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Chrome for Mac is about to get a lot faster

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Chrome for iOS  just got faster.
Chrome for iOS just got faster.
Photo: Google

If you’ve been using Google’s Chrome browser on Mac, you’ve been missing out on some serious performance gains made by Apple with its Safari browser: Not only is Cupertino’s favorite browser faster than Chrome, it also saves battery power.

But Chrome is looking to catch up with a coming update that some Mac users are raving about.

SoundFreaq’s Sound Step Lightning 2: A Bluetooth speaker that does it all and does it loud [Deals]

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The Lightning 2 offers all the convenience of Bluetooth with the ear-pleasing sound of a big stereo.
The Lightning 2 offers all the convenience of Bluetooth with the ear-pleasing sound of a big stereo.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Too often, portable speakers are all about the convenience of wireless audio, and less about killer sound. That’s why we were excited to find out about the Sound Step Lightning 2, a sleek, feature rich Bluetooth sound station that’ll still blow the walls off the place. And right now they’re going for a whopping 60% off, just $59 at Cult of Mac Deals.

Sony’s new SmartBand 2 keeps an eye on stress and excitement

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sonys-new-smartband-2-keeps-an-eye-on-stress-and-excitement-image-cultofandroidcomwp-contentuploads201508SmartBand-2-jpg
Sony's SmartBand just got more intelligent.
Photo: Sony
Sony's SmartBand just got more intelligent. Photo: Sony
Sony’s SmartBand just got more intelligent. Photo: Sony

Sony’s second-generation SmartBand 2 is here, and it’s a big improvement over its predecessor. The wearable’s new design packs an intelligent heart rate monitor that constantly measures your excitement and stress levels throughout the day.

iPhone 6c may be with you in time for Thanksgiving

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An iPhone 6c concept.
iPhone 6c is coming in November. Maybe.
Photo: iPhonesoft

Apple could release its 4-inch iPhone 6c in November, according to a new rumor coming out of the supply chain in China.

The report claims that the handset is being assembled by regular Apple manufacturing partner Foxconn, which has started “mass-increasing” its workforce to deal with the task of building not one, not two, but three different iPhone models.

Swiss watchmaker hits back at Apple by trademarking ‘One more thing’

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“One more thing” returned at this year's iPhone keynote. Photo: Apple.
One more thing...
Photo: Apple

Sometimes trademarks are about defending brand names you’ve spent years and millions of dollars building up. Other times they’re meant as jealous, petty ways of striking back at people who are doing better than you.

Guess which category Swatch’s decision to trademark Steve Jobs’ iconic “One more thing” signature phrase falls under.

The No. 1 single on iTunes is a minute of silence

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itunes
Shhhhh...
Photo: Apple

In a world filled with frothy pop songs and multimillionaire musicians, it’s not often that a song goes to the top of the iTunes chart based purely on ethical reasons.

That’s exactly what’s happened in Austria, however, where a recorded minute of silence in honor of asylum-seekers trying to escape from countries of conflict has shot to No. 1 on the iTunes music chart — with the money raised going to a local refugee project.

With Geronimo, loving email again may not be such a leap

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Geronimo lets you quickly identify and organize important emails.
Geronimo lets you quickly identify and organize important emails.
Photo: David Pierini/Cult of Mac

While some are writing the eulogy for email, Erik Lukas has worked for the last two years trying to make it relevant again.

His mobile app, Geronimo, takes its first public leap Aug. 27 for iPhone and the Apple Watch with an interface that involves gestures and uses the four corners of an iPhone screen for quick and easy management of your email.

Review: Rhapsody’s redesign takes on Apple Music and Spotify

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Rhapsody
The streaming music veteran takes a shot at becoming "hot stuff" with a total app overhaul.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Responding to the existential threat posed by Apple Music and Spotify, old-school streaming music service Rhapsody has completely overhauled its mobile app. The revamped Rhapsody comes with a fresh design and new features to take things up a notch — although some of these things look mighty familiar.

Will this redesign be enough to take on the newcomers that are eating Rhapsody’s lunch? Check out what Rhapsody brings to the table and see for yourself.

Rhapsody fights for relevance in streaming world it helped create

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After 14 years, what's next in Rhapsody's queue as it attempts to take on the biggest competition yet?
After 14 years, what's next in Rhapsody's queue as it attempts to take on the biggest competition yet?
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Apple Music cranked up the volume on music streaming, turning an insider topic into water-cooler fodder as musicians, industry bigwigs and tech analysts weighed in with questions about the future of the music industry.

Seemingly everybody is suddenly talking about Apple Music subscription numbers and the chances of competitors like Spotify and Pandora. But in all the media buzz about who’s winning and who’s losing, almost everyone is disregarding another major player — Rhapsody, the streaming music service that just happened to spark the streaming revolution.

Geekin Radio adds social sauce to music streaming

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The Geekin Radio app lets users listen to music together in real time.
The Geekin Radio app lets users listen to music together in real time.
Photo: Geekin Radio/Vimeo

The confetti from Apple’s splashy launch of its music streaming service has barely finished falling. Now comes startup Geekin Radio, with a streaming service that debuts today. It seems like odd timing.

How will it ever emerge from the shadows of Apple Music? CEO Gavin McCulley is aware of his timing and likes his company’s chances because Geekin Radio’s mobile app is the only streaming service that is an actual social network, offering a shared listening experience, perfectly synced, with back-and-forth chatting in real time.

Apple bucks the trend as global smartphone market declines

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Gene testing, coming soon to an iPhone near you. Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
What can we say? People just love their iPhones.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Smartphone sales may be slowing down worldwide, but try telling that to Apple!

According to a new report by research firm Gartner, iPhones sales increased by an impressive 36 percent in the June quarter this year — representing a 2.4 percent increase in total market share.

Apple leans on Sharp for its super-sharp iPad Pro displays

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The iPad Pro could delay the iPad Air, cancel the iPad mini.
The iPad Pro is on its way.
Photo: CURVED

Apple is turning to Sharp to provide the displays for its upcoming 12.9-inch iPad Pro, according to a new report, claiming that the device will go into production by the end of this year’s third quarter — with mass production following shortly thereafter.

Sharp is said to be providing Open Cell LCD displays, while GIS will be responsible for the super-sized tablets’ touch modules, lamination and LCM assembly.

Apple Watch’s disappearing logo is tiniest mystery ever

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Some users are reporting a problem with the back of their Apple Watch.
Some users are reporting a problem with the back of their Apple Watch.
Photo: dougie70w/Apple Discussions

Looks like we’ve got some wear issues on the Apple Watch, especially the Space Gray ones. There are posts on Reddit and the Apple Discussion Forums that show both the Apple logo and actual text etched into the back of the watches peeling off.

Apple Discussions user dougie70w says that he bought his Apple Watch at the beginning of June “and the band started to peel part so bad that I replaced it with an after market metal band that I purchaced on Amazon.”

He’s got an appointment at a local Apple Store today and hopes that having Apple Care will let him get a replacement.

El Capitan beta 7 is now ready for testing

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Hair Force One rocking the El Capitan reveal.
Hair Force One rocking the El Capitan reveal.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s fifth El Capitan public beta was quickly pulled yesterday after its release, but the company is ready to give developers a taste of the newest fixes in its upcoming operating system with the release of El Capitan beta 7.

Twitter for Mac’s anemic update is a total slap in the face

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twitter-for-mac
Twitter for Mac got an update no one asked for.
Photo: Twitter

Good news: the official Twitter app for Mac finally got some attention today for the first time in almost a year. It now supports direct messages without the 140-character limit. Bad news: that’s the only feature added in the update, rendering it so totally insignificant you’re probably considering donating a new coffee machine to the Twitter for Mac team.

How to enable subtitles on Apple TV

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Closed captions make it easier to understand what's going on.
Closed captions make it easier to understand what's going on.
Photo: Apple

Closed captioning is useful to those with a hearing impairment to make the audio of videos accessible. Subtitles help those who speak a different language understand what’s going on in a film not in their original language.

You can enable these features on your Apple TV, but it’s not super-intuitive — there’s no single button to make it happen.

However, that doesn’t mean it isn’t easy. Here’s how to turn on Apple TV subtitles, even if you just want to watch a scary movie at night and have the sound turned down.

MLB tried to ban coach from wearing the Apple Watch it gave him

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MLB Coach Ned Yost at a game in 2012 against the Orioles.
Kansas City Royal's manager Ned Yost during a game at the Orioles.
Photo: Keith Allison/Flickr

Kansas City Royals coach, Ned Yost was been slapped on the wrist by the MLB for wearing his Apple Watch during games, even though they’re the ones that gave it to him.

Yost received the watch as a gift from the MLB for serving as the American League manager in the All-Star Game, but after the manager was repeatedly seen wearing the device in the dugout, the MLB decided to step in and try to stop him from using it in games.

New iPhone 6s bend test reveals super-strong aluminum shell

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The first iPhone 6s bend test is here.
The first iPhone 6s bend test is here.
Photo: Lewis Hilsenteger

Apple is hoping to avoid another Bendgate controversy by using a new aluminum shell for the iPhone 6s that’s twice as strong as the iPhone 6 version. We got our first look at the super-strong iPhone 6s last week, when Lewis Hilsenteger got his hands on a leaked shell that indicates Apple will use series 7000 aluminum for the upcoming model.

Hilsenteger’s latest video puts the new and improved iPhone 6s aluminum frame to the bend test. Only this time, instead of using his bare hands like he did with the original Bendgate video, Hilsenteger uses sophisticated equipment to give us extra insight into the new case’s super strength.

Add some reach to your charge with this 10-foot Lightning cable [Deals]

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This 10-foot cable will make sure your phone is well within reach when it's charging.
This 10-foot cable will make sure your phone is well within reach when it's charging.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

It’s happened to all of us — you’ve got important business to take care of on your mobile but it’s plugged into the wall charger. The short leash that is the typical Lightning cable means you’ve got to hunch like Quasimoto just to send a text. Charging your phone shouldn’t also mean paying a chiropractor, which is why at $18.99 this 10-foot Lightning cable is a great investment.

‘Leaked’ Apple ad envisions a colorful iPhone 6s

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The iPhone needs a splash of color.
The iPhone needs a splash of color.
Photo: Tony Knoxville

The iPhone 6s keynote is less than a month away, and while Apple’s not expected to bring any huge design changes to its newest smartphones, the new models could be the most colorful phones out of Cupertino since the iPhone 5c.

Someone has created a fake “leaked” iPhone 6s commercial that envisions what the iPhone 6s would look like if it came in more color options than the iPod Touch. Even though the 30-second spot that supposedly comes straight from an Apple office is definitely not made by Apple, it’s interesting to see what the iPhone would look like if Apple made it as fun as the original iPod ads.

Check it out:

iPad Pro to pack Force Touch, plenty of pixels, optional stylus

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The iPad Pro could delay the iPad Air, cancel the iPad mini.
The iPad Pro is coming.
Photo: CURVED

The 12.9-inch iPad Pro will boast an impressive 2,048-pixel x 2,732-pixel display, come with Force Touch technology, and be here by Christmas, according to new reports.

For those who are worried that the device will turn its back on Steve Jobs’ “no stylus” rule by coming with a pen-shaped accessory, have no fear: the iPad Pro’s rumored stylus is also said to be a completely optional add-on.

Why MacBook screens must be angled at 76 degrees in Apple Stores

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12-inch MacBook
Apple's got some pretty unique angles for selling.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Have you ever noticed that the MacBooks are positioned at a slightly awkward angle whenever you visit an Apple Store?

As it turns out, there’s method to Apple’s madness — and it’s all about getting customers to adjust the screens, thereby giving them a taste of just how gorgeously tactile the company’s MacBooks really are.

Apple’s sapphire maker grows the world’s biggest sapphire crystal

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sapphire-boule
Has Apple's latest manufacturer cracked the sapphire code?
Photo: GT Advanced Technologies

Apple has had its problems with sapphire manufacturers before, but not with its latest supplier, which not only stands as the largest sapphire manufacturer in the world and one of the few that are showing any kind of operating profit — but also just churned out the world’s first 300lb synthetic sapphire crystal.