Samsung and Corning — best known for its Gorilla Glass products — announced a new joint venture this week that will manufacture specialty glass substrates for OLED displays. The joint venture will be based in South Korea and will combine Samsung’s OLED display technology with Corning’s ultra tough Lotus Glass substrate. The new displays will be utilized in mobile devices as well as larger products, such as televisions, and will be used in Samsung products and sold to other South Korean manufacturers. ”Corning and Samsung have a long and successful partnership in the display industry, dating back nearly 40 years to the early days of television,” Corning chairman, President and CEO Wendell P. Weeks said. “The strength of our business relationship is built on Corning’s ability to develop and make high-technology glass with the key attributes that enable Samsung’s next-generation displays.” Samsung’s full press release follows after the break. 

Corning and Samsung Mobile Display Form New OLED Glass Venture

New business expands Corning’s long-standing collaboration with Samsung

CORNING, N.Y.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Corning Incorporated (NYSE: GLW) and Samsung Mobile Display Co., Ltd. have signed an agreement to establish a new equity venture for the manufacture of specialty glass substrates for the rapidly expanding organic light emitting diode (OLED) device market. The new business will be located in Korea.

“Samsung Mobile Display has led the global display industry by constantly seeking innovations and challenging current technologies’ limits. We are confident that combining our business powers with Corning’s technology leadership will deliver greater value to our clients”

Combining Corning’s Lotus™ Glass substrate technology and Samsung Mobile Display’s OLED display expertise, this new entity will be well-positioned to provide outstanding product solutions for current and future OLED technologies, from handheld and IT devices to large TVs and beyond.

The newly formed entity will supply OLED backplane glass substrates for Samsung Mobile Display, as well as for the broader Korean market.

According to a recent NPD DisplaySearch report, OLED technology advanced rapidly in 2011, setting a trend that is forecasted to continue through this decade. They estimate that OLED display revenues will exceed $4 billion in 2011 (approximately 4% of flat panel display revenues), and will reach more than $20 billion (approximately 16% of the total display industry) by 2018.

Samsung is playing a leading role in this emerging market through its Galaxy mobile device products and Super OLED TV technology introduced in January at the International Consumer Electronics Show. Corning’s ongoing advanced glass technology development includes a strong focus on high-performance displays. Most recently, this focus has been demonstrated through Corning’s new Lotus™ Glass substrates, which deliver the higher processing temperatures and improved dimensional stability needed to produce the new high performance displays.

“Samsung Mobile Display has led the global display industry by constantly seeking innovations and challenging current technologies’ limits. We are confident that combining our business powers with Corning’s technology leadership will deliver greater value to our clients,” said Soo In Cho, Samsung Mobile Display’s president and chief executive officer.

“Corning and Samsung have a long and successful partnership in the display industry, dating back nearly 40 years to the early days of television,” said Wendell P. Weeks, Corning’s chairman, chief executive officer, and president. “The strength of our business relationship is built on Corning’s ability to develop and make high-technology glass with the key attributes that enable Samsung’s next-generation displays. Together, we have led the evolution of displays – from the high-growth years of CRT, to our current successful business supplying world-leading substrates for today’s high-definition LCD TVs, and now to the launch of this important new venture to advance OLED technology,” Weeks stated.

Samsung Group, the parent company that owns Samsung Electronics and several other subsidiaries, said it plans to spend $41.1 billion investing in new technology this year. Reuters said most analysts expect the company to spend a large chunk of that money on OLED and mobile technologies in an effort to continue to stay on target with its rivals. The South Korea-based company uses its OLED displays on mobile phones and on televisions. “Samsung’s got strong cash flow to make bold bets in new technologies,” NH Investment & Securities analyst Lee Sun-tae told Reuters. “No other IT company can beat it in terms of investment and that’s how Samsung finds new revenue sources ahead of rivals and widens its gap.” Samsung’s spending on its mobile processors and other mobile technologies is expected to exceed the amount it spends on its memory business for the first time ever, Reuters said. The firm currently employs about 350,000 people around the globe and expects to hire 26,000 additional employees this year.

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Samsung and Sony each brought their A-game to the Consumer Electronics Show this year when it comes to high-end HDTVs. If there was one other brand that could easily give these tech giants a run for their money though, it was LG. The South Korea-based company had a handfull of other devices to show off at CES 2012, but televisions took center stage in the firm’s booth and sets on display ranged from entry-level offerings to high-end stunners that were absolutely beautiful. Of all the TVs LG had on display at CES, our clear favorite — it’s not even close, really — was the company’s new 55-inch OLED model. The gorgeous panel on this HDTV gives Samsung’s Super OLED displays a run for their money, and we would be hard pressed to say which screen produces deeper blacks and more vivid colors. No pricing has been announced and we’re sure this set will cost a pretty penny, but it could very well find its way to BGR headquarters once it hits the market. Pictures can hardly do LG’s new OLED HDTV justice, but several photos can be found in our LG booth tour, which follows below.

The Consumer Electronics show is always a massive event for the home entertainment industry, and 2012 is shaping up to be the biggest year yet. Hundreds of companies will showcase thousands of products, but among the companies that managed to generate some real buzz ahead of the show, LG really looks like it has some gems on its hands this year. The company previewed its new nearly borderless 55-inch OLED HDTV last week and it has a few Cinema Screen 3D models with just a 1-millimeter bezel surrounding its gorgeous display panels. LG surely has plenty more gear in store for us — including at least one smartphone and next-generation Google TV devices — so hit the break to watch all the action unfold in our live coverage.

11:05AM:Alright we're here and seated, huge line lots of people. President of LG Electronics USA is on the stage going over the year and LG's ability to increase its revenues by nearly 8% during a difficult economy.

11:05AM:LG had record breaking US sales last year, especially in LG TV with its LG Cinema 3G line.

11:07AM:In mobile phones, US says it is continuing to grow its U.S. business, including the first dual-core smartphone, a glasse-free smartphone and a trueHD device with an IPS display. "We advanced our US brand to an all time high and led the industry in consumer satisfaction."

11:07AM:LG increased sales of energy star rated products by 30%

11:08AM:"Despite the challenging business environment in 2011, life is still good at LG and the best is yet to come." LG will focus on its core product categories. "Today we invite you to experience the latest LG innovations.. As we have said before, LG is committed to building a future with innovative products."

11:10AM:Master of Innovation Dr. Scott Ahn is taking the stage to give us a taste of LG's newest products. "I have a lot to talk about today, and I hope we agree that it has been worthwhile getting up so early." He will go over smart TVs, smartphones and smart appliances and how the tech is tied together across each product category.

11:13AM:"We have been able to create thinner panels, unlike some of our competitors," with unique LED technology. The Cinema Screen Design allowed LG to create thinner TVs without sacrificing picture quality. It has just a 1.0mm bezel and 28mm thickness. Last year LG introduced a new way to interact with TVs with the Magic Remote. This year LG will use voice recognition for text input.

11:14AM:In addition to voice recognition, we are introducing a 3D gesture interface using a 3D camera. Sounds a lot like what the Microsoft Kinect offers.

11:15AM:LG's smart TV will be the first in the industry to feature Intel WiDi technology.

11:16AM:"We now support more than 80 countries and offer more than 1,200 applications. Since the start of the smart TV revolution, we have felt that industry chipsets have held us back from providing high performance and powerful solutions on our TVs. After a few years of development we are announcing our own chipset, the L-Line, it features a dual-core ARM architecture. This will be applied to our premium line this year."

11:18AM:2D to 3D conversion has also been improved. 3D depth control and 3D zooming will also be added as new features to LG's TVs this year. For single user viewing, we've created 3D monitors and laptops. Before we move on to the next product category, I'd like to introduce another new product.

11:18AM:So, this year at CES we will be showcasing our own series of Google TVs with the latest Google TV software. Our technology coupled with the Google TV platform will form the basis of future relationships with Google. Now, let's move on to the smartphones.

11:19AM:As you've probably heard, we've invested heavily in LTE during the past few years. We believe this gives us a form foundation for future growth in today's competitive mobile industry. We have launched the Optimus LTE smartphone (Nitro HD on AT&T), this smartphone is currently our flagship model and it's the first to integrate the true HD IPS display.

11:21AM:We are introducing the first enterprise smartphone with VMWare Verizon mobile manager. It will be discussed more during Mobile World Congress next month.

11:23AM:Last year, we introduced smart diagnosis and another of appliance-related technology. Now we're giving it a new name, smart manager. Users can record food items stored in the refrigerator with voice recognition or by scanning receipts with a smartphones. The fridge can download the full inventory.

11:24AM:LG is introducing blast chiller which allows you to quickly chill soda or any other warm can of soda in less than 5 minutes. Sounds awesome.

11:26AM:I'd like to unveil one final product.

11:26AM:Well, your enthusiasm has not gone unnoticed. This year we have a much larger version for you. This is our 55-inch OLED TV. At just 4mm thin and weighing only 7.5 kilograms it's the world's thinnest, largest and lightest OLED TV.

11:27AM:The picture quality is super. It is really capable and 100% compatible with other LG 3D glasses.

11:28AM:Now three speakers are taking the stage to discuss a detailed US product launch schedule. Tim Elessi from Home Entertainment in the U.S. is on stage.

11:29AM:Good morning everyone. It's hard to believe another year has passed since we introduced Cinema 3D technology. We were a lone voice in discussing passive technology but we were armed with consumer research that showed a strong preference when compared to active shutter glass. We had the confidence to create a marketing campaign about passive technology.

11:29AM:95% of the market is using active shutter glasses (3D) and more consumers are adopting the technology.

11:33AM:LG is going over design and sound technology that currently exists in its models and is encouraging CES attendees visiting the booth to check it out first-hand which, of course, we will be doing.

11:34AM:"For the second year in a row at CES, LG is showcasing its home appliance technology. This year we have Ellis Mass, LG's director of home appliances."

11:38AM:LG is discussing custom wash cycles for washing machines and an awesome technology that allows users to use their fridge to follow a diet, follow its inventory and more all from a touchscreen or from their smartphones. Another homebot device can roam the house with a build-in camera. "We're quite excited to expand our line of super capacity of french door refrigerators." A four-door version will be available this year. Each model will have the blast chiller, which we discussed earlier, which chills a can in 5 minutes or a bottle of wine in 8 minutes.

11:39AM:Today LG is unveiling a turbo wash ultracycle feature for its washing machines. It cleans clothes faster so you can get more out the door quickly. In 2012 LG will add its largest capacity washer available. It anticipates that all will meet the DOE Energy Star standard.

11:40AM:Tim O'Brien the vice president of marketing for mobile phones is taking the stage.

11:42AM:We feel really good about what we accomplished in 2011. Globally we introduced the world's first dual-core processor in a smartphone. The first glasses-free 3D smartphone and now the first HD IPS display on a smartphone. Looking ahead we will focus on the high-end LTE market. The first device is the LG Spectrum exclusively for Verizon. 1.5GHz dual-core processor, Android 2.3 Gingerbread upgradeable to ICS. It has an 8-megapixel camera, 1.3MP front-facing and can record video in 1080P HD Video.

11:45AM:The Spectrum has a 4.5-inch display with a 1280 x 720-pixel resolution. It will launch exclusively on Verizon Wireless by the end of this month, although pricing was not discussed.

11:48AM:ESPN will exclusively provide HD video for the LG Spectrum in partnership with Verizon. Stuart Scott is on a video talking about the phone. Kind of cheesy.

11:49AM:HD video will be included in ESPN's Score Center application on the Spectrum.

11:50AM:"We think this device is the ultimate mobile trifecta. Incredible hardware, LG LTE and the most coveted HD content." The spectrum will launch on January 19th for $199.99 with a two-year contract.

11:51AM:We just saw a brief commercial LG will be airing in partnership with ESPN and Verizon Wireless. We're winding down now and hope to get hands-on with the device as soon as possible. Thanks for joining us!

12:26PM:AT&T now has more than 3.6 million U-verse subscribers, and the U-verse APIs AT&T offers allow devs to build apps that will interact with U-verse services and stream media, control accounts and more on iOS, Android or on other platforms.

12:29PM:PacketVideo is an example of a company making use of the U-verse API. The firm's CEO is now on stage demoing its app, Twonky Video, which allows users to stream and share YouTube content and now, thanks to AT&T's APIs, it can stream videos from U-verse as well.

12:31PM:AT&T is working with a number of partner companies during the development of its APIs, including Microsoft, Heroku, StackMob and others.

12:36PM:As AT&T continues to roll our its LTE network, maintaining fast and reliable service across both HSPA+ and LTE is a huge priority.

12:38PM:AT&T also offers differentiated cloud solutions to consumers and businesses alike. AT&T is dedicated to working with businesses to create custom cloud-based enterprise solutions, but the company understands that developers have different needs than enterprise and AT&T announced "AT&T platform as a service" to address developer needs.

12:42PM:AT&T is also announcing that it is formally joining the OpenStack community. The carrier has already dedicated thousands of hours to OpenStack projects, and it is excited to continue its work more formally.

12:43PM:AT&T is the first carrier to join the OpenStack initiative.

12:45PM:AT&T is now going to walk us through its API roadmap.

12:49PM:AT&T is planning on adding new network APIs for speech-to-text this year, along with advertising, contacts, "storage as a service," about a dozen more.

12:50PM:AT&T's goal is to address the global market, and it intends to ensure that its tools are interoperable across a as many international networks as possible.

12:55PM:And the winner is... People Power.

12:59PM:People Power's winning app was an open source solution that helps users manage their power consumption, and it lets companies offer branded versions to their customers.

1:05PM:Execs from Pandora and Zynga are now on stage to discuss AT&T's testing and optimization tool, ARO.

1:11PM:AT&T is also announcing a new HTML5-based app distribution platform that will be included in its next-gen AppCenter.

1:15PM:The first app is a social app that let's users share images and notes about their sports injuries via various social networks. No, seriously.

1:18PM:The third and final app is Sleepbot, a mobile and web app that helps people improve their sleep habits.

Samsung will provide Apple with quad-core A6 chips to power the next iPhone, The Korea Times reported on Monday. “Apple has been in talks with Samsung over shipment of its A6 quad-core mobile processor chips to be used in the next iPhone,” an anonymous parts supplier executive told The Korea Times. “It appears that Apple clearly has concluded that Samsung remains a critical business partner.” The two have been locked in legal battles around the globe, and both firms have accused the other of patent infringement. Samsung’s vice chairman and CEO Gee-Sung Choi said his company’s legal battles will be handled separately from its business partnership with the iPhone maker. Reportedly, the next iPhone may also be equipped with a 4-inch 960 x 640-pixel OLED display.

[Via 9to5 Mac]

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Samsung will combine both its flat-panel display and semiconductor businesses into one unit, The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday. Samsung’s display business wasn’t profitable during the first quarter and it’s on track for the same lackluster performance during the second quarter. Combined, however, the display and semiconductor businesses made up 70% of Samsung’s operating profits and 44% of the South Korean company’s revenue, The Wall Street Journal said. In other words, the move looks like an attempt to shroud the poor display performance inside the company’s more successful semiconductor unit. The display unit could see more trouble ahead as well, since Samsung is currently locked in a number of legal battles with Apple, the largest buyer of Samsung’s LCD products. Kwon Oh-hyun, Samsung’s semiconductor president, will oversee the new joint businesses.

Nokia took the wraps off its first MeeGo-based smartphone early Tuesday morning in Singapore. The Nokia N9 features gorgeous, elegant hardware and software that Nokia has already announced it will dump in favor of Microsoft’s Windows Phone platform. The decision to move forward with the N9′s release is an interesting one, though we have a feeling this sleek smartphone will see limited distribution once it finally reaches market. Pricing and availability are still a mystery, but the N9 features MeeGo 1.2, a 3.9-inch OLED display, an 8-megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss optics, NFC support and either 16GB or 64GB of internal storage. The phone is beautiful and the software looks intuitive and modern, but it’s not easy to get behind a phone running an OS that Nokia deemed not suitable for its devices moving forward. Nokia’s full press release and a video can be found below.

The Nokia N9: a unique all-screen smartphone

Published June 21, 2011

Singapore – Nokia today announced the Nokia N9, built for people who appreciate a stunning blend of design and the latest smartphone technology.  To learn more about the design of the Nokia N9 visit: http://swipe.nokia.com

One swipe and you’re home
The Nokia N9 introduces an innovative new design where the home key is replaced by a simple gesture: a swipe. Whenever you’re in an application, swiping from the edge of the display takes you home.

The three home views of the user interface are designed to give fast access to the most important things people do with a phone: using apps, staying up to date with notifications and social networks, and switching between activities.

The industrial design of the Nokia N9 is an example of extreme product making and craft. The body is precision-machined from a single piece of polycarbonate and flows seamlessly into beautiful curved glass. The laminated deep black display means that the user interface just floats on the surface of the product.

The Nokia N9 also packs the latest in camera, navigation and audio technology for a great all-round experience.

“With the Nokia N9, we wanted to design a better way to use a phone. To do this we innovated in the design of the hardware and software together. We reinvented the home key with a simple gesture: a swipe from the edge of the screen. The experience sets a new bar for how natural technology can feel,” said Marko Ahtisaari, Nokia’s head of Design. “And this is just the beginning. The details that make the Nokia N9 unique – the industrial design, the all-screen user experience, and the expressive Qt framework for developers – will evolve in future Nokia products.”

Innovative all-screen design
With no need for a home key, the all-screen Nokia N9 makes more room for apps to shine. The 3.9-inch AMOLED screen is made from scratch-resistant curved glass. The polycarbonate body enables superior antenna performance. This means better reception, better voice quality and fewer dropped calls.

Camera, maps and multimedia
The 8-megapixel Carl Zeiss autofocus sensor, wide-angle lens, HD-quality video capture and large lens aperture enable great camera performance even in lowlighting conditions. This makes the Nokia N9 one of the best camera-phones ever produced.

The Nokia N9 features free turn-by-turn drive and walk navigation with voice guidance in Maps. With the new dedicated Drive app, you can get in your car and start navigating to your destination right away.

You can watch videos in true 16:9 widescreen format. And because the Nokia N9 is also the world’s first smartphone with Dolby® Digital Plus decoding and Dolby Headphone post-processing technology, you get a surround sound experience with any set of headphones.

Touch just got better
Fitted with the latest in wireless technology, Near Field Communication (NFC), the Nokia N9 allows you to easily share images and videos between devices by touching them together.  Pair it with Bluetooth accessories like the new NFC-enabled Nokia Play 360° wireless music speaker only once, and you get a great surround sound music experience with just a tap.

Colors and Memory
The Nokia N9 will be available in three colors – black, cyan, and magenta with storage options to accommodate plenty of content: 16GB and 64GB. The Nokia N9 is scheduled to be in stores later this year, with availability and local pricing to be announced closer to the sales start.

More information about the Nokia N9 can be found at: http://swipe.nokia.com.

What do we have here? It looks like the Galaxy S branded Samsung Continuum; a device with not one, but two displays. Engadget was sent in several images of the device whose most notable feature is an additional, smaller display below the standard Android soft-keys. The secondary display, which is being called the “ticker,” displays date, time, RSS feed, weather, and other pertinent information.  The ticker activates itself automatically when you grip the lower half of the Continuum. Pretty slick. The device is reported to have a side-mounted micro-SD card slot and dedicated camera button as well. We can see why Verizon started running the buy-one get-one promotion on the Fascinate just weeks after launch.

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The folks over at Engadget were sent images (Mr. Blurrycam style) of the unannounced and unreleased Dell Thunder. The Thunder is reportedly an Android 2.1 full touch-screen device with a 4.1-inch screen (possibly OLED), 8 megapixel camera with 720p video recording, 800 x 480 resolution, and a 1400 mAh battery. No details were given about the processor speed or internal storage of the newly photographed device. Hit the read link to check out a few more images and a quick video.

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Speaking at the Reuters Global Technology Summit on Thursday, Lee Wong-jong, VP of marketing for Samsung, said that the global shortage of OLED displays will continue in foreseeable future as demand has greatly outpaced supply. Said Lee, ”demand for high-end displays is very strong and we may continue to fail to meet all customer requirements, even after expanding capacity by seven-fold, until next year.” Such delays are part of the reason Verizon is having great difficulties meeting sales quotas with the HTC Droid Incredible. Last week Verizon Wireless CEO Lowell McAdam said the failure of Samsung and other part suppliers to deliver crucial components were the reason the Droid Incredible has yet to outsell the Motorola DROID. To combat this, Samsung recently committed $2.15 billion through 2012 to create the largest fleet of AMOLED displays. But in the meantime, delays will be the new reality as smartphone sales for 2010 are expected to be 50% higher than in 2009.

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We can file this one under rumor of a rumor — you’ve been warned — so please, proceed with caution. DigiTimes is reporting that Apple’s yet to be announced tablet device will be delayed until the second half of 2010 due to a last minute design change, specifically, the use of a 9.7″ OLED LG display. The report goes onto say that the delay is a strategic move by Apple due to the current cost of the OLED panels, which currently wholesale for around $500 a pop. The price of LG’s panels are expected to drop significantly in late 2010 as they revamp their production line with newer equipment. The report is oozing with speculation on release dates, price, manufacturer, and potential future models, so we’ll let you check out the dirt for yourself.

[Via Gizmodo]

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Remember that mysterious LiMo-powered smartphone we exclusively showed you a week back? Well today it was made official alongside another handset as well as a new internet service, Vodafone 360. The two devices, manufactured by Samsung, have been dubbed the 360 H1 (the device we showed you) and 360 M1. The 360 H1 looks to be an all around solid device with a 3.5-inch OLED touchscreen display, 5 megapixel camera with auto-focus and flash, 16GB of internal memory, GPS, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and HSDPA. The 360 M1, on the other hand, leaves a little bit to be desired but still packs a bit of a punch with a 3.2-inch touchscreen display,  1GB of internal memory (expandable by microSD), GPS, Bluetooth 2.0 and HSDPA. As for Vodafone 360 platform, what we previously told you was correct in that it incorporates more or less the same sort of social media approach as webOS and MOTOBLUR, but with a slightly stronger emphasis placed upon games, apps and music. Nothing too crazy, but it’s something we think every smartphone should have as we draw nearer to a new decade. Of note, Voda’s 360 services will also work on dozens of Nokia and Sony Ericsson handsets so if this new dynamic duo isn’t your thing, rest easy. Oh, and just one more thing… The H1 and the M1? H1 and M1? H1M1? A bit too close for comfort.

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Vodafone subscribers, Samsung fans and mobile enthusiasts in general — we hope you’re sitting down. Behold: Exclusive live shots of a previously unheard of Samsung handset supposedly due to be announced soon by Vodafone. Details for the time being are a bit limited — we don’t even have a name for you yet (UPDATE: as a commenter points out below, this may be the Samsung Riedel l8305 that recently received Wi-Fi certification) — but our ninja managed to score some extremely solid images and a handful of specs that are definitely noteworthy. First things first: We’re apparently looking at a Samsung-built Vodafone exclusive here that is powered by Voda’s own LIMO-based OS (Linux mobile). Beyond the brushed steel case sits a nice big OLED touchscreen display complete with haptic feedback. We’re also told the handset will sport an 8 megapixel camera and it will launch alongside the upcoming “Vodafone People” service. Details in that department are scarce as well but rumor has it the service involves Voda’s acquisition of Zyb last year; active contacts, location information, status updates, various integration with other social networks like Twitter and Facebook, etc. You can get a pretty good idea of what’s in store from the images below but basically, it’s what Google should have done on Android with Jaiku. Last but not least, we’re not sure exactly when Vodafone plans to make this guy official, though we’re hearing rumors of a special event that may be held in London on September 24th. Hit the jump for more shots and if you live in Vodafone land, get ready for what really could be a game-changing handset/service combo.

OQO UMPC owners, it’s official: You now own a collector’s item. After running into OQO SVP of sales and marketing Bob Rosin, GottaBeMobile is reporting that the company can no longer afford to support its products in any capacity, let alone build new units. From Rosin:

We are sad to report that due to financial constraints, OQO is not able to offer repair and service support at this time. We are deeply sorry that despite our best intentions, we are unable to provide continued support for our faithful customers. Please accept our sincerest apologies.

Rosin went on to say that OQO is currently working on a deal with a parts vendor that might keep its team and — perhaps more importantly for OQO fans — its technology alive to some extent. For the time being however, the only certainties are that OQO is done building and supporting UMPCs, and its stock is depleted so it’s done selling them as well.

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Apple’s WWDC is almost here and as such, it’s time for iPhone rumors and speculation to get hot and heavy. The latest and greatest — July 17 is the rumored launch date and there is a lengthy list of specs to accompany the news. Of course, history shows that when it comes to iPhone rumors, most guesses are a shot in the dark and we can’t speak for the track record of the source (which happens to now be offline). So here we go: Word is the new iPhone will have double the storage capacity of its predecessor at 16GB and 32GB, up from 8GB and 16GB respectively. Battery life will be 1.5 times greater and its processor will be twice as fast as the current model — though. Aesthetically, the back will be a rubberized material and the chrome bezel (you know, the sliver scratch magnet) will disappear. Most of the list of upgrades seem minor, but some are new like the compass we told you about earlier. If this new rumor pans out however, color us unimpressed. Hit the jump for the full rumored spec list.

• 32GB and 16GB storage
• $199 and $299 price points to be maintained
• 3.2-megapixel camera
• Video-recording and editing capabilities
• Ability to send a picture & video via MMS
• Discontinuation of the metal band surrounding the edge of the device
• OLED screen
• 1.5 times the battery life of the current models
• Double the RAM and processing power
• Built-in FM transmitter
• Apple logo on back will glow [please let this be a joke]
• Rubber-tread backing
• Sleeker design
• Built-in compass
• The camera, GPS, compass and Google map combined will identify photo and inform about photo locations
• Turn-by-turn directions

[Via Wired]

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