The iPhone 7 / 7 Plus rumor mill has been running at full throttle today, as one might expect a mere two days prior to the big reveal. An Apple-facing Vietnamese blog claims to have handled a couple of 4.7-inch iPhone 7 units ahead of the announcement, and wades into the debate with a few statements on the handset's apparent features. While we must take this report with some skepticism — particularly given the lack of any video or photographic evidence of said devices — it's nonetheless worth assessing at such a late stage. Outer design tweaks The reporter notes of having some hands-on experience with the 128 GB iPhone 7 (not Plus) in both silver and black. The latter seems to be the matte / 'Dark Black' model set to replace the current Space Gray. As we've learned already, it will probably be accompanied by a further, glossy 'Piano Black' option as well. According to this tidbit, the silver model's rear Apple logo will be somewhat shiny, while the logo of the matte version will be more in-keeping with the rest of the device's outer profile. iPhone 7 latest: 4K video capture at 60 FPS, rubber-sealed SIM tray for waterproofing & more The volume buttons may also have been subtly altered. With the iPhone 6s, there's a slight indentation as seen above, where the volume keys are located. This is concave will not exist with the iPhone 7, says the report; the buttons will simply pop out from through their respective holes without affecting the shape of the chassis. Waterproofing We've heard that the forthcoming iPhones will finally see some kind of protection against moisture, and this leak thankfully does not refute the claim. Quite the opposite — the SIM tray will apparently be sealed with rubber in order to shore up defense against the elements. With a number of major smartphones inclusive of such protection as standard, it was only a matter of time before Apple followed suit. That time appears to be now. 4K video capture @ 60 fps Saving potentially the most exciting feature until last, the report notes that Apple's iPhone 7 could be the first to sport 4K video capture at 60 fps. If so, it would be the first smartphone to offer such capability, and would constitute a welcome bump on the 30 fps limit of the iPhone 6s' 4K abilities. The new iPhones are widely expected to offer 32, 128 and 256 GB capacities, which is a lot when it comes to apps, games and music. But if 4K video at 60 fps is indeed a Thing, those looking to make the most of these abilities will need all the real estate they can get. The report also notes of the new touch-based home button. It will not move in and out as has traditionally been the case, but will provide haptic feedback to give the illusion of a moving part. Apple's recent fleet of MacBook trackpads have this Force Touch feature baked in, and now the home buttons of the new iPhones look poised to do likewise.

AdDuplex has been the leading cross-promotion network for Windows Phone for some time. With this position, the company is often passing along information about the platform that would otherwise be kept quiet. For example, thanks to AdDuplex we now know that Windows 10 Mobile powers 14% of active Windows Phone handsets. Last month that share was 11.9%. While there has been some positive movement, it is not enough to make Microsoft stand up and cheer. The data shows that Windows Phone 8.1 still owns a commanding 77.3% of active Windows Phone units. Windows Phone 8 accounts for 6.7%, and Windows Phone 7.x is still running 1.7% of active Windows Phone units. Breaking up Windows 10 Mobile even more, 52.4% of phones running the OS are using the new Anniversary Update (version 1607). That's pretty impressive considering that unlocked phones could pick up the update only a week ago, and AT&T just started sending out the update this week. 41.3% are using version 1511, and 6.3% are rockin' an insider version of Windows 10 Mobile. Want to guess which Windows Phone is the most popular world-wide? If you said the Microsoft Lumia 535, you are absolutely correct. The low-end device has a 12.3% share of active Windows Phone handsets; that gives it a 1.9 percentage point advantage over the phone that was the platform's most popular handset for years, the Nokia Lumia 520. At the beginning of this year, the roles were reversed with the Lumia 520 garnering 12.9% of active Windows Phones, and the Lumia 535 snagging an 11.7% share. The Microsoft Lumia 640 is on the rise, with its slice of the Windows Phone pie rising from 6.3% on January 22nd to 9.8% on August 22nd. Check out all the data in a tasty pie chart format, by clicking on the slideshow below.

Every so often, a new idea or piece of tech arrives and catches on in a big way. Samsung began the curved-edge display trend with the Galaxy S6 edge, which naturally garnered some skepticism at first. Backed by a strong consensus among tech commentators and consumers alike, the curvaceous finish has made its way to the newNote 7, and several other companies seem to have been watching. With Xiaomi's forthcoming Mi Note 2 set to be furnished with a similar panel, Sammy's fiercest rival may soon join the party. 

Target chairman and CEO Brian Cornell was talking to Wall Street analysts today about the rough second quarter suffered by the retailer. He mentioned the double-digit percentage decline in revenue the retailer had in electronics, and noted that Apple devices had a 20% drop in sales in Target from April through June. The retailing executive didn't want to target the iPhone (no pun intended) for the drop in revenue. Instead, when asked by a Goldman Sachs analyst if the drop in Apple revenue was due to weak iPhone sales, Cornell said the issue was a "broader story across the product suite." The Chairman and CEO said that Target is working with Apple to help promote and sell Apple's new products in the second half of the year. Besides the new Apple iPhone 7 and Apple iPhone 7 Plus, he could be referring to the rumored Apple Watch 2 and a possible sequel to the 9.7-inch Apple iPad Pro. "Our guests come to us looking for those products. They are looking for the newness and the innovation and we are putting together plans with Apple and our merchandising teams to make sure we are ready to take advantage of that in the back half of the year."-Brian Cornell, Chairman & CEO, Target The latest rumor has the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus getting unveiled on September 7th. According to a leaked AT&T memo, the two phones will be available for pre-orders starting on September 9, with the actual launch of the phones taking place two weeks afterward.

Last week, we told you about the QuadRooter vulnerability that was said to affect one billion Android powered devices. Four flaws were discovered, and three of them were patched, leaving one vulnerable. This was going to be taken care of in Google's September security update. QuadRooter can allow a hacker to gains root access to a phone's camera, microphone, data and more.

How deadly is QuadRooter? Consider that the phone called by its manufacturer as "the most secure Android phone in the world," the BlackBerry DTEK50, was affected by it. Note how we wrote that in past tense. That is because BlackBerry has successfully patched the BlackBerry Priv and the BlackBerry DTEK50 against QuadRooter. These are BlackBerry's two Android powered handsets.

Being pushed out today is an update for the Priv and one for the DTEK50 that protects the two models from Qualcomm's vulnerability. Some of you might wonder why BlackBerry would rush out a fix for something that will be covered on the next monthly security update. BlackBerry Chief Security Officer, David Kleidermacher has the perfect reply. He said, "Some critical Android vulnerabilities – for example, one that can be easily and remotely exploited with a publicly disclosed method to execute 'root' privileged malware – simply can't wait for a monthly update cycle."

Priv and DTEK50 models purchased directly from BlackBerry will receive the update starting today. Those updates earmarked for carrier-sold models will start to arrive later this week.

With production yields rising for Samsung's curved-edge displays, the company is rumored to be thinking about eliminating flat-screened models for the Galaxy S line. The Samsung Galaxy S7 edge has been more popular than the Samsung Galaxy S7 and the higher production yields mean that as soon as next year, the company won't be financially penalized for supplying the curved-edge glass for everyone who wants it. Before Samsung decides how to approach the Samsung Galaxy S8, it will watch to see how demand shapes up for the Samsung Galaxy Note 7. The high-end phablet comes in just one version and that is a model with a dual-edged screen. If the buyers are there for the Note 7, and there is no large contingent of consumers complaining about the lack of a flat-screened model, it would certainly seem like 2017 would be a good time to offer just one Galaxy S8 model with a curved-edge screen. One analyst somewhat agrees with that statement, saying that if the market response to the Note 7's curved-edge display is positive, Samsung will likely decide to eliminate the flat-screened Galaxy S models in the near future. This expert just doesn't see Samsung in a rush to get rid of the flat screen starting with next year's flagship phone. "Samsung has considered that it would make the edge display as the identity of the Galaxy S smartphone lineup if the company can provide consumers differentiated user experience through software and user-friendly functions (for the curved screen)."-Koh Dong-jin, Samsung Mobile" "Samsung will not likely get rid of the flat-screen Galaxy S smartphone model right away, but if the market response is positive with the Note 7, it would surely serve as a cue for Samsung to focus only on the Edge model."-Market Analyst

BlackBerry is offering its BlackBerry Hub+ suite to all Android users running Android 6.0 and up. This is coming from the company's new Mobility Solutions Group. BlackBerry has been working hard on software (which is now a $500 million business for the company) just in case it does feel compelled to pull the plug on hardware.

The suite is available from the Google Play Store in an app called BlackBerry Hub+ Services, and a free 30-day trial starts today. More on that later. Once you install the app, you are prompted to install the BlackBerry Hub app, the BlackBerry Password Keeper app and the BlackBerry Calendar app, all from within the Hub+ Services app.

BlackBerry Hub enables Android users to find all of their messages in one place including email, texts, BBM posts, Tweets, Instagram posts, and more. Manage multiple email accounts without switching apps, snooze messages to open at a future date and select recipients for email messages from a list of suggested contacts. BlackBerry Password Keeper stores all of your passwords and login information, so you don't have to strain your brain trying to remember the password you used on a particular site. And with BlackBerry Calendar, you can view and respond to meeting invitations, dial into conference calls straight from the reminder, and view your calendar in agenda, day, week or month view.

Starting today, you can download the BlackBerry Hub+ Services app and use it for 30-days at no charge. You must have a phone running Android 6.0 or higher to install it. After 30-days, you can continue to use the app with a few ads in the way to help BlackBerry defray the cost of offering the suite. Or, you can pay 99 cents a month for an ad-free experience. Remember, a little BlackBerry 10 never killed any Android users.

A video revealing a mockup of the Apple iPhone 7 Plus has been posted on social media. The video itself refers to it as a mockup (and not the final chassis as reported elsewhere). That doesn't mean that the iPhone 7 Plus won't look exactly like this, it just means that the device seen on the video does not give us definitive answers. In fact, most of what we see here has already been seen on other leaked photos, videos, CAD/CAM images and renders. One thing that hasn't appeared before is the dark blue color of the unit, which would be a new color option for iPhone buyers. On the back, you can clearly see the dual camera setup. Both lenses are reportedly 12MP. One will have OIS and the second will purportedly give users optical zooming capabilities. The antenna lines have been moved to the upper and lower edges of the phone, and the 3.5mm earphone jack has been removed. This mockup of the iPhone 7 Plus contains the Smart Connector contacts that some leaks have included. The Smart Connector is used on the Apple iPad Pro to allow the Smart Keyboard to connect to the tablet wirelessly. Using magnets, power and data are transferred between the slate and the keyboard. The inclusion of the contacts on this iPhone 7 Plus mockup could mean that Apple will be offering a physical QWERTY for the device. Late last month, there was a rumor that Apple couldn't get the Smart Connector to work on the iPhone 7 Plus and decided to scrap it. This mockup suggests otherwise. Truthfully, we won't know for 100% sure about the specs on any iPhone 7 model until the phone is unveiled next month.

We've been hearing essentially since the original Apple Watch was announced that Apple would be making a concerted effort to make its second generation smartwatch thinner. At 10.5mm, the Apple Watch isn't really too thick compared to other popular smartwatches, but we all know Apple has device dysmorphia issues.

The latest security update loaded onto the Nexus 5 added something to the phone that Google wasn't planning on. That would be a bug messing around with the handset's volume controls. These problems date back to the dissemination of software version MOB30P, sent to the Nexus 5 earlier this month.

Some of the issues that users are complaining about include the inability to adjust the volume during a call, even though the slider does move. Another complaint found on the AOSP Issue Tracker includes one from a Nexus 5 user who is unable to move the volume slider under the second lowest position. One Nexus 5 user found that those on the other end of a call can't use the speakerphone because of an annoying echo.

You can find all of these complaints by clicking on the sourcelink, which will take you to the AOSP issue tracker. This is issue 215483. You can fix this immediately by reverting back to the previous build. To do that, you need to go to the Nexus 5 Factory Image (see link below) and flash the next -to-last update (MOB30M). When the next security update comes, your phone will be caught up.

Another possibility, and the easiest solution, is to wait for a fix from Google. A verified community manager on the Nexus 5 subreddit page says that an update will be pushed out by Google, possibly as soon as this coming week.