NFC-Based Mobile Payments Said to Be a ‘Hallmark’ Feature of iPhone 6

Apple’s next iPhone may indeed include a mobile payment platform, claims WIRED in a report released Thursday. Wired‘s sources didn’t not reveal how the system would work, but the publication was told that near field communications (NFC) technology will be part of the system.

The company’s next iPhone will feature its own payment platform, sources familiar with the matter told WIRED. In fact, that platform will be one of the hallmark features of the device when it’s unveiled on September 9. We’re told the solution will involve NFC.

Rumors of NFC support in the iPhone have been an annual occurrence over the past several years, but things may finally be coming together for Apple with NFC and its rumored mobile payments initiative. Additional evidence for NFC was spotted in schematics leaked by GeekBar, which suggest Apple may be using a version of the PN65 NFC package from NXP, which measures 5 mm x 5 mm and has 32 terminals for connectivity. A comparison of this component with alleged iPhone 6 logic boards published recently by Nowherelse.fr reveal an unused spot on the board that could accommodate this NFC chip.

A growing body of evidence suggests Apple is working on a mobile payments solution with NFC as an important component. NFC has been mentioned along with Bluetooth LE in patent applications that describe possible mobile payment solutions. Analysts from Morgan Stanley and Brightwire, as well as high-profile KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo all believe Apple will be adopting NFC as a core technology for the iPhone 6.

Apple is rumored to be working on an upcoming mobile payment solution that leverages the credit card data stored in millions of iTunes accounts. Apple is said to be working with credit card companies such as Visa about a possible partnership that would allow it to bypass third-party payment processors. Apple CEO Tim Cook also alluded to mobile payments earlier this year, noting that mobile payments were “one of the thoughts” behind Touch ID.

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New Photos of Claimed iPhone 6 Parts Show Closer Look at Rear Logo, Revamped Speaker

New photos of various components said to be from the iPhone 6 have been shared by Nowhereelse.fr (Google Translate), giving us a glimpse at both internal and external parts to be used in the device.

The first set of images show SIM card trays and home buttons in a range of three different colors, which may indicate that the iPhone 6 will keep the same space grey, gold, and silver options from the iPhone 5s. This is in line with a previous leaks, including one from last month which also showed SIM trays in three different colors. The SIM trays shown in the photos also appear to be slightly curved, and was likely designed with the iPhone 6′s thinner, rounded chassis in mind.

Another set of photos shows the embedded Apple logo, which has also surfaced in other leaks. However, Nowhereelse indicates that the logo scratches under regular pressure with a knife, and contrasts prior speculation that the logo was made of scratch-resistant metal. Apple has not used an embedded Apple logo on its mobile devices since the original iPhone back in 2007.

Finally, the last set of photos show the internal speaker and vibrator motor of the iPhone 6. Both components appear to be different than their predecessors found in the iPhone 5s, as the internal speaker appears to be larger while the vibrator motor now sports a rectangular design.

According to Re/code, Apple is expected to announce the iPhone 6 on Tuesday, September 9. It is likely that the 4.7-inch version of the device will go on sale about a week later, while the 5.5-inch version may be released at a later time due to production delays. A report yesterday from Re/code also stated that Apple will unveil a wearable device at the event.

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Apple Granted Patent for Fifth Avenue Glass Cube Store Design [Mac Blog]

Apple has been granted a patent for the design of its iconic glass cube Fifth Avenue retail store, reports Patently Apple.

The decision comes four years after Apple applied for a trademark related to the store’s design, which is still currently pending. The panted granted today was originally filed on October 15, 2012 and credits eight inventors including former Apple CEO Steve Jobs.

Apple’s Fifth Avenue store opened on May 19, 2006 and was designed by architectural firm Bohlin Cywinski Jackson. Due to a structural overhaul that took place in 2011, the location currently uses 15 panes of glass as opposed to 90 used in the original cube. The renovations on the newer cube also did away with nearly all of the hardware that previously held the original panes together, resulting in a “seamless” design.

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AllCast’s media streaming app is coming to iOS ‘slowly but surely’

Envious of Android’s stream-wrangling AllCast app, but not ready to switch mobile platforms? You’re in luck: the app’s creator just teased the iOS version of the app on his Google+ page. A pair of screenshots (featured above) shows the work-in-progress, punctuated only with developer Koushik Dutta’s brief commentary: “Slowly but surely.” The port was apparently sparked by a handful of new iOS8 APIs that it possible to cast from other apps besides AllCast. So, when will it be here? Dutta says he hopes to release the app in a few weeks, possibly the end of September.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Apple

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Source: Google+

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‘BioShock’ for iOS Now Available Worldwide [iOS Blog]

Following hints of a release earlier this summer, the iOS version of 2K Games’ original first person shooter BioShock is now available in the App Store. Rumored since 2008, BioShock on iOS is a port of the full, original game first released in 2007.

Set in 1960, BioShock asks players to take on the role of Jack, a plane crash survivor who finds his way into the defunct underwater city of Rapture. Jack has to fight his way out of the city, battling Big Daddies and other enemies while using an array of heavy weaponry and taking advantage of genetics-altering plasmids that grant him super powers. Over the course of the game, players also discover the rich history behind the creation of Rapture and its eventual fall.

One of the greatest first person shooters of all time, BioShock comes to iOS!
BioShock is the “genetically enhanced” first person shooter where you can turn everything into a weapon: the environment, your body, fire and water, and even your worst enemies.

You are a cast-away in Rapture, an underwater Utopia torn apart by civil war. Caught between powerful forces, and hunted down by genetically modified “splicers” and deadly security systems, you have to come to grips with a deadly, mysterious world filled with powerful technology and fascinating characters. No encounter ever plays out the same, and no two gamers will play the game the same way.

Earlier this month, our sister site TouchArcade went hands on with BioShock for iOS, and found that it runs “like a dream on iOS hardware” but had somewhat poor virtual controls as is common with first person shooters on a touchscreen. It does, however, work very well with a Bluetooth controller, which makes it “just like playing on a console.” The game’s graphics were slightly toned down to make it run on iOS, removing the fog and dynamic shadows, but TouchArcade says “you’d be hard-pressed to tell.”

BioShock is limited to newer iOS devices, including the iPad Air, Retina iPad mini, fourth-generation iPad, and the iPhone 5/5c/5s.

BioShock can be downloaded from the App Store for $14.99. [Direct Link]

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Nimblebit’s ‘Tiny Tower Vegas’ Now Available Worldwide [iOS Blog]

The sequel to Nimblebit’s popular free-to-play tower building game Tiny Tower is now available for download worldwide after soft launching in several countries earlier this summer. Tiny Tower Vegas incorporates the same tower building gameplay found in the original game, melding it with several Las Vegas-themed mini games like poker and slot machines.

As in the previous game, the idea is for players to continually build up and manage a tower filled with various businesses that generate coins. Like many free-to-play titles, Tiny Tower Vegas includes various countdown timers for functions like restocking floors, which can be sped up with the use of real life currency.

Tiny Tower Vegas can, however, be played without investing any real money. There are three types of currency in the game: coins, bux, and poker chips. Coins are earned from the tower’s occupants, while bux are won from the included gambling mini games, which are played using poker chips. While poker chips can be purchased in app, there are also continual mini events in the game that reward players with the currency.

The game includes several tower customization options and features that were available in the original Tiny Tower, including a BitBook with funny status updates, elevator upgrades, and multiplayer options that allow users to visit friends’ towers and team up with other users in the Players Club.

Tiny Tower is back, and this time we’re going to Vegas, baby!

– Build and manage your own hotel & casino filled with shopping, dining & entertainment floors!
– Amass a fortune of bux by betting chips in a multitude of casino games!
– Earn chips when your friends visit and play the games in your tower!
– Customize your tower with impressively themed roofs, elevators and lobbies!
– Keep tabs on the thoughts of employees and guests by reading the “BitBook” virtual social network!

Tiny Tower Vegas is a universal app that can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]

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Apple Denied Sales Ban on Samsung Devices From Second Patent Trial [iOS Blog]

Apple has again been denied a permanent injunction on Samsung products that infringe on its smartphone patents, reports Bloomberg. Judge Lucy Koh today rejected Apple’s plea for a sales ban on nine different Samsung devices involved in the second Apple vs. Samsung patent infringement trial.

According to Koh, Apple did not demonstrate irreparable harm in the form of lost sales, despite efforts to target specific infringing features on the Samsung devices.

“Apple has not satisfied its burden of demonstrating irreparable harm and linking that harm to Samsung’s exploitation of any of Apple’s three infringed patents,” the judge wrote. “Apple has not established that it suffered significant harm in the form of either lost sales or reputational injury.”

Earlier this year, a jury ruled that Samsung had willfully infringed on three Apple patents, ordering the company to pay $119.6 million in damages. Devices involved in the lawsuit included the Galaxy S III, Galaxy Note II, and Galaxy Tab 10.1.

The $119.6 million that Samsung owes from the second trial is in addition to the damages awarded to Apple in the original Apple vs. Samsung trial, which added up to approximately $890 million after a recalculation.

Apple and Samsung agreed to end their non-U.S. patent disputes in early August, but their battle in the United States is ongoing despite efforts to find “common ground.”

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