The Prices and Images of the Alleged Budget iPhone Shells in Multicolored

Besides new color schemes and more cost effective materials, the latest rumors surrounding the budget iPhone range include mass production of the models currently under way, as well as leaked pricing. Turns out budget version isn’t that cheap after all.

Sonny Dickson, the man behind several accurate Apple-related leaks in the past, posted on Twitter what he alleges will be the pricing of the new cheaper iPhone line.

Apple's Lower-Cost iPhone Prices iPhone – 16GB – $349 iPhone – 32GB – $449 iPhone – 64GB – $549

— Sonny Dickson (@SonnyDickson) June 30, 2013

Currently, the cheapest unlocked phone available from the online Apple Store is $450 for the 8GB iPhone 4, which means that the base model of the budget line will run you about $100 less for double the onboard memory – not out of the realm of possibility, especially if cheaper manufacturing materials are thrown into the mix. It’s also anyone’s guess what hardware will be available inside, so there might be some cost cutting going on there, too.

Also floating around is the rumor that mass production of the new budget models is already under way, which aligns with reports we heard last month of with an eventual launch date this September. Here’s hoping we hear something from Apple’s camp towards the end of summer.

The latest leak relating to the alleged line of budget iPhones - which have been called iPhone Lite or iPhone mini in several places - once again comes from none other than Sonny Dickson.

 Lowest price iPhone 4 - order soon ! 

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Facebook 6.1 For iOS Updates: Improved Places Editing, Faster Events, New Photo Viewer Button

Facebook for iOS is all about sharing, which is why the new photo viewer button is an important one. Users can now directly save and share photos to their heart’s content, as well as set images as their profile pictures should they so wish. We don’t think you’ll be doing that last one all too often, but it’s always good to make things easier to do on-device. New app updates are always exciting, and today saw a new version of the Facebook for iOS app hit the App Store. More details and the download link can be found right after the jump.

Facebook’s change log says that the update features a new photo viewer button and improvements to both Places and Events on the iPhone specifically. The update is free and available via the App Store right now.

Two iPhone-specific updates follow, with the first being improved Places editing when checking in. It might not sound like much on the face of it, but if you’re a heavy user of Places then it could be huge. Facebook is obviously trying to increase usage of its Places feature, and removing friction on Apple’s smartphone will no doubt go some way to helping the social network achieve its goal in that regard.

Faster Events are also part of this update, another improvement that will no doubt come as a welcome addition for many, especially on mobile.

Perhaps most interesting though is the change in icon. Well, sort of. See, not everyone is reporting the new icon being available to them, whilst others are reporting a new, decidedly beta-looking icon adorning their iPhone home screen. Think the standard Facebook icon but with a white border, and you won’t be far off. Others also seem to have received the new Facebook News Feed as part of this update, though that may be pure coincidence rather than a change by design. If you’re seeing either of these, we’d love to hear from you!

Facebook’s iOS app is no doubt one of its most important, and any update is a good update as far as we’re concerned. The Facebook for iOS app is coming along nicely, and is probably one of the most used apps on the App Store. Facebook will do well to keep the updates coming!

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BlackBerry Messenger Across iOS And Android Will be Possible Soon

BlackBerry Messenger will hit both the Google Play and iOS App Stores this summer, and will be absolutely free of charge from the get-go. Those looking to get in on BBM will need to be running fairly recent versions of both iOS and Android, with the requirements set at a minimum of iOS 6 for iPad, iPhone and iPod touch users, and Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich for those on the Google mobile OS.

BlackBerry is on the cusp of turning its proprietary BlackBerry Messenger service (BBM) into a multi-platform experience. Keeping BBM specific to the company’s own devices worked wonders when the company was flying high atop the market, but in looking to reestablish its presence in the iOS / Android-dominated market, BlackBerry is now looking to spread its popular messaging tool to users of those two pivotal platforms.

Speaking of the company’s decision to take BBM to multiple platforms, the company’s CEO Thorsten Heins said: "It’s time to bring BBM to a greater audience . . no matter what mobile device they carry."

Although the decision is not perhaps all that surprising given BlackBerry’s recent plight, it is one of intrigue. BBM’s exclusivity has tended to work in BlackBerry’s favor, drawing in new consumers wishing to be a part of the popular network. But as the company continued to stick with the tired style of keyboarded handset while the likes of Samsung, HTC and Apple flourished with more contemporary designs, BlackBerry definitely lost its way somewhat.

The new-look BBM will no doubt go head-to-head with the likes of WhatsApp, a very well established cross-platform app which already boasts millions of users. Heins also promised that the experience of BBM on both iOS and Android would be fully-fledged, rather than a half-baked effort cooked up as a marketing ruse, adding: "We’re starting with messaging and groups, but we’ll bring voice, screen share, and of course, channels later on."

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iPhone 5S Trial Production is Planned on the Next Month

We all know that the best phone so far which is iPhone 5 just been released on the market. People are also still tasting the device on their hands not so long. But the news is already reached us that the next 5s is already begun to be on the trial production.

A story coming from the Commercial Times is suggesting that Apple have no intention of resting on their laurels when it comes to updating and upgrading their iPhone hardware and could be planning on initiating a trial production run of iPhone 5S handsets as early as next month. It seems nothing short of madness to suggest that the Cupertino based company could be even contemplating pushing out a new iPhone so soon after the successful release of the current model iPhone 5, but as far-fetched as the report may seem on the surface it does actually raise a few intriguing points that could add some fuel to this one. The publication is making reference to the fact that Apple have been facing low yield rates for certain components that are included in the iPhone 5 and could therefore take action to accelerate the launch of its successor.

Any devices that are born from a trial production run taking place toward the end of this year wouldn’t make it in the hands of the public, but it is also being speculated that should an initial trial prove successful, Apple could be looking to put the iPhone 5S into mass production in the first quarter of 2013. Apple’s current iPhone 5 is the sixth-generation smartphone to come from the fruit company, with all previous releases either following or going beyond a twelve month release schedule. Given previous release history it seems highly unlikely that we will be seeing a new iPhone in the next few months.

Until we hear anything additional or concrete from reliable and tested sources then I think it is safe to assume that the current iPhone 5 will see us through until at least September/October of 2013. However, when that time does arrive it will be extremely interesting to see whether or not Apple will go down the route of releasing a totally revamped handset or do actually make incremental updates and push out an iPhone 5S.

So, from this we can see as we wait for the 5s or buying this iPhone 5 in which we know that there are many things should be fixed inside the phone already.

(Via redmondpie)

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The next-generation iPhone 5 with 3.9-inch display

The next generation of iPhone has nearly come to us. The most awaited iPhone after the success the previous iPhone 4GS and now we want more advance of iPhone.

Apple is testing multiple next-generation iPhones, and we have independently heard that at least one of these devices sports a brand new display.

Apple’s iPhone display went mostly unchanged from the first iteration of the iPhone to the third, but for the iPhone 4, Apple took the iPhone display to new heights with the incredible 640 x 960 Retina Display. The display has always been 3.5 inches measured diagonally and a 3:2 aspect ratio. As we hinted yesterday, all of that is about to change…

Right now we know of a few next-generation iPhone candidates in testing. These prototype phones are floating around Apple HQ in thick, locked shells in order to disguise the exterior design to “undisclosed” employees. We know of two next-generation iPhones in testing with a larger display: the iPhone 5,1 and iPhone 5,2. These phones are in the PreEVT stage of development and are codenamed N41AP (5,1) and N42AP (5,2). Because Apple reserves certain models for internal-only usage (such as the N96 phone we previously reported on), we’re not sure which of the two devices will make its way into the world later this year.

Both of these phones sport a new, larger display that is 3.95 inches diagonally. Apple will not just increase the size of the display and leave the current resolution, but will actually be adding pixels to the display. The new iPhone display resolution will be 640 x 1136. That’s an extra 176 pixels longer of a display. The screen will be the same 1.94 inches wide, but will grow to 3.45 inches tall. This new resolution is very close to a 16:9 screen ratio, so this means that 16:9 videos can play full screen at their native aspect ratio.

We’ve also heard that Apple will be taking full advantage of their new pixels. Apple is currently testing builds of iOS 6 that are custom-built to the new iPhone’s display. These builds include a tweaked home screen with a fifth row of icons (besides the stationary app dock) and extended application user interfaces that offer views of more content. Apple is able to pull this off with the same sharpness as the current iPhone Retina Display because of the additional pixels.

In terms of hardware other than the new display, we’ve heard that both of these prototypes definitely include a home button and the previously-rumored smaller dock connector. Apple will be bringing these dock connectors to all of their iOS devices over time, and it is not exactly a “pill-shape” as rumored. It’s basically a much narrower version of the current squared off (on the corners) dock connector. It is between the size of a Micro-USB and Mini-USB connector.

Source

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