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Full-body Animoji? Smart tech uses iPhone camera to track body motion

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Animoji
The future of Animoji?
Photo: Carnegie Mellon

Forget only animated avatar faces: a team at Carnegie Mellon University wants to bring the world full-body Animojis. As the director of the Future Interfaces Group at Carnegie Mellon University’s Human-Computer Interaction Institute, Chris Harrison‘s job is to help create the computer features of tomorrow.

In a newly published demo, shown off this week, Harrison’s team has come up with a way to let regular iPhones do full body tracking using only the front-facing camera — by estimating what the rest of your body is doing.

It works surprisingly well.

Apple TV+ Lisey’s Story trailer hints at spooky things to come from Stephen King

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Lisey's Story review: We're in for a wild ride in this Stephen King adaptation.
We're in for a wild ride in this Stephen King adaptation.
Photo: Apple TV+

Master storyteller Stephen King (everything from It and The Shining to Misery and The Stand) is coming to Apple TV+ on June 4.

More specifically, Lisey’s Story — one of the author’s most personal stories, and a rare adaptation he’s written the script for himself — is coming. And, from the look of the trailer, hopes should be pretty darn high.

Check out the trailer below.

Take push-button control of HomeKit accessories with Belkin remote [Review]

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Belkin Wemo Stage Scene Controller review
Press any of the three buttons on Belkin’s Wemo Stage Scene Controller to activate HomeKit accessories.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

You can activate up to six preprogrammed HomeKit scenes or accessories with the push of a button on Belkin’s Wemo Stage Scene Controller. The palm-size remote sits on a table or hangs on a wall, and lets you easily control HomeKit accessories all over your home. No wiring involved.

I’m fully committed to Apple’s home-automation system, and Belkin’s latest HomeKit gadget fit neatly into my setup. Here’s why.

New home automation alliance should deliver more HomeKit-compatible devices

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Matter is a new interoperable homer automation standard back by Apple, Amazon, Google and m ore.
Matter is going to… matter to fans of home automation.
Photo: Connectivity Standards Alliance

Apple is a leading member of a new organization creating a standard for home automation devices. A primary goal is interoperability, allowing accessories to connect to HomeKit, Alexa, Google Home, etc.

Previously, it was up to the makers of smart home products to make devices that worked with more than one voice control system. Many chose to support just one.

Preserve your favorite moments with this instant mini photo printer

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Photos
This portable photo printer gives you instant photos on the go.
Photo: HP

Nearly 80 years ago, a 3-year-old girl wanted to see a photo of her family vacation right after it was taken. But she couldn’t, because instant cameras weren’t invented yet.

That moment sparked the idea for the instant camera, invented by Edward Land and inspired by his daughter, Jennifer Land. Debuting in 1943, instant film cameras have long been a photographic staple for anyone who loves memorabilia and keepsake moments.

A portable mini photo printer

The digital age all but did away with many of the nostalgic wonders of the past. But the HP Sprocket Portable Instant Photo Printer is here to bring back this blast from the past with modern technology. This instant mini photo printer churns out beautiful, crystal-clear color prints from your electronic devices instantly through the Sprocket App. And it’s available now for just $79.99.

2021 iPad Pro beats every Intel MacBook in early benchmark tests

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2021 iPad Pro with M1 processor
The M1 processor in the 2021 iPad Pro has the tablet running faster than any Intel-based MacBook ever.
Photo: Apple

The first iPad Pro with an M-series processor is apparently going to be as fast as many had hoped. Benchmark tests for the upcoming tablet show that it’s almost as speedy as the Macs released in late 2020. And faster than any Intel-based MacBook ever.

The 2021 model is more than 50% faster than the iPad Pro Apple introduced in 2020.

App Store blocks billions in attempted fraud

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App Store blocks billions in attempted fraud
Apple cracks down on App Store fraud wherever it can find it.
Graphic: Apple

The App Store protected customers from more than $1.5 billion in potentially fraudulent transactions in 2020, Apple said Tuesday. And the company’s App Review team rejected thousands of fraudulent applications.

The timing for this statement from the iPhone-maker isn’t accidental. In the ongoing Epic Games v. Apple lawsuit, the game developer argues that the App Store is a hinderance to innovation. Cupertino wants customers to hear its side of the story, too.

Brydge’s latest keyboard case for iPad Air and iPad Pro includes multi-touch trackpad

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The Brydge Air Max+ can be preordered now. Shipping starts in June.
The Brydge Air Max+ is both an iPad Air/Pro case and a clip-on keyboard and trackpad.

The new Brydge Air Max+ wraps the iPad Air 4 or 11-inch iPad Pro in a protective case, and adds a removable keyboard and trackpad.

It’s a larger version of a keyboard case Brydge recently introduced for the basic iPad. And there’s a similar model for the largest iPad Pro.

Art Gensler, architect who helped create Apple Store, dies at 85

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Apple Store
One of the many iconic Apple Stores Gensler had a hand in.
Photo: Apple

Art Gensler, the pioneering American architect who founded the world’s largest architectural firm and played a key role in the iconic look of Apple Stores, died Monday at the age of 85.

To try and distill Gensler’s career into “he helped create the Apple Store” is doing him a big disservice. His firm, founded in 1965, operates in 50 countries and produces an annual revenue of $1.5 billion. Nonetheless, for Apple fans, his work on Apple Stores is one of his many indelible contributions.

