Canvas 4 pre-bookings begin, Micromax to reveal price and specs on July 8

NDTV Correspondent, June 28, 2013

Micromax Canvas 4 is now available for pre-bookings on company's website, though the official specs of the phone are nowhere in sight.

Micromax has announced that it will formally launch the Canvas 4 on July 8, when the specifications and other details of the phone, including the price, will be revealed. However, as promised earlier, Micromax is now letting customers interested in getting early access to its forthcoming flagship pre-book the device online for Rs. 5,000.

When the official price of the phone is revealed, users will have seven days to pay the rest of the amount or cancel the pre-booking. In case of a cancellation, Micromax says it will process the refund within 7-10 days. Canvas 4 will start shipping on July 10, and Micromax is promising to deliver your unit within 7 business days thereafter. You can check out the rest of the terms of pre-booking on Micromax's website.

The only thing we know for sure so far is the Micromax Canvas 4 will come with a 13-megapixel camera, since that bit is apparent in the teaser videos that Micromax posted earlier. Another interesting bit that is official, is the "Can life be endless?" line that Micromax is using to tease the Canvas 4. The line obviously seems like a reference to the battery life, and one wonders if one of the highlights of the Canvas 4 will be a big battery.

Micromax will likely need that big battery, give the Canvas 4 is said to sport a full-HD display. We've seen two full-HD budget smartphones launched already in the Indian market, in the form of Wickedleak Wammy Passion Z and the Lemon A4. While the Wammy Passion Z costs Rs. 14,990, the recently launched Lemon A4 carries a price tag of Rs. 17,999.

Given the price of these phones, it is possible for Micromax's next flagship to have a full-HD display and still be priced in the sub-Rs. 20,000 segment, company's preferred playground. For people eagerly awaiting price and full specs of the Canvas 4, July 8 can't come soon enough.

Don't buy a new PC or Mac before you read this

Is the laptop, desktop, or tablet you plan to buy stuck with a last-gen CPU? That may be a reason to wait -- or a way to get a great deal. Here's how to tell.

While summer break has just started for students across the country, that means that the all-important back-to-school shopping season is not far behind. And with it comes a flood of new or updated systems -- everything from traditional laptops and desktops to tablets and hybrids.

But before swiping your credit card on a new ultrabook, all-in-one, or convertible, you're going to want to dive a little deeper into the spec sheets. That's because the latest Intel CPU upgrade -- code named Haswell, but officially known as "fourth-generation Core i series" -- is offering significant battery life improvements in the first wave of laptops we've tested so far. So, unlike the more ho-hum Intel updates we've seen in years past, there's a real-world payoff in seeking out a Haswell-equipped laptop.

On the other hand, if battery life isn't a big concern -- if you're going for a desktop PC, or if you have a "desktop replacement" laptop that you don't tend to disconnect from the power cord -- you could score a nice discount on the many pre-Haswell PCs that will inevitably make their way to the discount bin.

How do you tell which is which? That's the tricky part.

The current laptop landscape

As we move into the Haswell era, the market is in flux. Many "new" laptops and hybrids, such as the Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 11S, Acer Aspire R7, or the Toshiba Kirabook, all still ship with processors from Intel's third-generation Core i series, the same parts that have been found in most PCs since spring 2012. Only a handful of more-forward-looking systems already have Intel's just-released fourth-generation Intel Core i-series Haswell processors.

Need a 14-hour laptop? Get the new 13-inch MacBook Air.

Normally that wouldn't be a big deal, because any current laptop will have more than enough processing power for everyday tasks, such as Web surfing, HD video playback, social media networking, and working on basic office documents. For that reason, in years past, having the latest and greatest processors wasn't especially high on my priorities list. Frankly, the average consumer wouldn't feel much of a difference in surfing the Web on a laptop with a budget-minded Intel Core i3 versus one with a high-end Core i7.

Case in point: the 2012 version of Apple's 13-inch MacBook Air ran for 7 hours and 27 minutes in our video playback battery drain test. The 2013 version of the 13-inch Air, with a Haswell CPU, blows that out of the water, with an astonishing 14 hours and 25 minutes on the same test. Sony's Haswell-powered Vaio Pro 13 ran for nearly 9 hours, and even the gaming-oriented Razer Blade, currently still undergoing benchmark testing in the CNET Labs, seems to have an extended running time compared with older gaming laptops, thanks to its current-gen CPU.But with only a handful of Haswell PCs (and Macs) tested so far, the battery life results from them so far has been very impressive. The Haswell-equipped PCs also offer Intel's better integrated graphics, either the HD 5000, HD 4600, or HD 4400, rather than the now-outdated Intel HD 4000 graphics found in third-gen Core i-series systems.

How to choose

The natural question this raises is: Should you hold off on buying a particular PC if it still has a third-generation Intel Core i-series processor and wait for the Haswell version? That might mean waiting for a long time indeed in some cases, potentially missing the back-to-school window. Some popular laptops, including the Lenovo Yoga line and Toshiba U series of ultrabooks, have not announced any firm plans to offer Haswell versions (though it's safe to assume they'll be popping up eventually).

Sony's Haswell-powered Vaio Duo 13.

I suggest approaching with caution, although I'm not ruling out buying a non-Haswell system altogether. Below are some guidelines that represent my current thinking on the subject; feel free to add your own suggestions and ideas in the comments section below.

Desktops and larger laptops: Buy now
Considering the modest gains in actual application performance (including the HD 5000 graphics), if you're holding off for performance reasons, don't. For a traditional desktop or all-in-one with no battery, the last-gen processor isn't a big deal. The same goes, to a lesser extent, for larger 15-inch and up laptops, which by their nature spend most of their time tethered to a desk and power outlet.

The high-end Toshiba Kirabook costs more the $1,500, but has last-gen processors.

Ultrabook-style systems: Seek out a Haswell version
Some of the best ultrathin laptops, namely the Apple MacBook Air and Sony's new Vaio Pro (both of which are available in 11- and 13-inch models), are among the first laptops to get the new Intel CPUs. Battery life on these is amazing, and I'd be hard-pressed to buy a premium ultrabook (or fauxtrabook) with shorter non-Haswell battery life. It would certainly be painful to spend more than $1,600 on a Toshiba Kirabook or Lenovo Helix and not get the latest processors (and the resulting boost in battery life).

Budget shoppers: Wait if you can, or seek out bargains if you can't
Some of our favorite reasonably priced laptops, such as the Toshiba U-series ultrabooks and Sony's relatively new Vaio Fit 14, are not available with fourth-gen Intel Core i-series CPUs yet, nor is there an estimated date for them. The new Core i3 CPUs for budget and midprice systems are the last item on Intel's priority list (the highest-end quad-core Core i7 chips came out first, followed by Core i5 versions), and more-modest battery life expectations are built into buying a sub-$800 laptop. That said, we're already seeing some good deals on pre-Haswell PCs, as retailers and manufacturers begin blowing out inventory to make room for those new Haswell models. So this summer see a lot of $800 to $900 PCs going for as little as $600. Keep an eye on those Sunday newspaper circulars and Internet deals.

Tablet/hybrids: Wait for Haswell
Tablets are designed for all-day on-the-go use, but to date, Windows models -- from the new Lenovo Yoga 11S to the Acer Aspire P3 to the Microsoft Surface Pro -- just haven't yet hit that iPad sweet spot. Well, it's time to stop compromising. Every Windows 8 device that's either a slate-style tablet or laptop/tablet hybrid could benefit from the extended battery life offered by Haswell. (That also goes for Intel's next-gen Atom CPU, dubbed Bay Trail -- also due soon.) The 14-hour battery life on the new MacBook Air proves it: it's possible to get much better battery life on tablets than we're getting now, and we should demand it. In other words, if you like the look and feel of a current Windows tablet, hold out for the Haswell version.

Bonus advice: Don't worry about Windows 8.1 or Mac OS X 10.9 Mavericks
Savvy tech shoppers know that Microsoft and Apple are both updating their operating systems before the end of the year, to Windows 8.1 and Mac OS X 10.9 Mavericks. The good news is that the Microsoft upgrade will be free (for existing Windows 8 users), and the Mac upgrade is likely to be very cheap (Apple hasn't announced pricing, but the last few Mac versions have been only $20). Any computer running the current OSes should be easily upgradeable to the forthcoming versions; there's no reason to wait for them to be released before buying.

Android 4.3 leaks in new screenshots, features updated Camera app

Anupam Saxena, June 28, 2013

Alleged screenshots of an early version of Android 4.3 running on Samsung Galaxy S4's Google edition variant have appeared online.

Spotted first by Samsung focused website, Sam Mobile, the screenshots of the phone's 'About phone' page show the model number as GT-I9505G, which hints that the phone is the Google edition of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 600-powered Galaxy S4. The phone's build number is JWR66N.S005.130625 in which JWR66N depicts the Android build while S005.130625 is Samsung's internal naming convention for test builds.

The site has also posted a screenshot of the Camera app which sports an updated user interface. The new Camera app's options are more accessible than they are in the current stock camera app. The controls for HDR, exposure adjustments, settings and flash among others are placed in a curved line together.

