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News - page 902

Finally, a sensible way to store and charge Apple Pencil

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The ProBack stores and charges the Apple Pencil and even has a place for the pencil cap.
The ProBack stores and charges the Apple Pencil and even has a place for the pencil cap.
Photo: Studio Tika Innovation

For all the intricate thought that went into the design of the Apple Pencil, a safe and elegant way to store and charge it with the iPad Pro was an obvious detail seemingly overlooked.

An accessories startup has produced a smart case for the iPad Pro that conveniently docks and charges the pencil along an edge.

PornHub’s new AR app makes your nude pics safe for work

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Pornhub image
TrickPics takes the 'N' out of 'NSFW' pics.
Photo: PornHub

Sending a saucy pic to a significant will no longer put your naughty bits in danger of being exposed to the entire internet, thanks to a new app from PornHub.

The new app called TrickPics taps into the power of augmented reality to cover up your private parts. It’s basically like Snapchat lenses, only instead of turning your face into a cute puppy, it turns package into a Christmas gift box.

Week’s best Apple deals: Bring game night to your iPhone

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iOS games Apple deals
It's time to get a Ticket to Ride on your iPhone.
Images: Asmodee Digital, Apple, Zinsoko

If you love hit board games like Ticket to Ride and Splendor, you’ll love this week’s roundup. You’ll find heavily discounted iOS versions of those hit games, plus hot buys on earbuds, AirPort Express and more in the best Apple deals of the week.

China wants to tighten screws on livestreaming apps

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China
Tim Cook meeting with China's vice premier on a previous visit.
Photo: Apple

Apple has run into another hurdle in China, with internet regulators in the country reportedly calling on Apple to “tighten its checks” on live streaming apps which appear in the App Store.

While no specific live streaming apps are mentioned, popular apps include Periscope, Facebook Live, and others. Apparently the concern on this occasion concerns possible “management loopholes” with the apps in question. However, this is far from the first time the Chinese government has kicked up a fuss about Apple.

Galaxy S8 review roundup: Samsung just schooled the iPhone

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Galaxy S8 Infinity Display
Samsung has a winner in the Galaxy S8.
Photo: Samsung

The first reviews of the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ have dropped a day ahead of their official launch in many markets, and there’s one thing to take away from them: Samsung just knocked it out of the park with its best smartphones to date.

Despite the problems the company encountered with the Galaxy Note 7 last fall, it has managed to produce two new devices that don’t disappoint. From gorgeous design and impressive cameras to the best display on the market, the Galaxy S8 series has it all.

It might not perfect, but the changes and improvements Samsung has made show Apple what a smartphone should be in 2017, and make it even more difficult for the iPhone to catch up.

Here’s our review roundup.

Y’arrr! Tempest: Pirate Action RPG boards the App Store

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tempest-android-game-apk
Download it now, ya scurvy sea dog!
Photo: HeroCraft

Steve Jobs once said that it’s better to be a pirate than to join the navy. More than 30 years on, you can put that mantra to the test, courtesy of a new iOS game that’s just landed in the App Store.

Called Tempest: Pirate Action RPG, it’s a premium adventure role-playing game which lets you assemble a vicious crew of salty sea dogs, arm yourself to the gunwales, and go out in search of buried treasure. Check out the trailer below.

‘Leaked’ iPhone 8 drawings reveal surprising design

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iPhone 5's straight edges could be making a comeback.
iPhone 5's straight edges could be making a comeback.
Photo: Sonny Dickson

A new photo of what is believed to be iPhone 8 schematics reveals a surprising new design direction.

Apple appears to have done away with the smooth curves we’ve come to expect from its smartphones in recent years, opting instead for sharper edges and flat sides. This image suggests the next iPhone will be much like the iPhone 5, only bigger.

Much bigger.

Apple places massive chip orders for iPhone 8

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iPhone-7
Apple plans to sell 230 million next-gen iPhones.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Chip orders reveal demand for the next-gen iPhones is set to exceed 50 million units during the second half of 2017, and hit a total of 220 million to 230 million units, according to a new report.

The new handsets are likely to be Apple’s biggest iPhone refresh since 2014’s iPhone 6 and 6 Plus-era devices, and promise to boast major new features. And it seems Apple’s willing to bank on that leading to massive demand!

Imagination in trouble as Apple slashes its royalty rate

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Apple patches things up with mobile GPU maker Imagination
Imagination has confirmed that Apple will no longer use its graphics processing technology.
Photo: Apple

Not only is graphics chip designer Imagination Technologies getting kicked to the curb so Apple can bring its chipmaking technology in-house, but the company is also set to have its remaining royalty rate cut.

According to a new report, Apple is planning to pay Imagination just one-third of its current royalty rate as it winds down its supply deal with the British company over the next two years.

Tim Cook accepts Free Expression award, says companies should have values

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Tim Cook
Tim Cook at Auburn University earlier this year.
Photo: Tim Cook/Twitter

At an event in Washington D.C. last night, Tim Cook accepted the Free Expression Award at the First Amendment advocacy Newseum.

The award was designed to celebrate the fact that Cook has taken a public stand on issues such as racial equality, climate change, privacy, LGBT rights, and more.

Apple Music is hooking up with Facebook Messenger

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apple-music
Grab the latest update from the Play Store now.
Photo: Apple

Facebook is aiming to make its Messenger app the go-to spot to talk about music with a new update that makes it easier to share songs with friends.

During the company’s F8 developers conference this morning, Facebook unveiled a new way for third-party apps to integrate with communications platform. And Apple Music is one of its first partners.

Apple makes iWork and iLife apps free for all

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You no longer need to buy a new Mac to get GarageBand for free.
You no longer need to buy a new Mac to get GarageBand for free.
Photo: Apple

The best apps made by Apple for iPhone and iPad are finally available for free to all users.

As part of an update to its iWork and iLife apps this morning, Apple changed the price for both the Mac and iOS versions, giving customers access to a suite of apps that can be used for music and video or getting work done.

Apple stores will go green for Earth Day

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Apple Store
Apple's shelling out billions to go green.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s retail employees will be seeing green this weekend as part of the iPhone-maker’s Earth Day celebration.

To raise awareness on the battle to fight climate change, Apple store employees have been given green shirts to wear in replacement of the tradition blue shirts starting on Thursday April 20.

iPhone 8 could be last to include headphone jack adapter

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AirPods
Apple should include free AirPods instead.
Photo: Ste Smith

Apple’s mission to kill the use of headphone jacks on the iPhone may be completed by 2018, according to a new report from Barclays.

In a note to investors today, the research bank says the three new iPhone models Apple introduces this year will all come with a Lightning to 3.5mm headphone jack adapter, but this could be the last time buyers get a free dongle.

iMac’s terrible code name was an in-joke between Jobs and Schiller

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iMac design: The iMac G3 was a bit fatter than model than today's models. The iMac code name was
The iMac G3 could have had a very different name.
Photo: Apple

The first iMac’s frightful code name was an in-joke that reflected Steve Jobs’ respect for Sony. The working name — “MacMan” — was so horrible it would “curdle your blood,” according to Ken Segall, the Apple exec who eventually came up with the name “iMac.” Nearly 20 years after Apple shipped the iMac G3, we now have an explanation for the craptacular internal name — courtesy of Phil Schiller, the guy who came up with it.

Samsung Galaxy S8 battery looks awfully familiar

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uQVSC22APahCU6Cx.huge
Hopefully Samsung's disastrous Note 7 battery incident won't be repeated.
Photo: iFixit

Many people thought Samsung might opt for a dramatically different design for its Galaxy S8-series smartphones, after the blowback from its notorious Note 7 smartphone, which had to be recalled due to a major battery fault.

However, it seems the South Korean tech giant is very confident that it was a manufacturing quality assurance issue because, as a handset teardown from our friends at iFixit shows that Samsung has changed virtually nothing for its new premium handset.

Apple diversifies to keep Apple Watch suppliers on their toes

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Theater Mode finally makes its way to Apple Watch in watchOS 3.2 beta 1.
Apple Watch has a new supplier.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Scoring Apple orders is a great thing if you’re a manufacturer, but don’t expect an easy ride!

The latest example of this is Quanta Computer, which up until now has been the chief supplier of the Apple Watch. However, according to a new report, Apple has decided to hand over 20-30 percent of Apple Watch orders as a way to”decrease Quanta’s price bargaining power.”

Pandora’s Apple Music rival is now available to all

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Pandora
Get your mitts on Pandora Premium today.
Photo: Pandora

Pandora’s fight back against Apple Music officially begins today, with Pandora Premium, the on-demand streaming service, now available to all.

Priced at $9.99 a month, the subscription grants access to millions of tracks and albums that you can listen to ad-free, as often as you like. It also boasts a couple of neat features you won’t find elsewhere.

Sources confirm some of iPhone 8’s biggest upgrades

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iPhone 7
Technical challenges could put the kibosh on some of iPhone 8's possible features.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple’s next iPhone refresh will be the device’s biggest in years, but some of the more dramatic upgrades could be curtailed by technical challenges.

In its report on the new iPhone 8, Bloomberg corroborates many previous rumors about the next-gen iPhone, but suggests that more “ambitious” features may be scaled back or ditched due to manufacturing problems.

Twitch planning new subscription tiers up to $25

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Will you pay more to support your favorite streamers?
Will you pay more to support your favorite streamers?
Photo: Cult of Mac

Twitch is planning to introduce new subscription tiers that will give fans the opportunity to donate more cash to their favorite streamers.

Starting later this month, you’ll be able to pay up to $24.99 a month, which could get you new benefits like exclusive emotes and subscriber roles.

Apple plans powerful ‘server-grade’ iMac for 2017

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Apple iMac showing the Apple logo.
Start saving now!
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple’s next-generation iMac with powerful new internals will start shipping in the second half of 2017, according to sources in the company’s supply chain.

Apple is also said to be preparing a “server-grade” iMac packing Intel Xeon processors, up to 2TB of NVMe solid-state storage, and a discrete graphics card that will be available by the end of the year.

‘iPhone Edition’ may get Apple Watch-like steel band

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iPhone 8 concept
Same size as the iPhone 7, but with a bigger screen.
Photo: Martin Hajek

The iPhone 8 may take some design cues from the Apple Watch, if the latest rumor out of Asia turns out to be true.

Apple will supposedly use an improved version of the Apple Watch’s stainless steel as the frame for the new iPhone 8. Glass in the front and the back will sandwich the stainless steel plate on the iPhone 8 but, according to the report, it won’t have a curved screen.

Instagram now lets you save photos into collections

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Instagram now has more than 600 million users.
Photos can now be grouped into collections.
Photo: Instagram

Keeping tabs on all your favorite Instagram posts just got a lot easier today, thanks to a new update that adds a new ‘Saved’ section.

Instagram’s new update lets users create Pinterest-like collections based off of posts from other users. However, unlike Pinterest only you can see the collections. For now.