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News - page 480

Cash quiz app HQ Trivia may not be dead after all

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HQ Trivia 1
HQ Trivia had its moment in the sun, before beginning its decline.
Photo: HQ

One-time App Store sensation HQ Trivia has been thrown a lifeline after the company behind it initially announced that it was shutting down. On Twitter, HQ CEO and co-founder Rus Yusupov said that, after negotiations, they have found a tentative new home for the business.

“We have found a new home for HQ, with a company that wants to keep it running,” Yusupov wrote. “All employees, contractors and players are top priority. Severance will be paid and you will be able to cash out.”

Keyhub keyboard does double duty as 9-port USB-C hub

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Kolude KD-K1 Keyhub is both keyboard and hub.
The Kolude KD-K1 Keyhub combines two important accessories into one, saving on clutter.
Photo: Kolude

The Kolude KD-K1 Keyhub merges keyboard and multiport hub into one accessory — it’s right there in the name. The designers included scissor-switch keys in an aluminum casing, as well as nine ports, including USB-A and HDMI.

It extends the connectivity of Macs and iPad Pro, and all the ports are easily accessible.

Larry Tesler, the Apple employee who invented cut, copy and paste, dies at 74

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Larry Tesler
Larry Tesler worked for Apple from 1980 through 1997.
Photo: Yahoo!

Larry Tesler, a pioneering computer scientist who worked at Apple from 1980 to 1997 and created computerized cut, copy and paste, died Monday at the age of 74.

Tesler served as VP of AppleNet and Apple’s Advanced Technology Group. During his time at Apple, he played a key role in the development of products ranging from the Lisa to the Newton MessagePad.

And that was just the tip of the iceberg when it came to his contribution to computing.

Smash hit Alto’s Odyssey sandboards onto Mac

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Alto
2018's App Store stunner is finally available on Mac.
Photo: Snowman

Two years after it debuted in the iOS App Store, Alto’s Odyssey has finally arrived on Mac.

The long-awaited follow up to 2015’s brilliant Alto’s Adventure endless snowboarding game transposes the action to a desert sandboarding setting. The resulting game is a luscious graphical stunner that will keep you playing for hours!

Airlines might have a solution for terrible in-flight Wi-Fi

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Delta Air Lines
Delta is one of the companies working to offer better in-flight Wi-Fi.
Photo: Delta

A collaboration between airlines and internet service providers has come together to improve in-flight Wi-Fi.

They have created a modular system of hardware and software that can be rapidly upgraded as better, faster wireless options emerge.

Coronavirus less likely to hurt Samsung than Apple

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Samsung Galaxy S20 isn’t made in China
Samsung depends more on Vietnam for production than China, so the Galaxy S20 series probably won’t be in short supply.
Photo: Samsung

Samsung is less exposed to the negative effects of the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak in China than many of its rivals, including Apple.

But the opposite is true of Huawei, a China-based smartphone-maker likely getting hurt more than Apple.

Marshall brings active noise cancellation and USB-C to over-the-ear headphones

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Marshall
These are some of the best looking headphones we've seen.
Photo: Marshall

Marshall’s best over-the-ear headphones finally gained active noise cancellation (ANC) with a big update that pushes the vintage-inspired cans into the modern age.

The new Monitor II ANC headphones were revealed by Marshall this morning and along with adding ANC to put them on par with AirPods Pro, the headphones also have a nifty multi-directional control knob that lets you easily control music and phone functions without touching your phone.

March or April? Reports clash over iPhone supply

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Foxconn iPhone assembly
A Foxconn assembly plant in China.
Photo: Foxconn

Apple’s contract iPhone assemblers in China are far from operating at full capacity and will likely miss its production schedule on a budget-friendly iPhone.

If the report by a major economics news site in Japan is true, Apple would postpone rumored plans for a March announcement of an iPhone 9 or SE 2.

Stardew Valley’s massive 1.4 update is coming soon to iOS

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Stardew-Valley-1-4-iOS
It's just waiting for Apple's approval.
Photo: Stardew Valley

Stardew Valley’s gigantic version 1.4 content update is coming soon to iOS. It brings a new farm map, fish ponds, a new end-game mystery, and more than 60 brand-new items. There are also 14 music tracks and “hundreds” of fixes.

