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5 Ways To Clean Up Your Computer With An Automated Script [Windows]

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<img alt="automate computer cleanup" class="aligncenter" data-mce-src="http://www.new-technology-news.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/ace81bb0c1omated.png.png" src="http://www.new-technology-news.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/ace81bb0c1omated.png.png" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" />Computer maintenance isn’t exactly something that most people remember to do. For the general user that isn’t exactly tech savvy, when a computer doesn’t work, they either call for help or simply buy a new computer.<br />
If you have family members or friends that are always calling you for help with a slow computer, I’m going to offer you a solution that you can use to stop those phone calls right now. This solution incorporates six tools into a Windows script. That script is going to perform all of the PC cleanup work that you would do if you were sitting right in front of the computer yourself.<br />
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What This Script Will Accomplish</h2>
This Windows script is going to run the required tools in command line mode. Many of these tools that you’ve been using for years, you may not have even realized that there <em>is</em> a command-line mode available.<br />
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Clean Up Registry & Temp Folders</h3>
The first step is probably the most important. We’re going to launch CCleaner in command line mode to clean up temp files and the registry.<br />
One catch. In order to make this script work without constant notifications about the apps making computer changes, you’ll have to disable the User Account Control windows feature in Windows 7.<br />
<img alt="" data-mce-src="http://www.new-technology-news.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/02575440bbclean1.png.png" height="406" src="http://www.new-technology-news.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/02575440bbclean1.png.png" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px;" width="571" /><br />
Now you’re ready to roll. Create a file called <em>CleanComputer.wsf</em> and start it off with the following script.<br />
<code></code><br /><code></code><br />
<code>Option Explicit</code><br /><code>On Error Resume Next</code><br />
<code>Dim WshShell</code><br /><code>Dim retVal</code><br />
<code>set WshShell=CreateObject("WScript.Shell")</code><br /><code>WshShell.run "CCleaner.exe /AUTO"</code><br />
Danny covered CCleaner recently, so you can see just what it is capable of and how much it can optimize your system. When you launch it in the script as shown above with the /AUTO flag, it’ll run invisible and it’ll use the settings you used when you last ran the application. You’ll see CCleaner.exe running in the Task Manager.<br />
<img alt="automate computer cleanup" data-mce-src="http://www.new-technology-news.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/e90acde374clean2.png.png" height="417" src="http://www.new-technology-news.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/e90acde374clean2.png.png" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px;" width="520" /><br />
If you configure CCleaner beforehand, in auto mode it’ll automatically clean up temporary files, log files and your registry as well.<br />
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Clean Up Spyware</h3>
Next up is to take care of any spyware that might be running on the PC. My favorite tool for that is Spybot, and luckily Spybot also offers a command line feature. The one problem here is that the path to Spybot is full of spaces, which is hard to handle in a Windows Script shell command.<br />
So, create a .bat file with the following:<br />
<code>C:Program Files (x86)Spybot - Search & DestroySpybotSD.exe" /taskbarhide /autocheck /autofix /autoclose</code><br /><code>Exit</code><br />
Save it as <em>SpyBot.bat</em> in the same directory as your Windows script. Then in the next line of your WSF file, add the following:<br />
<code>WshShell.run "spybot.bat"</code><br />
Your Windows Script will launch your batch job that will launch Spybot in command-line mode. You will know it’s running when the Exe appears in the task manager.<br />
<img alt="script to clean temp files" data-mce-src="http://www.new-technology-news.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/8476248428clean3.png.png" height="410" src="http://www.new-technology-news.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/8476248428clean3.png.png" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px;" width="549" /><br />
Those four parameters after the spybotsd.exe file  will run Spybot in silent mode, automatically remove any spyware found, and then automatically close.<br />
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Remove Malicious Software</h3>
In addition to anything Spybot catches, I also like to run the Microsoft Malicious Software removal tool. Download the executable from the “Microsoft Download Center” section, save it in your script directory as “<em>malremove.exe</em>” and then add the following line to your growing Windows Script.<br />
<code>WshShell.run "malremove.exe /Q /F:Y"</code><br />
The /Q command tells the malware removal tool to run in quiet mode (no interface) and /F:Y tells it to forcibly remove any malware that it finds without any intervention required. The first time you run it during your initial testing, you’ll have to select the option for no warning the next time it runs.<br />
<img alt="script to clean temp files" data-mce-src="http://www.new-technology-news.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/38c6748fbaclean4.png.png" height="305" src="http://www.new-technology-news.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/38c6748fbaclean4.png.png" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px;" width="404" /><br />
Here it is running in the background.<br />
<img alt="script to clean temp files" data-mce-src="http://www.new-technology-news.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/396b946e39lean31.png.png" height="410" src="http://www.new-technology-news.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/396b946e39lean31.png.png" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px;" width="549" /><br />
So, we’ve covered most of what you’d probably do if you were there in person – run CCleaner to get rid of temporary Internet files and other temp files, remove spyware and malware, so what’s left?<br />
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Automate Disk Cleanup</h3>
Another common tool that can help computer performance is the Windows Disk Cleanup tool.  First you have to set it up. Go to <em>Start -> Run</em> and type: “<em>cleanmgr /sageset:1</em>“. The following window will appear.<br />
<img alt="computer clean up script" data-mce-src="http://www.new-technology-news.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/08501cc170clean6.png.png" height="472" src="http://www.new-technology-news.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/08501cc170clean6.png.png" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px;" width="385" /><br />
Set up the items that you’d like your command line to automatically clean, and then click OK. This tells it that whenever you choose <em>/sageset:1</em>, to utilize the settings you’ve just created. Now, in your Windows Script, add the following line.<br />
<code>WshShell.run "Cleanmgr /sagerun:1"</code><br />
This will run the Windows disk cleanup silently, using the settings you’ve just created. You can also install the latest Windows updates by first installing WuInstall.exe and adding this line.<br />
<code>WshShell.run "wuinstall.exe /install /reboot_if_needed"</code><br />
And don’t forget to do a quick defrag of the hard drive by adding the following lines to the script.<br />
<em>WshShell.run “Defrag volume c:”</em><br />
<code>WshShell.run "Defrag volume d:"</code><br />
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Automate Virus Scan After Cleanup</h3>
Last, but definitely not least, you’ll also want to end your script by firing off a full virus scan. For example, I use Kaspersky, which offers its own set of command line parameters.<br />
In my case, I just add the following final line to my script.<br />
<code>WshShell.run "AVP.exe SCAN /ALL /i4"</code><br />
And that kicks off the command window and runs through a full scan (which can take several hours).<br />
<img alt="automate computer cleanup" data-mce-src="http://www.new-technology-news.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/471039b09dirus51.png.png" height="293" src="http://www.new-technology-news.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/471039b09dirus51.png.png" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px;" width="580" /><br />
Most other anti-virus providers out there offer similar command-line options.<br />
So, once you’ve added all of these lines, close out your Windows Script.<br />
<code>WScript.Quit</code><br /><code></code><br /><code></code><br />
Once you’ve finished the procedure above and saved your file on the PC, just schedule the job to run on a regular basis (<em>/Accessories/System Tools/Task Scheduler</em>). Give the procedure above a try and see how well it works for you.<br />
Did it work well, and can you think of any other useful command line tasks that could also be added? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.<br />
<small>Image Credit: Shutterstock</small><br />
<img alt="" data-mce-src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Makeuseof/~4/WyK5kjJoTyg" height="1" src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Makeuseof/~4/WyK5kjJoTyg" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px;" width="1" /><br />
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5 Ways To Clean Up Your Computer With An Automated Script [Windows]

