Seth Weintraub

We have a long running series on 9to5Google called “Talking Schmidt” and the Chairman of Google keeps loading it up with amusing quotes on the technology industry.  Today’s comes from the Gartner Symposium where our pro/antagonist was asked by Gartner analyst David Willis about the security of Android (which has taken some hits lately to put it mildly).

To which Schmidt, without batting an eye, said:

“Not secure? It’s more secure than the iPhone.”

The comment drew laughter from the crowd, comprised largely of  CIOs and high level IT personnel. Keep in mind, this is the same quote-smith who forecasted Google TV would have taken over the market last year and called the iPad just a big iPhone.
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Actual court drawing of Forstall (<a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/slideshow?articleId=USBRE87906V20120810&slide=1#a=1">not a joke</a>)

We’re set to get a blast from the past on November 12th when ex-Apple SVP of iOS Scott Forstall is likely to come out of hiding to testify at the Samsung damages hearing alongside his once colleague Phil Schiller.

On Friday, the two sides filed a joint pretrial statement and lists of potential witnesses they may call. Apple’s list includes Phil Schiller, the company’s senior vice president of worldwide product marketing, and Scott Forstall, the former senior vice president of iOS software. Forstall’s departure was announced last October following the widely criticized launch of Apple Maps, which some observers said may have led to his firing. Both Schiller and Forstall also testified in the original trial.

Rounding out Apple’s lineup, Susan Kare, who designed the original Mac icons is also on the docket. Apple won an over $1B verdict in the initial trial but the amount was subsequently dropped to $400M by Judge Lucy Koh.

Forstall has been out of the public spotlight since his removal by CEO Tim Cook in October of last year.
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From 9to5Toys.com:

We knew Virgin Mobile was launching the iPhone 5s and 5c today, but we weren’t expecting a $100-off starting price. That’s what’s on offer today from the Sprint subsidiary (Sprint will also knock off $100 the subsidized plans if you are a new customer – so much for loyalty benefits).

Virgin’s plans are the least expensive out there, especially considering they include unlimited data and start at $30/month.

Another Sprint pre-paid subsidy, Boost mobile is likely going to offer the iPhone in coming days/weeks/months. 
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VC05RJidXDs#t=174

Interesting but totally unsubstantiated claim by Anonymous.

…claims the group make concerning Touch ID seem to focus on Authentec director, Robert E Grady, who appears to have been a prominent figure within the George Bush administration and (Anonymous claim) was connected with The Carlyle Group, which Anonymous also claim is a majority shareholder in Booz Allen Hamilton, the NSA contractor with which whistleblower Edward Snowden worked.

I’d like to think the government and NSA already have my fingerprints but they went out of business so NBD.
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Update: Since this post was originally written, Ultimate Ears has released the Boom 2 and replaced the Mini with the Roll

Last year,  we took the best Bluetooth speakers we could find and put them head to head in one big ‘mega review‘. When all was said and done, the overall best in the field was the Ultimate Ears (UE) Mini Boombox which retailed for $99.  Since that time, we’ve reviewed plenty of others including new standouts like the $149  JBL Charge and the $199 Bose Mini Soundlink which we found to be fantastic, higher-priced alternatives.

A few weeks ago, Ultimate Ears dropped their prices on the Mini Boombox at retailers like Amazon and Best Buy and a new Mini Boom app hit the App Store. We reached out to Ultimate Ears on the matter and (long story short)  got ourselves the new UE Mini Boom demo units that launch this morning. How did they stack up against the competition and the previous versions?

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The New York Times reports that Apple has knocked off Coca-Cola (Sugar water!) to become the ‘World’s Most Valuable Brand’ according to the annual Interbrand Best Global Brands Report.

Apple’s arrival in the top spot was perhaps “a matter of time,” Jez Frampton, global chief executive at Interbrand, said in a recent interview. Apple was No. 2 last year, climbing from No. 8 in the 2011 report. “What is it they say, ‘Long live the king’?” Mr. Frampton asked. “This year, the king is Apple.”

The 2013 report begins: “Every so often, a company changes our lives, not just with its products, but with its ethos. This is why, following Coca-Cola’s 13-year run at the top of Best Global Brands, Interbrand has a new No. 1 — Apple.” The report estimates the value of the Apple brand at $98.3 billion, up 28 percent from the 2012 report.

