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Cops 3-D print murder victim’s finger to unlock iPhone

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The iPhone 6's Touch ID sensor is greatly improved over the 5s &mdash for me, anyway.
At least they didn't cut his finger off.
Photo: Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Instead of running to Apple to unlock iPhones involved in criminal case, cops may have found a new path to get past Touch ID’s security: 3D printing fingers.

Police officers asked for aid from the lab of professor Anil Jain at the University of Michigan this year to help them recreate a murder victim’s fingerprints by 3D printing each digit so they can attempt to unlock the device, which they think may contain clues that would help solve the case.

Apple II fans find themselves in hog heaven at KansasFest

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Cult 2.0
Kathryn Szkotnick worked quickly to grab all the pieces for an Apple IIGS during KansasFest's "Garage Giveaway."
Photo: David Pierini/Cult of Mac

Cult of Mac 2.0 bugCult of Mac’s David Pierini traveled seven hours and (39 years) this week to Missouri to witness the annual celebration of the Apple II computer known as KansasFest, which runs through Saturday.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Yellowed keyboards, monitors and disk drives sat in orderly piles. It certainly wasn’t pretty to look at, not when you compare these ancient artifacts of personal computing to a shiny new MacBook Pro.

But 80 infatuated campers could only see their first crush and they were ready to pounce. In a matter of minutes the gear would be claimed, and this dash and grab Wednesday was the kickoff the 28th annual KansasFest. If you don’t know KansasFest, the short answer is found in a cheer shouted to officially open the event: Apple II forever!

Apple’s secret electric car hits a speed bump

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apple car
A rendering of an Apple car with a different kind of bumper
Photo: Motor1

Drivers won’t be hitting the highways in Apple’s self-driving vehicle at all this decade.

Apple has reportedly pushed back the goal launch date of its secretive electric car project that has been in the works since 2014. Previous rumors claimed Project Titan is aiming for an unveiling in 2019, but it may have hit a speed bump.

Snowden’s iPhone case tells you when you’re being spied on

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Edward Snowden is building his own iPhone case.
Photo: PubPub

When you think of Edward Snowden the first phrase your mind goes to probably isn’t “quality iPhone case manufacturer.” Nonetheless, the famed NSA whistleblower today announced that he has presented just such a smartphone accessory at an event at MIT’s Media Lab.

Anyone want to venture a guess as to the case’s unique selling point?

Working from home? These tools will help you stay productive [Deals]

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Mac app
Turbocharge your home office with these great tools.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

More and more of us are working from the living room couch or the coffee shop, meaning we have to find ways of keeping ourselves organized and on task. We’ve rounded up some of the best tools — at the best prices — to make sure working from home doesn’t mean phoning it in. Take a look:

Researchers want to turn your iPhone into a mood ring

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jeff-williams-researchkit
Your iPhone could soon track your mood as well as your steps.
Photo: Apple

Your Apple devices might be able to help you track steps, workouts and more, but as of yet no iPhone, Apple Watch (or, let’s face it, any other gadget out there) has been able to accurately measure mental and emotional conditions.

That could be changing due to the so-called “Mood Challenge” program from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The program calls for researchers and technologists to come up with a way of convincingly tracking mood using an iPhone and ResearchKit — and it’s just announced its five semi-finalists.

The quest for the perfect leather iPhone wallet case

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Edward Field blue Libby
Small-batch iPhone wallet case maker Edward Field gets colorful with its new Libby line.
Photo: Edward Field

SAN FRANCISCO — Teddy Winthrop is into leather. Like, way into it. In the year since he launched Edward Field, his high-end iPhone wallet case company, he’s been obsessing over ways to make his leather cases sleeker, more functional and more straight-up appealing to the humans who use them.

“It’s weird,” he told Cult of Mac while discussing the mission of his company, which launches a new line of products today. “I never thought I’d be passionate about wallets.”

Corning’s new Gorilla Glass could make iPhone 7 display super tough

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iPhone 6 Plus_7
Dropping the iPhone 7 might not be a disaster every time.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Breaking the screen on your next iPhone is going to be a little bit harder, if Apple goes with the next version of Corning’s Gorilla Glass.

The company debuted Gorilla Glass 5 today that is destined to arrive on smartphones later this year, offering better durability than any other version when its dropped from 5 feet or lower.

Apple faces class action lawsuit over AppleCare+ refurbs

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Crack! This one's got to go back to Apple.
Crack! Apple's replacement program is facing a lawsuit.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Apple was hit with a new class action lawsuit today in California by customers who have purchased the company’s AppleCare and AppleCare+ plans to cover damages on iPhones and iPads.

At the heart of the lawsuit is Apple’s long-held policy to replace broken devices with units that the company claims are good as new in performance and reliability, even though they’re second-hand refurbished models.

Apple seeds macOS Sierra public beta 2 to testers

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You'll need to be a registered developer to get them today.
You'll need to be a registered developer to get them today.
Photo: Apple

Along with dropping the second public beta of iOS 10 this morning, Apple has seeded a new beta of macOS Sierra for members of its Apple Beta Software Program.

