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Google records your voice searches — and you can hear them all

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google-records-your-voice-searches-and-you-can-hear-them-all-image-cultofandroidcomwp-contentuploads201407Ok-Google-Voice-Search-png
Ok Google is listening... and recording. Photo: Google
Ok Google is listening… and recording. Photo: Google

Google is incredibly accurate at understanding voice searches, which makes it super useful on mobile when you might want to find information without using your hands. But did you know that the company records every single voice search you make?

What’s more, you can listen back to each and every one.

Some great ways to keep your cords in one place and in one piece [Deals]

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This magnetic organizer keeps all your cords, chargers, and other wired things in one tidy place.
This magnetic organizer keeps all your cords, chargers, and other wired things in one tidy place.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

The more time goes by, the more cables we get for new devices or to replace broken ones, and the messier our desks get. We’ve gathered some of the best solutions for keeping your wired things well under control and in working order, like the MOS Cable Organizer. It’s a magnetic hub for keeping your headphones, charging cords, flash drives, and any other necessary connectors off the floor and within reach. It’s just $11.99 at Cult of Mac Deals.

Samsung Galaxy S7 to rip off the iPhone 6s’ 3D Touch

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samsung-galaxy-s7-to-rip-off-the-iphone-6s-3d-touch-image-cultofandroidcomwp-contentuploads201504Galaxy-S6-front-jpg
The next Galaxy is going to be even better. Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Android
The next Galaxy is going to be even better. Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Android

The pressure-sensitive displays packed into Apple’s latest iPhones give them a unique advantage over their rivals, but not for long.

Samsung is already working to put a pressure-sensitive screen of its own into next year’s Galaxy S7, new reports claim.

Apple releases ‘stunning’ new 4K and 5K iMacs

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Screen Shot 2015-10-13 at 14.26.03
Apple's iMacs just got even sweeter.
Photo: Apple

Apple today revealed its refreshed line of iMacs, including a brand new 21.5-inch 4K Retina iMac and 27-inch 5K Retina model.

The smaller iMac now matches the pixel density of the larger 5K iMac, giving it 4.5 times the resolution of Full HD. The 27-inch iMac, meanwhile, boasts Retina 5K displays across the board, whereas previously they were available only for the $2,499 flagship iMac.

The 21.5-inch 4K iMac starts at $1,499, while the 27-inch version starts at $1,799.

Apple finally working to bring Touch ID to MacBooks

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Yep, that would work.
Yep, that would work.
Photo: USPTO/Apple

Apple may finally be ready to introduce its Touch ID fingerprint sensor to the MacBook — more than two years after it made its first appearance on the iPhone.

A new patent published today describes “Finger sensing apparatus using hybrid matching and associated methods,” and depicts an embedded Touch ID sensor on a future MacBook, although it also leaves to the door open for the same technology to be featured on an iMac keyboard.

Learn to make iOS 9 apps by actually, you know, making them [Deals]

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By building 20 separate apps, this course will teach you development on iOS 9 from top to bottom.
By building 20 separate apps, this course will teach you development on iOS 9 from top to bottom.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

iOS 9 is still a wide open frontier for anybody looking to develop the next hit app. If you want in on the action, you’re going to have to learn to use iOS 9’s various powerful coding tools and languages, which is why this course is ideal. By building 20 separate apps, you’ll learn the ins and outs of developing for iPhone, all for just $19 at Cult of Mac Deals.

One of our favorite headphones goes Bluetooth

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Bowers & Wilkins' P5 Wireless headphones make us believe in Bluetooth.
Bowers & Wilkins' P5 Wireless headphones make us believe in Bluetooth.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Best List: Bower & Wilkins P5 Wireless Headphones

Damn, I love Bluetooth.

Crap, I hate Bluetooth.

Bluetooth is the Jekyll and Hyde of technology. One minute it is your best friend and confidante; the next it is the most evil of evils. Actually, it is the other way around. As you are trying to find the device, and pair the device, and make sure the device stays paired, Bluetooth is some super-annoying technology. Then, once your devices have made nice, the relationship is repaired.

Make putting your resume together a lot less painful with this app [Deals]

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Resumonk makes it fast and easy to create beautiful, clear resumes so you can got on with looking for your next gig.
Resumonk makes it fast and easy to create beautiful, clear resumes so you can got on with looking for your next gig.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Possibly the worst part of the dreary task of job hunting is writing a resume. They’re about as fun to read as they are to write, so your’s has to be clear and eye-catching, something Resumonk Resume Creator makes easy. It’s a great way to cut a big part of the pain out of looking for a job, and right now you can get a lifetime subscription for $24.99

Chesh, Twitter Moments, and other awesome apps of the week

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'Appy weekend all.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Somehow it’s already half-way through the weekend, but there’s still time to check out the hottest apps to have arrived in the App Store as of late!

