Mobile menu toggle

There’s more than meets the eye to Xiaomi’s transforming tablet

By

theres-more-than-meets-the-eye-to-xiaomis-transforming-tablet-image-cultofandroidcomwp-contentuploads20160412924431_10153328869581612_1188829891401646381_n-jpg
The transforming Mi Pad 2 in its "normal" state.
Photo: Hugo Barra

It’s not every day you see a tablet transform into a, well, a Transformer. But that’s exactly what we’re going to show you today, after Xiaomi VP Hugo Barra shared photos of a Mi Pad 2 that morphs into a robot.

Fans of the Transformers universe, whether that be the original cartoons back in the 1980s or the more recent reboots of the franchise, will no doubt agree that this is about as awesome as the Mi Pad 2 gets.

Taylor Swift treadmill tragedy pays off for Drake

By

Taylor Swift Apple Music ad
It's way less awkward without the sound.
Photo: Apple

Drake’s apparently making bank off of a recent Apple Music ad featuring Taylor Swift faceplanting onto a treadmill.

The video launched less than a week ago on April 1, and since it went live, iTunes sales of Drake’s song “Jumpman,” which features prominently in the spot, have more than quadrupled, Billboard reports. And the playlist Swift pulls up to motivate herself for her cardio workout is showing pretty good numbers on Apple’s streaming service, too.

If you aren’t one of the millions of people who has already seen the Apple Music ad, you can check it out below.

This is the ‘iPhone 6 SE’ Apple should have made

By

The 'iPhone 6 SE' has a 4-inch screen with an iPhone 6 body.
The 'iPhone 6 SE' has a 4-inch screen with an iPhone 6 body.
Photo: Computer Bild

The design of the iPhone SE is a bit stale for some Apple fans, but if you’re dying for a 4-inch iPhone that comes with the sleek curves of the iPhone 6 and 6s some determined modders from Germany have found the perfect solution.

Unhappy with the iPhone SE body, Computer Bild managed to take extract its guts and shove them into one of those fake 4-inch iPhone 6 housings from China we spotted last month. After more than two hours of careful modding, the end result is the iPhone SE Apple should have built. Better yet, it actually works.

You can watch the madness unfold below, but this is one mod you might not want to try at home.

6 must-know shortcuts for every Smart Keyboard owner

By

`
Apple has extended service on the Smart Keyboard for iPad Pro to address "functional issues."
Photo: Ally Kazmucha/The App Factor

app-factor-logo-thumbnail Back in November, I purchased a 12.9-inch iPad Pro and a Smart Keyboard to go with it. I was so used to my Belkin keyboard paired with my iPad Air 2 that I quickly became frustrated with the Smart Keyboard’s lack of a shortcut row. Before long, I returned the Smart Keyboard (and the 12.9-inch iPad Pro).

J-pop group ‘hacks’ iPhone for amazing music video

By

Lyrical School is ready to assault you with wackiness.
Lyrical School is ready to assault you with wackiness.
Photo: Lyrical School

Making a music video that shines bright in the vibrant Japanese-pop market isn’t easy, but if your band needs some tips, look no further than the amazingly whacky video the group Lyrical School just dropped.

Rather than filming the video for their first single ‘Run and Run’ in normal landscape format, the crew pulls off a brilliant trick by shooting in vertical mode to make it look like your iPhone has been hacked while you’re watching.

The effect isn’t quite as immersive if your iPhone language isn’t set to Japanese, but the attention to detail is pretty impressive and highlights Twitter, iOS 9.3’s Night Shift mode, Live Photos, and more.

Make sure you watch the video below on your iPhone:

Tim Cook joins RFK Human Rights’ board

By

Tim Cook ABC News interview
Tim Cook has a statue of Robert F. Kennedy in his office.
Photo: ABC News/"World News Tonight with David Muir"

The Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights has added Apple CEO Tim Cook to its board of directors to help the organization in its pursuit of a more just and peaceful world.

The International human rights organization that was founded by Bobby Kennedy’s family 50 years ago honored Cook last year with the Ripple of Hope Award, now Cook will help carry on his personal hero’s unfinished work of fighting against oppression for all people.

Apple unleashes new betas for everything

By

A new iOS 9 beta is here.
A new iOS 9 beta is here.
Photo: Apple

Developers received a fresh batch of new beta software from Apple this morning for pretty much every device Apple makes.

The first betas for iOS 9.3.2, watchOS 2.2.1, tvOS 9.2.1 and OS X 10.11.5 were all seeded to developers today, bringing a host of new bug fixes and tiny features to the Mac, Apple Watch, iPhone, and Apple TV.

This Apple TV gaming controller takes you to console heaven [Reviews]

By

Nimbus_1
Game like a pro on your Apple TV with the Nimbus gaming controller.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

A few weeks ago, I found myself at the local Apple Store chatting to a sales associate who was demonstrating the SteelSeries Nimbus gaming controller. I had a quick go at the controls only to find myself duly impressed by the way it works as an Apple TV gaming controller.

I was intrigued enough to take another, closer look at this gaming pad to see if it’s worth picking up. Watch the video below to see my SteelSeries Nimbus review.

Apple might finally let you delete unwanted iOS apps

By

iPhone SE next gen
Get ready to delete your unwanted Apple apps.
Photo: Sam Mills/Cult of Mac

Get ready to say goodbye to that folder on your iPhone holding all the stock iOS apps you never use.

Code found in iTunes suggests Apple finally plans to give iPhone and iPad users the tools to delete unwanted iOS apps that come pre-installed on devices like the Compass, Tips, Stocks, Voice Memos, and more.

How to play PlayStation 4 games on Mac and PC

By

how-to-play-playstation-4-games-on-mac-and-pc-image-cultofandroidcomwp-contentuploads201604PS4-Remote-Play-PC-1-jpg
Remote Play has arrived on Mac and PC.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac
PS4 Remote Play Mac PC
Remote Play has arrived on Mac and PC. Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Android

Sony’s latest PlayStation 4 update has arrived, bringing Remote Play to Mac and PC for the first time.

This awesome feature lets you enjoy your favorite PS4 games while you’re in another room, or even away from home — and it’s super simple to setup. Here’s what you need to do.

Now’s your chance to learn how to develop for Apple TV [Deals]

By

4e3b3a70299fefb6a0e0e17e40fa805b0643d06d_main_hero_image
It's time to start writing Apple TV apps.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Apple TV keeps getting better and better, meaning there are more and more reasons to learn to develop for this increasingly popular platform. Even if you’ve never programmed a day in your life, this Apple TV developers course will have you building working tvOS apps by the time you’re finished.

Providing ground-up training in the key frameworks Swift 2 and tvOS, it’s all you’ll need to get started developing for Apple TV, and right now you can sign up for just $19.

Wireless EarPods concept will make you miss tangled headphones

By

headphone jack
Wave goodbye to the headphone jack!
Photo: Rob LeFebvre/Cult of Mac

Apple is widely rumored to be ditching its 3.5mm headphone jack connector for the iPhone 7 — in the process doing away with its long-standing white EarPods for a next generation set of either wireless or Lightning ones.

To get a glimpse of what that might look like, one concept artist/prankster recently created a mocked-up an Apple ad for what these easily-losable EarPods could look like.

If you thought it was easy to lose your existing earphones, you’ve not seen anything yet. Check out the pictures below:

Leave Instagram behind with AfterLight’s massive toolset

By

You'll be the envy of all your Instagram buddies with AfterLight's amazing set of tools.
You'll be the envy of all your Instagram buddies with AfterLight's amazing set of tools.
Photo: Rob LeFebvre/Cult of Mac

Instagram has a fair amount of filters, but boy everyone uses them all the time. You know a photo’s come from the photo-sharing social network when you can call out the filters on it: X-Pro, Hefe, Clarendon!

If you’re looking to stand out from the crowd, check out AfterLight, a sweetly-priced iOS app for iPad (and iPhone) with over 74 amazing filters and effects (and that’s just the free ones) to make your photos the envy of all the other basic Instagram users out there.

Here’s how to make best use of AfterLight’s massive toolset.

FBI: It’s ‘too early’ to tell if gunman’s iPhone contains useful evidence

By

iPhone hack
Was hacking the San Bernardino iPhone worth it?
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

The FBI’s campaign against Apple has been called its biggest PR disaster in history, but were its efforts to hack the San Bernardino iPhone worth it? In the FBI’s own words, it’s still too soon to tell.

According to a senior FBI official, the organization won’t reveal what — if anything — it’s learned until it’s finished examining all the data on the handset.

Android stealing market share from the iPhone the world over

By

android-stealing-market-share-from-the-iphone-the-world-over-image-cultofandroidcomwp-contentuploads201604iPhone-SE-Galaxy-S7-jpg
iPhone SE to the rescue?
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Android
iPhone SE with Galaxy S7
iPhone SE to the rescue? Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Android

Apple’s new iPhone SE might be able to take sales from Android in some emerging markets, but it certainly won’t be able to stem the bleeding in many countries, where Google’s platform continues to rob iOS of its market share.

According to the latest figures, Android is up in China, Europe, and even the U.S. as the iPhone’s share falls.