The update is already live on Android (it first rolled out on PC and console late last year), and it’s now waiting for Apple’s approval before it hits the App Store.

watchOS 6.1.3 brings a heart-related bug fix

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watchOS 6.1.3 update is available now
If you live in Iceland, you need watchOS 6.1.3 right now.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

The newly-released watchOS 6.1.3 fixes a significant bug, but only for the residents of Iceland. Still, Apple thinks it’s important enough to put out a software update primarily for this reason.

Sliding screens might make more sense than folding phones

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TCL prototype phone has a slidable screen
This TCL prototype phone investigates whether a slidable screen would be better than a foldable one.
Photo: Cnet/TCL

TCL reportedly developed a prototype phone with a slidable screen. This would allow a small, easily portable handset to include a 7-inch display.

The design is clearly intended to take on foldable displays, which also allow smaller phones to offer large screens.

Samsung crams unsightly ads onto $1,400 Galaxy Z Flip phones

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Z Flip
Say hello to the Galaxy Z Flip.
Photo: Samsung

The new Galaxy Z Flip is one of the most expensive phones you can buy right now but it doesn’t come with an ad-free experience.

Less than a week after the phone launched, new owners discovered that Samsung put advertisements directly into the phone app. Anytime Galaxy Z Flip users go to make a call on the device they paid for they’re greeted with ads based on places nearby.

Look at this ugly interface:

AirTags on the radar for roll out in the second half of 2020

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New evidence shows AirTags closer than ever to release
Here's how AirTags will work on your iPhone.
Photo: MacRumors

Apple’s fall product launch will include a tiny gadget with a big responsibility: knowing the whereabouts of your devices when you lose them.

AirTags, a circular Bluetooth tracking keychain attachment similar to Tile, got on the radar of supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who reported news Tuesday on the supplier charged with producing the circuitry.

Coronavirus could cause smartphone sales to hit 5-year low

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iphone glitch
Coronavirus is a major disruptor when it comes to smartphone sales.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Smartphone production — and, therefore, sales — could hit their lowest point in five years as a result of the coronavirus, a new report claims.

According to analysis by TrendForce, detailing the impact of coronavirus on the tech industry, smartphone production will shrink by 12% this quarter due to the outbreak. The shortage of component manufacturing elsewhere in the supply chain could mean that shortages persist through the April to June quarter as well.

Habit-tracking app Streaks is finally available for Mac

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streaks-for-mac
Break your bad habits with Streaks.
Photo: Streaks

To-do and habit-tracking app Streaks is finally available for Mac after previously being available only for iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch.

The app lets you track up to 12 tasks to complete every day. Users must build a streak of consecutive days they have accomplished these on. That makes it perfect for promoting good habits such as walking more, or breaking bad habits like drinking too much coffee or smoking.

Apple lobbies EU lawmakers on AI policy

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European Commission on artificial intelligence
The European Commission is drafting rules on artificial intelligence. Apple seems to want a say.
Photo: European Commission

Apple apparently wants to make sure the European Union doesn’t put too many restrictions on artificial intelligence. John Giannandrea, Apple’s AI chief, is reportedly in Brussels while lawmakers debate new rules on machine intelligence.

Is neumorphism the big new look for iOS 14?

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Flat UI elements, bolstered with real-world visual cues, make neumorphism easy to
Flat UI elements, bolstered with real-world visual cues, make neumorphism easy to "read."
Photo: MazePizel/Dribbble

Take one look at any screenshot from a pre-iOS 7 iPhone, and you’ll wonder how we ever used such a hideous interface for so many years. The skeumorphic design language included so much fake wood, glossy plastic and gray gradient that there’s almost nowhere to put the actual contents of the app.

iOS 7 went way too far in the opposite direction, with flat white pages and skinny text. Is that a button? Is it just a label? Can I press it? Who knows? We’re still suffering from this UI ambiguity today, in iOS 13. Text got thicker, but it’s still hard to know what to press, and what is just there to be read.

Clearly, there’s a space between these two extremes. Something as clean as iOS 7 and, at the same time, as obvious and usable as iOS 6 and previous versions. But what would that look like? I know what I want it to look like. It’s called “neumorphism,” and it looks fantastic.