AL 13 sounds like a character from a Star Wars movie, but it is in fact the latest iPhone 5 case offered by designed by m, and I have had the pleasure of reviewing this bumper over the last couple of weeks. Born from a Kickstarter project, this original case was an instant hit and surpassed the initial $20 000 target by over 400%!

A lot can be said about the way a product is packaged and about how much thought and care has been put into it. It would have been very easy for the manufacturers to pop the AL 13 into a cardboard sleeve or a plastic box but instead they opted for something that reflected the precision that has been crafted into the case itself.

The AL 13 arrives in a secure and robust metal box that incorporates a sliding lid, which is in keeping with the bumper you will find carefully mounted inside. When so much effort and work has been put into the packaging you know the manufacturer really cares about their product and can only hope for good things inside.

The AL 13 has been designed to offer maximum protection to your iPhone without detracting away from looks and size of the phone. Many cases available on the market today are cumbersome and bulky and when fitted, hide away the gorgeous aesthetics of the iPhone 5 but the AL 13 has been designed to take nothing away from the phones own personality.

When fitted it is extremely minimalist and hardly noticeable both in terms of size and weight and also in looks.

Made from AeroSpace Aluminum the AL 13 weighs an incredibly light 14 grams and when held for the first time feels so much lighter than it looks like it should. The case is available in 5 anodized colored finishes, Red, Blue, Silver, Slate Black and Gunmetal Grey, and after some lengthy discussions we agreed the one we have been reviewing is the Gunmetal Grey version. My eagle-eyed daughter spotting the lettering GM next to the barcode on the sleeve then confirmed this!

So many other cases we have seen over the years have involved bending, twisting or snapping into place and sometimes even the use of specialised tools to enable fitment, but in the case of the AL 13 it really is delightfully simple.

After unsnapping, the back of the case glides downwards and off the body of the cover, you simply fit the case over your iPhone and slide the rear of the cover back into place. The process is quick and effortlessly easy and in keeping with the stylish box the cover arrived in.

The rear-sliding panel reassuringly clips into place and the phone is securely held tightly within the case, with no chance of the cover accidently being opened whilst in daily use.

With the AL 13 fitted the overall difference in size to the iPhone 5 is negligible and access to all ports and buttons is unimpaired. The design of the bumper means the raised edges keep the screen away from direct contact with any surfaces it is placed on.

The inside of the AL 13 is also lined with an anti-scuff rubber lining that prevents the gloss finish of the iPhone from being scratched. Whilst this lining will offer slight protection if the phone was dropped, there is no separate shock absorbing liner and I certainly would not recommend this case for use by people in the manual labor market. Also included are a film protector for the back of the phone and an anti-fingerprint, anti-glare, high impact screen protector.

As with any metal casing there is a possibility for signal loss although the AL 13 team have run significant tests on this and claim the AL 13 has a signal loss of up to 10% compared to most other metal cases, which have a loss of 20% or more. I have to be honest; during the time I have spent with the case I have had no calls drop out or any issues with signal problems.

Overall the AL 13 is a sleek looking, intelligently designed case and offers ample everyday protection whilst complementing the iPhones’ original design. It is refreshing to use a cover that feels a part of the phone itself and doesn’t snag or get caught in the pocket when grabbing the phone to take a call. It won’t suit everyone as the level of protection offered simply won’t be enough for many, but if you are someone looking for a minimalist and ultra cool lightweight case, this has to be worth considering.

These AeroSpace Aluminum cases are available at $79.99 and to buy or for more information check out the designed by m site here. Currently the Silver, Red and Blue cases are on back order but will be shipped by May 29th 2013.

Further pictures of the Gun Metal AL 13 we have been reviewing can been seen below.

Over the last couple of weeks we have managed to get hands-on with a number of Cygnett iPhone 5 cases, the models we tested included a range of designs and colors. On this page you will see several photos of each model and a little about that design with its main features, and while some of the designs weren’t to our taste it is fair to say there’s something for everyone.

All the Cygnett iPhone 5 cases on this page are snap-on, so they fit pretty easy and we had no problems during our test.

WorkMate Shock-Absorbing Case – Reminiscent of a Star Wars stormtrooper suit the Cygnett Workmate case is built to withstand an intergalactic attack. Without being bulky and cumbersome this sleeve offers protection with its dual material construction comprising of an impact resistant silicone inner, shrouded by a heavy-duty shell.

When fitted this figure hugging case leaves all ports accessible and the rubber moulding protects every button, enabling easy use at all times. We have been reviewing the white WorkMate as featured in our pictures but this case is also available in green or grey, retailing at £19.95

After a couple of days of using the WorkMate case, I have to report that whilst offering a satisfying amount of protection there is minimal compromise in terms of overall size of the phone and is easy to get in and out of the pocket.

An interesting video showing the designers at Cygnett performing drop tests on the iPhone 5 with or without WorkMate protection can be seen here.

More photos of WorkMate Shock-Absorbing Case

UrbanShield Aluminium Case – With its precision-engineered brushed aluminium back the UrbanShield cover oozes sophistication whilst offering ample protection from day to day bumps and scratches. Extremely slim fitting the UrbanShield feels great in the palm of your hand with its silky rubber side panels.

The UrbanShield is incredibly slim and snaps securely around the phone enhancing the already lustrous appearance of the iPhone. This cover would look great in the office environment but would look just as stylish on an evening out socialising. Cygnett offer the UrbanShield in silver or black for £19.95 and a gorgeous looking carbon fiber case for £24.95.

More photos of the UrbanShield Aluminium Case

Vector 3D Tough Case – The Vector 3D with its rubber construction and raised edges has been designed for use within the urban environment and features an angular design on the back. The designers have modelled this particular case with a chiselled angular pattern that was inspired by city life.

The inspired design of the case ensures a good grip on the phone but also allows the phone to be slid in and out of a pocket with ease. All ports remain exposed for simple connection and the volume and on/off buttons are protected by the moulded case.

Available in purple as seen in our pictures or also in a combined gloss and matt black design, these cases retail for £14.95 including free shipping.

More photos of the Cygnett Vector 3D Tough Case

Tats Cru & NYC Mural Kings Case – The Tats Cru are world renowned graffiti artists from the Bronx who have been commissioned to add a touch of street art to this Icon case. The bright colours and entwined sharp lettering look as though they have come straight from the side of a NY subway train.

The case snaps securely to the iPhone 5 and whilst allowing easy access to all buttons and ports, offers protection to the rear of the phone and the raised sides protect the screen from scratches.

Available form Cygnett for £19.95 including free shipping, this case will get you noticed and will exude cool everywhere you go.

More photos of the Tats Cru & NYC Mural Kings Case

Apollo Hybrid Case – Available in black or blue, the Apollo case is an anti scratch and fingerprint proof casing that snaps securely to the phone and offers all round assured protection. Raised edges ensure the screen is protected when the phone is put down, and the case offers some shock absorbency through its grooved design to the interior.

Cygnett retail the phone for £19.95 direct from their website and as with all the cases includes free shipping.

More photos of the Apollo Hybrid case for iPhone 5

As well as free shipping all of the featured cases also include a free screen protector and microfiber cloth and are available direct from Cygnett. Below you will find a couple more images showing all the cases we have been taking a look at.

Feel free to let us know which one you would choose? If you love the Kate Spade brand and own an iPhone 5, then you might want to visit our earlier article that takes a look at some of the latest cases.

For those disco divas or old school B-Boys looking for a new case for their iPhone 5, the latest offering from Tomko Empire, The iEqualizer could be just the cover they have been yearning for. This unique case features a built in graphic equalizer on the rear that reacts in real time to the sound. Whilst not strictly a true graphic equalizer, the graphics certainly give the impression they are representative of the sounds emerging from the handset or in time with the users speech.

Powered by two readily available CR2032 batteries, the iEqualizer will crucially not suck any life from the iPhones internal battery and these can be bought for under $5 a pair. The case snaps tightly and securely around the iPhone, offering ample protection, still allowing access to the phones existing buttons and jack ports.

Unfortunately the iEqualizer when fitted will increase the thickness of the iPhone considerably (nearly twice as much) and the on/off switch along with the controls for the equalizer are built clumsily into a chunk of plastic that sticks randomly out from the top like a Lego brick. This detracts a little from the covers overall look, I am left wondering why these internals were not compressed into a housing the same width as the cover?

There is no doubt about it, this case certainly lifts the spirits when you see the multicolored graphics dancing away whilst in operation and particularly comes to life in the dark. The case is available in 5 different colors including black, blue, yellow, pink and red and retails for around $30 and is available from Strapya World.

A video showing the iEqualizer in operation can be seen below.

New information on the device seems to be appearing every day and after recently informing you about the next iPhone going into production, we can tell you that yet more alleged components have been leaked. So far we have seen countless pictures of the rumored back casing of the device suggesting that aluminum materials will be used.

Now though, a new picture of the alleged front casing for the iPhone 5 has appeared and it again backs up previous rumors suggesting that Apple has opted to move the Facetime camera position to the center of the device, rather than the left side where it is featured on the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S.