Computer maintenance isn’t exactly something that most people remember to do. For the general user that isn’t exactly tech savvy, when a c...

Anonymous hackers shut down child porn website

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The hacking group known as Anonymous has claimed responsibility for shutting down a website used to share pictures of child abuse.</div>
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The group released a statement saying it has begun targeting over 40 websites responsible for posting and sharing the indecent images, the largest of which being "Lolita City."</div>
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Anonymous says it has published the login details for the site's 1,500 members online after hacking into the hosting company, Freedom Hosting.</div>
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It had previously contacted the hosts requesting that the offending content, totalling over 100GB, be removed. The request which was ignored.</div>
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100GB of images</h4>
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The statement said: "We are eliminating 40+ child pornography websites, among these is Lolita City, one of the largest child pornography websites to date containing more than 100GB of child pornography."</div>
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The site and hosts were "enabling paedophiles to view innocent children, fuelling their issues and putting children at risk of abduction, molestation, rape, and death," the statement added.</div>
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'You will become a target'</h4>
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The group, which spent much of 2011 targeting many of the tech world's most illustrious companies, also issued a warning to other hosting companies which enable child pornography to be shared.</div>
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"Our demands are simple. Remove all child pornography content from your servers. Refuse to provide hosting services to any website dealing with child pornography," added the statement.</div>
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"This statement is not just aimed at Freedom Hosting, but everyone on the internet.</div>
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"It does not matter who you are, if we find you to be hosting, promoting, or supporting child pornography, you will become a target."</div>
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Anonymous says the site was accessible through the Tor network which allows for complete online anonymity and defends internet users against surveillance.</div>
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It it is widely used for posting illegal materials, but also for circumnavigating widespread internet censorship in countries like China and Iran.</div>
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Anonymous hackers shut down child porn website

The hacking group known as Anonymous has claimed responsibility for shutting down a website used to share pictures of child abuse. T...

New Sony S1 and S2 tablets specs leaked

New Sony S1 and S2 tablets specs leaked

While Sony stays quiet on specific specifications of its upcoming Sony S1 and Sony S2, an anonymous source has leaked some new details ...

Week in Tech: Is Mango too little too late for Windows Phone?

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It's been an exciting week in the world of mobile devices: Microsoft's Mango, the latest version of Windows Phone, is en route to manufacturing - although it'll be a few weeks before we get it.</div>
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As Chris Smith points out, it's been a long wait. "The upgrade was announced in May, so by the time the autumn comes around Mango will be around 6 months in the making," he says. "Get a move on, guys!"</div>
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There's a lot in Mango - "The Windows Phone Mango update brings 250 new features to the operating system, including Internet Explorer 9 integration and app multi-tasking," Smith says - and of course, we've got an in-depth guide to the whole thing. But is it good enough to put Microsoft on top of the mobile world?</div>
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There's no doubt that Windows Phone is getting massively spanked by Apple and Android, and Gareth Beavis wonders "whether Microsoft is doing enough to really become a front running mobile OS provider." Mango should have shipped a long time ago, he argues, and the focus should have shifted to Tango, the brilliantly named successor to Mango.</div>
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Beavis argues that the problem isn't with the technology. "I think the approach is spot on, as by focusing on the UI and intuition of the phone, rather than the raw functionality, you're giving the handsets the best chance of attracting the new smartphone user that has a play with a phone in the shop, and that's a very important demographic indeed."</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="strong" mce_style="font-weight: bold;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.5;">Where are the handsets?</span></div>
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The problem is with the play-in-the-shop bit. Where are the phones? "It's perplexing to see no new handsets from the big manufacturers already - I was really hoping to have a good 10-15 phones to choose from on the market to show people Microsoft was serious about the project... come on HTC, Samsung et al: let's see some cool Windows Phone models in the near future."</div>
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Perhaps Microsoft's partners have been too busy mucking around with Android: Samsung might not have a slate of Windows Phones to impress you with, but it's doing a fine job flogging Android devices such as its Galaxy smartphones and Galaxy Tab tablets. The Galaxy S2 won our prestigious phone of the year award, one of several triumphs for Android, which bagged the Best OS award by eight votes to one.</div>
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While Microsoft bets its mobile future on Mango, there's another new entrant in the mobile OS war - or at least, there might be. Mozilla has unveiled plans to create a brand new open operating system that it calls Boot To Gecko.</div>
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The aim is "to pursue the goal of building a complete, standalone operating system for the open web", but our columnist Gary Marshall warns that that's an enormously difficult thing to pull off.</div>
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"No matter how good your tech," he writes, "you need to persuade handset manufacturers to build devices running it; you need to persuade mobile phone operators to stock and support it; you need to persuade app developers to code for it; and you need to persuade end users to buy it. Fail to win over any one of those groups and you might as well stay in bed."</div>
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He continues: "That's Nokia-scale stuff, BlackBerry-scale stuff, Microsoft-scale stuff, and even those firms are finding things difficult in mobile... Mozilla's right when it warns that the mobile web is becoming increasingly closed. But I can't help thinking that unless it gets a Google-sized backer, it's planning to bring a spud gun to a tank battle."</div>
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Week in Tech: Is Mango too little too late for Windows Phone?

