How to Track, Disable, and Wipe a Lost iPhone, iPad, or Mac

Apple’s phone, tablet, and computer-tracking tools are the best in the business. You can remotely locate your device, disable it with a lock and message that persists through factory resets — the so-called “kill switch” — and wipe it.

These features aren’t enabled by default, so you’ll need to ensure the tracking features are enabled ahead of time if you’d ever like to remotely track, lock, or wipe your iPhone, iPad, or Mac.

Enable Find My iPhone, Find My iPad, or Find My Mac

The “Find My” features are part of Apple’s iCloud service. To enable this feature, open the Settings app, tap iCloud, and set the Find My iPhone or Find My iPad slider to On. You’ll need to enable this setting on each device you want to track.

If you haven’t set up iCloud on your device, you’ll be prompted to set up an iCloud account here.

On a Mac, open the System Preferences window (Apple menu > System Preferences), click the iCloud icon, and ensure the Find My Mac box is checked. You’ll be prompted to set up iCloud here if you haven’t already.

Ensure you set a strong password for your Apple ID. If you set a weak password, someone could log into your account on the iCloud website and remotely lock or wipe your device. This password is important! If you want to change your Apple ID password, you can change it on the My Apple ID website. You’ll have to enter the new password on all your devices afterward.

Track, Lock, and Erase Your Device

To track your device, you can either sign into the iCloud website or use the Find My iPhone appfor iPhone or iPad. In spite of its name, the Find My iPhone app and Find My iPhone feature in iCloud can track iPads and Macs as well as iPhones.

We’ll assume you’re using the website here, as you can use the website from any device — whether it’s a Mac, iPad, Windows PC, Chromebook, or Android tablet. Feel free to use the app if you want to do this on an iPhone or iPad.

Sign into either the app or the website with your Apple ID. On the iCloud website, click the Find My iPhone icon.

The website will display all your devices on a map by default. iCloud still uses Google Maps for this instead of Apple Maps on the web — after all, there’s no web-based version of Apple Maps.

Click the All Devices menu if you’d like to select a specific device. iPads and Macs may be more difficult to track then iPhones. If the iPad or Mac is powered off or doesn’t have an Internet connection, you won’t be able to track its location — however, you can still send wipe or lock commands and iCloud will execute them the next time the device connects. iPhones should be easier to track in real-time, as most iPhones will have a mobile data connection.

Click a device’s dot on the map and you’ll be able to issue it commands:

• Play Sound: The Play Sound button will play a two-minute sound on the device. This happens immediately — if the device is offline, the two-minute sound will start playing the next time it comes online. This is ideal if you’ve lost the device somewhere nearby — maybe you don’t know where you left it in your house or perhaps you dropped your iPhone somewhere.
• Lost Mode (iPhones and iPads): Enable Lost Mode as soon as possible when your device is lost or stolen. Lost Mode allows you to set a new passcode to prevent the thief from using your device. You can also enter a custom message that will be displayed on the device’s lock screen — you could provide details of where you can be reached if someone finds the device. The message will persist even through factory resets on iOS 7. “Activation lock” will also prevent people from activating the device without your original iCloud ID and password, so thieves won’t be able to resell or keep using your device. Lost Mode also enables a location tracking history, so you can sign into the iCloud website and track the device’s movements over time. If the device is currently offline, Lost Mode will be activated the next time it connects.
• Lock (Macs): Macs don’t have a “lost mode,” but you can remotely lock them. This doesn’t just set a user account password — when the Mac receives the lock command, it will shut down. When someone boots the Mac, it will enter the recovery screen, display a message you’ve entered, and force someone to provide a firmware passcode you remotely set. The Mac will be useless until the passcode is provided. People won’t even be able to boot Windows, Linux, or other operating system on it.
• Erase: You can also remotely erase the device, removing any sensitive personal or business data. On iOS 7, you can set a phone number and message that will be displayed on the screen after the device is erased so someone can contact you if they find it. The Erase feature should be used as a last resort — in most cases, Lost Mode and Lock should allow you to secure your data and continue remotely tracking your device.

Whatever you think of Apple, their device-tracking and remote-locking solutions are the best integrated services in the industry. Google’s Android Device Manager doesn’t allow you to flip a “kill switch” that survives a factory reset or view a history of a lost device’s movements. Microsoft and Google don’t provide any integrated way to track and remotely lock Windows PCs or Chromebooks. There are third-party tracking applications available for Windows, but they won’t be able to lock down a PC at the firmware level like Apple’s Mac solution can.

Alleged Apple iPhone 6 system chip, the Apple A8, leaks out in picture

The system chip that is expected to power the new Apple iPhone 6, a piece of silicon often referred to as the Apple A8, has leaked out in an image obtained by French publication NoWhereElse.

The Apple A8 is pictured alongside the dated Apple A5, and one can clearly see how much larger the new chip is in comparison. Interestingly, the A5 itself was one of the biggest Apple chips we've seen so far, and Apple actually shrunk the footprint of its chips in the A6 and A7. The A5 measures around 122.2 mm2, while the latest A7 features a smaller, 102 mm2 size (thanks, brrunopt!). Such an increase in size could mean that Apple could have gone from the dual-core chip they are using currently to a quad-core one. Keep in mind, though, that this is still an unconfirmed leak, so we would not take all this info as set in stone.

Apart from that, there is little one can tell by just looking at the picture. We do, however, know that Apple has started making its own custom processors with the iPhone 5 (that featured the Cyclone processor), improved on it in the iPhone 5s (with the Swift processor), and we can expect a further improvement in the processor inside this Apple A8. Starting with the iPhone 5s, Apple also took the lead by making the chip 64-bit compatible, ahead of other platforms.

How to enable Cortana on Windows Phone 8.1

As Apple and Google had formes the dualistic monopoly in the field of mobile voice-recognizing personal assistants for quite a long time with their Siri and Google Now, it was just a matter of time before the third largest player on the market – Microsoft – intervened. Along with the coveted Windows Phone 8.1 update, Redmond unleashed Cortana, its homemade voice assistant. 

Windows Phone 8.1 has been out for quite some time, and Cortana has materialized on most compatible devices. Even so, it was initially only available in the USA, but a certain workaround existed that allowed any WP 8.1 user to interact with the Halo-inspired smartphone concierge. As time went by, Redmond gradually expanded Cortana's availability to the UK and China as a beta, as well as in Canada, India, and Australia as an early alpha version. The overall IQ of the voice assistant might soon become even higher, as it is about to score some neat deep-learning and object recognition abilities. Just like a sci-fi movie, isn't it?

Okay, all good, but how does one turn Cortana on? If you have been using Windows Phone then you've probably needed less than a few moments to delve into the settings of your phone and spot the option that enables Microsoft's voice assistant. However, if you are a newly-fledged Windows Phone user then you'd probably need someone to show you the ropes around, as getting used to a new platform might turn out to be quite frustrating for some.

1. What's wrong?

Uh-oh. Although it's no longer exclusive to the US, Cortana is still reluctant to reveal her mojo outside the few supported regions. Okay then, let's bend to her will and make sure that the region settings of the Windows Phone device allow us to make full use of the assistant.

2. Wave "Goodbye!" to your default region

Head on to Settings, and search for Region in the System tab. Here, we'll get rid of the default setting and opt for a supported region.

3. Move to another region in a virtual fashion

Once you're here, change the region to United States. After you've done so, your beloved Windows Phone smartphone will require you to reboot it in order for the region change to take effect. Once the phone starts up anew, the region of choice should be the US.

4. Cortana, where art thou?

Well, it seems that everything's prepared for the arrival of the queen. There are few ways to enable Cortana, the easiest being by making use of Bing. Tap the search button and input Cortana, the first search result should take you directly to her own settings page. From here on, you should just flip the switch and unleash the voice assistant.

5. All hail Cortana!

Here it is, Redmond's voice assistant female warrior in her full glory. Now you can use it as Microsoft has intended or just fool around and ask her what she thinks about Apple's Siri. Either way, it will probably not disappoint you.

Source: Phonearena

Samsung Galaxy Note 4 to have the same fingerprint sensor that's found on the S5 and Galaxy Alpha

While it’s no secret that Samsung’s Galaxy Note 4 will be officially announced on September 3, there are still plenty of unanswered questions regarding the upcoming device. One of them, however, seems to have found its answer today: according to Sam Mobile, the Note 4 will have a fingerprint sensor that uses Synaptics’ Natural ID solution - thus being similar to the sensors found on the Galaxy S5 and Galaxy Alpha. Just like on these two handsets, the sensor of the Galaxy Note 4 should have a part included in the home button, and another one incorporated into the lower area of the display. 

In addition to coming with the fingerprint-related software features that you may already know from the Galaxy S5 (Screen Lock, Samsung Account Verification, PayPal Payments, and Private Mode with fingerprint authentication), the Note 4 will reportedly introduce several new features. Among them, Sam Mobile mentions Fingerprint Shortcuts, which seemingly lets you assign applications or commands to any registered fingerprint - so you’ll be able to open apps directly form the lock screen. Another new feature should be Web Sign-in, enabling users to sign-in to various websites just by swiping a finger over the home button. 

Fingerprint sensor aside, the Galaxy Note 4 should come with an impressive list of high-end specs. According to previous rumors, the handset will have a 5.7-inch display with 1440 x 2560 pixels, a Snapdragon 805 processor, 3 GB of RAM, and a rear camera with optical image stabilization. Like the Galaxy Alpha, the new Note may sport a metal frame which could give it a more premium look compared to the Galaxy Note 3 (pictured above).

Source:Phonearena

The iPhone 6 will have a new co-processor code-named “Phosphorus”, dedicated to motion and health data

It's another day, another iPhone leak here at Phone Arena, and this time the word is that the upcoming iPhone 6's A8 processor will have a new pal to share additional processing with. The iPhone 5s's M7 motion co-processor will be succeeded by a new chip code-named "Phosphorus".

Coming across as a more powerful successor to the M7, it will be tasked with processing health data such as heart rate, burned calories, cholesterol levels, and blood sugar for Apple's new HealthKit platform, on top of the usual motion processing. It is said that the Health app can obtain said data manually (with users entering it themselves), or automatically collect it from accessories and wearables. 

If Apple's willing to upgrade its components solely for better supporting its Health platform, then the company must be quite serious about it. This further reinforces the rumor that the fabled iWatch will be a very health-conscious device that's able to measure many kinds of bodily functions. Whether we'll see it this year, or sometime in 2015, is still widely debated. Meanwhile, the HealthKit platform and Health app will debut in iOS 8 along with the new iPhone.

Source: Phonearena

BlackBerry roadmap reveals important dates for upcoming Berry models

A leaked roadmap for BlackBerry, covers some of the company's most eagerly awaited handsets for the rest of this year. Near the end of the third quarter, say September, the Canadian manufacturer is expected to launch a device codenamed "Khan" which is the new BlackBerry Porsche Design P '9983. This will arrive with BlackBerry 10.3 on board. As usual with the Porsche Design series, this model is for those who can afford to spend $2000 on a new smartphone. And you are merely buying the Porsche Design name. You certainly aren't paying for high-end specs.

Also scheduled for a September launch is the Windermere, which we now know as the BlackBerry Passport. The flagship model features a boxy design, and a unique QWERTY keyboard that includes both physical keys, and contextually based virtual keys. This model will be powered by BlackBerry 10.3. And at the end of the year, most likely in November, we should see the BlackBerry Classic aka the BlackBerry 9720. This will feature a physical QWERTY with an old-school touchpad and function keys.

Each new model is being offered toward a certain niche of the market. For example, the BlackBerry Passport is listed under the Innovative niche by BlackBerry. According to the manufacturer, these handsets are for business executives. The BlackBerry Classic, aka BlackBerry 9720, is considered a Classic phone. These will be marketed as an upgrade for those used to a physical BlackBerry QWERTY. It also will be marketed as a model used by enterprise customers for a fleet renewal. The Porsche Design P'9983 is considered part of the Prestige series of 'Berry handsets. This group is for the rich and famous. Lastly, phones like the BlackBerry Z3 are in the Affordable niche. These are considered upgrades for featurephones and for enterprise fleet renewal.

As for the OTA software updates, BlackBerry 10.3 should be coming sometime in the third quarter, with BlackBerry 10.3.1 arriving in the fourth quarter. Yes, these are exciting times for BlackBerry. The company finally has a proven leader running the company, and things are definitely looking up.

Specs leak for the BlackBerry Passport: 3GB of RAM, huge battery and OIS

Next month, Apple, Samsung and BlackBerry will each introduce an eagerly awaited device. The Apple iPhone 6, Samsung Galaxy Note 4 and the BlackBerry Passport are the three models. For BlackBerry, having a phone that everyone is talking about is a bit unusual. We haven't seen such a buzz around a new 'Berry since the BlackBerry Storm, and we all know how that turned out.

But it is a whole new regime up in Waterloo, and CEO John Chen is a successful turnaround artist. The BlackBerry Passport is the first high-end model to be produced during Chen's reign, and includes a unique QWERTY keyboard that doubles as a trackpad. With three rows of physical keys (all letters, no punctuations or numbers), a row of virtual keys will appear based on the context of what you are writing. Authoring a text? You will see a virtual key for "@". Browsing the web? Virtual keys will include a colon (":") and a backslash ("/").

The BlackBerry Passport offers a 4.5 inch screen with a resolution of 1440 x 1440, resulting in a pixel density of 453ppi. To put that in perspective, that tops the 441ppi pixel density of the HTC One (M8). Gorilla Glass 3 protects the screen from scratches and the 1:1 aspect ratio means that the screen is box shaped. A quad-core 2.2GHz Snapdragon 800 is under the hood, with the Adreno 330 GPU crunching graphics. 3GB of RAM is on board and there is 32GB of native storage. The hot swappable microSD slot has a 32GB capacity. A 13MP rear-facing camera includes OIS, and there is a 2MP front-facing snapper. Keeping the lights on all day is the 3450mAh battery. A nano SIM card slot is included, and the dimensions are 128 x 90.3 x 9.3mm (9.6mm where the camera is).

