As new iOS apps flood the App Store every day — recently topping 1,000,000 — we know it’s tough to tell which ones are worth their salt. But thanks to our Weekly Scoop, you can have the best for free! Here you’ll find a weekly roundup of the coolest apps free or at a discount for a limited time only. Each week features the best and brightest from websites like Free App Report, AppsGoneFree, AppieDay, AppShopper, and more!

Hurry! Get 'em while they’re hot!

1.Oldify-2 Face Your Old Age (Free from $1.99)

Have you ever wondered what you'd look like as an old person? Now with this app you can turn a current picture of yourself as a young 'un into a portrait of you in old age. Horrify yourself and all of your friends at parties! Better stock up on that fancy face cream. I have a feeling you're all going to slathering it on and drinking kale smoothies from now on. But don't worry, your friends will still think you're beautiful because they look just like you at 80.

2. Bikini Butt(Free from $0.99)

Speaking of fighting things that sag and look a little tired, try this app that will give you that high and tight bum you've always dreamed of. You'll be the hottest old person with the tightest tooshie anyone has ever seen! Won't THAT impress them at the beach?

3. Atkins Carb Tracker (Free from $0.99)

Speaking of looking good out there, for those of you who've taken the Atkins path, here's a cool app to help you track those nasty old carbs and kick them out of your life for good. Use this app faithfully and that bikini booty will show up in no time at all!

Sometimes, whether it's an ex or an obnoxious telemarketer, a person just won't get the message and stop calling you. That's when it's time to block their calls. 

Enabling call blocking for a specific number means you will no longer receive phone calls, FaceTime calls, text messages, or iMessages from that number. Here's how you do it:

If the caller you wish to block is in your contacts, open the Phone or Contacts app, and tap on the name of the person you wish to block to bring up their contact details.

If the caller you are blocking is not in your contacts, you can block them from the Recents or Voicemail (if you have Visual Voicemail) sections of the Phone app by tapping the 'i' next to their name.

Scroll down to the bottom of the contact details and select Block this Caller.

You can manage your blocked callers in your Phone settings. Just go to Settings>Phone>Blocked.

Obviously, a blocked caller can still reach you by calling from a different number. If your blocked caller is a serious problem, you may have to consider changing your phone number to avoid contact with them completely.

Top image credit:  Paul Vasarhelyi/Shutterstock.com

Everyone seems to have an iPhone 6 front panel these days, and the latest sport is seeing if you can damage it. A recent video (embedded below) posted by a Hong Kong website tried burning it, breaking it, pounding a nail through it, and more. Nothing would mar the surface. Until they finally ran over it with a 1.6-ton car. Again, there's no way of knowing whether Apple is actually going to use sapphire crystal for the front panel of the iPhone 6. But if they do, it's going to be awesome. And the evidence continues to mount.

An interesting article on MacRumors points out that if Apple does indeed go with a sapphire crystal display, there's no way Apple's competitors will be able to match the quality. For one thing, it's simply more expensive: $30 for a sapphire panel compared to $3 for a Gorilla Glass panel. Apple has been able to lower costs due to their partnership with GT Advanced Technologies. Other manufacturers simply don't have the capacity to make the same sort of investment. The article says that other manufacturers have looked into the use of sapphire but decided it was too expensive. It also mentions some of the disadvantages of sapphire crystal: it's heavier, more brittle, less environmentally friendly, and transmits less light (unless specially treated). But no doubt Apple has figured out how to deal with these downsides.

A gorgeous new video rendering of the iPhone 6 based on alleged official specs and rumors has been posted by ConceptsiPhone. 

The video not only gives a sense for the different appearance of the phone but also renders a redesigned home screen. And it shows the phone in multiple colors, which seems to go beyond the rumors.

As discovered by AppleInsider, Apple appears to be using an eBay storefront to help move inventory of factory-refurbished, unlocked, GSM iPhone 5 models with a one-year warranty. AppleInsider refers to it as a "secret" outlet, since there's no indication that it's an official Apple store. 

