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Declare your independence from creepy phone calls and texts [Deals]

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Add an anonymous second phone line for business, dating, buying or selling online, and more.
Add an anonymous second phone line for business, dating, buying or selling online, and more.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

You live in a free country, why should you feel trapped by a bad date or a creepy Craigslist seller who has your phone number? Give yourself a second, anonymous number for making calling or texting with people you’d prefer to keep at arm’s length. Right now you can protect your privacy with lifetime access to a second number through Hushed, for just $25 at Cult of Mac Deals.

Google offers 4 months of free Play Music

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how-to-enjoy-podcasts-in-google-play-music-outside-the-u-s-image-cultofandroidcomwp-contentuploads201604Google-Play-Music-podcasts-jpg
Google wants ramp up its race with Apple Music.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

In an effort to compete with Apple Music, Google is offering a special July 4 four-month free trial of Play Music for users who live in the United States. The offer is available only to U.S. customers who haven’t previously signed up to the service.

Rodeo Stampede, Prisma, and other awesome apps of the week

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If you're appy and you know it, check our list!
'Appy weekend!
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Somehow the weekend is already half-way gone, but to help you celebrate your remaining hours of freedom we’ve combed through the week’s best apps to help you sort the wheat from the chaff.

Whether it’s a fantastic LEGO Star Wars game or a fantastic calendar app, we’re confident we’ve got what you’re looking for.

Check out our list below.

LED flash for iPhone is just one of the newest deals at Cult of Mac [Deals]

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iBlazr

Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Tired of swiping through filters to make your iPhone pictures interesting? Or wasting time trying to stay organized behind the keyboard? Maybe you should take a look at these deals fresh off the deals boat. Below you’ll find a wireless, LED flash for any camera, two apps for improving your writing process, and a bundle of assets for designing apps. Take a look:

3rd-party Apple Watch faces, and how the iPhone was really invented, this week on The CultCast

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cult cast
Catch our unfiltered reactions to Apple's newest products.
Photo: Apple/Erfon Elijah

This week on The CultCast: You’ll laugh, you’ll cry — wait till you hear the latest lawsuit aimed right at Apple’s biggest products. Plus: Leaked photos of EarPods with a Lightning connector look better than expected; why we may never get third-party Apple Watch faces; Netflix is adding a feature it swore would never happen; and a man builds a vibrant photography career in the world of sports with nothing but his iPhone. Oh, and Val Kilmer dances with a carrot in his derriere. Just hit play already.

Our thanks to Freshbooks for supporting this episode. FreshBooks is the easy-to-use invoicing software designed to help small business owners get organized, save time invoicing and get paid faster. Get started now with a 30-day free trial.

Best deals of the week: VR for your iPhone, aluminum earbuds and more [Deals]

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This sleek box turns your smartphone into a full-fledged VR headset.
This sleek box turns your smartphone into a full-fledged VR headset.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

This week’s we saw some great deals on top-shelf gear and gadgets. First up, there’s a box that turns your smartphone into a VR headset. And you can grab a four-port USB charger for the car, a sleek aluminum Bluetooth earbuds, and comprehensive photography lessons.

Whether you like to consume content or create it, don’t miss out on these massive deals.

Fitness apps obsess over running, but is it really good for you?

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To run, or not to run? That is the question.
Photo: Graham Bower/Cult of Mac

Millions of people go running with their iPhone or Apple Watch every day. Logging runs is one of the main features of just about every fitness gadget on the market.

So should you join the sweaty masses and start using a running app? Not so fast. Not everyone is suited to running, and it won’t develop all aspects of your fitness. Plus, there are loads of other kinds of exercise you could be doing instead. What makes running so special?

Apple’s new file system, Kahney’s Korner, iPhone photographers and more

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Cover

Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

In this week’s packed-to-the-gills Cult of Mac Magazine, we give you the rundown on Apple’s new file system (APFS) — which has remained unchanged for 30 years. Discover all the reasons why switching to the new APFS makes sense for you!

Listen in to Kahney’s Korner podcast where our guest, Gumdrop Cases CEO Tim Hickman, talks about the race to be first to market with new iPhone cases, and the killing companies can make in the days following an Apple launch.

Learn about the growing number of professional photographers and filmmakers who are foregoing traditional equipment to embrace the iPhone for their creative pursuits.

All this, and much much more, in Cult of Mac Magazine, free for you right now.

Here are this week’s top stories.

China’s media watchdog sues Apple over obscure film

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China iPhone sales
Apple has been hit without another lawsuit in China.
Photo: Apple

Apple is facing yet another legal headache in China thanks to what may be the craziest lawsuit yet in a year that has been full of wacky legal battles

China’s media watchdog, The State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television (SAPPRFT), has filed a lawsuit against Apple, claiming the company has violated its intellectual property by broadcasting an obscure patriotic film from 1994.

Why Apple should buy Tidal (and why it shouldn’t) [Friday Night Fights]

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fnf
Tidal could be Apple Music's biggest rival later.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

When you have the kind of cash Apple has, the easiest way to take down the competition is to just buy it. That’s exactly what the Cupertino company is planning to do with Apple Music rival Tidal, according to a recent report.

