Well, we’re only a few days away from finding out what HTC has in store for us at their pre-MWC event, but expectations are it’s the M7. Or, as the rumor mill is now calling it, the HTC One. While Peter Chou has already flashed the device at an event, evleaks claims to have the first clear press shot of the device. As you can see we’re looking at a strange capacitive button layout that puts home on the right and a big logo smack in the center. Though it’s hard to be certain, it also looks as if the edges of the device are metallic or chrome. The icons tally with some Sense 5 screenshots that leaked recently, while a separate User Agent Profile leak suggests we’re looking at a Butterfly-style 1080p display (see More Coverage). Of course, we can’t confirm that the handset will bear the One branding or that it is indeed legit, but considering evleaks‘ track record we’re willing to give it the benefit of the doubt.
Samsung is apparently making a renewed push into wireless charging, with a new Qi-compatible charging accessory spotted clearing the FCC and potentially tipping native support in the upcoming Galaxy S4. The Samsung Wireless Charging Pad, as the user manual included in the filing names it, offers a simple, straightforward way to rejuice a mobile device, with an off-white plate holding a single phone on your desk.
The FCC tested the accessory with a Verizon Galaxy S III (SCH-I535) equipped with an official Qi-compatible battery cover. Wireless power support was one of the launch-day features of the Galaxy S III, albeit with a separate charging station and back plate, but Samsung has yet to capitalize on those plans.
Interestingly, Samsung doesn’t appear too bothered about confidentiality at this stage. According to the company’s cover letter to the FCC, the only aspects of the EAD-W10EWE pad that need to be kept secret are the block diagram, operational description, schematics, and part list. Everything else – including the terse user guide, which basically amounts to “plug it in and put your phone on it” is left open.
When, then, Samsung might decide to officially launch the charging pad is unclear, though with Mobile World Congress at the end of the month, that seems a strong possibility. Whether it also means that the much-rumored Galaxy S4 will also come set up for wireless charging out of the box remains to be seen, but the feature was one of the few absences from the Galaxy S III’s native capabilities, something that is likely to leave it high on the agenda for inclusion this time around.
Apple‘s much-rumored smartwatch could be the first broadscale implementation of Corning’s flexible Willow Glass, potentially opening the door to an iOS-connected timepiece that wraps its display fully around the wrist. Speculation of an Apple-made Pebble rival resurged over the weekend with chatter that the Cupertino firm was working with Foxconn on a power-efficient companion device to the iPhone, featuring a curved glass screen. Exactly how curved that might be was unclear, but according to the New York Times the flexed wearable could be wrapped entirely about the wearer’s arm.
Corning revealed its Willow Glass technology last June, but the tough, flexible glass has in fact been in development for more than ten years. The material can be just 100 microns thick – making it thin enough to wave in the wind – which also helps with broad viewing angles: that could come in handy if you can only briefly glance askew at your wrist to check, say, on your latest iMessage pings.
Corning Willow Glass overview:
It’s not just the flexibility that makes Willow Glass special, however. The material can also be processed at very high temperatures – up to 500 degrees centigrade, in fact – which makes it suitable for roll-to-roll production. Such systems, where assembly of display components is carried out continuously rather than in individual sheets, would likely be essential for productivity if Apple was to go into mass production for what would likely be an affordable and popular accessory.
Corning Willow Glass roll-to-roll production:
According to the NYT’s sources inside Apple, the smartwatch would “operate on” iOS, though it’s unclear whether that means the digital timepiece would have its own, standalone operating system, or merely act as a conduit for iPhone and iPad notifications. The colloquially-named “iWatch” is expected to use Bluetooth 4.0, the low power iteration of the short-range wireless technology, to connect to a nearby Apple device.
Exactly what it could do with that connection is unclear, though there’s plenty of potential for a discrete, wrist-worn way to access data. Beyond the usual notifications for email, calendar alerts, messaging, and calls, the Bluetooth link could be used to remotely command Siri, Apple’s virtual personal assistant. That would help bypass the presumed absence of a complex touchscreen interface, and address one of the biggest ongoing criticisms with smartwatches in general: that though they allow wearers to check alerts, they usually fall short when it comes to acting on them.
With Siri, however, iWatch users could reply to messages, establish new appointments, search the internet, and get navigation guidance, all by asking for it out loud. Previous rumors have suggested Apple might use a roughly 1.5-inch display – akin to the sixth-gen iPod nano, perhaps, which many buyers wore on their wrist using special third-party watch straps – though how much information would be displayed on-screen and how much would be audibly reported is unclear.
A timescale for Apple’s iWatch launch is still something of a mystery, and both the company and manufacturer Foxconn have declined to comment on the speculation.
The multi-billion dollar legal war with Samsung would not have taken place had Apple CEO Tim Cook had his way, with reports claiming the current chief exec was against Apple founder Steve Jobs’ “thermonuclear” war with its Korean rival. Cook, who was Apple’s Chief Operating Officer until he was made CEO, was supposedly concerned about Samsung’s vital role as a parts supplier, Reuters reports, which has become critical to Apple’s operations.
According to anonymous insiders familiar with Apple and Samsung’s troubled history, Steve Jobs was quick to anger when he believed Samsung was copying iPhone and iPad strategy for its own Galaxy series. Cook’s concerns regarding parts supply stability arose then, the sources say, though it’s unclear to what extent the yet-to-be-CEO acted upon them.
Perhaps surprisingly, the attitude between the two companies – beyond the public relations rhetoric – is actually said to be reasonably calm. Legal experts with access to both firms claim “the temperature isn’t that high,” likely a side-effect of the fact that, legal battle aside, Apple and Samsung are still heavily locked into each others’ businesses.
Those businesses see Samsung – a major player in the NAND flash industry – continue to supply memory for Apple’s iPhone, iPad, and other devices, as well as manufacturing the ARM-based chips that power those devices. However, the privileged position of chip co-designer has been lost, and there has been long-standing speculation that TSMC will usurp Samsung’s role as processor manufacturer.
Cook’s public comments on legal matters have been more reserved than those of the outspoken Steve Jobs. Speaking to NBC last December, the CEO said that Apple “loves competition” as it “makes us all better,” though did reiterate that Apple “wants people to invent their own stuff.”
According to individuals familiar with the situation, Apple is testing designs for a “watch-like device,” something that sounds similar to the popular Pebble smartwatch. The company has already been in discussions about the device with Foxconn, which is reported as actively working on wearable device technology for multiple companies, says the sources.
According to the Wall Street Journal, one of the sources says that Foxconn is currently working on making the wearable device displays more power-efficient for battery purposes. If Apple does ever release a wearable device, it is said that it’ll be integrated with the iPhone, probably connecting with the device via Bluetooth and allowing the two to have a symbiotic relationship.
This isn’t a new thing for Apple, according to the sources, which say the company has been looking into wearable devices for quite some times. The company has allegedly gone so far as to hire employees with experience related to the technology. Apple declined commenting on the situation, and Foxconn has not said anything about the matter.
If the Pebble smartwatch is any indication, this type of device could be wildly popular. The Pebble, which connects with a mobile device, reached its $100k pledge goal in a little over an hour and a half on Kickstarter, and went on to break records and receive thousands of pledges. We’ll keep you updated as more details surface, so stay tuned.
Rumors of Apple building a watch-like device have existed since time immemorial — they’ve built up the same near-mythical status that the iPhone did pre-2007, or a TV set does today. The New York Times, however, claims that the watch concept exists as more than just some fan art. Reportedly, Apple has been “experimenting” with wrist-wearable devices that would run iOS and use curved glass. Other details are left to feverish speculation, although the OS choice suggests it would be more than just a glorified iPod nano watch. Before we get too excited, we’d do well to remember that any testing in a design lab doesn’t equate to production plans: the company might well scrap its work before it ever becomes public, if it’s indeed real to start with. Still, there have been enough advances in flexible displays and miniaturization that the notion of connected, wearable Apple gear is no longer as far-fetched as it once seemed.
Update: Not to be left out, the Wall Street Journal has made a similar claim. It adds that Apple has explored possibilities with its contract manufacturer Foxconn, although there’s not much more to learn at this stage.
Sony is currently having a very difficult time in just about every market it participates in. The company has posted its eighth consecutive quarterly loss as demand for its game consoles, TVs, smartphones, and digital cameras decline. Sony recently sold its New York headquarters for $1.1 billion in an attempt to post a profit for its current fiscal year.
While Sony is fighting continued losses, the company is still moving forward with new products. Rumors continue to swirl that the company will be unveiling the PlayStation 4 on February 20. Some reports indicate that along with the unveiling of the new game console, Sony will also roll out new digital cameras. An alleged image of one of the new digital cameras will be shown at that event has now surfaced.
The camera is the NEX-3n and it is one of the interchangeable lens compact cameras that Sony has been offering the NEX series for a long time now. The source of the leaked image suggests that the new camera will use the same 16-megapixel image sensor used in the NEX-F3. One of the major reported differences between the two cameras is that the 3n has a zoom control button for automatically zooming attached lenses.
The new digital camera is tipped to be able to electrically drive the 16-50 mm PZ lens and a newly announced 18-200 mm PZ lens. No other specifications for the camera are known this time. There is apparently another rumor going around that this new digital camera and others may not be announced until sometime in April.
If you’re a big fan of Nokia smartphones on the T-Mobile network, a screenshot showing up revealing a roadmap for the carrier. The roadmap shows the smartphone called the Nokia Flame 4G with the date of April 24. The device is believed to be a Windows Phone 8 smartphone.
We don’t know a lot about the hardware inside the smartphone at this time, but there were some rumors of a Nokia smartphone of the same name that made the rounds in 2012. Rumors at the time claimed that the Flame was a low-end device. A low-end device from Nokia would make sense considering the company has a difficult time competing in the high-end of the smartphone market.
Other specifications for the Flame that were tipped in the rumors last year included a four-inch screen, 512 MB of RAM, and a 1 GHz dual-core processor. The device was also said to include a five-megapixel camera and have 4 GB of internal storage. The smartphone is supposed to have a microSD card slot for expanding storage.
Considering that none of those features are particularly appealing, the expectation is that this will be a very inexpensive device. While there is no indication of price, if this low-end device could be offered for free or at a very low price it could win some users to the Windows Phone 8 platform. It might also make for an interesting pre-paid smartphone.
Rumors of the next-generation iPhone have been swirling for a while. According to the rumors, we could see two different new iPhone models this year and possibly a third. Rumors continue to point to an iPhone 5S, iPhone 6, and an iPhone Math (or iPhone+). Naturally, Apple is offering no official comment leaving speculation and Chinese manufacturer sources to stoke the fires of geek lust.
The latest rumor that has surfaced this week comes from a post on a Chinese blog. According to the poster, the iPhone 5S and iPhone 6 have shown up Apple suppliers in China. The post was made to Chinese website Sina Tech where the user Old Yao claims that his friend at a supplier has seen both models. Yes, my best friends, cousins, boyfriend, knows this guy that says the iPhone 5S is in production. Insert grain of salt here.
Anyhow, Old Yao’s buddy says that his source of the supplier has seen both models and says that the iPhone 5S resembles the current iPhone 5 and the iPhone 6 is thinner, longer, and wider. Analysts have previously speculated that Apple would launch an iPhone 5S in June or July.
The expectation is that the iPhone 5S will be very similar to the current iPhone 5 with a few improvements. One of the improvements tipped is a faster Apple A7 processor. It would be highly irregular for Apple to launch two iPhone models in the same year, yet that’s what some expect with the larger screen version coming later in the year according to rumors.
Still settling into Windows 8? Well, it appears that Microsoft’s preparing for a sea change, codenamed “Blue,” that will alter how it approaches cross-platform updates. According to ZDNet’s Mary Jo Foley, an inside source at Redmond has indicated the company’s desire to house all Windows Phone, Windows Services, Windows 8 and Windows RT updates under the Blue umbrella, though that won’t necessarily indicate simultaneous releases. Far from it, actually, as the current plan is simply to schedule these updates on a yearly basis. Foley also goes on to note that for Win8, MS could ditch RTM releases altogether, in favor of feeding updates direct to the Windows Store and mentions that Windows 9 is still on track. What’s not yet known is precisely what features this Blue crush of updates will entail. We’ll keep you updated should this rumor prove to hold its water.
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