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News - page 1133

How Apple treats Mac App Store developers like second-class citizens

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MacBook Air
The world wide web would like you to pay attention.
Photo: Apple

When it comes to the App Store and the Mac App Store, the two software dispensing platforms are not treated equally.

Not only do top 10 Mac App Store apps make a whole lot less than the chart toppers on iOS, but developers are noticing that Apple’s not even giving Mac app developers some of the same critical tools their counterparts enjoy on the App Store.

Invisible ads could be crippling your smartphone

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Some of the apps available on Apple Watch.
Thousands of apps on iOS and Android run invisible ads you didn't know about.
Photo: Apple

“What you don’t know won’t hurt you” is a common phrase that unfortunately does not apply to the apps on your phone. It turns out that thousands of apps on Android and iOS secretly have ads in them that you can’t see, and they very well might be what’s causing a number of problems that plague smartphones today.

This iPhone 7 concept comes with a special wireless dock

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iPhone wireless charging
Do you want an Apple dock for your iPhone?
Photo: Ivo Marić and Tomislav Rastovac

It’s iPhone rumor season which means concept artists are busting out their best guesses as to what Jony Ive’s next smartphone design changes might entail. We’ve already seen some super thin iPhone redesigns, but concept designers Ivo Marić and Tomislav have taken a different approach.

Instead of changing the iPhone’s form factor, the designers’ iPhone 7 concept looks just like an iPhone 6. It comes with all the features we’d expect to see — sapphire glass, an A10 processor, 16 Megapixel camera sensor, QHD Retina display — but the duo have dreamed up a super special wireless dock that does a lot more than just wireless charging.

Check it out:

Apple backs LGBT equality act

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SF pride
Apple is a strong supporter of the LGBT community.
Photo: Tim Cook/Twitter

In an effort to outlaw discrimination against LGBT people under federal law, members of congress introduced the historic Equality Act of 2015 today, and they’ve got the biggest company in tech on their side.

By ensuring people can no longer be discriminated against due to sexual orientation or gender identity, the sweeping legislation would extend these rights to LGBT people in the 31 states that don’t offer those protections to LGBT citizens. The new bill already has 150 co-sponsors, plus Apple’s official endorsement.

Give your retina MacBook the stylish cable manager it deserves

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macbook-cable-manager
Easily store and travel with your 12-inch MacBook's power adapter and USB-C charging cord.
Photo: Above the Fray

Despite launching a few months ago, the new MacBook hasn’t gotten a tremendous amount of love from accessory makers so far. Above the Fray, a company based in Thailand, noticed a glaring omission for a 12-inch MacBook cable manager so the team took it upon themselves to create one.

Apple revs up R&D spending amid iCar rumors

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Apple raked in the cash last quarter.
Apple is splurging on R&D.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Amid continuing rumors that it might be building an electric car, Apple revealed that is has boosted its research-and-development spending by $1.5 billion this year.

While Apple is dumping more money into R&D, it’s been able to trim costs in other areas. In its Securities and Exchange Commission filing for the fiscal quarter that ended June 27, Apple lowered its capital-spending projections for the year by 8 percent, which could amount to $1 billion in savings.

GoPro’s tiny new rival boasts interchangeable lenses

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The E1 is a small Micro Four Thirds camera that shoots 4K video and fit a variety of lenses.
The E1 is a small Micro Four Thirds camera that shoots 4K video and fit a variety of lenses.
Photo: Z

The E1 camera is so small, there is barely any room on the body for its two-character name.

This is only a slight exaggeration for the slight camera with large ambitions and an impressive list of specs that could make it legitimate competition for GoPro, the reigning king of the Point of View camera market.

Startup camera company Z says its E1 is the world’s smallest Micro Four Thirds 4K video camera with interchangeable lenses.

Master the worlds of Adobe and web design with a lifetime of lessons [Deals]

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dcee8de2cc702eca683f54c4374e470e5176f8c2_main_hero_image

From Photoshop to Flash, Adobe’s software products are a key part of the digital media ecosystem. Mastering a set of tools as wide ranging as theirs takes a lot of time, which is exactly what the Lifetime Subscription to Adobe Training Videos offers. For $89, you’ll get literally as much time as you need to absorb thousands of lessons on the countless facets of Adobe and web design.

Apple’s ‘Back to School’ promo will give Mac buyers free Beats headphones

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Be cool. Stay in school.
Be cool. Stay in school.
Photo: Beats

Apple has launched its “Back to School” promotion for 2015, and this year’s is… kinda “meh” to be honest.

Instead of the gift cards Apple offered in 2014 and 2013, this year students who buy a new Mac will be eligible to receive a pair of Beats Solo2 On-Ear Headphones or Beats Solo2 Wireless On-Ear Headphones for their trouble.

Operation inventor doesn’t have a ‘Broken Heart’ over lack of royalties

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The game Operation is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.
The game Operation celebrates its 50th anniversary this year.
Photo: Board Game Geek

John Spinello stuck a safety pin in a light socket. He was 3 and never forgot how the shock “flipped me over backwards.”

As an adult, he turned that moment of mischievous curiosity into a board game that shaped the lives of millions of kids around the world.

Any “dopey doctor” who has played Operation knows the loud buzzing sound when you’ve botched your attempt at removing the patient’s funny bone. It first went off 50 years ago this year. Kids today play the game, adults still hear the buzzer from their childhood and some actually credit it with their pursuit of a career in medicine.

Touch ID will let your Apple TV know which family member is watching

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Apple's new improved TV could be coming as early as this fall.
Touch ID could be the Apple TV's killer app.
Photo: Robert S. DonovanFlickr CC

Apple could opt to include a Touch ID fingerprint sensor in its new Apple TV remote, according to a patent application published today.

