Gizmodo received the image above from a source who claims that it is the iPhone 4 for Verizon. Whether it is real or not, it looks damn good.

There have been credible reports of Apple engineering being aware of back glass problems that make the iPhone 4 design too fragile. So an aluminum back makes a lot of sense. There’s just no way to know if it is real or not just yet.

We never have enough battery life. That’s just a fact of life. So Energizer’s new AP1201 case for the iPhone 4 is a welcome addition to the Apple gadget family. As iPhone cases go, it actually looks pretty stylish and non-offensive.

It’s a slim, protective case of silicone rubber that charges your phone while it’s wearing it. There are two charging options, a high speed charging mode which charges the phone first, then the case. While the other option provides simultaneous pass-through charging.

According to Taiwanese component suppliers contacted by Brian White of Ticonderoga Securities, Apple is not only working on a 7-inch iPad, but one that should have a camera, Retina Display and up to 128GB of storage. Current iPads are limited to 64GB of memory. The analyst was also told that the new device should launch in the first quarter of 2011, and have a “micro or mini” USB port.

The current iPad does support USB peripherals, but only through its 30-pin dock connector, which limits people to one add-on at a time. AppleInsider notes that the port may reflect the European Union’s establishment of micro USB as a standard for mobile charging.

Verizon has announced that they are launching a special iPhone just for Verizon customers. You can expect this version of the iPhone to be out sometime in the beginning of 2011 with mass production of this device beginning by the end of 2010.

No word yet on what kind of Verizon friendly features it may have, if any, but the Wall Street Journal says that it would be based on an alternative wireless technology used by Verizon. We just want to know what the price is going to be like with a contract. If they beat AT&T’s offers, things could get competitive.

Wall Street analyst from Kaufman Brothers, Shaw Wu, recently said that sources familiar with Apple’s overseas suppliers see larger as well as smaller displays making their way to iPhones very soon. Mr. Wu says:

“We believe Apple moving to a more complete iPhone product line makes strategic sense in that its iPhone 4 addresses only the high-end of the market. We think Apple should take a page out of its iPod playbook where it has had a lot (of) success with a 3-tier strategy addressing entry-level, mid-range and high-end, making it difficult for competitors.”

About as many smartphone buyers want an Android device as want iPhones. At least according to the latest ChangeWave metric. Consumer’s plans to get an iPhone have cooled off after the iPhone 4 high in June, which is only to be expected. In September about 38 percent wanted Apple’s handset, that’s down from half three months earlier. Android interest at the same time has spiked and now has almost as much interest at 37 percent, which is an all-time high for Google.

With just a fraction of interest, the launch of the BlackBerry Torch barely had an effect. RIM only moved one point to six percent.

The newly shipping Apple TV has just undergone it’s first autopsy from iFixit, revealing the device’s hidden specs and innards. It looks like the inside of Apple TV has a lot in common with other iOS devices, including the iPhone and iPad.

There’s 8 GB of NAND flash memory on board, 256 MB of RAM (the same as iPad), the same Apple A4 processor as the iPad and iPhone, and the same Broadcom chip for Bluetooth, FM, and WiFi b/g/n capabilities. And some solder pads near the side of the logic board look like a perfect fit for an Apple dock connector.

In Japan Denon has released the RCD-N7 Apple AirPlay CD Receiver. The $599 unit looks clean and simple and will work with compatible speakers. It boasts an iPhone dock and a USB jack and can also handle audio streaming from Rhapsody, Napster, Pandora and Last.fm.

The Party Mode Plus setting lets you enjoy a five-system multi-zone setup, and Denon’s new iPod/iPhone/iPad Remote App will handle everything. The RCD-N7 will be available next month.

iHome has announced its latest speaker dock for Apple’s iPod and iPhone with the iP3. It succeeds it’s predecessor, the iP1 and uses Bongiovi Acoustics’ Digital Power Station automatic sound adjustment technology and also has a component video output for playing back videos on a connected TV.

The dock holds a 50W class D amp that drives two 3.5-inch speakers. There’s also an adjustable bass and treble controls. Composite (RCA) video is also included as well as a 3.5mm audio input to connect other audio sources to the iP3′s speakers.

The HyperMac batteries from Sanho Corporation are a popular external batterie choice for several Apple devices. Problem is, Apple doesn’t really like them. Apple has sued the company over six patents related to MagSafe and the iPod.

The company claims to use original Apple MagSafe connectors to ensure compatibility, and obviously that connector is a proprietary connector. Instead of mimicking Apple’s patented MagSafe connectors, Sanho’s products actually rely on recycled official MagSafe products made by Apple.

XtremeMac has all manner of accessories and cases for Apple gear like the iPad, iPhone, and iPod. Over the last few months, the company has been rolling out a lot of new audio docks that have some interesting features. The latest new dock from XtremeMac is the Tango TRX and the Tango TRX D.

Both of the versions have the same basic features. The both have a dock built into the main section of the device that charges while music plays. Both have Bluetooth and use 2.1 speakers inside. The speakers include a pair of tweeter, a pair of mid-range drivers, and a single downward firing subwoofer.

We’ve seen our share of battery packs for the iPhone, but this just might be the first for the Apple iPad. The Kensington PowerBack will add an extra five hours to your iPads battery life so you always have some extra juice.

It also features a built in micoUSB port for charging the battery pack and your iPad. There’s also a built in kickstand so you can use it to watch your favorite movies or surf the web comfortably.

Remember when “antennagate” turned into a big deal and Steve Jobs went out on stage and offered everyone a free case, as well as extending the normal 14-day return policy to 30-days? Good times. But, now it’s September 12th today, and the program is closing in 18 days.

While Apple is ending the overall program, which meant that owners of the iPhone 4 could get a free case, it also meant that Apple’s return policy was “upgraded” from 14-days to 30, and the traditional restocking fee of 10% was waived. But, those two features are going back to their old ways.

In order to maintain compatibility with Apple’s latest iPhone, TomTom is now including a simple adapter for all Car Kit orders going out on September 1st or later. Good news for sure.

But if you ordered one before that, you can apply for a freebie to be sent your way. It’s either that or go all DIY to create something that looks like the insert above. It’s up to you, but free is easiest.

The folks at iFixit continued their investigation of the latest round of iPods with a teardown of the fourth-generation iPod touch. They went deeper than the FCC teardown, and confirmed that the Wi-Fi antenna has been moved to the front, eliminating the need for the black plastic window on that earlier models had. It also shows that Apple is using Toshiba flash memory for the main storage on the iPod; other Apple devices usually use Samsung.

The A4 processor model number is the same one as in the iPad and confirms that it’s using 256MB of RAM. The iPhone 4 has a different label to indicate that it has 512MB. The headphone jack is removable for the first time, and there’s a gap around the battery that simplifies removal.