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Solar-powered phone chargers, MIDI guitars and more [Week’s Newest Deals]

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This slick leather wallet hides a secret power -- the ability to charge your phone.
This slick leather wallet hides a secret power -- the ability to charge your phone.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

The year’s winding down but there’s no sign of slowing for the great deals coming into the Cult of Mac Store. From a premium wallet that also charges your phone and a security-enhancing keylogger to a mini-guitar made for the digital age and a charger that draws juice from the sun, we’ve gathered some of the very best new deals.

Bully, Touch Bar Piano, and other awesome apps of the week

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Awesome Apps
'Appy weekend!
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
Awesome Apps

Somehow it’s the weekend again, and to help you celebrate we’ve combed through the week’s best apps to help you sort the wheat from the chaff.

Whether you’re after a great Tetris-style puzzler, the reissue of a tremendous Rockstar Games classic, or a Touch Bar-compatible music player, we’re confident we’ve got what you’re looking for.

Check out our list below.

7 great ways to save on Steam videogames

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gaming battlestation
These winning strategies will help you snag Steam games on the cheap.
Photo: Flavio Ensiki/Flickr CC

With thousands of games in its catalog and more than 125 million users, Steam has become almost synonymous with computer gaming, whether Mac or PC. And, in great news for gamers, Steam is not afraid of discounts.

But not all discounts are created equal. How can you score the best prices on your favorite titles? We’re here to help, offering seven ways you can save with Steam.

Modernized power strips, convenient VPN and more [Week’s Best Deals]

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Kinkoo designed a power strip for today's needs, with three standard USB and a USB-C port built right in.
Kinkoo designed a power strip for today's needs, with three standard USB and a USB-C port built right in.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

It’s finally cold out but we keep getting hot deals at the Cult of Mac Store. This week, some of our best include a surge protector that’s built for users in 2016, an easy-to-use VPN, a tool for organizing daily tasks into sleek flowcharts, and a set of top-shelf Bluetooth earbuds.

They’re all dramatically discounted and make great ideas for stocking stuffers.

Why Apple’s done chasing hit products, this week on The CultCast

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Waiting for Apple's next big thing?  It may be a while.
Waiting for Apple's next big thing? It may be a while.
Photo: iDownloadBlog

This week on The CultCast: Why Apple’s done pursuing the “new hit product business.” Plus: The demise of Pebble Watch is a bad omen for wearables; Foxconn secretly prepares to make more Apple products in the United States; and we remember our favorite movies of 2016!

Our thanks to Harry’s for supporting this episode. Harry’s super-sharp, German-made razors ship right to your door for way less than drugstore razors, and you can use code CultCast at checkout to score $5 off your order at Harrys.com.

Apple Watch gets two new holiday ads focused on fitness

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Runners will love the Nike+ version of Apple Watch.
Runners will love the Nike+ version of Apple Watch.
Photo: Apple

Apple hopes the new Apple Watch Series 2 will become one of the most popular tech gifts this holiday season, so the company made some new ads highlighting the wearable’s fitness skills.

The two new ads, showing how Apple Watch can help you live a healthier life, were published on Apple’s U.K. YouTube channel today.

Watch them both:

Apple drops the beat in its first documentary, 808: The Movie

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The 808 drum machine changed music forever.
The 808 drum machine changed music forever.
Photo: Beats 1

The first documentary from Apple has finally arrived — and it has nothing to do with iPhones or Macs. The film, titled 808: The Movie, chronicles Roland’s legendary TR-808 drum machine and how it influenced the music industry from the ’80s all the way up to today.

Narrated by Beats 1 DJ Zane Lowe, the Apple Music exclusive features appearances by Pharrell Williams, David Guetta, Rick Rubin, Diplo, Questlove, Phil Collins, Beastie Boys and more.

Check out the trailer:

Audio glitches keep Apple from shipping AirPods

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x
AirPods may miss Christmas while Apple works out audio problems.
Photo: Apple

People griped when Apple launched the iPhone 7 without an earphone jack and asked the world to get excited about AirPods, the company’s cordless earphones designed for the brave new “wireless future.”

Apparently, cutting the cord hasn’t been so easy for Apple, either.

