Movies, writing and photos. If you like any of these things, then you’re going to love this week’s App Watch. We have apps for slo-mo, retro, Drobo and to help you find that lost photo.
Sprint has seen better days. Now existing as the distant fourth wireless carrier in America, it needs a win to score customers back.
Sprint’s recently announced new “Framily” plans might just be that win. They not only let you feel like you have a speech impediment everytime you say the word ‘Framily’, but they offer twice as much data as the likes of AT&T and Verizon, for about the same price.
First Phil Schiller dumped a bucket of ice cold water on his head, challenging Tim Cook to do the same. Then Tim Cook accepted the challenge, dousing himself at an Apple HQ beer bash to help raise money to fight Lou Gehrig’s disease.
We all thought it was over. But we forgot about Dre.
The TSA has started treating smartphones with dead batteries like potential bombs, but after an iPhone mishap on one plane caused an emergency evacuation, maybe they should be more worried about all the iPhones with a full charge too.
Panic broke out on a flight bound for Prague this weekend after an iPhone 5 caught fire in a passenger’s bag, causing the entire plane to be evacuated back to the main terminal.
By now, it’s obvious that Xiaomi is heavily inspired by Apple’s product design. The Chinese company’s founder even dresses up like Steve Jobs at events and uses the “One More Thing” presentation gimmick.
Now we’ve been given a look at MIUI 6, the software for Xiaomi’s new Mi 4 smartphone. It’s the most blatant ripoff of Apple to date.
Flappy Bird developer Dong Nguyen has a new game coming out this Thursday, and it looks to be as brutally difficult and addictive as his original viral hit.
According to Eli Hodapp over at TouchArcade, Swing Copters contains the same one-tap gameplay as Flappy Bird, only this time you’re guiding a little character up through platforms that have swinging hammers on them, rather than horizontally through Mario-esque pipes.
Here’s a video to give you an idea:
The sixth developer preview of OS X Yosemite is upon us, and like always, Apple has made some noticeable and not-so-noticeable changes. This time around, there are some new wallpapers included alongside general design tweaks.
So in no particular order, here’s what’s new in OS X Yosemite Developer Preview 6:
Not a year goes by without NFC rumors trying to steal the spotlight during iPhone rumor season, and while this year has certainly been no exception, leaked schematic details reveal NFC might actually land on the iPhone 6 this year.
An alleged bare logic board for the iPhone 6 was the first hard evidence that NFC really is coming to the iPhone 6, but now a Chinese repair firm has found what it claims to a wiring schematic specifically for the iPhone 6’s NFC chip.
Apple released the sixth beta of OS X 10.10 Yosemite to developers this morning with preview build 14A329f ahead of its public release this fall.
Apple finalized its $3 billion acquisition of Beats Electronics just a few weeks ago, but for those looking give their earbuds a taste of Beats, the Online Apple Store is making the over-priced cans a little bit cheaper.
If you’re anything like me, you’re probably interested in trying a standing desk… but not quite so committed to the idea of standing all day that you’d be willing to throw out your office chair.
Which is why I’m so interested in the Lift. Now on Kickstarter, it’s a gorgeous and elegant wooden desk gadget that allows you to convert your existing desk to and from a standing desk at will.
Recently, a clever little Pokemon clone called Micromon shot to the top of the App Store bestseller list. If the success of Micromon proved anything, it’s that an official Pokemon game would be very well received if it came to the App Store.
If that’s something that appeals to you, good news. A version of the Pokemon online trading card game is coming to the iPad sometime soon.
Anand Sharma has eaten 17 burritos in the last 141 days. An avid runner and rock climber, the San Francisco-based designer has visited parks seven times this month. He weighed 153.9 pounds and was at 18.4% bodyfat after his 5.5-mile run yesterday. He burned 688 calories during that run.
He gets around a lot, too: On July 15, he flew from Hong Kong to Changi, Singapore. Then he grabbed a bite at the Kampong Glam Cafe. He also spent 94 minutes in a car and 70 minutes on the Lomprayah high-speed ferry that day. During his long day of travel, his heart rate hit a high of 94 and a low of 66 (averaging a slightly higher than usual 79). He didn’t share any photos on Instagram, but he pushed 25 commits to code-sharing site Github.
Sharma, who was 24.382007813 years old as of this writing, is already the most transparent human being on Earth, and he’s just getting started. Fully embracing the data-hungry demands of the quantified-self movement as well as the constant spotlight of social media, he routinely shares every little detail about his life, from his travels and meals to his vital signs and work, on the slickly designed April Zero website he launched last month. Now he wants to invite you to his way of life. He’s working on a new app that will make it easy for anyone to have their own version of April Zero.
Cult of Mac talked with Sharma about April Zero, the benefits of living in public, and the possibilities of Apple’s long-rumored health-centric wearable.
Last week, we told you about shots that had leaked from within Foxconn, which reportedly showed new Lightning cables developed by Apple that featured fully reversible USB connectors.
We were excited, but there was only one problem: the images seemed a little sketchy. But a new image from reliable leaker Sonny Dickson‘s Twitter feed indicates that the reversible USB plug is indeed coming to new Lightning cables, perhaps as early as the iPhone 6.
Amongst Cupertino’s many other accomplishments, you can now chalk up Emmy Award Winner. Apple has just won the Most Outstanding Commercial of the Year award for its wonderful iPhone 5s ad, “Misunderstood.”
Beginning just moments after the shocking end of last week’s episode of True Blood, the final season’s second-to-last entry tightens down on the remaining relationships: Sookie and Bill. Hoyt and Jessica. Eric and Pam (and Ginger!). Jason and new girl. A little Lafayette and James, a tiny smattering of Arlene and Keith. Couples are the way to go in Bon Temps.
Once again, we’ve got character dialogue that sounds like a love letter to the fans from the writers of this HBO-powered vampire drama that airs Sunday nights.
“As much as I appreciate compelling character drama,” says Pam in full sarcasm mode, “but the Yakuza are upstairs, so need I remind you to keep it the f*ck down, volume-wise?”
Spoilers below, so don’t say we didn’t warn you.
A little over two weeks ago, we posted our ‘Shoot Like a Pro’ video series, where we gave you iPhone photography tips along with the chance to win a $500 Swivl.
We had over 140 entries, all of which where entered into a randomiser and one winner has prevailed, check out today’s video to see who won! But stick around to find out about our huge 25k Giveaway, for your chance to win some awesome gear. Just leave a comment on the video and share our Youtube channel to help us reach 25,000 subscribers before September 9th.
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This week: Robin Williams. We remember the incredible passion, talent, comedy and heartbreak of one of life’s great artists. Then, stay tuned for this week’s best iPhone 6 and iPad rumors; Oculus Rift comes to OS X; the good, bad, and ugly of iTunes Family Sharing; and we pitch our favorite gadgets and apps in an all-new Faves N’Raves.
Join us and Youtube gadget-reviewer extrordinaire, Lewis Hilsenteger (aka UnboxTherapy), for this very fun and heart-filled CultCast. Stream or download new and past episodes of The CultCast now on your Mac or iDevice by subscribing on iTunes, or hit play below and let the chuckles begin.
Our thanks to Automatic for supporting this episode. Plug Automatic’s Link adapter into your car’s data port, and paired with their beautiful app, you’ll be able to find your parked car, learn how to save fuel with tips based on your actual driving, and even diagnose and turn off your car’s check engine light. See it out in action and save 20% off your new Automatic now at Automatic.com/cultcast.
Sam Sung, the most ironically named Apple retail employee on Earth, is giving away his work shirt, badge and business card to raise money for charity. The eBay auction ended last night with a winning bid of $2,653.
“I had a great time working for Apple and would recommend it to anyone,” said Sung in the auction description. “I hope my old business card will go to another fellow Apple enthusiast with a sense of humour and the desire to help raise some money for a good cause.”
All proceeds from the auction will go to The Children’s Wish Foundation, a nonprofit group that “provides children living with life threatening illnesses the opportunity to realize their most heartfelt wish.”
So you don't have to slog through a lake of reviews to find something you’re just going to put down after 10 minutes, Cult of Mac has waded through the iTunes Store to compile a list of the best new books, movies and music to come out this week.
This week we've found a documentary one of the world’s most iconic bearded faces, an other-worldly album from Fka Twigs, a book about the birth of Korea’s cool pop culture, the funniest summer comedy of the year and much more.Enjoy!
Cooking, charging, carrying and, uh, cufflinking. Yes, this week’s Gadget Watch is all about the c-word. We even have a cubic camera, a keyboard with a nipple (which doesn’t start with "C" but it’s close -- and clicky).
Beats Music is now the first app to greet iOS users browsing the ‘Apps Made by Apple’ section of the App Store, giving the streaming music prime real estate on iTunes that should help it reel in more users than ever.
iTunes added the Beats Music app to its list of homegrown apps today that can be found on both the iOS App Store and iTunes desktop, placing it at the top of the featured list that also includes Pages, Numbers, Keynote, iPhoto, iMovie, Garageband, and more.
iPads have quickly replaced gigantic flight manuals in cockpits across the globe, but all that easy access to information, photos and loads of games nearly proved fatal on a recent Jet Airways flight that took an unexpected dip over a busy air route to Europe .
The two Jet Airways pilots were suspended after the plane they were flying from Mumbai to Brussels plunged 5,000 as the pilot dozed off while the co-pilot was busy playing on her iPad.
Less than an hour ago, Microsoft founder and super rich guy Bill Gates took the ice bucket challenge, which has various famous folks dumping cold water over their heads to raise awareness for Lou Gehrig’s Disease (ALS).
While Tim Cook completed the challenge himself at an Apple employee event, Bill Gates has gone even further — he built a crazy contraption to dump a ton of ice water on his head. The video (below) shows his planning attempts, complete with Comic Sans blueprints and a Surface tablet to do all the work and YouTubery.
Watch the full video below: