Guys, guess what? The Palm Pre is really, seriously, totally coming out, like, super soon. How soon? Well the New York Times, one of the most respected newspapers of our age, claims The Smartphone That Saved Palm (despite their denials) is due in the first week of June, which means the countdown to destruction just got a little shorter. Unless the Times is making stuff up. And let's be honest -- at this point, maybe they are. We can say this, however, the Pre is due, and it's due soon, and if we don't see it before WWDC, we'll be pretty surprised. Our call? We've got a sneaking suspicion that all this speculation will be over before you know it. Like, tomorrow.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

You know, one of these days, someone at one of these big companies is going to get this right. If you send a cease and desist about "leaked" photos of a supposed device, you're basically saying, "Hey guys, those pictures are real." Now, we can't tell you with 100 percent assurance that that's the case when it comes to those factory pics of rubber-gloved hands all over an apparently-new PS3 hardware design, but it doesn't help anyone's case when a Chinese company sends your Japanese wing a takedown notice. Keep in mind, since this thing isn't from Sony, we can't really be sure that it's the real deal, but we'll be honest -- things are starting to look mighty suspicious. Text of one of the charming messages after the break. We'll pause for comment now.

Josh Topolsky and Paul Miller walk into a bar, but the bar is a recording studio.

The bartender, who is the recording engineer, asks, "Why the long faces?"

"Sigh," Paul says, and looks down at his feet. "Nothing but a buncha crummy phone rumors and probably fake slim PS3 pictures this week."

"It's hard to podcast when there's no exciting news to podcast about," says Josh, staring off into the distance.

The door slams open: it's Nilay Patel. "I know what'll cheer you guys up!" he says as he slams three stiff drinks down on the table. "Trashing AT&T about the Slingplayer app!"

Smiles creep over Josh and Paul's faces. They nod, the engineer hits the record button, and history is made: The Engadget Podcast, volume 146.

Update: We added a video feed of your charming hosts from the recording studio after the break. It's definitely an experiment at this stage, so let us know what you think!

Hosts: Joshua Topolsky, Nilay Patel, Paul Miller
Producer: Trent Wolbe
Song: Around the World

00:01:42 - Wild and slim PS3 redesign caught on camera?
00:17:20 - AT&T issues official statement on SlingPlayer's 3G blackout for iPhone
00:28:49 - Microsoft's latest ad: iTunes and the iPod are crazy expensive
00:37:26 - Microsoft "Pink" specs leak out: Tegra, Snapdragon, OMAP 3, oh my?
00:50:57 - Fuzzy math: Palm Pre to run about $470 full retail?
01:01:29 - Hold the phone: T-Mobile G1 v2 to really be the Samsung Bigfoot?
01:06:13 - Motorola's first Android phone to be the T-Mobile G1 v2?

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Twitter: @joshuatopolsky @futurepaul @reckless @engadget

Okay everyone -- grain of salt goggles on? According to PhoneNews, not only is a GSM version of the Palm Eos (AKA Mini Pre, AKA Pixie, AKA Castle) coming to AT&T sometime in the near future, but Sprint will be getting its version of the Centro-like device come Q3 2009. The site claims that "sources within Sprint" have "confirmed" the launch window for a phone with specs similar to those on the device we hit yesterday, and that said device is actually in testing right now. Of course, just as we mentioned with the Eos news, this isn't actually confirmed by anyone at Palm (or even close) right now... and you know how much the internet loves a rumor. Still, this would make a lot of sense as Sprint and Palm are all but joined at the hip, and it helps jibe some of the differing reports we / the blogosphere has heard about carriers. Obviously there's much, much more to this story -- you'll know about it when we do.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

As if we didn't have enough Pre rumors to sort through, along comes TechCrunch and Mikey A. with some hard hitting stuff. According to the TC honcho, one of his "better sources" claims that Palm is "very far along" on a second webOS device which is smaller and slimmer than the Pre and may or may not have a physical keyboard. Apparently, this won't be the iPhone 3G to the first-gen iPhone, rather a device which addresses "a different part of the market." Details are still sketchy, but Arrington claims that the "Mini-Pre" (his name) will land sometime this year -- possibly as soon as the Fall. This is all complete rumor right now, but Palm has previously said that there would be more than one webOS device, so the idea of another model in the oven doesn't exactly come as a surprise. Stay tuned for further updates as we get them.

If you've been looking for a window into the life of the Palm Pre once you're a real, actual, not pretend user, a poster at Inside Sprint Now who claims to be a rep for the provider may have some answers for you. In what appears to be pretty much the entire "quick start" guide (or whatever kind of connected, web-centric name Palm will give it), the anonymous writer reveals the ins and outs of how to get around on your new phone. Here's some of the more interesting tidbits from the document -- which, mind you, could just be the wild imaginings of someone with way too much time on their hands:

• Palm / Sprint will provide a "Palm profile," which will allow for OTA updates of software, App Catalog downloads, and online backups of contacts, calendars, apps, and preferences. Interestingly, this sounds like it could be related to web services we've seen mentioned in Palm's SEC filings.
• There will be some kind of PC-based "Data Transfer Assistant" which will allow users to migrate old Palm OS data to the phone -- but it appears to be a one-way street.
• The Pre will require a Simply Everything / Simply Everything data plan, or a Business Essentials Plan.
• Highlighting text (for copy / paste) duties in web pages won't be possible -- which is kind of a huge bummer.
• The Pre won't support Sprint services such as Sprint Music, Sprint PictureMail, or Sprint Digital Lounge.

[Via PreCentral]

We've gotten a handful of tips about zunehd.net being online, so we thought we'd take a moment to address it. Yes, zunehd.net exists, and yes, there's a big, nasty Zune HD logo hanging out on it right now. Unfortunately, since the site appears to be registered via a proxy, there's really no way of telling if its legit or just someone with money to burn. That said, we have every reason to believe that the Zune HD is the real deal, and this very well could be another sign that something magical is about to happen. Keep your eyes peeled, but keep a grain of salt handy.

