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Twitter redesign doubles down on news

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Twitter
Twitter is going to show you lots of news, all through the app. Hopefully that's what you want.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

A Twitter redesign will put breaking news and sports events at the top of your timeline. Expect updated iOS and Android apps to emphasize current happenings over casual chat.

Apparently being brushed under the rug are pictures of your cat. Twitter seems to want people to be consumers of Tweets, not creators.

Apple commits to blocking iPhone unlockers used by police

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GrayKey can bypass iPhone security
Apple has publicly committed to blocking iPhone unlocking tools, even though these are often used by law enforcement.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

It’s official: Apple will implement an iOS feature designed to block iPhone unlocking tools that use the Lightning port. The company spoke publicly today about its plans for the first time.

The move is controversial because law enforcement uses these unlocking tools to access iPhone units involved in criminal investigations.

Hilde Lysiak’s amazing real-life girl-detective story coming to Apple TV

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A show about girl reporter Hilde Lysiak is coming to Apple TV.
Girl reporter Hilde Lysiak solved a murder when she was 9 years old. What have you done today?
Photo: Scholastic

Ever since the days of Nancy Drew, girl detectives have been a staple of young adult fiction. But Hilde Lysiak is the real deal: at 9 years old, she solved a murder.

Apple purchased the TV rights to her story, and will turn it into a 10-episode series. The show, which is as-yet untitled, will be a mystery drama.

Turn to-dos into lasting habits with Streaks [50 Essential iOS Apps #25]

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Streaks app completing tasks
Streaks turns your to-do list into a game of success.
Photo: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac

50 Essential iOS Apps: StreaksTo-do lists can be incredibly useful for getting tasks done on time and staying on top of ongoing projects. Unfortunately for some, it’s a source of procrastination, with no reward for keeping up with your daily (or weekly tasks). The Streaks app gamifies your recurring tasks and helps create good habits (or break bad habits) quickly and easily.

2018 iPhone lineup will bring even faster charging

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Belkin-Boost-Up-Dual
Topping up your iPhone could be faster than ever this fall.
Photo: Belkin

The 2018 iPhone lineup will pack improved charging technologies to make topping up faster than ever, according to a new report.

Apple might team up with new suppliers who can provide higher-powered charging components. The upgrade should finally allow the iPhone to compete with its Android rivals when it comes to charging speed.

Enter the Adobe dojo to master Photoshop, InDesign and more [Deals]

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Learn the ins and outs of Adobe's entire Creative Cloud app suite with this loaded lesson bundle.
Learn the ins and outs of Adobe's entire Creative Cloud app suite with this loaded lesson bundle.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Want to work with digital photos or graphic design? You’ve got to deal with Adobe. Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, and the rest of the Creative Cloud apps are industry standards that need no introduction.

But if you need to get more familiar with how any of Adobe CC works, this training bundle is for you. And right now it’s available at a massive 95 percent discount.

Galaxy Note 9 battery life could put iPhone X to shame

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Galaxy Note 8
Last year's Galaxy Note 8 was actually a pretty great phone.
Photo: Samsung

Right now, the iPhone X is pretty much the king of the smartphone world. However, in its never-ending quest to surpass Apple, Samsung is reportedly focusing heavily on battery life for its upcoming Galaxy Note 9.

According to a reliable Samsung leaker, the forthcoming Note 9 will boast a monster 4,000mAh battery. The iPhone X’s by comparison? A mere 2,716 mAh.

Apple Support app for iOS hits 20 new countries

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Apple Support
The Apple Support app makes it easy to get help on iOS.
Photo: Apple

The official Apple Support app for iOS has expanded its reach to 20 new countries and regions.

Free to download, the app provides users with technical support for Mac, iOS, and other Apple devices. It also provides the option to call, chat, or email an Apple Support representative.

Apple Pay’s ‘Lose your wallet’ promotion hits the Big Apple

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Lose Your Wallet
Apple has some great deals for New Yorkers.
Photo: Apple

Do you live (or plan to visit) New York? Use Apple Pay? If so, you may be interested to know about Apple’s latest “Lose your wallet” promotion, designed to drum up interest in its mobile payments service.

The promotion promises customers a range of exclusive discounts in New York neighborhoods including Greenwich Village, Nolita, Park Slope, and Williamsburg. Here’s some of the offers you can take advantage of:

Murder trial delayed for ‘unprecedented, critical’ Apple Watch evidence

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Apple Watch alerts user of irregular heart rhythms in sleep
Apple Watch heart rate monitor could help change the course of a murder investigation.
Photo: Apple

An Australian murder trial has been pushed back to January 2019 so that prosecutors can seek expert analysis of “unprecedented, critical evidence” taken from an Apple Watch worn at the time of the event.

As we’ve noted before, the Apple Watch has become a central piece of evidence in the Myrna Nilsson murder case because it appears to contradict testimony about the point at which the death took place.

Neural networks make Google Translate app smarter, more accurate while offline

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Google Translate is now better, even offline
On-device learning should make the Google Translate app much better at its job.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Neural machine translation (NMT) has made the online version of Google Translate more accurate for years. Today, this AI feature was added to the iOS and Android apps so it can be used offline.

NTM allows the software to learn over time to create better, more natural translations. And this function is available while traveling without a local data plan.

