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Hackers can silently access Siri and Google Now on your phone

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Siri
Hey Siri
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Xperia Sirius 60fps Video
Siri can be silently put to work against you, thanks to a new hack discovered by French security researchers that allows attackers to transmit orders to the digital assistant via a radio.

The hack also works on Google Now and utilizes the headphone cord as an antenna to convert electromagnetic waves into signals that register in iOS and Android as audio coming from the microphone. José Lopes Esteves and Chaouki Kasmie — the two French researchers that discovered the hack — wrote in their paper that hackers could use the attack to get Siri and Google Now to send the phone’s browser to a malware site, or send spam and phishing messages to friends.

“The sky is the limit here,” says Vincent Strubel, the director of their research group at ANSSI. “Everything you can do through the voice interface you can do remotely and discreetly through electromagnetic waves.”

How to keep Facebook from dredging up your worst memories

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It won’t happen until 2020 at the earliest.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Facebook’s algorithmic nostalgia is all well and good — until it starts pulling up the worst memories you’ve shared. Not everyone wants to be reminded of these awful memories.

Introduced this past March, “On This Day” is a Facebook feature that lets you re-share important digital memories from one year ago. Now you can keep specific people and/or dates from appearing in your feed, thanks to a pair of filters introduced on the social network.

Here’s how to make sure your worst memories aren’t surfaced by Facebook.

Only hours left to save big on this popular writing assistant app–Scrivener 2 [Deals]

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Scrivener 2  consolidates and streamlines all the clutter of the digital writing process.
Scrivener 2 consolidates and streamlines all the clutter of the digital writing process.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Anyone who writes on a computer knows the mental juggling routine involved in keeping track of research, notes, drafts and edits. Scrivener 2 offers a way to consolidate the whole process in one place, making for a much more efficient and less time consuming writing process. The award-winning app has also been a hit with Cult of Mac readers, who now have an extra few hours to get a copy of Scrivener 2 for $19.50.

New Twitter account will answer all your Apple Music questions

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Apple is here to listen so that you can listen.
Photo: Apple

Now that Apple Music’s three-month free trial is over and done with, Apple is stepping up its efforts to make sure (paying) customers are happy with the service they are receiving.

One way it is doing this is with a newly-launched Twitter account @AppleMusicHelp which, you guessed it, offers Apple Music help to anyone with a query.

iPhone 6s can’t topple the latest Androids in expert camera tests

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Apple brings carrier billing for app purchases to Germany.
Apple brings carrier billing for app purchases to Germany.
Photo: Cult of Mac
iPhone no longer offers the best smartphoe camera. Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Android
iPhone no longer offers the best smartphoe camera. Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Android

Apple’s new iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus may be packing its best iSight camera yet, but it’s not good enough to topple the latest Android devices.

In DxOMark’s expert camera tests, Apple’s latest smartphones achieve a score of 82, which is five points less than the current mobile leader, Sony’s Xperia Z5.

iPhone manufacturers are battling for Apple’s business

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Tim Cook visits Foxconn, where Apple's iMacs are traditionally assembled.
Tim Cook visits Foxconn.
Photo: Apple

Stop the presses: supply chain companies really, really want Apple’s business.

According to a new report, key Apple manufacturers Foxconn and Advanced Semiconductor Engineering (ASE) are currently battling over control of a third company, Siliconware Precision Industries, a.k.a. SPIL. Why? Because it will help them win more orders from Apple, of course.

Apple embraces fashion world by sponsoring 2016 Met Gala

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Jony Ive
Jony Ive sure loves his fashion.
Photo: Apple

Apple is taking its next step into the fashion world by sponsoring the 2016 Met Gala, the annual star-studded event held in New York to benefit the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute.

The theme of next year’s event — set to take place on May 2 — is “Manus x Machina: Fashion in an Age of Technology.” Jony Ive will represent Apple as co-chair of the event, alongside other luminaries including Taylor Swift, Idris Elba, and Anna Wintour.