It's been an exciting week in the world of mobile devices: Microsoft's Mango, the latest version of Windows Phone, is en route ...

Gary Marshall: Who wants a Firefox phone?

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You've got to admire Mozilla. This is an organisation whose people don't know the word "can't".</div>
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If Mozilla had a disappointing holiday at Butlin's, it wouldn't bother writing an angry letter: it'd promise to build its own holiday camp and let everybody in for free.</div>
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Mozilla's biggest claim to fame, of course, is Firefox: faced with Microsoft's effective monopoly on web browsers, Mozilla built a better browser, spread the word and rebooted the web. So it's interesting to see the organisation's latest target: Google.</div>
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Mozilla isn't happy about two things. It's unhappy about the way that apps are segregating the web, with native apps able to access smartphone and tablet hardware that web-based apps can't; and it's unhappy that with Android, Google appears to be more mouth than trousers. For all Google's talk of openness and sharing with the open source community, there are often long delays between Google releasing new versions of Android and sharing its code with the wider world.</div>
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Mozilla's solution is codenamed Boot To Gecko, and it promises to be a brand new mobile OS. But will it work?</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="strong" mce_style="font-weight: bold;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia,'Bitstream Charter',serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.5;">'Roid rage</span></div>
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There's no doubt that Android has issues - not just the speed of Google's sharing, but the patent claims that threaten to disrupt Android's momentumand scare manufacturers - and Mozilla is absolutely right that web apps could be as good as native ones.</div>
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Apple's desire to get a cut of everything that's viewable on a Retina Display hardly instils confidence, and Microsoft would no doubt try similar antics if it had the market share.</div>
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What worries me is that Mozilla's solution won't work. It's a tough one to call, because so far Boot to Gecko is a topic for discussion rather than a defined plan, but it looks like there are two main possibilities here: an alternative OS that Android users have to seek out, install and then boot into when they want to use its apps, or a whole new mobile OS.</div>
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If it's the former, it's not going to give Google anything to worry about. And if it's the latter, I fear Mozilla is trying to punch above its weight. A rival operating system is whole different ball game, desktop Linux versus Windows rather than Firefox versus Internet Explorer, and it's one where I fear Mozilla isn't big enough or strong enough to compete.</div>
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Creating a popular mobile OS is a battle on multiple fronts, and the technology is almost irrelevant. No matter how good your tech, you need to persuade handset manufacturers to build devices running it; you need to persuade mobile phone operators to stock and support it; you need to persuade app developers to code for it; and you need to persuade end users to buy it. Fail to win over any one of those groups and you might as well stay in bed.</div>
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That's Nokia-scale stuff, BlackBerry-scale stuff, Microsoft-scale stuff, and even those firms are finding things difficult in mobile: Nokia's MeeGo adventure appears to be over, RIM's laying off staff and Microsoft admits that Windows Phone isn't doing the numbers it'd like.</div>
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I think Mozilla's right when it warns that the mobile web is becoming increasingly closed. But I can't help thinking that unless it gets a Google-sized backer, it's planning to bring a spud gun to a tank battle.</div>
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</span></div>

Gary Marshall: Who wants a Firefox phone?

