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Get the Foxconn experience with new tourist factory

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Foxconn employees accused of $43 million iPhone scam
Tim Cook meeting an iPhone manufacturer in China.
Photo: Apple

With its allegations of sweatshop conditions and worker suicides, even the masterful spin provided by Steve Jobs wasn’t able to turn negative public opinion about Foxconn, one of the main manufacturers which builds Apple devices.

But Foxconn is hoping to change people’s minds about its facilities — by opening a new “technology tourism factory” in Jiangsu, China, designed to give outsiders a peak into a (carefully managed) version of the Foxconn working experience.

Donald Trump thinks he can make Apple build Macs in U.S.

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Donald Trump Liberty University
We don't know either, Mr. Trump.
Photo: Washington Post (via YouTube)

If he really wants the job, presidential hopeful Donald Trump should probably figure out what the office can and can’t do.

Trump showcased his continuing delusion of ultimate executive power to do everything ever at a speech at Liberty University today. And in addition to his lofty goals to construct a huge wall completely sealing off the border between the United States and Mexico (“Someday they’ll call it Trump Wall”) and build a military “so big, so strong, [and] so powerful that nobody is going to mess with us,” he also turned his attention to companies like that have outsourced production overseas to save money on labor and taxes.

“We’re gonna get Apple to start building their damn computers and things in this country instead of in other countries,” Trump said, apropos of nothing.

How to flip your Apple Watch for surprise benefits

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Turn that crown upside down!
Turn that crown upside down!
Photo: Rob LeFebvre/Cult of Mac

The Apple Watch is designed with the Digital Crown in the same place as where traditional watches have their own crown to set the time. It’s a design choice that helps us think of this new tiny computer on our wrist as something comfortable and familiar.

But there’s no reason the Digital Crown should remain on the right, as it defaults to if you’re wearing your Apple Watch on your left wrist.

In fact, flipping it around can make things on your Apple Watch even better. Check it out.

Run to the hills in upcoming Iron Maiden mobile game

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run-to-the-hills-in-upcoming-iron-maiden-mobile-game-image-cultofandroidcomwp-contentuploads201601Legacy-of-the-Beast-Iron-Maiden-jpg
Legendary metal bands and mobile games, oh my. Photo: Roadshow Interactive
Legendary metal bands and mobile games, oh my. Photo: Roadshow Interactive

Are you willing to die with your boots on? Do you know the number of the beast? If so, you’ll want to keep an eye on this upcoming mobile game from heavy metal band extraordinaire, Iron Maiden.

In conjunction with Roadhouse Interactive and 50cc Games, the legends of metal are putting together a free-to-play role-playing game, due out this summer, on iOS and Android. It’s called Iron Maiden: Legacy of the Beast (naturally), and will apparently include characters from the long history of Iron Maiden album art, as well as a soundtrack that has previously unheard live recordings from the monsters of rock.

Prius backup camera takes filmmaking in new direction

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This director has a vision and sees what's behind him.
This director has a vision and sees what's behind him.
Photo: I Want My Mommy/YouTube

The iPhone as a tool for filmmaking made us gasp and marvel last year. Are there any other cinematic frontiers left to conquer?

The sketch comedy troupe I Want My Mommy has taken the feature film in a whole new direction – reverse. It shot a feature film with the backup camera on the Toyota Prius.

The internet can be a frightening place. Don’t go in without protection. [Deals]

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proXPN guards your data and browsing activity with a super secure encryption, and offers full customer support.
proXPN guards your data and browsing activity with a super secure encryption, and offers full customer support.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

The internet is a wonderful, wild, and sometimes scary place — with identity thieves, data snoops, and other less than savory characters wandering the web, you should never enter without protection. A great way to add a layer of security is through a virtual private network, but for anyone without an IT degree that can seem out of the question. That’s why there’s proXPN VPN, and right now you can get a lifetime subscription for a whopping 89% off the usual price, only $39.

Apple investigates iPhone 6s models not correctly reporting battery life

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Apple is investigating battery issues for the iPhone 6s.
Apple is investigating battery issues for the iPhone 6s.
Photo: Buster Hein/Cult of Mac

If you have an iPhone 6s or iPhone 6s Plus that’s not properly showing how much battery you have left, there’s good news and bad news. Bad news first? Apple doesn’t exactly know what’s causing the problem. Good news: They’re looking into it, and there’s a temporary fix.

Apple’s homepage pays tribute to Martin Luther King Jr.

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Screen Shot 2016-01-18 at 13.59.07
"Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?"
Photo: Apple

As per tradition, Apple has changed its homepage to an image of Civil Rights leader and minister Martin Luther King Jr. in commemoration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

The quote used alongside the photo is one of King’s stating: “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’” This is similar to Tim Cook’s stated mission for Apple as a company focused on being a “force for good” in the world.

Microsoft’s next iPhone app will be an iOS keyboard

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Microsoft's Word Flow keyboard is coming to iOS.
Microsoft's Word Flow keyboard is coming to iOS.
Photo: Windows Central

Under new CEO Satya Nadella, Microsoft has been releasing all sorts of software for iOS, including Office and lesser apps like Microsoft Selfie. But the next app you install from Microsoft on your iPhone could be a replacement keyboard, ripped straight out of Windows Phone.

Apple takes your privacy seriously — even when you’re dead

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The dream to give ever student in the L.A. schools district an iPad has officially come to an end. Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
A tricky customer service problem.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Apple has made a big show of just how seriously it takes your privacy — but it’s not just criminals and government spying agencies whose hands it wants to keep off your devices.

According to a recent news story, Apple insisted that a Canadian widow sought a court order to retrieve her deceased husband’s password so that she could access his iPad — just to play a card game.

Apple’s Irish HQ evacuated over bomb scare

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Apple's Hollyhill, Cork factory is the only Apple-run manufacturing facility in the world.
Apple's Hollyhill, Cork factory is the only Apple-run manufacturing facility in the world.
Photo: Irish Examiner

Update: Employees are now back to work after the security alert was lifted. Only Apple’s Hollyhill and Levitt’s Quay were affected.

Apple reportedly evacuated 4,000 staffers at several of its premises in Cork, Ireland, this morning after an online bomb threat.

Employees were evacuated from Apple’s facilities in Hollyhill, the nearby Levitt’s Quay, and (possibly) the Model Farm Road site at 10 a.m. local time, with a search now being made of all premises. The Army Bomb Disposal unit has been notified and an explosive ordnance disposal team is on standby.

Kate Winslet bags Critics’ Circle award for Steve Jobs

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Kate Winslet, middle, praises the portrayal of Steve Jobs by Michael Fassbender (right).
Kate Winslet, middle, watches on as a pre-keynote argument rages.
Photo: Universal Pictures

Steve Jobs may have proved divisive among critics and an epic flop at the box office, but that’s not stopping it from cleaning up on the awards circuit.

The latest prize the Aaron Sorkin and Danny Boyle movie picked up was a Supporting Actress of the Year award for Kate Winslet at this weekend’s Critics’ Circle Film Awards in London. Winslet, who has already earned a Golden Globe for the role, stars in the movie as legendary PR guru Joanna Hoffman.

Apple topples Samsung in United Arab Emirates’ top brands list

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Apple beat Samsung to be named one of U.A.E.'s top brands.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Android
Apple beat Samsung to be named one of U.A.E.'s top brands. Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Android
Apple beat Samsung to be named one of U.A.E.’s top brands. Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Android

Apple has beaten Samsung to claim one of the top three places in the United Arab Emirates’ Annual BrandIndex Buzz Rankings — knocking Samsung from its previous No. 1 position down to No. 4.

That wasn’t Apple’s sole placement on the list either, since the iPhone (placed at No. 7) was the only handset brand named. Other notable tech entries included Google, Facebook, WhatsApp and YouTube.

Concepts, Lifeline and other awesome apps of the week

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appsoftheweek_1024
Have an 'appy weekend.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

It’s a lazy winter’s Sunday, which means it’s the perfect day of the week to try out a few of the hottest new apps currently hitting Apple’s various App Stores. But which ones to sample?

Whether you’re looking for a great Apple TV media player, an engrossing text-based game for your Apple Watch, or a great iPhone app to plan your first 2016 adventure, we’ve got you covered!

Check out our picks below.

Get set to jet set with these travel tips and tools [Deals]

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Learn to explore the globe while spending less, earning more, and speaking new languages.
Learn to explore the globe while spending less, earning more, and speaking new languages.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Despite the amazing age of technology we live in, traveling isn’t any less of a hassle than it used to be. Luckily we’ve found some great options for taking the edge off next time you’re in line at a security checkpoint, trying to catch a snooze on a cramped train, or worried about your phone dying while on that international walking hike you’ve been waiting years to make. There’s plenty more than that here, take a look and see if there’s a travel companion here that’s right for you.

The future of driving tech and the nifty new features coming to iOS 9.3, on The CultCast

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In the not-so-distant future, car drives YOU!
In the not-so-distant future, car drives YOU!
Illustration: GraphicaArtis/Getty Images

This week on The CultCast: super-sized drones, app-controlled robot bartenders, smart coffee mugs and the coolest of gadgets from CES 2016. Plus, don’t miss our picks for the absolutely, positively, you-should-install-them-today, most essential Mac and iOS apps.

Our thanks to Harry’s for supporting this episode. Harry’s super-sharp, German-made razors ship free right to your door and for way less than drugstore razors. Learn more at Harrys.com and save $5 off your first order with code CultCast.

Don’t pass up the chance to bolster your design skills [Deals]

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Crop images, apply filters, and lots, lots more with this powerful pair of editing apps.
Crop images, apply filters, and lots, lots more with this powerful pair of editing apps.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

These days good design is the key to any successful product, website, ad campaign, you name it. With these discounted resources, you can step up your design game and your pay scale at the same time. From drawing by hand with Adobe, to web development lessons and a library of design assets, there’s something here for anyone looking to improve their marketability in a design-conscious industry.

Here’s some of what’s included:

Expect the Apple Watch 2 in September, not March

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Round Apple Watch
Don’t expect new Apple Watch 2 hardware in March?
Photo: Oh NamKyung

If you’re expecting the second-gen Apple Watch to drop in March, think again. A new report suggests that while we might see new bands and partnerships announced in two months, a revised version of the Apple Watch hardware itself will not be on the table.

How Apple’s wireless EarPods could change the way we hear everything

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Could Apple’s wireless EarPods use hearing aid technology to offer holographic sound, augmented-reality Siri and superhuman hearing?
Could Apple’s wireless EarPods use hearing aid technology to offer holographic sound, augmented-reality Siri and superhuman hearing?
Photo: Graham Bower/Cult of Mac

Recent reports suggest Apple might ship wireless, noise-canceling EarPods with the iPhone 7. From a hardware perspective, these headphones would be very similar to hearing aids.

With the right feature set, these devices could change the way we hear digital audio and pave the way for transformative new audio experiences for everyone.

Apple Music is about to wall off its radio stations

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Beats 1 will be your only free Apple Music option next month.
Beats 1 will be your only free Apple Music option next month.
Photo: Apple

Apple Music is shutting down its ad-supported radio as of January 28, pushing Beats 1 as the premier free “broadcast” for Apple. Apple sent the news out in an email to subscribers and free listeners today.

You’ll still be able to listen to all the Apple Music radio as an Apple Music member, but not as a free listener.

Apple Watch band seller hopes screwup earns stellar reviews

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Apple-Watch-Bands-by-Baoxing-Trading
Sometimes a deal too good to be true actually works out in the customer's favor.
Photo: Baoxing Trading (via Amazon)

An accidentally deep discount on Apple Watch bands has the seller reaching out for positive reviews on Amazon.

Baoxing Trading mistakenly marked down some of the accessories in its store to too-good-to-be-true levels, and while they were, in fact, that, the company decided to honor the prices and ship the items at a loss. And that’s pretty nice and honorable of them, but it doesn’t mean they aren’t asking for a small favor in return via a note included in the packages buyers are receiving.

Check out the letter below:

Mac’s malware protection still needs patching

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hack
143 million customers in the U.S. may have been impacted by the attack.
Photo: Colin / Wikimedia Commons

We all know Apple’s are much safer than Windows PCs at keeping out the malware, right?

Researcher Patrick Wardle has been trying to make sure of that for months now as he pokes holes in Apple’s current protection scheme, Gatekeeper.

In fact, he’s gotten past Apple’s latest patch to its software security system in literally five minutes.

If you fall for this smartwatch hack, you practically deserve it

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Apple-Watch-models watchos 2.2 ios 9.3 smartwatch hack
You probably won't need to worry about this smartwatch hack affecting your Apple Watch anytime soon.
Photo: Apple

We’ve seen a clever smartwatch hack or two, but this is not one of them.

A University of Cophenhagen student found a way to infiltrate smartwatches and trick them into giving up sensitive data like passcodes and personal identification numbers by accessing their motion data and offloading it to a secure server. And if that sounds completely terrifying, that’s because we haven’t told you how it works.

But it has a pretty big hole in its methodology.