No, you don’t need a damn case for your iPhone 5—but if you have butterfingers and you must use a case, this seems to me like the only acceptable one. The SurfacePad is not only simple and elegant—complementing the iPhone’s design rather than turning it into an ugly hulk or a clear-plastic-wrapped granny sofa—but also has function. And it protects your screen too, unlike 99 percent of the offensively horrible covers out there. More »
Yesterday we highlighted an umbrella that had a grip in its handle that allows the owner to use an umbrella and their smartphone at the same time because we thought it was both a cool and silly concept. We can imagine using the umbrella on a regular basis when using your phone and shielding yourself from rain are equally important.
Today, we stumbled onto an iPhone case that should be considered a necessity if you value both your addiction to your iPhone and your addiction to having a drink readily available at all times. The UpperCup iPhone case has a pop-out cup holder that will allow you to keep your cup of coffee within reach at all times when you need your caffeine fix while texting your friends.
UpperCup is currently seeking funds to become an actual product on Indiegogo, $25,000 to be exact. If you think you need the UpperCup in your life, you can snag one for your iPhone 4/4S for $25, while the iPhone 5 case will cost $30. If the project reaches its goal, UpperCups are expected to be delivered by April 2013.
By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Red Nokia Lumia 822 Offers Valentine’s Day Gift Options, Verizon Samsung Ativ Odyssey Arrives, 
Now this is a public service announcement, and just in case some folks out there lack the common sense to weigh what they have read online and know how to filter things through, remember that you should never, ever microwave your iphone just to charge its battery. It seems that there are some folks living in Japan who came across this sagely advice online, and fell for it, hook, line and sinker, and obviously ended up with heartbreaking results.
It definitely sounds unbelievable, but as they say, truth is indeed stranger than fiction, and there has been images of microwaved iPhones appearing all over the Internet, mostly by the “victims” who realized that they have been duped. Apparently, this thread began from a Japanese internet noticeboard known as “2channel“, where it touted that the iPhone 5 can be juiced up in a microwave for 20 seconds, while it takes half a minute for the iPhone 4S to be charged up. Norton should come up with some sort of naive filter for the Internet, really!
By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Siri Was Almost Installed On Verizon’s Droid Lineup Of Smartphones At One Point In Time, 2013 iPhones To See In-Cell Touch (Rumor), 
This week KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has released a projected roadmap of Apple products spanning the next 12 months, this map including no less than an iPhone 5S and a new iteration of the iPhone 5, complete with plastic casing. While an actual “official” leaked roadmap as such leaked from Apple would be a first sign of the apocalypse, we’re ready and willing to have a peek at this possible vision for the future, especially given the relatively good future foretelling we’ve seen come from Kuo specifically in the past.
What this map shows is an iPhone 5S coming in Q3, followed within weeks by a new design and release for the iPhone 5, complete with a set of case modifications we’ve been hearing rumors and suggestions about over the past week – how odd! These predictions include a device which has largely the same specifications as the iPhone 5 as it exists on the market today, but with a 1600 mAh battery instead of 1420, 8.2mm of thickness instead of 7.6, and a weight of 130g instead of 112.
Perhaps most interesting of all is the suggestion that the refreshed iPhone 5 will be coming with multiple different colors, not unlike the most recent push with the iPod touch. This release will also have plastic casing rather than aluminum, this keeping the cost of the device down considerably – and remind yourself here that these are all predictions from KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, not assurances.
The price for this newly refreshed iPhone 5 will be between $350 and $450 unlocked (compared to the current $600-700 on the market today) and it’ll be completely free when purchased with a 2-year contract. This contradicts the pattern Apple worked with when the iPhone 4S was revealed, the “free” model being at that time the iPhone 3GS, aka the least powerful of the three models on the market. With this release there’d only be two.
This roadmap also predicts that there’ll be an iPad 5 released between the iPhone 5S and the modified iPhone 5, with a newly designed Retina MacBook Pro released at the same time. Also released with the iPhone 5S will be a modified iPod touch 5th gen and an iPod nano refresh. Predicted for Q1 is an Apple TV refresh of some kind, near the end of Q2 a new MacBook Air, and last in Q3 an iPad mini 2nd gen.
Lastly Kuo suggests that at the start of the fourth quarter of 2013 we’ll be seeing a new iMac and a new Mac mini – exciting times! Have a peek at our Apple hub for more Apple action through the year, and get ready for the multi-colored plastic of the iPhone 5 refresh – if that’s what you believe will be coming, of course.
[via MacRumors]
iPhone 5 in multi-colored plastic predicted in Apple 2013 roadmap is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
![iPhone 5S To Begin Production In March; Launching In June/July [Rumor]](https://i0.wp.com/cdnrss.ubergizmo.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/iphone-5s-production-march-launch-june.jpeg?resize=625%2C375 "iPhone 5S To Begin Production In March; Launching In June/July [Rumor]")
Even though Apple’s iPhone 5 apparently isn’t doing too well these days due to a rumor circulating yesterday on the company cutting its supply orders, it’s inevitable that they’re already in the process of working on the iPhone 5S. We reported last month analyst Peter Misek expected the iPhone 5S to launch in June 2013, and it looks like he’s back to predict a new timeframe of when to expect the iPhone 5S.
Misek still believes the new iPhone 5S will be unveiled in either June or July 2013, which he also expected the first iPhone 5S builds to start being manufactured in March. Misek also believes news of a new iPhone 5S being available may be the reason why demand for the iPhone 5 has been dropping after the new year.
We can’t completely blame consumers for not wanting to pick up the iPhone 5 at this point since buying any new smartphone is a two-year dedication, depending on the mobile plan you pick up with it. If I had an iPhone 4S and knew the iPhone 5S was right around the corner, I’d wait too.
By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Apple’s Rumored Cheaper iPhone Could Feature A Plastic Body, Samsung Galaxy S4 To Feature 4.99″ Full HD AMOLED display? [Rumor], 
When I traded in my iPhone 3GS of two and a half years, I managed to get a pretty good price for it, especially considering the home button was a bit wonky and some of the chrome on the edges were chipped and the back was pretty scratched up. However when I decided to trade in my Blackberry Bold 9900 which was used for less than half a year, the price I got for it was equivalent to the iPhone 3GS despite it being much newer and being in much, much better condition. Given the popularity of Apple’s iPhone devices, we guess some customers are willing to own an old and battered up iPhone for the sake of it, and interestingly according to the folks at popular trade in website, Gazelle, it seems that the value of a broken iPhone 4S with a completely shattered display is worth as much, if not slightly more, than an almost-mint condition Samsung Galaxy S2 or Galaxy Nexus. This is pretty interesting considering that all three phones were released in 2011, not to mention that the buyer will probably need to fork out even more money to get the phone fixed up, but we guess this just goes to show the lengths and the price some people are willing to pay to own an Apple iOS device (think the selling of kidneys and virginities).
By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Boy Pulls Train’s Emergency Brakes After iPhone Falls Out The Window, WSJ Also Believes A Cheaper iPhone Is In the Works For 2013,
Casio has unveiled its newest smart watch, the Bluetooth-equipped G-Shock GB6900AA series. The watch can be tied to the user’s iPhone via the G-Shock app from Casio, allowing the two device to interface with each other in order to provide time syncing, call and email alerts via the watch, and more. You can grab the G-Shock for $180USD.
One of this watch’s biggest features is its low energy consumption, something especially necessary given the limited battery space possessed by a watch. It achieves this conservative energy usage via BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy). The G-Shock uses an ordinary watch battery, which lasts approximately 2 years with an average daily Bluetooth usage of 12 hours per day.
The G-Shock features countdown timer, 1/100th second stopwatch, an LED super illuminator, five daily alarms, a mute feature, world time zones, and is shock/water resistant up to 200 meters. The smart watch is compatible with the iPhone 4S running iOS 5.1.1 and 6.0 and iPhone 5. The G-Shock+ app is available for download from the App Store, and is required to use an iPhone with the watch.
Casio’s CEO and Chairman of its Timepiece Division Shigenori Itoh offered this statement. “G-Shock continues to be a leader in cutting-edge technology for timepieces. With the release of the Bluetooth LE Smart Watch collection, we are pushing the boundaries of inspired timepieces for the business savvy, technology conscious consumer.”
Casio announces G-Shock Bluetooth-equipped smart watch is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
The holidays are approaching fast, and it’s time to start picking up some gifts: for friends, family, even yourself. But when you’re picking out what to go with, it’s sometimes wise to stay away from the absolute best. Sometimes you just want the best value—something that’s worth every shiny, hard-earned penny. More »
If you have been following us, you may remember our earlier reports on Will.i.am’s genius phone, which is really an iPhone uber-case coming up for the iPhone 4/4S and iPhone 5. Now the artist decided to show off his new gadget during his latest music video “Scream & Shout” featuring himself and Britney Spears. During the video you see numerous pictures of the device. For people that missed out on our last story, let’s us explain you what the hype is all about.
The music artist Will.i.am, also known for being part of the Black Eyed Peas, is making a device that is supposed to make your iPhone a lot better. The device works like a case and attaches to your phone. The device is also known as the i.am+. The case will replace your iPhone’s camera with one of its own. The camera has a 14 megapixel sensor, a nice upgrade from the iPhones 8 megapixels and something totally new for a smartphone: interchangeable lenses. (more…)
By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Apple said to have turned to Intel for manufacturing of their mobile chipsets [Rumor], The popSLATE iPhone case adds a secondary e-ink display at the back,
A video discovery app that takes all of the UI greatness of Pulse and smashes it into an environment dedicated to searching through not only your favorite blogs’ feeds of videos, but YouTube, Netflix, and Hulu as well. This app has been out for more than a few weeks, but here in its newest iteration it’s become something of beauty – and it’s free, to boot. You’ve got a “What’s Hot” section for new video discovery and a way to search for the video you want across multiple platforms spanning essentially the entire web – what more could you ask for?
The folks at Squrl have a search engine for instantly playable videos from YouTube, Netflix, Hulu, Ted (aka Ted Talks), AOL, Vimeo, Blip.TV, and more. This list is expanding in Squrl, and the app works just as well on the iPhone 5 as it does on the iPad – and the iPhone 4S/4, the iPod touch, and the rest, too, of course. You can make your own profile and share your favorite videos if you want, or you can remain entirely anonymous.
You can add your own feed collections or you can use the app purely for search. Add the Android feed and you’ll find our favorite sister-site Android Community featured prominently – but you want to stick to Apple, right? There’s an Apple feed as well. You can connect to your Facebook to show an interest graph for yourself over time, this generating suggestions from the app itself as it gets to know you better. It’s one of those things that seems a bit creepy to some people and quite magical to others – I tend to lean towards the latter.
You’ll want to check out the competition in Flixter and Dijit, Showyou and every other app just like this one if you want o judge the best user interface experience for yourself, but the end result right this minute will be thus: Squrl is fresh, it works, it feels nice to use, and it’s free. This app is up on the iTunes App Store right this minute and you can hit up Squrl.com to see if they plan on releasing any Android-based solutions in the near future – or Windows Phone, for that matter too.
Be sure to head down to our iOS App Reviews portal for more of the best for your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch from all angles. Games, utilities, oddities, and everything in-between – have at em!
Squrl for iOS Review is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
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