And he once got fired by Steve Jobs for it.

Epic Games makes solid arguments that Apple is a monopoly

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Monopoly board game
Maybe Apple really is a monopoly.
Photo: Kathy Marsh/Unsplash CC

At the core of Epic Games’ lawsuit against Apple is the assertion that the iPhone-maker has a monopoly. With testimony from an expert witness, the game developer has begun laying out its arguments to convince the judge why she should agree.

Essentially, it claims that switching from iPhone to another device is so difficult that Apple can treat its users as if they had no other options.

Class-action lawsuit accuses App Store of overcharging 20 million customers

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App Store
Apple allegedly overcharged customers by $2 billion.
Photo: Apple

Legal action taken against Apple in the United Kingdom could see the company have to repay close to 20 million customers for allegedly overcharging them.

A landmark class-action lawsuit argues that Apple’s 30% commission on App Store purchases bilked customers out of more than $2 billion over a number of years. The plaintiffs want Apple to repay the money it supposedly owes.

iPhone faces production problems in India as COVID cases soar

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iPhone 12 Pro series include cameras tat support ProRAW
India has been hit hard by coronavirus pandemic.
Photo: Apple

Production on iPhones made in India has hit a major hurdle as coronavirus cases have surged in the country. More than 50% of one Foxconn factory’s production capacity has reportedly been cut.

India has seen its number of coronavirus cases ramping up significantly in April. To date, there have been 22.9 million confirmed cases of COVID in India, while 249,992 people have reportedly died. However, the actual numbers are thought to be even higher.

Jamie Bell joins cast of Apple TV+ series about a time-hopping serial killer

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Jamie Bell
The latest cast member to join the show.
Photo: Harald Krichel/Wikipedia CC

Jamie Bell — best known for his titular role in Billy Elliot and appearances in Rocketman, King Kong, and other movies — is the latest actor to sign on for an Apple TV+ series.

Bell will act opposite Elisabeth Moss (Mad Men and The Handmaid’s Tale) and NarcosWagner Moura (“Narcos”) in an adaption of the time-traveling serial killer novel Shining Girls.

Apple TV+ gives chilling first look at Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon

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Apple gives chilling first look at Martin Scorsese’s ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’
Lily Gladstone and Leonardo DiCaprio will star in Killers of the Flower Moon on Apple TV+.
Photo: Apple TV+

It should be a happy scene — a man courting a woman. But the reality is much darker. The man and woman will marry, then he’ll kill many of her relatives to get control of the oil riches they inherited. All of this will play out in Martin Scorsese’s adaptation of Killers of the Flower Moon.

The film will star Leonardo DiCaprio, Lily Gladstone and Robert De Niro — and will appear on Apple TV+. An image of DiCaprio and Gladstone in character, released Monday, offers our first glimpse of the upcoming movie.

iPadOS 15 concepts showcase features fans crave

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iPadOS 15 concepts showcase features fans crave
iPad users would be pleased if all these proposed features make it into iPadOS 15.
Photo: The Hacker 34

A pair of concept artists want Apple to bring dramatic improvements in iPadOS 15. They separately created videos with specific suggestions on how iPad could become a more useful computer with the operating system update expected this autumn.

Both agree that the iPad should gain better support for external screens — though they came up with different ways to implement the feature.

Stream a huge variety of fitness classes with this discounted app

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fitness app
This top-rated fitness app offers unlimited access to a library of classes on cycling, yoga, boot camp and more.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

While your health probably sits somewhere at the top of the list of your priorities, it can prove difficult to find the motivation to get out of the house and go to the gym or whatever fitness class you wanted to take that day.

Apple Fitness+ is an option, but this one-year subscription to Studio Sweat onDemand is the perfect pick for anyone who has difficulty leaving the house to break a sweat — or who even just gets bored easily at the gym. And it’s available now for just $99.

iPhone 12 Pro Max battery solidly beats all other premium phones

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iPhone 12 Pro Max
Apple’s premium iOS handset makes very efficient use of the power it stores in its battery.
Photo: Lyle Kahney/Cult of Mac

The iPhone 12 Pro Max whipped all other top-tier handsets in a rigorous battery test. Doxomark simulated using the handsets over several days, and also factored in how long they took to recharge. In the final score, Apple’s offering came out way ahead.

New MacBook Air renders look thin, flat and colorful

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Apple reportedly plans to release new laptops in colors that match the iMac lineup.
Apple reportedly plans to release new laptops in colors that match the iMac lineup.
Concept: Ian Zelbo

Apple plans to release a surprisingly thin MacBook Air in the same colors as the current iMacs, according to leaker Jon Prosser.

The redesign, as shown in renders produced by Ian Zelbo in collaboration with Prosser, abandons the MacBook Air’s classic tapered design. Prosser said the renders are based on images shared with him by a reliable source.

What good are monitor light bars? [Setups]

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What good is a monitor light bar? Time to shed some light on the matter.
What good is a monitor light bar? Time to shed some light on the matter.
Photo: Strigga@Reddit

When you look at lots of computer setups people pimp out on social media, you see the same questions cropping up among the comments. One common query: What good are monitor light bars? And what are they for, exactly?

It came up again the other day when Redditor Strigga posted about their MacBook Pro-based setup. Almost at the same time, we saw it again in Maize-Calm’s post about finishing up a setup with, guess what, a light bar.