Cult of Mac

Xiaomi today showed off its new Mi Watch wearable — and, as predicted, it looks pretty much exactly like Apple Watch. Only it costs a whole lot less.

The device, which starts at $185, runs a skinned version of Google Wear OS. This is packaged into a form factor with the familiar rectangular display, digital crown and pill-shaped button of the Apple Watch.

Learning languages is a lifelong endeavor, and there’s no single way to do it. Many language-learning apps revolve around one concept or approach, so they’ll limit the amount of progress you can make. But with a variety of technologies backing its lessons, Mondly offers powerful tools for learning languages.

Professional Fortnite player FaZe Jarvis has been permanently banned from the game for using hacks.

The 17-year-old uploaded videos of himself using an “aimbot.” Jarvis claims he cheated only to entertain fans, but Epic Games says it has a “zero tolerance policy” on cheat software.

The ban has reignited debates over Epic’s seemingly unfair and inconsistent punishment policy.

Mario Kart Tour‘s world tour has so far taken players to New York, Tokyo and, err, Halloween. Now it’s headed to Paris, France for its next location.

Starting tomorrow, players logging into the game today should be able to access the Paris Tour course. In addition to landmarks like the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, and more, the Paris tour adds new characters as well.

The founder of a Chinese smartphone company which has been a vocal critic of Apple has landed on China’s official list of deadbeats. This is a national database held by China’s Supreme Court which can be described as a credit blacklist.

Smartisan Technology CEO Luo Yonghao is barred from taking flights or high-speed train journeys. He can also no longer stay in luxury hotels, spend money in nightclubs, or buy property.

Microsoft is preparing to make its Outlook app for macOS better than ever. An overhaul will introduce new sync technology and big performance improvements, as well as welcome design tweaks.

Here’s what you can expect.

If you’ve been enjoying Apple TV+ and wondering why your vision is suddenly better, it’s not that you’re getting younger. It’s that Apple’s new service streams the highest-quality 4K content yet.

That’s according to new tests that measure the bitrate of video streams. They reveal See has the highest bitrate so far, closely followed by The Elephant Queen.

Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders is less than impressed by Apple’s pledge of $2.5 billion to help support affordable housing in California.

Apple pledged the money Monday, saying it wants to be “part of the solution” when it comes to California’s sky-high housing prices. However, Sanders accuses Apple of “throwing pennies” at a crisis it “helped create.”

Apple TV owners, you are not alone. In fact, almost of a quarter of Apple’s US customers own one of its set-top boxes boxes, according to a new survey. They’re actually more widely used than Apple Watch or AirPods.

The world moves at lightning speed. There’s more content created now than at any other point in human history. Valuable information whizzes past so quickly it’s nearly impossible to even identify it all, let alone consume and internalize it.

So with all that going on … how do you possibly find time to read?  And we don’t mean pulpy bestsellers, either. We’re talking about the latest in business strategy and training to stay abreast of what’s taking the corporate world by storm and how you can use that knowledge to advance your own career.

You mainline it, of course.

Artists can combine 3D models and 2D images to create augmented reality experiences with Adobe Aero, which launched today for iOS and iPadOS. This free software was developed to make AR easier for creatives.

Adobe plans to launch a version of Illustrator for Apple’s tablets next year. But this won‘t be a straight port — the user interface will be changed substantially to run on a touchscreen with a stylus.

The company also just introduced Photoshop for iPad (and revealed plans to launch Adobe Photoshop Camera, a camera app that adds lenses and filters).

Stressed? On edge? Struggling to block out the annoying construction work down the street? Or do you just hate silence, and the way it reminds you that your life is tick-ticking away? Then you need some room-filling ambient sounds.

How about a nice, relaxing rainstorm to help you fall asleep? Or some white noise to fill the space left by your grownup children when they left you behind to start their own lives? If you have a HomePod running iOS 13.2 or later, your smart speaker stands ready to help blank out the soul-bleeding silence of your empty life. You just need to ask.

iPhone and iPad can now take advantage of Dropbox Transfer, which allows users to more easily send and receive up to 100 GB of files.

It doesn’t have the size restrictions of email, and is simpler than Dropbox’s traditional system for sharing files.

The first trailer for Apple original film The Banker showcases the shrewd financial moves of two black entrepreneurs who took on racist real estate laws in the Jim Crow era.

Based on a true story, the film stars Samuel L. Jackson and Anthony Mackie as ambitious businessmen who used a clever scheme to shake up the establishment in the 1950s.

Just Mobile is offering crazy discounts on some of its best iPhone cases. You can now bag its Quattro Air for iPhone XS for just $7.95 when you buy through the Cult of Mac Store.

That’s $27 off the usual price!

Microsoft today dropped a brand-new Office Mobile app that brings Word, Excel, and PowerPoint together in one place. The company calls it a new vision for how people get work done on a phone.

After finally bringing Photoshop to iPad, Adobe says it will roll out a new smartphone camera app with a slew of creative lenses and AI powers that come at the point of capture.

The upcoming Adobe Photoshop Camera seems to borrow the lens-swapping feature of Hipstamatic. Adobe promises it will give users “Photoshop-grade magic right from the viewfinder.”

Itching to get your Apex Legends fix on the go? The good news is that EA has already confirmed a mobile port is on the way. The bad news is that there is going to be a very lengthy wait for it.

A recent update from EA CEO Andrew Wilson revealed the game won’t be available for at least a year.

Everyone’s excited at the possibility of a 5G iPhone next year — but the next-gen connectivity will come at a price. Both literally and figuratively.

According to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the new logic board required for 5G could take up approximately 10% more space. This could mean making the iPhone thicker to accommodate. It could also wind up costing Apple 35% more for the component.

Instead of a source of distraction and stress, what if your phone could actually become a tool for staying mindful and relieving stress and anxiety?

The Aura Health meditation app provides short mindfulness exercises every day, straight from your phone. And, unlike most meditation apps, it uses machine learning to tune into your specific patterns and needs.

Unlike many critics, horror legend Stephen King seems to be enjoying new Apple TV+ series The Morning Show.

In a tweet early Monday, King praised the show as “instantly involving,” with “characters you care about.” “What’s not to like?” he wrote. Coming from the writer behind It, The Shining and Shawshank Redemption, that’s high praise.

A futuristic post-apocalyptic world in which a virus has robbed humanity of its eyesight and reduced the human race to a few million people. Even speaking of sight in this world is heresy. Add in muscular man mountain Jason Momoa and a Game of Thrones budget and you’ve got See.

What did I make of the first episode of Apple TV+’s fantasy series? Read on to find out….

Apple today confirmed a $2.5 billion plan to help address the housing crisis in California.

The company hopes its commitment will accelerate and expand new housing production, jump-start long-term developments, and help first-time buyers purchase new homes.

Apple is reportedly partnering with Valve, the company behind Steam, to develop its first augmented reality headset. Valve already offers a virtual reality headset of its own for gaming. But its work with Apple is said to be focused on AR, which Cupertino thinks will play an increasingly important role in the future.