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Microsoft hails its Surface Book as ‘the ultimate laptop’

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Microsoft's first ever laptop is... actually kind of awesome.
Photo: Microsoft
A welcome surprise. Photo: Microsoft
A welcome surprise. Photo: Microsoft

Microsoft had a surprise up its Windows-loving sleeve today in the form of a new Surface laptop called the Surface Book, the first laptop in history to be built by the company.

Hailed as the, “thinnest, most powerful PC ever created,” the distinctive-looking Surface Book weighs just 1.6 lbs, is 7.7 mm thick, and boasts a 13.5-inch detachable display with 267ppi.

Surface Pro 4 wants to kill iPad Pro and MacBook Air in one go

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Has Microsoft found itself a winner?
Photo: Microsoft
Photo: Microsoft
Photo: Microsoft

Microsoft’s not taking the threat of the iPad Pro lying down. During today’s keynote event, the company called its brand new 12.3-inch Surface Pro 4 “the most productive device on the planet.”

“We have competitors. You may have noticed,” said Microsoft hardware guru Panos Panay as he introduced the tablet. “They’re chasing it, it’s pretty cool.”

The Surface Pro 4 doesn’t look bad, either.

With ‘go-go’ in the name, wireless chargers bring quick juice to your iPhone

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The PowerGo-Go magnetic charging starts with a bumper case that connects to a cable or charging cradle.
The PowerGo-Go magnetic charging starts with a bumper case that connects to a cable or charging cradle.
Photo: PowerGo-Go

The more your iPhone does, the more it draws from the battery – and that means more time spent hunting for an outlet to recharge.

Batteries will get better one day soon, but until then PowerGo-Go has a line of wireless solutions for the iPhone 6, 6 Plus and 6s models to charge, as the name suggests, on the go-go.

The perfect starter kit for anyone wanting to get a taste of Raspberry Pi 2 [Deals]

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CompleteRaspberryPiStarterKit

Raspberry Pi is the super popular do-it-all DIY computer for the techno-curious tinkerer in all of us. Countless people have made video games, entertainment centers, security systems, automatic dog-feeders — if you can use a computer to do it, it’s been done with a Raspberry Pi. This starter kit is the perfect opportunity to get in on the fun, with the latest version of Pi hardware, a full array of accessories and peripherals, and instructions on all the tools, techniques and languages you’ll need to realize your Pi project. All that usually goes for more than $800, but right now you can get it for just $115 at Cult of Mac Deals.

Never-before-seen Steve Jobs video shows CEO’s softer side

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What was it really like to work for Steve Jobs?
What was it really like to work for Steve Jobs?
Photo: Jigsaw Productions

Steve Jobs had a reputation for being a bit of a tyrant in the workplace, but a new video released by Apple on the 4th anniversary of the Apple co-founder’s death gives fans a closer look at Steve’s softer side.

The never-before-seen video was sent to Apple employees yesterday and obtained by ABC. It shows the former CEO talking about everything from his management strategy (based on the Beatles) to why he wears ripped jeans.

Watch it below:

Microsoft’s new Lumia phones boast facial recognition, liquid cooling

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Microsoft's new flagships have finally arrived. Photo: Microsoft
Microsoft’s new flagships have finally arrived. Photo: Microsoft

Microsoft hopes to tempt you away from Android and iOS with a pair of flagship smartphones that boast built-in facial recognition and liquid cooling.

The Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL scan your eyes instead of your fingerprints for lightning-fast unlocking, and they’re the first smartphones on the market powered by Windows 10.

Scrap that bulky tripod for easy-to-use Pakpod

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The Pakpod quickly adjusts to any level with the turn of one knob.
The Pakpod quickly adjusts to any level with the turn of one knob.
Photo: David Pierini/Cult of Mac

Two things about me as a photographer: I hate tripods and I will never tell another photographer what they must carry with them. Both changed when the Pakpod arrived in the mail.

Weighing 15 ounces, the PakPod has legs that can quickly extend and lock in crazy asymmetrical positions with the turn of a single knob. Legs extend and lock with the push of a button or can be anchored to the ground or even the ocean floor with flip-out stakes at the feet.

Facebook devs port Doom to Apple Watch and Apple TV

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With watchOS 2, the Apple Watch can run Doom.
With watchOS 2, the Apple Watch can run Doom.
Screenshot: Cult of Mac

From a gamer’s point of view, if not a developer’s, the ultimate metric of a new device is its TTD, or Time To Doom. Ever since the source code to the classic first-person shooter was released over a decade ago, it has been used as the standard measurement of a new device’s capabilities.

Now, Doom has been ported to the new Apple TV and watchOS 2.

Boston and Sydney are the next two cities to get Apple Maps transit directions

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Find out when your Mac is looking at your location data.
Find out when your Mac is looking at your location data.
Photo: Apple

iOS 9 has continued to make Apple Maps better by introducing transit directions to the mix. Unfortunately, they’ve been relatively slow-to-roll out, with transit directions available in 11 cities. But yesterday, Apple quietly updated its site, indicating that transit directions for Boston, Massachusetts and Sydney, Australia are imminent.

Future iMac could project its own virtual keyboard

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minorityreport2
Typing on your next iMac could get a bit Minority Report, it seems.
Photo: 20th Century Fox

Future Apple devices could boast a smart projector accessory, according to a patent published today.

As one of 46 newly-published patents, the technology described would allow Apple to incorporate features such as a virtual projected keyboard into future iMacs.

Just like the iPhone’s UI, this could make it possible for Apple to feature a slightly different keyboard for each application.

Porsche picks CarPlay thanks to Apple’s privacy policies

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CarPlay pays off for car manufacturers.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s “We don’t want to know” non-snooping data protection policy may not be making it too many friends in government, but it’s certainly won over Porsche.

According to a new report, Porsche opted to go with Apple’s CarPlay platform over Google’s Android Auto for its new 911 Carrera and Carrera S models. The reason? The massive disparity in data the two companies demand.

Apple Watch features showcased in 6 cool new ads

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Are Apple Watch expectations just too high?
This is why now is the perfect time to get an Apple Watch.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Thanks to its arrival at major retailers like Target and Best Buy, the Apple Watch is going (more) mainstream — and Apple wants potential customers to know exactly what they’ll be able to do with their new wearable devices.

In six cool new ads, Apple shows off nifty Watch features like Apple Pay, Siri, Maps, voice messaging, fitness tracking, and more.

Check them out below.

Apple scoops up privacy-loving A.I. company

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Siri
Siri usage is climbing rapidly.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Apple is beefing up its Artificial Intelligence tech with the purchase of Perceptio, a small startup that worked on creating advanced AI systems on smartphones.

Perceptio’s specialization was figuring out how to run complex neural network algorithms without needing to share as much user data. That would seem to fall in line with Apple’s goal of providing more robust features for Siri without compromising users’ privacy in the process.

$5 service will break up with Comcast for you

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Cancelling your cable plan is a more difficult process than it should be.
Cancelling your cable plan is a more difficult process than it should be.
Photo: Mike Mozart/FlickrCC

I wonder how many actual hours I’ve wasted sitting on hold, navigating audio phone menus and arguing with cable company representatives over why I want to cancel my service. I’m betting it’s a lot, and I’m betting that you have been victim to this ridiculous gate-keeping system, too.

AirPaper, a new internet service out of the San Francisco Bay Area, will cancel your Comcast cable subscription — one of the hardest plans to cancel — for just five bucks.

This watch went to the moon (and now you can wear it)

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This Bulova watch worn by Apollo 15 commander David Scott will open at auction at $50,000.
This Bulova watch worn by Apollo 15 commander David Scott will open at auction at $50,000.
Photo: RR Auction

When work takes you to the lunar surface, even the smallest detail should have a Plan B.

Apollo 15 commander David Scott donned his personal Bulova watch for his final moonwalk in July 1971 after the crystal on his NASA-issued timepiece fell off during a previous walk. As an idea, it proved priceless. As a piece of history, it’s worth is expected to exceed $50,000.

Steve Jobs’ co-workers share fondest memories of Apple co-founder

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What was it really like to work for Steve Jobs?
What was it really like to work for Steve Jobs?
Photo: Jigsaw Productions

Today is the fourth anniversary of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs’ passing, and as has become tradition on October 4, some of his closest co-workers are sharing their fondest memories of what it was like working alongside him.

Tim Cook, Phil Schiller, Eddy Cue, Andrea Jung and Bud Tribble all shared short essays with Apple employees this morning on the company’s intranet. To commemorate Jobs’ legacy, Tim Cook told employees in an email to stop older executives today and ask what Jobs was really like.

With controversial movie Steve Jobs set for release later this month, Jobs’ co-workers’ essays provide a look at aspects of the visionary Apple CEO’s personality that those who only knew him through the public eye probably missed.

Here’s what Jobs’ friends had to say about working with him:

How to auto-hide the menu bar in OS X El Capitan

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Look, ma, no menubar!
Look, ma, no menubar!
Screen: Rob LeFebvre/Cult of Mac

Sometimes you need to use your entire screen at once, like when you’re working on a serious photo-retouching project or need more screen real estate for an epic GarageBand session and you don’t want to maximize the app you’re using.

If you’ve ever wanted to regain a little bit of space on your Mac’s screen, the time is right to make sure you’re running the latest version of OS X, El Capitan. It will let you hide the menu bar up top to give you more space to work with.

Here’s how to have your menu bar hide itself when you’re not using it.

Check out the new Microsoft Windows logo designed by Apple

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Notice something different about the Windows logo?
Notice something different about the Windows logo?
Photo: Apple

It looks like Apple hated Microsoft’s new Windows logo so much that it got redesigned for an iCloud support page.

Apple updated its article on how to get help using iCloud Calendar recently and added a custom Windows logo that looks like a literal window with a little windowsill underneath. It’s more like clip art than something master designer Jony Ive would approve of, which makes it kind of mysterious why it’s there when the official logo would suffice.

Here’s the official logo for comparison:

Young app developer has caught the eye of Apple

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Connor Chung
Connor Chung, 14, of Bethlehem, NY, at the WWDC 2015.
Photo: Connor Chung

Few things could excuse a kid from skipping his middle school graduation. Connor Chung had a note from Apple.

It explained he would be needed in San Francisco for the WWDC. Once there, he would meet important people like Tim Cook, take part in brainstorming sessions with developers and engineers and lay the groundwork for an Apple Watch app that would be among the first in iTunes on the day OS 2 launched.

Turn any PDF into a beautifully readable digital presentation [Deals]

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Flip PDF easily transforms simple PDF documents into beautiful digital books.
Flip PDF easily transforms simple PDF documents into beautiful digital books.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

PDFs are convenient and used by almost everybody, but flipping between preview windows is not a very attractive or engaging way to view content. Flip PDF for Mac makes it easy to create beautiful digital books and presentations out of your PDFs, perfect for designers, photographers, advertisers, anyone who could benefit from a beautiful digital presentation of their work. And right now, you can get a copy for a tenth of the normal price, just $9.

Ultra-chic Apple Watch Hermès goes on sale for $1,100+

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Hermes Apple Watch bands are now available on their own.
The Hermès "double tour" wraps twice around your wrist.
Photo: Apple

Apple today launched its ultra-chic Apple Watch Hermès product line, as announced at the company’s media event last month.

Combining the existing Apple Watch hardware (only with the addition of a Hermès logo) with luxury leather straps from the Parisian fashion brand, the result is quite possibly the most stunning range of Apple Watches yet. They even come with unique Hermès watch faces.

Prices range from $1,100-$1,500.

Samsung’s super-sized iPad Pro competitor to pack disappointing specs

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samsungs-super-sized-ipad-pro-competitor-to-pack-disappointing-specs-image-cultofandroidcomwp-contentuploads201507samsung-galaxy-tab-s2-2015-07-20-02-jpg
Samsung's massive tablet could be a massive disappointment. Photo: Samsung
Samsung’s massive tablet could be a massive disappointment. Photo: Samsung

Samsung’s super-sized iPad Pro competitor will come packing painfully disappointing specifications, according to the latest leak.

The slate’s 18.5-inch display is to be accompanied by a speedy octa-core Exynos processor — but it’s lacking in RAM, cameras, and motion sensors.

Bridget Jones ditches her diary for an iPad in new movie

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Move over Darcy, Bridget Jones only has eyes for her iPad.
Photo: Universal Pictures

Is there a single company existence which manages to get more publicity from third parties than Apple?

Universal Pictures has just released its first image for the upcoming Renee Zellweger movie Bridget Jones’ Baby, and… frankly, it looks a whole lot like an advert for the iPad Air 2.

Tim Cook commemorates Steve Jobs on fourth anniversary of his death

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Steve
Steve Jobs connects the dots in his commencement speech at Stanford in 2005.
Photo: Stanford University

It may not seem like it, but Steve Jobs passed away four whole years ago today — leading to his colleagues paying tribute to the late Apple CEO.

In an email sent out to employees, Tim Cook praised Jobs as a “visionary,” reminding people that Jobs’ office remains untouched at Apple, and encouraging people to post their own memories to Apple’s internal AppleWeb intranet and messaging system.

Check out Cook’s complete message below: