Mobile VR is great, but there's plenty of room for improvement, particularly when it comes to screen resolution - and Sharp has just given us a look at virtual reality's future with a new prototype display.

The small 2.87-inch screen, which was spotted by PC Watch at Japan's CEATEC expo, packs an enormous number of pixels into a tiny space, allowing each eye to view a 1920 x 2160 display, for a pixel density of 1008ppi. Viewed through both eyes it outputs at 3840 x 2160, allowing you to watch 4K content.

Few mobile screens even approach that resolution yet, and where they do they're larger - so the pixels have to fill more space and images aren't as sharp. The QHD Samsung Galaxy S7, for example, comes in at 577 pixels per inch, and even an unreleased display shown off by Samsung is only 806 pixels per inch.

Mobile VR, like that offered by the Samsung Gear VR and Google's new Daydream platform, is the most accessible and affordable VR entry point, but it's also more limited than high-end options like Oculus Rift and HTC Vive, with screen resolutions being one of the main limiting factors.

The screen of tomorrow

A resolution this high is overkill for normal smartphone use, but important for VR, where the screen is positioned close to your eyes. Of course it's not just resolution that matters, but also overall quality, contrast and color accuracy, so Sharp's display ticks one of those boxes, but it remains to be seen whether it will tick the rest.

Even it doesn't, there's time for Sharp - or another company - to make one which does, since it's unlikely we'll see displays this sharp on smartphones or in VR headsets for a while yet, but this could give us a glimpse of where smartphone screens and mobile VR could be a few years from now.

And this wasn't the only forward-looking screen the company showed off, as a prototype smartphone with a true edge-to-edge display was also revealed, sporting a front panel that's all screen and actually looks good, unlike some smartphone concepts.

Again, we don't expect to see phones like this for a while, but with Apple supposedly working on something similar it might not be a too distant future.

Via Phone Arena

• Foldable phones could be coming soon too

Apple is showing its commitment to encouraging and securing great developers by opening up its very own iOS Developer Academy at the University of Naples Frederico II in Italy.

The first of its kind, the iOS Developer Academy is taking in 200 students and will teach them the art of making a great app for the iOS platform, covering areas such as coding, app design and startup creation over a period of nine months.

Thanks to a joint investment of €10 million (around £9 million/ US $11 million/ AU $14 million) from the university itself and Apple, the course is being offered completely free, with each student receiving the latest iPhone, iPad, and Macbook so that they all have the necessary tools to succeed.

Developing developers

Competition to get onto the course was fierce; 200 students might have been taken but over 4000 applied over an 11 day period when the course was announced, taking an online test and an interview as part of the selection process. The plan is to expand the course next year, taking in 400 students instead.

To create a good learning environment for the students currently on the course, Apple has apparently been quite involved in updating the university campus, designing its own open-plan classroom which will bring learning and rest together.

Leopoldo Angrisani, a professor at the university who helped organize the program, told the Guardian "Apple thinks that all of these activities, learning and rest and so on, have to stay very close to each other, because this is the best way to ensure that the concepts are absorbed and understood very well."

When the program was first announced, Apple's CEO Tim Cook said that "Europe is home to some of the most creative developers in the world" and that Apple was "thrilled to be helping the next generation of entrepreneurs in Italy get the skills they need for success."

Apple's ecosystem has already created 1.4 million jobs in Europe, and this academy structure could add to what Cook called "unlimited opportunities" with the company across the continent.

Apple will be hopeful that the Naples Developer Academy proves to be a success as the company already has plans to expand its Developer University program to countries around the world as it continues to improve and add to its continually growing app store.

• The best free iPhone apps in 2016

If you'd expected the upcoming Android 7.1 upgrade to bring with it Google's new AI technology, you're going to be disappointed.

Unless you have a Google Pixel or Pixel XL, the Android 7.1 update won't bring with it support for Google Assistant.

Android 7.1's changelog was found by Android Police, which revealed Google Assistant would remain exclusive to Pixel products in the next upgrade.

In time

Google confirmed the bad news to TechCrunch, but said it plans to bring Assistant to wider Android devices in the near future.

Google told TechCrunch, "Our goal is to make the Google Assistant widely available to users, and we'll continue to launch new surfaces over the course of the next year."