You've got to admire Mozilla. This is an organisation whose people don't know the word "can't". If Mozilla had ...

Android growth stalls as iPhone picks up according to report

<p style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" class="aligncenter" height="135" src="http://img198.imageshack.us/img198/3464/androidgemaltolawsuit.jpg" width="135" />Nielsen tracks just about every market there is to track in the tech world. The company tracks the smartphone and mobile market to see what OS is the most popular and show what devices are selling the best. The company has published a new report on the smartphone market and the report has Android sales slowing.</p><br/><span> </span><br/><br/>According to the report, the sales of Android smartphones have stalled this year. At the same time, the report claims that iPhone sales are growing significantly. Apple’s share of the smartphone market has grown from 10% of all new smartphone purchases to 17% of smartphone purchases this year. The company also notes that smartphones as a whole are doing very well this year.<br/><br/>Smartphone sales so far in 2011 have been greater than the sales of feature phones. I would imagine much of that is thanks to the lower prices of some smartphones on the market. Apple is selling the older version of the iPhone via AT&T for $49 making it a big contender in the cheap phone market. There are also several bargain Android offerings too.<br/><div><span style="line-height: 24px;"><br/></span></div>

Android growth stalls as iPhone picks up according to report

Nielsen tracks just about every market there is to track in the tech world. The company tracks the smartphone and mobile market to see what ...

Updated: iPhone 5 rumours: what you need to know

<img alt="iOS 5" class="aligncenter" src="http://cdn.mos.techradar.com//classifications/Mobile%20Phones/iPhone/iOS%205/ios5_hero-420-100.jpg" width="420" /><br/><br/>iPhone 5 (or the iPhone 4S, as some are calling it) rumours are flying thick and fast already.<br/><br/>Let's raid the iPhone 5 rumour fridge to find the tomatoes of truth amid the stinky stilton of baseless speculation.<br/><br/>But first, our colleagues on T3.com have rounded up the latest rumours in the iPhone 5 video below.<br/><br/><strong>iPhone 5 release date</strong><strong><br/></strong><strong> </strong><br/><br/>This year's WWDC was about software, not hardware, with Apple focussing on iOS and Mac OS<br/><br/>A new report from China later stated that Q3 (which still includes July) is now the earliest we will see the iPhone 5, after the disaster in Japan pushed back supply of key components.<br/><br/>On 20 April 2011, it emerged that the iPhone 5 release date may be September 2011 rather than June/July. This date was cited by three sources who spoke to Reuters. As iOS 5 is set to be out in the Autumn, it's a safe bet that the iPhone 5 will make its debut sometime then.<br/><br/>On 17 May, we reported that Phones4U outed the iPhone 5 release<br/><br/>date as 21 November 2011. We're not sure how Phones4U would know the release date at this stage, though, so take this particular snippet of information with a pinch of salt.<br/><br/>Rumours which surfaced on 21 June suggest that the iPhone 5 is set for an August 2011 release. Speaking to BGR, a source claimed that thew iPhone would feature a "radical new case design" and a release date of the last week of the month.<br/><br/><strong>The iPhone 5 will debut alongside iOS 5 in the Autumn</strong><br/><br/>iOS 5 will ship in the Autumn, says Apple. Could this coincide with the iPhone 5?<br/><p style="text-align: center;"></p><br/><strong>iPhone 5 will be iCloud-based</strong><br/><br/>Apple says it is "cutting the cable" with iOS 5 - just as well, as it claimed the iPad 2 was the first post-PC device earlier in the year. OS updates can be delivered over the air - you'll just received what's changed rather than the usual 600MB download - and devices can be activated without plugging them into iTunes.<br/><br/>You can also now create and delete iOS calendars and mailboxes too, so you really can devolve your device from your PC or Mac.<br/><br/>"You can activate on the device and you're ready to go," explained Apple's Scott Forstall.<br/><br/>"Software updates are now over the air. So you no longer need to plug in to update your software. And they're now Delta updates. Instead of downloading the whole OS, you only download what's changed," he continued.<br/><br/><strong>iPhone 5 form factor</strong><br/><br/>The Wall Street Journal reported that: "Apple is also developing a new iPhone model, said people briefed on the phone. One person familiar said the fifth-generation iPhone would be a different form factor than those that are currently available… it was unclear how soon that version would be available to Verizon or other carriers."<br/><br/>This has since been backed up by reports from Engadget, which state the design will be a 'total rethink'.<br/><br/>Of course, since the iPhone 3G was followed by the 3GS it's possible the new iPhone won't be a total refresh and we'll see an iPhone 4S (or iPhone 4GS) before an iPhone 5.<br/><br/>An iPhone 4S looked more likely on 16 May 2011 after analyst Peter Misek wrote: "According to our industry checks, the device should be called iPhone 4S and include minor cosmetic changes, better cameras, A5 dual-core processor, and HSPA+ support."<br/><br/>However, earlier reports from China backed up the larger-screened, metal chassis-sporting iPhone 5 rumours, so the redesign still seems firmly on the cards.<br/><br/>On 22 March 2011, China Times also reported that the iPhone 5 will feature a 4-inch display.<br/><br/>A rumour we covered on 7 March 2011 suggests that the new iPhone will do away with the glass back and opt instead for a metal back which will act as a new iPhone antenna.<br/><br/>And an Apple patent that we reported on on 7 April 2011 suggests that we could see the bezel put to good use on the new iPhone. The patent describes how visual indicators and touch-sensitive buttons could be incorporated to the space around the iPhone screen.<br/><br/>Rumours that we covered on 3 May 2011, suggest that there may even be two versions of the new iPhone: a 'standard' iPhone 5 and an iPhone 5 'pro'. Apparently, Apple is buying in components of differing quality, and those parts wouldn't be required for a single phone.<br/><br/><strong>A cheaper, smaller iPhone 5 - an iPhone nano<br/></strong><br/><br/>A prototype version of a smaller iPhone is said to exist, built to ward off competition from cheap Android handsets.<br/><br/>Rumours around an iPhone nano picked up again on 13 February when the Wall Street Journal claimed that the so-called 'iPhone nano' exists and may even be on sale later this year.<br/><br/>Those iPhone nano rumours may hold little truth, though. As we reported on 18 February, the New York Times cites an anonymous source who says there will be no smaller iPhone from Apple. "The size of the device would not vary," says the source.<br/><br/><strong>A white iPhone 5</strong><br/><br/>The Economic Daily News is reporting that white iPhone 5 glass is being shipped, with a supplier called Wintek being the sole touch panel vendor for the white iPhone.<br/><br/><strong>iPhone 5 will support 1080p HD</strong><br/><br/>It's fairly likely - given that the iPad 2 supports Full HD - that the new iPhone will do the same.<br/><br/><strong>iPhone 5 specs</strong><br/><br/>According to the Chinese Economic Daily News (via AppleInsider), with the exception of Qualcomm chipsets - which would replace the current Infineon chipsets in the iPhone 4 - Apple's sticking with the same suppliers for the 2011 iPhone 5G components.<br/><br/>We'd expect the basics of the iPhone 5 specs to get a bump - more memory, faster processor, and more storage. The A5 dual-core ARM processor from the iPad 2 is extremely likely to be included.<br/><br/>The specs? A new antenna, 1.2GHz processor (possibly dual-core) and a larger screen: 3.7" instead of 3.5". The iPhone 5 may also be made from a new kind of alloy, or maybe meat.<br/><br/><strong>iPhone 5 screen</strong><br/><br/>In other rumours which surfaced on 15 February 2011, Digitimes is reporting on information supposedly leaked from component suppliers that claim the iPhone 5 will feature a larger, 4-inch screen. Digitimes quotes the source as saying that Apple is expanding the screen size "to support the tablet PC market as the vendor only has a 9.7-inch iPad in the market."<br/><br/>On 23 May, we reported on rumours that the iPhone 5 could feature a curved glass screen. These rumours also came from Digitimes, which said that Apple has purchased between 200 and 300 special glass cutting machines because they're too costly for the manufacturers to invest in.<br/><br/>The iPhone 5 or iPhone 4S will also get a massive graphical boost as it moves to a dual-core GPU - this could herald true 1080p output from the new device, according to our news story on 18 January.<br/><br/><strong>iPhone 5 digital wallet</strong><br/><br/>There's been some speculation that Apple might include Near Field Communication (NFC) technology in the iPhone 5G, turning it into a kind of credit/debit card. However, as Techeye.net notes, "Apple has looked into NFC before" so this might not be imminent.<br/><br/>However, with the tech being inside the Google Nexus S, the time for NFC may finally be here.<br/><br/><strong>UPDATE: </strong>On 24 February 2011, we reported that an Apple patent has revealed an e-wallet icon on the iPhone homescreen. This adds credence to the rumour that iPhone 5 will feature NFC.<br/><br/>However, on 14 March 2011, reports in <em>The Independent</em> cited sources from 'several of the largest mobile operators in the UK', who said that Apple told them not to expect NFC in the iPhone 5. So perhaps we'll have to wait for iPhone 6 for that.<br/><br/>But who to believe? On 22 March 2011 China Times reported that the new iPhone will include an NFC chip.<br/><br/><strong>LTE support</strong><br/><br/>At least one analyst thinks the iPhone 5 will support LTE, super-fast mobile broadband, in the US. That would make the iPhone 5G a 4G phone, which won't be confusing at all. LTE is certainly coming - AT&T plans to roll out its LTE service in 2011 - but an LTE iPhone has been rumoured for a while. USA Today floated the idea of an LTE iPhone on Verizon last year.<br/><br/><strong>iPhone 5 camera</strong><br/><br/>Speaking at a live <em>Wall Street Journal </em>event, Sony's Sir Howard Stringer was talking about the company's camera image sensor facility in Sendai, a town that was recently ravaged by the recent Japanese earthquake and tsunami.<br/><br/>According to 9to5Mac, he said something along the lines of, "Our best sensor technology is built in one of the [tsunami] affected factories. Those go to Apple for their iPhones… or iPads. Isn't that something? They buy our best sensors from us."<br/><br/>Other sources have also said that the new iPhone could have an 8MP camera.<br/><br/><strong>iPhone 5 price</strong><br/><br/>If the iPhone 5 is an evolutionary step like the move from the iPhone 3G to the iPhone 3GS then we'd expect the price to stay more or less the same, although in the UK higher VAT rates may well mean a higher price tag.<br/><br/><strong>iPhone 5 pictures<br/></strong><br/><br/>A spurious photo of an iPhone 5 front case has been unearthed by a Chinese reseller, suggesting that the next Apple handset will feature an edge-to-edge display. We're not convinced it's a genuine Apple part, though.<br/><br/>On 17 March 2011, we reported on another supposed set of leaked iPhone 5 cases, this time looking remarkably similarly to iPhone 4 cases.<br/><br/>Whatever the iPhone 5 looks like, it appears Samsung wants to see it.<br/><br/>Apple has accused Samsung of trying to harass it, as the Korean company demands to see top secret future iPhone and iPad devices including the new iPhone and iPad 3.<br/><br/>What do you want to see in the next iPhone? Hit the comments and share your thoughts.

