Posted 11/04/09 at 03:31:21 PM by Pulkit Chandna

Digitimes claims to have got the inside scoop on AMD's desktop strategy in 2010 from its sources at motherboard makers. The world's second-largest supplier of microprocessors is said to be working on two new desktop platforms, called the Leo (high-end) and the Dorado (mainstream), which the informants say will be unveiled in May 2010.

The Leo will reportedly combine a 45nm Phenom II series processor with either the 890FX or 890GX (RD890) northbridge and SB850 southbridge chipsets and an ATI Radeon HD 5000 series graphics card. This high-end desktop platform will also support AMD's upcoming six-core Thuban CPU, as per the report.

Moving on to the other platform, the sources said that the Dorado will bring together an Athlon II CPU, 880G (RS880P) northbridge and SB810 southbridge and HD 5000 series GPU. AMD refused to comment when contacted by Digitimes, saying that it cannot comment on unannounced products.

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Posted 10/09/09 at 05:43:28 PM by Pulkit Chandna

After Gizmodo crowned constant rumors of a Zune phone by posting the first pictures of two phones it claimed were part of Microsoft’s secret "Pink" phone family, other rumormongers scampered to find (or fabricate) more Pink rumors. Now, rumors of Pink’s prenatal demise are assuming pace.

MobileCrunch was recently approached by an anonymous source “with a seemingly exhaustive knowledge of Microsoft’s Project Pink.” Their source told them that it is highly unlikely that the Pink will ever see the light of day and cited many reasons for its imminent scrapping.

Apple Insider has also found its anonymous knight in stealthy armor. It identified its source as a Microsoft/Danger insider. For those of you who don’t know, Danger is the company that developed the T-Mobile Sidekick before being bought by Microsoft for $500 million in 2008. Danger is rumored to have been converted into “Pink”.

The insider source echoed the claims made by MobileCrunch’s source. But then the anonymous-source ego came into the picture and he made a desperate attempt to prove his superioriy as the more conscientious anonymous source of the two. He believes that the person who originally spilled the beans is clearly a “disgruntled former or current employee.”

“I have my share of disgruntlement about the situation, but it never occurred to me to do something like that. This is actually the worst possible timing for Microsoft for this information to come out (on the heels of the awful reviews of WM 6.5), and I suspect that it has already caused irreparable damage to their relationships with a number of key partners, to which I say, 'Bravo, leaker, well played.' Now allow me to twist the knife...,” he said. He is quite certain that Microsoft had intentionally leaked photos of “Pure” and “Turtle” – the two Pink phones.

But the move seems to have backfired as the tepid response to the leaks seems to have given Microsoft cold feet. I hope you are in the vicinity of a few grains of salt. 

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Posted 10/07/09 at 01:25:35 PM by Paul Lilly

It doesn't look like the oft-speculated Apple tablet will debut in November as The Wall Street Journal predicted back in August, but if DigiTimes' sources prove reliable (and they often do), the real release could take place in the first quarter of 2010.

According to the news and rumor site's talkative sources, Apple has pegged Foxconn as its manufacturing partner to build what's sure to be a popular device, Apple tax be damned. And there will be plenty to go around, as sources say initial shipments should be in the neighborhood of 300,000 to 400,000.

The Foxconn-built Apple tablet will sport a 10.6-inch display and focus more heavily on e-book chores than it will on music playback. Expect a long battery life, the sources noted.

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Posted 10/01/09 at 01:26:01 AM by Nathan Grayson

And now, we present an inside look at the creation of the possibly upcoming MechWarrior movie:

Movie Exec A: “Hey [Movie Exec B], you know what people seem to be able to relate to right now, in this time of economic hardship? Giant robots.”

Movie Exec B: “Yeah! And you know what goes great with giant robots, don’t you? That’s right: vague nostalgic ties into this generation’s childhood, ala Transformers 2.”

Movie Exec A: “Hey, aren’t the MechWarrior people getting sued for that whole ‘stealing from a nostalgic property’ business right now? Let’s make a movie out of that!”

Movie Exec B: “Brilliant! Get Shia LaBeouf on the phone, stat!”

And that’s how we like to imagine the rumored MechWarrior movie began its development. But it probably isn’t. Joystiq’s claiming that Michael Eisner’s The Tornante Company is helming the project, as Eisner owns the rights to the franchise at the moment. Apparently, Michael Gordon, the man behind such cinematic greats as Godzilla and G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra is directing. Other than that, nothing else is known. We’ll let you know when – or if – we hear more.

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Posted 09/29/09 at 09:47:41 PM by Pulkit Chandna

Another video of Microsoft’s Courier booklet made its way onto Gizmodo today, a week after the same site had leaked the first video of this exciting multi-touch device. The second video is meatier and more informative compared to the first one. Apparently, the device is centered on the “infinite journal,” which can be uploaded on the internet and freely shared with friends.

A journal, once it is published online, can be downloaded in three different formats - a Courier file, Powerpoint or PDF, making it possible for even non-Courier users to access it. The “infinite journal” can seamlessly shift between being an insipid digital notepad to an artist’s canvas. It also features a library that catalogues subscriptions, notebooks and apps.

Two videos of the device have now been leaked but there is not even a single frame grab of Courier’s media capabilities. ZDNet’s Mary Jo Foley claims to have learnt from one of her sources that the Courier is based on Windows 7, although it is not possible to install Windows 7 apps.  This is because Microsoft only wants it to run applications that are “tailored to a tablet form factor.”

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Posted 09/23/09 at 11:07:55 PM by Nathan Grayson

Have your grains of salt at the ready, people, because this one’s a doozy. According to a bit of Wall Street chatter, Microsoft’s got its sights set on none other than gaming giant Electronic Arts.

“There’s talk that Microsoft might be interested in acquiring Electronic Arts,”said Frederic Ruffy, options strategist at WhatsTrading.com. “It’s unsubstantiated chatter, but it’s out there.”

As such, analyst Trip Chowdhry is cautioning investors from counting their chickens before they’ve hatched, and is preemptively declaring this rumor hogwash.

"Our contacts just don't see Microsoft buying Electronic Arts, no synergies whatsoever, and also not Microsoft's corporate primary focus right now," Chowdhry told Reuters.

Shame, that. We were hoping to see Faith from Mirror’s Edge leaping improbable distances with Master Chief. Or maybe a scrimmage between the Cogs and Locusts from Gears of War in Madden? You know, Mutant League Football style? 

Ok -- no we weren’t. Not even a little bit.

Update: the rumor has been debunked.

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Posted 09/18/09 at 06:52:54 PM by Pulkit Chandna

There is a general feeling that the world is inching toward the next big leap in display technology: 3D displays. According to an estimate, the market for 3D displays is expected to be worth $15.8 billion by 2015, a figure that can only be achieved with a compound annual growth rate of 95%. This leap in display technology will straddle a wide gamut of devices and form factors.

Now, according to Taiwanese trade publication Commercial Times, HP and Dell have placed orders for 3D notebooks with original design manufacturer (ODM) Wistron. The same ODM is also said to be in talks with Sony and Lenovo. The report went on to add that Wistron’s patented 3D technology ensures that the cost of its 3D notebooks doesn’t exceed that of ordinary notebooks by much.

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Posted 09/01/09 at 09:09:09 AM by Paul Lilly

Here we go again. TechCrunch on Monday said it received a pair of screenshots claiming to show what Google's upcoming Chrome OS will look like. But this isn't the first time screenshots of the OS have purportedly been leaked, and likely not the last.

Google announced the browser-based OS back in July, prompting no shortage of alleged screen grabs surfacing on the Web. At least one of the incidents were confirmed fake, when a graphics designer who posted the false images admitted doing so on his blog.

So what makes these latest shots any different? Nothing, other than no one has confirmed or debunked them yet, so take these images at face value. Should they turn out to be legit, it would appear Google is taking a minimalistic approach to GUI design, just as it did with its Chrome browser. The supposed screenshots show a dock on the right-hand side with large icons to a handful of Google apps, along with an integrated search bar on the bottom of the screen. And that's it.

Anyone believe these are the real deal? Hit the jump and place your bets.

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