Oh! Gizmo

By Chris Scott Barr

Back before the iPhone 3G was released I was content with just an iPod Touch. Sure, the lack of internet access was a bit of a drag when I wasn’t hooked up to a Wi-Fi connection. But what really baffled me was the lack of a camera. It just seems like it would have been so easy to include, since the iPhone has one. Well it’s about time for Apple to refresh the Touch, and it looks like a camera might finally be on the spec list.

Sure, rumors can come from nowhere, but apparently one accessory maker has shown a new iPod Touch case with a hole in the back, exactly where a camera would be. Even more interesting is that another maker has shown an iPod Nano case with a similar camera hole.

[ Uxsight ] VIA [ MacRumors ]

By Chris Scott Barr

With Apple’s WWDC coming up quick, there are plenty of rumors swirling around the interwebs. I don’t think anyone really doubts that there will be a new iPhone announced, but my favorite rumor is of the Apple Tablet. This is one of those rumors that just won’t die, mostly because so many people are wishing that it would be real. As often as these rumors crop up, I’m actually surprised that Apple has yet to show any real interest in such a product. In case you weren’t sure where all of this was going, there’s a rumor about a new Apple tablet floating around.

This time someone has nailed down Wintek as the supplier for this seemingly imaginary product. Essentially they are supposed to be providing an “e-book form factor netbook product.” The main uses for the touchscreen tablet will be internet browsing, and VoIP, which strikes me as a bit odd. Sure, I’d browse the net on a 10-inch tablet, but don’t you think I’d look a bit silly with that thing up against my head? Yes, a headset would seem the more likely solution, but it still seems like a strange application for an oversized iPod Touch. The rumor pegs the device as launching sometime in 2010, which means that we may or may not hear about this at the WWDC next month (provided that it’s true in the first place).

[ Digitimes ] VIA [ SlashGear ]

By Chris Scott Barr

We know that Microsoft will be offering up the first release candidate of Windows 7 in just a few days. This means that we’re probably only a few short months away from an actual release date, right? Well according to Acer it will be out in just under 6 months.

Acer’s marketing director in the UK pinpointed the release down to the very day it will hit shelves. October 23rd to be exact. I’d take this with a little grain of salt, but the timing does make sense. After all, it was about 5 months between RC1 of Vista and the actual retail date. My advice? I’d start thinking long and hard before going out and buying a new PC when there’s a new OS just around the corner.

VIA [ PocketLint ]

This post is syndicated with permission from GamerFront.net

One of the things I love about my 360 is that it can stream Netflix movies to my TV. Sure, I have to pay a few bucks a month for my Netflix subscription, and a few more for a gold Live account, but it’s worth the convenience. Plus I’m too lazy to go to the video store, and I pay for a gold account anyway. Unfortunately for those with one of the other current-gen consoles, this service is exclusive to the 360. For now.

A job listing on the Netflix site hints at the possibility of streaming their movies onto other consoles. The position of “Engineering Leader – Gaming Platforms” lists one of the responsibilities as “help build a small technology team to rapidly prototype and iterate on a variety of platforms.” Now unless I’m mistaken, you’d have to have more than one or two platforms to justify the word “variety.” Perhaps we can look forward to streaming movies on the Wii and PS3 sometime in the future.

[ Netflix ] VIA [ GamerFront ]

By Chris Scott Barr

It’s hard to disagree with anyone that says iTunes forever changed the way we buy music. Their simple $.99 per song pricing made it cheaper than ever to buy just the songs you like. It didn’t matter if the song was brand new or three decades old, $.99 was the price. Unfortunately starting next month that will no longer be the case. If you’re looking for a current chart-topper, expect to pay a premium.

According to sources, Apple has begun telling record labels that on April 7 they will introduce the new $1.29 premium price for popular tracks. This has been discussed off and on for some time, but this is the first we’ve heard of a date for the new pricing.

I won’t pretend to know all of the inner-workings of the record industry, but I’m pretty sure their business model is to bend potential customers over a table and attempt to extract cash rectally. I mean, it’s not like we’re going through a recession or anything. Oh well, looks like we’re just going to have to listen to music the old-fashioned way. Speaking of which, I believe we can look forward to a ruling on the big RIAA vs ThePirateBay case just 10 days after this new pricing scheme goes public.

VIA [ GearFuse ]

By Luke Anderson

I love my iPhone 3G, but I will admit that it was a pricey investment. There have been rumors flying around about price drops and even a smaller version of the phone for some time now. Well with Macworld coming up next month, the rumors are really heating up. The most interesting thing I’ve seen is this supposed spy shot of a new iPhone Nano.

The picture looks convincing enough, and reminds me of something I’d expect to see projected on a giant screen behind Steve Jobs (even though he won’t actually be giving his usual keynote speech this year). Granted, it does look like they simply scaled-down the image of the iPhone 3G and adjusted the screen to fit. Also, I wonder just how well the current apps would work on a smaller screen. What do you guys think, would you pay a lesser price for a smaller iPhone?

VIA [ GearFuse ]

This post is syndicated with permission from GamerFront.net

I still haven’t gotten around to playing LEGO Batman, but I loved the Star Wars and Indiana Jones games. I don’t know if it’s the nostalgia of those little bricks, or the love of the movies they are based on, but I can’t seem to get enough of them. Well according to the latest rumors, we may have another successful franchise turned into a LEGO game. This time around, it’s Harry Potter.

I can’t actually say that this is surprising in the least. First, Harry Potter is still huge, and will likely remain so for many years to come. Not to mention the fact that there have been LEGO Harry Potter sets available for some time. Aside from naming Warner Bros. Interactive as the publisher, there really aren’t any other details to go along with this rumor.

[ CAV ] VIA [ GamerFront ]

This post is syndicated with permission from GamerFront.net

Before I upgraded to an iPhone, there were always three gadgets that went everywhere with me. My cell phone, iPod and Nintendo DS were all essential to day-to-day life. I still know several people that carry around a similar trio of gadgets, however, if the latest rumors are to be believed, you’ll be able to ditch at least one of these.

No, Nintendo isn’t branching out into the world of MP3 players, but rather integrating music playback into their already popular DS. A Japanese economic newspaper is claiming that Nintendo will be releasing a new DS which will include not only music playback, but a camera as well. Surprisingly, the new device would only cost a mere $30 more than the current Nintendo DS Lite.

While we’re still labeling this as a rumor, we do know that Nintendo is hosting simultaneous media briefings in Tokyo and San Francisco this Thursday. If a new DS really is in the works, this is where we’d most likely hear about it.

VIA [ GamerFront ]

By Andrew Liszewski

According to gaming site Maxconsole, the next Tony Hawk game for the Nintendo DS could incorporate a motion and tilt sensing control scheme.

A new game has appeared at the Australia Ratings Classificatiosn board (OFLC) and it’s called “Tony Hawk’s Motion’ which carries a G rating. Activision has previously said that this game will launch a with a new technology that has not been seen on the DS yet. So we’re speculating that such a technology could be a motion/titlt sensor…

Now I’m not entirely sure how big the motion & tilt sensing hardware is, but I assume it will be incorporated into a peripheral that needs to be inserted in the Nintendo DS’s GBA slot, rather than in the DS game cartridge itself. The rumor also leads to speculation about whether or not the game will be seeing a release for the motion & tilt sensing iPhone too, since I’m sure most of us have had our fill of Super Monkey Ball.

[ Maxconsole - New Tony Hawk game for DS to include motion/tilt sensor? ]