Verizon, T-Mobile offer best 4G LTE speeds, but AT&T, Sprint not so much

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Best 4G
Wireless data performance is very important for your iPhone. Getting the best LTE speed is as important as having the fastest processor.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Verizon offers the fastest 4G LTE performance across the U.S., with Big Red coming in first in five of the six regions in a new nationwide study of wireless data speeds. 

T-Mobile is not too far behind. It actually boasts the best LTE speed in the Southeast region, and sits in second place in all the rest.

Apple adds another talented exec to its growing Worldwide Video team

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apple tv
Apple's TV plans are coming together.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Apple still has yet to debut any of its new crop of original drama shows, but in the meantime it is continuing to stock its Worldwide Video team with talented execs.

The latest hiring is former Viacom and Broadway Video (the media company led by Saturday Night Live creator Lorne Michaels) vice president Kelly Costello. She joins Apple as its new video-related business affairs executive.

Microsoft Office 2019 for Mac previews improved inking features and more

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Focus Mode in Word from Office 2019 for Mac
Among the new features in Office 2019 for Mac is Focus Mode in Word.
Photo: Microsoft

Microsoft just introduced the commercial preview of Office 2019 for Mac, with the full release scheduled for the second half of this year. 

New features include a roaming pencil case and ribbon customizations in all these Office apps. There’s a focus mode coming in Word, while Excel is getting new charts and functions, including CONCAT, TEXTJOIN, IFS, and SWITCH.

Apple bans apps from selling your friends’ contact info

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How to remove suggested contacts on iPhone and iPad
Apple is clamping down on privacy issues.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

iOS app that misuse iPhone owners’ contact data for their own gain are about to get slammed with the ban hammer.

Apple revealed a number of new ways it’s trying to protect users’ privacy at WWDC 2018, but one major change that wasn’t mentioned on stage could have huge ramifications for companies that try to profit off your iPhone’s contact information.

Instagram Stories turns pretty pictures into buying opportunities

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InstagramCloseiPhone
Instagram is starting to feel like a giant advertisement.
Photo: Stephen Smith/Cult of Mac

Your favorite Instagram Story feeds are about to get invaded by more advertisements.

The photo-sharing social network revealed today that it is expanding its shopping features beyond the regular feed and will start letting users share shopping advertisements in their Stories.

Want World Cup results? Just ask Siri

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Siri
Siri stands ready to answer your World Cup questions.
Photo: Apple

The 2018 World Cup will be loaded with one-name football stars: Ronaldo, Messi, Isco, Neymar and, new to the lineup, Siri.

Apple’s voice-directed digital assistant will keep tabs on the World Cup schedule, scores and stats across all devices thanks to updates to sports support for users in Brazil, Denmark, Finland, Malaysia, Turkey, Thailand, Israel, Saudi Arabia and host Russia. Sports support now comes to Siri users in 35 countries.

MacBook Pro 2017 suffers from SSD/logic board problem

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MacBook Pro without a Touch Bar
If the SDD in a 2017 MacBook Pro fails, the logic board needs to be replaced, and vice versa.
Photo: Apple

The 13-inch Touch Bar-less MacBook Pro 2017 has a problem that requires the solid state drive and the logic board to be replaced if either one fails. 

This warning comes from Apple, who notified its stores and authorized repair providers of the issue.

Leather case gives iPhone X a racing stripe and a vintage vibe [Review]

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Sena Racer review: An iPhone X case with a vintage rock 'n' roll and hot rod vibe.
If you want to give your iPhone X a vintage vibe strap it into a Sena Racer case.
Photo: Lewis Wallace/Cult of Mac

Best List: Racer iPhone X case by Sena

Even someone who doesn’t suffer from a Jony Ive-style obsession with slimness wants an iPhone case with style. The Sena Racer — a leather iPhone X case with a rad racing stripe running up its back — adds bulk for sure. But its pleasantly puffy profile throws off a vintage ’70s vibe that looks killer and feels good in your hand.

It offers protection, sure. But, more importantly, it makes your iPhone stand out in a sea of svelte sameness.

macOS Mojave adds support for HTC Vive Pro VR headset

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Mojave
macOS Mojave makes VR easier than ever on Mac.
Photo: Apple

Who says Macs can’t do virtual reality? When macOS Mojave rolls out this fall, it will include plug-and-play support for HTC’s latest Vive Pro VR headset.

Apple has been working closely with HTC and Valve to make this possible. Vive Pro support isn’t yet available with the first macOS Mojave beta, but it is expected to be made available to developers and testers in a future beta release.

Why Apple Watch Series 4 will probably get better GPS

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New running features coming in watchOS 5 are all about pace -- the Achilles' heel of Apple Watch.
New running features coming in watchOS 5 are all about pace -- the Achilles' heel of Apple Watch.
Photo: Graham Bower/Cult of Mac

Apple took the wraps off watchOS 5 last week at WWDC, revealing loads of new features that we can look forward to this fall. Among them were some big improvements for runners: Cadence, Rolling Mile Pace and Custom Pace Alerts.

What I find most exciting about these new features is that I think they hint at a much-needed hardware upgrade coming in Apple Watch Series 4, which is expected to debut this fall. Here’s why.