Previews of incoming text messages appear as banners or alerts on your home screen by default. This can be handy if you want to quickly decide whether you want to unlock your phone and reply to a message now or if you want to wait and reply later. But it can also be a pain if your mom or your boss catches sight of a message you'd rather they hadn't. And we all have that one friend or co-worker who thinks nothing of grabbing your phone to check out the notifications on your home screen.

Fortunately protecting your privacy (and your mom and your employment) is easy. To prevent your text messages from being on display for all to see, simply go to Settings>Notification Center>Messages, and turn off the Show Preview toggle.

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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. LEGO The Lord of the Rings ($0.99 from $4.99)

Two amazing worlds that go great together! Here the Lord of the Rings trilogy is reimagined with the awesome humor and endless possibilities for play of LEGOs. Have a ball with The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King through LEGO minifigures as they explore and solve riddles. Beware of the Orcs and other beasties that await you!

2. Music Plus ($0.99)

Download all of your favorite music, comedy, news, and podcasts to your iPhone, iPod, or iPad and play it anytime, anywhere, even when you're offline. This app comes with a ton of key features that are too numerous for me to list, so I'm going to encourage you to go check it out for yourself. It's quite an app!

3. Parking Meter Pro ($0.99)

This app is one that I have actually been using for years. I'm always in and out of meetings and parking at meters all over the city. This is the fastest, one-click, easy-to-use app I have had yet. The app lets me know when my meter is running out in time for me to get back to it. If I lose my car (Don't judge. You've lost your car too!) it will pinpoint it on a map for me. I have beaten the meter maids! GO ME! Go Parking Meter Pro!

This is the official announcement of the iPhone Life Biweekly Giveaway! Be sure to enter the giveaway at iPhoneLife.com/giveaways to win prizes, which we'll announce September 8! We are raffling off tons of great accessories for FREE.

Here's how it works: Every other Friday we announce the prizes we're giving away through iphonelife.com, Facebook, Twitter, and Google+. To enter the giveaway, go to iPhoneLife.com/giveaways and tell your friends to enter too! On the following Monday morning, we will randomly select the winners. If you win an app, we will email you the promo code to redeem the app for free. If you win an accessory, send us your address and we will mail it to you.

This week's featured items are:

1. Duracell PowerCase & PowerMat for iPhone 5 & 5s: Retail Price $119.95

Designed by world-renowned Yves Behar, this battery case for an iPhone 5 or 5s prepares your iPhone to receive on-the-go power from a wireless charging Duracell Powermat (included).

2. Trident Kraken AMS iPhone 5s Case: Retail Price $49.95

Kraken A.M.S. Series cases are the absolute strongest, most durable cases we make. Kraken A.M.S. features three layers of protection, including over-molded shock-absorbing TPE and hardened polycarbonate in the interior and exterior of the case. The detachable aluminum media stand provides the option to attach a variety of interchangeable accessories, allowing you to use your device to its full potential. Kraken A.M.S. cases allow you to adapt your case to fit your lifestyle.

3. Toddy Smart Cloth: Retail Price $9.99

Toddy Gear was nice enough to send us these customized iPhone Life Toddy Smart Clothes and we want to share the love. These handy little clothes are great for cleaning your iPad, iPhone, or just about anything else!

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 September 8!

I love Apple's invite to their special media event on September 9. It is both elegant and evocative, conveying a sense of grandness and excitement. One of the first things that struck me about the image used in the invite was that it was an enlargement of Apple's logo, and how apropos consider the anticipated nature of the upcoming event.

It has been said before that Apple likes to hide clues as to the nature of their media events in their invitations. Well, in this case I can't help but note the obvious, and interpret the enlarged Apple icon as indicative of Apple preparing to unveil a game-changing device in the "phablet" sized iPhone 6L, or whatever it ends up being called. There's also the fact that Apple picked a much larger venue for this year's iPhone announcement in the Flint Center. They are also building a massive, top-secret structure adjacent to the center, for what we don't know yet. The only thing we do know is that it's something huge. All of this speaks to me of big news, and great innovation to soon come. Perhaps unsurprisingly, bigger already seems to be shaping up as a theme for this September 9.

