iPhone 6 front panel image leaked

Internet rumour mill is once again buzzing with leaks about Apple's next-generation iPhone.

A Chinese forum has leaked a couple of images of what it claims is the front panel of the upcoming iPhone 6. The images show that the upcoming model will have an edge-to-edge screen that is bigger in size than that of iPhone 5S, 5C and 5, with no bezels at all on the sides. The alleged images of the next-generation iPhone also show the Home button positioned closer to the display.

It has been reported several times in the past that Apple will unveil two iPhones this year, one with a 4.7-inch screen and other with 5.5- or 5.7-inch display. The front panel pictured in the leaked image seems to be of the 4.7-inch iPhone.

In February this year, the first set of leaked iPhone images surfaced on the internet. These images showed that the next-generation iPhone will sport a design similar to that of iPad Air and be much thinner than the iPhone 5S.

This will be the first time that the company will venture into the phablet territory, which is dominated by arch rival Samsung. Other rumoured features of the next-generation iPhone include health-centred apps, 13MP camera, solar charging, scratch-resistant sapphire screen and faster Wi-Fi.

Apple is also expected to broaden the functions to the Touch ID fingerprint sensor with the next iPhone.

A phone that self-destructs if tampered with

NEW YORK: Boeing Co on Wednesday unveiled a smartphone that appears to come straight from a James Bond spy movie. In addition to encrypting calls, any attempt to open the casing of the Boeing Black Smartphone deletes all data and renders the device inoperable. 

The secure phone marks an extension of the communications arm of the Chicagobased aerospace and defence contractor, which is best known for jetliners and fighter planes. Such a phone might have prevented damage to Washington's diplomacy in Ukraine from a leaked telephone call. A senior US state department officer and the ambassador to Ukraine apparently used unencrypted cellphones for a call about political developments in Ukraine that became public. 

Boeing's tamper-proof phone is aimed at people working in defence and homeland security who need to keep communication and data secure, according to Boeing and filings with the US Federal Communications Commission . Hardware media encryption and configurable inhibit controls are embedded to protect the device, its data, and the transmission of information, significantly reducing the risk of mission compromise due to data loss, the company said. 

Made in the US, the phone runs on Google Inc's Android operating system. The 5.2-by-2 .7-inch (13.2-by-6 .9 cm) handset, slightly larger than an iPhone, uses dual SIM cards to enable it to access multiple cell networks instead of a single network like a normal cellphone. Due to the phone's security features, Boeing is releasing few details about the wireless network operators or manufacturer it is working with, and has not provided a price or date by which the phone might be widely available, but said it has begun offering the phone to potential customers. 

Boeing's website says the phone can be configured to connect with biometric sensors or satellites. Other attachments can extend battery life or use solar power. The phone can operate on the WCDMA, GSM and LTE frequency bands and offers Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity . The company has been developing the phone for 36 months, said Boeing spokeswoman Rebecca Yeamans. 

"We saw a need for our customers in a certain market space that Boeing could meet with its technology expertise ," she said. A sample purchase contract submitted to the FCC says the phone would be sold directly by Boeing or its agents.

Nokia X series of Android smartphones unveiled

Nokia has unveiled its first three Android smartphones after several turbulent years that saw the Finnish manufacturer lose its top spot in the mobile market as Google's free OS became the biggest mobile software in the world.

All three Android phones by Nokia - X, X+ and XL - run on a 'customized' version of Android operating system and will not have access to Play Store.

This means that those looking for a number of popular Android apps will still not have access to those. The company has also not innovated much by way of design for the new range and carried over the monobody design of its Lumia series in the new Android smartphones.

Nokia XL, the biggest of the three new smartphones, has a 5-inch screen, 5MP auto-focus camera with LED flash on the back, 2MP front camera and 1,500mAh battery.

On the other hand, Nokia X and X+ have 4-inch screens and 3MP fixed-focus cameras, said former Nokia CEO Stephen Elop while unveiling the devices.

All three devices will run on a 1GHz dual-core Snapdragon processor with just 512MB RAM, have access to 3G networks and have display resolution of 800x480p. Nokia will offer a 4GB microSD card free with X+ and XL smartphones, but not with the entry-level Nokia X.

As expected, Nokia has preloaded the X, X+ and XL smartphones with Microsoft's cloud services like SkyDrive and One Drive, instead of Google's software, which may prove a dampener for some. The company is offering 10GB of One Drive storage for free.

Some of the apps pre-installed on the devices are Here Maps, Nokia Mix Radio, Facebook, Skype, BBM etc. Users can download apps from the Nokia store, or choose to sideload apps directly from the web.

Interestingly, the home screen of Nokia's three Android smartphones is heavily influence by that of Windows Phone operating system and features Live Tiles. The company has also included FastLane multitasking solution, which it debuted with the revamped Asha series, and Glance Screen in the new smartphones.

Nokia announced that Nokia X will be available immediately in Europe for 89 euros, whereas X+ and XL will hit the stores in early Q2 2014 for 99 and 109 euros respectively. However, it added that the three models will hit markets like India, Africa, Middle East, Asia Pacific and Europe first, without indicating the price range for these markets.

Elop said that Nokia, set to be acquired by Microsoft soon, will encourage app ecosystem for the Nokia X platform.