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These are the features Apple Watch owners love most

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apple-watch
Which of these apps sums up your Apple Watch experience?
Photo: Apple

The average Apple Watch user checks his or her timepiece four to five times an hour, and are most likely to use the device’s Maps function, according to two separate studies.

Carried out by Wristly.com and researchers at the University of Stockholm’s Mobile Life Centre, the two surveys quizzed Apple Watch owners on their typical usage, and discovered a few interesting observations in the process.

Reeder 3 is here, adding iPad Pro, Split View, and 3D Touch support

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The best RSS reader for iOS just got better, especially if you have an iPad.
The best RSS reader for iOS just got better, especially if you have an iPad.
Photo: Reeder

Reeder has long been our favorite feed reader for iOS and Mac. Earlier this year, Reeder for Mac hit version 3.0, making us wonder when the iOS version would achieve the same milestone. Now it has, gaining support Split View in iOS 9, an updated UI, 3D Touch for previewing articles, and more!

Soon you’ll be able to use your iPhone while wearing gloves

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mujjo-touchscreen-gloves-typing
I guess the alternative use-case would be committing crimes while still playing Angry Birds.
Photo: Mujjo

What with it being winter and all, it would be great if Apple embraced the concept of letting people use iPhones while wearing regular gloves — something already offered by manufacturers such as Samsung.

Well, according to a patent application published today, we may not be waiting too much longer because Apple has invented something called “Glove Touch Detection.” The patent would allow Apple touchscreen to work in situations where it is separated from a finger by a barrier, such as a glove.

Haven’t watched Steve Jobs yet? Read the script here

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Aaron Sorkin’s Steve Jobs movie is coming to Netflix
Universal has released the screenplay for Steve Jobs.
Photo: François Duhamel/©2015 Universal Studios

Based on the sadly dismal box office cash it’s failed to drum up, statistically few of you have seen Steve Jobs, Aaron Sorkin and Danny Boyle’s semi-biopic based on Walter Isaacson’s best-selling 2011 biography of Apple’s late CEO.

Well, if you want to get a taste of what you’re missing — or simply want to revisit Sorkin’s dialog-heavy screenplay — now you can, because Universal Pictures has made the entire 190-page script available to read for free online.

Cult of Mac Magazine: Black Friday deals + gadget reviews + Apple news + more

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Short week, lots of sales, tons of Cult of Mac content.
Short week, lots of sales, tons of Cult of Mac content.
Cover Design: Stephen Smith/Cult of Mac

It might be a short week for most of us here in the U.S., but that didn’t stop us from piling up a whole, well, pile of great content for your long weekend enjoyment.

We’ve got all the Black Friday sale info you can handle, a bunch of sweet gadget reviews (like the rumbling, rabble-rousing Sonos Play:5) and a fantastic assortment of Apple news and views that you’ll love.

Be sure to download the Cult of Mac Magazine app now to get your own copy of our latest issue.

Here’s the rundown:

PDF Expert is the lightweight, powerful viewer your Mac needs

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pdf-expert-mac
PDF Expert is more powerful than you'd expect for its price.
Photo: Readdle

Readdle’s highly praised iOS app PDF Expert has landed on the Mac. Shortly after its debut, it shot straight to the number one spot for paid apps on the Mac App Store. Apple’s own Preview app works fine for simply reading through PDF files or making tiny edits, but people who work with PDF files more frequently and need more power can benefit from giving the $19.99 PDF Expert a chance. Cult of Mac got the opportunity to do just that.

Everybody knows that the leader in the category of PDF editors and readers is Adobe with its Reader and Acrobat apps, but the latter costs $14.99 per month for a subscription or a staggering $449 for the full desktop software. As long as you don’t need to create PDFs, PDF Expert only asks for $20 out of your pocket and it’s jam-packed with all of the necessities and then some.

Drive your guitar to new places with this mighty Moog effects pedal

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Moog's MF Drive packs a lot of sonic punch in a small package.
Moog's MF Drive packs a lot of sonic punch in a small package.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Best List: MF Drive guitar pedal by Moog

The magic of what Moog has done with this analog stompbox isn’t completely evident until you plug an expression pedal into it.

Certainly the drive tones are exceptional and the controls provide a myriad of useable and inspirational tones, but the expression pedal unlocks Moog’s industry-leading love of sonic experimentation.

Pay what you want for a huge bundle of coding lessons [Deals]

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Pay whatever you want for these nine lessons covering HTML5, Ruby, Python and plenty in between.
Pay whatever you want for these nine lessons covering HTML5, Ruby, Python and plenty in between.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Coding is as useful a skill as it is a time consuming (and often expensive) one to learn. It doesn’t have to be that way though — whether you want to master HTML5, Ruby, Python or anything in between, we’ve got a content-packed, 92-hour bundle of courses and you can get it for whatever you want to pay. 10% of anything you decide to pay goes to Project Hope, who provide medical expertise and resources to crises around the world.

Apple has crucial deal in place to bring Apple Pay to China

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Photo: Adrian Korte CC
Apple Pay is on the verge of arriving in China.
Photo: Adrian Korte CC

Apple has come to a preliminary agreement with China UnionPay to introduce Apple Pay in China through UnionPay’s point-of-sales network.

The deal — which builds on this week’s report that Apple Pay will be coming to China by February 2016 — will help UnionPay and Chinese banks to fend off third-party payment services like those belonging to Alibaba and Tencent.

Stevie Wonder and Andra Daye sing ‘Someday at Christmas’ in Apple holiday ad

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Apple's holiday ad has got soul.
Apple's holiday ad has got soul.
Photo: Apple

Apple has released its first major Christmas ad for the holidays that doesn’t show many Apple products, but instead features soul pioneer’s Stevie Wonder and Andre Daye singing Wonder’s 1967 holiday classic ‘Someday at Christmas’.

Along with Wonder and Daye, the ad includes shots of a family getting ready for Christmas, exchanging gifts, and decorating the tree. There are a few glimpses of the Apple Watch and a MacBook, but the focus is on Christmas, and ends with a simple “Love, Apple” note at the end.

Check out the ad below:

Captain America: Civil War‘s first trailer is absolutely amazing

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Bucky and Cap take Tony down.
Bucky and Cap take Tony down.
Photo: Marvel Entertainment

The first trailer for next year’s Captain America movie Civil War debuted online last night, and it’s actually really freaking good.

The Avengers: Age of Ultron kind of soured me on Marvel’s gigantic cinematic universe, but Civil War could redeem it if it turns out to be anywhere as good as the first taste Marvel’s given us. Civil War will pit Tony Stark against Steve Rogers sometime in the future after the events after Age of Ultron. Stark is convinced the world’s superheroes need some kind of supervision, while Captain America takes the side of his old pal Bucky to fight the government.

Watch the full trailer below:

How to reduce loud sounds on your new Apple TV

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Here's the best way to keep the sound down watching Apple TV at night.
Here's the best way to keep the sound down watching Apple TV at night.
Photo: iLounge

If a movie or TV show is too loud, you can always turn down the volume, but depending upon the way the sound was balanced, that can have the effect of making the dialogue impossible to hear. But the new Apple TV has a neat way around that problem. Here’s how to reduce loud sounds on the new Apple TV.

Banks will spend big to take on Apple Pay

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Apple raked in the cash last quarter.
Spare a thought for the poor bankers.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Having recently arrived in Canada and Australia, and with plans underway for a February launch in China, it’s safe to say that Apple Pay is taking over the NFC payments world.

Which is exactly why, according to a new report, banks are ramping up their technology budgets in order to compete — concerned that tech companies like Apple could outgun them on the payments front.

Top 5 stores for the best Black Friday deals online in 2015

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Standing in line just got easier.
Standing in line just got easier.
Photo: DealNews

Almost all major retailers have unveiled their Black Friday ads by now, and some of our predictions have been blown out of the water by lower prices. Many will definitely qualify for the coveted Editors’ Choice nod. And with price-matching driving down prices next week, more will likely follow.

We tallied up the spoils that debuted during the November 21 to November 29 time frame last year, and selected the top five stores that had the most Editors’ Choice deals. These vendors offered the best prices on the most popular items, and we’re already seeing them attempt to repeat this year.

Now, all that’s left to do is allocate your cash wisely, prepare some comfortable running garb, and get your Black Friday game face on.

Google unleashes wonderfully nerdy Star Wars Easter egg

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google-unleashes-wonderfully-nerdy-star-wars-easter-egg-image-cultofandroidcomwp-contentuploads201511star-wars-humour-the-droids-were-looking-for-stormtroopers-use-google-search-jpg
This is certainly the Easter egg you're looking for.
Photo: David J. Rodger
Photo: David J. Roger
Photo: David J. Roger

As a company staffed by some bona fide geeks (and, hey, we’re not complaining!) Google is undoubtedly excited about the upcoming Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

And what better way to show it than with possibly my favorite Easter egg in Google history? If you haven’t heard about it yet, read on to discover more.

If you care about special needs kids, choose Android Pay over Apple Pay on Black Friday

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if-you-care-about-special-needs-kids-choose-android-pay-over-apple-pay-on-black-friday-image-cultofandroidcomwp-contentuploads201511tappaygive-blog-png

tappaygive-blog

While Apple Pay has become a near ubiquitous payment option at stores across America, Android Pay is having a harder time getting off the ground. But here’s a reason to feel good about using Google’s service over Apple’s: until the end of the year, Google will donate money to special needs students across America every time you use Android Pay.

We spend 7 weeks per year staring at our phones, study claims

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Filmmaking on the iPhone.
That's 49 days for those keeping track at home.
Photo: Apple

People aged 16 to 30 spend around 3.2 hours per day on mobile devices like iPhones and iPads, according to a new study by global market research company TNS.

That translates as 49 days out of the year staring at miniature screens — with people reported to look at their phones a massive 150 times daily.

Well, when you put it like that

Apple acquires company behind Star Wars SFX

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Apple now owns one of the hottest facial recognition companies in town.
Apple now owns one of the hottest facial recognition companies in town.
Photo: Faceshift

When you go to theaters to see the latest Star Wars movie, the special effects — particularly the faces of aliens — will now be driven by Apple technology. That’s because Apple has purchased Faceshift, a Zurich-based company that has created cool tech to capture a person’s facial expressions in real time.

The best Black Friday deals to set your calendar for

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Hold on, hold on - these deals will remind you to buy them.
Hold on, hold on - these deals will remind you to buy them.
Photo: Bethesda

There are so many Black Friday deals out there it’s incredibly difficult to keep up with them all, even for someone who’s paid to do just that.

We’ve taken pity on you and have pulled the absolute best deals that we could find and added a special value-added service at the end: A single line of text that you can copy and paste into your Google Calendar Quick Add field or your Calendar Quick Event field (just click on that big Plus button at the top of your Calendar app).

That way, you’ll have reminders when these fantastic deals appear, whether you’re at home zoning out to Fallout 4 or out at a holiday party drinking good cheer.

Check out our evolving list below.