WebProNews

Tag: Rumors

  • iPhone 5 Could Be Bigger Hit Than Predecessors In China

    As previously reported, Apple’s Q3 earnings reveal that the company is doing pretty well in the Chinese market. Half of the company’s revenue comes from international markets, and China is no doubt high on the list.

    CEO Tim Cook says revenue from the country was $5.7 billion in Q3, accounting for a whopping 48% increase year-over-year. Things may soon get even better for Apple in China, despite increased smartphone competition in the region.

    Siri does not currently support Mandarin Chinese, which is widely spoken in China and in Hong Kong. A report from Reuters reminded us today that this is about to change this fall.

    Update: Wording has been adjusted to reflect that (as a reader pointed out) Mandarin was previously announced as a supported language in iOS 6, which will also come to other versions of the iPhone.

    Currently, Siri works in English (United States, United Kingdom and Australia), French (France), German (Germany), and Japanese (Japan). On Apple’s Siri FAQ page, it says that Siri will support addition languages, including Chinese, Korean, Italian and Spanish, in 2012.

    Siri can be used in any country in the supported languages, but it’s designed to recognize specific accents and dialects of its supported countries. Clearly, Siri has a great deal of room for growth in that department, and given that Siri has become one of Apple’s main selling points for the iPhone, more language support should have a significant impact on iPhone sales, which haven’t been as great as they have been in previous quarters (though Apple still managed to sell 26 million of them in the quarter).

    Of course, Google has added a Siri competitor to its Android operating system, so Apple may also find Siri to become less of a selling point as time goes on.

    The iPhone 5 (if that is its real name) is expected to be released in either September or October, depending on which reports you believe. The aforementioned Reuters report is sticking with October, but otherwise, the latest rumor is leaning more towards September.

  • iPhone 5 Rumors Mean Lower iPhone Sales For Apple

    iPhone 5 Rumors Mean Lower iPhone Sales For Apple

    Apple released its quarterly earnings report on Tuesday, and included in that were slower than usual iPhone sales.

    The latest rumor is that the iPhone 5 (and possibly the iPad Mini) will be released in September. This piece of rumorformation comes from analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, as reported by BGR.

    Apple CEO Tim Cook and CFO Peter Oppenheimer spoke on the company’s earnings call, acknowledging that speculation about the device has hurt iPhone sales. Essentially, people want to wait for the next version, rather than buying one before it comes out.

    “We’re reading the same speculation about a new iPhone as you are, and we think this has caused some delay in purchasing,” Oppenheimer is quoted as saying.

    Still, it’s not as though Apple isn’t selling iPhones. The company still sold 26 million of them in the quarter, representing growth of 28% over Q3. Apple sold 26 million iPhones in the last quarter, which represents a growth of 28% year-over-year. They also happened to sell 17 million iPads (an 84% increase year-over-year).

    Rumor has it that the iPhone 5 (which may not even actually be called the iPhone 5) is currently in the manufacturing stage. The device, no matter what it’s called, is also rumored to have a smaller dock connector than its predecessors, which will mean it won’t be compatible with many existing iPhone accessories.

  • iPhone 5 Rumor: It Won’t Work With Many Of Your Existing iPhone Accessories

    Rumor has it that the next version of the iPhone, which may or may not be called the iPhone 5 (but for all intents and purposes, we’ll refer to as the iPhone 5), will come with a smaller dock connector, rendering it incompatible with many existing iPhone accessories.

    This news comes not from some random Apple blog, but from Reuters, who cites “two sources familiar with the matter”. These sources reportedly indicate that the iPhone 5 will feature a 19-pin connector port, as opposed to the 30-pin model that Apple has used for years.

    As Reuters implies, this could mean big sales for accessory makers, even if it pisses off a lot of current iPhone users, who wish to upgrade when the device becomes available.

    The iPhone 5 is said to be currently in the manufacturing stage, and it’s expected to be launched in either September or October (the Reuters report says October).

    More iPhone 5 rumors here.

  • iPhone 5 Rumor: It’s Being Made Right Now

    The iPhone 5 rumors have been going on since well before the iPhone 4S came out. When Apple comes out with its next iPhone (most likely later this year), they may continue, with the next version very possibly not even being called the iPhone 5. We’ll just have to wait and see.

    Either way, one of the latest rumors about the next device in the insanely popular iPhone line is that it has entered the manufacturing stage. According to a report from Digitimes, Pegatron has begun production at its Shanghai factory. The publication cites “industry sources in Taiwan”.

    Last week, images of a white front panel surfaced, perhaps indicating that desires for a white iPhone 5 (or whatever it may be called) will be sated sooner rather than later.

