Mobile menu toggle

Google breaks promise to not collect student data

By

google-breaks-promise-to-not-collect-student-data-image-cultofandroidcomwp-contentuploads201512Google-offers-Chromebooks-to-educational-institutions-as-a-low-cost-way-to-bring-students-online-jpg
Google breaks its privacy promise. Photo: Google
Google breaks its privacy promise. Photo: Google

Google has been accused of breaking its student privacy pledge by collecting data and browsing habits from Chromebooks used in schools and Google Apps for Education.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has called upon the Fair Trade Commission (FTC) to investigate Google’s conduct, and to prevent it from using the data it has collected so far.

Need a name for your newborn? Try an Instagram filter

By

Sure you could name your girl Rose. But why not Lark or Juno?
Sure you could name your girl Rose. But why not Lark or Juno?
Photo: David Pierini/Cult of Mac

Excuse the dad for checking his Instagram feed when the nurse brings the newborn into the room. He might be trying to find a name for the kid.

Naming a baby after an Instagram filter is a hot trend according to the annual Baby Names Survey, sponsored by the Baby Center.

Play Darth Vader with Siri and get some hilarious responses

By

The popularity of selfies made them the Oxford Dictionary's
Hey, Siri...
Photo: Star Wars

The whole tech world is losing its mind with Star Wars mania, and Apple’s no exception. Hidden within Siri is a neat reference to George Lucas’ epic space opera — accessible when you use the iconic “I am your father” line from the end of The Empire Strikes Back.

Check out some of Siri’s best responses below.

Apple offers kids free ‘Hour of Code’ programming classes

By

Screen Shot 2015-12-02 at 13.51.14
Apple is doing its bit to encourage the coders of tomorrow.
Photo: Apple

Apple is once again supporting Code.org’s “Hour of Code” initiative by offering a range of workshops and other special events for kids aged 6 and above at Apple Stores around the world.

Other participating tech companies include Google, Microsoft, Facebook and Amazon. Apple is presenting a range of interesting sessions, including a free one-hour introduction to the basics of computer programming taking place on December 10 at local Apple Stores.

Pro Tip: How to speed up your Apple Watch

By

Apple Watch
Get your Apple Watch ready for your new iPhone.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Pro_Tip_Cult_of_Mac Apple Watch is becoming second nature to me after several months of owning it. It’s gotten to the point where I feel like something’s missing when I don’t strap it to my wrist in the morning before starting my workday.

Thing is, the Apple Watch has so many animations on it that I sometimes feel like getting things done takes too long. I just want to find and use apps, with a minimum of fuss and bother.

Luckily, you can turn off those animations on Apple Watch to make it all feel a bit snappier.

Apple Pay was a massive flop on Black Friday

By

Apple Pay
Is Apple Pay struggling to make an impact?
Photo: Apple

Apple may have kicked butt on Black Friday, with reports of its strongest Friday sales in history and more online purchases made using iOS devices than Androids by a giant margin.

There was one area of Apple’s business where Black Friday wasn’t a day of triumph, however, and that’s Apple Pay. According to a new report, only half the total percentage of Apple customers who used Apple Pay at last year’s Black Friday used it during this year’s sales bonanza.

iPad giveaway prank proves you shouldn’t ignore Terms and Conditions

By

Just agree -  everyone's doing it.
Just agree - everyone's doing it.
Photo: Apple

Despite the fact that they frequently contain things we should be concerned about, it’s rare that we pay much (if any) attention to what we’re agreeing to when we hit “Accept” on the Terms & Conditions section of some new app we’ve downloaded.

However, a fun viral video by YouTube prankster Jena Kingsley shows why we should read a bit more carefully, with members of the public unknowingly “agreeing” to do everything from adopting a child (who’s standing right there!) to giving up an organ — all in the name of trying to win an iPad.

Check it out below:

Stunning iOS puzzler Monument Valley goes free for first time

By

Monument Valley
Monument Valley is one of my favorite iOS games.
Photo: ustwo

Tremendous iOS puzzle game Monument Valley has just gone free on iOS for the first time in its history.

Inspired by the surrealistic designs of M.C. Escher, the title is a triumph of isometric design, in which the player guides a princess through a series of impossible structures in a game that Apple lyrically described as, “akin to a walk through a museum or listening to a music album.”

Seriously, download it now.

Apple drops two new ‘ridiculously powerful’ iPhone 6s videos

By

The iPhone 6s can do a lot for all of us.
The iPhone 6s can do a lot for all of us.
Photo: Apple

Apple is positioning the iPhone 6s as both incredibly user friendly as well as ridiculously powerful in a couple of new spots appearing on YouTube Tuesday evening.

The first ad, “Ridiculously Powerful” admits that the iPhone 6s is essentially the same as the iPhone 6, except now it’s incredibly high-powered.

Check it out below, along with a second video that focuses on friendliness via the Hey Siri feature of the new iPhones.

The 4-inch iPhone 6c: Coming in time for Valentine’s Day?

By

An iPhone 6c concept.
An iPhone 6c concept.
Photo: iPhonesoft

There are many who claim that the iPhone 5c, Apple’s plastic-backed “budget” iPhone, was a disappointment, especially compared to the sales of iPhone 6/6s/Plus. Yet rumors continue to circulate that the iPhone 6c will be released next year.

Here’s another rumor to throw on that fire: Supply chain sources within Foxconn are allegedly saying the iPhone 6c is on track for a February 2016 debut.

iPhone 7 concept video isn’t as crazy as it looks

By

Iphone 7 concept video parachute system
Don't worry -- the Parachute System has this under control.
Photo: Sonitdac (via YouTube)

A tongue-in-cheek (we assume) iPhone 7 concept video shows a feature that may be too awesome to ever actually exist.

YouTube user Sonitdac has discovered a way to keep the sure-to-be-expensive device safe from even the clumsiest of owners. They call it the “Parachute System,” and we really wish it were real. Not because it would be useful or practical but because it would be a ton of fun to play with.

Check it out in computer-generated action below.

Study examines Apple Watch quitters and their quibbles

By

Not everybody who bought the Apple Watch is wearing it.
Not everybody who bought the Apple Watch is wearing it.
Photo: Apple

If you bought an Apple Watch that now collects dust on your dresser, you are not alone.

Web-based research firm Wristly, which found a 97 percent user satisfaction rate among early adopters, took equal interest in the unhappy 3 percent. What it found from 340 former Apple Watch users could provide valuable insights for Cupertino as it works on future generations of the smartwatch.

The reasons people gave up the watch include:

How to shield your kid from smartphone cyberbullies

By

kids
It's never too soon to start teaching your kids to be safe online.
Photo: Marcus Kwan/Flickr CC

Gabriella van Rij thinks we all need to be kinder to each other — especially online. To that end, she’s leading a kindness movement aimed at eliminating the cyberbullying that can happen when kids get their mitts on the hottest gifts around: smartphones and tablets like the iPhone and iPad.

“The truth is,” says van Rij, “smartphones can be weapons in the wrong hands.”

Who says a car charger needs to look boring?

By

Lust List Tylt car charger
The Ribbn lends a touch of style to your car-charging game.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Best List: Ribbn car charger by Tylt

Simple, elegant and fun, the Ribbn car charger is no-muss, no-fuss.

Offering up 4.8 amps, Tylt’s little Lightning charger plugs into a standard cigarette lighter socket and adds a bit of bright-blue bling to your car’s interior.

Microsoft delivers an unexpected gift to Apple Store employees

By

Apple and Microsoft employees living in harmony.
Apple and Microsoft employees living in harmony.
Photo: Microsoft

Microsoft’s rivalry with Apple heated up this year when the company opened a flagship store on Fifth Ave in New York that looks a lot like an Apple Store. In the spirit of Christmas though, the company is calling for peace, and to show they mean it, they sent their employees caroling to the Fifth Ave Apple Store.

In Microsoft’s new holiday ad, employees selected across the country gather at the new Microsoft 5th Ave Store and join NYC’s children’s youth choir to spread some holiday cheer. Their march ends at the steps of the iconic Apple Store on Fifth Ave where they sing “Let There Be Peace on Earth” before being rewarded with a rousing round of high-fives from the Apple gang.

Watch the full ad below:

Apple Store logos turn red in support of World AIDS Day

By

Apple Store in Hong Kong show support for World AIDS Day.
Apple Store in Hong Kong show support for World AIDS Day.
Photo: Lorraine Ng/Instagram

For the fifth year in a row, Apple Stores across the globe are showing their support for World AIDS Day today by turning their logos red.

The global event is used to raise awareness about the ongoing fight against AIDS and help fundraising efforts in the race to find a cure for the disease that has already killed 39 million people.

Pros and developers alike can benefit from these extended Cyber Monday deals [Deals]

By

Add project management to your skillset and resume with this pair of essential courses.
Add project management to your skillset and resume with this pair of essential courses.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

With all the hubbub around the post-Thanksgiving shopping, it’s nice when there’s a huge discount on something that is actually useful. These courses on project management and game design normally go for thousands of dollars, but right now they’re going for less than $50. It’s all part of a massive clearing out of eLearning bundles in Cult of Mac’s Cyber Monday extension sale, where you can get another 20% off all e-learning deals by entering coupon code CYBERMONDAY20 at checkout.

TSOLife is a place where your story can live long after you do

By

Your memories become precious stories for future generations with TSOLife.
Your memories become precious stories for future generations with TSOLife.
Photo: TSOLIfe

David Sawyer knows two very interesting things about his grandfather: he ran track fast enough to qualify for the Olympics and he once saved two men drowning at sea while working on a lobster boat.

But the details that would make those two events precious stories for generations to come were never shared. When Sawyer’s grandfather died, it was as if he died twice.

Make light paintings on your iPhone with this amazing app

By

Air Pencil is an amazing app that lets you recording light paintings in the air.
Air Pencil is an amazing app that lets you recording light paintings in the air.
Photo: AdTile

Light paintings are a fun technique, dating back to the 19th century and used by luminaries such as Pablo Picasso, Mark Rothko and Andy Warhol. By waving a light source, like a flashlight, in front of a camera set for a long exposure, you can seemingly create static paintings of light in mid air.

Your iPhone is both a camera and a flashlight, but you usually need two of them to make a light painting. Now a new web app called Air Pencil is set to change that, allowing you to create incredible three-dimensional light paintings, no external camera required.

British Airways app takes off on Apple Watch

By

As smartwatches grow in popularity, the Apple Watch will continue to be the hands-on - or wrist-on - favorite.
App usage is sky high right now.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s refusal to release any hard and fast Apple Watch figures (it has most likely sold in the region of 7 million) has led some people to dismiss the wearable as a failure, despite the company’s vague assertions otherwise.

Now British Airways has thrown out its own stats, noting that its Apple Watch app saw usage increase by a massive 386 percent between June and October, demonstrating that Apple Watch app usage is most definitely on the rise.