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$100 femtocells to be sold by AT&T?
Yep, we're mandating that this one be filed in the rumor folder for now, but according to a report from ThinkPanmure, AT&T Mobility is planning to move up to 7 million femtocells acquired from UK-based ip.access. As the story goes, AT&T inked a contract with the aforesaid firm for up to half a billion dollars in femtocells over five years, and it's supposedly aiming to sell each to end users for "as little as $100." As expected, spokespeople for AT&T and ip.access weren't around / didn't care to comment on the matter, but a dame from the former did admit that it was "examining the potential benefits of femtocells through lab tests and planned to conduct a trial later this year." Of course, AT&T wouldn't be the first US carrier to offer the boxes, but it's not like Sprint's $49.99 Airave set any sales records or anything when it launched late last year.
Sprint pushing national QChat launch back to June 15?
Looks like we might all be waiting just a few more weeks before we're given the green light to descend into the next generation of push-to-talk nirvana (or hell, depending on your perspective). phoneArena is claiming that the national release of Sprint's QChat-powered PTT system -- and the phones to go along with it -- has been pushed back to June 15, though it's not known whether the delay's due to technical issues, a desire to have all of the new phones available on shelves at once, CEO Dan Hesse's whim, or something else entirely. For what it's worth, business customers in Denver and Kansas City already have access to the Sanyo PRO handsets, so you guys should really revel in your exclusivity while you still can.
Updated iMacs coming next week?
We're not ones to peer too deeply into the Apple crystal ball, but Geeksugar says that spec-bumped iMacs are due on Tuesday, and the timing seems about right. Nothing major, apparently, just a speed bump and some bigger hard drives, but prices should stay the same. It's still just a rumor, of course, but Geeksugar was right on the money about that MacBook / MacBook Pro bump last time around, apart from saying that multitouch trackpads would hit all of Apple's portables. Perhaps some Best Buy / Future shop employees will let us take a peek in the database and let us know what's up, hmmm?Update: We've gotten a couple sketchy reports that entries for new iMacs are in fact popping up in retailers' systems, but it's getting hard to focus what with all the grains of salt we've taken.
iriver's E100 to lose the speakers, add some aluminum, resurface as E150 and E200?
Apparently reviewers weren't the only ones not totally satisfied by iriver's new E100. Crave UK has gotten wind of an upcoming revision from iriver already in the works that will get rid of that built-in speaker and redo the casing in aluminum -- which would certainly be a nice switch from that weightless plastic of the E100. The lackluster screen is also getting swapped out for a "much brighter" version. No word of slimming the device down, but hopefully that's in the works as well. Word is we can expect the E150 and E200 sometime later in the summer, but obviously none of this is official just yet.[Thanks, T.I.]
Ubisoft trademarks Prince of Persia Prodigy
It's been rumored for a while, and even officially confirmed for fiscal year 2008, but we really don't know much about the next Prince of Persia game. The loose talk is that the next trilogy will be a form of prequel, and it looks as though the first game of said trilogy could be called Prodigy. Recently trademarked by Ubisoft, Prince of Persia Prodigy is an admittedly vague title and could possibly refer to another PoP product, but with a new official teaser site up and the game rumored to be hitting this fall, an official name hitting now feels about right.Furthermore, other rumors say that the game will be shown at Ubidays (an editorial event) sometime in the near future and that the game's REAL title is in fact Prince of Persia Zero. We'll just have to wait for Ubidays for more concrete info, but those with time to kill can endlessly refresh the official page to attempt to quickly decipher the writing before it's covered.%Gallery-21364%[Via NeoGAF]
Rumor: Netflix's new partnerships to include the 360
In news that's heavily saturated in rumor oil (trans fat free though, don't worry) and is probably a huge stretch even for a rumor, Netflix recently announced that they've entered into three new partnerships that will "let subscribers watch films streamed directly from the Web to TVs". Three new partnerships that are all said to be with major companies. Three new partnerships that they are keeping secret and will announce soon. You see where we're going with this?It has been no secret that Netflix has been kicking around the idea of using the Xbox 360 to grow its subscription service and their announcement of three new partnerships could ultimately lead to Microsoft being one. But, like we said, this is a huge stretch. Microsoft already has a lot invested in the current Video Marketplace setup and the addition of Netflix would throw a huge wrench into things. That is unless there's piles of cash to be made ... so, maybe?[Thanks, Greg Lawson]
Best Buy to offer Samsung Glyde free on contract?
It seems like a healthy contingent of folks are getting amped for the imminent release of Glyde on Verizon, but we'd always assumed that those folks would be paying a buck or two for the privilege of sporting Samsung's latest and greatest in their pockets on day one. Well, turns out that may not be the case: we've been sent a tip showing what appears to be a screen shot out of Best Buy's system, indicating that it'll be free with any rate plan activation or upgrade. Skepticism is always in order with these sorts of things because even if the screen shot is legit, it's entirely plausible that Best Buy just has it's signals crossed as it preps for launch -- but we can always hope, can't we?[Thanks, anonymous tipster]
Rumor: Guitar Hero IV adding vocals, drums, regular DLC
IGN reports that the May issue of Conde Nast Portfolio magazine sees Activision CEO Bobby Kotick revealing a future direction that would put his company's Guitar Hero franchise on equal footing to last year's newcomer, Rock Band. Upgrades include additional instruments (including vocals and, we hear separately, drums), as well as "local content" from "local bands." This corresponds with information Joystiq has received from a source close to the company, who tells us that multiple instruments – including a microphone and drumkit – will be a part of the next Guitar Hero game, likely to be called Guitar Hero IV despite its focus on multiple instruments (other potential names: Band Hero and Rockstar Hero). Also, our source reports that Activision insiders are proud enough of their drum peripheral to say that it will be "superior" to Rock Band's (we know, shocking).Perhaps just as importantly, Activision's weakness in downloadable content could be resolved as early as the release of Guitar Hero: Aerosmith this June, when content is expected to be released regularly, perhaps "even weekly." Also contributing to the company's positive outlook on DLC is the pending merger with Vivendi, potentially giving it unparalleled access to that company's Universal Music Group, the largest family of record labels in the music industry.We've asked Activision to comment on this story. If anyone close to the story has any additional information to share, you know where to find us.
Rumor: The Darkness sequel looking likely after NY Comic Con panel
Like rummaging through celebrity trash for the latest gossip, it often makes us chuckle as to where new video game news emerges, something only reinforced by last weekend's New York Comic Con. Buried beneath action figures, cosplayers, and that Super Girl Barbie we absolutely must have, came word of an upcoming sequel to last year's comic-inspired FPS The Darkness.The news was unleashed during a discussion panel with American comic company and The Darkness publisher TOP COW, during which (according to comic blog The Quarter Bin) it was said: "We can't say Darkness and video game sequel in the same sentence. So, Darkness. Wink. Sequel." While hardly an absolute confirmation, the news is enough to make our stomach rumble with a hunger that only hearts will quell.[Via WorthPlaying]
3G iPhone confirmed in Italy without revenue sharing?
We've been avoiding the 3G iPhone rumor mongering as much as possible recently. After all, we know it's coming as both AT&T and Apple have confirmed. Now this: one of Italy's most respected newspapers, La Repubblica (like the WSJ with red sauce), is claiming in no uncertain terms that the 3G iPhone is coming shortly to Telecom Italia without a revenue sharing deal and without long-term exclusivity. If true, this change in strategy opens the doors for a true, global, 3G iPhone launch on UMTS networks around the world come summer time.We contacted Telecom Italia who refuse to comment on the matter.[Thanks, jimbojambo and Claudio]
PS3 to get smaller Cell and/or RSX chips in August?
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.
Evidence builds for Motorola's 2008 lineup
New leaks out of China are consistent with previous rumors, suggesting that Motorola's 2008 phalanx of mobiles is starting to gel -- for the Asia region, anyway, and there's really no knowing whether we'll see any of these stateside. Both of the new MINGs are pictured here, bearing the A1600 and A1800 model designations as expected; the big difference seems to be dual SIM support in the A1800, along with revised styling. Speaking of dual SIM, the VE75 slider will do 'em too, adding a 2 megapixel camera and a generously sized 2.6 inch WQVGA display. The long-rumored 5 megapixel product of Moto's cooperation with Kodak, the so-called ZN5, gets pictured here as well; at first glance we can't say we're impressed, but let's not dive too deep into it seeing how the picture is the size of a fricking thimble. Finally, we learn that Moto's jumping on the TD-SCDMA bandwagon quite early, working to pump out the L800t candybar; the 220 x 176 resolution isn't going to blow anyone away, but hey, at least it'll blaze across the interwebs at the Olympics this summer. Maybe.[Via Unwired View]
Rumor: GTA IV DLC may include entirely new cities
We're vehement followers of the logic that if something sounds too good to be true, it usually is -- still, in cases like these, that doesn't stop us from wishing and hoping hard enough to make our noses bleed. The latest, Microsoft-endorsed, Grand Theft Auto IV special edition issue of Computer and Video Games magazine suggests that the 360 DLC is to the perfect scoring GTA IV as "Vice City or San Andreas were [to] GTA III," and later, in simpler terms, "Rockstar is clearly hinting at new downloadable cities" for the title.While this infinitely awesome feature might be technically and fiscally possible, we must keep a firm grasp on our cynically-tinted monocles until official confirmation arises. Still, it's tough not to wonder what cities Rockstar could build knock-off replicas of to add to their latest title -- perhaps an Atlantic City clone? A geographically-appropriate rendering of New Jersey? A mock-up of the bustling metropolis of Mud Lick, KY? The possibilities are endless!
AT&T Mobile TV: May 4th in three packages?
