| In depth: Apple rumours: How to tell fact from fiction Sep 28th 2013, 13:17, by Gary Marshall 
The Apple rumour mill never sleeps: while we were oohing and aahing at the iPhone 5S and 5C, rumourmongers had already turned their attention to the next event in the middle of October. iPad 5s! Apple TVs! Fuel-cell powered sexbots! Maybe even an iWatch! Many and perhaps even most of the predictions will turn out to be bobbins, but how can you tell which bits of smoke have fire? Allow us to help. Consider the sourceThat's sometimes harder than it should be in these days of everyone reporting the same thing, often without attribution. But a bit of digging can usually find the source of a specific rumour - and if it turns out to be slideshows4pageviews.com or worse, Digitimes, then it's a good idea to take that one with a pinch of salt. Conversely, if The Wall Street Journal quotes the usual "people familiar with the matter", then Tim Cook's been on the phone. Is an event imminent?The closer to a final release Apple gets, the leakier its supply chain becomes - so apparent spy shots of an iPad 5 taken three days before the iPad 5 event are probably real, whereas ones 'leaked' six months in advance are usually renders. 
Is it a render?Renders are like movie stars: unrealistically good-looking, disconnected from reality and made entirely in Photoshop. Drawing pretty things is relatively easy when you don't have to worry about how to build it or get all-day battery life out of it. The drawings might as well be robot unicorns. Is the timescale realistic?Let's say Apple hires an expert in fitness peripherals. Maybe it hires a whole team of them, and sixty watch experts, and opens a building called Jony's Secret iWatch Treehouse. That doesn't mean you'll get an iWatch at the next Apple keynote. An iWatch, if it even exists, won't go from concept to keynote in six weeks: iPad prototypes were kicking about eight years before the device actually shipped. See also: Apple patent applications, which Apple files whether it plans to make them or not. 
Does the site know what words mean?"Confirmed!" should mean that the news source has received confirmation of a story from an official or at least a credible source. It does not mean "man on internet thinks it's likely", even if - or especially if - that person is an industry analyst. Are you getting deja vu?In 2011, analyst Gene Munster said that Apple would release a TV. It didn't. He said it'd do it in 2012. It didn't. He said it again in 2013, and now his "conviction is high for a television in 2014." That's not predicting. That's guessing! Is the rumour utterly ridiculous?For our news editor Kate Solomon, the last straw was the iRing rumour, which typified the very worst of Apple rumour-mongering: it was "a five-year-old concept design dreamt up by someone who does not work for Apple, who has no connection to Apple, who, it is entirely possible, has never even seen an Apple product. But then - then - it was cemented by an analyst." Cemented by an analyst! Has Samsung already done it?We don't need to explain this one, do we? Has Jim Dalrymple said "yup" or "nope"?Jim Dalrymple of The Loop is famously well-informed about Apple and if he yups or nopes your favourite rumour, that's the end of it. Then again... One of the reasons we pay attention to Apple rumours is because sometimes, they're right. Earlier this year, TUAW.com took great delight in panning multiple Apple rumours that said Apple was working on a sapphire crystal capacitive fingerprint sensor for the iPhone 5S. Oops!        |  | Apple may have to conform when it comes to its chargers Sep 27th 2013, 21:37, by Michael Rougeau 
Apple is the type of company that loves to do things a little differently, but soon that could become illegal in Europe where phone chargers are concerned. A committee within the European Union Parliament voted unanimously this week to create a law that requires all phone makers to use the same type of charger. Tablet chargers could be affected, as well. The internal market and consumer protection committee said the law will cut down on waste from unused chargers, but given Apple is one of the last phone makers not using microUSB, it's clear who would be most affected. The proposal still needs to pass the European Council and be approved by Parliament before the law can be created, so it will still be some time before anything changes (if it ever does). Lightning roundApple introduced its much-hyped Lightning connector with the iPhone 5 in 2012, and it's become the standard for Apple devices since then. The Lightning connector replaced the 30-pin plug that was in use on Apple products for nine years. The Lightning connector is easy to use because it can be plugged in no matter which side is facing up. It also has a smaller footprint, and it charges devices and transfers data more quickly than the old connector. But it made loads of old iPhone and iPod accessories incompatible with newer Apple devices, irritating plenty of Apple users. A switch to the standard of microUSB would likely anger Apple fans further, especially since microUSB, while nearly universal at this point, is inferior to Lightning in most ways. Apple has solved this problem in the past with adapters, but if the law goes into effect it could be forced to rethink its strategy.        | | Sony SmartWatch 2 arrives in Europe to battle Samsung Galaxy Gear Sep 27th 2013, 20:47, by Chris Smith 
