You've probably heard by now that the infamous Zune Guy ("Microsoft Zune") was so disappointed with Microsoft that he's elected to have his ink removed in place of something more in line with his shifted priorities. In addition to the reconstructive work he's going to have, ZG claims that Microsoft actually lied to him about his free trip to the Redmond campus, which (as you might imagine) further tarnishes his image of the company. Unfortunately, according to reps from Microsoft we spoke with, the trip was never confirmed -- only discussed -- and ultimately canceled due to the very reasonable fear that it might lead a lot of "hyper-engaged users" to expect a trip of their own (though they did hook our man up with a free Zune and some related swag). What you probably haven't heard (or seen) is his sprawling video rant, in which he accuses the big M of dropping the ball on his favorite PMP before going on a general rage-bender. We've included the video after the break (careful moms, it's full of expletives), as well as link to a zunescene forum where the Zune Guy reveals he's just purchased a new PMP... an iPod.

[Thanks to everyone who sent these in]

Read - Something else I have been hiding....
Read - Bought my new PMP today....

We've caught a few glimpses of Fujitsu's Lifebook U2010 in the past, but now we've got a whole handful of new shots of the crazy-versatile device, plus some fresh video and actual, honest-to-goodness specs. According to a Vietnamese forum, the miniature laptop / tablet will feature an Intel Atom CPU (at 1.6GHz or 1.8GHz), a 5.6-inch 1024 x 768 display, an 80GB hard drive, 1GB of RAM, a 3G radio, GPS, WiFi, Bluetooth, and will weigh 680 grams (about 1.5 lbs). No word on a street date or regions for the device right now, but the price is said to clock in around a hefty $1300.

[Thanks, Aki]

In a somewhat unsurprising move, the FCC has approved the merger of Sirius and XM after protracted -- and incredibly boring -- multi-year negotiations. The Federal Communication Commission decided tonight to allow a deal that will bring the two satellite radio providers together, creating a combined subscriber base of roughly 18 million users. The deal isn't without catches, however, with the Commission stating that the companies must cap prices for three years following the merger, allow subscriber choice on content, and lower fees for channel packages. FCC head Kevin Martin seemed pleased with the final outcome, stating, "Consumers will get to enjoy the best of the programming on both services." You know who wasn't so stoked? Clear Channel.

Hey, remember that teeny-tiny Fujitsu Siemens Amilo Mini we spied a few weeks ago? You do? Good, because we've just discovered video of the as-yet-unreleased device in action. According to the source, the device will be officially revealed at IFA this year, and will be priced around €300 to €400 ($475 to $634). It won't blow your mind, but if you've been hoping to see a short, quickly moving fly-by of an extremely diminutive laptop, here's your chance. Enjoy!

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VOIP provider Vonage is doing a bit of reshuffling at the top, while putting the finishing touches on a $215 million infusion of cash from Silver Point Finance LLC. Dry enough? Perhaps, but we're sure Jeffery Citron, CEO and current interim chief executive of the recently embattled company will be pleased to get the helping hand. Citron is currently preparing for a swap of duties as well, taking a step back from the day-to-day -- which will probably provide a welcome respite from the flurry of legal hits the provider has taken. Enjoy your vacation, Jeff.

According to the oracle-like superbrains at J. Gold Associates, Google's Android OS and Nokia's Symbian will "combine to provide a single open source OS," sometime in the very near future... say, three to six months. Sure, Android is just about to launch on devices in late 2008, and Nokia just announced in June that it will be moving Symbian towards open source -- and of course the two companies have no formal relationship that would come close to permitting such a collaboration. Still, J. Gold assures us this is happening, stating, "A combination of the Android and Symbian efforts would be good for the industry, good for Google and good for Symbian." In related news, we understand a handful of similar mergers are in the offing: Linksys and Belkin, Red Hat and Ubuntu, Engadget and Gizmodo, and the inevitable one-two punch of Coke and Pepsi.

Update: Craziest thing, it turns out that Google, Nokia, and Symbian are all dismissing the platform merger talk as utter nonsense. And for once, we believe those trusty souls; who knows, maybe it's the complete lack of technical synergy between them?

In a move which at best could be described as unsurprising, Yahoo! has announced that it's taking its Music Store DRM license key servers offline come September 30th... and freezing customers from ever registering their music with another computer. Ever. Like a twin-sister rehash of Microsoft's PlaysForSure / MSN Music DRM debacle, this moves ensures that the only way you can take your tracks with you will be the (suggested!) technique of burning the songs to CD then ripping them back to your PC -- thus ensuring the absolute worst possible quality. Normally, we'd expect to see a massive backlash over a move like this, but given the near-insignificant nature of the Yahoo! Music Store, it may not be the firestorm Microsoft got itself into. Regardless of the outcry, this is a terrific reminder of the failure of DRM in general, and a slap in the face to the people who actually went to the trouble of buying their music in the first place.

[Via Techdirt]

Google.org, the search kingpin's philanthropic wing, has just added another notch to its eco-friendly belt with a recent (and sizable) investment in Aptera Motors -- makers of that absurdly futuristic gas-sipper we've been following. Along with ActaCell (an electric car battery maker), Aptera received a $2.75 million infusion via Google.org's RechargeIT investment program. Hopefully, some of the cash will be put to use bringing Aptera's Typ-1 vehicle to market, where its $30,000 estimated price tag and outrageous 230+ MPG fuel economy will be a welcome relief from rising fuel costs and concerns... and our lack of a fresh ride.

[Via SMASHgods; Thanks, Jason]

Not content with simply creating bizarre, high-end sports cars, Spanish automaker IFR Automotive has unveiled a steering wheel-embedded computer that can electronically alter the way in which a car performs. Dubbed the Unidrive, the touchscreen-driven device (which appears to have been in development for some time) will provide instant access to tweaking the valve timing, rev limit, ride height, ABS, and a variety of other car-nerd trivialities that only a true grease-monkey could really understand. The in-car end of the system will interact directly with chassis and engine functions, even allowing for unique states that can be tuned to individual driver's tastes. Currently the technology is poised to be employed in the company's forthcoming £75,000 (about $150,000) Aspid car -- no word on if this will make it into your next Escort. [Warning: read link is a PDF, and in Spanish]

[Via The Register]

We know it's been a whirlwind week of either: a) patiently sitting outside your local Apple store, b) losing touch with family, friends, and significant others while buried knee-deep in your new phone / firmware, or c) desperately trying to ignore the iPhone. But it's time to come up for air and take stock. We're all aware that things didn't go quite as planned with Apple's trifecta (iPhone 3G, firmware 2.0, MobileMe) launch last week, and we're just starting to see the fallout from last Friday's debacle.

The most prevalent complaint we've been hearing from users concerns ongoing issues with the phone's new firmware, which has delivered on a lot of its promises, yet is also exhibiting frustrating bugs that make us think this one needed a little more time in the oven. In particular, we've experienced -- and have been assailed with reports about -- painful lag times when typing, as well as choppy, clunky behavior while scrolling through or searching contacts, calls which can't be answered, and even outright crashes while receiving a call. Some owners have encountered repeated forced quits while trying to use the App Store, while a group of our editors vented about an SMS issue which not only grinds the phone's performance to a halt, but makes the keyboard inaccessible altogether.

When you toss in problems other users are having with email, MobileMe syncing, and assorted minor kinks (trouble rotating Safari anyone?), it seems obvious that there's cruft beneath this firmware creating hiccups in usability. Coupled with 3G reception concerns, the company's continuing struggle to get MobileMe working as advertised, and rumors that 2.0.1 is already in the works, you get the impression that everyone is looking for a little relief here... Apple and its customers alike.

So, how's your first week been?

The folks over at Maximum PC have gotten themselves a chance to go face-to-face (and tongue-to-laptop) with Voodoo's newest show-off -- the Envy 133 -- and they've shared with the rest of the world. There's not much to say based on these pictures, save that they clearly were stoked to be getting this close to the sexed-up excuse for maxing out a credit card. If you hit the read link, you'll catch a slew of pictures, some size comparisons with a MacBook Pro, and first impressions of what Voodoo's instant-on OS looks and feels like. What are you waiting for? Get!

We've been getting scattered reports that Apple's shiny new toy might not be snagging as many bars as it should for a lot of users. In our own tests, we've noticed the iPhone 3G fairing poorly in spots where other 3G devices exhibit strong signals, and the Apple support forums are alive with displeasure over what might be a widespread issue. We're curious to know what you -- the reader -- are experiencing. How's your mileage with the new phone? Let us know in the poll below.

Apparently Creative is cooking up more than just the ZEN X-Fi as of late, according to a discovery made by anythingbutipod forum members. The crew stumbled onto the ZEN Krystal, a small MP3 player that features 4GB of storage, a blue OLED display, an FM tuner, and support for MP3 and WMA files. What really makes the device pique our curiosity, however, is the included built-in pedometer, which can track distance and speed à la Nike+, as well as the handful of games that come on-board the little guy. Right now the player is only up on Creative's Hong Kong site, and we've got no word on price or release date.

[Via anythingbutipod]

HP is adding to its Pavilion Puma-based offerings with the dv7z, a 17-inch version of the AMD-centric laptops. The new model features a variety of configurations, starting with an Athlon X2 dual core CPU (1.9GHz up to 2.2GHz), up to 4GB of RAM, an ATI Radeon HD 3200 or 3450 graphics chipset, storage options from 160GB to 500GB, and a vast array of screen resolutions, optical drives, and networking add-ons. The systems start at $949.99, and are available for customization and ordering right now.

[Via Computer Monger]