Okay, first the bad news: we're hearing that AT&T's most expensive Mobile TV package is going to run a stiff $30 a month. Now, the good: you're paying for a heck of a lot more than just tee-vee there. Our tipster tells us that AT&T is expecting to launch a grand total of three packages of its MediaFLO-based service come the 4th of next month; first up is Limited, which will run $13 a month and offer Fox, CBS, NBC, and NBC News. This one is so limited, in fact, AT&T's limiting it right off their website -- it seems you'll have to call customer service to get hold of this particular setup. Next is Basic at $15 a month (seriously, who's going to not pay the $2 more over Basic?), which includes the full range of channels: the aforementioned four plus Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, CNN Mobile, Sony Pictures, and ESPN. Finally, the Plus package should feature the same lineup as Basic but bundles unlimited MEdia Net and Cellular Video for $30 a month, and we suspect this is the plan most Mobile TV subscribers are going to snatch up. We still think this could end up being a tough pill to swallow for a lot of power users who've graduated to SlingPlayer Mobile, but with simpler devices like the Samsung Access (pictured) in the mix for Mobile TV, who knows -- they might find a target demographic yet.[Thanks, Rayne]
Sketchy pictures of new MacBook, MacBook Pro, and 32GB iPhone surface
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]%Gallery-20760%
Sink your teeth into OPM's latest rumors
It's a sad state of affairs when the only interesting part of a magazine is the rumors section, but that proves to be the case with the latest issue of Official PlayStation Magazine UK. This month's magazine has a selection of yummy tidbits that may or may not be true. Whether they are or not, they make for interesting conversation starters. First, there's talk of episodic gaming for the PSN this year (Rat Race) and Heavenly Sword 2 story info, even though the game hasn't been announced yet and the studio in charge of the original are working on something else. The next rumor surrounds the release of in-game XMB -- a feature that the magazine promises will be with us by summer, which is a much more desirable release window than "2008." Ready At Dawn are rumored to be working on a PS3 title (after the brilliant Daxter and God of War: Chains of Olympus on PSP, we're itchy to see what they can pull off on the PS3). Finally, the bizarre tech-demo-cum-crazy-dream, Linger In Shadows, is said to be a PSN download. That still doesn't really tell us if it's a game or not, but we're definitely looking forward to finding out nearer the time. Lots of exciting rumors for you all to discuss here -- so get started!
Parrot readying PARTY Black Edition Bluetooth speaker with NFC
Just days after we got wind of the NFC-ified Nokia 6212 comes word that the PARTY Black Edition Bluetooth speaker -- that was introduced around a fortnight ago -- will also include the same technology. Yep, a NFC-enabled Bluetooth version will soon be available for purchase, giving owners of NFC handsets the ability to pair up their device by simply getting up close and personal with the speaker. Specs wise, expect it to boast six total watts of power, a 5-button user interface, eight hours of battery life and an auxiliary input for times when a vanilla DAP will have to do. Word on the street has this one landing in the summertime for £79 ($156), but we've yet to see any official details on US pricing / availability. Check the full release after the jump.
24.4 megapixel Nikon D3X DSLR in the works?
Some entirely too ingenious hackers have found a reference to the rumored D3X deep within the bowels of Nikon's D3 firmware. The reference includes a list of resolutions available to the upcoming shooter, and it's apparently set to max out at a potentially Higgs Boson-inducing 24.4 megapixels. Word has it that this sensor is likely a variant of the megapixel monster behind Sony's upcoming A900, but since this is all being extrapolated from a few numbers hidden in some firmware, we're going to try not to get too ahead of ourselves at this point.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Is Sony Ericsson's Z780i about to make its grand entrance?
We saw the Sony Ericsson Z770i a little while back and now a mild refresh arriving in the form of this lovely bit of flip-candy called the Z780i. SEMC Blog outed this handset's WAP profile recently and now they've brought us a few thumbnails of what appears to be a Z770i twin but with a more reasonable looking keypad. There aren't many details to spare aside from what you can see above but there do seem to be profiles for both 'a' and 'i' models -- with 'a' bringing us some frequencies in the 3G range that'll we'll be able to enjoy over here. That's it for now kids, but we'll be back with more info as soon as we hear about it.Read - WAP profile for Z780iRead - WAP profile for Z780a[Via SEMC Blog]
Rumor: Mario Kart Wii may also be plagued by disc read errors
Did your nearly two years of anticipation come to an anticlimactic conclusion last month when your stubborn, soiled Nintendo Wii refused to play the pristine copy of Smash Bros. Brawl you'd just purchased? If you were one of the unlucky owners of an unkempt Wii whose dust-covered laser couldn't read the dual-layer Brawl disc, we've got bad news -- there's a chance your bedraggled home console will refuse to read Mario Kart Wii as well.GoNintendo cited German gaming news site GameFront with reporting numerous complaints from owners of the Japanese version of the game, saying it often refuses to load and is plagued by frequent crashes -- likely due to the same dual-layered woes suffered by Brawl. Thing is, we can't find any reports of Mario Kart Wii being a dual-layered game -- on the contrary, some early purchasers (and those who obtained the game through more ... dubious channels) are certain it's single-layered. We doubt it's cause for widespread panic -- but keep a wary eye out for further complaints.
