On Friday, a rumor broke that the next iPhone will be called the iPhone 4S and it will primarily retain the same form factor with a few minor cosmetic changes and some new interior parts.

Now today, GadgetsDNA posted a photo of a case purportedly for the iPhone 5, which shows a re-located camera flash.

Besides the camera flash, the case also shows a much thinner bezel. However as MacRumors points out, the manufacturers matching current case for the iPhone 4 also has a thin bezel, so that can’t necessarily be taken as sign that the “iPhone 5″ will have a thinner bezel. If this case is correct, its “iPhone 5″ attribution is likely nothing more than a guess or easy identifier by the manufacturer. Jeffries & Co. analyst Peter Misek claimed Friday that the fifth-generation iPhone that will debut this fall will be called the iPhone 4S.

The image of the “iPhone 5″ case showed up on Asian parts supplier site Alibaba. Other cases from manufacturers have shown up on the site purporting to be for future models of iOS devices and they have ended up being correct. Usually when a manufacturer is able to build proper cases for unannounced Apple products, they have gotten the dimensions and specs of the upcoming products from people at Asian manufacturers such as Foxconn. As always, there is no way of telling if this case represents the next iPhone Apple will launch, but it wouldn’t be the first time case manufacturers stole a bit of Apple’s thunder.

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Motorola have unveiled a possibly revolutionary bit of kit; a “laptop dock” that transforms a humble smartphone into a netbook.

Unveiled at the recent CES convention, the Atrix smartphone appears no different from any other Android device, but plugging it into the connector port on the back of the laptop dock accessory reveals its full capabilities.

Within moments a fully functional netbook desktop appears on the laptop dock’s 11.6 inch, 1384×768 pixel display, along with the homescreen of the phone in a small moveable window. Experts are proclaiming the device a huge leap forward in the field of convergence.

The laptop dock weighs only 1.1 kg, has a battery life of eight hours and is complete with two USB ports. Other Motorola handsets will not be compatible with the device.

Not content with the laptop dock, Motorola also took the opportunity to unveil the HD multimedia dock for the Atrix, which allows connectivity to any HDMI equipped monitor or television. This accessory features three USB ports and a Bluetooth keyboard, and is designed for when a netbook user wants to go supersize.

Early indications suggest that the Atrix device will be available on Orange in the UK, although no release dates or prices have been provided for any of the three bits of kit.

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Dell’s new Inspiron Duo is another one of those devices suffering from a serious identity crisis. It just cannot decide if it is a tablet or a netbook.

This in itself is nothing new, but the Duo does use some niftily innovative features to achieve its transition. The keyboard and lid frame of the device are just the same as on your standard netbook. The screen however, is mounted on a pivot within the frame, and can flip 180 degrees with startling ease.

Once the screen is locked into its opposite position, simply close the lid and – as if by magic – the device is now a tablet. The 10.1 inch screen is both touch screen and keyboard compatible.

In both its netbook and tablet positions, the screen is locked in place by a series of powerful magnets, so it always feels secure. Although adjustments can be made easily, by pushing the screen beyond the field of the magnets, at which point it swings freely into position with a minimum of effort.

Apart from these acrobatics, what does the device offer? Well, it comes with 2GB DDR3 SDRAM, Intel NM10 video card and a 7200 rpm SATA hard drive with up to 320 GB of space.

A new Intel Atom Dual Core N550 processor powers the machine, which has a battery life of just under four hours.

Purchasing the Duo will set you back around £450.

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LG took the opportunity to show off their tiny new X170 netbook at CES.

The miniature device will feature the Atom N455 processor and a 10.1 inch, 1024 x 600 pixel display as standard, but it is the optional extras that make this little guy exciting.

A dual core 1.5GHz Intel Atom N550 chip is available to those in search of a bit more muscle than that offered by the single core N455, along with a sharper 1366 x 769 pixel HD display.

Previous reports on this device – currently available only in the Far East – have spoken of its ability to sync with LG smartphones, using the new SmartPOP feature. This allows users to sync files and emails, as well SMS and view contacts via SmartPOP’s phone display on the desktop.

LG have yet to announce which phones will be compatible with this feature.

Other specifications include, 1GB of RAM, a 250GB hard drive and integrated Intel GMA 3150 graphics, standing the device in good stead ahead of its challenge on the brutally competitive netbook market. Hopefully the bright pink design, as flaunted at CES, is not a standard feature.

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Gigabyte Technology have unveiled their new netbook – the Q2005 – and revealed that it will be powered by Intel’s Atom N550.

The 1.5z GHz, dual-core N550 boosts performance to almost double the level of netbooks powered by Atom’s single-core N450. That’ll be the extra core then.

Tests also showed that, despite not markedly improving on the performance of Atom’s D510 Pine Trail processor, the N550 uses only slightly over half the power of the Pine Trail, with a power usage of 8.5W compared to the Pine Trail’s 13W.

The Q2005 will also be packing 1/2GB of DDR3 memory, GMA 150 integrated graphics and an 8-in-1 card reader. Gigabyte will also provide hard drive options up to 500 GB and an option of Bluetooth 3.0.

Prices for the device have not yet been released, but Gigabyte have released additional specifications, including 10/100 LAN, a 0.3 megapixel webcan and 802.11 b/g/n compatible WiFi.

The Q2005 will be released in a sleek black chassis and boast a 10.1 inch, 1024 x 600 LED backlit display.

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Asus’ Eee PC VX6 – a netbook inspired by the famous sports car brand – is now on sale in the UK.

The co-branded device packs a dual core Intel Atom D525 processor and an Nvidia Ion 2 graphics card, all neatly packaged inside a Lamborghini shell.

Apparently a homage to the Lamborghini Murcielago Roadster, the VX6 “epitomises the magnificence and power of the automotive star” according to its manufacturer. This may be a reference to the speedy connectivity features installed on the device, including the superfast USB 3.0 and Bluetooth 3.0.

Other features include a 12.1 inch backlit screen with 1366 x 768 pixel display, 1.3 megapixel webcam, HD video playback, and Bang & Olufsen speakers with SRS Premium surround sound.

In addition to this, the Atom D535 processor’s hyper-threading technology boosts the efficiency of the CPU’s performance, increasing battery life to six hours of constant usage. The VX6 also comes with 4GB DDR3 RAM.

The VX6 is available in black or white with both versions featuring Lamborghini’s trademark “charging bull” logo on the lid. The £499 price tag makes this purchasing the VX6 easily the cheapest way of owning a brand new Lamborghini.

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As the 2011 CES technology fair in Las Vegas looms ever closer, Acer will be putting the finishing touches on their new Acer Aspire One A0522 netbook.

The release of this device will mark the first application of processor company, AMD’s new Brazos platform. The annual tech jamboree is shaping up to be an exciting event for both companies.

The Brazo is the product of AMD’s recently developed, Fusion strategy and is a low-power platform aimed at smaller notebooks. It will be powered by AMD’s C-50 accelerated processing unit (APU) with its dual-core 1 GHz central processor.

The new Aspire will also include a 10.1 inch, 1280 x 720 pixel display, offering HDMI output.

The svelte design and diminutive statute of the attractive new model will make it ultra-portable as well as stylished. Intel may have a competitor in the 2011 netbook market if AMD’s hardware delivers all it promises.

The 2011 international CES fair is held in Las Vegas and runs from January 6th to the 9th. Registration for tickets is still available.

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Fujitsu’s new T580 tablet netbook is now available on import.

The T580 was unveiled a few weeks ago and uses an ingenious rotatable screen to flip the device between tablet and netbook.

The screen is mounted on a pivot and can be used either upright with a keyboard – like a regular netbook – or rotated and lain flat, transforming it into a tablet. Obviously, the device supports both touch screen and keyboard technology.

The device is available in two specification models and is powered by an Intel Core Processor. The higher specification model uses an i5-560UM processor 1.33 GHZ, 3MB L3 Cache with Turbo Boost up to 2.13.

Microsoft’s Windows 7 Professional 32-bit operating system runs on both models. The two models will also be equipped with 2GB DDR3 800 MHz SDRAM, 60 GB S-ATA 5400 rpm hard drive and built in web cam.

The higher specification is currently available for $1399 in the U.S, with the lower spec model weighing in at $1149.

U.K. consumers will have to shell out on import fees to get their hands on this particular piece of kit, or else wait for the T580 to drop over this side of the Atlantic.

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This was announced at a presentation for the Dual-Core Atom N550, which powers HP’s Mini 5103 netbook.

So what does this mean for the future of netbooks? The Atom’s dominance in this market could lead to app producers creating a raft of netbook-specific applications, tailored for use with the Atom processor.

The omnipresence of the Atom processor in netbooks has provided app developers with almost competition free market. These figures give developers the confidence that when they market their apps for an Atom powered device, there are 70 million of those devices to sell to.

A surge in netbook-specific apps would give the netbooks “unique selling point” over the tablet as the two machines prepare for battle in 2011.

However, the strategic importance of this selling point will depend upon the quality of the apps and the quantity of developers prepared to put their necks on the line for the netbook.

In the meantime, Intel will be hoping that the new dual-core Atom powered machines will further boost their sales in the coming months.

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The new Crux 360 ipad carry case has struck another blow to the netbook market in the run up to Christmas.

The product’s main selling point is that it solves the tablet’s keyboard problem, without sacrificing its portability. When closed, the case appears just like any other tablet case, but on opening it reveals a nifty little keyboard attachment built into one half of the case.

With the iPad slotted into the upper part of the case the device becomes a standalone netbook, using Bluetooth technology to connect the two devices. The lower part of the case can also be pushed back, past the horizontal, to form a stand for watching movies.

Apple will be hoping that this product will be just enough to sway those people who are interested in tablet devices but are unimpressed with their lack of a keyboard.

The Crux 360 is currently unavailable in Britain but the buzz created by its release means it, or something similar, is certain to surface on our shores in the near future.

Until then, the only way to get hold of the $149 piece of kit is by spending a great deal more importing it into the UK.

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