Apple’s low-cost iPhone SE won’t be nearly as cheap in India

By

IpHONE se
The SE might as well stand for "So Expensive" in India.
Photo: Sam Mills/Cult of Mac

The 4-inch iPhone SE may be billed as Apple’s most affordable iPhone yet, but it won’t be nearly so reasonably-priced when it launches in India — one of Apple’s biggest potential markets — this Friday.

Compared with the $399 price tag it carries in the U.S. (which translates to around $430 after taxes in most states), the iPhone SE will set customers in India back 39,000 rupees ($586). For those keeping track at home, that’s a 36 percent premium compared with the U.S. price.

Sanders joins Trump in saying Apple should build its products in U.S.

By

sanders
Sanders wants Apple to feel the Bern.
Photo: Ste Smith/Jonathunder/Cult of Mac

Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders have something in common beyond being outsider candidates: both want Apple to manufacture its devices in the United States.

During an interview this week, Sanders was asked about Apple and said that, “I do wish they’d be manufacturing some of their devices, here, in the United States rather than in China.”

In doing so, he echoes (often derided) comments made by Republican rival Donald Trump, who earlier this year said that he was, “gonna get Apple to start building their damn computers and things in this country instead of in other countries.”

How should Apple celebrate its billionth iPhone sale?

By

iPhone 6s
Apple's got a major milestone coming up.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Apple is set to sell its one billionth iPhone sometime this summer, with Wall Street analysts predicting it’ll take place in July.

To mark the momentous occasion, I’d love to see Apple offer something to the billionth iPhone customer. After all, it’s not the first time the company has done (or in one case planned to do) such a thing…

Apple suppliers battle it out over iPhone’s AMOLED displays

By

iPhone 6s
The battle to build AMOLED iPhone displays is on!
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Two Apple partners, Foxconn and Samsung, are battling it out to provide Apple with next-gen displays for future iPhones.

Samsung, a leader in OLED display research and AMOLED production, is reportedly “on the fast track” to building a dedicated facility with the sole purpose of supplying the high-quality displays to Apple.

Foxconn, meanwhile, recently acquired money-losing display maker Sharp, with the main impetus being to help Foxconn become a market leader in AMOLED panel production.

Massive art print contains every Apple gadget ever (again)

By

Apple art print
It's time to upgrade ... again.
Photo: Pop Chart Lab

The problem with buying art about tech is similar to the one associated with buying tech itself. Sooner or later, you might be out of date, and it’ll be time for an upgrade if you want to stay current. And online art store Pop Chart Lab’s Apple art print is no exception. It’s currently on its third edition, since Cupertino has unhelpfully continued to release products since the last one came out.

And whether you’re picking up the poster-sized print for the third or first time, it’s a pretty striking piece.

Swipe your photos from one device to another without any fuss

By

swipe-your-photos-from-one-device-to-another-without-any-fuss-image-cultofandroidcomwp-contentuploads201604FotoSwipe-jpg
FotoSwipe makes sharing photos and videos super simple. Photo: Rob LeFebvre/Cult of Mac
FotoSwipe makes sharing photos and videos super simple. Photo: Rob LeFebvre/Cult of Mac

With iOS, you have AirDrop, and on Android you have Android Beam to send photos and files back and forth to other devices running the same operating system.

But what if you want to send photos from your iPhone to your friend’s Nexus? Or vice versa?

FotoSwipe, a new app for both iOS and Android, does exactly that: moving your photos from any device running the app to any other device running the app. It will even let you move photos from your mobile phone to your computer.

Check out the video below to see how it works.

How to unlock your Mac with an iPhone or Apple Watch

By

Tired of dealing with login passwords on your Mac? Skip them altogether with MacID!
Tired of dealing with login passwords on your Mac? Skip them altogether with MacID!
Photo: Ally Kazmucha/The App Factor

app-factor-logo-thumbnail There aren’t a lot of apps I use regularly on my Apple Watch. The ones that I do use regularly consist of utilities that make my life easier, or apps that help me track things, like water intake or how many tasks I have left for the day. One of my favorite utilities is MacID, which offers even faster access to my Mac with my Apple Watch (or my iPhone).

Metal versions of classic iPhone ringtones will melt your face

By

'Marimba' makes a great metal song.
'Marimba' makes a great metal song.
Photo: ToxicEternity

The iPhone’s “Marimba” ringtone has become one of the most common sounds you hear everyday, and if you’ve owned an iPhone for a while, it’s downright annoying.

Sure, the ringtone is somehow able to distill Apple’s light and whimsical platform into just a few notes played on an African xylophone. But after nine years, the iPhone’s iconic ringtone could use an update to give it a little more edge.

Video game guitarist ToxicEternity has created a metal cover of Apple’s most popular iPhone ringtones and he shreds so hard it just might melt your face.

Check it out: