Mobile menu toggle

Gabba 2 jacket prepares you for the worst [Reviews]

By

With a zip of the sleeves the Gabba 2 jacket readies you for any amount of inclement weather.
With a zip of the sleeves the Gabba 2 jacket readies you for any amount of inclement weather.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Best List: Gabba 2 Convertible Jacket

If one Gabba is excellent, then Gabba 2 has to be better.

The Gabba 2 Convertible Jacket is just that — Gabba turned up a notch.

Take what was the highly popular and highly functional original Gabba jersey, add some removable sleeves, and the Gabba 2 jacket is the perfect on-the-road companion.

It’s time to wrangle your unruly password situation [Deals]

By

Get control of your passwords and auto-fill information with a single, secure password
Get control of your passwords and auto-fill information with a single, secure password
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

We’ve all got a system for keeping track of the dozens of online passwords we need these days. While some are more effective than others, none are as simple and secure as keeping all your passwords and auto-fill information under a single password. That’s exactly what Password Boss Premium does, and right now you can get a lifetime subscription for just $19.99.

How to supercharge your Netflix watch list

By

Watch it your way.
Watch it your way.
Photo: Rob LeFebvre/Cult of Mac (original image Volkan Olmez/Unsplash CC

It was a good day when Netflix added My List to the list of awesome features it has to allow us to watch anything we want on our TV, computer, or game console. It lets us all keep track of what we want to watch while helping corral the overwhelming amount of distracting movies and TV shows on offer.

However, Netflix still wants to manage what you watch; My List is ordered by some magic Netflix algorithm that makes sure it puts movies it wants you to see up front.

Switch your Netflix My List queue to Manual sorting, then move some stuff around, and you’ll supercharge your Netflix watch list in no time.

Here’s how.

The latest iOS 9.1 jailbreak now supports iPad Pro

By

pangu-jailbreak-ios-9-1
It's a good day to be a jailbreaker.
Photo: Pangu

There’s some great news for jailbreakers to end the week on, as the Pangu Team has just made its latest iOS 9.1. jailbreak available — offering iPad Pro users (along with the usual iOS suspects) the chance to jailbreak their device for the first time.

Pangu claims that its untethered iOS 9.1 jailbreak works with 64-bit devices including the following:

Attorney general defends iPhone hacking on Stephen Colbert’s show

By

Screen Shot 2016-03-11 at 13.55.46
Loretta Lynch argues her case to Stephen Colbert.
Photo: The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

With a growing number of people siding with Apple in its privacy standoff with the U.S. government, United States Attorney General Loretta Lynch attempted some damage control last night by appearing on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert to defend the FBI’s position.

Check out her appearance below.

Hasbro wants to turn your iPhone into a 3D scanner

By

little_pony
Scanning your toys into the digital world would be hours of fun.
Photo: Cult of Mac/Ste Smith/Lisa Brewster

Toy-making giant Hasbro wants to bring its kiddy-friendly offerings into the twenty-first century with a nifty smartphone accessory, which would let people scan their favorite toys using their iPhone.

Unless their favorite toy happens to be an iPhone, that is. Hey, given Apple’s popularity among youngsters, stranger things have happened!

Oops! Alphabet chairman Eric Schmidt spotted using an iPhone

By

oops-alphabet-chairman-eric-schmidt-spotted-using-an-iphone-image-cultofandroidcomwp-contentuploads201603Eric-Schmidt-iPhone-jpg
The iPhone camera app is clearly visible.
Photo: Osen
The iPhone camera app is clearly visible. Photo: Osen
The iPhone camera app is clearly visible. Photo: Osen

Eric Schmidt has been outspoken about his belief that Apple’s smartphones are nothing but a Samsung Galaxy clone, that user data is safer with Google than Apple, and that (slightly oddly) jumping ship from iOS to Android is not dissimilar to switching from PC to Mac.

So why wouldn’t Alphabet chairman and former Google CEO Eric Schmidt use an iPhone to document his recent trip to South Korea? Makes perfect sense to us!

Nintendo’s first mobile game will debut on March 17

By

nintendos-first-mobile-game-will-debut-on-march-17-2-image-cultofandroidcomwp-contentuploads201602Miitomo-png
Coming soon to a smartphone near you. Photo: Nintendo
Coming soon to a smartphone near you. Photo: Nintendo

Nintendo’s first ever smartphone game will finally land on iOS and Android this month — and we now know when and where it will be making its world debut.

Called Miitomo — and described by its creators as a “smart-device app that sparks one-of-a-kind conversations between you and your friends” — the game will first be available to download in Japan on March 17.

