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Forget The Death Star, Apple Has Destroyed Another Galaxy In Mountain Lion [Image]

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This image of the NGC 3190 Galaxy is the one Apple altered for Mountain Lion.
This image of the NGC 3190 Galaxy is the one Apple altered for Mountain Lion.

Back when OS X Lion first came out, amateur and pro astronomers alike noted with bemusement that Apple had used their new operating system as an excuse to alter the Universe according to their whim. Most notably, when picking a picture of the Andromeda Galaxy as OS X Lion’s default wallpaper, Apple photoshopped several stars and an entire separate galaxy out of the picture.

When Apple debuted the next version of OS X, Mountain Lion, with a brand new galactic image as the default wallpaper, we wondered if Apple had done it again. As it turns out, they have.

Users Are Already Using iPads In The Office. Why IT Doesn’t Have A Clue

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How Much business data goes over iPad 3G and LTE connections without IT knowing?
How Much business data goes over iPad 3G and LTE connections without IT knowing?

LTE is one of the key features available on the new iPad. All that extra speed can be a great feature for consumers and business users alike, although the ability to burn through data that quickly means that all LTE iPad users need to be more conscious of their data use than with the previous 3G iPads (the same will no doubt be true for the next iPhone).

A new study claims that most iPad Internet access (94%) still takes place over Wi-Fi networks, however. That seems like bad news for carriers and it sounds like comforting news for CIOs and IT professionals worried about unknown iPads in their companies. After all, if only 6% of iPad connections occur over 3G/4G, then most iPads in the office are using a corporate network and can be tracked and monitored to ensure data and network security.

Unfortunately digging into the actual data from the study reveals iPad users with 3G and LTE models are actually spending a lot more than 6% of their time using their cellular connection.

Macbook Air Pros And Post-PC Revolutions; Don’t Miss The Banter In An All-New CultCast

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Steve Jobs coined it: the “Post PC Revolution.” But is this revolution actually occurring? Are people flocking en masse to tablets, forever leaving behind their keyboards and mice?

And what about those rumors that we’re going to see a 15-inch Macbook Air this summer? Is Apple on the verge of releasing the first pro-edition of everyone’s favorite paper-thin notebook?

We answer these questions and more in episode 5 of The CultCast, now ready for your listening pleasure.

Subscribe now on iTunes!

All iOS Devices Lie When They Say Their Battery Is 100%

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Although it takes forever to fully charge, the new iPad costs less than $2 a year to run.
Unplug your iPad just after it reaches 100% and you'll lose up to 1.2 hours of battery life.

Shortly after the new iPad made its debut earlier this month, it was discovered that the way in which the device calculates its battery life is flawed. Despite telling you its charge is at 100%, your device hasn’t actually finished charging.

New data proves that in fact, your device isn’t finished charging until more than two hours after it reaches “100%,” and if you unplug it before then, you could lose around 1.2 hours of battery life. What’s more, it seems all iOS devices misreport their battery life.

Rovio Does It Again: Angry Birds Space Downloaded 10 Million Times In Just Three Days

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If you thought interest in the slingshotting hit Angry Birds has faded over the years, you’d be sorely mistaken. In fact, it seems to be even more popular according to the latest numbers announced by Rovio. According to Rovio, their latest Angry Birds Space netted 10 million downloads in less than three day. That’s quite an accomplishment, and to put things into perspective, it took Angry Birds Rio ten days to reach 10 million downloads.

Padcaster Turns New iPad Into Shallow-Focusing Movie Camera

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Ever since I got my new iPad last Friday, I have been playing with the great new camera. I’m not one of those luddites that think nobody will ever use a tablet as a camera (note: many of these people probably called the iPad a consumption-only device, or said that you can’t use it to do real work). But I do find the iPad awkward to hold when trying to tap the screen for exposure, focus and the shutter release.

The Padcaster, a forthcoming camera rig for the iPad, might just take care of that.

Keep Your Windows Where You Want ‘Em with Breeze [OS X Tips]

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Breeze States

Are you one of those highly organized people who have their computer windows set up just right, each one pixel-perfect aligned to each other and the edges of the monitor screen? Yeah, me neither.

For those of you who are,though, or who just like to be able to set things up the way you like them and have them stay that way, there’s a Mac app to do just that.

iZen Bamboo, The iPad Keyboard For Hippies

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The iZen Bamboo Keyboard really, really looks like an Apple Bluetooth keyboard with a bunch of bamboo caps stuck on top to the existing keys. And oddly enough, there’s nothing in the Kickstarter description to say otherwise.

There are a few telltale clues, though. This keyboard has iPad-specific keys that mimic the home button, search and slideshow functions, and comes with a li-ion battery.

The New iPad Already Accounts For 6.6% Of All Apple Tablets Accessing The Internet

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The new iPad is already making its mark on internet traffic.

In its first three days of availability, Apple’s new iPad sold an incredible 3 million devices, so it’s no surprise to us that it already accounts for 6.6% of all Apple tablets accessing the internet. That’s according to a new report from mobile ad network Chitika Insights, which monitored internet usage over a 24-hour period.

CamOne Action Camera, Now With Interchangeable Lenses

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Now you can zoom your camera as you zoom through the skies
Now you can zoom your camera as you zoom through the skies

Those little action cameras look like a great way to capture your extreme sporting exploits, but one thing has always put me off (well, two things — I already have enough cameras): the lack of interchangeable lenses. The wideangle that most GoPro-style cameras use is great for close up sports action, but the CamOne Infinity is about to get add-on glass, making it adaptable to almost any action-shooting task.

Apple Promises To Make Nano-SIM Licensing Free If Rivals Agree To Its Proposal

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Apple believes that even the micro-SIM is too big for the iPhone.
Apple has agreed to give rival smartphone makers free licensing if its nano-SIM standard is adopted.

It was revealed last week that Apple is pushing to make its new nano-SIM the next industry standard for miniaturized SIM cards. The company has the backing of most European mobile operators, but rival smartphone vendors — particularly Motorola, RIM, and Nokia — are against the idea.

In a bid to win them over, Apple has promised that it will make nano-SIM licensing free if its proposal is approved.

New iPad’s Color Filters Alone Eat 30% More Battery

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The new iPad has much improved colors, but at the expense of battery life. Photo Jeff Yurek/Dot Color
The new iPad has much improved colors, but at the expense of battery life.

The first thing that hit me when I powered on my new iPad wasn’t the retina-ness of the display — that takes a little time to seep into your brain. No, it was the colors. They seemed more contrasty, more saturated. More colorful. But just what was going on? Jeff Yurek, of the Dot Color blog, did some scientific digging.

Get The Most Out Of iOS Voice Dictation [Video How-To]

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Dictation has been one of my favorite features of the new iPad. It’s a great way to type quick notes or search queries out without having to use the keyboard. Underneath the surface though, dictation is much more than just a simple feature for jotting notes down. In this video, I’ll show you some of the hidden features of voice dictation on the new iPad and iPhone 4S.

Steve Jobs Declared The Greatest Entrepreneur Of Our Time

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For years businesses across the world have attempted to dissect Steve Jobs’ career to figure out what made him so incredibly brilliant and successful. Not only did he change the way we use technology, but he changed movies, music, retail shopping and more. His entrepreneur skills were some of the best the world has seen, which is why Fortune magazine declared Steve Jobs “The Greatest Entrepreneur of Our Time” in their ranking of the top 12 entrepreneurs of recent memory.

Apple Rejecting Apps That Access iOS Device Unique Identifiers Amid Privacy Concerns

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Apple warned the iOS development community last August that it would start rejecting applications submitted to the App Store for accessing a user’s unique identifier (UDID). In case you didn’t know, every iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad possesses a unique alphanumeric string used for registration and tracking.

Amid privacy concerns from the U.S. Congress and other groups regarding how apps use an iOS device’s personal info, Apple has decided to start enforcing its new policy in the App Store.

Cult Of Mac Deals: Win A Copy Of Slidevana For Keynote [Giveaway]

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UPDATE: We’ve chosen our winners and here they are: Tamer Rashdan, Bryan Salazar, Maria Deleon, Werner Pretorius. Contact us at [email protected] to get your redemption codes. Congratulations to our winners and thanks to all who entered!

