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Early bird special for a fully equipped, HD-ready mini drone [Deals]

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Our pre-order special for the SKEYE is your chance to get a drone of your own.
Our pre-order special for the SKEYE is your chance to get a drone of your own.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Is there a better sign that the future has arrived than meeting with friends at a park to play with flying robots? Another such sign might be that you can now get one of those robots for the price of a dinner date. The SKEYE Mini Drone is about to launch, at a whopping 34% off for anyone who pre-orders — just $64.99 at Cult of Mac Deals.

Clever sensor tells your iPhone whether your favorite restaurant is full

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The Density sensor can be mounted to a door frame to track people moving in and out of  a businesses, like a restaurant or your local Department of Motor Vehicles.
The Density sensor can be mounted to a door frame to track people moving in and out of a businesses, like a restaurant or your local Department of Motor Vehicles.
Photo: Density

Your iPhone can help you find a good brunch place, with reviews on Yelp that indicate a restaurant’s best dishes. But there really isn’t any real-time help, except maybe calling or taking your chances and just showing up, to find out if you and your friends can get a table at a local hot spot.

A company called Density has developed a door-frame sensor that monitors the coming and going of people and then reports to an iPhone app whether your favorite place is full. It collects data on people’s movement at various hours of the day and recommends windows of time when you can get right in.

AmEx brings Apple Pay to corporate cards

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Apple in talks to bring Apple Pay to Israel
Don't leave home without it.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

American Express has announced that it is first major credit card company to allow corporate card holders to pay using Apple Pay.

Describing it as a way to help companies to “streamline their payments systems and simplify their processes,” the announcement means that AmEx card users can now add eligible corporate cards to Apply Pay.

iPhone 6s screen assembly appears to confirm Force Touch

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iPhone-6s-front-assembly-MacManiack-001
iPhone 6s display has a few notable differences.
Photo: MacManiack

A new video showing what appears to be an assembled display component for the upcoming iPhone 6s once again hints at the arrival of Force Touch for the next-gen handset.

Posted by European repair firm MacManiack, the video shows the iPhone 6s having a front-facing FaceTime camera and proximity sensor in the same place as the current iPhone 6 and 6 Plus. However, a few changes have been made — and MacManiack thinks they may relate to Apple’s next pressure-sensitive iPhone technology.

New Steve Jobs graphic novel is insanely geeky

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Steve Jobs' life gets sequential in new graphic novel Steve Jobs: Insanely Great.
Steve Jobs' life gets sequential in new graphic novel Steve Jobs: Insanely Great.
Photo: Jessie Hartland

New graphic novel Steve Jobs: Insanely Great recounts the late Apple leader’s life through 225 pages of gorgeously geeky illustrations, taking readers through his work at Apple, Pixar and NeXT as well as his time away from business.

Cult of Mac Magazine: 9 uses for old Apple TVs, new iMacs and more

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Get news, how-tos and more in the latest issue of Cult of Mac Magazine for iOS.
Get news, how-tos and more in the latest issue of Cult of Mac Magazine for iOS.
Cover: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

With the Apple TV ready for a radical refresh, it’s time to start thinking about what you’ll do with your old set-top box once you upgrade to the latest and greatest model.

You’ll find cool projects for your old Apple TV in this week’s issue of Cult of Mac Magazine for iPhone and iPad. You’ll also get updates on new iMacs and an opinion piece on why the end of smartphone subsidies is actually good for Apple.

Monster trucks, Apple Watch email, and other awesome apps of the week

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If you're appy and you know it, check our list!
If you're appy and you know it, check our list!
Photo: Cult of Mac

It’s the weekend, which means (we hope) taking a day off from the usual grind to relax, mow your lawn, have a lie-in, and check out the hottest apps to hit the App Store over the past seven days.

And, man, have we got some good picks this week — from Apple Watch email clients to excellent comedic weather apps!

Check them out below:

From comfort to audio quality, these are the headphones you’re looking for [Deals]

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MiiKey Rhythm Pro bluetooth on-ear headphones offer wireless, hi-def, 4-channel stereo sound
MiiKey Rhythm Pro bluetooth on-ear headphones offer wireless, hi-def, 4-channel stereo sound
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Too often, we either pay too much for a set of headphones that doesn’t quite meet our needs, or just spring for the cheapo brands sold next to the bubble gum. That’s why we’ve assembled a collection of premium ear-pleasers that’ll meet any preference or budget. Looking for waterproof and workout ready? Wireless and noise canceling? Durable but with studio-quality audio? You’ll find it here, and at a nice discount.

