Quite honestly, there's absolutely zero proof that Intel and Microsoft are yapping it up in regard to Larrabee, but considering just how logical it sounds, we couldn't help but pass along the latest whispers surrounding the two. According to those fabled "industry insiders," The Inquirer has it that Intel is currently on bended knee asking Microsoft to integrate Larrabee into the next-generation Xbox. If it were to land such a deal, developers would -- in essence -- be forced to develop for Larrabee given the need for console titles, which could then make things all the easier for Intel on the PC side. Like we said, this is all speculatory for now, but so long as the dots continue to connect, we'll at least give this one a fighting chance at materializing.

[Via Joystiq]

We know, the little possibility that the whole deal could fall apart has been keeping you wide awake for months, but at long last, you can push aside your anxiety and hit the sack. Virgin Mobile USA announced today that it had "completed its acquisition of Helio," and all of the terms put forth on June 27th were used in the final close. Aside from garnering all the necessary regulatory approvals, Helio shareholders SK Telecom and EarthLink have received 13 million shares of Virgin Mobile USA Class A common stock, with a value of around $38 million. It's also noted that both SK Telecom and Virgin Group will each invest a cool $25 million in Virgin Mobile USA for preferred shares. And then, there was one.

Unless you've been camped out under a Rhode Island-sized boulder for the past few weeks, you know that Verizon has announced its intentions to acquire Alltel. During a recent interview with CEO Scott Ford, Talk Business host Roby Brock was able to get a few talking points out of the exec that didn't involve the most recent transaction. More specifically, Mr. Ford noted that prior to Alltel becoming a private company, it had "tried to buy Sprint three times, tried to buy AT&T Wireless [and] tried to buy T-Mobile." He continued by saying that "some of those times it went with partners, [while] some of those times it didn't." Essentially, Alltel was "doing everything it could to get to a national platform." Believe it or not, those quotes really are just the tip of the iceberg, but the full spill is entirely too detailed for this space. If you're curious to know what might have been, break out the reading glasses and hit the link below.

[Via mocoNews]

Coincidence is a funny beast, is it not? On the very same day, releases have been put out touching on both of the major navigation deals that have long since been pending. To kick things off, we've got TomTom and Tele Atlas in quite the celebratory mood, as TomTom intends for Tele Atlas' listing on Euronext Amsterdam and on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange "to be terminated as soon as legally possible." Can't blame a brother for wanting what's his, right? Moving on, we're hearing that Nokia will receive clearance from EU regulators "to buy digital map supplier NAVTEQ, as no formal charges are to be levied against the deal." It's also noted that the time for sending a statement of objections has passed, so from the outside looking in, it seems the two can at least move forward with their plans.

[Via Washington Post]

Read - TomTom / Tele Atlas deal
Read - Nokia / NAVTEQ deal

Given that $100 at Wal-mart is essentially as good as cash, we can only imagine how titillating this offer may seem for Blu-ray holdouts. Announced today, the mega-retailer will be offering a $100 gift card with the purchase of any Blu-ray player from June 8th through 14th -- and yes, Sony's PlayStation 3 is included. In case this wasn't enough to maybe-possibly get the general public to actually pay attention to the format, Wally World will also sell "select" BD titles for $15 starting on the 8th. Since the format war ended earlier this year, we've seen report after report proclaiming that Blu-ray adoption just wasn't taking off here in America, but with a theoretical net price now close to $200 (albeit for a few days only), we can certainly see the masses taking notice at long last.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

If you're having a tough time picking a storage solution, the Drobo folks may have just made your choice a lot easier. Starting today, the company is offering the first-ever bundles of its much-loved drive array with Western Digital GreenPower SATA hard drives in 2TB and 4TB configurations at a pretty deep discount. Besides knocking $50 off the price of a standalone Drobo (reducing the cost to $449), the 2TB and 4TB versions will clock in at $749 and $1075 apiece, giving you a savings of up to $528. The deals require a mail-in rebate, and you can still add any type of drive you want. Hit the read link for all the info, and for the love of all that's sacred... start backing up!

Well, what do you know? Sometimes even the most repetitive of rumors finally comes true. Barely 12 hours after the Wall Street Journal reported that a deal between Sprint, Clearwire (and just about everyone) else was dangerously close to going down, it seems as if the bottom lines have indeed been signed. Details are pretty light at the moment, but we definitively know that Sprint Nextel Corp. and Clearwire Corp. will be merging their "next-generation wireless broadband businesses to form a new wireless communications company." Quite simply, the new WiMAX-pushing outfit will be called Clearwire, even though Sprint will hold around 51-percent of the firm, while existing Clearwire shareholders will own 27-percent and the new investors will hold 22-percent. New investors? Ah yes, Intel, Google, Comcast, Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks will collectively invest $3.2 billion in the new company, but that figure is "based on a target price of $20 a share of Clearwire's common stock, and is subject to a post-closing adjustment."

[Via CNN]

And you thought $49.99 was cheap. Word on the street has it that Microsoft's Xbox 360 HD DVD add-on, which has been seen as slightly less valuable since Toshiba pulled the plug on the once mighty red format, has stooped to €9.99 across the pond at GameStop (among other locales). For those not savvy on the absurd depreciation of the US dollar, we're talking $15.47 -- and that's with a Media Center remote bundled in, too. We're totally straight-faced when we say that's actually not a half bad deal if you're a fan of the media already out there, but the parsimonious among us are definitely waiting for these to come bundled with our favorite cereals before pulling the trigger.

[Thanks, Conor]

Truthfully, we reckon this moment is inevitable. With HD DVD hung out to dry by everyone and their long lost cousin, it's simply a matter of time before players are being traded for rides on the carousel. Nevertheless, reports are already circulating that Microsoft's Xbox 360 add-on drive could sink to $49.99 in the not-too-distant future, which may actually make it worth grabbing for the very respectable library of HD DVD titles already out there. Whatever you do, don't pay full price for this thing.

[Thanks, Steve]

It's not like there has been any shortage of deals on HD DVD hardware over the past few months or anything, but now that Toshiba (and almost everyone else on the planet) has officially yanked support for the format, prices are beginning to plummet en masse. First on the docket is the HD-A3 at Circuit City, which now sits at just $99.99 and comes with seven free titles, two of which are 300 and Bourne Identity. So yeah, if you've been waiting for this moment to snap up the failed format for cheap, hop on in -- but if we were betting souls, we'd say holding out just a wee bit longer would actually be in your wallet's best interest.

[Thanks, Dustin]

It seems that Sprint and Clearwire have been hooking up and breaking it off for nearly as long as Qualcomm and Nokia have been brawling, but just weeks after hearing that the two were on speaking terms once again, we're now learning that a deal may be closer than ever. Reportedly, both firms are "close to announcing the formation of a WiMAX joint venture funded in part by a $2 billion injection from Intel," and if the agreement is indeed landed within the next few days, it would "create a new company that combines Sprint's licenses in the 2.5GHz wireless spectrum and Clearwire's spectrum in the same and adjoining air waves." On paper, the deal seems to make sense for all parties involved, but at this point, we aren't about to assume that's enough to actually see this thing through.

Announced today, Starbucks is gearing up to transition its WiFi relationship from T-Mobile to AT&T in over 7,000 of its locations in the US. For T-Mobile HotSpot customers feelin' a bit like day old espresso right about now, fret not, as the coffee giant has assured us all that you folks "will be able to continue to access WiFi services at no additional cost through an agreement between AT&T and T-Mobile." Starting "sometime this Spring," Starbucks card holders will be treated to two hours of free WiFi access per day, while more than 12 million "qualifying AT&T broadband and U-verse internet customers will have unlimited free access." For whatever it's worth, the press release also notes that the carrier will "soon extend the benefits of WiFi at Starbucks to its wireless customers," but it (sadly) fails to elaborate. For those of you out there without any ties to AT&T, expect to pony up $3.99 for a two hour session or $19.99 for monthly access.

[Via mocoNews]

Read - Starbucks to expand technology relationship with AT&T
Read - More than 12 million AT&T, Starbucks customers to get free WiFi access

Right on cue, it's being reported that Apple and Fox have indeed (finally) agreed on an iTunes movie deal, and while details are admittedly scant at the moment, chances are Stevie J. will get to the nitty gritty come Macworld. What we do know, however, is that the alleged partnership will enable iTunes users to rent new Fox DVD releases and keep them around "for a limited time," though pricing figures weren't speculated upon. Additionally, it sounds like Fox will be spreading its digital file inclusion from select titles to all flicks, giving DVD purchasers a FairPlay protected file that can easily be transferred (read: without third-party transcoding software) to a computer and / or iPod for later viewing. As expected, both firms declined to comment on the reports, but all the minutiae you can stand will likely start flowing in just a few weeks.

[Via paidContent]