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The rumors on the potential sale of Hulu started circulating again a couple of months back. Now, according to AllThingsD, Yahoo is joining other big-name companies (such as Time Warner Cable and DirecTV) in the race to try and acquire the streaming service. Per the always-insightful sources "familiar with the process," Marissa Mayer & Co. submitted a bid for Hulu just this morning, though there are no details on how much the company is willing to spend on the video site. Something tells us we'll know more soon enough, but we can say with confidence that Yahoo is starting its holiday shopping really early.

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Google has been busy pushing ahead with plans to be a wired internet provider in the US with Google Fiber, and it looks like it's intent on being a major player in the wireless network business elsewhere in the world as well. According to a report out today from The Wall Street Journal, Google is currently in the midst of a "mutipronged effort" that would "fund, build and help run wireless networks in emerging markets such as sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia."

That effort would reportedly involve partnerships with local companies, and an emphasis on delivering wireless access to residents outside major cities, where wired internet remains unavailable -- Google, and Eric Schmidt in particular, have repeatedly talked about reaching the next five billion people. According to the WSJ, Google would provide its own "recently developed wireless technologies" for at least some of the networks, some of which are said to involve TV whitespace technology. For its part, Google is remaining mum on the matter, and it's not clear when we can expect the networks to actually roll out.

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The mini PC market isn't exactly a crowded one, but it's never a bad thing to have options. Well, if you're into the idea of adding an ultra-compact to your setup, Gigabyte's just announced its highly customizable BRIX. The palm-sized PC appears to be the very same one we saw back at this year's CES, but it's now taken on a more polished, ready-to-hit-shelves look. Gigabyte's providing interested parties the ability to load this itty-bitty thing with a vast selection of Ivy Bridge chips (Core i3, i5 and i7), plus their own SSD / RAM combo and operating system of choice. Ports-wise, there are two USB 3.0 sockets, HDMI and a Mini DisplayPort -- Gigabyte notes it can power up to two displays simultaneously. Naturally, the cost depends on the specs you choose, and the company only goes as far as to say that the BRIX covers "a range" of price points.

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Foursquare is putting your check-in data to use through its new partnership with Gnip, a service that aggregates social media APIs. Gnip has similar deals with companies like Tumblr and Disqus, and it plans to provide Foursquare-sourced information to market and academic researchers. Blake Shaw, Foursquare's resident data scientist told Gnip, "I think this data can act almost like a microscope for cities." It's worth noting that this isn't the first time Foursquare's set out to share check-in data. A few months ago, the company took some flack for its data-sharing initiative allowing businesses to track their customers' activity -- despite the inclusion of an opt-out feature. This time, they're eager to clarify that the data accessible through Gnip is fully anonymized. Researchers will be able to see where and when check-ins were made, but the only user data attached will be a gender. So, Gnip will know that a female Foursquare user stopped by a specific Starbucks at 11:30AM, but that's all. Your data will remain as anonymous as it can be on a site devoted to broadcasting your every move.

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We've already seen evidence confirming the existence of Android 4.3, and we now have our first shots that appear to show the OS running on an actual device. According to a member of the xda-developers forum, the phone above was spotted at the Thailand Mobile Expo currently taking place, with the about section of the OS and its familiar easter egg clearly indicating that it's Android 4.3 -- and still going by the Jelly Bean moniker. Of the three shots provided, the only one revealing any significant changes is the camera app, which sports some retooled controls that have been shifted to the side.

Update: A video has now turned up that offers a better look at the new camera interface. Check it out after the break.

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While we like our collector's edition games, there's no question that even the better bundles are full of knick-knacks we'll use just once or twice. No one will say the same for Codemaster's GRID 2: Mono Edition, though. The UK-only bundle includes the GRID 2 racing game, a PS3 to play it on... and a very real BAC Mono supercar. Whoever buys the £125,000 ($188,700) kit will get to both pick up the 280HP single-seater as well as customize it at the BAC factory, including the racing suit for those inevitable track days. With just one instance available for GRID 2's May 31st release, the Mono Edition bundle is more of a promotional stunt than a business strategy -- but it might be the only special edition where the extras are more exciting than the game itself.

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