Additionally, Apple doesn't mince words, nor do they choose their words on a whim. Their choice of wording on the invitation was interesting to me, in that here again we see reference to bigger, and more impressive in the phrase "Wish we could say more." (emphasis mine.) Perhaps I'm reading to deeply into things, but I won't be the least bit surprised if we hear that word "more" a lot come September 9 when Apple takes the stage to introduce at the very least two new smartphone variations, and possibly even something "more" along the lines of the long-rumored iWatch, or whatever it will be called.

Will the iWatch function as a separate entity, independent of an iPhone in close proximity? That would be a significant departure from what every other smartwatch is able to do. Will the new iPhones finally bring about the merger of the iPad and iPhone versions of iOS? Will they be even faster and more powerful than the impressive iPad Air? Time will tell, and September 9 isn't that far away.

Renderings of iPhone 6 courtesy of Martin Hajek.

I'm a fan of Martian Watches, and I'm a fan of Steve Wozniak. It should be no surprise that Mr. Wozniak is also a fan of Martian Watches! When asked recently about a pending smartwatch from Apple, he pointed out that it needs to offer some of the features Martian does, like their Siri button. The Woz said"If it serves as a speakerphone, the speaker had better be good. My Martian watch is usable for phone calls but not my Galaxy Gear, for this reason."

Where the "smartness" comes in is in two places. First, there is a scrolling LCD display below the watch hands that will alert you to incoming callers, text messages, and other notifications controlled by the free Martian Watch app for iOS and Android. Second, and perhaps most importantly, there is a Siri button. Basically it launches Siri as if you held down the Home button on your iPhone. At that point, you can do anything you might do with Siri, by voice. A friend of mine bought a new car but it didn't have Apple's CarPlay as an option. I suggested he get a Martian Watch and now he basically has access to Siri from his wrist. In some ways, it's a better solution than CarPlay because when he leaves the car, it's still with him.

The Notifier version also has the Siri button, but it relies on your iPhone's speaker and microphone. The original Martian Watch with Voice Command has a Bluetooth speakerphone built-in, so your phone can be in your purse, backpack, etc., and you can still interact with Siri and take phone calls. I find it great for when I'm on my motorcycle. I can see, and hear, who is calling and decide if I should answer, and I don't need to stop and fumble for my iPhone and use special touchscreen-capable gloves (though I have some!)

The "smart" features require their own source of power besides the watch battery. Fortunately, the Notifier's "smart" battery lasts about six days which is comparable to my Pebble watch. One con is their charging port, which while microUSB, is so recessed that the odds are your existing microUSB cables won't work. They include one with an extra long interface, but it might be a good idea to pickup a spare.

It will be interesting to see what Apple does. Will they make a tiny iPhone that straps to your wrist and uses a touchscreen, and runs out of battery in a day? Or, more likely, will they make something closer to Nike's FuelBand with a subtle, minimal display that relies on Siri and voice interface, but doesn't really look like a traditional watch? If you're like me, and you want the best of both worlds, a Martian Watch could be right for you.

Apple's invitation is out, the date has been saved, and everyone is checking their upgrade eligibility. So what exactly is Apple announcing? Apple likes to use clues in their invitation. Last year, the invitation stated "This should brighten everyone's day" and included colorful circles, representative of the iPhone 5c, and a hollow circle that signaled the Touch ID fingerprint sensor.

This year, the one line invitation simply states "Wish we could say more."I believe "more" will be the theme of the introduction. As usual, Tim Cook will spend the beginning of his keynotes talking about how successful Apple has been. He will say Apple has sold "more" iPhone 5s phones than any other vendor has shipped of any model (including Apple's previous models.) He will say there are "more" apps for iOS than any other platform, and in particular, "more" for iPads than any other tablet. He will remind developers that Apple has paid "more" to developers than many businesses make.

Eventually, he will get to the next iPhone, and discuss how the one thing people wanted was "more" screen space to run their wonderful apps. And now they'll have "more" with the new, larger iPhone. I've speculated that the next 4.7-inch iPhone could be called the iPhone Air, and the rumored 5.5-inch version could be dubbed the iPhone Pro. But given the prominence of the "9.9" in the 'Save the Date' invitation, those 9's are just 6's, upside down. So maybe it will be the iPhone 6 after all?

It remains to be seen if Mr. Cook will borrow Steve Jobs' line of "One more thing." He may allude to it, but he should probably leave that alone. But one "more" introduction would be nice, namely the iWatch. The rumor mill has gone back and forth on whether it would make the cut for this introduction. The iWatch may not be ready yet, but should before the holiday shopping season. Given that Apple has no wearable product line to worry about cannibalizing, and many Android smart watches are out or will be soon, pre-announcing an iWatch could be a good way to put every one else on notice and tell customers to wait for Apple.

Regardless, we only have about one "more" week to find out!

Read receipts notify the senders of iMessages when the recipient reads the message. This is either great or evil depending on your perspective. My colleague and his wife both have read receipts turned on on their phones. That way if a timely SMS doesn't get read right away, they can call each other instead. Other people prefer that the senders of messages not get notified. That way there is no pressure for an immediate reply. Whichever camp you fall in, you'll need to know how to to turn read receipts on or off.

Go to Settings>Messages and toggle Send Read Receipts on or off. Now you control whether senders know you've read their messages or not.

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Top image credit: Gang Liu/Shutterstock.com

Game Centered features roundups and in-depth reviews of the best in iOS games and related gaming news. This week we’ve got a special edition to pay respect to the console classic first-person shooter, Bioshock ($14.99). This game not only took gaming to the next level at the time, its cinematic visuals and terrifyingly creepy storyline make this game equally compelling today as it makes its way to the gaming platform of the future, the iDevice.

Core gamers everywhere are rejoicing now that Bioshock is iOS compatible, and it reintroduces this amazing game to a whole new generation of players, on a whole new platform. Bioshock is set in a violently twisted steampunk world called Rapture. It will have you navigating dark passageways where almost everything is out to kill you. As you progress you’ll learn how to arm and defend yourself with a wide variety of combat weapons, from a wrench to a deadly arsenal of bizzare genetic augmentations to weapons you'll craft from the environment around you. Be prepared to get chills up your spine if you play this mind-bending blaster. Bioshock features the amazing graphics we’ve come to expect from Epic Games, makers of the Infinity Blade series, though somewhat scaled back from the graphics of the original console game. It is an exciting and adventurous game and sure to be a hit with any iOS fans of the FPS genre, though with it's nerve-racking gameplay, it’s not a game for the faint of heart. 

Bioshock has received an undue amount of criticism for what some consider a poor control mechanism. To an extent it's true, if you are playing it on a small screen. It’s a tricky game to play on the current generation iPhones; the screens are just too small for a game of this magnitude. With such intricate visuals, it was made for an iPad. It looks and plays spectacularly on the iPad, or alternatively, on a big screen via AirPlay. Another thing to keep in mind is that this groundbreaking new iOS game is in its first iteration; there hasn’t even been time for the developers to take any of the critiques and modify the control dynamics. One thing that would be most welcome in this game would be the ability to customize your control layout, à la Gameloft’s Modern Combat 5, adjusting various controls be the size and place you prefer. Considering the core gaming audience that this game appeals to, people who have recognized the ability of iOS to deliver a console caliber experience, the ability to fine tune the control layout seems like it would be an appreciated modification to the game.

2K, the developers of Bioshock have made a faithful port of the original masterpiece and I’d highly recommend checking it out, with a caveat. It looks best on iPads or streamed to big screens. Also important to keep in mind is that due to it's incredibly advanced programming, Bioshock doesn’t work on any iPad versions prior to the iPad 4, nor does it work on any iPhone versions earlier than the iPhone 5, or the iPad mini or any version of the iPod Touch earlier than the iPod Touch 5. If your iDevice supports the system requirements of Bioshock, don't let its relatively steep price scare you away. This is a premium game, without in-app purchases. It's a worthwhile investment for a revered blockbuster, console quality game on iOS.

iPhone Life rating:

4.5 out of 5 stars

Rumors, reports, and videos are a-poppin' as we head toward the September 9 announcement, with Bloomberg reporting that the iPhone 6 will have an NFC chip and a new mobile payment system. Plus, a new video shows an assembled 4.7-inch iPhone, and another video shows the rear shell of the forthcoming 5.5-inch iPhone. 

Bloomberg's report says that Apple is teaming up with Visa, Mastercard, and American Express to offer a new mobile payment system that will use a near field communication (NFC) chip in combination with Touch ID to let you securely complete a purchase simply by touching the Home button. Bloomberg's sources are "people familiar with the matter." And given all the parties involved, it seems quite credible that someone would leak this information. In addition, according to MacRumors, Sonny Dickson, who is usually a reliable source, has got his hands on a logic board for the new iPhone and has confirmed that it has an NFC chip. Other phones ship with NFC chips, but so far mobile payment systems haven't really taken off, and consumer adoption has been slow. Everyone is expecting that Apple will change that, as is so often the case.

Meanwhile, the flurry of photos and videos showing components of the 4.7-inch iPhone has culminated in a new video from Feld & Volk that shows a working iPhone 6 assembled from these parts. (Although the phone does turn on, it isn't, however, functional.) 

Toward the end of the video, the assembled phone is shown next to an iPhone 5s to give you a sense for how they compare.

In addition, a new video purportedly shows the rear shell of the forthcoming 5.5-inch iPhone. The shell is shown next to a ruler verifying its size. Importantly, it appears to be a scaled-up version of the 4.7-inch phone, suggesting the form factors will be identical. So far, not many components from this larger phone have appeared, and rumors have suggested it won't be available until later in the fall. But given its similarity to the 4.7-inch phone, I'm betting that Apple will at least announce both on September 9.

Finally, there have been varying rumors regarding whether Apple will introduce a wearable device on September 9. As I noted in this post, the website Re/code reported that Apple will announce one, but then many rumors surfaced saying we won't see the iWatch until 2015. That suggests that either Re/code was wrong, or that Apple will announce it September 9 but then not release it until 2015, or that Apple will announce a wearable on September 9 that's not an iWatch. In any case, the rumor is also going around now, thanks to Re/code, that Apple has considered a $400 price tag for their new wearable device. I think it's now certain Apple will be coming out with a wearable device, but the timing and details about the device itself remain uncertain.

Qmadix ChargerLeash

4 out of 5 stars

Qmadix continues to innovate with the forgetful traveler in mind. I’ve written a couple of times about the need to find ways to care for small things while on a trip (most recently with Travel Tips: Taking Care of the Little Things.) Even bigger things can be left behind, but it’s less likely if you employ this new Qmadix solution: the ChargerLeash.

The ChargerLeash isn’t really a leash, it is a wonderfully thick, extra long Lighting cable with a twist, well, not so much a twist as a box—a box beeps. The ChargerLeash is a circuit that is completed by the iPhone. Plug it into the charger, then attach an iPhone or iPad and the circuit does its job, charging your device in serene silence. Disconnect the device and walk away though, and within a few seconds, the box starts sounding off with a rather annoying chirp.

It’s that simple. Combine it with the Qmadix Travel Charging Hub and you can charge up to three devices—two phones and a tablet, at the same time. I recommend connecting the ChargerLeash to the phone since that is the device you are most likely to take with you. The ChargerLeash will not only remind you that the leash and charger remain, but remind you about your other devices as well.

The ChargerLeash comes in black and white, and also in micro-USB, which is good because other iOS device accessories, like external batteries and Bluetooth speakers, often require a micro-USB charger. If you have more than one charger, more than one ChargerLeash ensures equal awareness across all of the outlets you've employed to recharge your stuff.

Even though the company's name doesn’t roll of the tongue, and it doesn’t sell products directly, I have always found Qmadix to offer high-quality products at reasonable prices. Products can be found at Amazon, h.h.gregg, FranklinPlanner, and Micro Center. My only negative feedback is their packaging, which isn’t always easy to tear into, nor as eco-friendly as I would like. 

Note: this is an early review of ChargerLeash in Qmadix packaging. Qmadix signed a manufacturing and distribution agreement with ChargerLeash through JSN Holdings back in May. Although ChargerLeash is available through channels, it may still come in the pre-Qmadix packaging. Existing retail price is about $35 with various discounts depending on the retailer.

The Firm has all the right ingredients to be the “Papers, Please” for iOS, but is lacking the scope to really make it great.

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The Firm, $0.99

Rating: 3.5/5

There's a lot I like about The Firm. Developed by Sunnyside Games, it has stark 8-bit graphics and a very simple layout, it's easy to learn, there's a decent difficulty curve, and there are no in-app purchases whatsoever. Best of all, it reminds me of Lucas Pope's much-beloved “Papers, Please,” which took the PC gaming community by storm last year with its simple visuals and bizarrely addictive gameplay that sounds insanely boring when you try to explain it to others. In “Papers, Please” you play a border guard who must examine the documents of incoming visitors, and follow an increasingly complicated series of rules to ensure no fakers get into the country. The Firm casts you as a stock broker, and instead of stamping passports you swipe to buy or sell stocks.

The game has a very simple layout and gameplay, though certain elements of its menu are completely bewildering—I successfully turned off the tutorial so it wouldn't run every new game, but I have no idea how. The rules are simple enough: buy green-colored stocks that are rising, sell green stocks that are falling. Do the reverse for red stocks. Later on, there will be a pair of stocks you must always buy and a pair you must always sell, and they change every time you play the game.

The Firm also has an incredibly dark sense of humor: when you fail (either by buying/selling the wrong thing, or being too slow) the Game Over screen shows the street outside the building, where your character's body is flattened into the pavement next to an endless line of brokers waiting to get your job and a few papers still fluttering down. And when you start again, the window behind you is always in a state of repair; you're a new broker, identical to the last guy, and destined for the same fate. The stock names are also a highlight: they're things like “Moogle Gaps”, “Robocrop Labels”, “Fentury Cox”, and “Eau Takei Incorporated”, and the developers clearly had fun coming up with them.

Even though you die when you fail the game, the money you collect is retained, and it's fairly easy to earn enough to afford upgrades. You can buy items to slow down the stock pile when you're overwhelmed, automatically sort things for you for two seconds, and multiply or increase your score. However, there are only five such assists, and six “ranks” you must purchase to access them; I hope that future upgrades will bring more levels and bonuses, because with a few days of gameplay you can rise up to Board Member status fairly easily. But those few days are definitely engaging, and it's challenging to your brain without ever being frustrating. Overall, The Firm is a solid game with a beautiful design and clever writing, but it needs a little more meat. I'm certainly going to keep an eye out for updates, because with a little more content to boost its unique look and tone, The Firm has the potential to be an iOS classic.

Pros:

• Beautiful 8-bit-style design, and pleasing layout

• Easily learned gameplay that challenges you to pay attention

• All upgrades and bonuses can be purchased with in-game currency, and there are no ads

Cons:

• Gets repetitive after the bonuses have been unlocked

• somewhat confusing initial menu system

In the wake of the recent hacking and distribution of celebrities' nude photos, you may be wondering how safe your own private photos are. Granted, it's unlikely the unauthorized publication of your photos on the Internet would get same attention as the publication of Jennifer Lawrence's, but it has been know to happen even to the average unknown. Here are a few steps you can take to keep your photos private:

1. Prevent Your Photos from Automatically Backing Up to iCloud or Delete Them from Photo Stream.

Go to Settings>iCloud>Photos and toggle My Photo Stream off. Your photos will no longer be automatically uploaded to the cloud. This will delete your entire Photo Stream (all the photos you have in the cloud). You will still have your Camera Roll, which is where photos live on your device, but if your device is lost, so are your photos. The alternative is to manually delete individual photos from your Photo Stream on a regular basis.

2. Create Secure Passwords.

Since unfamous people like us are most likely to be hacked by people we know, choose your password carefully.

3. Enable Two-Step Verification.

Again, you're most likely to be hacked by an angry ex then anyone else, so anything you can do to make your Apple account more secure helps.

What steps are you taking to keep your photos and other information secure?

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Top image credit: Feel Photo Art/Shutterstock.com.

Of course, everyone is wondering what else Apple will introduce on Sept. 9 in addition to the iPhone 6. And according to the latest rumor, we won't see an iWatch. DigitTimes, which gets their information from Apple's suppliers and which isn't always accurate, is reporting that the iWatch is still in the experimental verification testing phase, meaning that Apple is still tinkering with the design. Once the design is settled, then comes the production verification testing phase, in which Apple does some production runs to see if the device can be mass produced with relatively few devices rejected for defects. So even though some suppliers are allegedly already making components for the iWatch, DigiTimes says it's unlikely Apple will announce it on Sept. 9 and that we probably won't see it until 2015. But that doesn't necessarily imply we won't see a wearable from Apple or from someone else. After all, HealthKit should be compatible with a variety of third-party devices, so maybe we'll be introduced to one or more.

Also, it's quite possible that Apple will demonstrate HomeKit devices on Tuesday. Why else would they construct a special building next to the hall where next Tuesday's event will take place? Additional evidence for this theory comes from an announcement by Elgato of a new line of home products compatible with HomeKit. The line, called Eve, includes Eve Room, Eve Weather, Eve Water, Eve Door & Window, Eve Smoke, and Eve Energy. The sensors are intended to improve your comfort by gathering data on air quality, temperature, humidity, air pressure, energy and water consumption, and more. You can see all the reported data at a glance on your iPhone or iPad.

Elgato has also announced a smart light bulb that will be $50 and that, unlike the Philips Hue, won't require a base station. Rather, it will communicate directly with your device via Bluetooth. Plus, Apple had earlier announced that the new Lyric smart thermostat from Honeywell will be compatible with HomeKit. It's expected to have features similar to the popular Nest. Also available is the August Smart Lock, a keyless entry system that lets you use your iPhone or iPad to control who can enter your home and when. For example, you can issue a key to your housekeeper that only works for a specific two-hour period each week.

The video below gives a look at how the new Avea "dynamic mood light" works.

In addition, here's a demo video of the Lyric smart thermostat from Honeywell.

Keep in mind that we'll soon be seeing iOS 8, which has lots of new capabilities. It seems likely to me that Tuesday's event will not only highlight the iPhone 6 but will also begin introducing everyone to HomeKit and HealthKit accessories.

We're all (patiently?) waiting for the next iPhone to be announced, and the rumor mills go back and forth on whether an iWatch will be announced at the same time. Such a watch might not look like a traditional watch, or like other smart watches from Samsung, Motorola and others. Instead, according to sources like the Motley Fool investment site, the finished product might look more like the Nike Fuelband. Instead of a full-featured touchscreen display that looks like a miniature iPhone, we might get something more minimalistic, with a small display, and interaction may be done through voice more than touch.

Sony and others have introduced wearables that blur the line between fitness bands and smart watches. Obviously, fitness will be a big part of Apple's announcement. Many of Nike's Fuelband engineers are working on the Apple product, now that Nike has dropped the product line, and Apple's Tim Cook is frequently seen wearing his Fuelband.  

If a Bluetooth speakerphone could be added to a Fuelband device, along with a Siri control button, Apple could have the right mix on their hands, no pun intended. And it could act as a remote control from Apple TV, which is overdue for a refresh.

Apple's invitation for their September 9 event is brief but ends with the word "more." Obviously more can refer to the larger screen of the next iPhone, presumably 4.7-inch. But a 5.5-inch model has also been seen in the wild, and while it may not be as far along as the 4.7-inch model, iPhone lovers are hoping it will be announced next week along with its smaller brother.

One more bit of evidence that the larger model is forthcoming is a leaked photo of the battery, from NowhereElse.fr and Apple Insider. At a whopping 2915mAh, it doubles the battery capacity of the current iPhone 5s. Of course a larger iPhonewill use more power, especially with new features like possibly NFC (Near Field Communication). But this could be the battery to answer Samsung's "Wall Hugger" criticism.

More screen. More power. More features. Stay tuned for more!

The resale value of earlier-generation iPhones remains high, with a wide variety of companies competing to give you the best price. A great article on MarketWatch gives a brief overview of the prices being offered. If you're willing to sell your phone in return for a gift card, Amazon may have the best deal, offering $394 for a 16GB iPhone 5s and $255 for an iPhone 5. If you want cash, Gazelle will give you up to $300 for your iPhone 5s, while both Gazelle and NextWorth offer $185 for your iPhone 5. Apple will give you a $255 gift card for an iPhone 5. WalMart also offers a pretty good deal: $275 for an iPhone 5s and $166 for an iPhone 5.

Some of these companies actually let you keep your phone for a period, giving you time to purchase the new one. That way, you can lock in a good price now by signing a contract with them, and then give them your old phone once your new one is set up. Last week Gazelle began offering a 53-day grace period, while NextWorth gives you 30 days. An advantage of locking in a price for your old phone is that once the iPhone 6 is available and a lot of people are selling their older models, the offering price will go down. But you'll need to lock in your price before September 9.

If Apple follows their usual pattern, the new phones will become available for purchase on September 19.

If you've ever searched your inbox for an email you're certain you did not delete, but couldn't see it in the results, consider your email-flagging habits. If you know you're going to want to return to an email later, you can make it easier to find when searching your inbox by flagging it. 

However, flagged emails are prioritized in the results list even if they are older or less relevant to the search, so if you're already in the habit of flagging emails, getting carried away with marking them can result in you having so many flagged emails that unflagged ones end up way down in the results list. This in turn can make you think you've lost your emails.

But don't worry, they're still there—just scroll down past all the flagged messages. And consider unflagging emails as they become unimportant or sorting your emails into folders for easier searching.

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Top image credit: Pavel Isupov/Shutterstock.com.

Apple may be announcing their biggest iPhone yet, next week, but Samsung is determined to steal their thunder today by introducing the Galaxy Note Edge. Apple may announce a 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch model on Tuesday, but Samsung hopes to trump them both with a 5.6-inch Quad HD+ Super AMOLED display and a resolution of 2560x1440. What really sets the new Samsung apart is the screen overlaps the edge of the phone, thanks to flexible OLED technology, so you can see a small bit from the sides!

It remains to be seen how useful that extra strip of real estate will be, but it certainly is novel. Even though this new Samsung phone won't be available immediately, by introducing it before Apple's announcement, Samsung has raised the bar. Now, whatever Apple introduces, it will be compared to Samsung's latest innovation. This could end up being one of those "because we can" innovations as opposed to something truly useful, but perhaps there will be a legitimate use case for the extra screen. Sharp also is trying to eliminate bezels, but it's important to realize bezels serve a purpose in a handheld device. They protect against accidental touches (which can be dealt with via software) but also protect the screen from damage. The new wraparound screen from Samsung could make it more prone to being broken, and it also makes designing a suitable case difficult. Still, it's nice to see Samsung trying to invent new features rather than just copy Apple.

Seeing is believing, but when it comes to headphones, hearing and comfort are more important than good looks. Fortunately, I've discovered a set of headphones that looks great, sounds great and is quite comfortable. And they come from Bell'o Digital, the electronic side of Bell'o, the well-known Audio Video furniture provider.

At the recent CES Unveiled mini tradeshow in New York City, Bell'o Digital offered the headphone equivalent of the Pepsi Challenge. Attendees were seated while they listened to different headphones, without knowing which ones, playing the same playlist on the same iPod. Naturally, one of the headphones was from Beats by Dre (and Apple) and other pricey headphones were used. But the most comfortable, best sounding headphone I experienced was from Bell'o Digital. They fit my head well, without pushing down on the top, and the earcups were lined with comfortable materials.

I was surprised to learn that the Bell'o headphones were so affordable, even though they look great and are made with quality materials. The headphones used in the CES Unveiled challenge were the Bell'o BDH851 model which lists for just $129.99. That price is a bargain next to on-ear headphones from Beats and others, but if that's still too much, Bell'o offers quality headphones for even less. A lot less.

The BDH821 is available in several color combinations but they all make good use of metal accents, fabric reinforced cable. 24K gold-plated plug, and soft ear cushions. I appreciate that there's just one cable coming from one earcup as opposed to some headphones that have two wires. They also have an inline microphone in the cable, so they can help you make phone calls as well as listen to music. What is most remarkable about the BDH821 headphones is that you get all this quality at such an entry-level price point, just $34.95 from stores like BestBuy.com and Buy.com. The BDH851 offers a larger earcup, more padding, and high definition sound and precision bass as well as modular color inserts, but for $35, the BDH821 is hard to beat.

While it’s true that a picture can tell a thousand words, sometimes the deeper story is left untold. For those instances, Steller (free) is here to help you share your story, passions, and inspirations. Stellar is unique in that it’s more than just a photo and video sharing app. Similar to Storehouse, Steller seamlessly combines photos, video, and text to document an experience, a moment, a life-changing trip, or anything else that speaks to you. Within just moments of browsing the stories of other users, you’ll quickly see that Steller isn’t your ordinary social media app.

For starters, Steller is just as intuitive and aesthetically pleasing as the concept behind the app itself. To create a new story, you begin by selecting a page layout and adding a video or inserting a photo. After that you can add text to your blank page or include additional photos and clips to further narrate your feature. The beauty of it all is that your story can be as verbose or as succinct as you like.      

Similar to most social networking apps, you can follow other users, like and repost stories. Upon creating your profile, you’ll be prompted to connect your Steller account to either Twitter or Facebook. Bloggers and brands will be drawn to the customization options that allow you to create “collections” and further categorize all of your stories.  

Pros:

• Steller doesn’t overwhelm you with endless font options, layouts, and other extraneous features. It equips you with everything you’ll need to convey your story in the most streamlined way possible.  Rather than dwelling on minute details, you can focus solely on the heart of your story.
• The app is geared toward all users, whether you’re a novice storyteller or a professional blogger, creating a professional-looking story in Steller is a cinch.
• As far as social networking apps go, Steller fulfills a unique niche. A cross between Instagram and Vine, it takes storytelling to a whole new level.
• All published stories can easily be shared via Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest as well as embedded on blogs for easy viewing.
• While the purpose of Steller is to create your own story, it wouldn’t be half as fun if you couldn’t explore the stories of other like-minded users! Thanks to a recent update, browsing is as easy as selecting a topic, typing in a keyword, or searching by a hashtag.

Cons:

• For video clips, it would be nice if Steller had a simple editing feature built in that would allow you to mute/adjust the volume of your clips. A select few filters for videos would also come in handy if you don’t want to download a separate video editing app.
• While some people may view the limited narrative customization options (i.e. fonts and layouts) as easier to work with, other users may feel hindered by the small pool of options.  

Verdict

5 out of 5 stars

Steller is an app that everyone can benefit from. If you have a vision and story to share, then I highly recommend giving it a download. All in all, Steller is more than deserving of the five out of five stars that I’m giving it.