Apple releases iOS 4.3 officially.

Today we were nicely surprised to see iTunes greet us with the latest iOS 4.3 software for the iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4 well ahead of schedule. The update brings a handful of improvements including faster web browsing, iTunes Home sharing support, enhanced AirPlay support and, of course, the Mobile hotspot functionality.

In general, there's nothing new we didn't already know about. Nevertheless, the update is a major step forward for the devices lucky enough to get it.

We, personally, welcome the new Safari Javascript engine, which is noticeably quicker than the old one. A performance improvement is always welcome. The update also brings support for the newly released Apple Digital AV Adapter, allowing you to output 720p video to your HDTV.

Don't waste any more time, jump right ahead to your iTunes to get the download. Don't forget to share your thoughts on the iOS 4.3 in the comments bellow.

Apple’s all new Iphone 5

Phone 5 (or the iPhone 5G, as some are calling it) rumours are flying thick and fast already.

Will there be a rush release to erase memories of the iPhone 4′s antenna problems? Maybe not – with the Verizon iPhone 4 Apple showed it wasn’t afraid to tweak the current iPhone design.

Will the 5th generation iPhone deliver ultra-fast mobile internet? Will it ever end up on Verizon in the US?

Let’s raid the iPhone 5 rumour fridge to find the tomatoes of truth amid the stinky stilton of baseless speculation.

The iPhone 5 release date will be in the summer…

Apple’s established a rhythm with iPhone releases, with new models appearing in late June or early July each year. It’s a safe bet that the iPhone 5 release date will also be late June or early July.

As Beatweek magazine points out, Apple’s A-Team can’t be everywhere at once; by staggering the releases of the iPad 2 and the iPhone 5, they get to work their magic on both devices.

…or maybe the iPhone 5 launch date will be later.

iLounge previously said its source reckoned Apple would push the iPhone 5 release date forwards – possibly to January 2011 – because of the iPhone 4 antenna problems, although iLounge itself said the claim was “hard to believe”. The source could be confusing the Verizon iPhone and the iPhone 5.

The usual July release date was mentioned by Engadget’s source too in January 2011 – meaning the standard release cycle looks set to continue.

On 22 February, we reported that Craig Berger, an analyst at FBR Capital Markets, claimed that some components manufacturers are still ramping up and so the iPhone 5 release date could now be delayed until September.

The iPhone 5 will have a different form factor to the iPhone 4 – or will there be an iPhone 4S instead?

WSJ: “Separately, Apple is also developing a new iPhone model, said people briefed on the phone. One person familiar said the fifth-generation iPhone would be a different form factor than those that are currently available… it was unclear how soon that version would be available to Verizon or other carriers.”

This has since been backed up by reports from Engadget we reported, which state the design will be a ‘total rethink’.

Of course, since the iPhone 3G was followed by the 3GS it’s possible it won’t be a total refresh and we’ll see an iPhone 4S before an iPhone 5.

A white iPhone 5?

The Economic Daily News is reporting that white iPhone 5 glass is being shipped, with a supplier called Wintek being the sole touch panel vendor for the white iPhone.

Edge-to-edge display?

A spurious photo of an iPhone 5 front case has been unearthed by a Chinese reseller, suggesting that the next Apple handset will feature an edge-to-edge display. We’re not convinced it’s a genuine Apple part, though.

The iPhone 5 specs will be evolutionary, not revolutionary

According to the Chinese Economic Daily News (via AppleInsider), with the exception of Qualcomm chipsets – which would replace the current Infineon chipsets in the iPhone 4 – Apple’s sticking with the same suppliers for the 2011 iPhone 5G components.

We’d expect the basics of the iPhone 5 specs to get a bump – more memory, faster processor, and more storage.

The specs? A new antenna, 1.2GHz processor (possibly dual-core) and a larger screen: 3.7″ instead of 3.5″. The iPhone 5 may also be made from a new kind of alloy, or maybe meat.

In other rumours which surfaced on 15 February 2011, Digitimes is reporting on information supposedly leaked from component suppliers that claim the iPhone 5 will feature a larger, 4-inch screen. Digitimes quotes the source as saying that Apple is expanding the screen size “to support the tablet PC market as the vendor only has a 9.7-inch iPad in the market.”

We’re also hearing word of a multi-core design, in keeping with the rest of the mobile world, as Apple looks to improve both battery life and performance.

The iPhone 5 will also get a massive graphical boost as it moves to a dual-core GPU – this could herald true 1080p output from the new device, according to our news story on 18 January.

The iPhone 5 specs may include a digital wallet

There’s been some speculation that Apple might include Near Field Communication (NFC) technologyin the iPhone 5G, turning it into a kind of credit/debit card. However, as Techeye.net notes, “Apple has looked into NFC before” so this might not be imminent.

However, with the tech being inside the Google Nexus S, the time for NFC may finally be here.

PAY PHONE: Apple patents show how a near field communication-equipped iPhone 5 could act as a kind of credit card

UPDATE: We reported that an Apple patent has revealed an e-wallet icon on the iPhone homescreen. This adds credence to the rumour that iPhone 5 will feature NFC.

The iPhone 5 specs may include LTE support

At least one analyst thinks the iPhone 5 will support LTE, super-fast mobile broadband, in the US. That would make the iPhone 5G a 4G phone, which won’t be confusing at all. LTE is certainly coming – AT&T plans to roll out its LTE service in 2011 – but an LTE iPhone has been rumoured for a while. USA Today floated the idea of an LTE iPhone on Verizon last year.

The iPhone 5 price won’t change

If the iPhone 5 is an evolutionary step like the move from the iPhone 3G to the iPhone 3GS then we’d expect the price to stay more or less the same, although in the UK higher VAT rates may well mean a higher price tag.

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Magic W3-The first tablet/phone to run windows 7 home premium

Wondering whether to buy a tablet or a phone? AdvanceTC is going to launch a 4.8-inch tablet phone which, wait for it, runs Windows 7! Yes, the device is  powered by an Atom Z530 processor, clocked at 1.6Ghz and will indeed run a full, uncut version of the Windows 7 Home Premium.

The tabletphone is going to sport a 4.8-inch touchscreen with a resolution of 800x400 and a 1GB of RAM. At the front of the device there’s going to be a 1.3MP camera for video conferencing.
Measuring at 141 x 81.5 x 22 mm and weighing 260 grams the device is hefty indeed and could probably be used for self defense, too, but the 3200 mAh 3.7V battery should keeping it going for a couple of days (hours). It also packs a gig of ram and a 32GB SSD for storage. A MicroSD card slot allows you to expand that.
Obviously to be able to support telephony, the OS running on the MAGIC W3 has gone through some dark witchcraft and there’s a custom UI layer, called MAGIC Telephony Touch UI, which includes a phone dialer, messaging, call history and contacts app. The MAGIC W3, just like the Motorola Atrix, will be able to connect to a larger display and act like a nettop PC via an HDMI dock.
  
It all sounds promising, but unfortunately AdvanceTC hasn’t given away important details like when it’s going to hit the market and how much it’s going to cost. Not that we'd rush off and buy an expensive and complex gadget from a company we've never heard before.