The picture has been obtained by Apple.pro, the same Taiwanese site that you may be familiar with for leaking other Apple components in the past. Aside from the new position for the Facetime camera, we also see the larger display screen compared with the current size and it is clear that the new model definitely has a bigger height, whilst maintaining the same width as the iPhone 4/4S.

Other than that, there doesn’t appear to be any other major changes to the front panel for the iPhone 5. Many were hoping to see an edge-to-edge display for the next-generation iPhone, but we have a feeling that many consumers will still be happy with the new and improved taller display.

How many more component leaks are we going to see before Apple has to come out and announce the device officially? If the iPhone 5 takes preference for you over the likes of the Galaxy S3 and the Galaxy Note 2, let us know your impressions of the device so far, based on all of the rumored specs and design information.

It has been reported that the online retail giant is preparing a smartphone that will carry the same blueprint that has made their $199 Kindle Fire tablet such a success – effectively prompting the new Google Nexus 7 to enter at the exact same price point.

Details are obviously very thin at the moment, but an article by Bloomberg claims that the Amazon smartphone is a reality and it’s coming to put a dampener on Apple and Google’s smartphone domination plans. There’s no indication when the device will be out, but iPhone component suppliers Foxconn are apparently helping to build the device and you can assume that it will run another customized version of Google Android like the Kindle Fire.

We don’t expect the Amazon phone to feature the most impressive of hardware specs, but we imagine that Amazon’s focus will be trying to divert attention away from the likes of the iPhone 5 and Galaxy S3 by providing a multimedia package that is value for money.

Will we see the same price $199 price point for the device off contract we wonder? If so, that will certainly be very appealing for those that just want to pick up a new smartphone in the market at the cheapest price, as not everyone are interested in dazzling hardware specs.

Having seen what they have managed to achieve in the tablet space though, an Amazon phone already sounds very promising. Let us know your initial thoughts on this and whether a device from Amazon really has the ability to damage Apple and Google Android sales.

We’re not joking either. Although it is likely that Apple will take to the stage at a special event during Fall this year, the iPhone 5 remains the subject of rumor and speculation. One store in China isn’t taking any chances though it seems, as eager shoppers in China can now pre-order the device, allbeit based on rumored specifications.

An image of the advertisement from the store has popped up on Chinese website Sohu, but unfortunately the details I’ve translated from Chinese doesn’t appear to offer the information we’re after. For example, there’s no pre-order price attached to the poster, or the actual name of the Chinese store that is taking pre-orders on the iPhone 5.

Also, there’s no details on where this store is located, ie. whether it is based in Shenzhen or further into mainland China, so pretty disappointing in all. Still though, can you believe the audacity that this store is going to in order to beat off competition from rival stores?

There’s also the very possibility that this store somehow knows that the iPhone 5 is definitely coming in October. Given the crazed nature of shoppers in the country, we can guarantee that a handful of consumers have already thrown their Chinese Yuan at the store in order to reserve their device on the waiting list.

What happens if we don’t see an iPhone in the Fall? Does the store have a professional way of refunding all of the customers in a civilized manner? We say civilized as the type of queues and even fighting we’ve seen in previous iPhone launches was anything but civilized, so the store is certainly taking a big risk in a way.

What do you make of this? Do you think we’ll see any US-based stores following suit, or is this crazy idea staying exclusive to shoppers in China we wonder. For those asking, the image above is taken from the poster in question, but actually uses the iPhone 4/4S, not some early model of the iPhone 5.

If we were to believe all of the constant rumors, a new iPhone is coming and one that carries a display screen bigger than the one seen on the iPhone 4S. A processor upgrade is finally expected as well and although it is likely that we’ll see Apple use a quad-core processor for their next iPhone, it may not be the A6 chip that many of you thought.

Instead, fresh reports this week are suggesting that Apple may even be planning to use Samsung’s own quad-core Exynos processor in the iPhone 5, the very same chip that powers devices such as the international Galaxy S3. With all the bad blood swirling around at the moment due to patent battles between the two giants, would it be a major surprise if Apple then turns to Samsung to supply a key component for the device that is likely going to result in a loss of Galaxy S3 sales?

After Apple has successfully managed to ban the Galaxy Nexus in the US, you would have thought that Samsung wouldn’t want to help Apple in the slightest. But as we’ve seen in the past, Samsung has shown that their trade as a component supplier doesn’t have any bearing on current events so don’t be surprised if this becomes a reality.

If Digitimes is right and Apple are using a quad-core Samsung chip for the iPhone 5, then what fate will come of the elusive A6 chip? Perhaps Apple will introduce that with their rumored 7-inch iPad which will go head to head with Google’s recently announced Nexus 7 tablet.

Would you be surprised if Apple opted for the Exynos chip, instead of an Apple built processor like the A6?

If you tuned into a live blog, there’s a good chance that you will remember the portion about Siri support being integrated into cars with the use of a physical button. During the event, Apple showed an image of how this will work, and some whispers have begun online that the iPhone seen in the picture could be the next iPhone.

The reasons behind this, is that it appears to the eye that this is a ‘taller’ iPhone than the iPhone 4S, but in reality it is probably just a stretched out iPhone 4S which isn’t proportion. We would find it very hard to believe that Apple would deliberately plant their next-generation iPhone into an image just like that, but if they have then consider us impressed.

If you see the image above, you’ll may also question why the FaceTime camera is still in the same position. This is due to continued rumors suggesting that Apple will switch the FaceTime camera to the top center of the front casing. We also find it very hard to believe that Apple would waste so much white space at the bottom of the device as seen in the image, so again that is another reason why we think this image has just been stretched out.

What are your thoughts on this? Has Apple planted the mother of all easter eggs at WWDC 2012, or did they just photoshop an iPhone 4S and stretch it out a bit for illustration purposes?

The iPhone 5 is said to be coming later on this year and as speculation all year round has suggested, it looks like we may be treated to a new larger display screen bigger than 3.5-inches. A lot of people have been waiting for a 4-inch iPhone to match the vast collection of 4.xx Android devices that are available and now it looks like Apple may be willing to deliver.

Further strength behind this claim can be seen in the source of the story, as Bloomberg are the ones to make this public knowledge. As you are probably aware with previous Apple rumors, Bloomberg reports are usually pretty accurate so we don’t blame you if you are now starting to get excited.

Aside from a possible 4-inch display, we’re hearing that Apple are also planning to redesign their iPhone for its sixth generation appearance, with even the man himself Steve Jobs thought to have been a key part of the redesign process. Again this would be a big surprise for many consumers, who have grown used to seeing the current design for the iPhone 4 and then repeated for the 4S. Having said that, a redesign is definitely on the cards since a new design happened for the iPhone 4 after having the same curved design for the iPhone 3G and 3GS.

One interesting thing to note though – Is a redesign coming purely because it falls in line with Apple’s release process, or is a redesign coming simply to compete with 4-inch Android devices? If the next iPhone is a certain purchase for you later on this year, let us know your thoughts on a bigger screen and a brand new design. Will you be sad to see the end of the iPhone 4 form factor, or happy that change appears to be on the way?

If you’re an iPhone 4S owner – your idea of the perfect 6th generation release date would be different to those who skipped the 4S, which means there are those that want a launch at WWDC 2012, and there are others that state “no sooner than October this year“. Personally I’ve upgraded the iPhone every year for 5 generations, and the last two models have had faults from release – battery and signal – but we still plan to buy the so-called iPhone 5 as long as it’s a major upgrade.

What does the iPhone 5 need to offer to be classed as a major upgrade? New iPhone display rumors point towards an OLED, which matches up with Apple’s focus on making the screen a top priority on iPhones and iPads. It’s well known that an OLED display can help battery life and give a much brighter screen, and requires less space considering how thin they are, but concerns are raised when looking to see if Samsung could handle the demand Apple would want for their millions of iPad and iPhone owners. You can read more about Samsung’s plans for its new display business here, and if you want to learn the differences between LCD and OLED you can do so on Samsung’s blog here.

We’re likely to see the iPhone 5 display changed in other ways as well, which includes making it bigger in a way that only increases the form factor slightly. Not all iPhone owners want a bigger phone and some of these people point to no Android phone being able to sell anywhere near as many iPhones, which kills the idea of wanting to compete with bigger screened Android phones. The balance of a bigger iPhone display and a device not much bigger than the 4S model can be attained, and this would be done with using edge-to-edge display technology mixed with a few other improvements,

Apple is known for listening to its users and also for not designing iOS devices around competitors, especially because Apple like to take technology and package it in their own unique way, which is one of the reasons the brand is so successful. With this in mind – as an iPhone owner – I also hope the bigger display comes with a slightly bigger form factor, although we’d love to know if you’re happy for the current iPhone design to change?

We can also expect to see LTE on the new iPhone; especially considering the new iPad 3 has this feature. More megapixels and raw processing power are also expected with a better GPU for gaming, and that will also help the bigger display provide a better mobile gaming experience.

When do you want the next iPhone to release and do you have “dealbreaker” features that need to be included? You might also want to read about iPhone display priority over a quad-core chip, and watch out for those dodgy iPhone 5 tester videos on YouTube.