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News - page 883

Europe just abolished all roaming charges

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sim wallet roaming
This doesn't have to be you.
Photo: CC Karl Baron Flickr

Today, roaming charges have been dropped across the European Union. If you live in Berlin and travel to Budapest, you can keep using your existing data plan at no extra cost, and you keep (more or less) the same data allowance. That’s neat for Europeans, but it’s also good news for international travelers, because you only need to buy one SIM card at the start of your trip, and then you’re covered until you go home.

Apple-loving couple snap dream wedding photos at Apple store

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What place is more romantic than the Apple store?
What place is more romantic than the Apple store?
Photo: Yip Weili Creations

The only thing that comes close to trumping this Singapore couple’s love for each other is their unbridled passion for Apple products.

Self-professed Apple megafans Jermyn Wee and Chia Suat celebrated their marriage earlier this month by visiting the only Apple store in Singapore. They used the retail outlet as a backdrop for their cute wedding photos. The funny couple’s snaps almost didn’t happen because the usually shy guy didn’t want a photoshoot. When his soon-to-be wife proposed the Apple store as the location, Wee went all in.

Watch the happy couple walk down the Apple store aisle as customers clap:

AI-powered iPhone photo storage device never forgets a face

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No Wi-Fi, no cloud with this iPhone photo and video storage solution.
No Wi-Fi, no cloud with this iPhone photo and video storage solution.
Photo: Fotofami

You’ve heard my speech from the soapbox: Backup your iPhone photos. A little device called Fotofami couldn’t make it easier.

In fact, it’s shaped like a little thin box that will travel well in a pocket. It works by getting to know the faces of family and friends in those pictures while fiercely defending them from the reach of hackers.

Apple suppliers confirm two of iPhone 8’s biggest features

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iPhone 8 facial recognition
We could be waiting a long time for iPhone 8.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple supplier Largan says it will ship its new 3D sensors in time for iPhone 8, while another supply chain vendor confirms waterproof wireless charging technology.

Largan’s sensors are capable of carrying out facial and iris recognition and provide an alternative to fingerprint scanning. They could be the solution Apple turns to if it is unable to embed a Touch ID scanner beneath the iPhone 8’s display.

‘Best Firefox ever’ pours on the speed

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Firefox is now more efficient than its rivals.
Firefox is now more efficient than its rivals.
Photo: Mozilla

Mozilla is rolling out its “best Firefox ever,” promising a perfect balance between speed and efficiency.

Firefox version 54 finally uses multiple processes for improved performance just like its rivals, so a complex webpage in one tab won’t impact your experience in another. What’s more, it uses less memory than other browsers on macOS, Mozilla says.

Hate it? Steve Wozniak says he loves his Apple Watch

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Steve Wozniak Madame Tussauds San Francisco
Steve Wozniak, master troll?
Photo: Madame Tussauds

Thanks to comments that Steve Wozniak made in a 2016 Reddit AMA, there’s a perception that Apple’s co-founder dislikes the Apple Watch. Not so, he makes abundantly clear in a new interview!

Speaking on CNBC’s Squawk Box, Woz said that, “I just love [my Apple Watch]. I love every time I use it. It helps me. I love it so much … I don’t like to be one of those people who pulls phones out of pockets.”

It sure sounds like someone turned a corner. (Or Tim Cook sent round a couple of Apple’s more menacing engineers.)

Devs’ incredible demos show how cool (and easy) AR on iPhone can be

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Screen Shot 2017-06-14 at 15.29.49
ARKit opens up some exciting possibilities for developers.
Photo: 8ninths

Developers couldn’t be more excited about ARKit, the toolkit Apple showed off last week at WWDC to allow “fast and stable motion tracking” for augmented reality apps.

While Apple showed off a basic implementation of ARKit onstage, developers already have started putting together some pretty impressive demos using the technology. Check a couple of them out below.

