Apple's Upcoming iPhone Launch Will Be Its Biggest Ever, In More Ways Than One

The worst kept secret in the technology industry right now is that the next iPhones will be delivered with bigger screens this September, coming in 4.7 and 5.5-inch sizes. But if reports out of the Far East are to be believed, the new iPhone won’t just be bigger it will be huge — for Apple that is. How so? Apple is asking its suppliers to build 70-80 million new iPhones by year end. That represents an increase of up to 60% from last year’s orders for the iPhone 5s and 5c, which totaled 50-60 million.

Because of the ranges in the estimates, it’s also possible that Apple will only be getting about 15% more iPhones than last year at this time. But that seems unlikely. The company was caught a bit flat-footed in 2013 when demand for the higher-end 5s outstripped expectations while the lower-end 5c came in a bit shy of what Apple had hoped for.

Touchscreen smartphones could replace buttons and switches in future cars

Hold on to that steering. Cars of the future are set to get rid of traditional controls like buttons and switches and have a touchscreen smartphone for your driving comfort and overall safety.
Back-seat passengers will have the touchscreen to control automotive accessories such as air-conditioning, infotainment and navigation. This will not distract drivers, media reports said.
Towards this, luxury car maker Bentley has come up with a slick remote control which whirrs up from the rear of the center console. The device, the size of a cigarette packet, is fitted with a touch-screen. It manages audio-visual  equipment like twin TV screens, a navigation system, a stereo and even a fridge.
The remote also allows passengers to configure the seats and adjust interior temperature.
This kind of control will soon pass on to cheaper cars, reports added. For example, the new
Volkswagen Passat will have an app that owners can download on a tablet.
Using the car’s Wi-Fi, the tablet will let passengers surf the internet as well as interact with the infotainment system.

Audi has gone a step further.
It has come up with an Audi-brand tablet: a 10.2-inch display introduced as a remote control for a range of vehicle functions. The tablet gives occupants access to the web, media and navigation systems as well as control over the radio, reports added.

Now, smartphone to monitor your blood glucose, analyse your DNA!

Researchers have developed a new display sensor for smartphones that can read a user's spit to not check their body temperature and even analyze DNA.

Researchers from Polytechnique Montreal and Gorilla Glass manufacturer Corning, have developed new sensors that can be embedded within the smartphone's display, allowing the users to take their temperature,assess blood levels (if diabetic) and work alongside platforms such as Apple's HomeKit to give provide more information about their health.

The scientists have also created their first laser-written light-guiding systems that could pioneer these advancements and shot lasers into glass to create pathways that transmit data in the form of small beams of light, while the waveguides act as a tunnel that channel light.

The researchers added that while waveguides aren't new, the approach created by the team is nearly 10 times better at minimizing loss compared to previous ones made with lasers. These sensors could be embedded in biomedical sensors into tablets and window pc's as well. The team added that the technology could also be used to add security to mobile devices and monitor carbon-monoxide levels in the air as well.

“We’re opening the Pandora’s box at the moment,” said paper co-author Raman Kashyap, a professor of electrical engineering and engineering physics at Polytechnique Montreal, in a statement. Now that the technique is viable, “it’s up to people to invent new uses” for it, he added.

Recently German scientists at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology have developed a new sensor that can be attached to your smartphone to measure fine dust particles in the air to draw a pollution map. Users can join a participatory sensing and download the corresponding app to measure pollution levels. The images can be evaluated locally or transmitted to a computer system to combine this data with other measurements and display the dust concentration on the users smartphone.

There’s an app aimed at letting you spy on your partner, what’s next?

We’ve seen all kinds of crazy apps come and go over the past few years, and this new one which we’ll be talking about takes the whole concept strange apps to a whole new level and perhaps beyond. mCouple is something you can download on your Android and iOS devices to keep track of your partners.

So if someone thinks their significant other is cheating on them or if they’re anxious about who their partner is talking to and where he/she is going, they can take some help from this app. It works in a two-way fashion, so both the partners need to have it installed on their devices in order to take advantage of it.

