Hasta La Gadget!

Details of Microsoft’s next-gen Kinect 2 motion-tracking sensor for the “Xbox 720” console have emerged, with a leaked screenshot purportedly showing a camera-eye view of gamers. The screenshot, shared by Twitter user Superdae, is said to be from a Durango Xbox development kit with a considerably expanded degree of detail of the two users in-frame.

Although such a photo would be relatively straightforward to fake, sources familiar with the Durango setup apparently claim it is genuine. Based on the color coding of the picture, Kinect 2 will be able to recognize a greater degree of depth in the frame as well as potentially track individual movements more accurately.

The original Kinect sensor was something of a surprise hit, with the motion control system quickly expanded from simple game interactions to navigating Xbox LIVE services. More recently, Microsoft released a version of Kinect intended to be used with PCs, though more comprehensive functionality on the desktop is expected to roll out with Windows 8 later in the year.

The “Xbox 720″, as Microsoft’s next Xbox console has been unofficially dubbed, is still shrouded in mystery. Leaks earlier in the year – subsequently sniped down by Microsoft’s legal team – indicated that it would make use of augmented reality technologies and potentially have the second-gen Kinect built in. According to a Microsoft job listing, the new console is due for introduction within the next 18 months.

[via The Verge]

Kinect 2 leak tips boosted motion-control detail is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Case parts for the next iPhone continue to leak out of China, with the latest pictures revealing internal sensors as well as a part that may serve to protect the back of the rumored 4-inch screen. The latest collection of parts, courtesy of iColorOS, shows off some titillating internal components, such as the volume rocker and protective shielding that separates the back of the iPhone’s screen from the internals.

Several other parts also make an appearance, such as the home button and smaller SIM card tray. Just the other day we saw close up pictures of the next iPhone’s smaller SIM card tray. The reduced size of the tray points to Apple using the new nano-SIM standard, approved by the ETSI at the beginning of June despite objections from Motorola, RIM, and Nokia.

Recent reports have suggested that European carriers are stockpiling supplies of nano-SIMs in order to accommodate demand for the next iPhone when it’s released. Carrier sources located in the United States have also confirmed this to be the case, indicating that the next iPhone will most likely use nano-SIMs as opposed to the micro-SIMs currently used in the iPhone 4 and 4S.

Constant leaks and reports all point towards a larger 4-inch screen being used for the next iPhone, with Apple also rumored to increase the resolution from 960×640 to 1136×640, also marking a shift in aspect ratio to 16:9. Case parts suggest that the next iPhone would use a two-tone metallic design, with machine drilled speaker holes and a relocated 3.5mm headphone jack. The handset has also been tipped to include LTE connectivity and NFC support. The phone is expected to be announced on September 12th.

[via AppleInsider]

Next iPhone internals laid bare is written by Ben Kersey & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Samsung and LG have already embraced the tiny-tablet form factor. It only makes sense that HTC would want to carve out a niche of this niche for themselves. Rumors of a five-inch HTC device have been circulating for some time, but now a report from DigiTimes is lending some credence to those murmurings, and a mysterious handset from the Taiwanese manufacturer has popped up over at GLBenchmark. According to unnamed sources the company has been working on a flagship level (One XXL?) device with a stunning 1,794 x 1,080 display, due to be released in either September or October. If you’re taking that claim with a grain of salt, we don’t blame you. But, an entry for the HTC 6435LVW that just popped up at GLBenchmark.com seems to fit the bill pretty nicely. It has the same listed resolution, which we assume is actually a 1,920 x 1,080 panel with room set aside for Android’s soft keys. The device info has it running ICS, version 4.0.4 to be specific, on a 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 — which should make it quite the powerful piece of hardware. The software build also singles it out as a Verizon handset, which means it’ll be packing an LTE radio as well. Whether the rumored stylus is included, a la the Flyer, remains to be seen, but, we shouldn’t have to wait much longer to find out for sure.

Filed under: Cellphones, Tablet PCs

Rumored HTC Verizon phablet may land soon, with 1080p screen and 1.5GHz Snapdragon originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Aug 2012 17:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Current reports indicate that the next iPhone is due to be unveiled on September 12th, and will ship into customers hands roughly 9 days later. Various case parts and specifications for the handset have emerged over the past few months, with new pictures showing off an alleged SIM card tray for the phone. As has been alluded to in the past, the new SIM card tray will make use of the recently approved nano-SIM standard, with comparison pictures showing the new tray next to the tray used for the iPhone 4S courtesy of nowhereelse.fr.

Apple’s motives for using a small SIM card standard are simple: the company is trying to save as much space possible inside the device. That can lead to additional components, or more room for a larger battery. The ETSI approved Apple’s nano-SIM card standard at the end of May, leading to speculation that the reduced size SIM would be used in the next iPhone. Rumors have also indicated that Apple had already designed the next iPhone around its own nano-SIM standard despite it not yet being finalized, shedding new light on the standards competition between itself and companies like Motorola, RIM, and Nokia.

More recently, the Wall Street Journal reported that European carriers were beginning to stockpile nano-SIM supplies ahead of the next iPhone launch, with BGR confirming with other carrier sources that nano-SIMs would definitely be used for the next iPhone. Nano-SIMs are said to be around 40% smaller than current micro-SIMs. It may not seem like a lot at that scale, but companies are always trying to find a way to cram new technologies into today’s smartphones without compromising on thickness and battery life: every little bit really does help.

As for the next iPhone, reports have suggested that Apple will increase the screen size to 4-inches, up from 3.5-inches. The resolution of the screen will see a bump to 1136×640, also changing the aspect ratio of the display to 16:9. Leaked case parts have suggested a two-tone aluminium back for the next iPhone, along with a repositioned 3.5mm headphone jack and machined drilled speaker and microphone holes. A new 19-pin has also been tipped to replace the standard 30-pin dock connector, but more recent reports have suggested that the smaller connector will in fact be 8-pins.

[via 9to5mac]

Next iPhone’s nano-SIM tray poses for its closeup is written by Ben Kersey & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Steve Jobs’ famed dismissal of 7-inch tablets may have been more misdirection than authentic dislike, with internal emails shared during the Samsung lawsuit revealing the founder was “very receptive” to a smaller iPad. The tablet tidbit was revealed during testimony by Scott Forstall, Apple’s senior VP of iOS software, in the San Jose court, with Jobs’ attitude described by senior vice president of Internet Software and Services Eddy Cue after he himself had an epiphany of sorts following some quality time with the original Samsung Galaxy Tab.

Jobs had made headlines with comments back in October 2010 that users would need to sandpaper down their fingertips in order to use 7-inch slates, which the outspoken CEO described as “tweeners” falling in-between phone and true tablet. As of January 2011, however, high-level mutterings around smaller iPad possibilities already appeared to have been considered to have earned Jobs’ approval. In an email from Cue to Tim Cook, Scott Forstall and senior VP of worldwide marketing Phil Schiller, CNET reports, several positive use-cases are cited based on a third-party editorial piece on the iPad and smaller models.

“Having used a Samsung Galaxy [Tab],” Cue writes, “I tend to agree with many of the comments [in the editorial] (except actually moving off the iPad). I believe there will be a 7″ market and we should do one.” Despite Jobs’ public attitude, Cue says he “expressed this to Steve several times since Thanksgiving and he seemed very receptive the last time.”

According to Cue’s own experience, “email, books, Facebook and video [are] very compelling on a 7″. Web browsing is definitely the weakest point, but still usable.” Jobs’ original criticisms had been that “this [7-inch] size isn’t sufficient to create great tablet apps, in our opinion,” something which the GigaOm disagreed with.

Whether Cue’s enthusiasm actually resulted in a smaller iPad project is unclear, though it’s worth noting that rumors of a 7.85-inch model have persisted over the past months. Such a tablet could have half the resolution of the current new iPad – i.e. run at the same 1024 x 768 as the original iPad and iPad 2 – it’s suggested, making for easier app transitions from the 9.7-inch model.

Jobs was known for his proclivity to misdirection, publicly insisting one thing while Apple simultaneously beavered away on the opposite behind the scenes. Comments on video not being something suited to portable music players – then countered with a video-capable iPod – have often been cited as evidence of that. The growth of smaller tablets such as Google’s Nexus 7, not to mention budget ereading slates such as Amazon’s Kindle Fire and larger phones like the Galaxy Note, have seen the tablet segment change significantly since those original 2010 comments, however.

Forstall declined to comment on future iPhone or iPad plans as part of his testimony.

[Image credit: Ciccaresedesign]

Steve Jobs secretly “very receptive” to iPad mini is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.