Details of Apple’s next generation iPhone 5 appear to be spreading across the web, and now in Chinese newspapers as well. Earlier in the week, Apple.pro posted images of a story in Chinese-language newspaper Apple Daily. The newspaper reportedly obtained one of the many iPhone 5 enclosures floating around and measured the specs. In the report, the iPhone 5 was reported to be 7.6mm thick, down from the iPhone 4S’ current 9.3mm thickness.

This means that the next generation iPhone 5 could be 18% thinner than the iPhone 4S and drastically thinner than any other model in the past. Apple was likely able to achieve this new depth because of the change in screen size, moving up from 3.5 inches to 4 inches. However, the width of the next gen iPhone is expected to remain the same as the 4S.

Apple Daily also posted some higher quality images following its initial report which seem to show a great amount of change in the iPhone enclosure as well as the previously rumored, smaller dock connector, and altered speaker port and headphone jack. Apple’s iPhone 5 is expected to be announced September 12th, alongside a possible iPad Mini as well as the public release of iOS 6.

{via MacRumors}

Rumors that Apple was looking to introduce a smaller dock connector in the next generation iPhone 5 have been around on the web for several months now. However, in the last several weeks, numerous leaked images of the iPhone 5 enclosure suggest that a smaller dock connector and charger will make it to the final product design.

Late last week, several images of the alleged mini dock connector surfaced online, posted by French site Nowherelse.fr, all but confirming that the next gen iPhone 5 will be carrying a 9 pin dock connector that strangely resembles the USB stick provided with Macbooks for reinstalling OS X. This would mean that the 30 pin dock connector, introduced with the original iPod over 10 years ago would now be replaced with smaller and thinner technology. According to recent reports, the new dock connector will likely improve I/O connectivity, allowing the transfer of data in a much shorter time with less electrical contacts than the 30 pin connector.

Sources have also reiterated claims that the charger now has the ability to plug into the iPhone on any side and does not have one designated orientation.It has been said that this new mini dock connector is much like a MacBook’s Mag-Safe connector, allowing users to insert any side of the charger into the device. Although other variations of the connector have been specualted about, ranging from 16 to 19 pins, 9 pins appears to be accurate and likely the version Apple will release next month.

So as not to cause a major rift in its iOS line-up, Apple is expected to provide users with an adaptor to connect to the current 30 pin connector as well. The iPhone 5 is slated for announcement next month on September 12th, alongside the public release of iOS 6.

{via AppleInsider}

Apple’s iPod nano adopted a new form factor in late 2010, stripping the popular music player of its scroll wheel and replaced it with a small multi-touch screen, with apps for music, radio, and podcasts. Although the new design gave the iPod nano a revamp and introduced a better option for browsing music, many users complained that the device still lacked some of the features that it once had, such as a video camera, and video playback. Japanese site, Macotakara now reports that Apple is planning yet another redesign of the iPod nano line.

According to the report, the next gen iPod nano will carry a larger rectangular display and a home button, similar to the one found on all iOS devices. The screen, although larger than the current generation, would still be relatively smaller than other iOS devices, and as a result, would not run iOS apps. Apple will likely create a new OS for the device and add on a skin to resemble iOS. The report also goes on to mention that Apple may bring a “dedicated new iTunes Service” to the device, however, it remains unclear exactly what that would be.

Apple’s iPod nano has gone through many major redesigns since its first generation, with Apple adding a camera and then removing it in the latest generation. Apple’s 8th generation design was rumored to receive a camera, with images of a camera hole in the clip of the Nano, however, Apple likely scrapped those plans for this new design. This new design makes sense for a number of reasons; a redesign would help increase iPod sales which have been in decline for several quarters, the last two generations of iPod nano have had the same design, and this design would help Apple synchronize its product lines and make multi-touch the focal point.

If Apple released this new design later in the year, iPod nano users would see more functionality with a larger screen, a camera, and a tailored iTunes service.

{via MacRumors}

Lego: Life of George Review

There are times when two things that you hold dear collide and instead of becoming even greater than the sum of their parts they become a monster. Take my love of all things deep fat fried and Cadbury Creme Eggs, put them together and it becomes a sickly sweet mess. But then you can take miniature things and ponies and you get miniature ponies which are simply delightful.

Therefore when I saw that Lego had brought out a game that included physical Lego blocks and an iPhone app I was hoping that it would fall under the latter category rather than the former. The iPhone / Lego combination has come together in ‘Life of George’ a $30 Lego set that works with a free iPhone app with the same name.

George is a frequent flyer and on his travels he takes a lot of pictures of the things that he encounters and he presents these things via the Life of George app in the form of photo albums. Each set of pages consists of 10 hidden items and by tapping on any of the 10 blank pictures reveals the image that you have to build out of the real Lego bricks that come as part of the set.

You are up against the clock and things can get a little tricky especially with the smaller pieces and in your hurry you can often find that what you are building falling apart. As soon as you have built your matching creation you can tap the screen, place the creation on the supplied display board and snap a picture.

You need to make sure that the board is positioned correctly and that there is no glare on the picture to ensure that the app can compare it correctly, but given that you’ve done that then you are scored based on speed and accuracy.

With 13 different locations and 10 creations per page there is a lot of building to be done and that’s before you include the 30 levels that have been added with the Christmas update and 50 spaces that are made available for you to create you on creations to play with. These My Life creations are great fun and really bring out the creativity in the ‘child’. The only tricky part is getting the lighting right when taking the photograph to add your creation to album. The accuracy is pretty great but if there is any glare in the picture it can be seen as there being no block there at all.

Of course all the creations are flat 2D creations, and while I would love it to be possible to include 3 dimensional creations to build I don’t see how an app would be able to record the accuracy of that!

There is also a two player option where you can go head to head on a single device on 5 randomly selected creations taking it in turns to see who has the overall best speed and accuracy. It would be nice if you could share your own creations with other players either via a code or uploading them a website as would GameCentre integration to compare your high-scores with other players around the world.

If you are a fan of Lego and have an iPhone or iPod Touch then Life of George is an excellent combination of the two and well worth the $30 price point. Life of George is available at all good Lego stores and re-sellers and via the Lego Website.

What we like:

• Great creative fun
• Lots of content
• Build your own

What to know:

• No social element to share your creations

Apple has been rumored to be in talks with China Telecom to bring iPhone to the third largest telecom operator in China. AllThingsD today highlighted a new reported originally posted by Sohu.com and noted by Ticonderoga Securities analyst Brian White. The report mentions that the carrier has reached “preliminary agreement” with Apple to sell iPhone 5 around October.

According to Sohu.com, China Telecom will offer two types of iPhone that include the iPhone 5 and a ‘simplified iPhone 4,’ says White. “Essentially, this potential ‘simplified iPhone 4′ would be a more economical version of iPhone to target a broader customer base in developing countries such as China, allowing for an expanded market opportunity.

This isn’t the first time we are hearing reports about Apple supporting a cheaper iPhone. The rumor mill and many analysts in the past have speculated that an iPhone nano has been in the works. However, no concrete evidence has been revealed as yet to support this rumor.

Introducing a cheaper or simplified version of the iPhone for the Asian markets to meet lower price points could open new revenue opportunities for the company. Analyst Brian White believes that “if Apple offers a more economical, ‘simplified iPhone 4,’ the opportunity with China Telecom could be much larger.”

The Asian market has played a very important role in Apple’s phenomenal sales figures for the second quarter. Even though it seems quite unlikely for the Cupertino, California-based company to offer a simplified version of the iPhone; a low cost smartphone could indeed help the company capture more market share.

Despite recent reports that suggest Apple is working on a smaller version of its iPhone, “people briefed on Apple’s plans” have told the New York Times that although the company is looking into offering a cheaper model of the device, it will not be smaller than the current size. One source said that the company is hard at work on the next-generation Apple smartphone and that it will be similar in size to the iPhone 4, and another confirmed there wouldn’t be a smaller device, because:

A smaller device would not necessarily be much cheaper to manufacture and because it would be more difficult to operate.

One source, who is direct contact with Apple, also added that the company doesn’t want developers to have to rewrite their applications. This is something we pointed out in an earlier article regarding the smaller device – due to its smaller screen, and probable slower processor, current App Store apps and games would not be compatible.

The Times article cites a senior Apple executive who said making multiple iPhone models would not make sense for the company. During the private meeting the executive also confirmed that the company would continue to sell previous-generation devices at a discounted price.

It is believed that Apple is developing a less expensive iPhone in an attempt to compete with popular low-cost Android devices. Piper Jaffray, an analyst of Gene Munster. Sanford C. Bernstein & Company, believes a cheaper iPhone available without a contract is critical to Apple’s growth overseas:

If they are going to be a player in the global market they have to have a prepaid option.

One of the Times‘ sources also spilled some beans on the work Apple is doing to improve its MobileMe service, which many subscribers have been unsatisfied with for a while. It seems we could see a free, “more versatile” version of the service that would allow users to wirelessly sync data, including media, across all of their Apple devices. This ties in with rumors that the cheaper iPhone will not feature any physical storage, and that all of its data will be pulled from ‘the cloud.’

{via AppleInsider}