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Apple dives deeper into AI with latest acquisition

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photos in ios 10
Regaind could give iOS Photos an AI boost.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple has quietly made another acquisition of a little-known startup that could bring some big benefits to iPhone and iPad users in the future.

A small France startup called Regaind was reportedly acquired by Apple. The company specializes in using machine learning to recognize what’s in a photo, which could boost some features Apple already created in its photos app.

Search better and faster with this powerful email app [Deals]

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Postbox 5 is packed with tools that can save frequent emailers a lot of time and effort.
Postbox 5 is packed with tools that can save frequent emailers a lot of time and effort.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Anyone who sends a lot of emails knows that a little extra efficiency goes a long way. Whether it’s typing out the same canned response over and over, combing endless threads, or just entering your name. Apple Mail and Outlook are great, but they can fall short for power users.

Apple could soon build its own iPhone modems and Mac processors

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chips
Apple is bringing more chip development in-house.
Photo: Apple

Apple is interested in developing its own in-house ARM-based processors for MacBooks, modem chips for iPhones, and a “chip that integrates touch, fingerprint and display driver functions,” claims a new report.

Doing this would allow Apple to lessen its reliance on companies on companies like Qualcomm, which Apple is currently locked in a legal battle with.

Tim Cook and Phil Schiller promote Apple’s updated privacy page

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privacy policy
Apple's privacy policy separates it from its rivals.
Photo: Apple

Apple takes user privacy pretty darn seriously, and it’s launched an updated webpage with a new look and information to underline exactly that point.

Shared on Twitter by both Tim Cook and Phil Schiller, the webpage lays out some of Apple’s beliefs on the topic, including the fact that it considers, “privacy is a fundamental human right,” and that it doesn’t want any of your personal information — ranging from the news stories you read to your heart rate after a run — to be shared against your will.

Apple TV 4K is almost picture-perfect [Review]

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Apple TV Siri Remote
Sound sync woes will be a thing of the past.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple TV has finally caught up with the 4K revolution.

It may be late to the game, but Apple’s newest set-top box pulls out all the stops to be the best on the field. It’s packing incredibly powerful new hardware that leaves competitors in the dust, and a much-improved tvOS platform that is years ahead of its rivals.

It may seem pricey starting at $179, but with amazingly sharp videos and great apps and games all rolled into one, Apple TV 4K is well worth the upgrade.

Watch our Apple TV video review:

Yay? Snapchat is ready to bring us augmented reality ads

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This guy
Who knows? Your corporate mascot could become as popular as this guy!
Photo: Snapchat

Advertising is the life blood of many tech companies, so it’s no surprise that people are already tripping over themselves to find a good way of monetizing augmented reality, the technology Apple has brought to the masses with ARKit.

The company that’s first out of the gate with AR spam is Snapchat, which has just announced that it’s opening up its 3D World Lenses to advertisers. Ever wanted to have fun™ by interacting with a beloved corporate mascot? Well, now you can.

Apple community raises over $13 million for disaster recovery

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Tim Cook
Apple made a huge contribution to Hand in Hand.
Photo: Apple

North America has been getting its ass kicked by natural disasters the last two months and Apple users have stepped up big help in the recovery efforts.

More than $13 million in donations have poured in from the Apple community to help relief efforts related to hurricanes in Texas, Florida and Puerto Rico. And according to a new blog post from Apple, the donations are still pouring in.

iOS 11 Drag and Drop is great, but not for everything

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drag drop iOS 11 dock
Drag-and-drop is a great. way to get things done, but not the only way.
Photo: Cult of Mac

iOS 11’s biggest new feature, for iPad users at least, is drag-and-drop support, which goes way beyond just letting you drag a file or snippet of text between apps. I’ve been using iOS 11 since the first beta last summer, and while drag-and-drop was neat, it didn’t really come into its own until third-party apps started supporting it.

Two things have surprised me. One: How useful drag-and-drop is inside a single app (which works on iPhone, too). And two: How bad drag-and-drop is for certain tasks.

Dreamy game Flower blooms on iOS

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iOS game
Award-winning video game Flower is now on iOS.
Photo: thatgamecompany

The power to control the wind and create an ethereal flight of blowing flower petals is now possible with your iPhone or iPad.

An iOS version of Flower, a hit PlayStation game when it debuted in 2009, became available for purchase Thursday on the App Store.

How to capture FaceTime Live Photos

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facetime live view
FaceTime can capture LivePhotos and save them to your camera roll.
Photo: Cult of Mac

You know how when you’re on a FaceTime call with your parents, and your father holds his favorite recipe up to the camera, and you use the screenshot to capture a photo of it? Well, now there’s a proper, official way to capture images from FaceTime calls. Even better, they’re not just stills. The captures are Live Photos, so you can relive that goofy smile from your grandparent long after they’re gone.

Apple’s big batch of betas is ready for public testers

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iOS 11
The new Control Center is just one of many great new iOS 11 features.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

The first big beta update for iOS 11 is already available to the public, just one day after Apple seeded the new beta build to developers.

iOS 11.1 beta 1 can now be installed on iPhones and iPads by public testers and comes with other big updates for tvOS 11 and macOS High Sierra.

How Jimmy Iovine plans to save Apple Music’s ‘soul’

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Iovine
Apple Music boss Jimmy Iovine at WWDC 2015.
Photo: Apple

Apple Music has already racked up more than 30 million paid subscribers, but according to boss Jimmy Iovine, the company still has a long way to go before its satisfied with its streaming service.

The former Beats CEO turned Apple exec sat down for a new interview along with Beats 1 DJ Zane Lowe to talk about the future of the service. During the wide-ranging discussion, the Apple Music team revealed how it thinks music streaming has to change in order to dominate free rivals like YouTube.

Why Steve Jobs’ Playboy interview was his most revealing ever

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Jobs
This was one of the most in-depth interviews of Jobs' career.
Photo: Esther Dyson/Ann Yow-Dyson/Flickr CC

Playboy magazine may be more closely associated with bunnies than with bytes, but back in February 1985 it was home to one of the most revealing interviews of Steve Jobs’ career.

To mark the passing of Playboy founder Hugh Hefner, who died Wednesday at the age of 91, we revisit one of the most in-depth interviews Jobs ever gave, which was conducted at a particularly tumultuous time in his career.

Super Mario Run gets big price cut as new content arrives

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Super Mario Run on iOS
The game is available for just $4.99 for a couple weeks.
Photo: Apple

If you’ve not tried Nintendo’s Super Mario Run game yet, the company has an offer it hopes may be able to lure you in: a half price sale, along with the addition of all-new game elements.

From today through October 12, Super Mario Run will set users back just $4.99 for every level. The update, meanwhile, adds support for a new character called Daisy, and an extra nine levels, which are playable once you’ve completed the existing stages.

All iPhones could get bezel-free screens in 2018

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iPhone X
Apple's next LCD iPhone could look a lot more like this.
Photo: Apple

Apple is reportedly planning on keeping LCD iPhones around for another year after the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus — but don’t expect any ordinary, regular LCD displays.

According to a new report, Apple is investigating the possible use of technology known as Full Active LCD screens, a type of advanced liquid crystal display that would allow it to create an LCD handset which looks much closer to the new OLED iPhone X.

Cedars-Sinai’s new Apple Watch app connects patients with doctors

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Cedars Sinai Apple Watch
Cedars-Sinai's new Apple Watch app.
Photo: Cedars-Sinai

The Apple Watch may not yet be a fully FDA-approved medical device in its own right, but it’s already playing a valuable role when it comes to healthcare.

World renowned Cedars-Sinai Medical Center has just launched an update to its existing iOS mobile app — allowing patients who own an Apple Watch to use it to find nearby hospitals and even call doctors directly.

How to zip files in iOS 11’s Files app

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zip files in iOS 11 hero
Zipped works on iPhone too, only without the drag-and-drop.
Photo: Cult of Mac

Zipping files just got a whole lot easier on the iPad thanks to iOS 11’s new Files app. Now, instead of having to fire up a third party app and somehow get your files in there, you can use drag-and-drop, or other methods, from right inside Files, and then save the results back to Files. Today we’ll take a look at two zipping apps which work with Files to zip files in iOS 11, both with different approaches: Kpressor, and Zipped.

Now’s your chance to win 5 full years of Netflix [Deals]

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Netflix 5YR Giveaway
Win five free years of all your favorite movies and TV shows delivered straight to your screens and mailbox.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Netflix needs no introduction. It’s one of the few services that everybody gets use out of, with movies and TV shows for anyone’s tastes. Basically, Netflix is a utility provider for home entertainment. And when was the last time you got five years of free utilities?

Well we can’t offer you a break on your gas bill, but here’s a chance to win five years of premium Netflix subscription for free.

Amazon unleashes 5 new Echo products with crazy price tags

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Amazon Echo Plus
Amazon's new Echo devices are ready to invade your home.
Photo: Amazon

Amazon revealed not one, not two, not three, not four, but five Echo-based products at a huge event today at its headquarters in Seattle.

The wave of gadgets, which also included a new TV dongle, is ready to take on Apple’s HomePod speaker and Apple TV 4K with some pretty impressive features. Even more impressive, though, are their incredibly low price tags. It makes you wonder how Apple possibly can compete.

Here’s all the stuff Amazon just revealed.

Half app converts your JPEGs to space-saving HEIC files

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Use the Half app to convert JPG to HEIC, saving space without losing quality.
The Half app converts JPG to HEIC, saving space without losing quality.
Photo: Cult of Mac

The iPhones 7, 8 and X all capture images in the new HEIC format, which creates images much smaller than JPEGs, with the same quality.

All new images you snap, and movies you capture, will be saved in the new HIEC and HVEC (for movies) formats. But what if you want to convert your older images from JPEG to HEIC to save some space? That’s exactly what Half App does.

Meteorite makes for a heavenly iPhone X case

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iPhone case
To boldly go where no iPhone case has gone before.
Photo: Caviar

We’ve seen iPhone cases plated in gold, encrusted with precious gems and crafted from the skin of an ostrich. But one made from a meteorite is sure to make a strong impact.

Since you’re already spending more than a grand on the new iPhone X, another $4,100 will get you a case made with “authentic elements” from a meteor discovered in Russian in 1967. The case, available for pre-order now from the Russian luxury accessories company Caviar, which also offers slightly less expensive cases made from volcanic rock, mink fur, and amber.