Mobile menu toggle

Twitter tests Facebook-like emoji reactions for tweets

By

Twitter emoji reactions
There are five "healthy" reactions to choose from.
Photo: Twitter

Twitter is giving a small number of users the ability to add Facebook-like emoji reactions to tweets as part of a new feature test.

In addition to being able to “like” a tweet, those taking part can react with the tears of joy, thinking face, clapping hands, love heart, and crying face emojis shown in the image above. Twitter says the test may be expanded to more users later.

Taking great pictures is a snap with this 11-piece photography bundle

By

Take your shot with this 11-piece phone camera accessory bundle.
You aper-sure better check out this great deal on camera accessories.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Smartphone cameras have improved so much that everyone functionally has the potential to be a good photographer. You carry the most essential tool around in your pocket, but there are a few attachments every photographer needs, whether they’re using an old analog camera, a thousand-dollar DSLR or a smartphone.

This 11-in-1 Smartphone Photography Accessory Bundle gives you all the equipment you need to take professional-grade photos with your smartphone. For a few days only, you can get this 11-piece setup for $22 in red, blue, gold, silver or black.

UK backs Apple’s CSAM plans, offers rewards for new safety measures

By

UK backs Apple CSAM plan
Home Secretary Priti Patel wants tech firms to step up and be responsible for child safety.
Photo: Number 10 CC

The U.K. government has backed Apple’s plan to scan user photos for child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and is offering rewards of up to £85,000 ($117,600) to other technology firms who can develop new tools to keep children safe.

Home Secretary Priti Patel, who this week announced the Safety Tech Challenge Fund, called on “Big Tech” to take responsibility for public safety and find ways to monitor online platforms protected by encryption.

Microsoft makes using Xbox Controllers on iOS even better

By

Xbox Controller with iPad
Bluetooth Low Energy and cross-platform support.
Photo: Apple/Microsoft

Microsoft is testing new firmware for Xbox Controllers that makes using them with iPhone and iPad even better. The update adds Bluetooth Low Energy support, and allows you to pair both an Xbox console and iOS device so that switching between the two is easier than ever before.

iPhone 14: Under-display Face ID still a work in progress, may be delayed

By

iPhone 14 without notch
What the front of iPhone 14 might look like.
Photo: Jon Prosser/Ian Zelbo

It’s probably best not to get too excited for under-display Face ID in next year’s iPhone 14. Despite Wednesday’s big leak hinting at the upgrade for 2022, one analyst warns the technology is still very much a work in progress.

In recent years, manufacturers have been working to put front-facing cameras behind their smartphone displays in an effort to eliminate notches and holes. And the results, perhaps unsurprisingly, have been a mixed bag.

iPhone 14 leak could trigger full wrath of Cupertino

By

iPhone 14 concept skips the screen notch and camera hump.
Is this really what the 2022 iPhone will look like?
Image: Front Page Tech/RendersbyIan

Jon Prosser’s iPhone 14 leak is every Apple fan’s dream — and Tim Cook’s biggest nightmare.

The audacious revelation, dropped Wednesday morning via Prosser’s YouTube channel, Front Page Tech, showcased what next year’s iPhone 14 Pro Max might look like.

The exclusive iPhone 14 renders look so sweet that they might give pause to anyone contemplating buying an iPhone 13 later this month. That’s the nightmare part of this equation — and likely the part that makes Prosser nervous. Angry Apple executives might unleash all the company’s massive legal resources to stop him. And maybe even exact revenge.

Check out these awesome gadgets on sale for an extended Labor Day weekend

By

These rad gadgets are on sale right now for Labor Day!
As part of our extended Labor Day Sale, we're offering seven of our best gadgets at even steeper discounts.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

One of the best and worst parts of the internet is that everything is on it. If you want to find a cool gadget, you basically have to already know exactly what you want, otherwise you won’t be able to find it. That’s why this extended Labor Day Sale on cool home, work and play gadgets is the perfect place to look if you want something new and fun in your life, but also don’t want to spend too much.

Check out these great gadgets on sale for the next few days only.

Twitter wants you to join ‘Communities’ for shared interests

By

Twitter's new Communities feature will let you tweet at people who share your interests.
Twitter's new Communities feature will help you tweet at people who share your interests.
Photo: Twitter

Twitter is testing a new feature called “Communities” via an invitation-only roll-out on iOS and the web, with Android to follow at some unspecified point. It will help users find and join groups with shared interests and direct tweets to them.

How to see iPhone 14 in amazing augmented reality

By

How to see iPhone 14 in augmented reality
Here’s what the iPhone 14 might look like. You can easily see it in more detail with the magic of augmented reality.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

iPhone 13 is still a week away but a major leak on Wednesday revealed many of the details of the iOS handset that’ll replace it in 2022. That includes renders of the iPhone 14 that you can check out in amazing augmented reality.

With AR, you can bring a virtual 3D version the device into your home or office and see it from every side. This might be the best way to see the coming end of the camera bump. And to wonder if Apple will really replace the screen notch with a “hole punch” camera.

Here’s how to see an AR mockup of iPhone 14.

Hackintosh makes due in lieu of Apple Silicon Mac [Setups]

By

A Hackintosh forms the core of this three-display setup.
A hackintosh forms the core of this three-display setup.
Photo: [email protected]

If you’re out there pimping your computer setup on a Mac social media list, but you don’t have a Mac, what do you do? Well, you could flex your Hackintosh laptop and surround it with some Apple gear to make things look good.

