‘iPhone 6 Frame’ Shown in New Photos Unlikely to Be Genuine [iOS Blog]

Earlier today, Chinese site C Technology posted a pair of photos of what was claimed to be an internal frame for Apple’s next-generation iPhone, a device said to be carrying a display measuring at least 4.7 inches, significantly larger than the current 4-inch standard for Apple’s most recent iPhones. The photos were picked up by GizChina.com and have since made their way to increasingly prominent sites expressing varying degrees of skepticism about their authenticity.

While we had initially decided to refrain from posting the images due to their extremely dubious nature, their increasing visibility today bears addressing. For a number of reasons, including several outlined here, we believe that the part shown in these images is not legitimate.

– The part appears to be a midframe such as that found in earlier iPhone models, allowing components to be attached to both sides of the part before being enclosed in the device’s shell. Apple did away with midframe components as of the iPhone 5, opting for a unibody rear shell design that allows components to be mounted directly to the shell, yielding a thinner design. A return to a design requiring a midframe part would seem unlikely given Apple’s emphasis on thinness.

– The frame seems to show accommodation for a headphone jack at the same end of the device where a circular feature presumably corresponding to the device’s rear camera is positioned, undoubtedly the top end. With the shift to the narrower Lightning connector in the iPhone 5, Apple shifted the location of the iPhone’s headphone jack to the bottom edge of the device, matching the position seen on the iPod touch since its launch and allowing the headphone cable to naturally fall so as to not interfere with viewing of the device’s screen. Moving the headphone jack back to the top edge of the device for the iPhone 6 appears unlikely, though not impossible.

In the face of those apparent inconsistencies with Apple’s design direction, there is essentially no evidence in favor of this part being from an iPhone, leaving only the original poster’s claim as support. The part is rather unremarkable with what appears to be fairly poor finish quality, meaning that it could be from one of any number of devices in the Asian supply chain.

T-Mobile’s ‘Un-Carrier 4.0’ Initiative Offers Families Up to $350 Per Line to Switch Carriers

T-Mobile today announced its Un-Carrier 4.0 initiative, which will see the company offering to pay up to $350 in early termination fees for families who switch from AT&T, Sprint, or Verizon to T-Mobile. Coupled with phone trade-ins, customers can receive up to $650 per line to change carriers.

“We’re giving families a ‘Get Out of Jail Free Card,’ said John Legere, president and chief executive officer of T-Mobile. “Carriers have counted on staggered contract end dates and hefty early termination fees to keep people bound to them forever. But now families can switch to T-Mobile without paying a single red cent to leave them behind.”

Beginning tomorrow, customers who hand in eligible AT&T, Verizon, or Sprint devices at a participating T-Mobile location will receive an instant credit of up to $300 based on the value of the phone.

After purchasing a new device from T-Mobile, customers can send the final bill (with early termination fees) from their previous carriers to T-Mobile and the company will send an additional payment of up to $350 per line to pay those fees (actual fee paid is based on the early termination cost) in the form of a prepaid MasterCard.

Trading in an old phone, purchasing a new T-Mobile phone, porting a phone number, and signing up for a new T-Mobile plan are all required to quality for T-Mobile’s new program.

Earlier this month, AT&T also announced plans to offer up to $450 in credits for customers switching from the carrier to T-Mobile. The company pays up to $250 for the trade-in of a current smartphone, plus an additional $200 for transferring wireless service.

T-Mobile counts this as its fourth initiative to disrupt traditional mobile service. The first came in March when the company unveiled its “Un-Carrier” plans that uncoupled device costs from service costs, while the second and third initiatives included the company’s Jump upgrade plan and its unlimited texting and 2G data in 100 countries.

T-Mobile and competitor AT&T have been participating ongoing feud in 2013, which began after T-Mobile CEO John Legere called the AT&T network “crap.” Most recently, AT&T threw John Legere out of a party hosted by the company at CES 2014.

CES 2014: Apple’s Competition in the Smart Watch Arena

CES 2014 has seen the introduction of a slew of new smart watches, spurred on by the popularity of early offerings like the Pebble and the ongoing rumors about Apple’s prospective smart watch, the iWatch.

Major companies like Qualcomm, Sony, and Samsung have developed smart watches, as have a multitude of smaller companies. In a market now flooded with smart watch offerings, every company has made an attempt to distinguish its product from the masses, with some focusing on design while others add innovative features.

Our comprehensive list of the smart watches being displayed at CES, which is available below, gives a solid overview of the current state of the smart watch market and a glimpse at the products the iWatch will need to compete with upon its release.

Intel Smart Watch – During its keynote event at CES, Intel revealed its plans to focus heavily on wearables throughout 2014. As part of the presentation, the company showed off a prototype smart watch incorporating geofencing and location-based notifications designed to alert users when a child or family member has left a specific location. The watch was not an actual product, but the company has plans to release a similar device in 2014. (Image courtesy of Engadget)

Pebble Steel – Pebble’s second-generation smart watch, called the Pebble Steel, retains the current Pebble functionality but features a new design with a stainless steel body and a leather or steel band. It is both slimmer and lighter than the original Pebble and also includes a face covered with Corning’s scratch resistant Gorilla Glass. The Pebble Steel lasts for 5 to 7 days on a single charge, is waterproof, and will begin shipping on January 28 for $249. Pebble has also announced an app store that will be available to users in January and introduced new partnerships to bring additional functionality to the device.

Razer Nabu – Designed by computer peripheral manufacturer Razer, the Nabu smart band is a fitness band/smart watch hybrid. The Nabu is slim like a standard fitness tracker, but it includes two small OLED screens at 32×32 and 128×32, which display information about activity levels and notifications about texts, phone calls, and other social networking alerts. It includes an accelerometer, an altimeter, and a cylindrical vibration motor and lasts up to 10 days on a single charge. Nabu, which ships in the spring, also interacts in unique ways with other Nabu bands. For example a handshake between two Nabu wearers could allow the two to automatically exchange contacts on social networks like Twitter and LinkedIn. Nabu will be available for under $100.
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CES 2014: Voyce is a Health-Tracking Smart Collar for Dogs [iOS Blog]

Wearables are a major category at CES this year and while most of the available products have focused on humans, one company, i4C Innovations, is aiming its newest tracking device at a different consumer group — dogs. Voyce is a health and activity tracking collar designed to be worn by dogs.

Voyce uses a 3-axis accelerometer to track a dog’s active and resting periods and a built-in radio frequency technology measures both heart and respiratory rates.

Introducing breakthrough wearable technology that bridges the communication gap between dogs, their owners, and the people who love them. Our three-part approach of Discover, Learn, and Share gives unprecedented insight into your dog’s health and wellbeing, information and tools for you and your dog to grow together, and ways to share with your veterinarian and social networks.

The data gathered by Voyce is uploaded to and analyzed by an accompanying mobile app, which gives an detailed overview of pet health that can be shared on social networks and with veterinarians. The app tracks trends over time, allowing owners to keep an eye on vital signs and other health indicators to detect potential problems early on.

According to the company, Voyce data can be a valuable tool for pet owners. For example, the activity tracking portion of the band can let owners know if there are early warning signs of arthritis based on lower levels of movement, while the heart rate monitor can notify owners of conditions like chronic pain. The device also tracks the calories that a dog burns each day, allowing for adjustments in feeding.

Voyce accommodates neck sizes ranging from 12 to 32 inches and weighs less than six ounces. It has an estimated battery life of one week and it requires Internet access and Wi-Fi to sync with a mobile device or computer.

Voyce is expected to be released in the summer of 2014 for approximately $300.