Unconvinced by the Samsung Galaxy Gear, but still want a wrist accoutrement to work in tandem with your smartphone? Well, Sony's SmartWatch 2 can now be strapped on in the U.K. and parts of Europe. The Android-based device, announced in June this year, is now on sale for £149 (about US$240, AU$258) with a rubber wristband or £169 (around US$272, AU$292) with a fancy metal strap. The release of the touchscreen device also sees the launch of a new accompanying smartphone app from the Google Play Store. The SmartWatch 2 SW application, which is a free download, will enable the wearable accessory to play nice with other Android smartphones via Bluetooth. Waiting for an iWatchThe launch of the SmartWatch 2, which is water resistant and brings NFC connectivity, gives users even more choice in an increasingly densely populated space in the tech world. Since the arrival of the original, and largely unsuccessful SmartWatch, the Pebble Smartwatch has hit the market following a phenomenally successful Kickstarter campaign. Earlier this month, Samsung really placed the four legged feline among the somewhat annoying flying rats by launching its Galaxy Gear. That device also went on sale this week. However, the one most likely to shape the future of the sector, the rumoured Apple iWatch, is yet to make its presence known, with time running out for a pre-2014 launch. You can check out Sony's latest offering in the YouTube clip below: YouTube : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ApW7oknVnLU       | | Rumored HTC One Max release date could go bezel-to-bezel with new iPads Sep 27th 2013, 20:40, by Matt Swider 
There may be a minimum amount of time before the HTC One Max release date, as the Android phablet is reportedly scheduled to launch on Oct. 15. That happens to be the same day the new iPads are rumored to be announced, so HTC's super-sized phone may compete with Apple for headlines. The unconfirmed HTC One Max release date, coming by way of Phone Arena, arrives as the device has made its way through the Chinese certification process, leading to newly leaked photos. It's supposed to have a 5.9-inch 1080p screen, quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor, and a healthy 2GB of RAM. Its specs are certainly to the max for a phone. More in common than you thinkHTC's forthcoming phablet appears to have more in common with the iPad mini 2 than just their rumored Oct. 15 launch dates. The HTC One Max is supposedly just two inches shy of Apple's second-generation 7.9-inch mini, despite the fact that it's a phone. It's also supposed to sport a fingerprint sensor. The iPad mini 2 is thought to include Touch ID like the iPhone 5S, according to a new report today. Interestingly, HTC's fingerprint sensor has been spied as located on the back of the phone. That's a bit like the LG G2, which rocks volume buttons in the rear. It shouldn't be long before we see HTC go from the HTC One Mini to the HTC Max.        | | International HTC One getting treated to Android 4.3 right now Sep 27th 2013, 19:53, by Michael Rougeau 
The moment HTC One users have been waiting for is almost here: Android 4.3 updates for the Android flagship are finally going out. But right now only the unlocked, international version of the HTC One is being updated to Android 4.3, and the carrier-specific updates won't be out as soon as we expected them. HTC America President Jason Mackenzie said on Wednesday that the update would be out soon, but today he tweeted otherwise. "Unlocked out! Carrier skus coming, but will slightly miss 9/30," he wrote. Soon…soon!Previous word was that the HTC One would receive its Android 4.3 update by the end of September, but the update has been delayed. By how much is uncertain. On Wednesday HTC spokespeople said the HTC One's Android 4.3 update was being certified on U.S. networks and "in progress" in Europe and the U.K. In addition, it seems the update may have begun rolling out on HTC's home turf in Taiwan as early as Tuesday. The irony is it may not be long after that that Android 4.4: KitKat, the next major update, arrives on the scene, and HTC One owners will have something else to pine over. Android 4.3: all the latestMackenzie said on Wednesday that Android 4.3 brings "the latest Sense" experience to the HTC One, so it seems the phone's UI is being updated. The update is also expected to fix the HTC One's camera issues, improving performance in low light environments. A battery percentage indicator during charging is also being added. Android 4.3 brings a number of other improvements and new features as well, so check out TechRadar's full rundown for more.        | | Fighting Talk: Why am I so in love with massive phones? Sep 27th 2013, 18:06, by Phil Lavelle 