Interestingly, the same updated camera app is included in the Android 4.2.2 build for the Samsung Galaxy S4 and HTC One stock Android, Google edition variants. 

We had earlier seen the same camera app when a Nexus 4 running Android 4.3 was spotted at the Thailand Mobile Expo, last month. So, it's possible that the Android 4.3 will bring the updated camera app, and Samsung was given early access to include it in Android 4.2.2 build of the Galaxy S4.

Besides the updated camera app, Android 4.3 is also expected to feature native support for Bluetooth Smart Ready technology. The Bluetooth Special Interest Group in a press statement earlier confirmed that Google had committed to bringing support for Bluetooth Smart to future versions of the operating system. Bluetooth Smart allows compatible phones to take advantage of low power consumption with Bluetooth Smart ready devices like the Fitbit Flex or Pebble mart watch. The statement had said that the newest version of Android OS natively supports Bluetooth Smart Ready technology. 

While Google was expected to announce Android 4.3 during the Google I/O keynote, it chose to skip the announcement and instead made a slew of service and developer related announcements including new features for Google+, the Hangouts unified messaging app, updated Maps, Google Play for Education, a music streaming service,and updated Search among others. Another report had claimed that Google would release Android 4.3 on June 10 along with the White colour variant of the Nexus 4 phone, but that did not materialise either.

Sony Vaio Pro 13 Touch review

So light. So small. So good.

The good: The Sony Vaio Pro 13 weighs less than 2.4 pounds and uses a fourth-gen Intel Core i5 or i7 processor to deliver long battery life and very good everyday performance. It has an excellent 13.3-inch 1080p touch screen and is competitively priced for its features.

The bad: The Pro 13, like its competition, has a nonremovable battery (though you can add an external battery), few ports and connections, and integrated graphics only. Memory maxes out at 8GB.

The bottom line: For those who want an excellent ultraportable laptop with more than just the latest Intel processors, the Sony Vaio Pro 13 Touch is it.

Sony Xperia Z Ultra smartphone with 6.4-inch screen announced

Anupam Saxena, June 25, 2013

After numerous leaks and rumours, Sony has officially announced the Xperia Z Ultra, a smartphone/ phablet that features a 6.4-inch display. 

The phone's design is based on Sony's OmniBalance philosophy in line with the design of the Xperia Z and Xperia Tablet Z. The phone sports a slim profile with a thickness of 6.5mm and weighs 212 grams. Sony says that the width of the phone is comparable to that of a Passport. It comes in Black, White and Purple colours. 

The Xperia Z Ultra is powered by a 2.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor and has 2GB of RAM. It offers 16GB of internal storage expandable up to 64GB via microSD card. 

The Xperia Z Ultra's screen has a resolution of 1080x1920 pixels and is the first smartphone display that integrates Sony's Triluminos technology, which the company introduced at CES with its Bravia televisions. Sony claims that through the technology the display reproduces a greater range of rich, natural colours to deliver true, natural shades. The technology also includes X-Reality for mobile, Sony's intelligent super resolution display technology which as per the company, analyses each image and reproduces lacking pixels to optimise quality for the sharpest videos.  

The phone sports an 8-megapixel Exmor RS rear camera and a 2-megapixel front facing camera. It has a 3000 mAh battery. The phone includes 4G LTE, NFC, and Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity options.

Just like the Xperia Z, the Xperia Z ultra is also dust and water proof and comes with IP55 and IP58 certification. It even allows users to take photos underwater. 

Another interesting feature of the Xperia Z Ultra is its handwriting recognition functionality. The phone's screen is compatible with any pencil and selected stylus or pen with tip diameter over 1mm. 

The Xperia Z Ultra comes with new and updated Sony Media Applications including new apps for Walkman, Movies and Album. 

The phone will launch globally from Q3 2013, but the exact timing of availability will vary depending on the market. Pricing has not been disclosed, yet.


Mobiles launched in June 2013 

Sony Xperia Z Ultra key specifications

• 6.4-inch TFT Triluminos display with a resolution of 1080x1920 pixels and Shatter proof sheet on scratch-resistant glass
• 2.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 quad-core processor
• 2GB RAM
• 8-megapixel rear camera with Exmor RS sensor
• 2-megapixel front facing camera
• 16GB internal storage expandable up to 64GB via microSD card
• Android 4.2 Jelly Bean
• 4G LTE/ NFC/ Bluetooth 4.0/ Wi-Fi
• 3000mAh battery

Instagram's new video sharing service review

Associated Press, June 21, 2013

If you think Instagram snapshots of lunch plates, drooling babies and random desk objects are exciting, just wait until your friends start posting 15 second videos.

You won't have to wait long. On Thursday, Facebook's popular Instagram photo-sharing app added a video feature. Much like its competitor Vine, which is owned by Twitter, Instagram now lets you record and share short videos using a few taps of a finger on a mobile device.

Most people don't do this. Vine has just 13 million users (one-tenth of Instagram's user base), and no other video-sharing apps have attracted mass appeal. Part of the reason: technical limitations. Instagram co-founder Kevin Systrom said during the service's unveiling that the video feature was initially left out of Instagram because the "speed, simplicity and beauty" the creators strived for in the app "were definitely possible with photos but it was really hard for video."

It's easier now. Internet connections have become faster and mobile phones are snappier and equipped with better cameras. And as Systrom promised, Instagram's video feature is certainly simple. Download the latest version on your iPhone or Android device. Open it and tap the camera icon on the bottom of the screen. This will take you to a new screen with a video camera icon. Another tap and you're ready to go.

You can record whatever your little heart desires. I opted for a shaky panorama of the newsroom with close-ups on coworkers' faces, which I deleted. Another video featuring different types of hot sauce and other things on my desk was better received by my friends on Instagram.

The videos don't have to be shot in one take. Lift your finger and the recording stops until you tap the icon again. Writing about the feature is actually more complicated than using it.

The finger-tap recording feature that Vine fans are familiar which works well with Instagram, especially for patient video graphers. Tap stop tap your way through recording a puppet show or a piece of cake being eaten and you'll have yourself a 15-second stop motion animation clip or shorter if you wish.

One of my biggest complaints with Vine is that many of the videos I took using the app are shaky. You try running after friends in the alleyways of Venice while shooting a video of the scenery with your phone. Shaky. To address problems like this, Instagram has added a "cinema" feature that stabilizes the videos. Unfortunately for me and my cracked iPhone 4, it only works on the iPhone 4S or higher, and it's not yet available on Android. I should probably get a new phone.

As for speed, videos my friends posted on Instagram loaded fairly quickly, though not as fast as photos. Sometimes they wouldn't play, possibly due to a less-than-ideal connection in our office. A small video camera icon differentiates the videos from photos on Instagram. You can view a video by tapping its icon. The problem is that tapping is also a shortcut for "liking" a video or photo. This is how I "liked" one of my own boring videos and how a coworker "liked" another undeserving video by a former high school classmate. And still, they wouldn't play.

And that's probably just as well. Systrom's third aspiration, beauty, is harder to gauge. Since it's only been a few hours since video's launch on Instagram, I'm withholding judgment. Hopefully my friends will take the same sort of care and artistic curation with their videos as they do with their snapshots -which, of course, means I can expect tons of videos of babies crawling, dinner dishes waiting to be eaten, cocktails getting shaken, bunnies munching on parsley and waves crashing on the beaches of Greece.

Actually that doesn't sound so bad. The beauty of Instagram is that it offers a glimpse into people's lives that's difficult to put into words.

Jamaica trying to position itself as an animation industry hub

Associated Press, June 21, 2013

Aspiring visual artists hoping to sketch out a promising future flocked on Thursday to an animation industry conference in Jamaica, which hopes to become the next hub of a growing global industry that generated more than $100 billion in 2012.

Jamaican and World Bank officials believe that the international animation industry can create thousands of jobs for young hopefuls in Jamaica, where the economy has sputtered for more than 30 years and good jobs are scarce. Because animation skills are transportable, they say capable individuals in Jamaica can serve international clients outsourcing work while also developing their own creative productions.

On Thursday, the first day of a two-day conference on the business, dozens of Jamaican hopefuls submitted their artwork and got career tips from representatives of industry leaders such as Bento Box, a Burbank, California-based company that is an animation producer for broadcast and cable networks.

Industry, Investment and Commerce Minister Anthony Hylton said labor-intensive animation "offers huge potential for the creation of jobs" in Jamaica. He said the country is well-positioned to become part of the industry's "global supply and value chain" because the English-speaking country shares a language with major content producers in the US, Britain and Canada and its citizens have always displayed a deep talent for the arts.

Scott Hodges, a 20-year-old student at Kingston's Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts, was among the excited young artists in attendance.

"I wanted to be in animation ever since I was small. We just need opportunities in Jamaica and we can succeed," Scott said the sidelines of the conference at Jamaica's campus of the University of the West Indies.

Starting in the early 1970s, Hollywood producers began sending animation work to countries like Mexico, Canada and Spain as a way to cut rising labor costs. By the beginning of the next decade, the industry turned to Japan and its animation sector, which relied on subcontractors in Taiwan and South Korean.

Today, there are thousands of animation studios and trade schools across Asia, many of them in China. Animation outsourcing by major companies such as Disney Animation and Nickelodeon to subcontractors in countries such as India and the Philippines has become a flourishing business.

Long a musical innovator, Jamaica is now having some success with animation. "Cabbie Chronicles," an animated comedy featuring a sullen Jamaican cab driver named Delly and a changing cast of colorful customers, has won several regional awards.

Joan Vogelsang, president and CEO at Montreal-headquartered Toon Boom Animation, a company that produces digital content and animation creation software, said she's confident that Jamaica has the necessary ingredients to become a popular animation destination "not only for subcontracting opportunities but also for intellectual property development."

Vogelsang, who has helped develop animation sectors in India and other countries across the globe, also said the industry creates well-paying jobs that can help build a strong middle class in countries like Jamaica.

"The day of the starving artist is over," she told a conference room of eager creative types.

Joel Kuwahara, co-founder and principal of Bento Box and a former producer on "The Simpsons," said the global industry is enthusiastic to bring talented artists from Jamaica and other regional spots into the fold.

"Technology gives you the chance to work with more partners overseas," Kuwahara said before giving a presentation. "It's a necessity for us because it's expensive to produce in Los Angeles. And these days, there are no limitations to where you live to collaborate."

Is this the super future?

Samsung Ativ Q tablet cum laptop hybrid launched with Android and Windows 8 dual-boot support

Gurman Bhatia, June 21, 2013

Samsung has launched a dual OS hybrid tablet cum laptop called Ativ Q.

Samsung Ativ Q is a 13.3-inch device that has a thickness of 13.9 mm and weighs 1.29 kgs. It also comes with a qHD+ display that has a resolution of 1800x3200 pixels. The hybrid is powered by an Intel Core i5 processor. The device comes with a 4GB RAM and 128GB SSD storage. It also has a 720p HD camera on-board. In terms of ports, the Ativ Q comes with one USB 3.0, one USB 2.0, an HDMI port, a headphone/ microphone combination jack and a microSD card slot.

The device comes with both Windows 8 and Android Jelly Bean 4.2.2 operating systems onboard, giving users the option to choose which OS to boot into. It also gives you the ability to pin an Android application to the Windows 8 start screen, providing some kind of integration between the two operating systems.

In terms of the physical build of the tablet, the slider format with the keyboard makes it similar to Sony's Vaio Duo 13. There is no touch pad on the keyboard but left and right mouse keys do exist. The mouse is present in the form of a track pad in the centre of the keyboard, similar to how it is placed on the Vaio Duo 13.

The tablet offers S-Pen functionality allowing you to create content using the stylus on the tablet. Samsung has also incorporated Smart Sync functionality into the tablet enabling users to control their smartphones using the Ativ PC. So, your Android smartphone can be somewhere in your bag, while you reply to a text using your computer.

The hinge design of the ATIV Q gives four physical modes to the tablet. One can lay the display flat over the keyboard for tablet mode; raise the display upright to type through the keyboard similar to how you use a laptop; float and adjust the display to a desired viewing angle; or flip the display to place it on a stand mode.

Samsung has not revealed anything about the pricing or the availability of the PC-tablet hybrid as of now.

Facebook bug exposed contact info of 6M users

The social network is embarrassed by a glitch in its "Download Your Information" tool that unintentionally shared some members' phone numbers and e-mail addresses.

Facebook is alerting 6 million of its users that their e-mails or phone numbers were inadvertently shared with other members.

The social network said Friday that it has discovered and patched a bug in its "Download Your Information" tool that unintentionally exposed some members' contact details. The bug was reported earlier this month through the company's White Hat program, which rewards security researchers for reporting vulnerabilities. The bug was fixed within 24 hours, a company spokesperson told CNET.

"It's ... something we're upset and embarrassed by," Facebook said in a note published to its security blog. "We'll work doubly hard to make sure nothing like this happens again."

The glitch itself is a bit difficult to explain, but essentially if you chose to download a copy of your data, your Facebook archive may have included the phone number or e-mail address of a person who you are connected to but did not have those particular contact details for. The extra information was provided because of a hiccup during the friend recommendation process.

Facebook explained the situation security blog with the following description:

When people upload their contact lists or address books to Facebook, we try to match that data with the contact information of other people on Facebook in order to generate friend recommendations. For example, we don't want to recommend that people invite contacts to join Facebook if those contacts are already on Facebook; instead we want to recommend that they invite those contacts to be their friends on Facebook.

Because of the bug, some of the information used to make friend recommendations and reduce the number of invitations we send was inadvertently stored in association with people's contact information as part of their account on Facebook. As a result, if a person went to download an archive of their Facebook account through our Download Your Information (DIY) tool, they may have been provided with additional email addresses or telephone numbers for their contacts or people with whom they have some connection. This contact information was provided by other people on Facebook and was not necessarily accurate, but was inadvertently included with the contacts of the person using the DYI tool.

Facebook said that it has no knowledge of the bug being used maliciously and that it has not received any complaints from users. Still, the company has notified regulators in the U.S., Canada, and Europe of the matter. Affected members will receive an e-mail that provides insight around their contact information that was shared and the number of people it was showed to, the spokesperson said.

As far as privacy blunders go, this one is rather benign. The exposed contact information was only shared with parties who already had some type of contact information on the person. But privacy advocates may use the gaffe as another reason to rail against the social network, affected parties could file lawsuits, and the Federal Trade Commission, an agency that has had run-ins with Facebook in the past, may want to investigate further
.

The iPhone 5S rumor roundup

It's inevitable... but when will it happen? The rumor roundup for Apple's next iPhone starts now.

iPhone 5S: Will it look the same as the iPhone 5?

(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)

Editors' note: This story was originally published on December 6, 2012. We'll continuously update this piece up until the device's official launch; let us know if we missed any rumors ourselves.

iPhone rumors are like flies at a summer picnic: they're nearly unstoppable. Collected in one batch are all the iPhone 5S/6 rumors CNET has reported so far, with some commentary on where these rumors came from.

iPhone 6: Most-wanted features (pictures)

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We always have long wish lists for newer features and further redesigns, but the bottom line is this: nobody knows exactly what we'll get until Tim Cook reveals it on stage later this year.

That said, we've got plenty of educated guesses. But before we get started:

When will we get it: The release will all but certainly coincide with the availability of iOS 7 and the new phone's design should follow the iPhone 5's. Odds are strong that the immediate successor to the iPhone 5 will debut in September or October-- the last two iPhones were announced within the same window.

Beyond those obvious notes, the areas that seem most ripe for updating on the "iPhone 5S" would be the resolution of the cameras. And now that there's a 128GB iPad, maybe there will finally be a 128GB iPhone option, too.

What we don't know:
Everything else is pretty much a crapshoot. A bigger screen? CEO Tim Cook says no -- but saying one thing and doing the opposite would hardly be a first for Apple. Beyond a screen size change, though, Apple could also go with a different technology -- say, Igzo or OLED.

There are plenty of other unknowns, too. Will there be another iPhone that debuts with a fall model? Could the iPhone product line split into several differently sized models? Will an affordable "new" budget-line iPhone emerge? Will Apple finally add NFC to the iPhone, as part of a new mobile payments scheme? Anything could happen. Or not.

As more rumors emerge, they'll be added here.

The rumors thus far:

June 9, 2013
No redesigned iPhone expected this year, report says
The Wall Street Journal reports Apple's next smartphone won't be dramatically different than the current model.

May 23, 2013
iPhone 5S and low-cost iPhone said to be multicolored
The rumored iPhone 5S might come in green, gold, or pink and there's the possibility of a dual-LED flash.

May 8, 2013
Morgan Stanley sees new iPhones by September
A Morgan Stanley note to investors stated multiple new iPhones are coming in September with production starting in June or July.

May 7, 2013
'Next' iPhone display production to begin, says Japan report
Sharp will begin production of the display "panel" for the "next" iPhone model at its Kameyama plant in Mie prefecture in June, according to a report in a major Japanese industrial newspaper.

April 22, 2013
Citi goes sour on Apple, claims iPhone 5S, iPhone 6 delay
Another rumored delay to the release of the new iPhone pushes back its release date from July to August or September.

April 18, 2013
Image leaks of lower-cost iPhone with plastic case
Mobile case maker Tactus shared a photo of what it claims is the a white iPhone with a plastic backing, following earlier reports that Apple might try to sell a cheaper handset without the aluminum finish in previous iPhone models.

April 16, 2013
Apple's iPhone 5S, low-cost iPhone, iPhone 6 may be delayed
Issues with preproduction could cause mass production delays on the majority of Apple's mobile devices, including the rumored iPhone 5S.

April 15, 2013
Latest iPhone 5S rumor pegs camera at 12 megapixels
The next version of the iPhone could pack in an extra 4 megapixels to its camera at 12 megapixels, instead of the 8 megapixel sensor found on both the iPhone 5 and 4S.

