WebProNews

Tag: Rumors

  • Google Drive Spotted, Logo Appears Rather Googley

    Is Google preparing for an imminent launch of their rumored cloud storage service Google Drive?

    Last week, we reported that Google was prepping their launch of Google Drive, a cloud service that would compete with existing services like Dropbox and Apple’s iCloud. Google Drive is said to work like any other cloud storage service – you upload files to it and you’re then able to access them from anywhere with interwebs. Nothing revolutionary, of course, but definitely big news in the fact that it’s Google taking the initiative.

    It appears that at least one Google user has spotted Drive in the wild, as GeekWire obtained a screenshot of the service. The “Drive” link appears at the top of a logged-in user’s page – a part of Google’s black bar of services. It also closely resembles Google Docs. Check it out below:

    One interesting thing about the screenshot is the “Install Google Drive” option on the left-hand side. This could mean that there will be some sort of desktop app or auto-upload program that users can install to their computers – so that they can work from that end to upload files instead of working from the actual Google Drive end (think Music Manager for the recent Google Music venture).

    Here’s the favicon associated with Drive, enlarged for your viewing displeasure Could this be the Drive logo? Looks Googley enough:

    Of course, Google Drive wouldn’t be Google’s first foray into cloud storage. Popular services like the aforementioned Google Docs and Picasa already allow for the storing of documents and pictures. Google also recently unveiled their new Google Music service that allows users to upload their entire home libraries to the cloud. And let’s not forget about Google Cloud Storage for developers.

    But a user-friendly, all-inclusive cloud storage service from Google would certainly be welcomed by plenty of users. What do you think? Let us know in the comments.

  • Twisted Metal Movie: Sweet Tooth, Dollface, and Brian Taylor?

    On Valentine’s Day, Sony gave a sweet gift to gamers (especially those with a strong sense of nostalgia) by releasing an all new Twisted Metal game on the PS3. It follows the tried and true recipe that endeared older Twisted Metal games to millions of fans – crazy characters, car combat, and homicidal mayhem.

    Now, in news that will either excite or horrify gamers and filmgoers alike, there is apparently a Twisted Metal movie in the pipeline.

    Deadline is reporting that Sony Pictures has made a “preemptive 7-figure deal” to develop a live-action film based on the video game series. The deal attaches Brian Taylor as the writer and director of the project. You may know Taylor as the co-director of films like Crank, Jonah Hex, and the upcoming Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance. Avi & Ari Arad are signed on the produce – you may know Avi as the producer behind the Spider-Man films.

    Apparently, the film will follow the “plot” of the game – maniacs engaging in car combat in a fight-to-the-death scenario. Deadline says that the game will feature popular characters like Sweet Tooth, the killer flaming clown that often drives an ice cream truck, as well as Doll Face, the creepy porcelain-faced girl with Bipolar disorder (among other issues).

    I’m sure backstories like this one from Twisted Metal: Black will be thoroughly explored in an adaptation:

    The man behind the Twisted Metal game franchise, David Jaffe, said this about a possible film on Twitter:

    @davidscottjaffe
    davidscottjaffe    This just in: the recently announce Twisted Metal movie will contain no story. Because from what I hear I hate stories. That is all :). 16 hours ago via Twitter for iPhone ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    What do you think? Sound like a good idea? A horrible one? Let us know in the comments.

  • iPad 3 Release Date Announcement – March 7th (Rumor)

    Rumors of the iPad 3 continue to creep towards the precipice of reality. Today’s installment: iMore has “sources who have been reliable in the past” that say the iPad 3 will be be announced (not launched?) on Wednesday, March 7, 2012. These rumors come and go like phases of the moon, so take this information with however many grains of salt you require in order to contain your glee/rage/serenity/greed. Having said that, this is the most specific information regarding an announcement thus far. We previously passed along a rumor that the iPad 3 launch would happen sometime during the first week of March, so this March 7th target date would (barely) coincide with that information.

    You’ve gotta wonder at this point if Apple execs aren’t getting together once a week or so for a secret congress where Tim Cook stands up and says with a wink, “Watch this, guys,” and leaks out the smallest bit of information to a source in order to send the Apple acolytes into a frenzy. It’s like using an eye-dropper to deliver a tincture of blood into a boiling pool of piranhas.

    The new model will boast a quad-core Apple A6 system-on-a-chip, a 2048×1536 Retina display, and maybe even some 4G LTE capability. Previous leaked info of what is to be expected in an iPad 3 have suggested the high-def retina display along with a bevy of other supposed upgrades. Earlier this month, images of what were alleged to be an iPad 3 were leaked, revealing – if the images should prove legit – several internal upgrades to the iPad’s hardware.

    At any rate, this release date for a launch date is very reminiscent of how presidential candidates will schedule announcements to announce they’re planning to run for President. It’s feels like a hubristic ploy to prolong people’s appetite without actually feeding them anything of substance. But it’s working, right? You’re excited, yeah? Comment below with your thoughts on this latest rumor.

  • Yahoo Reportedly Getting Big Reorganization

    There are a lot of changes happening at Yahoo these days. Recently, we’ve seen the appointment of Scott Thompson (pictured above) to the CEO position. We’ve seen co-founder and former CEO Jerry Yang step down from all positions at the company. We’ve seen the announcement of key board members stepping down as well. We’ve even seen the introduction of a new content personalization system.

    Now, Yahoo’s product unit is getting a major reorganization, according to a report from AllThingsD’s Kara Swisher. She reports:

    While still in the early stages of formulation, sources said Thompson has been mulling bringing in a head of global advertising sales or revenue chief, as well as more top product execs, as he moves to initiate a plan to shake up Yahoo and also put his own stamp on the company.

    Layoffs and possible wholesale abandonment of certain businesses Yahoo is currently in are likely to be parts of this larger plan.

    While mostly meeting analysts’ expectations, Yahoo’s Q4 earnings were roughly the same as they were the prior year. Revenue was down 3%.

    If you ever have any doubt about Yahoo’s force on the Internet, however, take a look at this page which provides a running count of homepage views for the day. It’s not even 3:00 PM Eastern, and Yahoo has nearly 125 million homepage views today. Just homepage views.

  • Macbook Pro Rumor: Big Redesign Coming This Year

    Rumor has it that Apple is readying a massive refresh of its Macbook Pro line, to make them more like the Macbook Air in design.

    The rumor comes from AppleInsider, which cites “people familiar with Apple’s roadmap”. The publication reports:

    This will include new, ultra-thin unibody enclosures that jettison yesteryear technologies like optical disk drives and traditional hard drives in favor of models with lightweight chassis that employ flash-memory based solid-state drives, instant-on capabilities, extended battery life, and rely on digital distribution for software and media.

    “They’re all going to look like MacBook Airs,” one person familiar with the new MacBook Pro designs told AppleInsider. Meanwhile, existing MacBook Pro designs are expected to be phased out over the course of the year.

    The late Steve Jobs was known for his focus on design, sometimes at the cost of functionality (see Antennagate). It sounds like design is still a vital part of Apple’s mentality under CEO Tim Cook so far.

    The iPhone and iPad might be the sexier Apple products these days, but Macs continue to sell quite well too. Apple’s Q1 earnings report indicate that Mac sales were up 26%, having sold 5.2 million Macs in the quarter. In addition to that, over 100 million apps were downloaded from the Mac App Store in less than a year.

    Interestingly, however, iOS has eclipsed Mac OS X in web market share, according to a recent study from Chitika.

  • iPad 3 Mini Coming Late 2012 [RUMOR]

    Call it the little rumor that could.

    If you’re someone who loves your iPad, but just hates how big it is, the following may excite you. Technology Buiness Research analyst Ezra Gottheil tells the Chicago Tribune that there will in fact be an iPad 3 mini this year.

    “I believe that’s always been in the plan,” Gottheil said. “Actually, that’s a good form factor for some users, and although they will also charge a premium above other similar-sized tablets, they want to protect that price flank.”

    The iPad mini would be a 7-inch tablet, a full 2.7 inches smaller than the iPad 2.

    As we’ve previously pointed out, rumors of a smaller, 7-inch iPad are pretty much perennial. People have always speculated that Apple would release a tablet that would bridge the gap between the iPhone and the original iPad. Every time there’s a rumor, it gets shot down pretty quickly. The last major iPad 3 mini rumor surfaced at the end of 2011.

    And of course, there’s that thing that Steve Jobs said about the iPad size being the minimum size for a tablet. He didn’t want a tablet to feel like a giant smartphone.

    Gottheil says that the iPad 3 mini would hit sometime later this year, well after the regular iPad 3 launch. The latest rumors have put the iPad 3 launch event occurring during the first week of March. Supposed leaked images of that device are already making the rounds.

    If Apple began producing a 7-inch iPad, it would obviously become a direct competitor to Amazon’s Kindle Fire, which is also 7 inches (although maybe not in price). The Kindle Fire has been a bestseller for Amazon since its launch last year – the most sold product during the holiday shopping season.

    Although people are buying, a recent study suggests that Kindle Fire owners aren’t quite as happy with their product as iPad owner. Only 54% reported being “very satisfied” with their device, a substantially lower satisfaction rate than iPad users (74%). Of course, we can’t say how the screen size impacts these figures.

    And what about Google, who’s also been rumored to be getting back into the tablet game in a big way. Could we eventually have a three-headed 7-inch tablet monster?

    Would you want an 7-inch iPad? Or do you agree with Jobs, that it would just feel like an oversized smartphone? Let us know in the comments.

  • iPad 3 Launch Event: Early March, Says Source

    Although previous reports indicated that we would see Apple announce the iPad 3 later this month, new sources say that it won’t be happening in February.

    Before you get too bummed out, I should probably tell you that they say Apple will hold the big iPad 3 media event in March, however.

    All Things D are quoting sources that say the iPad 3 launch event will be held in San Francisco during the first week of March. One likely location is the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (previous Apple announcements have been made there).

