Privacy groups want to make sure contact tracing technology keeps your data safe. Photo: MIT Lincoln Lab
The American Civil Liberties Union said Friday it is cautiously encouraged by a commitment to privacy by Apple and Google as they develop Bluetooth-based contact-tracing technology to track the spread of COVID-19.
But the civil liberties group says the two tech giants must resolve “certain important privacy-related questions” key to winning trust from a public growing wary about who sees their data.
Those looking to improve the graphics performance of their 2019 Mac Pro can now pick up the Radeon Pro W5700X MPX Module from the Apple Online Store.
For exactly $1,000, the new GPU offers up to 9.4 teraflops of compute performance and 16GB of GDDR6 memory. It uses AMD’s latest RDNA architecture, and it’s now the most affordable GPU module Apple sells.
An ultrawide monitor (and a second screen on top) take this battlestation to the next level. Photo: iSetups/Instagram
An amazing 49-inch LG UltraWide monitor dominates the sweet work-from-home setup of front-end developer Justin Chua from San Jose, California. A second 32-inch Dell monitor floats above, adding even more screen real estate to this eye-blasting battlestation.
And check out his sweet, custom-made mechanical keyboard!
Steam Link for iPhone and iPad just got a big update that adds mouse and keyboard support for the first time. Don’t get too excited just yet, however. While direct mouse input is available, it’s not ideal for many game genres just yet.
Portable Macs get the most attention in the new Catalina beta. Photo: Apple
Apple seeded the second beta of macOS Catalina 10.15.5 to developers this morning, bringing with it a major change to the way MacBooks charge.
Several tech sites got an explainer from Apple on how the new Battery Health Management feature works. The tool is coming to every MacBook with a Thunderbolt 3 port — and it could be a godsend to your battery.
Tap a switch to use your Mac's trackpad and keyboard with your iPad. Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac
Apple’s new Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro — the one with the built-in trackpad — looks amazing. But it costs $350. That’s very pricey for a keyboard. Plus, it’s a keyboard that will only be useful for as long as it can attach to your iPad Pro. That means it might not fit your next tablet if Apple tweaks the iPad Pro design.
Compare that to a USB or Bluetooth keyboard, which will remain compatible with every computer that gets made in the foreseeable future. Toady we’ll see how to share your Mac’s keyboard and mouse or trackpad with your iPad. We’ll also learn how to instantly switch between the two, both with USB and Bluetooth.
No, it’s not as portable as the new Magic Keyboard case, but it’s less messy on your desk. And you will likely have a better keyboard, and a better trackpad.
The LiDAR scanner in the latest iPad makes a 3D map of its area, as demonstrated by Esper from Lux Optics. Photo: Sebastiaan De With/Lux Optics
The 3D scanner built into the 2020 iPad Pro is intended for augmented-reality applications. Tests by the developers of the Halide camera app found that LiDAR built into this new tablet is well-suited for scanning furniture-size objects, but not anything smaller.
Juicy Realm, the action-packed dual-stick shooter that has proven popular on PC and console, is on its way to iOS. You can preorder the game through the App Store today (and enjoy a preorder discount) ahead of its debut on May 4.
Logitech Combo Touch is like the Magic Keyboard for regular iPads. Photo: Logitech
Logitech Combo Touch adds both a keyboard and a trackpad to inexpensive iPad models, because it’s not just Apple’s professional-grade models that can use mice and trackpads. Plus, there’s a flexible kickstand, and the keyboard is removable.
In addition, the Logitech Slim Folio Pro, a more basic keyboard case for the 2020 iPad Pro, is also available now on the Apple Store.
Au revoir 3D Touch. Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac
3D Touch, the pressure-sensitive screen tech ushered in by Apple, has officially met its end.
Introduced as one of the major new features on the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, Apple said 3D Touch was going to take multi-touch into a whole new dimension. Jony Ive waxed poetic about the new peek and pop gestures 3D Touch would enable in an Apple video explaining the feature. With the unveiling of the iPhone SE this morning, 3D Touch is as good as dead and we can’t say we’re really going to miss it.