We now live in a world where deleted scenes warrant their own trailer. On Thursday, Disney shared a short preview video with footage from the deleted scenes that will appear on the Star Wars: The Force Awakens home release.

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This shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise after a 30-second production announcement managed to rack up over 11 million views, but it’s further proof that Star Wars really is back. Here’s the short teaser:

The list of deleted scenes expected to appear on the digital and disc releases also made its way around the Internet earlier this month:

• Finn And The Villager (0:31)
• Jakku Message (0:47)
• X-Wings Prepare For Lightspeed (0:22)
• Kylo Searches The Falcon (0:50)
• Snow Speeder Chase (0:48)
• Finn Will Be Fine (0:23)

That’s less than four minutes of new footage, but hopefully it’ll be enough to tide us over until the first trailer for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story drops later this year. At this point, we’re basically trapped in an endless cycle of Star Wars.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens has already leaked to torrent sites, but it will be available online legally in Digital HD on April 1st and will hit store shelves in Blu-ray and DVD formats on April 5th. If you want to see all the other special features and bonus content that comes with the home release, check this post.

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Planes and high winds aren’t the best of friends, especially when the aircraft is grounded. We’ve seen storms lift parked planes off the ground in the past, but that’s nothing compared to what you’re about to see in this video. Hurricane winds in the Siberian city of Norilsk were able to pull a Boeing 737-800 jet along a runway while witnesses recorded the whole thing.

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Empty, the airliner weighs some 41.5 tons, RT reports, and as much as 79 tons when fully loaded at takeoff. But the high-speed Siberian winds have no problem moving the plane along the runway.

“The first time I see such a thing. Northern elements are unleashed in earnest,” Kraina Kalinushkina said on Facebook when posting the video embedded below.

The entire event was recorded at the Alykel airport, located west of Norilsk, a region that’s facing some bad weather at the moment. Winds were reaching speeds of 33 meters per second on Wednesday when the video was uploaded, which translates to speeds of up to 120kmh, or about 74mph. RT says that on the same day, a roof fragment was torn from one of the city’s buildings and dropped on a car, killing a 32-year-old woman and injuring three others.

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With the FBI reportedly employing the services of an Israeli forensic software company to access the San Bernardino shooter’s locked iPhone, you might be forgiven for thinking that the back and forth legal battle between Apple and the FBI is finally coming to an end.

The reality, though, is a bit more complex. Even if the FBI successfully manages to access the iPhone 5c used by San Bernardino shooter Syed Rizwan Farook, Bloomberg relays that the FBI might be obligated to divulge the mechanics of the hack to Apple.

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“The FBI’s new tactic may be subject to a relatively new and little-known rule that would require the government to tell Apple about any vulnerability potentially affecting millions of iPhones unless it can show a group of administration officials that there’s a substantial national security need to keep the flaw secret,” the report states. “This process, known as an equities review, was created by the Obama administration to determine if new security flaws should be kept secret or disclosed, and gives the government a specific time frame for alerting companies to the flaws.”

Now imagine if the FBI is ultimately forced to reveal the workaround to Apple, what happens next? Well, more than likely, Apple would take immediate steps to patch up the means by which the FBI was able to circumvent iOS’ security protections.

And next thing you know, we’re right back at square one. Indeed, this is precisely why the issue of mobile encryption isn’t going to go away until Congress figures out a way to handle it. Notably, Apple has already indicated that if the FBI’s workaround solution proves successful, it would like to be aware of the methods involved.

One wrinkle to be aware of, according to former FBI special agent Leo Taddeo, is that if the hack used by the FBI is sufficiently complex such that it can’t be easily replicated by laypeople, the FBI may not be forced to reveal its tactics to Apple.

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Think about how far the flat-screen television market has come over the past decade. New tech used to cost an arm and a leg for years after it first came out. But now, the industry moves so quickly that company’s can’t afford to keep trying to charge a premium. Why? Because the competition will undercut them every time. Here’s a perfect example: you can now get a huge top-rated 4K Ultra HD television from a leading manufacturer for less than I paid for my 64GB iPhone 6s.

For a limited time on Amazon, the LG Electronics 49UF6700 49-Inch 4K Ultra HD LED TV (2015 Model) is just $699.99 with free Prime shipping.

