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News - page 779

PUBG Mobile‘s new modes ease you into the battleground

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PUBG Mobile
The new Training Grounds and Arcade modes let you practice PUBG Mobile without getting killed almost immediately.
Screenshot: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

The point of PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds is to throw you into a battle and see if you survive. But that can be a bit intimidating for those who’ve never played before, so Tencent just added two practice modes to the mobile version. One of these involves playing in a smaller area, and can become its own challenge with the right settings.

Sadly, the iOS version doesn’t have these new modes yet, but an upgrade is expected soon.

Verizon Smart Family app gives parents new tools

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Verizon Smart Family
The Verizon Smart Family app is designed to make you a better digital parent.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Verizon’s new service lets parents limit their children’s’ screen time, monitor who they’re texting (and how often), and track their location. 

The Smart Family program also includes content filters, and can even tell a parent how much battery life their child’s phone has left.

Drafts 5 for iOS goes free, adds fantastic pro features

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Drafts 5
Drafts is the best way to get text out of your head.
Photo: Agile Tortoise

Drafts 5 has launched, the sequel to Drafts 4, and you may be a little confused as too what it actually new. Should you upgrade, for example? After all, it’s just the same old note-creating app with a lick of paint, right? Well, the definitive answer to that is “Hmmm, kinda…” While Drafts 5 doesn’t get many big new features, it has been completely redesigned. It looks better, works better, and the settings are way less confusing.

Oh, and you can finally use it as your only notes app, without feeling like you’re doing something dirty.

Inside Oddmar, the Viking follow-up to the lovable Leo’s Fortune

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Oddmar
The game's gorgeous visuals started out on paper.
Photo: Senri & Mobge

Creating a spiritual successor to 2014’s lovable platformer Leo’s Fortune was a labor of love for its developers. Now, four years later the Norse-themed platformer Oddmar finally debuts on iOS. (Check out our review here.)

“The story is set in a Viking universe and is our take on Norse mythology,” designer and director Ozgur Taskin told Cult of Mac. “Developing this game gave us a great opportunity to imagine the environments of the North through art and animation.”

Cult of Mac got a look behind the scenes of a future gaming classic.

Tim Cook won’t compromise Mac and iPad by combining them

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Clamshell iPad
This concept for a combined Mac and iPad will stay just that: a concept.
Photo: Cult of Mac

Tim Cook generally stays quiet about Apple’s plans, but there’s one thing he’s open about: his company’s laptops and tablets aren’t going to merge together.

It’s a question that comes up every couple of years. Which is understandable, given the recent rumors that macOS is migrating to the same type of processors as iOS, allegedly to enable apps to run on both Mac and iPad.

Huawei had notches years before iPhone X made them cool

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iPhone X notch
iPhone X needs a customizable status bar.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Huawei was developing smartphones with notches in their displays years before iPhone X made them cool, it claims.

The Chinese company ultimately decided not to release one because it was “too conservative and cautious” at the time — but now that Apple uses notches, it’s okay.

iPhone dependence is killing Apple Watch. Here’s how Cupertino could fix it.

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It’s time to cut the cable and set Apple Watch free
It’s time to cut the cable and set Apple Watch free
Photo: Graham Bower/Cult of Mac

For activity tracking, fitness and notifications, Apple Watch is pretty awesome, and these days, that’s all most people use it for. Which is a shame.

When it launched back in 2015, Apple had a much bigger vision: a wearable computing platform supporting a rich and varied ecosystem of apps. Like an iPhone strapped to your wrist. But the reality has turned out to be rather different. Instagram is just the latest of a series of high profile apps to desert the platform. So what’s up?

I believe Apple Watch’s dependence on iPhone is holding it back, and the time has come for Cupertino to set its smartwatch free. In this, the third and final part of my wish list of watchOS 5 features, I’ll focus on how I hope Apple will improve setup, apps and iCloud to create a badass stand-alone device.

Apple shares fall after iPhone chipmaker cuts sales forecast

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iPhone X laying down
I wanted a Galaxy S10, but I'm stuck with iPhone.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple shares fell 3 percent this morning after iPhone chipmaker Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (TSMC) cut its revenue forecast for the second quarter of 2018.

The company and industry analysts point to weak demand for high-end smartphones as the main reason for the poor guidance. This likely has something to do with the fact that iPhone X sales have been in the gutter since early hype quickly died out late last year.

High-end mousepad makes your Magic Mouse even more magical

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Moonimal
This add-on promises to make the Magic Mouse better than ever.
Photo: Moonimal

The Magic Mouse is one of the best mice Apple has ever built, but it doesn’t suit everyone. Some users complain that it has a high level of friction on certain surfaces, while also making an annoying scratching noise when it moves.

If you’re one of those folks, you may be interested in a new Kickstarter campaign — offering a new mousepad and simple add-on for the Magic Mouse which promises to make it glide across your desk as though it’s floating.

Netflix on iOS now lets you enjoy previews

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Netflix iPhone
Netflix previews will help you hunt down the perfect show.
Photo: Netflix

Netflix has added a new feature to its iOS app, allowing users to watch a 30-second video trailer of content they are interested in.

The company began testing the feature in early March, but is now rolling it out to all users. The video previews are viewable in portrait mode, which ensures that they do not interrupt your browsing experience by having to constantly change the orientation of your device.

Qualcomm will cut 1,500 jobs amidst Apple legal battle

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Qualcomm patents
Qualcomm has been battling Apple since early 2017.
Photo: Qualcomm

Chipmaker Qualcomm is reportedly cutting around 1,500 jobs in an effort to reduce its costs by $1 billion. Most of these jobs will be in California, although some will be in other locations.

Qualcomm has been engaged in an ongoing legal battle with Apple since early 2017.

Say goodbye to free Opera VPN

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Opera VPN
Olaf, the friendly Viking mascot of Opera VPN, is sad.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

The end is nigh for a free VPN service for iOS and Android. Opera VPN will close at the end of this month. No reason has been given.

A Virtual Private Network protects users by hiding their IP address, making it much harder to be tracked. Opera Software’s version would even let you appear to be in another country.

Trusted analyst says 6.1-inch iPhone could be surprisingly cheap

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iphone x
The 6.1-inch iPhone rumored for this fall will have an LCD screen, but otherwise resemble a larger iPhone X.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Speculation about the 2018 iPhone is running hot and heavy. It seems there are new reports on these unannounced devices almost every day. But not all of these carry the gravitas of Ming-Chi Kuo, an analyst with a long track record of being right about Apple.

So when Kuo says a 2018 iPhone with a 6.2-inch display could cost between $550 and $650, people take notice. Previous reports had pointed to a price range $100 higher

Dropbox for iPad updated with tons of great features

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Dropbox for iPad
The latest Dropbox version lets you move files around with a finger.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

The latest version of Dropbox allows iPad users to move files around with a fingertip. It also works better with long file names.

Even though iPad was designed to be controlled with touches, drag-and-drop file management has been slow to come to this tablet. Still, Dropbox is on board.

AI boosts Microsoft Translator for iPhone

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Microsoft Translator
Need to talk to the waiter in a French restaurant? Microsoft Translator wants to help, even if you're offline.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Microsoft Translator has been around for a while, but this app is getting a huge improvement: artificial intelligence-powered translations even when the iPhone is offline.

Using translation apps in a foreign country can be nerve wracking.  Such software almost always depends on remote servers to do the hard work. Microsoft, however, has squeezed the necessary AI into a mobile app.

‘Trustjacking’ is the dangerous new iPhone hack you’ve never heard of

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iphone
What’s on your wish list for a future iPhone?
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

You might want to think twice before plugging your iPhone into a friends laptop for a quick charge.

Security researchers have discovered an all-new type of iOS hack called “trustjacking” that uses one of a little-known WiFi feature to access a device’s data, even when the targeted device isn’t in the same location anymore.

Smart lock lets you unlock your home with Apple Watch

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Apple Watch August lock
It’s all thanks to the August Smart Lock.
Photo: August

If you’re forever losing your keys, why bother using them at all? Now you can unlock your doors using your Apple Watch, thanks to the August Smart Lock.

It’s one of the easiest and fastest ways to get into your home, and you don’t even need your iPhone.

Vulse app brings gestural and touch effects to guitar

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vulse for iPhone
Like an electronic whammy bar.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Vulse is a neat app for musicians. More specifically, it’s for guitarists. The app has been around for a while, but got a big old update this week that makes it worth a new look. The idea of the app is that you stick your iPhone onto your guitar, just below where you strum the strings, and then use a combination of wild flailing and screen-stroking to apply crazy effects on the fly.

Here’s how Apple is fighting GrayKey iPhone unlocker

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GrayKey can bypass iPhone security
iPhone unlockers are blocked if a week goes by without the correct passcode being entered.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Apple hasn’t found the security holes that iPhone unlocking tools use, but iOS 11.3 took a step that makes these cracking devices less useful. Police now have a limited amount of time to circumvent the user’s passcode before it becomes impossible.

This is part of an ongoing struggle between Apple and law enforcement agencies. The iPhone maker wants to protect the privacy of users, while police want access to information stored on devices used in crimes.

Chrome adds Windows Defender to protect your Mac

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Windows Defender Google Chrome
Windows Defender is now available inside Google Chrome.
Photo: Microsoft

Windows Defender, which protects Windows 10 PCs from malware, can now keep your Mac safe from inside Google Chrome.

Microsoft has turned its antivirus app into a Chrome extension that promises to detect phishing links in your emails and dodgy sites that distribute malicious software. It’s 99 percent effective, according to Microsoft, which makes Windows Defender better than rival browser protections.