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Tag: iPhone

  • 13 iPhone 5 Rumor Videos You May Have Missed

    As you may be aware, there have been a lot of rumors about Apple’s next iPhone. It looks like you’re only a few short weeks away from finally seeing the device, and just a bit longer from being able to actually own one, but the rumors have been non-stop for as long as I can remember at this point.

    Many of the rumors come with videos, whether showing off alleged parts, putting together concept designs, or simply poking fun. Following is a collection of the videos that have surfaced over the course of 2012. You may have seen some of them. You may have seen all of them, or maybe you’ve not seen any of them. Either way, here’s 13 videos that iPhone enthusiasts have put together. Enjoy them now, because soon they will all be irrelevant.

    More iPhone 5 rumor coverage here.

  • iPhone 5 Rumor: These Are The Insides Of Apple’s New Wonder Phone

    The iPhone 5 is surely to go down in history as the most leaked electronic device ever made. Every part from the front panel to the SIM card has been leaked by one party or another. Of course, all of those leaks were in the form of photographs. We now have video of these parts for a real comparison.

    Phone repair shop SmartPhone Medic got their hands on some iPhone 5 parts. They did what any responsible site would do by sharing live comparison videos with the world via YouTube. The video reveals the iPhone 5 screen, the flex cables and the dock connector port.

    As expected, the iPhone 5 changes up the hardware from previous iterations. Ports have been moved around on the flex cables. The guys at SmartPhone Medic point out that the headphone jack has been moved towards the bottom on the iPhone 5. They also show that parts like the proximity sensor have also been moved around on the flex cables.

    Interestingly enough, they do a comparison between the iPhone 5’s display and the Samsung Galaxy S III’s display. It shows that the iPhone 5’s display is definitely bigger compared to the iPhone 4S, but the Galaxy S III still has the larger display. The iPhone 5 does get points for having a much slimmer screen that will surely look glorious once it’s powered on.

    At this point, I think it’s safe to say that we know exactly what the iPhone 5 is going to look like. Apple won’t be able to surprise us with the hardware come September 5, but they could still wow us with some impressive new software. The iPhone got where it is today on the strength of its apps and the iPhone 5 is going to be judged on the same metrics.

    [h/t: Mac Rumors]

  • Apple Stores Claim Over 300 Million Visitors This Year

    It’s undeniable that Apple is still steamrolling the tech industry with its success. Not only has the company recently become the most valuable company in history, it has also managed to create a retail success on top of its must-have technology empire.

    Jim Dalrymple of The Loop recently spoke with Apple and, surprisingly, the company opened up to him about the success of its Apple Stores. According to a blog post on The Loop, Apple Stores have seen 300 million visitors worldwide since the the beginning of the fiscal year 2012 (October 2011). Dalrymple continues:

    There is also an interesting data point from Apple’s retail Genius Bar. According to the company, 50,000 people get serviced at a Genius Bar around the world, every single day. That’s a lot of appointments.

    A lot indeed. And that sort of in-store traffic has translated to a ton of sales. According to a New York Times story from this past June, Apple Stores make more money per square foot of retail space than any other U.S. retailer. The Times states that Apple Stores sold $16 billion worth of Apple products last year.

    What’s the upshot of all this except to marvel at the unprecedented success and speculate on how long it will last? Well, for one, expect long Apple Store lines come September, when Apple is expected to sell an unbelievable 250 million iPhone 5 devices.

  • Apple’s FaceTime Held Hostage Over AT&T Mobile Share Plans

    Apple’s FaceTime Held Hostage Over AT&T Mobile Share Plans

    AT&T announced last week that it will finally allow its iPhone and iPad customers to use Apple’s FaceTime video chat application over its mobile broadband network – but only for customers on its new, more expensive, Mobile Share data plans. Today, Bob Quinn, the senior vice president of AT&T’s federal regulatory group, took to AT&T’s Public Policy Blog to defend the company’s actions. Specifically, Quinn seeks to defend AT&T against charges that it broke net neutrality rules. From the blog post:

    Providers of mobile broadband Internet access service are subject to two net neutrality requirements: (1) a transparency requirement pursuant to which they must disclose accurate information regarding the network management practices, performance, and commercial terms of their broadband Internet access services; and (2) a no-blocking requirement under which they are prohibited, subject to reasonable network management, from blocking applications that compete with the provider’s voice or video telephony services.

