Wireless phone carrier Consumer Cellular has announced a deal that will allow it to start carrying the new model iPhone 5c and 5s.

Breaking with the tradition of Friday launches in India — and despite rumors that it would take place on November 29 — Apple has announced that customers in India will be able to buy the iPad Air and iPad mini with Retina Display as of Saturday, December 7.

We’ve seen roughly one zillion iPhone wallet cases passing through the pages of Cult of Mac, and like neutrinos there are surely untold others which we never even detect. And yes, the Access Case is another wallet case, and yes, it’s even a Kickstarter project. But it has one thing none of the others do: it has a sweet-looking sister that fits the iPad, and which knows how to suck…

Liquid looks set to be a fixture on my Mac. It’s an app which lets you carry out transformations and operations on any selected text, which doesn’t sound like much unless you write for a living, or just have to wrangle lots of letters. It’s actually been around for quite a while (the current version is 4.3), but I figured that if I hadn’t heard of it yet, then maybe you hadn’t either.

When University of Michigan medical student Paul DeWolf was shot to death earlier this year, police had few leads.

That all changed when a stolen MacBook Air revealed a key piece of information — and helped police track down the alleged killers.

Lost for photo inspiration? Fear not. Instead of just firing up Instagram and looking at great photos taken by other folks, you should launch the new OKDOTHIS app and follow along. The app tells you what to take a photo of, right there, and you just have to do what you’re told.

Despite being significantly outsold by the iPhone 5s in many territories, the less-expensive iPhone 5c appeals to former Android users entering the Apple ecosystem for the first time, according to figures released by Kantar Worldpanel ComTech.

I love this case: It’s a plain old polycarbonate shell for the iPhone 5/S, but it comes with a bunch of handy pull-out tools in embedded into the plastic itself. It’s like the pen and tweezer tools from Swiss Army Knives, only all of the tools are like that.

The euphoria of Black Friday is over, and like the comedown after any spend-heavy holiday it’s time to look at the receipts.

According to analytics firm InfoScout, the iPad Air and iPad mini were two of the day’s big winners.

If I cut out the middle of a sentence from the Indiegogo page for the Apple Worm case, I get the following nugget of comedy gold:

You may need a phone holder […] at any time when you […] go to toilet, etc. Our “Apple Worm” can meet all your needs.

But aside from the toilet/worms gags, the case looks pretty handy.

I love Cyber Monday, but not for the reasons you think: I don’t give gifts, not do I buy yet more crap to fill my apartment. I love it because it’s the only place that the word “cyber” can still be used without people ridiculing you. Hell, I even cringe when I read Neuromancer these days.

By way of celebration, we bring news of the Apps for Snaps Cyber Monday deal, a collection of iOS photo apps which can be bought today for just a buck apiece.

Amazon has a new ad out for the Kindle Fire HDX that uses the new iPad Air as a scapegoat. It brags about how the HDX has more pixels (hardly any more), weighs less, and costs less.

Ho-hum. Microsoft, Nokia, and every other competitors make plenty of ads based on practically the same formula. What makes this new one from Amazon special is the iPad Air’s narrator. “This is the magical new iPad Air,” says the male voice with a slightly British accent—perhaps a subtle dig at Sir Jony Ive?

There are far more egregious examples of anti-Apple ads from other tech companies, and Amazon does make good points about the HDX weighing and costing less. Not sure why the narrator for the HDX has such a weird twang, but oh well. At least Amazon won’t have to pull this ad out of embarrassment.

Every once in a while, an insanely great offer comes around that can’t be missed and this happens to be one of them. The iRest lets you view your iPad’s screen in comfort with excellent stability.

For only $39.99 you’ll get one of the most flawless iPad accessories ever created. This 2011 Macworld Best of Show winner was designed to be used not just at your desk or on a table, but also on your lap while kicking back on the sofa or laying in bed.

What makes Google think users want canned messages? Google filed a patent application, published November 19, for algorithmically driven auto-reply.

As you might expect, the messages aren’t really “canned” in the way that an email vacation auto-reply might be. It’s actually quite Googlish.

Here’s what Google is up to, and why you might actually love this technology.

We are marking #World AIDS Day by turning Apple’s logo red. Together we can achieve an AIDS free generation. pic.twitter.com/3kdx9UZr9f

— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) December 1, 2013

December 1st is World AIDS Day, a movement that raises awareness for the fight against HIV. Apple is honoring the cause by tinting Apple store logos around the world red.

“We are marking #World AIDS Day by turning Apple’s logo red,” tweeted Apple CEO Tim Cook. “Together we can achieve an AIDS free generation.”

There are tons of mobile hotspots out there, but Karma has done something groundbreaking with The Karma WiFi Hotspot.

With this device, you can now put WiFi in your pocket and stay connected with a lightning-fast 4G connection, anywhere you go. And with this offer from Cult of Mac Deals – an offer that kicks off our Black Friday sales season – you can get The Karma WiFi Hotspot along with 1 GB free data and free shipping for just $69!

360 degree video – like the experiential imagery you see in Google StreetView – is an exceptional way to share one-of-a-kind experiences. And now it’s possible on your iPhone with this latest offer from Cult of Mac Deals.

With the Kogeto Dot and the free Looker app, you’ll instantly have a fast and fun way to shoot fully interactive 360 degree video and share it online. The regular price for the Kogeto Dot and iStabilizer is $89, but through this promotion you’ll get it for 44% off – just $49!

Apple agreed this week to buy Israel-based PrimeSense for $350 million.

PrimeSense is best known for making the 3D motion-tracking technology inside Microsoft’s Kinect.

Does this mean Apple plans to make its own Kinect? Maybe. But I think Apple may be thinking about something far more interesting.

In this increasingly noisy, digital age – simple is the new style.

That’s what Native Union had in mind with the POP Desk – a handset and custom-designed stand to hold your smartphone. The large, classic style of the handset allows you to make mobile, Skype and other VoIP calls comfortably – like an old-school business pro – while the anti-slip rubberized pad holds your smartphone securely in place. And when you’re done at the office, keep it classy on the move with the CLIC Wooden iPhone case. Individually cut from natural cherry wood and hand-polished – each case is as unique as the owner carrying it.

You can have all that simplicity and style for a fraction of the regular price thanks to this Cult of Mac Deals limited offer – just $64.99.

Kim Dotcom’s questionably-legal controversial cloud storage service, Mega, now has an official iPhone app. Designed specifically for iOS 7, the new app lets users manage their accounts and files on the go.

Not only can you see your files in a Dropbox-like interface, but you can export and import links to share with others. You can view and stream supported file formats and save them for offline viewing.

It’s our T-Day edition CultCast! This time: Jony Ive’s golden touch makes millions for charity; Apple teases underwhelming Black Friday deals; how Apple’s blacklist keeps bad press at bay; the new money in old macs; and we pitch our favorite Thanksgiving Day foods on our holiday edition Faves ’N Raves!

Have a few laughs whilst getting caught up on each week’s finest Apple stories! Download new and past episodes of The CultCast on iTunes or hit play below and let the audio enjoyment commence.

Thanks to lynda.com for sponsoring this episode. Learn at your own pace from expert-taught video tutorials at lynda.com.

One of the greatest strategy games of all time returns…and just in time for Black Friday and Cyber Monday savings!

This special GOLD edition includes Civilization V, the Civilization V: Gods & Kings expansion pack, plus tons of available add-on content. And Cult of Mac Deals has it for just $12.50 during this limited time offer.

I’ve tried plenty of popular translation apps in the App Store, and my favorite by far is SonicoMobile’s iTranslate. Until a couple days ago, the app was only optimized for iPhone, but on Turkey Day an iPad version was released as a free update to the existing app.

iTranslate recently underwent a big overhaul for iOS 7, and the new design is clean and efficient. There’s support for over 70 languages and a pretty capable text-to-speech translation tool. Intuitive gestures are peppered throughout the app, like swiping in from the outside of the right or left to initiate voice recognition.

