iOS 6's "Wi-Fi + Cellular" option will solve some network conundrums

DownloadBlog's Jeff Benjamin has taken a look at the new "Wi-Fi + Cellular" option that will be in iOS 6. On the surface, the concept is brilliant. If you encounter issues with your Wi-Fi connection, iOS 6 automatically will tap your data plan as a back-up until you're back on the Wi-Fi successfully.

This scenario can occur you've made a Wi-Fi connection and it turns out to be pretty bad. The connection to the router is solid, but the Internet itself is pretty horrid -- case in point, most hotel rooms I've stayed in the past couple of years. Benjamin cites cases where you're making the transition between a place with Wi-Fi, such as your home or a coffee shop, and places without. There's a middle ground where you're barely hanging onto a Wi-Fi connection.

There are restrictions to this, for the frugally minded. You can't be downloading an app that's bigger than 50 MB, be using a third-party browser or an app that streams audio or video content. Benjamin managed to get FaceTime working using Wi-Fi + Cellular, but receiving a call forced the app to hang.

Most people will not notice any sort of change to data consumption, but you can toggle the option off if you're worried about hitting a data cap. While we don't know if Apple will have this option on by default, it won't hurt to make sure once iOS 6 is live.

[Source: TUAW]

Next iPhone's tiny docking connector possibly spotted

We've seen the rumored next iPhone's minuscule docking port more than once. Any of the cabling that plugs into that port, however, has been non-existent until today. If photos slipped to Nowhereelse.fr are more than just flights of fancy, they show a much narrower and possibly slimmer connector that matches up with the hole we've seen. It's so small that a full-size USB connector dwarfs it by comparison, and there's only eight contact pins per side (or possibly total) versus the 30 overall that we know today. We're not told if there are any special tricks besides the size reduction, though: while the new cable end looks dual-sided, there's no guarantee Apple will have eliminated the right-side-up requirement that afflicts just about every mobile-sized port format we've seen to date. If real, the redesign could lead to one less hassle for charging and syncing. It just wouldn't be much consolation to those who'd been hoping for a switch to a standard like micro-USB -- or, for that matter, to long-time iPhone owners who may have to give up or convert legions of accessories.

Update: since we first posted, the rumor has fleshed out a bit. It's claimed that there are eight pins on both sides, but that they perform different functions and might not let us plug the connector in any which way. Supposedly, the connectors also aren't the final models and reflect the problems the unnamed contractor has had meeting Apple's standards. Don't worry about claims of future iPads leaping to the new connector: if there's really a format switch underway, it's only natural that other devices will follow suit.

[Source: Engadget]

Next iPhone's motherboard possibly spotted with a dash of extra wireless

We may well have seen the next iPhone's back shell, front panel, SIM tray and even its cabling. Why not round it out with what might be the motherboard? A WeiPhone forum goer who slipped out the iPhone 4S' board last year is back with the 2012 update's potential new heart. While the tipster hasn't been courteous enough to do a side-by-side with the older component, repair shop iDeviceGuys notes to 9to5 Mac that the newer part isn't just a carbon copy; that smaller SIM slot (what you see in the middle) is one of the bigger giveaways. The real treat may be the extra wireless antenna connections. They aren't any surefire signs of 4G, but the antenna links suggest Apple isn't content with what the iPhone 4S has to offer. We're mostly left wondering about what's under that shielding -- it's a mystery as to whether or not the next iPhone's processor speed bump is a mountain or a molehill. Barring one more peek, we could get the full scoop next month.

[Source: Engadget]

Apple Stores matching iPhone discounts from retailers and carriers

If you're in the market for an iPhone right now, you can take advantage of a new price-matching deal that appears to be popping up at Apple retail stores nationwide according to MacRumors.

The program apparently matches price drops that have been announced by carriers -- for instance, Sprint's recent $149.99 price on the 16 GB iPhone 4S. Apple is officially showing pricing at $199/$299/$399 for the iPhone 4S, $99 for the iPhone 4, and free for the iPhone 3GS, and if you purchase an iPhone from the online Apple Store, you'll still pay that price.