Pocket Keyboard unfolds into traveling text machine

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Plunk the Zagg Pocket Keyboard in your backpack for typing on the go.
Plunk the Zagg Pocket Keyboard in your backpack for typing on the go.
Photo: Milo Kahney/Cult of Mac

Best List: Zagg Pocket Keyboard

The Zagg Pocket Keyboard is for anyone desperate to carry the bare minimum. Well, the bare minimum would be to skip the keyboard altogether, but if you are looking for the convenience of an external keyboard without the hassle of carrying one, look no further.

That time already? Pangu drops iOS 9 jailbreak

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Pangu
Ready to break out of jail?
Photo: Pangu

Just weeks after iOS 9’s launch, Chinese jailbreak team Pangu has released the world’s first untethered jailbreak for Apple’s new mobile operating system.

The jailbreak, which covers iOS 9 through iOS 9.0.2 for all compatible Apple devices, is available for free, although OS X users will have to wait since there’s only a Windows installer available.

Apple faces $862 million fine for infringing university’s patent

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Apple raked in the cash last quarter.
Apple faces a heavy fine.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Apple may face $862 million in damages for allegedly infringing on a patent owned by the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s patent-licensing wing, the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation.

The Apple technologies that take advantage of said patent for increased processor efficiency? None other than the A7, A8 and A8X chips, which are found in the iPhone 5s, 6 and 6 Plus handsets, as well as several iPad models.

Uh-oh.

Photos capture just how much our phones disconnect us

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Quick – how often do you check your iPhone when you’re around other people? When you’re out dining? At home on the couch, maybe watching TV? At the bar? At parties?

If you’re anything like the rest of us, the answer is somewhere between “often” and “far too often.”

Photographer Eric Pickersgill noticed this phenomenon while sitting at a cafe one morning and decided to make some art about it. He calls the project Removed.

Coolmuster Android Assistant gives Android users total control over their devices’ data

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Coolmuster Android Assistant makes it easy to manage your Android smartphone.

This post is brought to you by Coolmuster.

There’s no sense pretending some of us iOS and Mac enthusiasts don’t dabble in the world of Android. Whether using phones, tablets or other mobile devices, we’ve come to rely on all our gadgets communicating reliably with one another, but when using both Apple and Android gear that isn’t always guaranteed.

Luckily, there’s a fix: Coolmuster Android Assistant, which will keep your Android devices working in harmony with your PC or Mac.

How to turn off El Capitan’s ‘shake to find’ mouse cursor feature

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This feature might bother you - might as well disable it.
This feature might bother you - might as well disable it.
Photo: Apple

When I lose track of my mouse cursor, I’ve always just wiggled it a bit to find it on the screen. It’s a natural gesture, and Apple’s capitalized on it with its new “shake to find” feature in El Capitan.

If you’re constantly shaking your mouse or swiping quickly on your mousepad, maybe while gaming or editing, the new feature might bug you.

Here’s how to turn it off (and turn it back on again if you want to).

iPhone 6s Plus somehow batters Galaxy Note 5 in real-world speed test

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On your marks, get set, go! Photo: PhoneBuff
On your marks, get set, go! Photo: PhoneBuff

When it comes to specifications, Apple’s latest iPhones look like they’re lagging far behind their Android-powered rivals. But thanks to super-efficient software, they’re not as slow and as outdated as they might look on paper.

This is demonstrated in the real-world speed test below, in which the iPhone 6s Plus somehow batters a Galaxy Note 5.

10 insane details about Apple’s new iMacs and Magic peripherals

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Apple has some Magical new peripherals.
Apple has some Magical new peripherals.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s new Magic Mouse 2 has some new tricks up its sleeve, but according to a behind-the-scenes look into Apple’s Input Design Lab, perfecting the new eco-friendly mouse with a gliding sound that was just right wasn’t as easy as a click.

The top-secret laboratory where Apple designs its Macintosh accessories opened its doors before today’s product launches, revealing all the insane details Cupertino’s hardware wizards obsessed over in the new iMac, Magic Mouse 2, Magic Trackpad 2 and Magic Keyboard.

