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News - page 740

Apple Pay saves you money on summer movie tickets, food, and more

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There are deals to had this summer if you just use Apple Pay.
There are deals to had this summer if you just use Apple Pay.
Photo: Apple

Apple waited a bit for its summer Apple Pay promotion, but it just kicked off today. On offer are savings from Fandango, SubHub, Groupon, and several other apps.

The exact savings vary from service to service, of course, but they all have one thing in common: when it comes time to settle up, you must use Apple Pay.

George Takei’s House of Cats app bares its claws at Trump

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George Takei's new House of Cats apps shreds President Trump.
George Takei's new House of Cats apps shreds President Trump.
Photo: BMAD

George Takei is best known for his iconic role on Star Trek, but he’s also an activist. And a very anti-Trump one. His new app combines two things the internet loves: cats and politics.

House of Cats stars Trumpy Cat, a distinctly non-cute version of the President in feline form.

Spotify now lets artists submit unreleased music for playlist consideration

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Spotify discover weekly, daily mix, playlists, and sharing features
Daily mixes, hundreds of playlists, discovery weekly, and social features make Spotify the best streaming music app.
Screenshots: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac

Music artists are getting an all-new way to promote unreleased music thanks to a new feature Spotify is rolling out his week.

Getting a song onto one of Spotify’s curated playlists can give a big boost to an artist or band’s visibility on the platform. So starting today, members with a Spotify for Artists account can submit unreleased music directly to Spotify’s editorial team for playlist consideration.

New HomeKit authentication system could bring tons more accessories

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An updated version of HomeKit HomeKit really improves the Wemo Mini Smart Plug.
An updated version of HomeKit HomeKit really improves the Wemo Mini Smart Plug.
Photo: Wemo

Accessories can now support Apple’s HomeKit without a special chip. The Wemo Mini Smart Plug is the first to use this new system of software authentication.

The Mini Smart Plug ($34.99) offers a single electrical socket that can be controlled by an iPhone though HomeKit. Anything plugged in can be turned on or off remotely, or on a schedule.

Fender Bluetooth speaker looks like a 1950s tweed-covered guitar amp

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Fender Tweed Monterey
This, believe it or not, is a Bluetooth speaker.
Photo: Fender

This is Fender’s new Tweed Monterey. No, it’s not a tweed-covered guitar amp from the 1950s, although it certainly looks just like one. It is, in fact, the sweetest-looking Bluetooth speaker I’ve ever seen. It might not be the most practical, most portable or even best sounding Bluetooth speaker around. But if you want people to think you play guitar, this is the perfect accessory for your fake sleeve tattoos.

You won’t believe how many e-commerce login attempts are made by hackers

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Amazon
We bet you'll change your Amazon password after reading this article.
Photo: Mike Seyfang/Flickr CC

Go to your Amazon, Zappos, etc. account now and change the password to something stronger. That’s the takeaway from a cyber security firm’s report that says a whopping 91 percent of all attempts to log into e-commerce websites are from hackers.

Attempts by hackers to log into the sites of airlines, banks, and hotels also account for about half of their traffic.

Huawei on track to steal iPhone’s crown in 2019

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Huawei
Chinese smartphone maker Huawei is on the rise.
Photo: AndroidCentral

Apple’s biggest competitor in China could soon supplant it as the second largest smartphone manufacturer in the world in terms of units shipped.

Huawei says it’s on track to ship 200 million phones by the end of 2018 after setting a blistering pace of 100 million units shipped as of July 18. That won’t be quite enough to top the number of iPhones Apple sold last year, but 2019 could be Huawei’s biggest year ever.

Your Apple device could one day warn you against spending too long in the sun

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Apple Watch tan line
There's a difference between a healthy tan and sunburn. Your Apple device might soon know it.
Photo: Jjprojects/Flickr CC

Your iPhone can track your number of steps, and your Apple Watch can advise you if you have an erratic heart rate you might want to get checked out by a doctor. Could your friendly neighborhood Apple device also one day let you know if you need to put on more sunscreen, too?

That’s the basis for a new patent application published today. And rather than just being in response to sunny days on Apple’s Weather app, it’s actually pretty darn smart technology. Here’s how it might operate.

Amazon is closing in on Apple to hit $1 trillion valuation

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Apple is worth more than the entire US energy sector combined
Apple's position as first $1 trillion valuation is no longer guaranteed.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

As the first company in history to pass the $700, $800, and $900 billion marks, Apple has long looked set to become the world’s first ever $1 trillion company. But Amazon is rapidly closing in on it.

This week, Amazon’s stock market value reached $900 billion for the first time. That puts it within spitting distance of the Cupertino tech giant’s current $935 billion. In 2018, Apple’s shares have risen 12 percent, while Amazon’s have shot up dramatically to the tune of 57 percent.

Nokia’s iPhone X clone is amazingly affordable

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Nokia X5 iPhone X clone
The Nokia X5 looks like an iPhone X, but is nowhere near as expensive.
Photo: HMD Global

Just like every other smartphone maker, Nokia now offers its own iPhone X clone.

The Nokia X5 gives buyers a 5.86-inch edge-to-edge display and impressive specifications at an amazingly affordable price tag. There’s just one problem for now.

Siri’s last remaining co-founder retires from Apple

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HomePod siri
The last of the three Siri co-founders who brought the AI assistant to Apple has quit.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Tom Gruber, the last Siri co-founder to have been employed at Apple, has left the company. Gruber was previously head of Siri’s Advanced Development group, but has now retired to focus on his interests in photography and ocean conservation.

His fellow Siri co-creators Dag Kittlaus and Adam Cheyer left Apple a long time ago. They created Siri as an independent app before selling it to Apple in 2010.

Speedy Blackmagic eGPU won’t do much for photographers

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Blackmagic eGPU
Not so fast! Well, where post production for still photography is concerned.
Photo: Blackmagic

The futuristic design of the Blackmagic eGPU, which Apple is selling to MacBook Pro users who need the graphics processing power of a desktop, makes it look blazing fast.

But fast is an action, not an aesthetic, and in the opinion of one reviewer, photographers thinking of spending $699 should save their money.

New Gorilla Glass should turn 2018 iPhone display into a tank

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Corning's Gorilla Glass 6 can survive being dropped over a dozen times. Ape not included.
Corning's Gorilla Glass 6 can survive being dropped over a dozen times. Ape not included.
Photo: Corning

Corning Gorilla Glass 6 focuses on durability. This cover glass for smartphones has been formulated to not just survive higher drops, but more frequent ones.

Earlier versions of Gorilla Glass have been used on all previous iPhone models since Steve Jobs chose the company to provide screen covers in 2006.

Samsung’s expensive foldable phone is sounding more likely

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This early prototype Samsung foldable phone suggests how the Galaxy X might look.
The so-called Galaxy Flex be Samsung’s first foldable phone.
Screenshot: Samsung

Fresh details have come to light about the foldable smartphone Samsung supposedly plans to introduce next year. Such devices could shake up the entire smartphone industry.

An inside source has leaked the size and a bit about the shape of this upcoming model. The price has also leaked, and it’s a whopper.

iOS 12 public beta 3 is now out for everyone

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Photos app
The new and improved Photos app on iOS 12.
Photo: Apple

Fresh on heels of the yesterday’s release of iOS 12 beta 4, Apple has come out with a new public beta for iOS 12.

iOS 12 public beta 3 is available to all members of Apple’s public beta testing program, along with the third public beta of tvOS 12. The new updates contain a number of bug fixes and performance improvements for iPhone, iPad and Apple TV.

These eye-catching iPhone photos win top contest honors

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IPPA 2018
Rohingya children watching an awareness film about health and sanitation near Tangkhali refugee camp in Ukhiya. Shot with iPhone 7.
Photo: Jashim Salam

Behold the possibilities of what could happen when you take your iPhone out of your pocket to make a picture.

Below is the ultimate camera roll, the first place award-winning pictures from the 11th iPhone Photography Awards, announced today in New York City.

Gig on the go with Roland’s awesome iPhone mixer

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The new Roland Go Mixer Pro
The new Roland Go Mixer Pro
Photo: Roland

Remember the Roland Go Mixer? The little pocket-size audio mixer that hooks up to your iPhone via its Lightning port, and lets you record a whole band at once? I do, although God knows I’ve tried to forget it. What looked like a promising product turned out to be missing basic functionality. Now, though, Roland has introduced the Go Mixer Pro, and it looks like it fixes everything from the original Go, and more.

Beware serious thermal throttling with new Core i9 MacBook Pro

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2018 MacBook Pro
This isn’t good.
Photo: Apple

If you’re coughing up crazy amounts of cash for a new MacBook Pro with Intel’s latest Core i9 processor, there’s something you should be aware of.

Early tests have revealed that the chip suffers severe thermal throttling under heavy loads, which dramatically reduces its clock speed and performance.

Cheaper models with Core i5 and Core i7 chips don’t seem to have the same problem.

Venmo privacy flaw reveals users’ sensitive info

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The website Public by Default highlights the weak privacy of Venmo.
The website Public by Default highlights the weak privacy of Venmo.
Photo: Hang Do Thi Duc

Companies don’t always succeed at keeping user data private, but Venmo doesn’t even seem to be trying. This service that allows users to make payments to individuals or merchants has the privacy for transactions set to public by default. 

A researcher found that with very little effort she could track the purchases made by most of the 7 million active Venmo users. That includes everyone who installed Venmo from the App Store.

Walmart plans to take on Netflix with its own streaming service

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75% of Netflix users have no plans to jump ship to Apple TV+ (right away)
75% of Netflix users have no plans to jump ship to Apple TV+ (right away)
Photo: Stock Catalog/Flickr CC

Netflix and HBO might be getting some fresh competition soon and we’re not talking about Apple’s growing TV streaming ambitions.

Walmart is supposedly planning to get into the streaming game and it hopes to beat the competition by making the cheapest priced TV streaming service available.