Update: Thanks commenters! According to this post on Zunited, the Zune HD site is registered to someone named Zac Altman -- a "Zune guru." They have those?

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

We don't have any official word on this as of yet, but as our main man Ryan Block noted in a tweet earlier (and Wired speculated on back in February), it looks like Pleo-maker Ugobe may -- in fact -- be extinct. As of this writing, the company's site was offline, and calls to the dino-bot factory have gone unanswered (though their voicemail system seems to be humming along just fine). While we haven't heard a peep one way or another from the folks in charge, Wired reported in its article that the company was struggling months ago to stay afloat in our sinking economy. Could it be that people just don't have a spare $350 to drop on a robotic toys these days? Say it ain't so. Whatever the case, you can be sure that just like actual dinosaurs, the legacy Pleo will leave behind is rich, storied, and often violent. How about you there in / on the Interverse... heard any news about Ugobe lately?

Update: A few of you wrote in to let us know that the Ugobe site is back up. Maybe Pleo ain't extinct yet?

According to the folks over at Sony Insider, Sony might have something more than just color changes up its sleeve when it comes to forthcoming variations on the VAIO P. Supposedly, the company has a new series of the diminutive laptop in the pipeline numbered 700 (as opposed to the current 500 line), which SI says looks just like a typical Sony scheme for spec refreshes. Inside the new digits there's a designation for upcoming colors, but the existence of a fresh starting point as well as an additional "Q" in the mix might also mean that there are legitimate hardware changes happening as well. At this point this is just speculation, and it certainly wouldn't surprise anyone if Sony were to bump some of the internals of the netbook... er, ultraportable, but it would likely be a welcome change. For a more detailed analysis, hit the read link.

Look, we'll level with you: we don't know exactly what we're looking at. After seeing that Mac mini pic yesterday, we were about 140 percent sure it was a classic Photoshop disaster. Now we don't know what to think. One thing is for sure -- this isn't done with Photoshop. The above video was offered up by the original poster of the first pic to back up his or her claims of a "2009 Penryn" mini. Something feels fishy about this, but it's hard to write off the video as pure sleep-deprivation-induced fantasy. So what do you guys think? Crazy mod, new mini, shared hallucination? Fire back in comments!

[Thanks, Blake]

"The Mole" -- a favorite Ars Technica source for all things game related -- has some curiosity-piquing info on the possibility of a Resident Evil 5-themed Xbox 360 headed to market. So says the site's Deep Throat, not only will a demo version of the game come to US Xboxen first (a move that must seriously unnerve Sony), but following the sneak-peak will be an RE5 package hardcore fans should die for. Literally. According to Ars, the bundle will include a custom red Xbox (with matching controller), a copy of Resident Evil 5, a special NXE RE5 theme, and a bonus Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD download. Of course, this is pure rumor right now, but if this package comes to fruition, we can bet on at least a few zombie-loving members of the Engadget staff getting in line when it hits shelves. Make it happen, people.

According to the good people at Neowin, Microsoft has a few big announcements for Mobile World Congress, which takes place in Barcelona next month. Apparently, the company will be taking the wraps off a cloud-based syncing service called SkyBox, a MobileMe-like system which allows you to sync and backup your Windows Mobile phone OTA, though there's speculation the service might be extended to non-WM devices as well. The cats in Redmond will also apparently unveil something called SkyLine, an enterprise version of SkyBox, and will properly introduce SkyMarket -- its "mobile marketplace" (an App Store competitor). Most interestingly, however, Neowin is now claiming that those shots of a Windows Mobile interface we saw back in November that looked somewhat questionable are in fact actual pics from a forthcoming UI overhaul. The site goes as far to say it can "confirm" that the honeycomb interface seen in the photos are "genuine concept shots" of a new interface. As usual, don't place any bets on any of this -- but we'll be live and direct at MWC next month, so stay tuned.

[Thanks, Bill]

Ready for more iPhone nano rumors? Good, because apparently the Chinese trade paper Economic Daily News is now reporting that Taiwan Semiconductor Company (TSMC) will be handling chip manufacturing for a low-cost device being referred to as... you guessed it: the iPhone nano. While the paper has a fairly good reputation, it is filtered through the lens of DigiTimes on our end, so as usual, take it with the required grain of salt. Still, the source is calling a June launch of the handset on the heels of an order for the components in March. The time frame is reasonable enough, and if history is any lesson here, Apple loves to intro iPhones in the Summer. Given that China has yet to see a deal for the iPhone proper, and a lower-cost entry may be perfectly tuned for vast Asian markets, the nano could gather in a whole new fold of users (and the smaller screen would be less of an issue given the need for character recognition). That theory falls in line with statements from analysts, though as always, putting too much stock in any of this speculation could be hazardous to your health. Just ask Steve Jobs.

[Via AppleInsider]

Adding to a small stack of rumors about a supposed iPhone nano, case-maker Vaja today quietly added the category to its website (pictured after the break). Frankly, we're not sure what to think. There are a number of ways in which Apple could produce a cheaper phone or alter its subsidy deals, so the idea of an iPhone that's simply smaller makes very little sense. Yet, here we are showing off the site of a reputable accessory manufacturer with a brand new phone listed -- ostensibly just a teensy version of the iPhone 3G. Of course, this is probably just rumor, speculation, lies, corruption, signs of an unquenchable thirst for power, and a glimpse at the machinations behind one of the greatest conspiracies mankind has ever known. So, we're posing the question to the biggest brains of all: the Engadget reader. Is Apple working on an iPhone nano?