    No matter which color users are interested in, they may be getting a quad core processor underneath the casing.

    It’s worth noting that DigiTimes (also where the quad core processor rumor appears to have originated) has not always been accurate with these rumors, but a rumor is just a rumor, and they’re careful enough not to report any of this as fact, but relaying info from sources.

    The Wall Street Journal did report last week that the device is in production, but they’re not always right either.

    As with any rumor, they should all be taken with their respective grains of salt.

    The device is expected to launch in September or October of 2012.

    For a round-up of all the iPhone 5 rumors, keep an eye on our coverage here.

  • iPhone 5 Rumor: White Front Panel Spotted In The Wild

    Apple has done a bad job of containing all the leaks concerning the iPhone 5. Sure, it might be a well-played campaign to drum up hype, but there has been an abnormally large amount of leaks. Interestingly enough, all of the leaks so far have been of the black iPhone with none ever surfacing in the traditional Apple white… until today.

    A photobucket account belonging to user meme_168 has just posted what he claims to be a picture of the front panel for the new iPhone 5. He couples it with a shot of the back of the panel. It seemingly confirms what we’ve known for a while now about what the new iPhone.

    iPhone 5 Rumor: White Front Panel Spotted In The Wild

    The new iPhone will still continue to play host to the singular button on the bottom. It will also feature the larger 5-inch screen with the FaceTime camera directly above the speaker instead of to the side.

    The new front panel design was seemingly confirmed back in June after a patent drawing from Apple surfaced showing off the elongated screen. Every leak of the front panel so far seems to confirm this so it’s safe to assume that the new iPhone will definitely be getting a size upgrade. Other fun rumors include the iPhone 5 getting a quad core processor which may be contributing to device’s reported battery problems.

    [h/t: Mac Rumors]

  • GigaOm For Sale, According To Rumors

    This is certainly only in rumor stage at this point, but Business Insider is reporting that popular tech blog network GigaOm may be for sale.

    Nicholas Carlson reports that a couple “insiders” have said GigaOm is “on the block,” with one saying the company has been “flirting with Bloomberg and Dow Jones.”

    Earlier this year, GigaOm acquired PaidContent, another industry publication.

    Time is already republishing PaidContent articles. If GigaOm is really looking to sell, perhaps Time Warner could be a potential suitor. GigaOm also partnered with TheStreet in 2010 to share content and audiences.

    GigaOm has yet to respond to our request for comment.

    On the company’s about page, GigaOm claims to have an audience of 5.5 million monthly unique readers. While Compete’s numbers are often much lower than publishers’ internal analytics, the firm had GigaOm at 219,288 unique visitors in the U.S. for the month of May. Here’s a list of some of the top industry publications and their numbers.

    For perspective, Business Insider itself announced that it hit 15 million uniques yesterday (compared to Compete’s U.S. count of 2,681,606 for May), and WebProNews had 5.2 million in May (compared to Compete’s count of 2,239,178 in May).

    GigaOm isn’t the only industry publication rumored to be for sale. Rumors of talks between Mashable and CNN have recently been back in the media as well.

  • Microsoft’s Media Event Location Suggests Emphasis on Entertainment

    According to Forbes, Microsoft has confirmed the location of its secret-handshake-admission-only media event for later today as Milk Studios in Hollywood.

    Milk Studios is a products retailer headquartered in Älmhult, Sweden, with two locations in the United States (the other not-Hollywood location being New York City). The company’s homepage greets visitors with the message:

    Milk stands at the crossroads of the fashion, music, photography, and film worlds. A media company based out of New York and Los Angeles – Milk spans contemporary culture and is a hub for nurturing creativity and supporting partnerships with some of the industry’s most visionary talent and innovative brands.

    Skimming over Milk Studios’ Twitter account, no mention is made of anything going on between them and Microsoft this afternoon but, then again, that’s not surprising given how tight-lipped Microsoft has been about today’s event. The typical subject matter of Milk Studios’ tweets seem to be pretty liberal with the celebrity name-dropping.

    Given all of the speculation on Microsoft’s event and the rumors that it will be announcing a crossover device/platform that integrates Xbox, internet search, and mobile, “visionary talent” could very likely apply to this conference.

    Microsoft is being amazingly Prohibition Era-quiet with this event, aren’t they?

  • Microsoft to Make Bing Announcement at Today’s Conference [Rumor]

    With so much drama in the LBC circulating Microsoft’s rumored announcement this afternoon of an Xbox-ish tablet, Microsoft may not be limiting the conference fun to its new line of hardware. Over on Bing’s Facebook page, a photo was uploaded about 12 hours ago:

    Bing Summer of Doing

    The caption below the image reads, “Big things are coming to Bing tomorrow. You excited?!” Four people, seemingly at random and without any obvious association with Microsoft or Bing, were tagged in the photo.

