Speculation Archive

  • Microsoft, News Corp in talks over Xbox Live channel (but it’ll cost you $1 or $2 extra)

    Microsoft, News Corp in talks over Xbox Live channel (but it’ll cost you $1 or $2 extra)

    Would you be willing to pay an extra dollar or two per month for Xbox Live if you were able to watch live TV on it? That's what Microsoft and News Corp. execs are currently contemplating, with the two companies in talks over bringing a "young, male" channel to XBL. Now, this is all rumor and speculation, so no need to freak out if you're diametrically opposed to the idea.

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  • For the Nintendo 3DS? Sharp’s unveils glasses-free 3D touchscreen [Update: Video]

    For the Nintendo 3DS? Sharp’s unveils glasses-free 3D touchscreen [Update: Video]

    Glasses-free 3D displays for mobile devices are nothing new. Hitachi, for example, started selling a 3D-enabled handset [JP] in Japan as early as last year. The Hitachi product didn't make much of a splash, but Sharp's new parallax barrier-based 3D display for mobile devices (which the company announced today) appears to be pretty cool.

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  • The Zune 64GB leaks right on cue

    The Zune 64GB leaks right on cue

    The Zune HD has seen modest price drops the last few weeks with the Zune HD 32 now available at the ever important $199 price point. With a lite dose of speculation, it now all makes sense seeing as there is clearly a Zune HD 64 launching in the near future.

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  • Ballmer hints that new Xbox styles may be coming

    Ballmer hints that new Xbox styles may be coming

    And lo, from the Ballmer came the words, and the words were about the Xbox, and they did ponder the words as to what they meant. And then the idle speculation started, and people started posting stuff on the internet, and it just got silly. But judging from (and speculating from) some comments that Ballmer said at a recent UW speech, there's a pretty good chance that there may be some new kinds of Xboxen coming to your television.

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  • Get Nicholas’s take on the iPad’s over on CNN.com — seriously, CNN

    Get Nicholas’s take on the iPad’s over on CNN.com — seriously, CNN

    New York (CNN) — We were right all along. It’s called the Apple iPad, and it’s a smallish, $499 computer (for the entry-level model, that is) that can best be described as a big iPhone or iPod touch. It will be available in 60 days. Apple Inc.’s Steve Jobs made the announcement today in San Francisco, [...]

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  • Latest confirmed Apple Tablet news: There will be no solar panels

    Latest confirmed Apple Tablet news: There will be no solar panels

    There’s been some minor speculation that the Apple Tablet will be one of the greenest devices on the market. Why? Because after a patent surfaced describing an iPod with a solar panel on the front, there were some rumors suggesting that this patent would become active in the tablet, perhaps in the form of a [...]

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  • Purported Google Chrome OS netbook specs don’t quite add up

    Purported Google Chrome OS netbook specs don’t quite add up

    A handful of sites are linking to a post on NetbookNews.de, which links to a post on a UK-based site called IBTimes titled Google Chrome OS-based netbook tech specs are out. It seems fishy and the site doesn’t get a lot of traffic in the first place but if the post ends up being credible, I apologize.

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  • The Google Phone: what we know… and what we don’t (updated)

    The Google Phone: what we know… and what we don’t (updated)

    digg_url = 'http://digg.com/gadgets/The_Google_Phone_everything_you_need_to_know_so_far'; There's been an immense amount of crosstalk, speculation, and just plain noise over the past 48 hours about a device allegedly called the Nexus One, or as it's more commonly known: the Google Phone. We've heard all sorts of reports about the HTC-made device, and figured it might be helpful to put together a little roundup about what we know -- and don't -- on one of the potentially more exciting devices we've seen recently. Read on for an exploration of what this device could mean, as well as a little editorial perspective on some of those "confirmed" stories of the day!

    Continue reading The Google Phone: what we know... and what we don't (updated)

    The Google Phone: what we know... and what we don't (updated) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 13 Dec 2009 18:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  • Google employees given HTC-made Google Phones, January launch imminent?

    Google employees given HTC-made Google Phones, January launch imminent?

    TechCrunch was certain that rumors of a pending honest-to-goodness Google Phone were the real deal, and now according to the site, Google employees are already tweeting with the devices in hand. If you believe what you see on Twitter, Google drones were given the HTC-designed handsets at an all-hands staff event, and the phone is quite a looker. One tweet reads "ZOMG we had fireworks and we all got the new Google phone. It's beautiful." while another says the phone is "Like an iPhone on beautifying steroids." One other, non-Google user on Twitter who's seen the device says that the device is a bit thinner than the iPhone, has a trackball (a la Hero), and has no physical keyboard... which sounds like the Bravo / Passion we've seen a lot of lately (and we hear is coming to the US soon). Apparently the device is running Android 2.1, is unlocked and AT&T-ready (no word on 3G status, but this could line up with our speculation about this being the carrier's first Android phone), and will be due sometime in January. We're guessing if that last bit is true, it will coincide with a CES announcement, but anything could happen at this point. If the device is out in the wild in such a big way, an end of the year press release wouldn't shock us either; of course, it's entirely possible that this is going to end up becoming the Android Dev Phone 1's true successor or an elaborate prank on Google's part in response to the rumors that have been building steam over the past couple weeks (they're crafty and they have a sense of humor -- it could happen). Anyhow, check out one of the tweet-tears after the break, and stay tuned for more info!

    Update: Google all but confirms that devices are floating around on campus in a post on its blog:
    We recently came up with the concept of a mobile lab, which is a device that combines innovative hardware from a partner with software that runs on Android to experiment with new mobile features and capabilities, and we shared this device with Google employees across the globe. This means they get to test out a new technology and help improve it.
    Not only that, but TechCrunch has more details on the device, claiming it will be a Google controlled, HTC-built model actually dubbed the "Google Phone," and will feature a "super high resolution OLED display," a Snapdragon CPU, a mic on the back of the phone that helps to eliminate background noise, is "really, really fast," and most importantly, will be sold unlocked. Essentially, TC claims that the phone will function on any GSM network you throw at it -- we assume that means an extremely rare pairing of both T-Mobile and AT&T 3G bands in the radio. Of course right now this is all speculation and hearsay -- until we get some solid facts (and maybe a device or two on camera), don't pull out the credit card just yet.

    Continue reading Google employees given HTC-made Google Phones, January launch imminent?

    Google employees given HTC-made Google Phones, January launch imminent? originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 12 Dec 2009 10:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  • Oh boy: World of Warcraft Patch 3.3 goes live today

    Oh boy: World of Warcraft Patch 3.3 goes live today

    Tuesdays usually stink for World of Warcraft. The servers go down early in the morning for maintenance, and then stay down well after the scheduled time more often than you'd care to see. Today doesn't stink, since Patch 3.3 is indeed dropping. I cannot wait to leave the terribly fancy TC/CG office, get home, fire up the game, then PUG till the sun comes up.

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  • Dell Mini 3i OPhone detailed ahead of this week’s China Mobile launch

    Dell Mini 3i OPhone detailed ahead of this week’s China Mobile launch

    After so much speculation and rumor, it's hard to believe that Dell's first modern cellphone is ready to launch. And while we've already seen the official press release announcing the Mini 3 for Brazil and China, today we get a followup release with a bit more detail. As expected, the Chinese Mini 3i variant is quadband GSM/EDGE only (no 3G) and packs a 3.5-inch nHD, 640x360 touchscreen display just like that found on Nokia's N97. The 58.35 x 122 x 11.7-mm OPhone will ship in "Red Passion" and "Oiled Bronze" colors packing Bluetooth, a 3 megapixel auto-focus camera with flash and video capture mode, microSD slot, and GPS with pre-loaded maps. And in case you're wondering why China first, that's easy: Dell's going after China Mobile's 500 million subscriber base when its first handset hits authorized stores later this week.

    Dell Mini 3i OPhone detailed ahead of this week's China Mobile launch originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 Nov 2009 02:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  • Tesla Motors preparing to go public “soon”

    Tesla Motors preparing to go public “soon”

    Tesla Motors is planning an IPO soon according to a Reuter's report. However at this point it's still not clear when that will be although the company had previously stated it won't happen in 2009. In fact, this rumor has been around for sometime, but in case you didn't notice, the stock market wasn't doing that well until recently. Tesla has been ramping up development of its all-electric Model S sports sedan and building selling Tesla Roadsters as quick as they can make 'em. Of course the $597.5 million in funding that the company raised this year probably helps.

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  • Bioshock 2 coming in a special edition

    Bioshock 2 coming in a special edition

    So it’s official: there will be a Bioshock 2 special edition. With the upcoming release of Bioshock 2 there’s been much speculation and guesswork about if there would be a special edition, and more importantly, what would be in it. Well, the wait is over. The official announcement came out today on The Cult of Rapture. [...]

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  • Rumor: Touchscreen BlackBerry slider in the pipeline?

    Rumor: Touchscreen BlackBerry slider in the pipeline?

    blackberrytouchpatent Yay, rumors! Today's fun rumor comes courtesy of one Mr. Shaw Wu, a Kaufman Bros. analyst, who believes (thanks to his sources in the supply chain) that a BlackBerry 9900 has not only hit the prototype phase, but also features an entirely new form factor for RIM - a touchscreen slider.

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  • Google Chrome OS To Launch Within A Week

    Google Chrome OS To Launch Within A Week

    Google's Chrome OS project, first announced in July, will become available for download within a week, we've heard from a reliable source. Google previously said to expect an early version of the OS in the fall. What can we expect? Driver support will likely be a weak point. We've heard at various times that Google has a legion of engineers working on the not so glamorous task of building hardware drivers. And we've also heard conflicting rumors that Google is mostly relying on hardware manufacturers to create those drivers. Whatever the truth, and it's likely in between, having a robust set of functioning drivers is extremely important to Chrome OS's success. People will want to download this to whatever computer they use and have it just work. We expect Google will be careful with messaging around the launch, and endorse a small set of devices for installation. EEE PC netbooks, for example, may be one set of devices that Google will say are ready to use Chrome OS. There will likely be others as well, but don't expect to be able to install it on whatever laptop or desktop machine you have from day one. Google has previously said they are working with Acer, Adobe, ASUS, Freescale, Hewlett-Packard, Lenovo, Qualcomm, Texas Instruments, and Toshiba on the project. We've seen convincing and not so convincing screenshots of Chrome OS over the last several months. The good news is the speculation is about to end, and you can try it out yourself. If you have one of the supported devices, that is.

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