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News - page 942

iOS 10 now installed on 76% of devices

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iPhone SE
Users love iOS 10.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple has revealed its latest App Store stats as of January, which show that iOS 10 has now been installed on 76 percent of devices.

The update made its public debut less than four months ago, bringing a revamped Messages experience, new 3D Touch features, a more open Siri, and lots more.

While Apple goes thin, Windows PCs go fat at CES 2017

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Need extra ports? Have fun lugging this beast around.
Need extra ports? Have fun lugging this beast around.
Photo: Acer

CES2017 Apple got some serious flak from fans when it unveiled its new MacBook Pro at the end of 2016, but if CES 2017 is any indicator, Apple’s not in danger of being out innovated by PCs anytime soon.

The MacBook Pro’s Touch Bar may not be a phenomenal innovation. And its four USB-C ports mean you’ll need some dongles. But when looking at the competition, the MacBook Pro is hands-down the sleekest, most useful and most beautiful laptop you can get in the world right now.

Look at these embarrassing Windows laptops:

Tiny iPhone attachment projects bedtime stories on walls

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Moonlite uses your smartphone flash to project illustrated bedtime stories.
Moonlite uses your smartphone flash to project illustrated bedtime stories.
Photo: Moonlite/YouTube

Natalie Rebot tried reading bedtimes stories to her 3-year-old daughter, but they didn’t hold her interest. So one night mom pulled out her iPhone and used the flashlight mode to create shadow play on the bedroom walls.

The nightly ritual stirred young Chloe’s imagination. The gears in mom’s head started turning, too, and before long, Rebot had designed a smartphone attachment that uses the camera flash to project a story on walls and ceilings.

Apple execs pay dearly for 2016’s failures

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Tim Cook
Apple named in another top tech list.
Photo: Apple

Apple CEO Tim Cook received less pay in 2016 as a result of the company missing revenue and profit goals.

In a new filing with the SEC, Apple revealed that other top executives also got less compensation for 2016 as well. Cook only took home $8.7 million last year after being paid $10.2 million in in 2015.

Cute Apple Watch stand will drive Mac fans crazy

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This stand from elago will charge your Apple Watch in a time warp.
This stand from elago will charge your Apple Watch in a time warp.
Photo: elago

If you have an Apple Watch on your wrist and an old Mac in your heart, the design company elago has a stand that will take you back in time.

The Apple Watch rests on the W3 stand behind a silicon housing that is a cute scale model of a 1984 Macintosh computer monitor, incorporating the watch face so it appears you have a little working Mac.

Track how drunk you are with this Apple Watch accessory

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The BACtrack Skyn puts a blood-alcohol sensor on your wrist.
The BACtrack Skyn puts a blood-alcohol sensor on your wrist.
Photo: BACtrack

Getting a reading of your blood-alcohol content levels is about to become as easy as glancing at your Apple Watch.

The first-ever wearable alcohol monitor made its debut at CES in Las Vegas this week, giving drinkers a new option for keeping track of whether or not they’re fit to get behind the wheel.

At 80, Polaroid’s new gear embraces the past while eyeing the future

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The Polaroid booth at CES 2017 in Las Vegas shows the company's embrace of the past as it moves forward.
The Polaroid booth at CES 2017 in Las Vegas shows the company's embrace of the past as it moves forward.
Photo: Polaroid

CES2017 The iPhone and Instagram get credit for being the first shoot-and-share social network, but even Steve Jobs would say that’s wrong. The Polaroid camera introduced a social component to taking pictures in the late 1940s, the first instant photography with three steps — shoot, shake and share.

Polaroid brought disruptive innovation to the market and also became a casualty of it when it failed to change course in time to be part of the digital photography revolution.

But a new version of Polaroid is thriving and even stirring up some buzz this week at CES in Las Vegas with new products covering iPhone photography, consumer 3D printing, camera drones and fun cameras that produce an on-the-spot print.

