LG’s Next Flagship Smartphone Will Launch On May 27

Smartphone maker LG is preparing to take the wraps off a new flagship handset at six launch events in cities around the world planned for May 27 and 28 .

It’s not specifying the name of the forthcoming flagship — saying only that it will be unveiling its “next big global device after G2″ — but it’s not a huge stretch to expect this phone to be called the G3, being as it’s the sequel device to the G2.

In an email sent to TechCrunch, the company said it will be holding simultaneous launch events in London, New York and San Francisco on May 27, with additional launch events taking place in Seoul, Singapore and Istanbul on May 28.

The invite for the event shows a quote from American writer and poet, Ralph Waldo Emerson, talking about the merits of simplicity, with the letter ‘G’ in the word ‘Great’ highlighted. (Let’s hope they handsomely rewarded the marketing bod who came up with that.)

The quote is set on what looks like a dark charcoal metal background, which could be a hint of more premium construction materials for the G3 — instead of LG’s usual plasticky fare.

The invite does not include any specific details about what to expect from the new flagship, but LG is going to need it to stand out from its existing crop of high end devices — which include the LG G Flex 6-inch curved screen quad-core phablet, the quad-core LG G Pro 2 phablet (5.9-inch screen), and indeed the quad-core G2, which has a 5.2-inch screen.

As the Verge notes, LG has previously said it plans to release the G2 sequel in the second quarter of this year — so presumably the device will ship soon after the launch event.

Apple said to place battery orders for iPhone 6

Apple

Apple is priming the Asia-based supply chain for production of its next-generation smartphone, according to a report from Digitimes.

Simplo Technology and Desay Battery Technology have received orders related to the future iPhone, according to a report Wednesday from the Taiwan-based media outlet, citing sources.

The report also indicated that "mass production" of the phone has yet to begin, signaling possibly that it may arrive later rather than sooner.

On Monday, UBS analyst Steve Milunovich said that his checks with the chain of suppliers suggest that theiPhone 6 is most likely to arrive in August or September -- rather than June. 

Reiterating past rumors, Milunovich said a model with a 4.7-inch screen is "certain" while a larger model with a 5.5-inch display "may or may not launch" at the same time.

Analyst Andy Hargreaves of Pacific Crest also said this week that theiPhone 6 is likely a Q3 story.

"For the first time, our checks indicated volume component orders for iPhone 6. We expect significant component orders to begin in July, which is consistent with public availability of the device in late September or October," he wrote in a research note Monday.

Nokia names networks business turnaround leader Rajeev Suri as CEO

 

Nokia named the man who led a turnaround at its main telecoms network business as its new chief executive on Tuesday, boosting investors' confidence in the future of the company following the sale of its once-dominant handset arm.

The Finnish company, which completed the 5.6 billion euro ($7.8 billion) deal to sell its mobile handset business to Microsoft (MSFT.O) on Friday, said Rajeev Suri would become CEO on May 1, replacing Microsoft-bound Stephen Elop.

It also announced forecast-beating quarterly results, driven by cost-cutting and software deals at its networks arm, formerly called NSN, and plans to return $3.1 billion to shareholders, helping to lift its share price by more than 7 percent.

"Mr. Suri has done a very commendable job in turning around NSN, in our view. Thus, we see the market being positive about his appointment," JP Morgan Cazenove analysts said.

Suri, a 46-year-old Indian national, was widely expected to lead the company after the sale of the handset business.

Nokia's networks division accounted for about 90 percent of sales from the group's continuing businesses last year. But analysts say it faces challenges, as higher research and development costs give bigger, deep-pocketed telecom equipment makers such as industry leader Ericsson (ERICb.ST) and China's Huawei an advantage.

Still, Nokia beat expectations with a core operating profit margin of 9.3 percent in the first quarter, well ahead of the 5.7 percent average forecast by analysts polled by Reuters.

The margin is also expected to remain at the higher end of a 5-10 percent target for this year, the company added.

"On first-quarter results, NSN steals the show with a solid margin beat and expanded 2014 (guidance)," Jefferies analysts Lee Simpson and Robert Lamb said in a note.

Following the sale of its handset business, analysts have speculated that Nokia might seek to buy struggling rival Alcatel-Lucent (ALUA.PA), or at least its mobile products, which would boost the Finnish company's position in the United States.

Asked about potential acquisitions, Suri told Reuters in a telephone interview that small deals are possible.

"In terms of larger players, if there is something that makes sense, of course I will recommend that to the board. But ... it needs to be a wisely thought-out thing," he said.

"We will be open to the opportunities but (there's) no need to rush."

Suri said all three of Nokia's business areas - in addition to the networks unit, it has navigation and patents businesses - had opportunities for organic growth, without acquisitions.

"In a world where everyone and everything will be connected, there will be more and more synergies between the three businesses as we move forward," he added.

The company could look to sell combined patent and technology licences, he said, adding that it could potentially license its brand as well and could even return to consumer electronics business in the long term, utilising expertise it still has in that area.

In a conference call with analysts, he also said that the company has won several unannounced contracts in Europe.

KEEPING INVESTORS ONBOARD

Nokia's once industry-leading mobile handset business fell behind rivals such as Apple (AAPL.O) and Samsung in moving into smartphones, and a turnaround drive by outgoing CEO Elop failed to deliver quick results.

The company's shares, which traded at more than 28 euros in 2007, plunged to as low as 1.33 euros in 2012, before recovering somewhat, mainly in the wake of the Microsoft deal. Nokia was the biggest gainer among European blue-chip stocks in early trade, up 7.2 percent to 5.51 euros at 0910 GMT. The shares drifted slightly in the afternoon but were still up 2.9 percent at 1531 GMT.

In a bid to keep investors onside while it changes focus, Nokia said it would pay an extra 1 billion euros ($1.4 billion)in dividends for last year and start a 1.25 billion euro share buyback programme.

The extra dividend of 0.26 euros per share is on top of the annual dividend of 0.11 euros for last year. The ordinary dividend will cost the company another 400 million euros, or about half of Nokia's earnings for last year.

"The dividend proposal is slightly smaller than expected, but the buyback program is quite extensive. It reflects the management's view that the stock is valued below its sum-of-parts," said Inderes analyst Mikael Rautanen.

Nokia said it would cut debt by 2 billion euros, which would save it about 100 million euros in interest annually.

Suri said he expects the improved finances to lift Nokia's credit rating back to investment grade and that he is "absolutely fixated" on that goal.

Nokia said its net cash position at the end of March was 2.1 billion euros, down from 2.3 billion at the end of last year. Had the handset unit sale closed in the first quarter, the net cash position would have been 7.1 billion euros, Nokia added.

New Yahoo mail app for iPhone delivers other content as well

Yahoo is rolling out a new mail app for iPhone and iPod touch designed to deliver more than just messages.

The new mail app, announced on Tuesday, will provide a familiar Yahoo mail experience while adding access to other content like news, weather and stock tickers, according to the company.

YAHOO

When users open the app they will see their Yahoo mail inbox, but with a new panel at the bottom with icons marked “Mail,” “News” and “Today.” Tapping on the “news” icon gives users articles about a variety of topics, from celebrity gossip to politics.

The Today icon gives a snapshot of other information that is personalized to the user, such as local weather, stock quotes or sports scores.

Incorporating those other content streams into the mail app aligns with the vision of Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer of providing services for people around a range of “daily habits.”

“This is where all your news, information, and communications come together in one integrated experience,” Yahoo said in its announcement of the new app.

Yahoo has been on a redesign streak over the last year, revamping many services like Flickr and Mail on the desktop. Mobile has been a key element in Mayer’s efforts to turn Yahoo around. But the company still faces major challenges in monetizing its new apps and growing its advertising business.

The new mail app is free and will be rolling out to Apple’s App Store over the next couple of weeks to U.S. users, Yahoo said.

Samsung to launch Galaxy S5 Prime in June

Samsung's Galaxy S5.

Andrew Hoyle

Samsung may unveil a higher-end version of its flagship Galaxy S5 phone come June.

The rumored Galaxy S5 Prime will offer a sharper display and beefier processor, according to Asia Today, which cited information from unnamed industry sources. As reported by Sammobile, the phone would bump up its screen resolution to 2,560x1,440 pixels from the 1,920x1,080 found on the currentS5.

The Prime would also be powered by an octa-core Exynos 5430 processor. The current S5 comes in two different CPU versions -- one with a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 chip, the other with an octa-core Exynos 5 Octa 5422 processor.

Finally, the Prime edition could jettison the current model's plastic body in favor of a metal one.

Asked about a potential Prime S5, a spokeswoman for Samsung told CNET that the company doesn't comment on rumors or speculation.

