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News - page 816

Nvidia admits its graphics cards also harbor chip flaws [Update]

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NVIDIA-GeForce-GPU
Update your Nvidia cards!
Photo: Nvidia

Update: Nvidia reached out to Cult of Mac to explain that “recent press accounts about our latest software patches are incorrect.” We have updated the article below to clarify.

Nvidia has rolled out security updates for its graphics cards following widespread chip flaws. Its most popular products, including GeForce and Quadro, are being updated to combat the Meltdown and Spectre memory vulnerabilities.

Pokémon Go is dropping support for aging iOS devices

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Pokémon Go
Niantic Pika-chooses to freeze out old iPhones and iPads.
Photo: The Pokémon Company

Pokémon Go will drop support for aging iOS devices in its next major update, developer Niantic has confirmed. Only iPhones and iPads compatible with iOS 11 will be able to run the game as of February 28.

That’s bad news for players who don’t have an iPhone 6 or later.

Hue lights’ new iOS and Mac app will customize lighting for any occasion

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Hue 3.0
New Mac and iOS app will debut in the first half of 2018.
Photo: Philips

CES 2018 bug At CES, Philips has announced that it will debut a brand new Hue 3.0 app for iOS, along with a Hue Sync app for Mac.

Both apps will arrive in Q2 2018. The redesigned Hue 3.0 app will offer owners of Hue lights the ability to alter the color of their smart lights with a color picker. They will also be able to instantly access their last used scenes, and to group lights and more easily select their desired color temperature or color.

U.S. officials probe Apple over iPhone throttling

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iPhone
Don’t miss out on iOS 13. Ditch your old iPhone now.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

U.S. officials are questioning Apple after the company admitted to throttling the performance of older iPhones.

Apple has already apologized for the practice and set up a battery replacement program in an effort to fix affected units. But that hasn’t saved the company from getting into hot water with authorities in a number of countries.

Apple coughs up millions for extra U.K. taxes

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Apple could be a $2 trillion company by end of 2021
Apple is handing over an extra $186 million in U.K. taxes.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple Europe has agreed to pay an additional $186 million, including interest on unpaid tax, after an “extensive audit” by HM Revenue and Customs, the U.K. government department responsible for the collection of taxes.

The “corporate income tax adjustment” in the United Kingdom covers the years through September 2015, and reflects Apple’s “increased activity” during that period. The adjustment will be factored into future tax bills paid by Apple.

Chinese company will take control of local iCloud accounts next month

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Hacker who tried to extort Apple for $100k is spared prison
The changeover affects only iCloud customers in China.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Apple’s iCloud services in mainland China will switch over to a server operated by a Chinese company starting next month.

Apple sent out a message to customers in China, revealing terms and conditions of the changeover. This includes the fact that both Apple and the Chinese firm, Guizhou-Cloud Big Data Industry (GCBD), will now have access to all customer data stored on iCloud.

Jimmy Iovine denies he’s on his way out of Apple

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Iovine
Jimmy Iovine talking about Apple Music at WWDC 2015.
Photo: Apple

Jimmy Iovine has vehemently denied reports that he is leaving Apple later this year.

In an interview with Variety, the 64-year-old Iovine said that he is, “committed to doing whatever Eddy [Cue], Tim [Cook] and Apple need me to do, to help wherever and however I can, to take this all the way. I am in the band.” He described the recent report about his possible departure as “fake news.”

Bizarre HomeKit remote looks like a D&D die

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Nanoleaf HomeKit Remote
Can you find the HomeKit remote on this table?
Photo: Nanoleaf

CES 2018 bug The device is called The Remote, but those familiar with the company behind it probably could have predicted it would not look anything like a remote control.

Nanoleaf, creators of smart light-panels that give any room a futuristic glow, unveiled a 12-side geometric table-top object at CES Tuesday that will work with Apple HomeKit-enabled smart home devices.

Apple ad-blocking features sabotage online advertising firms

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Safari iOS 11
Advertisers aren't keen on the improved Safari in iOS 11.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple’s new ad-blocking feature for Safari is sabotaging online advertising firms. Some are losing hundreds of millions of dollars a year as a result of Intelligent Tracking Protection (ITP), introduced with iOS 11, which helps users avoid being tracked online.

Boss’ smart wireless guitar amp is designed to work with your iPhone

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Boss katana air
Look ma, no wires.
Photo: Boss

CES 2018 bugThe Boss Katana Air looks like the ultimate living room amp for guitar players. It looks cool, it runs off mains power or AA batteries, and it features a wireless dongle that plugs into your guitar and means you never need to trail a cable across the room ever again. It even has a companion iOS app so you can tweak all the settings not available from the knobs and buttons on top of the amp.

Got a new iPhone X? Sell us your old one for cold, hard cash.

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Get cash for your old devices the easy way with Cult of Mac's buyback program.
Get cash for your old devices the easy (and fast) way.
Photo: NikolayFrolochkin/Pixabay CC

You just got the iPhone 8 for Christmas or spent your year-end bonus to snag the iPhone X. After unlocking the X with your face a few times and using Animoji for the longest you ever will, you’re probably wondering, “What do I do with my old phone?”

