Hasta La Gadget!

We have new evidence that Apple is indeed planning a 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina Display, as MacRumors has discovered a new set of Geekbench 2 results for such a machine. This isn’t the first time we’ve seen Geekbench results for a 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina Display, as benchmarks for a laptop with the same name – “MacBookPro10,2″ – first appeared last month. This new set of benchmarks has quite a lot in common with the ones we saw last month, but there are a few differences to pay attention to.

The same Intel Core i7-3520M is still present in this new model, and it’s still clocked at 2.9 GHz. This time around, however, the amount of RAM in the 13-inch MacBook Pro has been boosted from 4GB to 8GB, which is more along the lines of what we would expect with the Core i7 present. Another interesting thing to note is that new benchmark shows Mac OS X 10.8.1 as the machine’s operating system. Apple is set to begin seeding that version of the OS to developers soon, but at the moment we don’t have a clear idea of when.

For the most part, however, the Geekbench results for this machine and the one that was spotted last month are very much the same. That’s reflected in the overall scores given to both – the results for this new model give a score of 7756, a mere 50 points below the model we saw last month. It would appear that Apple is planning a 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina Display, and it has locked down the specs it wants for the laptop.

Apple, for its part, has remained silent on the existence of this new MacBook. These new results reinforce the idea that it will be revealing the 13-inch laptop soon, however, so keep your fingers crossed. Perhaps we’ll get a reveal during that event Apple is planning for September 12? Keep it tuned right here to SlashGear for more information.

13-inch Retina MacBook Pro benchmarks suggest incoming reveal is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Google has been giving stealth support to Samsung in its ongoing patent battle against Apple, though the Android maker apparently refuses to be more vocal in the confrontation. Although a Samsung win would be to the benefit of Google and other Android OEMs, the search giant has purposely taken a low-key role according to CNET‘s sources, giving backroom strategy support, providing extra research and prior evidence, and petitioning for easier treatment.

That may not be the only advantage. Legal publication The Am Law Daily highlighted connections back in March 2011 between lawyers Quinn Emanuel and Google’s Android OEMs, the litigators having already represented HTC and Motorola in previous cases. “While Verhoeven and Google won’t comment specifically,” the publication wrote, “lawyers familiar with the cases speculate that Google is providing Verhoeven’s services under an indemnity agreement reached with its Android partners.”

That could imply that Google is footing at least part of the tab for Samsung’s legal representation, though Google has declined to comment on the suggestions. However, insiders say Google isn’t especially concerned about the outcome of the current Apple vs. Samsung trial specifically, as their physical design focus means they’re of little consequence to Android as a whole.

Instead, its involvement is likely to become significantly more pronounced when the Galaxy Nexus comes back under the microscope. Samsung isn’t the only firm to have been the quiet recipient of Google’s help, with the company supposedly petitioning the ITC to support HTC in a complaint filed by Nokia.

Apple is currently using Samsung’s own design evidence against it, managing to get a 132-page side-by-side comparison between the Galaxy S and the iPhone accepted into the trial. The report highlights in specific detail how Samsung identified tiny details in iOS and contrasted them with shortcomings in the TouchWiz Android skin.

Google is Samsung’s stealth partner in anti-Apple litigation tips insider is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Yesterday we saw the internal sensors and parts of the next iPhone laid out for all to see, and now 9to5Mac has its hands on what it believes to be a battery for Apple’s next smartphone. The capacity of the battery has been increased to 1,440mAh, up from the 1,430mAh rating used for the iPhone 4S. The voltage of the battery is also up from previous Apple smartphones, jumping to 3.8, up from 3.7.

The watt-per-hour measurement also increases a result to 5.45wHr, up from 5.3wHr on the iPhone 4S. The battery is definitely a recent creation too, with labelling indicating it was manufactured in June 2012. The small capacity bump is curious considering rumors that the next handset will feature power intensive features such as LTE.

Not only that, but the screen will also reportedly see an increase to 4-inches, with a resolution bump to 1136×640. A larger screen inevitably draws more power, and while LTE chips are becoming more efficient, 4G data transfer still drains batteries faster than 3G. The part might not be destined for the next iPhone, and could simply be an updated battery to be used in the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S.

9to5Mac believes, however, that Apple will be using a more efficient dual-core chip that would negate the need for a significantly larger battery. Not only that, but the company could make use of Qualcomm’s new Gobi LTE chip, which requires much less power than existing LTE solutions. There’s not long until we find out either way, with the company allegedly penciling in a September 12th reveal and September 21st ship date.

Alleged battery for next iPhone surfaces is written by Ben Kersey & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

We’re not in the habit of entering the dry world of corporate debt notes, but Sprint’s latest financial release might disguise a juicy bit of news. There’s a rumor in the business press that Dish Network might have bought around $400 million of Clearwire’s debt — helping relieve the pressure on Sprint, which has been keeping its subsidiary alive on handouts. Unsurprisingly, no-one’s commenting on the rumors, although Dish CEO Joseph Clayton did say he was open to a partnership (or acquisition) with Sprint / Clearwire late last year. If true, it could signal that it’s getting ready for a fight against AT&T — or maybe it just wanted to throw Dan Hesse a bone.

Continue reading Dish Network rumored to have bought Clearwire’s $400 million debt in secret transaction

Filed under: Wireless

Dish Network rumored to have bought Clearwire’s $400 million debt in secret transaction originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Aug 2012 07:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’ve been hearing that the next iPhone will be getting a smaller dock connector for quite some time now, though its reported size ranges from anywhere to 19-pins all the way down to 8. We’ve got another one to toss into the mix today, as 9to5Mac speculates that the new iPhone could be getting a 9-pin dock connector. Apparently a reference to such a connector lies hidden in the iOS 6 beta.

To get a little more specific, a reference to “9Pin” was discovered in a section of the OS that details the hardware found on iOS devices. Since the section isn’t specifically about the new iPhone and instead about the broader range of iOS devices, it seems possible that this 9-pin connector could become a feature on future iPads as well (iPad Mini anyone?).

True, it isn’t that much to work with, but it does seem to add up. Given the massive amount of speculation, it seems almost certain that Apple will be implementing a new, smaller dock connector soon, and this reference to “9Pin” in the iOS 6 beta may have just given away the company’s plans. Of course, we won’t know for sure until makes the announcement, so until that happens, it’s probably best to stay on the skeptical side of things.

As for when that announcement will actually happen, Apple is expected to hold an event on September 12. It’s there that many think Apple will unveil a handful of new devices, including the iPad Mini and the new iPhone. There could even be more device reveals beyond those two, so if Apple is planning to implement a new dock connector, we’ll probably hear about there. Keep it tuned to SlashGear for more information, and be sure to check out our story timeline below for details about Apple’s rumored dock connector switch.

New iPhone mini dock connector appears in iOS 6 beta is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.