The CultCast
This week: tips, tricks, and techniques to take beautiful iPhone photos and build a following on Instagram. Plus: the crazy exploding Samsung Galaxy Note saga ends in a strange twist; rumors point to Macs with radically new e-ink keyboards;  and an honest look at Siri vs. the AI competition.
 
This episode supported by
 
CultCloth will keep your iPhone 7, Apple Watch, Mac and iPad sparkling clean, and for a limited time you can get 20% off your order with code JETBLACK at CultCloth.co.
 
And check out Cult of Mac’s new, free fitness eBook! This ebook is your practical how-to guide, covering step by step everything you need to know about getting fit with Apple’s devices.
 
We also want to give Kevin MacLeod at incompetech.com a  thanks for the great music you hear on today's show.
 
On the show this week
 
Intro - Freedom of choice!
 
Earin wireless earbuds
 
Apple may be working on keyboard with e-ink display keys
Buster
  • A Redditor namede Foxconninsider recently posted about a new Smart Keyboard claimed to be a working e-ink keyboard prototype potentially coming to both iMac and MacBook devices sometime in 2018.  
  • The Guardian is now corroborating the keyboard with a claim that Apple CEO, Tim Cook has met with Sonder founder Serra-Martins in while in China.
 
Samsung mercifully puts Galaxy Note 7 out of its misery
  • Samsung has permanently stopped production of its once-acclaimed new smartphone flagship. Owners will be able to return their phones for a refund or to swap it out for another Samsung device.
  • The handset was allegedly rushed to market due to Samsung’s confidence that the iPhone 7 would turn out to be a box office dud.
 
LOL: Galaxy Note 7 return kit includes fire-proof box and gloves
  • If you bought your Note online from Samsung,returning it could be tricky. In the United Kingdom, the Post Office won’t even accept packages that contain the device.
  • Fortunately, Samsung has a solution. Its special Note 7 return kit was designed with explosions in mind, and it includes thermally-insulated packaging with a ceramic fiber paper lining, and gloves that ensure you won’t suffer burns while handling the device.
 
Mossberg: Why does Siri seem so dumb?
  • When was the last time Siri delighted you with a satisfying and surprising answer or action?
  • Siri started as an iOS app in 2009, then was purchased by Apple and introduced again in the iPhone 4S
  • It seems to me that Apple has wasted its lead with Siri. And now Google, Amazon, Microsoft, Facebook and others are on the march
  • If you try and treat Siri like a truly intelligent assistant, aware of the wider world, it often fails
  • (Weather on Crete, Presidential Nominees) Google Now, on the same Apple devices, using the same voice input, answered every one of these questions clearly and correctly
  • Siri is too limited and unreliable to be an effective weapon for Apple in the coming AI wars. It seems stagnant
Direct download: CultCast_253_-_Eatercising.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:32am PST

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