Tag: rumour
RUMOUR: Slim PS3 to ship this month?
Taiwanese website UDN is reporting that Sony has signed deals with two manufacturers – Foxconn and Pentagon – with a view to a July release for the slim-line version of the PS3. That’s not July 2010, it’s July 2009 – as in this very month.
The report has been backed up by “a couple of credible reports” according to Engadget. However, UDN is also reporting that the slim will be the last of PS3 of this generation with a next-generation console based on Sony’s motion controller due in 2010.
This part of UDN’s report isn’t very likely though – it’s possible the rumour mill has been fuelled by some mistranslation. Sony demonstrated the motion controller at E3 on the PS3 and has made it clear the new controller is for the PS3.
If the slim rumours turn out to be true though and the rumours regarding possible PS3 price-cuts also come to fruition then the PS3 might finally become the popular console it is capable of being.
(via Engadget)
PlayStation Phone rumours heat up
We’ve reported on it a few times in the past but it seems that the Playstation phone rumours just won’t go away.
Reuters are reporting that Sony Ericsson could even have a project team put together to develop a Playstation-based phone as early as next month.
In the past there have been stumbling blocks with the development of the Playstation phone due to Sony not allowing Ericsson to use the Playstation brand. It seems though as this might be about to change.
It would definitely make sense for this concept to go ahead, not just because Sony Ericsson has successfully used the Walkman and Cybershot brands successfully in mobile phone handsets in the past, but also because a mobile phone would be the perfect platform for a download-only games platform similar to that of the impending PSP Go.
Related post: PSP Go facing trouble before it’s even released
(via Reuters)
Palm Pre Mini on the way too?
An interesting nugget of info popped up on the web this morning about Palm’s Pre and the company’s plans after the device is launched. It looks like they’re “very far along” in the development of a second Pre-like device that’ll be smaller and lighter.
There’s not much in the way of details just yet, except that this will most likely be targeting a completely different sector of the market to the Pre. There’s no word on whether it’ll have a physical keyboard like its big brother – the smaller devices get, the more uncomfortable physical keyboards are.
It looks like the device will be out in late 2009, possibly as soon as Autumn. We’ll have to wait and see whether it gets showed off at IFA in late August, but they’re unlikely to officially unveil it there.
(via TechCrunch)
Three new RIM devices leaked
No photos on this one, I’m afraid, but info on three new RIM devices has leaked over at BGR. There’s Onyx, Driftwood and Magnum, which all sound like luxury sofas. Here are the specs:
BlackBerry Onyx
- GSM/GPRS/EDGE/UMTS device
- GPS
- Camera
- Wi-Fi (no UMA support)
- QWERTY keyboard
- 480×360 resolution screen
BlackBerry Driftwood
- GSM/GPRS/EDGE/UMTS device
- GPS
- Camera
- Wi-Fi with UMA
- QWERTY keyboard
BlackBerry Magnum
- GSM/GPRS/EDGE/UMTS device
- GPS
- Camera
- Wi-Fi (no UMA support)
- QWERTY keyboard
- 480×360 resolution screen
Not a world of difference between them, is there? Ah well. I should stress that this is an American rumour, so there’s no guarantee that we’ll see all this stuff over here, but then RIM generally doesn’t have a lot of difference between countries, so there’s every chance that Onyx, Magnum and Driftwood will show up on the shores of Blighty.
(via BGR)
Sony PSP2 to be in shops by Christmas?
A PSP2, featuring a sliding touchscreen and two analogue sticks, will apparently be in the shops in time for Christmas, according to a source quoted by Pocket Gamer. It’ll also be considerably more like the iPhone.
The forthcoming PSP2 will feature a large touchscreen, which slides back to reveal controls. There’ll also be an ‘app store’ equivalent in the Playstation Store, where users download games digitally, as the device lacks support for the dying UMD format.
Full specs and pricing will apparently be revealed at E3 in June, but going after the iPhone seems to be a strange move for Sony to be making, especially as Nintendo is hammering the company with its low spec, casually-focused DS.
Are Sony really trying to out-casual Nintendo? And what will that mean for gamers? I can answer that second question right now – it’ll mean a prevalence of cheap movie tie-ins, iFart applications, virtual pet games and other miscellaneous shovelware. Sony will rapidly lose its hardcore fanbase, instead capturing a smaller part of a slightly larger market. Meanwhile, the hardcore go unserved in the portable arena.
(via Pocket Gamer)
RUMOUR: Next gen iPhone to feature 802.11n Wi-Fi and video editing
From no video whatsoever to video editing? That’s the possibility rumoured today for the next generation of the iPhone, due in June. Screenshots from the beta have inadvertently revealed elements of the UI that suggest that video editing will be possible. It’s already looking like there’ll be recording and uploading on the 3.0 phone.
Also, digging into the new wireless drivers for the device from Broadcom suggests that the new iPhone may support low-power 802.11n Wi-Fi, which is considerably faster than standard b/g support if you have a compatible router.
Whatever happens, it’s unlikely that the new iPhone will do anything other than gain rave reviews from critics, but there’ll still be an increasingly growing market of people dissatisfied with Apple’s growing dominance in the sector, in a way which never happened with the embryonic MP3 player market.
(via MacRumours)
Sources sugggest Apple launching netbook after all
After months of will-they, won’t-they action on the subject of an Apple netbook, the latest reports suggest that they-will is winning out. Apple is apparently working with a Taiwanese corporation, Wintek, to produce 10″ touchscreens for such a device.
The launch could be as soon as the second half of the year, and it would likely be packing a stripped-down OS, somewhere in between standard OS X and the iPhone OS. The touchscreen is almost a given, after how well multi-touch on the iPhone has gone down.
One thing that remains under question – will Apple drop the specs to match other netbook manufacturers? Or will they try and cram high-end components into a tiny shell? Apple’s never been one for making budget models of its computers, and there’s no reason why it might start now.
(via CNN Money)
RUMOUR: PSP2 won't use UMDs, and will be out in the Autumn
Didn’t Acclaim’s chief creative officer, David Perry, pay any attention to the World War II aphorism “Loose Lips Sink Ships”? He’s been mouthing off about the PSP. He reckons it’ll come out in the autumn:
“I spoke to a developer who is working on it right now, I know this developer is already working on it, so that means they have a prototype. That would sound like a fall release to me.”
Also of interest is that the device would be free of the PSP’s proprietary UMD disc format, and would instead rely on digital downloads and connectivity with your PC for games. There’ll be space for a memory card, though, so retailers could sell games pre-loaded onto those.
It’s expected that all current PSP titles would appear on an online store, much like Nintendo’s download channel. The idea makes a lot of sense, but consoles are primarily marketed by their games. What will happen if Sony lose all the shelf space currently dedicated to the PSP?
(via Kotaku)
RUMOUR: Apple to launch streaming film and TV service
There’s a rumour going around that Apple’s building a service for streaming film and TV shows, called iTunes Replay. It would give users the option to either download or stream a video once it’s been purchased. Apple could, obviously, charge different amounts for a stream vs a download.
But if Spotify’s popularity is anything to go by, then always-on broadband internet connections mean that the only reason you’d ever need to download something these days is if you wanted to stick it onto a portable player. Even those are increasingly delivering more and more data services.
So this is essentially “RUMOUR: The sun will rise tomorrow”. Maybe that’s a little on the mean side, but I’d be very surprised if Apple isn’t watching iPlayer and Spotify very closely, ready to follow suit whenever it can. .
In the meantime, we’ll stick with UKNova, 101 Great Goals, The Pirate Bay and iPlayer, thanks.
(via Trusted Reviews)
RUMOUR: Vodafone to launch Android handset with HTC
Perhaps Vodafone’s CEO has had a change of heart since dissing Android last year. There’s a rumour flying about that the network operator is planning its own Android handset, built by HTC.
The rumour suggests that it’ll be launched next Tuesday, the 17th Feb, at Mobile World Congress, which would make sense. I’ve emailed Vodafone about the device, but if they come back to me with anything other than “no comment”, then I’ll be very surprised indeed.
(via @feebeyer)
More on Android: Last.fm releases Android client application | Video surfaces of the Android-based Dream G2
