iPhone 5 Features

Dear Apple please be upstanding while we take you through a few pointers of the top 5 most wanted iPhone 5 features that will make us applaud you.

There are so many new features customers would love to have on the next generation Apple smartphone and if the iPhone 5 expected to release in September incorporated any of the ones we mention below then happy days all round as they say.

iDB have given a few features and we have a few more, 1080p video capture would be a fantastic addition if Apple could give users this on the new iPhone 5 because seeing 1080p streaming to the Apple TV would be amazing.

Many have the GSM iPhone 4 and Verizon has the CDMA version so it makes sense to give all a world phone, basically the new iPhone 5g should have both GSM and CDMA capabilities. The third feature has to be a 720p front-facing camera, which would be perfect for FaceTime as the video call would be of superior quality.

Number four has to be a brand new design, please get rid of the glass back and bring us the old aluminium back cover or push the boat out and make it carbon fibre.

The Apple Mac Pro and Mac Airs feature the Thunderbolt port so surely the new upcoming iPhone 5 should have the same port. So far that is the top 5 most wanted iPhone 5 features 2011, if you have any more features you would like the iPhone5 to have please let us know.

Pushing The Boat Out (More Features): Edge-to-Edge display, 3D cameras, 4G technology, Smaller SIM cards, better battery life, 8-megapixel camera or better, Speech to Text Conversion

Here's more on the iPhone 5 news.

iPhone 5 To Possibly Feature Curved Glass

The speculation continues about what the next generation iPhone may or may not feature today with the rumour that the iPhone 5 could possibly come out to play packing a curved glass display like that seen on the Samsung Nexus S, and as Apple has previously used curved glass on the previous generation of the iPod Nano there is a possibility that this rumour could hold some substance.

According to an article over on Cult of Mac by way of Macrumors, this latest iPhone 5 speculation comes via DigiTimes claims that according to unnamed industry sources Apple is going to adopt curved glass for the iPhone 5g, or iPhone 4S as some are calling the device.

Apparently the word is the high cost of the tech to product curved glass makes glassmakers reluctant to adopt the tech but apparently Apple has forked out for 200 to 300 glass-cutting machines to do the task and apparently are being stored at "associated assembly plants."

As for just when we are likely to see the iPhone5, with or without curved glass, the article states…" There has been no timetable yet for the volume production of iPhone 5 as Apple is currently still working with related suppliers including those involved in cover glass, glass cutting, lamination and touch sensors to improve yield rates, the sources commented."

Having said all this, previous rumour has it that the next generation iPhone wouldn't be that much different from the iPhone 4 when it comes to design, so for now at least this latest rumour should be taken with a spoonful of Apple sauce.

September iPhone 5 release date: odds of 4G, redesign, white, colors

Don't expect the iPhone 5 to see a release date prior to September, as the recent arrival of the white iPhone 4 means Apple doesn't expect to have a new iPhone generation ready to go quite as soon as this summer. But the longer the iPhone 5 takes to arrive, the better the odds of certain features coming along for the ride. Here are the odds of various iPhone 5 potential features making the cut if September 2011 indeed ends up being the official release date.

4G: This is tricky because the two current iPhone carriers, Verizon and AT&T, both barely have any 4G rollout to speak of. For Apple to add 4G networking hardware to the iPhone 5, it would have to be confident that one or both carriers will have far more 4G LTE in place by the end of the iPhone 5 era than at the beginning of it. The odds of Apple including it are reasonable, but not great.

Redesign: Here's where the odds get better. Apple has used the current iPhone 4 body styling three times: first with the original iPhone 4, then with the Verizon iPhone 4, and now with the white iPhone 4. Sure, it's all been less than a year in the making. But Apple has used the styling one too many times (arguably two too many times) to be using it yet again, particularly at a time when many or most are expecting a full revamp for the iPhone 5.

iPhone 5 white : The iPhone 4 will stick around as the bargain bin model in the iPhone 5 era. The fact that Apple has released a white iPhone 5 at all means that both the black and white iPhone 4 models are likely to stick around in the iPhone 5 era. And while Apple could blow up the blueprint with an exposed brushed metal iPhone 5 design or some such, it's difficult to picture there being a white iPhone 4 but not a white iPhone 5. So the odds are strong, to say the least, that there will be a white iPhone 5.

Colors: The more colors Apple adds to the iPhone lineup, the more retail SKUs there are to deal with and the more inventory snafus (witness the current eighteen iPad 2 models, and that's for just two colors). But if the iPhone 5g is indeed to be a hybrid device which works on both carriers, that would mean a mere four SKUs total: 16 and 32 GB models in a choice of black or white. That would give Apple room to add colors to the mix, as a way to differentiate the iPhone5 both from the cheaper iPhone 4 and from competitors who have over-fixated on the color white. Here's more on the iPhone 5 news.

Apple iPhone 5: Two Models Coming – Pro & Normal?

