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Use free Snapseed on iPad to tune your photos to best effect

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Snapseed lets you tune up your photos with ease.
Snapseed lets you tune up your photos with ease.
Photo: Rob LeFebvre/Cult of Mac

Snapseed is a free image editing app from Google that has some fantastic editing tools to make any photo even better.

The killer feature here is the set of Tune Image tools that let you take a good photo and turn it into a great photo, right on your iPad, with very little effort.

Here’s a quick intro to these fantastic tools and how to make them tune your photos to best effect.

Apple reveals how long its devices typically last

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tomb_sunny
How long do you keep your Apple devices?
Photo: Cult of Mac/Ken Marshall CC

How many years do you use your iPhone, iPad, Apple TV or Mac before shutting it down for the last time and sending it to the big Apple Store in the sky?

While Apple products are typically far more solid and long-lasting than those made by rivals, the company offers a clue in a newly released document concerning Apple and its commitment to the environment.

Apple reaches deal with Samsung to buy OLED iPhone displays

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battery
Apple gets by with a little help from its frenemies.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Samsung: you can’t live with ’em, you can’t make iPhones without ’em, a new report reveals.

Apple has reportedly brokered a deal with its long-time South Korean “frenemy” to provide OLED panels for a future iPhone, scheduled to ship in 2017.

iPhone recycling is Apple’s latest gold mine

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Apple recycling program
It looks like Apple's recycling program is paying off.
Photo: Warner Bros.

If this whole computer and smartwatch thing doesn’t work out, Apple could have a prosperous future in iPhone recycling.

The company released its annual environmental report today, which covers 2015. While the whole thing is pretty interesting, we really started paying attention at the part where the company shared how much material its recycling initiative had recovered from collected iPhones, iPads, Apple Watches, and anything else people sent in.

Apple says it recovered over 61 million pounds of stuff, and at today’s prices, it’s worth well over $50 million.

Apple looks to paid search to ‘improve’ discoverability on App Store

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App Store
Apple needs to help consumers find quality apps, and developers to sell them.
Photo: Parampreet Chanana/Pixabay

Apple seems to be looking to improve the way people find apps in the App Store. According to unnamed sources, paid search is one way Apple might both improve discoverability as well as make some money off the feature, like Google does on its own Google Play store.

Paid search would let developers pay Apple to more prominently display their apps in the App Store.

$2 billion lawsuit claims Apple Watch idea was stolen

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Apple Watch lawsuit
Best of luck, ma'am.
Photo: U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Michigan

A Michigan woman is suing Apple and Nike for a combined $5 billion over claims that the two companies stole her concept for a device called a “Detachable Beeper Disc Digital Gym Shoe with Sensor.” She states that she filed a patent for her invention 20 years ago, well before the companies came up with their own, similar products — namely, the Apple Watch and the Nike+ smart running system.

While she’s seeking $3 billion from Nike, she’s only looking for $2 billion from Apple, so Cupertino’s getting off relatively light on this one.

Microsoft’s one-handed iOS keyboard goes beta

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Word Flow iPhone
Word Flow for iPhone is no more.
Photo: Microsoft

Typing on your iPhone with one hand is about to get a whole lot easier thanks to good samaritans at Microsoft that have invented a custom keyboard for iOS.

Microsoft revealed today that its latest iOS app, Word Flow, just entered the beta testing phase. The new keyboard (which is different than the Hub keyboard introduced last week) brings some of Windows 10’s best typing to iOS users like the ability to swipe out words, and intelligent word prediction to go with its dead simple one-handed mode.

Take a look:

Why Jony Ive rides in a chauffeured Bentley

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This is the luxurious interior of the Bentley Mulsanne, Jony Ive's chauffeur-driven car.
This is the luxurious interior of the Bentley Mulsanne, Jony Ive's chauffeur-driven car.
Photo: Bentley Motors

The striking thing about Motor Trend‘s piece on the rumored Apple car is all the talk of the “user experience.”

The various auto designers and experts interviewed by Motor Trend speculate that Apple will try to redefine the car “experience.” They talk about stuff like acoustics, and look and feel, rather than specs like miles per gallon or engine torque.

They predict that Apple will bring a better “user experience” to the car of the future, not just a better physical product.

This reminded me of interviewing Apple’s designers for my Jony Ive book. They explained that the design group takes exactly this approach when thinking about new Apple products. Instead of starting with chip speeds or screen resolutions, they begin by asking each other how the new product should make the user feel.

And thinking about this made me realize why Jony Ive has a chauffeur. It’s not because he’s a one percenter. It’s about Project Titan, Apple’s future car.

Psst. We’re giving away $1,000 iTunes gift cards [Deals]

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iTunes
What would you do with $1,000 dollars for iTunes?
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals Apple

You can think of iTunes like the biggest content candy store in the world, a mother lode of albums, apps, games, movies and TV shows, and on and on. If you’ve ever wondered what it’d be like to go into iTunes with a huge bag to fill as you please, today could be your lucky day. Right now you can enter to win a $1,000 iTunes gift card, no strings attached.

Instagram gets personal with ‘Videos You Might Like’

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Find more of what you like in new Instagram video section.
Find more of what you like in new Instagram video section.
Photo: Stephen Smith/Cult of Mac

Instagram gets personal in hopes of helping you find interesting shared videos much more easily with a new feature in the Explore area of its popular photo sharing service.

Called “Videos You Might Like,” the new personalized channel can be found in the Explore grid within the mobile app. Now you can spend less time slogging through the junk and get right to the good stuff.

Apple lines up Manchester City star as sport ambassador

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Raheem Sterling of Manchester City.
Raheem Sterling of Manchester City.
Photo: JoshJDSS/FlickR

Apple is planning to make a big advertising push during the 2016 UEFA European Championship football tournament, and Raheem Sterling could be the star of the company’s ads.

Manchester City’s Raheem Sterling is reportedly close to signing a deal with Apple to become its first ever global sports ambassador from England, but the entire deal hinges on whether the 21-year-old phenom actually makes the team.

Otherwise great platformer is virtually unplayable in VR Mode [Reviews]

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Space Box
Space Box is a decent platformer, but its hook doesn't quite work.
Photo: Tom Graczyk

Let me say this up front: Space Box is a fantastic game. It’s challenging, fun, and has some really great mechanics and art. And if you have a set of virtual-reality goggles to plunk your iPhone into, you can even play it hands-free in 3-D using head-tracking controls.

And that’s where it runs into some trouble, but you shouldn’t let it ruin the game for you.

Apple deals: Lowest prices ever on iMac, MacBook and more

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Don't let OS X windows take over your whole screen.
Wouldn't a new iMac look great on your desk?
Photo: Luke Chesser/Unsplash

While the anticipated MacBook Pro revamp is grabbing all the headlines, we’ve got an iMac deal that should be getting your attention.

Get the details on this hot buy, plus the lowest prices we’ve ever seen on a premium MacBook and a handy iPad accessory, in this week’s roundup of the best Apple deals.

Samsung’s Gear Manager app for iPhone leaks out early

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samsungs-gear-manager-app-for-iphone-leaks-out-early-image-cultofandroidcomwp-contentuploads201603Gear-S2-with-iPhone-jpg
Soon!
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Android
Soon! Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Android
Soon! Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Android

Samsung’s new Gear Manager app for iOS, which will let you pair an iPhone with the Gear S2 smartwatch, has leaked out ahead of its official debut.

Testers say the app will bring a surprising amount of functionality, allowing users control music from their watch, and even sync new faces to it.

The only way to benefit from the digital age is to study it [Deals]

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Study the essentials of marketing in the digital age with this bundle of 7 courses.
Study the essentials of marketing in the digital age with this bundle of 7 courses.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

These days, being an entrepreneur means being a master of the digital marketplace. Savvy use of social media, search engine optimization, and developing effective work habits make the difference between thriving or floundering. This bundle of seven courses covers those and a host of other essential topics to doing business in the digital age, and right now you can get access for just $19.

Apple starts ordering Apple Watch 2 components

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Apple's diversifying its supplier base for the next-gen wearable.
Photo: Eric Heisuman

There may be disagreement over when exactly Apple Watch 2 will arrive, but Cupertino is confident enough about its plans to start divvying up component orders among companies in its supply chain.

In keeping with its recent strategy, Apple is looking to diversify its supply chain for the second-gen wearable by taking on additional manufacturers.

Legislators closer to forcing Apple to help unlock iPhones

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google-facebook-and-others-following-apples-lead-on-encryption-image-cultofandroidcomwp-contentuploads201601iPhone-6s-Live-Photos-jpg
Anti-encryption bill has received mixed reactions.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

A bill that would force companies to help law enforcers decrypt private communication is one step closer to becoming a reality, after a draft was published this week.

Called the Compliance with Court Orders Act of 2016, the bill would stop companies including Apple refusing to help organizations like the FBI, provided that proper court orders are given.

And — no surprises here! — it’s already proving controversial.

Use Pixelmator to add more of a good thing to your photos

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You can make a dreamy landscape like this in no time at all with Pixelmator.
You can make a dreamy landscape like this in no time at all with Pixelmator.
Photo: Rob LeFebvre/Cult of Mac

Imagine a photo of a young child, blowing bubbles into a gentle breeze. Wouldn’t it be an even better photo if there were more than one bubble in it? Because man, that kid is cute, but she sure can’t blow bubbles very well.

With Pixelmator, a fantastic photo editor on iOS and Mac, you can do just that with the clone tool.

Using it, though, as in any complex photo editing program, can be a little unintuitive. Here’s how to add more of a good thing to your photos with Pixelmator on the iPad.

Feds can’t tell Apple how they cracked San Bernardino iPhone

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iPhone 6s
The FBI may not legally own the process used to crack the iPhone 5c under investigation.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

We’ve heard plenty of bluster about how the FBI won’t tell Apple how it cracked the iPhone 5c at the heart of the San Bernardino shooting case, but there’s another possibility, too: that the Feds can’t tell Apple how it did it.

Why? Because according to a new report, citing Obama administration sources, it may not actually have legal ownership of the method in question.