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Forget Twitter, Fiery Feeds is the best way to read the news

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Fiery Feeds adds Pinboard support, finally lets you ditch Instapaper.
Fiery Feeds looks great in black.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Fiery Feeds is an iOS news-reading app that lets you subscribe to any sites you like, and read all their new stories in one place. It’s way better than relying on Twitter for you news, because important stories never get lost in a sea of doggy GIFs. And the new v2.1 gets a visual overhaul, plus support for using Pinboard as a read-later service. I love it.

Microsoft will stream high-end games to your iPhone

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Microsoft Project xCloud
Project xCloud won't require powerful hardware.
Photo: Microsoft

Microsoft plans to start streaming high-end games to your iPhone, iPad, and other devices.

Its new service, dubbed “Project XCloud,” will remove the need for dedicated games consoles and pricey PCs — but you’ll have to wait until next year just to trial it.

Facebook wants to put a camera in your living room

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Facebook Portal
Portal is Facebook's answer to the Echo Show.
Photo: Facebook

Do you trust Facebook to put a camera and microphone in your living room? If not, you’ll want to avoid Portal, its new smart displays focused on video chat.

Portal and Portal Plus make it easy to keep in touch with friends and family when you can’t see them face-to-face in real life. They can also play music, stream video, and do anything Amazon Alexa can do.

Apple has a plan to get Apple TVs into more homes in the U.K.

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apple tv
Apple is negotiating with U.K. telecoms giant BT.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Apple is reportedly in talks with U.K. telecommunications company BT, regarding a possible partnership in which Apple TV boxes are provided to subscribers.

As per the Daily Telegraph, both groups are, “in early discussions over a deal that would make BT’s mobile brand EE a major distributor of Apple TV set-top boxes.”

iPhone users’ lawsuit against Google thrown out of court

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Google
Case explores the legality of data collection.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

A lawsuit against Google, claiming to represent 4.4 million iPhone users, has been thrown out of court by a U.K. judge.

The Apple-using coalition, a group called “Google You Owe Us,” was asking for up to $1 billion in damages. This was to have been split among Safari users affected by Google’s allegedly unlawful data collection, which involved Google supposedly bypassing privacy settings to categorize users for advertising.

Apple sends letter to Congress about alleged China spy chip

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This isn't actually Apple's data center, but it's close.
The alleged incident would be a seismic security breach.
Photo: Pexels

There are plenty of stories published about Apple that I’m sure it would rather not floating around the internet. But when it is accused of having had its motherboards — along with those used by dozens of other companies — breached by Chinese spy chips, it springs into action.

That’s what Apple did over the weekend when it told Congress that there is absolutely no evidence that it has been the victim of a sophisticated attack on its supply chain. This is what had been alleged in a recent article by Bloomberg BusinessWeek.

Dive into app developing with 10 coding courses [Deals]

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This bundle of 10 courses offers a comprehensive tour of the many facets of app development for iOS and Android.
This bundle of 10 courses offers a comprehensive tour of the many facets of app development for iOS and Android.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Learning to build apps offers all kinds of opportunities, both professional and creative. It’s a world of endless potential, with an endless amount to learn. So whether you’re a beginner or a pro, this bundle of 10 courses can help sharpen your skills.

Cult of Mac Magazine: 50 Essential iOS apps and more

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Get our 50 Essential iOS Apps to boost your iPhone or iPad experience.
You need these apps now!
Cover: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac

After wrapping our “50 Essential iOS Apps” series, we sorted the winners to make it easier for you to download the best of the best. (Plus, we added Cult of Mac readers’ picks for must-have alternatives.)

You’ll find that list and much more in this week’s issue of our magazine. It’s free and it looks great on an iPad or iPhone. Get your free subscription to Cult of Mac Magazine from iTunes now. Or read on for this week’s top stories.

Start building DIY Arduino projects with this kit bundle [Deals]

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This bundle includes all the instruction and materials you need to get started with Arduino.
This bundle includes all the instruction and materials you need to get started with Arduino.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Arduino offers tools to build basically anything imaginable, from robots, to computers, games, weather stations, you name it. The possibilities are so vast, it can be hard to know where to start. So this bundle of Arduino lessons and materials offers a great resource.

A12 Bionic chip makes iPhone XS nearly as fast as high-end desktop

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a12 bionic ad
Apple's new processor is a beast!
Photo: Apple

Apple may have seriously undersold the processing power of the iPhone XS.

After deep diving into the new A12 chip, which is the world’s first 7nm manufactured processor, Anandtech found that the CPU features some big improvements that make it perform way better than just the 15% boost Apple is advertising. It’s nearly as good as a desktop CPU.

It killed me to return my iPhone XS Max

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iPhone XS box gold
I knew it couldn't last, but we had a great time together.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

For the first time in 11 years, I did not get Apple’s latest iPhone delivered to my door on launch day. I’ve been using an iPhone X since last November and I was still happy with it; I certainly didn’t see the need to drop another $999 on what seemed like a slightly better device.

But then I got the chance to use an iPhone XS Max.

I had the handset for just over a week, and I loved every second I spent with it. I was wrong to not upgrade this year, and it killed me to return the device to its rightful owner.

Here’s why I’m sorely missing the iPhone XS Max.

Add a device frame to iPhone XS screenshots with Shortcuts

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iPhone frame shortcut
Imagine your screenshot inside this beautiful frame.
Photo: Cult of Mac

Today we’re going to make an iPhone frame shortcut that takes your most-recent iPhone screenshot, and wraps it in a device beautiful frame. The frame will be the body of the iPhone, so it’ll look just like the iPhone pictures Apple uses on its site. This shortcut requires a little bit of setup (you have to copy some images into a folder in iCloud Drive), but after that it runs with a single tap.

Facebook wants to secretly snatch your Instagram location data

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Instagram lawsuit
Facebook wants your Instagram data.
Photo: Pixabay

Instagram is starting to integrate more closely with Facebook when it comes to your personal location data.

The app is reportedly testing a new feature that would allow Instagram to share all of your GPS coordinates with Facebook without ever opening up the Facebook app. This would allow Facebook to gather more information on you so it can serve up more targeted ads and content, but that might piss off some Instagram fans.

Tim Cook made massive donation to keep Trump out of White House

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Tim Cook
Tim Cook was an outspoken Hillary supporter.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Tim Cook fought harder than any other Apple employee to make sure Donald Trump didn’t become president.

A study of all the political donations made by Apple employees found that Tim Cook contributed more than any other employee to Hillary Clinton’s 2016 election campaign with a $236,100 payment to the Hillary Victory Fund fundraising committee. Tim’s favoritism towards Democrats isn’t surprising, and the study found that an overwhelming majority of Apple employees are following his lead.

Almost half of all iPhone and iPad users are already running iOS 12

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The official iOS 12 release date is next week, but you can download it now.
Are you enjoying iOS 12 yet?
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Almost half of all iPhone and iPad users have already upgraded to iOS 12, according to new data.

It’s an impressive adoption rate for a major upgrade that’s only been officially available for just over two weeks. Its speedy uptake can likely be attributed to its new features and significant performance improvements — especially for older devices.

Top cybersecurity agency says ‘no reason to doubt’ Apple on Chinese spy chips

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Apple adds 5 new vice presidents to its executive lineup
Either this is the year's biggest tech story or a whole lot of fake news.
Photo: Lyle Kahney/Cult of Mac

The U.K.’s national cyber security agency has chimed in with its assessment of the recent report claiming that multiple companies — including Apple — had malicious chips inserted by Chinese spies into their computer systems.

Both Amazon and Apple, two of the companies named, have so far denied the claims. Now Britain’s National Cyber Security Center has said there’s no reason to doubt them.

Spotted: This gravestone looks just like an iPhone

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The iPhone gravestone stands tall in a Russian cemetery.
The iPhone gravestone stands tall in a Russian cemetery.
Screenshot: The Straits Times

An iPhone gravestone spotted in Russia marks the final resting place of a young woman who reportedly worked in an Apple retail position.

A video posted online shows the iPhone-inspired grave marker. The unique monument boasts an Apple logo, side buttons and an image of the deceased 25-year-old on the screen. It’s the ultimate tribute to an Apple fan!

Nintendo wants to turn your iPhone into a classic Game Boy

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Nintendo Game Boy case for iPhone
Please be working on an official Game Boy emulator, Nintendo!
Photo: Nintendo

Nintendo could be developing a whole new way to enjoy its mobile games on the go.

The Japanese company has patented a case that could turn your iPhone into a classic Game Boy. It features physical controls but would not require a battery or Bluetooth connection.

You need these awesome MacBook accessories [Deals]

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We've rounded up great gear for streamlining and expanding your MacBook's productivity potential.
We've rounded up great gear for streamlining and expanding your MacBook's productivity potential.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

If you’ve got a MacBook, you’ve got a productivity powerhouse. But you can up the ante with the right accessories, so we’ve rounded up a few of the best. We’ve got a USB-C laptop stand, a breakaway USB-C charging cable, and a multiport hub that vastly expands your MacBook’s connective possibilities.

Plus, each of them is available at a fat discount!

The spectacular Louvre Apple Store is closing

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Apple Carrousel du Louvre 1
But don't worry: you'll get an even better Apple Store.
Photo: David McKelvey/Flickr CC

Apple has revealed that it will shutter its Apple Carrousel du Louvre retail store in Paris later this month.

The Apple Store, which has been open for nine years, is located beneath the pyramid in front of the world-famous, iconic Louvre museum. Don’t fret, however: If you live in the area, Apple is about to open new, better retail store in the area.

‘Highly plausible’ Apple servers could be infected with spy chips, says former Apple hardware engineer

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Instrumental founder and CEO Anna Katrina Shedletsky
Instrumental founder and CEO Anna Katrina Shedletsky, who is using her experience as an Apple product design engineer to bring AI to manufacturing.
Photo: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac

Despite Apple’s denials, it’s “highly plausible” that secret spy chips could have been planted on the company’s servers, said a former Apple hardware engineer.

Anna-Katrina Shedletsky, who spent nearly six years at Apple helping build several generations of iPod, iPhone and Apple Watch, said spy chips could have been slipped into the design of servers used for Apple’s iCloud services, as alleged in a Bloomberg Businessweek story.

“With my knowledge of hardware design, it’s entirely plausible to me,” she said. “It’s very highly plausible to me, and that’s scary if you think about it.”