    Bing’s already had a load of updates these past couple of months, including a dramatic pro-social redesign, the integration of Qwiki presentations and Encyclopedia Britannica answers among the standard search results, and improved local search thanks to Yelp, so what more could Microsoft have in store for its search engine?

    I might be going out on a limb here, but I doubt it’s a new line of 70s-tinged roadsters.

    The conference is this afternoon at 3:30PM PST, so stay tuned.

    [Via Neowin.]

  • Xbox 720 Document Leaked Online, Features New Kinect And Kinect Glasses

    There’s been rumors aplenty in regards to Microsoft’s new home console, codenamed “Durango.” Thanks to leak from NeoGAF, we now know everything. The leaked document came out in 2010 and details Microsoft’s plans for the Xbox 720.

    The main details that you need to know from the document is that the Xbox 720 features a new Kinect, blu-ray player, backwards compatibility with Xbox 360 and a price point of only $299. There’s more to this story, however, from the information contained within the leaked document. Some of it is extremely surprising while some of it just makes plain sense.

    So, the first question is obviously, “How powerful is the Xbox 720?” Microsoft is playing around with the idea of six to eight x86 or ARM processors with each one clocked at 2GHz. The power would be more than enough to power the next generation of games while keeping costs low. The system will also feature 4GB of RAM which is a major upgrade from the 512MB of RAM in the Xbox 360. It will also reportedly use a single GPU clocked at 1 GHz. The components will only cost $225 and will be 8x more powerful than the Xbox 360.

    As for the other interesting things contained within the document. How about Project Fortazela? While the Xbox 720 will be out in 2013, Microsoft will launch its main assault on the living room and everywhere you go with a pair of Kinect Glasses in 2014. The document says that it will allow “seamless integration of the digital world with the physical world.” Using Xbox Live, the glasses will provide “real time information on people, places and objects.”

    Microsoft’s recently announced SmartGlass works into this as well. The document says that Microsoft is going for a three screen approach in 2014 with the television, tablets/phones and Kinect Glasses providing a consolidated Xbox 720 experience across all devices. The TV experience will be all about Xbox TV apps that work similarly to how Google TV and Apple TV work now. It will just feature a decidedly Metro design. SmartGlass will be expanded to provide “premium experiences on existing and inexpensive hardware.”

    What about the new Kinect? It’s called Kinect V2 and features better accuracy alongside stereo imaging instead of mono. The biggest improvement over the last Kinect, however, is that the new one features its own on-board processor. The original Kinect device featured its own processor but was later cut to lower costs. The current Kinect piggybacks on one of the three processors in the Xbox 360. Another improvement has the new Kinect being able to track up to four players at once instead of the current two.

    What we have here is a new console that might actually be somewhat revolutionary. The games console has to adapt to survive and that is what Microsoft is planning to do here. They want to make it more than just a games conosle and turn it into an integral part of the living room. While that is the intention of any games console, Microsoft seems to have a pretty good grasp on it here.

    It’s bears mentioning that this document is from 2010. Things change and this could be a proof of concept. We just don’t know. For now, let’s put this safely into the rumor box, but I really want this one to be true.

    Check out the entire document below to see what Microsoft has in store for the Xbox 720:

    XBox 720-9-24 Checkpoint Draft 1

  • Microsoft to Announce Xbox Tablet at Monday’s Big Secret Media Event?

    Microsoft piqued everybody’s interest yesterday by sending out invites to an exclusive media event where the company plans to make a “major announcement.” Microsoft isn’t even telling invitees where the event is happening until Monday morning, the day of the event, let alone betraying even a single clue about what this shindig will be about. With few details about the event, the tech world collectively mused, ‘What can it all mean?’ while taking turns at pinning the tail on the rumor donkey.

    The first rumor out there that’s credited to an insider-ish source with Microsoft comes by way of The Wrap, who says that the company will be announcing a brand new Microsoft-made tablet. Considering the competing rumors and speculation that the event would be related to Windows 8 or the acquisition of Yammer or a possible acquisition of a manufacturer of middling smartphones, the notion of Microsoft finally making a move on the tablet market is the most intriguing of the lot.

    I asked a Microsoft spokesperson for a comment about the event/announcement but got promptly shut down with this reply: “We do not comment on rumors or speculation.”

    If you want to mix and match rumors, one could postulate that an entertainment-centric tablet not too dissimilar to the Kindle Fire could be in Microsoft’s oven.

    If this turns out to be the case and Microsoft does roll out its own brand of tablets on Monday, hopefully there will be something novel about the product that will distinguish it from the iPad and all of Google’s Android tablets: a surprising partnership to provide a unique service or some fancy utensil like a next-generation stylus (because in my humble opinion, e-readers will always kind of suck until you can actually write some marginalia on the edge of the screen). If Microsoft really wanted to put Apple and Google on notice, its tablet would include some exclusive integration with its gaming console, Xbox 360, and simultaneously propel the company into the television/video market. Who knows, maybe Bill Gates will come clean and admit that he was the one that sent the Wow! Signal to Earth back when he was traveling through the Paleolithic age, takes a bow, and then vanishes into the future.

    Based on nothing more than my personal wishes and a dash of logic, I expect Microsoft’s announcement will involve a new tablet that has some savvy Xbox-integration. Rumors were passed around this past March that Microsoft was experimenting with the idea of a touchscreen-style tablet device for the Xbox 360, so it’s not completely from out of nowhere. Also, with the recent announcement that Microsoft’s Internet Explorer would be arriving on Xbox 360s this fall, a tablet capable of wirelessly synching with the console from anywhere would create a unique internet experience that could boost Microsoft’s market share of online search.

    Such a one-two-three combo would certainly work within the entertainment-related speculation as it would combine surfing the web, video, and gaming into a single, must-have device. So make a list and check it twice – an Xbox tablet would be nice.

  • So What’s Microsoft’s “Major Announcement” Going to Be?

    Through an exclusive invite to a Microsoft “Media Event,” Mashable is reporting that the tech company is planning to make some waves next week with a “major Microsoft announcement” in Los Angeles.

    According to the invite, virtually no clue is given as to what this could mean and Microsoft is being uncharacteristically cagey with the details. In fact, the company included some cryptic instructions with the invitation. Here’s the full invite, per Forbes:

    You are invited to an exclusive Microsoft media event in Los Angeles, California on Monday, June 18th. Doors open at 3:30 PM.

    This is an invitation only event and you are allowed to register up to one additional guest from your publication. All guests must be registered by replying below.

    Additional information regarding the specific venue, address and parking information will be sent via e-mail to registered attendees on Monday morning, June 18th, no later than 10:00 AM.

    This is a non-transferrable invitation, however, if you would like to send your local colleague in your place, please submit that name and it will be reviewed. If you would like to bring a photographer please register that person as your additional guest. Please note – still photography and video will be limited.

    All attendees must be registered with exact names and done so in advance, no later than Sunday, June 17th at 10:00 AM, Pacific. You will be responsible for securing your travel and lodging.

    Registration will be first come, first served.

    To confirm your registration and to register a guest, please respond to the below e-mail address with name, phone number, e-mail address and outlet affiliation.

    This will be a major Microsoft announcement – you will not want to miss it.

    With that level of exclusivity and secrecy, you’d think Microsoft was planning to debut a new sentient operating system that runs on the smiling entrails of the Marquis de Sade.

    The fact that it’s in Los Angeles, a city so rich with cultural icons that some of them double as sandbags when the tides get too high, may suggest that this is going to be some big celebrity-rich bacchanal. However, recalling the last time that Microsoft tried to get cozy with Hollywood’s movers and shakers, that didn’t work out so well (or, at least in a way that the company didn’t approve of).

    Dismissing some underwhelming celebrity endorsements of the brand, would could Microsoft have coming down the pipes? It’s likely not anything Xbox-related since E3 just happened, and it’s probably not Windows 8-related because the company’s been pretty liberal about sharing the details of its updated OS (unless my Marquis de Sade speculation is jaw-droppingly true – in which case, good luck topping that next year at WWDC, Tim Cook). Some people around the web expect this will have something to do with entertainment given the venue while others are betting it will have something to do with Microsoft’s mobile efforts.

    There’s been some speculation that Microsoft is interested in purchasing Yammer, but would the acquisition of a private social network for businesses necessitate a big, fancy “media event”? Mingfei Yan, a product manager for Microsoft, responded to some speculation on Twitter about the possibility of the event being related to a Yammer acquisition, but it’s hard to tell if she’s being intentionally obtuse (meaning it probably does) or simply prolonging the mystery.

    Care to throw in your speculation? Let’s hear it.

    One last note: so, Microsoft? Uh, I suppose WPN’s invitation got lost in the mail….?

  • Facebook Boots Chrome, Adds Opera To Supported Browser Page

    This is not as much of a big story as it is fuel to a previous rumor. According to a screencap courtesy FavBrowser, Facebook has ditched Chrome on its recommended browser landing page and opted to suggest users download the latest version of Opera instead.

