Longtime favorite password manager 1Password just teamed up with Pwned Passwords, a new service that helps you find out if your passwords have been leaked online. The database boasts more than 500 million passwords collected from various breaches.
Emergency SOS isn’t always useful. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
Emergency responders in Elk Grove and Sacramento Country have received over 1,600 accidental 911 calls from Apple repair facilities in the past four months.
The calls waste valuable time and resources and potentially slow down the response to genuine emergencies. The problem seems to have been introduced by iOS 11, which added an Emergency SOS shortcut to iPhone and Apple Watch.
Steven Soderbergh is a big fan of shooting on iPhone. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
Director Steven Soderbergh’s new psychological thriller, Unsane, which was shot on an iPhone, premiered at the Berlin Film Festival this week.
The movie was shot over the course of just two weeks, considerably shorter than the typical shooting schedule on a feature film. It stars actress Claire Foy as a woman who moves to a new city to unsuccessfully escape a man who is stalking her. Check out the trailer below.
Nintendo introduces 2 paid subscriptions for Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp Photo: Nintendo
Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp is getting a new fishing tournament and “special new fish” you couldn’t catch before. The next update will also bring more villagers, and Leif, the beloved sloth who runs the Gardening Store.
Apple has recruited another high level executive to oversee TV production. Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
Apple has added yet another high level executive to its ranks to join the company’s growing Worldwide Video Programming division.
Carol Trussell has been hired to serve as Apple’s new Head of Production. She previously worked at Gaumont Television where she oversaw production on various series including Narcos, Hannibal, Hemlock Grove and F is for Family.
Coming to Apple Stores everywhere in March. Maybe. Photo: Apple
Apple’s AirPower wireless charger still doesn’t have an official release date. However, a new report claims that Apple’s charging pad — allowing users to charge their iPhone, AirPods and Apple Watch simultaneously — will debut in March.
While no date is given, the report suggests that the AirPower Qi charging pads will be available to buy in Apple Stores, as well as other select retailers, as soon as next month.
SonarPen costs less than a third of Apple Pencil. Photo: GreenBulb
If you do any kind of writing or sketching on your iPad, you should use a stylus. But you don’t need to spend $99 on an Apple Pencil. SonarPen is the affordable “smart pen” every iPad owner needs. It’s accurate, practical, and it never needs charging.
Your favorite horror movies could soon invade your living room thanks to Apple’s ARKit.
iOS developer Abhishek Singh has created a lot of AR experience since ARKit came out last year, but his latest is the most shocking. In a tweet posted this week, Singh showed off his latest demo that brings the scariest scene from the movie The Ring into your house.
You don’t need to carry your smartphone to enjoy Spotify on the go anymore. Mighty is the tiny, lightweight Spotify player that’s ideal for runners and outdoor adventurers who want to leave their hefty smartphone at home.
It’s just one of the awesome ideas in this week’s Crowdfund Roundup. We also have the world’s smartest sleep mask, an iPhone battery case that brings back the headphone jack, and more.
iPhone X didn't come out early enough to give Apple a sales boost. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
The world may have passed its peak smartphone moment last year.
Smartphone sales data released today from the number crunchers at Gartner revealed that worldwide smartphone sales declined for the first time ever during the last quarter of 2017. Both Apple and Samsung saw their market share decline just slightly, but good news could be on the horizon.
Microsoft Edge makes search even easier. Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac
MicrosoftMicrosoft is continuing its mission to make Edge a better browser on iOS by adding 3D Touch support. The app’s latest update adds Peek and Pop — plus a bunch of other new features and improvements.
Apple Pay subscriber numbers may have doubled in the past year. Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
Apple Pay has an estimated 127 million active global users — representing an increase of more than double the 62 million who used it this time last year, a new report claims.
While Apple hasn’t given exact figures for its mobile payments service, the figures are based on conclusion drawn by analyst Gene Munster, based on retailer reports.
Apple's new store in Vienna sits on a popular pedestrian shopping street near the Vienna State Opera. Photo: Apple
Apple just gave us a sneak preview of its first store in Austria, and it’s pretty stunning! Apple Kärntner Straße, which will open this Saturday in Vienna, is designed with “the original heritage building in mind,” Apple says.
The totally Apple-y redesign of the building, which sits on a famous shopping street between St. Stephen’s Cathedral and the Vienna State Opera, combines exposed columns outside with large window openings.
Will Facebook and Instagram follow suit? Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
Twitter has finally begun its long-awaited crackdown on bots.
The company has made changes to its API that make it significantly harder for services to batch tweet to multiple accounts, retweet, follow users, and more. This puts a stop to the software that powers Twitter bots.
Take your pick of any two Casetify Apple Watch bands and get 20% off! Includes Stainless Steel, Woven Nylon and Saffiano Leather bands. Photo: Courtesy of Casetify
Stainless steel meticulously weaves its way through the Mesh Band for Apple Watch — Casetify’s answer to the significantly more expensive Milanese Loop by Apple. Casetify’s version is just as stylish and functional as the behemoth brand’s band, and now comes in two brand-new finishes: Iridescent and Gold (that matches the Series 3).
For penny-counters, you’ll save from $67 to $117 on Casetify’s silver and black stainless steel mesh bands, respectively, and gain three additional colors not offered by Apple: gold, rose gold and iridescent.
The Stainless Steel Mesh Bands are for both men and women. Check out the latest colors in our Watch Store, and read on to learn more.
35 million pairs of AIrPods sold in 2018. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
Apple is working on upgraded AirPods with a new wireless chip and “Hey Siri” support, according to a new report.
The refresh will arrive “as early as this year,” according to sources familiar with the matter. A future refresh, pegged for early 2019, will also bring a water-resistant design.
Apple continues to promote the U.K. music scene. Photo: Brit Awards
Apple’s sponsorship of the 2018 Brit Awards, the musical awards ceremony held last night in London, brings special playlists and an exclusive live performance for Apple Music users.
Smart speakers may be outpacing the smartphone in adoption, too. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
Despite somewhat mixed reviews, Apple’s HomePod is seemingly winning over the customers who have bought it, with 89 percent of HomePod-owning respondents to a survey claiming that they are either satisfied (59 percent) or very satisfied (30 percent) with the device.
While not quite up there with Apple’s best product satisfaction scores, it nonetheless suggests a bright future for Apple’s debut product in the smart speaker category.
Even our very own Ste Smith can benefit from the magic of Portrait Lighting. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
Apple is very proud of its Portrait Lighting feature for the iPhone X and iPhone 8 Plus, and it’s willing to let users take a peek behind the Cupertino curtain to show exactly why.
In a new video shared Wednesday evening, Apple gives an overview of the development process which led to Portrait Lighting — including collaborations with photographers to study lighting, state-of-the-art artificial intelligence, and more. Check it out below.
Apple Watch is dominating the market. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
Members of Apple’s public beta testing program can already get in on the latest iOS 11.3 beta build that was seeded to developers yesterday.
Apple released iOS 11.3 public beta 3 today that brings a number of new features to the iPhone and iPad as well as a bunch of bug fixes. There’s also a public beta available for macOS 10.13.4 beta 3 available this morning along with the third beta of watchOS 4.3 for developers.
Snapchat lets you video chat with up to 16 people. Photo: Snapchat
Snapchat has promised to make changes to its app after a Change.org petition attracted more than 1.2 million signatures from disgruntled users.
Snap has endured growing backlash from fans following a controversial redesign, with many calling for the company to revert to its old user interface. Now the company says it is planning adjustments to the Friends and Discover sections.
Apple's QuickTake may have been ahead of its time. Photo: LGR/YouTube
In order to appreciate one of Apple’s most successful products, the iPhone, you have to respect one of the company’s biggest failures. The QuickTake digital camera was not a threat to the camera market the way today’s iPhone is.
The sensor was 0.3 megapixels. Shaped like a set of binoculars, the QuickTake 100 could only hold eight pictures, most of which were fuzzy, washed out and with funky colors that convinced photographers of the time that film photography was not in danger.
But as the retro-computer YouTube channel, LGR, points out, the QuickTake does not deserve to be bashed as a failure. It should be lauded as a pioneer of digital photography.
Do you have what it takes to cash in on Angry Birds? Photo: Rovio
Get your flinging fingers ready for a new Angry Birds game that lets you battle it out for real cash.
Angry Birds Champions is an officially-licensed spin-off from WorldWinner. It’s everything you love about Angry Birds, but with the chance to compete against other players and get paid for smashing those pesky pigs.
Like Jobs, Tim Cook is as proud of the ideas he says no to. Photo: Apple
In a new interview, Tim Cook says that one of the priorities of his job is learning to say “no to a bunch of great ideas” in order to keep Apple focused.
“There is more noise in the world than change,” he said. “One of my roles is to try to block the noise from the people who are really doing the work. That’s tougher and tougher in this environment … We can do more things than we used to do because we’re a bit bigger. But in the scheme of things versus our revenue, we’re doing very few things. I mean, you could put every product we’re making on [a] table, to put it in perspective. I doubt anybody that is anywhere near our revenue could say that.”
If the importance of saying “no” sounds familiar, it’s because it’s a lesson straight out of the Steve Jobs playbook.
An iPad refresh could be right around the corner. Photo: Apple
Apple has been given the go-ahead for two new iPads, hinting at an imminent refresh.
The company filed for approval with the Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC), and both devices were granted permission this week. Apple has also been given approval to bring several iPhone and iPad “samples” into the region.