Dieter has his Google/HTC Android Nexus One here at CES, which means we grabbed it, put it next to our signature Apple iPhone 3GS, and took tons of pics.

First impressions: killer Google services. Killer. Solid hardware. Still Android OS 2.x, so while powerful and flexible, it hasn’t reached the user experience level of the iPhone OS yet. Nor media, of course. And it’s still not as fluid. On a 1Ghz Snapdragon processor. Really? But voice to search, launch, and type? Right back at killer.

Check out the pics after the break!

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Apple iPhone 3GS vs Google/HTC Android Nexus One — Gallery

Imagination, which counts Apple as one of its owners, has provided the GPU (graphics processing unit) for every iPhone to date, including the current iPhone 3GS PowerVR SGX, so it’s not unreasonable to assume the latest, greatest PowerVR SGX545 introduced at CES will be in the 4th generation iPhone, likely to be announced in June/July (and the iPod touch to follow):

SGX545 will also deliver OpenGL ES 2.x and OpenGL 3.2 to deliver class leading 3D graphics performance, and will also support OpenCL 1.0 full profile capability which will enable mobile and embedded applications to take maximum advantage of the capabilities offered by these GPU APIs for both 3D graphics and general purpose applications.

Could we see this spun into a new, ARM Cortex A9 multi-core cpu by Apple’s own PA Semi? We’ve already got great 3D gaming, what’s this one designed to do, burn our eyeballs into the back of our Avatar-scorched skulls?

[Imagination via 9to5mac]

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Imagination at CES: POWERVR SGX545 Graphics Core… Could it be the 4th Gen iPhone GPU?

Hey, wow, look here — more Apple iTablet/iSlate rumors, and this time they’re bringing aluminum (unibody?) casing rumors along for the wild ride:

Suppliers for Apple Inc’s new tablet computer have begun shipping touchscreen panels and will start delivering aluminum casings for it next month, sources said, implying a second-quarter product launch.

Does aluminum, which was removed from the iPhone with the 2nd gen iPhone 3G, make sense in an iTablet with an HSPA or CDMA radio? Or will that get the plastic finish, and the Wi-Fi only version get the aluminum? That would be two finishes like we heard rumored previously, and would mirror the iPhone/iPod touch model… What do you think?

[via MacRumors]

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Reuters: Aluminum iTablet/iSlate Set for Q2 Launch?

As iPhone Live! regulars know, I use a Blue Microphone Snowball for our podcast, so when they announced their 2nd generation, iPhone 3G/iPhone 3GS compatible Mikey, I was gravitationally pulled towards their booth for a quick look.

It’s small, it plugs into the iPhone dock, and they also offer a free Blue Fire field-recorder app in the iTunes App Store [Free - iTunes link]

The 2nd gen Mikey should ship this spring. Check out the video after the break, and note: this was recorded using a pre-production unit of that very mic!

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Blue Microphone Mikey for iPhone 3G/3GS Hands-on — TiPb @ CES 2010

AppleInsider is hearing that Apple is looking to acquire LED flash camera components for the 4th generation iPhone, assumed to be announced this June/July during their WWDC event, and perhaps it’s iPhone touch G4 which would come later, in September:

People familiar with Apple’s initiative claim the electronics maker is seeking allotments of LED camera flash components in the tens of millions for delivery during the 2010 calendar year, meaning future iPhones — and possibly the iPod touch — are the most likely recipients of those parts, due to their sales volume. Those same people say that Philips’ Lumileds Lighting sector is believed to be the front-runner for Apple’s business and may have already secured the design win.

The Amsterdam-based firm is well-regarded for its LUXEON LED camera flash technology, which was the first to combine the brightness of regular lighting with the long life and small footprint of LEDs. The technology is commonly coupled with 5+ megapixel cameras and has seen shipments of over 200 million units worldwide.

LED flash would be a competitive move for Apple, since HTC, Nokia, and other manufacturers have been delivering better and brighter versions with each iteration. Now, whether it would be incorporated into a “Glowing Apple Logo” or not remains unknown

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

Rumor: Apple Looking at LED Flash for 4th Generation iPhone?

From the Forums is a great way to see what all of the current hot topics are on the TiPb forums. Today we would like to go over some of the popular sub-forums for those of you who may not be familiar with our forum setup. Becoming a member is fast and free, so if you have not already already done so, head on over and register now.

• We knew someone would go here and they did… comparing the iPhone to the Google Nexus One. Sound off with your opinion!
• Yours truly created the following thread because I need your help. If you have a jailbroken iPhone I want to know what your favorite current jailbroken apps are. Thanks for the help!
• Facebook recently received an update that enabled push notifications but along with that came a ton of bugs and annoyances, at least for most of us. Let us know how Facebook 3.1 is treating you in this thread right here.
• Last up for today, iPhone Accessories. All iPhone accessory related posts go into this forum – Cases, chargers, docks, headsets, etc…

See you on the forums!

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From the Forums: Google Nexus One, Your Favorite Jailbreak Apps, Facebook 3.1, iPhone Accessories

While iPhone accessories and apps are everywhere here at CES, the iPhone — meaning Apple itself — is characteristically absent. That doesn’t mean people are whispering about it. There are lots of rumors about iPhone 4.0 software and the 4th generation iPhone hardware, but the ones floating around the most are:

• Limited multitasking ability. Whether it’s that new multi-core ARM Cortex A9 processor, a new SpringBoard (Home Screen) metaphor, or just Apple finally deciding to invent it (sigh), iPhone 4.0 may see us able to run a few apps (or more?) in the background.

• Verizon-capable. Again, it could just be the buzz around Qualcomm’s new dual CDMA/GSM chipset which should be ready just in time, but the technology seems to there and all that remains is for Verizon and Apple — control freaks both — to come to a subsidy agreement.

[Oh, and by the way Google, TiPb's been using that whole superphone meme since February of 2008. Just sayin...]

We’re not going to ask if you want multitasking and Verizon — we know you do — but do you believe it’s finally going to happen? It’s Vegas baby, so peg the odds below!

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iPhone 4.0, 4th Generation iPhone Rumors at CES – Limited Multitasking, Verizon-capable

With iMakeMyCase, Case-Mate is taking their popular case model and not only offering you hot, artist-based designs, but breaking apart those designs to their core elements and letting you customize and collage them to create your own unique variation.

There are lots of on-line tools provided, included spays, mirror effects, and if you’re not feeling particularly creative, reference designs by each artist.

Check out our walkthrough after the break!

This is a story by the iPhone Blog. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

Case-Mate iMakeMyCase iPhone Case Customizations — TiPb @ CES 2010

According to Greenpeace — who’s here at CES to right and properly scold the consumer electronics industry for not doing more to keep the planet hospitable for humans — Apple is making them happier [PDF link].

Apple continues its climb up the ranking from 11th place in v.12 to 9th in v.13 and is now in 5th place, with a score of 5.1 points, up from 4.9. Apple does best on the toxic chemicals criteria, where it scores most of its points. It scores substantially less on waste and energy. In this evaluation, Apple wins and loses some points on toxic chemicals, but gains on energy. All Apple products are now free of PVC and BFRs, with the exception of PVC-free power cords in countries where their safety certification process is still ongoing. For this Apple continues to score full marks (doubled). The tightened C1 criterion now requires companies not only to have a chemicals policy informed by the precautionary principle, but also to show support for bans on PVC vinyl plastic and brominated/chlorinated flame retardants (CFRs/BFRs) during the revision of the EU's RoHS Directive (Restriction of Hazardous Substances in electronics). Apple gains a point for lobbying the EU institutions, but for full marks it needs to provide a public position on its support for immediate restrictions in RoHS 2.0 on organo- chlorine and bromine compounds. It also needs to clarify its stance regarding the position of the trade federation TechAmerica on further immediate restrictions and in particular PVC and BFRs. Apple loses a point for providing even less information (on its updated web-pages) about its supply chain communications than before. This criterion evaluates disclosure of information flow in the supply chain. Apple also loses a point for minimal information about its future toxic chemical phase-out plans, reducing its communication on this subject on its updated web-pages.

Are you also happier knowing your iPhone is greener? And is Apple doing enough, or should Greenpeace continue to single out their singular brand?

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Apple Making Greenpeace Happier

If you ever held your iPhone in one hand, then got angry you still had to hold your big, expensive, horrible-screen universal in the other, L5 has an app — and an accessory for that!

The process is straight forward. Download the app. Drag and drop in your custom control setup. Buy the infra-red (IR) dongle. Teach it your remotes’ commands. Enjoy total iPhone or iPod touch power over your A/V components.

Video walk through after the break!

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L5 Remote IR Control App/Accessory for iPhone Hands-on — TiPb @ CES 2010