But they conclude it must be, given that the devices are factory-refurbished and offer the same Apple-Certified warranty as Apple does on its website. Their initial inventory last week quickly sold out. Then on Friday they were offering a single model. Over the weekend they added five more models. All of them are GSM (for use with AT&T and T-Mobile networks). The prices range from $449 for a 16GB phone to $499 for 64GB.

Increasingly, iPads are replacing laptops and even desktops as the computing platform of choice, especially in schools. But the onscreen keyboard is often the weak link. There are a plethora of Bluetooth keyboards, notably Apple's own pricey Wireless Keyboard. It could get expensive to outfit each student with one.Enter the myKeyO. This is a unique combination of a Bluetooth keyboard with something I haven't seen before. Indeed I was skeptical of this item when the vendor first emailed me about it, but now that I've had a chance to use it, I totally get it.

First, there is a base station, made of heavy duty silicone. There are cutouts to hold an iPad (or other tablet) in portrait or landscape mode. More cutouts can hold a variety of things, like a pen or stylus, business cards, paperclips, and more.

The most important slot is for either the official Apple Wireless Keyboard, or their own keyboard. They have designed a lower cost, tough plastic keyboard that shares the exact same dimensions as Apple's version. In some ways, this keyboard is better because it has iPad-specific buttons like the Home button. It also could work with Microsoft Windows computers or tablets, as it has labels for Windows.

I could easily see the myKeyO units being placed throughout a school or office, so students could set down their tablets and get to work. Ideally, each student would work at the same spot, so the Bluetooth keyboard would already be paired, but if not, pairing is an easy process with the Connect button on the bottom of the keyboard.

The base station is really heavy and should stay put on most desks. It's also available in assorted colors, so students can have some customization. It's one of those accessories you didn't know you needed until you see it. But now it's earned a dedicated spot on my desk.

Apple has the most exciting roster of new products set to release in 2014, according to Eddy Cue; but as 2014 is more than halfway done, does that mean all of the products will be announced at once? Not necessarily. Rumors and predictions indicate delays for some of the more difficult products, like a 5.5-inch iPhone and the long anticipated iWatch. Apple's new sapphire factories are doing their best, but this is brand new territory. Sapphire has been used for Apple's camera lenses and for traditional watches, but to make 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch screens is a new challenge.

Delays are part of the game with technology, but such delays may not be the real reason for a staggered announcement schedule. When Apple introduced both the iPhone 5c and iPhone 5s, it caused some confusion. Most users didn't bother with the 5c, which was presented as a colorful, rounded version of the previous iPhone 5. The iPhone 5s however, was faster and had that new Touch ID fingerprint sensor. Plus, it came in gold, if you were lucky enough to find one. Or, like me, you waited until the gold ones were more available.

Apple might have sold more iPhone 5c devices if they only announced that model, and then a couple of months later, announced the iPhone 5s with decent availability for the gold model. This could be a sign as to how the next iPhones will roll out. The 4.7-inch model is much more of a change from the current iPhone 5s than the 5c was from the iPhone 5, so if it is announced on its own, it should sell like gangbusters. But if a 5.5-inch model was also announced, on the same day, it might cause people looking for a larger screen to bypass the 4.7-inch model for Apple's new "phablet" causing a similar scenario to the iPhone 5c.

Nobody wants to release a product and have it fizzle, as some argue the iPhone 5c did. Personally, I'm not sold on the bigger screen, as I like my iPhone to be pocketable. But as a developer, I'll need to own the bigger model so I can test my apps on it and leverage the larger screen. Considering each device requires a contract, it will present a dilemma to many consumers if Apple releases two different models at the same time or within months of each other.  Indeed, I may have to buy both a 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch version and use one as my device and perhaps my wife or kids will get the other device!

The next generation of the iPad mini and iPad Air should also show up soon, with Touch ID being included if nothing else. Apple's iOS 8 should support fingerprint authentication for websites and more, so it's a no brainer to see that coming to the iPad line. It isn't likely that such a product shift would require an Apple press conference, but if Tim Cook has more up his sleeve, like a larger iPad Pro, then that would be worthy of another intro event.

The iWatch could be released any time, because Apple doesn't have a product line to protect. While Apple doesn't mind cannibalizing their own products, they make sure they can ship the new product in a timely manner. I owned an Osborne 1 and lived through the Osborne Effect, when Adam Osborne pre-announced his IBM-compatible "portable" and saw sales of his original CP/M device plummet. The Osborne Executive never shipped and the company folded. Samsung, Google, and others are getting aggressive about smart watches, and Apple might not want to wait too long even if supplies are constrained. The holiday season would be a perfect time (no pun intended) to announce an iWatch.

My educated guess would be the 4.7-inch iPhone would be announced and ship in mid-to-late September. Look for 128GB versions, and perhaps dropping the 16GB size altogether. Ideally, the price difference would be $50 instead of $100 between 32GB/64Gb/128GB models to reflect lower memory costs as Apple has done with the iPod touch. Later, in October, the iPad line would be silently refreshed with Touch ID. The Mac mini might get an upgrade too. In November, the iWatch would be announced and available for order, but might not ship until December. In early January, probably during or right after the Consumer Electronics Show, Apple would announce the 5.5-inch iPhone, just to steal the thunder from CES. Apple doesn't have a booth at tradeshows like CES, but they manage to influence the storyline. I remember being at CES in 2007 and all the buzz was about Apple's iPhone announcement on January 9. This would give Apple a rolling rollout and keep the publicity flowing as well, and keep investors happy.

If you are traveling to a place where you won't have reliable or affordable access to data or Wi-Fi, Google Maps allows you to save the maps you need ahead of time for later offline use. 

With your iPhone connected to Wi-Fi, open Google Maps and search for the location for which you need a map (you'll need to be signed in to Google to save maps).

Swipe up from the bottom of your screen to bring up the info sheet and tap Save map to use offline.

Pinch in or out to zoom in or out on the map, so that it encompasses the desired area and tap Save.

Name the map and tap Save again.

To view your saved map, open Google Maps, tap the person icon in the top right corner, scroll down to Offline maps, and select the map you need.

While you can zoom in and out on a saved map while offline, Google Maps does not currently let you search or get directions from saved maps. But you can drop and save pins while still online on locations you plan to visit, which may help you find those places more easily while offline.

Top image credit: Goodluz/Shutterstock.com

Thanks to everyone who entered the July 14 iPhone Life Biweekly Giveaway! Every other week we give away three amazing prizes, so if you didn't win this time, make sure you enter the July 28 giveaway and tell your friends to enter too!

And the winners are... (drum roll please):

Benjamin Kelly, Tabitha Collins, and Anthony Catarino. 

If you see your name but didn't receive an email, please check your spam folder.

Didn't Win This Week? No worries! Visit iphonelife.com/giveaways for the chance to win in the next giveaway round.

This weeks featured items are:

1. LifeCharge iPhone 5/5S Battery Case: Retail Price $79.99

LifeCHARGE Battery Case's sleek, streamlined design naturally fits to the form of your phone, allowing portability of your iPhone 5/5s. Never run out of power again with the built-in 2300mAh lithium-Polymer battery. It offers up to eight hours of added time on a 3G network, 10 hours of Internet use on Wi-Fi, 40 hours of Audio playback time or 10 hours of video playback time. Eye-catching LED indicators inform you what energy level you're currently operating under.

2. Speck HandyShell iPad Mini Case: Retail Price $49.95

Protect your iPad mini and enjoy it in ways you never imagined. This HandyShell iPad mini case features a sturdy flip-out handle that you can adjust for multiple standing, holding, and hanging angles, giving you the freedom to use your iPad mini around the house, at the office, or on the go.

3. Targus SafePORT iPhone 5 Case: Retail Price $39.99

The SafePORT Rugged Max Pro Case for iPhone is one of the best in smartphone security. Specifically designed to offer protection for the harshest environments, this case fits perfectly to absorb shock and other potential damage.

Questions or comments? Email Brian@iphonelife.com. Good luck and remember to visit iphonelife.com/giveaways to enter! Also check out our other contests at iphonelife.com/contests. The next contest drawing is July 28!

According to AppleInsider, market analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who typically has pretty good inside information about forthcoming products and the timing of their release, issued a note to investors over the weekend saying that production issues facing the rumored 5.5-inch iPhone may cause it to be delayed—until 2015, or in a best-case scenario, late November. 

He said that manufacturers are having difficulty with the new in-cell touch-panel technology, which eliminates a layer in the screen and allows for a thinner phone. In addition, he said that color uneveness on the casing is also a problem. His note indicated that these issues are also present on the 4.7-inch phone, causing production bottlenecks, but that the challenge is even greater with the larger phone. A third factor, Kuo says, is that sapphire crystal tends to be brittle, and that this could also be an issue with the larger 5.5-inch phone. 

Kuo also said last week that the iWatch is facing delays and may not be available until as late as December. On a more positive note, he says that he expects Apple to come out with a new version of their Apple TV set-top box this fall that will include motion controls. Plus, he suggests Apple may also roll out a third-party app store for Apple TV.

My take on it is pretty much in line with Kuo's. The absence of leaked parts, and photos of those parts, makes it seems evident that the 5.5-inch iPhone will be coming later than the 4.7-inch model that's expected. Also, given the rumors from usually reliable sources and all the hiring of experts on wearable devices, it seems evident we'll be seeing an iWatch. But given the challenges of bringing a new product category to market, it does seem likely that it may not arrive until late this year. The Apple TV is definitely due for an update, and given the increasing adoption of Roku devices, Apple needs to make a move in this market in order to keep pace. And a third-party app store seems like a no-brainer. I'll also go along with Kuo on this one.

Apart from these rumors of production delays, in this post my fellow blogger Todd Bernhard makes a good point that a staggered rollout also makes the best sense in terms of marketing. So even if there were no challenges in manufacturing, it would make sense for Apple to follow this sort of timetable anyway.

He also makes the good point that delays are part of the game with new technology. Apple has set such high standards for quality, and sells such a huge number of devices, that every facet of production needs to be functioning perfectly for Apple to come out with a new product. It's essential that yield rate (percentage of defect-free devices) be as high as possible.

Android may have a larger marketshare, but recent reports from Custora show that Apple fans are using their devices for online shopping at a monopolistic rate. As much as 80 percent of tablet-based shopping is done on an iPad. Considering iPads start at $300 and Android tablets can be purchased for as little as $50, this is remarkable.

I can relate. During a recent search for cars, it was far easier to use a Craigslist app or the Ebay app to browse, swipe, zoom, and rotate than to mouse around on websites. I also do a lot of comparison shopping in-store on my iPhone, but the screen size is prohibitive. A larger iPhone could be just what the doctor ordered, especially if the doctor is Dr. Dre!  

Purchases aren't always made on the mobile device, but it proves to be an invaluable research tool. Traditionally, the price comparison phenomenon, known as "showrooming" has favored Amazon over retail stores like Best Buy. However, Best Buy and other retailers are wise to the problem, and have offered to price match. I recently purchased a $500-plus Canon Digital SLR at BestBuy because of their price matching and was able to walk out with a camera.

According to Merchant Watch, the tables may have turned, thanks to sales tax being charged at Amazon, increased Amazon Prime rates, and higher requirements for free shipping at Amazon, combined with savvier retailers. Now the new phenomenon is called "webrooming" where users bring the online price to the brick and mortar store to have it matched.

Apple's mobile shopping marketshare is also significant given that Amazon's Kindle Fire, Fire HD, and now Fire Phone are meant to be Amazon's secret weapon for mobile shopping.

Amazon isn't sitting still, with their new Fire Phone set to be released later this month. The Fire Phone will feature a Shazam-like scanner that recognizes images and barcodes and lets you purchase the items (from Amazon of course.) Full disclosure, I have an app (All Access) that lets users scan company logos to access that brand's store, discounts, social media, and more. The Fire Phone is promising, especially with the Firefly feature, but Amazon is limiting their audience by making it an AT&T exclusive product. The consumers may be the biggest winner, as long as the retailers keep up the pace and avoid ending up like CompUSA, Circuit City, and Borders.

It's a balancing act, reviewing the many rumors floating around and determining if they're worth reporting or dismissing. The latest rumors suggests competing iWatch sizes (anywhere from 1.3-inch to 1.6-inch to 1.8-inch) and designs will be shipped this fall. My impression is that it's more likely Apple is testing a variety of designs to see what makes sense, or different generations of the product are being tested.

For Apple to go from zero smartwatches to two or three designs at release is unlikely. This is a new category for them (and relatively new for the industry) and Apple will likely want to test the waters. Apple didn't release the iPad and iPhone at the same time (although the iPad concept actually preceded the iPhone.) Only recently did Apple release two variations of the iPhone 5 (the iPhone 5s and the less successful iPhone 5c) at the same time, and that was probably a mistake.

There may indeed be two sizes of iWatches being built and tested, but it's more likely that one will ship first, and the larger one might ship when supplies of Sapphire are more plentiful. Apple will want to be able to say that the iWatch was the most popular smartwatch shipped and splitting the sales among two variations hurts that message.

This is one scenario where I'd love to be proven wrong, and have more choices. However, Apple is more likely to feel that they've designed the "right" smartwatch and two different versions would be inconsistent with that.

A week ago the US Transportation Safety Administration announced that for certain international direct flights bound for the US, they will be checking all electronic devices.

According to the announcement, security officers may ask you to power up your device. And if the battery is dead, they say, "Powerless devices will not be permitted onboard the aircraft." And, "The traveler may also undergo additional screening." The concern, according to NBC News, is that western fighters in Syria may try to enter the US concealing bombs in electronic devices. Although the TSA isn't giving specifics, the screening is reportedly taking place in airports in cities such as London, Frankfurt, and Paris. And while the TSA doesn't have the authority to govern security measures in those airports, apparently the threat of flights being canceled by Homeland Security encourages them to follow the guidance being given.

According to the NBC report, the Apple iPhone and Samsung Galaxy phones are receiving special scrutiny on flights from Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Also being checked are laptops, tablets, and other electronic devices.

So be sure your devices are charged and ready to perform for security personnel if you're taking a flight from those locations to the US.

According to the website Stuff, Amazon Japan inadvertently posted a listing for the iPhone 6. It appeared to confirm we'll be seeing a 4.7-inch iPhone, but there was no mention of a 5.5-inch size. The listing said it would be available in Japan on September 30. And it gave the dimensions of 130 x 65 x 7mm, which compares to the iPhone 5s specs of 123.8 x 58.6 x 7.6mm. So apparently the new phone will be even thinner than the iPhone 5s. In addition, the weight was listed as 113g, compared to 112g for the iPhone 5s. The listing also suggests the phone will be getting a price boost. 

I have to admit that other than the 4.7-inch iPhone 6, the rumors related to other forthcoming offerings from Apple are wildly divergent. But even with the iPhone 6, there is still some confusion, with a recent report from Taiwan's Economic Daily News seemingly indicating that the iPhone 6 might not have a sapphire crystal display. According to the website, G for Games, which discovered the report, Apple is preparing a version of the iWatch that will have sapphire crystal in the display—and that this will pave the way for a sapphire display for the 5.5-inch iPhone in 2015. Thereby suggesting that we won't see sapphire crystal in the display of the 4.7-inch iPhone. But my fellow blogger doubts the veracity of this report out of Taiwan, so I'm still hopeful for sapphire, especially given the leaked front panels that have been circulating.

If you want to see how much data you've used and which of your apps are using the most data, go to Settings>Cellular and scroll down to Cellular Data Usage and Use Cellular Data For.

Cellular Data Usage will show you how much data you've used in a given time period. This information does not reset automatically; if you want to keep track of this in order to prevent data overages, it's a good idea to set a monthly reminder to manually reset your data usage statistics on the first day of your billing cycle. You can reset the statistics by scrolling down to the bottom of the screen and tapping Reset Statistics. 

Under Use Cellular Data For you will see an alphabetical list of all of your apps and how much data each one has used since the data usage statistics were last reset. You might be surprised to see that even apps you've never used before have used a small amount of data. You can prevent an app from using cellular data by toggling the slider next to it to the left. If you are concerned about data usage, it's a good idea to toggle off any app that you don't absolutely need to access while you're out and about. If you spend most of the day in Wi-Fi, that could be every app except weather, navigation, and fitness-tracking apps. You can always restore an app's cellular access temporarily or permanently if you find yourself wanting to use it away from Wi-Fi.

If you've really been hitting the data hard, you may want to turn cellular data off completely until your next billing cycle begins.

In the early 1990s, Lou Gerstner, then head of IBM, wrote a book entitled Who Says Elephants Can't Dance? It was about his efforts to turn around a stodgy mainframe systems and also-ran PC vendor into a service provider. He and other IBM stewards have made tough decisions such as eliminating OS/2 (a powerful Windows competitor that ended in what Gerstner called a "resounding defeat") and selling off their entire PC line to Chinese manufacturer Lenovo. Lenovo has since added Motorola to their arsenal, while IBM is increasingly offering services as their raison d'etre.

Now, 30 years after the Mac was introduced as the alternative to Orwell's Big Brother (IBM and Microsoft) Apple is teaming up with IBM, and it involves iOS devices not Macs. The two giants issued a press release detailing their efforts to cross market products and services. The arrangement is entitled IBM MobileFirst and that seems like an Orwellian way of saying we're in the "Post PC" era!

IBM will sell Apple's iPhones and iPads to their enterprise customers, with special AppleCare service and support packages and custom IBM-developed iOS apps. This announcement comes at a time when Microsoft is undergoing major changes such as cutting licensing fees for low-end laptops, to combat $200 Google Chromebooks. Microsoft is also expected to make the largest layoff announcement in five years. A partnership with IBM, as in the good old days, would have been a shot in the arm for Microsoft and Windows. Instead, it's Apple's turn to team up with IBM. 

As an app developer, I'm always trying to find ways to make my apps more visible, and one way is to email existing customers, who have opted-in, about new apps. But plain old text emails don't stand out, and if you get too fancy, the emails might not display well on mobile devices. By definition, my mobile app customers have iPhones (or Android) and most users read their email on smartphones so proper formatting is important.

I got a chance to try Mail Designer from Equinux. I knew their product works because I've been on the receiving end of their emails for their Mac apps and those emails always stand out. But with a chance to try it myself, I was able to see how powerful, and easy, it is to create my own messages.  

You can also collaborate with team members and integrate with email services like MailChimp. If you expect your recipients to be on mobile devices, you might want to upgrade to the Mail Designer Pro version. With that, you can preview in real-time what the message will look like on a variety of devices (including non-Apple ones.)

The entry-level Mail Designer 2 app offers numerous in-app purchases for various templates and features, or you could go with the $99.99 Pro version. For many users, the entry-level version may be all they need, and is a great way to get started. There's a good comparison chart on the Equinux web site.

The Mail Designer 2 app lists for $29.99, but is on sale for just $9.99 through July 17. This is a steal and would certainly pay for itself with just a few new customers. So now you have no excuse not to make your emails prettier, and more mobile friendly!

With the advent of bring-your-own-device (BYOD), enterprises have adopted Apple products, sometimes reluctantly, in quantities never seen before. Much of this adoption has come primarily in the form of iPhones and iPads. The exposure of many enterprise applications to the web have also made the integration with Apple’s Macintosh less of a support issue for many organizations. But legacy applications running on mainframes still dominate healthcare, telecommunications, banking, government, and many other industries. 

If large enterprises want to bring their legacy applications to Apple platforms, that would typically mean in-house development, months of procurement vetting and development partner selection meeting, negotiating development contracts, or the use of emulators and web-based tools to create web-based (non-native) windows into their enterprise applications. For some, using major platforms like SAP, the vendor themselves have created apps—but again, many of those enterprise applications either aren’t the current version of the applications or are custom-built applications, often built using older platforms, tools, and technologies.

Enter IBM. Many analysts have reported on this new announcement and said that it won’t drive many sales for Apple. That isn’t the intention. Although IBM is now a major Apple reseller, able to bring Apple products in through their extensive supply-chain services capability, this announcement really means that IBM will be the premier service provider for iOS and OS X application development within larger enterprises. And to that, they add a combination of reselling standard AppleCare to enterprises as well as an IBM-branded service offering.

IBM customers still have trepidation about bringing in anything that complicates their development and deployment environment, and today, Apple is a primary driver of that concern. With this announcement, IBM makes the Apple relationship, from sourcing to development, a less fearful endeavor. To some degree, this is an agreement to make enterprise customers comfortable using Apple hardware.

The tangible values of this relationship will come later, and its difficult to anticipate how that value will manifest itself. Apple has recently released 4,000 new APIs, an overwhelming number, and IBM will help their clients figure out how to deliver legacy application functionality in a secure and managed mobile environment using those new integration points. For IBM customers, who better than trusted partner IBM to make sense of this whole Apple and mobile thing.

One of the phrases that kept coming up on the analyst call for this announcement was “mobile first.” That is a great marketing phrase (uttered one or two too many times), but it doesn’t reflect the reality of the way people actually use of enterprise applications. “Mobile first” translates into: Apple devices, in a mobile environment, become as much a first-class citizen in the IBM development approach as the desktop or other platforms. In many cases, iOS isn’t the right platform for the deployment of an application experience because the screen is just too small. For mobile transactions, some forms of collaboration, analytics delivery, field applications and other places, it does make sense to deliver very focused workflows or displays on iOS, but when working on combining big datasets, managing large document stores or driving end-to-end marketing automation, a bigger screen is probably necessary. This agreement provides human capital and tools make the parts on enterprise application that can, and perhaps even best, live in a mobile environment, do so seamlessly with their more robust, bigger-screened desktop or notebook counterparts.

As IBM evolves away from a hardware business into a services business, they have to be an inclusive partner for their customers, so with Apple’s somewhat grassroots adoption in many enterprises, this partnership helps IBM deliver solutions to the entire base of applications and devices. IBM developers will now be able to embrace Apple platforms as a major showcase for their own technology, like analytics, which sat front-and-center in the announcement. Few details and no examples were given, but it isn’t hard to imagine IBM taking its new Bluemix development environment, targeting iOS platforms with analytics dashboards and giving managers new capabilities for second-screen, decision support experiences in meetings, internal, and with clients—as one example.

This is a new announcement though, and as such, it hasn’t delivered on any promises yet, but has made many. IBM customers with iOS deployments need to sit down with their teams and figure out what it means for them in the context of their business needs and existing legacy applications. Perhaps more importantly going forward, IBM will be able to facilitate open and meaningful dialog about the use of Apple products as a core value-proposition point when selling new services or extending existing agreements.

William Tell shot an Apple from his son’s head to avoid execution. Today IBM makes Apple an arrow in its quiver to shore up its breadth of offerings—and in the deal, Apple gains immediate enterprise credibility on a level it could never (or perhaps would never) be able to on its own.

