Well the rumoratti has certainly been working overtime today when it comes to Apple, so we've decided to bundle all the news that's currently doing the rounds into one tasty and nutritious post.

First up, there are new -- and quite detailed -- pictures out of what appears to be those MacBook and MacBook Pro casings we saw during the week. Again, we can't 100 percent confirm that these are the real deal, but they certainly have that Air-meets-MacBook hybrid quality to them that would suggest we're looking at the next iteration of the line.

Secondly, Apple has gone and published a support document for the "MacBook/MacBook Pro (Late 2008)" -- which suggests (gasp!) that there might be some late 2008 refreshes in our future. Oh really? Weird.


Rounding out the excitement, AppleInsider "confirms" the rumor that the new MacBooks will jettison the integrated Intel graphics which earlier models have used in favor of NVIDIA's MCP79 platform. The GPUs apparently use a new set of GeForce 9300 and 9400 chips that will make previous performance look archaic by comparison. Additionally, according to hotshot Mac rumor specialist Kevin Rose, the new systems will support Blu-ray drives, thus finally allowing you to watch season 4 of Lost the way the lord intended it.

As with all rumors, you can never really know which one of these is going to stick, but luckily we won't have to wait very long to get to the bottom of it. In the meantime, feel free to peruse the various links below and soak in the sweet, sweet gossip.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Read - Leaked MacBook / MacBook Pro casing photos
Read - Apple Document Confirms MacBook/MacBook Pro (Late 2008)
Read - Apple dumping Intel chipsets for NVIDIA's in new MacBooks
Read - Kevin Rose drops MacBook Blu-Ray Rumor at Live Diggnation event

Oh Apple -- release some new laptops so this madness can end. The forums at MacRumors are abuzz over a Taiwanese site that's showing off pictures of what appears to be a very close cousin of that MacBook Pro-esque casing we saw earlier. This isn't the same model, surely, but it does bear a striking similarity in both design and materials -- and after lots of deliberation and comparisons, we're fairly sure this isn't the Air either (the hinge ends in a totally different spot in relation to the keys). That machined quality we noted in the earlier post is present, though as we said previously, the sides of these housings do look like separate pieces. Regardless, if any of this is even remotely true (and not another Photoshop from someone's mother's basement), Apple is indeed taking its laptops in an Air direction, which isn't surprising -- but signs of these being the end-result of new manufacturing process? The jury's still way out. One more pic after the break of that controversial side piece.

[Via MacRumors]

Well we see where this is headed. It was nice to catch a few of those quasi-unboxing pics of the T-Mobile G1 the other day, but now the cats and kittens at TmoNews have gone and gotten pretty much the full monty. If you want to get a taste of what's to come, here's the perfect chance. You can check out photos of the Android device being wrenched from its packaging, as well as some glamour shots of the bundled accessories -- including a bizarrely retro remote on the earbuds and "handsome" carrying pouch. October 22nd, you can't come soon enough.

We might be getting the CDMA BlackBerry Storm 9530 with GSM worldphone abilities on Verizon here in the States, but the rest of the world doesn't need both of those radios, and now we have confirmation of the GSM-only BlackBerry 9500 (aka the BlackBerry Thunder) -- check out this RIM data sheet that just surfaced. Specs are basically the same as the Storm 9530: quad-band GSM, tri-band HSDPA, 1GB of flash with 192MB of RAM, 3.2 megapixel cam with video, flash and image stabilization, A-GPS, and that click-touchscreen. No details on pricing or release date, but we'd guess it'll hit along with the Storm 9530 sometime around November 1st.

Dell has a ways to go before it can match, say, Microsoft's peripheral acumen -- or the considerable buzz being generated by Blue Track at the moment. That said, the computer giant looks to have a couple new ones in the pipeline, and that's always a treat for the folks too poor or lazy to replace their pre-bundled keyboard and mouse. The keyboard's short-throw keys will be a love it or hate it affair, but the media keys seem nice enough, while the mouse offers sensitivity-denoting LEDs and some laser tech underneath to match those smooth, predictable contours. No word on a ship date, but look for these to show up in your new Dell boxes before long.

Sure, we've seen some blurry videos and managed a few stolen glimpses when Andy Rubin demonstrated this beast, but now we've gotten our hands on a slew of pictures showing off a very real T-Mobile-branded Dream in all its Android-running glory. Not only does this confirm the design spied in those FCC docs as well as show off that nearly-done version of Android, but it seems to confirm the fact that this will be headed to T-Mobile, and sooner rather than later judging from the looks of the above device. Needless to say, our inner-geeks are completely geeking out right now. Hit the gallery below for a handful of other views of the phone. [Warning: read link is a forum, requires registration, and is in Chinese]

[Thanks, Michael]

We can't say for sure these are the real deal, but if recent leaks of iPhone 3G production models are any indication, we might just be looking at Apple's new MacBook. It's a bit hard to make out what's happening in these photos, but to our eyes we're seeing the back of a metal laptop lid, as well as the as-yet-unused inner panel of the display. The text clearly reads MacBook, which falls right in line with rumors that the next iteration of the smaller laptops would be aluminum just like their big brothers. Right now it's anyone's guess if these pics are legit or not -- but you can be sure we'll be keeping a close watch on this one as these pictures emanate from the same site carrying the last supposed leak. Two more shots after the break.

An undeterred Sony Ericsson appears to have a handsome new slider on its way out in the near future -- according to a slew of pictures leaked to the se4m forums -- meant to sit beside the previously spied (and supposedly forthcoming) Remi. The device -- dubbed the G705 -- will feature GPS, WiFi, a 2.4-inch display, a 3.2 megapixel camera with flash, 128MB of internal memory, and will run atop the A2 software platform. There's not a ton of info to go around right now, but if you hit the read link you can feast your eyes on a wide array of succulent photos. We're including another shot after the break, just in case you don't like traveling.

[Via Navigadget]

If you're a BlackBerry fan feeling the need for relief from the throngs of iPhone lovers, the cats at CrackBerry may have uncovered a solution to your problem. The RIM aficionados have gotten their hands on the first ever live pictures of the phone-maker's touchscreen device -- the Thunder -- and it's looking pretty darn sweet. Feast your eyes on the above photo (featuring the much-discussed "tactile" keyboard), and hit the read link for another look.

So we've had blurry "Treo 800" pictures that turned out to be the Centro, others that turned out to be just about nothing, and now this one that is making the rounds in super-blur fast-mo. It's as if someone took a Centro, made the keys bigger, put a Sprint logo on there, and blurred out what appears to be a tester serial number. That's about all for now, but as usual we'll take this with a big grain of salt and make some rumor soup.

Remember that tidy little bamboo-encased mini PC Dell showed off in April? Well apparently the company is at work on a variant of the diminutive system, dubbed the Studio Hybrid. In addition to forgoing the eco-friendly wood for what appears to be a sleek, orange Plexiglas shell, the system boasts an Intel chipset, 4GB of RAM, a 320GB hard drive, WiFi, a DVD+R drive, five USB ports, an HDMI port, S/PDIF, DVI, and a memory card reader. We're not sure exactly when Dell plans to unleash these on consumers or what the final cost will be, though previously the company had stated plans to offer it later this year for between $500 and $700. Check the gallery below for a few more (blurry) shots of the device.

As the dust settles on the iPhone 3G / WWDC blowout, we've sifted through the debris and discovered a few eyebrow-raising tidbits you might be interested to know. The first of which is news that the next firmware update (2.0) could be headed to devices as early as June 27th, at least according to Apple's Australian iPod touch features page, which touts the arrival of the app store later this month. Meanwhile, Apple's cash cow won't get those OTA iTunes music downloads that were being heavily speculated on in May. Word on the street is that record labels are -- wait for it -- still holding out for those upped premiums, or that AT&T wants a cut of the action, which Apple is reluctant to hand over. Of course, AT&T wanting their share of that revenue makes good sense when you realize that the telco is taking a major hit on the sale of these devices -- a hit which will stall profits until 2010. Perhaps that explains the new rules about activation; according to a report from Reuters, the company will penalize customers who buy a phone but don't activate within 30 days, which falls in line with their aggressive new push to lock users into a contract... which looks exactly like the old cellphone business model. On a lighter note, iLounge has some real-world spy shots of the device's shell, which they claim smudges like it's going out of style, though it may be joined by a Product (RED) variation later this year. Enjoy!

Update: Apparently Apple reps have confirmed that there won't be any early firmware updates for the masses, and that they're still on schedule for July 11th. The Australian site has since updated its info -- so put the champagne back on ice.

[Thanks, Dan and Danny]

Read - Australian iPod touch features page
Read - No Over-The-Air 3G Music Downloads For New iPhone; Labels Holding Out For Higher Price Per Track?
Read - iPhone to cut into AT&T earnings until 2010
Read - Real World Photos: Inside + Outside iPhone 3G's New Shell

We're sure there's some small corner of the planet where this has created a maelstrom of interest and speculation, but seriously, we're just not feeling it. Chinese PMP-hub iMP3 has nabbed some "spy shots" of the Chuwi T8, a touchscreen media player that looks like the unholy union of an iPhone and Zune. As far as features and release information goes, we haven't heard specifics, but you can assume it will play a ton of different audio and video formats, will emulate some old consoles, and won't ever be available in the US.

[Via PMP Today]

We can tell you without a doubt that at least one human being currently has a Samsung Instinct to play around with. Thanks to a tipster -- and some loose lips over at Sprint -- we present the first unboxing of this would-be iPhone contender. Well, what are you waiting for? Hit the read link and see how it all goes down.

Update: Apparently the source site is down. We're throwing a couple of pics after the break until they get back on their feet.

[Thanks, DssTrainer]

Sure, we know that the photo up over there just looks like someone took a regular iPod, squashed it down, duplicated it, colorized it, and then pasted the copies in a playful circle. But what -- just what -- if you're actually looking at the 3G nano? According to 9to5Mac (and at this point only according to 9to5Mac), Apple's next move on the iPod front will be short, squat, and muted-pastel colorful. The site previously reported that the new color scheme will come in a variety of shades not dissimilar to what their "spy shot" shows, so at least their own info lines up. Other than that? No corroborating evidence from Apple, and no leaks from other sources indicating this direction... let's just say we wouldn't make any bets on this particular piece of news.

Update - We've gotten our hands on a nice, large version of the picture, and as many of our astute readers have already noted, you can clearly see a window heading which reads "nano-flower.psd" at the top of the shot, which should give further pause to anyone taking this at face value.

Update 2 (August 23) - Our machinegunnin' lawyers advised we pull the original image, but we've replaced it with a mockup. Full story here.