According to Fortune, AT&T will subsidize the cost of the new, 3G iPhone by as much as $200, bringing the price within the $199 range. Apparently, a "person familiar with the strategy" claims that the provider will create this bargain bonanza for customers signing new, two-year contracts. Of course, the author of the story also says that the new phones will be available in "8-gigabit-memory and... 16-gigabit-memory" versions (for $399 and $499, respectively), so take that as you like. In addition to these discounts, the source says the new iPhone will be 2.5mm thinner than the previous iteration, although we understand that right after telling Fortune this information, the "person" burst into a cloud of rainbow-colored sparkles and went flying off into the night sky.

[Thanks, Penny]

Nikko Citigroup upgraded its rating on Sony this morning in anticipation of it breaking even on PS3 costs earlier than expected. At the moment, Sony sells the PS3 at a loss. The respected group of analysts is now earmarking August as the milestone month. Sony's CFO recently suggested that the move would occur in the second half of the year -- a date analysts then pegged at November. No details behind the new upbeat expectations were provided by Nikko CG. However, it's safe to assume that the PS3's break-even event will be realized by a switch to a sub-65nm cell processor, sub-90nm RSX graphics chip, or both, since the smaller chips are less-costly to manufacturer.

P.S. It's worth noting that Sony has consistently stated that the PS3 will only break-even when both the Cell and RSX chips have shrunk.

Update: Reader Yaddam205 just reminded us about the "Slim PS3" redesign rumored for release in Autumn. No guarantees but smaller, less power-hungry, and cooler running chips would certainly be at the foundation of such a rig.

Whoops! Apple's gone and leaked its brand new aluminum MacBook and redesigned MacBook Pros to the interblogs. Yeah, it seems old Jobsy has really loosened the binds over in Cupertino -- he doesn't care what gets out these days. No, but seriously, some cats on the internet supposedly discovered a .Mac page which appears to display mockups (or actual product renderings) for a new line of laptops, as well as adverts for iTunes 8 and iPhones in the 32GB variety (for Australia, naturally). Of course, this is wild, crazy, unfounded speculation, and likely has no basis in reality at all. Then again, you never know... stranger things have happened. Steve, we await your takedown requests. See full pages for yourself in the gallery after the break.

Update: Looks like MacRumors got duped by its own forum members -- these are fan-made mockups. Oh well, at least we can dream.

[Thanks, al and sleuth]

According to a report on the lately-talkative Acer, the company's first iteration of Eee PC-competition will be somewhat cheaper than ASUS' current (and future) sticker prices. In a scant article, speculation abounds that the first wave of Acer-made 8.9-inch laptops will be priced around $350 to $400, while ASUS will market its 8.9-inch micro-top for $50 to $100 more. Word on the street is that Acer will launch its cheapo solution sometime in May, but ASUS will preempt the introduction with an April landing for the 2nd generation Eee. Of course, we're looking forward to the glorious future where laptops are simply free, all men live in harmony, and multi-colored unicorns once again roam the Earth.

Remember that Xbox 360 price cut we mentioned a few days ago? Well it appears that the Financial Times Germany is reporting that this Monday, Microsoft will trim the fat from the Arcade and Pro consoles, shaving €80 and €50 off the price tag, respectively. Of course, right now this is still unconfirmed by the boys in Redmond (or in any other official location), though the buzz in the community does seem to suggest that these cuts are coming. Hopefully if these become a reality, the company will break something off for folks on these shores as well -- we need all the help we can get right now.

Update: See that photo above? it looks like that price cut really is happening. Good news for you, Europe.

Update 2: Amazon UK has jumped on board too.

[Via I4U News; Image via Xbox 360 Fanboy]

Knowing how rampant the Apple rumor community can get, we try not to stir the pot too feverishly, but iLounge has made a bizarre little discovery that we thought you might like to see. Apparently, it's already possible for iPhone / iPod touch developers to create pages in iTunes offering content to limited groups of users. While perusing these pages, they apparently stumbled upon the Education First Educational Tours page, where international travel tour registrants can download TourCast audio and video content. Strangely, an odd, almost Zune-like device can be seen in the corner of the graphic for this page bearing the Apple logo. Could this be some wild slip? Is what we're looking at a rendering of a new iPhone or touch device, or is this some random mockup meant to suggest a "general" Apple product? We're strongly, strongly leaning towards the latter, though maybe Jobs let one slide through the cracks this time. See the full view after the break.

[Thanks, Christian]

Another press event, another 3G iPhone no-show. Man, just think how nice it would be to have a brand spankin' new HSDPA capable iPhone for downloading all those fancy new apps. Sure would come in handy for syncing your massive corporate email accounts (with attachments), too. Otherwise, you iPhone users will be stuck with your paltry EDGE when WiFi isn't available. Will that all change in June with the launch of the 2.0 firmware? That's what the rumor mill says -- and it makes sense to us. What say you?

Hint: Apple's WWDC, while unannounced, is expected to begin on June 8th.

We've gotten a tip that there could be a new iPod nano color on the way -- purple to be exact -- due to a Circuit City circular ad distributed in Minneapolis this weekend. As far as exciting or even remotely interesting rumors go, this one falls about one space after dead last, and is most likely some kind of funkdafied CMYK mishap, or worse yet -- the most boring Photoshop job in the world. Still, for all you serious iPod aficionados who simply must have the latest shade, perhaps your player will soon be awash in Grimace-colored tones that only the Hamburgler and Prince could truly love.