    If things fall in according to history, that means that the actual release of the iPad 3 will happen mid-March, a week or so after the big launch event. A couple of weeks ago, some analysts predicted a late March release date for the tablet.

    The same source goes on to discuss the iPad 3 specs. Previous rumors said that the new tablet will have a high-def retina display, possibly 2048×1536, as well as much improved graphics. Apparently, that’s all part of the new package, as is a faster chip.

    Other rumors we’ve heard include a major camera upgrade, a battery upgrade, and LTE support.

    Leaked images revealed on Thursday also suggest big internal changes for the iPad 3, with little in the form of external differences.

    Have you been holding out for the iPad 3? Let us know in the comments.

  • Former Zynga Engineer: They Don’t Care About Fun, Focus Everything On Big “Whale” Spenders

    Former Zynga Engineer: They Don’t Care About Fun, Focus Everything On Big “Whale” Spenders

    I’ll start this out the way that it really should be started – with a warning to have your grain of salt ready. From the some-guy-is-bashing-his-former-company-on-reddit files, it appears that Zynga focuses the large majority of their attention on folks that you could say are borderline addicted to games like Farmville.

    On Sunday, reddit user mercenary-games began an AmA session (Ask Me Anything) titled “IAmA Former FullTime Zynga Engineer – quit 6 months ago.” They alleged former employee says that they worked at Zynga for 8 months and eventually quit. They also make a point to say that this isn’t about a grudge –

    No, this isn’t payback, or about a grudge. This is just word from someone who’s seen what this industry is capable of doing. Good, and Bad. No, I was not under contract, I was full time, offered stock (common shares, not that options bullcrap). I sympathized with contractors on how they were treated, most of the time. No, I was not some IT mangler. I worked for one of their “game studios”, basically the front lines where content made it to the masses.

    The user offered proof in the form of a Zynga termination certification letter, available for your perusal here.

    So there’s the evidence. Either this person is genuine of full of it – take your pick. If you choose genuine, then what he has to say about Zynga is pretty interesting.

    When asked about some “creepy” stuff that the company does, our engineer talks about information gathering and how that is used to target a specific type of player:

    Spying on players. Getting intimate gaming data, their habits, their networks, and how to effectively monetize given X.

    Here’s another example;
    Internal metrics researchers often give studio wide talks on what trends are going on. They’ve basically tracked down very popular players and also players who’ve spent an excess of 10k into the game. We often tweak our features to match and maximize for a particular gaming habit. We do this for massive populations of players. Players are not aware of this. To me, that’s a big brother like issue, someone is measuring and monitoring your behavior intimately, and you don’t know how that data is going to be used.

    They go on to call the super users ($10,000+) Zynga Black or “Whales.” They apparently make up about 5% of Zynga players.

    They are the “hardcore” crowd Zynga caters too. Every other player is treated as a spammer.

    [Zynga] designs the game purely to fit the needs of the “whales”. Everyone else is treated as an “enabler”; spam messages, beg for tools, etc

    Our former engineer elaborates on “creepy”:

    The creepy factor at Z comes when they start designing for “behavior” instead of game design and fun. Behavior is what they are looking for. Behavior is what they measure, on a massive scale. It’s not about having fun to them, its about monetizing the fun, cloning games, buying indie studios, and suing the shit out of other companies. THAT is creepy.

    On the issue of gameplay, they say that the actual gaming part of Zynga’s plan is secondary. Marketing is key:

    Another issue was skewing gameplay for the sake of profit, example; I actually resorted to BAD MATH, to make the case for making a feature more fun. At the end of one sprint, a QA dude was complaining about the drop rate of a specific item being absurdly insane, and therefore UnFun. I looked at the code, and tweaked some values, gave it back to QA guy, and fun was restored. Product Manager overrides this, goes for unfun, yet more profitable version.

    And later, “Zynga is a marketing company, not a game company.”

    The treatment of contractors was also a topic of discussion:

    Z treats them like second citizen employees, they almost have no feedback or say on their work schedule. I’ve seen people waiting to turn full time, but only spend more time as a contractor because of office politics. Worst of all; they are NOT welcome to company events, they are openly excluded from them. Yet, they want them to work twice as hard as regular full timers.

    Have you swallowed your salt? Yes? Good. However, sure is interesting, right?

  • iPhone 5 Rumor: June 10th-15th Launch At WWDC?

    According to a DigiTimes report, Daiwa Securities sources say that Apple will unveil their much-anticipated iPhone 5 at their Worldwide Developers Conference this June. It will “continue to utilize glass to glass (G/G) touch panel technology which will benefit current touch panel suppliers TPK Holding and Wintek,” says Daiwa.

    Apple’s WWDC is a yearly event where the company shows off its latest and greatest tech – whether that be hardware or software. Last year’s WWDC focused more on software, as Apple demoed iOS 5, Mac OS X Lion, and unveiled the iCloud. That event took place from June 6th through the 10th at the Moscone Center in San Francisco.