Former Apple exec takes charge of the world’s biggest hedge fund

By

Photo: AllThingsD
Jon Rubinstein was one of Steve Jobs' most trusted lieutenants.
Photo: AllThingsD

With its massive on-hand cash pile, Apple could easily be mistaken for a bank disguised as a tech firm. Modern hedge funds, on the other hand, are increasingly tech firms disguised as banks.

Which is one reason it kind of makes sense why one of Steve Jobs’ most trusted former lieutenants, ex-Apple exec Jon Rubinstein, has just been announced as the new co-CEO of Bridgewater Associates, the world’s largest hedge fund — with a massive $169 billion in assets.

That’s an amount that would even make Apple sit up and pay attention!

Apple’s top lawyer: DoJ ‘has thrown all decorum to the winds’

By

Apple Security Jacket
The Department of Justice is taking Apple to task -- and head counsel Bruce Sewell just isn't having it.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

We knew we were going to hear back from Apple’s lawyers after the Department of Justice filed another motion in its ongoing struggle to get the company to disable the passcode lock on a terrorist’s iPhone, and we weren’t disappointed.

Apple’s lead counsel Bruce Sewell fired back at the new document in a phone conversation with reporters today, and this whole thing is just one chair-toss away from being a talk-show episode. According to Sewell, the government’s response was “intended to smear [Apple] with false accusations and innuendo,” and he just kept going from there.

‘Let us loop you in’: Decoding Apple’s latest cryptic invite

By

Apple March 21 event invite
What do you mean?!
Photo: Apple

Apple’s sent out the invite to its March 21 event, and it’s making everyone crazy. The message contains a single image (one version of which is pictured above) and a message: “Let us loop you in.”

The Internet has been trying to figure out what it all means since it went out.

And some of its guesses are … well, we’ll just say “interesting.” But others might be on to something.

Cola Messenger wants to streamline texting with ‘bubbles’

By

Cola's bubbles want to take over your texting experience.
Cola's bubbles want to take over your texting experience.
Photo: Cola.

Most iPhone users spend more time texting than in any other app. Everything from scheduling meetings to finding out what your buddies want to eat tonight is done through texting, the only problem is the experience really hasn’t evolved since iOS was first introduced.

Cola is a new messenger app that wants to fix that by streamlining your communication with little bubbles that let you do stuff like create polls, make a to-do list, and much more so you can spend less time texting and more time enjoying life.

DOJ accuses Apple of deliberately making iPhone unhackable (no duh)

By

Apple wants to keep everyone (even the feds) out of iOS.
Apple wants to keep everyone (even the feds) out of iOS.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

The U.S. Department of Justice has filed a new motion in court today regarding its battle against Apple to compel the iPhone-maker to unlock the iPhone 5c that belonged to San Bernardino shooter Syed Rizwan Farook.

In the new filing the feds argue that Apple has “deliberately raised technological barriers” on iOS to make it harder for the government and other attackers to hack Apple devices. They also claim that demanding Apple to unlock one iPhone won’t result in a security vulnerability for all users.

4 iOS games with awesome soundtracks

By

Just like music often makes movies, it can also make an already great game even better!
Just like music often makes movies, it can also make an already great game even better!
Photo: Ally Kazmucha/The App Factor

app-factor-logo-thumbnailYou can usually tell when a game has been well-crafted. A great game will include excellent graphic design, playability, a captivating story and, of course — the soundtrack. A soundtrack can turn a great game into an extraordinary game, captivating the player and immersing them into a world they’ve only dreamt about.

A compelling soundtrack will have amazing melodies, epic chord changes that make you feel something, and sounds that are perfectly tailored to the atmosphere of the game. Below, check out four great iOS games that have amazing soundtracks. I caught up with a few of the soundtrack creators who make these beautiful soundscapes, and their answers to my questions give a ton of insight into how special this music really is.

Wikipedia app update will keep you pleasantly occupied for hours

By

The latest Wikipedia mobile update brings exploration to the fore.
The latest Wikipedia mobile update brings exploration to the fore.
Photo: Rob LeFebvre/Cult of Mac

Whether you’re into a quick search for needed information or a deep dive down the rabbit hole of a massive topic of your own choosing, chances are you’ll spend a bit of time on Wikipedia.

Wikipedia’s new iOS app update today will help you with both use cases, letting you drill down to a single bit of knowledge as well as leaning back and enjoying your exploration of the online portal’s over 36 million articles.

Laptop or tablet? Brydge the gap with Bluetooth iPad keyboard case [Reviews]

By

Brydge
The BrydgeAir iPad keyboard case is the perfect fit for your iPad Air.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

We all like to carry our gadgets around with us, but there are certainly times when being ultra-portable is apropos to the activity at hand. Say, vacation. I want to be able to take along just my iPad, or perhaps get some writing done in the local coffee shop — and the trendy ones usually have tiny tables that aren’t big enough for a full laptop.

The BrydgeAir iPad keyboard case is an impressive Bluetooth accessory and a fantastic match for the iPad Air. The keyboard allows me to be a bit more productive than I would without an actual keyboard, turning my iPad into a small, MacBook-like, laptop-style tablet.

Everything we know about Apple’s new 4-inch iPhone

By

That iPhone in your pocket is much more well-traveled than you are.
That iPhone in your pocket is much more well-traveled than you are.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple is expected to unveil a brand new iPhone in a little over a week, only instead of going big, the first new iPhone of 2016 will be perfect for people with tiny hands and those who don’t want to spend a lot on a new smartphone.

The rumor mill has been serving up juicy bits of gossip on Apple’s upcoming handset for over a year, so as the big day approaches we have some pretty solid clues about the next iPhone’s design, hardware, price, name and much more.

Here are the probable answers to all your iPhone SE questions.

Apple’s March 21 event promises to ‘loop you in’

By

Apple March 21 event invite
Just eleven days to go.
Photo: Apple

Apple has confirmed the date of its next keynote event, which will take place on March 21 in Cupertino, California.

Invitations to the event don’t offer any details about what’s going to be unveiled, but feature a tagline (“Let us loop you in”) and close-up of the Apple logo.

Pay what you want to learn coding for serious games [Deals]

By

Pay what you want for a comprehensive set of 10 courses in game development.
Pay what you want for a comprehensive set of 10 courses in game development.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

It’s clear that video games aren’t going anywhere, and they remain as rich a career field for developers new and seasoned alike. Both can learn a lot from this massive bundle of 10 courses, clocking in at 108 hours, from Unity3D to JavaScript to SpriteKit and beyond. The best part is that you can pay whatever you want for these courses, with part of every dollar going to support the important work of Save the Children.

Beat Netflix region restrictions to watch whatever you want

By

Watching a UK-only  movie on Netflix from the US.
Watching a UK-only movie on Netflix from the US.
Photo: Rob LeFebvre/Cult of Mac

If you live in the United States and use Netflix, you might be disappointed to find out that some shows, like Kajaki: The True Story, are unavailable due to region restrictions.

These are based on licensing agreements that Netflix has with content providers. Many shows and movies are region-locked, which means that you can’t watch a show in the U.S. if it’s only available in the U.K., and vice versa.

There is a way around it, however. Here’s how to beat Netflix region restrictions to watch whatever you want, whenever you want, from wherever you want.

Future Apple Watch may call for help if it detects a medical emergency

By

The Apple Watch turns a wearer's heartbeat into something very vivid and visual.
"Now dialing 911..."
Photo: Apple

One of the most positive pieces of publicity the Apple Watch has yet received came when its in-built heart monitor revealed that a teenager was suffering from a potentially fatal condition, which could have resulted in his untimely death if left unchecked.

A future feature for Apple devices might take this life-saving concept even further by not just notifying users of possible medical emergencies — but actually alerting doctors or family members on their behalf if required.

Apple invents 3D printer for space-age Liquidmetal rapid prototypes

By

liquid
Space-age iPhone, coming soon to a 3D printer near you.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

On its journey to product perfection, Apple is well-known for its endless prototyping of the next iPhone, iMac or Apple Watch.

Now the company may add ultra-tough metal alloy Liquidmetal to the list of materials it can use to create these rapid prototypes, thanks to a cutting-edge 3D printer designed for the job.

Alleged iPad Air 3 case shows off quad speakers and Smart Connector

By

Alleged-iPad-Air-3-case2
This case may offer some big clues about Apple's next tablet.
Photo: Steve Hemmerstoffer

If you’ve been lusting over the feature set of Apple’s iPad Pro, but would rather stick to the 9.7-inch form factor of the smaller-size iPad Air, today could be your lucky day.

That’s because new photos of an alleged iPad Air 3 case (complete with dummy device) appear to show that Apple’s next tablet will be a scaled-down version of the iPad Pro — complete with the same quad speaker setup as its big brother, along with the triple dot Smart Connector that the iPad Pro uses to connect to its Smart Keyboard attachment.