Now go wipe the drool off your mouth. This is obviously the most delectable 'Berry since, well, ever. It might not be enough to get Android, iOS or even Windows Phone users to switch. But what the Passport will do, is introduce many more BlackBerry users to BlackBerry 10 and this just might keep the company's handset business alive.

Source: Phonearena

How to Locate Your Lost or Stolen Android Phone (and Wipe if Necessary)

Thanks to a new native Android tool, you can now easily locate your phone and (in a worst case scenario) perform a remote data wipe. Read on as we show you how to activate the feature on your phone.

Why Do I Want to Do This?

Whether you’re just prone to losing your phone in your house or you’re worried about data security if your phone is actually stolen, there’s no good reason to skip turning on the security features available through Android Device Manager. It’s free, it has next to no overhead, and you can access it to locate your device and/or remote wipe it from any computer you can log into your Google account from.

Even if you think you’ll never need it, it takes so little effort to turn it on that it would be outright foolish to not do so.

What Do I Need?

To follow along with this tutorial you’ll need the following things:

• 1 Android device running Android OS 2.2+
• 1 Google account

Note: While Android Device Manager has been available to Google business account users for some time, Google only started rolling it out to consumer/standard accounts in early August, 2013. If Android Device Manager isn’t on your Android phone yet, check back in a few days to see if you’ve received the update.

Turning On Android Device Manager

By default, the new Android Device Manager feature is turned off. In order to enable it, grab your Android phone and navigate to Settings -> Security ->Device Administrators. This menu will be available to everyone, even if the update hasn’t officially rolled out to their phone. If your phone has received the update, you’ll see the following entry within the Device Administrators menu:

Go ahead and check the checkbox next to Android Device Manager. You’ll be prompted with the following security screen:

Normally those kind of sweeping powers would be a red flag, but in the case of this particular app we’re specifically using it to allow us to remote wipe our phone and change security settings. Go ahead and click the Activate button.

Note: Users on earlier versions of the Android OS may be required to individually check “Remotely locate this device” and “Allow remote factory reset” before accepting the changes.

Once the Android Device Manager has been activated, you can return to the home screen and resume using your phone.

Managing Your Phone via the Device Manager Web Portal

Once you’ve set up the Android Device Manager on your phone, you can begin managing it from the Android Device Manager web portal, available at: https://www.google.com/android/devicemanager. The first time you access the service you’ll need to accept an agreement to allow Android Device Manager to use your location data.

After that, you can select your device from the drop-down menu in the corner and perform one of three tasks.

First, using GPS/Wi-Fi location data from the phone, you can locate the phone. This feature is dependent on recent GPS data, and if the GPS/location functionality has been turned off on the phone for a period of time (say, several days), it will simply report that the location is unavailable.

Second, you can ring the device to locate it if it is in earshot. Even if your phone has the ringer turned off or set to vibrate it will switch to the default ringtone at 100% volume. This is the most practical feature of Android Device Manager as not many people routinely deal with device theft, but many of us are guilty of misplacing our devices.

Finally, you can remotely wipe the device. This function initiates a factory wipe on the device. The portion of the warning “We may not be able to wipe the content of the SD card in your device” is a bit ambiguous. Internal storage designated as /sdcard will be wiped. Removable SD cards may be wiped depending on the hardware/OS version. The business version of Android Device Manager has a specific wipe-SD-card functionality, which if not already deployed in the consumer version of Android Device Manager will likely be deployed in the near future.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 Nook hands-on

Last year, we were eagerly waiting for a refreshed NOOK tablet of some kind, since we assumed that it would follow the path of having a yearly upgrade. After Amazon announced its new line of Kindle Fire tablets over the busy holiday season, we really thought it would only be natural for Barnes & Noble to follow suit – much like they’ve done in previous years. Well, the holiday season came and went, and to our surprise, there was no new NOOK tablet.

Luckily, things are a wee bit different this time around, as Barnes & Noble is partnering with Samsung for its latest NOOK tablet – the Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 Nook. Indeed, it’s just like the existing 7-inch sized Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 we’ve reviewed already, but it’s been enhanced on the software side to provide users with the best reading experience. So, does it actually live up to that claim?

Design

We surely remember the previous NOOK tablets: the original NOOK Tablet, then subsequently the NOOK HD and NOOK HD+. Looking at them, most people would have some time difficulty differentiating them because of their identical designs.

Now that they’re partnering with Samsung, the Galaxy Tab 4 Nook ditches the old Barnes & Noble design scheme and goes with Sammy’s distinctive one. In all fairness, though, there’s nothing too astounding here with the Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 Nook, which flaunts the same design used the 7-inch Galaxy Tab 4. Despite the predictable look, it’s still the same plastic constructed tablet that’s pretty manageable for reading – thanks in part to its compact size and lightweight feel.

Display

During the announcement of the tablet, Barnes & Noble’s CEO deemed the Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 Nook to offer the best reading experience. Certainly, that’s a tough sell from the onset because it employs a 7-inch 1280 x 800 LCD display, which is a far cry from the higher resolutions of other comparable tablets in its segment. Yes, we’ll attest that the resolution is good enough for reading books and magazines with minimal squinting on our part, but in order for it to “offer the best reading experience,” we would’ve preferred to see something more outstanding.

Regardless of that, we can’t complain about the display’s pleasant qualities. From a quick glance, it exudes a slightly more saturated tone for an LCD-based display, which isn’t a bad thing per se, especially when it allows the screen to come to life when viewing photos and videos. In addition, it features great clarity and wide-viewing angles, which in a way, helps it to offer readers a great viewing experience in different conditions.

Interface

Before its announcement, we presumed that this tablet would offer an experience that adheres to the Nook ecosystem. Indeed, it does exactly that, as it boasts some exclusive Nook experiences that are baked into the platform – like its Nook Shop, Nook Search, and Nook today apps. In fact, these items are exclusive to the Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 Nook, which you won’t find elsewhere.

Best of all, unlike previous Nook tablets, this one now has access to the Google Play Store – giving it the depth we sorely yearned with the other Nook tablets. And of course, Sammy’s TouchWiz experience provides users with all of the productivity and multimedia features to make this tablet far superior to everything Barnes & Noble put out to market previously.

Needless to say, if you’re already invested into the Nook ecosystem, you’ll easily adapt to this experience a whole lot more than someone who hasn’t. As a general Android tablet, though, we wouldn’t go far to say that it blows everything out of the water, but it has enough goodies to make it both a fun and play tablet that can be used by everyone in the family.

Processor and Memory

It’s not the shiniest piece of silicon in the landscape, but the tablet’s quad-core 1.2GHz Cortex A7-based chipset with 1.5GB of RAM is more than adequate to give the magazine experience its smooth looking page folding transition effects. Basic operations, of course, are easily handled by the hardware, but you might be pushing it with more intensive stuff – like running today’s latest 3D games, or heavy multi-tasking with its multi-window mode.

Armed with only 8GB of storage, that’s nowhere near enough to appease multimedia buffs. However, there’s a microSD card slot on one of its sides to help supplement its paltry internal capacity.

Camera

Considering that this is meant primarily for reading, we can’t be too critical about its 3.2-megapixel camera. Naturally, it’s there for the mere convenience of being able to shoot something in the event you don’t have anything else better on hand at the time something comes up. 

Expectations

From the onset, Barnes & Noble will be selling the Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 Nook for the promotional price of $179 – so who knows when that’ll end. Without question, this is the best Nook based tablet to date, easily beating the Nooks of past in terms of functionality and design. However, we still need to point out some of its main rivals, like the Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 7, which sports a higher resolution display at $229. Budget conscious individuals should keep an eye out on this new Nook tablet, but with so many inexpensive tablets out there to choose from, we can’t say that these exclusive Nook experiences are going to be enough to combat the competition.

Apple iPad Air 2 rumored to get bump to 2GB of RAM

A report out of the Republic of China on Wednesday, states that Apple is going to bump the amount of RAM on the 9.7 inch Apple iPad Air 2, to 2GB. The OG Apple iPad Air comes with 1GB of RAM inside. The 7.9 inch Apple iPad mini with Retina display comes with 1GB of RAM, and the sequel model is not expected to receive an increase.

Both the Apple iPad Air 2, and the sequel to the iPad mini with Retina display, are believed to be equipped with the Touch ID fingerprint sensor embedded in the home button. And both are expected to be powered by the next-gen A8 processor. 

While the Apple iPhone 6 is expected to be introduced during an Apple event scheduled for September 9th, there are a number of other new Apple devices that should be introduced in October at the earliest. That includes the 5.5 inch Apple iPhone phablet, the Apple iPad Air 2, and the Apple iPad mini with Retina display 2..

As far as Apple's iOS smartwatch is concerned, the latest speculation has 512MB of native memory on the wearable device, along with 8GB of NAND Flash. Most likely, the iWatch will not require users to sync it with an iPhone or iPad to work. As we told you earlier on Wednesday, the iWatch might not be released until sometime next year.

Source:Phonearena

Resolution of Apple iPhone 6 screens supposedly found in iOS 8 code

Thanks to hidden code supposedly left in iOS 8 files, the resolution for both the 4.7 inch and 5.5 inch Apple iPhone 6 screens is now revealed to be 828 x 1472. Certain iOS 8 files for the Xcode 6 SDK beta for the iPhone, show a 414 x736 resolution. But Xcode uses "point values" which requires the figure to be doubled to present the true resolution of the screens. In this case, that would be the aforementioned 828 x 1472. 

The Apple iPhone 5s features a resolution of 640 x 1136, while earlier rumors had the iPhone 6 weighing in at 960 x 1704. If Apple is planning on using the same resolution for both the 4.7 inch and 5.5 inch variants of the iPhone 6, this would mean a smaller pixel per inch (ppi) pixel density reading on the phablet version of the device. Let's take a look.

At 4 inches, the Apple iPhone 5s has a pixel density of 326ppi. A 4.7 inch Apple iPhone 6, with a resolution of 828 x 1472, would combine to produce a pixel density of 359ppi. The same resolution on a 5.5 inch iPhone phablet would work out to a 307ppi pixel density. Both new screens would surpass the 300ppi benchmark that Apple uses to give a display the title of a "Retina display." The two figures are well below the 538ppi pixel density on the LG G3, the first phone in the states to offer a 1440 x 2560 QHD resolution screen. Most 5 inch Android phones with a 1080 x 1920 resolution, like the HTC One (M8), sport a 441 ppi pixel density.

The answers to all of your questions about the Apple iPhone 6 should be answered on September 9th, when Apple is holding an event during which it is expected to unveil the next iteration of its iconic smartphone.

This iOS 8 file found in the Xcode 6 SDK beta for the iPhone, supposedly reveals the resolution for the 4.7 inch and 5.5 inch iPhone 6 screens

Source:Phonearena

The iPhone 6 will most likely have more than 1GB of RAM, and probably get NFC for contact payment

Yesterday, we published leaked schematics which suggested that the iPhone 6 could appear with the same amount of RAM memory as the iPhone 5S - just 1GB of RAM. With the kind of optimisation Apple is capable of, having only so much memory doesn't sound horrific, but that kind of number isn't very marketable as Android phones with as much as 4GB of RAM are in the pipeline.

Well, it turns out the iPhone 6 most likely isn't coming with 1GB of RAM. A SoC engineer by the name of Todd DeRego has given an educated look at the schematics and explained that it's actually a layout for a NAND flash component - that is, a chip for storing vital information, such as a device's firmware. This means that the schematics don't detail the main memory of the iPhone, but a separate component altogether.

In the case of the iPhone, since iOS 4.0 this 1GB NAND chip has been used for storing the device's bootloader, with the rest of the available space occupied by the "user partition", which contains app and system data, cache, logs, and stuff you generally don't care about in your daily usage. It seems the iPhone 6 will make do with the same amount of NAND storage, which is perfectly fine.

Mr. DeRego spotted another interesting tidbit in the schematics - a NFC chip by NXP Corp, a company that supplies many smartphone manufacturers with them, and also manufactures the iPhone's M7 motion coprocessor. The addition of NFC has been rumored for a while, as reports of Apple's interest in contact payments have surfaced in technological and business publications.

As usual, take these findings with a grain of salt. While the evidence looks convincing, this is the Internet, and its potential for falsifying leaks is limitless.

Source: Phonearena

The iPhone 6 "Prime" with sapphire display may not come out until summer 2015

There is a trend these days for a so-called "Prime" version of a flagship to come out between the release of the original and the release of the next model. The Samsung Galaxy Alpha is essentially an S5 Prime (and was known as such for a while), there is also an HTC One M8 Prime, and rumors of an LG G3 Prime. Now, it seems Apple might be jumping on that train with the iPhone 6 Prime in the summer of 2015.

There have been plenty of rumors claiming the iPhone 6 would feature sapphire glass, and even a report recently that sapphire glass production has begun. In that report, The Guardian claimed the glass would be for the iPhone 6, but that makes little sense. iPhone 6 production began last month, and the release is expected to be about one month away. If sapphire glass production is "expected to begin" this month, there is no way that it would be included in the upcoming iPhone 6. Apparently, someone at J.P. Morgan realized this, and is now predicting that Apple is actually planning a "premium" version of the iPhone 6 for the summer of 2015, with no sapphire iPhones coming this fall.

Unfortunately, there is no word on what would make the device "premium" aside from the sapphire glass. It might be something of a limited edition iPhone, or it could also include refreshed specs. Maybe even a bump from the rumored 1GB of RAM expected in the iPhone 6.

Source: Phonearena

The Apple iPhone 6 rumored to come with 1GB of RAM aboard

As September nears, it is more than natural that one of the hottest topics in the mobile industry right now, the upcoming Apple iPhone 6, or whatever it ends up being called at the end, is the subject to even more rumors and speculations, most of which will turn out to be false. Of course, it's impossible to know which ones actually hold water beforehand, at least until Tim Cook gets on stage and unveils Cupertino's next champion. Well, one of the latest rumors regarding the hugely-anticipated iPhone flagship claims that it will feature the same amount of RAM as its predecessors over the past few years - 1GB. 

Initially spotted by GeekBar and afterwards re-shared by Weibo, a Chinese micro-blogging site, the rumor allegedly shoes leaked papers that reveal the hardware schematics of the iPhone 6. The title of one of the papers clearly says “POP-FIJI-1GB-DDR-BO-BGA”, which allegedly means that Cupertino's next forerunner won't stray away from its predecessor, the iPhone 5s, in the memory department. It's worth mentioning that GeekBar has previously leaked quite a number of schematics that have revealed specific details about the hardware of Apple's devices. Despite this, take your biggest bucket of salt with you, as you'd need to take handful of the substance along with this rumor.

We can't say if the iPhone 6 will indeed come with this exact amount of RAM on board. Its Android rivals have amped up their game in this exact department long ago – 2GB of RAM seems to be the standard in the industry at the moment, while the higher-end devices are even graced with 3GB of RAM. Probably it won't take long before we witness the mass-market adoption of smartphones with 4GB of RAM abroad. The reason behind Apple's modest actions in the RAM compartment is the optimization of their mobile OS, iOS, which usually perform on par with devices that have way more random access memory.

The iPhone 6 with 1GB of RAM, yay or nay? Share your opinion in the comments section below!

Source: Phonearena

This is how Apple is keeping larger iPhone displays in a small package

Spoiler alert: Apple's method for keeping the overall phone size small while increasing the iPhone display size is exactly the same as every other smartphone manufacturer on the planet. That's pretty crazy, right? If you want to keep the phone size small and make the display bigger, there is really only one option: shrink the bezels.

Apple has always held the position that smartphones need to be usable with one hand. It's why the iPhone stayed smaller while the majority of competing devices kept getting bigger and bigger. So, Apple obviously needs to do something to make sure the 4.7-inch display on the iPhone 6 doesn't make the overall package too big to use one-handed. New leaked images of the front face of the iPhone 6 from Sonny Dickson and uSwitch show how Apple is doing that. Obviously the side bezels have been made thinner, but Apple is also reclaiming some space by shrinking the bottom bezel that surrounds the home button. 

The trouble is obviously that Apple's iconic design is making it difficult to really reclaim all that much space. For example, Apple could never make a 4.7-inch iPhone as small overall as the Moto X, because a device like that wouldn't have anywhere to put the home button. So, this leaves a big question: what is Apple's plan for the reported 5.5-inch iPhone? It will obviously be another instance of Apple saying something is a terrible idea, until they do it, but the only way to use a device that large with one hand is if you happen to have extremely large hands. Making an extremely thin device will only help so much.

Source:Phonearena

Apple iPhone 6 motherboard is pictured?

With the unveiling of the next iteration of Apple's iconic smartphone less than a month away, a photograph has been snapped allegedly showing the phone's motherboard. Similar to last year when a leaked motherboard for the Apple iPhone 5s failed to show the A7 processor, the new photo fails to show the expected A8 processor on the board.

Despite the missing part, Apple is obviously close enough to mass production that it has scheduled an event for September 9th. At that time, Apple is expected to officially introduce the 4.7 inch device, and release launch dates, pricing and specs.

The motherboard is usually one of the last pictures we see of an upcoming iPhone, before the phone is unwrapped. Earlier this week, we passed along information that the handset is undergoing Product Validation Testing. Mass production usually follows.

Photo allegedly shows the motherboard for the Apple iPhone 6

Source: Phonearena

BlackBerry Passport gets exhibited in another sneak peek video, check it out here

Although the BlackBerry Passport is said to be due out this September, the extravagant squareish-shaped, business-oriented device has already been revealed to the public. Even John Chen, the current CEO of the troubled company, took his time and showcased the Passport a month or so ago. We would speculate that it's not in BlackBerry's interest to keep the uncanny smartphone under a thick veil of mystery, as keeping the public enthralled by the Passport will only aid the Canada-based corporation. Additionally, the pre-registration for the smartphone is already live.

That being said, we got treated to yet another sneak peek video that proudly demonstrates the Passport. The video has been shot by Carphone Warehouse, one of the larger online retailers in the UK, but got quickly removed afterwards. But, as we all know, hardly anything that landed on the Internet is lost forever - fortunately for all of us, the latest Passport video is kicking and ticking on YouTube at the moment.

Carphone Warehouse puts a lot of emphasis on the innovative QWERTY keyboard, which does not only allow you to input text in a convenient fashion, but also doubles as a touchpad. BlackBerry's home-brewed digital voice assistant also receives credit in the brief sneak peek video. It appears that this Siri-like feature can be accessed via a dedicated button on the side - we guess there's no always-listening mode on the business-oriented device.

The stainless steel edges of the Passport are also highlighted in the video, and we suppose that they endow the Passport with a exterior design that will be premium enough for every Tom, Dick, and Harry. Check out the video below and feel free to share any thoughts you might have in the comment section.

Source:Phonearena

Deal like no other – get 30% off all BlackBerry 10 smartphones and accessories

Wanna' buy a BlackBerry? At -30% off, why wouldn't you? Here's your chance to get a good price on all BlackBerry 10 smartphones and their accessories, in all the different colors. No, the deal doesn't apply to the veteran Bold 9900 or the gorgeous P9982 Porsche Design, but BB10 are more up to speed in terms of hardware and apps. 

Customers from the USA can now get the BlackBerry Z10 to $209.30, the Q10 for $279.30, the Q5 for $244.30, and the Z30 to $349.30. Clients from the UK, France, and Germany are treated to a 30% discount as well.

The promotion will last until August 31, which is plenty of time to think things through. The discounted 'berries are available in the link below. Meanwhile, we're awaiting the impending launch of the odd and innovative BlackBerry Passport with enthusiasm.

Source: Phonearena

China says “No!” to Apple products in government agencies

From this day onward, Apple will have a pretty hard time penetrating Chinese government structures and agencies, as the most populous country in the world has prohibited the purchase and use of all of Cupertino's products. The ban has been made official by the National Development and Reform Commission of China and the reasons behind it are the country's fears and doubts that Western hardware might be used for government spying and the uncovering of state secrets thanks to their location-tracking abilities.

All of Apple's devices, including all renditions of the iPhone and the iPad, are now unapproved by government employees. Interestingly enough, said Apple products reportedly made it to the draft of the approved devices list back in June, but its final version is devoid of them. 

This is not the first time China has turned its back to US-made technology, as Edward Snowden's disclosure's about NSA's spying habits has multiplied China's fears and that the USA might be trying to get hold of their statewide secrets. Several months ago, it was confirmed that the NSA has spied on Huawei, one of the largest local smartphone manufacturers, which greatly unsettled China's government agencies.

Neither the local branch of Apple, nor the Chinese National Development and Reform Commission have commented on the matter yet, but Cupertino claimed multiple times that it has never allowed any government institution to retrieve information from its servers and never will.

Source:Phonearena

Apple iPhone 6 battery might have a higher capacity than originally thought

Here is some good news for those planning on picking up the 4.7 inch Apple iPhone 6. Sung Chang Xu, chief news analyst for ESM-China, revealed that the battery on the iPhone 6 might be a 2100mAh cell as opposed to the1810mAh juicer originally thought to be on board. The news analyst did confirm that there was an 1810mAh capacity cell used on the phone, but that was placed inside the device for testing.

Because Apple is said to have made the new iPhone thinner, the tech titan had problems finding a source for batteries that could power the smartphone, and still be thin enough to fit inside. The iPhone 6 is expected to be just 6mm thin. Putting that in perspective, the Apple iPhone 5s is 7.6mm thin.

Apple has always been able to optimize the battery used on the iPhone, so a direct comparison to Android and Windows Phone cells is not particularly telling. We should know the capacity of the iPhone 6's battery on September 9th. Apple has scheduled a special event for that day, during which it is expected to introduce the next iteration of its iconic smartphone.

Source:Phonearena

Here are some interesting rumored details about the Apple iPhone 6

According to a source, who has knowledge of Apple's plans, the September 9th event being held by Apple will take the wrappings off both the 4.7 inch Apple iPhone 6 and the 5.5 inch Apple iPhone phablet. The former will launch in the middle of next month with the latter being released up to a month later, according to this source. The same tipster is passing along the news that the screen on the Apple iPhone 6 is not as hard as sapphire glass, but is harder than Corning's Gorilla Glass.

According to this source, the A7 processor now employed on the Apple iPhone 5s, which is a dual-core 1.3GHz chip, will be replaced by the A8 on the iPhone 6. The latter will run at a clock speed of 2.0GHz for each core. The modem used by the phone will be the Qualcomm MDM9x35, which supports the super zippy LTE Cat. 6, with peak speeds of 300Mbps.

Touch ID will be improved to read fingerprints faster and more accurately. The number of false rejections should decrease, and the feature will work better so that you can make secure mobile payments. Speaking of mobile payments, the Apple iPhone 6 will bring NFC support to the phone at last, says the tipster. That will allow the phone to become used in mobile payments without using a special case.

The source also notes that Apple has been working on its own chip for the faster Wi-Fi 802.11ac standard, but has to rely on ones made by Broadcom for the iPhone 6. Apple's home-cooking apparently isn't quite ready in this area. Lastly, the source says that Apple has been working on a way for the iPhone 6 to "shake hands" with Beats headsets so that the phone can authenticate the use of the accessory. It is unclear what the verification would lead to.

Keep in mind that there is always the possibility that changes will be made before the first units ship. In addition, it is best to be cynical about what features will be on the phone until Apple makes them official.

Source: Phonearena