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Heard it through the grape vine: Personal wine assistant app gets sparkling update

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Like Scarlett Johansson’s phone number, wine is something I’d like to know a bit more about. It’s good to hear, then, that popular wine assistant app Hello Vino (great name!) has just been given a sparkling update in time for spring.

The update adds support for a massive 140,000 store and restaurant locations to help you pick out the perfect wine. It also adds improvements to the app’s search engine, which is powered by wine-searcher.com and features more than 6 million wines.

New Super Monkey Ball game set to bounce onto iOS this summer

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Super Monkey Ball was one of the real gems of the GameCube era, and now a version of it is set to bounce its way onto iOS this summer.

But this isn’t your grandpappy’s Super Monkey Ball. According to SEGA, the game takes inspiration from the classic arcade game, pachinko, and features AiAi and the rest of his monkey pals as they attempt to thwart the evil machinations of the dastardly Prof. Boscis.

iPad Air: Gulf becomes the latest airline to carry iPad electronic flight bags

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Gulf Air, the Kingdom of Bahrain’s flagship air carrier, has become the latest airline to participate in an iPad-based electronic flight bag program. The program will see Gulf Air purchase 355 iPads, to be distributed throughout the airline’s fleet.

“We are proud of our existing strategic relationship with VIVA Bahrain and pleased to extend this partnership to include the provision of iPad devices as part of Gulf Air’s Electronic Flight Bag project,” says Gulf Air Acting CEO Maher Salman Al Musallam. “This is an essential component of our ongoing commitment to all new technology that provides integrated solutions for managing information in the air and on the ground.”

Latest iOS 7.1.1 jailbreak targets iPhone 5s

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A video has surfaced online showing a jailbreak solution for iOS 7.1.1, compatible with the 64-bit iPhone 5s.

This is the third iOS 7.1.1 jailbreak we’ve seen in a matter of days, although it’s possibly the most impressive yet being that it is for Apple’s premier iOS device.

Tony Montana’s Scarface crib goes on sale for $35m

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If you’re looking for a new home awesome enough to house all of your Apple products in style, you’re not going to find one better than this.

A 10,000 square feet palace — newly on the market for a cool $35 million — it will be instantly recognizable to cinema buffs as the home of none other than Tony Montana in the 1983 movie Scarface.

AT&T solar charging stations are reproducing on the streets of New York

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Instagramming your skinny cinnamon latte and taking selfies of yourself with your skinny cinnamon latte is always going to take its toll on your phone’s battery. But that’s going to be less of a concern for those who live and work in New York, where AT&T’s new solar charging stations allow anyone to top up their juice while they sit down and relax with their skinny cinnamon latte.

Oontz Angle provides big sound for small spaces (plus giveaway!)

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With so many Bluetooth speakers, varying in size and price, it can be hard to find the best fit for you. In this episode of Cult of Mac’s Product Recommendations, we take a look at the Angle speaker by Oontz, a portable Bluetooth speaker perfect for office, bedroom and other settings.

Take a look at the video to see what you think and make sure to enter the giveaway to try your hand at winning one.

Enter the Cult of Mac giveaway: We have two Oontz Angles to give away to two viewers who like and comment on our video, and also subscribe to the Cult of Mac channel on YouTube. Winners will be picked at random and entries end Monday, May 26, 2014. Prizes provided by Oontz.

Give your Mac a speed boost with this quick tip

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It’s totally irritating when you’re using your Mac and it slows down all of a sudden. While your computer is obviously doing what you’re focusing on, it can also be working hard on pointless tasks running in the background. In today’s how-to video, find out how to stop this and speed up your Mac in no time.

Play Marco Polo with your iPhone using this new useful app

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Remember those summer days of yore, playing in the pool with your friends, and one of you would close your eyes and yell out Marco? And all your buddies, who got to keep their eyes open, yelled Polo!*

Now you can find wherever you’ve lost your iPhone in your house, car, or office cubicle by shouting at it with the nifty and useful new app, Marco Polo: Find Your Phone by Shouting MARCO!, which may be the longest name for an app, ever.

Marco! Polo! Marco! … Polo!

Restaurant lets you pay for your food by Instagramming it

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What if we lived in a world where you could pay for your food by sharing it on Instagram? Some would call it hell on earth because of how our Instagram feeds are already overwhelmed with such pictures, but that kind of attitude could be starting to change.

A new pop-up diner in Soho, London called The Picture House is letting its customers pay for their meals in exchange for posting a pic of it on Instagram with the hashtag “BirdsEyeInspirations.”

Apple bought Beats for video, suggests Steve Jobs’ biographer

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The web has spun about 13,000 different theories on why Apple bought Beats. Did they want the headphones? Or was it Beats Music that tipped things over?

It’ll be months, if not years, before we learn Apple’s real play with the Beats acquisition, but Steve Jobs’ biographer Walter Isaacson has his own theory on why Apple bought Beats and it has nothing to do with music, overpriced headphones, or other wearables.

It’s all about video.

Quick and easy: How to use Google Analytics with Tumblr

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Even Tumblrs need Analytics love.
Even Tumblrs need Analytics love.

So you got yourself a Tumblr blog, right? Whether you’re a newbie website runner or a veteran Tumblr owner, you’ll need to keep track of your website stats.

The best (and free) system out there to find out who visits your site and why is Google Analytics. The web stats analysis package there is the best in the business, but unless you have some sort of degree in SEO or traffic analysis, it can be pretty overwhelming.

So, for those of you that just want to get into tracking your site stats with a minimum of fuss, here’s how to get Google Analytics installed on your Tumblr blog, and a quick and easy way to set up your Analytics dashboard with the basic info.

Guardians of the Galaxy trailer gives a sneak peek at the losers who will save the universe

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“So here we are,” says Chris Pratt’s Starlord in the new trailer from Marvel Studios, “a thief, two thugs, an assassin, and a maniac.”

They may be an odd team, but they’re not going to stand by as evil wipes out the galaxy.

Guardians of the Galaxy is shaping up to be a fantastic take on the cult-hit comic book series, further cementing Marvel Comics as the cooler-than-you comic book movie studio with this hot new trailer, embedded below.

Simply glance and go with The MetaWatch STRATA Smartwatch [Deals]

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While you’re distracted by the bright screen in your hands, the real world is passing you by. This is where MetaWatch saves the day.

MetaWatch is a Bluetooth-connected smartwatch that will discreetly alert you to new text messages, phone calls, app alerts and certain athletic metrics. You can leave your phone in your pocket and avoid getting sucked into the vortex of refreshes and updates. And Cult of Mac Deals has The MetaWatch STRATA Smartwatch for only $99 during this limited time promotion.

Halo 5: Guardians rockets to Xbox One fall 2015

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Xbox One owners just got a shot in the arm as the team behind the acclaimed Halo franchise has just revealed a new iteration in the series: Halo 5: Guardians.

Halo has always been associated with the Xbox system, reaching back to Microsoft’s original console, released in 2001. With the latest title now in sights, Halo fans will start the salivation required of the lead up to the game industry’s most popular series.

Apple begins preparations for new Madison Avenue store

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Apple's new Upper East Side store will be located on Madison Avenue.
Apple's new Upper East Side store will be located on Madison Avenue. (Credit: Google Street View)

Apple’s iconic Fifth Avenue retail store might be turning eight today, but the company is looking to boost its New York presence with a new store on the city’s Upper East Side.

City building permits, dated May 15, detail soil testing at the new site, along with the demolition of the building’s current interior — costing a total of $80,000. The new Apple Store is set to be located at no. 940 Madison Avenue, a limestone and marble building currency occupied by luxury retailer VBH.

Peace in our time? Samsung and Apple negotiating to settle out of court

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Samsung was the elephant in the room following last week’s surprising news that Apple and Google/Motorola had come to a surprising agreement, in which both companies would agree to drop all ongoing litigation against the other.

Having spent the last few years waging bitter patent campaigns against each other in court, it seemed unlikely that Apple would be willing to afford similar treatment to Samsung.

Get your $33 ‘Google Glass’ before it’s too late

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Google Glass is immensely difficult to get hold of right now. In fact, you have little to no chance of bagging the device if you live outside of the U.S. and don’t have a spare $1,500. But thanks to a new Kickstarter campaign, you can now become a Google Glass owner for just $33.

You’ll have to act quickly, though, because it’s almost certainly going to get pulled by Google. And yes, there is a catch.

Machine Crush Monday: Apple’s iconic Fifth Avenue store turns 8

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It takes a lot to be both New York City’s most photographed landmark and Apple’s most beautiful retail store. It’s rare that a shop can genuinely be said to take your breath away, but in the case of the Fifth Avenue Apple Store, it lives up to its reputation — and then some.

A big glass box with a glass elevator in the middle, as well as a see-through staircase, complete with wrap-around glass banister, it’s a little bit like Apple’s long-forgotten (but spectacular) Power Mac G4 Cube — only so big that you can shop in it.

It grosses more than any other store in New York City. And it makes more money per square foot than any other store in the world. exactly eight years after it opened its doors, Apple’s flagship retail store has become an iconic part of the New York landscape.

And like a lot of the best Apple products, it owes its success to Apple co-founder Steve Jobs.