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Apple funds suppliers who fight back against Qualcomm

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encryption
And just when we thought this case was calming down!
Photo: orangesparrow/Flickr CC

Apple is reportedly paying the legal costs of four of its assemblers, Foxconn, Pegatron, Wistron and Compal, as they challenge Qualcomm in court.

In a filing made late Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California, the Apple suppliers allege that Qualcomm has violated two sections of the U.S. antitrust law, the Sherman Act.

Samsung has no interest in taking on HomePod

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HomePod
Samsung doesn't want to fight HomePod... yet.
Photo: Apple

Samsung currently has no plans to take on HomePod with a smart speaker of its own.

Recent rumors have claimed the South Korean company is working on a standalone Bixby device, but a source familiar with its plans says the market is too small to be profitable.

Spotify sued for allegedly streaming 2,445 songs without permission

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Spotify
Spotify has found itself the subject of two new legal battles.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Spotify has been hit with two new lawsuits from music publishers claiming that the streaming music giant has illegally published songs from the label, without the proper permissions.

Artists’ work that is covered in the lawsuit include Miranda Lambert, Willie Nelson, Kenny Chesney, and Guns ‘N Roses, and others. 2,445 songs are highlighted by the lawsuit.

Nintendo Switch’s new voice chat app goes live… kinda

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Nintendo Switch
Want to chat to your friends on Switch multiplayer? There's an app for that.
Photo: Nintendo

Ahead of launching Splatoon 2 this Friday, Nintendo has published its Nintendo Switch Online app in the iOS App Store.

While the features won’t be available prior to July 21, the app will allow users to carry out voice chat and access the SplatNet 2 portal, where it will be possible to view your game stats, buy extra gear, and invite friends to compete in battles.

Apple creates new managing director role for its Greater China expansion

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New China VP
Isabel Ge Mahe is currently Apple's vice president of Wireless Technologies.
Photo: Apple

Apple has appointed a new vice president and managing director of its Greater China region. Isabel Ge Mahe is currently Apple’s vice president of Wireless Technologies, having worked for Apple since July 2008.

In her new role, she will be based in Shanghai, but report directly to Tim Cook and Apple COO Jeff Williams.

Steven Soderbergh’s secret iPhone movie has Hollywood abuzz

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Soderbergh iPhone movie
Director Steven Soderbergh has reportedly made movie magic with an iPhone.
Photo: YouTube

Oscar-winning director Steven Soderbergh has the kind of filmography that gives him plenty of negotiating power when requesting money to make a film.

But the star filmmaker is a fan of low-budget, experimental movie-making and one of his upcoming titles was reportedly shot on an iPhone.

5 apps that keep you safe while traveling [Tech Travel Tips]

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tripmode travel
Apps can make your trip safer and easier.
Photo: TripMode

tech travel tips At home, you can pretty much trust your own Wi-Fi network, and you kind of have to trust your cellular provider. But as soon as you fetch up at a hotel, airport, Airbnb rental or coffee shop, you risk everything.

Short of leaving your MacBook or iPhone out on the table while you visit the bathroom at a hacker conference, using public Wi-Fi is just about the worst thing you can do with your devices when you travel. Fortunately, there are ways to protect yourself — and they’re cheap and easy.

Google Glass gets makeover for factory floors

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Google Glass 2.0
Google Glass 2.0 with a new lunch-bucket worker image.
Photo: Google

Google Glass was a bold look at the future to the select “explorers” who tested the personal computing eyewear in 2013. It also looked funny and creepy to the rest of us.

Today, Google rolled out polished new Glass Enterprise Edition, a workplace tool with valued applications in fields ranging from manufacturing to health care.

PhoneRescue makes iPhone data loss less scary

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tocult
PhoneRescue shows that depth and flexibility are key with mobile data recovery.
Photo: iMobie

This post is brought to you by iMobie, maker of PhoneRescue.

Our iPhones carry all our important info, which makes them something of liability. Losing or breaking one is painful enough, but often the loss of personal data is even worse. Recovery services like Time Machine and iCloud make this less of a worry. But limits remain about what you can retrieve and how.

iPhone will power spectacular $99 AR headset

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Mira
2017 is set to be the year of augmented reality.
Photo: Mira

Apple’s own AR headset may still be a rumor, but if you want to get hold of an iPhone-friendly augmented reality headset you’ll be able to do it later this year — for just $99!

Made by Los Angeles startup Mira, the Prism resembles a slimmed-down version of the $950 Meta 2 AR headset. The new device boasts a small, motion-sensing controller with a Gear VR-style trigger. Check out the teaser trailer below.

Why Apple investors should quit worrying about iPhone 8 delay

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iPhone 8 mockup
Here's how Apple will make iPhone 8 feel less expensive.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple investors have been urged to “quit worrying” by one analyst, who insists the “short-lived” iPhone 8 delay won’t impact stock price.

