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Newsstand - page 140

Selling your old iPhone? Don’t fall for a ‘flawless’ quote

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Want to sell your iPhone? Unless you kept your iPhone 7 shrink-wrapped in the box since the day you got it, it's not
Ready to sell your iPhone? Unless you kept your iPhone 7 shrink-wrapped in the box since the day you got it, it's not "flawless."
Photo: Pavel Kunitsky/Pexels CC

With the price of the next iPhone reportedly clocking in at over $1,000, many people are likely thinking, “It’s time to sell my iPhone.”

If you’re looking to trade in your old iPhone for cash, you’d be crazy not to maximize the money you get. But beware: One of the biggest mistakes people make during an iPhone trade-in is falling for a “flawless” quote.

How to use the Mac’s mysterious startup keyboard combos

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startup keyboard combos
Holding down the right key when you start up your Mac can fix all kinds of problems.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

If your Mac is sick, the first step is to restart it. But did you know that there are several tricks you can perform while your Mac is starting up?

Many of these are advanced Mac diagnostic tools, which shouldn’t be used unless you really know what you’re doing. But some not-so-secret startup keyboard combos will remove a stuck disk (if your Mac is old enough to even have a disk inside), let you boot your Mac from a USB drive, or to turn your entire computer into one big storage disk to connect to another computer.

This waterproof, flexible camera has many uses [Deals]

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Endoscopic Camera
This tough, high res, flexible camera is super useful for home maintenance, car repair, and lots more.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

How many times have you wished you could climb into an engine to see what’s wrong with it? Or wondered what’s clogging your sink? Shrinking down and climbing inside a drain or an engine block is an unpleasant thought. So why not just to send an endoscopic camera in there to scope out the issue?

Here’s how you mod a headphone jack into iPhone 7

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iPhone 7 headphone jack
The best but most difficult iPhone mod to date.
Photo: Strange Parts

Apple won’t be bringing the headphone jack back to iPhone, so if it’s a feature you’re not prepared to lose anytime soon, you’re stuck with the iPhone 6s. Or are you?

One man, who recently built his own iPhone from scratch using components sourced in a Chinese tech market, has figured out a way to install a headphone jack in the iPhone 7. It’s the ultimate mod for music lovers.

How to fix Home button lag on your iPhone

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The iPhone could get a new home button.
Here's how to fix the Home button delay on your iPhone!
Photo: Sam Mills/Cult of Mac

The Home button on your iPhone has multiple purposes — unlocking your iPhone, bringing up the multitasking menu, returning to the home screen, invoking Siri, etc. Such frequent use can take a toll on the Home button’s responsiveness. Although it is designed to last, it can become laggy or less responsive over time. Surprisingly enough, a large number of Home button issues have more to do with the software rather than the actual hardware.

If you notice that your iPhone’s Home button isn’t as responsive as it used to be, here are a few tips you can use to fix the Home button lag.

Name your price for four iOS 11 coding courses [Deals]

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Pay What You Want- The Complete iOS 11 Developer Bundle
This bundle of coding courses covers the gamut for iOS 11. And you can get it for whatever you're willing to pay.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

iOS 11 is about to launch, and it’s going to be a big one. With all manner of updates and entirely new features, it’s going to give developers a lot to work with and a lot to learn. That means it’s time to get studying, coders.

Most Apple fans have no idea what to expect from iPhone 8

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iPhone 8 render
iPhone 8 will be a huge upgrade, but most fans aren't prepared.
Photo: Quinton Theron

If you’ve been keeping up with the iPhone 8 rumors, you’ll know exactly what to expect from Apple’s big refresh this fall. But for the vast majority of fans, the upgrade will come as a huge surprise.

One survey has found that for ordinary iPhone users, the urge to upgrade is no more significant than it has been for previous, more incremental releases.

iPhone becomes a reliable light meter with Lumu Power [Review]

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Lumu Power light meter
Is that an iPhone or a light meter? It's both.
Photo: David Pierini/Cult of Mac

Lumu Power light meter for iPhone

The iPhone democratized photography and disrupted the video and camera industry. Now a new product that plugs into the iPhone’s Lightning port aims to replace an important photographer’s tool — the handheld light meter.

The Lumu Power light meter is a small, plug-in photodiode that looks like a pingpong ball cut in half. The light meter, a product of Lumu Labs from Slovenia, rose out of a Kickstarter campaign in 2015. It’s won favorable reviews from photographers and photo websites as the company works to improve the companion app.

Catch our iPhone 8 event predictions, this week on The CultCast

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CultCast on iPhone 8
It's about time for a big change.
Photo: Johannes Eret

This week on The CultCast: It’s official — Apple’s next iPhone event happens September 12! Tune in to catch our hardware predictions. Plus, we take a look at the leaked iPhone 8 UI, and how the new phone will work without a Home button.

Then we’ll regale you with the story behind the evolution of the Apple logo, and the story you’ve never heard about the purpose of its iconic bite. And stick around for an all-new What We’re Into, where Leander tells us why Game of Thrones has turned into his most despised show!

Eliminate tangled cords with this gadget organizer [Review]

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cord and gadget organizer
The BUBM case corrals the little things in your everyday tech carry.
Photo: David Pierini/Cult of Mac

Best List: BUBM gadget and cord organizer by ATailorBird

Pulling your charging cord from your shoulder bag or backpack can resemble that gag where you think you’re opening a can of peanuts and get surprised by springy snakes. Your bag’s other contents can catch on your cords and fly out.

The BUBM cord and gadget organizing case offers just one surprise. The mundane task of organizing your cords and other small accessories turns out to be fun and satisfying.

Why ARKit will be Apple’s biggest innovation in years

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ARkit
ARKit is going to be a tasty innovation for Apple.
Photo: Alper Guler

From the iPhone 8 to iOS 11, Apple’s got no shortage of big launches coming in the next few weeks. But the one with the biggest long-term potential for Apple is one that Tim Cook says makes him want to “yell out and scream” with excitement.

That product is ARKit, the augmented reality platform Apple unveiled this year at WWDC. Here’s why it’s going to be massively important for Apple.

How to stop your iCloud and Apple ID getting hacked

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don't get hacked
A good password is just the start of good security.
Photo: 1Password

If you have a lame password, then your iCloud account will eventually get hacked. You might not think a hacker is interested in you, but you’re wrong. The good news is that there are several easy steps you can take to lock your Apple ID down and make it safe.

If you don’t think it’s important, consider this: Your photos, your email, all your browsing history, your credit card information, all of the files you have in iCloud, your contacts, notes, calendars, and all your personal messages will all be open to anyone that hacks your account. Not only that, but you can then be impersonated on social media, so that all your other accounts can be hacked too.

This fake iPhone looks so good it almost fooled the experts

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From the back, the fake iPhone looks just like the real thing. (The fake phone is on the right.)
From the back, the fake iPhone looks just like the real thing. (The fake phone is on the right.)
Photo: Gabe Trumbo/MyPhones Unlimited

This fake iPhone looks so impressive that it fooled us for a hot minute. A rose gold iPhone 7 Plus clone, it shines just like the real thing. At first glance, it seems to deliver everything you would expect from a real iPhone: Lightning port, dual rear cameras, even a touch-ready Home button.

In short, this is the highest-quality iPhone clone we’ve ever seen. It’s a surprising indicator of just how good Chinese manufacturers are getting at reproducing Apple products. And it’s also a cautionary tale for anybody looking to buy a used iPhone.

Without a Home button, here’s how the new iPhone 8 UI will work

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iPhone color
iPhone 8 will feature Apple's biggest redesign in years.
Photo: Ben Miller

It’s no secret that Apple is planning to ditch its Home button for the next-gen iPhone 8, but with the exception of how Touch ID will be replaced by facial recognition, very few details have been circulated about how the move will impact the iPhone UI.

A new report may change that, however, by revealing how the removal and replacement of the Home button, which has existed on every iPhone since 2007, will actually work.

How to see which apps are wasting your iPhone battery

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iPhone battery
Which apps are running riot on your iPhone's battery?
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Sometimes an app gets out of control and eats up your battery, even while it doesn’t seem to be active. Once, I had an iPad drained almost completely by a runaway instance of Skype. Or you may have an app that is supposed to run in the background — a synthesizer, or another music app, for example — and you forget you left it running, draining your iPhone battery.

Or perhaps you just want to see how much battery your various apps use. In any of these cases, you can open up a Settings screen that will report which apps have used how much battery, and for how long, over the past day or week. It’s a very handy screen indeed.

Calling all coders: Now’s the time to learn iOS 11 [Deals]

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The Complete iOS 11 & Swift Developer Course- Build 20 Apps
iOS 11 is almost here, so all you coders better get studying.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

iOS 11 is ready to mark yet another major overhaul for Apple users and developers both. Apple has said that iOS 11 will mark the new standard for the operating system, with sweeping tweaks and changes. Whether you’re new to coding or a seasoned pro, it’s time to get studying.

Face value: 7 thoughts about biometrics and the iPhone 8

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Apple will undoubtedly play it smart when it comes to bringing facial recognition to the iPhone 8.
Apple will undoubtedly play it smart when it comes to bringing facial recognition to the iPhone 8.
Photo: Jeshoots/Pixabay CC

By Joey Pritikin

Over the last five years, biometrics has evolved from the stuff of crime scene investigation and science fiction movies to a broad set of technologies that make our lives easier, more personal, and more secure. Starting with the Touch ID sensor in the iPhone 5s, Apple led the way in the acceptance and adoption of biometrics.

The latest indications are that Apple is embracing a face-recognition approach that goes beyond a standard 2D, visible-light sensor. When used in a situation where there are only a handful of approved users, like a consumer mobile device, the promise is great.

Juicy iPhone 8 leaks and a strange twist for Apple car project, on The CultCast

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Apple Car
Why, I just looove our new Apple car, mummy!
Photo: Mario Klingemann/Flickr CC

This week on The CultCast: Even more juicy details leak on iPhone 8, plus a report says Apple’s keynote reveal is right around the corner. Plus: There’s a strange twist in Apple’s autonomous car project; why the 13-inch MacBook Pro might soon get a lot more horsepower; and stick around for an all-new storytime, where we’ll tell you what it’s like inside the eerie darkness of a total solar eclipse.

Best looper apps for iPad and iPhone

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looper apps iPad
You don't need a pedal, or even a guitar, to make amazing music with a looper app.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

A looper is a great musician’s tool, for practice and for making songs. Looper apps are also fantastic fun for anyone who wants to take a crack at creating a tune. Just hit record on a looper app, and make some noise. Then hit the button again, and your recording is played over and over, in a loop.

Then you then build on this, adding more layers. A guitarist can chop out drum beats, then some chords, and play a melody over the loop. A beatboxer can boom, boom, chick and spit into a microphone to build up what the kids call “sick beatz.” And Jimmy Fallon can sing a duet with Billy Joel.

There are many looper apps for iOS. Here are a few of the best.

How the Galaxy Note 8 stacks up against iPhone 8 and iPhone 7

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Galaxy Note 8
Bigger and better than ever before.
Photo: Samsung

Samsung today delivered its new Galaxy Note 8, and it’s bigger and better than ever.

With a stunning 6.3-inch Infinity Display, incredible new features, and the best smartphone specifications available right now, it’s going to prove to be tough competition for Samsung biggest rivals.

So how does the Galaxy Note 8 stack up against iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, and the upcoming iPhone 8? Find out right here.

How to use a USB hub to hook up multiple devices to your iPad

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iPad usb hub
It's a mess, but it all works perfectly.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

You know how the Lightning cable that plugs into your iDevice has a USB plug on the other end? That’s because the Lightning port is a kind of fancy USB port itself. You already know that you can in plug a keyboard, or an audio interface, or a camera, using Apple’s Lightning to USB Camera Adapter. But did you know that you can plug in all of those at once? That’s right — by using a powered USB hub, you can hook up as many accessories as you like to your iPad at once. If you ever use your iPad to work at your desk, with a keyboard, then you can use this tip to build your own iPad docking station.

How to unsubscribe from mailing lists with 3D Touch

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unsubscribe with 3d touch
This method for canceling mail subscriptions doesn't even take one click.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Mail app on iOS has a built-in unsubscribe feature that works great. Just a couple of clicks and Mail will attempt to remove you from unwanted future correspondence. But even that method is slow compared to the no-click unsubscribe method that we’ll share with you today.