ecobee Switch+ works with HomeKit and Alexa. Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
ecobee began taking pre-orders for the Switch+ today. This smart-home light switch includes HomeKit support so it can be remotely controlled with an iPhone.
But it goes beyond that: with Amazon’s Alexa built in, this wall switch acts as a smart speaker all on its own.
An 11-inch iPad would fit between the company’s current 12.9- and 10.5-inch models. Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
Apple continues to improve the iPad Pro design, with a nearly bezel-less version reportedly in development. This could mean an 11-inch iPad the same overall size as the company’s current 10.5-inch tablet.
This will supposedly be the first iPad with Apple’s Face ID as the technology expands beyond the iPhone X.
Fitbit Versa is likely to become a top competitor for Apple Watch. Photo: Fitbit
Fitbit is stepping up to compete better with the Apple Watch with the Versa smartwatch. The new wearable looks similar to Apple’s watch, and offers music playback and other capabilities. Plus, it arrives at a lower price point — just under $200.
Imagine how professional you'll look with this on your desk. Photo: Blue Designs
Podcasters, musicians, and haters of annoying noises rejoice. Blue Designs has come up with the Compass, a microphone boom that keeps your mic fixed right over your desk, your computer, your countertop, or even your ghetto ironing-board podcasting desk. Paired with Blue’s Radius shock mount, you need never worry about mic noise ever again.
YouTube’s dark mode, introduced just under a year ago, has finally landed on iPhone and iPad. It was the most requested feature among mobile users, YouTube says — and it makes late-night video binges even more enjoyable.
Dashlane's great Security Dashboard is one of the reasons it's our official password manager. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
Venturing online can be like an urban safari into the sketchiest, most crime-ridden part of town. The internet is full of scumbags, scalawags and scambots.
That’s why it’s absolutely essential that you use good, strong passwords. And that means you need a good password manager. This is non-debatable. If you do anything at all online — shop, bank or socialize — you need a good password manager. Here at Cult of Mac, we use Dashlane. And in this video, I’ll tell you why.
WWDC 2018 is coming to San Jose, California. Here's how to take your shot at getting tickets to the exclusive event. Photo: Apple
Apple will kick off its 29th annual Worldwide Developers Conference on June 4.
The week-long event, which will offer the first previews of Apple’s next big software updates, will again be held in the McEnery Convention Center in San Jose. Developers can register for tickets starting today until 10 a.m. on March 22.
Rotated and flipped, like an iPhone video. Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac
Did you ever shoot a video and have it come out sideways? Maybe you were holding you iPhone at an angle and it got a little confused as to which way was up? Or perhaps you started shooting in portrait orientation, and quickly corrected to landscape, but then the entire video ends up being sideways? Then you need to know how to rotate video and set things right. The good new is, it’s easy.
Google Assistant now runs on iPad, including side-by-side with Google Calendar. Image: Google
Anyone wanting to try out Google’s rival to Siri can now do so on their iPad: A version of the Google Assistant optimized for iOS tablets just debuted.
With the press of a button, the application will answer questions and retrieve information from the internet, but that’s just the start.
Use segments to log your rest intervals doing HIIT workouts Photo: Graham Bower/Cult of Mac
Are you taking full advantage of all the neat new features in your shiny Series 3 Apple Watch? Cellular connectivity grabbed the headlines, but that isn’t the only hardware addition Cupertino managed to cram into a wearable that was already bristling with sensors.
Apple Watch Series 3 models also boast a barometric altimeter. If you think you don’t need one of those, think again. The altimeter makes Series 3 watches the ideal companion for hill workouts. That’s a type of training you really should be doing but probably aren’t.
According to new lawsuit, airports are searching phones on some flights. Photo: Apple
We’re all used to our bags being searched when we go through airport security, but a number of reports claim that the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is also searching the electronic devices belonging to passengers on domestic flights within the U.S.
As a result, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has filed a lawsuit against the TSA, requesting records gathered by the fderal agency.
While you’re impatiently waiting to get yours, you’re probably asking lots of questions about how the preview will work, and what the game will be like on mobile. Who will get invites first? How will it handle cross-platform play with PlayStation 4 and PC? Can you use a wireless controller?
Here’s everything you need to know so far about Fortnite on iOS.
Get the most out of your Mac with this diverse bundle of 10 top-shelf apps. Photo: Cult of Mac Deals
Your Mac is a mighty machine, but it’s only as useful as the apps you install. With all the software out there to choose from, it can be hard to know where to start, and even harder to look at the price tag. So this bundle of 10 top notch apps is well worth checking out.
Apple's reputation has taken a hit, this survey suggests. Photo: Lyle Kahney/Cult of Mac
Apple’s reputation has taken a hit over the last year, suggests the latest annual Harris Poll Reputation Quotient poll, which shows Apple toppling from fifth place in 2017 to 29th place today.
