3D Touch - page 4

Is the new Apple TV this year’s most exciting release from Cupertino?

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Have you got yours yet?
Have you got yours yet?
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

The new Apple TV is here, and there’s no doubt it’s the best set-top box we’ve seen from Cupertino, with powerful new hardware and the tvOS operating system, Siri integration — and most importantly, support for third-party apps and games.

Friday-Night-Fights-bug-2If you’re into movies and TV shows, or playing the greatest iOS games on your big screen, the new Apple TV is probably at the top of your wish-list if you haven’t already bought one. But how does it compare to the other products Apple has launched this year? Is it better than the rest?

Join us in this week’s Friday Night Fight between Cult of Android and Cult of Mac as we battle it out over that very question!

Clever hacker reproduces 3D Touch on Android device

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clever-hacker-reproduces-3d-touch-on-android-device-image-cultofandroidcomwp-contentuploads2015102015-09-25-1914081-jpg
A hacker's killer idea leads to 3D Touch-style interaction on his Android phone.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Android

As an Android user, you might feel a little saddened by the fact that you can’t use Apple’s 3D Touch system on your Android device of choice. It’s a pretty neat technology that lets an iPhone sense different pressures on the screen to produce some slick little tricks, like taking a selfie with a strong press on the Camera app icon.

Marco Chiappetta figured out a way to do something similar on his Sony Xperia Z3 using a pretty unexpected little trick.

5 more apps that crush it with 3D Touch

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Social app bumpn will 3D Touch your heart(s).
Social app bumpn will 3D Touch your heart(s).
Photo: bumpn

As developers race to embrace 3D Touch, more and more third-party apps are utilizing iOS 9’s killer feature to make common tasks faster and easier.

Employed properly, 3D Touch’s Quick Actions lists can put many tasks at your fingertips — assuming you’re using an iPhone 6s or 6s Plus, the only models with the hardware to us the new technology. 3D Touch’s new Peek and Pop features also let you preview certain items (Peek), then press deeper if you want to open them (Pop).

With more and more apps adding 3D Touch, developers are clearly hell-bent on creating more stimulating experiences. Here are more third-party apps that are doing big things with 3D Touch.

Apple: Quit weighing things on your iPhone 6s

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Apple doesn't want you doing this.
Photo: Ryan McLeod

Apple doesn’t want developers creating digital scale apps for the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus!

In a recent post on Medium, dev Ryan McLeod says he and his friends created a digital scale app that worked using Apple’s new 3D Touch pressure-sensing feature.

Called Gravity, they submitted it to the App Store, only to have it rejected for “having a misleading description.” To show the app in action, the team then submitted a video to Apple, but were told that “the concept of a scale app was not appropriate for the App Store.”

New app lets you weigh your plums on an iPhone 6s

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Measure plums on an Apple. For some reason that struck me as weird.
Measure plums on an Apple. For some reason that struck me as weird.
Photo: FlexMonkey

Here’s a use for your iPhone 6s’ 3D Touch feature you may not have thought of before: acting as a set of mini kitchen scales.

That’s not exactly how FlexMonkey’s Plum-O-Meter app works, but it’s a pretty neat demo of how Apple’s pressure-sensing handset can be used to weigh small objects, such as plums. Check out the juicy video below.

Xiaomi rumored to be ‘borrowing’ Apple’s 3D Touch tech

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xiaomi-rumored-to-be-borrowing-apples-3d-touch-tech-image-cultofandroidcomwp-contentuploads2015102015-09-25-191408-jpg
Xiaomi wants to bring Apple's 3D Touch technology to its smartphones.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Android
Xiaomi wants its users to enjoy 3D Touch, too. Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Android
Xiaomi wants its users to enjoy 3D Touch, too. Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Android

Xiaomi isn’t exactly known for having its own ideas, so why would you expect it to act any differently when Apple introduced its innovative new 3D Touch feature for the iPhone 6s?

True to form, a new rumor coming out of China claims that Xiaomi has patented its own version of the technology. Because, of course it has.

Samsung’s been working on its own 3D Touch display for a while

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samsungs-been-working-on-its-own-3d-touch-display-for-a-while-image-cultofandroidcomwp-contentuploads2015102015-09-25-191408-jpg
Samsung wants Galaxy users to enjoy 3D Touch, too. Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Android
Samsung wants Galaxy users to enjoy 3D Touch, too. Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Android

Samsung is expected to follow Apple’s footsteps and build a pressure-sensitive display into next year’s Galaxy S7, according to recent reports — and now a new patent backs up those claims with proof that the South Korean company has been hard at work on a similar technology for over a year.

Facebook updates are easier than ever thanks to 3D Touch

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Facebook is killing your battery.
Yay for 3D Touch!
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Facebook has just updated its official iOS app, adding some new iPhone 6s-friendly features designed to work with the new handsets’ 3D Touch capabilities.

What exactly does that mean? Essentially that you can now use 3D Touch’s “Quick Actions” from the Facebook app icon. Give your iPhone 6s a firm press on the Home screen and you get the option of writing a post, uploading a photo or video, or taking a photo or video.

Fantastical 2.5 brings goodies for iOS 9 and iPhone 6s users

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Okay, don't spend too much time multitasking. You have Cult of Mac reading to catch up on.
Photo: George Tinari/Cult of Mac

Flexibits updated its popular Fantastical apps for iPhone and iPad this morning to take advantage of a number of new features in iOS 9 and on the iPhone 6s. Arguably the biggest improvement to productivity comes in the form of multitasking support for the iPad. Fantastical also threw in a dash of the new iPhone’s 3D Touch as well.

Cult of Mac Magazine: iPhone 6s is one sexy beast

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It's all in here.
It's all in here.
Cover Design: Stephen Smith/Cult of Mac

The iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus came out last week, and it’s been a fun ride getting to know what makes these sexy beasts tick.

Check out this week’s Cult of Mac Magazine for all the tips, tricks, reviews, news, and just plain great content with yet another digital issue of your favorite magazine.

Download the brand new Cult of Mac Magazine app from iTunes right now, and you’ll get all this, and more, absolutely free.

How Instagram made 3D Touch pop on iPhone 6s

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iphone-6s-3d-touch-opentable-instagram-workflow-news360-magic-piano - 6
3D Touch is awesome on Instagram.
Photo: Instagram

If you’re looking for an app to wow you with the revolutionary powers of 3D Touch, look no further than Instagram. The photo sharing app has already created some great new interactions with 3D Touch by letting users peek at photos and profile info using three new APIs provided by Apple.

We’ve only had 3D Touch iPhones for a week, but Instagram’s engineers have already managed to set a high bar for other apps to aspire to. In a new engineering blog post, the company gives developers a peek at how they implemented the new 3D Touch APIs so seamlessly, and show how other apps can make 3D Touch much more powerful than just a 2015 version of the right click.

Here’s some of the pointers they collected:

How Apple could use 3D Touch to bring Maps to life

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Screen Shot 2015-09-29 at 10.56.10
3D Touch might be just what Apple Maps needs.
Photo: Apple

3D Touch was the most widely-praised feature of the new iPhone 6s, and something that has the potential to be a real game-changer going forward.

In a newly-published patent, Apple explains how 3D Touch-style technology could revolutionize maps, by letting users animate the screen with different levels of touch.

5 apps that showcase 3D Touch’s true potential

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iphone-6s-3d-touch
Third-party apps are already jumping on board with 3D Touch and so should you.
Photo: Apple

So, you’re one of 13 million people to get a brand new iPhone 6S over the launch weekend. Congratulations, you now have access to a faster phone — potentially a rose gold one, better cameras, stronger aluminum and of course, 3D Touch. The latter is actually extremely useful, but it’s only as useful as developers allow.

Since the feature is brand new, 3D Touch mostly works with Apple’s stock iOS apps for quick application shortcuts on the Home screen, plus Peek and Pop inside apps to preview different types of content. A few productive developers saw the light and quickly updated their apps to support this drastically new way to use an iPhone.

You can tell that the future is very bright for 3D Touch as developers are just getting started figuring out how to unlock all of its potential. Until we reach that 3D utopia, here are five terrific apps that already do Apple’s latest innovation plenty of justice.

iPhone 6s review: Pretty on the outside, a beast on the inside

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iPhone 6s
Apple hits another home run.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

iPhone 6s is a mirror image of its predecessor at first glance, but thanks to improved internals and innovative new technology, it’s very much a different beast.

With Apple’s latest A9 processor, a new 12-megapixel iSight camera, Live Photos, and 3D Touch, this is much, much more than just an “incremental” iPhone upgrade. It’s the iPhone that will change the way you use your iPhone. It’s Apple most exciting smartphone in years.

