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Apple Pencil and QuickPath floating keyboard revolutionize iPad typing

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What can't the iPad do in iPadOS?
What can't the iPad do in iPadOS?
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Were you ever drawing a diagram in the Notes app, and then realized you needed to type a note? Did you then find yourself frustrated at having to drop the Apple Pencil and type on the huge, half-screen QWERTY keyboard?

With iPadOS 13, Apple has removed that frustration. You still can’t do Newton-style handwriting and have it turn into text. But you can shrink the keyboard to a tiny floating panel, and use the Apple Pencil to swipe-type on it.

Mystery MacBooks pop up in Eurasian database

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The days when you could get a 17-inch MacBook Pro like this one could be returning.
A rumored replacement for 2012’s 17-inch MacBook Pro might have just appeared in a regulatory body’s database.
Photo: Apple

Much-anticipated additional 2019 MacBooks have apparently just shown up in a Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC) database.

There are seven variations listed, one of which could be the super-size model a trusted analyst says is on the way.

You can now preorder the amazing Dead Cells on iOS

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Dead Cells
Excited yet?
Photo: Motion Twin

Dead Cells, the brutal 2D action-platformer that has been a huge success on consoles and PC, is now available to preorder on iOS.

It’s not a free-to-play game like most of the titles you’ll see in 2019, but it’s well worth its price tag. And if you get your order in early ahead of its launch next month, you’ll save yourself a cool $2.

Cupertino shells out big bucks to stay Apple’s hometown

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Apple Park
Being home to Apple's HQ doesn't come cheap.
Photo: Duncan Sinfield

Apple is synonymous with the city of Cupertino — and vice versa. But Cupertino still has to offer Apple the right tax deal in order to stay the hometown of choice for the city’s biggest taxpayer.

According to a new report, Cupertino has awarded Apple close to $70 million, taken from sales-tax collections in the past 20 years. Public records also show that this amount has increased dramatically in the last few years.

Get wireless Bluetooth headphones with a price as great as their sound [Deals]

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Sinji Headphones

If you’re in the market for a set of headphones, you want them to sound great, regardless of how much you plan to pay. So if you find a pair that delivers premium quality sound at a steeply discounted price, that deal should get a serious look. For your serious consideration, the Sinji Bluetooth Headphones offer top-notch audio coupled with portability and convenience, all accessible easily with Bluetooth 4.1 connectivity.

Facebook app banned by Apple pulled private data from 187,000 users

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Facebook owns 4 of the top 10 apps of the past decade
Apple and Facebook have clashed over privacy.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

A Facebook app banned by Apple gathered personal and sensitive data from 187,000 users before it was booted from iOS devices.

According to a letter from Facebook to Senator Richard Blumenthal’s office, the Research app gathered data on 31,000 users in the U.S. The rest of the data came from users in India.

More Apple suppliers looking to manufacture outside China

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Apple display maker exec fired for embezzling millions of dollars
This could be one way around tariffs.
Photo: Kristal Chan/Cult of Mac

Two more manufacturers which regularly do work with Apple are eying up new potential plant locations outside of China. Wistron is reportedly looking to open a factory in the U.S. or, as a backup, Mexico. Chassis maker Catcher is, meanwhile, looking at Southeast Asia or Taiwan as locations.

This comes at a time when fears about a burgeoning trade war between China and the U.S. is making people worried about possible future trade.

Netflix confirms new Stranger Things game, Fortnite crossover

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Stranger-Things-game
We have a lot of Stranger Things to look forward to.
Photo: Netflix

Netflix has confirmed plans to bring a new Stranger Things game to mobile.

Unlike its previous title, this one will be a location-based puzzle RPG that will take fans into the real world much like Pokémon Go. But you’ll have to wait until 2020 to get your hands on it.

In the meantime, fans can look forward to the first Stranger Things x Fortnite crossover.

iOS and Mac apps no longer part of iTunes URL

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Apple pays $467k for doing business with blacklisted app developer
The App Store is striking out on its own!
Photo: Apple

In a subtle, but significant, change, iOS and Mac app listings on the web now direct users to a URL at apps.apple.com, instead of itunes.apple.com.

This follows WWDC, where Apple shared details of a world beyond iTunes. Apple is breaking up the iTunes app into Music, Podcasts, and TV apps. While you don’t need to worry about your iTunes content, this is the latest example of Apple shifting away from that branding.

Galaxy Fold suffers another blow as AT&T finally cancels preorders

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Galaxy Fold front
Are you ready to splash your cash?
Photo: Samsung

AT&T has finally followed Best Buy and Samsung itself in canceling all Galaxy Fold preorders.

The carrier has begun emailing customers to inform them that it is unable to ship their shiny new handset. It promises a prompt refund, and a $100 gift card for the inconvenience.

It is looking increasingly unclear whether the Galaxy Fold will ever make it to market.

Inside Apple’s spectacular new Taipei store, opening Saturday

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Apple Store Taipei
The new store looks spectacular.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s second retail store in Taiwan, located in Taipei, opens this Saturday — and Apple has shared some advance pictures of the new Xinyi A13 store.

The store boasts a glass exterior and roof design reminiscent of Apple’s Chicago flagship store. It consists of two levels, with a pair of marble composite stairs descending to a lower, underground level.

Pick up a pair of Qi wireless charging stations [Deals]

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Qi Wireless Fast Charging Duo
With this pair of wireless chargers, you can skip the clutter at home and on the go.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

As sophisticated as modern mobile devices are, when it comes to charging they can still be a tangled mess. Wireless charging changes that, allowing clutter-free, fast charging So why not jump at the chance to charge wirelessly at home and on the go?

Apple TV’s surging popularity might surprise you

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Apple TV at home
Millions of people sit down in front of an Apple TV every night, and that number is expected to grow and grow.
Photo: Apple

Because Apple TVs aren’t used in public, it’s easy to underestimate how many of them are. A market-analysis firm says that 21 percent of US households regularly use an Apple set-top box.

And the number of households with access to the underlying streaming technology is expected to grow dramatically now that third-party TV makers can integrate it into their products.

Dual wireless charger takes the fuss out of juicing up [Review]

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Choetech Dual Wireless Fast Charger
Is a five-coil wireless charger bananas?
Photo: Lewis Wallace/Cult of Mac

You wanted an AirPower, but Apple failed you. While the Choetech Dual Wireless Fast Charger does not pack all the advanced features of Apple’s infamous vaporware, this five-coil wireless charger does deliver several welcome advantages over standard Qi chargers.

And these come at a fraction of the price Cupertino probably planned to extract from your overburdened wallet. If you want to charge two devices at once, this could be the charger for you.

Android’s security key tech finally comes to iPhone

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Google two-step verification system with iPad
An Android phone can make accessing Google accounts on iPad even more secure.
Photo: Google

Security on iPhone and Pad is already very robust, but a just-introduced method employs Android phones to add another layer of protection from unauthorized access to Google accounts on Apple’s mobile devices.

Leaked Pixel 4 sports square camera bump like 2019 iPhone

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Pixel 4
Pixel 4 mockup for case makers.
Photo: Unbox Therapy

Square camera bumps are shaping up to be one of the biggest smartphone trends of 2019.

Leaked images of Google’s upcoming Pixel 4 smartphone surfaced online today, revealing some surprising design changes for the handset, including a square in the back that packs multiple cameras. It looks awfully similar to the leaked iPhone 11 renderings we’ve seen so far.

Take a closer took:

Catalyst case makes your 2018 iPad Pro waterproof

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Catalyst-case-2018-iPad-Pro
You can finally swim with iPad Pro. If you really want to.
Photo: Catalyst

Apple made the iPhone water-resistant years ago, but the iPad lineup is yet to get the same treatment. If you have a real urge to take yours swimming despite this, you need the new rugged case from Catalyst.

With an IP68 rating, the Catalyst case protects your iPad Pro in water more than six-feet deep. It also offers military-grade drop protection.

Memos app makes the text in your photo library searchable

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Memos recognizes pretty much everything.
Memos recognizes pretty much everything.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Memos is a new iOS app that scans your entire photo library, looking for text. That text could be a shop sign in a vacation photo, a paragraph from a magazine page you snapped, or the entirety of a screenshot of a newspaper article. It could be a Wi-Fi password jotted onto a scrap of paper, or a logo on a t-shirt label.

The app is far from perfect, but it’s already amazing.

DJI’s new customizable robot teaches kids to code

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RoboMaster S1
The RoboMaster S1 is ready for battle
Photo: DJI

DJI is unleashing a new drone on the world this week, only instead of taking to the skies, this little robot stays on the ground.

The new RoboMaster S1 is an educational robot designed to teach kids how to code. It packs brushless motors, a gimbal and chassis that can move in all directions. DJI built S1 to be used in interactive modes for programming as well as play. Once you assemble your robot you can battle other S1 owners in Mario Kart style games that look fun as hell.

Take a look at the cool stuff it can do:

Swimmer breaks a record with AirPods in her ears

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Swimmer races with AirPods
Delfina Pignatiello was so pumped up for her race, she forgot to take out her AirPods before the starter's pistol.
Screenshot: Fernando Cicutti/Twitter

Apple recommends keeping AirPods out of the water. But an Argentine swimmer evidently forgot she had them in her ears when she proceeded to break her own record during an international race in France.

Despite finishing second in the 800-meter freestyle, Delfina Pignatiello broke her own national record with a time of 8:24.33. Her AirPods were in her ears tucked under her swim cap the whole way.