iPhone 5 outperforms Galaxy S III in damage tests

Despite reports about the iPhone 5's aluminum back being easily scratched, Byte is reporting that tests of the iPhone 5 show that it is much more durable than its biggest competitor -- Samsung's Galaxy S III.

Byte cited torture tests from three different sources: PhoneDoctors, Android Authority, and SquareTrade.com. These sites did everything from dropping the phones and having a toddler toss one onto concrete, to throwing them into swimming pools. For the most part the iPhone 5 survived everything that it was subjected to. The Samsung smartphone? It wasn't so lucky.

[Source: TUAW]

HTC teases Windows Phone 8X in promo video, wants you to look no further

While we've already shown you our own detailed preview of HTC's upcoming Windows Phone 8X, now it's the company's turn to put its own spin into it -- and, well, what better way to do so than by posting a "first look" promo video. The short teaser itself doesn't reveal any details we weren't aware of, with the Taiwanese outfit placing focus on the device's variety of color assortments, seamless integration with Skype, the track selection from Xbox Music and, of course, that built-in Beats Audio technology. Unfortunately, there's no mention of an exact release date anywhere to be found in the video, although this shouldn't come as a surprise given the fact we're still waiting for Microsoft's Windows Phone 8 launch to become officially official. Regardless, head on past the break to see what HTC has in store for you.

[Source: Engadget]

Evernote web interface updated with better sharing, cleaner look

We're huge fans of Evernote here at the Engadget compound (it's great for keeping track of our latest world domination schemes). But, we've got to admit, the web service is clearly the company's red-headed step child. The desktop and mobile apps are undeniably top-notch, but the webapp is just sort of there. Being able to edit your notes and share them from any browser is a great feature, but we wouldn't exactly call it an enjoyable experience. Today the company took the wraps off a revamp that should ease the pain a bit. Evernote is particularly proud of its new shared note design, that offers a much more attractive and interactive look at entries. You can reshare notes, enter a slideshow view or copy it to your own account. The broader redesign is subtle, but refreshing. There are new icons, some color changes and a tweaked top bar that lend a less cluttered feel without removing functionality. There's even a handy button that collapses the sidebar for those of you rocking smaller laptop screens. We also noticed that the new interface seems to load notes with multiple images much faster. You can read about it straight from the horses mouth at the source or just go to the Evernote homepage and check it out yourself.

[Source: Engadget]

Gmail now searches attachment text, homework hoarders rejoice!

As Google continues to improve other areas of its broad ecosystem, it's always great to see that the company hasn't abandoned its search simplification roots. A spokesperson for the company told us, "we recently added the ability to search within Gmail attachments as part of our ongoing efforts to improve search." This potential time-saver plays nice with Word docs, PDFs, PPTs and many other file extensions. Currently in its infancy, some of your older attachments may not have been indexed yet, so you might not be able to "share" last year's term paper with your younger sibling until Google brings the feature up to speed. However, if you're just looking to locate that recently received Word doc filled with notes from your study buddy, then have at it.

[Source: Engadget]

Fujitsu eye-tracking tech uses built-in motion sensor, infrared LED for hands-free computing

Eye-tracking technology looks to be one of the major tropes at CEATEC this year. One of many companies demoing a gaze-following setup is Fujitsu, which is showing off a prototype desktop PC with a built-in sensor and infrared LED. This configuration should be cheaper than many other eye-controlled solutions out there, as the components are integrated directly into the computer and no external hardware is needed. It's sweet and simple: the camera captures the reflection of light on the user's eye, and image processing technology then calculates the user's viewing angle to allow for hands-free navigation on-screen.

[Source: Engadget - Read more there]

Motorola's Razr i arrives in the UK at Phones4U

Motorola's Razr i has landed on British shores, and is available today from Phones4U. The handset, the first born of a union 'twixt Moto and Intel, skates pretty close to the competition in the performance stakes and promises vastly improved power efficiency. The handset is free to anyone grabbing a plan costing £21.50 or more, while the first 500 to snap up the phone will also get a complimentary pair of MOTOROKR headphones, too.

[Source: Engadget]

Apple quietly bumping iCloud storage to 25 GB until the year 2050?

Twitter user @mgleet tipped me off that Apple appears to have bumped his iCloud storage plan to 25 GBs until the year 2050. Multiple people here at TUAW are seeing the same plan bumps, though none of us has upgraded our plans, not to mention paid 38 years in advance.

Apple has been known to offer cloud storage upgrades for free in the past when their online services didn't live up to expectations (MobileMe). Could this be a way Apple is apologizing for the Maps debacle?

To check to see what your storage plan is, go to Settings>iCloud>Account on your iOS device. Free 20GB storage upgrades for previous MobileMe members are set to expire today, but currently a bunch of us are seeing that those plans are now set to expire September 30, 2050.