Pro Tip: How to fine-tune 3D Touch sensitivity

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Try not to bust that thing, ok? You just got it.
Try not to bust that thing, ok? You just got it.
Photo: Buster Hein/Cult of Mac

Pro Tip Cult of Mac bug You don’t have to press so hard on your expensive new iPhone 6s or 6s Plus to get the groundbreaking 3D Touch working easily.

We’ve all been looking forward to this killer UI upgrade, but some users say they’re worried about breaking their new iPhone screens because they’re pushing so hard to get the “pop” level of 3D Touch.

Here’s how to make this a little easier to use.

3D Touch is killer UI; here’s how to best use it

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3Dtouch
Quick Actions are the best thing about 3D Touch.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

If you’re trying your best to resist an iPhone 6s or iPhone 6s Plus, do not walk into an Apple Store and try 3D Touch. Once you’ve had a taste of it, your smartphone simply won’t feel complete without it.

Here are four ways in which 3D Touch makes life a lot sweeter.

First impressions: What it’s like to finally get your hands on iPhone 6s

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iPhone-6-vs-iPhone-6s
It has arrived.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Merry iPhone 6s-mas!

Today’s the day Apple’s latest smartphones go on sale in 12 markets around the world, and thanks to some threats I made to the local UPS man last week, my shiny new handset arrived before I’d even had chance to make myself a coffee this morning.

After putting it through its paces for a few hours, here are my first impressions on all that’s new. It’s super-fast, Live Photos are tons of fun, and 3D Touch is a must-have.

Jailbreak tweak brings 3D Touch to older iPhones. Kind of.

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iphone-6s-3d-touch
3D Touch is Apple's big new feature for the iPhone 6s.
Photo: Apple

3D Touch has been the most widely-praised feature of the iPhone 6s in its advance reviews, so it’s no great surprise that savvy jailbreakers would attempt to replicate the technology in older iPhones.

One attempt at this is a new free tweak called ForceTouchActivator, which tries to impersonate 3D Touch by using long presses to expand the functionality of your iPhone.

And as far as free tweaks go, it’s not a bad effort. Sort of.

3D Touch turns iPhone 6s keyboard into a touchpad

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Selecting text on the iPhone 6s is ridiculously easy.
Selecting text on the iPhone 6s is ridiculously easy.
Photo: Matthew Panzarino/Twitter

Selecting text on the iPhone 6s will be a whole lot easier thanks to the introduction of 3D Touch, which can quickly change your iOS 9 keyboard into a trackpad.

iPhone 6s owners will be able to use two levels of touch to activate the trackpad, and then a deeper push to highlight text. The trick was first discovered by Apple analyst Ben Bajarin while reviewing the upcoming smartphone. TechCrunch’s Matthew Panzarino uploaded a video this afternoon showing off the new feature and it might be the best reason yet to upgrade to the new 3D Touch iPhones.

Check it out in action:

iOS will finally let you delete stock apps (someday)

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Tim cook
Tim Cook wants everybody to be happy, and that means deleting some stock apps.
Photo: Apple

The days of having a junk drawer full of stock iOS apps might finally be coming to an end.

On the way to a surprise appearance at the Fifth Ave Apple Store, BuzzFeed spent 20 minutes with Tim Cook, who revealed some iOS apps will come with a delete option soon. The Apple CEO also talked about the future of computing, 3D Touch, “Hey Siri” privacy concerns and more. Here are the most interesting tidbits from Cook’s drive-by interview:

Why the iPhone 6s is heavier than the iPhone 6

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The iPhone 6s has more junk in the trunk.
The iPhone 6s has more junk in the trunk.
Photo: Apple

In appearance, the new iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus look almost identical to the handsets that preceded them. But pick them up, and even without turning the handsets on you might notice a difference: Each is about 11 percent heavier than the previous year’s model.

Why’d the iPhone get so chunky? It’s all about 3D Touch.

Is iPhone 6s really worth the upgrade?

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iPhone 6 and iPhone 6s square off in this week's Friday Night Fight.
iPhone 6 and iPhone 6s square off in this week's Friday Night Fight.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

With Apple’s next-generation iPhones going on sale just after midnight PST, it’s time to decide whether you’re going to upgrade.

Friday-Night-Fights-bug-2The iPhone 6s and 6s Plus are by far the biggest ‘S’ upgrades so far, with new 3D Touch displays, faster A9 processors, improved Touch ID, and the best iSight cameras yet. But are those things worth the upgrade fee?

Join us in this week’s Friday Night Fight between Cult of Android and Cult of Mac as we battle it out over whether you should spend your hard-earned cash on iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus.