iPhone 5 Rumors Start Heating Up [VIDEO]

The second round of iPhone 5 rumors has officially begun, speculating a redesigned front rim in rubber or plastic, possibly to connect the face to a new aluminum back plate or to cover a new antenna system.

BGR says a source close to the company claims the iPhone will launch next fall, around the time the iPhone 4S launched this year. Pop Herald is predicting a 4-inch screen, which would require app developers to overhaul their products to avoid poor resolution.

But as we all know, iPhone rumors will come in all shapes and flavors before the upcoming launch. What do you think about this set?

Via:Mashable

Apple's Incredible New Plans Revealed

Apple Hydrogen Fuel Cell Battery Plans Revealed

Apple is planning to make devices powered by hydrogen fuel cells, according to patent applicationspublished by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

The plans could create computers and phones with weeks-long battery power. It would also make the devices lighter and less bulky.

According to the Telegraph, hydrogen fuel cells work by converting hydrogen and oxygen into water and electrical energy. This technology is already being explored for cars and the military.

"Our country's continuing reliance on fossil fuels has forced our government to maintain complicated political and military relationships with unstable governments in the Middle East, and has also exposed our coastlines and our citizens to the associated hazards of offshore drilling," reads the patent application. "These problems have led to an increasing awareness and desire on the part of consumers to promote and use renewable energy sources."

This won't come as much of a surprise to those who follow Apple closely. The company has filed several other patent applications for similar technology, as reported by Apple Insider in October.

Check out a diagram of the system, courtesy of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Via:HuffingTonPost

Apple Blast At Pegatron Plant Under Investigation By Chinese Officials

SHANGHAI -- Authorities are investigating the cause of an explosion over the weekend that injured dozens of people at the Shanghai factory of a supplier to Apple Inc.

The government formed an investigation group and ordered safety checks at the Riteng Computer Accessory Co. factory, a wholly owned subsidiary of Apple supplier Pegatron Corp., said Gan Shanjun, an official in the information office in Shanghai's Songjiang district.

Critics have taken Cupertino, California-based Apple to task for alleged violations of labor and environmental standards by its China-based suppliers, and the company has said it is working to resolve such problems.

Local media reported that 61 people were hurt by the blast and more than 20 of them hospitalized, but none suffered life-threatening injuries.

"Our hearts go out to the people who were hurt in Songjiang. We are working closely with Pegatron to understand the cause of this accident," said Carolyn Wu, a spokeswoman for Apple in China.

She would not comment further. Apple provides little if any information about its suppliers in China.

Pegatron, in a statement, said the blast occurred in dust collection equipment. Its staff also said they would not make further comment.

The New York-based group China Labor watch said the explosion occurred when aluminum dust from polishing cases for iPads caught fire.

A similar explosion occurred in May at a factory of electronics maker Foxconn Technology Group. Three people died and 15 were hurt due to what Foxconn said was "an explosion of combustible dust in a duct" at the plant in the southwestern city of Chengdu.

Via: HuffinTonPost

Apple Deals HTC a Stinging Patent Loss - Could Help Windows

Apple only got one of its patent claims against HTC validated in the latest ITC ruling – but this one is a doozie. The patent 5’946’647 is notorious in the telecom world for being so comprehensive – it covers the way phone numbers and email addresses embedded in emails and text messages become highlighted and clickable. Somebody emails you a phone number and you can immediately call that number via a simple click – no painstaking cut and paste moves needed.

Circumventing “the 647? is probably going to be difficult. The patent is very generic and covers a lot of different approaches.  I am guessing the Presidential veto on behalf of a Taiwanese vendor against the ultimate California tech powerhouse is not going to happen – so HTC will have to modify its software substantially.

This opens up what seems to be a very effective line of attack against LG, Motorola, Sony and other Android vendors. Google may be drifting towards a real IPR debacle here. Samsung seems to be making moves towards increasing its bet on the Bada OS and Asian companies seem to be evaluating the Tizen OS project seriously.

And it could hardly come at a better time for the Windows camp, which is attempting to pull off a highly unlikely comeback after tumbling to sub-2% mobile market share level. AT&T and Verizon are presumably negotiating with Nokia about the upcoming Lumia launches in North America right now. Nokia was confident enough to book its biggest presence in the upcoming CES 2012 trade show in Las Vegas in at least half a decade.

The HTC loss might mean the US giant carriers could give Windows another look. It’s hard to say how bad the Android patent battles will get in 2012, but another round of escalation is likely in the cards. Nokia has unique leverage against Apple via its comprehensive GPRS, EDGE, W-CDMA, antenna, power consumption and mobile email patents (Nokia launched its first email phone in 1997). Nokia can probably shield itself better from Apple’s attacks than any of the Android vendors.

This is an interesting juncture for telecom shares – the grim RIMM warning combined with the possible unraveling of the European banking system has pushed Nokia into a deep tailspin. The mobile infrastructure vendors from Ciena to Alcatel have continued sinking as markets begin anticipating that the sovereign debt trouble may spill to corporate arena, crippling the CAPEX plans of the heavily indebted European giant operators. This patent ruling could give NOK a bounce unless the European debt meltdown picks up speed tomorrow.

Any telecom bounces are likely to be evanescent as long as European leaders remain at odds – and we received a very clear message from the ECB today that there will be no debt-buying bonanza without a new mandate for the central bank. That new mandate is politically impossible to cobble together – so we remain firmly on a hellbound train. Investors clearly have not seriously started contemplating what would happen if carriers like Telefonica would be locked out of debt market. That day may come sooner rather than later.

Via: Forbes