Apple certainly has to make sure that the sixth generation iPhone is something different, since most iFans were not too happy about the 4S. It appears like the device will indeed be different, coming with a LiquidMetal casing and the earlier rumored LTE support to keep up with the times, if the new rumors are to be believed that is.

According to Gene Munster, analyst for Piper Jaffray, Qualcomm is getting ready to supply the LTE chipset for the next iPhone and the device will possibly be launched this October. Nothing unbelievable about that launch date as it is a year after the iPhone 4S’ announcement.

But what’s more interesting is the info that the upcoming iPhone might be housed in a LiquidMetal casing. In case you are imagining the iPhone in liquid state, LiquidMetal is an alloy of titanium, nickel, copper, zirconum and other metals. If this material is used for making the casing, it will give you the feeling of glass but will be physically tough and also resistant to wear, scratches and dents. Which means those iPhone repair stores which are sustained solely off broken iPhone screens may have a tough future.

Since objects made of LiquidMetal can be formed with a process like injection molding, it is possible to make different physical forms. We are expecting a unique unibody casing.

A new design will always be welcomed as the current iPhone design has been here for nearly two years. And Apple has the exclusive rights to use LiquidMetal in electronic products; their first product was an iPhone SIM card ejector tool. Many other manufacturers are already into new materials for their phones, but the iPhone 5 (or the new iPhone or maybe iPhone T1000 or whatever it will be called) will be more attractive with the benefits of LiquidMetal.

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Nokia has directly responded to Apple’s offer stating they still prefer their design and believe that Apple’s reasons for their offer are to undermine the other designs and standards. ETSI members are expected to decide on the current proposals sometime this week. Apple seems to already have many votes leaning towards its favor, or so it seems. Will they actually become the new standard? It wouldn’t surprise me in the least. Does that mean their standard is better? Not necessarily, many times when it comes to technology it isn’t the superior technology that wins, simply the one that is made by the company with the most industry weight, and everyone knows that Apple has plenty of weight.

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The post Apple Plans To Offer Royalty-Free License For Its Nano-SIM Patents, Provided It Becomes The Adopted Standard appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

Are you waiting for a phone that can run on a single AA battery? The mobile phone pictured above is the SpareOne which is one such device. But the new device is not meant to function as your regular handset.  The SpareOne has been designed as a back-up phone which can be kept in your emergency kit. Using that one AA battery, the device can deliver up to 10 hours of talk time. But its most amazing feature is that it comes with an isolator that prevents current discharge which allows it to hold charge for up to a whopping 15 years when you are not using it. But that depends on the shelf-life of the battery that is being used.

The device can be used at emergency situations. For example, the phone will be a big help when you are traveling away and you have no way to charge your phone, or when there is no power due to a flood or earthquake. And if you carry a pack of batteries in your bag, you will be able to chat for hours on SpareOne.  As the SpareOne comes unlocked and requires a SIM, in order to use the phone, you will have to swap the SIM card from your regular handset. It’s coming in two GSM versions (850/1900 MHz and 900/1800 MHz) and with an always-on 911 feature (no SIM required) and an LED emergency flashlight. It will ship in March with a price tag of around US$50.

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GSMA also claims they are pooling together a group of ‘technical experts’ who are at ease with every major telecom operator around the world. These ‘experts’, shall assess the pulse of the market for the embedded SIM cards. The assessment is due to begin in January 2011 and the launch of embedded SIM cards, if everything goes as planned by GSMA, shall be in 2012.

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