Here are some key details from the product page:

• Refresh Rate: 120Hz (Native) and 240Hz (Effective) with IPS Panel
• Backlight: LED (edge-lit w/ local dimming)
• Smart Functionality: No
• Dimensions (W x H x D): TV without stand: 43.4″ x 25.3″ x 2.2″, TV with stand: 43.4″ x 27.5″ x 10.2″
• Inputs: 2 HMDI, 1 USB, 1 RF, 1 Component, 1 Composite, 1 Digital Audio Out (optical)
• LED Local Dimming Maximizes the contrast ratio by making the bright side of the screen brighter and the dark side the screen darker
• Resolution: 3840 x 2160
• Dimensions (W x H x D): TV without stand: 43.4 x 25.3 x 2.2 Inches, TV with stand: 43.4 x 27.5 x 10.2 Inches

LG Electronics 49UF6700 49-Inch 4K Ultra HD LED TV (2015 Model): $699.99 with free Prime shipping

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Apple may have won its first major battle with intelligence and law enforcement agencies, at least in the public eye. But the iPhone encryption wars are far from over, and there’s no telling whether the FBI will indeed stop from harassing the company about creating backdoors into its software. Furthermore, there’s no telling what the NSA can already do when it comes to encrypted iPhones, and Apple is apparently worried that spies may have an out-of-the-box way to tap into iPhone data — one that doesn’t require court orders, public debates or new legislation.

It’s all very simple for intelligence agencies, and very scary for everyone else: Spies could be adding backdoors to Apple’s cloud.

DON’T MISS: We asked every member of Congress with a computer science degree about Apple’s war with the FBI

A report this week said that Apple is struggling to build its own data centers, and that’s why it’s forced to rent cloud servers from other companies, including Amazon, Microsoft and Google. Apple needs huge data centers to power some of the popular products tied to the iPhone, including iTunes, the App Store and iCloud.

But Apple is worried that some of the equipment makers and cloud services it has to deal with have already been compromised by vendors who agreed to insert backdoors into their equipment, The Information reports.

Apple suspects that the servers it has been ordering from others might be captured during shipping so that backdoors can be installed. If that sounds familiar, it’s because an Edward Snowden leak explained in late 2013 that the NSA has a project that does that: Capture hardware before it reaches its destination to bug it.

Apple is apparently so paranoid about this potential issue that at one point it even had people taking photos of the motherboards in the computer servers it was using, and then mark down exactly what each chip was. That’s why building its own data centers is such an important project for Apple — it’s the only way to ensure no one is tampering with its equipment.

It’s unclear if Apple’s paranoia is warranted, or whether iCloud data is already easily accessible to the NSA and other intelligence agencies. Of note, even if spies could tap into Apple server data, local data on the iPhone remains encrypted by the user.

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Earlier this week, longtime technology journalist Walt Mossberg penned a piece for The Verge arguing that the iPhone 7 needs to “be spectacular,” particularly because the products Apple introduced at its special media event this week were nothing special.

I found Mossberg’s take in this regard to be a little bit off base. This week’s media event wasn’t intended to show off Apple’s latest and greatest technologies. Rather, it was intended to shore up holes in the company’s product line, specifically as it pertains to a 4-inch iPhone.

Remember, Apple last introduced a 4-inch iPhone more than two and a half years ago when it released the iPhone 5s. The iPhone SE, therefore, is simply Apple playing catch-up and realizing that a large portion of its user base actually prefer using a more compact device. After all, 30 million new 4-inch iPhones were sold in 2015 alone.

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Similarly, the new 9.7-inch iPad Pro is simply Apple’s way of incorporating its more advanced tablet features into a more compact form factor.

So when Mossberg proclaims that Apple’s new “iPhones and iPads don’t break much new technology ground,” he appears to be missing the point entirely. Apple’s media event on Monday was more about strategic business maneuvering than it was a technology showcase.

Also curious is that Mossberg states that the “premium iPhone 6S and 6S Plus are the best smartphones on the market” while simultaneously suggesting that the iPhone is being challenged by Samsung’s new Galaxy S7 phones. If the iPhone models Apple released months ago are still better than Samsung’s current offerings, in Mossberg’s estimation, why is there a “iPhone 7 better be spectacular or else!” theme in play?

In any event, Mossberg proceeds to list out a number of features Apple can add to the iPhone 7 to transform it into a “spectacular device.” The list is mostly reasonable and naturally sparked a whole a lot of conversation about how the iPhone 7’s new features are just going to copy features that Android devices have had for months and, in some cases, years.

For instance, many of the items on Mossberg’s iPhone 7 wish list – quick charging, waterproofing, insane battery life – aren’t unicorn features that the world is waiting for Apple to introduce. Again, many of them already exist on Android. You want a smartphone that can survive a 900 foot drop? Try the Motorola Droid Turbo 2 on for size. Want insane battery life, about 48 hours worth? Again, the Motorola Droid Trubo 2 might be what you’re looking for. Interested in a completely waterproof device? Sony, Samsung and HTC have no shortage of models for you to choose from.

But comparing the iPhone 7 to Android doesn’t really tell us a whole a lot about how Apple’s next-gen device will perform in the marketplace. More to the point, for the iPhone 7 to truly be a success, it simply needs to be a better device than the iPhone 6s. If this involves incorporating longstanding Android features, 99.9% of iPhone users could care less.

If the iPhone 7 is a waterproof device, sales won’t be impacted by tech pundits shouting that Sony had waterproof phones on the market years ago. The reality is that prospective iPhone 7 buyers will only make a note that their current iPhone isn’t waterproof and that the new iPhone is.

Same thing goes for battery life. As long as the iPhone 7 can last as long as the iPhone 6s, devices like the Motorola Droid Turbo 2 will continue to fly under the radar for the vast majority of consumers, and especially for the bulk of interested iPhone 7 upgraders.

The iOS ecosystem is extremely sticky, which is to say that iPhone owners are more likely to stay with the iPhone than Android owners are likely to stay with Android. As a result, the iPhone 7 won’t be competing against whatever Samsung or other Android handset manufacturers have out on the market, it will be competing against previous iPhone models.

Even if the only new iPhone 7 features Apple comes out with are a faster processor, a better camera, a thinner design, no headphone jack (admittedly not a feature) and waterproofing, the iPhone 7 will more than likely break all previous iPhone sales records. Whether or not it’s a “spectacular” upgrade won’t really factor into the equation.

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There has been an unusual amount of excitement surrounding Apple’s new iOS 9.3 update, which the company just released this past Monday. Of course iOS updates are often pretty exciting, but not the minor incremental ones. Apple will give the world its first look at iOS 10 this coming June, and that will undoubtedly generate plenty of excitement. But iOS 9.3? Really?

Really. Apple’s new update fixes some bugs and patches a severe security hole, but the big news is the new features. We already told you about all the best new features in iOS 9.3 but in this post, we’re going to focus on two in particular.

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In our earlier post on iOS 9.3’s new features we covered all of the best new additions for the iPhone and iPad. Night Shift is obviously the biggest new feature in the latest iOS build, so we don’t have to go over it again with you. There are two other features that we mentioned in that post that are a bit lesser known though, and now it’s time to change that.

We get a lot of emails here at BGR from people looking for help with their gadgets or for help finding an app to suit their needs. We wish we had the time to be everyone’s private tech support staff, but there’s simply aren’t enough hours in the day. OK, maybe we don’t really wish that.

One common question we get is from people looking for a good secure note taking application. There are several good options out there, but now the answer is simple: Apple’s Notes app.

Beginning in iOS 9.3, Apple has added protection to its Notes app that lets you lock your notes behind a password or Touch ID. Setting it up couldn’t be simpler — just go to Settings > Notes > Password and configure your password. If you have a recent iPhone or iPad, you can also toggle Touch ID to on so you can unlock the Notes app with your fingerprints.

The second feature we wanted to draw extra attention to is a change Apple made to Live Photos on the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus. Many iPhone users who email us are also on the hunt for an app that will let them strip the animation from a Live Photo quickly and easily. This way, the image can be shared with the sound of a TV or something else blaring in the background.

Running Live Photos through an image editing app was always an option, but now there’s an easier way to do it. Open any Live Photo in the main Photos app and tap the share button. Then tap “Duplicate” and select “Duplicate as still photo.”

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The iPhone generates plenty interest among designers, with many people trying to imagine what next-gen iPhones might look like as well as predicting the innovative features future models will offer customers. Currently, it’s the iPhone 7 that’s capturing the imagination of designers. Some of them come up with quite believable concepts while others have more outlandish iPhone dreams.

Glaxon Paul’s iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Pro concepts are gorgeous, but they’re also devices Apple definitely won’t be building, at least not this year.

DON’T MISS: All the best new iPhone and iPad features in iOS 9.3

The designer imagined a sleek iPhone that has an edge-to-edge display and a very thin profile. The phone also packs a redesigned home button that can be customized by the user to show either photos, the Apple logo or differently colored circles.

Paul listed proposed specs for the device, including a 4K screen, octa-core 2GHz processor, 16/64/128/256GB storage versions, 20-megapixel rear camera, 12-megapixel front-facing camera and an improved 3D Touch experience. The full video can be seen below.

It’s unlikely that Apple will significantly increase display resolution on the next iPhone, or that it’ll equip it with an octa-core processor. Similarly, we don’t expect major resolution changes for the iPhone 7’s cameras, though the iPhone 7 Pro model might have a dual camera setup on the back. A 256GB iPhone option might be in the cards, and some wild rumors say the phone might lack a home button altogether.

Here’s an iPhone 7 concept that looks a lot more believable – or is at least in line with what current rumors say about the handset.

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Samsung’s Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge are two of the best smartphones the world has ever seen, but are they innovative? Are Apple’s latest iPhones innovative in any way? Were last year’s iPhones? Innovation and sales clearly don’t go hand in hand, but things need to change and technologies need to progress in order for industries to move forward.

The original iPhone was innovative. It changed an entire industry and destroyed mobile phone giants Nokia and BlackBerry in the process. LG’s new G5 is innovative, though it remains to be seen if the phone’s innovations are in fact something users want.

Now, new details have emerged on a device that Samsung is seemingly working on behind closed doors, and it has the potential to be the most innovative phone the world has seen in quite some time.

DON’T MISS: We asked every member of Congress with a computer science degree about Apple’s war with the FBI

A new Samsung patent application was published on Wednesday, and it describes technology that would facilitate a foldable smartphone. We’re not talking about a flip phone like the good old days here, we’re talking about a smartphone with a single large display that can be folded in half.

Here are some drawings from the patent application — the last two are of particular interest:

Patent applications are dug up all the time and the devices described in them don’t always see the light of day. So what makes this one any different? As noted by Dutch Samsung news blog Galaxy Club, the application was filed just recently on March 11th and published less than two weeks later. That accelerated schedule could be an indication that the phone is in advanced stages of development; you’ll recall that earlier rumors stated Samsung was working to release a smartphone with a bendable screen sometime in 2016.

Now, Samsung has a mixed history when it comes to innovation. The company often takes a while to get things right. This is particularly true when it comes to bendable smartphone screens — the company’s first phone with a curved screen had absolutely no reason to exist. The more recent Galaxy S6 edge and Galaxy S7 edge feature nice designs, but the utility of the curved screens doesn’t extend very far beyond differentiation and making the phones more comfortable to hold.

In the case of the foldable phone described in this patent application though, Samsung could really be onto something. Imagine a phablet with a large 6-inch display that’s more compact than the iPhone SE when you put it in your pocket. And this just the beginning when it comes to foldable screens — a wide range of new form factors should be coming down line.

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SMS Audio might not have made 50 Cent a billionaire like Beats did with Dr. Dre, but believe it or not the company actually makes some pretty good products. In fact, since entry-level products from Beats are more about image than they are about quality, some SMS Audio headphones are even better than options from Beats. And then there are some SMS products that do things no Beats headphones can pull off.

Here’s a perfect example: the SMS Audio BioSport Earbuds cost just $51.40 on Amazon with free shipping, and they can monitor your heart rate in addition to delivering good sound quality, a comfortable fit and much-needed noise isolation.

Some key details from the Amazon product page:

Biometric Earbud with heart rate monitor
Professionally tuned 12mm drivers deliver tight bass and dynamic mid-tones.
No need for uncomfortable straps or multiple devices.
IPX4 rated for resistance to sweat and water.
3.5 mm gold-plated audio jack delivers all the power you’ll ever need for biometric monitoring. Nothing to replace or recharge.
Intel Inside

SMS Audio BioSport Earbuds: $51.40 with free Prime shipping

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