Update: Well you can rule out printing errors, thanks to tipsters Jack and Joe [but not necessarily photoshops, thanks to Eliav]. Check it out after the break -- you can make the call for yourself, For now we're placing this one back on the table.

[Thanks, Tony T.]

It was only a matter of time till the serious iPhone SDK rumors started flying, and with Apple's Town Hall event next Thursday, it's possible some of what we're hearing is right on. If that's the case, prepare to be letdown in a major way. According to iLounge, Apple will be severely restricting access on software for the iPhone and iPod touch, only allowing apps to be downloaded through iTunes, hand-picking which applications will make it to the store, and cutting off developer's access to accessories which interface with the dock connector. Of course, this is just about what we expected from Steve, since he's already lauded Nokia for its S60 verification scheme. Additionally, the report claims that the SDK we see next week will be an incomplete beta, with the full version rolling out in June to coincide with the WWDC. Thinking of any good reasons to keep jailbreaking your phone? Yeah, us too.

[Thanks, Omega]

Update: Here comes the counter-rumor, which has it that only paid-apps are get hand selected by Apple, while free apps would supposedly be open for download. Not clear whether that means free apps simply wouldn't be offered in iTunes, but it's all just hearsay until Apple tells us what's up later this week.

If you've been replying to our earlier post on Apple rumors by repeatedly typing "MacBook Pro update" across the screen, you'll be happy to hear this latest news. AppleInsider claims they have confirmed three new Apple part numbers which are showing up in both the Best Buy and Apple inventory databases. The numbers, MB402LL/A, MB403LL/A, and MB404LL/A, have appeared on these systems with the prices of $1,999, $2,499, and $2,799 in tow -- leading some (read, all) to believe that they may be those new laptops everyone's been talking about. Of course, we haven't seen these inventory management systems with our own, bloodshot, sleep-deprived eyes, so don't be too disappointed when it turns out this was just a really, really specific typo.

Update: Apparently AI had an actual typo in their part numbers (which we reprinted) -- they've been fixed.

[Thanks, Mark]

As you may or may not know, Apple has made some sort of announcement -- however minor -- every Tuesday since the beginning of 2008. The internet is currently stacked floor-to-ceiling with guesses of what this last Tuesday in February will bring. Many are speculating that it's going to be the often-discussed, never-seen MacBook Pro update, while others are certain that this will be the day old Jobsy unveils iPhone's supposedly-delayed SDK to the world. Still there are those who believe this Tuesday will see the launch of the Apple Robot Army, while many think that we're going to finally get a look at that iShrink shrink ray that's been long-rumored. Of course, it's possible this will be a heaping dose of iNothing. We want to know: what do the talented, handsome, and infinitely-wise readers of Engadget think we'll see tomorrow?

Read - More New Apple Products... This Tuesday?
Read - Tuesday's Coming

Look, we're not trying to say anything, but that 40GB model looks real, real lonely sitting there on its own. Could it be possible that all those juicy rumors of a refreshed, resized PS3 package are actually coming to fruition? Maybe -- or maybe Sony is just downsizing big time... but we doubt it.

[Thanks, Jason]

Update: Reader Chris points out that the 80GB PS3 is still on the site, accessible and purchasable through the 40GB model's page. Still, seems a little suspicious to us.

According to man-about-town, Robert X. Cringely, Samsung is readying not one, but two separate Android-based phones, one of which is due in September, with another model following around Christmas. If you believe what you read (and what his tipster says), these phones will not be labeled Samsung, rather they will be released as Google-branded gPhones. The model released in the Fall will be a "higher-end" model which apparently looks "somewhat like a Blackberry Pearl" but with a screen that flips and "a keyboard for texting" (though to be honest, that description makes little sense, as the Pearl has a keyboard). The second device will be a cheaper model (under $100), and will likely be released after the holidays. Of course, right now this is just speculation -- given the large gap of time between now and September, these plans could be completely rearranged or nixed altogether... even if they are accurate.

[Via IntoMobile]

Now obviously, before proceeding here you're going to want to find the largest grain of salt you can locate and keep it nearby. According to SEfanatics, a page in an issue of Sony Magazine (an office favorite over here) makes passing mention of a "PSP-Style phone" which is supposedly in development, then casually suggests the device could be "in shops as early as February." Of course, we've been hearing hushed conversations about this topic for some time now, though it does strike us as slightly odd that it's referenced in what is essentially a multi-page Sony advertisement. Sure, it's possible that something like that patent we recently saw could be headed our way -- obviously the company is still capable of throwing a few curve-balls in our direction, though we're going to need to little more evidence than this to start cracking open our piggy banks.

[Thanks, Teemu]

So there's a rumor floating around the internets concerning AT&T, iPhones, and tethering. The story goes something like this: the word tether is mentioned in an AT&T notice about users upgrading to a new iPhone and being forced into another two-year agreement. Apparently, some folks who've only quickly browsed the document made the mistake of assuming that AT&T used the word "tether" the way we all know it best: computer-to-phone, modem-style tethering. Unfortunately, this is a semantic problem -- what AT&T's talking about is using the dock connector to activate the phone, and sync with your computer... not the other way around. So next time you hear someone talk about AT&T's "tethering" plan feel free to set 'em straight.