MacRumors

Earlier today, Chinese site C Technology posted a pair of photos of what was claimed to be an internal frame for Apple's next-generation iPhone, a device said to be carrying a display measuring at least 4.7 inches, significantly larger than the current 4-inch standard for Apple's most recent iPhones. The photos were picked up by GizChina.com and have since made their way to increasingly prominent sites expressing varying degrees of skepticism about their authenticity.

While we had initially decided to refrain from posting the images due to their extremely dubious nature, their increasing visibility today bears addressing. For a number of reasons, including several outlined here, we believe that the part shown in these images is not legitimate.

- The part appears to be a midframe such as that found in earlier iPhone models, allowing components to be attached to both sides of the part before being enclosed in the device's shell. Apple did away with midframe components as of the iPhone 5, opting for a unibody rear shell design that allows components to be mounted directly to the shell, yielding a thinner design. A return to a design requiring a midframe part would seem unlikely given Apple's emphasis on thinness.

- The frame seems to show accommodation for a headphone jack at the same end of the device where a circular feature presumably corresponding to the device's rear camera is positioned, undoubtedly the top end. With the shift to the narrower Lightning connector in the iPhone 5, Apple shifted the location of the iPhone's headphone jack to the bottom edge of the device, matching the position seen on the iPod touch since its launch and allowing the headphone cable to naturally fall so as to not interfere with viewing of the device's screen. Moving the headphone jack back to the top edge of the device for the iPhone 6 appears unlikely, though not impossible.

In the face of those apparent inconsistencies with Apple's design direction, there is essentially no evidence in favor of this part being from an iPhone, leaving only the original poster's claim as support. The part is rather unremarkable with what appears to be fairly poor finish quality, meaning that it could be from one of any number of devices in the Asian supply chain.

Wearables are a major category at CES this year and while most of the available products have focused on humans, one company, i4C Innovations, is aiming its newest tracking device at a different consumer group -- dogs. Voyce is a health and activity tracking collar designed to be worn by dogs.

Voyce uses a 3-axis accelerometer to track a dog's active and resting periods and a built-in radio frequency technology measures both heart and respiratory rates.

Introducing breakthrough wearable technology that bridges the communication gap between dogs, their owners, and the people who love them. Our three-part approach of Discover, Learn, and Share gives unprecedented insight into your dog's health and wellbeing, information and tools for you and your dog to grow together, and ways to share with your veterinarian and social networks.

The data gathered by Voyce is uploaded to and analyzed by an accompanying mobile app, which gives an detailed overview of pet health that can be shared on social networks and with veterinarians. The app tracks trends over time, allowing owners to keep an eye on vital signs and other health indicators to detect potential problems early on.

Voyce accommodates neck sizes ranging from 12 to 32 inches and weighs less than six ounces. It has an estimated battery life of one week and it requires Internet access and Wi-Fi to sync with a mobile device or computer.

Voyce is expected to be released in the summer of 2014 for approximately $300.

Spotify's new free listening tier for smartphone customers, originally announced last month, is finally live for iPhone users. Previously, Spotify limited its free listening to desktop users, requiring a $9.99 monthly subscription for music access on mobile devices beyond Spotify's free radio streaming.

On the iPhone, Spotify's service is built around shuffling, much like similar services from Pandora and iTunes Radio. Customers can search for a specific artist or song, but will be required to shuffle through an artist's catalog to access the music. Pre-compiled playlists can also be accessed, but unlimited search and listen access is not available.

Only paid iPhone subscribers will be able to listen to music offline, a must for users hoping to listen to music on airplanes. iPad users see a slightly different service, working similarly to how the current PC version of Spotify does. Users can pick and choose songs to listen to without forced shuffling, but they still won't get access to offline tracks.

- Your music: Listen to all the playlists you’ve created and playlists from the people you follow. Spotify lets you discover new music, save, shuffle and share.

- Your favourite artists: Want to listen to a certain artist? Just hit shuffle play, sit back and listen to their entire catalogue. Don’t settle for something similar. Don’t settle for just one track from the artist you want to hear every 20 minutes.

- Discover great new playlists: Going for a jog or to the gym? We’ve got the playlist to help you go the extra mile. We know you just want the perfect music for a specific moment in time – and we’ve got you covered. There’s something for every mood, genre or moment.

Update: Some users are saying they've had access to the free tier for several weeks. It's possibly Spotify has been rolling out the new tiers gradually to its user base.

