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This app can help you budget your finances for the future [Deals]

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PocketSmith does more than visualize the state of your finances, it helps you predict where they'll go.
PocketSmith does more than visualize the state of your finances, it helps you predict where they'll go.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Saving money is one of the most important things you can do, and one of the most difficult. We’re told to invest our money in a 401k, the stock market or, by some dubious sources, in cryptocurrency. Unfortunately, each is a risk (some more than others); what really helps is being able to watch and predict the course of your personal finances.

Apple Watch detects diabetes with 85% accuracy

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Apple Watch's heart rate monitor
Apple Watch's heart rate monitor is set to get a big upgrade.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Figuring out if you have diabetes could soon be as easy as strapping on an Apple Watch.

A new study from Cardiogram shows that by using heart rate monitors on wearables like the Apple Watch, neural networks can now detect whether the wearer shows early signs of diabetes with astonishing accuracy.

Microsoft Cortana comes to iPad

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Cortana iPad
Cortana could be reading your emails soon.
Photo: Cult of Mac

Microsoft Cortana is now available on iPad. The smart assistant comes with all the features you’ve been enjoying on iPhone since July, combined with an interface that’s optimized for massive iPad screens. It also promises a much faster experience.

Happy Valentine’s! Get an extra $10 on every gadget trade-in

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The quickest and easiest way to get paid for your old devices.
The quickest and easiest way to get paid for your old devices.
Photo: MyPhones Unlimited

With only one week until Valentine’s Day, we’re here to help pump up your budget. Whether you’re taking out your special someone or just consuming dangerous amounts of ice cream alone, we’re giving judgment-free cash for all of your old Apple devices.

In less than a minute, you can see how much your old device is worth and have a box on its way straight to your doorstep. Head over to Cult of Mac’s gadget buyback page and see how much you can get. And don’t forget to use the coupon code “cupid” to get an extra $10!

Drag-and-drop the news with Lire RSS reader

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lire
Lire has a nice icon.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Lire is an RSS reader for iOS, and it just added a great update in the form of drag-and-drop. Now you can grab any news story and drag it either to Lire’s own drop-shelf (iPhone and iPad), or to another app (iPad). It really makes great use of iOS 11’s drag-and-drop, but is let down by other apps’ poor implementation for receiving dropped items.

This simple machine recycles plastic bottles into iPhone cases

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iphone case creator
The mold alongside some of the iPhone cases created.
Photo: PhonBloks

Plastic bottles are one of the biggest sources of polution in the world, but a briliant inventor has created a brilliant solution to get rid of it: turn all the old plastic into iPhone cases.

Phonebloks creator Dave Hakkens recently revealed his latest creation that uses CNC-milled tools to recycle milk bottles, coffee tops and other used plastics to give them a second life rather than wasting away in a landfill.

Check it out:

DuckDuckGo expands its privacy services beyond anonymous search

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Long known for its anonymous search prowess, DuckDuckGo is going long on online privacy.
Long known for its anonymous search prowess, DuckDuckGo is going long on privacy.
Photo: Kaique Rocha/Pexels CC

This post is presented by DuckDuckGo.

The web is a creepy place. No matter what you do or where you go, countless digital eyeballs watch what you do, looking to sell your data.

DuckDuckGo is known as the search engine that doesn’t snoop on its users. Used by security- and privacy-minded people, DuckDuckGo counts some 16 billion anonymous searches since launching in 2008. The world has changed a lot in the last decade, and the web has only grown creepier. So, DuckDuckGo is expanding its services beyond search.

Apple considers rebates for old iPhone battery replacement purchases

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iphone battery
Apple's battery replacement might be bad for upgrade rates.
Photo: iFixit

Customers who purchased an iPhone battery replacement before the price was lowered to $29 might be in for a rebate from Apple.

In a letter sent today to U.S. Senator John Thune, the iPhone-maker revealed that it is exploring the possibility of offering rebates, but it’s unclear when that will happen.

How to connect HomePod to your Apple TV

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homepod x-ray
HomePod makes a great soundbar for your Apple TV.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Apple’s HomePod is a smart speaker, but primarily it’s just a very good speaker. Siri is the (often frustrating) icing on possibly the best AirPlay speaker around.

Because the HomePod creates a wide stereo audio image, it’s also going to be great for watching movies. Today we’ll see how to hook up your HomePod to your Apple TV. Spoiler: It’s easy.

Apple Watch spanks the Swiss watch industry for real

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Apple Watch Series 3
There's Apple Watch and then everyone else.
Photo: Apple

Apple Watch is absolutely dominating the traditional Swiss watch industry.

The latest reports on Apple Watch sales figures were released today and even though Apple hasn’t put out its own official numbers, it looks like Apple Watch outsold the entire Swiss watch industry combined during the last quarter of 2017.

Apple switches tactics after U.S. tax changes

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What’s it like to have your startup bought by Apple? Stressful
What’s it like to have your startup bought by Apple? Stressful
Photo illustration: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple is cutting back on the purchasing of corporate bonds as it prepares to bring home overseas cash. Changes to tax laws in the United States mean Apple no longer needs to hold so much money in foreign countries. Alphabet and Oracle are also cutting back.

Peek inside the lab that perfected HomePod audio

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WWDC2017
It took Apple six years to create the HomePod.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s quest to build the perfect sounding speaker could also give a huge boost to audio quality on future iPhones, iPads and Macs.

To promote the launch of its new HomePod speaker, Apple gave journalists a behind-the-scenes look inside the custom audio lab it built to fine-tune every aspect of HomePod’s sound. Not only did Apple one of the best audio teams in the world, but it also gave them tools no company in the world can match.

HomePod meta review: Superb sound, stupid Siri

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The HomePod was a no-show in 2017.
HomePod is finally here.
Photo: Apple

 In the first reviews for Apple’s new HomePod speaker, everyone totally raves about the smart speaker’s pristine sound quality. Siri, on the other hand, doesn’t sound so brilliant. Many critics argue that Siri sucks compared to other voice assistants, highlighting its struggles with accuracy and responsiveness.

Apple seeded a few review units to major outlets ahead of this Friday’s HomePod launch. The embargo lifted this morning, and the early reviews reveal a few surprising tidbits about the HomePod.

Here’s what people are saying:

Grammar cop app will bust your bad writing [Deals]

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Never send a misspelled, badly written email again thanks to this web-based grammar checker.
Never send a misspelled, badly written email again thanks to this web-based grammar checker.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Writing is rewriting, they say. And a lot of rewriting is just correcting grammar or spelling. And unless you’re a professional copy editor, you’re not getting paid enough to polish every badly written email. So something like WhiteSmoke Web is worth checking out.

Apple Music recruits new head of editorial

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Apple Music
Alex Gale joins Apple Music.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Music journalist Alex Gale is the new head of editorial for Apple Music, according to a new report. Gale, who has previously worked for the likes of Billboard, XXL and Vibe, will be responsible for all written content on Apple’s music platforms.

This cheap iPhone X clone comes with a massive battery

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U18
It looks just like the iPhone X.
Photo: Oukitel

Battery life on the iPhone X got you down? Consider downgrading to an iPhone X knock-off fresh out of China.

The Chinese company Oukitel unveiled its newest iPhone copycat this week that comes with a lot of the same features for a fraction of the cost, including a vertically stacked dual-lens camera and face unlocking.

Samsung Galaxy S9 photos leak online ahead of unveiling

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Samsung galaxy
This is the Samsung Galaxy S9.
Photo: Evan Blass/Twitter

The iPhone X’s biggest competition of 2018 is nearly here and unfortunately for Samsung, the unveiling won’t be much of a surprise.

Photos of the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S9 leaked online today revealing some of the new features Samsung has copied from Apple, along with some new colors the iPhone can’t match.

Check it out:

Guitar Gravitas is the only guitar scale and chord app you’ll ever need

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Guitar Gravitas
Guitar Gravitas has everything you need, all on one screen.
Photo: Mad Harmony

Guitar Gravitas is yet another iOS chords-and-scales app for guitar players, but this one’s worth a look because the layout is so damned useful. Unlike many other scale and chord apps, Guitar Gravitas presents exactly the information you need when you have the guitar in your hands and are ready to practice. It puts as much info as possible onto a single screen, without getting cluttered or confusing.

How to control Apple Music and HomePod with Siri

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HomePod siri
Siri is the primary way you'll communicate with HomePod.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Apple Music on your iPhone or Mac can be controlled with fingers, mouse, keyboard, or voice. But with the HomePod, you’d better get used to talking. While you can stream music to your HomePod with any AirPlay device, if you want to control the speaker direct, you’ll have to do some talking. Happily, you can get practicing right now. Siri already has a bunch of useful Apple Music commands you can use, so let’s take a look.

Apple sold more tablets in 2017 than Amazon and Samsung combined

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iPad Pro
It might be worth more than you think.
Photo: Apple

Tablet sales are still on the rise worldwide and based on a new report from the International Data Corporation, Apple’s iPad is one of the biggest reasons why.

The IDC published its latest analysis of the tablet market today and according to the firm’s analysts, the detachable tablet market grew 10.3% this past holiday season compared to the year before and Apple was one of the only companies to see much growth.