Samsung Galaxy Gear Coming Sept. 4

Samsung will launch its smart watch, the Galaxy Gear, on Sept. 4 ahead of the IFA consumer electronics trade show in Berlin, Germany.

Lee Young-hee, VP of Samsung's mobile business, confirmed the date and some details about the device in an interview with The Korea Times.

“We will be introducing a new wearable concept device called Galaxy Gear at our own event in Berlin on Sept. 4," Lee said. He added that the Gear will not have a flexible display. "We are confident that the Gear will add meaningful momentum to the mobile industry."

Lee also confirmed Samsung's official launch of the Galaxy Note 3 at IFA, but he did not reveal any details about that device.

17.4% of Global Web Traffic Comes Through Mobile Devices

People around the globe are accessing the web via their smartphones more often than ever. So far in 2013, 17.4% of web traffic has come through mobile, representing more than a 6% increase since 2012 when 11.1% of traffic came from mobile.

Statista's chart below shows the increase in mobile web traffic over the last year, broken down by continent.

Mobile web traffic more than doubled in South America, the continent with the largest growth rate, where web access via mobile leaped from 3.2% to 6.8%.

Asia and Africa lead the planet as the two continents with the most-mobile web users, with 26.6% and 23.7%, respectively, of web traffic coming from mobile devices.

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Apple iPhone 5S Fingerprint Scanner Allegedly Leaked

If you weren't already convinced that Apple's next iPhone could come with a fingerprint scanner, a newly leaked set of photos could change your mind. Images of what claims to be the internal components of Apple's iPhone 5S have appeared online, hinting that a fingerprint scanner could sit right near the home button.

French blog Nowhereelse.fr, which has been known to leak components for unreleased Apple products in the past, has published images that show the internal components of the alleged iPhone 5S. The photo set compares Apple's next iPhone alongside the current generation iPhone, outlining the key differences between the two handsets. One pair of images depicts a redesigned metal spacer cushion near the home button that features a new cut out for additional components. This has sparked speculation that a fingerprint scanner could be placed in this area, although there's no way to know for sure until Apple makes the announcement.

Rumors that Apple would place a biometric sensor on its future devices have spread ever since Apple acquired AuthenTec in 2012. Meanwhile, the company has published numerous patents describing fingerprint detection technology, such as the filing that it the US Patent & Trademark Office's website back in October 2012.

More recent evidence that Apple's next iPhone could include a fingerprint sensor has been discovered in code for the beta version of iOS 7. At the end of July developer Hamza Sood spotted a folder within the OS' beta titled "BiometricKitUI" with a UI description that read "a user being able to swipe the sensor on the iPhone's home button."

The addition of a biometric fingerprint scanner is just one of the many rumors surrounding Apple's next iPhone. While the device is expected to come with Apple's next generation A7 chip, more recent leaks have suggested that it will be available in a golden champagne color as well. This is out of character for Apple since it usually releases its flagship smartphones exclusively in black and white color options.

Apple may lay these rumors to rest on September 10 at its rumored pressed event where the next-generation iPhone 5S is slated to make its debut.

15 Career Milestones Everyone Should Reach by 30

Ever wonder what it's like to be 80 years old?

Oliver Sacks, a neurology professor at NYU, shares the truth about life as an octogenarian in a piece for the New York Times called "The Joy of Old Age. (No Kidding)." In the column, Sacks writes:

"I do not think of old age as an ever grimmer time that one must somehow endure and make the best of, but as a time of leisure and freedom, freed from the factitious urgencies of earlier days, free to explore whatever I wish, and to bind the thoughts and feelings of a lifetime together.
Isn't that beautiful?"

An 80th birthday is cause for celebration, but along the way other milestones matter too. For instance, the big 3-0.

By the time we say goodbye to our twenties, what should we have experienced in our careers?

1. At least one intern has addressed you as "Mr." or "Ms."

2. Seven words: moved from your parents' house for good.

3. Handled every schedule imaginable -- days, nights, weekends, weekend nights, holidays, holiday nights... you get the idea.

4. Written so many cover letters that you could pen an autobiography of failed job applications.

5. Had such a terrible boss that you questioned the very idea of working to earn a living.

6. Realized that your college major -- once a pivotal career decision -- really didn't matter all that much.

7. Slaved away in your office on a picture-perfect Sunday because, well, the work's just gotta get done.

8. After several years in the professional ranks, your résumé no longer has traces of college clubs and achievements.

9. Battle tested, you don't even flinch when the client says, "This isn't what I wanted. You'll need to do it again."

10. Maintained a 401k and contributed funds to the point that you can actually see it working.

11. Defused a stressful office situation by saying, "In my experience, here's what we should do."

12. Landed a nice raise and proceeded to buy something you would never get otherwise.

13. Elected to take an advanced education course (or pick up a new skill) because of the value it added to your career.

14. After bouncing from job to job, you finally see the value of a stable situation with long-term potential.

15. Been there and done that long enough to understand who you are and the type of work that gets you out of bed in the morning. If your twenties were the decade to get knocked around, then may you spend the next ten years cashing in on the education.

Apple's 'iPhone 5S' to boast fingerprint sensor

By using a convex home button instead of the familiar concave design, Apple will be able to make room for the much rumored fingerprint sensor without losing precious internal space, according to well-informed KGI analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

In a research note obtained by AppleInsider, Kuo says Apple is using sapphire because of its resilience to scratches, which will thus protect the fingerprint sensor embedded within.