Unlike the iPhone and iPad, however, this sensor wouldn’t be used for unlocking your device, but rather quickly making it aware of who is watching at any given time — thereby letting Apple’s long-awaited TV configure volume, screen brightness, and suggested channels on a person-by-person basis. Smart, eh?

U.S. senator backs FTC investigation into Apple Music

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Heading
Franken wants Apple investigated.
Photo: Al Franken

It was inevitable that the success of Apple Music was going to have some people screaming about anti-competitive practices, and that’s exactly what happened. Yesterday, senator (and former SNL alumni) Al Franken threw his hat into the ring by writing a letter requesting that the Justice Department take the matter seriously.

Apple wants to play you custom ads when you listen to podcasts

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Apple's looking for a way to monetize its podcasting success.
Apple's looking for a way to monetize its podcasting success.
Photo:

The overwhelming majority of mobile podcast listening is done on an iPhone, most of it on Apple’s own Podcasts app, which is why it’s no wonder Apple would be interested in figuring out a way to monetize the service if it can.

In a patent application published today, Apple describes how in the future it could interrupt podcasts with targeted personalized advertisements, by way of Apple’s iAd platform.

James Bond goes rogue to catch his Spectre

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Why so introspective, Mr. Bond?
Why so introspective, Mr. Bond?
Photo: Columbia Pictures

Daniel Craig’s fourth outing as famous super spy James Bond looks to take a darker, more roguish turn than ever, with Bond looking to “disappear” from the British spy agency that gives him the “00” license to kill rating.

The new trailer has all sorts of dramatic moments interspersed with the action, gadgetry, cars, women, overly-confident villains and explosions fans want to see.

Check it out below and be ready to see your first glimpse at the big bad behind the scenes of anti-spy organization, SPECTRE, which seems to be aimed squarely at Bond, James Bond’s broad shoulders.

Trippy photo app brings your worst nightmares to life

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Deep Dream squirrel dreamscope
Dreamscope lets you do this kind of nightmarish stuff to your own face.
Photo: Google

Remember when Google announced, probably from within a heavily fortified and Skynet-proof bunker, that its artificial neural networks were “dreaming”? And then we saw the above picture of a squirrel ravaged by a computer’s best and most terrifying guesses at what things look like, and we all peed a little?

Well, the company has released that code to the public, and now some Scarecrow-esque villain has provided us with Dreamscope, a way to turn your beloved pictures into extensions of a neurotic computer’s twisted psyche.

Handy new app turns Notification Center into messaging machine

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written-ios - 1 (1)
Select a pre-written message and send it straight from Notification Center.
Photo: George Tinari/Cult of Mac

“I’m leaving” is a message I probably send way too often, but not as often as “I’m here.” It’s just become routine whenever I’m making plans or picking someone up. It’s not necessarily a burden, but it’d be a nice luxury to be able to quickly send friends these repeat messages automatically to save a little bit of time. You’re smart so I bet you know where I’m going with this.

Yes, Written is a new app for iPhone that lets you write out five of your most commonly used phrases and save them for easy access in Notification Center. Then when you pull down the Today view from the top, you see the Written widget with your five messages. Tap one to send it along to your favorite contacts. It works with the Messages app and even WhatsApp.

Twitch jumps on the Flash-dumping bandwagon

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HTML5 is winning, thank goodness.
HTML5 is winning, thank goodness.
Photo: Twitch

Video game streaming juggernaut Twitch.tv is stepping up its HTML5 game today with a move to get rid of buggy and overly-patched Flash in Twitch’s website.

The move today is only for the player part of the equation, but a full HTML5 solution should be forthcoming.

“Today’s redesign moves half of the video player – specifically the controls – from Flash to HTML5 and Javascript,” Twitch writes on its blog page. “The video itself is still in Flash underneath the controls. However, this is an important step to releasing the much-anticipated full HTML5 player.”

Wafer-thin iPhone 7 concept combines elegance with ugliness

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iPhone 7 concept by Mesut G Designs
Can you even see this unofficial iPhone 7?
Photo: Mesut G Design

We aren’t going to find out what the next iPhone looks like until Apple shows us (probably in September), but that isn’t stopping designers from dreaming up some concepts.

Here’s a pretty bold one that imagines the next Apple smartphone as a mix between a Samsung Galaxy Edge and a Club Cracker. You can check it out in the video below.

Microsoft Send is like WhatsApp for work emails

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Send is one part email, one part instant message.
Send is part email, part instant messenger.
Photo: Microsoft

The Microsoft Garage has churned out a new iOS productivity app aimed at streamlining the email experience so users can get in, get in contact, and get on with their work lives as quickly as possible.

The new iOS-only app, Send, aims to make email threads more like short IM messages by stripping out the hassle of finding your contacts, writing subject lines, and keeping tabs on your inbox.

Shortest route to killer Apple car? Buy Tesla

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Heading
Elon Musk could find himself even richer, if Gene Munster has his way.
Photo: Zobacz Zasady/Wikipedia CC

Apple should buy Tesla from Elon Musk — or so thinks Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster, speaking in a recent interview with Bloomberg Radio.

“The big thing they could buy that I would be impressed with is Tesla,” Munster said, referring to how Apple could spend its $203 billion in cash. “To me, when you think about that absurd amount of cash, you have to go after opportunities, and I think automotive fits within that camp.”

Snapchat doubles down on iPhone jailbreakers

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More not good news for Snapchat jailbreakers.
More not good news for Snapchat jailbreakers.

Yesterday, we reported that Snapchat was starting to lock out jailbreakers.

Today, the popular video messaging service is locking out users who are on an out-of-date version of the app. It’s a move aimed at jailbreakers that’s going to catch some people who are slow to update in the crossfire.