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Ditch your old router, Eero is the new king of Wi-Fi routers [Review]

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In a recent survey, Apple's soon-to-disappear AirPort was ranked the most popular Wi-Fi router.
In a recent survey, Apple's soon-to-disappear AirPort was ranked the most popular Wi-Fi router.
Photo: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac

I’ve seen the future of Wi-Fi. It’s called Eero. It comes in a pack of three, costs an arm and a leg, but boy is it worth it.

Eero is a slick system of mesh-connected routers that blanket your whole house in Wi-Fi. Eero promises to eliminate dead spots, make restarts redundant, and offer blazing speeds from the basement to the attic.

In my tests, Eero performs as advertised. After years of Wi-Fiheadaches, and an Apple Time Capsule that barely worked, we now have fast and reliable Wi-Fi all over the house.

How to quickly recover deleted notes on iOS

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Notes-2
Always deleting important notes? Don't worry, we've got you covered.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Notes on iOS is an extremely useful app, and it got more useful with the addition of password protection in iOS 9.3. Keeping bank codes, addresses, passwords and more has never been more secure from outside threats. But that doesn’t mean it’s safe from you.

If you tend to tidy up apps and notes in a rush — as I do — you may end up deleting something you need or want. And if you haven’t finished with that note yet, that becomes a big problem. But it’s one that’s easy to fix.

In this week’s Quick Tips video, I’m going to show you how to recover deleted notes and restore all those personal details you’ve jotted down to their rightful place.

Check the video out below.

The unreal price of old Apple tech and our Best List of the gadgets we covet on The CultCast

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Want to trade your iPod for a sports car?
Want to trade your iPod for a sports car?
Photo: Listener @YSR50

This week, on The CultCast: Apple aims to end music downloads; you can now live stream your aerial drone flights to iDevices worldwide; staggering facts about who’s making money in the app store; creators of Siri demo an even smarter AI; the ridiculous resale value of old Apple tech; and we reveal our Best List of the gadgets we’re currently coveting.

Our thanks to Freshbooks for supporting this episode. FreshBooks is the easy-to-use invoicing software designed to help small business owners get organized, save time invoicing and get paid faster. Get started now with a 30-day free trial.

This might be the geekiest Steve Jobs portrait ever

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A familiar face to Apple fans made from familiar technology.
A familiar face to Apple fans made from familiar technology.
Photo: Jason Mercier

Cult of Mac 2.0 bugApple fans felt a deep sense of mourning in 2011 when Apple founder Steve Jobs succumbed to cancer. With the fifth anniversary of his passing approaching, Cult of Mac looks at the artistic tributes that followed.

Artist Jason Mercier is yet another creative person to use Apple devices — and maybe the only one to literally break them into pieces for his work.

Mercier has made a name for himself around the San Francisco Bay Area by creating mosaics with trash befitting his celebrity subjects. So when his cousin commissioned him to do a portrait of the late Apple founder, Mercier knew he had to construct it with the very products and components Jobs had a hand in creating.

Bubble wrap portrait of Steve Jobs gives new meaning to pop art

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Bradley Hart injects paint into bubble wrap for photo-realistic portraits, like this one of Steve Jobs.
Bradley Hart injects paint into bubble wrap for photo-realistic portraits, like this one of Steve Jobs.
Photo: Deukyun Hwang/Arte Fuse

Cult of Mac 2.0 bugApple fans felt a deep sense of mourning in 2011 when Apple founder Steve Jobs succumbed to cancer. With the fifth anniversary of his passing approaching, Cult of Mac looks at the artistic tributes that followed.

From afar, the colorful portrait of a smiling Steve Jobs looks like a pixilated portrait made with an early digital camera. Get closer and those pixels take on a shape familiar to your thumb and forefinger — bubble wrap.

Jobs would appreciate Bradley Hart’s “Think Different” approach to bubble wrap as well as the hyper-focus attention Hart pays to inject each bubble with a different color of acrylic paint to form a famous face.

Everything you need to build and fix awesome gadgets [Deals]

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iFixit's kit of 64 specialized screwdriver bits will let you fix that device with the proprietary parts.
iFixit's kit of 64 specialized screwdriver bits will let you fix that device with the proprietary parts.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

For all the amazing devices you’ll find in an electronics store these days, it’s nothing compared to the wild DIY imaginations of people who aren’t the CEOs of major tech companies. Is there a machine to feed me breakfast? What about a device that guarantees I make a proper entrance?

No matter what you hare-brained idea, below you’ll find some of the best DIY tools to make it a reality.

Retrain Siri to make better sense of what you say

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Sorry, Alexa: Siri still the most widespread AI assistant
Siri feeling slow? Speed it up with this quick tip!
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Have you ever noticed that Siri understands you less and less as the months go by? The digital assistant works great when you first set it up on a shiny new iPhone, but over time, it has a habit of becoming annoyingly inaccurate.

In this week’s Quick Tips video, I’m going to show you how to retrain Siri. By improving its recognition of your voice, you can make it work just as well as it once did.

Check the video out below.

Steve Jobs left an imprint on tech and the skin of some devoted fans

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Craig Sarich with a Steve Jobs tribute design tattooed on his arm.
Craig Sarich with a Steve Jobs tribute design tattooed on his arm.
Photo: Craig Sarich

Cult of Mac 2.0 bugApple fans felt a deep sense of mourning in 2011 when Apple founder Steve Jobs succumbed to cancer. With the fifth anniversary of his passing approaching, Cult of Mac looks at the artistic tributes that followed.

Nothing grants a person supreme being status like a tattoo. After all, the ink is permanent.

So even if the late Steve Jobs had a well-established legacy as the father of personal computing, some Apple fans felt the need to wear their devotion more deeply.

Backpack built for bikes lets you carry more on two wheels [Reviews]

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Get more out of your commute with one or two of these pannier backpacks.
Get more out of your commute with one or two of these pannier backpacks.
Photo: Rob LeFebvre/Cult of Mac

Best List: Convertible Pannier Backpack by Two Wheel Gear

When I commuted to my office via bicycle a few years back, I had two choices, a backpack or a pannier bag. The backpack usually won out, because who wants to carry around a massive set of bags when they get to the office?

But a backpack can get heavy and sweaty as it sits on my back while I pedal furiously across town to get to work, so I’d end up trying the pannier thing every once in a while, dealing with the awkward carry when I’d arrive.

Two Wheel Gear has a nice compromise, however, a convertible bag that’s made to connect to your rear bike rack, pannier-style, that also converts into a handsome, rugged backpack to easily carry around once you reach your destination.

It’s the best of both worlds, really.

Win It Wednesday: Win 5 years of Adobe Creative Cloud [Deals]

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Get access to the world's most powerful suite of tools for digital creation.
Get access to the world's most powerful suite of tools for digital creation.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

If you use a computer to make content, you’re going to be working with Adobe. The company’s software is key to everything from photography and video editing to website design and digital document drafting. And all these powerful programs are contained within Adobe’s Creative Cloud suite.

Right now you can enter to win five years of free access to this indispensable suite of tools — a $2,999 value! — at Cult of Mac Deals.

How to transfer your iPhone media to Mac (and back again)

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Back up your iPhone to your Mac on the go.
Back up your iPhone to your Mac on the go.
Photo: Rob LeFebvre/Cult of Mac

Want a quick way to move your photos, music and documents from your iPhone to your Mac? What about backing up your iPhone on the go?

iKlips Duo is an innovative little gadget that will do both. It’s a well-made, MFi-certified USB stick that lets you connect to your iPhone (or iPad) via its Lightning port and to your Mac via a USB 3 port. Toss it in your bag and rest assured that you’ve always got a way to get your data off your iOS device.

It’s simple, easy and doesn’t require iTunes or iCloud. Here’s how to transfer your iPhone media to your Mac or PC, and then put it back, if you like, using the iKlips Duo.

iPhone-size power pack will jump-start your car [Reviews]

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JumPack
Give your phone a jump-start with the JumPack.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

JumPack Power Pack CPP 8000 by Cobra

If you’re anything like me, you carry a ton of gadgets. Keeping them all charged is a juggling act and, inevitably, there’s always one device I’ve neglected to keep juiced.

Coming to my rescue though, Cobra sent over a JumPack Power Pack to charge up all my devices. Plus, it comes with an extra trick up its sleeve.

Check out the full video review below.

How watchOS 3 could fix Apple Watch and end ‘wrist rage’

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Does your Apple Watch give you wrist-rage?
Does your Apple Watch give you wrist rage? If so, watchOS 3 might help.
Photo: Graham Bower/Cult of Mac

My biggest gripe with my Apple Watch is not the sluggish hardware, the lack of GPS nor the dependance on my iPhone. These are all problems to be sure. But it is the bad user interface design that often drives me so mad that my force-taps turn into force-thumps of frustration.

With an update to the Apple Watch operating system expected at the Worldwide Developers Conference next month, here’s my top 10 list of interface improvements I’d like to see in the upcoming watchOS 3. These essential changes would spare my wrist from future incidents of wrist rage.

Does Apple Music really need a major revamp? [Friday Night Fights]

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fnf2_720
Is it really so bad?
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple Music’s existing interface is quaking in its boots. In just one month, it could be given its marching orders as Apple looks to make way for a fancy new design that hopes to attract even more subscribers to its streaming service.

FNF-bugBut does Apple Music really need a major revamp?

Some say its user interface is already familiar if you’re a long time iOS user — and even if you’re not, it’s arguably still prettier than those offered by rival streaming services. But others say it’s just not friendly enough, and too tricky to learn.

Join us in this week’s Friday Night Fight between Cult of Android and Cult of Mac as we battle it out over Apple Music’s rumored redesign!

Apple prototype collector in search of rarely seen devices

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A "clear shot" prototype of an Apple Powerbook 140.
Photo: Jonathan Zufi

Cult of Mac 2.0 bugSerious Apple prototype collectors usually know exactly what they are looking for as they try to build a physical timeline of each distinct device ever made. A Holy Grail artifact would be an Apple I. Fewer than 50 are said to exist.

Hap Plain wants the pieces none of us, including him, have ever seen.

He is one of a very select subculture who search the world over for Apple prototypes. Before being polished into the personal computing icons of our lives, Apple computers, iPods, iPhones and other devices start out as crude, unfinished test models so glitches and user experience hangups can be identified and worked out before hitting the market.

Apple Music gets $5 student plan to boost subscriber numbers

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Apple Music
Apple is looking to students to boost its music subscriber numbers.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Apple Music has a not-unimpressive 13 million subscribers right now, but Apple is looking to expand the number of customers willing to spend money on the service by targeting a group that has historically been one of the company’s strongest customer bases: students.

With that in mind, Apple today launched a new Apple Music ‘student’ pricing plan which slashes the per month cost in half ($9.99 down to $4.99 in the United States) for anyone in higher education.

Disable all those pretty (useless) animations to speed up your iPhone

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Your iPhone will feel a lot snappier with this little trick.
Your iPhone will feel a lot snappier with this little trick.
Photo: Rob LeFebvre/Cult of Mac

If you’re still rocking an older iPhone, you might notice that things are starting to feel sluggish when you run the latest iOS 9.3.

If so, there’s a quick trick to speed up your iPhone: simply disable those pretty animations in iOS 9. Your iPhone will feel quite a bit snappier as a result.

Here’s how.

Hack exposes millions of Gmail, Microsoft and Yahoo logins

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Google-Chrome
And some hackers want less than $1 for them.
Photo: Jay Wennington/Unsplash

The usernames and passwords for over 270 million hacked email accounts are being traded on Russia’s black market.

One security expert warns that while most of them are Mail.ru accounts for Russia’s most popular email service, tens of millions of them belong to Gmail, Microsoft, and Yahoo Mail users.

Defend the planet with indie music in Loud on Planet X [Reviews]

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Blast aliens while you dance a little on Planet X.
Blast aliens while you dance a little on Planet X.
Photo: Rob LeFebvre/Cult of Mac

I’ve been smashing aliens with multiple eyes for a good while now, and the fantastic indie-flavored soundtrack of Loud on Planet X has invaded my brain.

A mashup of rhythm games like Rock Band and Guitar Hero with lane-based tower defense games like Plants vs. Zombies, Loud on Planet X will scratch that music game itch, getting you to tap your way to victory while getting to play as your favorite indie band, like Tegan and Sara, CHVRCHES, Lights, Purity Ring, and Little Dragon, just to name a few.

Beige is back with this retro-inspired iMac

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BN-NW128_nostal_M_20160504133006
Yes, that's a brand new iMac in beige.
Photo: ColorWare

The boring beige computers Apple offered all the way up until the late ’90s would never get Jony Ive’s stamp of approval today. But fortunately for those who love retro, Apple’s latest iMac is now available with a beige paint job (and a bigger price tag).

Prague Apple Museum offers intimate look at Steve Jobs

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The Apple Museum in Prague pays homage to innovation and Apple founder Steve Jobs.
The Apple Museum in Prague pays homage to innovation and Apple founder Steve Jobs.
Photo: Apple Museum, Prague

Cult of Mac 2.0 bugHow far would you travel to see a collection of rare Apple devices, or the clothes Steve Jobs’ wore when introducing the iPad to the world?

Hopefully, the Czech Republic is not too far for you.

The newly opened Apple Museum in Prague is home to products and memorabilia from eight different private collectors. Its inventory might make the visitor think he’s strolling through some corporate archive in Cupertino.

App developers: Sharpen your skills with 90% off coding courses [Deals]

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Whether you're a seasoned app developer or still learning, this course in Swift and iOS 9 is for you.
Whether you're a seasoned app developer or still learning, this course in Swift and iOS 9 is for you.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

If you’re working toward app-making mastery, you need to stay on top of the key languages and frameworks for iOS. For first-time coders and seasoned developers alike, we’ve got three kick-ass courses offering hands-on experience with Xcode, Swift and Objective-C, plus other fundamentals that will hone your chops and up your marketability.

Oh, and another thing — each of these courses is discounted by at least 90 percent.

Apple Online Store gets new accessibility section

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Screen Shot 2016-05-05 at 14.41.26
You can now get your accessibility gadgets from Apple.
Photo: Apple

Apple has added a new section to its online store where shoppers can find a range of accessibility gadgets. It is split up into vision, physical and motor skills, and learning and literacy categories, and features products for Mac, iPhone, and iPad.