Rob LeFebvre - page 5

If the rumor mill is correct, Apple’s releasing a new 4-inch iPhone, possibly dubbed the iPhone SE, at its upcoming keynote in March. What the heck will it look like, what are the specs, and how much will it cost?

We’ve got a look at all the possibilities in this week’s Cult of Mac Magazine, plus a look at why your iPhone battery will never last more than a day, Apple’s cryptic “loop you in” invite, a way to lock down your iPhone, and a ton of killer tips and product reviews to keep you informed.

All that, plus a bunch more, in this week’s issue. Here are the top stories for the week:

In a post that surprises no one in the tech community, Adobe needed to fix another Flash security flaw today, rushing out a patch for its web multimedia software.

Adobe is rating the update as a critical vulnerability “that could potentially allow an attacker to take control of the affected system.”

Which, of course, sounds like kind of a big deal. Time for yet another security patch for Flash.

It was a good day when Netflix added My List to the list of awesome features it has to allow us to watch anything we want on our TV, computer, or game console. It lets us all keep track of what we want to watch while helping corral the overwhelming amount of distracting movies and TV shows on offer.

However, Netflix still wants to manage what you watch; My List is ordered by some magic Netflix algorithm that makes sure it puts movies it wants you to see up front.

Switch your Netflix My List queue to Manual sorting, then move some stuff around, and you’ll supercharge your Netflix watch list in no time.

Here’s how.

Whether you’re into a quick search for needed information or a deep dive down the rabbit hole of a massive topic of your own choosing, chances are you’ll spend a bit of time on Wikipedia.

Wikipedia’s new iOS app update today will help you with both use cases, letting you drill down to a single bit of knowledge as well as leaning back and enjoying your exploration of the online portal’s over 36 million articles.

If you live in the United States and use Netflix, you might be disappointed to find out that some shows, like Kajaki: The True Story, are unavailable due to region restrictions.

These are based on licensing agreements that Netflix has with content providers. Many shows and movies are region-locked, which means that you can’t watch a show in the U.S. if it’s only available in the U.K., and vice versa.

There is a way around it, however. Here’s how to beat Netflix region restrictions to watch whatever you want, whenever you want, from wherever you want.

Renderings of a supposed Spigen case for the iPhone SE indicate that the upcoming model will take most, if not all, of its design cues from Apple’s older iPhone 5s.

The iPhone SE reportedly has the same general shape as the iPhone 5s, with round volume buttons, a power button at the top and an ovoid or pill-shaped cutout for the flash, all of which sound nothing like an iPhone 6.

Live Videos might be a boon to content creators who want to capture the attention of more of Facebook’s teeming throngs of users, but getting a ton of notifications from all the sources you’ve previously liked can be a serious pain in the pants.

Luckily, Facebook plans to release a new update that will let you turn off Notifications for Live Videos altogether, which should please most of the people complaining about it on Twitter.

When you’re binge-watching a show like Walking Dead or Person of Interest on Netflix, you may at times need to get up for a snack or bathroom break (or both).

Fumbling around for the mouse to bring up the playback overlay is fine, but using the keyboard to pause your streaming media is much faster. Here are five hidden keyboard shortcuts that will put you in charge of your Netflix experience.

When it comes to Apple Watch concepts, they tend to be conservatively similar to the current Apple iteration of its wrist computer.

Adrian Berr has come up with a new concept for an Apple Watch that actually takes the concept further: it looks like an Apple Watch, just evolved.

Instead of trying to replicate all the function of an iPhone, this concept is more like a wrist-mounted remote control for your life.

Spend some time around any teenager and you’ll probably hear some new slang that you don’t understand. If you do get it, and you’re not a teenager or young adult yourself, chances are it’s already gone the way of the dodo in the minds and twisted hearts of said youngsters.

Facebook is hoping to combat this with a new software patent that would detect and gather new lingo as it appears on the social network, making it available to everyone.

As if we needed one more reason to feel old.

Best List: Eve Weather by Elgato

Sure, I can check the weather using any number of built-in or third-party apps on my iPhone, but what if I want to know what the humidity is in my own backyard?

Weather nerds rejoice — we now have a way to access and track the weather from anywhere this simple, easy to use white box and associated app is placed. The Eve Weather outdoor weather sensor melds right in with Elgato’s other HomeKit-compatible products, too, letting me check the details of my local microclimate with ease.

I can also ask Siri what the temperature is in the backyard, which is all kinds of cool.

It’s happened to all of us: We get to the thrilling conclusion of the latest Daredevil or Jessica Jones episode, and suddenly Netflix’s “buffering” logo appears, bringing our TV binge to an abrupt and unwelcome end.

Luckily, you can use Netflix’s hidden streaming menu to set your streaming speed to a lower tier, which should bypass the buffering foolishness. Here’s how to find it.

The development team at DoBox wants to make your iPad even more useful. This wireless box will let you connect a mouse, a wired keyboard, or even a printer to your iOS device (or Mac) and let you turn your iPad into even more of a productivity workhorse.

Check out the video below.

With Bendgate not that far behind us, is it really wise for Apple to contemplate an even thinner iPhone?

Sure, it’s an easy selling point for new iPhones, but thinner can also mean more bendable. Take a look at this age-old Apple theme in this week’s Cult of Mac Magazine, along with 10 fantastically useful mobile Safari tips, a way to find out if you’ve been infected by sneaky adware, five amazingly great new iOS games, and some awesome product reviews to help inform your purchasing plans.

All this, and much much more, in Cult of Mac Magazine, free for your perusal right now.

Here are the top stories of the week:

Swipe left for no, swipe right for yes. That’s how Tinder used to work.

Now you’ll be able to send Tinder profiles along to your friends, playing matchmaker along the way, with a little tap on a Share icon, which is rolling out to users as we speak.

When you find that cute person you think would be perfect for your BFF, you can now send his or her Tinder profile along. You’ll get dibs at the front table for the wedding, of course.

Best 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. It’s delightful, but it takes some planning to keep my iPhone charged up in case of emergency.

I can’t wait to take this rugged, high-capacity, waterproof backup battery with me this year, as it’s the perfect companion for a modern outdoor adventure.

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 modern world, leaving behind the random puzzles and dead ends of days past.

Check out the new trailer below to see what’s headed our way.

Sometimes, work is boring. You might need a distraction from whatever routine task you’re doing on your Mac, like entering data into a spreadsheet or replying to email. Netflix is a great idea, but you have to portion your screen or move windows around in order to both watch a show on Netflix as well as get your work done.

Not anymore, though, as NEnhancer lets you use the magical power of Chrome to get a Netflix movie or TV show in a small window that will float on top of any other apps you’re running, making sure your Netflix video running in the foreground on your Mac.

Just be sure to actually get your work finished, too.

In addition to various viruses that can harm your Mac, there’s a different kind of annoyance you might have stumbled upon: adware.

This might manifest itself as a web page that tells you you’ve been infected, with an accompanying phone number to call or malicious website to visit, or it might even show up as an ostensibly helpful Mac app you don’t remember installing.

If you’re experiencing the pain of malicious adware, we’re here to help. Here’s how to eliminate the adware that’s plaguing your Mac.

With Apple’s new two-step authentication procedures in place, resetting your password is a little trickier than it used to be. That’s a good thing, because if it’s tough for you, it’s even tougher for scammers to get into your iPhone, even if it’s stolen.

Here’s how to reset your Apple ID password with Apple’s current security system.

Instagram’s location data can be a privacy nightmare but it also allows you to check out what other folks are taking photos of nearby.

If you’re on vacation and want to see some stunning photography in the same place as you, it’s just a click away.

Here’s how to find Instagram photos of nearby beautiful locations, to inspire you on your own journey.

Is your Mac infected by newly discovered malware that was ostensibly created by Milan-based HackingTeam in order to gain remote access to your machine?

The new virus uses some old HackingTeam code and some new tricks to hide its tracks, but it’s mostly harmless, according to researchers.

That doesn’t mean it’s not a good idea to get it off your system. Here’s how.

Getting photos from your friends can be a hassle, but Facebook’s Moments app lets you do just that with a private area where everyone can send their photos from events. Think of it as a private photo album that all of your friends are invited to.

Videos are next, as Facebook’s Moments just got updated in the App store, adding a way to add your videos to existing moments, or creating new ones just for video.

Apple’s been getting a lot of flack for its refusal to create a “GovtOS” from the FBI and Department of Justice. Tim Cook and company have also garnered plenty of support for their forceful stance from other tech companies as well as the rank and file Apple consumer.

Check out this week’s Cult of Mac Magazine to figure out why Apple refuses to create GovtOS, how to get its latest and greatest software, find the best iPhone and iPad password managers around, check out a virtual tour of Tim Cook’s office, and see how the beloved iPod shuffle has been reborn for the age of Spotify.

Here are the week’s top stories.

Anyone can tap your profile in Instagram and see where you were when you took your snapshots. Creeped out, yet?

Every time you take a picture for Instagram, the photo-sharing app keeps track of where you are by default. Here’s how to remove the location data automatically added to your snaps and keep stalkers from tracking you on Instagram.