Week’s best Apple deals: Accessorize your gadgets on the cheap

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iphone and ipad accessories
You've got the Apple gear. Now it's time to accessorize.
Images: CASEFORMERS, iNK Stories, Logitech

Whether you received the gifts you wanted over the holidays, or had to return something and treat yourself, you’ve probably gotten the Apple gadgets you want by now. Take this time to accessorize the ones you’ve got.

We found cases, keyboards and more for this week’s roundup best Apple deals.

Sennheiser’s new earbuds let you record 3D audio on your iPhone

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These headphones record audio in 3D.
These headphones record audio in 3D.
Photo: Sennheiser

CES2017 At a time when most headphone manufacturers are embracing the wireless earbuds, Sennheiser has decided to unveil one of the smartest pairs of wired earbuds ever created.

Yes, you can listen to your tunes on the new AMBEO Smart Surround earphones and the music will sound great. But what sets the new buds apart from every other pair debuting at CES is these ones come with the ability to record 3D audio using only your iPhone.

These smart wireless earbuds make AirPods look dumb

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Nuheara IQbuds work like regular wireless earbuds, but add
Nuheara IQbuds work like regular wireless earbuds, but add "augmented hearing" to the mix so you can focus on a conversation.
Photo: Lewis Wallace/Cult of Mac

CES2017 SAN FRANCISCO — Apple packed some amazing tech into its weird-looking AirPods. But to Nuheara co-founder David Cannington, Apple’s white-hot wireless earphones are just “dumb wireless.”

Sure, AirPods let you listen to music, take phone calls and tap into Siri, but they represent a missed opportunity because they don’t solve a crucial problem faced by many people in the modern world: hearing what’s going on around them.

As you might have guessed, Cannington’s company tackled this problem with a new product that launched at CES this week. Nuheara’s IQbuds are smart, truly wireless earbuds that do more than just make calls and deliver high-fidelity audio to your ears. They make it possible to carry on conversations in noisy environments like restaurants, bars and even massive Las Vegas trade shows.

Razer built an insane gaming laptop with 3 screens

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projvalerie
Project Valerie is the coolest laptop... ever.
Photo: Razer

CES2017 Razer’s gaming laptops are some of the finest you can get your greasy mitts on, but none of them compare to the insane prototype the company teased today at CES in Las Vegas.

Dubbed “Project Valerie,” it’s the world’s first laptop with three screens — two of which gracefully slide away when you don’t need them.

Apple yanks The New York Times apps in China

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China iPhone sales
Apple's relationship with China is complicated.
Photo: Apple

iPhone users in China are no longer able to download the app for the most popular newspaper publisher in the U.S.

Chinese government officials reportedly demanded that Apple remove all of The New York Times apps from the App Store in China, blocking access to one of the few channels the paper has to reach readers in mainland China.

Big-league sports photog talks going pro with iPhone

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Sports photographer Brad Mangin gets a lot of assignments these days to shoot with his iPhone.
Sports photographer Brad Mangin gets a lot of assignments these days to shoot with his iPhone.
Photo: Martha Jane Stanton

Sports photographer Brad Mangin used to rush to an airport after a big game to get several rolls of film on the next flight to New York for processing and editing. He never saw what he shot until it was on the cover or a two-page spread in the latest Sports Illustrated.

Now his colleagues with their heavy DSLR cameras, lenses, and a laptop to transmit photos laugh when they see Mangin with his gear – an iPhone and maybe an external battery.

Still using an original iPhone? We want to know.

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img_0897
A shot of the battered original iPhone belonging to a member of the design team.
Photo: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac

Next week marks 10 years since Steve Jobs unveiled the original iPhone, blowing our collective minds regarding the possibilities that smartphones presented.

Coming up on a decade later, if you’re still using the first-gen iPhone on a regular basis, we want to hear from you!

Apple invests $1 billion in world’s biggest tech fund

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tim cook in a car
Apple invested $1 billion in Didi Chuxing last year.
Photo: Tim Cook/Twitter

Apple confirmed today that is getting into the venture capital game by investing in one of the world’s largest tech funds.