Choose a portable battery pack for any situation [Deals]

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The ZeroLemon ToughJuice 30000mAh is as tough as it is powerful.
The ZeroLemon ToughJuice 30000mAh is as tough as it is powerful.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

For all the ways we use our mobile devices, there are just as many ways for the battery to die and ruin our day. That’s why we’ve gathered the leaders of the battery pack, with options for toughness, multiple devices, even solar power, check below to find a portable energy source for every situation and need.

Could Apple Watch soon track weightlifting as well as cardio?

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Stainless steel Apple Watch meets pumping iron.
Stainless steel Apple Watch meets pumping iron.
Photo: Graham Bower/Cult of Mac

As a fitness tracker, Apple Watch is currently little more than a fancy pedometer. It only tracks distance and calories — the quantity, not the quality, of your movement. That’s a problem because fitness is about more than burning calories.

However, an interesting patent from Apple — plus a new technology claimed to be “Siri for understanding human movement” — suggests that Apple Watch could soon be adding weightlifting to its repertoire. Which would be good news for gym-goers and CrossFitters everywhere.

Apple to hold iPhone 6s event on September 9th

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Tim Cook leaves the stage at the end of the 2014 WWDC keynote. Photo: Roberto Baldwin/The Next Web
Tim Cook leaves the stage at the end of the 2014 WWDC keynote.
Photo: Roberto Baldwin/The Next Web

iPhone 6s rumor season is in full swing, but we won’t have to wait much longer until Apple reveals the real deal.

A fall iPhone 6s launch event is being planned for September 9, according to a new report that also reveals other products that will share the stage with Apple’s new smartphone.

Why Verizon killing subsidized phones is good for Apple

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The iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s plus are coming on September 18th, according to German carriers.
The iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s plus are coming on September 18th, according to German carriers.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Following the lead of other carriers, Verizon Wireless is killing subsidized phones and will streamline its data plans. New subscribers will no longer have the option to get a new iPhone subsidized when signing up for a two-year contract.

With the iPhone 6s launch likely two months away, this might sound like bad news for Apple, a company that has gotten fat off carrier-subsidized iPhones over the last eight years. But the death of subsidized iPhones could be a really good thing for Apple.

The Internet knows Trump memes it

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Earning his Teflon Don nickname.
Earning his Teflon Don nickname.
Photo: Instagram

For better or worse and depending on your political leanings, Donald Trump is said to have won Thursday night’s debate for the Republican presidential nomination.

Trump also scored a bit of a victory on social media. Whether celebrated or reviled, he was talked about more than the other candidates. Compare the buzz to the professional wrestling term known as heat. Heat can mean cheers for the heroes, but also represent the boos for the heels. Heat in any form is the measure of popularity.

Is it the kind of heat you can warm to or is it just hot air? Either way, the commentary on Twitter and Instagram is entertaining and with a record 24 million viewers watching the debate, the Teflon Don will take all the heat he can get.

Are Android security scares really as bad as they seem?

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It's that time of the week again!
It's that time of the week again!
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

After the discovery of several dangerous flaws in a few short weeks, Android’s security — or lack thereof — has been big news. Google has acted quickly to eliminate the Stagefright flaw that left 95% of Android devices vulnerable to attack, but others have since wormed their way out of the woodwork.

Friday-Night-Fights-bug-2Now fans are asking how these flaws made their way into public Android releases, compromising the security of more than 1 billion users worldwide. Could Google be doing more to prevent it? And are its hardware partners doing all they can to patch holes in their own software?

Join us in this week’s Friday Night Fight between Cult of Android and Cult of Mac as we fight it out over these questions and more!

Want a free iPad Air 2? Yeah, we thought so. [Deals]

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Now is your chance to enter to win a brand new iPad Air 2.
Now is your chance to enter to win a brand new iPad Air 2.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Apple’s iPad Air 2 represents the peak of sleek and powerful tablets, basically the only way to improve it would be to remove the price tag. Well, consider it improved: With just your email address, you’ll be entered to win a free iPad Air 2, and you even get to choose the color. Take a moment to let the words ‘free’ and ‘iPad’ sink in, but don’t take too long — the chance to enter is only up for a limited time at Cult of Mac Deals.

iPhone 6 can handle a charging elephant and other worldly wonders

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Jen Pollack Bianco captured this juvenile elephant charging her safari vehicle on the iPhone 6.
Jen Pollack Bianco captured this juvenile elephant charging her safari vehicle on the iPhone 6.
Photo: Jen Pollack Bianco

Cult of Mac’s Photo Famous series introduces you to the groundbreaking photographers featured in Apple’s “Shot on iPhone 6” ad campaign.

Mobile photography’s most mobile photographer was on the Skeleton Coast in Namibia and didn’t want to be weighted down.

Jen Pollack Bianco traveled with her usual DSLR equipment — all 26 pounds of it — but when the time came to go on an elephant safari, she left the heavy gear behind. This was a bold choice, considering such encounters rarely happen more than once in a lifetime.

The travel blogger carried her new iPhone 6 and the camera inside proved it could handle a charging elephant.

Apple TV refresh and our picks for worst Apple accessories on The CultCast

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"Finally, an easy way to use my iPad hands-free."
Photo: Prank Pack

This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: Looks like the radically improved Apple TV we’ve be waiting for lands in September — we’ll tell you what to expect. Plus: Apple is not going to be your next wireless carrier; more Beats Radio stations are in the works; and don’t miss our picks for the “best of the worst” Apple accessories.

Apple Music-style curation could be a great fit for TV

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Apple's new improved TV could be coming as early as this fall.
Curation could be a game changer for Apple TV.
Photo: Robert S. DonovanFlickr CC

Could Apple carry its Apple Music human curation obsession over to its much-rumored Apple TV refresh?

During Jimmy Iovine’s new interview with Wired about Apple Music, Iovine — unprompted — chose television as another example of a place Apple could incorporate its belief in humans trumping algorithms when it comes to recommendations.

Iovine said that:

Curation is why Apple Music leaves rivals in the dust, Iovine says

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Jimmy Iovine talks Apple Music at WWDC 2015.
Jimmy Iovine talks Apple Music at WWDC 2015.
Photo: Apple

Once Apple Music finds its groove there’s going to be no way for rivals to compete with the service, according to Beats co-founder and Apple exec Jimmy Iovine.

“Curation is a big thing to us, and no one is going to be able to catch us or do it better,” Iovine says in a new interview, in which he stresses Apple Music’s not-so-secret weapon — human focus.

#FightingWords.

New Steve Jobs trailer hits us with more Sorkin-ized Jobs-isms

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Michael Fassbender as Steve Jobs.
Michael Fassbender gets intense in new TV spot.
Photo: Universal Pictures

With Aaron Sorkin and Danny Boyle’s Steve Jobs movie just two months from its U.S. release, Universal has just dropped a new TV spot on us.

Aside from reconfirming that actor Michael Fassbender looks nothing like Steve Jobs, the new teaser provides glimpses of a few scenes we haven’t see before, along with a couple more Aaron Sorkin-ized Jobs-isms.

Apple spends $700,000 per year keeping Tim Cook safe

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Tim Cook tops Time's list of influential people.  Photo: Apple
Security's not just about malware, you know.
Photo: Apple

Tim Cook might be a guy who can take care of himself, judging from the impressive amount of time he spends in the gym each day, but Apple’s not taking any chances: The company shells out close to $700,000 each year on security for its CEO.

And who can blame them?

How to turn your iPhone into a hologram projector

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You can now give iPhone holographic powers.
You can now give iPhone holographic powers.
Photo: Bakers Tuts/YouTube

We’re going to be waiting a few years (or decades?) before Apple gets around to adding holographic displays to the iPhone, but did you know there’s actually a wicked-simple trick that lets you turn your iPhone into a hologram machine?

This isn’t the work of crazy science fiction. It’s based on the same type of tech that resurrected Tupac for a 2012 Coachella appearance. Simply using some household items, you can make holograms for your iPhone too.

Learn how to do it below: