We've seen many, many mockups of the purported iPhone 6 over the past half year â€" tons â€" and even though all of these mockups are just that, as time progresses, they may actually be getting closer to what the final end product could be.
As we get closer to the manufacturing start date of Apple's next smartphone, supply-chain leaks tend to become more accurate. We saw it with the iPhone 5, iPhone 5S and the iPad Air.
That's why it's worth looking at the latest round of iPhone 6 mockups, this time from Japanese newspaper Nikkei. As pointed out by 9to5Mac and translated by GforGames, these mockups offer a "rough idea" of the final product.
This mockup is based on rumors from the supply chain, and may be similar to the final iPhone 6 design.
The mockup, which clearly isn't of Apple quality â€" is reportedly missing "key details," but some of the images align with what we've seen elsewhere. For instance, the screen is thinner and rounder. The display, which may actually be curved, will also reportedly fit into the aluminum shell perfectly, eschewing the diamond-cut edge on the iPhone 5S.
As for the white stripes on the back of the device â€" those aren't supposed to be antenna markers. Instead, they're supposed to be for glass on the back panel.
Rumors surrounding the iPhone 6 say that it will potentially come in two larger sizes: 4.7 inches and 5.5 inches. Although it's unlikely that Apple will maintain four different phone sizes (including the 4-inch iPhone 5S/5C and the 3.5-inch iPhone 4S), it seems the company may release a bigger phone.
What do you think of the latest mockups? Would you be interested in an iPhone that looked like this?
Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.
Yes, they may have delicious gourmet chocolate and a rather daring attitude to eating fries laden with mayonnaise. Sure, they have great comic books and 1,100 varieties of beer, and tasty mussels, and waffles, and the European parliament and one of literature's greatest detectives. And alright, we may currently be commemorating the hundredth anniversary of a horrific war that was largely fought on their territory and evoked the sympathies of the world.
But put all that aside right now. Concentrate on the fact that they are Team USA's opponents in the World Cup knockout game at 4pm ET Tuesday. For the next 24 hours, America, it's okay to hate Belgium.
Admittedly, it's going to be hard to hate this lovable bike-riding team, especially when they seem to be doing their best to look so darned cute on Instagram. Here's winger Dries Martens posing for a selfie with, of all people, the King of Belgium, and calling it a "kingselfie". (But hey, they're a monarchy! Who doesn't hate monarchies?)
And here's captain Vincent Kompany trying to worm his way into our affections â€" not only by having an adorable name, but by auctioning his shirt off for charity:
Forget that. Think only of the fact that Belgium is the only thing that stands between Team USA and a quarter-final place against Argentina or Switzerland (who also make good chocolate, so there goes your advantage, Belgium).
Consider also that Belgium has beaten the US on four of their previous five meetings â€" most recently a May 2013 friendly which Belgium won 4-2, despite Clint Dempsey scoring a penalty. Also, the Belgian team's nickname is the Red Devils. Not only are devils evil, but they also appear to have stolen that title from those other, better-known Red Devils, Manchester United.
Seriously, though, Belgium are not to be underestimated. They're ranked 11th in the world according to FIFA, and although FIFA rankings are often something of a joke â€" they still have Spain ranked number 1 â€" in this case, they appear to underestimate the side. Belgium waltzed through the group stage, defeating South Korea, Russia and Algeria without breaking much of a sweat. (Admittedly, they didn't score as much as they could have done either.)
And as much as they look like butter won't melt in their mouths, the Belgian side aren't adverse to hacking down a player or two. Midfielder Steven Defour will miss the USA game after being red-carded for a two-foot challenge in the Algeria game.
Marouane Fellaini, one of the tallest players in the tournament at 6 feet 4 inches, and one of the most recognizable with his comically large afro and eyebrows, has also picked up a red card or two in his time in the English Premiere League â€" so many, in fact, that he was called into a meeting with England's chief referee and avoided suspension by vowing to change his ways. Years later, he picked up a three-match ban for headbutting another player.
This guy may look like a cuddly, slimmer version of Andre the Giant, but don't be fooled.
Fellaini puts the Vulcan grip on Kim Young-Gwon of South Korea on June 26.
Image: Matthew Lewis, Getty Images Sport
But the worst thing about the Belgians? The way they resolutely refuse to get angry at the U.S. We send provocative tweets about Belgian waffles; Dries Martens talks about how he has been pleasantly "surprised" by the U.S. team.
And then midfielder Eden Hazard goes and does something like this for one of Belgium's oldest superfans, making it even harder to hate them:
We know your game, Belgium, trying to win the sympathies of the world. We know your game, and it comes to an end Tuesday afternoon. Prepare for tears made of the purest, tastiest chocolate.
Yes, they may have delicious gourmet chocolate and a rather daring attitude to eating fries laden with mayonnaise. Sure, they have great comic books and 1,100 varieties of beer, and tasty mussels, and waffles, and the European parliament and one of literature's greatest detectives. And alright, we may currently be commemorating the hundredth anniversary of a horrific war that was largely fought on their territory and evoked the sympathies of the world.
But put all that aside right now. Concentrate on the fact that they are Team USA's opponents in the World Cup knockout game at 4pm ET Tuesday. For the next 24 hours, America, it's okay to hate Belgium.
Admittedly, it's going to be hard to hate this lovable bike-riding team, especially when they seem to be doing their best to look so darned cute on Instagram. Here's winger Dries Martens posing for a selfie with, of all people, the King of Belgium, and calling it a "kingselfie". (But hey, they're a monarchy! Who doesn't hate monarchies?)
And here's captain Vincent Kompany trying to worm his way into our affections â€" not only by having an adorable name, but by auctioning his shirt off for charity:
Forget that. Think only of the fact that Belgium is the only thing that stands between Team USA and a quarter-final place against Argentina or Switzerland (who also make good chocolate, so there goes your advantage, Belgium).
Consider also that Belgium has beaten the US on four of their previous five meetings â€" most recently a May 2013 friendly which Belgium won 4-2, despite Clint Dempsey scoring a penalty. Also, the Belgian team's nickname is the Red Devils. Not only are devils evil, but they also appear to have stolen that title from those other, better-known Red Devils, Manchester United.
Seriously, though, Belgium are not to be underestimated. They're ranked 11th in the world according to FIFA, and although FIFA rankings are often something of a joke â€" they still have Spain ranked number 1 â€" in this case, they appear to underestimate the side. Belgium waltzed through the group stage, defeating South Korea, Russia and Algeria without breaking much of a sweat. (Admittedly, they didn't score as much as they could have done either.)
And as much as they look like butter won't melt in their mouths, the Belgian side aren't adverse to hacking down a player or two. Midfielder Steven Defour will miss the USA game after being red-carded for a two-foot challenge in the Algeria game.
Marouane Fellaini, one of the tallest players in the tournament at 6 feet 4 inches, and one of the most recognizable with his comically large afro and eyebrows, has also picked up a red card or two in his time in the English Premiere League â€" so many, in fact, that he was called into a meeting with England's chief referee and avoided suspension by vowing to change his ways. Years later, he picked up a three-match ban for headbutting another player.
This guy may look like a cuddly, slimmer version of Andre the Giant, but don't be fooled.
Fellaini puts the Vulcan grip on Kim Young-Gwon of South Korea on June 26.
Image: Matthew Lewis, Getty Images Sport
But the worst thing about the Belgians? The way they resolutely refuse to get angry at the U.S. We send provocative tweets about Belgian waffles; Dries Martens talks about how he has been pleasantly "surprised" by the U.S. team.
And then midfielder Eden Hazard goes and does something like this for one of Belgium's oldest superfans, making it even harder to hate them:
We know your game, Belgium, trying to win the sympathies of the world. We know your game, and it comes to an end Tuesday afternoon. Prepare for tears made of the purest, tastiest chocolate.
In a save that's even more shocking than every World Cup match we've seen so far, cult-favorite comedy Community will return for a 13-episode sixth season â€" by Yahoo on its nascent video platform Yahoo Screen.
SEE ALSO: 'Community' Is Canceled, But Not Quite Dead â€" Yet
Many popular apps inspire a variety of spinoffs and copycats â€" most of which tend to be lame at best or blatant knockoffs at worst. Yo, the app that allows you to send "Yo" push notifications to friends, is no exception, with a series of wannabe copies already filling the App Store and Google Play.
But one spinoff is doing it rightâ€" possibly even better than the original. Yo, Hodor is like Yo, only more awesome because Game of Thrones.
Hodor is, of course, a reference to the Game of Thrones character, who only says his own name.
The iOS app functions much like Yo. Create an account and add your friends' usernames â€" unlike Yo, there is no way to find your friends who also have also downloaded the app. So you must already know their usernames. Tapping someone's username sends them a "Hodor," which developer Tyler Hederick says was lifted from a clip of the show.
Hederick says he started working on the app soon after Yo skyrocketed to the top of the App Store earlier this month and that he built the app in just four hours, as TechCrunch reports.
Yo was first released in April but didn't get much traction with users at the time. The app recently surged in popularity after the Financial Times published a story on the startup, pointing out the startup had raised $1 million in funding from investors. Twitter took notice soon after and the social media attention helped fuel the app's sudden rise to fame.
It's not yet clear if Yo, Hodor will enjoy the same success as the original, or if the app will even remain in the App Store very long (Hederick himself acknowledges his app uses HBO content without permission.) So go ahead and send your friends a "Hodor" while you can â€" Yoing is so last week anyway.
Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.
DONETSK, Ukraine â€" On a bench in a courtyard shaded by large poplars, Tanya takes a long drag of her skinny cigarette and pauses as she holds the smoke in her lungs. Then, enunciating each word slowly with the exhale, she tells me: “They took him.â€
The morning of her husband’s disappearance in late May was like any other: he awoke at dawn and dressed in the police uniform she had pressed for him the night before. He wolfed down the breakfast of sausage and salad she had prepared, and then kissed her goodbye.
It was the last time she saw him.
Tanya is convinced that pro-Russian insurgents abducted her husband who often spoke publicly of the pride he felt wearing the Ukrainian uniform. But, fearing reprisals against herself and her husband â€" if he is still alive â€" she asked that his first name and their last name not be published.
Pro-Russian militants carry an man with his eyes covered outside the regional state building they seized in the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk on May 5, 2014.
Image: GENYA SAVILOV/AFP/Getty Images
The week of her husband's disappearance, the insurgents came to the Artemivsk police station where her husband worked and delivered an ultimatum: work with us â€" or else! The officers were given until the end of the day to decide. Most didn’t wait that long, pledging their allegiance right then and there. Tanya’s husband was a notable exception, and Tanya believes that this is why he disappeared.
In the course of this conflict, pro-Russian militants have kidnapped hundreds of activists, journalists, police and civilians, human rights observers estimate, though exact numbers are hard to come by. Some abductees have been released after a few hours, days or weeks in captivity. On Friday, observers from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe were freed, having been held hostage for a month.
But many others â€" especially local Ukrainians â€" remain in captivity, hidden inside dark and dank basements, suffering in horrific conditions.
An unidentified freed OSCE observer arrives in Donetsk early on June 27, 2014. The four observers from the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, who were abducted on May 26 by pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine, appeared tired and tense
Image: Alexander KHUDOTEPLY/AFP/Getty Images
As pro-Russian insurgents tighten their grip on the eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, a climate of fear has reared its ugly head, though few locals are willing to talk about the scourge of kidnappings outside the relative safety of their kitchens.
Human rights observers say that, in the months since insurgents seized territory here in April, they have used kidnappings to intimidate the local population. On June 24, the UN Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights Ivan Simonovic warned that the situation in eastern Ukraine is “rapidly deteriorating.â€
The below Facebook post show prominent Ukrainian theater director Pavlo Yurov and the art curator Denys Hryshchuk who been held in captivity in Sloviansk since late April.
Having been blindfolded, tied up and thrown inside a van or the trunk of a car, many abductees are beaten, tortured with electrical shock, starved and even used as slave labor to dig trenches and erect roadblocks, according to Kateryna Sergatskova, a 26-year-old Russian reporter for the popular Ukrainian news website Ukrainska Pravda, and a leader of the campaign to document the cases of the disappeared.
In an interview with Mashable, Sergatskova said most people in eastern Ukraine are terrified of the Pro-Russian insurgents and hesitant to talk about loved ones who have gone missing for fear of retaliation. As a result, it has been hard to compile an exact list of the disappeared. She has a list with about 100 names â€" gathered from media reports and dozens of interviews in eastern Ukrainian â€" and the list grows by the day.
One of the worst abductions she documented was the case of three disappeared men found floating in a river, their stomachs slashed open, near the city of Sloviansk, an insurgent stronghold about 70 miles north of Donetsk.
In some cases, hostages are being used by the insurgents as human shields to prevent the Ukrainian armed forces from storming the buildings they occupy, and as bargaining chips to negotiate prisoner exchanges, according to Sergatskova, who said insurgents are currently holding as many as 200 people hostage â€" including activists, journalists and political opponents â€" in a security services building in Sloviansk.
Another 100 people are held captive in a seized police building in Horlivka, some 50 miles southeast of Sloviansk, according to Sergatskova. The city has been a center of the violence in the region. Volodymyr Rybak, a city council member who tried to replace the separatists’ flag atop a city building with the blue and yellow Ukrainian flag, was reportedly abducted, tortured and killed by insurgents, who left his mutilated body at the bank of a nearby river.
Many others are held hostage for ransom. Sergatskova’s case list includes cases of people being forced to hand over their life savings â€" as much as $200,0000 â€" to ensure the safe return of their loved ones. The money is then used to fund the insurgency, she said.
“I spoke with a man whose family needed to raise $60,000 in a matter of three hours for him to be released,†Denis Krivosheev, deputy director of the Europe and Central Asia Program at Amnesty International, told Mashable by phone after a recent field trip to eastern Ukraine. Among the people he spoke to during his trip was a man who said he had tried to commit suicide while in captivity, unable to endure the torture. Eventually the man was released.
There is little likelihood that his tormentors will be brought to justice.
“There are no police on the streets, and even if there were, there is no trust in the police," Krivosheev said. "If you get in trouble [in eastern Ukraine], there is nobody there to help you.â€
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The 2014 Gay Pride March in New York City provided plenty of memorable moments in Mashable's livestream coverage on Sunday â€" now here's some of the color and pageantry in pictures.
The crowd was diverse â€" people of all ages, ethnicities and sexual orientations came together to watch the march down Manhattan's Fifth Avenue to the West Village. Hundreds of thousands of people lined the route, WCBS reported.
The march began at 36th Street and ended at Greenwich and Christopher Streets, just outside the Stonewall Inn. Orange Is the New Black’s Laverne Cox, Frozen's Jonathan Groff and LGBT advocate Rea Carey began the march as the 2014 grand marshals. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo joined the festivities, along with members of the Boy Scouts of America, who marched for the first time in NYC Pride history.
Have something to say about pride? Let us know in the comments.
Germany's Miroslav Klose, right, congratulates Thomas Mueller after he scored the opening goal during the group G World Cup soccer match between the USA and Germany at the Arena Pernambuco in Recife, Brazil, Thursday, June 26, 2014.
Image: Petr David Josek/Associated Press
Still reeling from the World Cup's epic knockout-stage onslaught this weekend? You'd better recharge quick, because the fun, heartbreak and all-around excitement starts back up Monday at 12 p.m. ET.
The third day of round-of-16 match-ups pits a pair of traditional European powers against a pair of upstarts from Africa.
Both France and Germany are among the planet's exclusive group of only eight nations to ever win a World Cup titles (France in 1998; Germany in 1954, 1974 and 1990). If either Nigeria or Algeria can pull off an upset to reach the quarterfinals, meanwhile, they'd enter uncharted World Cup territory.
France vs. Nigeria starts things of at 12 p.m. ET from Brasilia, followed by Germany vs. Algeria at 4 p.m. ET from Porto Alegre. Read on for the primer you need to get ready for Monday's World Cup action.
France vs. Nigeria
France's Karim Benzema celebrates before his goal was disallowed after Netherlands referee Bjorn Kulpers had blown his whistle for full time before the ball entered the gaol during the group E World Cup soccer match between Switzerland and France at the Arena Fonte Nova in Salvador, Brazil, Friday, June 20, 2014.
Image: Sergei Grits/Associated Press
Through its first two group-stage matches, France looked like a beast uncaged, on the warpath to redemption after a disastrous 2010 effort. Les Bleus opened by shutting out Honduras, 3-0, then followed that up by putting a 5-2 shellacking on Switzerland, Group E's runner-up.
With the group already won and nothing really to play for, France then looked sluggish and disorganized in its group-stage finale, struggling to a 0-0 draw with Ecuador. Was that simply the product of a powerful team looking ahead to the knockout rounds? Or was it indicative that this squad may not be quite as awesome as it initially appeared?
Monday's matchup with Nigeria will reveal a lot. France strives to push forward aggressively, with midfielders like the young Paul Pogba putting pressure on opposing defenses, defender Patrice Evra venturing into the the attack and striker Karim Benzema capable of finishing as well as anyone in the tournament. Nigeria loves to counterattack though, and has the speed to do so effectively â€" so France must be wary of leaving its defense vulnerable while pressing for scores.
Nigeria's goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama makes a save during the group F World Cup soccer match between Nigeria and Argentina at the Estadio Beira-Rio in Porto Alegre, Brazil, Wednesday, June 25, 2014.
Image: Michael Sohn/Associated Press
Nigeria's overall speed is dangerous. A pay dispute that created a distraction last week now appears resolved, so the Super Eagles should be entirely focused on the task at hand. Forward Emmanuel Emenike has been especially impressive in Brazil, prompting reports that he'll be courted by some of Europe's top clubs. Goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama, meanwhile, didn't allow a score through Nigeria's first two matches, until the incomparable Lionel Messi pounded home a couple in the Super Eagles' Group F finale.
Nigeria is a quality side, no doubt. But France has had flashes of brilliance in Brazil â€" we expect the flat performance against Ecuador to be a simple hiccup â€" and looks capable of making a run to the final. France's overall quality and depth will prove too much, in our best guess, sending Nigeria home with a 2-1 final score.
Germany vs. Algeria
Algeria's Islam Slimani (13) scores his side's first goal during the group H World Cup soccer match between Algeria and Russia at the Arena da Baixada in Curitiba, Brazil, Thursday, June 26, 2014.
Image: Michael Sohn/Associated Press
In one corner, a top favorite to win this year's World Cup. In the other corner, a team that just barely slipped by Burkina Faso in an Africa-region playoff to qualify for the World Cup. But you don't reach the knockout-stage by being a total pushover, and this Algeria squad has some life to it despite backing into the World Cup field.
Les Fennecs (named after the adorable fennec fox, which is native to northern Africa) put four goals on South Korea â€" but then again, South Korea didn't win a match in Group H. Algeria also tied with Russia and lost by just one goal to Belgium to finish second in the group with four total points. Islam Slimani scored two of Algeria's six total group-stage goals.
While Algeria lacks a household name, Germany is loaded with them. Thomas Müller, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Mesut Özil, Marco Reus, Toni Kroos, Mario Gotze ... the list goes on. But that star-studded roster hasn't had a totally smooth ride so far. Germany looked incredible in dispatching Portugal 4-0 to start the World Cup, then had to fight for a tough draw with Ghana and a 1-0 win over the gritty U.S. to take a lethal Group G.
Germany plays an aesthetically pleasing brand of offensive-minded football, and will seek an explosive performance to begin the knockout stage with momentum. While one never knows in the World Cup, Algeria looks incapable of providing much resistance and we foresee Germany coming out on top with a 3-0 final score.
