Hasta La Gadget!

Well, this is intriguing: Walmart just officially announced that it’ll be selling the 16GB iPhone 3GS for $97 starting Tuesday, a full $100 off the regular price. Given the high probability that Steve Jobs will introduce the thoroughly-leaked next-gen iPhone when he gives the WWDC 2010 keynote on June 7th, the price cut seems like either an attempt to clear out remaining inventory or a way to slide the 3GS down the line to replace the $99 8GB iPhone 3G — a move which would corroborate some whispers we’ve heard today that the 3G is no longer being shipped to stores. Either way, the 3GS just got a lot cheaper, which is never a bad thing, but we’d still say potential iPhone owners should wait a couple weeks and see what’s coming next.

[Thanks, Ryan]

Walmart officially cuts iPhone 3GS to $97, potentially clearing out inventory for the iPhone 4? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 24 May 2010 19:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Last time on let’s-speculate-about-Apple-products, the New iPhone rumor mill dug up dirt on video chat and a 5 megapixel camera. Now, it appears there might be one more reason to call it the iPhone HD. MacRumors reports that the iPhone SDK 4 beta includes the value “AVCaptureSessionPreset1280x720,” leading some to believe Cupertino’s next phone will record video in 720p. Mind you, the iPhone 3GS was technically already capable of that feat, so this might not have anything to do with a new handset, but honestly, at this point the iPhone’s camera wouldn’t be competitive recording in a smaller format anyhow.

iPhone OS 4 unlocks 720p video capture, further solidifying iPhone HD? originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 05 May 2010 22:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hot on the heels of the “ornamental design” patent covering its original iPhone and iPod touch, we’ve got a second USPTO patent granted to Apple covering what looks to be the more curvaceous iPhone 3G and 3GS. Jonathan P. Ive and Steve Jobs are among the inventors credited with the usual list of references including the LG KE850 Prada and Meizu M8 look-a-like devices. Don’t get too hung up on the missing “home” button — a US design patent covers any device “substantially similar” to the images above. What that means only a judge can say.

Apple granted design patent for iPhone 3G, 3GS originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 04 May 2010 07:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Bored to death of uncreative iPhone accessories, I’ve been praying to God for something different. But perhaps I’ve been praying to the wrong god. Information Appliance Associates, the company best known for its PocketMac synching software, is today announcing the iTiki, a charming little Hawaiian pocket god that will protect your 3G or 3GS iPhone from nicks and scratches.

The iTiki is available in two colors: pacific (blue) and koa (orange). The case is made of silicone and sells for a slightly high $29.97. Check out the video on the site, where a host introduces the iTiki to the crowd at–where else?–Trader Vic’s in Los Angeles, whose patrons admire its sexy look and soft feel.

You heard right, folks — according to the Wall Street Journal, Apple is currently “developing a new iPhone to debut this summer,” and as if that weren’t enough, it’s also “working on another model for US mobile phone operator Verizon Wireless.” As of this moment, details about the break are nowhere to be found, but it’s not like either tidbit is shocking. This summer will mark the one-year anniversary of the iPhone 3GS, and if the Cupertino-based company keeps with its historical refresh pattern, we’re just a few months out from seeing the latest and greatest iPhone. There’s also been no shortage of iPhone-to-Verizon rumors over the years, with the latest of ’em happening during the run-up to the iPad’s launch.

Update: We’re now learning that the “next iPhone is being manufactured by Taiwanese contract manufacturer Hon Hai Precision Industry,” which just so happens to be the same outfit responsible for crafting all prior iPhones. That’s according to “people briefed on the matter” and sourced by the WSJ. It’s also stated that the world’s first CDMA iPhone will be manufactured by Pegatron Technology, which we caught just last week dabbling in some of NVIDIA’s Tegra 2-based wares. If all goes well, Pegatron could begin mass production of the CDMA iPhone (exact model not disclosed) this September, so it’s hard to say if Sprint or Verizon would have access before the all-too-lucrative holiday season. As for quotes on the matter? Most everyone involved wouldn’t say a word, but an AT&T spokesman did utter the following: “There has been lots of incorrect speculation on CDMA iPhones for a long time. We haven’t seen one yet and only Apple knows when that might occur.“

On a week that couldn’t possibly get any bigger for Apple, that’s exactly what just happened. Everyone suspected that a fourth-generation iPhone was in the works, but having an outlet like the WSJ confirm it just makes the summer that much harder to wait for. There’s also the possibility that 2010 will be the final year that AT&T retains its death-grip on the iPhone, but by the sound of this report, it still seems as if the nation’s largest GSM carrier may nab exclusive rights on the latest iPhone. We also can’t help but wonder about the future of a true 4G iPhone — will Sprint manage to grab a WiMAX-enabled version? Will Verizon get its grubby paws on an LTE model? We figured only Jobs would know, but now… there might just be someone else out there willing to spill the beans.

Update 2: Soon after the news broke, we were informed that the next-generation iPhone would be announced on June 22nd (a Tuesday, naturally) and would be dubbed the iPhone HD (a name that has been tossed around before). That certainly makes sense given that Apple almost certainly has to up the pixel count in order to rival the EVO 4G, HD2 and all of those other high-res handsets, but we’re still reserving judgment until we see that fateful media invite hit our inbox.

Update 3: John Gruber’s just weighed in with some more tidbits, in his characteristically polite way. Gruber says the next model will have an A4-class SoC, a 960 x 640 display, a front-facing camera, and that iPhone OS 4.0 will enable third-party multitasking. A pretty safe set of predictions, in all, but Gruber’s done pretty well in the past, so we’ll just have to wait and see.

[Thanks, Chris]

WSJ: Apple ‘developing new iPhone,’ plus another for Verizon (update: iPhone HD, front-facing camera?) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Mar 2010 17:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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