For some people, Lucyd Loud smart glasses are a better option than AirPods. Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
Headphones are so ubiquitous we often don’t think about their disadvantages. Lucyd created a pair of smart glasses that let you listen to music or podcasts while still allowing you to hear what’s going on around you. This Bluetooth accessory also lets you access Siri from your iPhone, as well as make and receive calls.
Don’t miss our hands-on review of the Lucyd Loud tech frames.
FCC chairman Ajit Pai isn’t down with China Mobile coming to the United States. Photo: Gage Skidmore/Flickr CC
The largest mobile phone network operator in the world will likely be banned from doing business in the USA.
China Mobile, which has over 900 million subscribers in mainland China, has been blocked from offering services in the United States, according to the latest proposal by the Federal Communications Commission.
The Facebook Portal smart display is getting a digital assistant with artificial intelligence. Photo: Facebook
Facebook is going into the voice-driven digital assistant race. Its AI tech will go into the line of Facebook Messenger-driven smart displays this social networking/advertising company launched last fall, as well as other future devices.
Somebody’s been doing some really hard listening here. Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac
If I’m watching a TV show and a great song comes on, I usually try to find my iPhone in time to shazam it. I almost always fail, as 1) TV shows don’t tend to play entire songs without people talking over them and 2) I can never find my phone in time. Or rather I’m too lazy to look for it.
A similar thing happens for movies, only I promise myself that I’ll check the credits at the end, and I seldom do.
My dad, old-school guy that he is, likes to call up the TV company and ask them. Maybe I’ll do that when I’m retired, if there are still TV companies with phone numbers.
But did you know that there’s an almost 100% foolproof way to find that awesome track that played in that TV show you saw last night? It’s called Tunefind, and it’s great.
The Galaxy Fold has some major problems. Photo: Samsung
Samsung’s new Galaxy Fold smartphone has a serious problem with its folding display.
Multiple early reviewers are reporting that the display has broken after just one or two days of use. It appears that the hinge on some units is defective, causing the screen to be unusable.
Microsoft unveiled its vision for the future of collaborative computing today and if your business wants in on the action, it won’t be cheap.
The Windows-maker’s newest PC is giant touchscreen that can be wheeled around from meeting room to meeting room, allowing everyone in the office to work together on one display. There’s a 50-inch model that is set to come out in June, but the company also teased an ungodly 85-inch version of the Microsoft Surface Hub 2 that will come down the pipeline in the future.
Ordering food just got even easier. Photo: Uber Eats
It’s now easier than ever to pay for Uber Eats orders, thanks to the arrival of Apple Pay.
The food delivery service has finally adopted Apple’s mobile payments platform in almost 20 countries. It makes completing a transaction as easy as tapping your finger or scanning your face.
A Tile tracking tag can be used find lost items. Apple is reportedly designing a rival. Photo: Tile
Find My iPhone and Find My Friends are currently separate applications, but Apple is reportedly going to merge them in future versions of iOS and mac OS, and add useful features.
In addition, the company is supposedly developing its own tracker tag that will apparently compete with Tile.
Apple has settled it’s long-running legal dispute with Qualcomm. It almost certainly means that Qualcomm will again supply modem chips for the iPhone. But we won’t see a 5G iPhone any sooner.
A new report warns that Apple will still struggle to catch up with rivals like Samsung, which have already launched 5G handsets, and that the first iPhone with 5G still won’t arrive before 2020.
AirPods fit perfectly into the AirSnap case, and the charging light remains visible. Photo: Twelve South
AirSnap is back on our radar with a new 10% discount. As part of our Watch Store’s limited-time deals and discounts, over the next few days we’ll be offering price slashes on some of your favorite products and tech accessories.
A clear customer favorite, AirSnap is a super-tough, ultra-stylish leather case for AirPods. Compatible with Qi charging pads and your new wireless charging AirPods case (pictured above), this compact, portable case became a megahit in the Cult of Mac Watch Store.
Snap these up fast for a real deal before they sell out.
We don't know how much much cash was spent, but it was probably enough to buy a decent island. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
Apple and Qualcomm may have made up again, but the two parties aren’t going to spill the beans regarding exactly how much their financial settlement involved.
Speaking on CNBC today, Qualcomm CEO Steve Mollenkopf said that he wouldn’t discuss the payment Apple agreed to in the settlement. However, he did note that the two companies are excited about working together once again.
Coming soon to a road near you? Maybe. Photo: Aristomenis Tsirbas/Freelancer
Apple is reportedly in talks with Lidar makers regarding sensors that could be used for its Apple Car initiative.
A commonly used surveying tool, Lidar measures distances between objects. It works by firing a pulsed laser light, then measuring how long it takes to bounce back. While not exclusively used in self-driving cars, that’s the application the technology is most synonymous with.
This service offers comprehensive summaries of the important books you don't have time to get to. Photo: Cult of Mac Deals
Reading is one of the best things we can do to stay informed and keep our minds sharp. But it’s also one thing for which there’s never enough time. Instead of stressing over the books you can’t get to, this service gives the gist so you’re not in the dark.
Musical would have told the story of Steve Jobs and Bill Gates' rivalry. Photo: Joi Ito/Flickr CC
An abandoned 2016 musical about the rivalry between Steve Jobs and frenemy Bill Gates has resulted in the producer being sued for $6 million.
The musical’s producer allegedly told investors he had funding from Microsoft for the project. In fact, the musical was $1 million in debt at the time. It was ultimately canceled just two weeks before it was due to open.
“Don’t mess with Mother.” That’s the title of Apple’s newest Shot on iPhone film, which features a stunning collection of clips celebrating nature from around the world.
Check out the weird and wonderful wildlife and spectacular scenery — all filmed on an iPhone.
Would you be onboard for a new iPhone 8? Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
Plans for an iPhone SE 2 may have gone the way of the dodo, but Apple may not have abandoned its iPhone SE philosophy of squeezing new components into an old iPhone form factor.
According to a new report, Apple plans to release a new version of the iPhone 8 with new, up-to-date internals. While users probably won’t get Face ID, they may get an A13 processor, redesigned printing circuit board, and more.
Take to the skies in Air Royale. Photo: Epic Games
Planes have returned to Fortnite — but you won’t have to combat them in regular Battle Royale matches.
This week’s update brings a brand new Air Royale game mode, as well as new weapons and lots of big improvements. There’s also a new tournament with a $1 million prize pool.
TikTok has come under fire in India. Photo: TikTok
Update: Apple and Google have both removed TikTok as requested. While the app is no longer available for download, those who have previously downloaded it can continue using it.
TikTok, the popular — albeit controversial — Chinese video-sharing app, has run into problems in India. The country’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has reportedly asked Apple and Google to remove the app from their respective app stores.
The issue will be heard in the Supreme Court on April 22, but the app could potentially vanish from stores before then.
While a 5G iPhone won’t come as soon as we might hope, the wait won‘t be as long as we might fear. Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
Most people probably shrugged their shoulders at the news Apple and Qualcomm ended their long, bitter legal war. But this is actually going to benefit every iPhone user.
It means that Apple is almost guaranteed to introduce a handset with super-fast 5G next year. Before now, there was some question about whether that was possible.
Have you read the new Tim Cook book yet? Photo: Kristal Chan/Cult of Mac
The first-ever biography of Apple CEO Tim Cook hits bookstores today, and it’s written by none other than Cult of Mac founder, Leander Kahney.
I haven’t heard from Leander in god knows how long while he’s been writing this book. But based on the early reviews, it appears like it was all worth it. No one has written a full book about Cook until now. Leander’s book, Tim Cook: The Genius Who Took Apple to the Next Level, details how Cook took on Steve Jobs’ mantle. While nearly any other human would have crumbled under that pressure, Cook thrived.
Early reviews for the book have been coming in all week, and so far they’re pretty positive. Here are some of the highlights.
This app makes PDFs as easy to edit as any Word document. Photo: Cult of Mac Deals
If you work on a computer, you deal with PDFs. The universal document format is great for sending and consuming written and visual content of all kinds, from simple reports or tax files to entire books. But try to edit one, and you’ll likely hit a wall.
Kim Rozenfeld is no longer a part of Apple's team. Photo: Apple
Netflix doesn’t seem worried at all that Apple and Disney are launching their own competitive streaming services by the end of 2019.
In its latest report to investors, Netflix cited Disney and Apple as its biggest upcoming competition, but instead of fearing the two companies’ platforms, Netflix swears its actually excited about the competition.
The legal war between Apple and Qualcomm is finally over.
In a surprise announcement, the two companies revealed that they have agreed to drop all litigation against each other, bringing an end to a dispute over royalities and patent infringements that spanned multiple countries.
If your MacBook Air seems a little brighter recently, you’re not imagining it. Photo: Apple
Installing the latest macOS version on a 2018 MacBook Air increases the maximum screen brightness.
Apple’s own description of this notebook indicates that the highest potential brightness level is now 400 nits. That’s much higher than with this laptop launched.