The app is a free download, and a small in-app purchase removes ads, unlocks Siri voice recognition, and the ability to translate long amounts of text at once. Check it out. SonicoMobile also makes other great apps, like iTranslate Voice, Files App, and Languages.

Source: App Store

Cult of Mac Magazine wants to get you on the right track for giving good gifts in 2013.

It happens to all of us. There’s a time when “thanks” is as hollow as a fuzzy stocking on December 26. That half-hearted “you shouldn’t have!” that comes out when you have just given (or received) a total dud for a gift. You don’t like it. You certainly don’t need it. Or maybe you aren’t even sure what it’s for, like that InstaSlim compression shirt.   So the item in question gets shoved under a growing mountain of gift paper that the recipient (perhaps) hopes goes into the recycling bin, never to be seen again.

Here’s where we come in. Our stellar reviews editor, Charlie Sorrel, has momentarily put aside his bah-humbugging to trawl through all the best items that he has attached, stuffed or otherwise prodded his iGadgets with this year to get down to the essentials. He’s got the goods on what you need to buy for all of your devices – and, yeah, while you’re at it, your loved ones’ devices, too.

You’ll also read about how publisher Leander Kahney earned the reputation for being the worst gift giver in his entire family and get the real deal on how to get better deals on Apple products with our exclusive “Ask A Genius” column.

Cult of Mac Magazine

The worst gift I ever gave was the time that I presented my father with a doormat for Christmas.

In my defense, he was impossible to buy for and I had already tried everything. Robes. Records. Books. In total desperation on Christmas Eve, I noticed that his doormat was all frayed and coming apart.  This struck me as a genius idea. Practical. Useful. Not one more piece of junk cluttering up his life. It seems to me that gift giving is too often about buying more stuff for people who don’t need it; here was an opportunity to give him something he would use every day and actually needed.

It seemed like an inspired purchase until he opened it up. There was the family reunited on Christmas morning, staring at a crappy doormat. Dad was unimpressed. Then my brothers started cracking up. It quickly became a family joke: my gift to him was the worst Christmas gift of all time. It was too late to resurrect my reputation for that year and many years after, despite all my thoughtful presents.

I didn’t start out as a bad gift giver. When we were kids, my brothers and I used to spend a lot of time making stuff for our parents. We went through an Origami phase that folded in the thoughtful with the handmade:  I remember laboring over a box for my mom to keep her jewelry in, for example. And of course, my parents would make a big fuss over our handiwork, like parents do.  Then, as you grow up, you end up being lazier about choosing presents. You lose touch with your parents and sometimes the other people in your life. You don’t know what they’re interested in or really need.

Gift giving can become a meaningless routine — the worst gifts to my mind are the really generic ones. Like a tie rack or electric wine bottle opener. You know, basically anything for sale in the SkyMall designed to placate that loved one you forgot about while traveling. These are the inexcusable gadgets that don’t work better than the no-tech versions, plus the batteries die, they require space on the counter, etc. And, let’s face it: you cannot really improve on a corkscrew. (How many wine bottles do you open on a daily basis, anyway?) That’s the kind of  default gift you fall back on because it costs a little more, it’s designed as a “gift item,” and when you don’t know what else to get someone, you buy it.

Enter the 2013 Cult of Mac Gift Guide. We’ve picked out the stuff that is genuinely useful, that will add some value to your iDevices and those of your loved ones. Charlie Sorrel, our reviews editor, is captaining the effort. All year round, he wades through thousands of press releases and has a great eye for striking gadget paydirt with things you really want and need to own. Plus you can bet that he’s seen every iPhone handlebar accessory and pedalled them all out, too, with an eye to keeping your wallet half full, which never hurts.

What’s on my list? This year, my mom got her very first iPhone. (A gold one!) So I’ll be looking out for something useful for her; she’s a typical retiree who takes a lot of pictures but is used to be taking them with a regular camera.

Spoiler alert: she definitely won’t receiving an iDoormat.