Prepaid iPhone coming to Virgin Mobile USA

Apple's ever-popular iPhone will be coming to yet another prepaid wireless carrier this summer, according to a new Market Watch report. Citing unnamed sources, Market Watch's Thomas Gryta Tuesday reported on Tuesday that Virgin Mobile USA licensee Sprint would announce this week that Virgin Mobile subscribers will be able to use the iPhone as their device of choice for prepaid voice and data services. Gryta didn't say exactly when Virgin Mobile would start offering the prepaid iPhone but said it could start as soon as July. Earlier rumors have indicated that Sprint also plans to bring the iPhone to Boost Mobile, another of its prepaid wireless carriers. Regional carrier Cricket, owned by Leap Wireless, was the first carrier to officially offer the iPhone alongside its prepaid plans and is charging users $399.99 for the 8GB iPhone 4 and $499.99 for the 16GB iPhone 4S.

Virgin Mobile may launch the iPhone on July 1

 Interestingly, it looks like Cricket won't be the only carrier to offer the iPhone with prepaid plans in the US in the near future after all. A few days ago we told you that Cricket will be the first prepaid carrier to launch Apple's smartphone.

And according to the Wall Street Journal, Virgin Mobile is getting ready to follow suit. Sprint's prepaid arm is set to release the iPhone on July 1. That's a few days after Cricket, so that carrier won't lose the ‘first to offer the iPhone on prepaid' crown.

Pricing for the Virgin Mobile iPhone hasn't been revealed yet, and it's unclear whether Boost Mobile (Sprint's other prepaid brand) will also get to sell the Apple smartphone.

New details surrounding Apple's next iPhone emerge

If the recent flurry of rumors and reports surrounding Apple's sixth-generation iPhone add up, we can expect a top-to-bottom redesign when Apple finally unveils its next-generation smartphone later this year. Several leaked images of what is supposedly the housing for Apple's next iPhone hit the Web last week showing a taller, thinner aluminum case that could easily support a larger display. While the authenticity of the images has not been confirmed, they do support earlier claims from both The Wall Street Journal and Reuters, suggesting the next-generation iPhone will include a new display measuring at least 4 inches diagonally. Now, an analyst with a solid track record has issed a research note that paints a more complete picture of the upcoming iPhone's new display. “We expect iPhone 5 to feature a 4.08-inch in-cell IPS panel screen with a display resolution of 1,136 x 640 and 500-nit brightness,” KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo wrote on Wednesday in a note to clients. He also stated that despite the inclusion of a new larger display, Apple's upcoming iPhone will utilize a battery that is roughly the same capacity as the one found in the iPhone 4S. According to the analyst's sources within Apple's supply chain, the new iPhone display will measure 50.9 millimeters wide by 90.3 millimeters tall, and Apple has contracted Toshiba Matsushita Display, LG Display and Sharp to supply the new panels. Kuo also reaffirmed earlier reports that the next-generation iPhone will utilize in-cell touch elements in its display. Kuo notes that Apple chose not to use a larger 4.3-inch display because it would require a larger battery and it would not support comfortable single-handed operation. The analyst also says that Apple's new iPhone housing will be thinner than the glass and aluminum case utilized by the current-generation iPhone 4S and the iPhone 4. Recent reports suggest Apple's next iPhone will launch in September or October alongside a new “iPad mini,” and BGR reported last December that Apple intends to launch a completely redesigned iPhone in the fall.

7.9mm iPhone 5 to come with 4.1' screen, 1136 x 640 resolution

A familiar rumor is back - the new confirmation coming from KGI analyst Mingchi Kuo, who is said to have sources close to Apple's supply chain. The next incarnation of the Apple iPhone could turn up with a 4.08-inch display of 1136 x 640 resolution, 16:9 aspect ratio and a brightness of 500 nits (matching the iPhone 4S). This, despite not technically being HD worthy, would result in a density of good 319 pixels per inch, preserving the Retina moniker, and moving away from the familiar 3:2 aspect. Mingchi Kuo also has info on the cameras and thickness of the iPhone 5, saying that the front-facing camera will be HD-capable, making those FaceTime calls all the sweeter, and that the camera will be moved from the left side of the earpiece to the center (much like on the iPod Touch). The back camera will reportedly have 8 MP sensor and a 5 element lens similar to the 4S but with a larger aperture of f/2.2 (currently f/2.4). That would allow more light to reach the sensor and improve the low-light performance. As for the profile, Kuo claims that the next iPhone will measure the impressively thin 7.9 mm, which is a huge improvement over the iPhone 4S's 9.3 mm. The bigger display bit is probably the most persistent of all iPhone 5 rumors, only this time the said screen size isn't 3.9" but 4.08". However, altering the screen aspect ratio might lead to poor backwards compatibility with apps, which have been developed for the 3:2 aspect ratio of all iPhones to date. Still the width of the screen, if this rumor turns out true, will remain 640 pixels, which is the same as the current iPhone 4S and iPhone 4, meaning apps could run just fine with blank bars on each side until their developers get round to adapting them. The next iPhone, or iPhone 5, is rumored to arrive in the fall, in either September, or as was the case last time, October. As always there are a bunch of rumors surrounding it, one pointing at an aluminium back and larger screen. We're less than a week away from finding out what this year's WWDC conference in San Francisco and iOS 6 will bring. There might be some clues for the specs of the upcoming iPhone 5. Source | Via