As a journalist, you're meant to stand by your convictions. But I'm about to do an amazingly blatant u-turn. Despite writing last week about how much I've been looking forward to getting my hands on an iPhone 5S, I've done the unthinkable in the eyes of many Cupertino disciples. I've cancelled my pre-order. That's right. Who cares? Keep your 64GB of self-righteous goodness to yourself. I'm going large. When it comes to people, the fact they come in all shapes and sizes is brilliant... and I've become rather entranced by a larger model myself. Her name? The Samsung Galaxy Note 3. I may have cheated on you, Android, but I didn't get physical with the iPhone 5S. I promise. It was just lust. We never even got to touch. She was too elusive. Flabby phabletsI've used the Note phablets before. I know they're not to everyone's taste. They're big. Very big. There's no getting away from that and I'll be the first to say I was sceptical. Who on earth would want a device this size with a flashy stylus? Erm… That would be me now. It's amazing how attitudes have changed. Ten years ago, mobile makers were on a mission to get as tiny as possible. The Nokia 3210 was considered small for its time (remember, size is relative. That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it...) but it got shrunk out by the Nokia 3310. And then the Nokia 8210 and 8310. I'm only mentioning Nokia here because back then, there really was no serious competition. Motorola was in second place and its devices were hardly small. Ironically, Samsung was yet to launch. And when it did with the dual-screen A3001, it had a teeny size and novelty on its side. But that was it. It was rubbish. Fast forward and so much has changed since the smartphone was 'invented' by Apple. I've actually sat with iPhone-preaching friends who've played with my Galaxy S4, and despite their hatred of Android (stolen product, thermonuclear, etc etc), they do tend to say the same thing each time: "Oh yeah, but I do love the size of the screen. I wish Apple would do this." Take Note, Tim Cook. Maxed out cloutThe question though is, where will it end? Looking at the specs, given what we now do with a phone or a phablet, the power is starting to max out. Add any more grunt and you probably wouldn't notice it. But what about size? Sony prefers big too. It's launched the Ultra, and pretty soon HTC and LG will have joined the oversized smartphone party, crashing through the front door with a half drunk bottle of plonk and begging for acknowledgement. Will these things keep on growing and growing until they can't get any bigger? Remember that the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 is eight inches and that too can make phone calls. You really would look like a prize turnip doing that, but it's an interesting thought. I wasn't on board with the Note. The Note 2 only made me feel a little warmer. So why on earth should the Note 3 suddenly swing my head from the beauty of the iPhone 5S? I can't really answer that... and that's why I love smartphones, the pure idiocy of fanboyism. Just know that if you see me clasping a Galaxy Note 10.1 to my head and shouting at it, you have my permission to call my mother. I'll need all the help I can get.        | | Classic Steve Jobs keynote used to invalidate German photo patent Sep 27th 2013, 17:20, by JR Bookwalter 
Nearly seven years after first showing off the iPhone to the world, a key Apple photo gallery patent has been invalided in Germany - and Cupertino has no one to blame but Steve Jobs himself. Foss Patents reported Thursday that Germany's Bundespatentgericht Federal patent court sided with Samsung and Motorola Mobility by effectively invalidating the iPhone maker's famous "bounce-back effect" in that country. The patent in question, EP2059868, is described as being used on a "portable electronic device for photo management" - or more specifically in this case, the iPhone's built-in Photos app. As fate would have it, Apple's rivals were able to use the most incriminating piece of evidence they could possibly come up with: The ghost of Steve Jobs. Grace periodDespite the late Apple CEO's insistence "boy, have we patented it!" during the original iPhone keynote in January 2007, it turns out a 