IK Multimedia today introduced its "iRing," a finger-worn device serving as a motion-tracking controller. Primarily designed for iOS music apps, the iRing allows users to control sound effects and other music parameters within apps using hand gestures.

The iRing has three linear markers on the palm-facing side and three triangle-shaped markers on the top that are read by the iPhone's front-facing camera, allowing simple hand movements to be translated into commands within supported apps. Up to six different parameters can be used in each app, with one or two hands completing gestures.

iRing uses patented advanced image-recognition, motion control and precise geometric positioning technology to give you control of assignable parameters within your apps. It uses the front-facing camera on your device to determine the exact position of the wearable rings, and recognizes and tracks the movement of the linear or triangular patterned iRing "rings" allowing you to control up to six parameters at a time.

The iRing is designed to be worn between two fingers and IK Multimedia claims that it is comfortable enough to be worn while operating musical instruments and other more traditional music controllers.

IK Multimedia's iRing includes two double-sided ring controllers and two free apps for music applications: iRing Music Maker and iRing FX/Controller. While the iRing Music Maker does not require any music knowledge and allows for simple gestures to change beats and control rhythmic elements, the iRing FX/Controller app is aimed at skilled musicians and DJs, converting information from the iRing into MIDI control information configured by the user.

The iRing will be available during the first quarter of 2014 for $24.99. It can be pre-ordered from the IK Multimedia website.

FLIR Systems showed off its FLIR ONE thermal imaging camera case for the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5 at CES 2014, allowing users to display heat signatures from live humans, animals, and environmental sources up to 100 feet away. In addition to its infrared capabilities, the FLIR ONE houses a rechargeable battery that can power the case for up to two hours, and also increases the battery of an iPhone by up to 50 percent.

FLIR ONE's unique ability to see and measure infrared energy gives consumers a versatile new tool that can be applied in a wide variety of applications. For example, homeowners and contractors with a FLIR ONE can easily identify heat or cooling leaks in buildings, find studs in walls, or locate water damage. An outdoor enthusiast can observe wildlife, day or night, navigate in the dark, determine if the day's catch is fully cooked, or make sure a campfire is out by using FLIR ONE. A family can detect intruders in total darkness, find a lost pet, or see through smoke in an emergency using a FLIR ONE.

FLIR also says a developer SDK for the device is in the works for late 2014, with select developers getting early access. The FLIR ONE camera case itself will begin shipping in Spring 2014 and will come in grey, white, or gold and sell for $350.

Apple has partnered with Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba to open an official online store on its popular online marketplace Tmall, reports the Wall Street Journal.

An Alibaba spokeswoman confirmed that the Tmall page is indeed Apple’s and that it opened recently, but declined to comment further. An Apple spokeswoman wasn’t immediately available for comment.

Tmall is one of Alibaba's two dominant online marketplaces and hosts over 70,000 merchants, including brands like Nike and Gap. Its structure is essentially an online shopping mall, with trusted brands each having their own store portal. However, Tmall requires each seller to pay a deposit, an annual service fee and charges a commission on each transaction.

The online store mirrors Apple's own Chinese store portal, but allows the company to reach China's fast-growing population of online shoppers.

The move is yet another effort by Apple to boost sales in China as the company is also set to start selling iPhones to China Mobile's 700 million subscribers on January 17. Apple also recently announced its annual Lunar New Year sale, a one-day event for Asian countries also known as "Red Friday" because of its similarities to Black Friday, would take place on January 10.

At CES today, 3D Systems introduced an iPad-version of its popular Sense 3D scanner called the iSense. The device clips to the iPad and allows users to scan an object in three-dimensions in real-time, without needing to put the object inside a special scanning box.

The iSense is ideal for physical photography, empowering users to easily capture moments in every dimension. Created for 3DS by Occipital and powered by Structure Sensor technology, iSense can be used on anything and you don't have to stand still or place an object into a box as required with other 3D scanners. Users simply attach the iSense to an iPad, and they can literally walk around and scan entire objects or environments obtaining a photorealistic copy of the real thing. iSense is powered by the same software as 3DS' popular Sense scanner.

After scanning an object, users can then transfer the data for editing or duplication via compatible 3D printers. Engadget did an in-depth review of the Sense scanner, the predecessor to the iSense, back in November and found the device to be promising but very much a first-generation product. The site said there is "real potential" for 3D modelers, game developers and the like, but the devices remain very expensive for what they do.

Last year, Apple purchased 3D-scanning company PrimeSense, and that company's Capri sensor enables mobile devices to "see the world in 3D", a very similar technology to that used in the iSense, though without as much of a focus on 3D printing.

LG yesterday announced a new set of fitness-oriented earphones, which are designed to offer real-time heart monitoring. The earphones, which connect to a small medallion that is strapped on an arm or waistband, track both metabolic rate and maximum oxygen consumption while allowing users to listen to music. They function through sensors that measure blood flow through the inner ear.

In addition, the Heart Rate Monitor Earphones include an accelerometer that measures a wide range of data, including distance, calories burned, steps taken, and more. It also includes hi-fi sound and a built-in microphone for phone calls.

It's never been easier —or more tuneful—to track your metabolic rate and cardiovascular fitness (VO2 max). And it's all accomplished with LG's revolutionary HRM Earphone Heart Rate Monitor. Because of the unique physiology of the ear, users can count on health and fitness metrics with none of the inconvenience of chests strap measuring devices.

The add-on medallion that connects to the earphones serves as a data processing hub that sends real-time biometric information to an iPhone via Bluetooth, which can be accessed by the LG Fitness app. The earphones are also designed to work in conjunction with LG's recently announced Lifeband Touch activity monitor. Along with the LG app, the earphones can sync with popular third-party apps like MyFitnessPal and Runkeeper.

The earphones will ship during the first half of 2014 and will retail for $179.99.

At CES this week, a new product was introduced to monitor a variety of home environmental factors in an effort to improve quality of life for its buyers. The CubeSensor is a small cube with seven sensors to "help you live better", according to the company that makes them.

The small devices measure air quality, temperature, humidity, noise, light, and atmospheric pressure and notify users via visual and push notifications so they can make adjustments as needed to improve their environment. A room could be too bright to sleep well, or too dark to work, and users may not notice that their environment could be negatively affecting them.

According to TechCrunch:

The idea behind the project comes from consumers growing increasingly interested in data about their own lives, especially where health and fitness are concerned. Yet there’s no all-encompassing product that monitors the health level of your own environment.

Knowing that people often care a great deal about the aesthetics of the home, CubeSensors was designed to be discreet and attractive, with the option to be wirelessly connected (and charged periodically) or plugged in.

The CubeSensor demo app is available via the company's website to see what sort of information the cube shares with its owners.

On the CES show floor, Native Union is demonstrating its new Jump accessory, which combines a Lightning cable with an 800mAh battery pack for simple charging and extra battery life on the go.

Jump is like standard battery packs, providing battery life to an iPhone, but because it’s also a Lightning cable, the battery portion of the accessory is charged each time the iPhone is charged. This eliminates the need for the battery pack to be charged separately of the iPhone, which is often an inconvenience that requires an entirely separate cable.

The accessory utilizes an AutoCharge circuit prioritization system to detect when the iPhone battery is full, at which point it charges the battery pack portion of the Jump.

JUMP is not just a charging cable; it also provides your smartphone with a substantial power boost wherever you are, without ever having to remember to charge it. Perfect for work, play, and travel.

Unlike power banks, JUMP charges automatically every time you charge your phone, giving you complete reassurance that whatever situation you are in, there’s always power in your pocket.

Jump is ultra compact (1.9 inches), weighing less than two AA batteries and fitting easily into a pocket. The 800mAh battery pack delivers an extra 1/3 charge, which equates to an additional 3 hours and 50 minutes of talk time or web browsing.

The Jump is currently a Kickstarter project and can be pre-ordered for a $35 pledge. Currently, the project has received just over half of its funding with 36 days to go and will begin shipping to backers in May of 2014 if full funding is reached.

At CES today, Otterbox introduced a new series of iPhone cases that are some of OtterBox's most minimalist yet. The one-piece Symmetry case is available in a number of different colors and graphic designs for both the iPhone 5s and 5c.

The cases leave the front of the iPhone completely exposed, but they protect the sides and back of the device -- a very popular style of case. OtterBox also has the Commuter and Reflex series cases, but those use multiple pieces rather than the one-piece design of the Symmetry.

The OtterBox Symmetry Series is the culmination of over a year of design, testing and innovation. This slender, cleanly constructed protective smartphone case is molded into a single piece for ease of installation. A dual-material construction makes Symmetry Series one of the slimmest, most protective cases in its class and a raised beveled edge helps keep the touch screen safe. Internal synthetic rubber with honeycomb coring helps protect the device from drops and shock. A full spectrum of wraparound colors and graphics on the sleek exterior add seamless style that slides easily into and out of pockets.

The OtterBox Symmetry Series will be available for $40 and $45 depending on color. They should be available in early Spring of this year.