SoftBank’s new Vision Fund received $1 billion from Apple, according to a company spokesperson that revealed the company is investing in the $100 billion fund to gain access to future technology.

Sleek iPhone 7 case puts the headphone jack back where it should be

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The biggest problem with the iPhone 7 has been solved.
The biggest problem with the iPhone 7 has been solved.
Photo: Incipio

CES2017 iPhone 7 users no longer must choose between charging their device or listening to headphones, thanks to a new case that restores the headphone jack to its rightful place.

Getting a headphone jack back on the iPhone 7 comes at the cost of some serious bulk, but with Incipio’s new OX case, at least you won’t have to carry around a dongle anymore.

Floodlight Cam combines all-in-one security with simple setup

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Ring Floodlight Cam
Floodlight Cam does it all.
Photo: Ring

CES2017 Step up your home security with the new Ring Floodlight Cam.

Making its debut at CES 2017 in Las Vegas this week, the Floodlight Cam keeps an eye on your property with 1080p video recording, motion detection and the loudest siren available on an outdoor camera. What’s more, it’s incredibly easy to install.

OWC’s gigantic dock adds more ports to the new MacBook Pro

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OWC's dock adds serious bulk to the MacBook Pro.
OWC's dock adds serious bulk to the MacBook Pro.
Photo: OWC

CES2017 MacBook Pro owners that wish Apple included more ports alongside the Touch Bar can now have the best of both worlds — if they don’t mind slapping a huge dock on their machines.

OWC teased a new accessory called the DEC dock for MacBook Pro at CES, the monstrous gadget show happening in Las Vegas this week. The dock is comically large, but it adds a bevy of new features to the MacBook Pro, including extra storage.

Fisher-Price bike helps iPad-addicted toddlers get exercise

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Fisher-Price-Smart-Cycle
The Smart Cycle comes with games that require peddle power.
Photo: Fisher-Price

CES2017 Many of today’s toddlers are addicted to tablets, which means they like to sit around for hours on end playing games and watching videos. Fisher-Price wants to make this activity a little less sedentary with the Think & Learn Smart Cycle.

Unveiled at CES 2017 in Las Vegas this week, it’s a stationary bike for kids with a built-in tablet stand that lets them cram in some much-needed exercise while their little minds remain focused on other things.

Galaxy S8 could use same battery supplier as explosive Note 7

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Galaxy Note 7 that exploded while charging.
The Note 7 was one of last year's big debacles.
Photo: Mr NiBaidu

Samsung threw away millions of dollars and took a hefty PR hit thanks to its exploding Galaxy Note 7, which it wound up recalling at great cost last year.

However, it seems that Samsung’s not ready to give up on the controversial batteries used in the smartphone, but will instead continue using Samsung SDI batteries for its upcoming Galaxy S8 flagship device.

Thunderbolt 3 Dock helps you get the most out of your MacBook Pro

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Screen Shot 2017-01-04 at 14.56.11
Coming soon to a MacBook Pro near you.
Photo: Elgato

CES2017 Accessory maker Elgato unveiled its new Thunderbolt 3 Dock at CES, offering a way for users to connect a pair of 4K displays to their new MacBook Pro, in addition to plenty of other legacy connection options.

Costing $299, it promises to stand in for the plethora of dongles you’ll need as the tech world makes the jump to Thunderbolt 3 and USB-C.

Smart hairbrush tells your iPhone if you’re not brushing properly

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Hairbrush_Key_Visual_1-930x637
You're brushing it wrong!
Photo: Withings/L’Oreal

CES2017 Every year at CES, there’s one gadget that epitomizes the crazier side of Silicon Valley’s “connected tech” smart devices mania.

In 2017, that prize may well belong to Withings and L’Oreal’s newly unveiled smart hairbrush — a device that critiques your hair-brushing technique, then feeds the results back to your smartphone.