Android 7.1 is launching in its developer edition by the end of October, but it's still unclear when the finished version will begin rolling out to smartphones and tablets.

The latest Nougat upgrade will bring with it a new Night Light blue light filter mode, the ability to swipe down on the fingerprint sensor to open your notifications bar as well as Daydream VR mode.

• Android Nougat release date: when you'll get it and everything you need to know

Update: Samsung has now told TechRadar it is investigating the incident of a Galaxy Note 7 catching fire on a Southwest Airlines flight.

A spokesperson for Samsung said, "Until we are able to retrieve the device, we cannot confirm that this incident involves the new Note7.

"We are working with the authorities and Southwest now to recover the device and confirm the cause. Once we have examined the device, we will have more information to share."

Original: Samsung can't catch a break. This time, a Southwest Airlines flight was evacuated when a passenger's Galaxy Note 7 caught fire prior to takeoff, as first reported by The Verge.

Worryingly, the Southwest passenger claims the phone was a unit that was replaced by Samsung via the device's recall.

The passenger, Brian Green, told the site that his Note 7 was deemed safe by Samsung, pointing to a black square symbol on his phone's packaging and green battery icon on the phone. The green battery icon is supposed to indicate replaced Note 7s. Green said he picked up the replacement phone at an AT&T store on September 21, the first day fixed phones arrived in stores.

Southwest confirmed to TechRadar a smoking Samsung device led to the airplane evacuation, but did not state what model phone it was. However, Green took a photo of the burnt phone, which was indeed a Galaxy Note 7.

"Prior to Southwest Airlines Flight 994 departing from Louisville for Baltimore, a Customer reported smoke emitting from an electronic device," reads the airline's statement sent to us. "All Customers and Crew deplaned safely via the main cabin door."

Southwest says it will continue to make PA announcements about the active Samsung Galaxy Note 7 recall prior to each flight.

It's unclear exactly why the Note 7 caught fire, if it was indeed a replacement phone. It's possible the phone could have been physically damaged, which could cause the phone's battery to rupture and explode. We've asked Samsung for comment and will update this story if we hear back.

Other phones, like the iPhone 7, aren't immune to battery explosions. On September 29, a reddit user's iPhone 7 allegedly exploded in its packaging. It's unclear what caused the combustion, but Apple and AT&T took care of the owner by expediting him a replacement phone. Just two days ago, an iPhone 6 Plus exploded in someone's back pocket.

To make matters worse for Samsung, Green replaced his Galaxy Note 7 with an iPhone 7.

Augmented reality has been around for a long time, popularized by the Nintendo 3DS, but it hasn't really taken off on phones. Sure, Pokemon Go gave us a taste of what is possible with AR but we need specialize tech for really immersive experiences.

Google's Project Tango was created with the goal of bringing the necessary AR tech to phones and you'll finally be able to get your hands on it in November, though a precise date wasn't annouced. The Lenovo Phab2 Pro will be the first phone to market with Google's Tango 3D camera system that's capable of scanning your surroundings and accurately placing virtual objects in your environment.

The Phab2 Pro is a burly phone with its 6.4-inch quad-HD screen. The phone can also capture 5.1 surround sound with its 3 mics to help you make immersive video.

The phone may feature a mid-range Snapdragon 652 processor instead of the flagship Snapdragon 821 found in Google's just-released Pixel phones, but the it's been optimized for Tango. With a $499 (about £345, AU$672) price tag unlocked, it's hard to complain too much about its specs.

The biggest problem with the Lenovo Phab2 Pro is that it doesn't support virtual reality, something Google is pushing hard with its Daydream View VR headset. You'll have to choose whether you want an augmented reality experience with the Phab2 Pro or a virtual reality experience with the Google Pixel.

"You can imagine in the future you won't have to make a choice, but that's a bit further out," said Google's head of VR Clay Bavor speaking with CNET. In the future, we may see a phone support both Tango and Daydream but for now, we'll have to make that tough choice.

I don't know what just happened to me.

What I'm about to tell you actually just happened. I promise none of it is made up.

Let me set the scene: I'm at the Google Pixel launch in London, in a cool warehouse space. So far, so average day for this hipster dude.

I'm waiting to check out the Daydream View demo. I've got half an hour to go, so I'm told to go and try out the 'commute train ride' up on another platform.

