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KeySmart and Tile combine for the most useful keychain ever [Deals]

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Forget your old key ring. This is a key keeper you can ring with your phone or find on a map, so you'll never lose it.
Forget your old key ring. This is a key keeper you can ring with your phone or find on a map, so you'll never lose it.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

No matter how high tech our cars get, they still depend on the low tech reality of keys in your pocket. If you forget your keys, there’s no app for avoiding the hike back to get them. But here’s a great new tool that can avoid that headache altogether.

Watch Google unveil its new iPhone rivals right here

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Pixel 2 XL
Google's new Pixel 2 XL will be made official today.
Photo: Evan Blass

Google’s popular Pixel smartphones turn 1 today. To celebrate the birthday, the company plans to unveil two new models that will compete with iPhone 8 and iPhone X.

The Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL will be confirmed during a special event that kicks off at 9 a.m. Pacific today. You can watch the whole thing live right here.

Outfit your Series 3 with a ballistic nylon NATO band [Review]

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Nyloon's Elysee Nylon Band for Apple Watch in navy, white and red has a comfortable, fabric-like feel.
Available in a wide range of styles and colors.
Photo: Lyle Kahney/Cult of Mac

Breathe new life into your existing Apple Watch or customize your new Series 3 with a cool, contemporary nylon band inspired by the original NATO strap of the 1970s. Best yet, these bands compare in quality to Apple’s nylon offering, and cost ten bucks less.

Nyloon started with the goal of making high-quality versions of the NATO straps created by the British Ministry of Defence in 1973. The result is a line of sporty, versatile and easily interchangeable nylon bands that sell fast.

Check out Watch Store’s full lineup of Nylon bands for Apple Watch, and read on to learn more about Nyloon’s must-have strap.

Apple News publishers allowed to test Google DoubleClick ads

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Apple News
Apple News is about to get magazines too.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple is allowing select publishers to test Google DoubleClick ads on its News platform, according to a new report.

It’s said to be part of a plan to make the News app more lucrative for publishing partners, with many disappointed with its existing monetization opportunities.

Europe sues Ireland over unpaid Apple taxes

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What’s it like to have your startup bought by Apple? Stressful
The E.C. is continuing its battle with Silicon Valley.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

The European Commission is continuing its battle with Silicon Valley tech giants by taking Ireland to court, demanding that it reclaim a $17.6 billion tax payment it is owed by Apple.

In addition, it is demanding that Amazon pay it 250 million euros ($294 million) on the grounds that is has enjoyed an illegal “sweetheart deal” in Luxembourg.

Game of Thrones: Conquest lands on iOS later this month

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GameofThrones
Your chance to capture the Iron Throne!
Photo: Turbine

With no sign of the next George R.R. Martin book on the horizon, and the end in sight for the acclaimed TV show adaptation, Game of Thrones need to get their songs of fire and ice wherever they can.

Fortunately, Warner Brothers has delivered in this area by finally announcing a release date for the upcoming mobile game Game of Thrones: Conquest. Developed by Turbine, Conquest is an MMO strategy game, set to land in the App Store later this month. Check out the trailer below.

Parker, the world’s first AR teddy bear, arrives in Apple stores

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Parker
Parker? More like "pARker," right? Oh, we get it!
Photo: Seedling

Apple stores probably aren’t your first port of call when it comes to picking up toys, but it’s the only place you’ll be able to purchase one particular new toy made by the manufacturer Seedling.

Seedling’s brand new Parker the bear is described as the world’s first augmented reality teddy bear. Intended for kids three years and up, the bear serves as both a cuddly companion and an all-important child-friendly introduction to the world of ARKit.

Yahoo hack hit all 3 billion accounts in 2013

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Yahoo
The hack was bigger than anyone imagined.
Photo: Yahoo

Yahoo’s huge security breach was already considered the largest hack ever when it was revealed at the end of last year, but it appears to have been even worse than the company originally knew.

In a new filing with the SEC, Yahoo, which is now part of Oath, disclosed that all of its approximately 3 billion accounts were impacted by the breach. If you’re still using an old Yahoo password, now is a really good time to change it.

Paul Otellini, who helped bring Intel chips to Mac, dies at 66

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Paul Otellini
Former Intel CEO Paul Otellini.
Photo: Intel Corporation

Paul Otellini, the former CEO of Intel, who had a huge influence on helping Apple make the transition away from AMD processors on its Mac lineup, died earlier this week.

Otellini passed away in his sleep on Monday, Oct. 2 at the age of 66. He was the fifth CEO of Intel and helped the company make some huge strategic adjustments that helped it maintain its lead as the world’s premier manufacturer of computer CPUs.

Advanced iOS app zaps backgrounds from photos

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iOS photo app
The touch of a finger on a slider bar makes erasing backgrounds in photos simple.
Photo: Jon Colverson

Portrait mode on the iPhone does a very serviceable job of blurring out a distracting background. A new app makes it easy to remove the background entirely.

Depth Background Eraser, made for iPhone 7 Plus, 8 Plus and the soon-to-be-released iPhone X, uses the depth data stored in a photo to let your inner artist easily remove any background.

iOS 11.0.2 is here to fix iPhone 8 crackling earpiece issue

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iPhone 8 Plus MacBook
One of the iPhone 8's worst problems just got fixed.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

iPhone and iPad users received a surprise update from Apple today in the form of iOS 11.0.2.

The new update was never seeded to developers for beta testing, but it appears to come with some much-needed bug fixes and performance improvements for Apple’s mobile devices.

Spotify meets iPod shuffle in this clip-on music player [Deals]

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Play all your favorite Spotify playlists with this water-resistant personal music player.
Play all your favorite Spotify playlists with this water-resistant personal music player.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Things happen in cycles, and portable music is no exception. After records, tapes and CDs came the iPod. The iPod shuffle took the form of a small, screenless clicker. With the dawn of streaming services, portable music storage became less relevant — or so we thought.

Microsoft throws in the towel on its Apple Music rival

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Microsoft Spotify
Alas, poor Groove Music -- we barely knew you!
Photo: Microsoft

Microsoft is throwing in the towel when it comes to music streaming and downloads by announcing the closure of Groove Music.

The service will continue running through 31 December, after which customers will no longer be able to download or stream music. In the meantime, Microsoft is encouraging subscribers to migrate their music collection over to Spotify, while Groove Music Pass subscribers will receive a 60-day free trial of Spotify’s premium tier in order to entice them.

After mocking Apple, Google is also ditching headphone jack

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Pixel 2 XL
Google's new Pixel 2 XL will be made official today.
Photo: Evan Blass

Google mocked the iPhone 7’s missing headphone jack in its marketing material for the original Pixel smartphone — but it won’t be doing the same for the Pixel 2.

Just like Apple, the company has decided to remove the aging port from its latest handsets. A new leak reveals that the lineup will rely solely on USB-C for wired connectivity.

Ireland could be in trouble for ignoring Apple’s giant tax bill

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Apple could be a $2 trillion company by end of 2021
Ireland has yet to claim its Cupertino windfall.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Ireland could receive an official rebuke from European Union authorities this week for failing to collect the $17.6 billion tax payment it is owed by Apple.

Apple was supposed to pay the money way back on January 3, but Ireland has continued to battle against the case — with the majority of the country saying it doesn’t want Apple’s money. As a result, the European Commission may issue a so-called “non-compliance action” against Ireland.

WhatsApp’s new emojis look a whole lot like Apple’s

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emojis
Spot the difference.
Photo: Emojipedia

WhatsApp is introducing its own emoji — and, boy, do they look a whole lot like the Apple ones that it previously relied on!

The designs are not out-and-out copies, but they look very similar when the two are not placed side by side. Subtle differences include the fact that WhatsApp’s versions of the images look slightly more cartoonish in design, while incidental changes have been made — such as the switch of the water pistol from being green in color to orange.

Major League Baseball tests Apple Pay-style ticket system

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MLB
MLB is testing some innovative new technology.
Photo: Andrei Niemimäki/Flickr CC

The Oakland Athletics are testing a new NFC ticketing system that lets Apple users scan their iPhone or Apple Watch on the ticket reader, much like they would to make an Apple Pay purchase.

The system uses the same NFC tech as Apple’s mobile payment system. It is being trialled for a six-game homestand, which started after the launch of iOS 11.

Trump tax plan would hit Apple’s overseas earnings

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President Trump: Apple encryption could protect ‘criminal minds’
President Trump wants to stop companies shifting their profits to overseas tax havens.
Photo: Gage Skidmore/Flickr CC

As part of his plans for cutting business rates, President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans have proposed a new tax that could have a big impact on Silicon Valley tech giants including Apple.

The proposal — designed to stop companies from shifting their profits to overseas tax havens — calls for “rules to protect the U.S. tax base by taxing at a reduced rate and on a global basis the foreign profits of U.S. multinational corporations.”

iPhone 8 sales mystery ends Nov. 2

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iPhone
This will be the first earnings report with iPhone 8 sales figures.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple shareholders waiting to find out what iPhone 8 sales will mean for the company’s bottom line will have to wait one more month before getting the news.

On its investor portal this afternoon, Apple revealed that its Q4 2017 earnings report will come out November 2.

Matias Wired Aluminum Keyboard improves on the Apple original

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Matias Wired Aluminum Keyboard
Wires make more sense than Bluetooth on the desktop.
Photo: Matias

If you want a wired Apple keyboard, you’re out of luck. The only Apple-made options for your Mac are the Magic Keyboard and the Magic Keyboard with Numeric Keypad, both of which connect via Bluetooth. Soon, though, excellent Mac keyboard maker Matias will sell you a replacement — the Matias Wired Aluminum Keyboard. And not only that, it beats out the Apple original in one key way.

iPhone 8 Plus portrait mode tees off at Presidents Cup

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Some of the faces, including three former U.S. presidents, that Brad Mangin photographed at the Presidents Cup golf tournament.
Some of the faces, including three former U.S. presidents, that Brad Mangin photographed at the Presidents Cup golf tournament.
Photo: Brad Mangin/PGA Tour

Brad Mangin and the iPhone 8 Plus scored an ace at this weekend’s Presidents Cup golf tournament, where the sports photographer shot more than 100 portraits for a beautiful gallery of pictures now on the PGA Tour’s website.