Robert Cihra from Guggenheim doesn’t deny that iPhone 8 will launch late, but he’s confident fans will wait, rather than jump ship.

Wirelessly diagnose your car, and more [Deals]

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collage-2017-07-16
iPhone cables, mounts, chargers, and a wireless diagnosis tool. These are the auto accessories you're looking for.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

If you’ve got a car, you’ve got a hundred ways to integrate your mobile devices with it. We’ve gathered some great deals on essential tech to take on the road with you. Below you’ll find a futuristic phone mount, a 3-port USB hub, a metal-braided Lightning cable, and a tool for wirelessly checking on your car’s health. Everything Is discounted by 25 percent or more, read on for more details:

Animated avatar grooves alongside human in cool new ARKit demo

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AR
Tim Cook is hella excited about AR. We can't disagree with him!
Photo: Normal VR

Another day, another great showcase of Apple’s new ARKit augmented reality platform, as created by ingenious independent developers.

This time round, the work is by New York developer Normal VR. Devs at Normal used Apple’s augmented reality tech and graphics engine Unity to craft a cool demo showing a cartoon avatar matching the movements of a human user. Check it out below.

Samsung may take over iPhone A-series chip manufacturing next year

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Samsung
Apple and Samsung are BFFs again.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Samsung will reportedly resume production of Apple’s A-series chips for the iPhone from next year, having lost out on orders to TSMC in recent years.

If true, the move is a major win for Samsung, which has increasingly been Apple’s go-to manufacturer as of late, to the betterment of both companies.

WhatsApp will let you watch YouTube videos within chats

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Facebook messaging apps
Coming soon to an iPhone near you?
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

WhatsApp is working to add inline YouTube support to its app, allowing users to enjoy videos within their conversations. The feature will take advantage of the Picture in Picture feature in recent versions of iOS to prevent pulling you away from your conversation.

Apple makes it easier for devs to respond to App Store reviews

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Apple pays $467k for doing business with blacklisted app developer
Customer Support staff can now answer your mean (or nice) reviews.
Photo: Apple

Apple is making it easier for developers to interact with their customers by changing the rules concerning responses to App Store reviews.

Instead of being limited only to developers with admin access, Apple has now made it possible for the newly-created Customer Support developer roles to also respond to reviews posted on the Mac and iOS App Stores.

Qualcomm CEO hints that Apple feud could be settled out of court

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encryption
Things may not wind up in court after all.
Photo: orangesparrow/Flickr CC

It seems that the once-rapidly escalating war of attrition between Apple and Qualcomm may be coming to an end.

Speaking at the Brainstorm Tech conference in Aspen this week, Qualcomm CEO Steve Mollenkopf said that issues such as the one between Qualcomm and Apple, “tend to get to resolved out of court, and there’s no reason why I wouldn’t expect that to be the case here.”

Apple has no plans to refresh the iPhone SE

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iPhone SE
Two new iPhone SE models for 2020?
Photo: Sam Mills/Cult of Mac

If you’re yet to adjust to a larger iPhone, it seems you’re going to get left behind. A new report claims Apple has no plans to refresh the iPhone SE, its smallest and most affordable handset, which hasn’t been properly updated since last March.

Limited-edition iPhone lens kit packs sharp-shooting tools

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olloclip and Incase
The Filmer's Kit has most iPhone photo and video scenarios covered.
Photo: olloclip

If you’re an iPhone photographer with olloclip lenses, you’re pretty serious about your mobile image captures.

olloclip and big-name accessories brand Incase partnered with you in mind for a limited-edition Filmer’s Kit that became available today at Apple stores worldwide.

Behold the world’s thinnest leather iPhone case

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Totallee thin leather iPhone case
Totallee's new lambskin-backed iPhone cases are stylish, durable and measure a mere 0.02 inches thick.
Photo: Totallee

This post is brought to you by Totallee, maker of ultra-slim iPhone cases.

When you drop coin for a new iPhone, the natural instinct is to protect it properly. The preferred way to do that is with quality, long-lasting leather. But a nice leather case adds a steep premium to an already pricey purchase.

Gadgets to make traveling easy [Tech Travel Tips]

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roost stand
Travel is a time to leave things behind, but some gadgets will make your trips a lot easier.
Photo: Roost

tech travel tips Welcome to Tech Travel Tips, a week of travel tips for vacationers. This week we’ll show you how to keep your devices safe while traveling, what apps to download before you go, what settings you should change before leaving the house and — kicking off the week — the best travel gadgets to take with you. Let’s get started!

iPhone 8 will show up late but totally rock the party

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iphone 8 display
iPhone 8 could arrive on time after all.
Photo: Martin Hajek

Yet another analyst is warning that this year’s big iPhone 8 upgrade will launch late, but they promise it will be worth the wait.

Morgan Stanley’s Katy Huberty has told investors that the device won’t be available until October, rather than September, but it will bring “the most meaningful feature and technology upgrades in iPhone’s history.”