12-month grace period Americans enjoy when filing for new inventions doesn't exist overseas. While the keynote video in question cannot be used as prior art in a U.S. patent dispute, European courts are far more restrictive, making an inventor's own public demos fair game if they're dated before an application is filed. The 2007 keynote demo featuring Jobs was shown in court Thursday, leaving the judge little choice but to temporarily invalidate the patent until Apple's legal team can come up with other ways to challenge Samsung and Motorola's claims. It's important to note the invalidation isn't yet an official ruling - Samsung still has to come up with other prior art since the keynote video falls within Germany's six-month "Neuheitsschonfrist" (novelty grace period) that can be used to protect such public disclosures.        | | Galaxy S4 to support Galaxy Gear by end of October Sep 27th 2013, 09:41, by John McCann 
Eyebrows were raised when Samsung announced the Galaxy Gear smartwatch and revealed it would only initially work with the Galaxy Note 3 - luckily support for the Galaxy S4 is just weeks away. The Korea Times has quoted Samsung vice president Lee Young-hee confirming that the company will roll out an upgrade for the Galaxy S4 in October, allowing it to work with the Galaxy Gear. "All functions of the Gear will be connected to the Galaxy S4 smartphone by next month and the connection will be expanded to Galaxy Note 2 and Galaxy S3 by the end of December." Tablet loveIt's worth noting that the new Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 edition also plays nice with the Galaxy Gear smartwatch, but who wants to lug a tablet around with them all day? The Galaxy Gear sports a titchy touchscreen display, 800MHz processor and even a 1.9MP camera - allowing you to check messages, make phone calls and snap pictures without having to remove your phone from your pocket. Keep a look out for our full Samsung Galaxy Gear review which will be online soon.   | | In Depth: 21 brilliant iOS 7 tips and tricks Sep 26th 2013, 16:17, by Gary Marshall & Tim Hardwick 
iOS 7 tips and tricks 1-10The jury may still be out on iOS 7's radical redesign - for what it's worth we love it, with a few reservations - but there's no denying that it's the friendliest version and most powerful of iOS yet.But there's more to iOS 7 than headline features such as Control Center, Airdrop and iTunes Radio: some of our favourite improvements are little things that make our everyday lives that little bit more pleasant. These are our favourites - let us know yours in the comments.Check out our iOS 7 review for the full lowdown! 1. Camera: shoot in burst modeThe redesigned Camera app has a nifty trick up its sleeve: if you want to shoot in burst mode, taking multiple shots in quick succession, just click and hold the volume-up button. 2. Multitasking: quit multiple appsYou probably know that you can quit running apps by double-tapping the Home button and flicking the offending app upwards, but you might not have tried it with multiple fingers to force-quit more than one app at a time. We've made it work with three apps on our iPhone, although doing the same on an iPad means getting your nose involved too. 3. Notifications: begone!When you receive a new notification, you can still swipe right to open the appropriate app - but if you just want rid of it you can now swipe up to hide it. 4. All new balancing actiOS 7 is bad news for novelty app developers: not only has the Control Center killed the market for flashlight apps, but Compass has done the same for spirit level apps too. If you launch the app you'll see the familiar dots at the bottom of the screen that indicate there's a second screen: swipe it and you'll see a spirit level for all your checking-things-are-flat needs. 5. Phone, FaceTime and Messages: block contactsDoes someone have your number and you wish they didn't? Successfully avoid exes, creditors and the angry husbands and wives of your lovers with iOS 7's excellent blocking features. Add the number to your Contacts, scroll down to the bottom of the screen and tap Block This Caller to refuse incoming calls, messages (including SMS and MMS) and FaceTime calls. 6. Messages: see the timestampsiOS 7 likes to keep things nice and minimalist, but if key information isn't visible there's a good chance it's just a swipe away - so for example in Messages, you won't see timestamps against each SMS, MMS or iMessage. Want to know when they were sent? Swipe left. 7. Apps: swipe backwardsThis little tip is a handy time-saver: when you're finished reading an email or message, or fiddling with Settings, or exploring a Music playlist, swipe backwards to return to the previous page. If you're at the first level (such as your list of mailboxes in Mail, or the first Settings screen) nothing will happen. 8. Location Services: see where you've beeniOS 7 keeps an eye on where you go to help it personalise features such as the Notification Center, and to help improve the accuracy of Maps. If you fancy a look you'll find it in Settings > Privacy > Location Services > System Services > Frequent Locations. You'll see a list and a map, with blue circles showing where you've been and when. You can clear the history from this page, and if you think it's a little creepy you can turn it off from the System Services page. 9. Newsstand: put it away!We like Newsstand, but we don't like the way it can't be stuck in a folder like Apple's other stock apps. Hallelujah for iOS 7, then, because at last that absurd restriction has been removed. 10 . Settings: make iOS 7 easier on the eyeWe like the new interface, but it isn't for everyone. If you have problems with your sight or just want to make iOS more legible, you'll find some useful settings in Settings > General > Accessibility. You can make all system text bold, increase the size of text in apps that support Apple's Dynamic Type, scale down motion effects such as the parallax effect or invert the colours to make iOS 7 look like a 1980s electro-pop album cover. 11 more handy iOS 7 tips11. Sounds: get some new tonesiOS 7's library of sounds (Settings > Sounds > Sounds and vibration patterns) has been given a regular update, and Apple says they're so good you might miss calls because you're dancing. That, frankly, isn't very likely. 12. AutoFill: let Safari input your detailsFeeling trustworthy? Safari can automatically fill out web forms using your Contact info, previous names and passwords, and credit card details, should you so wish. You can toggle these AutoFill options individually from Settings > Safari > Passwords > AutoFill. 13. Siri: now reads your emailsSiri makes light work of not only listing emails in your inbox, but also reading them out to you. Hold down the Home button and say, "Read my emails" and Siri will give you sender, time and date sent, and the subject of each in turn. When asked if you want it to read out your mail, just say "Yes". 14. Apps: one folder to rule them allUnlike previous versions of iOS, there's no limit to the number of apps you can file away in a single folder. Now you can simply pile icons onto each other to your heart's content. Finally, an end to the Games 1, Games 2, Games 3 (ad nauseum) home screen debacle. 15. Motion: reducing sicknessiOS 7 likes to advertise its existence to you with all manner of motions, animations and alerts. If all the hullabaloo is leaving you slightly queasy, put a dampener on things by selecting Settings > General > Accessibility > Reduce Motion > Off. 16. Notification Centre: not on my lock screenNotification Centre got a visual overhaul in the latest version of iOS, offering a neat snapshot of your appointments and message snippets accessible from the lock screen. But not everyone wants their itinerary on show to all and sundry. Happily you can turn off this overview from Settings > Notification Centre, using the sliders listed under - you guessed it - 'Access on Lock Screen'. 17. Compass: invoke the spiritThe compass is a mainstay of iOS, but has been redesigned to look less 'Forstall' and more 'Ive'. That's not all though, as a quick swipe left in the app reveals: a spirit level now accompanies the navigational tool, ensuring future DIY jobs should be a little less skewed. 18. Maps: walk or drive everywhereMaps still has its downsides, but it's useful for the most part - more so now that you can choose a default mode of travel. If you're more rambler than driver and want to avoid having to define your directions as such, simply tap to Settings > Maps and select Walking under Preferred Directions. 19. App Store: Near MeA new tab in the App Store app called Near Me automatically lists the most popular apps in your general location. That might sound a bit gimmicky, but we found it useful when visiting towns and cities for the first time, when it turned up local transport and tourist information apps. 20. Apps: Background App RefreshiOS 7 introduces the ability to selectively control which apps are allowed to refresh their content while you're getting on with other business. When battery life is at a premium, turn off any offenders by going to Settings > General > Background App Refresh. 21. Apps: Automatic UpdatesiOS can now update your apps automatically. That's great as long as a) you have an unlimited data plan, and b) your favourite app's functionality doesn't get mangled with some poorly advised revisions. Control this function either way by going to Settings > iTunes and App Store and sliding the Updates option under Automatic Downloads.   | |
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