Updated: iPhone 5 rumours: what you need to know

iPhone 5 (or the iPhone 4S, as some are calling it) rumours are flying thick and fast already. Let's raid the iPhone 5 rumour fridge to ...

Wiklevoss twins finally settle with Facebook for £48 million

The Winklevoss twins, who have been engrained into the history of Facebook thanks to the movie <em>The Social Network</em>, have finally accepted a $65 million (£48 million) payout from Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook.<br/><br/>This comes after the twins decided to re-ignite their feud with Facebook and Zuckerberg – who they initially claimed took the idea of the social network from them – by trying to undo the settlement they agreed on in 2008.<br/><br/>In April, however, this was turned down by the Supreme Court and while they were going to appeal in May the twins have now made the decision not to.<br/><br/>"After careful consideration [the] appellants no longer oppose issuance of the mandate, and have no objection to vacatur of the stay of issuance of mandate," said the filing.<br/><br/><strong>Taking stock</strong><br/><br/>The Winklevoss case is one of the more interesting in the tech world, given that it stems from Zuckerberg's time at Harvard with the twins.<br/><br/>Originally they accused Zuckerberg of breaking an 'oral contract' with the twins, where he said he would complete work with them on their university social network idea, the Harvard Connection. Instead of completing this website, Zuckerberg went on to make TheFacebook – a social networking site that was originally restricted to Harvard graduates.<br/><br/>One of the reasons not to appeal may be to do with the amount of stock on offer. The money bundle has been split as £12.5 million in cash, £28 million in stock.<br/><br/>With estimates that Facebook could well be worth £100 billion in 2012, that stock option is now looking a lot more favourable than it did back in 2008.<br/><br/><a href="http://da.feedsportal.com/r/106215574334/u/49/f/9809/c/669/s/161c61a1/kg/221/a2.htm"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://img155.imageshack.us/img155/3277/66038347.gif" /></a><img alt="" height="1" src="http://img849.imageshack.us/img849/1962/11895464.gif" width="1" />

Wiklevoss twins finally settle with Facebook for £48 million

The Winklevoss twins, who have been engrained into the history of Facebook thanks to the movie The Social Network , have finally accepted a ...

5 Ace Acoustic Amplifiers for the iPhone

<div><br/><div><img alt="" class="alignright size-full wp-image-560569" src="http://img683.imageshack.us/img683/6245/acousticamplifiersiphon.jpg" title="acoustic amplifiers speakers iphone" width="275" /></div><br/></div><br/>There is a range of iPhone “speakers” available that require not one iota of power beyond simple, good old-fashioned analogue acoustics.<br/><br/>As well as offering an unusual and stylish stand solution, these “passive amplifiers” will boost your iPhone’s audio output by around 10 decibels — not exactly room filling sound, but not bad for a planet-hugging, power-free solution.<br/><br/>If you think you could use some of that acoustic goodness in your iLife, then take a look through our gallery of the five best solutions available. Let us know which one blows your trumpet in the comments below.<br/><h4>1. Bone Collection Horn Stand</h4><br/>Bone Collection Horn Stand<br/><br/>While it might look like something Shrek would attach to his iPhone, this funky, colorful horn attachment will give you around 13 extra decibels and can be used in both landscape and portrait mode.<br/><br/><strong>Cost:</strong> $24.95<br/><h4>2. Phonofone III</h4><br/>The glorious Phonofone III is as much sexy ceramic sculpture as it is passive amplifer.<br/><br/><strong>Cost:</strong> $195 (CAD)<br/><h4>3. Griffin AirCurve Play</h4><br/>Griffin's affordable solution uses a built-in coiled waveguide to up your iPhone's audio levels. Its transparent design lets you "see" it work.<br/><br/><strong>Cost:</strong> $19.99<br/><h4>4. Koostik</h4><br/>Described as the "natural alternative" to your plastic-y speaker docks, each koostik is hand-made from a solid block of wood, with various natural finishes available.<br/><br/><strong>Cost:</strong> From $85<br/><h4>5. Tembo Trunks</h4><br/>Tembo Trunks amplify the sound from your iPhone's earphones. Especially suited to travelers, they are stackable, collapsible and virtually indestructible.<br/><br/><strong>Cost:</strong> From $39

5 Ace Acoustic Amplifiers for the iPhone

There is a range of iPhone “speakers” available that require not one iota of power beyond simple, good old-fashioned analogue acoustics. As ...