    You can’t check out that page though, as it no longer exists – you’ll be redirected to the homepage (if you try to access it via Safari on mobile you get an error page). But you can check out this cached version.

    Of course, the significance of this lies in a recent rumor that has Facebook acquiring Opera Software, makers of the Opera browser.

    Now, as far as that rumor goes, it makes sense. Facebook hasn’t been shy about big acquisitions lately, and this would in no way be as earth shattering as a recent sepia-toned purchase. Then again, it’s not like Facebook has a clean plate right now.

    Naturally, an Opera sighting on an official Facebook page will perpetuate the rumors. But it’s not like Facebook has gone nuclear on Chrome. A quick look at Facebook’s help page on supported browsers looks like this:

  • Sony To Revamp Playstation Plus Program? [Rumor]

    According to Eurogamer, several sources have confirmed that one of the segments in Sony’s upcoming E3 keynote is going to be a complete revamp of their fairly successful Playstation Plus program. For those of you living under a rock, the PS Plus program is a paid program that gives you special access to Betas, discounts on content, and a ton of free games for the PSN. The program as it stands right now costs $49.99 for a full year of savings.

    The revamp would consist of better free content to give more users a reason to sign up for the service. One of the ways that Sony will do this is by offering way more top tier or AAA titles to subscribers for free. they will also offer things to Vita users that are available to PS3 users like cloud saving and automatic updates. What looks like the biggest revamp is going to be the change from a pay once for the entire year system to a pay by the month scheme.

    Here are a couple of options brought to life by Eurogamer:

    “One possible tier would offer 61 new “A” quality games a year, but with only one PS3 release a week. Sony’s suggested price would be a $7.99 (about a fiver) monthly fee, with three-month and yearly price plans also available. Another option offers 80 games a year, mostly “C” and “B” quality, for $10 a month (about £6). Titles would be at least a year old, although 10 full PS3 releases would be offered every week.”

    Eurogamer has also heard from a separate source that Sony has secured the cloud gaming services of either OnLive or Gaikai. If this is going to debut on the PS3, look for it to shoot ahead of the 360 in no time flat. This is a serious killer in my opinion.

  • Facebook May Be Looking to Purchase Opera [RUMOR]

    According to a source close with Pocket-lint, Facebook is said to be on the prowl to acquire Opera Software, maker of the Opera web browser.

    There are a few reasons for why this sounds plausible and one or two for why it doesn’t. The most obvious reason that lends any validity to this rumor is the fact that Facebook’s money has been burning a hole in its pocket lately. In a little over a month, Facebook has acquired or absorbed Lightbox, Karma, Bolt Peters, and, perhaps most notable, Instagram. The company just ballooned its coffers after the company’s initial public offering one week ago and, in spite of seemingly everyone except Facebook being very upset with the its shares’ performance so far, Facebook does have some more money to burn.

    More, Facebook has been upfront about the fact that it’s losing revenue traction due to more users accessing the site via mobile app than through the actual webpage. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, heading into the company’s IPO, tried to assuage investors’ concerns about Facebook’s mobile problem by telling them that the mobile frontier is the company’s top priority. If Facebook were to pick up Opera, the acquisition would add a very established mobile browser to the company’s inventory of mobile tools. Also, assuming that time is of the essence in turning Facebook’s mobile platform into a source of revenue growth, purchasing a respected browser like Opera would curtail any time lost spent on building a Facebook browser from scratch.

    Beyond adding a slick, respected browser into its quiver, an acquisition of Opera would give Facebook a really nice browser-based email client, too.

    It’s been all but officially verified by Facebook that it is developing its own search engine, too. Analysts have already speculated that a Facebook search engine would take a huge bite out of Google’s dominance of internet search. Combine a Facebook search engine and a Facebook browser and a Facebook email client and, well, you’ve got yourself some pretty plump Facebook fruit to attract advertisers.

    Plus, if Facebook really wants to take a legitimate run at toppling Google, this would be a pretty firm push in that direction.

    However, Facebook’s passed on big-time purchases before. Microsoft reportedly tried to sell its search engine, Bing, to Facebook last year. Zuckerberg declined the offer, though, saying that Facebook had too much on its plate at the time.

    Facebook’s plate has hardly gotten any less crowded since then; really, the company’s added a second and third helping onto the plate without even clearing off what was there in the first place. Between the IPO mess and the impending class action lawsuits happening as a result of it, an FTC probe into the company’s acquisition of Instagram, and trying to find a way to earn back investors’ trust, Facebook’s got its big, blue hands full.

    In the end, it’s a matter of what Facebook wants to prioritize: cleaning up its act with its nascent yet lackluster existence as a publicly traded company, or trying to keep moving forward with its agenda as a technology company. Then again, the company could take the Double Dare challenge and go after both goals at once. Not impossible, but it could lead to some haphazard decisions.

    For what it’s worth, Thomas Ford, Opera System’s senior communications manager, says Opera Systems is mum on the subject of a Facebook acquisition. He told WebProNews, “We do not respond to market rumors and we have no comment to the rumor addressed in the question.”

  • New Castlevania For 3DS, Lords of Shadow 2 Coming To Wii U [Rumor]

    The Paul Gale Network is back at it again. After being right in the past and recently dropping the bombshell of a rumored Metroid-Star Fox crossover, the Web site now has the details on two new Castlevania games making their way to E3 2012.

    The first rumor is concerning the new Castlevania for the Nintendo 3DS. The game is rumored to be called Mirror of Fate with the title working into a new gameplay mechanic that uses the front facing camera on the system. Before you get all worried that it’s going to be some kind of gimmick, the game is said to be a true 2D Castlevania experience.

    Besides that, other details include the game starring two playable characters and some kind of connectivity with the Wii U. But wait, what is the Wii U doing here? Are they announcing a new Castlevania game for Nintendo’s new home console as well? According to the rumors, a Wii U version of Mirror of Fate was in the works, but that project has since been canceled. Now they’re making Lords of Shadow 2 for the Wii U alongside the PS3, Xbox 360 and Vita.

    The reason behind the change is that an established sequel was much safer on the Wii U. Considering how awesome the first Lords of Shadow was, I think they made the right decision. Apparently, the game will still feature some form of connectivity with the 3DS title. A built from the ground up Wii U Castlevania game is still very much a possibility though.

    According to Paul Gale, these two games will be available and playable at E3 2012 in a few weeks. He seems pretty confident in his source and we have no reason to doubt Gale yet. He has been right for the most part on all of these rumors. It’s now just a matter of waiting for Konami to reveal these titles at E3.

    The most interesting part about this rumor was the idea that Konami was playing around with making a Wii U version of the 3DS Castlevania title. It shows that developers are thinking of the Wii U as a giant DS of sorts with the TV being the top screen and the controller being the bottom screen. I don’t exactly know how I feel about that approach to development yet, but I’m sure somebody will make it work.

    I’m pretty excited for the rumored 3DS title, but Lords of Shadow 2 is clearly going to steal the show as far as Castlevania is concerned. The first title was a bold new take on the franchise and I can’t wait to see what Spain’s MercurySteam does next.

    Are you excited for Mirror of Fate, Lords of Shadow 2, or both? Either way, we’ll hopefully find out more once E3 rolls around. We’ll keep you up to date on all the leaks and rumors before the big show. There’s bound to be more leaks before the g

  • Metroid-Star Fox Crossover Planned For Wii U [Rumor]

    As mentioned earlier this morning, the rumor mill is kicking into high gear as we approach E3 this year. We already got a look at an updated Wii U controller. The next rumor seems more like fan fiction or wishful thinking, but the source is reputable.

    The latest rumor from Paul Gale Network, the same site that revealed PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale months before the reveal, has heard what Retro Studios may be up to on the Wii U. The rumor points to a crossover game that has the Metroid and Star Fox universes colliding. It’s the kind of idea that only fan fiction could dream up, but crazier things have happened.

    The rumor says that Retro Studios have been working on a new IP for a while now, while others at the studio wanted to make a space combat game like Star Fox. Nintendo compromised and is having the studio work on both in one game. The structure will be a mix of classic Metroid Prime style gameplay with Star Fox space battles. The player will switch back and forth between the two as the stories between the two characters intertwine.

    The idea is completely off the wall and a lot of gamers have already voiced their disgust in regards to the idea. The good thing is that it’s just rumor for now, but if true – Retro Studios is the only developer that could pull it off. They already proved that they can go outside of their Metroid comfort zone with the excellent Donkey Kong Country Returns. I think they could do a Star Fox game justice as well.

    If this does end up being true, the only real problem would be that both games are very different from a setting standpoint. One features mostly realistic human characters while the other is anthropomorphic animals flying space ships. The only real similarity is that both franchises take place in space.

    I guess we’ll find out soon enough if this turns out to be true or not. I do want a new Metroid game and Retro is the studio to do it after the disappointing Other M. I also want a new Star Fox after the last few entries have also been disappointing. Combining them, however, might not be the best solution.

  • Suge Knight Has Not Been Arrested for Killing Tupac: Twitter Reacts

    Suge Knight popped up a while back during the whole 2Pac hologram ordeal, during which the former mogul claimed that the deceased rapper might still be alive because “nobody has seen him dead”. That’s a sound enough theory, and actually has much more weight than some of the other conspiracies I’ve read on the subject.

    Today, however, has found Knight at the very top of Yahoo! trends, which prompted me to look into why, precisely, everyone was suddenly interested in him. Outside of an article detailing a recent episode of VH1’s “Behind the Music”, I couldn’t figure out why. Then I took to Twitter, which revealed a most interesting rumor: Suge Knight has been arrested for the murder of 2Pac, and he’s currently sweating bullets behind bars. As you may already have guessed, this is pretty far from the truth.

    Apparently a fabricated news clip from 2010 has confused the bejesus out of 2Pac fans, prompting many to believe that Knight had been tossed in the proverbial slammer. In fact, Twitter has been exploding with people curious about the validity of these rumors. The clip, which you can watch below, has been pieced together from various videos and news stories surrounding the late rapper’s untimely demise. The mention of Knight being arrested was lifted from an unrelated story and added to make it appear as though it was somehow related to 2Pac.

    In related news, Suge Knight recently paid a visit to a local radio program, where he suggested that 95% of rappers are closet homosexuals, including rap legend Dr. Dre. Now, given the storied history between Knight and Dre, everything the big guy says should be taken with a grain of salt.

    Curious to see what other folks have thought about the rumors? You can read through a small gathering of tweets below. And for the record, 2Pac is still dead, his murder is currently unsolved, and, as far as anyone can officially tell at this moment in time, Knight had nothing to do with it.

    However, feel free to leave your own theories in our comments section.

    (image)@Jb_For3
    Jb StayBallin    They arrest suge knight fa tupac murder I knew he had sum to do with it(image) 6 minutes ago via TweetCaster for Android ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    (image)@UrbnRadioNation
    Urban Radio Nation    Suge Knight arrested Tupac’s murder is a rumor …don’t believe anything until @TMZ says its true …the most trusted source in news …lol(image) 9 minutes ago via web ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    (image)@B_Night
    Brandon Night    Suge Knight arrested for Tupac’s murder. Statement from LAPD says we caught Knight shooting at hologram yelling “I already killed you once!”(image) 48 minutes ago via web ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    (image)@alanadelberg
    Alan Adelberg    Gotta find someone to entertain these kids at a birthday party; anybody got Suge Knight’s number?(image) 2 hours ago via web ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    (image)@LevnUMesmerized
    LeavingUMesmerized    AGAIN.. Suge Knight will NEVER be arrested and convicted of Biggie and Tupac’s murders because he has LAPD on his payroll.. #BehindTheMusic(image) 4 days ago via Plume for Android ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

  • Will Apple Become a Wireless Service Provider?

    How would a world look in which Apple not only manufactured iPhones and provided the iOS software platform for iPhones, but also provided wireless service for iPhones? If you are an Apple fan, that probably sounds like heaven. If you’re not an Apple fan, you are probably thinking that Apple couldn’t possibly be worse than current carriers. Regardless of which side you fall on, the question might not be completely hypothetical if one wireless industry strategist is correct.

    Boy Genius Report (BGR) is reporting that Whitney Bluestein, an industry strategist who has managed deals for carriers and manufacturers such as Apple and AT&T in the past, is stating that Apple will begin selling wireless service to iOS device users in the near future. BGR’s Zach Epstein quotes Bluestein in his article:

    “The battleground is set, but Apple will be the first mover,” Bluestein said while speaking at the Informa MVNO Industry Summit in Barcelona. “Google will have to scramble because it lacks retail distribution, experience with subscriber services and the iTunes ecosystem of content. iTunes and the iTunes Store provide Apple with one-click buying and customer care. Google can acquire most of these capabilities, as it has before, but it is not a core competency of the company.”

    I’m not really sure why Google would have to scramble. Google already makes 4 times more mobile revenue from iPhones than Android phones as it stands now. The goal behind Android was to provide a free platform for manufacturers to build upon and provide Apple with competition, not for Google to take over the market. No, this would be a problem for current carriers and for Samsung, HTC, Motorola, and other manufacturers who would be excluded from an Apple carrier network.

    Bluestein is citing Apple’s solid distribution channels, customer base, iTunes credit card records, and some network architecture patents filed in 2006 as proof that Apple has the means to become a carrier. It all sounds very speculative and incredible to me. I don’t see Apple heading in this direction, mostly because I don’t see the company making the huge upfront investment that setting up a nation-wide network infrastructure would require. Still, it is a juicy rumor that a small part of me hopes is true. After all, Apple as a carrier could frighten the complacent carriers we currently have into providing some decent, un-capped service at more reasonable prices.

    What do you think? Will Apple challenge AT&T and Verizon at their own game or is this all just attention-garnering hokum? Leave a comment below and let me know.

    (via BGR)

  • Google Maps May Offer Businesses a Way to Update Locations

    Google Maps May Offer Businesses a Way to Update Locations

    One of Google’s community managers over in the help forums has suggested that Google Maps might be offering a new way for businesses to update customers when they’ve moved. Barry Schwartz at Search Engine Roundtable picked up on the forum post where Google’s Vanessa Schneider posted that Google is “working on a better messaging service” for times when a business relocates.

    In the original post, a commenter posted a question in the “Google and Your Business” section of the forum that asked if Google could “raise a feature request for ‘this office has moved’ option or something familiar,” to which Vanessa replied, “Yep, we’re working on better messaging for these kinds of cases. Stay tuned!”

    I understand that businesses move around a bit, but if Google can provide businesses with an option to relay to customers that they’ve moved, why not just provide businesses with a more immediate way to just update their location when it changes? Kinda puzzling, that.

    Recently, Google Maps launched an Analytics service for businesses that use the mapping feature on their website in order to improve consumer engagement depending on how visitors to the site interact with the map. Perhaps the most notable engagement a business could have with a customer, though, would being able to provide a way to indicate that 1/ it’s recently relocated or 2/ it’s not closed.

    We’ll keep you posted about the rumored Google Maps “We’ve Moved!” feature as the information becomes available.

  • Apple Denies Philippe Starck’s Involvement With Product Design

    Earlier this morning we brought you news that French designer Philippe Starck told a French newspaper that he had been working on something “revolutionary” for Apple that would be available in about 8 months. He also said that he had been meeting with Jobs monthly for seven years.

    Citing Apple’s “religious cult of secrecy,” he declined to talk specifics about what he was doing, though, prompting speculation that he might have been providing design input on the next iPhone, the iTV, or some other as-yet-unknown product.

    Apparently, though, he wasn’t working on any of these things. An Apple spokeswoman told AllThingsD earlier this afternoon that Apple had no idea what “revolutionary” product Starck may have been talking about.

    AllThingsD speculates that the meetings between Jobs and Starck were actually about Starck designing a luxury yacht for Jobs. The custom yacht would have been sleek with a minimalistic design, and sporting 40-foot glass walls on either side. While it’s not clear that the yacht is actually the project Starck was talking about, it’s as good a candidate as any.

  • Valve Might Be Making A Console After All

    Valve has been up to something lately. The world famous game developer was rumored only last month to be building a games console to bring PC games to the TV. There was even photographic evidence straight from a Valve employee. Valve dismissed the rumors and we all went on our merry way.

    That is, until today when new job postings went up looking for hardware engineers. The two positions up for grabs include an electronics engineer and a mechanical engineer. These could be for anything as Valve is probably experimenting with hardware all the time. The interesting part comes from the description:

    “For years, Valve has been all about writing software that provides great gameplay experiences. Now we’re developing hardware to enhance those experiences, and you can be a key part of making that happen. Join our highly motivated team that’s doing hardware design, prototyping, testing, and production across a wide range of platforms. We’re not talking about me-too mice and gamepads here – help us invent whole new gaming experiences.”

    That sounds an awful lot like either a game console or some kind of hardware accessory for the PC. But wait, it gets better. Under the job requirements, the company lists experience with high speed serial interfaces, schematic entry, embedded systems/microcontrollers and circuit simulations” as a must. The recommended is even more telling with the company wanting people familiar with ARM/x86 design experience.

    If it’s not clicking with you just yet, this is a full-fledged PC here folks. The inclusion of ARM experience also points to them looking into a low cost/low power version of whatever it is they’re working on. We don’t know yet and Valve’s not saying anything. Unless I’m way off the mark though, this is indubitably the workings of a game console/PC.

    Here’s the two job listings. If you really want to know what’s going on, maybe you should apply for the job to find out. I’m sure we would all appreciate finding out what Valve is working on.

    Hardware Engineer – Electrical Engineer

    Valve Might Be Making A Console After All

    Hardware Engineer – Mechanical

    Valve Might Be Making A Console After All

    Regardless of what they’re doing, Valve is one of those companies that is constantly innovating. It will be interesting to see what Gabe and pals are up to next, besides finishing up Half-Life 3. You guys are making Half-Life 3, right? Right?

    [h/t: Develop]