There's nothing out of the ordinary so far, as 'experiences' to try out new features of a phone or gadget are pretty normal at press launches, placing them in their optimum context to properly show them off.

So I assume I'm about to go on a whirlwind tour of the new elements of the Pixel phone, all the great things it can do in some new and creative form. I'm intrigued, as this looks like a pretty big set up.

I head up some stairs and into a 'station'. It's a little train track with the London Underground sign 're-imagined' with the Google logo. I'm told the train will be here in a moment but there's some 'congestion' on the line.

OK...

Suddenly a trolley emerges from behind a curtain, being pushed by a Google rep. On the trolley are two footstools, with wireless headphones on each.

The chap at the entrance to the 'experience' asks me what I like to listen to on my commute home. I tell him a little bit of EDM, because I am (as already explained) one helluva dude.

He looks a touch perplexed, telling me that might not possible.

'How about jazz, pop, classical?' he posits.

I confirm pop is fine. I'm told to get on a stool. I do so.

'OK GOOGLE, PLAY SOME POP!' Yells the fellow who took my music choice. And we're off!

I'm wheeled around a corner, lights blinding me slightly, with some jazzy piano music playing in my ears. What's it going to be like? Will this be some sort of Google take on the haunted house? Will I be scared? Will I jump out of my skin or be dazzled by the future as presented by one of the biggest companies on the planet?

There's a man. Playing a piano. He's playing the music I'm listening to. He's very good at piano, I note, as we wheel past.

'OK, you can exit through the curtain on your left!' I'm told, as we grind to a halt.

Wait… what? That's it?

Yes. That was it. I just spent about 25 seconds of my life being pushed around on a trolley in an experience that must have cost loads of time and money to create.

And I have no idea why.

If you're holding out on the just-announced Google Pixel in hopes that the company will revisit its Nexus line of phones, you may want to sit down.

Google said today that it has no future plans to develop Nexus-branded smartphones or tablets, opting instead to focus on the Pixel.

After a half-decade career, the Nexus line ends with last year's Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P. Thankfully, those who still run Google's older phones won't be completely abandoned.

"We will continue to support current Nexus users [via] customer support, software updates, etc.," a Google representative told us.

Prior to today's reveal, the Pixel and Pixel XL were originally codenamed Nexus Sailfish and Marlin. Hints that Nexus was on the way out started to arise as the company became more interested in the more in-house approach of Pixel and likely wanted to avoid brand confusion.

However, thanks to a very hands-on approach from Google regarding the Pixel line - to include speedy access to Android's latest updates - one can argue the Nexus/Pixel transition as more of a reboot than the death of a lineage.

• Everything you need to know about Android Nougat

Facebook just finished upgrading Messenger with one of the biggest features to ever come to the app - fully encrypted messaging between devices.

Called "Secret Conversations," Messenger's encryption feature has been quietly rolling out on iOS and Android devices, with Wired reporting that the process has just now been completed - covering nearly 900 million people with totally secure messaging, provided they all have the latest version of the app.

In addition to encrypting missives sent between devices, Secret Conversations can also put Mission: Impossible-style self-destruct timers on messages, ensuring that particularly sensitive messages (Netflix passwords, anyone?) are deleted forever after as long as a day to even just 5 seconds after it's opened.

There are a few limitations that come with Secret Conversations, however. Initiating the feature disables .gifs, videos, voice messages, voice calling, and mobile payments, as well as only works one-on-one - ruling out incognito group chats for the time being.

So secret, you probably missed it

While encryption is certain a welcome feature on Messenger, it's not a particularly visible one.

To activate Secret Conversations, one must start a new message thread and press the discreetly-placed "Secret" button on the top-right of the screen when choosing a recipient.

As of writing, there is no way to start Secret Conversations as a default, or convert an existing chat with a friend into an encrypted one.

Encryption, which can prevent unwanted eyes from snooping in on your messages - be it criminals, companies, or even intelligence agencies - has become a new trend for messaging services in the past year.

Chat-app bigwig Whatsapp made some of the biggest pushes for privacy this past spring, when the app completely encrypted any and all messages sent by over a billion of its users.

Google's recently-released competitor, Allo, also offers an Incognito Mode to encrypt messages, though it must be turned on manually like Secret Conversations.

While it's not very self-serving to hide Secret Conversations off in a corner, we appreciate Messenger striking a balance between privacy over chatbots and letting Facebook users send messages to their friends that even Facebook can't peep in on.

