Hasta La Gadget!

You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours — all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.

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Go on, reject the notion. Work yourself into a tizzy. Then, grab an Orange Crush and a bag chair, ’cause you’re going to need some serious support to handle the realization. The gold iPhone is coming, and it’ll be launched during Apple’s upcoming event on September 10th. As AllThingsD reports, a new flagship iPhone will be unveiled with an “elegant gold tone,” which is said to be more like champagne in actuality. If the rumors prove true, we should see a white face with a gilded rear… which will never be seen by anyone once you strap a case on it. Best of all? We’re sensing a golden opportunity for Macklemore to score a product placement promotion in a future music video.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Apple

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Source: AllThingsD

A couple of weeks back it was rumored that iPhone 5S might also be available in gold color. We didn’t hear any more rumors about that possibility, most people thought that it wasn’t likely for Apple to take such a step. A few days ago Ming-Chi Kuo, a well known analyst at KGI Securities, claimed that the gold iPhone 5S is indeed coming and that it would have 128GB of on-board storage. The first picture believed to be of this gold iPhone 5S has been posted online, the picture only shows off the casing and not the fully assembled device.

The picture was initially posted online by a French website called Macboutic. Now you might notice something unorthodox with the picture. There are no regulatory markings, iPhone moniker and Apple logo on the back of this purported iPhone 5S casing. That’s because they’ve been edited out, at least that’s what Macboutic says. Still, this isn’t sufficient to believe that a gold iPhone 5S will become available later this year. For all we know, this casing could belong to a prototype that the company tested at some point in time. Apple is expected to unveil the new iPhone alongside its much rumored low cost sibling at an event on September 10th.

Gold iPhone 5S Alleged Picture Posted Online original content from Ubergizmo.

Tired of Apple offering iPhones solely in black or white? If photos obtained by MacBoutic are accurate, you’ll get some variety soon… and some bling, for that matter. The repair shop’s images reportedly show an iPhone 5S shell in a simulated gold color, supporting recent spec predictions from KGI analyst (and frequent AppleInsider tipster) Ming-Chi Kuo. While it’s difficult to verify the snapshots when MacBoutic has erased all logos, this doesn’t look like an aftermarket project; the hue extends to normally inaccessible parts of the phone, for example. As a result, we won’t be surprised if we see a flashy gold iPhone at Apple’s rumored September 10th event.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Apple

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Via: iPhon.fr (translated)

Source: Macboutic (translated)

3D printing just keeps getting better and better, and while the printers themselves seem to be gradually overcoming their resolution and speed limitations, materials continue to be the bigger challenge. Now, there is yet another way to enhance 3D printing, and it is awesome.

What you’re looking at here wasn’t actually printed on a 3D printer though – these gold-plated brass pieces are cast from 3D-printed models. The guys at Shapeways are now offering this material for outputting your digital models, and it’s quite spectacular.

The process involves printing a wax model with a hi-res 3D printer. Then the wax is placed into plaster to form a mold, after which the wax is melted out. This plaster mold is then used for casting the 3D model out of molten brass. Once cooled, the piece is polished, and then electroplated with nickel and then 24K gold. So while the latter stages are traditional jewelry-making processes, it’s the first step that creates truly innovative forms.

Sure, it would be cool if you could 3D print directly with precious metals, but we’re not there yet. For now, this process results in impressively detailed and shiny models which would be nearly impossible to envision being hand-sculpted in wax, resulting in unique works of art and jewelry.

Shapeways’ gold-plated brass material sells for $35(USD) per cubic centimeter, and can currently produce objects measuring up to 100mm x 100mm x 30mm.

[via SolidSmack]