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Turn your iPad mini 4 into a perfect pint-size netbook [Reviews]

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Zagg Slim Book turns the iPad mini into a tiny netbook.
Zagg Slim Book turns the iPad mini into a tiny netbook.
Photo: Buster Hein/Cult of Mac

Best List: Zagg Slim Book case

Long before the original iPad debuted, I dreamed of the day that Apple made the ultimate portable netbook that wouldn’t destroy my bank account and could be carried around everywhere.

Apple wisely never got into the short-lived netbook trend, but you can get pretty much the next best thing by combining the iPad mini 4 with Zagg’s new Slim Book case that adds a great detachable keyboard to the world’s best tiny tablet.

Pebble Time, Time Round get permanent $50 price cuts

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pebble-time-time-round-get-permanent-50-price-cuts-image-cultofandroidcomwp-contentuploads201603Pebble-Time-jpg
Pebble Time now starts at under $200.
Photo: Pebble
Pebble Time
Pebble Time now starts at under $200. Photo: Pebble

Pebble has slashed $50 off its latest Time and Time Round smartwatches.

The permanent price cut lowers the starting prices of these models to $149.99 and $199.99, respectively — and makes them more competitive against other affordable wearables from the likes of Asus, Fitbit, and Jawbone.

New Apple Campus drone vid shows Tim Cook’s sexy pile of dirt

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Apple moves in early next year.
Apple moves in early next year.
Photo: Jerry Gonzo

Apple is less than a year away from moving into its shiny new campus, but Tim Cook’s beautiful pile of dirt still looms large at the construction site in the latest 4K drone video that shows the progress on the spaceship.

The video shows Apple’s progress installing the largest piece of curved glass ever made, as well as the large white canopies that sprout out of the sides of the glass and metal facade. It also appears that the roof over the auditorium in the heart of campus has been installed.

Check it out:

Are you ready to get into Arduino? [Deals]

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Get a grip on Arduino with this 21-hour course for beginner and advanced users alike.
Get a grip on Arduino with this 21-hour course for beginner and advanced users alike.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Arduino is making electronics accessible like never before. The open-source platform is based on easy-to-use hardware and software that this 21-hour course covers in depth, from beginner to advanced. Whatever project you’re looking to build or program with Arduino, you’ll have the know-how after taking this course, which is available right now for just $14.99.

Watch Apple’s House Judiciary Committee appearance right here

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Apple's General Counsel, Bruce Sewell.
Apple's General Counsel, Bruce Sewell.
Photo: 60 Minutes

Apple’s top lawyer is set to appear before the House Judiciary Committee today to discuss balancing Americans’ security and privacy, in light of the company’s ongoing battle with the FBI, which has demanded the company unlock the San Bernardino terrorist’s iPhone.

Apple gave us a glimpse of general counsel Bruce Sewell’s opening remarks yesterday. Apple’s lawyer will ask congressional representatives some tough questions on privacy, but we won’t know what the committee thinks until the hearing gets underway later this morning. A livestream of the event will be available on YouTube when the hearing starts at 10 a.m. Pacific.

You can watch it below:

How to find Instagram photos of beautiful, nearby locations

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Check out other beautiful photos taken near you.
Check out other beautiful photos taken near you.
Photo: Rob LeFebvre/Cult of Mac

Instagram’s location data can be a privacy nightmare but it also allows you to check out what other folks are taking photos of nearby.

If you’re on vacation and want to see some stunning photography in the same place as you, it’s just a click away.

Here’s how to find Instagram photos of nearby beautiful locations, to inspire you on your own journey.

Attorney general wants Silicon Valley to help catch terrorists who’ve ‘gone dark’

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Apple Security Jacket
Loretta Lynch wants tech companies to work with the government.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Attorney General Loretta Lynch will argue that the U.S. government and the tech industry must work together to take down criminals and terrorists when she speaks at a San Francisco cybersecurity conference today.

While Lynch won’t directly refer to Apple’s current FBI standoff in her speech to tech leaders at the RSA Conference, she will describe the dangers of criminals “going dark” by using technologies such as encrypted smartphones. As such, she wants a “frank dialogue and fruitful partnership” between Washington and Silicon Valley.

San Bernardino survivor’s husband supports Apple against FBI

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iPhone hack
This case is about much more than one iPhone.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

The husband of a San Bernardino survivor — whose spouse almost lost her life during the mass shooting which prompted Apple’s hacking standoff with the FBI — has said that he supports Apple’s pro-privacy stance.

Salicin Kondoker’s wife was shot three times during the attack, but in a letter to Judge Sheri Pym, Kondoker writes that Apple’s fight represents, “something much bigger than [hacking] one phone.”

PS4 Remote Play is coming soon to Mac and PC

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Prepare your PC for PS4 Remote Play.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Android
PS4 Remote Play
Prepare your PC for PS4 Remote Play. Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Android

Playing PlayStation 4 games on your Mac or Windows PC will soon be possible thanks to Remote Play. Sony has confirmed the feature is making its way to desktops soon as it looks to catch up with Xbox One’s close relationship with Windows 10.

Ron Paul defends Apple: Spying has not prevented one terrorist attack

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Ronpaul1
Ron Paul says we should all support Apple.
Photo: R. DeYoung/Flickr CC

Siri loves Ron Paul, and apparently Paul’s feelings toward Apple are mutual.

The former congressman and presidential candidate used his weekly column this week to take on the issue of Apple’s standoff with the FBI — arguing that creating a backdoor for the iPhone would absolutely be a “precedent-setting case,” and stating that, “The government spying on us has not prevented one terrorist attack.”

iPhone hacking case is one step closer to being heard by Congress

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iPhone mobile encryption touch id
The iPhone hacking case is becoming one of 2016's biggest stories.
Photo: Olly Browning/Pixabay

Apple has argued that its encryption beef with the U.S. government should be heard by Congress, rather than the courts, and it appears that certain members of the House Judiciary Committee agree.

According to a new report, select Republican and Democratic party members of the House Judiciary Committee are considering filing a “friend of the court” brief to support elevating the case up to Congress level — although no final decision has yet been made.

iPhone 7 will be as slim as an iPod touch

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ipod-touch
The iPhone 7 may be Apple's thinnest handset yet.
Photo: Apple

The iPhone 7 is set to be a whole 1mm thinner than the iPhone 6s, according to a new report — making it the same 6.1mm thickness as the fifth-generation iPod touch.

Considering that the first generation iPhone was 11.6mm thick, this means that Apple will have successfully shaved off almost half the thickness of its slimline iPhone over the course of the handset’s lifecycle, should this rumor turn out to be true. That’s a pretty amazing statistic!

Find out if you’ve been infected by sneaky new Mac malware

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Have you been infected?
Have you been infected?
Photo: Marcin Nowak/Unsplash

Is your Mac infected by newly discovered malware that was ostensibly created by Milan-based HackingTeam in order to gain remote access to your machine?

The new virus uses some old HackingTeam code and some new tricks to hide its tracks, but it’s mostly harmless, according to researchers.

That doesn’t mean it’s not a good idea to get it off your system. Here’s how.

Google Maps finally lets iPhone users make pit stops

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Google-Maps-pit-stops iOS
Get it together, U-Stop.
Photo: Google

Android owners have been able to insert detours into their Google Maps routes since October, but now the company is letting iPhone users in on the cool feature.

Starting today, Google is rolling out “pit stop” functionality to the iOS version of its navigation app. The company says it will work in the over 100 countries in which it offers driving directions.

NY judge rules Apple can refuse to unlock iPhone

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iPhone 6 by hurk:Pixabay
The government's case against Apple may be starting to crack.
Photo: Hurk/Pixabay

A New York magistrate judge has said that the government can’t compel Apple to unlock an iPhone involved in a criminal investigation.

In a ruling filed today, Judge James Orenstein has said that he must “reject the government’s interpretation that the [All Writs Act] empowers a court to grant any relief not outright prohibited by law.” This decision is the latest development in a months-long case that may serve as a precursor to the iPhone maker’s larger confrontation with the FBI.

New iPad may pack better camera than iPad Pro

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The next iPad Air could have the same speaker setup as the iPad Pro.
The iPad Pro won't have the best camera for long.
Photo: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac

Apple is rumored to unveil a new 9.7-inch iPad on March 21st, and while it may not pack as big a screen as the iPad Pro, it will be way better at taking photos and videos.

Rather than matching the iPad Pro camera, a new rumor claims Apple may give the new iPad the same sensors found in the iPhone 6s.

How to take better HDR photos with Hydra for iPhone

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Ever take a photo where the foreground is took dark or the background is way too bright? Hydra solves that problem for you.
Ever take a photo where the foreground is took dark or the background is way too bright? Hydra solves that problem for you.
Photo: Ally Kazmucha/The App Factor

app-factor-logo-thumbnailThe iPhone has a great built-in camera. Unfortunately, the Camera app itself sometimes falls short. If you’ve ever taken a photo outside only to find the sky way too bright while everything else is way too dark, you know exactly what I’m talking about.

Hydra for iPhone does a great job balancing tricky lighting situations. Here’s how it works and why I love it so much…

How to create cheap bullet-time effects using your iPhone and string

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All you need is string and an iPhone to create this effect.
All you need is string and an iPhone to create this effect.
Photo: Nicolas Vuignier

Swiss freeskier Nicolas Vuignier blew our minds with his incredible slinging iPhone contraption that creates killer bullet-time videos. Now he’s unleashing his creation called the Centriphone to the public and it’s surprisingly simple and super cheap to make.

Vuignier detailed the making of the Centriphone in a new video that runs through the seven different prototypes he tested for weeks before finally coming up with the perfect device that flies around its wielder while capturing jaw-dropping 360 degree video.

The best part of the Centriphone is Vuignier made it an open source project so now anyone can 3D print it at home. Even if you don’t own a 3D printer you can still buy one for just $39.

Here’s how to make your own:

8 alternative Uber logos that are better than the real deal

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uber-new-logo-app-icon
Some freelance designers wanted to help out this atrocity.
Photo: Uber

Given that Uber’s new brand and logo aren’t exactly winning any awards, Freelancer posted a contest for its designers to take a crack at giving the online taxi service a new look. The assignment was simply to submit your own idea of what Uber’s redesigned branding should look like. The site received 147 entries from 27 freelancers and the winner was awarded a cool $100.

Shortly after Uber announced its new logo, people took to Twitter to mock it mercilessly because it’s … well, just not that good. Several of the most popular logo submissions by freelancers are arguably miles better than Uber’s.

Check out the winning design, as well as several honorable mentions, below.

Facebook’s Moments app quietly adds video, new upload settings

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Now Moments lets you add video to your private albums.
Now Moments lets you add video to your private albums.
Photo: Moments App

Getting photos from your friends can be a hassle, but Facebook’s Moments app lets you do just that with a private area where everyone can send their photos from events. Think of it as a private photo album that all of your friends are invited to.

Videos are next, as Facebook’s Moments just got updated in the App store, adding a way to add your videos to existing moments, or creating new ones just for video.

Here’s what Apple’s top lawyer will tell Congress tomorrow

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Tim Cook
Tim Cook and Apple aren't backing down.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Apple’s general counsel Bruce Sewell is set to appear before the House Judiciary Committee tomorrow, when he’ll go toe-to-toe with FBI Director James Comey over whether the bureau should be allowed to force Apple to create a backdoor into iOS.

Tim Cook already explained Apple’s argument against the FBI’s orders, but today the company revealed what will be Sewell’s opening remarks before Congress unloads a barrage of questions — and he’s got some pretty big questions of his own for lawmakers to consider.

5 iOS games that’ll make you leap to the App Store [Reviews]

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Best new iOS games February 2016
Which new iOS games made the cut this month?
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Today is February 29, which is always a little confusing. It’s cool that we get an extra day in the year (kinda), but we aren’t ever sure what to do with it. Do we keep acting like it’s crappy February, or should we get even more anxious for halfway-decent March? And why haven’t we filed our taxes yet?

We don’t know, but if you’re looking for a way to spend your Leap Day, here are some of the best iOS games from the past month.

Android Pay is taking its fight against Apple Pay international

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Android Pay is expanding its reach.
Photo: Google
Android Pay is expanding its reach. Photo: Google
Android Pay is expanding its reach. Photo: Google

Android Pay, which made its debut in the U.S. just five months ago, is already gearing up to take its fight against Apple Pay international.

The U.K. will be the second market served by Google’s mobile payments system, according to a new report — and Britons will be able to sign up by the end of March.