Path, the mobile social network that first launched on the iPhone in November 2010, has agreed to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that it deceived its users by collecting personal information from their address books without their knowledge or consent. The settlement requires the company to establish a comprehensive privacy program and to have independent privacy assessments carried out every other year.

The company has also been fined $800,000 for illegally collecting personal information from children without their parents’ consent.

The Rocksteady XS is a Bluetooth speaker with a big difference: it’s designed to be “as loud as possible.” To that end, it features a sealed design so that the sound can punch harder out of the end-mounted speakers. It’s also tough (with an aluminum shell) and cheap at just $99, making it ideal for outdoor use.

Apple is on the hunt for two senior software engineers that will join its iLife development team to “re-imagine how user interfaces should be built and work.” Both positions, which were posted to the vacancies page of Apple’s website, are based at the company’s Cupertino headquarters, and indicate Apple is working to overhaul the iLife software suite, which consists of GarageBand, iMovie, and iPhoto.

If you’re into iOS but don’t know how to turn that passion into revenue, then the latest Cult of Mac Deals offer will be just what the doctor ordered. With The Master iOS Programming Course, you’ll be able to turn your iOS passion into a new lucrative hobby – and for just $47 to boot!

Along with Evernote’s big Penultimate announcement yesterday came another big update. Evernote Hello, the person-remembering app, is now at version 2.0. It adds two great features: business-card scanning and a tie-in with social networks.

Yes, you’ve seen both these before, but not quite as slick as this.

SAN FRANCISCO, MACWORLD/iWORLD 2013 – It was clear during his panel that playing Steve Jobs touched actor Ashton Kutcher in a deep and poignant way… but when he started choking back tears when speaking about the tech luminary, things started getting weird.

Yes, team Cult is here at Macworld 2013, and we’re reporting live from the show on our all-new CultCast.

Couldn’t make it this year? Don’t worry, we sat through 60 minutes of actors Kutcher and Josh Gad describing the process of making their new JOBS movie so you wouldn’t have to. Catch our new episode to find out what Jobs said that made Kutcher teary-eyed whilst reciting it, and why he and fellow actor Josh Gad feel Woz’s recent harsh criticism of their movie just isn’t fair.

Then—from the cool, to the useful, to the downright whacky—it’s our favorite Apple tech from the show!

All that on our newest CultCast plus, JJ Abrams, Star Wars Savior! Read on for the show notes.

 SAN FRANCISCO, MACWORLD/iWORLD 2013 – Like any other trade show, there are a lot of weird and cool things to see at Macworld. Even though there aren’t as many booths here as there are at CES, but there’s tons to look at.

We wandered the corridors of Macworld this afternoon to find the most fun and freaky booths at Macworld. Here’s what we found.

Well, we’ve shown you tips on how to master the Option key in OS X in the Finder, in iWork, in Safari, and in the Menu Bar.

Here are a few more that we thought you’d like, in no particular order.

SAN FRANCISCO, MACWORLD/iWORLD 2013 – Fujitsu is making an appearance at Macworld this year to demonstrate their first scanner to work with an iOS device, the ScanSnap iX500. The scanner can connect right to your device using an iOS app to easily view your scanned documents immediately onscreen.

The ScanSnap iX500 is designed to be easy to use, implementing several innovative features. Since the scanner can handle up to 25 documents per minute, it has technology built in to make sure that only one sheet passes through at a time, eliminating time consuming paper jams.

SAN FRANCISCO, MACWORLD/iWORLD 2013 – Lantronix is showing off at Macworld what they call the xPrintServer, a small device that you can attach to your network to allow nearly any printer to become compatible with your iOS device using AirPrint.

The xPrintServer comes in two models, a consumer edition that should suit the needs of the average user, as well as an office edition more suited for a corporate setting.

Dropbox’s new Albums feature, rolling out over the next few weeks, lets you share your photos and videos way more easily that you could before. Think of it as kind of a Shared Photo Stream, only anyone can use it, not just iOS6 users.

No, that headline isn’t wrong — Samsung has actually made a Galaxy commercial for the Super Bowl that doesn’t such. It features Knocked Up stars Seth Rogen and Paul Rudd, who play two writers pitching ideas for Samsung’s next commercial to Breaking Bad’s Bob Odenkirk.

It doesn’t mock other companies or rival devices, and it’s actually pretty hilarious. Check it out below.

When Minecraft Pocket Edition first launched, it wasn’t anything like the desktop (and now Xbox 360) versions; it was a neutered stub of a game. But with each update, the PE version gets more and more awesome as it adds the cool features of its big brothers. This update brings wearable armor, craftable signs, new renewable resources in the form of baby livestock and makes gravel and sand follow the rules of gravity.

Unfortunately, there might also be a bug that destroys your entire world.

I’ve got to be honest, I’ve never really gotten into racing games. I do enjoy a bit of Burnout Paradise action now and then, but for the most part, I tend to avoid games that are all about racing. Unless they have karts and cute little mascots, of course. And iOS racing games? They’re ok, but not really my go-to genre.

Today, though, the adrenaline-fueled, high octane trailer for Table Top Racing has me wondering if maybe I should give this one a try.

Playrise Digital announced the release today of it’s first iOS title right on the iTunes App Store, and it just might make you a fan of racing games again, too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSuJ5HOE42M&list=PLgqaIbvtBHtSwsxcRw4941vIoxMhY0DpN&index=1

A year ago I was working on a pretty large project with a buddy. We were hundreds of miles apart, but since we both had iPads, we figured, hey, no problem — collaboration will be easy.

But it wasn’t. Despite the wealth of iPad apps, none of them were quite the collaboration tool we wanted; too expensive, or lacking a particular feature, or not easy enough to use. I wish Moxtra had been around a year ago.

The US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit rejected a bid from Apple today to review and reconsider the sales ban, originally granted and then reversed, on Samsung’s Galaxy Nexus phones. While this type of reconsideration, called an en banc review, is rare, it makes sense that Apple (as well as Samsung) would ask for everything it possibly could in this still-hot case.

The three judge panel today rejected Apple’s request to reinstate a sales ban on Samsung’s Galaxy Nexus smartphone until the later trial, set for March of 2014.

Awhile back it was reported that the iTunes Store is one of the biggest media companies in the world. The iTunes Store generated $8.5 billion in revenue last year, which is more than many of America’s top media companies combined.

Apple has been the tech industry’s pioneer for abandoning physical media, and iTunes is a testament to the success of digital downloads. According to a new report from the NPD Group, iTunes dominates its competitors in terms of online video on demand.

Amid rumors that Apple is in negotiations with cable and content providers for a TV streaming service, a new report claims that HBO will come to the existing Apple TV set-top box later this year.

Apple and HBO are reportedly in negotiations to make the premium channel a dedicated app on the Apple TV, like Netflix and Hulu Plus. The experience would be like that of the HBO Go app that currently exists in the iOS App Store.

SAN FRANCISCO, MACWORLD/iWORLD 2013 – The Age of Scantly Clad Booth Babes might be at an end.

There  are no booth babes at Macworld.

We walked onto the expo floor expecting our retinas to be attacked by skin, cleavage, thighs, and a thick aroma of sleaze, but there’s none to be found.

The only “booth babe” we could find is this cardboard cutout of some blonde advertising an iPhone necklace/case thingy. Surely this can’t be the only booth babe at Macworld, but after some heavy duty searching, we’re happy to report that it is.

Pocket, the link-saving service formerly known as Read It Later, has been updated on iOS with a few new additions. Most notably, Facebook sharing has been added and tied into iOS 6’s direct Facebook integration. That means zero setup required inside the Pocket app.

A couple workflow-related improvements have also been made.

 SAN FRANCISCO, MACWORLD/iWORLD 2013 – Will.i.am showed up at Macworld today, and yep, he was wearing his stupidly expensive iPhone camera case that you will never want to own.

During his Futurehunting keynote, Will.i.am sat down with Intel’s futurist, Brian Johnson, to talk about where they think the next big changes in tech are going to come from. I came into the keynote thinking Will.i.am would just talk about his camera accessory, but the Black Eyed Peas star actually has some big plans for the world, and he’s enlisted Steve Jobs’ widow to help him out.

Unu’s Ecopak is about as simple as an iPhone battery case can get. And as this also means that it is thin and light, and that it will work with not only the iPhone 5 but any gadget than charges via USB, that simplicity is perhaps its best feature.

The Ecopak consists of two parts. The thin, snap-on shell-style case, and the. Battery pack itself. Let’s take a look.

In my review of Temple Run 2, I called it an “awesome sequel.” Millions upon millions of people seem to agree. Temple Run 2 has become the fastest downloaded mobile game in history with 50 million downloads in just two weeks. The previous record was set by Rovio’s Angry Birds with 50 million downloads in 35 days.

Temple Run 2 for iOS hit 20 million downloads after its first week on the App Store. Imangi Studios, the company behind Temple Run, has since brought the game to Google Play on Android and the Amazon Marketplace.

    SAN FRANCISCO, MACWORLD/iWORLD 2013 – Whether you’re excited for Ashton Kutcher’s upcoming film JOBS or not, there’s no denying that Kutcher poured his heart into this role.

Throughout his keynote this morning, Ashton waxed philosophic on the things that he learned as he tried to become Steve Jobs. At one point he was even on the brink of tears. At the end of the interview, Ashton was asked what he want he wants people to get out of seeing the movie, and he shared these three things.

The International Electrotechnical Commission has forced Apple to stop selling the Mac Pro in European countries. Apple has officially announced the news to its retail partners, and all sales for the Mac Pro will come to a halt after February 18th. The U.S. remains unaffected.

The reason for the sales ban has to do with updated European regulatory requirements relating to fan guards and electrical port protection. Apple has previously confirmed that a new Mac Pro is coming later in 2013, and the updated product should pass inspection just fine.