Apple Maps and Foursquare have teamed up. Photo: Apple
Foursquare is now contributing “business listings data” to Apple Maps. Since the launch of Maps, Apple vowed to collect data from multiple sources to improve the service over time, and is living up to that promise with this new addition.
This reminds me a lot of the iPhone throttling controversy. Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
My iPhone 6 Plus is a battery hog. I routinely get around 12 hours off of one full charge. I carry around external battery packs to make sure I’m not short when it matters.
I’d do pretty much anything to increase the amount of battery I have left at the end of the day, including the following fairly extreme trick.
FingerAngle could change the way we interact with touchscreens. Photo: Qeexo
Your iPhone can now distinguish between a light tap and a hard press thanks to 3D Touch, but the geniuses at a Carnegie Mellon University spinoff called Qeexo have found a way to one-up the iPhone 6s display with some new software that can determine the exact angle of your finger as you tap.
Qeexo’s researchers created ‘FingerAngle’ by using a new algorithm that estimates the direction your finger is pointing along with the angle as it makes contact. FingerAngle also keeps track of the rotation of your finger while it’s making contact.
The new tech could especially useful on small smartwatch touchscreens where pinching and pulling on the display isn’t really practical. Best of all, it doesn’t require any extra hardware and could implemented on Android and iOS with a software update.
This iPhone case does doobie duty with a slide-out compartment for your stash. Photo: Richard Williams/YouTube
A good iPhone case protects your handset from the blunt force of a fall. Then there’s the case that protects the force of your blunts.
The iHit is a case for the iPhone 6 and 6s with a slide out odor-free compartment that can stash up to five pre-rolled marijuana cigarettes. It is the latest evolution of the iHit case, which started with a case for the iPhone 5 that had a spring-loaded chamber for a single joint.
Apple has another antitrust investigation underway. Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
Apple’s just gotten to the end of its long and convoluted eBooks antitrust case, and now Germany’s Federal Cartel Office is reportedly investigating the company’s agreement with Amazon for purchasing audiobooks.
Apple and Amazon are said to have a long-term agreement in place for purchasing audio books from Amazon’s Audible company to distribute via the iTunes store. The terms of the deal haven’t been made clear.
Tim Cook was an outspoken Hillary supporter. Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
If you feel like it’s a matter of time before the iPad and MacBook become one and the same device, similar to the Microsoft Surface, there’s at least one person in the know who will tell you you’re wrong: Apple CEO Tim Cook.
Woz remains as independent as ever. Photo: Universal Pictures
Despite still technically being an Apple employee, Steve Wozniak isn’t known for voicing the Cupertino official line when asked about recent iDevelopments.
Speaking at a recent conference, hosted by enterprise software firm New Relic, Woz chimed in about his thoughts on the Apple ecosystem, Tim Cook’s belief that the iPad Pro could replace your need for a MacBook, and the Apple Watch — which he’s previously expressed his skepticism of.
Times are tough for Aaron Sorkin's Jobs biopic. Photo: Universal Pictures
It’s not exactly a shock to hear that Aaron Sorkin’s notorious box office flop Steve Jobs had another disastrous weekend at the box office. But exactly how poor a weekend it had may be something of a surprise.
Is the 4-inch iPhone 6c ever coming? Hopefully so. Photo: ModMyI
A 4-inch iPhone 6c is rapidly becoming the iPhone equivalent to the Sasquatch — something much discussed, but never actually witnessed.
However, according to China’s IHS Technology Research Director Kevin Wang, we should keep faith because this mythical device is really on the way — and will be with customers by the middle of next year.
The location of Apple's upcoming Singapore retail store. Photo: Techinasia
We’ve written about it previously, but Apple has finally come out and confirmed that its first retail store in Southeast Asia, located in Singapore, will open soon.
Master one of the web's most powerful and useful tools for understanding and growing traffic with Google Analytics Photo: Cult of Mac Deals
What better reason to stay at home and avoid the holiday throngs than with this pair of early deals on lessons in data analytics? These lessons cover Google Analytics and Excel, and both are going for more than 90% off — it doesn’t take a great grip on numbers to know that’s a good deal.
Having an 'appy weekend? Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
The weekend may be halfway over, but you know what isn’t? The imagination of app developers.
This week’s collection of awesome apps encompasses everything from new web browsers for your iOS device, to a great new music app, to two spectacular games. Check below for our picks of the most noteworthy downloadables of the past seven days.
Have you picked up a cheap iPad Pro yet? Photo: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac
iPad Pro Diary, Day 2: I have a shameful confession to make. Even though I’ve been using an iPad and iPhone for years, I haven’t really been using them.
I do a few things that haven’t changed for donkeys. I read on the iPad all the time and send the odd email. I play songs on Sonos. I played Kingdom Rush a few times. I watched a Netflix video. That’s about it.
My iPhone I use more, but nothing heavy duty. Messaging, email, photos and maps. The odd phone call.
But now that I’m forcing myself to use the iPad Pro for work — to see if it really is a PC replacement — I’m discovering something unesxpected: That the iOS ecosytem is far deeper, more productive, and better integrated than I knew.
Not only is work easier on the iPad these days, it’s a lot more fun.
Personally, I’m hoping that the new watch will focus on fitness, so I’ve created a mockup concept to show what I’d like to see in the next generation of Apple Watch. I call it the Apple Watch GPS, Nike edition.
It may look like a Macbook, but can it replace one? Photo: Apple
This week: can the new iPad Pro really replace your Mac? Apple seems to think so, but we’ve got a Pro in-hand and we’re not so sure. Plus: Apple may soon offer us all a simple way to pay each other; and stick around for another classic El Kahney rant—zombie edition—on an all new Stuff We’re Into.
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 the drugstore razors. Learn more at Harrys.com and save $5 off your first order with code CultCast.
The Tstand redefines what it means to Netflix and chill. Photo: George Tinari/Cult of Mac
If you’ve had an iPad for at least a couple of years now, you’ve probably noticed one of the major ergonomic issues with it: there’s no perfect way to hold it. You can hold your iPad to use it which always feels just slightly awkward, place it on a table which hunches you over and strains the back of your neck, or put it on your lap and fold your legs up which just feels ridiculous. A Kickstarter project called the Tstand aims to solve this problem.
The Tstand is a new, adjustable tablet stand that can dramatically decrease muscle tension when you’re trying to do something as simple as watch a show on Netflix. The stand has a foldable, clamshell design that can match any viewing angle you need.
Beats HD set the standard in consumer audio with crystal clear sound, rich bass, and a sleek build. Photo: Cult of Mac Deals
Beats, like their creator Dr. Dre, have become synonymous with big sounds and big personality. They’re also known for coming at a premium price, which has kept a lot of people from properly pleasing their ears with Beats’ premium sound. Right now you can get in on the fun with a set of white refurbished, warranty-backed Beats Solo HD Headphones for just $99.99.
The iPad Pro is being hailed as “a new kind of computer,” but as some have noted, it’s really the top half of a new kind of computer. Missing is the bottom half — the keyboard.
Apple has a solution for that — the $169 Smart Keyboard, which turns the iPad Pro into a laptop lookalike. But there’s a fantastic alternative: Logitech’s Create keyboard and case.
Logitech’s Create has several advantages over Apple’s Smart Keyboard. First, it’s a keyboard and a case that turns the Pro into a proper faux laptop (Apple’s keyboard is half a case that covers only the iPad’s screen). Logitech’s keyboard has fantastic chicklet keys, versus Apple’s hated low-travel flat keys; and it’s backlit, an essential requirement for any keyboard.
All in all, Logitech’s $150 backlit keyboard turns the iPad Pro into a MacBook — but a MacBook with cool extra features like Touch ID and a touch-sensitive screen.
The Trident stand is great if you meet its terms. Photo: Evan Killham/Cult of Mac
I think I expected too much of the Trident Valet, but now that we’ve gotten past our initial squabbling, I think we’ll be just fine.
The Apple Watch stand/case/charger, which has its own self-contained charger and an auxiliary port that lets you power up a second device while you top off your watch, will not replace your day-to-day charging setup. But it isn’t supposed to, and once you get past that, you’ll appreciate the Valet for what it is: A good-looking, convenient way to charge your devices on the go.
And if that’s all you need from it, you’ll be really happy together.
App searches now have a lot more in store for developers. Photo: Apple
A number of developers have reported noticing a difference in the way the iOS App Store now organizes search results. It appears Apple made changes around November 3 to the search algorithm to improve the relevancy of the results. Developers have identified multiple factors that are contributing to the new App Store search and overall, the changes are garnering positive feedback.
Size does matter. Cover Design: Stephen Smith/Cult of Mac
We’ve gotten our happy little hands on the gorgeous, huge new iPad Pro, and we’ve got first impressions of the next-gen post-PC Apple tablet right here.
Plus, some Mac-like keyboard shortcuts for your new friend, must-have iPad Pro apps for creative types, a review of The Room Three (a fantastic puzzler in the App Store), and a check-in with Pope Francis, who wants us all to spend time with each other at the dinner table.
So check out all that and a bunch more in this week’s Cult of Mac Magazine, the best slice of Apple news and info this side of Cupertino. Be sure to get your own copy today.