The 13-inch Air is the first to go, it seems; according to AppleInsider‘s inventory checks, the 256GB version of the ultraportable – with Intel’s 1.8GHz processor – is showing extended shipping times in the region of 1-2 months at all the popular resellers bar Best Buy. Though the most expensive off-the-shelf model in the Air range, at $1,399, the 256GB version is a popular one give the absence of user-upgradable storage in the Air.

Beyond Haswell processors, there’s controversy over what exactly Apple will do to the MacBook range in terms of updates. One much-discussed possibility is a Retina display, bringing the Air into line with the top-end MacBook Pro notebooks, by introducing a high-resolution screen for smoother graphics.

Industry predictions about Retina technology have been mixed, primarily because of the cost and availability of the panels themselves. Some have argued that using such displays would make the Air range simply too expensive to also serve as Apple’s entry-level notebooks, or indeed that it would be unable to meet likely demand since yields of high-res screens are still tighter than the more typical panels.

That’s something even analysts who predict Retina will be on the table have conceded, with suggestions that – while WWDC will see the new versions announced – actual supplies won’t be available until after the developer event. There could also be a split in the line, with “normal” resolution models kept around to cater for the budget end of the market.

Of course, WWDC is also expected to see new details on the next version of Mac OS, OS X 10.9, shared. That updated platform is believed to further narrow the gap between desktop and mobile functionality, borrowing features and UI elements from iOS on the iPad.

Unfortunately there are no test photos, so we don’t know what the Google H840 looks like. The report suggests it was tested with a USB-connected Dell monitor, though that’s presumably to access either the LCD’s USB hub or its memory card slot, since that particular model doesn’t support video input over USB.

Anything else is, at this stage, speculative, though given the launch of Google Play Music All Access this past week at I/O, some sort of Sonos-style streaming box would seem an obvious guess. That could be hooked up to a set of external speakers or alternatively have onboard speakers and amplification.

Google isn’t the only company tipped to be working on a streaming media device. Earlier this month, it was rumored that Amazon’s hardware lab is developing a wireless audio adapter which could be used with its own cloud music locker service.

The Google H840 would presumably be a more focused device than the Nexus Q, which was unveiled at I/O in 2012 and then swiftly killed off as market feedback proved uncertain. The orb-shaped streamer was intended to funnel YouTube videos, music, and other content direct to a TV, with communal playlist control from multiple Android-powered phones and tablets.

However, a combination of high price – partly because Google intended it to be manufactured in the US – and confusing purpose meant the Nexus Q project was axed. Earlier this week, it was confirmed that Google would not be officially supporting the streamer with the All Access subscription music jukebox service.

The H840 (its H2G2-42 product code a combination of the fan abbreviation for Hitchhiker’s Guide and the “meaning of life”: the number 42) looks to be the second attempt at the market, though when Google will actually unveil it officially remains to be seen.

VIA: TabletGuide

The information comes from the folks over at CNET, who report that “people familiar with the negotiations” say Apple and Sony Music are in contention over how much Apple will pay when a user listens to part of a song, then skips to the next one. Such an issue is reportedly causing frustration amongst the other labels slated to have their music offered through the service, which they anticipate bolstering the music industry.

Sources also have said that iRadio will offer features not found on what will be the service’s biggest competitor, Pandora, such as rewinding a song they want to hear a second time around. The service will reportedly allow an easy way for listeners to buy a song while using iRadio, and will also give labels a cut of the advertisement revenues generated. Apple is considering using audio advertisements.

Unlike Pandora, Apple has chosen to form individual deals with each music label rather than going by federal stipulations, which could potentially give the service more abilities than Pandora, but comes at the cost of running into negotiation problems. One such difference that could be in iRadio’s benefit from direct deals, for example, is having no limit on the number of songs skipped, or a higher skipping allowance than Pandora, which limits skips on an hourly basis with a daily cap.

While the sources provided some information on the matter, they didn’t specify any particular numbers, such as what Sony is wanting per skipped song and what Apple wants on its part. Reportedly, Apple is seeking to have the same terms across its deals with each music label, and as such could have problems if Sony ended up getting a deal that crunches out with more favorable numbers than the other labels.

SOURCE: CNET

According to a tweet by CNBC, the event will be held in New York City and will be “product-related”, which hints to the possibility that the company simply isn’t planning a shindig at their headquarters, but rather are setting up a venue to announce something fairly big. The company also plans to live stream the event to those not able to be in attendance.

Details are still scarce at this point, and we’re not 100% sure as to what the company has up its sleeve, but we wouldn’t be too surprised if it involved Tumblr in some capacity. It’s rumored that Yahoo wants to acquire Tumblr for around $1 billion in order to cater towards the younger, hip crowd. It would certainly be Yahoo’s biggest buy yet, and the company has been all about acquiring younger startups as of late.

Just recently, the company acquired several smaller firms, including popular to-do list Astrid, but have ended up shutting most of them down and acquiring the employees, suggesting that Yahoo wants to expand and improve on its various services and offerings. Whatever the case may be come Monday, let’s hope that Yahoo has something worthwhile planned to unveil.

VIA: CNET

Tumblr has become the darling of the youth blog market, with its straightforward reblogging system and easy page customization making it both immediate and addictive. The site has found particular favor for those sharing photos and videos, with Tumblr claiming to have 107.8m blogs comprising 50.6bn posts.

However, the site has also struggled to manage the growing amount of adult content that is shared and re-shared, and has been criticized for relying on an opt-out policy for blogs with such themes to remove themselves from search results where underage users might see that content. Back in January, the official Tumblr app for iOS was updated with a 17+ age rating, in a move that was seen to be pre-emptively guarding against rejection from Apple over in-app content concerns.

Yahoo can apparently see beyond all that, the sources suggest, and the site’s fledgling use of advertising – predominantly inserting sponsored content into the main dashboard as users scroll through content from blogs they subscribe to – is also seen as promising. Last year, Tumblr suggested it expected to see advertising revenues in the order of $100m in 2013.

That could be the value Yahoo brings to the deal, wielding a much larger, established advertising team that could more thoroughly monetize Tumblr’s content. How that would sit with existing users is unclear at this stage; previous changes to the site have met with no small amount of resistance. Yahoo has a mixed track-record in how it handles acquisitions, too; its most recent three purchases were instantly shut down, something which could be a cause for concern for avid Tumblr users.

The Tumblr negotiations are described as “fluid” though at least one source suggested that a final agreement could be inked as soon as this weekend. That might not amount to a full acquisition, however; other possibilities include a close partnership between the two, as Yahoo attempts to duck under Tumblr’s “cool halo” and increase its userbase among the 18-24 demographic.

It’s said that the latest iPhone will look practically identical to the iPhone 5, similar to how the iPhone 4S had the same design as the iPhone 4, but the iPhone 5S is suggested to be getting a major internal redesign in order to pack in even more features, including a rumored fingerprint scanner that could be built right into the Home button.

Boy Genius Report has obtained a few high-resolution photos of what are said to be parts going into the iPhone 5S. These include the loud-speaker bracket, ear speaker bracket, vibrating motor assembly, WiFi ribbon cable, and the SIM card tray. Overall, there’s nothing too special about these parts other than a slight redesign in them to make them a bit smaller.

However, photos of two different SIM card trays reveals something interesting. BGR points out that not only is the SIM card tray smaller than the iPhone 5S, but the photo includes two trays that are different colors, which could suggest that the next-generation iPhone will come in different color variety. Of course, this could also just be for the two different colors of the aluminum band that’s on the iPhone 5S, where the black model has a black band, and the white model has a silver band.

These parts don’t tell us much other than the fact that they’ve been slightly redesigned. However, if the iPhone 5S body is staying the same, the only reason for redesigned internals is to make room for something else, and that something else could be a variety of things, including the aforementioned fingerprint scanner or even NFC. The iPhone 5S is rumored to launch in August, and it’s expected that iOS 7 will be revealed at WWDC next month. Stay tuned!

SOURCE: Boy Genius Report

If this turns out to be true, we wouldn’t be too surprised, as flexible displays certainly aren’t ready for the mass market quite yet, and we’re pretty sure that if Samsung wanted to give one of their devices an aluminum shell, it would’ve been the Galaxy S 4. Instead, the company is said to be sticking with its usual slimy-esque plastic.

In fact, the Galaxy Note III is said to have a very similar design to that of the Galaxy S 4, including the new silver band that wraps around the edge of the smartphone. As for other design changes to the new Galaxy Note, it’s said to sport a thinner bezel in order to pack in a larger screen size without making the device bigger, as it’s already quite gargantuan.

As for specs of the Galaxy Note III, we’re possibly looking at an ARM Cortex-A15 octa-core processor clocked at 1.9GHz, as well as version with a Cortex-A7 quad-core chip clocked at 1.9GHz, or an in-house Exynos chip. There’s also said to be a 13MP camera on the back (just like with the Galaxy S 4) with a 2MP front-facer. There’s also expected to be an enormous 6-inch display to make it even larger than the previous Galaxy Note, but we’ll see if that actually happens.

So, it looks like all you have to do to envision what the Galaxy Note III will look like, is to take a look a look at the Galaxy S 4 and imagine it with a screen size that’s roughly an inch larger. Of course, the Galaxy S 4 most likely will cater to most people, but for those that want a larger screen for better productivity, it seems the Galaxy Note III will be your best bet at this point. Check out our full review of the Galaxy S 4 to learn more.

VIA: Unwired View

SOURCE: SamMobile

Beyond that, the plot is somewhat cryptic. There’s what looks to be a surveillance-obsessed society, patrolled by ominous cops in trenchcoats and virtual reality headsets, and the birth of what could end up being the savior of society.

Interspersed with all that are dragons and androids having sword, missile, and projectile-energy battles, on the streets of what looks to be both Japan and London. Cue explosions, huge guns, and uplifting, yearning music.

The word “Panopticon” is Greek for “observe all”, but it’s also the name of a controversial prison design that dates back to late 18th-century England. Intended as an institution that would use the fear and uncertainty of observation just as much as it relied upon locks and cells to maintain order, the Panopticon arrayed stacks of rooms arrayed in a circle around a central “inspection house” where the warden and guards would be based.

From that center point, the prison staff would be able to see into every cell whenever they chose, with no privacy for inmates. Designer Jeremy Bentham described a series of blinds and other arrangements by which the staff would be masked from view, leaving inmates uncertain on who was being watched and when.

The principle of observation certainly seems to fit in with the surveillance-state themes that appear to be laced throughout the Panopticon game trailer, though we’ll have to wait a little longer to find out more. Sony Japan says the next dribble of information will come on May 21.

Sony Japan Panopticon trailer:

Thanks Zak!

According to The Verge, sources familiar with Microsoft’s plans for Xbox have said that the Points virtual currency will be shut down, and real currency will be brought in, as well as a new gift card system that is said to be similar to iTunes. Normal cash transactions using credit and debit cards are said to be supported alongside the gift cards.

The new currency system will supposedly work across Microsoft’s various services, including the Windows Store, Windows Phone Store, and Xbox Live, however it’s not said if it will be a universal system that will seamlessly integrate all of these services together (for instance, buying a gift card in the Windows Store, but using it in Xbox Live).

As for when Microsoft plans to unveil this new system, it’s said that it could be as soon as E3 next month, with an official launch later this year that will either coincide with the Xbox 720 launch or just right before the new console’s release. There was no mention of revealing the new system at the company’s May 21 event later this month, so it looks like Microsoft will be keeping some of its new details until E3.

Microsoft will be spreading out its announcements of its next-generation console throughout the year, with the first unveiling of the Xbox 720 on May 21, followed by more details at E3 2013 in June, and an appearance by the company at Gamescom in August, where it’s expected that Microsoft will unveil more games for the new console.

SOURCE: The Verge

“The most comprehensive map, now built for you” Google describes the new system, with a “tailored map for every search and click you make.” There’s also a new search box, which now floats on top of the map rather than living at the top of the screen as per the current version, and which expands to accommodate other search results like ratings, reviews, and whether there is other mapping data available for a location, such as indoor floorplans.

Google has also apparently baked more of its location-based services into the core Maps view. That includes Google Earth – which, in WebGL-compliant browsers, is directly integrated so can be viewed without needing to install a plugin first – and Flight Search.

As for navigation directions, the new Google Maps will now show all different methods of transportation on the same map simultaneously. That means the driving route will be shown alongside any public transportation options, such as trains or subways, and presumably – for shorter journeys – the route to take on-foot if you’re up for the exercise.

So far so UI refresh, but it’s the ability of the maps to tailor themselves to individual users’ that could be the most interesting part of the reworked version. “As you search the map, star places you like and leave reviews,” Google explains, “the map starts to adapt and can suggest things like restaurants you might enjoy or the quickest way home.”

Whether Google intends to transfer those features over to the mobile version of Google Maps is unstated, though given Android has its own predictive assistant technology in the shape of Google Now, we wouldn’t be at all surprised to see this learning system start pinging out more proactive suggestion cards in the near future.

Google is almost certain to announce and fully detail the new Google Maps at I/O, which kicks off in San Francisco later today.

The information comes from sources who spoke to the folks over at The Verge, also reporting that Google has penned deals with both Sony Music Entertainment and Universal Music Group. Such deals will provide the rumored subscription service with access to vast quantities of artists. This is in addition to deal with Warner Music Group reported by Fortune back on March 5.

While the rumor that surfaced earlier this year said that Google will be offering a free music streaming service, The New York Times has stated that its sources say that won’t be the case, with only a for-pay subscription model being offered. That is disappointing, but the subscription service – although no numbers have been dropped yet – is likely to be priced similar to its competition, meaning $10 or less monthly.

We still haven’t heard whether the service will only be available to those located in the United States or elsewhere as well. And while information on what, precisely, the service will be like is unknown, word has it the subscription model will compete with Spotify and similar other companies, meaning it will probably share some of the same functionality.

The information hasn’t been confirmed, with all three record labels declining comment and Google obviously having nothing to say on the matter. Fortunately, we won’t have to wait long to see if the sources pan out, with the announcement slated for tomorrow. We’re currently at the event, and will let you know as soon as we hear anything.

SOURCE: The Verge

Nokia’s teaser video yesterday – which debuted during a UK TV commercial – showed the back of the smartphone, complete with the tagline “More than your eyes can see.” That led to expectations that it would bear a large-resolution sensor, the camera itself protruding slightly from the back-panel of the phone.

Nokia new Lumia teaser:

This new image, however, shows the other side of the smartphone. It’s a more sober device than previous Lumia, more akin in color scheme to the Lumia 928 unveiled for Verizon’s network last Friday, than the bright hues of more widespread models like the Lumia 920.

According to previous rumors, the Lumia 925 will have a metal body rather than polycarbonate plastic, though it’s hard to tell whether that’s the case from this leaked shot. It certainly looks to be thinner than the Lumia 920, which was criticized by many for its chunky casing that accommodated the optical image stabilization system to go with the 8.7-megapixel camera.

Exactly how many megapixels the Lumia 925 will offer is unclear. Some have speculated that the phone is the device so-far known by the codename “EOS“, and expected to have an 808 PureView-like huge megapixel sensor. Other rumors have indicated the 925 is more likely to be the “Catwalk“, which is tipped to have a more mainstream camera but a slender, higher-quality body.

We’ll know more tomorrow, when Nokia takes the stage in London, UK, and reveals all. SlashGear will be there to bring back all the details.

The obvious interpretation of the tagline is a super-high-resolution sensor, something previously rumored for the EOS and to which Nokia itself is no stranger. Chatter of the EOS picked up at the top end of the year, described as offering “proper PureView” in a similar manner to the well-esteemed but niche 808 PureView. However, there’s also talk of a separate device, the Nokia Catwalk, which is also believed to have a large-megapixel-count sensor (though smaller than EOS) and a metal body.

Although recent Lumia handsets, such as the 920, have borne the PureView brand, Nokia has yet to repeat its complex pixel-clustering approach to high-resolution photography on the 808. That phone used a whopping 41-megapixel sensor, though defaulted to roughly 5-megapixel stills: the camera combined data from multiple adjacent pixels to iron out any glitches or mistakes, or alternatively could provide lossless-quality digital zooming.

As a system, the original PureView technology worked – you can see quite how well in our review of the Nokia 808 PureView – but the oversized sensor had unavoidable consequences on the heft of the handset. The larger-than-normal build, along with the fact that the roughly five year development time meant it was still running Symbian, rather than Windows Phone, meant it never amounted to much more than a curio in Nokia’s line-up.

Assuming the EOS – or whatever Lumia name the phone is officially dubbed – can avoid that bulk issue, it could well succeed where the 808 struggled, however. According to the rumor-mill, it will use a specially-waterproofed, aluminum casing courtesy of nano-coating experts P2i, though it’s impossible to tell from the commercial whether the handset is metal or metal-effect plastic.

Nokia is no stranger to teaser-campaigns, with the company having spent much of the last seven days flirting around the new Lumia 928. That handset, headed to Verizon in a few days time, was originally expected to make its official debut alongside the “EOS” on Tuesday, but Nokia pulled the trigger on the announcement on Friday last week.

SlashGear will be with Nokia this coming Tuesday to bring back all the details of the new Lumia.

SOURCE: TechCrunch; Pocket-lint

The Play Services system is the underlying Android component which all games will be able to tap into, allowing them to share a single notifications path, multiplayer gamer matching, leaderboards and achievements records, and more. Unsurprisingly, the multiplayer duties are shared with Google+, with the social network’s circles used to manage who can invite you to play a game, whose achievements you see, and who your own achievements are shared with.

Meanwhile, there’s also synchronized saved games, meaning if you have a favorite you play on both your Android phone and tablet, you should be able to pick up where you left off on either. Similarly, there are various achievements and leaderboards, with a number of icons to flag top scores and the ability to sort by recent play, by your own position in the charts, and more. All can be pushed over to Google+ to publicize your success.

Currently, the new service isn’t fully functional, leading to suggestions that there could be another, potentially user-facing app which works in conjunction with the background system. That would presumably be the equivalent of iOS’ Game Center app, with its hub of scores and various lobbies for handling multiplayer and gamer-matching based on skill level.

The Android gaming ecosystem has expanded considerably in the past year. Last May, Google was tipped to be working on a Game Center alternative, while even earlier the Google+ team was confirmed to be collaborating with developers on social games for the Facebook competitor.

Several Kickstarter projects have sought to reboot classic titles for Android and other mobile platforms, most recently seeing 90s favorite Carmageddon relaunch after having raised more than $600,000 on the crowdfunding site. Meanwhile, dedicated Android-based gaming hardware has also grown in popularity: OUYA was another Kickstarter success, for instance, while this past week BlueStacks revealed GamePop, a compact games console that borrows the Netflix-style subscription model for title access.

Both OUYA and GamePop have been forced to create their own gaming system on top of Android, to some extent, but with the new Play Games structure, Google could considerably streamline that process for other hardware developers. The system has potential beyond just Android phones and tablets, too; Google TV boxes could instantly become Xbox and PlayStation rivals, with support for second-screen play turning mobile devices into controllers and private status monitors. A hook into Chrome, meanwhile, could bring the system to the desktop and to Chromebooks.

That would leave plenty of room for innovation in pricing. Google could follow BlueStacks’ example with an all-you-can eat gaming subscription, perhaps, with a set monthly fee promising access to hundreds of premium titles across as many devices as are registered to the same account.

We’ll undoubtedly hear more about Google Play Games at I/O this coming week; SlashGear will be there to bring back all the news as it happens.

TechRadar reports that their sources at Google have confirmed that the company is ditching the Babel moniker and will be going with “Hangouts” for its official launch. New screenshots also suggest that the new chat service has been rebranded as Hangouts, showing menu items that say “Sign out of Hangouts” and “add people to this hangout.”

This means that not only will Google+ Hangouts receive the new name that it pretty much already has, Google Talk will also be operating under the Hangouts name as well. Since this is an effort from Google to unify all of its chat services, it should definitely clear up any confusion between Google’s various chat services (like the confusing difference between Gmail Chat and Google Talk, which are essentially the same but operate under different names).

We started to hear babblings about a possible unified chat service from Google last month, when initial screenshots were also leaked by TechRadar. The images showed what the chat interface looks like, as well as some of the emoticons that would be available. However, the photos were taken at close range, so we aren’t able to get a good look at the big picture (pun intended).

As for how the new unified chat service will be implemented into Google’s various web services, that’s still up in the air, and we should take these rumors with a grain of salt anyway, but it’s possible that Google will simply incorporate Hangouts in all of their services with an icon that shows up in the bottom-right corner or something. We could also see a Hangouts mobile app from Google as well, which would get rid of the need for the Google Talk app. We’ll be at Google I/O 2013 next week, and we’ll keep our eyes and ears open for any discussions on a new chat service.

[Source: TechRadar]

In fact, Google CEO Larry Page is said to be responsible for killing off the card plans, something he’s believed to have been skeptical about for some time. Page “felt it did not press forward innovation as payments startups like Square have done” AllThingsD’s sources claim.

The demise of the Google Wallet credit card hasn’t just shaken up Google IO next week, but staffing within the company. Head of Google Wallet Osama Bedier was confirmed to have left the company yesterday, “pushed out” it’s said in favor of shifting the division into the ads and commerce team. Sridhar Ramaswarmy is now directly in charge of Wallet.

Although the physical card won’t see the light of day, for a while if ever, that’s not to say Google Wallet is going anywhere. The system will be updated with new rewards, offers, and loyalty points, it’s said, with more merchants coming on-board to accept the NFC payments. What won’t be happening any time soon is integration with Google Now, though, with the teams described as “siloed” in a way which has prevented data sharing.

Google had supposedly gone so far as to bake physical card support into the new Google Wallet app, and prototypes of the cards had already been produced. As per a usual card, they included a magnetic stripe and raised numbers; despite suggestions that Google would launch its own bank, the actual project was to partner with existing banks, and source behavioral data around shopping patterns through third-parties, rather than directly from Visa and MasterCard.

Imagine for a second that you’re out shopping, perhaps for a major holiday or to facilitate the demise of your latest paycheck. Perhaps, in this scenario, you’ve a tech item or two in mind, a camera maybe, and so you spend the day driving from one electronics store to the next in a spree of window shopping.

If you’re like a lot of Facebook users, you’ll probably pull out your smartphone at least a couple times to check up on the digital half of your social world. Imagine, in this scenario, that you notice something interesting – the sponsored ads are specific to your gadget-hunting activities of the day. They’re pointing you to nearby electronics stores and deals for items you might find at them.

Such could become the reality for many mobile users if Facebook acquires Waze.

Ads are only a small part of the larger picture, however, with the access to such data presenting opportunities for improved local searches, something Facebook has been working towards for a while now. Likewise, data from your Facebook could be used to provide recommendations when using the navigational elements, such as notifications of nearby deals around lunch time for restaurants you’ve liked on the social network.

As analyst Michael Boland told AdWeek: “It fits the paradigm of the real-time status, which is the lifeblood of the News Feed. [With a Waze acquisition], you add an additional dimension to not just what you’re doing or thinking but where you are and where you’re going.”

So the question is, then: is this good or bad? The answer to that will largely depend on who you’re talking to, and many will have an initial knee-jerk reaction that is negative to the idea of Facebook knowing even more than it already knows about you. When looked at in the grander scheme of our increasingly digital lives, however, it has some nice possibilities.

These are services many of us already use, albeit independent of each other. By merging them together, our habits, locations, friends, likes and more all become centralized in a single location, with the data working among a variety of services to tailor our digital lives as closely as possible to our real-world lives. Searches become more precise. Ads become eerily relevant. The information we need starts appearing just when we need it, a la Google Now.

Rather than having information thrown at us by advertisers who hope something will stick, the information will be more of the curated sort: carefully sorted and tailored and presented at the times we’re most likely to want it, helping us save money when we’re ready to spend it, find places when we’re ready to shop – all of it based on our own likes, preferences, habits, schedules, and routes.

Knowing that, perhaps the real question is: what happens when our physical and digital worlds become part of each other? Only time will tell, but the prospect is exciting.

The set-top box is said to have been designed several times by now, and the latest ones that made it into prototype mode reportedly have support for Kinect, enabling voice and motion control of the system. The device would, in addition, work in conjunction with Microsoft’s other devices and offerings, such as the Xbox and mobile Windows devices.

The sources went on to say that work is being done on the development side to make it simple for developers to create content for the device, including having instructed its development teams to create programs with Microsoft-created coding standards. The goal, says the sources, is for developers to have a simple way to write software for use across the company’s many devices.

Such a rumor comes at a time when Microsoft is readying the launch of the next-generation Xbox, the same thing Sony is doing, with the PlayStation 4 slated to go on sale in time for the holidays. As we’ve previously noted, however, the consoles present a bit of uncertainty, with some feeling that they might not live up to expectations. Microsoft declined commenting on the rumor.

[via Wall Street Journal]

Based on how many times they use the word “transform” in the video, we can only assume that ASUS will unveil a new Transformer tablet at Computex coming up next month, and based on the teaser video, it looks to be a smaller form factor tablet of sorts with a stylus that comes with it — tucked in on the bottom-right corner as the screenshot above suggests. It could be one of the 7-inch tablets running Windows 8 that has been recently rumored.

According to the video description, ASUS says that they will be announcing new products “that reimagine the way you interact with desktop PCs, notebooks, smartphones, tablets and more.” We’re not sure if ASUS would announce a product for everyone of these categories, but it’s possible that we’ll see new devices that blend some of these form factors together.

ASUS will be holding a press conference on June 3 for Computex 2013, where the company will officially unveil what they’ve been working on, and based on their cute little countdown that they have posted on their events webpage, that’s only 24 days away at the time of this writing.

“Using retina-tracking technology, images on the smartphone would seem to float above the screen like a hologram and appear three-dimensional at all angles” the insiders claim. “Users may be able to navigate through content using just their eyes.”

That’s only one of a number of smartphones Amazon is working on, with at least two tipped to reach the market. Fewer details are known about the second phone, which is known – alongside the other hardware – as Project A, B, C, and D within Lab126. The clandestine development is internally referred to as the “Alphabet Projects” its said.

As for the the media-streamer, that’s said to be an audio-only product, and could potentially be similar to a Sonos. Interestingly, despite previous rumors in April about Amazon working on a set-top box through which it would deliver streaming media such as on-demand Amazon Prime video, this musical product is said to be a different project.

In fact, Amazon is apparently looking to hardware on a grand scale, though the sources did also suggest that any or all of the projects could be axed before they actually reach the marketplace. That could be down to financial or other concerns, they suggest, or simply deciding that the smartphones and other devices aren’t ready for prime-time.

Nonetheless, it doesn’t come as a huge surprise to hear that Amazon is flirting with new products, particularly in mobility. The company’s ambitions in the smartphone space have been widely-rumored since before even the Kindle Fire tablets were released, with Amazon expected to use a heavily-customized version of Android tailored to suit its digital media sales ambitions.

As for the media streamer possibility, with Amazon already having an MP3 download store, and the Amazon Cloud Player service streaming content from the online locker to users’ smartphones, funneling it instead to home audio equipment doesn’t seem too far fetched. In that case, Amazon’s tablets and potential smartphone could then become a touchscreen remote, navigating through playlists.

Of course, glasses-free 3D has been met with mixed – though generally negative – reactions from the public when companies have tried to use it in mobile devices. The Nintendo 3DS, for instance, has struggled to carve a niche out, despite its relatively unique feature of 3D gameplay, while LG’s attempts to put glasses-free 3D in phones in the shape of the Optimus 3D also failred to spawn a sequel.

One possibility is that by using an eye-tracking system, the 3D effect could be considerably more impressive. Currently glasses-free systems lack precision, and can appear more like layers of stacked images than true 3D. Factoring in more accurate gaze-tracking, however, could improve on that, making a true 3D interface more usable.

If that’s the case, it could be Nokia is using the LED for a focus light, or potentially including it so that the Lumia 928 can use it as a video lamp when recording footage. The Xenon flash is a hotly-anticipated inclusion, a rare addition to a smartphone though one expected to pair well with the 8.7-megapixel camera and Carl Zeiss optics that Nokia has already confirmed.

Meanwhile, Nokia is also pitting the Lumia 928 against the Galaxy S III in terms of audio performance, testing out the two smartphones for their ability to record natural-sounding soundtracks. The test subject in this case is a subway band, with the new Windows Phone showing a far broader frequency range than its Android rival.

That’s something Nokia has emphasized before, on the 808 PureView, though the Lumia 928 is a whole lot more pocket-friendly than its Symbian predecessor. As per the low-light recording test earlier this week, though, we can’t help but wish that Nokia had pitted its new phone against the HTC One, which itself uses clever microphone technology to improve its audio pick-up.

If all goes to plan, we should expect to see the Lumia 928 officially detailed at a London event Nokia is holding next week, though it appears the Finns are keen to spill some of the headline features in the run-up to that.

According to TechCrunch, the current hold up to closing the deal is where Waze will subsequently be based. Currently, the firm is predominantly located in Israel, though there have apparently been suggestions that it could move to the US, as per previous Facebook acquisitions of Israeli companies.