April 9, 2013
iPhone 5S to offer multiple screen sizes, analyst says
iPhone 5S buyers could have at least two or possibly three different screen sizes to choose from.

April 3, 2013
Rumor has it Apple's iOS 7 development is delayed
There hasn't been any concrete news that an iOS 7 is even in the works, but that doesn't stop chatter about it being behind schedule and having a brand-new display.

April 2, 2013
Summer iPhone debut in Apple's plans?
The latest rumor via the Wall Street Journal would have Apple returning to its summer product introduction cycle for its flagship smartphone.

April 1, 2013
Next two iPhones may have been designed under Steve Jobs
During discussions about phone theft with an Apple liaison, San Francisco's district attorney says he was told the next two generations have already been designed and that "they preceded Tim Cook." if true, not exactly a shocker.

(Credit: Apple)

March 29, 2013
iPhone 5S to launch June 20, go on sale in July, claims report
A report from Japanese Web Site MacFan seems the first to suggest a specific date for the launch of the next iPhone.

March 26, 2013
iPhone 5S expected to launch in late June, says analyst
The next-generation iPhone should start shipping by the end of June, followed by a low-cost iPhone in the September quarter, says analyst Gene Munster.

March 22, 2013
Apple to launch low-end iPhone without Retina in 2013, says report
That's the claim from Amit Daryanani of RBC Capital Markets, who says the device will have a 4-inch display and come with plastic casing.

March 21, 2013
iPhone 5S to use faster chip and higher-end camera, says report
As expected, the next-generation iPhone won't be a major upgrade over the iPhone 5 but will offer a beefier processor and camera, according to DigiTimes.

(Credit: Apple)

March 18, 2013
iPhone 5S will bring back 'one more thing,' analyst says
On the heels of a Galaxy S4 release that was solid but not mind-blowing, Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty says Apple is planning a killer software feature for the next iPhone.

March 14, 2013
Apple's next-gen iPhone chip being prepped
Apple's next-gen iPhone chip will get "taped out" this month in preparation for pilot production this summer, says an Asia-based report from DigiTimes.

March 8, 2013
Apple, Samsung to offer wireless phone charging, says DigiTimes report
DigiTimes is at it again, this time claiming sources promise that the next iPhone will feature Apple-developed wireless-charging technology.

March 5, 2013
iPhone 5S production rumored to have already begun 
Foxconn production of the iPhone 5S is beginning, at least in part, according to a report from Japanese-language Apple blog Macotakara.

March 5, 2013
iPhone 5S rumored to launch in August, new iPads in April 
The next iPhone could arrive by the end of the summer, but the next-generation iPads may debut as soon as next month, claims iMore.

How different could a budget iPhone 5 case look from the current model?

(Credit: Josh Lowensohn/CNET)

March 4, 2013
Analyst reiterates "July" launch of iPhone 5S, low-cost iPhone 
KGI Securities released another note that spells out features of the upcoming iPhone 5S and a low-cost iPhone 5. For the iPhone 5S, the claims are that it will feature an A7 processor, LED "smart flash" for the camera, and a fingerprint reader. For the budget iPhone 5, KGI claims a case made of fiberglass and plastic.

February 28, 2013
Bigger, thicker, cheaper plastic iPhone coming later this year, report says 
New report says Apple is cooking up a 4.5-inch plastic iPhone that will cost far less than current models but won't ship till next year.

February 19, 2013
Apple could launch "iPhone Mini" this summer, says analyst 
Launched in China, a lower-cost iPhone might triple Apple's potential market share in the country, says a Morgan Stanley analyst.

Alleged photo of iPhone 5S from Chinese Web site ZOL.

(Credit: SJBBS.ZOL.COM.CN)

February 11, 2013
More alleged iPhone 5S photos leak online 
Another round of photos reportedly of the next-generation iPhone have popped up online, this time at a Chinese Web site.

February 7, 2013
iPhone 5S, five-inch iPhone 6 allegedly spotted at supplier 
A poster on Chinese microblogging site says that a friend has seen the much-rumored models and that they could be released this year, taking the Sasquatch report up to 11 with tales of a 5-inch iPhone 6.

January 29, 2013
Low-cost iPhone will be like a plastic iPhone 5, claims site
The much-rumored budget iPhone will borrow many elements from the current model but use a plastic design, says iLounge. The site claims the budget phone will be something like a fusion of the iPhone 5 and fifth-gen iPod Touch.

January 27, 2013
Images of alleged next-gen iPhone components surface
A French blog posts images of what it says are speaker components for the next round of Apple smartphones, what it calls an iPhone 5S and iPhone 6. Blurry, close-up shots of speaker components don't tell much of a story, though.

January 25, 2013
iPhone, iPad, iPad Mini rumors afoot: Upgraded iPhone rear camera
According to another iLounge report, the iPhone 5S will feature a 13-megapixel rear camera from Sony.

(Credit: Apple Digger RU)

January 22, 2013
Renderings tease what a 4.8-inch iPhone would look like 
Continuing along the rumor that Apple is preparing an even larger-screened iPhone for 2014 (see below), Russian Apple news site Apple Digger created renderings of what such a device would look like. This is speculation on top of rumor.

January 22, 2013
Bigger iPhone still coming -- just not this year, report says 
If you're holding out for a 5-inch iPhone, you might have to wait until 2014, a new report from DigiTimes (which must be taken with a whole shaker of salt) claims.

January 22, 2013
Rumor: 4.8-inch iPhone to debut in June 
A Google translation from the Chinese language Commercial Times points to a larger-screened iPhone in time for the Worldewide Developers Conference. While it's a sketchy rumor, it seems reasonable that Apple will get serious about taking on smartphones like Samsung's 4.8-inch Galaxy S3.

Nak Design's concept art for the iPhone 6.

(Credit: Antoine Brieux of NAK Studio)

January 16, 2013
The iPhone 6 won't wow: 6 reasons why 
As an iPhone rumor palate-cleanser, Eric Mack discusses the reasons why the next iPhone isn't likely to impress.

January 16, 2013
iPhone 5S, low-cost iPhone 5 to debut this summer, analyst says 
We may see both the iPhone 5S and a lower-cost iPhone 5 variant in June or July, says KGI Securities' Ming-Chi Kuo.

January 15, 2013
Low-cost iPhone might use plastic body, report claims 
The latest tidbit among the low-cost iPhone rumors suggests the phone would use an all-plastic body or a combination of plastic and metal, once again according to DigiTimes.

January 11, 2013
New intrigue on trail of cheaper iPhone 
Reuters had cryptically withdrawn a story pegged to remarks purportedly made by Apple's Phil Schiller in China. Now the story's back with a nip and a tuck or two.

January 10, 2013
Apple's Schiller: A cheaper iPhone? Um, no 
In an interview with a Chinese newspaper, Phil Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of worldwide marketing, purportedly says there's no truth in reports that Apple will make a cheaper iPhone.

January 10, 2013
Cheap iPhone could appeal to a half billion people, Munster says 
A low-cost iPhone would give Apple access to 65 percent of the smartphone market where its current lineup of high-end phones don't play, says Apple bull Gene Munster.

January 9, 2013
Rumor: Cheaper iPhone could cost as little as $99, Bloomberg says 
Piling onto the latest rumors of a cheaper iPhone on the horizon, a source tells Bloomberg the device could sell for between $99 and $149.

The fifth-gen iPod Touch.

(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)

January 8, 2013
Apple prepping a less-expensive iPhone, WSJ reports -- again 
Following DigiTimes, of all places, the Wall Street Journal reports that Apple is working on a less-expensive iPhone and could launch it later this year -- which is pretty much what the WSJ also reported...two years ago.

January 8, 2013
Low-cost iPhone heading to emerging markets this year -- report 
Apple plans to launch a new iPhone version designed exclusively for China and emerging markets that could be available in the second half of 2013, according to DigiTimes' sources.

January 4, 2013
Apple could launch 'iPhone Mini' next year, analyst says 
In its ongoing battle against Samsung, Apple may be forced to unveil a smaller, cheaper version of its flagship phone, says Strategy Analytics.

January 3, 2013
Apple said to be eyeing new display tech for next iPhone 
The iPhone 5 is just a few months old but its "in-cell" touch technology may already be old news, according to a new report.

December 27, 2012
Apple rumor watch: iOS timepiece on drawing board? 
A rumor out of China suggests that Apple is teaming up with Intel to fashion a bona-fide iOS-based watch. Business Insider reported the rumor via Chinese tech blog Tech163.com. Perhaps this is part of the next-gen iPhone strategy?

December 5, 2012
Could the iPhone line split?
CBS' Dan Farber speculates that a larger-screened iPhone would make perfect sense after the iPad Mini. The debut of another model could justify another launch date, much like the iPad Mini did for the iPad.

A rumored picture of the iPhone 5S.

(Credit: Screenshot taken by Roger Cheng/CNET)

December 5, 2012
Possible iPhone 5S pics show same design
Pictures of the next-generation iPhone have already surfaced via an online forum (iPhone5parts.net, as reported by French Web site Nowhereelse.fr), but show few differences on the exterior of the device other than a different screw placement.