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Official Reddit apps are coming to fuel your addiction

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Just as I thought I was close to curing my Reddit addiction — I’ve been “clean” for almost three days — confirmation that official Reddit apps are incoming for Android and iOS means I’m almost certainly destined for a relapse.

Job listings have revealed that Reddit is on the hunt for app developers with skills in Java (for Android) and Objective C (for iOS) who can make it “easier for people to find great content” on Reddit using mobile devices. The ads appeared this week in the company’s “for hire” subreddit.

Chrome for iOS adds a feature tour and omnibox improvements

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If you ever want to see the difference between Apple and Google as companies, look no further than the fact that Google’s latest Chrome update for the simply-named iOS 7.0 is the bafflingly-titled version 34.0.1847.18.

That minor irritation aside, the mobile update does add some nifty new features — including a new “feature tour” that shows off the browser and its new enhancements to first time users.

There’s also an included tweak to Chrome’s omnibox, which means that the omnibox now supports right-to-left languages: something that should prove useful to some international users.

Run for your life: Zombies, Run! fitness app gets over 60 new missions

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I’ve always hated running. When I’m asked, I jokingly say that the ten years of life I probably lose by not focusing on cardio-vascular exercise, I make up for by not feeling compelled to jog in a big circle each day after work, or talk about running shoes at dinner parties.

But if there’s one thing that could get me running it’s a zombie apocalypse — in which members of the once-dead rise again to try and feast on my brain and internal organs. And I’m definitely not the only one.

Gamified fitness app Zombies, Run! was launched a couple of years ago, but has just been updated with a number of new features.

For those unfamiliar with it, Zombies, Run! replaces your regular running soundtrack with a zombie story in which you are the main character — with your level of physical exertion playing a part as you outrun zombie hordes, collect supplies, and eventually return (brain intact) to base camp.

This miniscule guitar is actually playable and uses the iPhone as an amp and speaker

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Next time some jerk mimes playing the world’s smallest violin at something you said, just whip out the miniscule Fretpen guitar, bellow something defiantly rock-themed at them, and relish in their stunned silence as you headbang triumphantly while shredding your way through Van Halen’s Eruption!

Yes, I see how it may seem as if I’ve let my rock fantasy get a little out of hand. But I strenuously maintain it’s completely appropriate when introduced to the FretPen, a tiny-yet-playable guitar that connects to an accompanying app on the iPhone via low-energy Bluetooth, then rocks out with customizable effects.

iPhone’s electromagnetic radiation powers Lunecase’s bizarre glowing symbols

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We know the iPhone emits radiation, but how much? The answer: Apparently enough to light up luminous glyphs on the back of an iPhone case. A bunch of inventive Ukranians — the same ones who brought us the iBlazr LED phone flash — figured out this little trick, and created the Lunecase, an iPhone 5/c/s case with symbols on the back that light up when you receive a text or phone call.

Alleged iPhone 6 mold gives us a look at slimmer, curved design

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We’ve seen no shortage of iPhone 6 part leaks recently, and now an alleged mold of the unreleased device has surfaced. French site Nowwhereelse.fr has shared pictures of what it’s claiming is a “physical model” of the iPhone 6.

The source of the model is unknown other than it came from a Chinese forum, so we’re filing this one under very sketchy. But based on existing rumors, the design could be close to what Apple is planning.

Slice everything (and the price) for high scores in Apple’s free app of the week

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While many are sure to remember the old hit-game Fruit Ninja, not many are still playing it. Though the slicing mania may be on halt in one app, Apple’s current app of the week KingHunt aims to keep you going at it. Claiming to be the next generation of the slicing game genre, slice your way through crazy objects and plenty of fun-filled levels. Do you think you can become the ultimate hunter?

Take a look at the video and see what you think.

8 reasons Apple would be crazy to kill the iPod

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The first iPod went from pitch to shipped product in 7 months
Is the iPod really living on borrowed time? Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

A funny thing happened on the way to the iPod’s funeral. When we laid out the reasons we think the music player is nearing the end of the line, we clearly struck a nerve.

A lengthy and fascinating conversation broke out in the page’s comments section, on Facebook and on Twitter as Cult of Mac readers articulated all the reasons Apple shouldn’t kick the iPod to the curb. Reasons ranged from forward-looking strategies for expanding the iPod’s appeal to old-fashioned love for a perennial favorite product.

Here are highlights from eight of the best:

Minimal Bezl iPhone corners offer maximal protection [Review]

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Bezl by Bezl Design
Category: Cases
Works With: iPhone 5/S
Price: $20

Who’d have thought that four tiny stick-on plastic corners could make such a great iPhone “case?” Yet the Bezl, a case so minimal it doesn’t even have room for vowels, is one of my favorites. That might not be surprising for someone who avoids cases altogether, but they’re pretty useful for something so tiny.

What the future of mobile payments could look like on the iPhone

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An 'EasyPay' concept that imagines how Apple could handle mobile payments.
An 'EasyPay' concept that imagines how Apple could handle mobile payments.

Apple is working on its own mobile payments solution, per multiple reports from places like The Wall Street Journal. Exactly how the company plans to implement such a service remains to be seen.

Tim Cook has made it clear that Touch ID was created with mobile payments in mind, which makes sense when you consider that it’s such a secure form of authentication.

A new concept called EasyPay takes the Apple approach to mobile payments on the iPhone, and it looks great.

A dock for the man who has everything but needs a place to plug it all in

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Photo: Jim Merithew, Cult of Mac
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Here’s what I use on a fairly daily basis: external hard drive, iPhone, iPad(s), gaming mouse, flash drive full of media and DSLR camera.

Man or woman, I’m willing to bet you’ve got a similar load of peripherals that you use with your MacBook Pro or Air. With the MacBook’s two USB 3.0 ports, there’s never enough to go around when I want to plug in more than, say, two devices at once. Sure there’s two Thunderbolt ports, too, but I’m just not that fancy.

Tuesday Deals: Add space to your MacBook with Nifty and get 20% off the Blue Yeti [Deals]

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Cult of Mac Deals has some stellar promotions lined up right now, whether you’re looking to up your storage or improve your audio recordingsby adding an external quality microphone to your workflow.

For a limited time you can get the Nifty MiniDrive, which lets you add up to 128GB of storage space to your MacBook Pro Retina for only $35.99 and a top-notch microphone in the form of the Blue Yeti can be yours for 20% off the regular price – just $117!

DryZone Duffel, the waterproof camera bag

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If you told me I could only shop at one candy store from now on, that candy store would be Photojojo. The sweet photo gadgets that appear new in the store every week constantly test my resolve not to tap in a credit card number.

The latest temptation? The DryZone Duffel, which is a waterproof camera bag.

TrueHDR now available on the Mac

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Are you a fan of HDR photography? Then you’re dead to me. Dead.

No, seriously.

Not really. Kidding aside, HDR can look horrible, like turning the color up on an old CRT TV set. But like all tools, it can also be used for the powers of good.

Anyhow, TrueHDR, the smash-hit iOS HDR app is now available for the Mac, letting you combine up to 100 shots into one over-egged exposure, all for just $4.

Scooby stores your most-used timers for maximum convenience

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This timer app might not be super useful for everyone, but if you have certain things that you time regularly, you might want to check it out. Scooby lets you build up a list of items and timers that you can easily access anytime you want to save yourself the slight inconvenience of setting the one on your iPhone.

I’m going to use it for the shared washer and dryer in my apartment building because neighbors appreciate it when people don’t leave their clothes in there forever, Steve.

Source:Scooby – Free | Stephen Walsh

It takes a ‘stache to recover your stash in the fun and adorable Leo’s Fortune

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Leo's Fortune
Photo: 1337 & Senri LLC

Leo’s Fortune is one of the most beautiful iOS games I’ve seen in a while. But beyond its good looks, it also has an intriguing story, fun puzzles, and a ton of personality.

Leo’s Fortune by 1337 & Senri LLC
Category: iOS Games
Works With: iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch
Price: $4.99

And I could stop right there, but then you wouldn’t hear about the cool physics and simple controls and the fact that the hero is a Star Trek Tribble with eyes like a Muppet and an undeniably amazing moustache.

This game basically has everything.

Snappgrip now works with third-party apps to add manual buttons to iPhone camera

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Snappgrip is an add-on camera grip for your iPhone, bringing the extra manual knobs, dials and buttons you miss from your regular camera. It’s been around for a while.

But that’s not the news. The new is that a couple of great iPhone camera apps now incorporate the Snappgrip API. That is, these apps can be controlled by the buttons on the grip.

OS X and iOS app clips webpages, tweets and pictures, syncs via Dropbox

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You know when you see a new tool and you think “Oh man, that’s going to be useful”? That’’s the feeling I have with Keep Everything, a Universal iOS and Mac App which saves web pages, Tweets (and pretty much anything with a URL) on your device, sharing it with your other machines via Dropbox.

But it does so much more than that, including turning those pages into Markdown text that can even be edited.

Draw a picture for your passcode with this jailbreak tweak

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You unlock your iPhone by either having it read your fingerprint or typing in a simple passcode. On Android, you unlock your device by drawing a pattern between a grid of dots.

But imagine being able to unlock your iPhone with art. Imagine painting a smiley face, or scrawling your signature, or heck, drawing a pornographic picture on your iPhone display and having it magically spring to life.

That’s just what a new jailbreak tweak lets you do.