How to Check Apple iPhone Warranty

The new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus are finally here and we are starting to see some pretty good deals pop up online on them as well. We've been pretty tempted by these deals, and so have plenty of people we've spoken to, but the one concern that most people raise is whether the phones are being sold legitimately, with a warranty.

There are a few things you want to keep in mind, and the first is to double check that the seller has a return policy. You should also check if the iPhone listing has the correct product model, and says the iPhone is new, and has a manufacturer warranty or dealer warranty - you want the former. That way, if there is any issue, you'll be able to safely return the iPhone back to Apple without any hassle.

To check if your iPhone is under warranty, you'll first need to look up the serial number of your iPhone. It should be listed on the box of the iPhone. If you don't have the original packing handy, you can follow the following steps:

1. Switch on the iPhone.

2. Go to Settings > General > About

Scroll down to check the Serial Number and copy this down.

3. Go to Apple's site and in the text box, enter the serial number of your iPhone and click on Continue.

The warranty status of your iPhone will show up, as will the eligibility for extended coverage. There are three headers: Purchase Date, Telephone Technical Support, and Repairs and Service Coverage.

If you bought a new iPhone, there should be a green tick mark next to all 3. If there isn't, then the iPhone's warranty has expired or wasn't valid in the first place and you should return the iPhone.

If it's not a new phone, at the very least, you should see a green tick next to the "Repairs and Service Coverage" head, which indicates Apple will honour your request for repairs and service on your iPhone.

New Apps Meet Need for More Privacy After Over-Sharing

Consumers concerned about over-sharing on public social networks are turning to private messaging apps to share texts, photos and videos with a limited group of people.

Downloads of private social messaging apps increased 200 percent in 2013 over 2012, making them the fastest-growing category of apps, according to San Francisco-based mobile analytics firm Flurry. The apps provide more private connections and allow users to express themselves without worrying about how they are perceived by their entire networks.

"Millennials are realizing that they have to be really careful about what they share on public social networks. One embarrassing or exposing photo can severely impact their job prospects," said Greg Isenberg, CEO of 5by, a division of San Francisco-based web discovery engine StumbleUpon. The 5by app, for iPhone, iPad and Android devices, allows users to create private forums around videos. They can search for videos across public social networks like YouTube and Vimeo and share them with a select group of people.

"For young people it's about sending that silly video and expressing yourself how you really want to express yourself," said Isenberg.

Ephemeral media apps such as Snapchat, which disappear after a few seconds, cater to consumers' desire for more private experiences, he said.

Android 5.0 Lollipop App Switcher 'Random Card' Bug Affecting Some Users

Within a week of Google releasing the Android 5.0 Lollipop OTA update for its older Nexus devices (namely, the Nexus 4, Nexus 5, Nexus 7 (2012 and 2013), and Nexus 10), multiple bugs found in the latest Android build have been reported by users.

Now, a new bug seems to have affected some Android 5.0 Lollipop users, who are facing a problem with the app switcher. A user named Jose Alvarez Nunez has posted a YouTube video showing the app switcher issue in his Nexus 5. The bug is reported to cause the app switcher to show random cards even a user clears all recent apps.

Nunez also shared the video on Google+, writing, "Other bug in Lollipop, in this case with the recent apps! It's easy to run into the problem, which is that many of the processes of the apps stay in the background when you close all visible recent apps, but then these processes appear one by one." He also notes that the bug was happening on a stock Nexus 5 smartphone.

Spice To Launch Flagship Phones Exclusively On Flipkart

Spice Retail on Wednesday said it will sell select Spice Mobiles handsets through e-commerce store Flipkart only under an agreement.

"Spice Retail Limited has joined hands with Flipkart wherein select flagship smartphones from Spice will be made exclusively available on the e-commerce major's portal," Spice Retail said in a statement.

The company said some of the flagship products will be available on Flipkart starting mid-September and the e-commerce firm is looking forward to selling 100,000 smartphones in the initial few days. Spice added that it has identified key products that it intends to launch through Flipkart and is looking at an exclusive online store on Flipkart's portal.

"This will include a dedicated store on Flipkart for Spice products that will allow its customers to choose from a variety of offerings," the statement said.

Spice aims to capture 10 percent market share of the overall online sales for smartphones. The statement added, "Flipkart has established itself as the leading e-commerce platform in the Indian market and enjoys major share of Mobile Category sales amongst all e-commerce portals and treats Spice as an invaluable global player & partner... Both, Spice and Flipkart, through this association hope to give the customers a varied choice of products with best in class experience and after sales service."

Gionee V6L & P5L LTE Smartphones Launched in India: Specifications & Details

Gionee announced four new smartphones in India this week with a focus on bringing affordable LTE enabled smartphones to the consumers. LTE is still in nascent stages of development in India, therefore manufacturers are developing their portfolios to get prepared for the same. Gionee further announced that from 2015 onwards, all smartphones above Rs. 10,000 will be LTE enabled. Read on to find out the detailed specifications, pricing and availability information for these devices.

"Gionee has always kept itself updated with the latest technology advancements and market trends" Arvind.R.Vohra, India Head, Gionee Smartphones said on the new launches. "Continuing our endeavour to provide every customer with the best in technology we are announcing a host of new products and LTE devices will be our key focus."

The dual-SIM Gionee Pioneer P5L runs Android 4.4 KitKat out-of-the-box and features a 4.7-inch FWVGA (480x854 pixels) display. It is powered by a 1.3GHz quad-core MediaTek MT6582 processor coupled with an ARM Mali 400 GPU and 1GB of RAM. The smartphone comes with 8GB of inbuilt storage, which is further expandable via microSD (up to 128GB).

The Gionee Pioneer P5L sports a 5-megapixel rear camera with LED flash, while there is a secondary 2-megapixel front-facing camera also onboard. On the connectivity front, the Gionee Pioneer P5L includes 4G LTE (compatible with India's 4G bands), 3G, Wi-Fi, Micro-USB, GPRS/ EDGE, GPS/A-GPS, FM radio and Bluetooth 4.0. The smartphone packs an 1800mAh battery.

The Gionee CTRL V6L features a 5-inch HD (720x1280 pixels) display and is powered by a 1.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor with Adreno 305 GPU and 1GB of RAM. It runs Android 4.4 KitKat out-of-the-box and supports dual-SIM with standby.

Top 10 Features Of Samsung Galaxy Note 4

1. Build & Design

Samsung Galaxy Note 4 with its metallic frame, familiar leather finish at rear and slim design feels ultra-premium in hands. It has been built with perfection. The S-Pen, which is the best tool with the Note series has been beautifully kept withing the phone’s body for ease of use.

Besides having a large 5.7 inch display, the phone feels fairly easy to carry, thanks to slim bezels and superb design and curves at the back of the Note 4 which make it very easy to handle.

2. Display

The 5.7 inch, Quad HD (4 times the HD display resolution) with awesomeness of super AMOLED panel along with rich and vivid colours make the Galaxy S4 the best looking display on the smartphones. With a 2.5 D Gorilla glass, high brightness of the display with Adaptive Display settings, the Note 4 is most mesmerizing experience on a sub-6 inch screen. It has a pixel per inch density of 515 which is insanely sharp and the display is super vivid.

3. Multi-Tasking

With Note 4, the Multi-Tasking has been taken to another level. Until Note 3, we could use a 2-app split screen mode, but with Note 4, you can have multiple apps in pop-up mode making it an amazing multi-tasker. You can also reduce them to floating icons which can be put on top of any screen. The apps can be maximized, closed or put in half-screen just by the tap of a button. A swipe from either top edge of Note 4 makes the app go in pop-up mode, which is a very intuitive way of doing it.

4.S-Pen

Its not wrong to say that Note series will not be what it is today without the S-Pen. Its the single best innovation which sets Note series apart from any smartphone in the world. It gives you an whole new way to interact with the phone in a very intuitive way. It brings the charm of using a pen to the modern world of smartphones.