The Apple iPhone 5 is something that many people want to see but we have recently learned that it won't be with us until around September. This is good if you are waiting for your contract to run out but bad if yours has already! Something we would point out is that the Internet is full of rumors about the new Apple device and we have another one to tell you about today.

We have just read over on iClarified.com that there may in fact be two models of the iPhone 5 Apple coming the Pro and Normal versions. It might seem to be quite farfetched at the moment but it's not beyond belief especially if you are one of the many that believes Apple needs to give the new device a makeover and a shake up.

The original source of this information is the iphonedownloadblog.com where their author has published an article talking about the reasons to believe there will be two versions. The only problem we have with some of the information that was shared is that when they say that Apple is ordering parts and then re-ordering them of a better quality, surely this relates to testing the device to get optimum performance out of it before releasing it.

We are thinking that if Apple is going to release the iPhone 5 then perhaps it won't be too dissimilar to the iPhone 4 but with updated specifications including the A5 chip and perhaps NFC. We believe that it will pretty much have similar specs to the new iPad 2 review with a few slight differences because of the size differences.

What do you guys think? Will there be two iPhone5 models? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

Here's more on the iPhone 5 news

Apple iPhone 5: Two Models Coming – Pro & Normal?

The Apple iPhone 5 is something that many people want to see but we have recently learned that it won't be with us until around September. This is good if you are waiting for your contract to run out but bad if yours has already! Something we would point out is that the Internet is full of rumors about the new Apple device and we have another one to tell you about today.

We have just read over on iClarified.com that there may in fact be two models of the iPhone 5 Apple coming the Pro and Normal versions. It might seem to be quite farfetched at the moment but it's not beyond belief especially if you are one of the many that believes Apple needs to give the new device a makeover and a shake up.

The original source of this information is the iphonedownloadblog.com where their author has published an article talking about the reasons to believe there will be two versions. The only problem we have with some of the information that was shared is that when they say that Apple is ordering parts and then re-ordering them of a better quality, surely this relates to testing the device to get optimum performance out of it before releasing it.

We are thinking that if Apple is going to release the iPhone 5 then perhaps it won't be too dissimilar to the iPhone 4 but with updated specifications including the A5 chip and perhaps NFC. We believe that it will pretty much have similar specs to the new iPad 2 review with a few slight differences because of the size differences.

What do you guys think? Will there be two iPhone5 models? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

Here's more on the iPhone 5 news

Apple iPhone 5: Two Models Coming – Pro & Normal?

The Apple iPhone 5 is something that many people want to see but we have recently learned that it won't be with us until around September. This is good if you are waiting for your contract to run out but bad if yours has already! Something we would point out is that the Internet is full of rumors about the new Apple device and we have another one to tell you about today.

We have just read over on iClarified.com that there may in fact be two models of the iPhone 5 Apple coming the Pro and Normal versions. It might seem to be quite farfetched at the moment but it's not beyond belief especially if you are one of the many that believes Apple needs to give the new device a makeover and a shake up.

The original source of this information is the iphonedownloadblog.com where their author has published an article talking about the reasons to believe there will be two versions. The only problem we have with some of the information that was shared is that when they say that Apple is ordering parts and then re-ordering them of a better quality, surely this relates to testing the device to get optimum performance out of it before releasing it.

We are thinking that if Apple is going to release the iPhone 5 then perhaps it won't be too dissimilar to the iPhone 4 but with updated specifications including the A5 chip and perhaps NFC. We believe that it will pretty much have similar specs to the new iPad 2 review with a few slight differences because of the size differences.

What do you guys think? Will there be two iPhone5 models? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

Here's more on the iPhone 5 news

Apple iPhone 5: Two Models Coming – Pro & Normal?

The Apple iPhone 5 is something that many people want to see but we have recently learned that it won't be with us until around September. This is good if you are waiting for your contract to run out but bad if yours has already! Something we would point out is that the Internet is full of rumors about the new Apple device and we have another one to tell you about today.

We have just read over on iClarified.com that there may in fact be two models of the iPhone 5 Apple coming the Pro and Normal versions. It might seem to be quite farfetched at the moment but it's not beyond belief especially if you are one of the many that believes Apple needs to give the new device a makeover and a shake up.

The original source of this information is the iphonedownloadblog.com where their author has published an article talking about the reasons to believe there will be two versions. The only problem we have with some of the information that was shared is that when they say that Apple is ordering parts and then re-ordering them of a better quality, surely this relates to testing the device to get optimum performance out of it before releasing it.

We are thinking that if Apple is going to release the iPhone 5 then perhaps it won't be too dissimilar to the iPhone 4 but with updated specifications including the A5 chip and perhaps NFC. We believe that it will pretty much have similar specs to the new iPad 2 review with a few slight differences because of the size differences.

What do you guys think? Will there be two iPhone5 models? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

Here's more on the iPhone 5 news

iPhone 5 To Possibly Feature Curved Glass

The speculation continues about what the next generation iPhone may or may not feature today with the rumour that the iPhone 5 could possibly come out to play packing a curved glass display like that seen on the Samsung Nexus S, and as Apple has previously used curved glass on the previous generation of the iPod Nano there is a possibility that this rumour could hold some substance.

According to an article over on Cult of Mac by way of Macrumors, this latest iPhone 5 speculation comes via DigiTimes claims that according to unnamed industry sources Apple is going to adopt curved glass for the iPhone 5g, or iPhone 4S as some are calling the device.

Apparently the word is the high cost of the tech to product curved glass makes glassmakers reluctant to adopt the tech but apparently Apple has forked out for 200 to 300 glass-cutting machines to do the task and apparently are being stored at "associated assembly plants."

As for just when we are likely to see the iPhone5, with or without curved glass, the article states…" There has been no timetable yet for the volume production of iPhone 5 as Apple is currently still working with related suppliers including those involved in cover glass, glass cutting, lamination and touch sensors to improve yield rates, the sources commented."

Having said all this, previous rumour has it that the next generation iPhone wouldn't be that much different from the iPhone 4 when it comes to design, so for now at least this latest rumour should be taken with a spoonful of Apple sauce.

Apple iPhone 5: Two Models Coming – Pro & Normal?

The Apple iPhone 5 is something that many people want to see but we have recently learned that it won't be with us until around September. This is good if you are waiting for your contract to run out but bad if yours has already! Something we would point out is that the Internet is full of rumors about the new Apple device and we have another one to tell you about today.

We have just read over on iClarified.com that there may in fact be two models of the iPhone 5 Apple coming the Pro and Normal versions. It might seem to be quite farfetched at the moment but it's not beyond belief especially if you are one of the many that believes Apple needs to give the new device a makeover and a shake up.

The original source of this information is the iphonedownloadblog.com where their author has published an article talking about the reasons to believe there will be two versions. The only problem we have with some of the information that was shared is that when they say that Apple is ordering parts and then re-ordering them of a better quality, surely this relates to testing the device to get optimum performance out of it before releasing it.

We are thinking that if Apple is going to release the iPhone 5 then perhaps it won't be too dissimilar to the iPhone 4 but with updated specifications including the A5 chip and perhaps NFC. We believe that it will pretty much have similar specs to the new iPad 2 review with a few slight differences because of the size differences.

What do you guys think? Will there be two iPhone5 models? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

Here's more on the iPhone 5 news

iPhone 5 feautures

In 2011, we have seen some of the most up-to-date breakthroughs when it comes to mobile computing technologies. A few of the best smartphones that was released this year with the newest software and hardware platforms include Motorolla Atrix, HTC Thunderbolt, Samsung Galaxy S2, amongst others. Now, there are rumors online about the expected launch of Apple's iPhone 5 which is the next generation of mobile. As a result, consumers are speculating about the possible iPhone 5 features.

Better Graphics and Dual Core Processor
Following the launch of iPad 2 and various other smartphones with quicker dual core processors, consumers are expecting that the A5 chip will be in the new iPhone. This A5 has a dual core ARM Cortex A9 MP Core processor as well as a dual core Power VR SGX543MP2 GPU. The A5 is listed by Apple to function at 1 GHz based on the technical specifications of ipad 2 review, though it could dynamically change its frequency in order to conserve battery life. According to Apple, this CPU will be two times as powerful, while the GPU will be nine times as powerful as the forerunner.
One more important component of this chip would be its efficiency of battery life. When iPad 2 was released to the market, it was announced that we can expect 10 hours of battery life with its improved performance and hardware. The exact same thing should be expected from the iPhone 5g.
Near-Field Communication
Most of the rumors are focused on whether or not iPhone5 will come with hardware for Near-Field Communication. Given that Google's Nexus S featured the NFC technology and there are also plans for Blackberry to use NFC, Apple might not be too far behind. This company will try to add NFC to the iPhone 5 device. Of course, Apple is well-known for providing the best features to iPhone devices.

Possible display for iPhone 5
At present the iPhone 4 features a retina display screen with a 960 x 640 pixel resolution. This is definitely the highest resolution when it comes to the smartphone options on the market. Based on the reports the latest iPhone will come with similar screen resolution. One more reason why Apple is not going to change the resolution is the fact that this might be a problem for development. Although the iPhone 4 supports the retina display, most of the applications' user interface is designed with the older models in mind. One of the advantages of having a retina display screen is that the images and text will be clearer and sharper.
These are just some of the possible iPhone5 features that Apple fans can expect when this next generation is released to the market.

Here's more on the iPhone 5 news

iPhone 5 Jailbreaking

One of the features that many never liked the IOS iPhone 5 Jailbreaking is the fact that Apple does not allow software upgrade without having to connect to iTunes. So, in fact, need to download the new firmware, connect to the computer and wait for the update.