You’ve been putting together presentations, but they’re just not “wowing” you — or your audience. Slidevana (which works with Keynote for Mac, iPad and iPhone) will give you that edge. And Cult of Mac Deals is going to give away 4 copies of this stellar slide deck creator!

That’s right — Cult of Mac Deals is giving away 4 copies of Slidevana to our readers. Slidevana allows you to spend less time making the slides for your presentation so that you can spend more time on what you should be spending it on: Working on conveying your message. You can learn all about Slidevana by checking out our latest post on the app.

Instagram Now Accepting Early Sign-Ups For Official Android App

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If you visit www.instagr.am/android you’ll be greeted by the above sign-up form. That’s right, Instagram has started letting users sign up to be “the first in line” for its official Android app. No details about the app or its release date have been given at this time, but the launch is definitely on the near horizon.

We told you that Instagram was coming to Android last week, adding that the app’s co-founder believes the upcoming Android version is “better than the iPhone app” in some ways.

How will the two apps stack up? We’ll let you be the judge!

Why Apple Should Buy…. Nothing

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Everyone is generous about advising Apple on how it should spend its billions.

Apple should buy Twitter, according to financial analyst and blogger, Barry Ritholtz.

Apple could become a bank, according to consulting company KAE. Or maybe just buy American Express.

Apple should buy a chip manufacturer, Dell, Nintendo, Disney, Tesla, Sprint, Nvidia, VISA, Newsweek, the US Postal Service, according to a seemingly endless list of pundits.

Gimme a break.

I think Apple should buy… nothing. Here’s why. 

SaneBox: Spend Less Time In Your Email [Deals]

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Sanebox

As we kick off another weekend, I’m sure you’re not thinking about all of the email you have to deal with when you return to work. I’m not just talking about the email that you left behind for follow-up; I’m also talking about all of the email you’ll receive over the weekend. After all, the Internet never sleeps.

Knowing all of this, can your mind truly be on the weekend at hand? Furthermore, can you keep your mind on the important stuff that goes on outside of your email inbox knowing that you’re going to have to deal with both the important and unimportant messages that will arrive in your inbox on a non-stop basis?

It’s kind of insane, isn’t it?

This is where the latest Cult of Mac Deals offer comes to the rescue…with SaneBox.

Steve Jobs Hated The New Apple TV UI, But Apple Changed It Anyway (updated)

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The Apple television set won't arrive until 2014, according to one analyst, but you can look forward to an awesome set-top box before then.
Is this the Apple TV user interface Steve Jobs never wanted you to see?

Complementing the launch of the new Apple TV, an iOS software update made some significant changes to the Apple TV user interface after the new iPad keynote. Over the last couple weeks the new UI has received a heavy dose of criticism from fans who feel like the new interface is a step backwards, and it turns out that those criticisms may be true. Literally.

According to one ex-Apple TV Engineer, the new Apple TV UI has been on the table for about five years, but Steve Jobs himself allegedly didn’t like it and rejected its implementation. Now that Jobs isn’t around “to say no to bad design,” the UI was resurrected.

Hackers Can Make $250,000 Selling iOS Exploits To The Government

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Nicholas Allegra, or
Nicholas Allegra, or "Comex," created iOS jailbreaks that were downloaded by millions of people. Apple finally decided to hire him as an intern last year.

iOS hackers are some of the most sought after individuals in the security research community. Geniuses like Comex who come up with jailbreaks used by millions of iPhone and iPad users are offered incredible sums of money to sell their exploits to powerful and high profile clients.

Sure, you could win a decent amount of cash at a security conference for showing off the exploits you’ve uncovered, but why not make $250,000 and secretly sell your stuff to say, an entity like the U.S. government?

How To Make Siri Give Info About Your iPhone’s Battery Life [Jailbreak]

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Never run out of precious battery life again.
Never run out of precious battery life again.

Jailbreakers enjoy all kinds of cool Siri add-ons, and a tweak called BatteryLevelAE lets you use Apple’s digital assistant to give you helpful information about your iPhone’s battery life. In a world where we’re always on the go, keeping track of your iPhone’s battery can sometimes be the last thing on our minds. That’s why BatterLevelAE makes it easy for you — just ask Siri.