2017 iPhone May Feature Edge-to-Edge Display With Embedded Touch ID Sensor, Front-Facing Camera

Rumors suggest Apple’s 2016 iPhone 7 will look very similar to the iPhone 6s, with major changes to the iPhone’s form factor actually coming in 2017, the year that marks the 10th anniversary of the device’s initial launch. Apple blogger John Gruber recently shared some tantalizing details about the 2017 iPhone, which may see some radical design tweaks.

In the latest episode of his podcast The Talk Show, Gruber said he’s heard “scuttlebutt” suggesting the 2017 iPhone will include an edge-to-edge display that eliminates the top and bottom bezels on the device, with the front-facing camera, Touch ID, and other sensors hidden under the display.

Concept image via ConceptsiPhone

I think next year’s phone, the 2017 model, the one that will come out in September of 2017. What I have heard — now this is not really from the rumor mill but just scuttlebutt that I’ve heard — is that it will be an all-new form factor.

And there have been some rumors, I guess, but what I’m saying is that I’ve heard this independently and it is completely getting rid of the chin and forehead of the phone. The entire face will be the display. And the Touch ID sensor will be somehow embedded in the display. The front-facing camera will somehow be embedded in the display. The speaker, everything. All the sensors will somehow be behind the display.

What I don’t know… I have no idea, but whether that means that they’re going to shrink the actual thing in your hand to fit the screen sizes we already have, or whether they’re going to grow the screens to fit the devices we’re already used to holding… I don’t know.

Previous rumors have indicated Apple is planning to introduce a flexible OLED display in the 2017 iPhone, and an OLED display panel would allow for an edge-to-edge screen design. Apple has already signed a deal with Samsung for a portion of the OLED panels it will need for the devices.

Multiple rumors have suggested one 2017 iPhone could include a 5.8-inch OLED display, which would perhaps mean Apple plans to have the display wrap around the edges of a 5.5-inch device, but it is not clear how such a screen size would work without top and bottom bezels as suggested by Gruber.

Along with an OLED display, the iPhone coming in 2017 is rumored to include a glass shell, like the iPhone 4 and 4s, rather than the aluminum body that’s been used for the iPhone 5s, 6, 6s, 6 Plus, 6s Plus, and SE. Long-range wireless charging and expanded biometric features like iris or facial recognition are also features that have been rumored, along with a 10-nanometer A11 chip from TSMC and NAND flash memory supplied by Samsung.

Apple has been working on developing touch and display driver integration (TTDI) chips since 2015, which would let the Touch ID fingerprint recognition system be embedded directly into the display, allowing for the elimination of the Home button. Analyst rumors have previously suggested the Home button will be removed in the 2017 iPhone, in line with what Gruber has heard.

With Apple planning major design changes for the 2017 iPhone, there have been rumors indicating the devices will not feature an “S” name, with Apple perhaps skipping the iPhone 7s and 7s Plus to move directly to the iPhone 8 or another name.

Related Roundup: iPhone 7
Tags: iPhone 7s, iPhone 8
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5 reasons not to upgrade to Windows 10 – CNET

Sarah Jacobsson Purewal/CNET

Microsoft’s free Windows 10 upgrade offer is ending soon — July 29, to be exact. If you’re currently running Windows 7, 8, or 8.1, you might be feeling the pressure to upgrade for free (while you still can).

Not so fast! While a free upgrade is always tempting, Windows 10 might not be the operating system for you. Here are five reasons you shouldn’t upgrade to Windows 10 yet — even if it is free.

Your system doesn’t meet the requirements

The system requirements for Windows 10 aren’t crazy, but your PC may not meet them — especially if you’re low on hard drive space. You’ll need at least 20GB of open hard drive space to install the 64-bit version of Windows 10 (16GB for the 32-bit version), plus a 1GHz or faster processor, 2GB of RAM (1GB for the 32-bit version), and a DirectX 9-capable video card with WDDM driver. If you’re just short of the requirements, check out these ways to quickly make room on your hard drive.

You use older or obscure peripherals

Now that Windows 10 has been out for almost a year, most peripheral-makers have released updated Windows 10-compatible drivers for their devices. Most, but not all. Before you upgrade, I suggest checking to make sure all your peripherals will work — everything from keyboards and mice to speakers and graphics cards could be affected.

You’re concerned about privacy

Windows 10 — like most operating systems — has its share of privacy concerns, many of which are valid. By default, the OS is set up to automatically send feedback to Microsoft, allocate part of your device’s bandwidth for its P2P update service, and show ads in your Start menu. Most of these invasive behaviors can be turned off (though you’ll need to comb through the settings menu), but not all of them can be disabled. It’s a fact: Windows 10 gathers more data than its predecessors. It’s the price of cool features such as universal device syncing and Cortana.

You don’t want to be forced to update

Windows updates are usually a good thing! Most of them bring important security patches and bug fixes to your device. But that doesn’t mean you should update your computer the second a new fix is out, because the updates themselves can come with bugs that can mess up your machine. With older versions of Windows, you can choose when to update.

But with Windows 10 you won’t have that choice. Windows 10 automatically downloads and installs updates to your computer. There are a few ways to avoid these automatic updates (for example, by tricking your computer into metering any and all Internet connections), but they’re a hassle. One silver lining? At least you can schedule when your device restarts after an update.

You love Windows Media Center

Microsoft has revamped a lot of things in Windows 10, replacing many of its legacy desktop programs with universal apps. For example, Windows Photo Viewer is dead, replaced with the new Photos app. But while you can get Windows Photo Viewer back in Windows 10, you can’t get Windows Media Center back. Because it’s gone, along with DVD playback support. For many, this isn’t a huge loss — many of us stream rather than watch DVDs, after all, and Microsoft has been trying to kill off Media Center since Windows 8. But for some, it could be a deal breaker. If you’re a Media Center fan — or if you desperately love any other legacy features that don’t currently exist in Windows 10 — then Windows 10 may not be for you.

5 reasons to upgrade to Windows 10 right now – CNET

James Martin/CNET

You’ve probably heard the news: Microsoft will end its free Windows 10 promotion in just a few short months. And while Windows 10 isn’t for everyone, it’s pretty darn popular according to Microsoft, which reports that the new operating system is now active on more than 300 million devices around the world.

Is your device one of those 300 million? If not, congrats on successfully weathering Microsoft’s nagging pop-up prompts to upgrade. But you may want to reconsider your anti-upgrade stance — here’s why.

(And here’s how to upgrade, for free, right now.)

The price

Microsoft is so confident in its new operating system that it’s offering free Windows 10 upgrades to all users running Windows 7, Windows 8 and Windows 8.1. But this offer won’t last forever — in fact, it expires in less than three months, on July 29, 2016. You’ll still be able to upgrade to Windows 10 after July 29, but the upgrade will cost you $119, £100 or AU$180.

You can change your mind

If you upgrade to Windows 10 and decide that the new operating system isn’t for you, you have 30 days to roll back to your older version of Windows. And by upgrading once — even if you downgrade later — you’ll have secured the free Windows 10 license for future upgrades. In other words, you can upgrade to Windows 10, roll back to your old operating system, and then you’ll still be able to upgrade to Windows for free after July 29.

You have a touchscreen

Windows 7 may look good, but it’s not touchscreen-friendly. And Windows 8 and 8.1 were designed with touchscreens in mind, but we all know how well that went over. If you’ve got a touchscreen on your laptop or you’re planning on upgrading to a touchscreen for your desktop, trust me: You want Windows 10’s touchscreen-friendly settings app and its customizable Start menu.

You have more than one Windows device

Windows 10 is a universal operating system, which means it works on all Windows devices — computers, tablets and phones. If you’re already part of the Windows ecosystem, upgrading to Windows 10 will make everything that bit more convenient by syncing your settings, notifications and apps across all devices.

Cortana

Microsoft’s intelligent, voice-activated virtual assistant has been around since Windows Phone 8.1, but she’s really come into her own in Windows 10. While other virtual assistants are primarily designed to work on mobile devices, Cortana has been optimized for your desktop — she can do all these things, from finding files or photos from a specific time frame to drafting and sending emails. You may not think you need to talk to your device, but you’ll never know until you try.

8 essential IFTTT recipes for every Android user – CNET

Taylor Martin/CNET

IFTTT, the online connection service, now works with hundreds of different services and devices, connecting them to break the language barrier and help them work together.

While both major mobile platforms — Android and iOS — have their own collection of dedicated channels, you can go a bit further and accomplish a little more with IFTTT on Android.

Here are some of the most useful IFTTT recipes every Android user can enjoy — you’ll just need to login to your IFTTT account.

Find a lost phone

With the Android Device channel, you can do things like toggle Bluetooth or Wi-Fi and set ringtone volume. You can launch Google Maps or play some music, as well.

Using this channel, you can find your phone, even when it’s on silent by creating a recipe that will set the ringtone volume to max when you email trigger@recipe.ifttt.com with “#lostphone” in the subject. After the recipe runs, you can give yourself a call (or have a friend call you) to locate your phone.

Mute or unmute at work

If you don’t want your phone ringing at work, you can use the Android Location channel to create a geofence around your work address. Whenever you enter the area, your phone will got silent and, with a second recipe, you can restore your ringtone volume when you exit the same geofence.

Turn off lights when you leave your house

Using the same Android Location channel, you can automate your smart home using IFTTT. Many companion applications for smart home devices come with location preferences built-in, but if you want to control all your geofencing triggers from one place, IFTTT is the place to do just that.

Create a couple of recipes like the one above using the Android Location channel and your smart home channels to have devices turn on and off as you come and go.

Turn on Wi-Fi when you arrive home

To cut down on your monthly data usage, it’s wise to toggle Wi-Fi on when you arrive home. The problem is, it’s very easy to forget to do.

To do this automatically, create a new recipe with the Android Location channel for the trigger and the Android Device channel as the action. Set a geofence around your home address and have the recipe Turn on Wi-Fi whenever you enter the geofence.

Missed call reminder

If you have a habit of dismissing missed calls and never returning them, you can use the Android Phone Call channel to add missed calls to your task manager of choice, be it Google Calendar, Todoist, Evernote or whatever.

Start by connecting the Android Phone Call channel and creating a recipe. Choose Any phone call missed as the trigger. The second half of the recipe should create a new task in your task manager.

Missed call SMS

I’m not big on voicemail anymore. Frankly, I don’t know many people who are, but I still get them all the time. To avoid ever having to check your voicemail again, you can have IFTTT automatically send callers an SMS explaining you will return their call once you’re available.

To set this up, create a recipe using the Android Phone Call channel and select Any phone call missed as the trigger. Select the Android SMS channel and Send an SMS as the action. For the phone number, enter FromNumber to send a message to the person whose call you missed, and in the Message field, type out a short (yet personal) message that won’t seem too much like a canned response.

Battery saver

If you need to save battery, there is now an Android Battery channel. You can select between Battery drops below 15 percent, Device is plugged in and Device is unplugged as triggers.

To save some juice, for example, you can create a recipe that switches off Bluetooth or Wi-Fi when your phone’s battery drops below 15 percent.

Set wallpaper

You can spice up your Android device’s wallpaper using a number of different sources, such as 500px Editors’ Choice, the hottest pictures from your favorite subreddit or NASA’s image of the day. First, pick the source you would like to use for your wallpapers.

To create the recipe, choose the wallpaper source as the trigger channel (e.g. NASA’s image of the day) and Android Device as the action channel. Select change wallpaper as the action, and the URL should already be set. The next time the source you chose is updated or changed, the wallpaper on your Android device will also change.