Everything from the chemicals used in the smaller iMac’s new 4K displays to the size of the keys on the new keyboard got mercilessly scrutinized.

DIY masks could make you a haunting Halloween hit

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Wintercroft Design will send you a template for you to construct your own Halloween mask.
Wintercroft Design will send you a template for you to construct your own Halloween mask.
Photo: Wintercroft Design

So a good Halloween costume idea is not coming to you. Steve and Marianne Wintercroft can get you started with an alluring mask.

The British design couple has made a company out of designing masks that the buyers build themselves. For a few bucks, you can download a template of a polygon constructed animal head that you print, cut and assemble.

Some great ways to keep your cords in one place and in one piece [Deals]

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This magnetic organizer keeps all your cords, chargers, and other wired things in one tidy place.
This magnetic organizer keeps all your cords, chargers, and other wired things in one tidy place.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

The more time goes by, the more cables we get for new devices or to replace broken ones, and the messier our desks get. We’ve gathered some of the best solutions for keeping your wired things well under control and in working order, like the MOS Cable Organizer. It’s a magnetic hub for keeping your headphones, charging cords, flash drives, and any other necessary connectors off the floor and within reach. It’s just $11.99 at Cult of Mac Deals.

End storage nightmares by creating your own cloud

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The Helixee is a hard drive that, with an app, can give you cloud-like functions for storage and access from any device.
The Helixee is a hard drive that, with an app, can give you cloud-like functions for storage and access from any device.
Photo: novathings

One click and your digital life gets stored in the Cloud. Where or what that is exactly is a mystery to most of us. Two startup companies are producing products aimed at the segment of the computing population that doesn’t want to save pictures, videos and documents to large cloud-based servers.

These products let you create your own cloud to store the personal stuff.

Apple showcases how far iMac has come since 1998

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1998 vs. 2015. No surprises about the winner in this one.
Photo: Apple

To coincide with today’s brand new Retina iMacs release, Apple has launched a superb new mini-site comparing the latest Mac desktop with the 1998-era iMac G3.

The first major release under Steve Jobs upon his return to Apple, the original iMac was also the computer which introduced Jony Ive as a creative force at Apple, as well as the machine that announced that Apple was on the comeback trail.

Needless to say, Moore’s Law and an extra 17 years of innovation means that the current iMac is on a totally different plain to Jobs’ comeback computer.

Check out some of the astonishing stats below.

Apple introduces new Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse 2, and Magic Trackpad 2

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Round of applause for Apple, please.
Photo: Apple

Alongside stunning new 21.5- and 27-inch Retina iMacs, Apple’s other big announcement of the day relates to the release of an all-new Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse 2, and Magic Trackpad 2.

These gorgeous new devices have been completely redesigned to feel more comfortable than ever, while also featuring fully rechargeable lithium-ion batteries, giving them around one month of charge.

Samsung Galaxy S7 to rip off the iPhone 6s’ 3D Touch

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The next Galaxy is going to be even better. Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Android
The next Galaxy is going to be even better. Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Android

The pressure-sensitive displays packed into Apple’s latest iPhones give them a unique advantage over their rivals, but not for long.

Samsung is already working to put a pressure-sensitive screen of its own into next year’s Galaxy S7, new reports claim.

Apple releases ‘stunning’ new 4K and 5K iMacs

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Apple's iMacs just got even sweeter.
Photo: Apple

Apple today revealed its refreshed line of iMacs, including a brand new 21.5-inch 4K Retina iMac and 27-inch 5K Retina model.

The smaller iMac now matches the pixel density of the larger 5K iMac, giving it 4.5 times the resolution of Full HD. The 27-inch iMac, meanwhile, boasts Retina 5K displays across the board, whereas previously they were available only for the $2,499 flagship iMac.

The 21.5-inch 4K iMac starts at $1,499, while the 27-inch version starts at $1,799.