Apple’s rivals Google and Samsung also moved up in the list with Mountain View also hopping over Coca-Cola to #2  at a $93.3B (up 34%) valuation while Samsung entered the top 10 with a new brand strategy called the Brand Ideal, which includes “a greater focus on social purpose”. Microsoft, who just lost a CEO, was flat.

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We’ve had a lot of experience reviewing the best portable Bluetooth speakers on the market but what haven’t yet covered speakers so small, you can actually wear them, put them on your bike, or listen to them in the shower. We have two for you today.

The first of these is the $30 Divoom Bean, a small, durable little Bluetooth speaker that looks a little like a ‘smurf lock’ and is the size of a large egg with a carabiner attached (blue above).  It weighs almost nothing and it charges via a micro-USB port on the bottom. It only has 2 buttons on it, a power button and ‘phone’ button. You’ll need to change volume from your phone or other A2DP Bluetooth device and this device seems to automatically switch off after a few minutes of inactivity. It also functions as a speakerphone.

How did it fare in our tests?
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Update: It does appear this was a glitch, as it’s no longer available. It’s not yet known whether those who upgraded while it was available will get to keep their unlimited data.

Contrary to Verizon’s stated claims that it is ridding itself of unlimited data plans on iPhone upgrades, a few readers have been able to upgrade to the iPhone 5S or 5C and keep their unlimited data (which is all the more valuable in the age of LTE).

[tweet https://twitter.com/icon1969/status/384335500124762112]

Folks at HowardForums and Engadget are hearing the same thing.

Is this a glitch or is Verizon doing this unadvertised to sidestep some government regulation (like it is selling its iPhones unlocked again this year). We’re not going to reach out to Verizon on this one because if it is a glitch, folks with the ability to upgrade to unlimited plans should find out first.

Thanks Glaze!
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As per Mark’s scoop last week, Staples has indeed begun selling the iPad and is offering the full line with 5% back in Staples gift cards. Staples now also carries every iPod model including the iPod touch, Classic, Nano and shuffle. You can now order the iPad from its online stores (which will begin shipping next week), and if online sales go well, through its physical retail stores early next year. Staples will also begin putting up iPad kiosks in its stores next week.

You’ll recall from our iPad Product Page, we’d probably recommend holding off the purchase of any iPad because Apple will likely update its line in October.  However, those companies with Staples purchasing accounts will now be able to scoop up an iPad on the corporate account.

Staples began carrying Apple products in the US earlier this year and would seem to be doing well at it as evidenced by the expanding line of products. 
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Sprint-owned pre-paid carrier Virgin Mobile is today teasing iPhone 5S and 5C availability. The carrier didn’t offer a price or dates but we can make some educated assumptions based on previous rollouts.

As for price, Virgin usually offers the iPhone at the same price as Apple does unsubsidized – so $549 for iPhone 5C and $649 for iPhone 5S – though Walmart and Target both offered discounts at launch. The killer feature of Virgin however is the $30 unlimited text/data plans they offer on iPhones (with 300 talk minutes and registration of bank billing). T-Mobile offers the same $30 unlimited already but only offers 100 minutes with that plan (the one I’m currently on).

As for launch, we’re thinking sooner rather than later, especially since a bunch (9) of regional carriers will begin carrying the iPhone on October 1st. Virgin didn’t carry last year’s Apple flagship iPhone 5 until June however, likely due to the slow rollout of LTE on the network. Update: Confirmed October 1st in tweet this morning.

Virgin has recently been marking down iPhone 4 ($200), 4S (20% off) and 5 ($549) and for those who have good Sprint coverage in their area, may make a compelling option.
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This morning, Adobe announced Photoshop and Premiere Elements 12, an upgrade to their consumer photo and video editing tools for Mac and PC.  A year to the day from the release of Elements 11, this release focuses on cloud organizing, sharing, syncing and editing photos and videos with Adobe Revel Cloud. New features like Content Aware Move and Auto Smart Tone for Photoshop and additional FilmLooks and Subject Spotlight for Premiere headline the updates.

What’s New in Photoshop Elements 12:

Photoshop Elements 12 gives you new options for perfecting and sharing your favorite memories with friends and family. Organize, edit, enhance, and share more quickly and easily thanks to bold icons, a helpful Action bar, and the ability to choose from Quick, Guided, or Expert editing modes so you can edit your photos the way that works best for you.

• Take your photos with you wherever you go: Easily view, relive, and share your Elements photos on your smartphone and tablet. And finally—unlock the photos from your mobile device, and see them in your Elements albums back at home.

• Share: Quickly and easily post on Facebook, YouTube, Vimeo, Twitter, and more. Share your Elements photos in Private Web albums, and view them on your smartphone or tablet.
• Easily move objects: Move objects in a photo and have the background automatically filled in with Content Aware Move.

• Add your personal touch in an instant: Use one-touch Frames, Effects, and Textures to add depth to your snapshots.

• Correct pet eye: Remove green, yellow, and other “pet eye” discolorations as easily as you remove red-eye in photos of people.

• Make it uniquely yours: Get intelligent photo corrections with Auto Smart Tone, which learns your preferences in a snap.

New in Premiere Elements 12:
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MLB has improved its app for the postseason 2013 with the requisite iOS7 compatibility and bugfixes and a lot more.

Also making it to the Show is Postseason stats, news, and other info for 2013 Fall.  Perhaps most exciting however is the ability to switch between camera angles manually for AL and NL Wild Card, AL and NL Division Series and NL Championship Series games. [Download free on iTunes]

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iOS7: It’s the LAW™

The New York City Police Department is apparently handing out the above fliers at subway exits encouraging people to upgrade to iOS 7 for its improved security featuring ‘Activation Lock’. According to another Twitter follower, they are also (comically) handing out the flyers at Apple Stores where people are walking out with new iPhone 5S/5Cs with iOS 7 installed.

[tweet https://twitter.com/Hoffm/status/381564392602480640]

[tweet https://twitter.com/tambnguyen/status/381197145027932160]

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Images via Chipworks

Back in July, Mark reported that some code in iOS 7 showed that the 64-bit A7 would be made by Samsung.  If that weren’t enough, Anandtech reported that they also believe that Samsung made the A7 last week after their iPhone review.

The evidence was pretty strong but we now have what appears to be definitive evidence from iFixit/Chipworks.

There was mighty speculation among the internet as to the manufacturer of Apple’s new A7 processor. We uncovered it last night during the iPhone 5s teardown, but now Chipworks has taken it one step further. Through the magic of decapping an IC, their internal shots revealed the A7 to be made by Samsung. Die photos of the A7 are coming.

Chipworks goes further and identifies what Apple calls the M7. It actually is a non-descript chip called the LPC18A1 made by a company called NXP. That’s marketing!

Finally, Sony looks like it has another win on its hands with the improved 15% bigger pixel camera sensor, a feat it has had since it first got the iPhone 4S camera contract two years ago.

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It is ‘upgrade to iPhone 5s/5c day’ today so a lot of you will be passing your now old iPhones down to loved ones or selling them through various services. Here are 3 tips to make that gift a little nicer or get a little bit more in a sale.

1. Unlock your iPhone. Your iPhone is worth a lot more if it can be used on any network especially internationally. Unlocking is fairly easy through a carrier (AT&T will do it free after two years after you run a gauntlet) or you can do it through a paid service.

We’re big fans of Chronic Unlocks, which unlocks iPhones for $25 (other phones for less).  Many trade in services will give you $25 more in value from an unlocked phone so it is a no brainer.

2. Got a couple of cracks in the glass? Fix it up quick with a service provider like iFixyouri.com. These services (they have walk-ins too) will have your iPhone (or any iOS device/smartphone) returned in a day or two looking like new. Often the repair cost is less that the value gained at trade in places so again, no brainer. Giving the iPhone to your kids? Cracked Glass? Shame on you!

3. Original packaging. Selling online at eBay or other places you’ll often find that you’ll get a few extra bucks if you have the original box packaging and contents. You can usually skip the earbuds but having the older iPhone come looking as close to original will not only get you more money, but it will also be a better gift to friend or family.

As far as trade in services, Jordan has covered them extensively. You’ll likely get the best return from Gazelle and Amazon, but shop around for the best deal.  Recent prices are below and haven’t changed much for most services:

iPhone 5:

iPhone 4S:
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