Hasta La Gadget!

Apple‘s rumored mini Dock Connector for the iPhone 5 and other future iOS devices takes a simple approach to a common problem, it’s reported: figuring out which way to plug it in. Believed to not only slim down in comparison to the existing, 30-pin connector, but support being connected with the port facing either direction, the new version will take a straightforward path and simply double-up on its pins.

That means, while the connector itself will essentially be an 8-pin one, the plug will have twice that amount, so iLounge‘s sources claim. The female side – i.e. on the iPhone, iPad or iPod – will have eight, and either way the plug is inserted a connection will be made.

This new detail could explain why some rumors have indicated the new Dock Connector will be a 16-pin port, with a casual glance unlikely to explain that each active connection has two pins apiece. It’s also the best argument against Apple using regular microUSB in favor of its own, unique connection: microUSB, like the existing large Dock Connector, can only be inserted in one way.

Previous leaks have indicated that Apple will use the new style of port to introduce more stringent authentication for third-party accessories. Unlicensed add-ons for iOS products would be locked out altogether, so the sources claim, with a special chip at each end of the connection handling identification.

iPhone 5: 8-pins good; 30-pins bad is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

We’ve collided head-on with the month of August, and today we had some interesting news stories to ring in the eighth month of the year. Surprisingly enough, we didn’t have too much news about the ongoing trial between Apple and Samsung, except for the part where Samsung made Apple really angry by sending evidence that the original iPhone was inspired by Sony designs out to the press. Samsung found itself in a bit of hot water after that leak, so this evening it seems that Samsung has managed to get on Judge Lucy Koh’s bad side. The United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit said today that the Galaxy Nexus can remain on sale until August 20 despite Apple’s request for its preliminary injunction against the phone to be restored, so if you’ve been planning to buy one, your window to do so has been extended.

Moving right along, Lenovo suffered a pretty big leak today, and now details about the ThinkPad 2 are all over the place. Samsung has been granted the title of top phone brand for Q2, but interestingly enough, Apple’s iOS is growing at a faster rate than Android is. Google Wallet has received an update that increases the range of credit and debit cards you can use with the app, and we were right there to talk about whether or not the app is safe. Definitely give it a read if you’re considering using Google Wallet now that this update has arrived.

Speaking of Google, the company introduced a new set of rules for Android app developers today, and there’s a nasty little rumor going around that claims AT&T has been discouraging iPhone sales. AT&T, for its part, naturally says that the rumor is false, but that report definitely did a lot to pique our interest. The iPhone rumors don’t stop there, however, as we’ve been hearing whispers that Apple’s new dock connector may come with a MagSafe-like design when it arrives with the iPhone 5, and that the phone itself will be sporting Bluetooth 4 tech.

Microsoft was in the news a little bit today, as it was revealed that the company’s freshly-rebranded Outlook.com managed to attract one million users in just a few hours. Windows 8 has been released to manufacturing, which is the last step in development before Microsoft releases the OS to its OEM partners. The long-awaited Kickstarter campaign for the Oculus Rift kicked off today too, and managed to hit its funding goal in just a few hours. Is virtual reality about to make a comeback, or will it just leave us with a headache again?

Finally, we’ve got a couple reviews to share with you this evening, like this review of the myTouch and myTouch Q from T-Mobile, and this one of the Nintendo 3DS XL. Enjoy the rest of your Wednesday evening, everyone!

SlashGear Evening Wrap-Up: August 1, 2012 is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Whatever you do in the next six weeks, don’t spend any money on iPhone accessories. No matter how enticing the sales are, no matter how frayed your case is. There are significant changes coming to Apple’s marquee handset—and soon—that will render them nearly obsolete. More »

Well folks, another Monday is in the bag. We must say that for an otherwise ordinary Monday at the end of July, this one was pretty eventful as far as news stories go. Most importantly, today marked the beginning of the patent trail between Samsung and Apple. This morning we took a closer look at the trial and the arguments being made by both sides, while later on in the day we received word that a key witness in the case won’t be showing up to testify. Apple’s courtroom woes don’t end at its trial with Samsung, however, as the company is also being sued over its Siri technology by a university in Taiwan.

Moving right along with the Apple news, it looks as if the company might be planning to reveal the iPhone 5 during an event taking place on September 12, and there were also a few whispers about the rumored reveal of the iPad mini. Mac OS X Mountain Lion seems to be lining Apple’s pocket with even more cash, as it was announced today that the launch of Mountain Lion has become the most successful OS launch in company history.

In other news, 16GB Nexus 7s are now available at the Google Play Store again! They have an estimated shipping time of 3-5 business days now, but you might want to grab one sooner rather than later if you’re planning on buying – considering the speed at which the last batch sold out, we wouldn’t be surprised if Google ran out again soon. Microsoft announced that Surface will be launching alongside Windows 8 on October 26, and over the weekend an actual Xbox 720 developer kit was spotted in the wild, complete with a $10,000 price tag. Is the next generation Xbox closer to release than Microsoft is letting on?

Do you believe the National Security Agency is spying on American citizens? That’s what one former NSA agent claims. Ubisoft made a pretty big fumble when it was discovered that its UPlay client had some major security vulnerabilities, but thankfully the publisher was able to deliver a patch for the service quickly. The first round of Google Glass Explorer hangouts on Google Plus didn’t quite achieve the desired effect, and today we got our first true introduction to the new Wikipad gaming tablet. Will it replace your gaming desktop? No, it certainly won’t, but that weird-looking controller makes us want one anyway. Finally, the Curiosity rover will be landing on Mars soon, and NASA is planning on livestreaming the entire event. If you’ve ever wanted to watch history in the making, you’ll soon get your chance.

That does it for the news, but we’ve also got a couple original posts for you to check out too, with a new column from Philip Berne and a review of the T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note by Chris Burns. Enjoy the rest of your Monday evening, folks!

SlashGear Evening Wrap-Up: July 30, 2012 is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Over the past week we’ve seen a giant amount of clues pointing toward a brand new iPhone appearing very soon, with several tips popping up today with the date September 12th attached to them. The newest of these is Jim Dalrymple of The Loop’s one-word confirmation of the rumor: “yep” following in the footsteps of accuracy in the past, here affirming also that the phone will very likely be released on September 21st, nine days after the event. This joins news of an iPad mini / iPad 4th gen event that will likely take place at an entirely different time entirely – perhaps November, perhaps never.

This morning we’ve also heard quite a bit from Johnathan Ive, Apple’s design chief, on how the company does not care about money. This, he added, almost resulted in the death of the iPhone before it even began. Also while we’re prepping for the next-generation smartphone, Apple and Samsung are at war over who ripped off whose designs for their ultra-popular handheld lineups.

The confirmation of the September 12th event seen above comes from the first person to mention that date, complete with the addition of said iPad mini – September it is said iMore. There’s a video out there today with a person bringing their own hands-on to the iPhone 5 or whatever you want to call it. And don’t forget the photo shoot this device was a part of this past weekend as well. Things are looking mighty similar.

Have a peek at our timeline below as well for more iPhone news as it begins to stack up quicker and quicker. We’re expecting a new iPhone SOON, perhaps not exactly on the dates specified above, but your guess is as good as ours. Note that this next-generation iPhone is very likely set to have a smaller dock connector, a headphone jack at the bottom of its casing, and a 4-inch display as well. Stay tuned for the epic reveal!

iPhone September 12 event looks likely as clues stack up is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.