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Facebook’s Periscope clone is only for beautiful people

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Facebook is harnessing the power of its massive user base to compete with Periscope's live video streaming.
Photo: Facebook

Did you think the biggest social network on the planet was just going to sit idly by while the likes of Meerkat and Periscope find success in live, social video? Facebook won’t stand for it. So it’s launching its own contribution to the live streaming mix, but the catch is only cool people can use it.

The NHL hates your Meerkat and Periscope videos

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The NHL isn't happy about all your livestreaming, hockey fans. Photo: Meerkat / Periscope
The NHL isn't happy about all your livestreaming, hockey fans. Photo: Meerkat / Periscope

You can be a fan of hockey, and you can be a fan of iPhone live streaming apps like Periscope and Meerkat, but according to the National Hockey League, you can’t be both. The NHL has just laid down the proverbial banhammer on Periscope and Meerkat.

A look at the first Apple Watch apps plus Periscope vs. Meerkat on The CultCast

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OMG check out these cute meerkat Photo: Tambako The Jaguar (Flickr)
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This week on The CultCast: With Apple Watch apps now hitting the store, we discuss some of the most popular ones. And if you want an Apple Watch you absolutely need to preorder — we’ll tell you why and how. Plus: Periscope! Learn all about it and why it’s way better than Meerkat. All that and so. Much. More…

Our thanks to lynda.com for sponsoring this episode! Learn virtually any application at your own pace from expert-taught video tutorials at lynda.com.

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Full show notes ahead!

Twitter takes on Meerkat with live video app Periscope

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I asked my colleague Killian Bell to come up with an image to show the battle between Twitter and Meerkat. This is what he came up with. The monster. Photo: Cult of Mac
Twitter is hunting Meerkats. Well, sort of. Photo: Cult of Mac

By now, you’ve almost certainly heard of Meerkat: the live-streaming social media phenomenon. Well, Twitter has too, because today it launched its own would-be Meerkat killer: a standalone live-streaming video app called Periscope.

Currently available only for iOS devices, the app was acquired by Twitter back in January for a reported $100 million. Unlike Meerkat, which works on the same disappearing media idea as Snapchat, Periscope allows users to save live streams and then replay them later.

Awesome apps you might have missed this week

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It’s the weekend, and Cult of Mac is here to bring you a roundup of all the app awesomeness you might have missed from the last week.

There’s a hot new video streaming app called Meerkat that’s taking the tech world by storm, a fun new game that’s totally free, a widget-based app to keep you on top of the news, the Microsoft Office 2016 beta preview, and more.

Without further ado, here are this week’s awesome apps!

The hottest app of the week in tech was Meerkat, a live video streaming service. It’s the talk of the town in Silicon Valley, but it hasn’t really caught on in the mainstream yet.

The idea is simple: you can start a live stream from your iPhone, and by linking with your Twitter account, automatically tweet a link for people to come watch. You can then chat with viewers directly in the app while streaming. Following people in the app means you get a push notification whenever they’re sharing video.

Available on: iPhone

Price: Free

Download: App Store

This entry is brought to you by Nektony, maker of Duplicates Expert.

Most Mac users' hard drives are clogged with space-wasting duplicate files. You accidentally create dupes when you copy a folder to a new destination without removing the original folder, download the same file twice, or back up your hard drive, among other ways.

Now you can find all those unneeded files with Duplicates Expert, the advanced duplicate finder. The Mac app scans your hard drive and any external drives, then provides a simple yet informative report about duplicate files and folders. It even flags similar items for inspection.

After scanning your drives, Duplicates Expert provides a visual report showing how much space each duplicate takes up, with the largest ones listed first. Then the app provides you with useful cleanup recommendations for fast, easy removal.

Duplicates Expert is loaded with great features that could speed up and simplify your Mac's performance: You'll find skip lists for files, folders and extensions; always/never select preferences; customizable scanning size options; and many more. It's the most powerful duplicate files finder around.

Available on: Mac OS X 10.9 and higher

Price: On sale for $1.99 for a limited time (usual price is $4.99)

Download: MacApp Store

“The year is 2015: Mankind has created it's first sentient machine: a humanoid robot. If we only knew what would happen next, we probably could have saved ourselves. Now, we’re abandoning the only planet we’ve ever known.”

That’s the story behind Lastronaut, the latest endless runner worth playing. With its delightful retro design and soundtrack, it feels like a throwback to the kinds of games you grew up on.

Best of all: it costs nothing. No ads or in-app purchases. Its creators wanted it to be “love-letter” to the gaming industry. You can read the great story behind the pricing decision on Medium.

Available on: iPhone/iPad

Price: Free

Download: App Store

The latest app from the fine folks at Robocat is Breaking, a slightly different take on RSS.

You can add news sources by name (Cult of Mac, for example) and have the site’s last few posts displayed in a Notification Center widget. Simple. And if it sounds like something you could use, convenient.

Available on: iPhone/iPad/Mac

Price: $2.99 for iOS, $4.99 for Mac

Download: iOS App Store, Mac App Store

Momentum is a new todo app that’s designed to help you achieve goals and track your goals. It’s more of a long-term experience than checking items off a list each day.

The Today widget showcases the app’s unique interface, which is designed to show you trends and how close you are to reaching your targets.

Available on: iPhone

Price: Free

Download: App Store

Imgur’s new iPhone app is a great way to browse its never-ending trove of silly GIFs and photo collections.

Photos are presented in swipe-able cards organized by what’s the most viral any given day, and you browse randomly or by new submissions too.

Available on: iPhone

Price: Free

Download: App Store

It's Wiper - your basic messenger between two people - text, videos and pictures - as well as HD voice calling. At any time, either party can hit the wipe button - totally wiping it from their screen, the other user's screen and wiper's servers. Permanently. There's no queue - it's done instantly.

They just integrated Bitcoin directly into Wiper to take Bitcoin mainstream. Each Wiper account now comes with a Bitcoin wallet. Essentially once you fill your wallet (you can do so from Coinbase) it's as easy as Venmo or Squarecash, but with Bitcoin.

Available on: iPhone/iPad

Price: Free

Download: App Store

Microsoft released Office 2016 as a free beta this week, and it’s actually not bad.

The suite’s first major update on the Mac in five years brings the infamous ribbon menu, improved Retina graphics, OneDrive integration, and new features for Word, PowerPoint, and Excel.

Available on: Mac

Price: Free (while the beta lasts)

Download: Microsoft