    AT&T’s plans for FaceTime will not violate either requirement. Our policies regarding FaceTime will be fully transparent to all consumers, and no one has argued to the contrary. There is no transparency issue here.

    A quick time-out here to point out that AT&T is very specifically following the net neutrality rules it is required to. Namely, they must disclose their network management practices and not block applications that the company itself competes with.

    Sure, AT&T may not be ringing any anti-competitive bells with its FaceTime decision and it is, according to Quinn, following the FCC’s rules to the letter. It is, however, holding the app hostage to coerce its subscribers to change to a more expensive mobile plan. The spirit of net neutrality is that customers should be able to use the bandwidth they pay for however they choose – and AT&T is certainly violating that spirit.

    Quinn goes on to state that blocking applications that are preloaded on phones is not against FCC rules, because there are other video chat apps available. Quinn continues:

    Although the rules don’t require it, some preloaded apps are available without charge on phones sold by AT&T, including FaceTime, but subject to some reasonable restrictions. To date, all of the preloaded video chat applications on the phones we sell, including FaceTime, have been limited to Wi-Fi. With the introduction of iOS6, we will extend the availability of the preloaded FaceTime to our mobile broadband network for our Mobile Share data plans which were designed to make more data available to consumers. To be clear, customers will continue to be able to use FaceTime over Wi-Fi irrespective of the data plan they choose. We are broadening our customers’ ability to use the preloaded version of FaceTime but limiting it in this manner to our newly developed AT&T Mobile Share data plans out of an overriding concern for the impact this expansion may have on our network and the overall customer experience.

    There you have it. AT&T’s response is long on how legal its actions are, but not a lot was said to allay consumer complaints. On the other hand, AT&T is a carrier with a massive number of iPhone subscribers, and the iPhone’s popularity doesn’t appear to be waning. With that much data flying across their network, perhaps the company really does need to parse out access to things such as video chat.

  • Foxconn Changes Its Working Conditions In Response To Audits

    Foxconn changes are coming. The largest electronics manufacturer in the world had the eye of the world on it after numerous employees committed suicide while others died of being overworked. Apple partnered with the Fair Labor Association to help improve working conditions at the factories where the iPhone and iPad are built. The FLA suggested improvements are now being implemented.

    Bloomberg reports that Foxconn has cut working hours and improved safety. The changes are part of a larger 15-month plan that will see working conditions improve at Foxconn facilities. The FLA is overseeing the changes and making sure that everything matches up with Chinese labor regulations.

    At the FLA’s suggestion, Foxconn will be cutting working hours to 49 a week. They will also raise wages and give employees more say within the company. The changes are expected to come into effect by July 2013. The FLA says that Foxconn is ahead of schedule in implementing the changes so Chinese workers may be getting more perks before the end of the year.

    The changes are welcome, but it seems that conditions at Foxconn may not have improved all that much. China Labor Watch told Bloomberg that Foxconn employees are still required to complete the same amount of work even after the hours had been reduced. Unfortunately, employees have to work much harder to meet their quota which can result in mistakes due to low satisfaction among employees.

    One good thing that may come out of all of this is a desire to improve working conditions all across Asia. It took the Foxconn suicides to show people that working conditions aren’t all that great across China and Southeast Asia, but there are worse working conditions at lesser known manufacturers. Maybe the attention will now shift to other manufacturers in worse off countries like Malaysia or Indonesia.

  • iPhone 5 Release Date Is September 21, According To Report

    Previous rumors had the iPhone 5 release date pegged for the third or fourth week of September, and a new report appears to confirm, going a step further and marking the date of September 21.