    Although the iPhone 4S was launched last October in a special media event, Apple has launched previous iPhones at WWDC. This year’s exact dates for WWDC have not been announced, but speculation has put it at June 10th-15th, as WWDC is historically a June event.

    MacRumors points to Moscone’s event calendar, which previously had June 10th-15th blocked out for a generic “Corporate meeting.” Currently, the dates have shifted to June 11th-15th, but it’s still scheduled for a corporate meeting, a placeholder for WWDC that has been used before.

    Of course, this information relies on a few speculations – one if which is the validity of DigiTimes, which has definitely been wrong in the past. Last week, Foxconn sources said it was “go time” for production – something that would suggest a summer launch. It appears that the intensified rumor season is upon us.

  • iPhone 5 Rumor: Foxconn Says It’s Go Time

    iPhone 5 Rumor: Foxconn Says It’s Go Time

    We already know that the iPhone 5 is the most anticipated gadget of 2012, and we’re pretty sure that we’re actually going to get an iPhone 5 this year, so all that remains are the details. Luckily, we’ve got just the thing to sate your rumor appetite.

    According to 9to5 Mac, the iPhone 5 is getting ready to begin production. Based on previous iPhones, this would likely indicate that the device will launch this summer.

    The tip comes from sources inside Foxconn in China. Apparently, these are the same sources that went against the grain when regarding the last iPhone release and said Apple was planning on launching the 4S instead of the expected 5.

    Not only do we get info on a possible production timeframe, but the sources say that multiple sample devices already exist, but they are all different from on another to varying degrees. Although they couldn’t say for certain which of these prototypes will most resemble the final product (if any), they did mention that all of them have certain features. This includes that big 4+ inch screen that everyone has been clamoring for.

    This corroborates other analysts who predicted that the next-gen model would have at least a 4 inch screen. Of course, Apple has been rather stubborn about that 3.5 inch screen size.

    Although some recent report said that the new iPhone will in fact be slimmer than the 4S, it won’t have a teardrop shape according to the Foxconn sources. The teardrop rumor was one of the most prevalent ones preceding the iPhone 4S release.

    Whether or not this proves accurate, we can be assured that the iPhone 5 is going to be one the biggest devices in history. It might even be available on T-Mobile, too.

  • Joe Paterno Death Reports Show Flaws in “Journalism”

    Update: Now the AP is reporting (on Twitter, no less) that Paterno is dead.

    The Poynter Institute, whose mission it is to make sure “communities have access to excellent journalism,” has posted an interesting series of articles pointing out journalism’s failures with regards to former Penn State football head coach Joe Paterno.

    Paterno is reportedly in serious condition in a hospital in State College, PA, but is still alive. However, Penn State student news site Onward State reported that Paterno died last night. Once that initial report came out, various other news organizations jumped on the story and started falsely reporting his death too.

    While it’s been deleted now, CBS News tweeted that he had died, apparently based on the Onward State report, but without attribution. Poynter shows the embed.

    In another of the Poynter articles, Craig Silverman points out how “journalists’ hunger for glory” can get them in trouble. “The tension between speed and accuracy is always highlighted in these cases,” he writes.

    “Journalists need to do a better job calculating the risk of being first, rather than focusing on the benefit,” Silverman writes. “How many people would have recalled — or cared — that Onward State broke the news? Aside from some journalists, I’d wager very few people. This kind of breaking news report spreads quickly, and whatever credit that may have gone to Onward State in the early minutes would have disappeared once the information was confirmed and widespread.”

    The speed vs. accuracy issue has become more of a challenge for reporters thanks to the realtime nature of today’s web. This seems to be brought to light when false death reports emerge, then are proven wrong. Remember when this happened with Jon Bon Jovi recently?

    It does make you wonder how many other falsities are being taken as truths, with stories that don’t demand as much attention as the death of a celebrity.

    Onward State’s managing editor has resigned. He posted the following apology:

    Earlier this evening, Onward State reported that Joe Paterno had passed away; however, the mountain of evidence stacked opposite that report became too much to ignore. At this time, I would like to issue an official retraction of our earlier tweets.

    I never, in a million years, would have thought that Onward State might be cited by the national media. Today, I sincerely wish it never had been. To all those who read and passed along our reports, I sincerely apologize for having mislead you. To the Penn State community and to the Paterno family, most of all, I could not be more sorry for the emotional anguish I am sure we at Onward State caused. There are no excuses for what we did. We all make mistakes, but it’s impossible to brush off one of this magnitude. Right now, we deserve all of the criticism headed our way.

    In this day and age, getting it first often conflicts with getting it right, but our intention was never to fall into that chasm. All I can do now is promise that in the future, we will exercise caution, restraint, and humility.

    I can only hope and pray that the outstanding work our writers and photographers do on a day-to-day basis is not overshadowed by the events of tonight. I understand that our reputation is in serious question, but I hope you will continue to stand by us as we do everything in our power to make amends.

    To begin that process, I will be stepping down from my post as Managing Editor, effective immediately. I take full responsibility for the events that transpired tonight, and for the black mark upon the organization that I have caused.

    I ask not for your forgiveness, but for your understanding. I am so very, very, sorry, and we at Onward State continue to pray for Coach Paterno.

    Sincerely,

    Devon Edwards

  • Facebook IPO Coming In May 2012?

    Facebook IPO Coming In May 2012?

    It appears that the biggest tech IPO in history could be coming in just about four months. According to multiple sources, the highly-anticipated Facebook public offering is set for the third week of May.

    All Things D cites multiple sources, saying that although this date is subject to a split-second change, late May is definitely the target right now. This means that the IPO documents must be filed soon, as the SEC review will take several months to complete.

    Rumors of Facebook filing their IPO papers have been flying around for the past couple of months. November reports suggested that they could be filed as soon as December, but that obviously didn’t happen.

    Last month, another report cited sources that said that Facebook was looking at some time between April and June of 2012 for its IPO, a timeframe that is now corroborated by this latest prediction.

    Like I mentioned before, the Facebook IPO is shaping up to be the biggest tech IPO in history, as they aim to raise $10 billion and a $100 billion valuation. If accurate, the IPO would be about 6X bigger than Google’s IPO.

    A little more info from All Things D’s sources:

    Unlike Google’s more kookified 2004 IPO, sources said Facebook’s is probably going to hew to a more traditional offering script.

    That is likely to include a hefty consortium of irksome investment bankers — think firms like Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley on top of the filings and a spate of smaller ones (Allen & Co.) below and you have the approximately accurate idea.

    And, while shot-caller-in-chief Zuckerberg will be the one key voice in the IPO, the man to watch has and will be CFO David Ebersman.

    The longtime Genentech exec, who came to Facebook in 2009, been doing all the heavy lifting in preparation for the IPO, said sources, and will continue to do so.

    In November, daily deals company Groupon filed the biggest internet IPO since Google.

  • iPad 3 Rumors: Hi-Def Screen, Faster Processor, LTE Support

    The iPad rumors are running rampant, as the (rumored) March launch gets closer.

    This week, we heard that the iPad 3 might have graphics that are as much as 20 times more powerful than its predecessor, and that its LCD displays will be provided by Samsung and LG.

    Now, Bloomberg is reporting, citing “people familiar with the product” that the next iPad will have a high-definition screen, run a faster processor and work with next-generation (LTE) wireless networks. Bloomberg reports:

    The company’s manufacturing partners in Asia started ramping up production of the iPad 3 this month and plan to reach full volumes by February, said one of the people, who asked not to be named because the details aren’t public. The tablet will use a quad-core chip, an enhancement that lets users jump more quickly between applications, two of the people said.

    Apple of course will not be commenting on rumors.

    For our full range of iPad 3 rumor coverage, see this link.

  • Twitter Killed Fidel Castro Last Night

    Twitter Killed Fidel Castro Last Night

    This year is shaping up to be a stellar year for Twitter hoaxes. The latest addition happened last night when Fidel Castro became a trending topic on Twitter as reports of his death reverberated across the social media site. There was even a night-vision quality pic of the former Cuban leader tucked into a casket.

    Realistically, with the number of times that Castro has been declared dead and then alive again, he might very well be the most successful communist vampire ever. Regardless of whether Castro was dead or not did not deter Tweeters from taking to the Twitter.

    @WikileaksAR
    Wikileaks Argentina    CONFIRMED: Fidel Castro is dead. 1 hour ago via Twitter for Android · powered by @socialditto

    @m_cetera
    M Cetera    Told my dad about the rumor Fidel Castro was dead. “He’s probably been dead a long time & they’ve just been doing ‘Weekend at Bernie’s.’” 14 hours ago via web · powered by @socialditto

    @dacabalv
    David Cabal Álvarez    Fidel Castro se rie sobre el rumor de su muerte.Mas de 700 veces fue intentado ser asesinado por la CIA. 7 minutes ago via Twitter for BlackBerry® · powered by @socialditto

    @EWErickson
    Erick Erickson    Consensus is that Castro is still alive. 17 hours ago via Twitter for iPad · powered by @socialditto

    @exileinflyville
    Joe Macare    Fidel Castro needs to prove he is not dead by getting a) on Twitter, and b) into a Twitter flamewar with Rupert Murdoch. 18 hours ago via TweetDeck · powered by @socialditto

    @fleetstreetfox
    fleetstreetfox    Well I can’t be bothered to wait up and see if Castro’s alive or dead. Someone shout if Gloria Estefan’s wheeled out as the ‘Famous Cuban’. 19 hours ago via Twitter for iPhone · powered by @socialditto

    @kaizerkahos
    Joan    Siempre se van los mejores Gadafi, Kim Jong-il, Fidel Castro… pero siempre permanece Justin Bieber!!! 1 minute ago via web · powered by @socialditto

    @Joannechocolat
    Joanne Harris    Fidel Castro as Schroedinger’s Cat. Offcially, both dead AND alive… 20 hours ago via web · powered by @socialditto

    He’s dead! He’s alive! He’s dead! He’s alive! Basically, rinse and repeat those sentiments and you have summarized sixty years of political speculation on the subject. It’s worth noting that Wikileaks Argentina repeatedly posted that Castro was dead despite contrary reports that he was still alive. No word on yet on why they’re so insistent that he’s dead but as of 54 minute ago they were still saying this is confirmed. Either they’ve got the scoop of the decade or they’re really betting the farm on the hope that they’re right.

    Since 2011 was such a bad year for dictators around the world, it would be fitting that Castro would want 2012 all to himself. Why start sharing in death when that virtue was roundly ignored during his life? Alas, such questions are for idle minds as Fidel Castro is actually still among the living. At least, that’s what Cuba’s official blog is saying. In fact, according to the post, upon being told of his premature demise Castro “studied, analyzed and then laughed at the rumors on Twitter.” Good to see the old bearded one’s enjoying the exaggerated reports of his death.

    In fact, what makes this less funny is that Euronews has speculated that the Castro death hoax may even be a devious method to spread some malware. So, while it’s fun to continue speculate on the death of Cuba’s iconic despot, enjoy with caution as you might end up getting your computer pwned in the process.

  • Yahoo Sales And CEOs: What They’re Saying

    Yahoo Sales And CEOs: What They’re Saying

    It’s time for another round of what they’re saying about Yahoo.

    It seems like an eternity ago that Yahoo ousted CEO Carol Bartz. In Internet time, it may as well have been that long, though it was really only September.

    In that time, we’ve seen limitless specualtion and rumor about what the company would be doing. And that continues, though this might be a little bit more substantial.

    Yahoo is reportedly considering a sale of its Asian assets. The New York Times’ Dealbook is reporting, citing “people briefed on the matter” that it’s considering the sale of its holdings in Alibaba group and its Japanese affiliate back to their majority owners in a $17 billion deal, and that the meetings are expected to go down tomorrow.

    CNN Money says Yahoo’s entire market cap is just over $18 billion, and asks if this means if Yahoo itself is only worth around $1 billion. They added in an update, “Some readers have pointed out that Yahoo currently has $2.11 billion of cash sitting on its balance sheet. Does that somehow make the value of its U.S. assets negative? Something seems very wrong here…”

    Beyond that, Kara Swisher is reporting that the company has “intensified” its search for a CEO, and that Hulu’s Jason Kilar is its “dream unicorn candidate”. She also mentions Google business lead Nikesh Arora, Juniper CEO Kevin Johnson, entrepreneur Brian McAndrews, and “others”.

    In other Yahoo news, the company did release a new version of its LiveStand iPad app today. Included in that: a new recipe finder, local deals from Groupon, LivingSocial, Bloomspot, etc. , guest mode and Twitter integration. It also includes new publications like: Shine from Yahoo, Technology Review by MIT, The Ticket from Yahoo News, Minyanville, Victorian Christmas and Big Think.

  • AOL Rumored To Be Looking For HuffPost President, ReadWriteWeb Acquired By Say Media

    It’s been quite a year for shake-up among prominent tech blogs. None have been more highly publicized than Michael Arrington leaving TechCrunch after it was acquired by AOL. A handful of others from TechCrunch also stepped away, or pulled back to some extent.

    Actually, Arrington continues to spread some juicy gossip about what’s going on with AOL. On his Uncrunched blog, he says that rumor has it that Aol is looking for a new president for its Huffington Post Media Group.

    “The executive will report to Aol CEO Tim Armstrong, apparently, not Huffington,” he writes. “Currently Arianna Huffington runs both the business and editorial sides of the group. Running a business is fairly new to her. Before the Aol Acquisition Eric Hippeau was the CEO, but he resigned just before the Aol deal was closed.”

    “By far the most interesting part of all this, though, is it’s not clear that Arianna Huffington is aware that the new position will report to Tim Armstrong, not Huffington,” he says. “Whatever happens, I’m pretty sure I won’t be getting my old job back.”

    There have been some notable departures from Mashable as well, including Editor Ben Parr, who announced his transition just a few weeks ago.

    There have been plenty of other changes throughout the industry over the course of the year, but these have been some of the more publicized.

    Now, it’s ReadWriteWeb that’s going through some changes. Last month, arguably the blog’s most recognizable author Marshall Kirkpatrick announced that he’d be stepping away from his full-time gig at ReadWriteWeb, though he’ll still be contributing.

    Today, news comes from ReadWriteWeb itself that it is being acquired by Say Media. RWW founder Richard MacManus writes:

    I’m thrilled to announce that ReadWriteWeb has been acquired by SAY Media, a digital publishing company headquartered in San Francisco. ReadWriteWeb will anchor SAY Media’s growing Technology channel, which reaches more than 75 million global consumers each month.

    ReadWriteWeb is going to get bigger and even better. Our plans include widening ReadWriteWeb’s editorial scope and expanding our team. That starts from today, with the addition of SplatF’s Dan Frommer to our team as an editor-at-large. We will also be doing a re-design, utilizing the sophisticated designers at SAY Media. With SAY’s technology and services, we’ll be able to scale ReadWriteWeb in ways previously unavailable to us. So I’m very excited about our team joining SAY Media. We’re going to take ReadWriteWeb to the next level!

