On the Wire | Epic Apple vs. Samsung Deathmatch Wraps Up

People wait in line to get inside for the Apple and Samsung trial during a lunch break at a federal courthouse in San Jose, Calif., Tuesday, Aug. 21, 2012.

By Paul Elias

Associated Press

SAN JOSE, Calif. — A lawyer for Apple said Tuesday that Samsung was having a "crisis of design" after the launch of the iPhone, and executives with the South Korean company were determined to illegally cash in on the success of the revolutionary device.

Samsung's lawyer countered that the technology giant was simply and legally giving consumers what they want: Smart phones with big screens.

On the Wire | What the New iPhone Will Look Like

DISCLAIMER: This is not the new iPhone. You really think we're cool enough to have the first screenshot? Pssh. This is just a dumb stock photo. Look at it up there... geez... that hand model has nice fingernails. 

By Farhad Manjoo 

Slate.com

The new iPhone looks pretty much like the old iPhone. Sure, it's a bit taller, allowing for a display that has one extra row of icons on the Home screen. And instead of the glass that you find on the back of today's iPhone, the new model's posterior is composed mainly of some kind of metal — either stainless steel or aluminum that has been polished and, in the case of the black version, treated by a chemical process to turn it a dark, matte gray. (On the white model, the metal on the back looks untreated.)

The other difference is the dock connector — instead of the inch-wide plug that Apple has placed on almost every iPod, iPhone and iPad since 2003, the new iPhone will inaugurate a new, tiny plug that we'll presumably find on all of Apple's other devices, too. Finally, and strangely, the headphone jack is now on the bottom of the phone, rather than the top.

But that's it.

On the Wire | Tech titans face off in court over iPhone, iPad

Source: AP Photo/Sascha Schuermann

By Paul Elias | Associated Press

SAN FRANCISCO — Two tech titans will square off in federal court Monday in a closely watched trial over control of the U.S. smartphone and computer tablet markets.

Apple Inc. filed a lawsuit against Samsung Electronics Co. last year alleging the world's largest technology company's smartphones and computer tablets are illegal knockoffs of its popular iPhone and iPad products. The Cupertino-based company is demanding $2.5 billion in damages, an award that would dwarf the largest patent-related verdict to date.

WATCH | What Appears to Be the iPhone 5 Being Assembled from Parts

CHOO CHOO! Hype train a-comin'.

No more than a couple days after we get "factory-leaked" iPhone 5 candids that support rumors of a redesign, this video surfaces on Verge — is this the iPhone we know and love?

Six Amazing and Unsung New Features of iOS 6

Associated Press

With all the hubbub that's always swirling around iOS update time, it's easy to miss out on some potentially life-changing new features nestled in the tried-and-true operating system. Ok, so these won't eclipse your wedding day or your firstborn but it just might be better than the first time you watched Godfather Part II.

Get Free Live TV On Your iPhone While You Can

Hear that? Shh... Listen. That's the sound of hundreds of irate, buzzing lawyers spinning into attack formation - shuffling case documents and raking thin combovers. 

iOSLiveTV.com is a thing that lets you watch all kinds of TV channels from the US and Europe - all free - on your iOS or Android device. It's soon to be an un-thing, too, so get on it while you can.

Gizmodo readers claim the service is currently alive and well - albeit taking on a large amount of traffic as a result of the blogosphere exposure. Let us know in the comments if iOSLiveTV works for you and what you're watching...

VIA: Gizmodo
SOURCE: 9 to 5 Forums

[OMG] Shadowrun Sequel a Kickstarter Success

Guess who's getting the Kickstarter love? Ancient FASA fossil ("FASSIL") Jordan Weisman. Who's Jordan Weisman? Who's Jordan Weisman?! The guy who created high fantasy/cyberpunk romp Shadowrun, that's who. 

Shadowrun, the subpar Xbox 360 multi-player shooter from 2007, you say? NO - Shadowrun, the exemplary pen-and-paper RPG from back in the day that was ported triumphantly to 16-bit consoles in the 90s and ported crappily to the Xbox 360 in 2007. 

Now, through the crowd-sourced power of Kickstarter, Weisman and his team at Harebrained Schemes are getting another shot at reviving the dark, mystical world of Shadowrun for a new generation.

Their Kickstarter page blew up yesterday, nailing down their $400,000 goal in 28 hours. They'll be using that cash to bring a rightfully single-player Shadowrun to iOS/Android tablets and PCs.

Find out what the world of Shadowrun is all about and watch the HBS Shadowrun Returns pitch video (and subsequent "thank you" video) after the break.

Play Baldur's Gate on your iPad this summer

Everyone squawked and wailed when Beamdog hyped their new Baldur's Gate project with cryptic comment lines and tantalizing tweets. After much to-do, Beamdog and developer Overhaul Games have finally spilled details on their Baldur's Gate revamp, coming this summer to an iOS device near you.

iPhone users: Who has your contacts' info?

The wholesale auction of our personal information on the Internet is nothing new. 

Ever used one of those charming little Facebook apps to chart birthdays, answer inane questions about your friends or seed digital corn rows? The first time you use it, you're greeted with a confirmation page that says the app developer gets to summarily de-pants your profile. 

Click 'Allow' and that information is just... out there. Who knows where it eventually ends up or how it's stored?

Last week, the developer of social networking app Path was caught with its hand in the contacts jar. Literally, they were taking the contact books of users and storing them, unencrypted, without user consent or even a pleasant little note: "Hey u, just takn all ur stuffz lol!!!1"

How many more app developers would engage in such an insidious practice? The answer might be surprising/stomach-churning...