But Apple's retail stores have authorization to match discounted prices by cutting prices down $49.01 on all iPhone 4S and iPhone 4 models. In order to take advantage of the discounts you'll need to show the store personnel the ad where you saw the lower pricing.

[Source: TUAW]

Next-Generation iPhone Components Compared to Previous Models

Following up on a fresh leak of claimed next-generation iPhone parts, Nowhereelse.fr now shares [Google translation] new photos from the same source that provide an interesting comparison between several of the new components and their predecessors found in the iPhone 4S and iPhone 4. As shown in the top row, Apple appears to be returning to the rotational electric motor design for the vibrator that was used in the GSM iPhone 4 and earlier devices. In the CDMA iPhone 4 and the iPhone 4S, Apple has been using a larger drum-shaped linear oscillating vibrator that gives a softer feel and sound. 

Apple's flex cable designs have also continued to evolve through the generations, with the company tending to group components on cables by function and physical proximity. With the move of the headphone jack to the bottom of the device and tweaks to the camera and sensor arrangements, it appears that Apple has in some respects been able to simplify its cable designs.

The second row of parts shows how Apple has modified the design of the volume control cable over time. While the part previously included the volume control button/mute switch assembly and the headphone jack, with the headphone jack having moved to the bottom of the device the cable now stretches across the device to also contain the power switch, consolidating all of the exterior button and switch functionalities on a single cable.

In previous iPhones, the power switch was included on the sensor cable, which also contained both the proximity sensor and the ambient light sensor, as shown in the third row of parts. But with the power switch now having been moved over to the volume control cable, the sensor cable has been simplified. 

Not shown in these photos is the headphone jack and dock connector part. That part was one of the first to leak back in May, but the dock connector was initially misidentified as the earpiece before it was discovered that the headphone jack would actually be located on the bottom of the next-generation iPhone.

[Source: MacRumors]

Next Generation iPhone Battery Only Marginally Higher Capacity

Part photos of the new battery for the next generation iPhone have been posted by9to5Mac. The part shows only a minor increase in capacity from 3.7V/1430mAh/5.3Whr in the iPhone 4S to 3.8V/1440mAh/5.45Whr in the rumored iPhone 5. No dimensions are provided to compare the size of the battery to the current iPhone batteries. 

The next generation iPhone is believed to be a taller but thinner device. The increased height, however, is more than offset by the reduction in thickness which results in a decreased internal volume of the device as compared to the iPhone 4 and 4S. If this part leak is to believed, Apple hasn't been able to significantly increase the battery capacity on the new iPhone. 

The new iPhone is expected to include LTE data networking for the first time. LTE has traditionally required more power than the currently supported 3G networks. Apple's Tim Cook has said that the reason that Apple hadn't used LTE in iPhones is due to the "design compromises" required to build such a device. This has widely believed to have referred to the increased power requirement of existing LTE chips. Qualcomm is poised to release a new LTE chip that Anandtech believes will "likely increase LTE battery life to reasonable levels."

[Source: MacRumors]

Check Out The Mini iPhone And iPad Pins Apple Has Been Giving Out At The London Olympics

Since the beginning of the 2012 London Olympics last month, Apple has been giving away a rotating set of 4 Great Britain-themed lapel pins each day. This isn’t a new thing for Apple, as the company gave out similar Canadian-themed pins during the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

For the Olympics this year, the pins are tiny black and white iPhones and iPads. Cult of Mac reader Andrew Wingert sent in some shots of Apple’s full pin set.

[Source: Cult of Mac - Read the full story]

Next Generation iPhone Enclosure Measured at 7.6 mm Thick

Apple.pro posts scans of a story that first appeared in Chinese-language newspaper Apple Daily. That publication obtained one of the many "iPhone 5" enclosures that have been available over the past few weeks and took measurements of them. 