The new build comes two weeks after the first macOS Sierra was made available to testers, and is available for download immediately through the Mac App Store’s software update section.

Public testers get iOS beta 2 update

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iPhone SE
Get your hands on the new iOS 10 beta.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

The second public beta of iOS 10 has been made available to testers today, coming just two days after Apple seeded the third beta to developers.

The final version of the update isn’t expected to launch until fall but Apple is getting eager fans a sneak peek of the new features coming to Siri, Messages, Notifications, Photos, Apple Music and much more.

A power bank for your MacBook? Hands on with Omnicharge [Reviews]

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Ste Smith
Charge up any of your gadgets with the Omnicharge.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Portable battery chargers to power up smart devices are a dime a dozen, and often specific as to what they can charge. A power bank that could charge, say, anything from an iPhone to a MacBook or even a portable fan simultaneously — now we’re talking.

Welcome to the Omnicharge smart power bank. This portable pack of power can charge up to three devices at the same time — two via USB ports and one via the AC/DC port. Moreover, I’ll never need to worry about finding a power outlet for my laptop with this super-handy and powerful device.

Check out the video below for my full review:

This wireless Mac keyboard is more magical than Apple’s [Review]

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mac accessories 2016
Kanex's MultiSync wireless aluminum Mac keyboard with one-touch quick switching.
Photo: Lyle Kahney/Cult of Mac

If the Apple Magic Keyboard is like the latest MacBook — sleek, svelte and missing key features due to Cupertino’s maniacal pursuit of those first two attributes — the Kanex MultiSync Aluminum Keyboard is akin to a MacBook Pro.

It looks and feels a lot like Apple’s stock wireless keyboard, but adds functionality that will make the Kanex an ideal solution for some power users.

How to use Optimized Storage in macOS Sierra to make more space

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Optimize Storage macOS
macOS Sierra wants to stop you running out of space. Here's how to let it help you.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

With macOS Sierra, Apple makes it easier to free up space on our computers without having to undergo the time-wasting indignity of trawling through files and deleting them manually.

The new “Optimized Storage” feature helps you deal with junk like duplicates, old email attachments and downloads — and automatically sifts through them to delete the files or move them to the cloud. It’s one of macOS Sierra’s best features.

Here’s how you can use it to your advantage if you’re running the new operating system, which is currently in public beta and will be released this fall.

Pokémon Go hacks and tips to help you catch ’em all

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Pokémon Go
Niantic Pika-chooses to freeze out old iPhones and iPads.
Photo: The Pokémon Company

The entire U.S. has contracted a serious case of Pokémon Go fever, with millions of would-be Pokémon trainers hitting the streets in hopes of becoming the very best like no one ever was.

Becoming a Pokémon Master ain’t easy, but if you know what you’re doing you don’t even have to leave the house to do stuff like hatch eggs, lure in Pokémon and toss a wicked curve ball.

Here are the Pokémon Go tips you need to know to dominate the hottest game in the world.

Pokémon Go could add massive $3 billion to Apple revenue

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Pokémon Go could mean big things for Apple's bank balance.
Photo: Yokohama's Pokémon Festival

Apple could stand to gain $3 billion in incremental, high-margin revenue as a result of the success of Pokémon Go, claims Needham analyst Laura Martin.

In a new note issued to investors, Martin observes that the enormously successful Candy Crush raked in $10 billion at its height of success in both 2013 and 2014. Of that, Apple retained 30 percent as part of its profit sharing deal with app-makers.

Pokémon Go, on the other hand, already has 10 times the number of users Candy Crush enjoyed, and it’s growing all the time.

Apple’s new Shot on iPhone ads feature lots of slo-mo and timelapse

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Going down.
Going down.
Photo: Apple

Apple has added two new spots to its iconic ‘Shot on iPhone’ campaign that highlight the iPhone’s video capabilities.

The short new ads only last 15 seconds. One highlights the effects you can get by using iPhone’s slo-mo video and some windblown hair, while the other captures how thrilling it is to zip down the cable car in Bregenz, Austria.

Watch them both below:

Learn to code for iOS 10 before it drops [Deals]

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Get ahead of the iOS 10 coding curve with this pair of hands-on eBooks.
Get ahead of the iOS 10 coding curve with this pair of hands-on e-books.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

iOS 10 is coming fast, bring with it a bunch of new opportunities for app developers large and small, but also a lot of new challenges with what is expected to be a major update. If you want to get in on the gold rush of iOS 10 you’ll need to be prepared, and preparation is what this pair of Apprentice eBooks offers, covering iOS generally and Swift specifically. Right now you can pick up both for $59.99 at Cult of Mac Deals.

India may finally be about to get its own Apple Stores

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Apple Store Union Square San Francisco
Apple may finally get the chance to open major Apple Stores in India.
Photo: Lyle Kahney/Cult of Mac

It’s been a long time coming, but from the sound of things India is finally about to get its first official Apple Store, according to people familiar with the matter.

Apple’s biggest supporter? None other than Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is set to grant the company a three-year exemption to India’s rules about foreign single-brand retailers sourcing a significant portion of their products from India.