Hasta La Gadget!

Tomorrow may well be the day that Apple reveals their next-generation iPhone 5, a device that’ll be bringing their newest mobile operating system, iOS 6, to the forefront. We’ve seen quite a bit of this operating system already as it was revealed in part as an “iOS 6 Preview” back at the developers conference known as WWDC 2012. Let’s have a look here at what iOS 6 is set to bring to the iPhone 5 before we liveblog the main event in less than 24 hours – it’ll be fun!

NOTE: We’ve also got a hardware round-up prepared for you for your pre-event consumption – have a peek!

One of the more important elements that Apple’s made clear here with iOS 6 is that it’ll be “free and easy to upgrade wirelessly on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch.” This is a move that’s really not replicated at such an all-encompassing level by any other company at the moment, and now that it’s all wireless, it’s easier than ever before. Not all devices will be compatible with the upgrade, but chances are if you’ve got an Apple mobile device that was released in the past several years, aka everything except the oldest generation devices, you’ll be good to go.

Safari is still the web browser that you’ll be working with, and now you’ll be seeing iCloud Tabs to keep track of what you’re looking at – and were looking at recently – no matter what device you’re working with. This browser also has offline browsing so you can save pages you want to read on the airplane, and includes the ability to select and post images to webpages from your Camera role without leaving the app. This new OS comes with Lost mode and Find My Friends – your device will be able to transmit its location – if you want – even if you’ve not got it in your hands when you want it.

Guided Access is a new feature which allows you to turn off certain areas of the screen and/or your hardware buttons. This will be great for users hoping to use their device as a display for an art project or if they’re handing it off to a child who – believe it or not – is able to accidentally access the bits you don’t want them too – keep them in the game! Mail has also been bumped up with swipe-down for refresh, VIP list inclusion, and a much more streamlined user interface.

The Phone interface has been updated with Do Not Disturb, Reply with Message, and Remind Me Later buttons. Never again will you have to hang up on a call that you can’t take just because you can’t take it right that minute. If you’re planning on calling with video, you’ll be glad to find FaceTime now working with your cellular connection – before you had to rely on wi-fi for this video chat system to work.

Passbook is one of the more stimulating stand-alone app upgrades you’ll find in iOS 6 since it is indeed a whole new app that’s not existed on the standard build of the software before. With Passbook you’ve got a collection of cards you can use for various situations – there’s a Starbucks card you can fill up with cash, a set of coupons for various retailers, and Airline check-in cards as well.

You’ll be able to share your Photo Streams with new sharing tools, connected with iCloud to your Mac and back across your mobile devices and over to your Apple TV. It’s simple to use and works over wi-fi as well as cellular networks. Facebook is also much more present throughout iOS 6 than ever before – you can post directly to Facebook from a webpage in Safari without leaving that page. You can access your Facebook contacts and calendar right from your basic Contacts and Calendar apps. And of course the omnipotent “Like” button will be present in quite a few places.

Siri will be bringing you a collection of new languages and will now be able to give you sports scores and statistics, movie information – including a connection to Rotten Tomatoes, and restaurant information. Siri will also be able to set up a reservation for you at a local restaurant via OpenTable. Then there’s Maps – now using Apple’s non-Google interface and data sources. You’ll now have turn-by-turn directions, 3D follow-along live interaction (with live rerouting), and tappable nearby locations along your way – these will connect with Passbook cards as well – it’s all intertwined!

This new Maps app and interface includes traffic information and nearby alerts for construction, accidents, and the like, and you’ll have ETA information for your intended final destination. What’s set to be the most impressive element here with Apple’s new Maps in the visual spectrum is “Flyover”, a 3D map of cities able to show you not just where you’re going, but what the environment looks like as near to reality as you can get without actually being there.

See all this and more in both our Apple portal as well as our liveblogging portal, the big event set to bring on a whole new device – or set of devices – as well as iOS 6 in its final form. You’ll more than likely be able to download iOS 6 for yourself within the month as well with legacy devices – get pumped up!

iPhone 5 software rundown pre-event: the iOS 6 we know today is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

You hear that? It’s the sound of tech journalists eagerly queueing up in San Francisco for tomorrow’s Apple event. This week is all about the latest iPhone, and while we’re still not quite sure what to call the thing, we can certainly attest to the fact that we’ll be saying it a lot for a while to come. As they did with last year’s iPhone event — and March’s iPad announcement — Tim and Darren will be bringing you a livestream from the streets of San Francisco both before and after the event. Keep locked on Engadget at around 10:30AM ET to get their full predictions. And while, as per usual, Apple’s not into letting third-parties broadcast from inside, you can still follow along with our liveblog at home.

Engadget will be broadcasting live outside of Apple’s iPhone event tomorrow! originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 11 Sep 2012 16:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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In less than 24 hours we’ll be liveblogging the Apple event that will almost certainly play host to the new iPhone 5 – what we’re doing here is preparing you for the event with everything we’ve seen thus far. What you’re going to see with the iPhone 5 event that commences tomorrow (September 12th) at 10AM PST at the Yerba Buena Center is the smartphone itself, complete with details unknown but tipped and leaked to high heavens – of course there’s no telling if anything we’ve seen yet is real or true without final confirmation from Apple, but let’s have a look anyway!

One of the first things Apple will be looking out for during this event outside the proceedings is a Samsung booby-trap with LTE patents galore. HTC might also be coming for them. Analysts have been projecting that this release will spur 10 million unit sales for the new product alone in September.

The images you see above and below are all renders as created by a talented designer/artist/rendered by the name of Martin Urecht. They were made several weeks ago but remain as accurate as ever, matching several supposed leaked photos of parts from all angles. Note that the iPhone 5 here is shown in a couple of color combinations too – also more than likely accurate.

The new line of Apple mobile products will likely use a new mini dock connector with 9 pins on each side – interchangeable! This iPhone will almost certainly be working with 4G LTE connectivity from a variety of carriers. The iPhone 5 will likely keep iPhone 4S prices while the iPhone 3GS is phased out entirely.

One big CERTAINTY we’ve got is the fact that the next iPhone will be running iOS 6 which we’ve covered extensively in it’s pre-release phase here since WWDC 2012. Check out our WWDC 2012 tag as well for more information on the software end of things – check the 80-second greatest hits video above to see the key points from the event, too – iOS 6 is on the way!

The iPhone 5 has been tipped to be carrying a much larger battery than ever before so it can support 4G LTE drain. The new smartphone will likely use a Nano SIM card. There’s a set of updated earbuds in the mix as well (slightly different from above.)

T-Mobile is reportedly ramping up for the event – though they’ll probably not be doing it with the iPhone 5 – they’re aiming for unlocked counterparts galore. The release date for the iPhone 5 has been tipped as September 21st for in-store sales. The iPhone 5 will likely have a 4-inch display and thinner body while its width remains the same. You’ll want to see some HD photos and video of the device – or just the display, that is – before you jump on in.

There’s also word that there’ll be an iPod touch with boosted Retina display and a slightly more powerful processor under the hood – not to mention a brand new dock connector. Several sources have reported iMacs and Retina MacBook Pro 13-inch models heading out from suppliers now as well. The iPad mini looms as well, but is much more likely going to be revealed in October instead of here in September. The Apple Thunderbolt Display may be coming with a refresh here at tomorrows event as well.

The iPhone 5 has been foreseen as the “biggest upgrade in consumer electronics history” and will very likely bring in a giant wave of news coverage for Apple. You can join us in the main SlashGear news feed or through our [Apple Portal], and certainly through our big Liveblogging feed at SlashGear Live (http://live.slashgear.com/) as well!

iPhone 5 pre-event wrap-up is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Samsung is aiming to hijack Apple’s new iPhone 5 launch by miring its rival in LTE patent litigation, sources at the company have apparently confirmed, echoing Apple’s attempts to injunction new Samsung phones. “Samsung Electronics has decided to take immediate legal action against the Cupertino-based Apple” an unnamed insider told The Korea Times. “Countries in Europe and even the United States – Apple’s home-turf – are our primary targets.”

The strategy, if enacted as the sources claim, would follow a path already established by Apple at the launch of the Galaxy S III earlier in 2013. Apple attempted to secure a US sales ban – as well as injunctions in other countries, including Samsung’s own South Korea home – as soon as the Galaxy S III launched, citing patent infringement.

That sales ban failed to materialize, though sales of some of Samsung’s range were affected in other countries as Apple’s legal team sniped down tablets and phones alike. This time around, it’s apparently Samsung’s turn to wield the patent portfolio.

Samsung will apparently use its strengths in LTE development to show the courts that Apple has infringed on 4G technologies, arguing that the FRAND defense Apple used in previous litigation around 3G patents won’t hold up again.

“Apple claimed the existing 3G-related patents are standard essential patents (SEPs) according to our earlier commitment to the FRAND (fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory) terms” an unnamed source told the Korean paper. “But the story is totally different when you talk about LTE patents. These are new and highly-valued.”

Apple has apparently already feathered its LTE patent nest, buying or filing 434 4G patents so as to fend off any attacks from Samsung or others. That’s gotten off to a shaky start, however; attempts to have HTC LTE patents invalidated faced stronger than expected push-back from the US judiciary.

Assuming no challenges to sales are permitted, Apple is expected to sell as many as 10m iPhone 5 handsets in September 2012 alone.

Samsung to booby-trap iPhone 5 launch with LTE patent strike is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Apple’s iPhone 5 event will share stage time with a new range of iPods, with further details on the updated PMPs slipping out in advance of the big unveil. A refresh to the iPod touch was already expected, as well as capacity changes to other iPod models, with the most obvious difference being a 1136 x 640 Retina Display as per the iPhone 5.

Internally, the new iPod touch – the iPod5,1 – is apparently known as the N78, according to 9to5Mac and arch-insider Chronic. It also uses a slightly less powerful chipset than that expected to crop up in the iPhone 5, the S5L8942X rather than the S5L8950X.

Exactly how big the power difference will be is unclear at this stage, though it’s unlikely to have a significant impact for users of the new iPod touch. It’s still expected to be powerful enough to run the panorama camera feature spotted in iOS 5 code back in November 2011, but never subsequently released.

As for the other new iPods, the tweaked iPod nano is apparently internally known as the N31, while the new iPod shuffle is the N12B. Previous leaks suggested they will each be available in eight different color options.

Apple’s lengthening of the iPod touch makes sense given the iPhone 5 is widely tipped to gain a near-4-inch screen with a more panoramic aspect ratio. That will mean new screen resolution apps, with Apple likely keen to retain parity there between the smartphone and media player ranges.

Other changes are expected to include the new, smaller dock connector, which Apple is rumored to use to more tightly control the third-party accessory market. On the flip side, however, it may also mean that Apple can further shrink its models even more.

iPod touch to pack iPhone 5 Retina but slower chip tip insiders is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.