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Apple appears to have done it again with the debut of the iPhones 6 and 6 Plus. With much fanfare Apple kept the "wow factor" going with the seventh generation of the iPhones that will be available with a 4.7-inch display for the iPhone 6 and 5.5 inches for the Plus model. Apple is calling the new iPhones the "biggest advance in the iPhone design since the original iPhone," which was introduced in in 2007. The specifications for the iPhone 6 has been leaked to the hilt over the past several months and there wasn't much left for Apple to announce. But it's just good to get a look at the new, larger iPhone with rounded corners and many new features like an A8 processor with 64-bit architecture, M8 Motion Processor and a new health app. The A8 chip is smaller then previous processors, but also faster with better graphics. The camera for the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus is now 8MB and seems to protrude a little from the backside. It also has Autofocus with Focus Pixels...

With all the mess about cyber security of late, a smartphone that’s built from the ground up with privacy and security in mind sounds like a good idea. That’s what Silent Circle , a secure-messaging company based in Washington, D.C., and Geeksphone , an emerging Spanish company, have in mind with the Blackphone. The Silent Circle team has been working since 2011 to create the world’s first private encrypted communications network. The Geeksphone crew takes an open standards, open source approach with their handsets and have been doing work with a FireFox OS during the heavy lifting. The Blackphone will be an Android device powered by a security-focused operating system called PrivatOS. It’ll be more than what’s inside your typical Android device, although the features should be the similar. The firmware in the OS for the Blackphone will encrypt communication services and browse the Web securely through a private VPN service. According to Silent Circle, you’ll be able to send peer-to-p...

The highly-anticipated Samsung Galaxy S4 is inching closer into the hands of Android fans, as C Spire Wireless becomes one of the U.S. carriers accepting pre-orders for Samsung's newest touchscreen smartphone. The Galaxy S4 is packing more power than its predecessor, the Galaxy S3, in several areas. It has a 13-megapixel rear camera, compared with a 8 megapixel camera on the S3, and a slightly better front camera at 2 megapixels. Additional camera features include "LED flash, autofocus and 1080p HD video recording in dual-shot mode ... which allows the use of both cameras simultaneously so users can include themselves in pictures and videos." The Galaxy S4 is lighter in weight and with a 1920 by 1080 Super AMOLED five-inch display, colors should really pop. The increase in display size from the S3's 4.8 display is significant, as smartphones trend toward larger displays. Another significant feature boost is the Galaxy S4's 1.9 gigahertz Quad Core processor, ...

Update: The Samsung Galaxy S IV is coming to AT&T, Sprint Nextel, T-Mobile and possibly Verizon Wireless soon. T-Mobile is offering an early-bird "sign up now" option to be notified for updates about the Galaxy S IV. The long-awaited Samsung Galaxy S IV finally took the stage tonight at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. While the BlackBerry 10 platform had the spotlight for a while, The S IV will now bask in the limelight with a long list of innovative features. It did not disappoint us. Right off the bat at the Radio City Music Hall event, Samsung President of Mobile Communications J.K. Shin took the stage and pitched the innovative feature of automatic scrolling and Smart Scroll/Pause using eye tracking, a unique feature among smartphones currently on the market. For example, a video you're watching will pause when you look away. According to Shin, the Galaxy S IV is slim at 0.31 inches, or 7.9mm, and he refers to it as a "life compan...

The new BlackBerry Z10 and BlackBerry Q10 smartphones were officially announced today as the company's first smartphones powered by QNX technology, which has also been used in the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet, as well as in the auto and health care industry. The BlackBerry Z10 is the touchscreen device with a textured surface, a slight curve on the back and a 4.2-inch display. It also has a 1.5 gigahertz dual-core processor, 2 gigabytes of RAM and 16 GB of internal storage, with an expandable memory slot and micro HDMI out port. Near Field Communication, or NFC, is included to support the emerging mobile payments technology. The BlackBerry Q10 comes with a physical QWERTY, Bold-style keyboard that has been so popular with BlackBerry fans over the years. It has the same specifications as the Z10, along with a glass-weave cover that is pitched as being stronger than plastic. Both devices will come in white and black and have a removable battery. BlackBerry fans will find many ...

PayPal likes the numbers coming from their 2012 balance sheet. The online mobile payment company is reporting $14 billion in customer payments, compared with a projection of $10 billion for last year. According to PayPal, during the holiday season from October to December, 692 million payments were processed, making it the busiest three months in the company's 14-year history. PayPal's growth continues with 123 million active accounts, driven by the addition of more customers in the last three months of last year than at any time during the past eight years. "To all of our customers, both old and new, I’d like to say thank you...for your loyalty, your enthusiasm and for your valued feedback, said David Marcus, president of PayPal. "We are committed to making 2013 a great year for you." PayPal has been turning their attention to offline retailers and small business. According to PayPal executives, this market is 17 times larger than the online sector. Th...

During hurricane season, consumers and businesses and are encouraged to have an emergency plan prepared and assemble an emergency kit. (Photo courtesy of C Spire Wireless) Hurricane Isaac, which has now been downgraded to a tropical storm, made landfall along the Louisiana Gulf Coast and wireless carriers were ready to ensure your mobile devices would work as conditions worsen or if wireless networks were threatened. This year's hurricane season started on June 1 and emergency mobile plans are in place for AT&T, C Spire Wireless, Sprint Nextel, T-Mobile, Verizon Wireless and others. AT&T stands ready to keep their networks working with the "first nationwide" preparedness certification in hand from the Department of Homeland Security. This certification enhances their Network Disaster Recovery program, which includes a $600 million investment and 320 technology-equipped trailers that are ready to deploy to areas damaged by hurricanes or other disasters. ...

If the announcement that the Samsung Galaxy S III is coming to five U.S. carriers this month is any indication of the future demand, maybe we all should check out cell phone contracts on AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon Wireless and U.S. Cellular. An upgrade might be in order if Samsung's latest mobile phone meets the anticipation of savvy consumers. Samsung has been known for hitting home runs in the mobile market and carries the title of the No. 1 mobile phone provider in the U.S and worldwide, according to Strategy Analytics. The new Galaxy S III has been kicking around in Europe after making its debut in London on May 3. According to one of Samsung's head honchos, this device will be "the next big thing" for U.S. customers on this side of the Atlantic Ocean. The Galaxy S III, which is optimized for 4G and AT&T's HSPA+ networks, is running Android 4.0, also known as Ice Cream Sandwich. It also sports a 8-megapixel rear camera, along with a 1.9 mega...