According to the words of 9to5Mac however, with the introduction of iPhone 5 Jailbreak IOS 5.0 everything should be just a "bad" memory.
5.0 Obviously the same can not be introduced without wires, as unsupported by the current version of IOS, but all his successors should instead take off without having to require a link to your computer.

This seems iOS push beyond its famous closing time, which requires the transition from iTunes to many, if not almost all, functions. In short, taking place a kind of "androidizzazione" of IOS, which is an update that introduces features similar to those of the OS from Google, which allows devices to upgrade the mountain without the need for a PC / Mac.

Of course, this sounds very interesting, if not for the iPhone 5 Jailbreaking fact that updates introduced by Apple always have a sufficiently large weight. For as you have noticed, the firmware for different devices weigh average 500MB or more and make them available over the air "could lead to use of its 3G network really hard. It would be interesting to see what could be the move to Apple about it: If you decrease the size of the updates, or update, allows the cordless, but only in WiFi.

Apple iPhone 5 Release Date – Is it Worth Waiting?

Rumours are circulating as to when the iPhone 5 release date will be. Is it worth waiting for the new iPhone which is rumoured to have HD gaming?

Originally we were expecting the iPhone 5 to be released some time in late June, early July. This would have been consistent with Apple's previous iPhone launches. However the recent release of the white iPhone 4 has led to suggestions that we may not see the iPhone, or iPhone 4GS as it also may be know, until September at the earliest. This is certainly a blow for those who were holding out for the iPhone5.

The question is, is it worth the wait? We can only know for sure when the iPhone 5 features are announced. It is looking very positive for us gamers. Our wish for Flash support is not expected to be granted, as Apple continues in their believe that Flash is a security risk. What we can certainly expect is a higher resolution screen, hopefully HD. The camera is also expected to be significantly improved once more, rendering the need for a separate camera for anyone other than a keen photographer needless. Rumours are that it may be as powerful as 8 MP. Yet what excites us the most is the new dual core processors that will introduced. They will allow significantly more CPU hungry games to be developed. This can only increase the quality of iPhone games further. Before we know it standalone consoles will be needless. We will be able to plug our iPhone into the TV and use it as a console. Well maybe we can dream….

What are you hoping for in the iPhone 5 news?

iPhone 5 Will Be Thinner and Smaller Says Orange CEO

Ah the continuing speculation over what the next generation iPhone will look like carries on today, this time in regards to the earlier rumour of Apple working on a smaller SIM card for their Apple gear and apparently whilst chatting in an interview the CEO of France Telecom/Orange made mention of the iPhone 5 being smaller and thinner.

According to an article over on 9to5 Mac, Stephane Richard, CEO of Orange in an interview with AllthingsD, apparently stated that the next generation iPhone would be smaller and thinner, although the CEO didn't say the iPhone5, he actually referred to the device as the next iPhone.

But as the "next iPhone" is presumed to be the iPhone 5g or iPhone 4S that's being bandied about one can assume he was referring to the iPhone 5 apple, but he didn't say how much smaller and thinner the iOS smartphone would be.

Although this latest rumour does give credence to the possibility of a smaller SIM card, a rumour that came about because Apple wants to make future iPhones thinner and needs the space. Having said that, the only people who really know what Apple is up to is Apple so as usual this should be taken with a pinch of salt.

So what do our readers think, would you like the iPhone 5 to be smaller and thinner, or do you feel Apple shouldn't make the iPhone smaller when others are making their handsets larger?

Here's more on the iPhone 5 news

iPhone 5 4G to take its place with other pseudo-4G experiences

All the debate over whether the iPhone 5 will or should offer support for 4G networking misses the overriding point: 4G is a fraud. It doesn't exist. Not really. Whether it's Verizon with its barely-there 4G network, or AT&T whose 4G network exists only on paper, or T-Mobile and Sprint pushing pseudo-"4G" networks which are so much slower than what 4G is supposed to be that competing networks have adopted the "4G LTE" moniker as a way of distinguishing themselves from it, there is as of yet no legitimate 4G experience to be had. It's why Apple didn't add 4G to the iPhone 4 last year, and doesn't want to add it to the iPhone 5 4G this year either. Yet the march to 4G is well on its way, at least in the marketing departments of the carriers, which leaves Apple in the awkward position of not wanting to add mostly-useless 4G hardware to the iPhone5 due to the various ways in which it could be a net-negative for the overall experience. But Apple may have to give into 4G hype anyway, effectively offering a worse (for now) product in the name of staying in the game.

The challenge of delivering a 4G iPhone 5 starts with the issue of which "4G" variant Apple would start with. AT&T and Verizon are both betting on 4G LTE, and it's the best (fastest) flavor to date. But Verizon's 4G LTE network is mostly not yet built, and AT&T's network 4G LTE network doesn't exist. The latter is complicated by the fact that AT&T is in the process of acquiring T-Mobile and its nationwide pseudo-4G network, meaning that Apple could be looking at needing to support multiple kinds of 4G within the iPhone 5g. And that's before Sprint and its brand of pseudo-4G come into the equation, with Sprint being the only carrier Apple doesn't have to worry about. But even in attempting to play along with the Verizon and the AT&T-T-Mobile 4G experiences, Apple could end up with an inferior iPhone 5 product in the process.

