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Google slapped with $5 billion fine for Android tactics

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Android P has a similar swipe-based navigation system as the iPhone X, and it supports screen cutouts.
Google's been sneaky, the EU claims.
Photo: Google

Update: The European Commission has confirmed the fine, while also ordering Google make changes to rectify the problem.

Google is bracing itself to be hit with a 4.3 billion euro ($5 billion) fine as a result of its Android operating system strategy, the BBC reports.

The European Commission’s action will mark the conclusion of a three-year investigation into Android’s strategy, which unfairly strengths Google’s dominance as a search engine. The fine will be formally announced later today.

Samsung predictably takes shots at iPhone X in latest Galaxy S9 ad

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Galaxy S9
Seriously, get a new ad strategy!
Photo: Samsung

Apple is known for strikingly original ads which have changed the course of advertising history, and are studied by creatives decades after they first aired. Samsung is known for ads that rip on Apple.

Its latest spot, which pokes fun at the supposedly slow download speeds of the iPhone X, is just the latest example. Check it out below.

9 things you didn’t know about Apple’s new Seattle store

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A look inside Apple's new store.
The Seattle store focuses on education.
Photo: Steve Ringman/Seattle Times

Chamfered edges. Hidden gardens. Bathroom secrets. Apple’s new Seattle store has it all, according to The CultCast host Erfon Elijah.

He recently made a journey to the new store and was blown away by the features that make it a place you want to hang out in. Be ready to be impressed with his video tour!

Samsung’s new RAM chip will make future iPhones even faster

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A nw type of Samsung RAM is significantly faster than what's in the iPhone today.
A nw type of Samsung RAM is significantly faster than what's in the iPhone today.
Photo: Samsung

Samsung developed a type of RAM that’s 1.5 times faster than what’s included in smartphones today. And, even though Apple and Samsung are arch rivals, it’s very likely to be in iPhone someday.

The new 8Gb LPDDR5 DRAM boasts a data rate of up to 6,400 Mbps. That’s fast enough to send 51.2 GB, or about 14 full-HD video files, in a second.

Sharecuts will be the place to swap Siri Shortcuts

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Sharecuts
Control your smart home devices with Siri Shortcuts.
Photo: Apple

Siri users looking forward to a new app called Shortcuts will have a place called Sharecuts to suggest and swamp custom voice commands for the Apple-based digital assistant.

Sharecuts creator, Guilherme Rambo, wanted to build a website where people could share shortcuts and suggest ways for fine-tune existing ones. It is currently a black-and-white page, but will be more colorful and robust by the time Shortcuts comes out this fall with the launch of iOS 12.

mophie battery packs ease iPhone, iPad charging with Lightning ports and connectors

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mophie's iPad and iPhone batteries include Lightning ports.
mophie's new iPad and iPhone batteries include Lightning ports, and come in a range of capacities and colors.
Photo: mophie

Accessory-maker mophie launched a family of external batteries designed specifically for iPhone and iPad. They’re among the first to be charged through a Lightning port. Even better, some models have a built-in Lightning cable, and one includes wireless charging.

Apple approves of these new powerstation products so much they are available  exclusively at Apple Stores and Apple.com.

iPhone gains on Android in U.S. smartphone activations

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Samsung
Apple and Samsung are the only ones dominating the market.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Apple gained ground on its Android competition in the U.S. last quarter when it comes to smartphone activations.

The iPhone accounted for 36 percent of total smartphone activations from April to June, an increase from 30 percent from the same quarter last year. Best of all, Apple’s gains meant Samsung lost market share.

Secret ingredient in new MacBook Pro? Glue. Lots and lots of glue

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A look inside the 2018 MacBook Pro finds lots of bad news, but some good too.
A look inside the 2018 MacBook Pro finds plenty of bad news, but some good too.
Photo: IFIXIT

Apple makes no attempt to have MacBook Pro models easy to repair. The ones released just a few days ago are no exception. We all have to hope that the redesigned key mechanism fixes the previous problems because the keyboard is solidly glued to the battery and speakers. And that’s just the most obvious way that Apple frustrates the do-it-yourself crowd.

But the news isn’t all bad. At least one version of the 2018 MacBook Pro boasts a major battery improvement.

Pocket-sized breath analyzer promises to hack your metabolism

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Lumen
Lumen is a breath analyzer that tells if you're burning fat or carbs.
Photo: Lumen

Figuring out the perfect weight-loss diet might soon become as easy as breathing into a tiny breath analyzer.

Lumen, a digital health and wellness company, revealed its debut product that connects a pocket-sized breathalyzer to your iPhone to see measure your metabolism. The app delivers personalized workouts and meal plans to help you drop pounds in a sustainable way.

Check it out in action:

Ghostek Rapture headphones bring expensive sound at affordable price [Review]

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Ghostek Rapture Bluetooth headphones pack a premium look and feel.
Ghostek's Rapture Bluetooth headphones pack a premium look and feel.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Brooklyn brand Ghostek manufactures some really interesting phone cases, backpacks, speakers and headphones. One of its latest offerings, the Ghostek Rapture Bluetooth headphones, are some of the first to hit the market with graphene drivers.

These lightweight on-ear headphones come in at just $125 (or $99 if you pick them up on Prime Day) but sound a lot better than any other wireless headphones I’ve tried at that price point. Check out my full review below.

Best add-on lenses for your iPhone

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Add-on lens feature image
iPhone add-on lenses are a bonus for iPhonographers who crave creative variety from their iPhone cameras.
Photo: Amir

For a huge percentage of mobile photographers — from amateur snappers to creative artists — the iPhone is the camera you always have with you. Every iPhone packs an undeniably great camera. But, as with DSLRs or mirrorless cams, the more you shoot, the more variety you crave.

Swapping out lenses at will helps you create a vast mélange of visual adventures with your iPhone. Our roundup of the best iPhone lenses shows you how to find the right external lens or lens kit for your needs.

Here’s how Apple execs stack up with their Memojis

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Memoji
From corporate to cartoon, these Apple execs gave themselves Memoji facials.
Photo: Apple

Jony Ive went for that Wanted Poster look for his executive profile picture, but now he looks like an adorable puppy — thanks to Memoji makeovers of Apple execs.

Never has the leadership page on Apple’s website been so fun to peruse as today, when executives used the new Memoji feature in iOS 12 to create the cartoonish avatars to celebrate World Emoji Day.

Microsoft Edge for iOS to get visual search and more

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Microsoft Edge on iPhone
Microsoft Edge makes search even easier.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Microsoft knows that Edge is nowhere near as popular as its rivals, but it has no plans to stop making its browser as good as can be. Its next big update will give those on iOS the ability to search by snapping photos, plus other helpful new features.

Apple seeds iOS 12 beta 4 to developers

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Photos app
The new and improved Photos app on iOS 12.
Photo: Apple

A fresh new version of iOS 12 is waiting for developers to download, bringing with it a fresh batch of fixes and some UI tweaks.

Apple released iOS 12 beta 4 this morning for both iPhone and iPad. The update arrived exactly two weeks after Apple dropped the last beta, which added more detailed Map data along with other improvements.

Apple wants to embed stretchable displays in your clothes

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One of Apple's stretchable displays could be built into your sleeve.
One of Apple's stretchable displays could be built into your sleeve and function as an external screen for your iPhone.
Photo: Apple

It sounds like science fiction, but Apple has created a method for making stretchable displays. This means that, instead of your computer being in your pocket or on your wrist, it could be made into your shirt.

Phones with flexible displays are expected in the next year or so, but these are just intended to be foldable. The screen Apple is just received a patent for could be wadded up into a ball.

Dedicated Apple fan creates needlework Mac masterpieces

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Glenda Adams
And you thought your old Macs loaded slowly!
Photo: Glenda Adams

So you’ve got your perfect Apple geek room: Steve Jobs biographies on the bookshelves, iMac Pro on your desk, and maybe a couple of rare vintage Macs locked in a display cabinet.

Looking for something for the wall? Look no further than the work of Glenda Adams. A long-time Apple fan, she’s been busy creating miniature needlework masterpieces modeled after classic Apple interfaces. And, man, are they awesome!

Ex-employee accused of stealing Apple Car plans pleads not guilty

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Apple Car might be coming, but will it be special?
Xiaolang Zhang is being charged with stealing trade secrets.
Photo: Aristomenis Tsirbas/Freelancer

The former Apple employee arrested for allegedly stealing plans for the Apple Car has pleaded not guilty to his charge.

Xiaolang Zhang was indicted on one single charge of trade secret theft. He’s accused of stealing a 25-page blueprint for a circuit board for Apple’s autonomous vehicle.

Apple App Store revenue almost double that of Google Play

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iPhone App Store
Apple's redesign of the App Store with iOS 11 probably helped increase software downloads and revenue.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

In the battle of the mobile software stores, Apple has a huge lead. Consumers spending in the iOS App Store during the first half of this year was almost double that of rival Google Play.

But there’s good news for both companies, as each experienced solid year-over-year growth. 

Apple seeds fourth macOS Mojave beta to developers

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macOs Mojave
macOS Mojave's dynamic wallpapers are gorgeous.
Photo: Apple

The fourth beta of macOS Mojave is already here after Apple seeded a new update of the upcoming Mac update to developers this morning.

macOS Mojave is the first of Apple’s big 2018 software updates to get a fourth beta build. The company came out with iOS 12 beta 3 and macOS Mojave beta 3 less than two weeks ago, but some fresh fixes for the Mojave build is already here.