Note: On the Analyst call, someone asked why no Apple people were on the line. Well, the IBM Analyst call originated in Cupertino, and this interview with with Apple CEO Tim Cook and IBM Chairman & CEO Virginia Rometty from CNBC suggests the team was multi-tasking: http://www.cnbc.com/id/101839103

The "Mobile First" slide from IBM's analyst deck provides a vision for the new agreement. The four concepts presented here are pretty high-level and abstract. IBM needs to focus next of concrete value that delivers on their marketing messages. 

Yet more evidence that Apple is gearing up to begin manufacturing the iPhone 6 is the appearance online of a photo said to be the Touch ID sensor that will be used in the new phone. 

Not much information is available, but according to AppleInsider, the photo reveals that the internal layout of the iPhone 6 has been reconfigured and that the sensor appears to be redesigned, including a slight difference in overall shape. Touch ID is becoming an increasingly important feature in the next generation of iOS devices, with all forthcoming iPads and iPhones expected to include it. Plus, with iOS 8, Touch ID will work with third-party apps. For example, if you use a banking app, and if the developer of the app includes this feature, you'll be able to log into your account just by touching your phone.

Another post by AppleInsider last week showed the showed the mounting hardware for the LCD panel and Touch ID home button. It too suggested internal changes to the home button structure.

I love my iPhone. Who doesn't? So I like to keep it safe in a slim case that can fit in my pocket.

When I had an iPhone 4, the Speck CandyShell case ($34.95) was my first pick. Now, with my 5s, I have opted for a Belkin Grip Candy Sheer case ($24.99).

The Speck CandyShell has been getting a lot of press recently when a farmer lost his phone in a grain silo. The CandyShell case went on a 7,000 mile journey with his iPhone to Japan, where it was retrieved with not even a scratch.

Sure, CandyShell has it's perks. It is durable, easy to press the buttons (which are not impeded much by the case) and fairly inexpensive compared to Otterbox and Lifeproof cases. My favorite aesthetic feature is that the case covers the whole back of the phone, which is why I have never bought an Otterbox. 

But there are some annoyances as well. First of all, the hard plastic of the case gets scratched easily and the scratches never go away. Secondly, my iPhone 4 case broke near the charging port. It's also very hard to remove.

I had three or four different CandyShell cases in my time with my iPhone 4, so I was skeptical to try the Belkin Grip Candy Sheer case for my iPhone 5s. However, I was pleasantly surprised.

Despite the bendable plastic this case is made from, I have not gotten a scratch on the case or phone when dropping my 5s. It is easy to remove and clean, and despite all the times I have dropped it, it does not collect dirt and grime or any noticeable scratches on the surface. The only problem? The lock button is a little hard to press sometimes through the case, but I have learned to live with it.

If you are going for lots of color options and maximum durability, go with the CandyShell. It holds its own in drop tests, as it is above military grade for the iPhone 5/5s cases. There are also more options, like the new CandyShell Amped for music lovers, CandyShell Inked for the creative types, CandyShell + Faceplate for added screen protection and CandyShell Card Case to conveniently put your wallet and your phone together.

If you are looking for a softer case with a slim look that fits in any pocket, go for Belkin's Grip Candy Sheer. It's versatile, doesn't collect dirt and still protects the phone should you drop it!

When you capture an image with your iPhone, the camera's autofocus and auto exposure features will automatically determine the best focus position for you and the best exposure for that area of focus. (Exposure determines how light or dark your image will be.) Alternatively, you can manually designate a different area of focus (and adjust the exposure of the image) by tapping on the area you prefer on your iPhone's screen. The iPhone's camera AE/AF Lock feature allows you to lock the focus and exposure settings you've selected so you don't have to reset them between each shot.

Using AE/AF Lock will help prevent blurry shots and keep the focus on one part of the image without requiring you to refocus between each shot. The feature is also great for taking panoramic photos (since consistency of exposure as you move the camera is important), for taking shots with difficult lighting, and for when you want to adjust the exposure for artistic reasons.

To set AE/AF Lock, all you have to do is touch and hold your prefered area of focus until the focus square flashes. The AE/AF Lock icon will then appear at the top of your screen: