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Annie Leibovitz unmasks the villains of Star Wars: The Force Awakens

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The Star Wars universe is about to get some new baddies.

You’ve seen the latest Star Wars trailer like 50 times, and you’re probably still wondering, “Who is that guy under the sick mask?!”

OK, well, there are a couple of awesome masked characters in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, but the most talked about has to be the three-pronged-lightsaber-wielding Sith named Kylo Ren. As part of today’s May the Fourth festivities, Vanity Fair sent famed photographer Annie Leibovitz to reveal that Adam Driver will play the new villain.

Apple Watch’s hidden port can be used for charging

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This hidden port may be the key to future Apple Watch accessories.
Apple Watch's secret port could be the key to accessories. Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Apple Watch owners may have noticed there’s a tiny port hidden inside the groove of the bottom band connector. Before the watch’s release there was some speculations whether the port just be used for diagnostics, but the Reserve Strap have discovered third-parties can use it to recharge the smartwatch.

The company originally developed an Apple Watch battery band that used the inductive charge to transfer power. Now that they’ve had time to dissect the Apple Watch they’ve found out you can just transfer battery power straight through the port, and they’ve come up with a much more elegant design to work with it.

iPhone-loving Manny Pacquiao gives Samsung a jab

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Photo: Manny Pacquiao/Twitter
Pacquiao used a Galaxy S6 ringside, but uses iPhone at home. Photo: Manny Pacquiao/Twitter

Manny Pacquiao is expected to have made $80 million off the very boring ‘fight of the Century’ this past weekend just off the ticket sales. Pac-Man made a few extra million on the side too by becoming the latest iPhone-loving celebrity to convert to a Samsung salesman.

As part of the sponsorship, Pacquiao – who’s tweeted from an iPhone from years – crafted his tweets on a Samsung Galaxy S6, including two selfies he posted at weigh-in and on his way to the ring with Jimmy Kimmel. Samsung also filmed an entire behind-the-scenes video of Pacquiao on a Galaxy S6 Edge. But now that the fight’s over and Pac-Man’s cashed in, he’s back to using Apple devices.

Here’s the Samsung spokesman’s latest tweet, sent from an iPhone.

6 smart ways to protect your precious Apple Watch

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Even a broken Apple Watch is right zero times a day. Photo: Weibo

Some purists will recoil in horror at the idea of covering up their new Apple Watch in any way, but based on the broken Apple Watches we’re already seeing, perhaps a little protection isn’t such a bad idea.

Whether you play sports or just want to garden without having to worry, these Apple Watch protectors will ensure your wearable remains as pristine as the day it came out of the box.

Apple’s aggressive music ambitions draw DOJ scrutiny

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Apple has big ambitions for its new music streaming service.
Beats redesign is coming to WWDC 2015. Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Apple’s big Beats Music relaunch might be revealed next month at WWDC, and Apple is trying to clear a path through Spotify and YouTube by strong-arming labels into killing freemium music services.

The aggressive tactics have triggered the Department of Justice to look into Apple’s business practices for its upcoming music streaming service, according to a report from the Verge, claiming high-ranking music industry execs have already been interviewed.

Meet the Stromer ST2, the best electric bike on the road

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Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
The ST2 electric bike from Stromer will put a big smile on your face. Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
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Oh. My. Gosh. The Stromer ST2 electric bike is so much fun, it should not be street legal.

Two weeks ago I had zero interest in electric bikes. I’ve ridden traditional bicycles my entire life and I love them. The very idea of an electric bike was repellent — even in a hilly city like San Francisco. Hills and exercise are the entire point.

Then I test-rode the Stromer ST2.

Three seconds in, I’m laughing like a madman as the ST2 takes off like a rocket. I spend the next 30 minutes flying up and over the hill where I live, laughing like a loon and having the time of my life.

Now I’m a convert. The ST2 is the best electric bike on the market. It performs like a champ, has a ton of high-tech features (including an iOS app), and actually looks cool and not ridiculous.

Best of all, it’s a screaming blast to ride.

Apple is on the verge of being China’s number one smartphone maker

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Chinese interest in Apple is at a boiling point. Photo: Apple
Chinese interest in Apple is at a boiling point. Photo: Apple

Apple is closing in on becoming the number one smartphone company in China, according to new figures released by Strategy Analytics.

Although Apple ripoff Xiaomi remains in the number one position — thanks to its strategy of selling low-cost devices — analysts note that the company’s momentum is starting to slow down, while Apple’s just keeps on building!

Samsung, by comparison, fell to an embarrassing fourth place after Huawei.

7 days with the Apple Watch, this week on the CultCast

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Siri's humor circuits are as lively as ever. Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
Siri's humor circuits are as lively as ever. Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
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It’s been a week now that we’ve been living with Apple Watches affixed to our wrists, and in that time, we’ve curated a list of what we love, what we don’t and our overall impressions of Apple’s newest trinket. Is Apple’s timepiece the next must-have gadget? Some of us are smitten, but not all of us are sold.

Our thanks to Automatic for supporting this episode. Plug Automatic into your car’s data port, and their beautiful app will show you where you parked, learn how to save fuel with tips based on your actual driving, and even diagnose and turn off your car’s check engine light.

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Full show notes ahead!

The trouble with Apple Watch’s fitness tracker

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Your "other" workout had better be cardio. Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Apple’s approach to fitness is all about cardio and burning calories.

That’s great if you’re into running or cycling. But for other kinds of exercise, like bodybuilding or yoga, it’s not relevant at all. And if you want to lose weight, cutting the calories you eat is usually more important than burning calories through exercise.

So why does Apple Watch focus exclusively on cardio, and what does this means for people using one to get in shape?

This is what new Star Wars droid BB-8 would look like in space gray

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What if Jony Ive designed BB-8? Photo: Martin Hajek
What if Jony Ive designed BB-8? Photo: Martin Hajek

With its roly-poly looks and infectious personality, new droid BB-8 looks primed to be a real scene-stealer when Star Wars: The Force Awakens hits theaters at the end of the year.

And now we know what the ballsy little bot would look like if Jony Ive replaced its orange-and-white color scheme with something a little more subtle.

ICYMI: Why we love the Apple Watch (and you will too)

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We love the latest wrist-bound gadget from Apple, and we're betting that you will too. Photo: Stephen Smith/Cult of Mac
We love the latest wrist-bound gadget from Apple, and we're betting that you will too. Photo: Stephen Smith/Cult of Mac

You’re bound to love the Apple Watch as much as we do, and we’ve got a fantastic issue of Cult of Mac Magazine to prove it.

Buster and Rob team up to review the fan-flipping-tastic Apple wrist-held, while Leander waxes rhapsodic about how great this new Apple gadget really is. Rob takes a look at 7 stealthy tips along with 12 things the team noticed after a week with Apple Watch. Alex chimes in with 10 of the weirdest Apple Watch apps, plus much, much more, all in this week’s installment of the greatest Apple digital mag you’ve ever read.

How to fix a busted Apple Watch on your own

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You can make repairs to Apple Watch on your own. Photo: iFixit
You can make repairs to Apple Watch on your own. Photo: iFixit

The Apple Watch is one of the most impressive feats of engineering to come out of Cupertino. When it comes to repairing Jony Ive’s wearable yourself, you’re not going to get much help though, so the brilliant minds at iFixit have already come up with a few repair guides.

iFixit published four guides today on how to repair various parts of the Apple Watch that will help make your fixes a breeze. Unfortunately, iFixit says pretty much any repair you make yourself will break the Apple Watch’s NFC chip, but they’ve got a guide on how to fix that two.

Here’s are some of the quick fixes you can make to Apple Watch yourself:

7 stealthy tips and tricks for Apple Watch

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Learning the user interface can take some time, and then there are all the subtle tricks.
Learning the user interface can take some time, and then there are all the subtle tricks. Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

So, you just got your shiny new Apple Watch and you’ve doubled down on learning how to use its all-new interface. That should keep you busy for a while.

There are still a few things that you might not know about it, however, especially these not-so-obvious tips and tricks for Apple Watch we’re going to share with you right now.

Apple patent explains how USB-C will make every other connector obsolete

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USB-C: The one connector to rule them all. Photo: Apple
USB-C: The one connector to rule them all. Photo: Apple

Apple still hasn’t owned up to inventing USB-C, the brand new connector featured on its 12-inch MacBook — but Apple patents have all but tied the technology to Cupertino. The latest describes how a do-it-all connector that fits USB-C’s description is going to make every other port you’re using obsolete.

Video will help you wrap your head around iPad Pro’s massive size

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Yep, a 12.9-inch tablet is pretty much a monster. Photo: Unbox Therapy

Using cases reportedly created for Apple’s rumored plus-size iPad Pro, Lewis Hilsenteger of Unbox Therapy has put together a new video showing off just how massive the next-generation iPad might be.

At 12.9 inches, it’s definitely a significant step up from the current iPad Air 2 — but would it be enough to turn around Apple’s declining iPad business? Check out the video below.

Get your Mac game on with these great guides

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Mac gaming  just keeps getting better. Photo: Aspyr
Mac gaming just keeps getting better. Photo: Aspyr

If you’re looking for new games to explode onto your Mac, look no further than these three “best of” gaming guides from one of the most Mac-centric gaming voices on the web, Mac Gamer HQ.

Featuring the 10 best strategy games, the 10 best first-person shooters, and (just published!) the 10 best MMORPGs — all only for Mac gamers — these three lists are bound to point you in the right direction, letting you set your sights on some amazing Mac gaming experiences without having to buy and try them all yourself.

Upper East Siders snub their noses at Apple Store

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Not all New Yorkers want another Apple Store. Photo: Apple

Most neighborhoods would kill for an Apple Store, but if you’re an elitist living in New York City’s Upper East Side, the thought of Apple fanboys camping out near your five-story townhouse is just absolutely horrid.

Residents and businesses of the posh neighborhood are banding together in opposition to the construction of an Apple Store that might attract flocks of peasants along with all their shouting, and screaming, and barbecues. Ewww!

Steve Jobs’ business cards from Apple, Pixar and NeXT go up for auction

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Kate Winsley praised the Steve Jobs biopic and co-star Michael Fassbender.

Steve Jobs memorabilia collectors can now grab the holy trifecta of business cards while also doing a bit of good along the way.

Three of Jobs’ business cards from his days at Apple, Pixar and NeXT are up for auction, with proceeds going to The Marin School in California. Bidding started at $600 but it’s already up to $2,405.

Here’s a look at the cards you’ll win if you place the high bid:

Apple admits the Watch doesn’t work well with tattoos

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Using an Apple Watch with a tattoo gives some users a (s)inking feeling. Photo:
Using an Apple Watch with a tattoo gives some users a (s)inking feeling. Photo: Guinne55fan

Apple has issued a statement on its website confirming that rumors about a so-called “tattoogate” are accurate.

Reports that the Apple Watch ran into problems when being worn by a person with dark tattoos cropped up earlier this week, when Redditor guinne55fan wrote how his Watch kept locking and failing to send him notifications.