APPLE TO HOLD MEDIA EVENT ON OCTOBER 4TH; PROBABLY INTRODUCING iPHONE 5

All Things D is reporting today that Apple's next big media event will be held on October 4th, where freshly minted CEO Tim Cook is expected to unveil the iPhone 5. Sources close to the situation say Cook will be the main presenter at the event, with execs Phil Schiller, Scott Forstall and Eddy Cue playing supporting roles. This would mark the first time that Cook has actually led an Apple event, adding an extra wrinkle of significance to an already highly anticipated occasion. The site's sources went on to say that the next-gen iPhone will be available for purchase "within a few weeks" of the announcement, though All Things D acknowledges that the exact date of its unveiling is still subject to change.

RUMOR: iPHONE 5 UNVEILING ON SEPTEMBER 7TH

Apple plans to hold this year’s “iPod media event” on September 7th, Japanese-language news site Kodawarisan reported on Friday. The company’s September event has historically been dedicated to the iPod line, with Apple having unveiled its latest iPod touch, iPod shuffle and iPod nano models at last year’s event. With a new iPhone model due to be released in September or October, however, it seems very likely that Apple will use its annual September media event to unveil the iPhone 5 rather than just refreshed iPods. The spotlight has moved off of Apple’s iPod lineup over the past few years — Apple even removed its “iPod” branding from the Music app in iOS 5 — so it seems highly unlikely that the company’s line of media players will continue to warrant a dedicated event.

APPLE UNVEILS MONSTER iOS 5 UPDATE

Apple SVP of iOS Scott Forstall showed off Apple’s iOS 5 yesterday, and it’s a serious update. Over 200 new features and 1,500 new APIs, but that’s not the most exciting part. We’re talking about redone notifications with Notification Center, a place to combine all notifications; Newsstand, which will automatically download the latest issues of your favorite subscription newspaper and magazines; deep Twitter integration including a system-level sign-on, Tweeting from Photos app and Safari, Twitter contact syncing; and even tabbed-browsing in Safari.

A new app called Reminders which will issue reminders based on time and date. You can also set up a "geo-fence" to have the app remind you when you get back to a certain location, like walking the dog when you get home.

There’s also a lock screen camera shortcut added. Also, thankfully, you can finally use the volume up button as the shutter button, and Apple added an auto-focus and exposure lock, grid lines in the camera app, and editing features like crop and rotate, red eye reduction, etc.

There is now flagging support in email, rich text support, and even S/MIME support for enterprise customers. There’s a split iPad keyboard for people who like to thumb-type… it lets you place half the keyboard on the left side of the screen and the other half on the right, with an open space in the middle to see the app you’re in.

There is no longer a requirement for a PC to use an iOS device — iCloud, it is. Software updates are over the air, and even the initial device setup is done without the need for a PC.

We’ve been told one of RIM’s biggest fears is Apple launching a BlackBerry Messanger competitor, and the company are doing just that with iMessage. The service includes messages, photos, group chat, 3G and Wi-Fi support — and even compatibility with all iOS 5 devices — you can even pick up your conversation where you left off when moving from one device to another.

Almost every gripe with iOS is being addressed in a major way. Developers get iOS 5 today, customers in the Fall (obviously to time up with a new iPhone).

RUMOR: MICROSOFT TO LAUNCH PREMIUM TV SERVICE

Multiple reports have Microsoft unveiling a premium subscription television service at this years E3 and that seems to support the claims Frank Shaw, Microsoft’s vice president for corporate communications expressed on his company’s blog earlier this week. Shaw stated that 40 percent of all Xbox activity didn’t involve gaming at all and that the average gamer watches 30 hours of video on their Xbox each month. While gaming might be the main activity for the majority of 360 owners right now, Shaw expects that to soon change. His claim may warrant merit if adding more content to the already plethora available on Xbox Live (Netflix, Hulu Plus, ESPN, Last.FM, etc) in the form of a television service is true.

The premium TV service has been reported on in the past and isn’t actually a secret but it seems that Microsoft may actually pull the cloth from over it and unveil it at this years Electronic Entertainment Expo. With Microsoft focusing to market it’s Xbox platform as an entertainment brand much like Sony markets it’s Playstation 3; Project Orapa is a bit more ambitious than anything Microsoft’s competitors are showing. Project Orapa is the codename used by Microsoft that would combine Xbox Live and Microsoft’s Mediaroom IPTV. Theoretically it could allow Microsoft to offer TV to Xbox Live customers and possibly even Windows Phone owners through use of an application.

APPLE UNVEILS NEW iMACS

Apple has updated its all-in-one desktop computer line, the iMac, with Intel’s latest processor family, Sandy Bridge, and improved specifications. Available in both 21.5-inch and 27-inch models, the new iMac can be configured with quad-core Sandy Bridge processors starting at 2.5 GHz and will come standard with AMD Radeon HD graphics cards, 4GB of RAM, and a 500MB or 1TB hard drive.

The computers will also include Apple’s new Thunderbolt I/O port for high-speed data transfers. “Starting at $1,199, the new iMac is up to 70 percent faster and new graphics deliver up to three times the performance of the previous generation,” reads the press release. “The iMac continues to feature its signature aluminum and glass design, gorgeous IPS LED-backlit high resolution display, SD card slot and comes with Apple’s innovative Magic Mouse or Magic Trackpad.”

VERIZON UNVEILS 10 NEW LTE DEVICES

Verizon has announced 10 new "4G" LTE smartphones and tablets at their CES keynote today. The devices include:

• HTC ThunderBolt – HTC Sense 2.0, 1GHz Snapdragon processor, 4.3-inch WVGA display, 8-megapixel camera with HD video recording, DLNA capability, video chat support
• LG Revolution – 4.3-inch touchscreen, Android 2.2, video chat, mobile hotspot support (up to eight devices)
• DROID Bionic 4G – Android, video chat, rear-facing 8-megapixel camera, 4.3-inch display, HDMI connectivity, dual-core 1GHz processor, 512 DDR2 RAM
• Unnamed Samsung Smartphone – Android 2.2, 4.3-inch Super-AMOLED Plus display, 1GHz processor, rear-facing 8-megapixel camera with LED flash, video chat
• Motorola XOOM tablet – 10.1-inch display, Android 3.0 Honeycomb OS, 1080p HD video, front-facing 2-megapixel camera for video chat, 5-megapixel camera with video capture, mobile hotspot capability (up to five devices)
• 4G LTE-enabled Samsung Galaxy Tab – 7-inch TFT display, Android 2.2, 1.2GHz Cortex A8 Hummingbird processor, rear-facing 5-megapixel camera, front-facing 1.3-megapixel camera
• Novatel MiFi® 4510L Intelligent Mobile Hotspot – 3G and 4G LTE compatibility
• Samsung 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot – 3G and 4G LTE compatibility
• Compaq CQ10-688nr – 10.1-inch display, Intel Atom N455 processor, up to 8.5 hours of battery life, multi-format digital media card reader, webcam and multiple connectivity options
• HP Pavilion dm1-3010nr – 11.6-inches, HP CoolSense Technology, up to 10.75 hours of battery life, 320 GB of storage, multi-format digital media card reader, HDMI port, Dolby Advanced Audio and GPS for mapping and navigation

A nice lineup, however the tablets are a bit out of date considering Google announced Android 3.0 specifically tailored to tablets.