    Frommer tweeted:

    @fromedome
    Dan Frommer    Happy to be joining @RWW as Editor-At-Large, under its new ownership at SAY Media. I will continue to write @SplatF. http://t.co/d1PP5vTS 1 hour ago via TweetDeck · powered by @socialditto

    @fromedome
    Dan Frommer    @benbowersgp Thank you. I’ll be writing, not editing. But either way, it’s going to be super. 1 hour ago via TweetDeck · powered by @socialditto

    MacManus and Say Media CEO Matt Sanchez put together this video:

    SAY: Welcomes ReadWriteWeb from SAY Media on Vimeo.

    “As part of SAY Media’s portfolio of owned and operated media properties,ReadWriteWeb will take advantage of the company’s proprietary technology platform, experienced ad sales team, and world-class design expertise to scale its business to reach more technology enthusiasts and decision-makers,” the company says in its press release. “Under SAY’s guidance, the site will continue to evolve through design and user experience innovations that align with SAY’s Clean Campaign vision, and also expand its editorial scope to appeal to a wider array of technology consumers.”

    Say Media’s other tech properties include: Android and Me, Gear Patrol, gdgt, SplatF and TechDirt.

    Say Media, which gets about 650,000 uniques per month in the U.S. (Quantcast), is looking to go public. Sanchez is quoted as saying, “Next year’s about how do we get ready to go public.”

    According to TechCrunch, Say Media paid $5 million for ReadWriteWeb.

  • Anobit To Be Bought By Apple?

    Anobit To Be Bought By Apple?

    A report from Calcalist, in Hebrew, apparently says that Apple is acquiring Anobit, a provider of flash memory technology.

    I don’t read Hebrew, but TechCrunch’s Robin Wauters has evidently translated, and says the Israel-based company is being purchased by Apple for between $400 and $500 million if the original report is accurate. Wauters writes:

    According to Calcalist reporter Assaf Gilad, Apple relies on the company’s solutions for the iPhone, iPad and MacBook Air product lines, among other devices. South Korean Hynix is said to use Anobit’s solution for a flash memory chip you can find inside the iPhone 4S.

    Anobit’s decription of itself and its technology is as follows:

    Anobit provides flash storage solutions for the Enterprise and Mobile markets. It’s MSP™ (Memory Signal Processing) technology significantly improves the endurance, performance and cost of flash storage products and systems. Anobit’s products are used by world leading flash manufacturers, consumer electronics vendors and storage system providers.

    ..

    Anobit’s MSP™ (Memory Signal Processing) technology is comprised of proprietary signal processing algorithms combined with advanced error correction and innovative flash management schemes, resulting in a dramatic improvement in endurance, performance and system cost. Specifically, MSP™ enables SLC (one bit-per-cell) endurance and performance with MLC (two bits-per-cell) NAND, and MLC endurance and performance with TLC (three bits-per-cell) NAND, resulting in a significant reduction in cost per-bit.

    Of course neither company is commenting on the reported acquisition talks.

  • Groupon To Enter Yelp Territory?

    It appears that Groupon may be looking to get more into Yelp’s territory if unconfirmed rumors turn out to be true.

    TechCrunch’s Jason Kincaid says he has heard from unnamed sources that the company is in talks to acquire Clever Sense, which makes the app Alfred, which is a Yelp-like recommendation product.

    Alfred uses what the company calls zero-query search. “I’ve got personalized, relevant recommendations for you from the start. Not sure whether you want ramen or ravioli? I can show you a stream of recommendations right when you open up the app, so you can consider all your options,” the company says on its site (presumably using the voice of Alfred).

    A few months back, Alfred got a group recommendation feature, where users can tell the app who they’re dining with.

    Alfred is available on Android and iOS. In fact, the Android version just came out this week.

    It would certainly make sense for Groupon to offer a recommendation app and that offer deals when relevant.

    Neither company is commenting on the rumored talks. No surprise there.

  • Apple vs. Samsung: Dueling Tablet Rumors Hit the Web

    A pair of rumors has hit the internet regarding the next generation of tablets. In one report, BGR cites a “trusted source” at Samsung saying that the company will be unveiling a new 11.6-inch tablet at the Mobile World Congress in February. The rumored device will have vastly improved screen resolution, a 2GHz dual-core processor, and thanks to a smaller bezel will be close to the same size as the Galaxy Tab 10.1 despite the increased screen size. It will also run Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. The announcement, BGR says, will be timed to beat Apple to the punch. The original iPad was announced in March 2010 and went on sale in April. The iPad 2 was announced in early March of this year and went on sale in mid-March. Applehas generally tended to be a creature of habit when it comes to product cycles..

    Samsung, however, may not be getting as much of a drop on Apple as they hope. Business Insider is reporting that Citigroup analyst Richard Gardner posted a note to clients saying that he expects Apple to unveil the iPad 3 in February of 2012, rather than in March. He cited a lack of “significant technical hurdles” preventing the release of the device earlier than usual. He also said that he expects the device to have a much higher resolution than the iPad 2, but apparently avoided using the term “retina display.” Debate has raged since the introduction of the iPhone 4 last year as to whether and when Apple would try to add a retina display to the iPad.

    At this stage neither of these reports amounts to more than rumor and speculation, however both rumors are at least plausible, especially in light of the ongoing legal battle over Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1. A new Samsung tablet would neatly circumvent the court case by allowing the company to start selling a non-disputed product. It also makes sense that the Samsung would want this new device to beat the iPad 3 to market, especially if it is sporting specs that will give Apple’s tablet a run for its money (currently the Galaxy Tab 10.1 is widely regarded as the iPad’s closest competitor).

    Conversely, while Apple does tend to follow fairly rigid patterns regarding its product launches, it is in the company’s interest to keep Samsung from gaining any ground in the tablet market. Therefore it is at least possible that the company would move up its launch of the iPad to undercut Samsung. However, Apple has also shown marked indifference to the launch of other companies’ products when unveiling its own products.

    Of the two reports, it seems much more likely that Samsung will be launching a tablet in February than that Apple will. However, everything is still just rumor at this point. Of course, we will post more when we know more.

    What do you think? Would Apple move a product launch to undercut a competitor? Sound off in the comments.

  • Galaxy Nexus Rumor: Release Date This Friday

    As indicated by the title, this is a rumor, and therefore unconfirmed. However, RootzWiki claims to have confirmation from multiple sources that the Galaxy Nexus will “land on American soil” this Friday, December 9.”

    They are showing allegedly leaked documents from “an authorized Verizon retailer” which display a 12/9 release date following a 12/6 shipping date. Other info from the document includes:

    – Each store will be direct shipped a minimum of 15 phones

    – You will also have product available for replenishment

    – You will not receive this product through the normal receiving process using vendor receiving

    – Keep all original paperworkl in your reveiving binders. Do not throw away

    – We cannot sell or display the Samsung Nexus until 12/9/11.

    – On 12/9, the planogram will be loaded on the intranet

    Again, to be clear, we can’t confirm the legitimacy of the document, but it is certainly worth noting, especially since the date is so close.

    Recently, we saw indication that Best Buy would be getting the device on December 11.

    Other reports have indicated that the device will not support Google Wallet. More on that here.

  • Is Google X All About Highly Intelligent Robots?

    Is Google X All About Highly Intelligent Robots?

    UPDATE: The thread still exists as do the comments, but the original post has been removed. The post was up for less than two hours. It also appears to be unable to be found via search on reddit.

    ORIGINAL ARTICLE: Remember that report a couple of weeks back about Google X – the highly secretive experimental development arm of Google? According to sources, Google X is a “top secret lab in an undisclosed Bay Area location” that is working on tons of awesome/frightening stuff. You know, robots and such.

    Well, there’s a guy that has made a top post on reddit who claims he has direct knowledge of the things taking place at Google X. And apparently, we’re all screwed.

    That’s because the main focus of the project is super-intelligent robots that are virtually indistinguishable from humans when it comes to conversation and situational reactions. Here’s what user J32PMXR has to say about Google X [Turing test link added for clarification] :

    This is in total violation of the NDA, but I don’t care anymore. Sue me.

    The central focus of Google X for the past few years has been a highly advanced artificial intelligence robot that leverages the underlying technology of many popular Google programs. As of October (the last time I was around the project), the artificial intelligence had passed the Turing Test 93% of the time via an hour long IM style conversation. IM was chosen to isolate the AI from the speech synthesizer and physical packaging of the robot.

    According to [some guy on reddit], the mechanics of the robot are not very impressive – no spider bots or anything – but that’s because it wasn’t really the focus. The redditor says that he had contact with the robot, and it’s “the most amazing thing [he’s] ever seen.” It’s apparently incredibly smart, and interacts in ways that are uncannily human-like.

    The redditor is currently answering questions posted to his thread, and is revealing the story a little by little.

    I was unfairly terminated along with quite a few of my coworkers. It was a small enough group that they will probably figure out who I am, but like I said, I don’t care.

    I’m not going to answer all of the questions, but for #6, our AI is practically like talking to a human. Siri can give you information, but we can give you conversation. We can also go full genius mode which essentially gives you the sum of internet knowledge via conversation.

    It can do objects by using an advanced version of the Google Goggles software. It also has a suite of basically every sensor that could be put on it; optical, laser, infrared, ultrasonic, depth cameras, etc.

    It needs an internet connection. Last I heard, it was using an average of only a couple hundred kilobytes per second. Most of the processing is done onboard, internet is used for external information.

    Of course, there is absolutely no proof that this person is legit. As one commenter puts it, “There is no font bold enough for the [Citation Needed] this post requires.” But his account of what’s going on at Google X falls in line with other previous rumors. If this guy’s for real, it looks like we need to begin bracing ourselves for the end, folks. Because once they put this super-smart robot software into one of those giant spiders…I don’t want to live on this planet anymore.