‘iPhone 5S’ to reportedly launch by June with multiple color options and two different display sizes

After a seven-month run that took Apple (AAPL) shares to an all-time high in late September, the company’s stock plummeted more than 25% and touched new lows as 2012 drew to an end. According to Topeka Capital Markets analyst Brian White, Apple’s strong portfolio, a reversal of the negative news trend surrounding the company, and a fresh new “iPhone 5S”  will help the stock rebound in 2013, and he maintains a Buy rating on Apple shares with a sky-high price target of $1,111.
[More from BGR: Nokia predicted to abandon mobile business, sell assets to Microsoft and Huawei in 2013]
“Apple is our top overall pick for 2013,” White wrote in a note to investors on Wednesday that discussed Topeka’s stock picks moving into the new year. “With the 25% correction in Apple’s stock from the high in September, the stock is now trading at just 7.7x our CY13 EPS estimate (less cash) and the company’s portfolio has never been stronger, in our view.”
[More from BGR: Next-generation iPhone, iOS 7 discovered in website logs]
He continued, “We believe tax-related selling was largely to blame for the downward bias in the stock price as we exited 2012 and this created a negative news cycle around Apple that we believe will be broken as we enter 2013. We believe there is still plenty to look forward to at Apple, including the potential for greater choices (i.e., colors, sizes) around the next iPhone in 2013, combined with accelerating momentum with the iPad mini and continued strength with the iPad franchise at large.”
White went on to explain that the iPad mini has seen incredible demand thus far in China, outselling the full-size iPad in the country. The analyst also called the rumored China Mobile iPhone launch and release of Apple’s HDTV “moving targets,” and he expects at least one of these major catalysts to become a reality in 2013.
In a separate note, White said that according to his checks with Apple’s suppliers, the next-generation iPhone will represent a huge departure from earlier models.
“Our checks indicate that the next iPhone will have more choices for customers,” the analyst wrote. “This entails an expansion in both the color patterns and screen sizes with the next iPhone (i.e., likely called the iPhone 5S) that we currently believe will be launched in May/June with certain supply production starting in March/April.”
White believes the next iPhone will be available in five different colors: pink, yellow, blue, white & silver and black & slate. He also believes there will be two different screen sizes available on the device, marking the first time Apple has released one phone with multiple display size options.
“Our checks are also indicating that the next iPhone will offer customers more choice in terms of screen size,” White reported. “Although Apple offers a 4-inch screen on the iPhone 5 and a 3.5-inch screen on the iPhone 4S and iPhone 4, the Company has never offered multiple screen sizes for a single model. We believe this is about to change with the next iPhone offering different screen sizes that we believe will allow Apple to better bifurcate the market and expand its reach.”
He continued, noting that multiple screen sizes could allow Apple to better address emerging markets with a lower-cost iPhone.

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HTC says licensing agreement with Apple will lead to better devices in 2013

Apple (AAPL) and HTC (2498) signed a 10-year licensing agreement in November that covered all current, pending and future patents and ended the ongoing litigation between the two companies. It has been estimated that the company will pay Apple between $6 and $8 for every Android device shipped, however HTC CEO Peter Chao refuted the claim. Regardless of how much is being spent, HTC China president Ray Yam believes the deal will begin to benefit the company in 2013.
[More from BGR: ‘iPhone 5S’ to reportedly launch by June with multiple color options and two different display sizes]
“The settlement with Apple will start to pay off next year, and the fourth quarter of this year is still going at a set pace,” the executive said in an interview with the Economic Observer of China, according to Focus Taiwan. “The biggest benefit to us is that we can put more energy into innovation, which is more important than anything else for a technology company.”
[More from BGR: Nokia predicted to abandon mobile business, sell assets to Microsoft and Huawei in 2013]
Yam notes that HTC has wasted too many resources on lawsuits with Apple in the past and that the company is now encouraging employees to “take broader steps” when creating new and better products. The executive revealed that HTC has adjusted its product, sales and marketing strategies for 2013 in the wake of the settlement. He said that many of the company’s projects are now proceeding at a faster rate and it has also changed the way it negotiates with its telecom partners.
While the settlement will ensure that HTC’s devices will remain on sale in the U.S. and other markets, the company must still find a way to increase its dwindling market share as its struggles continue.

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Nokia’s Lumia 920 remains as expensive as Apple’s iPhone 5

One thing handset industry analysts are watching like hawks is the price graph of the most important Windows Phone 8 model in the European handset market. Nokia (NOK) priced the Lumia 920 very, very ambitiously for its November debut. How long can the model maintain a stiff premium? Was the early pricing just designed to skim high margins from the pool of eager Nokia/Windows Phone early adopters?
[More from BGR: ‘iPhone 5S’ to reportedly launch by June with multiple color options and two different display sizes]
Christmas is now over and the year 2013 has rolled in. But in the most important handset market in Europe, the Lumia 920 still costs as much as the 16 GB iPhone 5. At Phonehouse Germany, the price is 640 euros. At Handy Attacke, Ebay Germany, Amazon.de and other leading German phone retail sites, the price remains rock solid and notably uniform 650 euros. Most of these sites offer shipment within two to three days, so the price is no longer jacked up by lack of supply.
[More from BGR: Nokia predicted to abandon mobile business, sell assets to Microsoft and Huawei in 2013]
In comparison, the 16 GB iPhone 5 costs 630 euros at Ebay Germany, 650 euros at Notebooksbilliger and Handyschotte; and 670 euros at Telbay, Modeo and other sites.
Even as the unsubsidized price of Samsung’s (005930) Galaxy Note II is slipping below 510 euros in Germany, the Lumia 920 keeps levitating at the same price as the most expensive mass-market smartphone on the planet. Germany remains the biggest smartphone market in Europe, so this is going to be one key issue to keep an eye on as January price-cutting starts in earnest.

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Patent trolls’ latest gambit: Sue businesses if they dare to use office scanners

We’ve seen a lot of ridiculous claims asserted by patent trolls over the past few years, but this one truly takes the cake: Ars Technica reports that an entity called “Project Paperless LLC” has been sending out letters to small and medium-sized businesses demanding licensing fees for using office scanners capable of sending PDFs via email. Steven Vicinanza, founder of Atlanta-based IT services provider BlueWave Computing, told Ars that both his company and several of its customers had received letters telling them that they needed to buy licenses for “distributed computer architecture” patents that cover basic networked scanning technology. At a cost of $1,000 per employee, Vicinanza said that the licenses would have cost his company a grand total of $130,000 just for the right to scan documents.
[More from BGR: ‘iPhone 5S’ to reportedly launch by June with multiple color options and two different display sizes]
Vicinanza couldn’t believe that he was actually being threatened with a lawsuit for using office scanners, so he decided to contact the attorney for Project Paperless to get some clarification.
[More from BGR: Nokia predicted to abandon mobile business, sell assets to Microsoft and Huawei in 2013]
“[The attorney] said, if you hook up a scanner and e-mail a PDF document — we have a patent that covers that as a process,” Vicinanza told Ars. “So you’re claiming anyone on a network with a scanner owes you a license? He said, ‘Yes, that’s correct.’ And at that point, I just lost it.”
Vicinanza isn’t the only one “losing it” over patent suits, of course. Cisco (CSCO) late last year decided to go on the offense against patent trolls by flat-out accusing them of breaking the law. What’s more, we’ve heard rumblings that the United States Department of Justice’s antitrust division may be ready to do something to limit patent trolls’ ability to extract licensing fees, so there could be some relief for patent suit-stricken firms on the horizon.

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Former Braves player arrested on battery charge

Former Atlanta Braves star center fielder Andruw Jones was free on bond after being arrested in suburban Atlanta early Tuesday on a battery charge, according to jail records.
Around 1:30 a.m. Tuesday, police responded to a call for a domestic dispute between Jones and his wife in Duluth.
Gwinnett County Detention Center records say Jones was booked into the jail around 3:45 a.m. and was released on $2,400 bond by 11 a.m.
Once one of the premier players in the big leagues, Jones broke into the majors with the Atlanta Braves in 1996 and won 10 consecutive Gold Gloves from 1998-07 as their center fielder. He has 434 career home runs over the span of 17 seasons in the majors.
Jones earlier this month signed a $3.5 million, one-year contract with the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles of Japan's Pacific League.

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Baseball: Korea's Wonders slam KBO's "broken promise"

South Korea's Goyang Wonders have expressed anger at not being allowed to join the minor leagues next year, accusing the Korea Baseball Organisation (KBO) of breaking a promise to allow the team to join the professional ranks.
General manager Ha Song told local media on Wednesday that KBO officials had reneged on a pledge to let the Wonders join the lower-tier Futures League in 2013.
"As one of the preconditions for launching our ball club, the KBO had promised that we would be in the Futures League by 2013," Ha was quoted as saying by Yonhap news agency.
"But the KBO simply told us that we will play 48 games in 2013 again. The KBO has given us no reason for that."
The Wonders, the only independent club with no league affiliation in South Korea, played 48 unofficial games against minor league affiliates of top-flight clubs since being founded a year ago.
This year, five teams in the northern division played 92 games and six clubs in the south played 100 games in the Futures League.
The Wonders, based just north-west of Seoul made up of journeymen players, undrafted high school and college graduates, and former American minor leaguers, wanted 100 games in 2013.
"Our guys need to be playing an established schedule, with six straight games (and one day off)," added Ha. "That will help them stay in game shape and really showcase their talent.
"This year, there were times when we had as many as 10 days off between games, and it was difficult to operate a team that way."
The Wonders are managed by Kim Sung-keun, a triple KBO championship winner, and posted a 20-21 record with seven ties in 2012, while losing five players poached by KBO clubs.
Ha said the club were looking no further than playing minor league baseball.
"We have no intention of joining the top league," he said. "We want to continue to give dreams and hopes to young players who would otherwise give up baseball."
The club's complaints, however, fell on deaf ears with the KBO.
"They were the ones that demanded to play 100 games, and we decided we would review the possibility after one season," said KBO operations chief Jeong Geum-jo.
"After watching them play this year, we feel that they're not yet good enough to handle a 100-game schedule.

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Baseball-Red Sox claim closer Hanrahan in six-player trade

The Boston Red Sox landed closer Joel Hanrahan in a six-player trade with the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday.
The Red Sox sent outfielders Mark Melancon and Stolmy Pimentel along with infielders Ivan De Jesus and Jerry Sands to the Pirates in exchange for Brock Holt and Hanrahan, who they immediately announced as the team's new closer.
The 31-year-old has complied 76 saves over the last two seasons, and was named an All Star in each year, and is the centerpiece of the deal.
"His stuff is right at the top of the scale," assistant general manager Brian O'Halloran told the team's website (boston.redsox.mlb.com).
"He's got a fastball in the upper 90s (mph), and when he's right, his slider is as good as anybody's in baseball."
Hanrahan's presence will push Boston reliever Andrew Bailey out of the closer spot and into a setup role.

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Red Sox claim closer Hanrahan in six-player trade

The Boston Red Sox landed closer Joel Hanrahan in a six-player trade with the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday.
The Red Sox sent outfielders Mark Melancon and Stolmy Pimentel along with infielders Ivan De Jesus and Jerry Sands to the Pirates in exchange for Brock Holt and Hanrahan, who they immediately announced as the team's new closer.
The 31-year-old has complied 76 saves over the last two seasons, and was named an All Star in each year, and is the centerpiece of the deal.
"His stuff is right at the top of the scale," assistant general manager Brian O'Halloran told the team's website (boston.redsox.mlb.com).
"He's got a fastball in the upper 90s (mph), and when he's right, his slider is as good as anybody's in baseball."
Hanrahan's presence will push Boston reliever Andrew Bailey out of the closer spot and into a setup role.
The Red Sox are coming off a disaster season that saw them finish last in the American League East, make major trades and fire manager Bobby Valentine.

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Red Sox get All-Star closer Hanrahan from Pirates

 If Joel Hanrahan can do for the Boston Red Sox what he did against them, they should be very happy with their new closer.
In the first of his two All-Star seasons, the right-hander posted back-to-back saves for the Pittsburgh Pirates with perfect ninth innings against the Red Sox in June 2011. He struck out Adrian Gonzalez, who entered the series batting .359, to end the second game.
"When people look back on me as a Pirate, that's the one that stands out the most to them," Hanrahan said Wednesday after being obtained in a six-player trade.
People such as Red Sox assistant general manager Brian O'Halloran.
"It definitely made an impression on me," he said. "It was not fun to be in the batter's box against Joel Hanrahan."
Now American League hitters will see what it's like.
Boston completed the deal Wednesday, also receiving infielder Brock Holt. The Red Sox gave up right-handers Mark Melancon and Stolmy Pimentel, infielder Ivan DeJesus Jr. and first baseman-outfielder Jerry Sands.
The Red Sox also announced the signing of free agent shortstop Stephen Drew, who agreed to a one-year contract early last week. The reported $9.5 million deal was contingent on Drew passing a physical. The former Oakland Athletic and Arizona Diamondback broke his ankle in 2011.
"We feel that he's going to be fully healthy for us," O'Halloran said.
The acquisition of Drew and Hanrahan are the latest in a series of moves designed to improve on a 69-93 record and a last-place finish in the AL East. The Red Sox already have obtained right-handers Ryan Dempster and Koji Uehara, outfielders Shane Victorino and Johnny Gomes and catcher David Ross.
Over the past two seasons, Hanrahan had 76 saves, fourth most in the National League, and a 2.24 ERA. Last season, he was 5-2 with a 2.72 ERA and 36 saves.
The six-year veteran will take over the closer's role that Alfredo Aceves struggled in most of last season before giving way to Andrew Bailey, who had missed most of the season with a right thumb injury.
In his first season with Boston, Bailey was 1-1 with a 7.04 ERA and six saves in nine opportunities over 19 games.
Manager John Farrell has talked with Hanrahan and Bailey and told them that Hanrahan will be the closer, although "we see Andrew as playing a very important role," O'Halloran said.
The Red Sox's search for a closer began when Jonathan Papelbon signed as a free agent with the Philadelphia Phillies after the 2011 season.
Hanrahan figured he was part of that quest when he heard his name in trade rumors involving the Red Sox, Detroit Tigers and Los Angeles Dodgers.
"I got excited" when he learned of the trade, Hanrahan said. "Obviously, the Red Sox have a great history and tradition and it's a huge sports city."
In six seasons, 2 1/2 with the Washington Nationals and 3 1/2 with the Pirates, he's 22-17 with a 3.74 ERA and 96 saves in 117 chances. His best season was 2011 when he went 1-4 with a 1.83 ERA, 40 saves in 44 opportunities and just 16 walks in 68 2-3 innings. His control slipped last season when he walked 36 in 59 2-3 innings.
Hanrahan said hamstring and ankle problems affected his pitching mechanics.
"I don't think the walks are going to be a concern," he said. "I feel good going to spring training."
Hanrahan said he's never been to Fenway Park, but O'Halloran doesn't think he'll have trouble adjusting to the American League.
"Joel Hanrahan has the stuff to pitch anywhere," he said.
Holt spent most of last season at Double-A Altoona, then hit .292 in 24 games with the Pirates, all in September.
Melancon was 0-2 with a 6.20 ERA in 41 relief appearances in his only season with Boston. Pimentel spent the season at Double-A Portland. Sands and DeJesus were obtained in a trade that sent Gonzalez, Josh Beckett and Carl Crawford to the Dodgers on Aug. 25.

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BedEd.org Launches Blog for Mattress Reviews, Education, Consumer Tips & More

New blog, BedEd.org announces launch; to promote consumer awareness via buying guides, shopping tips, product reviews, and information related to mattresses and sleep.

Tempe, AZ (PRWEB) December 19, 2012
BedEd.org launches mattress education blog designed to offer consumer resources including reviews, buying guides, shopping tips, and more.
Shopping for a new bed can seem like a daunting task with so many brands, models, and types in the marketplace. How can consumers figure out the best bed for their needs? BedEd.org seeks to help shoppers make the research process a little smoother with informational support regarding mattresses, brands and innovations.
Using an easy to navigate blog format, the website will provide first hand research as well as write ups and summaries of third party reviews and research. As an information aggregate, the blog will contain information on the spectrum of companies and offerings available, making research simpler and more efficient for shoppers.
Planned topics are to include mattress buying guides, pros and cons of specific mattress types and brands, product reviews, and sleep hygiene tips. They will also run series detailing the best mattress types based on specific needs in response to common concerns and reader questions. The blog also hopes to serve as a social tool via commentary on personal experience and recommendations.
The blog’s initial post takes an informational stance on mattress material composition and effects on health. Titled “What’s in Your Bed? Choosing the Best Mattress for Your Health” the post outlines how flame retardants, volatile organic compounds, and allergens impact sleepers. Using these criteria, it is explained why natural latex and memory foam offer superior alternatives for individuals concerned about mattress health.
Upcoming posts will include tips for combating allergies in the bedroom, detailed information on mattress types, and how to pick the best beds for back pain and fibromyalgia. BedEd.org offers newsletter options and a Twitter feed for interested readers to receive updates on recent posts and industry news.
BedEd.org is a mattress education blog dedicated to providing informational resources to shoppers. The blog features impartial assessments of mattress types, brands, and other sleep related products, developed via first party research, third party reviews, and expert research and opinion. In addition, readers receive useful sleep quality tips and news on the latest mattress developments

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