The new iPhone 5 has an aluminum chassis that covers the sides and back, and in the case of the black and slate model, it's anodized to be black on black. As anyone who has ever owned an aluminum-backed iPod knows, they're scratch and scruff magnets. With the iPhone, however, the combination of the polished bezel, matt back, and anodized black appears to show the wear and tear more prominently than ever. You can literally write into it with the fingernail, tilt it into the light, and see what you wrote. While some people may like the worn and torn, aged and destroyed look, those who want to keep their iPhones in mint condition, are less than thrilled by this. Apple doesn't seem overly concerned either, if this purported email from Senior Vice President of Marketing, Phil Schiller is any indication. Seth Weintraub of 9to5Mac scored the copy:

Any aluminum product may scratch or chip with use, exposing its natural silver color. That is normal.

There's no adamantium/vibranium alloy in the real world, and even that somehow gets battle damaged in the movies these days. The iPhone 5 certainly scratches far more easily than I'd like, but then the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S back shattered far more easily than I'd have liked, and the iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS back cracked far more easily than I'd have liked. Pick your poison.

Hopefully Apple will find away to toughen up their aluminum finishes at some point. Until then, if you want to keep your iPhone in factory-fresh condition, you'll need a case or skin.

Are you worried about scuffs and scratches on your iPhone 5? Rage in the comments.

Source: 9to5Mac

djay by algoriddim, the very popular and incredibly awesome DJ app for iPhone and iPad, has received a big update that not only brings new features and support for iOS 6, but also optimization for the iPhone 5's larger display. And by optimization, we don't mean that they've spaced out the elements of their UI to fill the screen, but they've redesigned the UI to include more controls on the screen to increase functionality and usability.

If you're not familiar with djay, it's an app that transforms your iPhone and iPad into a full-fledged portable DJ systems that integrates with your music library. It features a hyper-realistic interface and ultra-low latency that offers a true professional mixing experience. You can perform live, record mixes on the go, or enable Automix mode and let djay do all the work.

djay has been a favorite of DJ's everywhere and was the winner of the 2011 Apple Design Award for iPad -- and with the optimizations for iOS 6 and the iPhone 5, djay is better than ever.

The following image demonstrates how djay has taken full advantage of the iPhone 5's larger screen.

So as you can see, the main screen of djay on the iPhone 5 now includes UI elements that had to be accessed from a different screen on previous iPhone models.

Some of the other improvements made to djay include integration with the iTunes Store with in-app browse, preview, and purchase, support of multi route audio on iOS 6, key lock and time stretching, high precision analysis settings, and an improved library, speed slider, and bluetooth compatibility.

djay is available on the iPhone, iPad, and Mac with the iPhone version temporarily available for just $0.99 (normally $9.99).

$0.99 for iPhone - Download Now

$19.99 for iPad - Download Now

$19.99 for Mac - Download Now

If you've got an iPhone 3G or iPhone 3GS that you're just not ready to part with yet, we've got a tonsof DIY repair guides to help you keep it in the best condition possible. And when you're ready to upgrade, early generation iPhones are great to pass down to kids or other family members.

Whether you've got a cracked screen, blown earpiece, bad battery, or any other problem - we've most likely got the guide you'll need to keep your iPhone in working order. Most repairs don't cost very much and the iPhone 3G & 3GS are some of the most repairable models of iPhones ever released. If you're willing to put in the small amount of time it takes to keep it in good condition, our guides will help you do just that.

Not sure what's causing an issue? Just check below for some information on each repair and match up your symptoms with the appropriate repair.

Note: The following repair guides will work with either an iPhone 3G or an iPhone 3GS. There are very subtle differences internally and any part or procedure that may vary from model to model will be noted within each guide.

• How to replace a cracked or shattered screen in an iPhone 3G/3GS
• How to replace the LCD screen in an iPhone 3G/3GS
• How to replace the battery in an iPhone 3G/3GS
• How to replace the proximity sensor in an iPhone 3G/3GS
• How to replace the earpiece speaker in an iPhone 3G/3GS
• How to replace the vibrator assembly in an iPhone 3G/3GS
• How to replace the rear facing camera in an iPhone 3G/3GS
• How to replace the dock connector in an iPhone 3G/3GS
• How to replace the cellular antenna in an iPhone 3G/3GS
• How to replace the mic or loud speaker in an iPhone 3G/3GS

How to replace a cracked or shattered screen in an iPhone 3G/3GS

You probably don't need to know any symptoms or diagnostics for this one. If you dropped it and it broke, we can help you fix it. This repair will fix cracked glass and a non-responsive touch screen.

If the picture on your screen is fine and only the glass is cracked, you'll just need to replace the digitizer and we can walk you through how. Occasionally the LCD can get damaged from a drop as well. While this isn't very common, it does happen from time to time depending on how hard the iPhone was dropped. If that is the case, we can help you replace the LCD as well.

• How to replace a cracked or shattered screen in an iPhone 3G/3GS

How to replace the LCD screen in an iPhone 3G/3GS

Whether you dropped your iPhone 3G or 3GS or the LCD has just died, this guide will help you replace it. Symptoms of a defective or busted LCD can include lines through the display, lots of dead pixels, a white screen, black screen, or extremely dim screen. In some instances, you can see discoloration or bleed spots in the display.

If you're experiencing any of these symptoms, you most likely need to install a new LCD.

• How to replace the LCD screen in an iPhone 3G/3GS

How to replace the battery in an iPhone 3G/3GS

Considering the iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS are both a few years old now, many users experience drastic battery loss after so many charge cycles. Whether your iPhone is dying quickly or refuses to hold a charge anymore, a replacement battery can breathe plenty of new life into it.

Symptoms of a dying battery can include short time spans off a charger before dying and in some instances, the iPhone won't boot up at all. If you're experiencing any of these, it's time to replace that battery.

• How to replace the battery in an iPhone 3G/3GS

How to replace the proximity sensor (induction flex) in an iPhone 3G/3GS

The induction flex is what controls your auto brightness (ambient light sensor) and proximity sensor. If your phone refuses to dim when auto brightness is activated or the screen doesn't turn off when it's against your face causing you to press buttons unintentionally while on a call, putting a new induction flex in can solve the issue.

• How to replace the proximity sensor in an iPhone 3G/3GS

How to replace the earpiece speaker in an iPhone 3G/3GS

The earpiece speaker is located inside the top of the display and is what you hear callers out of when on a call. If the earpiece has stopped working or creates bad feedback including high pitched tones, garbled audio, or low volume regardless how high you turn it up, it's probably time to replace it.

The repair isn't too time consuming and will get your iPhone 3G or iPhone 3GS call quality back to where it should be in no time.

• How to replace the earpiece speaker in an iPhone 3G/3GS

How to replace the vibrator assembly in an iPhone 3G/3GS

Vibrator assemblies run on motors and occasionally those motors can burn out over time. Whether your iPhone 3G or iPhone 3GS isn't producing vibration alerts at all anymore or they seem really faint, a new vibrator assembly can get you back to working order.

Other symptoms include unpleasant loud whirring noises when activating the vibrator.

Note: The 3GS in particular is prone to issues with the vibrator switch. This is not the same as the assembly. The switch issue typically is caused by a bad cable in the top left corner. Symptoms of this problem can be unwanted vibrations when pushing in the upper left hand corner of the iPhone. We'll have a guide coming on this in the near future.

• How to replace the vibrator assembly in an iPhone 3G/3GS

How to replace the rear facing camera in an iPhone 3G/3GS

Considering the rear facing camera is the only camera in the iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS, it's pretty important to many users. If your camera isn't working any longer, a replacement is cheap and the repair is pretty simple to perform.

Symptoms of a defective or broken camera can include the shutter not opening inside the camera app (we recommend a software restore before assuming it's a hardware problem), lines through the screen, blurry image quality (make sure the lens is not scratched on the rear casing), or dark images.

• How to replace the rear facing camera in an iPhone 3G/3GS

How to replace the dock connector assembly in an iPhone 3G/3GS

The dock connector in the iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS actually contains or affects several functions and components including the following:

• Microphone
• Loud speaker
• Charge port (30-pin connector)
• Wi-Fi antenna
• Cellular Antenna
• Home button contact

Replacing the dock connector can solve problem issues with any of the above referenced components. Symptoms can range from no cell or Wi-Fi signal, no Home button functionality (the digitizer assembly can also be the culprit in this case), an iPhone that won't charge, no sound when the phone rings or when on speakerphone, or callers can't hear you when on a call.

If you're experiencing any of these issues, the dock connector is a good place to start when it comes to fixing the issue.

• How to replace the dock connector in an iPhone 3G/3GS

More DIY guides & help

Don't have an iPhone 3G or 3GS but looking for help fixing another iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch model? Odds are we've got you covered. Hit the links below for even more guides on everything from other iPhone variants to iPad to iPod touch. And if we don't, we add more and more guides every week so make sure to check our mod page regularly for updated guides on everything DIY.

If you're trying to perform a repair and run into issues or still need help figuring out what's causing a problem, our mod and DIY forums are a great place to start. If you still can't find what you're looking for, feel free to e-mail guide suggestions and questions to me at ally@imore.com.

• All DIY repair guides and how to's
• AT&T/GSM iPhone 4: Ultimate DIY repair guide
• Verizon & Sprint iPhone 4: Ultimate DIY repair guide

Since the iPhone body has already been torn down, what's left to do but tear down it's brain -- the all new, all custom Apple A6 system-on-a-chip (SoC). And that's just exactly what iFixt and Chipworks have just done.

• During the iPhone 5 teardown, we referenced the B8164B3PM label we found on the A6 processor, which denoted 1GB of Elpida LP DDR2 SDRAM. The die mark and photo (shown in the A6 teardown) confirmed the strong hunch that the A6's 1GB LP DDR2 SDRAM is provided by Elpida.

• Generally speaking, logic blocks—such as those found in the A6—are automagically laid out with the use of advanced computer software. However, it looks like the ARM core blocks were laid out manually—as in, by hand. A manual layout will usually result in faster processing speeds, but it is much more expensive and time consuming.

• The manual layout of the ARM processors lends much credence to the rumor that Apple designed a custom processor of the same caliber as the all-new Cortex-A15. It just might be the only manual layout in a chip to hit the market in several years.

• Chipworks cracked open the Apple 338S1077 to confirm that it is, in fact, a Cirrus CS35L19 class-D audio amplifier—and not an audio codec as initially thought.

• The Murata Wi-Fi SoC module is actually comprised of a Broadcom BCM4334 package in addition to an oscillator, capacitors, resistors, etc. You can see all the components in the X-ray: http://bit.ly/UNQv4v

• The Broadcom BCM4334, fabricated in Taiwan at TSMC on a 40 nm CMOS process, features:

  • Wi-Fi (802.11 a/b/g/n)
  • Bluetooth 4.0 + HS

Manually laying out the chip is insane, but shows just how seriously Apple takes every bit and atom in the iPhone. To watch all the hot, ion-blasted, processor action, head on over to iFixit now.

Source: iFixt and Chipworks

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EA Sports has just launched its latest iteration of the hugely successful soccer franchise FIFA 13. The new version of FIFA has some nice new features over and above last year's version but the most significant is the long overdue ability to play against your friends in an online multiplayer mode.

JOIN THE CLUB! Are you ready for the most authentic football game on the App Store? FIFA 13 is more realistic than ever – with all the authenticity and innovation you've come to expect from the FIFA franchise. Matches come to life with groundbreaking graphics and the most responsive controls ever delivered on iOS.

Challenge friends and other football fans from all over the world with the all-new Online Multiplayer mode! For the first time ever! Compete with friends anytime, anywhere using Online Multiplayer. Rise to the top of the Leaderboards and use superstars like Messi and Benzema to crush your competitors around the world.

FIFA 13 offers some great soccer gaming features like teams from 30 of the top leagues in the world, 500 officially licensed teams with real player names, management modes and of course the long awaited multi-player. Unfortunately multi-player is done via EA's own Origin service rather than Apple's Game Centre but if it works well, who really cares.

FIFA 13 is a universal binary so works great on the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch and is compatible with the iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPad, iPad 2, the new iPad, iPod touch 3 (16 GB and above), and iPod touch 4. EA claims that the best gaming experience will be on the iPhone 4S, iPad 2 or the new iPad; no mention of the iPhone 5 in the write up although they do claim it is compatible.

$6.99 Download Now

Modern Combat 4: Zero Hour is the next big entry in the acclaimed first-person-shooter (FPS) series from Gameloft, and it got shown off the other day at the Tokyo Game Show. Given how great Modern Combat 3 turned out, and Gameloft's habit of pushing the envelop, we're expecting a lot from Zero Hour -- including support for widescreen action on the [iPhone 5].

Like Simon Sage said over at Android Central, the story doesn't seem like anything we haven't seen before, but really, the only point of a plot in a game like this is to get the shooting moving from one set piece to another. Tell us to shoot a bad guy, and he'll get shot.

So how's MC4 looking to you? No joy, or everything light and bright?

Source: moderncombat4.weebly.com via Android Central

Ally's already given you a comprehensive accounting of how the new iPhone 5 and its Apple A6 processor score on Geekbench, HTML5, and Sunspider, so check that out before watching the video.

Devices are more than just numbers, however. How fast something is also represents how long it takes. We all only have a finite amount of time in our day and in our lives, and every second we spend waiting for our phone to boot or reboot, for an app or game to launch, or for a webpage to load, is time we can't spend on getting things done, or taking a much needed break.

So, in the video above Rene and I pit the 2012 iPhone 5 against the 2012 iPad 3, the 2011 iPhone 4S, and the 2010 iPhone 4 so you can not only read about but see the differences.

Spoilers: Overall, the iPhone 5 is a monster. It obliterates everything else in our tests. The iPad 3 actually did worse than we expected, but so much of its power, including its quad-core graphics enabled Apple A5X chipset is spent pushing pixels on that huge Retina display, it shouldn't really come as a surprise. The iPhone 4S held up extremely well. It can't beat with the iPhone 5, obviously, but it remains incredibly competitive. The iPhone 4 didn't do nearly as well. Like the iPad 3, it was the first Retina device in its class and again, a lot of its processor seems to go towards that, not leaving as much available for everything else.

Check out the video above, go over Ally's iPhone 5 benchmark results, and then let me know, how important is raw speed to your daily device usage? Do you always want the latest and the fastest, or are you happy when your tech stays competitive year after year?

Whether you bought a brand new iPhone 5 or you upgraded an existing device to iOS 6, one of the first concerns everyone has is battery life. Is it better? Is it worse? Is it the same? A new device or new version of iOS typically does more than the last one, and because it's new, we typically use it more, at least in the beginning. Problems with backups, with push, with location services, with apps that don't shut down properly all also seem more common as everyone, from Apple to developers, gets used to the new hardware and software.

I already published my traditional list of battery life trouble shooting tips, so if you're having problems check those out and see if they help.

Then let me know -- how is your battery life on your new iPhone 5, or your newly updated iOS 6 device? Vote up top and give me the details in the comments below!

Apple has been really busy the last few weeks and the Apple TV must have been feeling really left out seeing all Apple's other iOS devices receiving shiny new upgrades to iOS 6. Thankfully Apple hasn't been ignoring the Apple TV at all and has now released an update for the Apple TV second and third generations. The new update brings along some nice new features but it is not iOS 6. Instead Apple decided to go with iOS 5.1 but don't be put off by that, Apple has included a whole host of new features as shown below.

1. Accept invitations for Shared Photo Streams, browse photos and comments, and receive notifications of new content.

2. Send audio content from Apple TV to AirPlay-enabled speakers and devices (including AirPort Express and other Apple TVs). Also includes the ability to require an onscreen code to use AirPlay with your Apple TV.

3. Save multiple iTunes accounts and switch quickly between them.

4. Search movie trailers. In the United States, see show times for local theaters.

5. New Cascade, Shrinking Tiles, and Sliding Panels screen savers.

6. Reorder icons on the second page by holding down the select button on the remote.

7. SDH support for the deaf and hard-of-hearing as well as improvements to viewing and selecting subtitles.

8. Support for setting up advanced network options using configuration profiles.

9. Includes general performance and stability improvements.

So next time you fire up your Apple TV second or third generation you should see an option to upgrade to iOS 5.1. Of course if you have your Apple TV jailbroken, give this one a miss for now until we hear that it can be jailbroken again.

Source: Apple

Weather 2x is an iPhone and iPad app that will make even the worst of weather conditions look amazing -- especially on the iPhone 5's new display. The information provided by Weather 2x includes the current condition and a 5-day forecast that can be broken up into 3-hour intervals. Weather 2x does not include in-depth details about the weather, like radars, but rather focuses on bringing the most important information to you in an elegant and beautiful package.

The main screen of Weather 2x will show a photo that represents the current weather conditions at the location you are viewing. These photos are absolutely stunning and really make Weather 2x a joy to look at. Elegantly placed over the photo, you'll see the current temperature, city, time, and a small description about the current weather, like "Clear/Sunny" or "Cloudy". If you tap the screen once, the little description will be replaced with a row of new information: precipitation, visibility, humidity, pressure level details, and wind speed and direction.

A double-tap to the screen will bring up the 5-day forecast. On the iPhone, the forecast will slide up from the bottom, and on the iPad, it will part open a section of the bottom of the screen to reveal itself. On the iPhone, you can also slide the screen up, instead of double-tapping, to bring up the 5-day forecast if you prefer. For each day, Weather 2x will show an icon that represents the weather and the anticipated high and low.

To see the forecast over the next 5 days in 3-hour intervals, slide the screen over to the left for a scrollable list. For each interval, you'll see an icon and the forecasted temperature.

If you slide the screen to right, you'll see a list of all the places you've saved and all their current weather conditions. To delete a city, hold your finger down on it to put it in "jiggly" mode, then hit the x to delete. You can also rearrange your locations when they're in jiggly mode.

The Settings screen is where you go to switch to the metric system or 24-hour time as well as enable sound effects, iCloud sync, local weather, and the time.

The good

• Stunning weather visuals featuring subtle animations
• Track, manage and maintain unlimited weather locations around the globe
• Current weather conditions
• 5 day weather forecast
• Hourly weather forecast breakdown
• Extended weather information including Precipitation, Visibility, Humidity, and Pressure level details, and wind speed and direction
• Fahrenheit or Celsius
• View current weather conditions for multiple cities
• Gesture driven interface
• Sync preferences and weather locations via iCloud
• "Local Weather" feature - automatically updates based on current location
• Share weather conditions via Twitter or Email

The bad

• Some users report that the temperature can be 5-10 degrees off

The bottom line

Weather 2x is an absolutely gorgeous weather app for both the iPhone and iPad -- the best I've seen. The included gestures are perfect and intuitive and the information is displayed and organized in a very elegant manner. If you're in the market for a beautiful weather app for your iPhone or iPad or both (with iCloud sync!), do not pass this one up.

$0.99 - Download Now