Developed by a London-based firm named mSpy, its key concept is that all the history from you device will be accessible on your partner’s device. This means, any call or message you get during your day will be accessible on your partner’s connected handset without any bounds.

LG launches G Watch smartwatch running on Android Wear

Along with the LG G3 India launch, LG also also unveiled its G Watch smartwatch, priced at Rs 15,000.

The watch has a 1.65-inch display and features Qualcomm's Snapdragon 400 processor and has an internal memory of 4 GB with a 512MB RAM. The dust and water resistant watch sports the Android Wear OS and has a 400 mAh battery.

There is a discount of Rs 5,000 on the LG G Watch when bought along with the G3.

LG launches new G3 smartphone

The 4G-supporting smartphone features a 5.5-inch quad HD display, 13 megapixel OIS+ (Optical Image Stabilizer Plus) rear camera and 2.1 MP front camera.

LG, which on Monday launched its flagship smartphone 'LG G3' in Mumbai, said it is on path to achieve 10 per cent market share in the world's second most populous market.

Buoyed by increasing smartphone sales across price categories, the Korean electronics giant LG said it expects revenues from the segment in India to jump almost three-fold this year.

"We are seeing very good traction and will exceed our target of Rs 2,000 crore in revenues from smartphones in India this year from Rs 800 crore in 2013," LG Electronics India Managing Director Soon Kwon told PTI.

In the first half of the year, the business from the category has almost trebled, he added.

10 Awesome New Inventions You'll Never Hear About

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Robot That Devours Insects and Rodents

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Is this gold vending machine, the first to be installed in the U.S., going to become a commonplace invention or one bound for the footnotes of history?

Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Some inventions are so ubiquitous that it's difficult to imagine they started as an idea scribbled on paper and then a patent application submitted to, say, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Aluminum foil, adhesive bandages, the ballpoint pen, the computer mouse, the microwave oven -- these are just a few examples of great ideas that became indispensable products we now take for granted.

Nevertheless, of the 520,277 applications that inventors filed with USPTO in 2010, chances are that not even half will be granted patents, and far fewer will become commercial successes [source: USPTO]. For every new gadget that becomes a household name and changes our lives, there are thousands of others that languish in patent office files, unappreciated except perhaps as curiosities. Some of them are ingenious, but plagued with small but fatal flaws. Others are too outlandish to ever gain widespread acceptance. A few are simply ahead of their time.

In that spirit, here are 10 of the most outré technological advances from recent years -- inventions that push the boundaries of innovation, yet seem unlikely to gain widespread acceptance. Enjoy them with a caveat: There were people who scoffed at the notion that the motorized carriage would ever replace the convenience of having a horse, and others who figured that nobody would ever need or want to carry a telephone around in their pocket. Enjoy.

No mind control for these U.S. soldiers on patrol -- yet.

Marco di Lauro/Getty Images

The helmet used by the U.S. military has changed dramatically over the years. In World War I, the M1917/M1917A1 helmets, also known as "Doughboy" or "dishpan" helmets, protected the heads of American infantrymen. They were replaced in 1941 by the M-1 "steelpot," the standard-issue helmet in World War II, the Korean conflict and throughout the Vietnam War. By the 1980s, U.S. military helmets had evolved into a one-piece structure composed of multiple layers of Kevlar 29 ballistic fiber.

The helmet of the near future, however, may contain something more than extra protection from flying shrapnel. An Arizona State University researcher, working under a grant from the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), is trying to develop a military helmet equipped with technology to regulate soldiers' brains. The technology is transcranial pulsed ultrasound, which delivers high-frequency sound waves to specific regions of the brain. Under the influence of these sound waves, neurons send impulses to their targets, exerting control over them. On the battlefield, this has enormous implications. Using a controller, a soldier could release ultrasound pulses to stimulate different areas of the brain. For example, he or she might want to be more alert after being awake for many hours or relax when it's time to catch some shuteye. The soldier might even be able to relieve stress or become oblivious to pain, eliminating the need for morphine and other narcotics.

Of course, some people think this type of neurotechnology is pure science fiction. Others worry that Uncle Sam is trying to take over the minds of its soldiers. After all, it's one thing to have a drill sergeant yelling in your ear. It's another thing completely to have one inside your head [source: Dillow].

A sketch of what the pencil-making device might look like

HowStuffWorks.com

U.S. businesses use about 21 million tons (19 million metric tons) of paper every year -- 175 pounds of paper for each American, according to the Clean Air Council. This has led to office recycling programs, "please think before you print" e-mail signatures and printers that offer double-sided printing. Now a trio of Chinese inventors hopes to add another device to the cubicle environment: the P&P Office Waste Paper Processor, which turns paper destined for recycling into pencils. The machine, looking a bit like a three-hole punch crossed with an electric pencil sharpener, was a finalist in the 2010 Lite-On Awards, an international competition that seeks to stimulate and nurture innovation.

Here's how the pencil-making gadget works: You insert wastepaper into a feed slot. The machine draws the paper in, rolls and compresses it, and then inserts a piece of lead from a storage chamber located in the top of the device. A small amount of glue is added before -- voilà -- a pencil slides out from a hole on the side. It's not clear how many pieces of paper form a single pencil, but you figure the average office worker could generate a decent supply of pencils in a month.

And that seems to be the biggest drawback to the pencil-producing gadget. How many No. 2 pencils can an office really use, given that most workers take notes on their tablet PCs or laptops? And how much glue and lead core do you need to buy to keep up with the overflowing paper recycle bin? Too much, we would suspect, which is why you may never see this gadget in your office supplies catalog [source: Bonderud].

The PrePeat, minus its plastic paper

Photo courtesy Sanwa Newtec Co., Ltd.

Printing has come a long way since the computer landed on the desktop. First, there were daisy-wheel printers, then dot-matrix printers, then inkjet and laser printers. The problem with all of these output devices, of course, is that they require paper -- lots of it -- and expensive consumables, like toner. Why can't someone invent an inkless, tonerless printer that allows the operator to reuse paper?

As it turns out, this isn't a new idea. Xerox has been working with so-called electronic paper since the 1970s. Its most promising solution is a type of paper called "Gyricon." A Gyricon sheet is a thin layer of transparent plastic containing millions of small oil-filled cavities. A two-colored bead is free to rotate inside each cavity. When a printer applies a voltage to the surface of the sheet, the beads rotate to present one colored side to the viewer, offering the ability to create text or pictures. The images will remain on the paper until it's fed through the printer once again.

A Japanese company, Sanwa Newtec, is offering its version of inkless, tonerless and rewritable printing technology. Its product is called the PrePeat rewritable printer, which, like the Xerox solution, requires plastic paper. But PrePeat uses a different technique to produce an image. Each sheet of paper comes embedded with leuco dyes, which change color with temperature -- colored when cool and clear when hot. The PrePeat printer, then, heats and cools the paper to first erase an image and then create a new image in its place. According to the company, a single sheet of paper can be reused 1,000 times before it needs to be replaced.

What's the catch? A single PrePeat printer costs almost $6,000, while a pack of 1,000 sheets of paper costs more than $3,300. If you're running a printing-intensive business, you might be able to recoup your investment over time. But the average PC user likely won't be willing to shell out that kind of money to replace a standard printer [source: Miller].

A NAV will be a lot smaller than the EMT Aladin airborne reconnaissance drone this German soldier is using for close area imaging during patrol on Oct. 17, 2010, in Afghanistan.

Miguel Villagran/Getty Images

Many people don't know it, but USPTO can apply a secrecy order to a patent if patent office staff and their military advisers think the idea could be used to threaten national security. Once the USPTO decides that a technology is no longer a threat, it can publish the patent and pave the way for commercialization. Some patents may remain cloaked under a secrecy order for one or two years; others languish for decades. More than 5,000 patents -- inventions we may never know or see -- currently have secrecy orders attached to them [source: Marks].

That's not the end of hush-hush inventions. Each year, the Pentagon sets aside billions of dollars to develop top-secret military weapons. This so-called "black budget" has grown tremendously since the Sept. 11 attacks, surpassing even the funds spent at the height of the Cold War. Some of that money has gone toward the development of nano air vehicles (NAVs), remote-controlled micro-drones that could easily infiltrate enemy territory. We all know how the U.S. military has used larger drones to conduct reconnaissance, transport supplies and even target individuals. Unfortunately, the larger attack drones, such as the MQ-1 Predator, can result in unwanted civilian casualties.

Lockheed Martin's Samarai micro-drone could solve that problem. Weighing a mere 5.29 ounces (150 grams) and boasting a 12-inch (30-centimeter) wingspan, the Samarai looks like a maple-seed whirligig, except this one comes with a miniature jet engine to provide thrust and a tiny flap on the trailing edge of the wing to control direction. In the near future, this nature-inspired micro-drone will snap photos using a camera mounted on the gadget's central hub. But the longer-term goals are to turn the Samarai or other similar micro-drones into armed attack vehicles capable of killing a single individual with little or no collateral damage [source: Weinberger].

The BIOME, in all its far-out organic glory. Future, please hurry!

Photo courtesy eMercedesBenz

Mercedes-Benz has been an innovator for decades. You can thank the German auto manufacturer for diesel andsupercharged engines on passenger cars, antilock brakes, electronic stability systems and more. But nothing could be more innovative than the BIOME concept car, unveiled at the Los Angeles Auto Show in November 2010. Here's how the official press release described the vehicle: "The Mercedes-Benz BIOME grows in a completely organic environment from seeds sown in a nursery. Out on the road the car emits pure oxygen, and at the end of its lifespan it can be simply composted or used as building material."

Engineers from the Mercedes-Benz Advanced Design Studios in Carlsbad, Calif., created the car as part of the Los Angeles Design Challenge, which called for a safe and comfortable compact car of the future that could accommodate four passengers, demonstrate good handling and weigh only 1,000 pounds (454 kilograms). The BIOME represents the Mercedes-Benz vision. It is made from an ultralight material called BioFibre so that the finished vehicle, though wider than a typical car, only weighs 876 pounds (397 kilograms). If you think that sounds too good to be true, then get this: The BIOME isn't assembled. It grows from two seeds -- one that forms the interior and one that forms the exterior. The wheels germinate from four additional seeds placed in the nursery.

Of course, you won't find the BIOME at your local Mercedes-Benz dealer. That's because the far-out design is a vision of the future -- a concept car that's decades ahead of its time. As such, it couldn't exist today. But it might be as common as a Corolla after 20 or 30 years of innovative thinking and inspired engineering [source: Leavitt].

The Armstar Bodyguard 9XI-HD01 looks a bit like that scary black body armor that Christian Bale wears in the recent Batman movies. And it is kind of like that, actually.

The Bodyguard, which was patented by a California inventor in 2007 under the title of "wearable shield and self-defense device," is designed to be a shield, a non-lethal weapon and a communications device all in one [source: Justia.com]. The flexible arm, which is armored with Kevlar and hard plastic, contains a rechargeable lithium battery pack that powers an "electronic deterrent" device built into the arm's artificial skin. All the user has to do is pull a pin, and an assailant who grabs his or her arm is going to get zapped with electricity. The Bodyguard is also equipped with a bright LED flashlight, an HD camera capable of transmitting pictures, and a charging slot into which an iPhone apparently fits nicely.

We could see this gadget becoming an indispensible tool for law enforcement officers and bodyguards of the future, but given that you have to inquire about it to get a price quote, we're guessing that it'll be too costly to make much of a dent into the everyday suburban adventurer market [sources: Armstar.net,Inventionreaction.com].

Wingsuit flyers need to jump out of an airplane or off of a cliff to fly.

Oliver Furrer/Brand X Pictures/Getty Images

Have you ever wanted to leave the ground and soar like a bird -- or perhaps a bat? In January 2012, a Connecticut-based inventor was granted a patent for what the application describes as "a completely dynamic human powered flying suit" that is modeled after the bat's style of aviation. The inventor explains in the patent application that bats are fellow mammals and the flying creatures "most closely related to human beings."

The device consists of a pair of strap-on batlike wings with rigid and non-rigid portions that can be manipulated by the wearer once aloft. Initially getting off the ground is a bit trickier: Unlike bats, who simply do what comes naturally, the wearer of the flying suit would have to be towed, or ride on a bicycle, skis or rollerblades down an incline and then assume a leaning-forward flying posture and leap into the air at the appropriate moment [source: USPTO]. The question is: Would this really work?

Think about it.

DC Photo/Digital Vision/Getty Images

Comedian Steve Martin used to have a routine in which his pet cat figures out how to imitate his voice and orders $3,000 worth of cat toys from a mail-order company. The bit certainly resonated with cat owners, who know how easily felines can get into mischief when they're trying to alleviate boredom. In 2009, a New York-based inventor was granted a patent for one possible solution: a fold-up "cat toy park" equipped with a scratching post, a tunnel for crawling through, a hanging chew toy, and most ingeniously, a tube equipped with a fan that blows colored balls around a mesh tube, a game that's "devised to occupy one or more cats" [source: USPTO].

While cat fanciers may applaud the ingenuity of the concept, cats are notoriously fussy and capricious, and there's no guarantee they would choose to play with such a toy rather than, say, claw your antique furniture. Also, the value of having a portable cat entertainment center is questionable, since we've never seen a cat who was a willing traveler.

The Aston Martin DB5 driven by James Bond in the film "Goldfinger"

Matt Cardy/Getty Images

Remember James Bond's tricked-out Aston Martin in the 1964 movie "Goldfinger" -- the one equipped with hidden machine guns, pop-out razor rims to slice pursuer's tires and an ejector seat? Wouldn't you love to outfit your Toyota Yaris with some of that stuff?

The high-powered weaponry, alas, probably is a bit impractical, not to mention dangerous. But there is a company that offers an electronic license-plate flipper of the sort that Bond used to conceal his identity from prying eyes. The $79.00 Vehicle Plate Flipper doesn't allow you to impersonate a Swiss or French driver, but it does flip down at a 90 degree angle at the press of a button to display a message on an underlying plate for the driver behind you. There's also a special $74.99 version for motorcycles.

We're not sure that this gadget will ever become widely popular, though, in part because some of the device's conceivable uses -- hiding your identity from red light cameras and police, or provoking tailgaters with taunting messages -- could get drivers in a lot of trouble. Indeed, the company that sells the device attaches a disclaimer to its Web site, warning that the gadgets are "STRICTLY intended for off-road use only" and informing potential customers that they take responsibility "for all liabilities associated with the use or misuse of our product" [source: Plateflipper.com].

An old-fashioned mouse trap

At this point, robotic vacuum sweepers, singing androids and mechanical dogs are old hat. But British inventors Jimmy Loizeau and James Auger have made a quantum leap with the Carnivorous Domestic Entertainment Robot, an automaton that would stalk and devour mice and insects, and then eat them and digest their bodies to produce its own power.

They've come up with five different concepts, including the mousetrap coffee table robot, which is designed to lure unwary vermin onto its surface, which contains a trap door triggered by motion sensors. Rodent victims trapped by the device would be chemically dismantled and fed to a microbial fuel cell. A light on the side of the device would inform the owner of how much energy is being produced by the auto-extermination. Other configurations include the Lampshade Robot, which would lure flies and moths to their doom, a Cobweb Robot that would trick spiders into weaving webs and then extract and feed them into its fuel cell, and the Flypaper Robotic Clock.

Right now these robots are still just concepts, which you might say is good thing: Realistically, who wants to watch their coffee table devour a mouse?

Top 10 Technological Innovations in TV Broadcasting

Television is a huge part of modern life, but it's constantly evolving medium. Which developments in the tech behind TV have taken the boob tube to new levels? Read more »

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Awesome New Inventions You'll Never Hear About

Is this gold vending machine, the first to be installed in the U.S., going to become a commonplace invention or one bound for the footnotes of history?

Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Some inventions are so ubiquitous that it's difficult to imagine they started as an idea scribbled on paper and then a patent application submitted to, say, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Aluminum foil, adhesive bandages, the ballpoint pen, the computer mouse, the microwave oven -- these are just a few examples of great ideas that became indispensable products we now take for granted.

Nevertheless, of the 520,277 applications that inventors filed with USPTO in 2010, chances are that not even half will be granted patents, and far fewer will become commercial successes [source: USPTO]. For every new gadget that becomes a household name and changes our lives, there are thousands of others that languish in patent office files, unappreciated except perhaps as curiosities. Some of them are ingenious, but plagued with small but fatal flaws. Others are too outlandish to ever gain widespread acceptance. A few are simply ahead of their time.

In that spirit, here are 10 of the most outré technological advances from recent years -- inventions that push the boundaries of innovation, yet seem unlikely to gain widespread acceptance. Enjoy them with a caveat: There were people who scoffed at the notion that the motorized carriage would ever replace the convenience of having a horse, and others who figured that nobody would ever need or want to carry a telephone around in their pocket. Enjoy.

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WOW !!! Jovago partners with Nigeria racing Eagle to host first African Racing Competition

For the first time ever in history, Africa will be hosting a car racing competition with African drivers! The Nigeria Racing Eagle (NRE) has partnered with Africa’s No.1 Hotel Booking Portal, Jovago.com to launch this campaign. 

Jovago will also be the official hotel partner and advisor for the Nigeria Racing Eagle team and with its expertise, provide a robust service handling the entire team’s and guests travelling itinerary to NRE races around the world.

LG unveils child-tracking Kizon device

LG plans to introduce Kizon to South Korea, North America and Europe

LG has announced a wrist-worn device designed to let parents keep track of where their child is and listen to what they are up to.

The Kizon uses GPS and wi-fi signals to identify the wearer's location and sends the information to an Android app.

LG is targeting the device at families with pre-school and primary school children.

However, others have raised concerns about the idea.

"A parent should never solely rely on a device alone. This will only give a false sense of security," said Peter Bradley, director of services at the charity Kidscape.

"Children still need to be taught about dangers - particularly 'stranger danger'."

"There are ethical points to consider too - should a child be able to be traced as part of going about their daily lives? How can a child develop their own coping strategies knowing a parent is watching over them?"

The Kizon is water- and stain-resistant and only features one button on its front

Privacy campaign group Big Brother Watch has also called for more details to be made available.

Facebook wants to know if you're dating anyone

There's no "Hey, baby, what's your sign?" button. But if you have a friend with a mysteriously undefined love life, Facebook may have just become a little more like a singles bar at closing time.

A new "Ask" feature lets you ping friends who haven't set their Relationship Status and ask them what's up. Facebook has been quietly rolling out the feature for testing in select countries, including the United States.

Clicking on "Ask" brings up a dialogue box with the text, "Let (your friend) know why you're asking for (his/her) relationship status." It provides space to expand upon your request -- say, to invite them out for drinks.

A Facebook spokeswoman said that similar "Ask" buttons have been available on mobile and Web for a few months for other profile information. Read more.....

GUESTS RECEIVES CUSTOMIZED IPHONES AT PRESIDENT GOODLUCK'S DAUGHTER'S WEDDING

Wow! Guests at Goodluck Jonathan's daughter's wedding received customized i-phones
Tonto Dikeh's boyfriend Michael designed the luxurious wedding gifts. See photos below:

AMAZING ENGINEERING: Bridge connecting Denmark and Sweden; part of it goes underwater

This bridge and tunnel goes under water to allow movement of ships. In order for ships to pass, this bridge is half under the water. You drive down in the water and then come out on the other side. Truly a marvelous piece of engineering! This bridge is between Sweden and Denmark. Picture taken from the side of Sweden. MORE PICTURES after cut.

4 places you should not swipe your debit card

Breaking news such as the massive data breach at Experian or Target now seems common. Leaving aside the victims of actual fraud, I hear constantly from people who've had to swap out every debit and credit card, or whose cards were unilaterally replaced by their bank. This causes all sorts of problems.

Sometimes it makes you long for the days of cash. While cash is not practical for everything, there are very compelling reasons to consider it or other alternatives instead of those debit cards.

Of course, you also have to watch where you get your cash, too. Criminals are good at installing near-invisible skimmers on ATMs. These steal your card information and then a miniature camera over the keypad steals your PIN. It's everything a thief needs to drain your account.

Avoid out of the way ATMs in isolated areas. When you can, use ATMs in a restricted-access foyer. You should also hold your hand over the keypad when you enter your PIN. This blocks a camera from seeing what you're doing.

CREDIT OR DEBIT: What's best for consumers?

Now that you know how to safely get cash, here's where you should use it.

1. GAS STATIONS

ATMs aren't the only places criminals can install card skimmers. Gas stations are a favorite target for thieves. Last year, four men were arrested for allegedly stealing $2.1 million using skimmers at gas stations in the south. The skimmers were installed in the pumps and were even equipped with Bluetooth — which allowed the thieves to come by and extract the collected numbers and PINs wirelessly!

Samsung Galaxy S5 Smartphone is now on sale

The wait is over. The Galaxy S5, Samsung’s newest Android flagship smartphone, hits stores today.

Improving on last year’s Galaxy S4 with a slightly larger screen, speedier innards, an improved camera, and its own fingerprint sensor to rival Apple’s Touch ID, the S5 immediately becomes one of the top smartphones on the market today.

Where do I buy one?The phone is launching in 125 countries today, but stateside you can pick one up from any of the four major wireless carriers — T-Mobile, Sprint, Verizon, or AT&T — as well as Best Buy, RadioShack, and other retailers. If you don’t mind waiting for it to be shipped, Amazon.com is also a good option.

How much is it?Contract carriers are selling the Galaxy S5 for $199 with a two-year agreement. T-Mobile is offering the device at a $0 down, $27-a-month payment plan spread out across two years.

Sprint and AT&T also have similar $0-down payment plans, which allow customers to upgrade earlier than those in two-year service agreements. Verizon has a buy one, get one free promotion, though both purchasers must sign a new two-year contract, and must also be on the same plan. 

The last option is to just buy an unlocked Galaxy S5 to be used on prepaid services or without contract. You can grab one this way from places like Newegg.com or Amazon, but it’ll run you anywhere from $700 to $800.

Should I buy one?Our own David Pogue recently put the Samsung Galaxy S5 through its paces and found it to be a great and capable device with a very good camera and a very smart waterproof feature. The downside: The phone is unfortunately loaded with Samsung “junkware” and probably too many features you’ll never use. Luckily Android, and Samsung’s version called TouchWiz, are so customizable that much of the stuff you’ll never use can be hidden out of the way.

Be sure to read Pogue’s full review of the Galaxy S5 before deciding on whether or not it should be your next smartphone. Keep in mind that Samsung’s Galaxy phones are very popular, so unless you’re the patient type when it comes to getting your new toys (we are not), you might want to make your mind up soon before your neighborhood store runs out of stock.

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Hacker crashes Google Play

New Android apps and updates were blocked from appearing in Google's Play Store on Monday, after a hacker attacked Google's app publishing system.

It's an outage you may not notice -- until it holds up the next update to Candy Crush, Plants v. Zombies or Clash of Clans. But developers are furious

The publishing system known as Google's Developer Console first crashed mid-day Sunday. Many app developers still found themselves blocked from uploading to the Google Play Store on Monday. Some developers noted the issue appeared to be resolved on Monday, but another posted in a Google forum, "problem started again."

Meanwhile, Android users don't have access to new apps and updates. Existing apps are still available for download. Google's (GOOG,Fortune 500) Android software powers nearly 80% of the smartphone market..

Ukraine Crises stirs U.S.-Russia tensions

Washington (CNN) -- Tensions between the United States and Russia over the crisis in Crimea have exploded into an open row as Russia rejects U.S. diplomatic efforts to solve the impasse.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Monday that U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry postponed a face-to-face meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss American proposals, which Moscow has effectively rejected, on solving the crisis.

The meeting, which Russia said was supposed to happen Monday, would have marked the highest-level contact between the two countries since Russian troops took up positions in Crimea, and would have come ahead of Sunday's potentially explosive vote on whether Crimea should split from Ukraine and join Russia.