
Kevin Rose doesn't have the greatest track record when uncoverin upcoming Apple products. Remember his prediction of the 1sy iPhone being on CDMA, GSM networks, have a slide out keyboard, and seperate removable batteries for the phone part abd iPod part? Well he's doing it again, this time he's providing a picture of the rumored redesigned iPod nano. He's also reporting:
- Revamp of entire iPod line.
- Small cosmetic changes to Touch, Nano to see significant redesign (see pic below).
- iPods to see fairly large price drops to distance itself from the $199 iPhone.
- iPod touch 2.1 software, iPhone to get update very soon after.
- iTunes 8.0 ("it's a big update w/new features").
- All of this coming in the next 2-3 weeks.
- iPhone will launch in 20 countries on July 11th: Australia, Austria, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UK and the US. (France and Belgium launches have been delayed)
- In the U.S., the iPhone 3G will be sold at Apple Retail or AT&T stores.
- iPhone 3G sales time is rumored to be 6PM on Friday, July 11th
- If all countries launch the new iPhone at the same local time (6pm), then New Zealand will be the first country where customers will have 3G iPhones in hand. This corresponds to 2am Eastern time on July 11th
- Reports of required in-store activation in the U.S. remain, but one unconfirmed tidbit we've heard is that customers with existing iPhones will be shunted to a separate line and will simply need provide the new IMEI number (printed on the outside of the box) from their iPhone 3G. Activation will reportedly then be completed at home after switching your sim card to the new phone and plugging into iTunes. If true, this would speed up sales for those upgrading their existing phones and also leave the iPhone 3G's packaging intact (to the relief of many).
Let's hope that the rumor about existing iPhone owners being able to activate at home is true.
Later this summer, it would appear that Palm is planning on releasing some ROM upgrades for their devices.
Of particular note is the Windows Mobile 6.0 Professional for the Verizon Treo 700wx. Note that this is not a Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional upgrade and it will not be made available for the Verizon Treo 700w. (The Treo 700w has 32MB of RAM versus the 64MB on the Treo 700wx.) Palm is also reportedly working on two minor upgrades for the Sprint Centro and Treo 755p for Verizon that will likely be released later this year.
According to the latest rumor, the Windows Mobile 6.0 update for the Treo 700wx is no different than the already released update for the AT&T Treo 750. Also like the Windows Mobile 6.0 update for the Treo 750, there are some important things to consider before applying the upgrade:
[Thanks to Ain't No Snitch for the tip.]
[Via FoleoFanatics...]
Labels: palm, palm os, rumors, windows mobile

CrunchGear has tons of pictures of what they're claiming is the real 3G iPhone. According to the pictures from the Apple & or AT&T promotional material the new iPhone will be available in black, as well as a red version for Product (RED).
If this is legit, the new iPhone will be thinner than the original, same screen size as the original, have tapered edges similar to the MacBook Air, and will also include a front facing camera for iChat AV.
According to the promotional material it says:
"Video just became a little more fun. Start a real time video chat with other AT&T subscribers via 3G networking, or with iChat buddies via WiFi. The video calling revolution has begun."
The promotional material also shows that Windows XP SP2 or Windows Vista will be required to use iChat. CrunchGear believes that Apple will be launching a version of iChat for Windows just like they did with Safari.
Check out CrunchGear for more pictures and updates.
This could turn out to be a fake, but we only have 2 days to go before Steve Jobs shows the world the real deal, so hang in there iPhone fan boys!!
In its report, however, ValleyWag adds that the set took two days to construct on the same Warner Bros. lot lot used to film the movie "The Perfect Storm." It added that film from the shoot will be shown off during Steve Jobs' opening keynote address at next week's Worldwide Developers Conference.
In speaking to AppleInsider, one person familiar with the filming claims that one of the scenes portrayed two CIA-type individuals trekking through the halls of a high tech building carrying an aluminum case. After a series of mundane corridors, they arrive at an Apple Store Genius Bar where they open to case to reveal the "product." Via AppleInsider.
Labels: apple. iphone, rumors
AppleInsider is reporting that the first third-party native iPhone applications will be ready Monday (iPhone OS 2.0 would have to be released Monday for this to happen).
Apple will announce immediate availability of the new iPhone for some regions next week.
Here's to hoping these rumors are facts come Monday.
The above pictures are what could be the 3G iPhone (or not) according to MacFreak . We'll know for sure in less than 2 weeks.
Tam over at TamsPPC has posted the supposed product specifications for the unannounced Treo 850 smartphone. Tam claims to have received the specs for the upcoming Treo from a source at Palm.
In the article posted on TamsPPC, the source writes:
"This is not the PalmOS version of the Centro. (I think they mean Windows Mobile version).It can be regarded as the evolution of the 750 line of devices. The unit is a little wider, but much slimmer than the Centro, it’s 175 MB for user), 32 MB SDRAM and Windows Mobile Pro 6.1.
The Codename for this unit was 'Skywriter' "
Tam goes on to list the specs for the Palm Treo 850 as the following:
- 14 mm in thickness, width 60 mm and length 113 mm
- GSM, EDGE and UMTS HSDPA 3.6
- assisted-GPS receiver
- Wi-FI b/g
- 320*320 screen, touch panel
- micro-SD slot under the battery
- 2 MP camera
- 1500 mAh battery
- a micro-USB connector for both power and sync
- bluetooth 2.0 EDR + A2DP, 256 MB NAND-Flash (> 175 MB for user), 32 MB SDRAM
- Windows Mobile Pro 6.1
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Treo 850 comparison pic with the BlackBerry 8800. (Palm has finally realized thin is in) :)
All-in-all, this looks like it is going to be a solid device that will make many of Palm's customers happily fork over the cash to upgrade from older Treo products.
***Editor's note*** The Treo 850 is shaping up to be a VERY impressive device, just look at how thin and powerful it is . Palm is finally going head to head in features and design against the HTC's, and BlackBerry's of the smartphone market, and all I can say is it's about time!!
Pictures from The Boy Genius Report .
Labels: palm. treo, rumors, windows mobile
The Commercial Times also cited sources at component suppliers as saying they have been instructed by Apple to begin preparing material supplies by the end of May.
Shipments of the 3G iPhone are expected to top three million units in June with the model likely to ship a total of 24-25 million units throughout its life-cycle, the paper added.
Reports of a 3G version iPhone are all unconfirmed at present, although industry watchers are fairly confident an announcement will be made at or around Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference 2008 (WWDC 2008) in June based on the current high market demand for the device, plus the proposed timing of the announcement, approximately one year after Apple launched the first-generation iPhone, is characteristic for the company.
Foxconn is currently the sole manufacturer of first-generation iPhones."
"These thoughts put aside, prices of the 3G iPhone may be what most of potential buyers may be interested in. Our sources told us that there will be at least two models, one with 8 GB and one with 16 GB memory, priced at $399 and $499, respectively. This pricing structure is identical to current iPhones There is a chance that we could see a 32 GB version for $599, but we were not able to receive a confirmation for this claim.
The iPhone itself will come with a slightly thinner body, which sheds about 2.5 mm when compared to the original iPhone. The casing, we are told, will see revisions in its appearance, removing some of the “plasticky” feeling of some parts. There will not be any significant changes to the operating system as well as the graphical user interface, but we did hear that the accelerometer has been tuned a bit. Unfortunately, Apple decided to stick with a non-removable battery."
iPod Observer has posted a picutre that alleges to be the 3G iPhone. You can see that the iPhone in the picture has a glossy black case compared to the aluminum case of the original iPhone. One reason for Apple to replace the aluminum case with a plastic case is better reception for the 3G radio. The iPhone in the picture also shows that it is an 8GB iPhone, would Apple release an 8GB, 16GB, and 32GB 3G iPhone? As with all rumored Appke products we see "leaks" that usually turn out to be fakes, so take this with a grain of salt. Stay tuned.
"* One of our readers, Jon Cotton, found a mention of a "MacBook Air" on one of Adium's usage log reports. Subsequent verification from Google Cache reveals that this log entry was made on January 9th, BEFORE the Macworld posters were revealed. Therefore, someone would have had to have known about the posters and made the reference to "Air"."
Stay tuned to see how this rumor pans out.

Did Microsoft's Bill Gates "out" Palm's rumored Treo "Drucker"?
Over the weekend, Gadgets On the Go covered a leaked product roadmap from Vodafone that showed two slides of upcoming Windows Mobile-based Palm Treo smartphones. The high-end device, code named "Drucker" did not have an image. Did Bill Gates, accidentally give us a sneak-peek at the new device rumored to be due out by mid-year?
"Drucker", if the leaked information is to be believed, will include a built-in Wi-Fi radio (a first for Palm), Windows Mobile 6.1, a 320x320 display, Bluetooth 2.0, and a 2.0MP camera.
Photo Credit: Engadget.com
SprintUsers.com forum member TheRobin has posted what appears to be a promotional photo of the rumored pink Palm Centro that is expected to arrive on Sprint sometime in January or February 2008.
The information on the release date has been all over the map with rumored launch dates of January 6, January 13, and February 14 (Valentine's Day).
Palm and Sprint are going to sell a lot of these things.
"Once again, completely without a doubt confirmed Apple will be announcing a new sort of laptop at MacWorld. How do we know this? Apple had a recent holiday event where they had artists perform (some really big names, too), and they all did it for free! Why did they perform without being paid? Apple promised to give every performer and band member once of the new laptops they are coming out with at MacWorld!"
Some developers are gaining early access to Apple's iPhone and iPod touch software developer kit, according to reliable sources speaking to Electronista.A handful of companies are said to be getting rough versions of the tools to help code more advanced applications than would be possible with the current web-only solution. Exact details of what the kit allows are unknown, though it is confirmed that it produces native programs and somewhat resembles Google's OpenSocial in that it mediates between the programmer and the iPhone operating system.
Although treated as a welcome development, the SDK will not be the same as writing a Mac OS X application and has its clear limits, people familiar with the matter say. These details are unavailable, though the features are broad enough that at least one major social networking site is reportedly interested what the native platform can offer versus existing web code. The group of companies has only received its development tools within the past two weeks and is allegedly unable to provide a timetable for when finished software will be ready, though it should be well ahead of the community at large, which only receives the SDK in February."
A TreoCentral forum member, "ashblades," is claiming to be a Sprint employee and states that Palm and Sprint will be launching a pink Centro on February 8 just in time for Valentines Day. You can read the entire TreoCentral thread here.
I've been wondering aloud with some of the other 1SRC'ers about why Palm isn't offering their smartphones in more rainbow flavors. With Palm's new found emphasis on the consumer market using the Centro as the vehicle to reach more feature phone users, it would seem that more color choices is a logical thing to offer.
Palm has offered the Treo 680 in several colors prior to the Cingular acquisition by AT&T. The copper Treo seemed to be the first color to sell out with customers clamoring to snatch up second-hand units on eBay once the primary channel dried up. Palm has seemed to have an on again-off again attitude toward colored devices. In the mid-90's Palm released a teal colored Palm Vx and a clear cased Palm IIIxe. Handspring's (now a part of Palm) Visor Deluxe line also came in a rainbow assortment of colors. (I did get an orange Visor). And there have been a few other limited and special edition Palm or Handspring devices since then.
While it is impossible to know if the poster at TreoCentral is credible at this time there is a prescient for a pink Centro late this coming winter.
Voice memo syncing with iTunes
Manually managing your music
Enabling disk use
Whether or not Apple actually enables these features is a whole other story. We've been seeing these strings since iTunes 7.3
"4301.079" = "The mobile phone “^1” contains new voice memos. Would you like to move these voice memos to your iTunes library?";
"4320.300" = "iTunes has detected a Macintosh-formatted iPhone. You must restore this iPhone before you can use it on Windows.";
/* ===== iPhone Game Item Strings ===== */
"4329.001" = "Are you sure you want to remove the selected game from your iPhone?";
"4329.002" = "Are you sure you want to remove the selected games from your iPhone?";
Rumor Mill EditionI was just looking at the Seidio online store and noticed that green was an option for the back plate cover for their 3200mAh battery. Could this mean that the Verizon branded Treo 755p will be green? Sprint has burgundy and blue. Altel has black. Since the the Treo 755p is a CDMA only device the only other major CDMA carriers in North America are Verizon and Telus Mobility (Canada). It is just something to think about. There has been no official word as to when the Treo 755p will make an appearance on the Verizon network, though many believe it will be sometime this month to help drive holiday sales.
Labels: palm. treo, rumors
Those are a lot of unknowns. But what I am hearing from several sources is that the announcement, one that Steve Jobs confirmed without any timetable some weeks ago, will happen soon. Perhaps this week." Via Tidbits .
"Overall volume will be shrunk almost 25 percent, weight by about 20 percent, and an all-new enclosure will be strikingly different from the design that has been the Mini's defining feature since its introduction," according to the report."
Labels: apple. mac, rumors
GearDiary has posted a picture of what appears to be a Centro with AT&T branding. They're calling it a Treo 500p and since Sprint has the Centro exclusively, maybe AT&T will be getting the same device under the Treo name?
***Update***
Palm has asked GearDiary to remove the picture. Notice the "My Centro" icon in the launcher? Looks like Sprint won't be the only carrier with a Centro;)
Labels: att, palm. treo, rumors
AppleInsider is reporting that Apple will be bringing back the Newton, sort of.
"Apple Inc, which helped spawn the PDA market with its Newton MessagePad line in the early '90s, plans to give the concept another go with a modern day reincarnation of the old fan favorite based on the company's new mutli-touch technology, AppleInsider has learned.
With the initial iPhone now out the door and two successive models well underway in Apple's labs, it's believed to be full steam ahead for the modern day Newton project. Like iPhone and the iPod touch, the new device runs an embedded version of Apple's Mac OS X Leopard operating system.
Externally, the mutil-touch PDA has been described by sources as an ultra-thin "slate" akin to the iPhone, about 1.5 times the size and sporting an approximate 720x480 high-resolution display that comprises almost the entire surface of the unit. The device is further believed to leverage multi-touch concepts which have yet to gain widespread adoption in Apple's existing multi-touch products -- the iPhone and iPod touch -- like drag-and-drop and copy-and-paste."
The above picture is an artist rendering. If true this would be Apple's response to the UMPC. Stay tuned.
"What we know:
Black aluminum and silver aluminum (like MacBook Pros) have been seen
They are considerably slimmer than current MacBook and even a bit more than MacBook Pros
The screen reaches much closer to the edges than current MacBooks but is the same size as current MacBooks - indicating a somewhat smaller footprint
The keyboards resemble Apple's new Bluetooth Keyboard
There is something strange about the touchpad (more on this to come)
They are set to be priced extremely aggressively
While they are dense, overall they are lighter than the current MacBooks "
This is pure rumor and speculation, but I could definitely see Apple rolling out iTunes 8 later today. 9to5mac also believes this could be possible since Apple is widely expected to announce new iPods today and updates to iPhone software and iTunes are almost guaranteed. iTunes 7 was made available almost a year ago today, it was released on September 12, 2006. Stay tuned.
According to the reports we obtained, the device will have similar form factor to the iPhone but should be thinner. It will include a touch-screen display with similar dimensions as the one found on the iPhone.
The question remaining unanswered is whether the new iPod will include flash memory or hard drive-based storage. Considering the fact it is thinner than the iPhone, sources speculated in favor of flash-based storage but today's pricing for this kind of storage is quite prohibitive compared to small hard drives." Via Mac Scoop .
Thinner than the iPhone?? Is that possible?? We'll know soon enough. Check back here around 1pm ET for the details.
The new iPod will feature similar dimensions to Apple's iPhone with which it will share the same display, but sources except the iPod to continue to sport a hard drive in place of Flash memory. Solid state media commands a roughly 15-fold price premium per gigabyte over a 1.8-inch hard drive, which is now available in substantial quantities at capacities up to 120GB."
"Apple's new iPod nano, meanwhile, will gain much of the same functionality as Apple's current 5.5G iPod, including video playback and a higher resolution 320x240 pixel display. The nano will remain Flash-based, with capacities expected to top out at 12GB or 16GB, in keeping with rival product offerings.
The iPod nano is also expected to feature the first substantial improvement to the iPod's traditional interface. Rumored to have been in development for nearly two years, the click-wheel based interface will pack plenty of animation and other visual flair, including CoverFlow." Via Think Secret .
"A reliable industry insider has told vnunet.com that the announcement will include plans to bring digital radio to the iPod along with an option to buy music using the device," Thomson reports.
"The source said that the new iPods will be able to receive digital radio, and will include a 'buy-now' function to allow the user to download and buy tracks as they are being played," Thomson reports.
"Other rumors about the new iPod line suggest the inclusion of a full touch-screen that does away with hardware buttons, and a new version of the iPod Nano that can handle video," Thomson reports." Via MacDailyNews .
The fifth is odd day for an event (a Wednesday instead of the typical Tuesday), but we are told that the reason for this is the long holiday weekend. Whatever you say, your Steveness. It's also possible that Apple will make announcements on the 5th while shipping later in the month, which would validate the date range provided by AI's sources.
Four different models will be introduced next month, says AI, most of which will be NAND-flash-based and major evolutions of both the iPod video and iPod nano lines. Sources in the "far East" have allegedly seen fullscreen iPods that will have an OS that is based off of OS X. "What's interesting, however, is that the Apple has also been working on Mac OS-based iPod software for models that will retain their click-wheels—such as third-generation iPod nanos," writes Kasper Jade. "Interface concept videos recently published and then pulled from MacRumors consisted of genuine Apple material to this effect, AppleInsider can confirm." Via ArsTechnica .