Google claims big progress in self-driving cars' street smarts

The robo-cars can now handle sticky situations like signaling bicyclists and navigating through railway crossings and construction zones. That means, says Google, they've got a better sense of handling real-world risks.

• by Stephen Shankland  
   @stshank

• April 28, 2014 6:41 AM PDT Updated: April 28, 2014 1:36 PM PDT

Google's self-driving cars see the world as a collection of wireframe objects -- pink cars, red cyclists, yellow pedestrians. They erect virtual fences around each one and won't proceed until the obstacle has moved out of the way. Here, a car waits for pedestrians and cyclists (including one coming from behind) to cross at an intersection.

screenshot by Stephen Shankland/CNET

Google on Monday said that it has made major progress in how well itsself-driving cars can handle not just relatively straightforward freeways but also the more complicated leafy suburbs of Mountain View, Calif., where Google is based.

"We still have lots of problems to solve, including teaching the car to drive more streets in Mountain View before we tackle another town," said Chris Urmson, director of Google's self-driving car project, in a blog post. "But thousands of situations on city streets that would have stumped us two years ago can now be navigated autonomously."

In an accompanying YouTube video, Google demonstrates some of thecircumstances its self-driving cars now can handle: bicyclists signaling to move across a lane of traffic, railroad crossings, parked cars protruding into the lane of traffic, multiple pedestrians and cyclists entering an intersection, and orange traffic cones around a construction zone.

"A mile of city driving is much more complex than a mile of freeway driving, with hundreds of different objects moving according to different rules of the road in a small area," Urmson said. "We've improved our software so it can detect hundreds of distinct objects simultaneously -- pedestrians, buses, a stop sign held up by a crossing guard, or a cyclist making gestures that indicate a possible turn. A self-driving vehicle can pay attention to all of these things in a way that a human physically can't -- and it never gets tired or distracted."

Google's self-driving cars now have driven nearly 700,000 miles, Google said on Google+.

Google has shouldered a lot of the publicity burdens of self-driving cars, trying to convince the public, regulators, and insurance companies of the technology's positive effects on safety and convenience. It's not yet clear how exactly the company hopes to profit from these sorts of machines -- though one benefit no doubt will be freeing millions of drivers from the duties of driving so they can watch videos, check e-mail, post social-network updates, and do other things that mean more profits for the Internet company. Google posted net income of $12.9 billion on sales of $55.5 billion last year.

One new trick for Google's autonomous vehicles is detecting when a cyclist is signaling a left turn. Cyclists don't always signal, but when they do, Google's cars have a better idea what to do.

screenshot by Stephen Shankland/CNET

Although plenty of people are eager for self-driving cars to arrive, there will be resistance, too, from people who don't trust the technology, who don't want to relinquish the feeling of control, or depending on how much of a premium is charged, who can't afford it.

Ultimately, Google and its comrades in autonomous driving will prevail, according to analyst firm IHS. It forecast in January that sales of self-driving cars will rise from 230,000 in 2025 to 11.8 million in 2035, and that all cars on the road in 2050 will be self-driving.

"Accident rates will plunge to near zero for self-driving cars [SDCs], although other cars will crash into SDCs, but as the market share of SDCs on the highway grows, overall accident rates will decline steadily. Traffic congestion and air pollution per car should also decline because SDCs can be programmed to be more efficient in their driving patterns," said IHS analyst Egil Juliussen, principal analyst, in a statement.

Google is a pioneer, but it's far from alone now in making the sales pitch for self-driving cars.

Nissan, General Motors, and automotive supplier Continental expect self-driving cars on the road by 2020. Ford Motor Co. has unveiled a self-driving prototypecar. Telsa Motors wants its system tohandle 90 percent of driving duties by 2016 -- a more aggressive schedule and one that's more like what Google has said is attainable.

There are innumerable complications, though, and not all of them are technological. For example, if a self-driving car gets into an accident, who is to blame -- the owner or the manufacturer? And will the insurance company therefore pay for damages? It's one reason that today's prototypes typically have a responsible human driver behind the wheel.

The Brookings Institution think tank said last week that it believes self-driving cars will fit within the existing legal mechanisms.

"The United States has a robust products liability law framework that, while certainly not perfect, will be well equipped to address and adapt to the autonomous vehicle liability questions that arise in the coming years," Brookings said.

Guests at the Hyatt Regency in Hong Kong can use this smartphone for free

I've found fruit baskets, chocolates, even a bottle of Honig wine in my hotel rooms over the years. Never a smartphone -- until today. Last month, the Hyatt Regency Tsim Sha Tsui in Hong Kong installed handsets in each of its 381 rooms. Guests can use the phone throughout a stay, with unlimited data (and tethering!), and calls to Hong Kong, the US, UK, Australia, China and Singapore included for free. It comes with Facebook, Instagram, Skype and a handful of travel applications pre-installed, and once you type in your Google credentials, you can add any other apps you want. Then, when you're ready to check out, simply tap the "clear data" button to wipe your personal info and return the device to its original state, so it's ready for the next guest.

I booked a stay at the Hyatt months before the hotel announced its smartphone program. The rate (about $240) was quite good for Hong Kong even without the added benefit of a free mobile phone, and even though I purchased a SIM card from KeepGo to use with my own handset, I ended up leaving that one behind and using the hotel's instead. The device is provided by a local company called Handy, which rents similar phones to tourists for about $11 per day, including the same unlimited 3G and international calling plan. Handy also provides phones to The Mira, another Hong Kong hotel, which began offering smartphones to guests last year.

The phone, an Alcatel Idol X, is hardly the best device on the market, but it served me just fine during my two-day stay. Itworked well for Instagram, and while I often had a bit of trouble getting the GPS to find my precise location, destinations loaded quickly in Google Maps and the pre-loaded currency-conversion app was quite useful at shops and restaurants. There was plenty of practical info for Hong Kong, including a list of emergency numbers, transportation options -- even information about the city's smoking ban. The sponsored restaurant and shop listings weren't terribly useful, though, nor were the limited discounts ($5 off at a Noah's Ark theme park, a sightseeing tour or a wax museum with life-size figures of Chairman Mao and Jackie Chan).

For me, the standout feature was tethering support. The Hyatt offers complimentary WiFi, but my laptop kept dropping the connection, and the few times it did work, the service was painfully slow. Fortunately, the Handy phone had tethering enabled, and the 3G speeds were very good (about 5.5 Mbps down). Battery life wasn't fantastic, even with the WiFi hotspot disabled, but I did manage to get through a full day without charging up. It's a free phone, though, at a very nice hotel with a reasonable daily rate. Just don't lose it or "forget" to leave it behind when you leave -- you'll be billed about $250 for a replacement.

Google Search: A visual history

"To organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful."

That was one of the primary goals Larry Page and Sergey Brin set when they launched Google in 1998 as a privately owned search company. Since then, the Mountain View-based outfit has branched out, creating a mobile operating system, mapping service, cloud-based productivity apps, branded devices and, now, smart thermostats. All of those offshoots, however, always point back to the company's original aim: search. That baseline service is something Google's been making refinements to ever since its inception. A practice that continues to this day, with the company constantly improving upon the usability and design of its search-based offerings. This means cleaning up a UI when needed, and launching new features that serve up that much-lauded universal accessibility in short order. What may come across as a small box centered in a vast expanse of white is, as you'll see, actually something that's constantly evolved since '98.

Google Search: A visual history

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1998-2001: PRIMARY SEARCH

For the first few years of its existence, Google.com was purely a search engine with its now iconic box and "I'm feeling lucky" hunting option. The latter was meant to help users discover new sites during the course of their queries.

2001-2007: TOTALLY TABULAR

If you needed to conduct an image-based search, Google added tabs just above the search box in 2001 to make the task much easier. These would take on a variety of looks in the years to come, but at launch, they were nestled up under the ultra-recognizable multihued logo.

2006-2007: TABS TAKE OVER

Tabs didn't just stop there. They also briefly crossed over to Google's Gmail and Calendar, offering useful links atop those interfaces. Those apps have since been cleaned up drastically, but there was a time when both were weighed down with clickable, tabbed options.

2007-2011: NAVIGATION BAR

Some folks didn't take too kindly to Google moving that tabbed content to a navigation bar at the top of the page. For a span of about four years though, search links and app access rested there.

2011: THE GOOGLE MENU

In an effort to clean up that navigation bar, Google opted to tuck those handy search categories and its suite of apps into a drop-down menu at the top-left corner of the UI. The bar itself stayed put, adding Google+ access and notifications on the right-hand side.

2012: GOOGLE NOW

With the release of Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, the folks in Mountain View introduced a new type of mobile search product:Google Now. This card-based systemdraws upon user habits and search histories to display everything from weather to packages ordered, flight status and the latest scores from your favorite team. Google's even extended Now's reach beyond just Android, making it available on both iOS and the desktopin the years since its release.

2014: TIDIED UP WITH VOICE SEARCH

It may not look like much has changed, but that top navigation bar has been tweaked again. This time, Google's cleaned it up by moving that handful of links to the top-right corner alongside notifications for Google+. There's even another drop-down menu for accessing those trusty Google Drive apps and a handy list of sites that you visit most. To top it all off, the search box that's been there from the very start now features voice search.

GOOGLE DOODLES

Even before the company was officially incorporated, Google Doodles were a thing. The first was posted in 1998 to announce the attendance of Page and Brin at Burning Man. Since then, the artwork has been used to celebrate all kinds of events, from the Olympics to birthdays of influential folks. The Doodle team has been keen to add a heavy dose of interactivity throughout the years, too, as evidenced by one of our favorites: a recordable Moog synthesizer for Robert Moog's 78th birthday.

MOBILE-MINDED

"You don't need to be at your desk to need an answer," reads entry number five in Google's "Ten things we know to be true."

Browser-based search on mobile has largely taken on the look of its desktop counterpart. Even today, there's a side-mounted app tray to keep the main page focused on hunting for crucial info. Most Android users have a handy window on their home screens and Google's apps pre-installed, so there's no real need to hit the search web page directly. In terms of the standalone Search app, though, it primarily drives the aforementioned Google Now.

ALWAYS SEARCHING

To say that the folks in Mountain View have expanded the search engine since 1998 would be a massive understatement. It's quite clear many of Google's other products harken back to its prowess in handling queries. FromNexus to Now and Glass, there's little chance that search won't continue to drive all that Google does -- no matter how its look may change.

Having High-Tech Gadgets Is a Career-Booster, Says Study

Always using the latest high-tech gadget is one way to boost your image at work, new research suggests.

Indeed, business professionals who want to be perceived as leaders should be investing in the latest technology breakthroughs, according to a study published recently in The Journal of Product Innovation Management.

"Familiarity with and usage of new high-tech products appears to be a common manifestation of innovative behavior," the study's authors wrote. "Those who are tech-savvy are also perceived as authoritative on other subjects and as leaders."

As part of the study, the researchers taped interviews with actors who were categorized by their appearance and other factors. In one scene, the actors were taped as they wrote down a note using an old-fashioned calendar, and in the other, they took down a note on an electronic calendar.

The researchers found that when test subjects watched the interviews, they overwhelmingly viewed the actors using the electronic calendars as more authoritative.

In another experiment, researchers asked participants to read resumes that were all similar, except for hobbies, which were varied to signal whether the subjects were "high-tech" or not. Again, the high-tech candidates came out ahead.

The researchers also found that women who used technological gadgets benefited more than their male counterparts.

"This finding runs counter to the backlash effect typically found in impression management research in business settings," the researchers wrote. "Female job evaluations typically suffer after engaging in the same self-promoting impression management strategies that benefit their male counterparts."

However, the actual ability to operate high-tech devices wasn't that important, as long as the person looked reasonably competent, said Steve Hoeffler, associate professor of marketing at Vanderbilt University and one of the study's authors.

"Just possession is 90% of the game," he said. "And there are maybe 10% of situations where you have to display ability to use it."

The study was co-authored by Stacy Wood, a professor of marketing at North Carolina State University.

How to recover lost contacts on iOS and prevent it from happening again

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SUMMARY:

It can happen to anyone at anytime, noticing that your contact list is either missing or incomplete. All may not be lost, as there may be a way to get back some or all of your contacts.

The trouble with being connected all of the time is that when something bad happens to the data stored on one device, like losing your contact list, it can quickly spread like wildfire across all of your devices. If you do end up losing your contacts, there are some steps you can take to hopefully get most if not all of your contacts restored.

The following will guide you through the recovery, restoration and prevention techniques to keep all of your contacts safe.

First steps, don’t panic

Place device in airplane mode - Like throwing an electronic device into a bag of rice when you spill something on it, turning on airplane mode when you think that you have accidentally deleted or erased your contacts from your iOS device is a good first step to take. This could allow you the opportunity to log on to your account from another device or browser and see if your contacts are still available online before your device has a chance to sync.

Check for a misconfigured setting - One common mistake that is easy enough to rectify is a setting that could have been modified to either stop syncing your contacts or to hide entire groups of contacts on your device. Check your mail settings to ensure that you have enabled contact syncing. Also, from within the Contacts app, tap on Groups and see if you may have hidden some of your contacts from view.

Isolate other devices - Ideally what you are looking for is a device that has been powered off when you first discovered that your contacts were missing. You don’t want that device to sync and possibly delete your contents as well. One tip would be to turn off your wireless network, unplug your Ethernet cable, or take the device to a location where it cannot connect to the internet and sync. This is where improvements in how OS X works can hurt you as your Mac can take a power nap and sync your accounts when you thought your Mac was otherwise asleep.

Where to look

Export contacts from the cloud - Your best bet is to try to log on to your account from a device or computer that you have not configured as a syncing destination for your accounts. Most if not all of the popular email providers support browser-based access to your contacts online. Each has a different way to export your contact list, but they all seem to be able to export to either a CSV or vCard file:

• iCloud: Export contact information as a vCard
• Exporting Gmail contacts
• Export your Yahoo Contacts
• Export contacts from AOL Mail
• Export contacts from Outlook.com

Extract contacts directly from a device - If you do have an iOS device that does still have your contact list intact, you can access the contact information on the device. If you try to use iTunes to sync your contacts off of your iOS device, you will be warned that the device will be wiped prior to syncing. Instead what you want to use is an app like Ecamm’s PhoneView ($29.95, Mac) or Macroplant’s iExplorer ($34.99, Mac/Windows). With either of these tools you can easily access your contact list and export it to your desktop.

Browse iTunes iOS backups - When you perform a backup using iTunes, thebackup files are saved in a place where you can access them. Using tools like addPod’s JuicePhone (Free Mac), or Macroplant’s iExplorer (mentioned above), you can browse and extract files from your devices’ iTunes backups. Depending on how long it has been since your last iTunes backup, you may be able to restore the majority of your contacts.

Start the restoration process

Recently sent and received email - The good thing about your contact list is that it is was full of people and businesses you keep in regular contact with. Rebuilding your contact list from scratch can happen surprisingly fast. From within Mail, you can tap on the “From” and select add to contact or add to existing contact. Since you are reading the email that was sent by someone you know, you should be able to quickly re-create a good portion of your email contacts.

Outgoing and incoming call lists - Another good place to check for rebuilding your contact list is from your call history in your phone app. If you are not sure which phone number belongs which person, you can use an app like WhitePages (Free, Universal) to reverse lookup the phone number. For just $3.99 through an in-app purchase, you can buy a subscription that will allow you to reverse lookup unlimited phone numbers and addresses for 30 days.

Online phone records - If you no longer have access to your recent call list on your iPhone, you may be able to access your usage details by viewing your wireless bill online. Simply tapping on a highlighted phone number on iOS, or by highlighting the phone number on OS X in an editor like TextEdit, you can create a new contact or add to an existing one. Depending on the detail contained in your usage information, you may end up copying and pasting phone numbers into your WhitePages app (mentioned above).

Scan return address labels and business cards - Another good source of information is your regular mail. You can use an app like SmileOmMyMac’s PDFpen Scan+ with OCR ($4.99, Universal) to take a photo of the corner of your letters. It will turn the photo into text that you can copy and paste into your contacts. Likewise you can go through your stack of business cards with an app like SHAPE’s Business Card Reader Pro($6.99, iPhone). That can turn a photo of a business card into a contact record.

Prevent future losses

Duplicate contacts across multiple accounts - Within iOS you can eliminate viewing duplicate contacts when your device is configured to sync to multiple services like Yahoo, Google and iCloud by linking contact records. To combine duplicate contact records you must first edit the contact, scroll all the way to the bottom of the record, and add the record that you want to associate with it. This way if you happen to have the same person listed as a contact on several different services, you will see only one record in your Contacts app.

Backup regularly to both iTunes and iCloud - It is easy to set and forget that you are backing up your iOS device to your iCloud account. But remembering to backup to your iOS device to iTunes on your computer may occur less often. While a restoration from iCloud may in fact restore your lost information, having the backed up information stored in a location you can access as you can with an iTunes backup can prove to be useful.

Export contacts lists and send them to yourself - When it comes to managing your contacts on iOS, an app like Yoni Tserruya’s Simpler Pro ($2.99 Universal) can make backing up your contact list a breeze.  With just one tap you can quickly export your backups to Dropbox, Google Drive or even Email yourself a copy.  On OS X, you can simply create a vCard backup file of your contact list directly from within the Contacts app.

Reports say an Amazon phone is close

The device has been a prime example of "vaporware," the term for rumored tech gadgets that everybody loves talking about despite the fact they don't officially exist. And Amazon has never confirmed that it's making a smartphone.

But the drumbeat is getting louder, and recent reports suggest the handset will hit the market soon.

In the past week, tech blog Boy Genius Report has posted images of what it says is that very phone, along with a report that users will control some features of the device just by tilting it at certain angles.

That followed a report from The Wall Street Journal that Amazon will roll out the phone by June and it will be on sale by September.

Both articles say the phone will include a groundbreaking technology: a screen that uses four cameras to produce hologram-like 3-D images without the need for special glasses.

In the BGR photos, the phone is cloaked in a protective shell that hides details of its design. The blog did not say how it acquired those images, but reported speaking with "multiple trusted sources." In the past, BGR has accurately reported details about unannounced Amazon products like its Kindle Fire tablets and Kindle e-readers.

The 3-D model is one of two phones Amazon plans to announce, the reports say, the other being a cheaper, less fancy one.

The company that made its name in online retailing has been working on the phone for several years, according to reports. And, indeed, rumors of its existence have been floating around since at least 2011.

Amazon was long thought of primarily as a website. But since the success of its e-reader, the Kindle, the company has increasingly become known for its hardware, too. The original Kindle in 2007 was followed by the Kindle Fire tablet and, most recently, byAmazon Fire TV, a device that streams Web content to your television. 

With the Fire TV, Amazon has reaffirmed its products as competitors to similar hardware from Apple and Google, as well as more targeted companies like Roku and TiVo.

It makes sense that a phone would follow. And Amazon appears to have chosen to take its time to roll out something unique instead of just jumping into a crowded market dominated by the iPhone and a small handful of handsets running Google's Android operating system.

"Congratulations to Amazon.com for thinking outside the box. If this is a hit it could be great news for both Amazon.com and their customers," wireless analyst Jeff Kagan said. "It could be another Kindle-like business."

But that success isn't guaranteed, even with Amazon's expansive resources behind it, he said in a media release.

"Some companies like Apple, Google and Samsung are very successful in the smartphone space. However many more companies are trying with very little success," Kagan added. "The next biggest player is Microsoft Nokia and they only have a few percent market share."

Nike President on Fuelband News: We're Excited for a Future With Apple

The Nike+ Fuelband SE wristband fitness tracker.

IMAGE: MASHABLE, CHRISTINA ASCANI

BY SAMANTHA MURPHY KELLY1 HOUR AGO

Nike President and CEO Mark Parker has added fuel to rumors on Friday that the company's Fuelband software could end up in the Apple iWatch.

In an interview with CNBC, the executive stressed the importance of its existing relationship with Apple and is "excited about where that relationship will go forward."

SEE ALSO: Nike Is Positioning Fuelband Software for Wearables Like the iWatch

Earlier this week, a source familiar with Nike's thinking told Mashable the move to layoff its Fuelband team and stop building new fitness tracker hardware is astrategic way to open up Nike software to other wearable platforms.

The source strongly implied one of them would be Apple’s upcoming iWatch (or iBand). While the discontinuation of the Fuelband line (along with laying off most of its team) looks on the surface like a failure for Nike, Fuelband software (called NikeFuel) would get a huge boost from Apple customers with sights set on the iWatch.

"We are focusing more on the software side of the [Fuelband] experience," Parker said in the video interview. "I think we will be part of wearables going forward. It'll be integrated into other products that we create, and then we'll look at expanding our partnerships to create more reach for the Nike Fuel and Fuel system that we have ... and the best way to do that, we think, is through the best partnerships that we can find."

In line with this thinking, a source tells us the move would be similar to the way many consumers now access the Kindle store via a tablet — and not necessarily a Kindle. Nike+ Fuelband software would exist, similarly, in Apple's fitness ecosystem featured on the iWatch.

Although Parker declined to comment on rumors of the NikeFuel software popping up in the iWatch, he said "I will just say the relationship between Nike and Apple will continue, and I am personally, as we all are at Nike, very excited about what's to come."

He added that the company's goal is to increase the number of users that take advantage of the NikeFuel software and system.

"You're going to continue to see us commit to this area, to focus on expanding the reach," he said. "Today, we have about 30 million Fuelband users and we're hoping to push that over 100 million."