AuthenTec, the biometric security firm Apple purchased in 2012, uses leading-edge capacitive and RF technologies in its biometric chips, a method that images fingerprints differently than existing optics-based systems. Kuo believes the tech is superior as the sensor is not subject to misreadings due to the build up of detritus or dust.

Further, the analyst sees Apple's current one-button iPhone design as being an optimal fit for a fingerprint reader. With a single home button, consumers are less likely to be confused as to where to place their finger for scanning.

While a convex home button design grants added space for a sensor, the part will become more susceptible to scratches than the concave component Apple has used since the first iPhone debuted in 2007. To protect the sensitive sensor, sapphire glass, a material with a hardness rating second only to diamond, will be used instead of the current plastic composite.

The convex design lends itself nicely to a patent Apple filed for in June describing a method of encapsulating a fingerprint sensor package within a confined space.

Kuo predicts the sensor's inclusion will keep the iPhone well ahead of competing Android and Windows Phone handsets, possible presaging Apple's entry into secure mobile payments. The system could also yield a safer way to access Apple's cloud computing services like iCloud and iTunes.

Top 10 Smartphone Apps

Google Maps is the most frequently used mobile app in the world, according to GlobalWebIndex data on global smartphone users in Q2 of 2013.

The top three apps after Google's popular mapping tool are Facebook (44% of smartphone users), YouTube (35% of users) and Google+ (30% of users).

Statista's chart below tracks the 10 most frequently used smartphone apps in the world, based on percentage of smartphone users that have used the app in the past month.

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The Next Star of Doctor Who is Peter Capaldi

The wait is over: The next star of Doctor Who is Peter Capaldi.

The actor, 55, whose identity had been shrouded in secrecy for days, was revealed during a half-hour TV special broadcast simultaneously on the BBC in the UK and BBC America.

Capaldi was the bookies' favorite at the very last minute — so much so that betting was shut down. He has appeared on the show before, as a Roman noble in "The Fires of Pompeii."

The star of movies Local Hero and In the Loop, Capaldi is a Scottish actor best known for playing foul-mouthed Westminster spin doctor Malcolm Tucker on BBC series The Thick of It.

In the recent film, World War Z, starring Brad Pitt, Capaldi had a bit part as a doctor in the World Health Organization — that is, a WHO doctor.

Showrunner Steven Moffat said Capaldi had been on his mind when a replacement for 10th Doctor David Tennant was needed, but that his time had finally arrived following June's announcement that 11th Doctor Matt Smith would leave the show.

Apple Store Offers Free Downloads Through Its iOS App

Now the Apple Store app comes with a little extra oomph: a free download.

Starting Friday, Apple will offer one free app, iTunes download or iBook every week through its iOS app.

The app is traditionally used to purchase physical items from Apple’s store, book Genius Bar appointments and set up one-on-one learning sessions. Now, when you launch the app, the free download is listed on the launch page.

To use the download, first select a physical location by pressing the Store button at the bottom of the screen. Then, select your download of choice from the list of options on the launch page.

Tap the download button to launch iTunes and redeem a unique download code.

This week’s free download is Color Zen, which typically costs $0.99 to download. The relaxing game brings together different colors on the screen to make the entire screen the color of the border. It's easy to play and set to a comfortable soundtrack — highly addictive.

You can download the Apple Store app and Color Zen from the App Store now.

Microsoft Office Comes To Android Phones

Microsoft Office made big waves in mobile earlier this summer when it came to the iPhone, but now it's making an even bigger splash on the world's No. 1 mobile platform, Android. Starting Wednesday, Office 365 subscribers will be able to download and run the Office Mobile app for Android.

The Android version of Office only works on phones. Owners of Android tablets, just like iPad users, will have to settle for Office web apps since they won't be able to download the official app from Google Play (side-loading, of course, is always an option). Android phones must be running version 4.0 "Ice Cream Sandwich" or later.

Like the iPhone version, the app is a free download, but you must subscribe to Office to run the programs. Subscribers are allowed to run Office on up to five mobile devices, which don't count against the five PCs or Macs that can install the desktop apps. Windows RT and Windows Phone devices don't count against either total. (Those numbers differ a bit for student or business accounts.)

One difference on Android: You can't buy a subscription to Office like you can in the iPhone app. (You'll have to go to the web for that.) But otherwise, you get the same Word, Excel and PowerPoint, optimized for the smaller real estate on a smartphone screen. Once you start editing in Word, for example, the "chrome" of the app disappears, letting you focus on the document.

SkyDrive is the default place to save documents and the programs work pretty much as they do on iPhone, albeit with Android functionality and design elements. Plus, Office subscribers get an extra 20GB of storage. Office Mobile for Windows Phone still has the home-field advantage over Android, though, with its ability to open copy-protected files and hookups to SharePoint and Lync.

We checked out Office Mobile on iPhone when it was released and liked its clean interface, obviously optimized for the documents everyone uses. The programs don't have the same breadth of features as, say, Google Drive, however, so there's room for Microsoft to improve. With the service coming online for Android users, the audience for those features will be that much larger.

The app is currently only available in the United States, but Microsoft says it will be available in dozens of other countries over the next "several weeks" — from Albania to Zimbabwe.