More claimed next-gen iPhone fronts with centered FaceTime camera

It’s been an unusually eventful Sunday evening here at iDB. Earlier, The New York Times ran a report on the rumored “iPad Mini,” and now a new photo of purported next-gen iPhone components has surfaced.

The image you see above is a pair of iPhone fronts, supposedly from Apple’s next smartphone. And like the front panels we saw back in May, they depict a relocated FaceTime camera and an elongated display…

9to5Mac points to the photo, which was originally posted on Apple.pro. The site opines that the next-gen iPhone part leaks are starting to become more frequent now that the handset is presumedly in production.

These fronts match up with previously leaked panels, and a set of schematics we saw last month, so it’s possible that they’re legitimate. They also support claims that Apple’s next smartphone will feature a 4-inch display.

On top of the larger screen, the next iPhone is also believed to be thinner than its predecessor, with a new case design, LTE compatibility and other upgraded internals. Apple’s expected to unveil the new handset in late September, or early October of this year.



AppAnalytics: a beautiful way to capture your app usage habits

Let’s be honest here for a second. Jailbreak apps don’t exactly have a reputation for being easy on the eyes. In the majority of cases, they are fairly basic, sometimes crude, but more times than not they get the job done. And when it comes to jailbreak apps or tweaks, getting the job done is enough; we’re not overly picky when it comes to aesthetics.

But when a jailbreak app appears on the scene that looks like it was designed to move units on the App Store, you can’t help but take note. AppAnalytics — an app usage app for jailbroken devices — is a great example of this. It’s a beautiful looking jailbreak app, and it too gets the job done…

AppAnalytics is very simple in the way it works. It monitors how long you’ve used each app on your iDevice, it logs how many times you’ve used it, and it reports on the last time you actually launched the app.

Another nice thing about this app is that it automatically creates reports that help you identify your monthly app usage. You also have the ability to launch each app directly from AppAnalytics.

And that’s all there really is to AppAnalytics; it’s not a very deep app at all. What you see is what you get here, and while it’s a beautiful app in form, it’s a tad shallow in function. Still, for $0.99 on the BigBoss repo, it might be worth taking a look at. I recommend taking AppStat — an app that does similar things free of charge — for a spin first. If that doesn’t fit your needs, then you can try this.

What do you think?



Rumor: next-gen iPhone in production with all-new design

Craving more information regarding the sixth-generation iPhone? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. A new report is out today, claiming that the highly-anticipated handset has just gone into production.

This would make sense considering all of the next-gen iPhone cases and engineering samples we’ve seen over the past week. But this report claims the device looks different than previously thought…

Macotakara, a Japanese tech blog that has proven accurate in the past, says it has learned from reliable Chinese sources that the new iPhone has just gone into the manufacturing phase.

“Told that my reliable Chinese sources, new iPhone has started Manufacture Phase, then “5 iPhone cases” Are Being leaked at Alibalba.Com. This source Also Told, “iPhone 5 “Been which had leaked in May Were prototype (via 9To5Mac) Design for test, and Producing new iphone has SEVERAL Different Design in detail. The Design, which Were Told by this source, of this new iPhone HAS Blackface Naked partially glass and Aluminum Surface part covered.”

Yeah, it’s a pretty rough translation, courtesy of Google Translate. But what it sounds like is that the back panels that surfaced back in May were early prototypes (which you probably already knew), and the actual iPhone that’s in production right now looks a lot different (which you might not have known).

This is good news for folks who haven’t been really impressed with the leaked components we’ve seen thus far. Although, judging by some of the details, it sounds like the two-tone design will be present on the final handset.

At least we don’t have much longer to wait to find out. Apple is widely expected to unveil its next smartphone at a media event in October, with a redesigned case, larger display and LTE-compatibility.



Apple is inspiring other brands to change their retail experience

There was a graphic that started circulating the internet several months back, demonstrating how Apple has affected the smartphone industry. It showed what handsets looked like before and after the original iPhone was released. And the differences were tremendous.

There was a similar image that showed how Apple has impacted the tablet market. Before the iPad, tablets were 2-3-inches thick, had styluses, and ran desktop operating systems. And then after it, they all became thin, multi-touch tablets running mobile software.

Now it looks like it’s time for someone to make another graphic showing how Apple has affected retail stores…

Samsung has just opened its first retail store in North America. And, as BriefMobile points out, it looks an awful lot like an Apple Store. Don’t believe us? Watch this video from the store’s opening:

Even if you ignore the fact that Samsung has all of its tablets and smartphones laid out on white tables, or the fact that there are employees walking around in blue shirts, you still have to admit that it looks a lot like an Apple Store. From the all-white promotional signs, to the embedded accessory walls, to the group sales counter at the back of the room — it all screams Apple.

And Samsung’s not alone here. In fact, there are a number of retail chains looking to remodel the interiors of their stores to mimic the inside of Apple’s gadget havens. Back in March, Best Buy announced a new “Connected Store” strategy, set to debut later this year, that involves such a makeover. And Verizon is planning a similar redesign for its stores.

Given the success that Apple has seen with its retail business, it’s easy to see why other companies would want to try and emulate it. And hey, if that means that in the future, all stores will have a knowledgeable sales staff and a quick and painless checkout process, we’re all for it.