The poll, which has been carried out every year since 1999, surveyed 25,800 U.S. adults from December through January on the reputations of the “most visible” corporate brands in the world. Amazon held onto the no. 1 spot, which it has held every year for the past five years, with the exception of falling to no. 2 in 2015.
MFi-approved adapters are on the way. Photo: Apple
Apple has given third-party accessory-makers the go-ahead to manufacture their own 3.5mm-to-Lightning cables. It is also approving the use of USB-C connectors under its MFi accessories program, which now sports cleaner, more modern logos.
Facebook is reaching out to traditional news outlets. Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
Facebook Watch, the social network’s video on demand service, is reportedly readying a news section, which will include partnerships with around 10 publishers.
The news comes one day after Apple’s acquisition of $10 a month magazine subscription service Texture. It represents another example of a tech company trying to strengthen relationships with traditional media outlets at a time when topics like “fake news” have strained these interactions.
Forthcoming iPad app will remind people to regularly screen for cancer. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
Researchers have developed an iPad app that makes setting up lifesaving colon cancer screenings “as easy as booking a hotel room online.”
Colon cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer death in the United States. Early screening can dramatically reduce mortality rates, yet more than one-third of Americans who fall within the most likely age bracket go unscreened every year.
If you’re frantically checking your email for a Fortnite early access invite after signing up Monday, give up now. Epic Games confirms that it won’t issue its first batch of download codes for iOS until later this week. Some of us could be waiting months for access!
Snapchat has a new plan to make money. And it means you doing the work. Photo: Snapchat
In an effort to reengage with its fanbase after its recent badly received redesign, Snapchat is planning to allow users to create augmented reality “Lenses” and share them with the rest of the community.
The debut of creator-made Lenses in the app’s carousel will debut at the end of this month. The Lenses can be made using Snapchat’s Lens Studio application, and Snap will then select the best ones and make them available to the wider 187 million daily user community.
Apple is increasing its dependence on revenue from services like Apple Music. Photo: Apple
Almost 40 million people now pay to listen to Apple Music. That’s not bad for a service that was met with skepticism when it debuted back in 2015.
Apple Music still faces strong competition from Spotify and Google Play Music, but it’s growing strongly. And all those people putting down $9.99 a month adds significantly to Apple revenue as streaming services have become the top way to listen to music.
PGA TOUR AR shows golf holes and shots in 3D and augmented reality. Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
Watching golf is famously boring, but the just-announced PGA Tour AR app spices it up a bit. It brings a live, augmented reality view of golf games to iPad and iPhone, putting the tournament in users’ living rooms.
“Tapping into ARKit in iOS 11 allows us to showcase real-time data provided by ShotLink and CDW in a rich, visual way for fans,” said the PGA’s Rick Anderson in a statement. “The PGA Tour takes pride in bringing new technology to the sports world as a way of communicating to a large, diverse audience.”
The creator of Bob’s Burgers is producing a show for Apple called Central Park. Photo: Fox
Fans of Bob’s Burgers rejoice: Loren Bouchard, creator of the long-running animated comedy set in a diner, has signed a deal with Apple to create two seasons of a new series. Central Park will be the first animated showed purchased by the maker of Apple TV.
The action of the musical comedy will revolve around a family of Central Park caretakers whose adventures save not only the park and New York City — but also the world.
The hack took advantage of a flaw in iMessage. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
Apple users will soon receive operating system updates for phones and tablets, Macs and set-top boxes. Developers today received new beta versions for all these platforms
Anyone from the public who wants to beta test preview versions of iOS 11.3, macOS 10.13.4 or tvOS 11.3 can do so by signing up on Apple’s website. The newest developer versions should be available to public beta testers in a day or so.
Checklists can make your shopping trip a lot easier. Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac
Does your husband/wife/boss/presumptuous, spoiled teenage kid send you lists via iMessage or SMS? Do you then spend the whole day flipping to the Messages app and scanning it to see which tasks you’ve done (or groceries you’ve dropped in your cart), and trying to work out what’s still left to do? Then you need to get that list out of the Messages app, and into the Notes app, turning it onto a checklist along the way. And don’t worry. This is so quick and easy, you can do it in a few seconds.
Without Wi-Fi assist, your iPhone might end up as useless as this piece of junk. Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac
Using your iPhone on a poor, weak, or spotty Wi-Fi is not only frustrating. It could also have a detrimental effect on battery life. But there’s a fix, for flaky Wi-Fi at least. You can tell your iPhone to use cellular data to make up the shortfall, giving you smooth internet access, at the expense of some cellular data use. It’s called Wi-Fi Assist, and it could be the answer to all of life’s problems.