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Uniq packs 8000mAh into tiny powerbank [Review]

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Uniq Fuele Mini review
Uniq Fuele Mini is easily portable but can keep your iPhone 11 going for days.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

The Uniq Fuele Mini offers enough power to more than fully recharge an iPhone 11 in a package just a bit bigger than a credit card. It beats bulkier rivals that are convenient when your iPhone needs a recharge, but the rest of the time they’re a hassle to carry around.

I tested this affordable, multi-port powerbank for several days. Read on to see how well it performed.

Snag some of the best in portable charging gear [Deals]

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Charging Roundup Main
We've rounded up four of the best portable chargers you'll find, each available at a serious discount.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Batteries never tap out at a convenient time. So whether you’re on a road trip or just taking a long walk, reliable backup power is essential. Below you’ll find an amazing collection of deeply discounted portable batteries, from keychain-sized chargers for emergencies, to all-in-one power packs, Apple Watch-ready batteries and more.

Coronavirus forces Foxconn to keep closed all iPhone assembly plants in China

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Coronavirus-related shutdowns continue to disrupt Chinese factories.
Coronavirus-related shutdowns continue to disrupt Chinese factories.
Photo: Steve Jurvetson/Flickr CC

Foxconn reportedly won‘t be able to resume iPhone assembly on Monday. Its plants in China where Apple handsets are put together have been closed since before the Lunar New Year to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, and the government has allegedly forbidden them to reopen next week, literally on pain of death.

You should check your Apple Watch trends now [Cult of Mac Magazine 335]

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Check your Apple Watch Activity Trends: Find out how to decipher the data hiding behind the Activity app's new tab.
Find out how to decipher the data hiding behind the Activity app's new tab.
Cover: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac

A new feature in the Activity app offers deep insights into progress you’re making on your personal fitness goals. Find out how to check your Activity Trends and decipher all that delicious workout data your Apple Watch is squirreling away.

You’ll find that how-to, along with new tips for Mac power users, in this week’s free issue of Cult of Mac Magazine. It also packs the week’s top Apple news, as well as a review of a new streaming service that basically turns your Mac into a powerful gaming PC. Download it now for a satisfying iPad read, or get the links to the week’s top stories below.

Save on a trio of extra tough, extra long Lightning cables [Deals]

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10-Foot Cables
Pick up three. 10-foot Lightning cables in any of three colors, for about a third the usual price.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Lightning cables are the lifelines for our iOS devices. Too bad they’re so prone to fraying and breaking. That makes having a backup a must, even better when you can get three, and better still when it’s less than a third the usual price.

iPadOS 13.4 lets you (finally) use a PC keyboard with your iPad

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remap iPad keys
Finally, you can remap that stupid globe to an escape key.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Using a keyboard with your iPad is a beautiful thing. It seems like every iOS update brings more and more keyboard shortcuts. But until now, you’ve been stuck using Mac-compatible keyboards only. If you hooked up a PC keyboard to your iPad, then the ⌘ and ⌥ keys would be the wrong way around.

On the Mac, thats always been easy to fix, thanks to a preference screen for switching these keys via software. And now, in iOS 13.4 beta, you can finally remaps modifier keys, too. And, yes, you can even remap the stupid globe icon on Apple’s Smart Folio Keyboard.

Big macOS leak hints at future switch to AMD chips

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Apple iMac 2019
The modern iMac is a stunner... and last on our list.
Photo: Apple

Could Apple be preparing to make a surprise switch to AMD processors in a future Mac? References to a number of new AMD microprocessors have been spotted in the latest macOS 10.15.4 beta, which rolled out to developers Wednesday.

The clues hidden in Mac code suggest Apple’s lengthy relationship with Intel could be on the rocks.

Expect to wait until March for some custom-made Macs

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16-inch-MacBook-Pro
Order a 16-inch MacBook Pro with more memory or storage and you won‘t see it for over a month.
Photo: Apple

Some Macs ordered today from the Apple Store with any set of features beyond the base configuration won’t arrive for over a month. For example, the wait for a made-to-order 16-inch MacBook Pro stretches into mid-March.

Coronavirus keeps China’s Apple Stores shuttered into next week

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Apple store in Shanghai
The Apple Store in Shanghai.
Photo: FullbridgeProgram/Flickr CC

Apple Stores across China will remain closed into next week amid the growing coronavirus crisis.

All 42 stores were closed this week because of the outbreak but were scheduled to open Feb. 10. In a memo to Apple Store employees this morning, Apple retail chief Deidre O’Brien indicated a reopening time is on hold until further notice.

Bernie Sanders tops list for most donations from Apple employees

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Presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders speaks at an event in Des Moines, Iowa.
Presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders speaks at an event in Des Moines, Iowa.
Photo: Gage Skidmore/Flickr CC

Big Tech employees are feeling the Bern as the U.S. presidential primary season shifts into full gear. New fundraising data disclosed this week reveals that Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders has raised more money from the country’s top tech companies than any other presidential candidate.

Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Google and Twitter employees donated nearly $270,000 to Sanders’ bid to take the White House, with nearly half of that money coming from Google. Check out the full breakdown by company:

ViacomCBS readies new streaming service to compete with Netflix and Apple TV+

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CBS
CBS All Access was one of the first TV streaming services to launch.
Photo: CBS

Apple TV+ is about to get even more competition in the form of a new streaming service currently in development by ViacomCBS.

Now that the Viacom and CBS merger was approved at the end of 2019, a new report claims company execs are plotting a way to combine the current CBS All Access service with Viacom’s assets, among which are Paramount’s trove of over 3,600 movies.

Feds buy smartphone location data to track undocumented immigrants

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iOS 13 keeps your location private.
iOS 13 keeps your location private.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Location-tracking software purchased by advertisers to better understand customers is now a tool employed by the federal government to target undocumented immigrants.

Homeland security and immigration officials are pulling location data from common smartphone apps, from games to weather, where the user has granted permission to access their location.

XFL official app launches day before Vince McMahon’s football league kicks off

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XFL logo
The football league started by WWE's Vince McMahon is back.
Photo: XFL

XFL, the football league founded by WWE chairman Vince McMahon, is coming back to screens nearly 20 years after its disastrous first iteration — and there’s an official app to prove it.

The eight-team XFL season debuts Saturday with the DC Defenders playing the Seattle Dragons. While the app won’t be streaming games, you can use it to get information such as real-time scores and stats, insider videos, and more.

Crash Bandicoot is getting his first new mobile game in 10 years

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Crash Bandicoot is getting his first new mobile game in 10 years
Racing onto a mobile device near you.
Photo: King

Beloved Sony PlayStation mascot Crash Bandicoot is coming to mobile with a brand new game, according to screenshots which have shown up online.

Developed by King, Crash Bandicoot Mobile is an endless runner in which the genetically engineered bandicoot looks set to speed through Wumpa Island en route, we presume, to disrupting the plans of evil Doctor Neo Cortex.

iPhone-maker shuts down Shenzhen facilities amid coronavirus crisis

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Foxconn Wisconsin
Foxconn workers in Shenzhen will not report next week until further notice.
Photo: Foxconn

The Chinese company that assembles most of the world’s iPhones has ordered employees in one region of the country not to return to work next week to prevent further spread of the deadly coronavirus.

Foxconn sent text messages to Shenzhen-based employees that those sites will remain closed until further notice. While Foxconn’s main iPhone factory is in Zhengzhou, a portion is assembled in Shenzhen. Shenzhen is also the headquarters for Foxconn’s parent company, Hon Hai Precision Industry Co.

Judge slams ‘dumb’ FCC in iPhone radiation lawsuit; case moves to trial

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The FCC is currently shut down.
A California judge whacks the FCC with a ruler over its testing standards for radiofrequency radiation, but says the case will continue.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

U.S. District Judge William Alsup allowed a proposed class-action lawsuit against Apple over allegedly exposing iPhone owners to high levels of radiofrequency radiation to move forward Thursday. However, the judge also blasted the Federal Communications Commission for its “dumb” testing standards.

France fines Apple $27 million for iPhone ‘throttling’ controversy

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France fines Apple $27 million for intention iPhone 'throttling' controversy
iPhone throttling case was heavily publicized in early 2018.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple has been fined 25 million euros ($27.4 million) in France after being found guilty of intentionally throttling the speed of older iPhones with previous software updates for iOS.

In 2018, Apple admitted that these updates slowed older devices. However, it has always insisted that it did this to prolong the life of aging lithium-ion batteries.

Add Adobe Creative Cloud to your professional skill set [Deals]

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pexels-photo-131187
Increase your earning potential with these top-rated courses covering Adobe Creative Cloud design skills.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

If you work in the digital marketplace, it pays to know how to use Adobe Creative Cloud. This suite of apps includes the industry standard apps for digital graphic design, photography publishing, video, and more. And this bundle of courses will get you up to speed so you can boost your job opportunities.

Apple boots smelters and refiners in crackdown on conflict minerals

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Apple boots smelter and refiners in crackdown on conflict minerals
Conflict minerals can find their way into everything from jewelry to smartphones.
Photo: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac

As part of ongoing efforts to cut down on the use of conflict minerals, Apple removed 18 smelters and refiners from its supply chain last year.

Apple removed companies unwilling to submit to third-party audits of their premises. By taking them out of its supply chain, Apple’s able to claim 100% audit participation on the part of companies it works with.

The new iOS 13.4 beta just leaked ALL SORTS of stuff … Catch the juicy details, on The CultCast

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CultCast 426
Surprise! The new iOS beta is bursting with secret products and features.
Photo: The CultCast

This week on The CultCast: The new iOS 13.4 beta just leaked new hardware, new iPhone features and MORE. We’ll share aaaaall the juicy details. Plus: How your iPhone might soon replace your car keys; Apple Maps just got a massive update; and Microsoft quietly stole Apple’s secret recipe …

Our thanks to Squarespace for supporting this episode. Easily create a beautiful website all by yourself, at Squarespace.com/cultcast, and use offer code CultCast at checkout for 10% off your first purchase.

Get your Apple Watch and Strava in sync again with this essential app

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Strava is ready to play nice with Apple
Strava is ready to play nice with Apple
Photo: Graham Bower/Cult of Mac

Before iOS 13, if you wanted to sync Apple Watch workout data with Strava, you had an excellent option: a brilliant third-party fitness app called HealthFit. Unfortunately, Apple’s strict new rules in iOS 13 broke the app’s syncing functionality, leaving Apple Watch-wearing members of the fitness social network in the cold.

Luckily, today’s HealthFit update brings the welcome return of this Strava-syncing capability. Cult of Mac has been testing a beta version of HealthFit 5.2.6 and can confirm that it works really well again. Strava sync is back and better than ever. Here’s what the new-and-improved fitness app can do for you.