The AirPods, skewered on social media within seconds of being introduced at Apple’s product launch in September, remain in a holding pattern because of audio glitches — and could miss the crucial 2016 holiday shopping season entirely.

Samsung update will brick remaining Galaxy Note 7 devices

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Galaxy Note 7 water wet
The Note 7 is all washed up.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Galaxy Note 7 owners who refuse to give up their explosive device will soon have no choice but to use a different phone.

Samsung revealed today that it plans to release a software update later this month that will brick all Galaxy Note 7 units not returned during its recall.

Dual-lens zoom kit pushes iPhone 7 Plus camera further

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Hey four eyes! The Kamerar ZOOM lens attachment expands the telephoto/zoom capabilities of the dual-lens iPhone 7 Plus.
Hey four eyes! The Kamerar ZOOM lens attachment expands the telephoto/zoom capabilities of the dual-lens iPhone 7 Plus.
Photo: Ztylus and Kamerar

The geeky excitement shared by mobile photographers over the dual-camera of the iPhone 7 Plus has not waned.

And as they’ve played with the small optical zoom and blurring backgrounds in portrait mode, two small accessories companies have been quietly but furiously developing a two-lens attachment dedicated to enhancing the reach of the 7 Plus camera.

Boost your iPhone photography with this folding, pocket-size tripod [Deals]

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This fully featured, sturdy tripod folds up into credit card size and fits right into your wallet.
This fully featured, sturdy tripod folds up into credit card size and fits right into your wallet.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Want to take better smartphone photos without lugging around gear like a professional? Tripods are an essential tool for taking solid photos — or just engaging in a steady FaceTime conversation — and now you can get one that’ll fit right in your wallet.

The Pocket Tripod PRO is winning praise from the likes of Steve Wozniak for its clever design and convenience. (“Blew me away,” Woz told Gizmodo.) And right now you can get this miniaturized tripod for just $19.99 at Cult of Mac Deals.

Brain-teasing iPhone puzzler is Tetris with rings

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Dropa
It's like Tetris crossed with that fingerprint pattern used for setting up Touch ID.
Photo: Midnight Tea Studio

As much as I like the kind of long, winding, RPG-style games you can get lost in for months at a time, I’ll always be a sucker for a great mobile puzzle game.

That’s exactly what developer Midnight Tea Studio offers with its new game Dropa! Pitched somewhere between Tetris and that fingerprint pattern you have to fill in when you set up a new Touch ID profile, it’s a game that’s sure to keep you busy during the holiday season.

Check out the trailer below.

Super Mario Run will require always-on internet connection to play

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Super-Mario-Run-Dec-15
Mario won't run anywhere in offline mode.
Photo: Nintendo

Super Mario Run will sprint into the App Store on December 15, but while there’s plenty to be excited about with Nintendo’s first Mario game to hit iOS, there is one big potential downside for users: the game requires constant internet connectivity.

According to Mario creator and Nintendo legend Shigeru Miyamoto, the decision to include no offline mode was made for anti-piracy reasons.

Expel water from your iPhone speaker grille using only sound

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iPhone 7 soaked in water
A crafty Redditor discovers a simple and free way to clear trapped water from your iPhone 7's speaker grille.
Photo: Apple

Apple touts the new iPhone 7 as being water-resistant enough to take into the shower. There’s really no good reason to bathe with your smartphone, but the point is that iPhone 7 owners don’t need to worry about a little rain or spilled tea.

Naturally, some people waltzed into their shower stalls with their expensive new phones in hand — just cuz — and some found a weakness in the iPhone 7’s water-resistance. Luckily for foolhardy iPhone owners everywhere, a Redditor discovered a simple hack for getting the water out.

Tim Cook will drop his wisdom on MIT grads next June

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Tim Cook
This will be Cook's third time as a university commencement speaker.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Steve Jobs gave one of the most memorable commencement speeches in living memory, and it seems that Tim Cook is set to take on the same challenge when he delivers the address at MIT’s 2017 graduation event next June.

“Mr. Cook’s brilliance as a business leader, his genuineness as a human being, and his passion for issues that matter to our community make his voice one that I know will resonate deeply with our graduates,” MIT President L. Rafael Reif said. “I am delighted that he will join us for commencement and eagerly await his charge to the class of 2017.”

You still have that old iPod? Sell it to us!

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ipadnano
If your iPod is broken or languishing in your junk drawer, it's time to cash in.
Photo: Wikipedia CC

The iPod turns 15 this year. Hard to believe, right? It’s also hard to believe you still have that old iPod at all, what with the amazing music-carrying capacity of iPhones, iPads — heck, even your Apple Watch.

If you’re not using your old iPod (and it’s not one of those incredibly valuable special edition iPods that collectors are snapping up), you should sell your old iPod to us. Cult of Mac’s Apple gear buyback program will make sure you get as much cash as possible.

iPhone photographer unboxes surprise gift from Apple

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Cielo de la Paz shares her first look at a book produced by Apple that features the photographers from the
Cielo de la Paz shares her first look at a book produced by Apple that features the photographers from the "Shot on iPhone 6s" campaign.
Photo: Cielo de la Paz/YouTube

If you like watching a kid opening a gift at Christmastime, you might delight in watching a video posted by iPhone photographer Cielo de la Paz that shows her opening an unexpected gift from Apple.

For the second straight year, the self-taught photographer had one of her pictures selected for Apple’s “Shot on iPhone” marketing campaign. In addition to compensation for use of the photos for the campaign, Apple surprises the photographers with a coffee table book displaying photos selected for the Apple World Gallery.

Apple’s secret car project is less secret than ever

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Avoidance collision in a self-driving car looks something like this.
Avoidance collision in a self-driving car looks something like this.
Document: Apple/U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

If there was doubt Apple is moving forward with development of a self-driving car program, events over the last week show Cupertino is indeed mapping out a course.

An Apple patent application for an autonomous vehicle collision-avoidance system published Thursday is the second public acknowledgment that Cupertino is very much in the game.

These stocking stuffers will streamline anyone’s data and media [Deals]

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Instantly add up to 256 GB of storage to nearly any MacBook with this carefully designed MicroSD adapter.
Instantly add up to 256 GB of storage to nearly any MacBook with this carefully designed MicroSD adapter.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

If you’re reading this, you probably like using computers and mobile devices, and have a lot of friends who do the same. Shopping for tech-savvy friends and family can be a challenge, but with this roundup of stocking stuffers you’ll be able to give anyone something they can use, and without having to take out a bank loan. We’ve got a seamless SD expansion of any MacBook’s drive space, keychain-sized Lightning cables, a hub for expanding a MacBook’s USB-C port into five others, and a rough-and-ready portable Bluetooth speaker. Read on for more details:

GE’s new Alexa lamp shines light on internet of things

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GE's prototype adds Amazon's voice-activated assistant Alexa to a tabletop LED lamp.
GE's prototype adds Amazon's voice-activated assistant Alexa to a tabletop LED lamp.
Photo: GE

We’ve heard for years that the internet of things™ would imbue everything in our lives with the power of the web, all accessible by voice. If you’ve been waiting for something that isn’t a computer or smartphone or smart home hub to ask for driving directions or movie times, here’s your dream device at last: It’s a lamp that gets its smarts from Alexa.

Apple pitches Hollywood on rushing movies to iTunes

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Apple wants a deal with studio execs to bring high-priced movie rentals to iTunes within days of release.
Apple wants a deal with studio execs to bring high-priced movie rentals to iTunes within days of release.
Photo: William Iven/UnSplash

Apple and Hollywood are reportedly in talks to provide home-video rentals of movies as little as two weeks after theatrical release.

Studio heads from Warner Bros., Universal Pictures and 21st Century Fox have indicated recently they are looking for deals. Two unidentified sources close to the talks told Bloomberg News the studios are considering partnering with Apple and iTunes.

2016 MacBook Pro with Touch Bar vs. 2015 MacBook Pro

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2016 MacBook Pro versus 2015 MacBook Pro
When the shiny new MacBook Pro with Touch Bar goes head-to-head against last year's model, which computer wins?
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

The 2016 MacBook Pro with Touch Bar has met a lot of criticism. But all anyone really wants to know is, is it time to upgrade?

Cult of Mac put the entry-level 2015 and 2016 MacBook Pros head to head to see if it’s worth snapping up a shiny new Touch Bar machine.