Still have money left over from payday? Don’t rush out to blow it just yet. Amazon is holding another huge Prime Day sale next week, and there will be big discounts on the latest technology that you won’t want to miss!
It's only available in China for now, though! Photo: Alibaba
China’s Alibaba Group has launched a cut-price smart speaker to compete with the Amazon Echo, Google Home, and Apple’s forthcoming HomePod, as announced at WWDC.
Called the “Tmall Genie,” after Alibaba’s e-commerce platform Tmall, the China-only device represents the company’s first step into artificial intelligence hardware. It is priced at 499 yuan ($73.42), which makes it significantly cheaper than the aforementioned rivals.
Once you've got YouTube Converter set up, you almost don't need to go near the actual app to get your video conversions done. Photo: Softorino
If you ever need to get a video off YouTube and onto your iPad or iPhone, then Softorino’s YouTube Converter 3 should be an insta-buy. It’s a $20 Mac app that grabs YouTube videos, converts them to a Mac- or iOS-friendly format, and then sends those videos wirelessly to your device. I’ve tried it out quickly and it’s actually even easier than it sounds.
Siri will answer you, no matter how stupid your question. Photo: Cult of Mac
Siri translation seems like the most obvious thing in the world. You probably already asked him/her the meaning of a foreign word, or how to say an English phrase in another language. Under iOS 11, though, this will actually work.
All you have to do is to ask Siri how to say something, and s/he will respond with an answer. Even better, you can use Type to Siri to make the query, which may come in handy when you’re in a line at the market and you don’t want to start talking into your iPhone.
Tim Cook wishes everyone a happy July 4. Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
It’s July 4, a.k.a. Independence Day — and to mark the occasion Apple CEO Tim Cook has taken to Twitter with a message wishing everyone a happy holiday.
“Wishing everyone a happy #Independence Day!” he writes. He also includes a quote from former President Franklin D. Roosevelt, taken from a speech Roosevelt gave in Washington D.C. on April 21, 1938: “Remember always that all of us … are descended from immigrants and revolutionists.”
15,000mAh of power packed into a backup battery that's probably thinner than your phone. Photo: Cult of Mac Deals
Part of the appeal of having an iPhone is its slender figure. It feels great in hand, can sit in a pocket without looking funny, and fit in any bag. That makes it annoying when you buy a backup battery that’s got the look and feel of a brick.
Laurel and Hardy using an iPhone is a crazy sight. Photo: Pablo Larrocha
Remember the time Laurel and Hardy rocked an iPhone in one of their movies? Or when Audrey Hepburn and Julie Andrews used one of Apple’s handsets to snap a selfie at the 1965 Oscars?
Obviously such scenes can’t be real — but that’s not stopped a bunch of 2017-era Apple gear showing up in classic movies, thanks to one Apple fan’s work.
AAPL stock looked like it took a major jump yesterday. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
Update:It seems the same technology glitch also caused AAPL prices to seemingly crash early this morning, with Yahoo Finance, Google Finance and MacOS widgets all showing incorrect prices.
We’re used to seeing the price of AAPL stock fluctuating based on even the flimsiest rumor, but this is something else entirely. Due to a glitch related to the way that Nasdaq stocks are listed on several major financial sites, AAPL shares appeared to quadruple in value following the closing bell on Monday.
While Apple fared well, however, other tech companies were less fortunate. The price of Amazon and Microsoft stocks appeared to lose more than half their value, while Alphabet and eBay shares were stuck at $123.47.
We'd love to see Apple lavish some more attention on the HomePod. Photo: Apple
There isn’t an Apple product Samsung doesn’t have an answer to, so it’s not surprising to hear the South Korean company is developing its own HomePod rival.
It will be powered by Bixby, the Galaxy S8’s new virtual assistant, but it’s likely to be a while before it’s ready to hit the market.
Imagination has been building GPUs for Apple since the iPod. Photo: Apple
Imagination Technologies, the company that has been making graphics chips for Apple’s mobile devices for well over a decade, says it has made no progress in its ongoing dispute with the iPhone maker.
Imagination is still in talks with potential buyers after putting itself up for sale, but it is adamant that it will continue its fight with Apple after the company’s “unsubstantiated claim.”
Zane Lowe and others talk Beats 1 on the second anniversary of its launch. Photo: Apple
This month marks the second year of Apple Music’s Beats 1 radio station. To mark the occasion, Apple DJs Zane Lowe, Ebro Darden and Julie Adenuga have given an interview with High Snobiety, in which they look back at the successes and challenges faced by Apple Music over the past couple of years.