This week, we’ve selected a broad range of topics — from emergency alerts everyone should have installed on their iOS devices, to a fun photo app, and some truly immersive puzzle games. Check out our picks below.

Step up your car charging game with these three clever devices [Deals]

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Griffin's iTrip AUX lets you charge and control your phone's audio, all through the Aux-in jack.
Griffin's iTrip AUX lets you charge and control your phone's audio, all through the Aux-in jack.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Cars play a key role in how we use our digital devices, like providing the perfect way for listening music, convenient ways to take hands free calls, and keeping our phones charged up. There’s still more that can be done though, and we’ve rounded up the car charging stations to prove it.

iPhone 6 had Bendgate, 6s gets Chipgate, this week on The CultCast

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6s battery life not great?  It could be your processor.
6s battery life not great? It could be your processor.
Photo: iFixit.com

This week: we celebrate CultCast 200! And just in time for the party—it’s the iPhone 6s scandal we all knew would someday come… #CHIPGATE. We’ll tell why the internet is nerd-raging over this newest iPhone scandal, and why it might just be diminishing your iPhone 6s’ battery life. Plus: the new Jobs movie is generating Oscar buzz. Seriously! And since he’s seen it—twice—Alex E Heath is here to give us his review. And stay tuned till the end for our favorite memories of CultCast’s past. It’s CultCast 200!

Our thanks to Harry’s for supporting this episode. Harry’s super-sharp, German-made razors ship free right to your door and for way less than the drugstore razors. And be sure to use code CultCast at checkout save $5 off your first order.

Cult of Mac Magazine: All you need to know about Chipgate

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Another year, another -gate.
Another year, another -gate.
Cover Design: Stephen Smith

Another week, another fantastic Cult of Mac Magazine ripe for your perusal! We’ve got a ton of stuff on the latest iPhone 6s controversy, unfortunately dubbed “Chipgate,” as well as a deep dive into OS X El Capitan with a tour and some great tips, a head-to-head comparison of Apple TV versus its next big rival, Roku 4, some fear and loathing over the upcoming Steve Jobs biopic, and a sexy (?) power strip and some other fantastic product reviews.

Check it all out in this week’s Cult of Mac Magazine, available for download at the incredibly low price of free!

Here’s the rundown for this week’s issue:

Future of fitness apps lies in understanding human movement

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Can the Workout app's
Can you log a weightlifting workout with the Workout app's "Other" option? Not really.
Photo: Graham Bower/Cult of Mac

Some Apple Watch users are apparently confused over what types of exercise the wearable’s Workout app can track. Many people are using it to log weightlifting or stretching sessions, even though Apple only claims the app is suitable for “dedicated cardio workouts.”

Fortunately, a new breed of fitness apps is emerging that uses the accelerometer access enabled by the recently released watchOS 2 to track strength and flexibility workouts more effectively.

Controversial Steve Jobs movie gets love from Apple PR vet

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Aaron Sorkin’s Steve Jobs movie is coming to Netflix
Aaron Sorkin’s Steve Jobs movie is coming to Netflix
Photo: François Duhamel/©2015 Universal Studios

The new Steve Jobs movie gets just about everything wrong, says the PR veteran who worked with the Apple CEO during the first Macintosh’s launch. From the situations to the dialogue, almost nothing’s accurate.

“How many things are not true in the movie?” laughed Silicon Valley PR vet Andrea “Andy” Cunningham during a phone interview with Cult of Mac. “Several hundred!”

But Cunningham said she loves the new Steve Jobs biopic anyway, because it captures the truth — a truthier truth.

iPad Pro looks awesome, but is Surface Pro 4 even better?

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Which one is your money on?
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Whether you like it or not, 2-in-1 tablets that turn into laptops are a thing. Microsoft’s Surface was one of the first to kick off this trend, and with the Surface Pro 4 that was announced this week, it is making the 2-in-1 an even more compelling device.

Friday-Night-Fights-bug-2For the same price as an iPad Pro with Apple Pencil, you can get a Surface Pro 4 with powerful notebook internals that runs desktop-class software when you need it. So, why wouldn’t you?

What makes the iPad Pro a better option? And did Apple miss a trick by not making the iPad Pro the ultimate 2-in-1 for iOS and OS X users?

Join us as we battle it out over these questions and more in this week’s Friday Night Fight between Cult of Android and Cult of Mac!

Bluetooth earbuds that look and feel 21st-century-ready [Deals]

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KOAR's Cloud Buds are a sleek, fully-featured Bluetooth headset, going for a price that's hard to beat.
KOAR's Cloud Buds are a sleek, fully-featured Bluetooth headset, going for a price that's hard to beat.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

We live in the future we all saw coming, one where the phrase ‘you have to use your hands?’ is said un-ironically. It’s the 21st century after all, why should we have to, you know, touch things to make them work? KOAR’s Bluetooth Cloud Buds are built for their time, a seamless hands-free way to listen to music and use your phone for just $24.99 at Cult of Mac Deals.

Ol’ fumble finger finds perfect protection for his iPhone 6 Plus

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The Otter Box Defender series brings peace of mind.
The Otter Box Defender series brings peace of mind.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Best List: Otter Box Defender Case for iPhone 6 Plus

It happened again yesterday: My beautiful, coveted iPhone 6 Plus found itself airborne, tumbling through time and space. I think it knew where it was headed — I certainly did. I could hear the horrifying noise even before it happened. The inevitable bone-chilling sound of my iOS 9 goodness coming in Force Touch contact with the tile.

I do this often enough to know my cat is running short on lives. This time I lucked out again, but I know the shatter is inevitable. So I’ve turned to the grandfather of iPhone protection: Otter Box and its almost-bombproof Defender series.

Happy iPhone day (again) as 6s goes on sale in 36 new countries

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Hussain Solih was the first person in the Maldives to get his hands on iPhone 6s. I love the drums in the background.
Hussain Solih was the first person in the Maldives to get his hands on an iPhone 6s.
Photo: DHORAAGU

The iPhone 6s and 6s went on sale in an additional 36 markets today, bringing the total number of countries where Apple’s latest handset is available to well over 40.

Check out the list of second-wave countries (and a few snaps of celebrating Apple fans) below.

Galaxy Note 5 review: The finest phablet money can buy

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This is the first Note that isn't all about specs. Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
This is the first Note that isn’t all about specs. Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Android

After kicking off the “phablet” trend in 2011, the Galaxy Note series has become the bigger and better smartphone in Samsung’s lineup every year — and usually the best phablet on the market. But with this year’s Note 5, a lot has changed.

Samsung has snubbed a number of popular features to take a gamble on the new design language it first introduced with the Galaxy S6 earlier this year. It makes the Note 5 far prettier than its predecessors, but does it make for a better handset overall?

You bet your S Pen it does!

Chipgate FAQ: Everything you need to know about iPhone 6s controversy

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battery
"Variable performance depending on who made your processor" was maybe not high on Apple's feature list.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

If you’re confused about the so-called ‘Chipgate’ controversy swirling around the Internet today, we’re here to help.

It just wouldn’t be an iPhone launch without something going awry, and the latest outcry concerns the relative performances of the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus’ A9 processors, especially their effects on the phones’ battery lives. And if that all sounds a bit technical and boring, it is. But it’s not too hard to understand.

‘Chipgate’ app returning to fuel iPhone owners’ fears

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Lirum app chipgate
It's back!
Photo: Lirum Labs

The app that Chipgate made famous is returning to the App Store after a brief hiatus.

Developer Lirum Labs has told Cult of Mac that its diagnostic tool, that can tell people which A9 processor their iPhone 6s contains, is back by popular demand.

Apple denies Chipgate means iPhone 6s battery woes

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iphone-6s-3d-touch
Chipgate won't drain your battery, says Apple.
Photo: Apple

The Chipgate controversy upsetting iPhone 6s owners over the past 48 hours is completely overblown, Apple said this afternoon, claiming battery life on iPhone 6s units varies only slightly.

iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus owners have discovered that devices with a TSMC A9 chip get considerably better battery performance than ones sporting an A9 made by Samsung, based on GeekBench 3 scores and some real-world testing. However, Apple says that “manufactured lab tests” that continuously run a heavy workload don’t represent the iPhone 6s’ true capabilities.

Here’s Apple’s full statement on Chipgate:

Every time you whitelist Cult of Mac, a kitten is born

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And you want more adorable kittens in the world, don't you?
And you want more adorable kittens in the world, don't you?
Photo: Ben Scherjon/Pixabay CC

Seriously, people, we have families to feed. Kittens to adopt. We need your ad impressions.

The new iOS content blockers, as well as traditional ad-blocking browser plugins, threaten the wallets of every ad-supported website, including Cult of Mac. Luckily, it’s easy to whitelist us (and any other sites you want to support). It’s incredibly easy to restore order to the online universe, whether you’re using an iPhone or a Mac.

How to activate AT&T Wi-Fi Calling on your iPhone

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iPhone 6S
Apple is investigating battery issues for the iPhone 6s.
Photo: Buster Hein/Cult of Mac

AT&T finally activated Wi-Fi calling on its network, allowing iPhone users to seamlessly switch to their local wireless network to place calls when their LTE signal is weak.

Apple added WiFi Calling in iOS 8, but you probably haven’t had a chance to use it yet because the only carrier in the U.S. to support it has been T-Mobile. Now that the nation’s second-largest carrier is getting on board, more iPhone users than ever can take advantage of the feature to place calls anywhere in the United States, free of charge.

Here’s how to turn it on: