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Fuse Chicken Universal charger with battery takes on the world [Review]

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Fuse Chicken Universal
The Fuse Chicken Universal is ready for your next international vacation.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Anyone headed for Europe or Australia needs a way to charge their iPhone or MacBook, and the Fuse Chicken Universal is ready. Despite its ridiculous name, this is a serious international charger and 6700mAh battery. Even better, it can wirelessly power up your iPhone.

We went on the road with this handy charger. Here’s what we found out.

New Macs smackdown! [Cult of Mac Magazine No. 305]

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New Macs smackdown in Cult of Mac Magazine No. 304
Get the latest on the new MacBook lineup.
Cover: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac

Apple just radically simplified its laptop lineup, rolling out great updates to the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro (and killing two models). Now the big question is, which Apple laptop is right for you? Here’s our buyer’s guide to the new MacBooks.

Find out what makes these new machines so enticing and different in this week’s issue of Cult of Mac Magazine. Grab it for free from the iOS App Store to enjoy on your iPad. Or read the rest of the best Apple news, reviews and how-tos in your browser by clicking on the headlines below.

Price drops on wireless chargers, meditation apps and more [Deals]

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Price Drop Roundup (1)
We've rounded up some of the best, extra-discounted gear and apps in the Cult of Mac Store.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

The Cult of Mac Store is always a place to find deals on gear and apps. But some deals are better than others, like these price drops on AirPods and iTunes alternatives, meditation apps and a three-in-one wireless charging pad.

Most are discounted by 75% or more!

Yes, you can unlock the iPhone with a folio cover. Here’s how.

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Apple didn't invent the Slide to Unlock gesture.
The gesture that started it all.
Photo: Jared Earle/Flickr

One of the best iPad features is the auto-lock/unlock that is triggered when you open and close its cover. Introduced with the iPad 2, smart unlock was revolutionary, in terms of lazy unlocking at least.

But did you know that the iPhone can do the same? If you have an X-series iPhone, and a compatible cover, you can use the same auto sleep/wake feature that iPad users have enjoyed since the iPad 2.

New MacBook Pro teardown reveals surprising internal tweaks

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2019-MacBook-Pro-13-teardown
Here’s what’s inside the new 13-inch MacBook Pro.
Photo: iFixit

iFixit just got its hands on Apple’s newest 13-inch MacBook Pro, which can only mean one thing: It’s time to take a look at what’s inside its svelte aluminum shell.

The new model ships with a Touch Bar, Touch ID, and the Apple T2 Security Chip as standard. It also boasts newer Intel chips that promise up to 83% faster multi-core performance.

But that’s not all you get for your money. There’s a bigger battery inside it, too — plus some other surprising tweaks. And not every change is a good one.

Big Mac updates! This week on The CultCast

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CultCast 396
It's a great time to buy a MacBook.

This week on The CultCast: Big Mac updates! Apple just refreshed the MacBook Air (and dropped the price), and supercharged the 13-inch MacBook Pro. Plus: A new report says Apple will finally update the butterfly keyboard with a design we were all hoping for. And we wrap with a true story that could save you thousands: How neglecting the batteries in your tech could cost you big-time

Our thanks to Squarespace for supporting this episode. Easily create a beautiful website all by yourself, at Squarespace.com/cultcast. Use offer code CultCast at checkout to get 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain..

Apple Park is one of Earth’s most valuable buildings

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Apple leases new offices near to Apple Park
Want to buy Apple Park? It'll cost you in the vicinity of $4.17 billion.
Photo: Duncan Sinfield

Apple Park is one of the most impressive corporate headquarters in the world — and that don’t come cheap.

In fact, it’s one of the most valuable buildings on Earth. A recent assessment for property tax by Santa Clara County lists Apple’s circular HQ at $3.6 billion. This is based on a detailed appraisal of the building. Including its contents, it’s valued at $4.17 billion.

Dive into a vast library of books, audiobooks and more, straight from your iPhone [Deals]

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Scribd
Save 25% or more on 6 month and year-long access to a million books, audiobooks, articles, and more.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Disappearing DVD collections are just one example of how streaming content is transforming our home libraries. So it seems only natural that an online subscription service will replace the books and magazines that take up shelf space.

Hook creates smart connections between documents on Mac

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Hooks, on cranes.
Hooks, on cranes.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Imagine that you’re working on a document on your Mac. At some point, you’ll need to take a look at those emails about the project, or check that photo you snapped of the whiteboard. Maybe you have them all open already, in your perfectly organized workspace. But what about when you come back to that document tomorrow, or next month?

What if you could tap a key, and a panel would pop up, with all those linked documents listed? You could just click on one to open it. That’s what you get with Hook, a new Mac app that links documents together so you never need to go searching for them again.

2019 MacBook Air vs. MacBook Pro: Which is right for you?

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MacBook on desk
Look at all those ports!
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Apple’s current laptop lineup is the simplest it’s been in a while. It consists of the 13-inch MacBook Air, and two sizes of MacBook Pro, which are almost identical apart from size.

If you want a 15-inch Apple notebook, then the choice is easy. But if you want a 13-incher, which should you pick? That’s what we’ll look at today, pitching the 13-inch MacBook Air against the 13-inch MacBook Pro.

Newest 13-inch MacBook Pro brings unbelievable speed boost

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2019 MacBook Pro Fortnite
It's not clear what is causing the problem.
Photo: Apple

Apple promised its newest 13-inch MacBook Pro would deliver faster performance than the previous model. But we weren’t expecting to be up to 83% faster!

That’s the kind of speed increase you’re getting with the latest model, according to early benchmarks. It gives existing owners a massive reason to upgrade — even if they have no interest in the Touch Bar.

No, Apple hasn’t canceled its AR glasses project

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Apple glasses
Apple Glasses could be the next big thing.
Photo: Martin Hajek

Production of Apple’s upcoming augmented reality glasses has supposedly been “terminated,” according to one of the worst sources of Apple rumors on the internet.

A number of websites have taken DigiTimes’ dubious report of the canceled Apple smart glasses as fact. However, after digging into iOS 13’s assets, one of the best Apple sleuths in the world says there’s still a lot of evidence that the AR glasses might come even sooner than expected.

AirPod saved from subway suicide with makeshift sticky stick

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AirPod-subway-suicide
This lucky AirPod will live to see another day.
Photo: Ashley Mayer

It’s frustrating when an AirPod falls out of your ear — especially if it decides it has had enough of being an AirPod and it jumps onto the subway tracks. That’s exactly what happened for Ashley Mayer.

But thanks to a makeshift sticky stick (duct tape on the end of a broom), this particular bud will live to see another day … or play another song?

Apple Watch’s Walkie-Talkie app disabled over eavesdropping concerns

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watchOS 5
Walkie-Talkie vulnerability allowed users to listen in on each other .
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple temporarily disabled the Apple Watch Walkie-Talkie app after discovering a vulnerability that allowed users to listen in on another person’s iPhone calls without their knowledge.

The app will stay installed on devices, although it won’t work until Apple issues a fix.

Apple fixes major Zoom video conferencing security flaw

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Zoom video conferencing for Mac
These people all know they are on a Zoom call.
Photo: Zoom

Mac users who’ve used the Zoom video conferencing application can now be assured that a serious security flaw has been dealt with. Apple pushed out a patch that removed the vulnerability from every Mac, without users needing to do anything.

Before the fix, the flaw potentially let malicious websites force people into Zoom video calls.

Satechi dual HomeKit plug makes your outlets smarter [Review]

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Satechi Dual Smart Outlet review
This smart plug could be the start of your home automation makeover.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Satechi’s dual-socket smart outlet lets you easily dip your toe into home automation. There’s nothing to install — you just plug it in — but the Dual Smart Outlet still allows you to control two different appliances from your iPhone, iPad, etc. It uses Apple’s HomeKit so it’s compatible with plenty of other accessories.

Find out how you can take a first step into controlling your home with Siri voice commands in our hands-on review.

iPhone’s notch and Face ID could disappear in 2021

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iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max
Dumping Face ID and a few other changes would allow Apple to make iPhones without a screen cutout.
Photo: Apple

Apple is reportedly giving up on facial recognition and instead going with a full-screen fingerprint scanner. This will allegedly allow the company to leave off the “notch” from every iPhone model released in 2021.

How I kept my iMac running for a decade

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Believe it or not, this old iMac still has a lot of life left in it.
Believe it or not, this old iMac still has a lot of life left in it.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Yesterday, I wrote about the massive conceptual difference between Mac and iPad, and mentioned that I still use a 2010 iMac. Today, I thought I’d explain how I managed to keep it going for so long.

Spoiler: It was pretty easy, although it required some simple home surgery from time to time. The only sad part is that the current lineup of iMacs almost certainly won’t last as long, at least not without professional attention.

Here’s how I kept my Mac running for a decade.

Awesome new iPad lineup could already be in production

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iPad
Evidence that Apple is prepping new iPad tablets is popping up around the world.
Photo: Apple

The first details about multiple unannounced 2019 iPad models are leaking out. Several Apple tablets just appeared in a Eurasian intergovernmental agency’s database.

And production for at least one of these devices begins this month, according to a source in Asia.

How to make and use Memoji stickers without Face ID

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iPad with stickers
No, not that kind of sticker.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

iOS 13 automatically turns all your Memoji into iMessage stickers. Even better, anyone can create new Memoji, on any device. You no longer need an iPhone or iPad with a depth-sensing Face ID camera to create them.

Using the new Memoji creator tool in the Messages app, you can do almost everything that can be done with Face ID. Here’s how to make and use Memoji stickers in iOS 13.

Apple explores dual-screen MacBook with tactile keyboard

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Dual-screen MacBook patent
Apple wants to give MacBooks a second display with a tactile keyboard, ditching the built-in one.
Photo: Apple/Cult of Mac

Apple is considering a MacBook with two displays, with the second screen acting as a keyboard. By necessity, iPads already employ on-screen keyboards but these lack tactile feedback. Apple is looking for ways to make these virtual keys move when they’re typed on.

The company has been pursuing this project for years, as demonstrated by a patent it just received.