• 5 apps to download for Facebook Messenger

Best Sony Xperia XZ deals

If you're looking for Sony Xperia XZ deals then you've come to the right place. There's a new Sony flagship phone in town and it's the brand new Sony Xperia XZ. Once again Sony has produce a phone with one of the market's leading cameras. At 23MP it's definitely high resolution, and the autofocus has to be seen to be believed: 0.03 seconds is all it takes to get a sharp, clear picture. Once again the build quality of the handset is fantastic, and despite its large 5-inch screen, the Xperia XZ feels comfortable to hold. The 5.2-inch screen is 1080p and looks fantastic, and there's plenty of power underneath the gorgeous exterior to make the Sony Xperia XZ one of the most powerful handsets on the market.

Despite being so new, the Xperia XZ already has some amazing deals that lets you take home the handset without any upfront cost, and we've collected the best of those deals below.

More options: Sony Xperia Z5 deals | Sony Xperia Z5 Compact deals | Sony Xperia XZ deals | Sony Xperia XZ Compact deals

The UK's best Sony Xperia XZ deals:

Read further down the page to see all our recommended Sony Xperia XZ deals, but these top three are what we think are the absolute best Xperia XZ deals out there in the UK today.

Sony Xperia XZ | £344.99 upfront | 500 mins | 5000 texts | 1GB data | £12.50pm
Because the Xperia XZ is so new, not all mobile networks are offering deals, which means we're a bit strapped for amazing deals this month. This deal for Talk Mobile has a very low monthly cost, but it has a high upfront cost of £344.99. You also only get 500 mins, 5000 texts and 1GB of data each month, which won't be enough for most people. Still, if you're after the very lowest monthly cost, this deal may be for you. Total cost over 24 months is £644.99

Get this deal:

Sony Xperia XZ | Free upfront | Unlimited mins | Unlimited texts | 6GB data | £47pm
This is an excellent deal, and quite possibly the best deal for the Xperia XZ this month. You get unlimited minutes and the 4G data allowance has been boosted to a much more generous 6GB. Best of all, the Xperia XZ is thrown in for no upfront cost and you also get a whopping £264 cashback, which lowers the monthly cost to a very tempting £36, a fair bit cheaper than the deal above. The total cost of this deal over 24 months is £864

Get this deal: from Mobile Phones Direct

Sony Xperia XZ | Free upfront | Unlimited mins | Unlimited texts | 7GB data | £40.99pm
This Sony Xperia XZ deal is great for internet addicts as you get unlimited calls and 7GB of 4G data, which should be plenty for most people, letting you stream music from Spotify without too much worry. Again, you get the Xperia XZ handset for free, along with £72 cashback. Total cost over 24 months is £983.76

Get this deal:

Best Sony Xperia XZ deals on Vodafone

Offers extras like Spotify and Sky Sports

Sony Xperia XZ | Free upfront | Unlimited mins | Unlimited texts | 2B data | £43pm
This is one of the cheapest Sony Xperia XZ deals on Vodafone that doesn't require you to pay anything up front. You get the brand new handset, unlimited minutes and texts and a not too bad 2GB of 4G data, which should be plenty for most people who like to browse the internet. You also get a generous £105 cashback, lowering the monthly cost to £38.63, as well as a free pair of Sony Bluetooth headphones. The total cost of this deal over 24 months is £927

Get this deal: from Mobile Phones Direct

Sony Xperia XZ | Free upfront | Unlimited mins | Unlimited texts | 6GB data | £47pm
This is another excellent deal, and quite possibly the best deal for the Xperia XZ this month. You get unlimited minutes and the 4G data allowance has been boosted to a much more generous 6GB. Best of all, the Xperia XZ is thrown in for no upfront cost and you also get a whopping £264 cashback, which lowers the monthly cost to a very tempting £36, a fair bit cheaper than the deal above. The total cost of this deal over 24 months is £864

Get this deal: from Mobile Phones Direct

Sony Xperia XZ | Free upfront | Unlimited mins | Unlimited texts | 12GB data | £52pm
Here's another cracker of a Sony Xperia XZ deal thanks to a generous cashback offer. This time you get £190 knocked off the asking price, which lowers the monthly cost to £44.08. You get unlimited minutes and the 4G data allowance has been boosted even more to a huge 12GB - which is plenty for even the most active of downloaders and streamers. The Xperia XZ is also thrown in for free once again. The total cost of this deal over 24 months is £1058

Get this deal: from Mobile Phones Direct

Best Sony Xperia XZ deals on EE

The place to go if you want high-speed 4G

Sony Xperia XZ | Free upfront | Unlimited mins | Unlimited texts | 2GB data | £35.99pm
EE kicks off its Sony Xperia XZ offers with this rather tempting deal, which is a big improvement on last month's offering. You get the handset thrown in for free, along with 2GB of 4G data and unlimited texts and talk time. The monthly cost is also pretty great considering how new the Xperia XZ is. Total cost over 24 months is £863.76

Get this deal:

Sony Xperia XZ | Free upfront | Unlimited mins | Unlimited texts | 5GB data | £40.99pm
This Sony Xperia XZ deal is a good one for people who like to use their phones for chatting to friends and streaming music and movies. You get unlimited calls and 5GB of 4G data, which is more than enough for most regular users. If you're addicted to the latest show on Netflix, and want to watch videos while away from home, then the deal below will be more to your liking. This is still a great Xperia XZ deal, though. Total cost over 24 months is £983.76

Get this deal:

Sony Xperia XZ | Free upfront | Unlimited mins | Unlimited texts | 7GB data | £40.99pm
This Sony Xperia XZ deal is the reason why we wouldn't recommend the deal above for internet addicts as you now get unlimited calls and 7GB of 4G data, which should be plenty for most people, letting you stream music from Spotify without too much worry. Again, you get the Xperia XZ handset for free, along with £72 cashback. Total cost over 24 months is £983.76

Get this deal:

Best Sony Xperia XZ deals on Talk Mobile

The low cost network from Vodafone

Sony Xperia XZ | £344.99 upfront | 500 mins | 5000 texts | 1GB data | £12.50pm
Because the Xperia XZ is so new, not all mobile networks are offering deals, which means we're a bit strapped for amazing deals this month. This deal for Talk Mobile has a very low monthly cost, but it has a high upfront cost of £344.99. You also only get 500 mins, 5000 texts and 1GB of data each month, which won't be enough for most people. Still, if you're after the very lowest monthly cost, this deal may be for you. Total cost over 24 months is £644.99

Get this deal:

Sony Xperia XZ | £172.99 upfront | 500 mins | 5000 texts | 1GB data | £25pm
If the upfront cost above is too expensive, but you like the sound of low monthly payments, then this Sony Xperia XZ deal may be a better fit. You pay less upfront (though still £172.99), but more each month (though still only £25), along with the same limited on calls, texts and 4G data as the deal above. Total cost over 24 months is £772.99

Get this deal:

Best Sony Xperia XZ deals on O2

The network with extras like O2 Priority

There are currently no deals for the Xperia XZ on O2 this month. Hopefully that will change next month when the Xperia XZ has been out for a bit longer.

Best Sony Xperia XZ deals on Three

The network with unlimited data

As with O2, Three doesn't currently have any Xperia XZ deals.

There was a time when Nexus phones were seen as affordable alternatives to big name Android flagships, but that's not the case with the Google Pixel and Google Pixel XL.

The Google Pixel XL comes in two sizes – 32GB or 128GB. The 32GB version costs $769 (£719, AU$1,269) unlocked, and is available direct from Google's store.

If you want the extra space of the 128GB model, you'll have to pay $869 (£819, AU$1,419). That's roughly in line with the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge or even the iPhone 7 Plus, but then the Pixel XL is a similarly large and high-end handset.

• Google Pixel price: how much does it cost?

Google Pixel XL price in the US?

If you can't stomach paying the SIM-free price – and we wouldn't blame you – there are ways to spread the cost. For one thing Google itself is offering financing on the Pixel XL. You'll also be able buy the phone on contract, though prices and availability are yet to be confirmed.

If you'd rather head to a physical store than buy online you're in luck, as Google has partnered with Verizon to offer the phone in shops. Deals start at $27.08 a month for two years.

Google Pixel XL price in the UK?

In the UK you'll be able to buy the Google Pixel XL from Carphone Warehouse. The best deal so far costs £159.99 upfront and £42 a month but comes with 6GB of data, unlimited calls and texts as well as a free £50 Google Play Store voucher.

EE is the exclusive network for the Pixel XL in the UK, and is also available free on a £55.99 a month, 24 month plan, which gets you unlimited minutes, unlimited texts and 10GB of mobile data a month for existing customers.

Google Pixel XL price in Australia?

If you're shopping in Australia you will of course be able to buy the Pixel XL direct from the Google Store, but you can also pre-order it through Telstra or purchase it from JB Hi-Fi.

• These are the best phablets of 2016

The Google Pixel isn't a cheap phone, despite being the smaller of the two new handsets from Google.

Unlocked prices start at $649 (£599, AU$1,079) when bought direct from the Google Store. That's for a 32GB handset, with prices rising to $749 (£699, AU$1,229) for a 128GB one.

That's a lot more than the Nexus 5X, which started at $379/£339/AU$659 (albeit for a 16GB version), but then the Pixel is a true flagship, with a top-end processor, a metal build and a high-spec camera.

• Fancy a Pixel XL? Here's the price of Google's new large phone

Google Pixel price in the US?

Google isn't just offering the Pixel outright, but also on finance, if you'd rather spread the cost. If you want to pick the phone up in store you'll have to head to Verizon, which is Google's exclusive retail partner for the handset. Contracts begin at $27.08 a month for two years.

You can also pre-order the Pixel at Best Buy (on Verizon), and it's also up for pre-order on Google's Project Fi network.

Google Pixel price in the UK?

Carphone Warehouse is stocking the Pixel in the UK, with deals on EE, O2, Vodafone and iD. Its cheapest deal is on O2 with 3GB of data, unlimited minutes and texts for £199.99 upfront and a £31.50 a month cost.

EE is the exclusive network partner for the Pixel in the UK. The cheapest Pixel deal there has the phone with 5GB of data, unlimited calls and unlimited texts at £45.99 a month after £99.99 upfront.

Google Pixel price in Australia?

If you're shopping in Australia you will of course be able to buy the Pixel direct from the Google Store, but you can also pre-order it through Telstra from AU$85 per month over two years, or purchase it from JB Hi-Fi, where a 32GB version will cost you AU$1,079 - the same as Google charges.

• We've also heard more about Google Home

If there's one big success story in the UK mobile phone deals market this year, it's the rise and rise of the humble SIM only deal.

The simple truth is that smartphones are so good these days that people just don't need to update to new handsets every year or even every other year (that sound you hear is the air moving as everyone in the UK using an iPhone 6 nods in agreement).

• The best SIM only deals in October 2016

The practical upshot of this is that instead of signing up for an expensive new deal for a new phone, many people are sensibly opting for a SIM only option (a quick poll of the TechRadar office reveals that almost everyone is on a SIM only plan).

This has resulted in a truly competitive and deal-tastic SIM only market and there have been some really great deals lately. This one, though, is selling like hotcakes at both Mobiles.co.uk and e2save.com (both affiliates of Carphone Warehouse) as it offers really fantastic value via a cashback offer:

SIM only deal in full:

Vodafone | 12 month contract | 8GB data | Unlimited calls and texts | £5.50 per month
This is the UK's best selling SIM only deal at the moment and it's not surprising because it's an absolute bargain. You'll pay £17 per month for 12 months, but when you sign up you'll immediately be eligible for £138 cashback, leaving you paying the equivalent of just £5.50 per month which is extremely cheap! For your money you get unlimited calls and texts and 8GB data which is enough for almost anyone. You simply won't be able to find a better SIM only deal than this - be fast though as it won't last forever. The same deal is available from both Mobiles.co.uk and e2save.com (more cashback from e2save.com makes it 50p per month cheaper).

View this deal: at e2save.com

View this deal: at Mobiles.co.uk

As you can see from the below table, the absolute cheapest SIM only deal out there right now is a £5 tariff which bags you just 200MB. So this £5.50 deal for 8GB is fantastic value and gets the TechRadar seal of approval.

Try our new Google Chrome add-on and never pay more than the cheapest prices ever again!

Pricehawk is a Chrome extension that will automatically find you the cheapest deals for the tech and games items you're shopping for online. It'll also let you know if there are voucher codes you can use to save even more money!

Visit Pricehawk: in the Google Chrome Store

If you've sent or received any links through iMessage recently you've probably noticed that they're presented in a more appealing manner than before, providing a clickable link, an image and text extracted from the URL.

That's something other services like Facebook and Slack also do, but according to Ross McKillop (a developer), iMessage handles this in a rather different, and far less secure way.

When using Facebook for example, the website you're linking to will see a request from Facebook, but when using iMessage the website will get the request direct from your device, revealing your IP address, device type and operating system.

Slack security

That might not sound so bad, but, as McKillop points out, the request will be sent from every device that you have running iMessage, allowing the website to get an idea of your location. For example, if your iPhone and Mac respond from different IP addresses you're probably out.

Even more troubling though is that McKillop believes that with URLs being sent this way, exploits found in Safari could potentially be triggered simply by sending someone an iMessage with the affected URL, with no requirement for the recipient to actually click the link.

There's also no way to disable this, so if McKillop is right it's down to Apple to fix it, hopefully before someone finds a way to fully exploit the issue.

We have contacted Apple to ask if it's aware of this potential vulnerability, and whether a fix is in the pipeline. We'll update this article once we get a response.

• Google has an answer to iMessage

WhatsApp is rolling out new features that change how you share photos on the messaging service. Think of it as giving your inner artist a chance to spruce up photos, Snapchat style.

With a tap of a button, the latest version of WhatsApp now allows finger-made drawings as well as emojis to be superimposed on photos taken from your phone's camera or picture folder.

Additionally, the update adds front-facing flash so selfie-senders get their good side even in poor lighting, as well as the ability to zoom and switch between front and back cameras while recording videos in-app.

The features are practically muscle memory already for those familiar with Snapchat and other camera-heavy apps, but these are still welcome in WhatsApp and its billion-plus users who may not care to switch through multiple (possibly non-encrypted) apps just to draw a smiley face on their latest picture.

WhatsApp's new camera features are out today for Android phones, while iPhone owners will have to hold tight just a tad longer for the update to go live on iOS.

• 10 tricks to mastering WhatsApp

LG's next flagship phone may not ship with some key features, though there is one way it could still vastly improve over the LG G5, according to a new report.

Anonymous sources within the mobile phone industry revealed to ChosunBiz, a Korean news site, that the LG G6 will stick with a non-curved LCD display and won't come packing wireless charging.

That's going to disappoint a few people, to be sure, but the sources also say the G6 will herald a leap in build quality over its predecessor thanks to a tempered glass back.

LG received criticism for the lackluster build quality of the LG G5, which featured a painted aluminum body and felt like plastic to some. A tempered glass back, meanwhile, could help the phone feel more like a premium product. LG previously built a glass back phone, the Nexus 4, but hasn't made another once since.

Of course, trading a metal back for a glass one does compromise durability. Where metal will bend, glass will shatter. Samsung Galaxy owners know the pain of shattered glass backs all too well, so G6 owners will have to be cautious when taking their phones out of their back pockets, or performing other treacherous tasks.

No OLED

The other bits of today's LG G6 rumors are likely to be a let down for some, though not deal-breakers.

LG plans to eventually bring OLED screens to its phone, according to the ChosunBiz's sources, but its smartphone display production isn't ready for the screen tech yet. The company currently makes excellent OLED TVs as well as OLED displays for wearables like the Apple Watch 2 and LG Watch Urbane.

LG's biggest competitor, Samsung, has pioneered the use of curved OLED displays on its flagship phones, like the Galaxy S7 Edge and Galaxy Note 7. OLED displays are considered better than LCD panels because of superior color reproduction, contrast, brightness and flexibility. Even Apple is rumored to be developing an OLED display for next year's iPhone.

Though LG might miss the OLED boat with the G6, it sounds like the company is gearing up to introduce one at some point down the line.

Charging the old fashioned way

Finally, the anonymous industry sources revealed the LG G6 won't feature wireless charging as its fast juicing tech isn't ready yet.

The new technology is rumored to offer faster wireless charging than what's currently available, and can be charged from up to 7 centimeters (3 inches) away.

Despite potentially missing some features, the LG G6 could still wow us with unique qualities not found on other phones. The company says it's committed to the G5's modular design, and could even include the excellent audio features of the LG V20 in the G6. We just won't know for sure until the device releases sometime next year.

• How to replace your Samsung Galaxy Note 7