jobs, the new teaser provides glimpses of a few scenes we haven’t see before, along with a couple more Aaron Sorkin-ized Jobs-isms.

Apple spends $700,000 per year keeping Tim Cook safe

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Tim Cook tops Time's list of influential people.  Photo: Apple
Security's not just about malware, you know.
Photo: Apple

Tim Cook might be a guy who can take care of himself, judging from the impressive amount of time he spends in the gym each day, but Apple’s not taking any chances: The company shells out close to $700,000 each year on security for its CEO.

And who can blame them?

How to turn your iPhone into a hologram projector

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You can now give iPhone holographic powers.
You can now give iPhone holographic powers.
Photo: Bakers Tuts/YouTube

We’re going to be waiting a few years (or decades?) before Apple gets around to adding holographic displays to the iPhone, but did you know there’s actually a wicked-simple trick that lets you turn your iPhone into a hologram machine?

This isn’t the work of crazy science fiction. It’s based on the same type of tech that resurrected Tupac for a 2012 Coachella appearance. Simply using some household items, you can make holograms for your iPhone too.

Learn how to do it below:

Samsung’s marketing VP does a pretty good Job(s)

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Steve Jobs and a new fake Steve Jobs, aka Samsung marketing VP Georg R. Rötzer.
Steve Jobs and a new fake Steve Jobs, aka Samsung marketing VP Georg R. Rötzer.
Photo of Steve Jobs: Norman Seerff; photo of Georg R. Rötzer: Samsung

Samsung has been mercilessly copying Apple’s software, hardware and marketing for years, but the most unoriginal company in tech has taken its copycat ways to an all new level by ripping off Steve Jobs’ signature look.

In a recent promotional headshot for his upcoming appearance at the DMEXCO conference in Germany, Samsung VP Georg R. Rötzer not only copied Jobs’ dark outfit and round spectacles — he also aped the Apple co-founder’s pose from the cover of Walter Isaacson’s biography.

Wallpapers and Wi-Fi calls galore: All the new treasures in iOS 9 beta 5

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ios-9-icons
iOS 9 beta 5 has some of the most exciting goodies yet including a new wallpaper set.
Photo: Apple

The brand-new beta of iOS 9 brings an entirely new set of wallpapers, some welcome improvements to Apple Music and more new treasures. These are some of the most exciting changes yet to Apple’s upcoming mobile operating system (the previous beta brought back Home Sharing and delivered lots of tiny design tweaks).

Let’s run through all the changes in iOS 9 beta 5, which was made available to developers today.

This Nintendo phone concept would totally convert me to Android

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Would you buy this Nintendo phone concept?
Would you buy this Nintendo phone concept?
Photo: Curved

Nintendo has been incredibly slow to embrace mobile gaming, but this Wii M concept design has me wishing the company would get serious and make their own smartphone.

This mockup is so beautiful I think I’d gladly give up my eight-year membership in the iPhone club to have a portable gaming device like this at all times.

ResearchKit apps are now available outside the U.S.

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ResearchKit is expanding beyond the U.S.
ResearchKit is expanding beyond the U.S.
Photo: Apple

ResearchKit has already helped scientist make some breakthroughs in the study of diseases like Parkinsons, but the apps powered by Apple’s open-source health software haven’t been made available internationally. Starting today, iOS users in the U.K. and Hong Kong can get in on the ResearchKit action too, thanks to the MyHearth Counts app, which was just made available to to people outside of the U.S. for the first time.

iPad drummer goes head-to-head with old-school skin-pounder

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iPad drummer Appleman recently battled with a drummer on an analog drum kit.
iPad drummer Appleman recently battled with a drummer on an analog drum kit.
Photo: Appleman/YouTube

If you close your eyes, the iPad drummer known as Appleman sounds like he is tearing up a real set of skins. What you see in his YouTube videos, in which he covers the drumming parts of rock classics like Marilyn Manson’s “Beautiful People,” contradicts what the ears hear.

But how would he do against a drummer on an analog kit? Fast fingers met fast sticks recently as the anonymous Appleman went mano a mano with 17-year-old drumming phenom Yamachika Takuto.

By the sounds of the exchange of solos and the cheers from the audience, the two battled to a draw.

Dr. Dre donates new album profits to Compton art center

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Dre's finally apologizing for his misogyny.
Dre's finally apologizing for his misogyny.
Photo: Beats

Dr. Dre hasn’t given us a new album in over 15 years, but he just gave us another great reason to scoop up his upcoming album, Compton, when it drops tomorrow, after the doc has promised to donate his proceeds from the album to build a performing-arts center for kids in his hometown.

During an appearance on Zane Lowe’s Beats 1 Radio show, Dre called in to talk about the project, and confirmed that he has been working with Compton mayor Aja Brown to develop a community arts center as a way to give back to his city.

Listen to the interview below:

Carrot Weather’s sassy forecasts storm onto Mac

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carrot-weather
The "Maker" of sassy robot Carrot brought the Weather app to the Mac and updated the iOS app with new goodies.
Photo: George Tinari/Cult of Mac

The sassy robot that got its start on iOS has started taking over the Mac too. Carrot Weather launched in the Mac App Store today complete with tons of features and even more snarky comments about the conditions. The self-proclaimed “weather robot with a personality” has plenty to offer.

The UK just made iTunes illegal

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iTunes on Mac
iTunes ain’t dead yet.
Photo: Apple

The UK’s High Court has turned all of its computer users into outlaws overnight, in a new ruling that makes it unlawful to create a copy of copyrighted content, without the direct permission of the copyright holder.

The new law means UK citizens can no longer create backups of their computer (because pretty much every PC has copyrighted content). You’re also not allowed to rip your CDs into iTunes or convert media files into another format, which means Apple’s software services like Time Machine and iTunes are now considered illegal.

Apple wants to take mixtapes to the next level

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tape1
Remember these?
Photo: EDMSauce

Apple Music is all about curated playlists from Apple’s growing list of experts. But according to a new patent application published today, a future iTunes feature could let users get in on the act by composing “digital mixtapes” for their friends.

The patent describes how users would be able to name their album, select the songs and play order, and even augment them with extra audio files, images, movies, and personalized messages.

Steve Jobs movie will close BFI London Film Festival

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Kate Winslet, middle, praises the portrayal of Steve Jobs by Michael Fassbender (right).
Kate Winslet, middle, has praised the portrayal of Steve Jobs by Michael Fassbender (right).
Photo: Universal Pictures

European Apple fans wanting to have a sneak preview of Danny Boyle’s Steve Jobs biopic will get the chance if they attend the closing night of the BFI London Film Festival on October 18.

While we’ve expressed our concerns about the fact Michael Fassbender seemingly looks nothing like Apple’s late co-founder, the movie is still a tantalizing prospect — not least because of the combined talents of Newsroom and West Wing writer Aaron Sorkin and Slumdog Millionaire director Danny Boyle.

Apple Pay adoption is on the decline in the U.S.

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Apple in talks to bring Apple Pay to Israel
Keep calm, carry on using Apple Pay.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Apple Pay

Apple Music may be doing fantastically in terms of subscribers, but Apple isn’t having quite the same adoption success with Apple Pay, according to a new report.

Payment industry and retail data analysts at InfoScout and PYMNTS claim that the percentage of iPhone 6 users in the U.S. who have tried Apple Pay declined from 15 percent in March to 13.1 percent in June.

First ‘mobile’ phones were a lot of junk in the trunk

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The first mobile phones were car phones. Call quality was superb (if you could get a channel).
The first mobile phones were car phones. Call quality was superb (if you could get a channel).
Photo courtesy Geoff Fors

When Lars Magnus Ericsson installed a telephone in his car, he proved you could communicate from the road. But while the first mobile phone was indeed mobile, it was anything but simple to use.

Ericsson drove around Sweden and, when it was time to place a call, he would pull off to the side of the road next to telephone poles. Then his wife, Hilda, would take out two long sticks and hook them over a pair of telephone wires. Ericsson would then crank a handle on the phone to get a signal from the operator.

Pretty slick for 1910.

Apple fanboys fooled into thinking Android on iPhone is iOS 9

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apple-fanboys-fooled-into-thinking-android-on-iphone-is-ios-9-image-cultofandroidcomwp-contentuploads201508Android-on-iPhone-jpg
Android where you least expect it.
Photo: Dit Is Normaal
Android where you'd least expect it. Photo: Dit Is Normaal
Android where you’d least expect it. Photo: Dit Is Normaal

Loyal iPhone fans will argue iOS is much better than Android, but many have never even used Google’s platform. That’s proven in the hilarious video below, in which Apple fanboys are fooled into thinking Lollipop running on an iPhone is the iOS 9 update that’s coming this fall.