If you’ve been wanting an extra iPhone 5 cable, but haven’t wanted to pay the full $40 for one, help might be on the way: a Chinese company called iPhone5mod says it has cracked the authentication chip found in the lightning connector and is now selling the cables for $20 apiece. More »
If you wanted to get your hands on Apple’s new iPhone 5, you will notice that according to Apple’s website, you might have to wait 3-4 weeks before you get your hands on the device. So what’s taking so long? Well one could argue that the demand was greater than Apple had anticipated, although a report from Bloomberg has suggested otherwise. (more…)
By Ubergizmo. Related articles: iPhone 5 purple haze issued addressed in Apple support document, Foxconn workers go on strike over renewed quality control measures,
Samsung will unveil a smaller version of its flagship Galaxy SIII handset in Europe tomorrow – shrinking the screen from the 4.8 inches of its current flagship to an iPhone 5-sized 4 inches. Reuters is reporting the handset will be launched in Europe. There’s no word yet on whether Samsung plans to bring the device to the U.S.
The only other confirmed detail at this point is the name of the phone: the Galaxy S III mini. Samsung provided TechCrunch with the following statement confirming the planned launched
GALAXY S III mini will come with 4″ display and we are going to unveil the product tomorrow (Oct 11th). – JK Shin, head of Samsung Mobile Communications
We’ve asked Samsung for more details about the phone and will update with any response.
Engadget has some leaked info on the device (via a German site called MobileGeeks) which suggests the S III mini may be rather more mid-range than flagship — with an expected price of 399 euros ($510). While it will apparently have a 4 inch Super AMOLED display, the resolution will only be 800 x 480 (which would give a lowly pixel per inch rate of 233). The site also reckons Samsung is replacing the S III’s quad-core Exynos processor with an STE U8420 chip clocked at 1GHz. RAM is 1GHz, while the rear camera is reportedly 5 megapixels.
Reuters’ story quotes a Samsung spokeswoman citing Shin saying: “We think there’s strong demand for 4-inch screen models in Europe.” The company also told the news agency that the Galaxy S III mini would not be an entry-level model — contrary to the leaked info from MobileGeeks.
Early last month Saumsung released sales figures for the Galaxy S III – saying it had sold over 20 million units in the first 100 days of launch: 6 million in Europe, 4.5 million in Asia (ex. Korea), 4 million in North America and 2.5 million in Korea. The company is clearly hoping to maximise the reach of the device by adding a smaller version to appeal to people with smaller hands (and pockets).
Samsung is also not the only mobile maker to be thinking (a little bit) smaller when it comes to smartphone screen sizes. Motorola’s recent Droid Razr M packs a 4.3 inch screen — putting in the same ballpark as the iPhone, albeit still a smidge bigger. Perhaps the rampant screen inflation we’ve seen in the smartphone market in recent years has just about run its course (let’s hope so).
The Galaxy S III is just one of scores of phones in Samsung’s portfolio — which run the gamut from kid-friendly devices with very small and cramped screens all the way up to ‘phablet’ devices, its Galaxy Note range, with can pack screens in excess of 5 inches.
Offering an extensive range of different screen sizes (and price points) has been one of the ways Samsung has differentiated its Android-powered smartphones from other Android-based devices, such as HTC’s. It’s also a counterpoint to Apple’s strategy of offering just a handful of iPhone models with only very limited choice in screen size (and price).
Bloomberg is reporting that Apple’s iPhone 5 production is slowing, as it attempts to cut the number of devices shipped with nicks and scratches by improving aluminum quality control at Foxconn. More »
A couple of weeks ago, we told you about how Apple planted authentication chips inside their new Lightning cables to prevent third-party manufacturers from making Lightning cables of their own. However, it was only a matter of time before we would see the chip get cloned, and it looks like today is the day.
Chinese hackers announced today that they’ve been able to successfully clone Apple’s Lightning authentication chip, which now paves the way for third-party Lightning cables and accessories that will be much cheaper. The first of which is now out on the market. For $39, you can get a Lightning dock and a Lightning cable that also lights up as you charge your iPhone 5.
It’s not as cheap as you would normally see from a third-party manufacturer, but we’re guessing the high price has something to do with exclusivity. However, that won’t be for long as we’ll see more and more manufacturers take advantage of the cloned authentication chip. This specific cable/dock combo can both charge and sync the iPhone 5, and it should still work even after iOS 6 updates roll out.
Apple will no doubt attempt to stop manufacturers from making the cables and accessories in order to get an MFi licensing fee from the Chinese suppliers, but we’ll see what really happens when they cross that bridge eventually. In the meantime, it might be a good idea to snatch up these accessories while you still can, but hopefully we’ll see more in the near future.
[via M.I.C. Gadget]
Apple’s Lightning authentication chip successfully cloned is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
It’s time to get your T-Mobile iPhone 5 party started with T-Mobile’s own NanoSIM made specifically – since there’s no other phone that uses it – for the current-generation Apple smartphone. What we’re seeing today is the NanoSIM in a set of T-Mobile stores across the USA – the one you’re seeing in this post appears to have been sent out – or at least printed – near the end of September. With these NanoSIM cards users will be able to plug their non-carrier-specific iPhone into the T-Mobile network for big pink connectivity across the USA.
This release was spoken about even before the iPhone 5 was revealed for real just weeks ago. T-Mobile has made an effort to stay in the Apple universe even though they themselves do not carry the iPhone 5 officially, with plans and advertisements aimed directly at the smartphone that Apple has still not given them the pleasure of working with. This is an unprecedented effort, as you may have guessed, with carriers generally only advertising their support of smartphones they’ve also got for sale in their stores and on their network right out of the box.
Apple is a special case, of course, with the iPhone still sitting pretty at the top of the smartphone sales charts and the iPhone 5 showing itself to be a winner with millions of orders being filled before the device even hit stores. Now that the device is literally sitting in Apple stores across the nation for purchase, T-Mobile wants – and perhaps needs – to get their connection on. They mustn’t be left in the dust on this one.
Meanwhile T-Mobile continues to release a barrage of Android smartphones and will soon be amping up their Windows Phone 8 collection as well. Stay tuned to T-Mobile’s tag here on SlashGear too to see if they’ll end up really merging with MetroPCS to bring LTE to their network and continue their spread across North America with a pink fury. Also be sure to check out our full iPhone 5 review to know what you’re getting into!
[via TmoNews]
T-Mobile iPhone 5 ready for action with NanoSIM release is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Apple’s Lightning Adapter for the iPhone 5 has begun to ship, with the dongle – that allows older Dock Connector accessories and chargers to be hooked up to the new smartphone – finally headed out to buyers. Shoppers in Australia have received shipping notifications that the Lighting to 30-pin Adapter is on its way, MacRumors reports, though Apple’s online store still only lists a vague “October” for a shipping estimate.
Without the dongle, those coming to the iPhone 5 from an existing iOS device aren’t able to use any accessories they may have acquired along the way. Apple switched to a new connector so as to save space, the company said at the iPhone 5 launch, with the tiny Lightning plug being far smaller than the existing Dock Connector design.
Scale isn’t the only advantage. The Lighting plug can be inserted either way up, reducing the likelihood of damage from trying to force a connector in the wrong way around.
There’s no word on when units may begin shipping in the US or other locations, nor indeed when Apple’s other Lightning adapter – a short, 0.2m cable with a 30-pin port on one end and a Lighting plug on the other – might begin to head out of Apple’s warehouses. More on Lightning in our full iPhone 5 review.
Apple Lighting Dock Connector begins shipping is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
iPhone users with a flotilla of 30-pin devices, desperate to restore connectivity with their newest handset’s natty connector, can rest easy. Cupertino has contacted several Australians who pre-ordered the 30-pin to Lightning adapter to tell them they can expect the first units to arrive tomorrow. The Stateside store is still promising a generic “October” launch, but it can’t be too far away if the Antipodeans are getting theirs.
Filed under: Cellphones, Peripherals, Apple
Apple begins shipping its Lightning to 30-pin adapter at the speed of… freight originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Oct 2012 08:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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It was reported slightly more than a week ago that there were ‘purple haze’ issues with the iPhone 5’s camera, and Apple did issue a statement saying that such purple flares are “normal behavior for iPhone 5′s camera”. I am not quite sure just how many people who were affected by this issue bought Apple’s explanation, but we did not experience it in our review of the iPhone 5. Apple has since issued a support document concerning the symptoms, saying that “a purplish or other colored flare, haze, or spot is imaged from out-of-scene bright light sources during still image or video capture.”
The resolution offered? You are supposed to “move the camera slightly in order to change the position at which the bright light is entering the lens, or shielding the lens with your hand, should minimize or eliminate the effect.” For those who have tried that and found that it worked wonders, are you happy with this solution, or do you wish that there was no purple haze to worry about in the first place so that you can shoot your photos any way you like and want to?
By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Foxconn workers go on strike over renewed quality control measures, iPhone 5 Wi-Fi network data bug fix rolled out,
If you’ve been using your iPhone 5 since the start and have never noticed a little bit of the ol’ Purple Haze appearing at the edge of your photos, you’re lucky – Apple has just addressed this situation occurring with some users in an official statement today. It would appear that if you’ve got a light source right outside the viewing area of your iPhone 5′s camera lens, you get a purple light leak into your final photo product. Apple today has let it be known that users should be pointing cameras away from bright light sources to do away with the oddity altogether.
A public support document has been posted regarding the so-called Purple Halo, as it were, with Apple letting it be known that it’s an issue that’s known, but not limited to the iPhone. This public support document notes that a light source just outside the field of view of the camera will be best if you actually DO want to get the effect. A slight move of the camera – like actually turn your phone, for real – that’ll be the end of it.
“Most small cameras, including those in every generation of iPhone, may exhibit some form of flare at the edge of the frame when capturing an image with out-of-scene light sources. This can happen when a light source is positioned at an angle (usually just outside the field of view) so that it causes a reflection off the surfaces inside the camera module and onto the camera sensor. Moving the camera slightly to change the position at which the bright light is entering the lens, or shielding the lens with your hand, should minimize or eliminate the effect.” – Apple
This support document also has listed symptoms as “A purplish or other colored flare, haze, or spot is imaged from out-of-scene bright light sources during still image or video capture.” Sound pretty accurate to you, for those of you feeling the light loveliness? Let us know if you’ve had any issues – and on that note, let us know if you’ve not noticed this color at all, too.
iPhone 5 “purple halo” gets Apple statement is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
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