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Prisoners in the U.K. could be given iPads for education and communication

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iPad Pro
iPads behind bars.
Photo: Leander Kahney / Cult of Mac

What’s the opposite of an iPad Pro? Presumably it would be an iPad con — and if a new scheme proposed by the U.K.’s Ministry of Justice comes to fruition, there could be a whole lot of them.

The proposed project aims to give prisoners taxpayer-funded iPads so that they can video chat with their families, while also improving their numeracy and literacy skills.

Couldn’t we at least pretend prison is designed as a punishment, and hand convicts cheap Android tablets as a deterrent instead?

Mark Cuban wants Apple to boot Twitter out of the App Store

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Twitter
#getridoftwitter?
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

When there are complaints about censorship in the App Store, it’s usually developers arguing that Apple shouldn’t have removed a particular app for infringing on its often-vague user guidelines.

Billionaire entrepreneur Mark Cuban had something else in mind, however, when he sent a series of tweets claiming that Apple should boot Twitter off the App Store — until the social networking company finds a way of better removing “objectionable” material from its service.

Star Wars fans love the series’ most dangerous tech

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Star Wars Force Awakens Rey BB-8
This could be you, you heartless nerds.
Photo: Lucasfilm

A new poll of the most-wanted technology from the Star Wars universe shows that fans may not have really thought their answers through.

The survey comes courtesy of Harris Poll and software developer myDevices and asks one question: “If you could have any technology from the Star Wars trilogy, which would you want?”

While we approve of the study ignoring the prequels completely, we aren’t sure about the winners because it sounds like what these fans are really requesting are amazing and spectacular deaths.

HBO Go just got even more distracting

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HBO Go Band of Brothers
You'll hit Play on Normandy in Band of Brothers, and the next thing you know, they'll be in Berlin.
Photo: HBO

An update to HBO Go is a direct assault on your productivity.

The streaming service just added two new features that are sure to send you spiraling into a “just one more” death spin. The new features are Picture-in-Picture (for compatible devices running iOS 9) and autoplay, which is how you sit down to watch a single episode and then look up later to discover the sun has come up, and now you have to go to work.

Install these battery-killing, storage-hogging apps at your own risk

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android apps
Which apps are the worst for your phone's battery, performance and data plan?
Photo: Pixelkult/Pixabay CC

Phone-killing apps
Which apps aren’t the best for your phone’s battery, performance, and data plan? Photo: Pixelkult/Pixabay CC
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The latest quarterly report from antivirus company AVG has outed the battery-killingest, storage-hoggingest apps currently available.

Some of the culprits are unsurprising, but a few might be murdering your phone’s performance without you knowing, like some kind of ninjas that have somehow taken app form. All of this and more happens in “Appsassins,” the screenplay I’m pitching to SyFy.

But here are the biggest offenders, because that’s really the more important information here.

Apple looks poised to sell 21 million watches in first year

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Simple fitness trackers from Fitbit, Xiaomi and Garmin outsold Apple Watch during the third quarter.
Simple fitness trackers from Fitbit, Xiaomi and Garmin outsold Apple Watch during the third quarter.
Photo: David Pierini/Cult of Mac

Didn’t think the Apple Watch would catch on? Not everyone agrees, especially analysts who study sales projections.

Cupertino is on track to sell 21 million watches and rake in about $8.4 billion in revenue in the first 12 months of the Apple Watch, according to one of the hottest Apple analysts around. Not bad for a company that entered the wearables game late.

New iPhone app Yallo lets you record your conversations

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Get Yallo in on your phone conversations.
Get Yallo in on your phone conversations.
Photo: Yallo

When I first became a reporter, I bought one of those little mics you could suction-cup to a telephone to record interviews. That was some gadget, except for having to tape it to the handset because the suction cup sometimes popped off.

You can still buy this kind of microphone or use your smartphone with an app called Yallo. A simple interface lets you record incoming calls, share the recorded conversation with an associate or have recordings transcribed and automatically sent to email.

Golden Globes loves Steve Jobs even if nobody else does

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Aaron Sorkin’s Steve Jobs movie is coming to Netflix
Aaron Sorkin’s Steve Jobs movie is coming to Netflix
Photo: François Duhamel/©2015 Universal Studios

It may not have done well at the box office, but Steve Jobs is poised to make a huge splash this award season.

The film picked up four Golden Globe nominations when the Hollywood Foreign Press Association announced the candidates this morning. The association loved the Aaron Sorkin flick so much they made it the second-most nominated movie for the prestigious award show set to take place on January 10th.

These wraparound sports shades won’t screw up your look

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Lust List Spy Sunglasses Screw
I Spy some pretty sweet shades.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Best List: Screw sports sunglasses by Spy Optics

Choosing a pair of sports shades is always a balancing act of form versus function. Luckily, Spy Optics makes sunglasses for every face and every activity.

With its Screw series of shades, Spy found the sweet spot where you get what you need while sweating your ass off without looking like an ass when standing in line at the coffee shop.

You think Apple’s Smart Battery Case is ugly? Wait ’til you see its insides

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It's what's inside that counts.
It's what's inside that counts.
Photo: iFixit

For the Apple fans disappointed in the Quasimodo look of the new Smart Battery Case, there is probably great satisfaction in seeing it all busted up. Yes, the staff at iFixit wasted no time prying one open to behold the guts of the beast.

iFixit did not defend the case from the “ugly” tag so many people gave it in its’ first 24 hours of public life. The technicians were impressed with the ducting on the case, which turned a downward-facing speaker into one that faces forward. The microphone also faces forward and iFixit wonders if this a preview on future designs.

Google Photos now lets you share your favorite albums with friends

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google-photos-now-lets-you-share-your-favorite-albums-with-friends-image-cultofandroidcomwp-contentuploads201512Google-Photos-shared-albums-jpg
Google Photos makes sharing simple. Photo: Google
Google Photos makes sharing simple. Photo: Google

Google knows your best photos shouldn’t stay hidden away inside your camera roll, so it is making it incredibly easy to share them with friends.

A new Google Photos update, which is rolling out today on Android, iOS, and the web, introduces shared albums, which you can send to friends via SMS, email, or instant message.

Apple to take GPU design into its own hands

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A9xchip
Apple's GPU is still a few years away, however.
Photo: Chipworks

Apple is reportedly working to create its own mobile GPU, a new report claims.

The report suggests that Apple has been working for several years to create an in-house graphics chip, using its chip design talent — shown previously when the company announced its first Apple-developed ARM-based CPU cores.

Apple makes a splash with new waterproof iPhone patent

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Water way to test your iPhone!
Water way to improve the iPhone.
Photo: LifeProof

Apple today published an intriguing patent application with a unique method for waterproofing future devices — by covering ports, like those for USB or headphones, with self-healing seals.

Described as an, “electronic device with hidden connector,” the invention describes how self-healing elastomeric material could seal each of the ports, which would then be opened by puncturing them with external connectors, such as power or audio feeds, in the event that they needed to be used.

4 features the Apple Watch 2 doesn’t need

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Apple Watch 2 concept by Eric Huismann
The Apple Watch 2 may not look like this, but we'd be fine if it did.
Photo: Eric Heisuman

After the rumblings and grumblings that we’ll get our first look at the Apple Watch 2 in as soon as three months, the Internet is ablaze with all of the great features the update “should” have. But let’s not go overboard, here, because not all of these suggestions would make the new wearable better.

We aren’t talking about Android compatibility, complete independence from its paired phone, or a better battery life; we’d welcome any of those updates in a second. But we couldn’t really see a need or want for a few of the rumored/desired new features, regardless of how crazy awesome they might seem at first.

Rivals pile on to mock Apple’s ugly iPhone battery case

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rivals-pile-on-to-mock-apples-ugly-iphone-battery-case-image-cultofandroidcomwp-contentuploads201512lg_v10_dig_apple_battery_case_twitter_official-jpg
Classy, huh?
Photo: LG
Classy, huh? Photo: LG
Classy, huh? Photo: LG

Apple made a minor design faux pas with its newly-launched iPhone Smart Battery Case, so of course all of the company’s rivals are doing the mature thing and getting on with their own work, knowing that joining the pile-on will only come back to bite them.

Wait — that’s not what’s happening at all! In fact, LG and Asus today debuted two new ads poking fun of Apple, while at the same time advertising the alleged superiority of their LG V10 and Asus ZenFone Max phones respectively.

iPad Pro will touch down in India next week

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iPad Pro
The iPad Pro could be a valuable tool for helping grow Apple's enterprise business in India.
Photo: Leander Kahney / Cult of Mac

The iPad Pro is set to launch in India next week, amidst a massive push on Apple’s part to grow its enterprise business in the populous country — with plans for this to eventually account for 15-20 percent of Apple revenue.

Pricing for Apple’s super-sized tablet will begin at Rs 67,990 ($1,018), compared with $799 in the United States.

Walmart takes on Apple Pay and Android Pay with… Walmart Pay

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walmart-takes-on-apple-pay-and-android-pay-with-walmart-pay-image-cultofandroidcomwp-contentuploads201512Screen-Shot-2015-12-10-at-112337-png
Walmart is launching its own mobile payment service.
Photo: Walmart
Walmart is launching its own mobile payment service. Photo: Walmart
Walmart is launching its own mobile payment service. Photo: Walmart

Walmart, a.k.a. the world’s largest retailer, has announced the launch of its new Walmart Pay service — a mobile payment service for both Android and iOS, designed to work with all major credit, debit, and Walmart gift cards in the retailer’s U.S. stores.

Verizon will test free ‘sponsored’ data soon

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Verizon is about to get more expensive.
Verizon is about to get more expensive.
Photo: Verizon

Verizon is planning to bring free sponsored data to the masses according to a scoop from Re/code which found out the testimg phase is just days away.

In an interview with the site, Verizon VP Marni Walden revealed the network is working with a few partners during the testing phase and intends to make the feature available to all comers next year.

Google’s mind-bending quantum computer actually works

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googles-mind-bending-quantum-computer-actually-works-image-cultofandroidcomwp-contentuploads201512D-Wave-1000Q-lower-res1-jpg
Quantum computers will lead to advancements in artificial intelligence.
Photo: D-Wave Systems Inc.
D-Wave 1000Q quantum computing - lower res1
Quantum computers will lead to advancements in artificial intelligence. (Photo courtesy of D-Wave Systems Inc.)

A major breakthrough from Google’s quantum-computing team could eventually lead to artificial-intelligence systems complex enough to make sci-fi nerds lose sleep in fear of the robot apocalypse. The breakthrough sounds simple, but it has massive implications: The quantum computer the team co-operates with NASA actually works.

And not only does it work, but it can do the same process up to 100 million times faster than its predecessors.

Games and entertainment dominate Apple TV’s store

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The Apple TV's app store has been a smash hit in its first month alone.
The Apple TV's app store has been a smash hit in its first month alone.
Photo: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac

On the Apple TV app store, entertainment apps, including streaming video from the likes of HBONow and Netflix, are a clear winner, followed next by games.

AppFigures, an app tracking service for publishers and developers, took a look at the trends from Apple TV’s first month out of the gate. Their report also has some interesting insights about each category, and the way the Apple TV’s digital storefront is shaping up to be a fairly viable place to sell apps.

This smartphone case will print out your snapshots

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The Prynt Case has a built-in photo printer.
The Prynt Case has a built-in photo printer.
Photo: Prynt

The early pioneers of photography, the ones who nearly choked to death inhaling toxic chemicals needed for making prints, would probably faint if they could see there is a smartphone case with a built-in photo printer.

The Prynt Case, a smash hit on Kickstarter earlier this year, is now shipping to the nearly 9,000 people who backed the campaign. For the rest of us, the campaign raised enough money for a huge production run to make it available for order in time for Christmas.