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Libratone’s hot new earbuds pack noise cancellation

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libratone
The TRACK+ earbuds pack premium audio.
Photo: Libratone

CES 2018 bug The company behind some of the best AirPlay speakers on the market is ready to give Apple’s AirPods a new challenger.

Libratone revealed its new set of wireless earbuds at CES 2018. And while the Track+ earbuds pack as much good design as the AirPods, they come with a feature Apple’s own wireless headphones can’t match: noise cancellation.

Apple Health data used as evidence in murder trial

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Health
Apple's Health app was used to recreate a murder suspect's movements.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Data from the Apple Health app is being used as evidence in a trial concerning the rape and murder of a 19-year-old woman in Germany. The individual accused of the crime is Hussein K., an Afghan refugee, who has been on trial since September.

The trial has been complicated by the fact that aspects of Hussein’s life are not clear, including his real age and a period of time — when the crime was committed — during which his whereabouts are unknown.

Targus’ Thunderbolt 3 dock supports two ultra-HD monitors

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Targus
Targus' Thunderbolt 3 dock promises to be one of the best yet.
Photo: Targus

CES 2018 bug Mobile computing accessories company Targus has used CES to debut its new Thunderbolt 3 dock, a model that is aimed at multi-platform users.

Letting you plug in two ultra high-definition computer monitors, the DOCK220USZ dock boasts a whole lot of ports. These include a pair of USB-C outlets, along with a full-sized DisplayPort, twin USB 3.0 type A ports, audio in and out, and one Gigabit Ethernet port.

iCloud switch in China could impact international users too

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Hacker who tried to extort Apple for $100k is spared prison
Apple is migrating Chinese iCloud accounts to a locally-owned server in February.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

There appears to be a bit of confusion regarding who is and isn’t going to be affected by Apple’s migration of China-based iCloud accounts to a server operated by a Chinese company next month.

According to a new report, the migration of iCloud accounts is also affecting a number of accounts that were opened in the U.S., are paid for with U.S. dollars, and are connected with U.S.-based App Store accounts.

U.S. loophole could shave billions off Apple’s next tax bill

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Apple is worth more than the entire US energy sector combined
Apple could save $4.1 billion due to the date-related quirk.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

A possible quirk of the recent U.S. tax law change could net Apple an extra $4.1 billion, claims a new report.

A timing loophole in the tax overhaul that enables repatriation of companies’ overseas cash piles, means businesses whose fiscal years don’t follow the calendar year will get an extra one-off tax break. This includes Apple, whose tax year starts in October, but excludes Alphabet, whose fiscal year begins January 1.

Tim Cook joins 100 other CEOs in protesting end of DACA program

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President Trump: Apple encryption could protect ‘criminal minds’
CEOs aren't happy about the possibility of DACA coming to an end.
Photo: Gage Skidmore/Flickr CC

Tim Cook joined more than 100 prominent CEOs who signed an open letter urging Congress to pass legislation to protect young immigrants threatened by the end of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.

Branding the situation a “crisis,” the letter asks lawmakers to pass a bill supporting “Dreamers

Apple orders sci-fi drama from Peaky Blinders writer

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apple tvPIC
Apple's TV lineup is starting to take shape.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Apple’s original content creation machine is starting to churn at full steam, based on a new report that the iPhone-maker has inked a deal for yet another original series.

Apple ordered a straight-to-series TV show this week that will be written by Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight and directed by Francis Lawrence, who helmed the first two movies in The Hunger Games franchise.

Roland’s new audio recorder works with iPhone and Apple Watch

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roland r-07
Tiny, and made to work with the iPhone and the Apple Watch.
Photo: Roland

CES 2018 bugYou iPhone is pretty handy for making quick audio recordings. Many musicians use the Voice Memos app, and some have upgraded to Music Memos. Unfortunately, the quality of the recordings from those apps isn’t good enough for actual music making.

For a start, it’s not stereo. Second, the iPhone’s mics are fine, but nowhere near as good as even a cheap external microphone. But using your iPhone to record is so convenient. Roland’s R-07 is a pocket audio recorder that works either alone or in tandem with your iPhone. It gives you the quality of a proper recorder with stereo mics — and the convenience of an iPhone app.

Sleek USB-C travel charger juices 4 Apple devices at once

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USB-C
The Type-C 75W Multiport Travel Charger is a handy accessory for business travels.
Photo: Satechi

CES 2018 bug Satechi is doing its part to ease our move to USB-C. The consumer electronics company’s latest device is a 75-watt USB Type-C travel charger smaller than a deck of cards.

The space gray charger, which made an appearance at this week’s CES in Las Vegas, can charge up to four devices at once. It packs four charging ports: one USB-C, two USB-A and one Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0.

Your iPhone tracks every place you visit. Here’s how to see the map.

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Significant Locations
Bubbles show you where you have visited.
Photo: Cult of Mac

Your iPhone knows where you are, and it remembers where you have been. It keeps a record of your frequent hangouts — aka “significant locations” — and uses this data to make location-based suggestions using Siri and to power other features. Don’t panic, though: This data is kept on your phone, not collected by Apple.

Maybe you want to switch it off anyway, though. Perhaps you’re having an affair and don’t want your suspicious spouse to find out where you and your lover hook up. Or you’re an undercover cop and don’t want your visits to the police station to show up on your phone. Today we’ll see how to access your recent locations data, remove it, and switch it off altogether.

Nvidia admits its graphics cards also harbor chip flaws [Update]

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NVIDIA-GeForce-GPU
Update your Nvidia cards!
Photo: Nvidia

Update: Nvidia reached out to Cult of Mac to explain that “recent press accounts about our latest software patches are incorrect.” We have updated the article below to clarify.

Nvidia has rolled out security updates for its graphics cards following widespread chip flaws. Its most popular products, including GeForce and Quadro, are being updated to combat the Meltdown and Spectre memory vulnerabilities.

Streamline and secure your passwords with one app [Deals]

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This convenient app saves time and effort by securely storing and retrieving your passwords whenever you need them.
This convenient app saves time and effort by securely storing and retrieving your passwords whenever you need them.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Another day, another password to remember. With all the sites and services we use everyday, it can be tough to keep track of the passwords we need to access them. And the more that happens, the less secure we become.

Pokémon Go is dropping support for aging iOS devices

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Pokémon Go
Niantic Pika-chooses to freeze out old iPhones and iPads.
Photo: The Pokémon Company

Pokémon Go will drop support for aging iOS devices in its next major update, developer Niantic has confirmed. Only iPhones and iPads compatible with iOS 11 will be able to run the game as of February 28.

That’s bad news for players who don’t have an iPhone 6 or later.

Hue lights’ new iOS and Mac app will customize lighting for any occasion

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Hue 3.0
New Mac and iOS app will debut in the first half of 2018.
Photo: Philips

CES 2018 bug At CES, Philips has announced that it will debut a brand new Hue 3.0 app for iOS, along with a Hue Sync app for Mac.

Both apps will arrive in Q2 2018. The redesigned Hue 3.0 app will offer owners of Hue lights the ability to alter the color of their smart lights with a color picker. They will also be able to instantly access their last used scenes, and to group lights and more easily select their desired color temperature or color.

U.S. officials probe Apple over iPhone throttling

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iPhone
Don’t miss out on iOS 13. Ditch your old iPhone now.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

U.S. officials are questioning Apple after the company admitted to throttling the performance of older iPhones.

Apple has already apologized for the practice and set up a battery replacement program in an effort to fix affected units. But that hasn’t saved the company from getting into hot water with authorities in a number of countries.

Apple coughs up millions for extra U.K. taxes

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Apple could be a $2 trillion company by end of 2021
Apple is handing over an extra $186 million in U.K. taxes.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple Europe has agreed to pay an additional $186 million, including interest on unpaid tax, after an “extensive audit” by HM Revenue and Customs, the U.K. government department responsible for the collection of taxes.

The “corporate income tax adjustment” in the United Kingdom covers the years through September 2015, and reflects Apple’s “increased activity” during that period. The adjustment will be factored into future tax bills paid by Apple.

Chinese company will take control of local iCloud accounts next month

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Hacker who tried to extort Apple for $100k is spared prison
The changeover affects only iCloud customers in China.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Apple’s iCloud services in mainland China will switch over to a server operated by a Chinese company starting next month.

Apple sent out a message to customers in China, revealing terms and conditions of the changeover. This includes the fact that both Apple and the Chinese firm, Guizhou-Cloud Big Data Industry (GCBD), will now have access to all customer data stored on iCloud.

Jimmy Iovine denies he’s on his way out of Apple

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Iovine
Jimmy Iovine talking about Apple Music at WWDC 2015.
Photo: Apple

Jimmy Iovine has vehemently denied reports that he is leaving Apple later this year.

In an interview with Variety, the 64-year-old Iovine said that he is, “committed to doing whatever Eddy [Cue], Tim [Cook] and Apple need me to do, to help wherever and however I can, to take this all the way. I am in the band.” He described the recent report about his possible departure as “fake news.”

Bizarre HomeKit remote looks like a D&D die

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Nanoleaf HomeKit Remote
Can you find the HomeKit remote on this table?
Photo: Nanoleaf

CES 2018 bug The device is called The Remote, but those familiar with the company behind it probably could have predicted it would not look anything like a remote control.

Nanoleaf, creators of smart light-panels that give any room a futuristic glow, unveiled a 12-side geometric table-top object at CES Tuesday that will work with Apple HomeKit-enabled smart home devices.