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iPhone Pro to get 960x640 IPS display, 512MB RAM, 1GHz processor

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Smartphones, Handhelds, Rumors,

iPhone Pro specs

The folks over at DigiTimes are reporting a bunch of specs for the yet-to-be-announced iPhone Pro (iPhone HD?), which should be available sometime next month. Current word on the street is that the phone will boast a 960x640 high-resolution IPS display with fringe field switching. If this turns out to be the case, then the 3.4-inch display will pretty much be one of the most impressive screens seen on a phone, and things like direct sunlight will be less of an issue—definitely one advantage over OLED. The actual display is said to be about 33% thinner than what you’d find in previous generation iPhones, including the current iPhone 3GS, which leaves more room internally for a larger battery. The phone should also rock a 512MB memory module from Samsung, which is double what you’d find in the 3GS right now. Lastly, DigiTimes is saying that the processor will bea 1GHz Hummingbird model, and not the Apple A4 chip. We’ve heard so many conflicting reports on that one, and really, the whole thing has yet to be confirmed by Apple—so just take the whole thing with a grain of salt.

Apple is expected to reveal the next iPhone at WWDC 2010 on June 7th.

Read More | DigiTimes

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AT&T bumping up upgrade eligibility dates in prep for iPhone Pro?

At&T iPhone Pro upgrade eligibility

A few days ago we were hearing whispers that AT&T might be bumping up the upgrade eligibility dates for current customers in anticipation of the next model (iPhone Pro? iPhone HD?) At the time, I logged in to my account, and saw that my upgrade date had not changed, and that it was still going to be sometime in July. Earlier this morning I logged in again, and as you can see, my upgrade eligibility date is now June 23, 2010. The only reason I could see AT&T making this change, which they’ve been doing on a massive scale for current iPhone owners, is so that they will be able to get upgrade pricing on the next model. The benefit there of course is they get to lock them in for another 2-year contract at a time where the iPhone may be coming to other networks. Either way, this is definitely a step in the right direction, compared to last year’s AT&T iPhone upgrade debacle, where the company caved to subscriber pressure for upgrade eligibility to the iPhone 3GS from the 3G.


More video of the iPhone HD

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Smartphones, Handhelds, Rumors, Videos,

So, aside from providing us with a bunch of iPhone HD photos, the fine folk over at Taoviet have also published a 3.5-minute video to YouTube, giving us an up-close look at the device. The cat is pretty much out of the bag on this one, but we still want it pretty badly. You?


iPhone HD leaked again (images!)

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Smartphones, Handhelds, Rumors,

iPhone HD inferno

The way that the upcoming and still yet to be announced has been fondled by people who’ve gotten their hands on leaked goods is getting downright ridiculous, because it’s happened again for a third time. The guys over at Taoviet have gotten their hands on a newer version of the iPhone HD that was leaked a month ago by Gizmodo, and we can see some minor (but still nice) improvements. A couple of significant things here. First, the screws at the bottom of the device are gone, so the enclosure looks cleaner. Second, the back of the phone indicates that there may likely be a 16GB model. In the past, the iPhone dropped its low-end, moved the high-end down, and then doubled the high-end. So with the iPhone HD, we were expecting a 32GB model and a 64GB model. Here’s hoping they give us all three.

Last, but certainly not least, they took apart the iPhone and found an Apple-branded processor in there. As we know, the was the first iPhone OS device to rock the Apple A4 custom chip, and it looks like we’ve just confirmed that the next iPhone will as well.

Read More | Taoviet

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Opinion: Apple, iPhone 4, and the Case against Gizmodo

iPhone HD screen

I’m a pretty crappy journalist.

I do it in my free time, and for the most part, I’m an opinions and hands-on writer. I don’t go monstering around the nation’s capital with a fedora and notepad, and I rarely find myself in a position where I have to probe into anything that matters past an arbitrary release date. I don’t always fact check if I’m not making accusations.

But I know a scummy move when I see one. And Gizmodo’s actions in the prototype debacle have been consistently unethical, unprofessional, and, yes, illegal.

It sucks. Gizmodo’s parent company, Gawker Media, is home to a lot of great blogs and great people – people who seem to have some professional standards. But in the face of such reprehensible journalism, Gizmodo has been inexplicably wearing their tarnished reputation from this saga as if it were some kind of badge of pride. I’m sure they have lawyers going over every step of their story, but how someone in their legal or PR departments could have greenlit this is really beyond my comprehension.

Before I get into the ethical issues of yellow journalism, I think it’s important we establish a fact pattern and what I hold to be the optimal course of actions they could have taken through this whole sordid affair. Join me while I use my rudimentary Google-fu to make my case against the actions of nearly all parties involved.