Apple made fantastic improvements to the iPhone over the last few years. But these upgrades mean that older iPhones depreciate at faster and faster rates. Luckily, our buyback program is the quick and easy way to get cash for your old devices.

Apple drops new betas for iOS, macOS and more

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iOS 11
Fresh iOS betas are out!
Photo: Apple

Developers received a fresh batch of new beta software updates from Apple this morning, including the fourth build of iOS 11.2.5.

Apple has also released the fourth builds of watchOS 4.2.2, tvOS 11.2.5 and macOS 10.13.3, all of which come with a number of bug fixes and performance improvements for Apple’s platforms.

Pricey earbuds made from melted guns pack serious firepower

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earphones1
These earbuds are made from melted-down illegal firearms.
Photo: Yevo

CES 2018 bug In a possible bid for the most unusual CES innovation so far, Swedish-based innovation lab YEVO Labs today announced the launch of YEVO x Humanium headphones: the world’s first wireless headphones made out of melted-down illegal firearms.

The concept may sound strange, but the intention is good — to provide new sources of funding to help people in conflict-torn parts of the world affected by illegal weapon violence.

Stylish dock lets you charge Apple devices two at a time

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Smart Dual Charging Station
The Smart Dual Charging Station will be available this spring.
Photo: Satechi

CES 2018 bug Tech accessories brand Satechi is using CES this week to show off a new dual charging station that will create the appearance you’re trying to show off your iPhone and Apple Watch.

The Smart Dual Charging Station props up your iPhone and Apple Watch on a stylish stand of silver or space gray brushed aluminum that neatly organizes your charging cords. The station is customizable and can also work with other Apple accessories, such as the Apple Pencil and Siri Remote.

New smart lock tech means you’ll never miss another package

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August
It's a neat solution to the last mile delivery problem.
Photo: August

CES 2018 bugSmart lock company August Home has partnered with Deliv to offer a same-day delivery service, even when you’re not home, that operates in upwards of 1,400 cities.

The service means that users of the August smart locks — as well as those made by Emtek and Yale — can now take advantage of a service that lets users give temporary virtual “keys” to people such as couriers. You can even monitor the whole delivery on your iPhone!

Zurich Apple Store evacuated after iPhone battery overheats

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Zurich Apple Store
50 people were forced to leave the Zurich Apple Store
Photo: Apple

The Zurich Apple Store evacuated workers and fans on Tuesday after an iPhone battery overheated.

The handset was being repaired when its battery malfunctioned, leaving one employee with minor burns and forcing around 50 people to leave the store, according to Swiss police.

Smart toothbrush will use ResearchKit to give you a better clean

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smart brush
This iPhone-connected toothbrush will offer the ultimate clean.
Photo: Colgate

CES 2018 bug Do you want a toothbrush that knows what it’s like to have brushed the teeth of thousands of other people? That’s kind of what Colgate’s new app-enabled electronic toothbrush promises — only way less gross than that makes it sound.

Debuted at CES, the Colgate Smart Electronic Toothbrush E1 with Artificial Intelligence uses AI to provide real-time feedback to users as they clean their pearly whites. It also uses Apple’s ResearchKit platform integration to crowdsource toothbrushing data from other users. The more people clean, the smarter the brush gets!

Phyn Plus lets you monitor your water system from your iPhone or iPad

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Phyn
The smart way to monitor your water system.
Photo: Phyn

CES 2018 bug Thanks to a collaboration between Belkin and plumbing supplier Uponor, you’ll soon be able to monitor your home water system for leaks and pressure issues via your iOS device.

Debuting at CES 2018, the Phyn Plus is an accessory which repeatedly measures the pressure of your water supply (to the tune of 240 times every single second) and then uses smart algorithms to determine when you may have a problem, such as a pinhole leak or frozen pipes.

France is investigating Apple over throttling iPhone speeds

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iphone 8
Apple is accused of purposely slowing older iPhones to push customers to upgrade.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

French consumer watchdog DGCCRF, part of the country’s economy ministry, is investigating Apple over its alleged deception concerning the “throttling” of older iPhone models.

French law makes it a crime to purposely shorten the lifespan of a product in order to force customers to replace it. In the event that a company is found guilty of this, it can face fines of up to five percent of its annual sales.

iPhone SE 2 will have one massive change from its predecessor

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iPhone SE Plus concept
It's like if the iPhone SE and the iPhone X had a baby.
Photo: Curved

Apple’s cheapest iPhone is about to steal some major design cues from the pricey iPhone X.

The successor to the iPhone SE could arrive later this year. And according to a new rumor, design changes could include a glass back that adds one of the iPhone X’s most underrated features.

Dark Mode List lists iPhone X apps with dark mode

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Dark Mode List
Find out which iPhone apps have an iPhone X dark mode.
Photo: Cult of Mac

Which apps have a proper dark mode? That’s the urgent question on the lips of every obsessive nerd who owns an iPhone X and wants to squeeze the best possible battery life out of it.

Dark Mode List answers that question. The site serves up a list of apps that support dark mode, and not just on the iPhone. It couldn’t be simpler.