The thickness of the next generation enclosure was measured at 7.6 mm. The rest of the dimensions appear to be equivalent to circulating specifications leaked by case manufacturers in June:

One manufacturer we spoke to said that he was sure that the leaked images were accurate – so sure that he was already preparing to construct iPhone 5 cases and he’d be willing to ship replacements for free if they turned out not to be perfect. He enumerated three big changes from the old iPhone 4S to the iPhone 5: 

1. The phone is much bigger, measuring 58.47 mm wide, 123.83 mm high and 7.6 mm thin. The screen is 4″. 
2. The earphone jack has been relocated to the bottom of the phone. 
3. The dock connector is much smaller, similar in size to micro USB. 

The iPhone 4S measures 9.3mm in depth, so a 7.6mm thin phone would represent an 18% reduction in thickness. The width of the new iPhone is expected to be about the same as the iPhone 4S, but the height will increase in order to fit a 4" diagonal screen. 

Apple is expected to introduce the new iPhone at a September 12th media event.

[Source: MacRumors]

So… Samsung DID copy Apple

This is the biggest news story I have read in a long time (very important link below). According to an article from AllThingsD new documentation has been submitted in the Apple vs Samsung case.

"As part of its case against Samsung, Apple has shown snippets of an internal Samsung document comparing the original Galaxy S phone with the iPhone.

On Tuesday, Apple managed to get the whole 132-page document admitted into evidence. And it’s a doozy.

The 2010 report, translated from Korean, goes feature by feature, evaluating how Samsung’s phone stacks up against the iPhone.

Authored by Samsung’s product engineering team, the document evaluates everything from the home screen to the browser to the built in apps on both devices. In each case, it comes up with a recommendation on what Samsung should do going forward and in most cases its answer is simple: Make it work more like the iPhone."

You can read through the whole document here … it makes for a very interesting read, with direct comparisons all the way through, including comments on how Samsung should copy, but make subtle changes too their UI.

[Source: AllThingsD]

The next iPhone's nano-SIM cradle allegedly leaked

Rumors about the new iPhone have basically everything but the screen shrinking. That includes the SIM card and its ejectable drawer. French site NoWhereElse scored some photos of what it claims is the new tray, alongside the 4S version for comparison. As you can clearly see, the new SIM slot is narrower and the insert has a slightly different cosmetic design. If the part turns out to be legit, it will hardly come as a surprise. Apple made a big push for a nano-SIM standard to be adopted over competing designs from Nokia, RIM and Motorola. If the rumors and Cupertino's reliable refresh schedule hold up, you wont have to wait long to find out for sure. The next iPhone is expected to be announced next month. Hit up the source link for a few more photos.

[Source: Engadget]

Next-Gen iPhone Dock Offers Robotic Motion

In April 2012, an ambitious Kickstarter project made headlines for exceeding its $100,000 funding goal by more than half a million dollars. The project was Galileo, an iOS-controlled, robotic motion platform for the iPhone and iPod Touch.The brainchild of Motrr team Josh Guyot and JoeBen Bevirt, the guys behind Joby and Guyot Designs, the dock certainly captured the imagination of the Kickstarter community, with more than 5,000 backers getting involved.The Galileo isn’t just a high-end iOS dock though, it’s due to be an entire platform. With apps already in the works and a software development kit due soon, we file the project under “one to watch,” with exciting potential for video conferencing, photography, videography and social networking. To find out more we spoke to one of the founders.

[Source: Mashable]

Charities benefitting from iPhone Shopping App

Socialvest, a company that says it's raised tens of thousands of dollars for nonprofits through its shopping site, has launched an iPhone app to make it easier for people to help others while shopping.The site lets shoppers give to the charities of their choice by working with online retailers like Target, Home Depot, Macy's and Amazon. When a user buys something from a partnered shop, between 1 to 15 percent of the purchase will be donated to a nonprofit.It seems like a great way to be a do-gooder while satisfying your commercial needs.

[Source: To read the full atricle visit CNET News]