Support for multiple types of wireless technology means more drain on battery life. The iPhone 5 is already looking at supporting AT&T's 3G GSM, Verizon's CDMA, and presumably, AT&T's aging EDGE since AT&T never did finish building its 3G network. On top of that, add support for 4G LTE plus maybe T-Mobile's brand of 4G, and along with wifi that's half a dozen different types of potential receivership going on. And unless Apple has figured out how to build a single antenna which can interact with all the various cellular networks, 4G support could mean more networking hardware packed into the iPhone 5. That either means it has to be thicker than Apple wanted, or other features (capacity? battery?) have to be reduced in order to make room. Suddenly, in the worst case scenario, you're looking at an iPhone 5 which, for the sake of supporting 4G for the relative handful who would actually be able to use it, would be a worse-off product for everyone else. But with the entire cellular marketplace from carriers to hardware vendors all pretending that 4G is for real at a time when it's still a little-understood pipedream, Apple will have a hard time remaining the only honest player with regard to 4G amidst an industry-wide fraudulent representation of what 4G is and isn't. In other words, a 4G-enabled iPhone 5 could bring with it more bad news than good, even though it would likely outsell a non-4G iPhone 5 by quite a large margin. Here's more on the iPhone 5 news.

The Data Plan Dilemma Gets Uglier: Verizon To Drop Unlimited Plans Ahead of iPhone 5 Release

Data transfer is the lifeblood of smartphone usage — and the thing that sends mobile phone bills (and tempers) through the roof. New news of Verizon canceling its unlimited data plan ahead of the iPhone 5 release joins a recent report that AT&T is overcharging for data usage on the iPhone and iPad 2 review. When will the data gouging stop?

As the summer heats up, people might have more to stress about than the rising price of gasoline — a pair of news stories have surfaced this week concerning data plans on America's top mobile carries — AT&T and Verizon — and how iPhone users are systematically getting as gouged at the "data pump" as they are the gas pump.

The iPhone 5 News Blog posted an article earlier in the week about a class-action lawsuit filed against AT&T for purportedly overcharging all 20 million of their  iPhone and iPad users for "phantom" data transfers when the devices are not even in use, leading to bills that are anywhere from 7% to 300% higher than what they should be. Clearly, stories like this raise the level of concern on the part of prospective iPhone 5 customers, who fear that new features such as a cloud storage, NFC, and the 4G network (likely to debut in the iPhone 6), will only exacerbate data transfer usage. In our previous article, we postulated that the next shoe to drop on this developing story would focus on Verizon.

Well, the second shoe has dropped.

Tech media outlet ZDNET is reporting that, according to Verizon CEO Fran Shammo, their "unlimited data plans would be replaced by tiered service plans aimed at heavy users. Verizon's tiered data plans would likely mimic AT&T's own, which offer 250MB of data for $15 per month and 2GB for $25." This news comes ahead of the eventual release of the iPhone5 (or "iPhone 4s" as some have suggested it will be called), as well as several new Android phones that will have 4G LTE functionality. While consensus still remains that the next iPhone will now be a 4G smartphone, there are other possible features, such as cloud storage and NFC, which could lead to exponentially more data usage from iPhone users. It would seem that, in light of these possible new features, Verizon is positioning itself to gouge iPhone 5g users as they are potentially forced to swap data at much higher rates.

Data Plans: Moving In the Wrong Direction

Over the years, telecom-related plans have always moved from incremental billing to flat rate billing. Think about it: early Internet access on services like AOL were billed hourly, but eventually were forced to move to a flat rate billing model. The same has been true with long distance phone calls, with most land line voice plans replacing minute-by-minute billing with a flat rate.

Data plans, however, seem to be moving in the opposite direction.

With this news of Verizon abandoning unlimited data plans, smartphone users will be forced to scrutinize their own mobile Internet usage (particularly in our weak economy), much in the same way that mobile phone users have struggled to keep track of their "minutes" of phone usage. But as more and more mobile plans include either unlimited or high-level voice usage allowances, it is clear that carriers like Verizon and AT&T are looking for new ways to raise revenues, and hitting smartphone users up for data usage is clearly the new cash cow.

What the larger companies like Verizon and AT&T are failing to recognize is that they are giving price-leading mobile networks like Sprint the opportunity to undercut them on data plan pricing in the future. In the past, when Internet providers like AOL switched from hourly billing to flat rate pricing, it was a viable and necessary move, since more and more people were getting "online" every month; there were enough newcomers to the Internet experience to allow AOL to make more money with flat rate pricing, since it would attract more new customers.

But with an already established smartphone customer in place worldwide, carriers like Verizon would seemingly have more to lose by nixing their flat rate data plan, ostensibly losing that edge over their fiercest competitor, AT&T, and encouraging their own iPhone users to conserve and script on their data usage. And what if Sprint gets the iPhone 5? In spite of the fact that Sprint uses the slower CDMA technology, wouldn't the iPhone 5 paired with Sprint's Simply Everything plan look attractive compared to Verizon and AT&T nickel and diming iPhone 5 users on data?

Data plans are getting increasingly ugly for iPhone users, and it looks like the trend toward data gouging is only going to increase as the iPhone 5 looms closer.

Here's more on the iPhone 5 verizon

iPhone 5 to be Verizon-AT&T hybrid, maybe LTE, data caps, says insider

If those who know don't speak and those who speak don't know, then Verizon's recent mouthing off about the unannounced iPhone 5, which includes the nugget that it'll be a Verizon-AT&T (CDMA-GSM) hybrid device and still yet might or might not sport 4G LTE, must be taken with a grain of salt. On the one hand, if anyone does know iPhone5 details outside of Apple itself, it's one of the phone's primary carrier partners. But on the other hand, the fact that so many companies can't keep their lips shut about Apple's secrets is reason enough to believe that Steve Jobs and company are smart enough not to give partners like Verizon the entire picture up front. Then again, this was Verizon's CEO Fran Shammo himself sharing purported iPhone 5 details to Reuters, and they're the kind of details which he and his company would know about. So here's what Verizon's honcho claims to know about the iPhone 5g.

First he says there will be a single iPhone 5 which works on both Verizon and AT&T. This is no surprise. The existing Verizon iPhone 4 uses a chip which some who've torn it apart believe could have been used as a GSM-CDMA hybrid chip now, if Apple had wanted to go there. So the notion that a single iPhone 5 will talk to both networks sounds plausible enough to be believable.

But whether the iPhone 5′s hybrid antenna system will include 4G LTE is another story. Verizon says that's still up to Apple, which can be interpreted in multiple ways. Either Apple hasn't made up its mind yet and Verizon's comments are merely reflecting that, or Apple is not planning to include 4G LTE but Verizon is still hoping to push Apple into changing its mind before launch. Yes, major companies, even partners, are not above using public comments like this to attempt to subversively push each other into making certain moves; if Verizon can create enough of an expectation that the iPhone 5 4G, then Apple might have to go ahead and make it happen just to avoid public disappointment otherwise.

Finally, Verizon's CEO spoke on something which is in fact his decision: the brief days of new Verizon iPhone customers getting unlimited data plans are over. Those iPhone users who haven't yet switched from AT&T to Verizon aren't going to be able to take their unlimited data with them if they're planning to wait until the iPhone 5 arrives before moving. This alone will keep a good chunk of AT&T iPhone users standing pat for the iPhone 5 and generations to come, as heavy mobile data users look to avoid getting caught in the prospect of either hefty overage fees or having to think twice every time they go to check their email on the iPhone. Here's more on the iPhone 5 news.

iPhone 5 myths abound: five concocted reasons to avoid next gen party

The iPhone 5 is no different than the previous four in that detractors will have no difficulty in coming up with reasons not to buy one, ranging from irrelevant to imaginary. "Don't buy the first iPhone," say said, "because it's not 3G." Nevermind that AT&T's 3G network barely existed in 2007. "Don't buy the iPhone," they said in 2007, "because there are no third party apps." Then they turned around in 2008, after third party apps had been launched in a big way, and said "Don't buy the iPhone 3G because third party apps aren't 'open' enough." Nevermind that what they really meant was that the iPhone wasn't enough of a geek-leaning tinker toy. Then came the iPhone 3GS. "Don't buy it either," they warned, "because it's just like the previous one." Nevermind that the hardware specs of the 3GS outshines that of the 3G in every category. So heading into the iPhone5, what will the geeks and other detractors come up with this time by way of trying to talk you out of the iPhone you want and into the Android-based geekphone they're desperate for you to buy instead? A look back at all the reasons they told you not to buy the iPhone 4 is a good start.

First it was the supposed iPhone 4 antenna issue, which turned out to have been completely fabricated on the part of geeks and never existed – but not before a good chunk of the population had been irrevocably convinced otherwise. Apple even had to hand out free iPhone 4 cases just to get the geekholes who created the controversy to shut up, knowing that they'd "won" and gotten a free case as a trophy. Then it was the fact that the iPhone 4 wasn't a 4G phone; nevermind that 4G AT&T's 4G network literally didn't exist back then and still basically doesn't to this day. Then they made up the imaginary "scratching" controversy, which unlike with the imaginary antenna controversy, relatively few fell for. And then later Apple released the Verizon iPhone 4, which the geeks attempted to create another phone antenna controversy around before finally settling on the mantra that it wasn't 4G (still largely irrelevant) and, humorously enough, that it wasn't the iPhone 5 4G. So now that the iPhone 5 is only a season away from arriving, here's what the geeks will point to this time as to why you shouldn't buy one. The validity of their reasoning doesn't matter; keep in mind that geeks get out of bed in the morning in the hopes of being able to convince the non-geek majority to buy geek-leaning products, and Apple's products are the least geeky on the planet. So here's a sampling of the anti-iPhone 5 nonsense they'll come up with, if they haven't already.

1) If the iPhone 5g doesn't have 4G, they'll label it as being outdated. If it does have 4G, they'll say it's the wrong kind; if it's 4G LTE a la Verizon and AT&T, they'll point out that the 4G offerings from Sprint and T-Mobile are more widespread. But if the iPhone 5 instead offers the kind of 4G which Sprint and T-Mobile are using, the geeks will say that it's not "real" 4G because it's slower. And if the iPhone 5 pulls a hat trick and offers every kind of 4G under the sun, the geeks will warn that it might be too much drain on battery life. No matter what Apple does regarding 4G, the anti-Apple geeks will be able to spin it into some kind of negative you should fear. And that's a trend that'll continue down the list.

2) If the iPhone 5 uses the same glass material for its body as the iPhone 4 did, the geeks will say that it's too fragile; nevermind that the iPhone 4 has been the most bulletproof iPhone design yet. And if the iPhone 5 moves to something else, the geeks will say that Apple should have stuck with the bulletproof glass.

3) If the iPhone 5 gets thinner, the geeks will claim that it's too thin and therefore perhaps too fragile.

4) If the iPhone 5 body style remains the same as the iPhone 4, the geeks will claim that it's last year's model, regardless of how improved the specs are (see the iPhone 3G / 3GS era).

5) If the iPhone 5 screen gets bigger, geeks will claim that its edge to edge design will be too difficult to use; if the iPhone 5 screen size remains the same as the iPhone 4, those same geeks will say that it's too small.

If you see a pattern here, you're not the only one. No matter what Apple does with the iPhone 5, those geeks whose entire sense of self worth comes from steering people away from Apple products and toward geekier products will find a way to spin it into a negative. They'll misrepresent the facts, misplace the relevance, and if it comes down to it, flat out make things up; they've done it all before with previous iPhone generations. Your job, then, is to tune these lunatics out and make your own decision. If you want an iPhone, get an iPhone. It's as simple as that, anti-iPhone geek wanking be damned. Here's more on the iPhone 5 news.

iPhone 5 curveballs range from T-Mobile to 4G to metal to actual curves

The iPhone 5 is all about the curveballs, from the undocumented release date to whatever tricks up it sleeve Apple has lined up for motivating current and potential iPhone users to plunk down on the new model. And they are potentially aplenty, from the 4G equation, to the T-Mobile question, to whether it might be made of bare metal, to the latest curveball: actual curves. Here's a look at what each of these curveballs would mean if real, and what the fallout would be in each case.

4G iPhone 5: The carriers all want this to happen. It's less clear how much the public wants it, as few understand what 4G is, and among those who do, most are aware that 4G LTE exists in very few places. But as of right now, 4G is the lone feature which competing smartphones can brag about having over the iPhone, at least on paper. Apple could seek to eliminate that potential gap by adding 4G to the iPhone 5 whether many folks will be able to take advantage of it or not.

T-Mobile iPhone 5: With AT&T already having the iPhone, and AT&T in the process of acquiring T-Mobile, it only makes sense that there will be a T-Mobile iPhone eventually. Whether that happens in time for the iPhone 5 release date is another story. But it would make for good television, so to speak, as many T-Mobile customers have made it clear they're not leaving their preferred carrier under any circumstances. So the only way Apple can get them on board is to bring the iPhone5 to them.

Metal iPhone 5: The original mostly-bare-metal iPhone, along with the bare-metal-backed iPad 1 and iPad 2, have only gone to show just how easily scratched and dented bare metal is. As it turns out, the glass used on the iPhone 4 is much stronger and more durable than any metal surface has ever employed – and that's going back to the comically scratchable mirrored chrome backing on various iPod models over the years. Unless Apple has come up with a new metal exterior which isn't absurdly fragile, this does not sound like good news. And whereas the iPhone 4 was the first iPhone which could be kept in perfect condition without a case (unless you're the overly clumsy type), a metal iPhone 5g would sound like the first iPhone in which you absolutely MUST keep it in a case. Fingers crossed that someone made this one up.

Curved iPhone 5 news : First there was talk of the iPhone 5 having rounded edges, which makes sense as the change was made to the iPad 2 review with positive results. Now there's talk that the iPhone 5 screen might also have curved edges. Huh? We'll have to wait til we see it to have an opinion, but the idea of a non-flat touchscreen surface would certainly be out there. Here's more on the iPhone 5 4g.

The Data Plan Dilemma Gets Uglier: Verizon To Drop Unlimited Plans Ahead of iPhone 5 Release

Data transfer is the lifeblood of smartphone usage — and the thing that sends mobile phone bills (and tempers) through the roof. New news of Verizon canceling its unlimited data plan ahead of the iPhone 5 release joins a recent report that AT&T is overcharging for data usage on the iPhone and iPad 2 review. When will the data gouging stop?

As the summer heats up, people might have more to stress about than the rising price of gasoline — a pair of news stories have surfaced this week concerning data plans on America's top mobile carries — AT&T and Verizon — and how iPhone users are systematically getting as gouged at the "data pump" as they are the gas pump.

The iPhone 5 News Blog posted an article earlier in the week about a class-action lawsuit filed against AT&T for purportedly overcharging all 20 million of their  iPhone and iPad users for "phantom" data transfers when the devices are not even in use, leading to bills that are anywhere from 7% to 300% higher than what they should be. Clearly, stories like this raise the level of concern on the part of prospective iPhone 5 customers, who fear that new features such as a cloud storage, NFC, and the 4G network (likely to debut in the iPhone 6), will only exacerbate data transfer usage. In our previous article, we postulated that the next shoe to drop on this developing story would focus on Verizon.

Well, the second shoe has dropped.

Tech media outlet ZDNET is reporting that, according to Verizon CEO Fran Shammo, their "unlimited data plans would be replaced by tiered service plans aimed at heavy users. Verizon's tiered data plans would likely mimic AT&T's own, which offer 250MB of data for $15 per month and 2GB for $25." This news comes ahead of the eventual release of the iPhone5 (or "iPhone 4s" as some have suggested it will be called), as well as several new Android phones that will have 4G LTE functionality. While consensus still remains that the next iPhone will now be a 4G smartphone, there are other possible features, such as cloud storage and NFC, which could lead to exponentially more data usage from iPhone users. It would seem that, in light of these possible new features, Verizon is positioning itself to gouge iPhone 5g users as they are potentially forced to swap data at much higher rates.

Data Plans: Moving In the Wrong Direction

Over the years, telecom-related plans have always moved from incremental billing to flat rate billing. Think about it: early Internet access on services like AOL were billed hourly, but eventually were forced to move to a flat rate billing model. The same has been true with long distance phone calls, with most land line voice plans replacing minute-by-minute billing with a flat rate.

Data plans, however, seem to be moving in the opposite direction.

With this news of Verizon abandoning unlimited data plans, smartphone users will be forced to scrutinize their own mobile Internet usage (particularly in our weak economy), much in the same way that mobile phone users have struggled to keep track of their "minutes" of phone usage. But as more and more mobile plans include either unlimited or high-level voice usage allowances, it is clear that carriers like Verizon and AT&T are looking for new ways to raise revenues, and hitting smartphone users up for data usage is clearly the new cash cow.

What the larger companies like Verizon and AT&T are failing to recognize is that they are giving price-leading mobile networks like Sprint the opportunity to undercut them on data plan pricing in the future. In the past, when Internet providers like AOL switched from hourly billing to flat rate pricing, it was a viable and necessary move, since more and more people were getting "online" every month; there were enough newcomers to the Internet experience to allow AOL to make more money with flat rate pricing, since it would attract more new customers.

But with an already established smartphone customer in place worldwide, carriers like Verizon would seemingly have more to lose by nixing their flat rate data plan, ostensibly losing that edge over their fiercest competitor, AT&T, and encouraging their own iPhone users to conserve and script on their data usage. And what if Sprint gets the iPhone 5? In spite of the fact that Sprint uses the slower CDMA technology, wouldn't the iPhone 5 paired with Sprint's Simply Everything plan look attractive compared to Verizon and AT&T nickel and diming iPhone 5 users on data?

Data plans are getting increasingly ugly for iPhone users, and it looks like the trend toward data gouging is only going to increase as the iPhone 5 looms closer.

Here's more on the iPhone 5 verizon

Dual sim iPhone 5?

Another new rumor being circulated now by iDealsChina, a Chinese smartphone parts reseller, is that the upcoming iPhone 5 will have two SIM card trays to support dual-SIM cards.

iDealsChina believes this feature will make it possible for owners of the iPhone5 to contain two service lines which could operate two sim numbers at the same time.

This freture would be great for travellers who could use a home sim for their home network and a global sim that will allow for roaming. Also, employees could use their iphone 5g for work on one sim and for business on another.

The rumor presented by iDealsChina seems a bit dubious, though, and 9to5 Mac has chimed in with their own theory, suggesting that the iPhone 5 will be a world phone sporting Qualcomm's Gobi chip, which will combine CDMA and GSM support into a singular design.

This means that the iPhone 5 could either be used on Verizon's CDMA network or AT&T's GSM network in the States, and could also roam to any country using either CDMA or GSM technologies. Whether the feature will allow dual or simultaneous services through different carriers is possible is uncertain, but if the iPhone 5 does allow simultaneous carrier services, you could theoretically have a Verizon and AT&T number all on one device.

Here's more on the iPhone 5 news