It's possible this could be a bug on Apple's end as they transition MobileMe members down from the 25 GB plan to the 5 GB plan, though it's October 1st in New Zealand and one of our writers there is reporting he's still on the free 25 GB plan, which should have ended at 11:59PM September 30 New Zealand time. We'll keep you updated as soon as we hear more information.

[Source: TUAW]

Tim Cook's apology shows that Apple cares, but still needs to fix problem

Last week I wrote an article criticizing Apple's new Maps capability explaining why it was a deal-breaker for me and why I was leaving the iPhone. That article generated hundreds of comments (in agreement and disagreement), tweets, and emails to me and TUAW, some going so far as calling for me to be fired. Since that article was published, the criticisms of Maps have exploded, so much so that Tim Cook released a rare public apology from Apple and pointed users to mapping apps from competitors. While that may help stem the bleeding until Apple can figure out how to fix its Maps mess, there are two things about Tim Cook's statement I want to address.

The first is that Cook's apology shows that Apple truly cares about its users. You know those times you mess up and realize how hard it is to apologize for your mistake? It's usually pride or embarrassment that gets in the way of apologizing. Either way, it's still incredibly hard to admit you were wrong. Now multiply that feeling by a million, knowing that your apology -- the admission that you were wrong -- will be reported by every major newspaper and tech blog in the world.

[Source: TUAW - Read the full story there]

Verizon iPhone 5 update fixes mobile data use on WiFi bug

Verizon customers received an unexpected bonus when they opted for the latest iPhone, but in an unfortunate case of carrier Karma, the necessary sacrifice was their mobile data. An update has been issued to fix a Verizon-specific bug which, "under certain circumstances," used cellular data when connected to WiFi. To plug the potential leak, you'll need to head to the About screen in the phone's Settings, General menu, where you should find a update prompt. Install, then -- importantly -- reboot, and if "Verizon 13.1" shows as your carrier in that same About tab, you know you're safe. We'd also recommend checking your data allowance with crossed fingers -- for what use is LTE if you've already hit your monthly cap?

[Source: Engadget]

Sharp begins production of 1080p display for smartphones: 443 ppi crammed into a 5-inch LCD

Layoffs and loans may be dominating our Sharp coverage at the moment, but that just makes this type of news all the sweeter. The company has announced its LCD panel type 5 -- a 5-inch full HD (1,920 x 1,080) display packing a Retina-busting 443 ppi (just trumping LG's similar 440 ppi LCD). An outcome of its layer-reducing CG-Silicon technology, the smartphone-targeted screen goes into full-scale production this month and will be shown off at CEATEC Japan this very week. We'll try to give it eyes-on treatment at the show, but you can rub your hands together sinisterly in the meantime and just think about the glorious devices which will bear it.

[Source: Engadget]

Sony reveals Japan prices for Windows 8 devices, adds touchscreen to VAIO L, E14P and T13

With Windows 8 finally launching in less than four weeks, it's only a matter of time before the web is flooded with prices of upcoming PCs, the first among which this month hail from Sony VAIO's Japan branch. Starting with the Duo 11 slider PC, it's expected to go for about ¥150,000 ($1,930) when it launches in Japan on October 26th (alongside Windows 8), and it'll come with a 1080p display, 1.7GHz Core i5-3317U, 128GB SSD, 4GB RAM and WiMAX. Then we have three flavors of the Tap 20 portable all-in-one which will range from about ¥140,000 ($1,800) up to about ¥180,000 ($2,310) come November 3rd, with the main differences being the CPU (1.8GHz Core i3-3217U, 1.7GHz Core i5-3317U or 1.9GHz Core i7-3517U) and the RAM (4GB or 8GB), but all three will feature the same 20-inch 1,600 x 900 display and 1TB hard drive.

Also announced at the Tokyo event are Japan prices for three more existing VAIO models that now feature a touchscreen: ¥130,000 ($1,670) for the T Series 13 Ultrabook with Core i5-3317U, ¥150,000 ($1,920) for the VAIO E Series 14P laptop with Core i5-3210M, and from ¥210,000 ($2,700) to ¥240,000 ($3,080) for the VAIO L Series 24-inch all-in-one with Core i7-3630QM and 1080p display. The two laptops will be available in Japan from October 26th, whereas the all-in-one will join in from November 3rd.

There's no indication as to whether the US prices will match their Japanese counterparts (the former are usually a lot cheaper), but hey, stay tuned here and you'll know as soon as we do.

[Source: Engadget]

Nominet proposes more secure .UK domain for British websites

Nominet is considering a .uk internet domain for users who can't bear to type the extra three characters necessary for .co.uk. The body is lobbying for the new domain in time for ICANN's next TLD expansion, which includes new entries like .shop, .play and .home. Nominet has promised tough entry requirements for the system, with only businesses (or persons) that can prove a UK presence being eligible to register. It'll also be around four times more expensive, with the extra charges going to pay for daily malware scanning to prevent domain spoofing and a donation to a trust to improve web security. If you're an interested party, you can offer your tuppence-worth at the body's official public consultation which runs until January 7th 2013.

[Source: Engadget]