This week Gary Shapiro, chief exec of the CEA (the trade group which puts on CES, and, full disclosure, for which I sometimes consult) held a private dinner with journalists in San Francisco. According to Dow Jones / WSJ reporter Ben Charny (whose first Google result is this page on shoddy journalism), a juicy morsel was revealed: "Apple plans to attend the show's 2010 version, marking the first time in memory the Cupertino, Calif., consumer-electronics giant will be there." Very interesting, indeed.

Unfortunately, it's also specious and flatly wrong. I was seated directly across from Gary, and present for the entire conversation, wherein a dozen or so other journos chatted with him and one another. When asked about the CEA's ongoing contact with Jobs, Gary joked that every once in a while Steve might even return his email -- to which we all laughed knowingly. Yep, that's our Steve. Shapiro went on to mention that Apple was a great and long-standing supporter of the efforts of the CEA, but that their only direct involvement was sending a check each year to pay their membership dues.

At no point did Gary even remotely imply that Apple would be present at a future CES -- let alone state unequivocally that Apple "will be there" in 2010. In fact, at one point, someone asked if, hypothetically, Apple did want to attend CES, whether the CEA could accommodate them. Gary said that if pressed, they might be able to come up with a small 2,000 square foot booth, but they couldn't do anything, say, Microsoft-sized on such short notice. Bottom line, though, is that if Gary had even gotten remotely close to implying Apple would be at CES, this shoddily sourced piece by Charny wouldn't have been the earliest story with the scoop nearly 24 hours after the fact -- laptops would been immediately out for reports filed from the dinner table.

Now, I'm not saying Apple won't be there. But Gary and the CEA certainly never said or implied that they would, and Charny certainly didn't cite any other sources. Maybe by "Apple plans to attend" Charny meant one of Apple's 32,000 employees would happen to be in Vegas next January. Of course, the greatest irony of this little dinner was the lively debate at the end of the evening sparked by one particular old school BusinessWeek journalist who laid claim that tech blogs like Engadget publish first and ask questions later. Right.

Update: The WSJ has unceremoniously retracted, now stating at the top of the page that "It is not clear whether Apple will attend the 2010 Consumer Electronics Show." No, I think things are very clear as of right now: unless the CEA or Jobs say otherwise, Apple is not attending CES 2010. Oh and PS, Chris Nuttall from FT, who I was also seated across from, has the transcript of the conversation.

Update 2: The WSJ has issued a second update, clarifying things (as they should have the first time). Their post now reads: "Apple has not made any plans to attend CES 2010." So there you go.

Ryan Block is editor emeritus of Engadget, and co-founder of the recently-launched gdgt.

Rumor mongers seem hell bent on Microsoft building a brand new Xbox, despite what we assumed was wonderful news that current Xbox owners wouldn't have to shell out for new hardware to handle Project Natal. Well, Microsoft has already hit back against 1UP's rumor of a new Xbox coming in Fall 2010, calling the report "nonsense." Others have pointed out that the camera hardware actually does almost all of its own processing, so a slight hardware bump to the 360 would be kind of pointless -- though most seem to agree that Microsoft will package Natal with the 360 in a new SKU akin to the Arcade or Elite.

Meanwhile, TeamXbox, the ones who seemed to think the Zune HD was a portable game console of sorts, have a new rumor in the works: the next Xbox 360 won't be out in 2010 because Microsoft is going to wait for 3D-capable TVs to become more commonplace and launch a stereoscopic 3D console at that time. It sounds enticing, but given the fact that the Wii has succeeded directly in the face of its next-gen television empowering PS3 and Xbox 360 competition, we can't say it's the most likely of ideas -- if anything, Microsoft will need to have some solid backwards compatibility for us 2D "Take On Me" types.

[Via PC World]

Read - Microsoft sources play down reports of new Xbox
Read - TeamXbox predicts 3D Xbox

Two years in, we still can't say with any level of definitiveness or authority what exactly Sony's Rolly is, but here's what we can say: it's still hanging around. After catching wind of a somewhat innocent Sony Insider report (which was seemingly misunderstood / misreported elsewhere) that the curious music maker was being canned in the US, we contacted Sony directly to sort things out. From Sony to you: "There is no truth to these reports at this time." 'Nuff said, yeah?

It's not the quality of the Photoshop that made the Google Switch one of the great product fakes of all time. In fact, it was questionable enough that we asked the tipster for more detail and a second picture before publishing, and only then did we do so with skepticism. Still, once it was out, it gained so much traction in the Google-crazed Kingdom of Nerd that its image quickly became synonymous with the Googlephone -- the sweaty-palmed rumor circulating back in late 2006. When it became clear that the HTC Dream was to become the Googlephone, many editors and readers alike were left wondering about the Google Switch. After all, the rumor had never been properly debunked. Turns out that the Switch was the idea of three ordinary Dutch students -- Egbert Veenstra, Sytse-Jan Kooistra and Sam Baas -- who had already rendered the finger-touch phone-concept in late 2006. Miffed upon seeing the iPhone unveiled with many of the ideas they felt were theirs, the trio decided to generate some buzz for their concept and hooked it to the rumor du jour: the googlephone. That's when they contacted us. In retrospect, it's amazing how much they got right... or perhaps, how well Google and HTC listened. Hit the read link for their full story.

[Via the Next web]

There's been a flurry of chatter over a rumor that AT&T's Ralph de la Vega, CEO of the company's Mobility and Consumer markets announced that the carrier would be releasing an Android-based phone in the near future. We'd love to be able to confirm that info, but according to an article just published on the San Francisco Chronicle's site, de la Vega has feelings that seem to run quite contrary to the sentiment. According to the paper:

"De la Vega said AT&T continues to look at Google's Android operating system but is not prepared to make any moves to carry any Android phones. He said the platform is still evolving and needs to open up even more to offer a wider array of non-Google applications."

As much as we want to see this thing happen, it looks like the boys at AT&T aren't feeling Google's insistence on intrinsically linking devices to its web apps. Haven't you heard guys? The future is in the cloud. Oh, and open.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

There was a day during an age not far removed from our memory in which Apple would remain dead silent on any murmuring going on regarding its wares -- clearly, that day has passed. In a rather unprecedented move, an actual spokesman named Bill Evans emerged from the Cupertino cocoon in order to put to rest all those wildly speculative rumors going on about new iMacs and / or Mac minis. Quite frankly, he uttered that "[Apple's] holiday line-up is set." Our take? This move is likely being made in order to assure prospective holiday shoppers that buying now is "safe," and that new gear isn't just weeks / days / nanoseconds away. C'mon, you know a well-oiled machine like Apple doesn't want all sorts of about-to-be-outdated Mac inventory clogging its supply chain when Macworld rolls around, don'tcha?

[Via CNET]

So there's a sensational rumor going around that Phil Schiller unwittingly presented MobileMe at WWDC using an iPhone 3G with a front facing video camera. The very same camera fanboys wished for but Apple choose not to include in the final specs. The idea that Schiller would unknowingly demonstrate such a device is, to put it mildly, absurd. The fact that the evidence is reviewable -- and in HD -- on Apple's website makes it even more so. If you care to look for yourself, the mysterious grease spot appears at 1:18:28 during the keynote. Just be forewarned: you'll never be able to reclaim those 10 minutes when you might need them most. The pictures above should be proof enough.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Sounds like that rumor about a new, smaller Xbox 360 coming next year might have a shorter life than a red-ringing console. Specifying the release of "slimmed down SKU in 2009", Microsoft representative let us know today that "While we don't normally comment on rumors like this, we can tell you that we have no plans to release a new console in 2009". Yep, rumor assassinated, just like that. Of course, there still exists the possibility that Microsoft's just playing coy to prevent a little bit of Osborne effect from creeping in during their heated battle with the PS3 -- but they did go out of their way to directly comment on the rumor, so take it as you will.

The typically rigorous Ars technica claims to have intercepted an internal email sent to a few Apple employees yesterday. In it, Apple claims to be the number one music retailer in the US -- a boast supported by that screenshot of an NPD MusicWatch Survey. You seeing what we're seeing? Right, the data is from January 2008 and likely reflects people cashing in those iTunes gift cards and the giddy purchases made by new iPod owners. In other words, it's a spike on the total sales picture in NPD's weekly MusicWatch survey. Then there's Apple's own claim on February 26th that it was now the number two music retailer in the US. We don't doubt the authenticity of the data shown, we're just not ready to call Apple the #1 music retailer in April based on a week's worth of data tallied back in January. Something doesn't add up.

Update: We heard back from NPD on this, the response is predictable: "the information reported is apparently based on a proprietary leaked internal memo from Apple; therefore, NPD cannot comment on it." Nevertheless, we can confirm that Apple's February claim is based on NPD Data for the full 2007 calendar year -- not an individual week or month. A sales victory for Apple in January, while significant if true, does not make them the top US music retailer "now" as claimed.

We've been getting tipped all morning on a supposed Samsung P9 UMPC. Sorry Charlie, it's not the P9. It's not even from Samsung. As sleek and sexy as this crazy, detachable slider is, no amount of wishful thinking is going to make it more than a university design project. An HTC Shift-inspired concept by Umang Dokey. Okie, uh, dokie? Nevertheless, we've posted the video after the break -- it deserves to be seen.

We want to believe, we really do, but these failed attempts and poorly-lit basement videos aren't exactly confidence inducing. Nevertheless, Thane Heins' Perepiteia generator has reportedly made its way down to a number of universities and labs across America, and while some onlookers did admit that "it works," none have been able to support any underlying theories. No need to keep dashing your dreams -- click on through for one more mind-numbing video of something akin to (but sadly, not) "perpetual motion."

[Thanks, Mihir]

For those not paying attention, there's a "leaked" Macworld 2008 keynote making the rounds today, and we'd just like to make sure you know it's completely and utterly false. Not only is it one of many fabricated keynotes making the rounds this year, and part of an annual ritual of keynote fabrications, but it even manages to be self-damning with its listing of a Mac Pro refresh -- which obviously happened last week. Let's try a little harder, people!

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Finally -- the laws of physics have been smashed to itty-bitty, succulent bits, like a thin piece of glass obliterated by a cartoon anvil -- all in some dude's low-lit basement. According to the video which you can watch after the break, a mysterious entity known as Alsetalokin has laser-gunned the forces of the universe to death with a perpetual motion device which he's demonstrated on an obscure internet website called YouTube. Like Fox Mulder, we want to believe, but just like the fate of Steorn's Orbo, this is looking like another quickly-debunked fiasco. After a few hours of this clip doing the rounds, the hive-mind of the information superhighway began to pick it apart, piece by piece. The noise swelled so loudly that the original poster has actually changed his angle on the story, but that won't stop you from seeing the eye-shattering, star-bending magic of this magnet-driven motor.

[Via Digg]

This is what passes for an iPod hoax these days? You may have seen the latest round of new iPod nano photos floating around the internets, but even if you wanted to ignore the fact that they look severely photoshopped (and we mean severely -- see the original hand outline?), you can't really ignore the fact that they seemed to show up first on the Flickr stream of a dude that seems to do little more than Apple product concept designs. Judge for yourself, but even though this may be what the next nano winds up looking like, we'd bet these aren't the first leaked shots of it.

We're certainly not complaining about yet another professional sports team opting for a svelte HD Jumbotron, but the Diamondbacks' claim to soon have the "largest scoreboard in pro sports" is dodgy at best. Reportedly, the board will cost between $10 and $12 million to erect and will measure in at "144 feet wide and 55 feet high," which the team claims is 900-square feet larger "than the biggest existing board, at Atlanta's Turner Field." Nevertheless, the D-Backs have certainly been trumped already in terms of HD scoreboard planning, as the Dallas Cowboys are slated to treat their fans to a pair of 180 feet wide by 50 feet high displays as part of a four-screen setup in 2009. So if all goes as planned, Arizona's MLB club will indeed be sporting the largest high-definition screen in pro sports for a tick, but those mighty claims will soon be squashed by the sensational installation headed to Texas.