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News - page 575

Powerbeats Pro fuel 24-hour run through Iceland in breathtaking new ad

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powerbeats
The scenery in the new Powerbeats Pro ad is astounding.
Photo: Beats

The insanely beautiful landscapes of Iceland serve as the backdrop for Apple’s latest Powerbeats Pro ad that will motivate you to get out and run.

Seven runners from the Paris Running Club embark on a daunting relay that takes them 280km through the wilderness of Iceland in the new ad. The goal is to chase the sun that doesn’t set for days and Powerbeats Pro are there every step of the way to make the run more magical.

Watch the full 90-second ad:

New Spotify book contains a very weird Steve Jobs anecdote

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Steve Jobs’ estate triumphs in battle over SteveJobs.com
Did Jobs intimidate the Spotify founder by breathing down the phone to him?
Photo: Kazuhiro Shiozawa/Flickr CC

Despite his sometimes prickly reputation, Steve Jobs was well known for mentoring select young tech entrepreneurs. When it comes to Spotify, however, he may have taken a different tact.

According to a new book, Spotify Untold, Jobs freaked out Spotify co-founder and CEO Daniel Ek by calling him up and breathing deeply down the phone. (Then again, it may have all been Ek’s imagination!)

Apple suppliers prep to build 75 million next-gen iPhones this year

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iPhone 11R and 11 Max on wooden railing
Apple reportedly expects iPhone sales to remain stable this year.
Photo: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac

Apple suppliers reportedly are gearing up to produce 75 million iPhone 11 devices this year.

That number falls roughly in line with the number Apple produced last year for the iPhone XR, XS and XS Max. It suggests that, while iPhone sales certainly aren’t growing like they did half a decade ago, Apple doesn’t think they’re shrinking either.

House of Representatives passes bill cracking down on robocalls

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Anti-robocall bill is one step closer to being passed into law
Could this be the beginning of the end for robocalling?
Photo: Pexels

The House of Representatives passed a new bill Wednesday calling for tougher penalties on “robocalling” operations. This means that carriers would need to put technology in place to ensure phone calls are authentic.

The legislation also would allow the Federal Communications Commission to fine illegal robocallers $10,000 per violation. When you think about the potential quantity of calls made, that figure could add up quickly!

DJ Khaled named first-ever ‘Artist in Residence’ for Apple Music

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DJ Khaled
DJ Khaled and his son Assad starred in an Apple Music ad last year.
Photo: Apple/YouTube

Apple Music is letting DJ Khaled take the reigns of its most popular playlists as the company’s first-ever Artist in Residence.

Khaled has already put his stamp on the music streaming service by revamping Apple Music’s popular Office DJ playlist. Some of the new songs added include songs from Drake, Snoop Dogg, Rick Ross, Jay-Z, Lauryn Hill and more.

Check out DJ Khaled’s funny Instagram post about the new gig:

Netflix’s new $3 streaming plan probably won’t work for you

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75% of Netflix users have no plans to jump ship to Apple TV+ (right away)
The cheapest Netflix subscription in the world is only for India’s 1.3 billion residents.
Photo: Stock Catalog/Flickr CC

A Netflix subscription that costs less than $3 a month sounds like a dream come true, but there are some caveats. Video can only be streamed to a single iPhone, iPad or other mobile device, and that device has to be in India.

This super-low tier was created to appeal to the huge potential market in that country.

Tokyo unveils 2020 Olympic medals made from recycled phones

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Olympicmedals
The medals were designed to promote the Tokyo 2020 brand vision of “Innovation from Harmony”.
Photo: Tokyo Olympic Committee

During the 2020 Summer Olympics games in Tokyo, metal from your old smartphone might get draped around winners’ necks.

Tokyo unveiled its Olympic medals made from recycled phones and other used electronics. They’re so beautiful that you’d never guess they’re made out of e-waste.

Take a closer look:

Turn your old Apple devices into quick cash for a cheap upgrade

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MacBook-iPhone
Your old Apple devices could be worth a small fortune.
Photo: Luke Chesser/Unsplash

It’s a great time to replace your aging Apple devices, with big discounts currently available on iPad Pro and various models of the Mac. And we can help make your upgrade even cheaper.

Sell your old devices to Cult of Mac and we’ll pay you the money you deserve. We send real cash — and fast — and we typically offer more than other trade-in services.

Get a quote for your old iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, or Mac today and see how much it’s really worth. You’ll find a new model won’t cost you anywhere near as much as you thought.

Dropbox Transfer makes sharing huge files easier

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Dropbox Transfer
Rather than store or share files, Dropbox Transfer is about distributing them.
Photo: Dropbox

The latest update to Dropbox for iOS is the first with with support for this company’s new system for sending files up to 100GB in size. The goal of Dropbox Transfer is to simplify handing off these huge files, without having to deal with the 25GB limit of many email systems.

How a broken Apple Lisa was transformed into a powerful computer

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restored Apple Lisa with clear plastic housing
Saying John McLearan restored this Apple Lisa 2/10 is an understatement.
Photo: John McLearan

The Apple Lisa computer was a colossal failure. It was also the most important machine in personal computing history.

You can try to argue that last claim with John McLearan. He believes it. And he offers his restored Lisa 2/10 — loaded with modifications to make it a 21st-century workhorse — as proof that the computer’s reputation needs a considerable upgrade.

Parallels Toolbox gets brand new tools, big improvements

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Parallels-Toolbox
Parallels Toolbox is better than ever.
Photo: Parallels

Parallels Toolbox just got a massive update on Mac that adds a whole bunch of useful new tools.

The version 3.5 release brings the ability to access clipboard history, an energy saving mode, and a sleep timer. It also allows you to hide menubar icons you don’t always need access to.

FTC hits Facebook with record $5 billion fine

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Facebook owns 4 of the top 10 apps of the past decade
This is the largest fine in FTC history.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

The Federal Trade Commission hit Facebook with a massive $5 billion fine Wednesday due to the social network’s lax privacy policies.

This stands as the largest fine ever dished out to a tech company by the FTC. The massive penalty eats up approximately 9% of Facebook’s total 2018 revenue.

Apple lobbying for new ‘very low power’ Wi-Fi tech

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home Wi-Fi
This could open up new possibilities for Wi-Fi devices.
Photo: Alan Levine/Flickr

Apple joined forces with a number of other tech companies to lobby the Federal Communications Commission for a new Wi-Fi band.

The proposed 6 GHz band would open up new types of short-range connectivity for portable Very Low Power (VLP) devices. It could prove useful for everything from mobile augmented reality devices to high-speed tethering with smartphones, laptops and tablets.

Major expansion for Civilization VI coming to iOS

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Civilization VI
Gathering Storm will make a sprawling epic game even bigger.
Image: Aspyr Media

Sid Meier’s Civilization VI is a triumph on iOS. But it’s about to get even better — courtesy of an upcoming new expansion pack in the form of Gathering Storm.

Arriving on Windows, Mac and Linux computers earlier in 2019, the expansion is set to come to iPhone and iPad later this year.

Hilariously sarcastic weather app gets an iPad-focused refresh

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Carrot Weather 1
CARROT Weather is a quirky -- but surprisingly great -- weather app.
Image: Carrot Weather

Everyone’s favorite sarcastic AI taskmaster weather app has received a big update.

CARROT Weather 4.12 just landed in the App Store, bringing a plethora of upgrades designed around the iPad. If you’re a tablet user with an interest in a quirky, yet surprisingly deep weather app, this may be the one for you!

Attorney General says tech companies should break strong encryption

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Apple: Keep Out, privacy
Barr's comments won't win him any friends in Cupertino!
Photo: Apple

Attorney general William Barr has a warning for tech companies using strong encryption: You need to be willing to break it.

In a keynote at the International Conference on Cyber Security in New York, Barr stressed that it is important that law enforcement can crack encrypted messages when they need to do so. The comments are likely to win Barr no friends in Cupertino, given Apple’s stance on privacy.