FNF-bugBut would a Tidal takeover be a good move? Would Apple be using its money solely to wipe out a rival, or will Tidal’s talent and connections to the music industry be great for Apple Music?

Join us in this week’s Friday Night Fight as we battle it out over the latest Apple acquisition rumor!

Hillary emoji let you play the woman card for real

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Hillary emojis are ready to slide into your DMs.
Hillary emojis are ready to slide into your DMs.
Photo: Hillarymoji

The battle to win the 2016 presidential election is heading to your iPhone’s keyboard now, thanks to a new iOS app that adds a batch of Hillary Clinton emoji to devices.

Aiming to excite millennial voters, the free Hillarymoji app comes with 20 pictograms of the presumptive Democratic presidential candidate doing everything from dancing in her pantsuit to deleting emails off her BlackBerry.

iOS 10 jailbreak team makes key breakthrough

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Cydia-iOS-10
Squint hard enough and you'll see the Cydia icon.
Photo: Mosecon

With every iOS update, Apple makes it harder for hackers to jailbreak its software — but it seems there’s still plenty of work to be done.

At the Mobile Security Conference (MOSEC) in Shanghai today, Chinese jailbreak team Pangu revealed it already has Cydia running under iOS 10.

Big, comfy headphones make Mac gaming even better [Reviews]

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Mac accessories 2016
The Siberia 350 heads phones are light and comfortable.
Photo: Rob LeFebvre/Cult of Mac

Massive over-ear headphones are the best way to immerse yourself in a video game, whether you’re managing the minutiae of Civilization V, hiding from the xenomorph in Alien Isolation, or blasting your way across multiplayer maps in Call of Duty: Black Ops.

Huge sound is a big part of gaming on your Mac, PC or PS4, and these fantastic-sounding and incredibly comfortable Siberia 350 headphones from SteelSeries are the best way to get your game on without sacrificing on comfort.

Last chance to save on top Mac apps, decoy phone lines and more [Deals]

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Now's your last chance to save on these top-notch Mac creativity and productivity apps.
Now's your last chance to save on these top-notch Mac creativity and productivity apps.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Summer’s here and last season’s deals are heading out the door. Don’t let these deals expire before you’ve had your chance to get in on them: top notch data recovery software, Dragon’s industry-leading transcription software, comprehensive digital design lessons, and a private phone line. Take a look:

Bon Iver frontman slams ‘horrid’ Apple Music

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AppleMusic
Bon Iver is no fan of Apple Music.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

From Taylor Swift to Drake, Apple’s pretty adamant on coming across as artist-friendly when it comes to Apple Music. But one artist who’s apparently less than impressed with Apple’s streaming music service is Bon Iver singer-songwriter Justin Vernon.

In a pair of tweets sent today, Vernon referred to Apple Music as “literally a horrid platform” and slammed Apple for its “commercialization.” Check out his comments below.

Today in Apple history: Apple’s first ever computer goes on sale

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apple-1-dec-2014-auction
One of today's surviving Apple 1 computers.
Photo: Christie's

Friday 1 July 1, 1976: The Apple 1 goes on sale, becoming the first computer ever sold by the Apple Computer Company.

Arriving the same month Jimmy Carter was nominated for U.S. president, Family Feud debuted on TV, and the United States celebrated the 200th anniversary of its Declaration of Independence, the Apple 1 is only produced in small numbers, and sells for the unusual price of $666.66.

Apple might buy struggling competitor Tidal

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apple music app
A Tidal acquisition would give Apple Music even more artist exclusives.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Jay Z and Apple might be joining forces.

Apple has dominated the jigga man’s streaming service, Tidal, ever since the launch of Apple Music one year ago, but a new report claims that the iPhone-maker is in exploratory talks to acquire the music streaming service.

iPhone 7 concept imagines Apple’s dark future

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A black iPhone 7 would be killer.
A black iPhone 7 would be killer.
Photo: Martin Hajek/Flickr

Apple might be going back to black with the iPhone 7, making it the darkest iPhone since the days of the iPhone 3Gs.

We got a major crush on the deep blue iPhone 7 earlier this month, but now that mockup artist Martin Hajek has whipped up this Space Black creation, we’re torn between what Apple’s new iPhone color should be.

Prepare to drool:

Tim Cook just got a big promotion at Nike

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Tim Cook
Just when you thought Tim Cook couldn't climb any higher...
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Apple CEO Tim Cook is moving up in the world of Nike, where he’s been serving as a member of the board of directors.

Nike revealed that starting today, Cook will be the lead independent board member at the athletic apparel company, which is undergoing some big leadership changes.

App world goes bananas for art app that turns photos into Van Goghs

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Prisma
The Prisma app for iPhone lets you apply the painting style of a famous artist.
Photo: Prisma

An AI-powered app that turns any boring photo into an art masterpiece is taking the app world by storm.

Prisma is an iOS app that not only transforms an ordinary photo into a painting, it does so in the styles of different famous artists, from Van Gogh and Picasso to Edvard Munch of “The Scream” fame.

Developed in Russia, the app is taking off like a rocket, doubling its servers, topping the charts and inspiring the #Prisma hashtag. It even counts the Russian President among its enthusiastic users.