iOS concept video shows off Quick Settings, App Flow multitasking and more

André Luis Moreira, an animator who shares a name with a football player from Brazil, posted a video of a concept for an iOS overhaul back in September, which contains a few surprising features. Keep in mind this isn't a tweak, just a video concept produced with Adobe Photoshop, After Effects, and Premiere.

The animation focuses on three main concepts for improving iOS. Quick Settings, a pane that collects the most used options from the settings page; App Flow Multitask, which adds a full screen preview to the app switcher panel; and Dynamic Settings, which provides shortcuts that allows users to quickly jump to a specific app's settings...

AT&T opens up FaceTime over cellular to all tiered data plans

AT&T has announced this morning that it will be once again be expanding support for iOS 6's FaceTime over cellular for its subscribers. It appears that all iOS users who are on a tiered data plan, will be able to utilize the feature from any FaceTime compatible device.

The carrier took quite a bit of heat last year when it initially announced that FaceTime over cellular would only be available to iOS users on its shared data plans. It later opened up the feature to legacy data plans, and then to LTE users. And now it's available for all...

Here’s a budget iPhone concept with a 3.5-inch display

Apple is expected to make a few changes to its mobile lineup this year. For the iPad, it's expected to revamp the 9.7-inch model making it thinner and lighter, with smaller bezels. On the iPhone side, it's expected to release a new budget model.

As with all new product rumors, artists are using their skills and creativity to create mockups of what these things could possibly look like. We showed you some earlier today of the next-gen iPad, and now we have some of the rumored 'iPhone mini.'

TSMC contracted to fab a cutting-edge chip for a ‘breakthrough’ Apple device

Samsung for the time being remains an exclusive maker of the Apple-designed engine that powers iPhones, iPads and iPods. Apple's chips are being fabbed on Samsung's High-κ metal gate 32 nanometer process at its $14 billion semiconductor plant in Austin, Texas. But not for any much longer.

We've been hearing lots of rumors lately that rival Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), the world's largest independent semiconductor foundry, has entered Apple's supply chain with trial production of Apple's A6X processor.

As the iPhone maker is reportedly accelerating plans to make a jump to TSMC for all of its mobile chips, now comes word that the Taiwan foundry will pretty soon start building on its 20 nanometer process technology a next-gen processor for a "breakthrough" Apple device...

Mockup time: iPad 5 with iPad mini style skinnier side bezels

Remember ahead of last September's iPad mini introduction, when a great deal of shabby renderings tried to depict what the device might look like?

It wasn't until designer Martin uit Utrecht set out to create some beautiful mockups that we started believing that the iPad mini would indeed become a smash hit for the Cupertino, California firm.

Also behind some pretty darn accurate renderings of the then-unreleased iPhone 5, Martin's now back at it with a bunch of new renderings done in Rhinoceros 3D, depicting what a full-size iPad 5 with the reportedly skinnier side bezels might look like. Go right past the fold for some more beautiful mockups...

How to change button skins in Robert Broglia’s Emulators on iOS

In the comments section of our article on Snes9x EX+'s release, one of our readers asked if there was a way to swap out the overlays for the on-screen buttons. I thought the question was interesting enough to answer in a full tutorial.

While there isn't a built-in option for skinning Snes9x EX+, nor are there any themes for the app currently available on Cydia, with a jailbroken iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, it's not too difficult to manually edit raster graphics used in any app. All you need to do is navigate to Snex9x EX+'s app directory and edit the overlay bitmap...

The Apple-HTC settlement allows for this?

What you're seeing here isn't one of the early iPhone 5 prototypes. Instead, that's apparently a leaked rendering of an upcoming HTC handset, called the M7. Recognize the familiar two-tone design with the distinct stripes alongside the top and bottom, with a large metal backplate in between?

Funny, we thought the ten-year Apple-HTC cross-licensing deal didn't include rights to the iPhone 5 design. Count us surprised!

Galaxy tablets didn’t copy Apple’s design, Dutch court rules

Apple isn't having as much litigation success in Europe as it's had over in the United States, where the jury hit Samsung with a massive $1.05 billion fine in the high-stake Apple v. Samsung trial. Courts in The Netherlands, for example, aren't nearly as sympathetic to Apple's infringement claims.

To refresh your memory, Apple has been claiming that Samsung's Galaxy tablets infringe upon its design patents for the iPad. However, it's been reported this morning that a Dutch court upon closer examination of Apple's claims has ruled that the Galaxy tablets do not infringe an the iPad design. Interestingly enough, the ruling mentions previous decisions in British courts...

Slimmer, lighter iPad 5 with narrower side bezels coming in fall?

Apple's next full-size tablet, the iPad 5, will borrow some design elements of the smaller 7.9-inch iPad mini, one analyst forecasts Wednesday. Among the most noticeable changes: the iPad will be both thinner and lighter than the iPad 4, released in October 2012.

Additionally, the Apple watcher expects the tablet maker to unveil an enhanced iPad mini with Retina display matching the resolution of the full-size tablet.

Unlike most observers, this particular analyst thinks that the new 9.7-inch iPad may appear late this year rather than during the current quarter...

Readdle revamps Documents for iPad with cloud integration and powerful media management

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FeWhyGNgUGI

If you use your iPad even occasionally to edit Office documents on the go, chances are you were disappointed hearing that Google snapped up Quickoffice, the maker of the popular mobile productivity suite of the same name. Worry not, Readdle comes to the rescue. Depicted above is their freshly updated Documents software which in this new incarnation becomes the perfect document and media manager for your iPad.

It's tightly integrated with iCloud and other popular cloud-based storage solutions for seamless experience across multiple devices. While Documents won't let you edit your stuff, you can view your media and documents and it's a pretty decent file manager. Best of all, it's free of charge...

Apple, Amazon must enter settlement talks over ‘App Store’ trademark ahead of August trial

Amazon last September asked court to drop Apple's suit over its use of the 'Appstore' term in relation to its application store, which launched as the Amazon Appstore for Android, but is now simply called the Amazon Appstore. The service is carrying mobile applications for Android devices and Amazon's own Kindle lineup of tablets and e-readers.

Apple's been arguing from the onset that Amazon has been attempting to free-ride on the popularity of the term Apple helped push by aggressively marketing its App Store. And now, a judge has ordered the two parties to enter settlement talks ahead of trial...

How Apple could implement fingerprint sensor on the next iPhone

Cody yesterday relayed a note by KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo who tried to guesstimate which products Apple may introduce or refresh in 2013. In addition to multiple iPhone models and all-high resolution iPad lineup (including the expected iPad mini with Retina display), the analyst expects the next iPhone to adopt a a fingerprint sensor. On the surface, that feature sounds a little off.

I mean, Apple just doesn't put fingerprint sensors inside any of its gadgets, let alone phones, right? Then again, the company did acquire smart sensor maker AuthenTec for $356 million with very specific goals in mind. Shortly after, Apple even sold AuthenTec's enterprise encryption business unit, signaling its intention to presumably focus on the Smart Sensor unit. Here's how the built-in fingerprint sensor could enhance your next iPhone...