photo credit: nDevilTV

Seriously, bloggers need to stop making nonsense go viral. If we ever want to get the kind of respect that ought to come with the hard work and lousy pay (most of us do this as a fun volunteer activity), we need to stop pulling the kind of iTablet nonsense that flew today. New York Times Executive Editor Bill Keller used one word, and the internet went wild. He said…

I’m hoping we can get the newsroom more actively involved in the challenge of delivering our best journalism in the form of Times Reader, iPhone apps, WAP or the impending Apple slate or whatever comes after that.

And with that numerous blogs went wild. “OMG! he mentioned the iTablet… and he used the word IMPENDING… He MUST know something.”

Continue Reading

Here’s another chapter in the ongoing rumor saga that is the Apple Tablet.

This time Digitimes is reporting that the device will be built by Foxconn and will have a 10.6 inch screen.  Digitimes further suggests that Foxconn will ship close to 400,000 units in the first quarter of 2010.

The Digitmes source also claims the tablet device will be very “e-reader” focused instead of music.  Dan has been backing this idea for weeks, and perhaps he’s right.  (Yes Dan, I said you “may” be right.)    The device is also rumored to include long battery life, quick internet connectivity and an easy to use user interface.

There’s a rumor floating on the web via TmoNews that Android G1 and MyTouch 3G users might be getting the Android 1.6 update (aka Donut) starting as soon as today. While that timeframe seems a bit aggressive, there’s no question that a newly updated Android with less lag would be a good thing. Here’s a video to walk you through what Android 1.6 improves including a peek at the new market application in action.

TmoNews via Engadget

OK, so I am browsing the blogosphere and came across this; now Sprint is up to something else? The message boards have been burning up since this email came out early Wednesday evening. Word is Sprint is unveiling their new Unlimited Voice/data/MMS/SMS @ $70/month, but the voice is unlimited to only mobile phones….again this is only speculation, but I will update when an official release comes out. Competing carriers should hope Sprint’s Data package prices don’t go any lower.

Well, tomorrow is the day. The Apple faithful will gather to hear the latest news from Cupertino. As usual the rumors are swirling about.

There will be a tablet! There won’t be a tablet.

Steve Jobs will take the stage. Steve Jobs won’t take the stage.

The iPod Classic is dead! The iPod classic is getting a camera.

iPods with cameras are ready to go. iPods with cameras are delayed by a production glitch.
(This latest rumor has gained significant steam over the last day.)

It really is amazing the degree to which Apple can stir interest and excitement in the blogosphere by (seemingly) doing nothing.

There is, however, one thing we do know for sure… Continue Reading

As has been posted in numerous places, Snow Leopard has taken the onscreen keyboard that was previously available in OS X to new heights. It can now be resized in a manner that is perfect for… FINGERS.

How well will it work? I spent a few minutes trying to find out. The answer? Pretty well!

Tale a look for yourselves.

This is one of those rumors we can’t help but hope is true. AppleInsider is reporting that Gene Munster, senior research analyst with Piper Jaffray, is predicting Apple will add a second US carrier for the iPhone next summer. It is not a new rumor, but with the FCC stepping in on the Google Voice issue and word that Apple will NEED to add an additional carrier if they want to maintain the kind of growth they have seen; this has a new ring to it.

This would be a great thing for everyone using an iPhone, even those who would remain with AT&T. Why? Two reasons. First it would give more visibility to the business practices Apple is using while decreasing Apple’s ability to make special side-deals that ultimately cripple the device and undermine end-users. Second, competition. AT&T stinks. Right now, however, they don’t really need to woo anyone to come to them or two stay- the iPhone does that all by itself. With the iPhone on an additional carrier AT&T is going to have to work a bit harder and be a bit less arrogant than they currently are. Competition is good for consumers and right now there isn’t any.

Oh, and it would also let us happily tell AT&T to kiss-off if we wanted to. After all, as the post put it…

While customers have been extremely satisfied with Apple’s phone and have embraced it, many U.S. customers have been disappointed with the AT&T network.

Yeah.  I know what you’re thinking?  Flash and Silverlight on a BlackBerry Web Browser?!? First, there was news that RIM was working on a browser that could render a website correctly beat the iPhone.  Today, BoyGenius has reported that RIM is “planning on integrating full Flash and Microsoft Silverlight support into their BlackBerry Web Browser.”

Don’t get too excited just yet.  RIM has to begin producing devices that can handle HSPA and LTE data speed — not to mention that wireless carriers  still have to get their data network infrastructure upgraded.  So, as exciting as it could be — it’s still going to be a long, painful wait.

Via BGR

The rumor mill is filled with the prospect of the next gen iPod Touch having a camera and microphone. We’ve heard these rumors before and truly HOPE they come to pass. As a CNET post notes…

A well-connected source tells us those rumors are on the money, and that Apple’s factories in China are already manufacturing iPod Touch models with integrated cameras and microphones.

I mean, just think about the possibilities. The additional of a camera on the touch would bring the awesome imaging power those of us with an iPhone 3GS already enjoy to a much wider market. That alone would be amazing. And if, by some small chance it included a 5MP camera instead of the current 3MP on the iPhone 3GS… wow!

The possibility of a built-in microphone is even more intriguing as it would be a huge threat to the telecoms since so many of us have WiFi at work and home. Well, it would be a threat if it weren’t for two small problems.

Continue Reading

Yesterday Engadget and Joystiq reported on the possibility that Sony would reveal a PSP App Store at the upcoming GamesCon in Cologne in August. The thought is that in conjunction with the upcoming ‘download-only’ PSP Go, they would take advantage of owners being locked into the PSN Store by introducing small and cheap apps and games similar to what Apple has in the iTunes App Store.

Continue Reading

Sony apparently had big plans to launch the next iteration of the PSP at E3, which is running this week. This has been a poorly kept secret in general, with better and better rumors about their new disc-less system seemingly coming on a weekly basis in recent months. But the biggest leak of all came this weekend as the internet caught hold of an early release of the Sony-made Qore web show that was supposed to launch AFTER the big news. Instead we have confirmation of many rumors, squashing of others, and very little new info. First off, take a look at the image courtesy of Wired:

Continue Reading

When I was applying to graduate school I was given a battery of psychological tests that included the one and only time I was faced with the famous Rorschach Test. As you know the test is quite simple– look at an ink blot and tell the person doing the test what you see. Well, I took the test and they still accepted me- go figure.

Well, we have one for you today. After the jump you’ll see an image. Please share the first thing that comes to mind.

For those who prefer multiple choice we have included a few possibilities at the bottom…

Continue Reading

When you ask most techno-nuts about the possibility of an Apple Netbook with a touch-screen, they tend to look much like Lieutenant Frank Drebin from the TV show Police Squad as he frothed at the mouth while questioning a dentist. The reasons are simple and manifold – Apple has a reputation for excellent and innovative notebooks starting from the original Powerbooks in 1991, their OS X is a highly regarded operating system that has shown itself to be highly scalable, and they also have done a great job infiltrating existing markets with high quality products and making a massive impact. Continue Reading

I’ve been following the progress of the Sling Player for the iPhone since it was demonstrated in January. Recently, however, there have been rumors that it isn’t going to appear on the App Store due to objections from AT&T. So I did a little research and here’s what we know at this point:

The app was submitted to Apple for approval at the end of March and as of this writing, the app has not yet been approved or rejected, but Sling seems confident it will be approved.

These 2 things are the only FACTS at this time.

Continue Reading

The New York Times first reported that the founders of Skype, Niklas Zennstrom and Janus Friis, were meeting with potential investors in the hopes to buy back Skype from online auctioning behempoth eBay.  Now, it looks like eBay may be planning their own public offering for Skype.

Zennstrom and Friis sold Skype to eBay in 2005 for $2.6 Billion.  Since the purhase, Skype has registered over 405 million users who can conduct free calls with other Skype users — and pay pennies per minute to call non-Skype users.  Selling off Skype could be very beneficial for eBay, who could use the cash generated from a sale to fund it’s U.S. operations.