3-D sensors could let face-recognition replace Touch ID on the iPhone 8. Photo: Carlos R/Pexels CC
The iPhone 8 might ditch Touch ID for 3-D facial scanning that could prove faster, easier and more secure than the fingerprint reader currently used for logins and payments.
The new security system, if perfected in time for the upcoming iPhone 8, also could help Apple get around a possible bottleneck in the production process.
Nebo is the best Notes app and not in beta. And maybe even then. Photo: Cult of Mac
Nebo is an alternative to Apple’s upcoming iOS 11 Notes app. Like the Apple app, Nebo lets you use the Apple Pencil to draw and write in notes. It also recognizes the words you write and lets you search on those terms. Unlike the native Notes app, however, Nebo also converts your longhand scrawls into actual, editable text, which can be copied and pasted anywhere.
In fact, I used Nebo to write this entire article. My handwriting isn’t as fast as my typing any more (my hand still hurts), but the app is fantastic.
Apple is already driving an OLED boom. Photo: iDropNews
iPhone 8 will drive mass adoption of OLED displays as rival smartphone makers fight to compete with Apple, new research shows.
Rumors have already accelerated the development of new displays for other brands, and it’s thought that 50 percent of all handsets will feature an OLED display by 2020.
These three courses will certify you in Adobe's 3 graphic design powerhouse apps. Photo: Cult of Mac Deals
Learning new skills is the key to getting more rewarding work, however you define that. But learning new skills is one thing — getting certified in them is another.
Jay Z's own streaming service has exclusivity. Photo: Jay Z
Jay-Z snubbed rival music streaming services when he dropped his new album last week, making 4:44 exclusively available to Tidal subscribers. But that exclusivity won’t last long.
According to one report, 4:44 could hit Apple Music as early as this week.
None of the above, claims well-respected Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. In a list of predictions he’s made for the next iPhone, Kuo claims Apple will skip Touch ID altogether for its next-gen handset. And that’s not the only surprise!
Future iPhone displays could all be made by LG. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
Apple could make a significant investment in LG Display’s new OLED production facility to ensure exclusive supply for future iPhones, according to a new report.
The company is said to be considering a 2 trillion to 3 trillion won (approx. $1.75 billion to $2.62 billion) deal, and a final decision is expected later this month.
Emirates is one of the airlines affected by the ban. Photo: Emirates
The decision to ban laptops and tablets on flights to the United States from 10 Middle Eastern countries has put a hurting on airlines, a new report claims.
The new rules, put into place earlier this year, negatively affected long-haul airlines Etihad and Emirates, according to the Associated Press. Countries affected by the laptop ban include United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Morocco, Qatar, Turkey and Saudi Arabia.
Thousands of customers visited Apple Taipei 101 for the grand opening on Saturday. Photo: Apple
Apple’s first brick-and-mortar retail store opened in Taiwan over the weekend, and Apple has shared pictures to celebrate the occasion.
The newly opened store is located on the ground floor of Taiwan’s iconic Taipei 101 skyscraper in the Xinyi District. It was the world’s tallest building prior to being overtaken by Dubai’s Burj Khalifa in 2009.
Touch ID sensor embedded in the display may be a while coming. Photo: Apple
Qualcomm may have cracked the problem of putting a Touch ID-style sensor beneath the glass of a smartphone display, but that doesn’t mean that we can expect it to ship any time soon.
The new technology was demoed last week at the Mobile World Congress Shanghai 2017 conference, raising hopes that Apple may also be able to debut similar technology in its next-gen iPhone 8. However, according to KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Qualcomm’s technology still is “not perfect,” and there’s no clear timetable on its release.
Kanye is said to have walked over a money dispute. Photo: Rodrigo Ferrari/Flickr (CC)
Since being acquired by Jay-Z, Tidal has been heavily reliant on superstar names to attract new subscribers — but it just lost a big one.
According to one report, Kanye West has walked away from the service over a dispute regarding payments for The Life of Pablo and exclusive music videos.
'Appy July 4 weekend everyone! Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
Augmented reality brings a plethora of ghosts and ghouls to your own home, courtesy of augmented reality.
That’s just one of the picks we’ve highlighted for this week’s “Awesome Apps” roundup. We’ve also got a brand new Futurama game, a slew of classic cartoons for your Apple TV, and an HD remix of an iOS RPG favorite. Check out our choices below.