Same form factor as the iPhone with some notable exceptions:
* Outside rim is black, not silver like the iPhone and more flush with the screen like the 5.5G iPods not rounded like iPhone
* No ear speaker or microphone for phoning
* Thicker - slightly
Things that are the same:
* OSX Embedded OS
* 480x320 screen
* Coverflow-enabled iPod application
* Single button home navigation
"Palm is expected to launch its first Linux-based smartphone in October, with the company likely to introduce more Linux models in the future, according to sources close to the company.
Palm's new smartphone will be based on the Linux platform developed for consumer devices by Wind River Systems – a continuation of cooperation between the two companies following Palm's launch of its "mobile companion," the Foleo, in the second quarter of this year, said the sources.
The Palm Foleo, an on-the-go device which can perform functions similar to a UMPC (ultra-mobile PC), is also based on the Linux platform from Wind River.
Palm's new Linux-based smartphone will help facilitate Linux applications between the smartphone and the Foleo, the sources noted.
Palm will also continue to cooperate with Microsoft to develop Windows Mobile-based devices, leaving the Palm OS (operating system) as a non-mainstream technology, the sources indicated."
Could this be the "but there is a bigger story coming, and will be revealed closer to the launch" statement that Palm revealed last week when it announced the Palm Centro? Stay tuned.
Labels: linux, palm. treo, rumors
9to5mac has posted pictures of what they are claiming to be the upcoming iPod nano.
"Further to last weekend's intel, we have a spy shot from one of our sources. Have a look. Believe us? If not maybe we can convince you in the coming days..."
9to5 mac is reporting that the new iPod nano will be available in new colors.
Light Green
Black-matte
Cranberry/Wine Red
Silver
Lighter Blue
The new nano's screen also reportedly takes up 1/2 the surface of the nano. It looks like the new iPod nano will also be able to play video.
"Due to scheduled maintenance, .Mac members might be intermittently unable to access some .Mac services from 10 AM to 12 PM PDT on 08/07/2007. We apologize for any inconvenience."
Hopefully this "maintenance" will bring great things to long overdue .Mac members like myself:)
These are supposedly "real" pictures of the new iMac that will be announced tomorrow? Real or fake? You decide.
"It will be about two inches square and play video (so technically we were right about being the new video iPods). It is coming in 4GB and 8GB size and will likely keep the same pricing.
These little square machines are also coming in a new set of colors for all of us sick of the five already out. Those 320x240 videos you saw with the new iPod OS? That was a Nano."
This nano will be the first iPod nano that will have video capabilities. The rumored price will be $299 and $399 if this rumor turns out to be the truth. Stay tuned.
Engadget has posted pictures of what could be the new iMac keyboard. This might not be legit for a number of reasons. There is no Apple logo key on the keyboard, and before an Apple product gets released there are always pictures surfacing that claim to be the real deal, but they're usually not. Stay tuned.
The Economic Daily News, a Chinese-language newspaper in Taiwan, reported that Quanta is already slated to become an iPhone assembler, the second Taiwanese company behind Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. Ltd., to build the handsets for Apple. Quanta is also working on a new smartphone for Dell, the newspaper reported, without citing a source for the information.
Quanta does not discuss customer orders, a spokeswoman said, but noted that this year, the company is focused on building its smartphone and PDA (personal digital assistant) business." Via Yahoo News .
Labels: iphone, rumors, smartphone
"Extremely reputable sources have told AppleInsider in recent weeks that the company's iPhone roadmap for the 2007 calendar year includes not one but two distinct models, the second of which is set to turn up just months after the first.
Conceived as a scaled back, lower cost alternative to today's iPhone, the second iteration of the handset is presumed to marry iPod functionality with rudimentary cellular capabilities. More resource-heavy Internet browsing and e-mail capabilities are not expected of the device.
In providing the first visual descriptions of the handset, long-standing industry sources -- who've continually been in tune with Apple's future music directions -- have dubbed the device "an iPhone nano" because they say it best describes the the handset's overall form-factor and aesthetic.
Pricing of the new handset is expected to fall significantly below the $500+ asking cost of today's iPhone models, these sources say, but not so much so as to pinch sales of an upcoming revision to the iPod nano."
"Multiple sources have said Apple's highly anticipated iMac revision is expected in the first week of August. The revamped iMac will represent the first substantial upgrade to the system since it initially adopted Intel processors in January 2006, and will sport an entirely new brushed aluminum enclosure."