Redditor GrandeNJR took that route with his recent post, “Not a real Mac (Hackintosh), but do my other Apple products make up for it?” Or at least he appeared to take that route.

Spoiler alert: Here’s a sneak peek at next year’s ‘iPhone 14’

By

iPhone 14 leak
'iPhone 14' could be made from titanium.
Concept: Front Page Tech/RendersbyIan

Apple’s next-generation iPhone 13 refresh is already old news. Just one week before Cupertino’s big event, a leaker is already spilling details on next year’s even bigger “iPhone 14” upgrade, which is expected to come with no notch and a titanium design.

Here’s what you can expect.

Last chance: Save on amazing Monowear bands, accessories for Apple Watch

By

Monowear-collection
Prices start at just $17.60.
Photo: Monowear

It’s your last chance to enjoy 20% off all Monowear bands and accessories for AirPods and Apple Watch in the Cult of Mac Store’s Labor Day sale.

You’ll find comfortable nylon, sturdy stainless steel, and luscious leather options to choose from, with prices starting at just $25.60. You can also pick up AirPods cases and travel accessories for even less.

Apple TV+ is the only streaming service that takes your privacy seriously

By

Spatial audio for Apple TV in tvOS 15
Most streaming services are watching you while you watch them.
Photo: Apple

Almost every video streaming service except Apple TV+ is selling your data to third-party companies and tracking your viewing habits for targeted ads. A new report from Common Sense Media exposes the loose privacy policies employed by most streaming providers, including Amazon and Netflix.

“Many viewers know that free streaming apps are most likely selling their personal information, but most viewers may not know that most paid sub‐ scription streaming apps are also selling users’ data,” warns the report.

Save on software and services that will change your life

By

Change how you do things with these 7 tech deals.
These seven awesome deals are just too good to pass up.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Knowing you can improve yourself — or the world around you — and actually doing it are very different things. As much as you might want to learn new skills or upgrade your technology, actually figuring out how to do it can be the most difficult part.

So, isn’t it great that you can get a running start toward hacking your productivity and improving your technology with these really great (and really time-sensitive) deals on software and e-learning?

iPad stocks left to dwindle ahead of next week’s Apple event

By

iPad stocks dwindle
Making way for a new model.
Photo: Apple

Availability of the eighth-generation iPad is becoming scarce ahead of next week’s big Apple event. The 10.2-inch device is “currently unavailable” in some markets, while others face shipping delays of three to six weeks.

Apple is expected to introduce a new ninth-generation iPad, with a slimmer chassis and more powerful processor, this fall.

Logi Dock packs plenty of ports, pretty lights and a built-in speakerphone

By

Logi Dock hub with speakerphone
An all-in-one hub that hopes to make working from home easier.
Photo: Logitech

The new Logi Dock from Logitech is an all-in-one hub that’s designed to make working from home — and all the dreaded online meetings that come with it — a little more bearable. It packs almost all the ports you’ll ever need, one-touch meeting controls, and a built-in speakerphone.

It also features pretty lights that will let you know when a meeting is about to start. What more could you want?

Twitter tests new edge-to-edge interface for images and video on iOS

By

Twitter tests new interface on iOS
A little inspiration from Instagram?
Photo: Twitter

Twitter looks set to finally take full advantage of the larger displays packed into modern smartphones. It is currently testing a new edge-to-edge interface that gives you a better look at images and videos in your timeline.

A new teaser video posted by Twitter on Twitter, and embedded below for your enjoyment, offers an early glimpse at what’s to come.

Top Apple car exec hits off-ramp, heads for Detroit instead

By

That's the signpost up ahead - your next stop, the Apple Car. The Apple Car is way down the highway. But Apple has the pedal to the metal.
The man reportedly running Apple car development has taken an exit.
Photo illustration: Cult of Mac/Wikipedia CC

Development of an Apple car just hit another speed bump. Doug Field, who’d reportedly been managing the project, just left to join the Ford Motor Company.

This is surely a blow to Apple’s secretive automotive efforts. And the company was already multiple years away from having anything to put in a showroom, according to the latest leaks.

Finally write that novel with this bestselling bundle from ProWritingAid

By

Get support, information, and software designed for writers.
This bundle pairs top-notch writing instruction with software designed for scribes.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Anyone can be a writer in the same way that anyone can be a carpenter or a software developer or baker. Writing is a skill you can practice, and the only way you’re going to get better is if you give yourself the information, tools and guidance you’ll need to grow.

The Bestselling ProWritingAid Lifetime Subscription Bundle comes with two things every writer needs: well-organized instructional courses with a thriving community of other writers, and some really good editing software. For a few days only, you can get these writing resources on sale for $179.99.

Apple’s ‘California streaming’ invite hints at iPhone 13 features

By

Apple’s 'California streaming' event invite hints at iPhone 13 features
Does this image suggest new camera features for the iPhone 13?
Photo: Apple

Some people love to carefully examine Apple event invites as though each one serves as a crystal ball that can show the future. The one that went out Tuesday might have been crafted to suggest that the iPhone 13 will be better at taking pictures of stars. Or maybe it hints that Apple’s virtual-reality headset will be unveiled.

On the other hand, it could be nothing more than a pretty picture.