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Apple willing to go to court to clear up ‘misunderstanding’ in France

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App Store
France isn't happy about the App Store.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple has responded to the French government’s plans to take it to court over what French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire calls its “abusive trade practices.”

While the French government is critical of Apple for taking a non-negotiable cut of the profits from developers who use its App Store platform, Apple has taken the opportunity to remind everyone of just how good its “app economy” has been for many devs.

Google Lens lets iPhones identify books, flowers, more

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Google Lens in action
Google Lens can pull the contact information out of a business card.
Photo: Google

The image-identification technology in Google Photos is now in the iOS version of this software. Google Lens can find objects and text in pictures and then provide more information. For example, by examining a photo of a business card, the artificial intelligence can pull out all the contact information.

Stylish, portable Pod Pro keeps Apple Watch ready to go [Watch Store]

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nomad
The Pod Pro charges Apple Watch and iPhone simultaneously. Nomad Rugged Strap with Black hardware shown above.
Photo: Nomad

Charging the Apple Watch while traveling can be a little tricky. Generally, I lug along a super-long charging cable and a wall plug to get the job done when on holiday.

Nomad — makers of great Apple Watch straps and accessories — offers a stylish and super-portable charging solution called the Pod Pro. The Pod Pro wraps that lengthy charging cable neatly inside a stylish, round enclosure that also holds a massive 6000 mAh of power — enough to keep Apple Watch juiced up all weekend long.

Read on to learn more about this amazing, portable charging puck, and check out the Pod Pro in our Watch Store!

GrayKey iPhone unlocker could be a black market goldmine

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GrayKey can bypass iPhone security
GrayKey can bypass iPhone security. It’s supposed to be only for police but...
Photo: Ed Hardy/ Cult of Mac

More details have come to light about the GrayKey iPhone unlocker, and it turns out it’s even more likely to fall into the wrong hands than first thought.

This tool is very expensive, and is intended for use only by law enforcement, but stolen units could someday be available on the black market where they would be a goldmine for identity thieves.

Pro Tip: One-tap scroll back to the bottom of the camera roll

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scroll photos
Ever scroll to the top of your photos by mistake? Don't worry.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Pro Tip Cult of Mac bug Ever tap the top of the screen in your Photos library and find yourself looking at pictures from way back in 2005? Did you swipe something the wrong way and end up stranded, viewing photos from years ago?

You probably sighed to yourself, then set to scrolling back to the bottom of the list to get to your latest photos. Big, angry swipes, just to show your iPhone how mad you were.

Well, after today, you’ll never need to to that again, because there’s a shortcut to scroll back to the very bottom of your Photos camera roll.

iPhone could double as driver’s license

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Sample mDL
One state is testing replacing drivers licenses with a mDL app.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

iPhones already replace credit cards, and a pilot program is exploring the next logical step: a digital drivers licence.

Delaware just began testing a mobile driver license (mDL) with some state residents, checking if a smartphone application can be kept secure while offering real advantages over plastic cards.

Samsung’s true Face ID rival won’t arrive until 2019

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Face ID
Face ID maps your face with 30,000 infrared dots.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple’s huge lead over Samsung in mobile facial recognition won’t be threatened anytime this year.

Samsung is supposedly working on adding a 3D mapping facial recognition sensor to its next flagship smartphone, but according to a report from Asia, the supplier won’t have it ready until 2019.

How to keep your kids safe on the App Store

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Parental Controls
Parental Control.
Photo: Alisha Vargas/Flickr CC

Kids love iPhones and iPad, but kids are also experts at doing the exact opposite of what you want them to do. That’s why Apple has built parental controls into iOS, so you can limit the mischief your kids can get up to, and even get notifications if they try to spend your money. Let’s see how you can make the App Store safe for your kids, how to choose what apps they can use, and how to control their in-app purchases.

New Logitech gaming speaker brings light show to your desktop

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Logitech G560 PC Gaming Speaker
The Logitech G560 speaker adds a new dimension to audio for gamers: color.
Photo: Logitech

Logitech’s new speaker system adds a new dimension to gaming: color. LEDs hidden in the front and back of the speaker bathe your desktop and the wall behind your computer in light.

That’s fine for making your room look like a disco palace while listening to music. But it’s really designed to make video games more immersive.

Intel redesigns processors to eliminate massive flaws

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Intel eighth-gen
Is Apple working on new Mac chips in Washington County?
Photo: Intel

Intel has redesigned its processors to help eliminate the Meltdown and Spectre flaws once and for all.

Its eighth-generation Core and Xeon chips use protection through partitioning, along with the latest software patches, to kill all three variants of the bug. Intel CEO Brian Krzanich warns, however, that “there is still work to do” to ensure users stay protected.

Spotify skips Siri with new voice command feature

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Spotify
You won't have to listen to music you don't like.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Music service Spotify has added a voice search feature to its iOS app that allows users to find song tracks, albums, and playlists.

The new test feature takes Siri out of the equation. With Apple trying to grow its music streaming service, it never allowed Spotify to integrate with Siri, including with Apple’s first smart speaker, HomePod.

Apple’s new ‘Families’ page puts parental controls in one place

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parental controls
Apple is responding to concerns from investors and the general public.
Photo: Apple

Responding to concerns about smartphone addiction among younger users, Apple rolled out a new “Families” page to describe the parental controls and safety features currently available on the company’s devices.

The page reveals how parents can track their kids’ location, monitor purchases, and filter what their children can see on their devices. It also reviews Apple’s privacy and health-related features, along with sharing among family members, and Apple’s focus on education.

Score 3TB of super-secure cloud storage [Deals]

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Get a massive amount of encrypted cloud storage for less than a penny a gigabyte.
Get a massive amount of encrypted cloud storage for less than a penny a gigabyte.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

The amount of data we use on a daily basis is a lot bigger than it used to be. Personal media like movies, music and photos alone can take up gigs upon gigs of digital space. If you create content like digital video, the numbers get even bigger.

Apple’s acquisition of Shazam now in the hands of antitrust regulators

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Shazam iPhone
Apple must wait for EU approval.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Apple has formerly requested approval for its Shazam acquisition from the European Commission.

EU antitrust regulators confirmed last month that they had launched an investigation into the deal following concerns from seven European countries. Apple will get a decision next month, but it may not be final.

Falling iPhone X demand means Apple suppliers are suffering

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iphone x
iPhone X sales may not have been quite what Apple hoped for.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Disappointing iPhone X demand is singled out as one major reason why the revenue of major Taiwanese manufacturers declined year-on-year in February.

Combined sales for nine Apple suppliers fell 4.8 percent in February, representing a two-year low. This is reportedly linked to Apple slashing iPhone X orders in half for the January through March period, although some suggest that actual demand could be even lower than that.

Oddmar is a Viking-themed platformer from the makers of Leo’s Fortune

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Oddmar
Could this be one of the year's best iOS games?
Photo: Senri & Mobge

The makers of the excellent 2014 game Leo’s Fortune are back with a new action platformer, and this time they’re shifting their their focus from the cartoony world of Leo, which looked like it came straight out of a Pixar movie, to something based on Viking and Norse mythology.

While the game won’t arrive until later this spring, the developers just dropped a trailer for Oddmar — and it looks kind of awesome, with all the graphical gorgeousness we’d expect. Check it out below.

Best List: This clever car cam from Owl keeps an eye on your wheels [Review]

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Owl car cam
The Owl car cam is a combo dashcam and interior security camera.
Photo: Lyle Kahney/Cult of Mac

I live in San Francisco where car crime in epidemic. Last year there were just under 30,000 reported break-ins — that’s about 85 a day! My car in particular seems to be a magnet for car thieves; it’s been broken into five times in the last couple of years, costing me thousands of dollars in repairs.

So I jumped at the chance to review the new Owl car cam, a combination dashboard cam and interior security device from one of the product design leads of the iPod and iPhone. The Owl combines two HD cameras — one pointing out, the other inwards — with bump-sensing accelerometers and an always-on LTE cellphone connection that sends alerts and live video to my iPhone.

It’s been great. Setup was the easiest of any gadget in recent memory and the video is surprisingly fantastic. Best of all, no one has broken in to steal it — yet!

iPhone manufacturer accused of using unauthorized parts

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iPhone 8
Incident allegedly occurred at a factory manufacturing iPhone 8 Plus models.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple has reportedly suspended production at one of its iPhone manufacturing plants in China as the result of the use of unauthorized components.

The story concerns a Wistron plant in Kunshan, China, where the iPhone 8 Plus is manufactured. Production has allegedly been suspended for two weeks, although Wistron insists that this is not true and that, “operations remain completely normal.”

The iconic Speidel Twist-O-Flex bracelet for Apple Watch [Review]

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speidel
Speidel's classic Twist-O-Flex bracelet is now available in Satin Black for Apple Watch.
Photo: Speidel

Best List: Speidel Twist-O-Flex stainless steel Apple Watch band

My grandfather, who fought in World War II, wore a beautiful mechanical watch. It had an eye-catching expansion band — a stainless steel link bracelet that stretched like elastic. He always took it off to play cricket, and I remember it dangled loosely around my skinny kid’s wrist when I tried it on. He loved that watch, and so did I.

Now I’m wearing a similar expansion bracelet on my Apple Watch courtesy of Speidel, the storied watch-band maker from Providence, Rhode Island. Introduced in the late 1950s, Speidel’s Twist-O-Flex Stainless bracelets are some of the most iconic bands in all of watchmaking. Now they’re available in three finishes for the Apple Watch.

6 awesome videos show off iMac Pro’s impressive power

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iMac Pro demo video
Erin Sarofsky created this video on an iMac Pro.
Photo: Apple

Apple asked six filmmakers to create short videos that highlight the cababilities of the recently-released iMac Pro. The results debuted today: trippy, abstract films that are mesmerizing to watch.

All are quite short (under 30 seconds) and include a quick plug for the computer, and so could be turned into advertisements, either online on TV.

Twitter is working to steal one of Snapchat’s best features

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Periscope-for-Twitter-iOS
Twitter is pivoting to video.
Photo: Twitter

A major redesign of Twitter’s mobile app is rumored to be underway and it could spell bad news for Snapchat.

Rumors of Twitter’s camera-focused redesign have been swirling for months, but according to a new report, the redesign will also steal one of Snapchat’s best location-based features.