From the augmented reality Pokémon game everyone’s talking about to a notable update to disappearing messaging app Snapchat, we’ve sifted through this week’s most exciting apps to bring you the ones you absolutely need to download now.
Check out our picks below. Trust us, this is the way you want to spend Sunday!
TaskPaper uses plain text editors to keep yourself on point and organized. Photo: Cult of Mac Deals
Every week we take the many amazing deals we have and decide on a small handful of the absolute amazingest. This week we’ve got a dead simple way to streamline your desktop workflow, a speaker that projects sounds and glittering light, a high-speed VPN subscription and a lifetime of courses in iOS coding — including the soon-to-be-released iOS 10.
Facebook Messenger just got super secure. Photo: Rob LeFebvre/Cult of Mac
Facebook has begun testing end-to-end encryption with a new feature called Secret Conversations. Users will have the ability to chat confidentially without having to worry about being snooped on — but not everyone can enjoy super secure messaging just yet.
That's two malware discoveries in one week! Photo: Google
Yet another strain of malware targeted at Mac users has popped up this week to prove you shouldn’t disable the Gatekeeper feature baked into OS X. “OSX/Keydnap” disguises itself as an innocent text or image file, then installs malicious code onto your Mac.
It's easier than ever to get the Amazon Echo to play tracks from Spotify Premium. Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
Barking out a song request at my Amazon Echo smart speaker, then hearing the track magically start playing, makes me feel like I’m living in the future.
Unfortunately, that feeling evaporates when the song isn’t part of the relatively skimpy Amazon Prime Music catalog. If it’s not there, Amazon’s AI assistant Alexa queues up an annoying 30-second sample — and that makes me realize I’m living in the very buggy present.
Luckily, you can fix that. Here’s how to make Amazon Echo default to Spotify so you don’t get stuck with those annoying song and album previews.
Public testers can download iOS 10 now. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
Apple fans who want to get a glimpse of iOS 10 and macOS Sierra before their public release later this fall will finally get the opportunity to install the new software today.
Coming just two days after the release of the second beta of iOS 10 and macOS Sierra to developers, Apple is now letting members of its public beta program install the new software, which debuted last month at WWDC.
Hands on with iOS 10 Beta 2. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
When Apple rolled out iOS 10 beta 2 earlier this week, I rushed to install it straight onto my trusty iPhone — and I had my camera ready to give you a hands-on look at everything that’s new.
Check out the video below to see Cult of Mac’s overview of some of the latest tweaks and updates in iOS 10 beta 2.
Verizon is about to get more expensive. Photo: Verizon
It’s about to get a lot more expensive to be a Verizon Wireless customer.
Verizon revealed today that it plans to raise prices for its wireless service plans, even as smaller competitors have discounted rates to attract new customers.
This is the first original Pokémon game for for mobile. Photo: Niantic, Inc.
If you’ve been waiting to get your Ash Ketchum or, gasp, even Team Rocket on, you’ll be pleased to know that Pokémon GO, a.k.a. the first original Pokémon game for mobile, is rolling out around the world.
Bitdefender found a new backdoor into OS X. Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
Apple’s Mac systems have been exposed to a dangerous new piece of malware that allows attackers to take full control of OS X.
The new malware, dubbed Backdoor.MAC.Eleanor by security researchers, provides attackers with a backdoor into OS X systems by embedding a script into a fake file converter application that’s found on many reputable sites that sell Mac apps.