    TechCrunch reporter Jordan Crook cites a “trusted Verizon employee” as confirming that the company is having an all-staff vacation blackout from that date through the 30th, and that the 21st – a Friday – is indeed the launch date.

    Apple is expected to unveil the device on September 12 (likely without the actual “iPhone 5” name), as the company has been said to have an event planned for that day. As Crook points out, the timeline would fall in line with last year’s release of the iPhone 4S (though that was in October).

    So what does Apple have in store for users? Well, we’ll have to wait and see to be sure, but you can read about the rumors here. Of course, we’ve already been schooled on iOS 6.

    As far as the release date, we’ll leave it in the “rumor” file, as nothing official has been revealed yet, but I’d say this one has a pretty good shot at being legit.

    Latest iPhone 5 Rumors here.

  • iPhone 5 Rumor: It Will Reportedly Run On Everything Everywhere’s 4G Network

    The launch of the next iPhone is getting closer, and more information about the device continues to surface. It just happens to be unconfirmed and speculative information, for the most part.

    Today, Pocket-lint is reporting, citing “multiple sources,” that the iPhone 5 wil work on Everything Everywhere’s 4G network in the UK, from launch. The carrier is using an 1800MHz spectrum band for its network, which will launch on September 11.

    The device is expected to be unveiled September 12, the next day, with an actual release later in the month.

    “Apple has been known to manufacture iPhones with slightly different chipsets for different networks in the US, and while it has no history of doing the same globally (indeed, recent history of NOT doing so, with the new iPad), Ofcom’s decision to license the 1800MHz spectrum band (ahead of the auction of the more widely expected 800MHz and 2600MHz), means Everything Everywhere will be operating the service on the same bandwidth as operators in Australia and several in mainland Europe,” writes Pocket-lint’s Rik Henderson. “And that gives Apple a bigger market for sales of a compatible device.”

    Last week, reports came out that two major carriers in Korea were in talks with Apple for 4G iPhone 5 support.

    Before that, alleged leaked photos of the device’s motherboard seemed to confirm LTE support.

    More iPhone 5 rumor coverage here.

  • Will The iPhone 5 Be A Worthy Competitor To The Galaxy S III?

    We now have a pretty good idea of what the iPhone 5 will look like thanks to a variety of leaks and rumors. The biggest leak came from iLab when they made a fully assembled iPhone 5 from the various parts that had been leaked. It’s likely that the phone seen there is what the iPhone 5 will look like so why not compare it to its biggest rival – the Samsung Galaxy S III.

    At first glance, it seems rather silly to compare a phone that we know everything about to a phone that’s not even out yet. I would counter that argument by saying that we know everything about the iPhone 5 because Apple’s suppliers and manufacturers are terrible at keeping secrets.

    With the use of 3D modeling, YouTube user animatedvisual has created a side-by-side comparison of the purported iPhone 5 design and the design of the Samsung Galaxy S III. While nothing is entirely confirmed, it’s safe to assume that the iPhone 5 will look something like this. See how it stacks up to Samsung’s pride and joy:

    After admiring both phones, it’s safe to say that both are admirable for different reasons. The purported design of the iPhone 5 is sleek and thin. It continues Apple’s tradition of making aesthetically pleasing hardware. On the other hand, Samsung’s Galaxy S III just screams power. It has a design that inspires confidence and oozes coolness.

    Either way, you’re going to end up with a great phone. We’ll find out how great of a phone the iPhone 5 is going to be come September 12. Until then, just remember the wise words of a random YouTube commenter – “Just pick what phone you want and shut the f*ck up!”

    As a bonus, here’s a comparison between the purported iPhone 5 design and the iPhone 4S:

    [h/t: Gotta Be Mobile]

  • iPhone 5 Rumor: LCD Screen Replacement On Sale For $199

    It’s pretty much confirmed at this point that the iPhone 5 is going to have a larger screen. All signs are pointing to a screen with a resolution of 1136×640. We won’t know for sure, of course, until the all but confirmed iPhone 5 event on September 12. If only there was a Chinese electronics retailer selling the screen for the iPhone 5 right this very moment.

    It turns out that such a retailer exists as 9to5Mac has found that ChinaGadgetLand has LCD screens for the iPhone 5 on sale. Sadly, they all sold out as soon as the news broke. Nobody has any use for them at this point, but come on, it’s the iPhone 5 LCD screen.

    Here’s the specs from the Web site which confirms a lot of what we already knew about the new screen:

    Specifications:
    Replacement Full Set LCD Screen with Digitizer Assembly for iPhone 5
    LCD Screen + Touch Screen + Digitizer + Front Cover Complete set for iPhone 5
    iPhone 5 LCD Screen size: 4-inch
    iPhone 5 LCD Screen resolution: 1136 x 640
    Suitable for working with iPhone 5
    iPhone 5 replacement parts – Full Set LCD Screen with Digitizer Assembly for iPhone 5
    Spare parts LCD screen and Touch Screen for iPhone 5
    In bulk package

    It’s hard to say whether or not this is a scam. The site does looks legitimate and it wouldn’t be out of the question for a wholesale electronics site to get parts before the actual device is released. It just seems like Apple would try to put a stop to stuff like this. Maybe they’ve just stopped trying to fight the inevitable.

    I’m sure those that ordered an LCD panel will get them in over the next few days. From that point, we’ll be able to tell once and for all if the iPhone 5 screen is really going to be four inches of delight or if all the leaks leading up to this moment have been nothing but that – rumors. I’m willing to bet my money on the former.

  • iPhone 5 Rumor: Will It Feature Fingerprint-Based Security?

    Apple is expected to unveil its new iPhone in less than a month, and the rumors are running more rampant than ever. They’re also getting more interesting.

    Matt Brian at TheNextWeb has put together an in-depth, and compelling argument as to why the next iPhone could very well come with technology that would associate the user’s fingerprint with their identity for use in the company’s Passbook iOS 6 application.

    Passbook

    You may recall last month, when it became known that Apple is buying network security provider AuthenTec. Long story short, after digging through various documents and SEC filings, Brian was able to piece together (with a healthy dose of pre-iPhone 5 launch speculation, of course) what could be Apple’s plan to include fingerprint hardware technology in the next iPhone. Again, that’s with a lot of assumption and speculation involved, but based on the information presented, it would make a great deal of sense.

    I’m not going to regurgitate all the ins and outs of why this may be happening. If you want to know, read Brian’s lengthy post. Suffice it to say, Apple seems to have been in a hurry to get this acquisition done, and has been adamant that production continue “unhindered,” making it seem like Apple wanted it to be ready for something it’s launching in the near future (like say, the next iPhone, and iPad, for that matter).

    Passbook, a highly touted feature of iOS 6, would indeed be an ideal use for the fingerprint technology. It handles boarding passes, movie tickets, retail coupons, loyalty cards, etc. The more sensitive data a user keeps in the application, the more security factors in. Since phones are highly personal devices, arguably even more so than iPads or Macbooks, an upcoming iPhone model seems like an ideal device to feature such technology.

    More iPhone 5 rumor coverage here.

  • iPhone 5: Apple May Sell 250 Million Units, Says Analyst

    Like the few months leading up to any big Apple product launch, the last few months have been jam-packed with speculation concerning Apple’s upcoming iPhone – and a whole hell of a lot of buzz. Whether it launches as the iPhone 5 or the new iPhone or some other name completely, there’s a pretty strong chance that there will be lines outside of Apple stores.

    And one analyst thinks that the iPhone 5 will be huge. Very huge.

    FBR Capital’s Craig Berger thinks that over its life cycle, the iPhone 5 could possibly sell 250 million units. And more importantly, perhaps, that may translate into profits of over $50 per share. He calls the iPhone 5 launch “one of the largest single product opportunities in Apple’s history,” according to a research noted obtained by Forbes.

    Not only that, but he expects that the success of the iPhone 5 will help propel chip makers like Qualcomm and Fairchild Semiconductor. Plus, all three carriers (AT&T, Sprint, and Verizon) will obviously benefit from the expected popularity of the new device.

    We’ll just have to wait and see just how popular Apple’s newest iPhone really is. It might not be that long of a wait, however. Recent reports place the official release date as September 21st, which is just nine days after the suspected press event where Apple will unveil the new device.

    And unlike last year when Apple debuted the iPhone 4S, rumor has it that pre-orders will open up on the same day as the press event this time.

    If the iPhone 5 wants to have a strong initial showing, it’s going to have to work hard. Last October, the iPhone 4S sold over 4 million units in the first few days on the shelf.

  • iPhone Prices Drop Ahead Of iPhone 5 Release Date

    The new iPhone, which may or may not be called the iPhone 5 (probably not) is expected to be unveiled on September 12. That leaves retailers about a month to start selling more of the older models before people drop to their knees in excitement over Apple’s newest product.

    Rumors of the next iPhone have already put a dent in Apple’s iPhone sales. “We’re reading the same speculation about a new iPhone as you are, and we think this has caused some delay in purchasing,” CFO Peter Oppenheimer is quoted as saying on the company most recent earnings call.

    People want that new iPhone, so lower prices on the older iPhones should help move some of them off the shelves. We recently reported that Best Buy was selling the iPhone 4 for $50, but there are other price drops from other stores, as well.

    Ina Fried at All Things D reports that Target is offering the Verizon and AT&T versions of the iPhone 4S for $179, and that Sprint is selling the 4S for $159.

    The Wall Street Journal reported last week that Apple Stores are matching discounts on iPhones.

    Of course, if your’e in the market for a new iPhone, you may just want to wait a month, and see what the latest one has to offer. For an idea of what to expect, check out the latest rumors.

  • iPhone 5 Rumor: Motherboard Leak Seemingly Confirms LTE

    September 12 – the date that the iPhone 5 is supposed to be revealed to the world. We’re still a few weeks away from the fateful day, but that hasn’t stopped the rumor mill. It keeps churning out new rumors left and right with today’s being maybe one of the most important.

    A post on Chinese forum WeiPhone posted some pictures of what appears to be the new motherboard for the iPhone 5. This is an extremely important leak as it gives us a look at how much the iPhone 5 improves upon the iPhone 4’s specs. Unfortunately, not everything was included with the motherboard, including the processor.

    What we do know, however, is that the motherboard once again confirms the smaller SIM card. It also features a battery connector with five pins, compared to the four pins on the iPhone 4S. It’s a good indication that the new battery will have a higher capacity.

    The motherboard also shows signs of having more antenna connections than the iPhone 4 or 4S. Going off of that fact alone, it would be reasonable to assume that the iPhone 5 will have an LTE connection. It also uses a new connector for the display which seems to confirm that Apple is making use of a new display technology in the iPhone 5.

    Like all rumors, it’s important to take this with a grain of salt. It could all be an elaborate ruse. Fortunately, that doesn’t appear to be the case this time. 9to5Mac did a little digging on the photographer and found that he supplied accurate pictures of the iPhone 4S motherboard a few months before the device was revealed.

    With the latest leak, all the pieces are coming together. The iPhone 5 is looking to be a departure from the technology used in the last two iPhones. It would make sense then if Apple were to just name it the “new iPhone” instead of the iPhone 5.

  • iPhone 5 Rumor: New Thin Battery Features Higher Capacity

    I honestly thought that we were done with the iPhone 5 rumors and leaks. There seems to be nothing else to divulge about Apple’s new wonder device. Everything has been leaked and nothing will be a surprise when the device is finally revealed. Well, it seems that I spoke too soon.

    9to5Mac got a hold of some images that seem to be the new battery that will power the iPhone 5. It wouldn’t be that exciting if it weren’t for the fact that the new battery features some promising upgrades from previous models.

    iPhone 5 Rumor Thin Battery Higher Capacity

    According to the source, the new battery is thinner and features a higher capacity of 1440 mAh. The iPhone 4S had a battery with a capacity of 1430 mAh. It has a voltage of 3.8, which is up from a voltage of 3.7 on the iPhone 4S. It also has a watts-per-hour measurement of 5.45, which is up from 5.3 on the iPhone 4S.

    If none of that made sense to you, just know this: the new iPhone is going to last longer than previous models. There were some prior reports that indicated the iPhone 5 as having battery production problems. Today’s leak seems to indicate that the batteries being produced now are finally up to Apple’s standards.

    As 9to5Mac points out, however, the increased battery may also be due to 4G LTE. It requires a larger battery and the new capacity featured in this battery would be enough to push a LTE connection without having to sacrifice general power use.

    Like all rumors, nothing is absolutely confirmed until Apple shows off the iPhone 5 at its rumored September 12 reveal. That being said, there’s a good chance that the majority of these leaks and rumors are real. If the rumors do turn out to be true, we could be getting a pretty awesome phone from the guys at Cupertino.

    [Image credit: 9to5Mac]

  • iPhone 5 Rumor: More Leaked Parts Seemingly Confirm Smaller SIM Card

    Thanks to the release of iOS 6 Beta 4, we have been able to confirm a number of rumors concerning the iPhone 5. There are still some rumors that the iOS 6 beta can’t confirm. Thankfully, people are leaking iPhone 5 parts from Chinese factories so that we can get a better look at the device.

    French tech site Nowhereelse had recently obtained parts for the iPhone 5 from a Chinese forum called iColorOS. As you can see in the image above, the parts seem to confirm much of the rumors that we’ve been hearing. The screen is indeed larger. What’s interesting however is the new SIM cart. It’s the rumored nano-SIM that we’ve been hearing about.

    As is the case with the confirmed smaller 9-pin dock connector, the smaller SIM card doesn’t seem that important at first glance. It’s immensely important, however, when you consider how much more technology Apple is going to be able to cram into the iPhone 5. With the components getting smaller, Apple will be able to implement more technology like the rumored NFC chips.

    Besides the obvious benefit of being able to fit more tech inside the phone, going smaller helps improve heat dispersement and battery life. Rumors have suggested that the iPhone 5 has been facing battery life problems. Apple may have moved to smaller components to combat that problem.

    With the rumored confirmation of a smaller SIM card out of the way, it seems that we’re almost in the clear as far as iPhone 5 rumors go. Various sources have pretty much confirmed almost everything there is to know about the device. Apple is reportedly holding an event on September 12 to formally announce the device. We’ll find out just how right all these leaks were then.

  • Android Dominates In Q2 Thanks To Samsung

    Android or iOS – it’s the modern day equivalent of asking if you favor Star Wars or Star Trek. They’re both fantastic products, but one has to win out in the end. While the debate over classic sci-fi franchises can be debated on message boards, the debate over smartphone supremacy is decided via quarterly IDC reports.

    IDC released its second quarter report today. There are some interesting things to note with the dominance of Android being the big news. It should be noted, however, that smartphones are the real winner this quarter. IDC noted that Android and iOS made up 85 percent of all smartphone shipments this quarter.

    After congratulating all the players, we really do have to give it up to Android. The total number of Android shipments outpaced iOS shipments almost 5-to-1 this quarter with iOS only shipping 26 million units and Android shipping a combined 104.8 million units.

    “Android continues to fire on all cylinders,” said Ramon Llamas, senior research analyst with IDC’s Mobile Phone Technology and Trends program. “The market was entreated to several flagship models from Android’s handset partners, prices were well within reach to meet multiple budgetary needs, and the user experience from both Google and its handset partners boosted Android smartphones’ utility far beyond simple telephony.”

    Once again, it must be pointed out that Apple is still technically the more impressive contender. iOS is restricted to only one smartphone platform, yet it still managed to ship on 26 million iPhones last quarter. That’s impressive and Apple is no doubt congratulating themselves on the achievement.

    Android manufacturers didn’t do as well. Android was able to ship on so many devices only because multiple OEMs shipped Android phones last quarter. There was one OEM, however, who rose above the rest to sell a massive amount of phones. Samsung, no doubt riding on the succes of the Galaxy S III, sold 44 percent of all Android smartphones last quarter. That’s still more than Apple’s 26 million.

    The other smartphone operating systems didn’t do so well. BlackBerry was once again down last quarter compared to Q2 2011. In fact, BlackBerry shipments totaled only 7.4 million last quarter. They were at 12.5 million shipments last year. That’s a market share decline of 40 percent.

    While it’s still by no means impressive, Windows Phone actually grew by over 100 percent last quarter. Windows Phone only shipped on 5.4 million units last quarter, but that’s up from 2.5 million shipments in Q2 2011. As IDC points out, that’s a market share increase of 115 percent.

    Check out the graph below to see how Android and iOS stacked up against the rest of the smartphone market over the last five quarters:

    Chart: Worldwide Smartphone OS Market Share, 2Q 2012Description: Tags: Author: IDCcharts powered by iCharts
  • Google’s Siri Comes To iPhone And iPad

    Google’s Siri Comes To iPhone And iPad

    If you have an iPhone and were hoping to have another search assistant that talks back to you, Google has you covered.

    As one of a handful of search announcements this week, Google announced that its new and improved voice search, announced for Android at Google I/O is coming soon to iOS (4.2+).

    “Often the most natural way to ask a question is by asking aloud,” says Google’s Amit Singhal in the announcement. “So we’ve combined our speech recognition expertise, understanding of language and the Knowledge Graph so that Voice Search can better interpret your questions and sometimes speak the answers back as full sentences. This has been available on Android for a few weeks and people love it. It’ll soon be available on your iPhone or iPad (iOS version 4.2+).”

    “You just need to tap the microphone icon and ask your question, the same way you’d ask a friend,” adds Singhal. “For example, ask ‘What movies are playing this weekend?’ and you’ll see your words streamed back to you quickly as you speak. Then Google will show you a list of the latest movies in theaters near you, with schedules and even trailers. It works for everything from celebrity factoids to the height of Kilamanjaro and more. When Google can supply a direct answer to your question, you’ll get a spoken response too.”

    Now, obviously the feature is limited to Google search, and does not do all the things Siri can do, but it will be interesting to see how the feature competes with Siri on some types of information retrieval among iOS users.

    The feature comes at a time when Google and Apple are growing further and further apart. Earlier this summer, Apple announced its new Maps offering, distancing itself from Google Maps, and just this week, it became known that Apple is also dropping its YouTube app. Of course, Google is just offering its own apps, which many users will no doubt use anyway.

    This particular voice search feature appears to be just another way for Google to combat any souring relationship with Apple, and stay relevant to users.

  • iOS 6 Beta 4 Might Have Confirmed Another iPhone 5 Rumor

    The iOS 6 beta has been a treasure trove of new details surrounding the iPhone 5 that’s reportedly launching next month. Developers were able to confirm that the next iPhone is going to have a larger screen thanks to iOS 6 having a scalable resolution. The next confirmation comes in the form of code that may have finally confirmed the size of the rumored dock connector.

    Ever since iPhone 5 rumors began to pick up, we have constantly heard about a smaller dock connector. Back in June, manufacturers said that the new iPhone would have a 19-pin connector instead of the traditional 30-pin connector. Some code in the iOS 6 beta points to the dock connector being even smaler than that.

    9to5Mac looked inside the code of the iOS 6 beta and found something very interesting. Buried among other hardware-based code, they found one line that stood out – “copyDeviceSupports9Pin.” Now, this could be anything, but it definitely seems to point to a 9-pin connection. If true, the new dock connector will be even smaller then what the current rumors suggest. Here’s the proof of the code courtesy of 9to5Mac:

    iOS 6 Beta 4 iPhone 5 Rumor

    Another point of interest is that this code has apparently been there since iOS 6 beta 1. It seemingly confirms that the new 9-pin connector won’t be exclusive to the iPhone 5 as previous rumors have suggested. If so, then that means Apple will make a killing on selling new accessories for all of their products from the iPod Nano to the iPad.

    Like all rumors, nothing is concrete until we hear straight from Apple. Thankfully, the iPhone 5 event will probably take place early next month. We’ll get our first look at the device then.

  • iPhone 5 Rumors: If They’re True, This Is What It Will Look Like [Video]

    There have been a plethora of iPhone 5 rumors dating back to well before the iPhone 4S came out. As the next iPhone release draws near, people are getting a better idea of what to expect. Tech Radar has put together the following video representing what the device might look like based on the rumors:

    It kind of looks like an iPhone, doesn’t it?

    The device is expected to be unveiled on September 12. There’s a good chance it won’t actually be called the iPhone 5, but that’s what the majority of people are calling it in the meantime.

    More of the latest iPhone 5 rumors (and apparent confirmations) here.

  • iOS 6 Beta 4 Confirms One iPhone 5 Rumor

    iOS 6 Beta 4 Confirms One iPhone 5 Rumor

    Ever since we started to hear about the iPhone 5, one of the first rumors was about the screen size. Since then, numerous leaks and speculation have led us to believe that the iPhone 5 will have a larger screen set at 4 inches. Apple won’t say one way or the other until they formally announce the device in September, but the current beta for iOS 6 might have already spoiled the surprise.

    Developers who already playing around with the latest release of the iOS 6 beta have found something interesting. The current iPhone screen can only display up to four rows of apps on the home screen. iOS 6 beta 4 is able to scale the screen to a new resolution of 640×1136 and display five rows on the home screen.

    Here’s a comparison of the two screen resolutions courtesy of 9to5Mac:

    iOS 6 Beta 4 Taller Screen iPhone 5

    The increased resolution and app rows pretty much confirm that the iPhone 5 is going to have a larger screen. It makes no sense to include an option for scaling if the screen wasn’t going to get an upgrade. Here’s how 9to5Mac was able to increase the resolution on their current iPhones:

    Thanks to some tweaks to the iOS Simulator application that is included in the iOS development tools, we were able to run the simulator at the rumored next-generation iPhone display resolution of 640 x 1136. We did this running both the current public release of iOS 5.1 and the upcoming iOS 6.0 The iOS 5.1 simulator displayed the home screen with a stretched set of four rows of icons. On the other hand, iOS 6 displayed five complete rows – as our sources said Apple was testing for taller iPhone displays.

    It’s important to note that this just a simulator. It could just be a testing bed for new features, and hardware, down the line. Considering that the longer screen has been in just about every leak, however, there’s a good chance that we’ll see a larger iPhone in September.

  • iPhone 5 Rumor: French Blog Obtains What Could Be Device’s Smaller nano-SIM Tray

    If the rumors prove accurate, we should only have about another month’s worth of rumors and leaks to go with the next version of the iPhone. The device, which may or may not be called the iPhone 5 (probably not), is expected to be unveiled on September 12, but in the meantime, let the speculation commence.

    French blog NowhereElse.fr has put up some images of what it claims to be the device’s nano-SIM card tray, compared to that of the iPhone 4S. They have several different angles, including the one below. As you can see, the new one (if it’s real) is a little bit smaller. It’s smaller in both length and width.

    iPhone 5 nano-SIM tray?

    Also expected to be smaller on the new iPhone is the dock connector. In fact, rumors came out this week that Apple will actually shrink the dock connector on other iPhone models as well.

    The screen on the new device, however, will be bigger, by all indications.

    See what other rumors are going around about the iPhone 5 here.

    Image: NowhereElse