The Boy Genius Report has uncovered an iPhone video from Youtube via Global Direct Parts, who claim to have the parts for the next generation iPhone. If this report is true, internally some of the changes could be speed bumps (such as we saw between the 3G and 3GS). On the outside, the steel band will see a relocation of the dividers that separate the antennas. Externally, we don’t imagine a visual difference between the iPhone 4, and the iPhone 5 (4G?). There’s been slight internal retooling of the next generation iPhone antenna, which may give customers with dropped calls some relief. Lastly, we can expect incremental improvements all around the board, but as you’ll see in the video after the break, we haven’t seen everything yet.
Rumor: iPhone 5 Taken Apart, Shown Naked On Video?
To The Future! Apple Granted Liquid Metal Patent For Fuel Cell Casing→
To The Future! Apple Granted Liquid Metal Patent For Fuel Cell Casing
Apple’s new patent describes “amorphous alloy” collector plates for fuel cells, an electrochemical battery that uses hydrogen to generate electricity. Although the patent doesn’t reference the Liquidmetal trademark, the material is an amorphous alloy or “ metallic glass.”
Last year, Apple signed an exclusive agreement to use the Liquidmetal Technologies’ IP in consumer electronic products. But of course, the ever-secretive company hasn’t hinted at its plans for the material. The possibilites are endless. Liquidmetal is a super lightweight, high-strength, scratch-proof metal that NASA says is “poised to redefine materials science as we know it in the 21st century.”
I don’t think we’ll see anything like this our next iPhone, but the prospect of having a fuel cell iPhone is intriguing. If you thought battery life was excellent now, just imagine not having to charge your iPhone for an entire month. The collector plates enable the chemical reaction that generates power - liquid metal is preferred because of it’s strong qualities as being durable and anti-corrosive.
#MacStoriesDeals - Wednesday
Ready for the Mac App Store launch tomorrow? We are! Here’s today’s deals on iOS & Mac apps that are on sale for a limited time, so get ‘em while they’re hot! Read more
Mac App Store and OS X 10.6.6 Coming Tomorrow at 12 PM ET
We know the Mac App Store is launching tomorrow, on January 6. We also know that Mac OS X 10.6.6 will be required to use the Mac App Store. Jim Dalrymple over at The Loop, however, confirms that according to his sources (and when Jim says “my sources tell me” he always means “someone at Apple told me”) the Mac App Store is launching tomorrow at 12 PM ET, 9 AM Cupertino time.
According to my sources, the Mac App Store will be available at 12:00 pm (noon) ET on Thursday. That puts it at about 9:00 am PT where Apple is headquartered in Cupertino, Calif.
Of course, this means that come 12 PM tomorrow we should fire up Software Update and find a 10.6.6 update that, among fixes, will include the Mac App Store as a new system app. It is still unknown whether or not Apple will also offer a standalone Mac App Store download for 10.6.6 users on its website.
So anyway, get your credit cards ready: we’re 23 hours away from the Mac App Store.
Skype 5 Out of Beta?
As noted by a poster on Italian forum Italiamac, it appears that Skype 5, launched as beta in November, has now gone “public” – out of beta – for everyone. When trying to download Skype for Mac from its usual download page, the website doesn’t return a download of Skype 2.8 (which is still featured as the latest public release for Mac) but “forces you” to download a new version of Skype 5.
The beta version, indeed, has build number 5.0.0.6378, while the new version we just downloaded is 5.0.60.7598. Build number aside, there doesn’t seem to be anything new in the Mac app. This is a direct link to the download of the new version of Skype 5 for Mac.
Of course this might just be an error on Skype’s end, but with the recent release of video calling for iPhone and iPad we’re hoping for an announcement of Skype 5 final later today. Read more
Realmac Announces Mac App Store Pricing, Courier Becomes App Store Exclusive
Our friends over at Realmac have been busy deciding the approach to take for the Mac App Store, which in case you somehow missed by living under a rock for the past three months, is launching tomorrow as a free update for every Snow Leopard user. The Realmac team has evaluated all the options on how to best port all their applications to the new Store, while retaining the possibility to sell software to customers through their own website.
There’s been plenty of discussion about what developers will do with their apps and pricing, so today we’re announcing some pricing changes that will come into effect once the App Store goes live. Customers who purchase one of our applications via the Realmac Store will not be affected by these changes as, where applicable, they’re being applied to our own store.
First off, Courier – a beautiful app to send any file to a variety of online services we reviewed here – is going to be a Mac App Store exclusive priced at $4.99. The great news is, if you purchased Courier at full price in the past and you’re willing to re-download the app from the Mac App Store (you know, to keep a neat app library and forget about manual updates) the developers are offering a full refund. Just buy the app from the Mac App Store and send both the receipts (the old one, and the new iTunes receipt) to Realmac’s email address to get a refund for the old, full price. More details here.
As for Realmac’s other apps, RapidWeaver 5.0 is going on sale at $39.99 for a limited time, with LittleSnapper seeing a price drop as well to $24.99. The new prices will be effective tomorrow both on the Mac App Store and Realmac’s website.
Realmac is another example of long-time OS X developers that are believing in the new platform as the best new way to reach millions of new customers and Mac users. For other app previews and details, check out our Mac App Store hub.
First-Gen Apple TV Gets AirPlay Support with Remote HD
Remote HD is a new app developed by the Fire Core guys – the same folks behind the ATV Flash browser / utility – which brings AirPlay streaming to the original Apple TV, the first-generation silver model. Once installed on your iOS device from the App Store and on the original Apple TV through the Install Extras menu, you’ll be able to beam videos, Youtube, video podcasts and photos from your iPhone or iPad to the Apple TV.
If your iOS device is jailbroken and has AirPlay enabled for 3rd party apps, you’ll get the possibility to stream video from anywhere. Remote HD also lets you stream videos from iTunes on your computer.
Remote HD for iOS is available at $3.99 here.
Zeppelin Air Brings AirPlay To Bowers & Wilken’s Sound Blimp
If you have an appreciation for really sexy speakers, Apple products, or both, Bowers & Wilkens’ top-of-the-line Zeppelin is about to receive an undoubtedly fantastic upgrade. Featuring the same chassis you know and love with completely reworked acoustics, the Zeppelin Air is your living room’s prime wireless companion for listening to uncompressed audio over your network’s airwaves. If you’re more fancy than the average gentleman, you can purchase a gaggle of Zeppelins and chain them together for AirPlay throughout the household. One should be enough, however, and we can expect to see this pricey football hit the market around March. In the meantime, you can register for product news on B&W’s website by clicking here.
[via Bowers & Wilkens]
Mac App Store Preview: WordCrasher
Coming tomorrow for the Mac App Store launch, WordCrasher is an addictive game already available on the iPhone and iPod touch which is based on a simple concept: create words out of letters falling from the top of the screen. Yes, it sounds a lot like Tetris’ bricks, only you have letters and you have to combine them to create words and empty the screen. As the screen is filled up with blocks, it’s game over.
The Mac version of WordCrasher will take the iOS experience and add some new features to make suitable for the desktop. Together with redesigned graphics and new sounds, Mac users will be able to create words not just by catching letters with the trackpad: you can use the keyboard for fast typing and gaming.
WordCrasher will be available tomorrow and I believe it will be one of the many iOS games ported to the Mac platform. Whether or not this will turn out to be a great or terrible idea, we’ll find out in less than 24 hours.