5. Camera

There is a mighty 16 MP camera sensor at rear of the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 comes with fast focus just like what we saw on Samsung Galaxy S5. The camera takes sharp pictures with very good detailing and quality in the images. There are multiple camera modes and it also supports up to 4K video recording.

There is a 3.7 MP front facing camera with an innovative wide angle selfie mode which can take a panoramic selfie of up to 120 degrees wide. Also the front lens comes with a f/1.9 aperture and 90 degrees angle for clear selfies.

6. Health And Fitness

S-Health app has been bundled with the Samsung Galaxy Note 4, but with the hear rate monitor, UV sensor and pedometer, it is like a personal trainer for you. It comes with a host of features and support for wearable fitness bands and smart watches to make it even more accurate.

7. Security– Fingerprint Scanner

The home button on the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 is a finger print sensor which has been provided for security features. You can unlock the phone by swiping your finger over it. It also supports some apps which can use this sensor for authentication.

8. Utility– IR Remote, Note taking capabilities

You can control your home theater system, your TV, Set-Top-Box and other IR-remote control devices with one device, that is Samsung Galaxy Note 4. It comes with an IR blaster and a Smart Remote app which can be programmed to work with any IR remote controlled device.

9. Battery Life- Quick Charging, Ultra Power Saving

Samsung Galaxy Note 4 comes with a 3220 mAh large battery and comes with lower power consumption compared to the previous version of the Note, i.e Note 3. It also comes with quick charging technology which charges the phone from 0 to 50% in about 30 minutes. Which means that in totality, it means a superb battery performance.

10. Performance– Top notch specs

The Galaxy Note 4 offers top notch spec with a Snapdragon 805 or Exynos 5433 chipset. It gets 3 GB RAM, 32 GB Internal memory, a super vivid Quad HD Super AMOLED display which looks stunning, powerful cameras, top of the line GPUs and everything you expect from a top of the line flagship phone.

'Facebook for Work' to Challenge LinkedIn, Yammer

Facebook is reportedly trading the hoodie and flip-flops for a suit and tie with "Facebook for Work."

According to the Financial Times, the social network is secretly developing a new site aimed at office workers. Set to compete with the likes of LinkedIn and Microsoft's Yammer, Facebook for Work would allow users to chat with colleagues, connect with professional contacts, and collaborate over documents, the FT's unnamed sources said.

With a familiar News Feed-based look, the new site would operate similarly to the popular social network, but with the express purpose of keeping personal and work lives separate. According to the FT, Facebook employees often use the site in their daily routine, and the company previously discussed rolling it out to others. That process is reportedly now being tested ahead of an impending launch.

It remains unclear, though, whether folks will ditch already-established services like LinkedIn, Google Drive, or Microsoft's Outlook or Yammer in favor of the ubiquitous Facebook. Aside from contending with some companies' Facebook bans, the new site will have to clear another major hurdle: Can Facebook for Work ensure secure communication and confidential transactions?

The company last week launched a new "Privacy Basics" section, where users can find answers to the most commonly asked questions about how to control personal information on the network. But Facebook will have to gain the trust of major organizations that require protected content.

Plenty of corporations already turn to Facebook for promotional purposes. But in January, Facebook will limit Page posts, making more room in your News Feed for updates from friends and family.

Netgear NeoTV MAX Streaming Player with 1080p Full HD and 5.1-Channel Surround-Sound Output

Netgear NeoTV MAX Streaming Player

Watch movies, TV shows, and sports on your schedule with Netgear’s NeoTV MAX media streamer. On-demand streaming channels such as Hulu Plus and Pandora deliver content over your home Internet, which you can control with a smart remote or downloadable app for Apple and Android mobile devices.

Excellent Picture and Sound Output
The NeoTV MAX supports streaming in up to 1080p full-HD resolution, pulling you deeper into your favorite shows with vivid color, lifelike depth, and expansive clarity (HDMI cable and HDTV required for HD streaming). It’s even compatible with 3D-capable TVs. For those with home theaters, the NeoTV MAX takes full advantage of it with built-in support for 5.1-channel surround sound.

Quickly Find the Shows You Want
Remote shortcut keys take you straight to apps such as Netflix, YouTube, and Cinema Now. Once you’ve opened an app, you can easily search for movies and TV shows by flipping the remote over and pressing its QWERTY keyboard with your fingers or nose.

Sets Up in Minutes
Built-in WiFi and an Ethernet port enable a quick wireless or wired connection to your home Internet. After that, you can hook the streamer up to your TV with the included RCA A/V cable. High-speed broadband is recommended, especially if you have computers, mobile devices, or other electronics sharing the network.

Specifications

• Product number: NTV300SL-100NAS
• Streams content in up to 1080p full-HD resolution
• Apps such as Netflix, Hulu Plus, and Pandora
• Also YouTube, Facebook, VUDU, and Cinema Now
• 802.11n WiFi and Ethernet LAN connectivity
• Supports speeds of up to 300Mbps
• Broadband-Internet connection recommended
• Support for 3D-capable TVs
• 5.1-channel audio support
• Dolby Digital Plus surround sound
• Remote with QWERTY keyboard, app shortcut buttons, and one-touch pizza ordering
• Downloadable remote app for iOS and Android
• USB port for video, photo, and music playback
• DLNA support
• Condition: new
• 30-day warranty from Netgear
• Dimensions: 3.62” (L) x 3.62” (W) x 0.98” (H)
• Weight: 0.24lb.

Microsoft Rolls Out Skype for Web Beta

Skype is adding a new platform to its bag of tricks: the Web. Already accessible as a desktop download, mobile apps, televisions, and game consoles, Microsoft's video-chat system is going back to basics with a version for your Internet browser.

"Skype for Web makes it quicker and easier than ever before to connect with family and colleagues around the world, for free—directly from Skype.com," said Jonathan Watson, senior product marketing manager for user reach and engagement, said in a a blog post.

Instead of bogging down your computer with another app install, simply sign in to Skype.com and begin instant messaging and making calls directly from your browser. For now, the beta service is available only to a small number of existing and new users, but will gradually roll out worldwide over the coming months, so look out for an invite the next time you sign into Skype.

On Windows, users will be able to connect to Skype for Web from Internet Explorer 10 and up, and the newest versions of Chrome and Firefox. On Mac, it works on Safari 6 and up. There is one catch: Until Microsoft and Skype's work on Real-Time Communications (RTC) becomes a reality, you will need to download a small plug-in to start a conversation.

Browser availability is one of the issues Skype is working on during the beta, as is battery consumption for Mac users, and video call connection times.

"Imagine you wanted to meet your child's teacher, or conduct an online interview with a potential candidate—you'll be able to chat over Skype directly from a browser in just a click," Watson said.

Microsoft releases free Office apps for iPhone and iPad, Android coming soon

In a rather surprising move, Microsoft has made the Office suite of apps — Word, Excel, and PowerPoint — free to download and use on the iPad and iPhone. Previously, an Office 365 subscription was required — but now, unless you’re a business customer or after some advanced functionality, you can now open and edit Office docs, spreadsheets, and slideshows for free on your iOS device. If all that wasn’t exciting enough, Microsoft also announced that the free Office suite is coming to Android, with beta access starting today.

Both the iOS and Android versions of the Office suite have Dropbox integration baked in, following the announcement of a strategic partnership between the two companies earlier this week. At first glance, it seems odd that Microsoft would give away one of its most lucrative products for free — but don’t worry, it all makes perfect business sense. For most of Microsoft’s life, a huge portion of its profits were derived from sales of the Office suite. Office, much like Windows, was the de facto productivity suite — it was installed on almost every home, school, and work machine. For the longest time, the various Office apps produced file formats that could only be viewed and edited by Office apps — and so it was almost impossible for alternatives to establish a beachhead.

However, as the world’s reliance on Windows has diminished — as people move to smartphones, tablets, Chromebooks, and myriad other form factors — Microsoft has been forced to embrace other platforms, adopt open file formats, and generally reassess its strategy.

Mozilla releases Firefox Developer Edition, with built-in development environment

Firefox isn’t the go-to browser for the nerdy crowd anymore, but that hasn’t stopped Mozilla from working hard to improve the internet on the whole. Earlier this week, Mozilla released Firefox Developer Edition — a web browser with an IDE (Integrated Development Environment) built right in. If you’re in the web development business, this means that Firefox just became relevant again.

So, what’s new in the Developer Edition? Undoubtedly, the first thing you’ll notice is the dark default theme that matches the aesthetic of the developer tools. This minimalist theme keeps the entirety of the Firefox user interface nice and tidy, so there’s more space on screen to view and tweak your projects. It’s a small improvement, but I really appreciate the attention to detail.
This release doesn’t magically fix all of the problems Firefox has had over the last few years, but this is a clever way to celebrate the browser’s tenth anniversary. If this successfully brings a large number of web developers back into the arms of Mozilla, we might just be in for a Firefox renaissance in a year or two. Until then, I’ll be sitting in a corner frowning at all of the “Works best in Google Chrome” footers I’ve been seeing lately.

Windows 10, build 9879: A new folder icon, and other jaw-dropping changes

Microsoft, making good on its promise to regularly push out new versions of Windows 10 Technical Preview, has released build 9879 — and there’s a surprising number of changes under the hood. Most notably, Windows 10 is now starting to look like a new (or at least different) operating system — but there’s also some nice tweaks, such as the ability to remove the new Search and Task View buttons from the taskbar, and an early look at the new “Continuum” Start menu. Just like the previous update to Windows 10 Technical Preview, build 9879 installed without a hitch: You just head along to PC Settings, download a new Preview build, and then it takes about 10 minutes to install. (In my case, I actually forgot I’d downloaded the new build until I turned my PC on one morning and had to sit through the “setting up your PC” stuff.)

Visually, there are quite a few changes in build 9879, most of which are just a continuation towards a “flat” aesthetic. Most notably, the Windows folder icon has changed! Both the closed and open folder icons have been made very flat, and slightly more angular. This tallies with the flattened horizontal folder icon that you see on the Windows 10 taskbar (which has an odd blue “n” emblazoned on it that I still haven’t worked out).

Facebook's Iowa Data Center Up and Running

Facebook's new Altoona, Iowa-based data center is up and running, about 18 months after breaking ground.

Site manager Brice Towns said in a blog post that the construction was the "fastest we've ever completed a first building at one of our sites."

"As you may have heard, we like to move fast at Facebook—and we are grateful to everyone who's helped us to get to this point," Towns said. "We're proud to call you our neighbors and our friends, and to be a part of the community here in Altoona."

The social network in April 2013 confirmed plans for the massive facility—Facebook's fourth owned-and-operated data center, and its third in the U.S. The three others are located in Prineville, Ore.; Forest City, N.C.; and Lulea, Sweden. What Towns called "one of the most advanced, efficient, and sustainable data centers on the planet," the Altoona building is powered by 100 percent renewable energy, provided in collaboration with MidAmerican Energy.

Cooled by 100 percent outside air, the 476,000-square-foot building also features hyper-efficient Open Computer Project gear and a new networking fabric that makes more future scaling more efficient as more folks log onto the site globally.

Ensure Your Safety: Get Rid Of These 5 Poor Tech Habits

Nowadays, everyone is making use of gadgets and is connected to internet, dealing with some or the other business.  But have you ever wondered that in the process of dealing with these technologies, you might develop some terrible habits? Indeed, harm or breach to your valuable assets and accounts.

1. Skipping the 2-Step AuthenticationEvery now and then when you sign-up for a new online account, it asks you for a 2 step authentication to protect important accounts. But, you usually click on the “skip “button (as nobody wants to wait, even though it might take few seconds).But do you know how important is this verification?  Such process prevents hackers from logging into your account even they might able to steal your passwords.

  

2.  One Password for all the accountsIn the modern world, when there are so many things to remember from your salary account details to all your girlfriend’s birthdays. It seems hard to remember different passwords for different accounts. Then what do we do, we put a same password for all the accounts and stay happy.

3. One password for lifetime?Keeping different passwords are a genuine approach, but at the same time, it’s advisable to keep changing your passwords on regular basis.Microsoft recommends that you change your passwords every 30 to 90 days to be safe. So keep it in mind, you can stick to one life-partner but not one password all the time.

4.  Postpone Important UpdatesOften, you might have noticed certain messages popping up in your phone or on your desktop showing the urgency of updating your phone or softwares.

The best possible thing you do it is- ignore!Obviously, you might be busy chatting or listening to music or blogging. But do you have any idea, how important is updating your system?

5. Scrimping on storageScrimping on capacity to save few bucks is certainly not a good decision. One can persist to spend on storage cost but a mere accumulation could result in losing your valuable data and legal information.

When you are opting for small capacity; the OS might seize certain gigabytes and a half dozen Gif files will fill the entire storage. Scrimping or Saving? Choice is yours.

How Glass Can Help Build Super-Fast Computers

New research demonstrates how glass could be manipulated to create a material that would allow computers to transfer information using light. This may significantly increase computer processing speeds and power in the future.

"The challenge is to find a single material that can effectively use and control light to carry information around a computer. Much like how the web uses light to deliver information, we want to use light to both deliver and process computer data," said project leader Richard Curry from the University of Surrey in Britain.



By using a novel technique, the team discovered a material that could use light to bring together different computing functions into one component, bringing together an all-optical system.

The team showed how a widely-used glass could be manipulated to conduct positive charges.

"This should enable the material to act as a light source, a light guide and a light detector -- something that can carry and interpret optical information," Curry added. The results of this research will be integrated into computers within the next 10 years, the team hoped.

Surprising But True, Here Are Apple's Worst Products Of All Time

Apple is one of the best tech companies in the world now, but the company has had its ups and downs too with its line of unsuccessful products. So, here is a list of some worst Apple products which just failed to capture the market with some inputs from the Business Insider.

# iPod Hi-Fi

The speaker system that was launched by Apple in 2006, did not do well in the market due to its high price and the quality wasn’t up to the mark. The speaker has a slot to place the iPod and is also a portable device

This was competing against the likes of Bose and iBoom so it got scrapped in 2007. The speaker system had limited option of functionality and the remote device had only a volume and track skipping buttons. It was also unable to support the charging facility since the power given by the player system was too less than required by the iPod devices.

Sharp demos 4.1-inch 736 PPI display: But is it destined for a smartphone, or VR?

Ever since Apple first debuted its so-called “Retina” displays, smartphone and tablet manufacturers have been leapfrogging each other to hit various firsts — either in terms of absolute resolution (1080p, 1440p, 4K) or by nailing ever-higher display densities (measured in pixels per square inch, or PPI). Sharp is now the latest company to break the record, with an IGZO 4.1-inch LCD capable of a massive 2560×1600 resolution — 736 PPI — or about six times more pixels than the similarly sized iPhone 5S display. Samsung, meanwhile, is reportedly working on a 5.9-inch screen that can hit 747 PPI, but instead of putting these screens into mobile devices where they serve absolutely no function, we’d like to propose companies instead focus on building the ultra-low latency displays that are needed for high resolution VR equipment.

The Retina debate is over: Everybody wins!

When Apple announced the iPhone 4’s Retina display, there was some dispute over whether or not that term was deserved. What eventually emerged is that Steve Jobs’ marketing wasbasically accurate. The iPhone 4 had no visible pixels if you were a regular Joe with 20/20 vision or worse. Chuck Yeager, on the other hand — the first pilot to travel faster than the speed of sound — could still see pixels.

Raymond Soneira argued that the term “Retina display” wasn’t very accurate because to qualify as a True Retina Display, “a screen needs about 652 PPI at 10.5 inches, or 572 PPI at 12 inches.” What that means, in essence, is that no known human can distinguish the pixels on the next generation of phones at current display sizes, given current phone use patterns. Unless you have T. Rex arms, you’re going to hold your phone at least 10-12 inches from your face.