Leander Kahney's Blog, page 35

Galaxy S7’s camera is so good, it makes DSLRs look bad

We’ve already watched the Galaxy S7 batter the iPhone 6s in a series of camera tests, but how well does it stack up against a professional DSLR? When it comes to phase detection autofocus, surprisingly well, actually. See Samsung’s new smartphone make the Nikon D70 look bad in the mind-blowing autofocus test below. Isn’t that incredible? […]

(via Cult of Mac - Tech and culture through an Apple lens)

Virtually indestructible backup battery gets you off the grid for longer [Reviews]

Lust List: GoBatt 12000 Rugged Portable Backup Battery by Scoche Once a year, I head into the backwoods outside of Anchorage and spend a week or so at a public-use cabin by a lake to unplug and clear my head of the necessary evils of urban living. There’s no running water, no electricity, no internet. […]

(via Cult of Mac - Tech and culture through an Apple lens)

Thimbleweed Park will recapture the glory days of adventure gaming

Ready to get your adventure game on? Thimbleweed Park, coming later this year, could be your ticket to doing just that. Back in 1987, Ron Gilbert and Gary Winnick created Maniac Mansion, the classic LucasArts adventure tale. Now they’re back with Thimbleweed Park, a charming indie adventure game that hopefully brings the genre into the […]

(via Cult of Mac - Tech and culture through an Apple lens)

Developers, get started coding for tvOS [Deals]

With millions of people using tvOS, it’s earned its bona fides as a major platform. Whether you’re an experienced developer looking for new territory or you’re just interested in learning, this bundle of courses clocking in at 35 hours is a great primer for coding in tvOS. It covers everything from the basics to creating […]

(via Cult of Mac - Tech and culture through an Apple lens)

Here are the secret code names Apple gives iOS internally

Do you know your “Brighton” from your “Copper?” How about debating the merits of “Eagle” over “Castlerock?” Every geek worth their salt loves a good code name, and just because Apple (unlike Android), never publicly refers to its mobile OS versions by names rather than numbers doesn’t mean it doesn’t have them. You can check […]

(via Cult of Mac - Tech and culture through an Apple lens)

Florida Congressman floats stupid, anti-Apple bill

Government officials have been in some kind of race to see which of them can be the most indignant and/or outraged at Apple’s refusal to create security-bypassing software for its own devices. And we’re pretty sure Representative David Jolly has just won. Jolly, who represents Florida’s 13th District, submitted a bill Wednesday that would make […]

(via Cult of Mac - Tech and culture through an Apple lens)

Look who’s in Apple’s corner in FBI privacy fight

Companies and organizations have filed over a dozen amicus briefs supporting Apple in its showdown with the FBI over phone encryption. Filers include law professors, rights organizations, and some of the biggest companies in the world. This outpouring of support is just the latest in a series of apparent victories for Apple in its fight […]

(via Cult of Mac - Tech and culture through an Apple lens)

Apple passes on bid for NFL streaming rights

As it turns out, Apple is not ready for some football. The iPhone-maker was expected to be among a number of tech giants bidding for the streaming rights to 18 regular season football games this year, but it appears the company has decided to pass on the option to bid, figuring it wouldn’t be a […]

(via Cult of Mac - Tech and culture through an Apple lens)

Superhero fighting game adds Dawn of Justice characters

If you’re in the (presumably small) subset of people who are both looking forward to the upcoming Batman vs. Superman film and still playing the Injustice: Gods Among Us iOS game, you’ll be excited to know that a new update has tossed the two properties together like some kind of super salad. The film’s release […]

(via Cult of Mac - Tech and culture through an Apple lens)

Amazon extends Alexa’s reach with two killer new devices

The Amazon Echo has quickly become one of our favorite gadgets thanks to its accompanying digital assistant Alexa that makes it easy to do everything from ordering new laundry detergent to checking the news. Today the service is getting even better with two new gadgets that essentially split the Echo into two parts: Tap and […]

(via Cult of Mac - Tech and culture through an Apple lens)