Apple's new iPhone 5 could be only 7.9mm thin, HD front-facing camera rumored

A new report from Taiwanese firm KGI suggests that Apple's sixth-generation iPhone - possibly called iPhone 5 - will be significantly thinner than the previous model (iPhone 4S, released in October 2011, and measuring 9.3mm). In a table that shows the iPhone 5's cameras specifications, KGI mentions the device's thickness, too. Reportedly, that's of only 7.9 millimeters. This would make the new iPhone thinner than both the Samsung Galaxy S III, and HTC One X (which are two of its main competitors). It looks like Apple will keep the 8MP Sony sensor for the rear camera of the iPhone 5, but plans to upgrade the front-facing camera with an HD-capable sensor. According to Apple Insider, the Taiwanese firm also seems to confirm that the next iPhone will have a 4 inch display (4.08 inches, to be exact) with a 1136 x 640 pixel resolution – for a 16:9 aspect ratio. By all means, increasing the screen size and resolution of its new smartphone is an important thing for Apple to do, if it wants to keep selling tens of millions of units. We still don't know exactly when the new iPhone will be officially announced. If production starts in late Q2 / early Q3, as rumored recently, the smartphone will likely not be unveiled in the next few months. We'll let you know when new details about this appear.

Pure Contour 200i Air Speaker Dock

Pure is back with its latest product in the form of the Contour 200i Air speaker dock. Designed for Apple’s iPad, iPod and iPhone, the digital music system features Apple’s AirPlay wireless streaming technology that lets you stream music wirelessly to Contour 200i Air from a compatible iPod, iPhone or iPad or from iTunes on your computer using a Wi-Fi or Ethernet connection. You can also download the free Pure Lounge app, allowing you to enjoy over 16,000 internet radio stations or on-demand programs from your iPod touch, iPhone and iPad. The Pure Contour 200i Air speaker dock retails for around $310 (after conversion). [Pure]

Twig Ultra-portable Cable For iPhone

Designed by Jason Hilbourne, the Twig is an ultra-portable cable that doubles up as a tripod for your iPhone and iPod. The Twig is a short version of the dock connector. Measuring at only 4-inch long, it is perfect for anyone who is on-the-go. You just need to plug it into your AC adapter to make an instant wall charger dock. [Kickstarter]

The world's most luxurious iPhone collection launched by Swiss company Golden Dreams

Golden Dreams, a company based in Geneva, Switzerland, has announced "the world's most luxurious iPhone collection," which includes luxury iPhones dressed in leather, gold, or diamonds. These will certainly give Amosu, Gresso, GoldStriker and the others a run for their money. The new Golden Dreams collection includes three iPhone models: Desert Edition (using "carefully selected alligator leather"), Gold Edition (with "with 24ct-gold plating or with 120 grams of 18ct gold"), and Diamond Edition (which can contain up to 4,057 diamonds). Prices for the Desert Edition iPhones start at 1,990 Swiss francs (about $2,172). Gold Edition iPhones cost at least 2,150 Swiss francs ($2,346). As for the Diamond Edition ones, prices are only available on request, and we can only imagine they're exorbitant.

The Tale Of An iPhone Fanboy Who Fell In Love With The Galaxy Note

You may remember a short time ago we gave you our thorough and incredibly comprehensive review on the Samsung Galaxy Note. Well, I was cruising by our sister site, iSource today, and an article caught my eye. Apparently, one of the writers on iSource decided to do the unthinkable and review the Samsung Galaxy Note. “I know exactly how this is going to turn out,” I thought to myself. “This guy is going to talk about how awful the Note is, and how it didn't even hold a candle to the iPhone,” but boy was I wrong. Turns out the writer, Brandon, really gave the Galaxy Note a fair shot, living with the device for a full week. To his credit, he not only provided valid points on the Note's shortcomings, but also gave it praise when it was due. Mainly, the Note's S Pen and size, the device's killer features. Towards the end of his review, he actually talks about how he went back to the AT&T store to return the Note after a defect, and back to his beloved iPhone. No surprise there. It's been often said that iPhone fanboys are blinded by their love for all things Apple. But, in a stunning twist of events, after returning to his iPhone, Brandon discovered that the teeny, tiny little phone just didn't cut it anymore. The Galaxy Note spoiled him with it's huge 5.3-inch display (an entire iPhone — case and all — couldn't even match it's size) and handy stylus. He went back to the store once again, and switched back to the Galaxy Note. Bet you didn't see that one coming, huh? Now, I guess you could say Brandon isn't a true “Android convert.” He simply fell in love with the Note's hardware and will most likely be returning to iOS if/when they can slap a bigger screen on it. But after reading his review, I'm starting to wonder if maybe iOS fans don't really “hate” Android at all. It seems, for the most part, they merely prefer iOS and some of its polish over Android. Something I've noticed lately is that when it comes to Android fans, more than often we're the ones defined by our hatred of all things Apple/iOS and not necessarily our love of Android. Maybe, just maybe, if we put down the pitch forks and stop insulting iPhone users, simply encouraging them to give Android a try… Who knows. Maybe then we'd have more people who are actually willing to give Android a shot?

Panasonic KX-TG7740 and KX-TG7730 cordless phones feature Link2Cell, iPhone ringtone integration

Sure, you may have long ditched the landline, but you could still be in the market for a cordless phone. Two such rigs from Panasonic let you tap your mob for a voice connection, with Link2Cell. The KX-TG7740 and KX-TG7730 can both sync up with Bluetooth-enabled phones, letting you make calls through your smartphone as it charges in another room. You can also transfer up to 3,050 address book entries to the household system, while this year's models add an extra layer of iPhone integration, enabling ringtone matching and transfer - you'll now be able to hear that iOS jingle through any connected handset. Both models also include the standard gamut of features, including talking caller ID, call block for pre-programed numbers and a handset locator. The 7730 series ships with three handsets for $100 (TG-7733S), two handsets for $80 (7732S) or a single handset for $60 (7731S). Likewise, the 7740 adds a dial pad to the base, and is available with five handsets for $150 (7745S), three for $110 (7743S), two for $90 (7742S) or one for $70 (7741S).