Click to continue reading Opinion: Apple, iPhone 4, and the Case against Gizmodo


Comparison: iPhone HD vs iPhone 3GS

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Smartphones, Features, Handhelds,

iPhone HD vs iPhone 3GS: The back

Okay, we just hit you with the low-down on the iPhone HD being leaked and given a spec breakdown by Gizmodo, but how’s about we give you a look at the new device when compared against the current ? Of course, this may not be the actual, final look for the iPhone HD - but it is an Apple prototype, and it is mid-April, so we’d have to say this is near-final.

What are your thoughts on the design approach that Apple has taken to the next iPhone?

Read More | Gizmodo

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Next Apple iPhone revealed!

iPhone HD front

Over the weekend, rumors that Apple’s next generation iPhone (?) had been uncovered due to someone leaving it in a bar in San Jose had been running rampant. Images made their way to the Internet, claims that it was a Japanese fake were made, only to be taken back later. Nothing was decisive—until this morning when my pal Jason over at Gizmodo published a complete breakdown of the phone. Yeah, it seems Gizmodo paid someone a pretty penny to get the phone into their hands, and as a result, we pretty much know all about the major features in the next iPhone, which should drop in June. Here are the immediate, obvious feature additions:

  • Completely new enclosure, with a flat back that is seemingly made of glass or ceramic
  • Front-facing camera (finally!)
  • Higher-resolution camera on back
  • Flash for camera on back
  • Higher resolution, albeit slightly smaller, display
  • Separate volume buttons (likely also double as dedicated camera buttons when taking photos)
  • Noise cancellation mic
  • Battery has 16% higher capacity
  • 3 grams heavier than iPhone 3GS
  • Uses a micro-SIM

It’s obvious that Apple has definitely been listening to the complaints and requests from iPhone customers, and they’ve definitely done a lot to make the next iPhone stand out from the pack. In fact, this really looks and feels like the first true step up in the iPhone line, with previous new models introducing few hardware changes over previous models.

This is a big deal, as it is the first time that we can remember a major piece of Apple hardware falling into the hands of a company outsider, let alone press, in advance of it being officially unveiled and announced - especially in this manner. We think that Apple’s chief designer said it best on Twitter earlier this morning, with a simple “This isn’t good.”

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Analyst: iPhone will soon be available on all US wireless carriers

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Smartphones, Handhelds, Rumors,

Verizon iPhoneGotta love those analysts, as they’re always good for stirring the rumor mill - this time it’s BusinessWeek reporting claims that will likely be ending it’s exclusive relationship with AT&T in order to bring the iPhone to all major US carriers. According to Tim Horan, telecommunications analyst at Oppenheimer & Co., T-Mobile USA should have the iPhone available this summer (whatever the follow-up to the iPhone 3GS turns out to be,) with Verizon and Sprint getting the goods this fall. Even Clearwire will be able to get in on the action, as they are expected to get the iPhone sometime in 2011. Of course, AT&T has been the exclusive carrier of the iPhone since it launched in June 2007.

Of course, Apple has the perfect opportunity to announce changes like this if they’d like, as they’ve got what many are predicting to be a colossal Apple event on January 27th, just two days from now. We’ll keep you posted.

Read More | BusinessWeek

iPhone OS 4.0 to arrive 1/27 with new interface, multitasking?

iPhone OS 4.0

Our pals over at Boy Genius Report are saying they’ve received some inside information about the iPhone OS 4.0, which is heavily rumored to debut, and possibly even be released, at the Apple event on January 27th. Here’s what they are saying about iPhone OS 4.0:

  • There will be multi-touch gestures OS-wide. (Would make sense for that as the rumored OS for the iTablet is close if not the same as the iPhone)
  • “A few new ways” to run applications in the background—multitasking.
  • Many graphical and UI changes to make navigating through the OS easier and more efficient. We haven’t had this broken down, but we can only hope for improved notifications, a refreshed homescreen, etc.
  • The update will supposedly be available for only the iPhone 3G and 3GS, but will “put them ahead in the smartphone market because it will make them more like full-fledged computers” more than any other phone to date. Everyone is “really excited.”
  • The last piece of information is the most vague, but apparently there will be some brand new syncing ability for the contacts and calendar applications.

As far as we’re concerned, we think that a graphical and UI interface refresh is definitely needed for the iPhone, which hasn’t really seen any major interface changes since it launched. Of course, we will be bringing you all the new on January 27th as it happens.


8GB iPhone 3GS on the way?

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Smartphones, Handhelds, Rumors,

8GB iPhone 3GS

It looks like Apple is getting ready to replace the aging 8GB iPhone 3G that currently sells for $99 with a newer model, if their packaging is to be believed. A user on the German apfetalk discussion forum posted the image above, which is the label on the iPhone 3G 8GB box, and while he did receive a regular iPhone 3G, the box clearly says “iPhone 3GS v2.2 8GB” and has us thinking that Apple is finally ready to have the entire product line fall under the 3GS brand. Heck, the 8GB iPhone 3GS is a year-and-a-half old now, and we all know that Apple is set to release an all new iPhone model this summer, so it all makes sense to us.


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