Consumer Reports picks Galaxy S8 over iPhone 7, everything else

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Galaxy S8 in hand
Galaxy S8 is the smartphone to buy, says Consumer Reports.
Photo: Samsung

Samsung’s new Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ have been rated the best smartphones available by Consumer Reports.

Both devices outranked their rivals — including the iPhone 7 — in design, battery life, and camera performance. However, they aren’t considered perfect, with testers noting that they are difficult to operate with one hand, and their fingerprint scanners are awkwardly-placed.

Pessimistic traders bet big against Apple

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money
AAPL is the world's third most shorted stock.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

The stock market’s a funny place, eh? Just a couple of months after becoming the first company in history to break the $800 billion valuation mark, Apple now finds itself in the unusual position of having investors betting against it.

Short interest on Apple (meaning that investors are staking money on AAPL share prices falling) climbed by $1.3 billion over the past month. According to data compiled by S3 Partners, Apple is now the third most shorted company in the world — after Tesla and Alibaba.

Apple teases upcoming hip-hop documentary Can’t Stop Won’t Stop

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Nas makes an appearance in Diddy's documentary.
New documentary will include appearances by leading hip-hop artists.
Photo: Apple Music

Apple has dropped the second trailer for its latest hip-hop documentary, Can’t Stop Won’t Stop: A Bad Boy Story.

The documentary chronicles Sean P. Combs (a.k.a. P Diddy’s) rise to become one of the most notable record producers of the 1990s, as well as detailing the challenges he faced staging last year’s 20th anniversary Bad Boy reunion show. It will debut on Apple Music on June 25.

iWork update adds hundreds of cool new emoji-style symbols

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iWork symbols
Apple invents clip art!
Photo: Cult of Mac

The iWork suite just got an update across iOS and macOS, with some neat new features for Keynote, Pages, and Numbers. But the headline new feature is the addition of a brand new Shapes Library across all the apps. You know that section that always let you put little squares and circles into your documents? That’s still there, but those lame-o shapes have been joined by hundreds of new shapes that will actually be useful. They’re kind of like silhouetted emojis.

Bendy concept imagines a flexible iPhone 8

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Would a foldable iPhone be useful?
Would a foldable iPhone be useful?
Photo: ConceptsiPhone

The iPhone 8 is expected to be Apple’s most beautiful device ever, but a new concept imagines what it would be like if it was also the most indestructible smartphone.

A flexible screen like the one seen in the video below would come with some big benefits, like the ability to wrap the iPhone around your wrist. Or it could be used as a curved screen for VR viewing.

Check out the neat demo:

Apple drops four new betas for its old platforms

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Qualcomm patents
Apple's still got some iOS 10 bugs to kill.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

While Apple is busy working toward the public release of iOS 11 and macOS High Sierra, coding is still underway on the the last updates for all of Apple’s old platforms with the release of a new batch of beta updates today.

Apple issues $1 billion green bond to fight climate change

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Can solar farms feed yaks?
Yak-friendly solar farms are one of Apple's big green projects.
Photo: Apple

Apple is putting its money where its mouth is when it comes to fighting climate change.

This morning, the iPhone maker issued a new $1 billion bond on with a special rule that proceeds raised from the bond sale will go towards investment in renewable energy projects.

This add-on makes your Sonos compatible with everything

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The ultimate Sonos companion.
The ultimate Sonos companion.
Photo: Darlite

Sonos makes some of the best wireless speakers money can buy, but they’re not compatible with some of the most popular streaming apps. Darlite is a new device that changes that.

It’s the first accessory that unlocks “the full potential of your Sonos system” by allowing you to connect to devices and services over Bluetooth, AirPlay, DLNA, and a 3.5mm audio jack.

Google snatches Apple chip architect to work on future Pixel phones

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Google Pixel
Future Pixel phones could benefit from Google-developed chips.
Photo: Google

Google has hired away veteran chip architect Manu Gulati from Apple, with the goal of building its own custom chips for future Pixel phones.

Gulati has been working on chip development at Apple for almost eight years. According to his LinkedIn profile, he is now employed as Google’s lead system-on-a-chip Architect.

Apple’s latest iPad Pros go on sale in stores

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Screen Shot 2017-06-13 at 15.18.23
The new iPads are available to buy now.
Photo: Apple

Want to buy Apple’s new 10.5-inch and/or 12.9-inch iPad Pro tablet? A week after making their debut at the Worldwide Developers Conference, they’re now available to pick up and purchase at a brick-and-mortar Apple store near you.

The new iPads were made available for preorder immediately following Apple’s jam-packed WWDC 2017 keynote, and started shipping to customers this week. Still, if you hurry you can still be among the first to own one!

Eero’s new Wi-Fi system is twice as powerful with tri-band technology

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Eero's second-generation devices have landed.
Eero's second-generation devices have landed.
Photo: Eero

Eero’s second-generation home Wi-Fi system has landed, with big improvements for even faster internet.

It’s twice as powerful as before, and it’s the first access point of its size with tri-band technology. Couple it with the new Eero Beacon, and you can get super-fast Wi-Fi all around your home.

Tim Cook calls self-driving cars ‘mother of all AI problems’

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And here it is in all its glory.
Cook confirms that Apple is interested in autonomous systems for cars.
Photo: Motor1

Tim Cook has shared some details on Apple’s electric car plans, describing self-driving cars as “the mother of all AI projects.”

“We’re focusing on autonomous systems,” Cook said in an interview with Bloomberg Television, which was conducted on June 5, but only published online today. “It’s a core technology that we view as very important … It’s probably one of the most difficult A.I. projects actually to work on.”

Two-factor authentication required for iOS 11, macOS High Sierra

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Hacker who tried to extort Apple for $100k is spared prison
Hacker who tried to extort Apple for $100k is spared prison
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Apple will automatically migrate iCloud users to two-step verification when they upgrade to iOS 11 or macOS High Sierra.

Apple says its “most advanced” account security is required to use some of the latest features of its operating systems, so it’s no longer optional if you plan on updating your devices.

iPhone app uses camera flash for Morse code messaging

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morsecode
You won't have to worry about emoji-filled messages!
Photo: Lim Peng Hoe

With their focus on colorful emojis, stickers, GIFs and pretty much anything else that could possibly lure lucrative teen users, today’s messaging apps are seemingly getting more and more alike with each “fresh” upgrade.

A recent app tries to shake up the formula a bit by bringing back a decidedly more retro form of messaging — Morse code. Here’s how it works, and why you should get it.

Upgrades turn Logitech Circle 2 into versatile security camera [Update: Now works with HomeKit]

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Logitech Circle 2 Wire Free
New features and accessories make the Circle 2 far more useful.
Photo: Logitech

Update: A software update in September 2017 made Logitech Circle 2 HomeKit compatible.

Major upgrades to Logitech’s Circle cam — including HomeKit compatibility coming “soon” through a software update — turn it from a cute desktop camera into a bona fide indoor-outdoor security device.

Circle 2 packs a 180 degree wide-angle lens and brings 1080p HD streaming, night vision and two-way talk and listen. The updates come in the form of new, better power options and a handful of accessories that make the Circle 2 more useful in more environments than its somewhat limited predecessor.

iPhone 8 comes to life with iOS 11’s new ARKit

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ARKit will be a game-changer for iPhone rumormongers.
ARKit will be a game-changer for iPhone rumormongers.
Photo: ConceptsiPhone

Apple’s new ARKit tech could completely change the way we view the world, including when it comes to iPhone rumors.

Using the newly release ARKit framework Apple debuted at WWDC 2017, the folks at ConceptsiPhone have created a new video that brings the iPhone 8 into the real-world. What’s most impressive is ARKit’s ability to track the iPhone 8 concept, making it look like someone got heir hands on an early unit.

Check it out: