iPhone 6 leaks show a device begging for extreme torture-testing

The iPhone 6 seems to be itchin' for a fight, if the rumors are true. Video screenshot by Eric Mack / CNET

CNET - If the rumors hold true, the next iPhone could sport a nearly indestructible and perhaps flexible sapphire screen. That sound you hear is Apple muttering, "Bring it on" to device torture-testers everywhere.

A video making the rounds this week purports to show a sapphire crystal screen panel from the upcoming iPhone 6 withstanding some pretty serious scratches and stabs from a hunting knife and some keys. 

It's an impressive demonstration that, along with other rumors that the next iPhone's screen could also be curved or flexible, means that those like myself in the device torture-testing community might need to up our game in the near future.   Read More

iPhone 6: Every rumor about the specs, release date, and size of Apple's next smartphone

CNET - The rumor mill is already churning out reports about Apple's next smartphone, likely called the iPhone 6. We're collecting every rumor, whether wacky or plausible, that CNET has reported about the iPhone 6 here, so you can stay on top of the latest reports on its release date, specs, and special features. Let us know in the comments below what you're hoping to see from Apple's next iPhone.

What we think we know 

This early in 2014, we don't know much about what Apple has up its sleeves for the next iPhone. That said, some trends are already popping up in the rumors. Analysts and sources claim that Apple will give us two phones this year, just like it did in September 2013 with the 5S and 5C. There will be a large iPhone model, likely with a 5-inch or larger screen, and also a smaller, possibly lower-end, device closer in size to the iPhone 5S.

Apple hasn't even confirmed it's even working on a new iPhone, let alone what it will be called, but following the pattern the company has used to name its previous phones, we are guessing it will be dubbed the iPhone 6.  

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Samsung to launch a wraparound screen next year: Rumors abound that new Galaxy model could have a THREE-sided screen

• Rumours that display is likely to feature on Samsung’s Galaxy S or Note luxury handsets, but could be the first of a new line of curvier handsets
• The handset will use an enhanced version of the company’s Youm technology, which features in the new Galaxy Round handset
• There is currently no release date for the device, although it is likely to be launched in the second half of 2014

Mail Online - The latest version of Samsung’s Galaxy smartphone could have a three-sided display, rumours suggest.

The new smartphone, which is tipped to launch next year, might sport a wrap-around display so that content on the curved screen can be read from extreme angles.

The display is likely to feature on Samsung’s Galaxy S or Note luxury handsets, but it could even be the first of a new line of curvier handsets, according to the rumours.

Sources close to the company told Bloomberg the phone will use an enhanced version of the company’s Youm technology.

Youm is used in Samsung’s Galaxy Round handset, which was released last month.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2507779/Samsung-launch-wraparound-screen-year-Rumours-abound-new-Galaxy-model-THREE-sided-screen.html#ixzz2ks9Y2bv5

Microsoft starts E3 countdown, stirring rumors of next Xbox

PCWorld - Without saying much of anything, Microsoft has hinted that its next Xbox will break cover at the E3 trade show in June.


Larry “Major Nelson” Hryb, Microsoft’s director of programming for Xbox Live, has posted a countdown timer to E3 on his blog. Nothing accompanies the post except the headline (“Countdown to E3 2013”), a link to the official E3 Website, and the words “And it’s on…”

E3 is scheduled for June 11-13 in Los Angeles, though Microsoft usually holds a press conference the day before the show floor opens.

In fairness, Hryb could be counting down to anything—yet another version of Halo, perhaps, or the rumored “Xbox Surface” tablet. Or maybe he just woke up on this morning and realized he was really excited for a trade show that’s six months away.

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iPad Mini Said To Look Like A Large 3G iPod Nano, Be As Thin As A 4G iPod Touch

TechCrunch - Watch out for iPad mini rumors! They’re dropping left and right, and odds are, at least a few of them are going to be on target.

The latest state that the so-called iPad mini will be thinner than the Kindle Fire the overall thickness that of the iPod touch 4G. That would put the smaller iPad at 7.2mm, nearly 25% thinner than the new iPad. The device’s screen reportedly measures 7.85-inches although there doesn’t seem to be a consensus among reports concerning the device’s form factor and design. It might look a large iPod nano rather than a small iPad.    More

Why the Next iPhone Won’t Be 16:9

Gizmodo - Every year it's the same stupid rumor: "the new iPhone will have a 16:9 display." It even circulated before the first iPhone came out. And it happens with the iPad too. This year isn't different. But does it make sense? Would the next iPhone really have a 16:9 screen?

What are the benefits?

 

This is the main question you should ask yourself. What good would a 16:9 screen bring to you, the user?

First, proponents of the 16:9 iPhone say that this is the "format of the future." It's the resolution of HD video, be it 720p or 1080p. TV shows are filmed in 16:9 format. Home video is filmed in 16:9 format. They claim that people want to see all this video without letterboxing—that people hate black bars on the top and bottom of their displays. They argue that a 16:9 format will allow the iPhone to use the whole screen when watching video of this kind.

But while a 16:9 screen would fit this content perfectly, it would also push that "problem" elsewhere. It will actually make it even bigger. There are tens of thousands of movies and videos filmed in other formats (both 4:3 and all kinds of panoramic aspect ratio). More importantly, there are hundreds of thousands of apps and video games that are not designed for 16:9. Even if scaled, that will bring letterboxing to a much broader range of content.          More

iPhone 5 launching with 4-inch screen, new Dock connector?

What's next for Apple's iPhone line?

(Credit: Apple)

 

The iPhone 5 rumors keep coming.

Apple's upcoming smartphone will come with a 4-inch screen, due mainly to a thinner, taller body, according to Apple-focused site iLounge, citing an unnamed source. The site's source claims Apple's new iPhone will be 10mm taller than the iPhone 4S, and about 2mm thinner. By keeping the same width and tossing in the display to fit the new form factor, Apple is able to deliver more screen space than what's available on 3.5-inch-equipped iPhones, according to the source.

Although the front of the iPhone 5 will look about the same, the back will feature a flat, metal panel stretching from beneath the camera to nearly the bottom. iLounge's sources did not say why the device might come with that additional element. Aside from the metal panel, the device will boast Gorilla Glass 2 technology, according to the site's source.            More

Leak: IE 10 to Arrive Mid-Year

PCMag.Com - Leaked Microsoft product roadmap slides suggests that the software giant plans to release Internet Explorer 10 sometime in the middle of this year, that beta versions of the next iterations of Office, SharePoint, Exchange, and Visio will arrive in the same timeframe with official releases due out in early 2013, and that whatever happens next with Windows Phone is anybody’s guess.

The roadmap slides (below) were posted on Twitter on Thursday by one Maarten Visser, the chief executive of an IT solution provider called Meetroo which works with SharePoint and other cloud products. Visser said he cadged the files from the Microsoft Partner Network, claiming he didn’t require a logon to access them (he also didn’t provide a clear path to the slides in question—PCMag poked around the site for a bit and couldn’t locate them).

If accurate, the slides present some interesting information about a handful of major product lines but are pretty sparse in their details about several others. The target timeframe for the release of IE 10 is probably the most noteworthy takeaway, while an almost total lack of new information about Microsoft’s flagship Windows operating system is the most frustrating.

With regards to Microsoft’s Windows client plans, the roadmap actually contains less information than we already know—it doesn’t even refer to the February release of the Windows 8 Consumer Preview, for example—though it does point to an end-of-service date for Windows XP in what looks to be the second quarter of 2014.          More


            

Intel’s Rumored TV Plan: We Know How This One Ends

 

Intel A Player In TV? History Says No

 

Intel is arguably the most efficient, most advanced manufacturer in the world and one of the most sophisticated companies when it comes to bringing cutting-edge technology to the mass market.

It just isn’t very good at branching out.

The Santa Clara-based chipmakers inability to move into new markets has come up again amid rumors that it is working on services to provide TV programs over the Internet.

“The chip maker envisions the service as a bundle of television channels akin to the packages provided by cable and satellite television providers, according to a person with knowledge of the discussions, who did not want to be identified talking about unannounced company plans.

Instead of using the service via a set-top box, consumers would tune in with devices that run on Intel chips,” wrote the New York Times.                     More

iPad 3 rumor roundup

CNET - With the success Apple is enjoying with the iPad 2, we’re not sure it even needs to make an iPad 3.

It will, of course. Just as it’s done over the past two years, Apple will likely unveil its latest, greatest tablet around April 2012. Until then, it’s open season on iPad 3 rumors.

In this ongoing blog post, we’ll be collecting the best, most interesting rumors and predictions for the Apple iPad 3. Which of these rumors will pan out? Only time will tell.

Looking for an iPhone 5 rumor roundup? We have one of those too.

February 17
Is this the iPad 3′s Retina Display?
A purported photo of the iPad 3′s display is published by MacRumors. A microscopic inspection shows it to have more pixels than the current model, while maintaining the iPad’s same 4:3 aspect ratio and 9.7-inch screen size.

February 14
Supplier chatter points to smaller 8-inch iPad
The Wall Street Journal reports that Apple is talking to component suppliers about an iPad with a smaller screen. This rumor matches up with a previous rumor that Apple may create three tiers of iPads, including a smaller model offered at an entry-level price.

February 13
Verizon and AT&T to back iPad 3 4G capability
The two telecom carriers will carry a next-generation iPad running on the fast, next-generation wireless technology, sources tell The Wall Street Journal. Both carriers currently offer versions of the iPad 2 that make use of their respective 3G networks.

February 10
Apple March announcement, iPad 2S a possibility
A source quoted by the New York Times claims that the next generation of the iPad will be announced in early March 2012, and will look very similar to the iPad 2. The article goes on to speculate that the new iPad may not be called “iPad 3,” considering how Apple’s modestly updated iPhone 4S was thought to be called the iPhone 5.

February 9
iPad 3 launch to coincide with iOS 5.1
Profiles created for different iPhone operators point to early March as a possible date for the release of iOS 5.1, one that could coincide with the debut of the iPad 3.

February 9
Alleged iPad 3 Retina Display photographed
Leaked photos surface of what looks to be a new iPad-compatible high-resolution display. The panel is manufactured by Sharp, matching up with one previous rumor.

More

iOS 5 battery fix gets mixed reviews–plus more fuel for Apple rumor mill

CNET - Apple surprised users this week by delivering its battery-life-fixing update to iOS 5 sooner than expected. But complaints about the problem continued.

The update arrived a little more than a week after Apple first acknowledged that some users were, in fact, running into problems with battery life after upgrading to the newer version of iOS. Apple then promised to deliver a software update to fix the issue, which the company said would be here “in a few weeks.”

Instead, the update came just eight days later, on both iTunes and as the first over-the-air update on devices–a feature that was added as part of iOS 5.

But the update doesn’t seem to be a fix-all for the problem. Yesterday, numerous users complained that the issue still existed, and some even said it was worse. Apple responded by saying the fix had addressed most aspects of the problem but that the company was continuing to investigate “a few remaining issues.”

Besides attempting to tackle the battery-life situation, iOS 5.0.1 brings multitasking gestures to owners of the original iPad, fixes a security issue for iPad 2 users with a Smart Cover, and brings an improved iPhone 4S dictation feature to Australian users.

Read on for a rundown of everything else that happened this week in Apple land.

Apple Talk Weekly rounds up of some of the top Apple-related news and rumors. It appears every Saturday morning and is curated by CNET’s Apple reporter, Josh Lowensohn.

News

Apple settles split cord MagSafe lawsuit

Apple this week reached a settlement in a class-action lawsuit targeting older models of its MagSafe power adapters that had a nasty habit of splitting near where the cord met the magnetic housing. Those who bought a replacement may now be entitled to a full or partial refund. Apple has also listed information on what the problem looks like and what users should do with their damaged adapters.

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