iPhone 6s mini With 4-Inch Display Tipped to Launch in 2015

Apple fans who were disappointed with the launch of the large screen iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus in September this year, might soon see a 4-inch iPhone with an iPhone 6-like design arrive in 2015.

Timothy Arcuri, an analyst from Cowen and Company, is reported to have issued a note to Apple investors stating that the Cupertino-based tech firm might be working on a 4-inch handset, which might be called as iPhone 6s mini.

Apple Insider, which claims to have procured a copy of the issued note, also adds that the specifications of the rumoured mini smartphone will match with that of iPhone 5s' and the design with iPhone 6. This piece of information however should be taken with a pinch of salt as Arcuri's predictions is said to be mixed.

If Arcuri's prediction proves to be correct, the iPhone 6s mini could replace the iPhone 5c - the company's current budget smartphone - in the market. The analyst has also added that Apple might rely on Qualcomm for the iPhone 6s mini's components in order to keep the pricing down.

Apple in September this year launched the large screen iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plushandsets showing that it is willing to change its beliefs to cater to the moving market landscape. However, some observers also saw this surprise move by the firm as a bit of a U-turn, based on public comments made by the company earlier.

Arcuri not only sparked rumours for the iPhone 6s mini but also said that Apple's long rumoured 12.9-inch tablet is well under works and might be launched in Spring next year. The tablet is said to 'reinvigorate' the product category. Apple plans to ship 15 million to 20 million units of the rumoured tablet initially.

Latest Firefox phone has transparent shell

A new phone that runs Firefox OS is launching in Japan on Christmas Day, and it's a looker.

The Fx0 phone has an unusual feature that makes it stand out next to iPhones and Android devices: The Fx0's exterior casing is transparent.

The see-through phone is the product of a partnership between Mozilla and Japanese telecom giant KDDI. It's the first Firefox OS phone to include features now commonplace among smartphones, such as 4G LTE and NFC (near-field communication), the technology used for mobile payment transactions.

In terms of specs, the phone isn't exactly remarkable, though it is a big step up from most Firefox OS phones. It has a 4.7-inch display, the same size as the iPhone 6, and also carries a 1.2 GHz quad-core processor and a relatively modest 2,370 mAh battery.

The phone was designed by Tokujin Yoshioka — who seems to have a thing for transparent phones. His brief was to embody the "openness, freedom and transparency" that Mozilla apparently wants to exhibit, according to a Mozilla blog post.

The Fx0 retails for 50,000 yen (about $420), which is a step up from Mozilla's $33 smartphonemade for the developing world.

There are 16 phones that run Firefox OS, and they're available in 29 countries. No word on when or whether U.S. consumers will ever be able to get their hands on the Fx0.

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LG introduces speakers you can text

LG has a novel idea for controlling your speakers: just send them a text message.

The new Wi-Fi Music Flow speakers, which the company will unveil at CES 2015 in January, can accept commands from the messaging service Line. Besides the usual play and skip commands, you'll be able to use some natural language: For instance, "play music for party" will tell the system to start a party playlist.

Easy connectivity is also a big deal. Auto Music Play will detect a smartphone that comes within a foot of the speaker, and begin playing any music that's playing. That way, you can start listening on your commute, then immediately relay the playback to the speaker when you walk in the door.

The Music Flow speakers connect via dual-band Wi-Fi, using both the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands, giving them more robust bandwidth than your usual Bluetooth connection. A user can also network multiple speakers together for surround sound, with a soundbar up front and separate speakers in back.

LG's 2015 line consists of three soundbars, three standalone Wi-Fi speakers, and a new portable model, the NP8350. The accompanying Music Flow app is available on iOS and Android.

No price or availability information yet. We anxiously await a text.

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Samsung says wearables will be the next 'power' trend in the workplace

Wearable technology will be to 2015 what shoulder pads were to the 1980s.

In a new trends report (first spotted by The Verge), Samsung says the next wave of "power dressing" for workplace leaders will include wearable technology. That's right — business professionals will be all about smartwatches and other wearables in 2015, which will become a status symbol of savviness and professionalism.

The company outlined its top five trends for the new year, with wearable technology topping the list. Others included the concept of personal "power hours" (flexible times to work, beyond the 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. work day, thanks to mobile phone adoption), virtual reality technology, the smart home and coding for kids.

Every child born in the next 12 months will learn coding as a core subject alongside numeracy and literacy," Samsung said in the report.

Teaching kids how to program is a part of a greater initiative across many industries to get them excited about STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) at a young age. New York City is already piloting a program to teach coding at eight public schools.

The toy industry is getting on board too: Kickstarter-fundedRobot Turtles teaches kids as young as 3 the basics of coding in a traditional board game format.

Samsung is among the companies that believes the smart home revolution is just beginning. Soon, products in the house will be connected to the Internet and work together — your fridge will send a message to your TV telling you you're out of milk; the lights will flicker if you've left the front door open.

Samsung President and CEO BK Yoon describes the company's vision for the smart home at IFA 2014 in Berlin.

IMAGE: MASHABLE, JENNIFER OSBORNE

In September, Samsung gave members of the press a peek at its vision for smart home automation. BK Yoon, president and CEO of Samsung, said during the 2014 IFA tech conference in Berlin that the future home will be responsive — the walls will move to create new floor plans when, for example, you're hosting a big dinner party and want to borrow a little space from the living room. The refrigerator will tell you when items within are expired. You'll be able to cook over a stove top with the help of recipe holographics, so you don't have to get your devices dirty by accessing directions via mobile.

In its 2015 prediction report, Samsung said automated home systems will move from "geek to chic driven by a dramatically improved user experience."

IMAGE: MASHABLE COMPOSITE. WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Samsung also highlighted virtual reality headsets as a trend to watch in 2015. The company revealed its own take on the technology at the IFA tech conference with the launch of the Samsung Gear VR, which uses a Samsung Galaxy Note 4 as the display built within an Oculus VR system.

Experts believe virtual reality headsets, which provide fully immersive 3D experiences that make you feel like you are actually inside a game or movie, could revolutionize the way we play video games and consume media. Virtual reality headsets made a big splash in 2014 when Facebook acquired Oculus VR for $2 billion.

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Experts: Internet privacy will be hard to find in 2025

Activists and developers are trying to find ways to protect privacy in a time of heightened government surveillance. But it may all be for naught, according to a new study.

The Pew Research Center published a report last Thursday in which a majority of experts agree that our current expectations of digital privacy may be completely gone by 2025.

"Unfortunately, we will have given up on privacy by 2025, or we will have re-interpreted what it means," Internet activist Ian Peter told Pew.

More than 2,500 experts weighed in on security, liberty and privacy online and whether there will be a "trusted privacy-rights infrastructure" in place by 2025 that lets people protect their personal data easily.

Of the respondents, 55% said no, that will not happen, while 45% found this a reasonable outcome. They all agreed, however, that there is something inherently public about the Internet.

One respondent suggested that as the Internet continues to expand, the very idea of privacy will become a fringe activity.

“As Google Glass and attendant projects grow, the so-called Internet of Things becomes increasingly aware of literally everything," said one attorney from a major law firm who participated in the study. "As programmers begin jumping on algorithmic schemes to sift, curate, and predict the data, notions of privacy will be considered a fetish.”

BlackBerry is working with Boeing on a self-destructing 'Black' phone

BlackBerry is collaborating with Boeing on its self-destructing Black phone.

Boeing — yes, the same Boeing that builds airplanes and aerospace technology — is developing the privacy-friendly Black phone that will permanently erase all software and data stored on it if tampered with. The phone also encrypts phone calls and any data transmitted; it is designed specifically for government agencies that need to protect highly sensitive data.

So where does BlackBerry come in?

BlackBerry CEO John Chen announced that the collaboration would "provide a secure mobile solution for Android devices utilizing [their] BES12 platform."

BES12, the latest version of BlackBerry Enterprise Service, is the company's device management software with enterprise-level security features. It has been cross-platform since BES10, so it works not only with BlackBerry, but also with Android and iOS.

We first learned about the Boeing phone in early 2014. The Android device supports two SIM cards so it can access multiple networks; it will also be configured to work with biometrics, like fingerprint sensors and eye scanners.

Boeing has bee in touch with potential customers about the phone, according to Reuters.

Jawbone's next fitness tracker delayed until 2015

If the Jawbone UP3 fitness tracker was on your holiday wish list, here's some bad news: you're not getting one anytime too soon.

The company confirmed to Mashable on Thursday that availability for the newly-announcedJawbone UP3 ($179) has been pushed back until next year, citing an issue with production.

"Jawbone has revised its shipping dates for UP3 as they continue to fine-tune the production process," a company spokesperson said. "The band will now ship starting early next year."

While Jawbone wasn't too descriptive about what that fine-tuning process would be, it added that it should only cause "a short delay." The company has recalled the UP band in the past for quality-related issues.

Jawbone will also offer a $40 discount or a free UP Move (typically $49.99) to all customers who pre-ordered the device, according to the spokesperson. It will honor cancellation requests, too.

While that means Jawbone will miss out on holiday season sales, its rivals are in the same position. Fitbit is holding two new trackers (the Charge HR and Fitbit Surge) until early next year, too; company executives said the devices just "aren't ready" for market. Fitbit recalled its Force tracker earlier this year for an allergy-inducing wristband.

And of course, we won't see the Apple Watch — which includes fitness tracking capabilities — until an unspecified date in 2015.

Last month, Jawbone revealed the sleeker, smarter fitness tracker UP3. It comes with advanced activity features that can differentiate exercises, such as swimming, running and tennis, to better gauge calories, and includes sleep tracking to signify REM, light and deep sleep.

Future updates to the UP3 software will eventually help you determine when you're dehydrated, stressed and fatigued, the company said.

While the UP Move is new too — which is an activity tracker that can be clipped to clothing or snapped into a wristband-like accessory — it's already available for purchase. The budget-conscious gadget comes with tiny sensors that track steps, calories and workouts, as well as your sleep cycle, but it's less of a full-fledged fitness tracker compared to the UP3.

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