With the expected release Tuesday of the next iPhone, some owners of the current version of Apple Inc.’s hit phone won’t sit home and grumble. They’ll sell, then upgrade.

Smartphones and other tech gear that are rendered obsolete by the latest version, or just get a little old, certainly are far too valuable to stash in a drawer and forget about. In fact, with an iPhone, you might be able to sell it for nearly the price you paid. But you have to know how to play the “recommerce” game to get top dollar.

Recommerce isn’t just for iPhones but for many of today’s tech gadgets, from BlackBerry phones to Xbox gaming consoles to laptop and tablet computers. Some consumers are seeking cash, while others just want a “green” way to dispose of their electronics.

“The very worst thing you can do from an economic and an ecological perspective is stick it in your drawer and later throw it in your trash,” said Joe McKeown, vice president of marketing and communication for phone buyback site, ReCellular.com. “It’s the right thing to do for your pocketbook and the environment.”

Used iPhones are an extreme case because they are always in high demand.

Like the price of a stock, price quotes for used iPhones fluctuate on websites that buy gadgets from consumers. Prices vary more on product-launch days like Tuesday. The difference Tuesday between selling in the morning and evening can be real money.

“We anticipate this will be the biggest event in recommerce to date,” said Kristina Kennedy, spokeswoman for Gazelle.com, which buys used electronics. Shortly after Apple announced Tuesday’s news conference about the iPhone, Gazelle’s traffic spiked. There was a period where people were locking in a price to sell their old iPhones at the rate of one every 10 seconds on the site, Kennedy said.

Compared with the launch of iPhone 4, traffic at ReCellular.com in recent days is double, McKeown said.

A survey by mobile advertising network InMobi released last week showed that 41 percent of current mobile phone users in North America plan to buy an iPhone 5 — before there was even confirmation an iPhone 5 existed.

“People just want to have the latest and greatest,” Kennedy said. “When they’re on a plane and the person sits down next to them, they want them to notice they have the iPhone 5, not the iPhone 4. There’s sort of a badge of honor that comes for the hard-core Apple enthusiasts with having the newest one.”

Many buy-back sites resell used phones — on eBay, for example — although, ReCellular.com buys and sells used phones on its own site. Consumers can check those websites if they’re in the market to buy used iPhones.

If you want to sell using a gadget buyback website, resale prices on iPhones are typically high the morning of Apple’s announcement of a new model. So, lock in a price by mid-day, Kennedy suggests. “After that, we do expect the pricing to drop very quickly,” she said. On Gazelle and some other sites, you can lock in a price and ship the phone weeks later, giving you time to buy your new phone and transfer service to it.

Owners of iPhones might be shocked to know you can sell your phone and get back most of what you paid. That’s because U.S. wireless carriers usually sell phones for less than cost and make up for it with the price of the service plan. For example, many consumers paid $299 for their 32-gigabyte iPhone 4, which retails for at least twice that. One buyback site, Cellitused.com, on Monday was offering $232 for one in good condition, and $290 for one in like-new condition, according to price aggregator uSell.com.

Upgraders can use the money to defray the cost of a new iPhone or help pay early termination fees if they will be jumping to a new wireless carrier before their contract expires. Some gadget buyers pay cash, while some store-sponsored buying programs pay in store credit.

Rob Brandenburg, 39, of Chicago is planning to upgrade from his current iPhone 4, which he says seems sluggish and “quirky” lately. “Right now, I’m having a lot of speed issues,” he said. Instead of selling his iPhone 4, he’ll pass it to his wife and probably sell her previous-generation iPhone, the 3GS, he said.

He said he would probably sell the older iPhone to a friend or use an online marketplace, such as eBay or Craigslist — or maybe he’ll just ask around. “I’ve sold a couple of them just by word-of-mouth,” he said.

Here are three primary ways to sell your iPhone or other used tech gear.

– Sell to a gadget buyback website. Selling to one of these sites can be a low-hassle option, but you might not get top dollar. Gazelle.com, for example, concentrates on being simple and fast. After you accept its offer, it will send you a box with prepaid shipping. Or you can go to a FedEx store, and personnel there will package it for free. Usually payment is issued within a week of your device arriving, Gazelle says on its website.

USell.com is an aggregator, searching prices on three different buyback sites. And ReCellular.com is among the oldest sites for selling and buying used phones. It touts 20 years in business and recirculating some 50 million phones.

– Sell it yourself. You’re likely to get a higher price for your gadget if you find your own buyer. Often that means using word-of-mouth or such online tools as eBay or Craigslist. But it can be a hassle to create an advertisement, respond to potential buyers and package and ship the item yourself. EBay has an Instant Sale section where it offers fixed payouts via PayPal.

– Retailer buybacks. Some gadget upgraders might prefer to deal with a known retailer. Electronics retailer Best Buy will give cash or store credit for trade-ins. A 32-gigabyte iPhone 4 in good condition yields $181 in cash or $279 as a Best Buy gift card. Amazon.com on Monday was offering $274 for the same trade-in. Its payout comes in the form of an Amazon.com gift card.

A word of caution: before selling, be sure to erase all your private data on such devices as computers and phones. Many devices have an option in their settings to wipe all data and restore the gadget to factory defaults. Some used-gadget buyers also say they will securely erase your data.

[Thanks: http://www.csmonitor.com]

These images come via TUAW, and show placeholders for the iPhone 5 and the iPhone 4S. These screenshots do not show images of either device, but offer a look at the possible specs for Apple’s new iPhone.

Before you get too excited, these could just be placeholders put up by an expecting carrier — but even that is a telling sign. Just yesterday, we saw the Sprint iPhone 5 show up in Radio Shack’s inventory system.

You see, these screenshots appeared on the pre-paid pages of Cincinnati Bell. This is the first time we have heard about this carrier getting the iPhone 5 or iPhone 4S.

The first screenshot shows the specs of an iPhone 5. This includes a larger 4″ display, up from 3.5″ on the current iPhone 4. We also see an 8MP camera listed, which is an improvement over the current 5MP iPhone 4 camera, and we also see 4G data speeds listed. While this might get your heart beating a big faster, calm down. This isn’t real 4G LTE, which delivers super fast downloads. Instead, this is HSPA+, which is only 4G in a fantasy world where marketers control definitions.

Are these the iPhone 5 Specs?

Next up, we see a screenshot of an iPhone 4S placeholder. This is the rumored low cost, tweaked iPhone 4. The iPhone 4S claims to have the current iPhone 4′s 3.5″ display and 5MP camera, but has an upgraded A5 processor. This device is notably cheaper at $99 after an instant $300 rebate.

Are these the iPhone 4S specs?

We are waiting for Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO, to announce the new iPhone on October 4th at the company’s headquarters in California. We expect at least one new iPhone, but we may actually get two unique devices on Tuesday. If the iPhone 5 and iPhone 4S are announced by Apple, we expect a release date of mid October on Sprint, AT&T and Verizon.

Apple is also expected to announce the iOS 5 release date. iOS 5 is a new version of the software that powers the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad. This new version is rumored to bring voice control in the form of a new Assistant app, only available on the new iPhone, as well as over 200 new features to the iPhone 5 and older iPhones.

This leak gives us hope that Apple may go even broader with the launch and allow regional carriers that use Verizon, AT&T or Sprint towers to get in on the iPhone 5 game.

[Thanks: http://www.gottabemobile.com]

According to Mashable‘s sources, the social network may also introduce its latest iPhone app, potentially revamped in HTML5, at the same event.

The app has been long-awaited. In July, iPad-wielding Facebookers were given a taste of what may come when screenshots of the app were leaked. The app has been in development for over a year and just this morning Jeff Verkoeyen, the former iPad app lead engineer, quit out of frustration.

Verkoeyen said on his blog that the app was “feature complete,” or the step just prior to release for testing, since May. His frustration stemmed, however, from Facebook’s decision to push the release date back on more than one occasion. He has since removed the information about the app from his post, according to Business Insider.

The push back may have stemmed from Apple and Facebook’s shaky relationship, potentially due to a rumored Facebook product code-named “Project Spartan.” The product is supposedly an HTML5 web app aimed at allowing Facebook to circumvent Apple’s app store. But it seems that with all the labor put into this iPad app-baby, it will actually be born. The mobile and social giants may even partner on “Project Spartan,” according to Mashable’s sources, who also note the “Project Spartan” moniker is not used internally.

Facebook may also release a new iPhone app built in HTML5 at the event. LinkedIn recently redesigned its own iPhone app using HTML5 and coding language Node.js. The new app was very well received upon release.

We have reached out to Facebook and Apple for comment and will update upon hearing back.

[Thanks: http://venturebeat.com]

According to reports, the CMO apparently said in a town hall meeting that “We are not going to get the iPhone 5 this year.”

It does, however, bring up the possibility that T-Mobile might get the iPhone 5 next year.

Still, Apple is keeping a tight lip as to the launch of its much awaited iPhone 5. However, various reports have chimed in on when the next-generation iPhone will arrive in stores.

One such report came recently from The New York Times. According to the Times, an Apple employee has told them that the iPhone 5 is “just weeks away”.

The particular statement is vague but it does add to the growing number of reports which say that the iPhone 5 will likely arrive by October.

Nonetheless, Apple is already late with its iPhone 5 release basing on the fact that it has released an iPhone every year by June or July since it launched the first iPhone in 2007.

[Thanks: http://socialbarrel.com]

“Skype uses a locally stored HTML file to display chat messages from other Skype users, but it fails to properly encode the incoming user’s ‘Full Name,’ allowing an attacker to craft malicious JavaScript code that runs when the victim views the message,” Purviance wrote on his blog.

The heart of the problem, according to Purviance, is an improper definition within the Skype app that allows access to a user’s local file system. He says the threat is partially mitigated by protections within iOS itself, but the address book remains vulnerable.

Skype appears to be in no hurry to fix the problem. In a tweet, Purviance said he notified Skype of the vulnerability on August 24, and was told that an update addressing the issue would be released in early September.

A statement from Skype confirms that the company is aware of the issue and will fix it “in our next planned release, which we hope to roll out imminently.”

You can watch a demonstration of exactly how the exploit works in this video, created by Purviance:

[Thanks: http://www.pcworld.com]

We should note right at the top that Adobe is not announcing (or delivering) Flash support on iOS devices. Apple has chosen not to support Flash on its mobile devices, citing a variety of issues centered around performance and battery life. Instead, Apple supports HTTP Live Streaming, which is what YouTube and other video streaming sites use to deliver their content to iPhones and iPads.

What Adobe has done with Flash Media Server 4.5 is add in support for HTTP Live Streaming so that content providers can use the software to deliver their video streams in whatever form the user’s device supports. If a Mac or PC with Flash installed calls up the video stream, it will automatically be delivered via Flash. If an iOS device calls up the video stream, Adobe’s software will deliver it via HTTP Live Streaming, all without the content provider having to worry their pretty little heads about it.

This is significant for Adobe, because it removes a reason for its customers to leave Flash behind entirely as the needs of iOS device owners increasingly dictate online standards. The company has simultaneously increased the relevancy of Flash, but has done so in a way that keeps the burden of supporting the technology on the server side.

Please note (again) that this is not the same thing as “Flash on your iPhone.” Today’s announcement has nothing to do with playing Flash games on your iOS device or viewing other interactive Flash content. It is instead about delivering streaming video in a format that is already supported by iOS.

[Thanks: http://www.macobserver.com]

Unfounded innuendo, however, is increasingly giving way to facts that indicate release of the iPhone 5 is imminent. To that end, both Bloomberg and Forbes are reporting Deutsche Telekom is already taking pre-orders for the iPhone 5 in Germany.

“The parent company of T-Mobile is reportedly taking pre-orders for the iPhone 5, despite the fact that Apple has not announced details on the device’s release, price, or even its very existence,” Forbes reports. “Deutsche Telekom has not commented on the reports and is supposedly keeping the pre-ordering process low profile. The carrier is allegedly not taking online reservations and only letting customers pre-order the device in-store.”

The looming launch of iPhone 5 isn’t preventing consumers from buying the iPhone 4, which was still the best-selling phone in the U.S. for both Verizon and AT&T in August, ZDNet reports.

“Most companies have to worry about upcoming models cannibalizing sales of existing ones, but not Apple. The next generation iPhone, presumably the iPhone 5, is expected to be launched in October, so logic would dictate smart-phone buyers might wait on the new one. That’s not the case as the iPhone 4 is still outpacing other smart-phones at the two big carriers.”

A new report projects that Apple will ship more than 86 million iPhones worldwide in 2011 surpass Nokia as the global leader in smart-phone sales.

“Apple’s smart-phone shipments are projected to top 86.4 million units in 2011, up 82 percent from 47.5 million units in 2010,” Digitimes Research reports. “In contrast, Nokia’s smart-phone shipments in 2011 will decline to 74.4 million units from over 100 million in 2010.”

[Thanks: http://www.deseretnews.com]

The rumblings of a Sprint iPhone 5 have been growing louder as we’ve marched toward the device’s rumored October arrival, and today we’ve got more evidence to support the claims that Hesse and Co. may soon be landing Apple’s upcoming smartphone.

A Best Buy document sent over to BGR shows that the retailer is expecting the iPhone 5 to come to Sprint and that the new handset could be launching in the first week of October. Additionally, it sounds like Best Buy may be planning to begin taking pre-orders for the iPhone 5 as soon as this week. The leaked doc also notes that, as usual, launch dates and product intros are always subject to change.

Keeping up with the iPhone 5 rumors, a separate Best Buy leak shows that the retailer has an “Apple Fixture Installation” scheduled for Friday, October 21st, and that managers will need to be at their stores at 6AM on that date. The source of this image says that it’s not normal for a Best Buy manager to come in until 7 AM and that a similar scheduling was made when the iPhone 4 launched last year. Best Buy Mobile managers are also prepping for a meeting on October 10th to “discuss upcoming BIG release dates,” claims the tipster.

So there are a couple of new potential iPhone 5 release dates to pencil in on your calendar. The rumor that the iPhone 5 will be launching in the first week of October lines up with previous claims that the device could be arriving early next month, although a recent report from the Wall Street Journal alleged that the new iPhone (including a Sprint version) is due in mid-October.
Right now it looks like the iPhone 5 release date waters are still a bit murky, but we’ll be sure to pass along more info when we get it to try and clear things up a bit.

[Thanks: http://www.phonedog.com]

Enough already; when will the games stop and the tech drama delays that has the public at bay stop — like really stop (Motorola Droid Bionic music playing in the background)?

The answer to that has a lot to do with Apple’s CEO and a so-called date circled on his calendar. Who knew humans even still used wall or desk calendars?

Anyway, it goes that Tim Cook circled a day on his calendar that signals the drop-dead iPhone 5 release date. Holy internal leak Batman!

And according to Matt Clark, a gadget stolen from a bar (no police reports) has many people perplexed — because it reeks of a scandal, leak, or repeat of the pre-iPhone 4 launch.

But Beatweek says the public’s ability to see through the fiasco effectively makes the prototype police hype vanish. Given time, things usually always work out to squelch rumors that just don’t sit right.

Listen, an Apple iPhone 5 release date is coming. The hype about a lost special phone only in the hands of a select few only served to piqué the interest of the buying public. Mission accomplished Cook and company, or some covert operatives that just want the darn thing now.

The advice here is to settle down and ride the delay storm out; there’s a good reason for it (at least for the Steve Jobs’ company).

But it better move its buns fast; the Motorola Droid Bionic is on its way (no delay seen there), and the Samsung Galaxy SII changes the game altogether.

Still, the iPhone 5 has some nifty bells and whistles of its own. Thanks Tim Cook for giving the sign (fingers crossed).

Follow the live blog watch for the iPhone 5 release date for updates.

[Thanks: http://technology.gather.com]

While nothing has been officially confirmed, undisclosed sources have confirmed that Sprint will start selling the iPhone 5 in mid-October this year. The rumor has already given Sprint a boost in the stock market, with the share prices increasing steadily since the news was leaked.

And Sprint is apparently not the only one gearing up for an October release. A “high-level” contact at AT&T reportedly told BGR that the company’s VP has notified a handful of staff to begin preparing for the launch as the new Apple Smartphone will indeed be available from early October.

Verizon too, had confirmed in July, that they were expecting to start selling the new Apple phone in fall.

The fact that earlier this month, iPhone 5s were actually sent to carriers for testing, has further added to the crazed rumor mill. Also, keeping in mind that Apple product launches have been like clockwork in the past, with most iPhone releases being scheduled for the summer. Being October, although not exactly summer, it is extremely close to a late summer release date.

What will the new iPhone bring? Although not officially announced, with the help of several blurry camera shots and rumors that have been circulating, there are speculations that the iPhone 5 will feature a design similar to the iPhone 4 and will also feature a new bezel on the back. Not only that, it will most likely feature the A5 chip transferred over from the iPad 2 giving it more processing power than ever before.

Going by the release of any other iPhone, companies expect the launch to extremely hectic. Considering how crazed people get when they hear the phrase “new iPhone” and “release” in the same sentence, they have sufficient cause for concern.

[Thanks: http://localizedusa.com]