Waze was the subject of Apple acquisition rumors earlier this year, though if the reported Facebook timescales are true, that speculation was flourishing while Zuckerberg & Co. were already at the negotiating table. No Apple buy-out eventually occurred, though Waze functionality did end up baked into Apple Maps, the Cupertino firm’s homegrown alternative to Google Maps.

Neither Facebook nor Waze will comment on the deal rumors, though the two would make for a reasonable pairing. Waze offers turn-by-turn navigation on smartphones, using crowdsourced traffic and hold-up information to guide users around blocks and delays. Meanwhile, maps are updated by the community, and users share information like gas prices.

Waze already integrates with Facebook to help people find nearby friends, and given Facebook’s recent push – including Facebook Home – into making the most of its growing mobile audience, cementing that by baking Waze into its platform seems a realistic strategy. The social mapping service currently has more than 47m active users, it claims, more than doubling its userbase in less than a year.

Inside, there’s supposedly an Intel Core i5 processor, paired with 4GB of RAM and a 128GB solid-state drive. On the back, Sony has slapped on an 8-megapixel camera using one of its Exmor RS sensors, and there’s a backlit keyboard along with NFC.

Other specifications include “ClearAudio+” sound and what Sony is supposedly describing as “ActiveSleep”, a power management technology the company attempted to trademark back in February. The unnamed slider – though we’d hazard a guess at Sony VAIO Duo 13, given its smaller stablemate – will apparently run for up to 10hrs on a single charge.

The video was supposedly filmed during internal training at UK tech retail chain Dixons, according to one NotebookReview forum member. While no release information was given, the uploader claims there should be more details in a couple of weeks time.

[via Engadget]

In place of discontinuing the devices will reportedly be a new business model in which the company’s digital content will be offered via apps on partner devices. One must wonder, then, if the partner devices will be from Microsoft or something else entirely, though Tech Crunch says that its information doesn’t specify that bit, saying only that we’ll have to wait until next year when they’re launched to find out.

This isn’t the first time we’ve heard about the mixing of Barnes & Noble and Microsoft. As we reported back in April of last year, Microsoft invested $300 million in a partnership with B&N to form a subsidiary. Following that, in June the latter company publicly denied rumors that it would be launching a tablet with Windows RT, with the information having been provided from someone said to be an inside source.

This eventually lead up to the official announcement of Nook Media LLC as the subsidiary between the two companies, with Microsoft shelling out the initial $300 million and looking to gain the Nook app for Windows 8. As such, Microsoft’s alleged plans to make the purchase follow in line with what has already transpired, though the company – as well as Barnes & Noble – declined commenting on the matter.

[via Tech Crunch]

That’s taking place on May 21, with Microsoft also set to show off a number of launch games alongside the console. Exactly how much detail Microsoft will go into around the new Xbox is unclear – it could well follow Sony’s example, and not actually show off the core hardware itself – but we’re expecting it to open the gates to more titles being demonstrated at E3.

Lucid’s teaser image, meanwhile, would seem to be a heavy-handed nod to a racing game given its “Road Opens 2013″ banner. The UK studio was started by a number of former Bizarre Creations staff, after the Activision-owned firm was shut down at the start of 2011. Rumors back in late 2010 suggested Microsoft was in talks with multiple European studios to try to reboot the Project Gotham Racing series, though since then all has been quiet.

That’s not something the Lucid Games team is doing anything to change, telling Joystiq only that they “can’t say anything at the moment” about the Project Gotham Racing rumors. Nonetheless, it would be a fitting launch-day title: both the original Xbox and the Xbox 360 hit shelves with a game from the franchise alongside.

Going by the image, the new racing game – whatever it launches as – will be set in London, UK, at least in part. That’s already been the venue for at least one previous installment of Project Gotham Racing.

[via Autoblog; via Joystiq]

The first of the adverts inserted into the news stream will automatically begin playback without the user having to click the play button, it’s said. However, if they choose to click to turn on audio, the clip will restart from the beginning.

Facebook will supposedly feature trial commercials from members of its advisory client council board, which also includes Unilver, Nestlé, and Diago. The social site established the group in mid-2011, with around twelve sitting members with which it experiments with potential monetization strategies.

In addition to defaulting to a volume-free experience, Facebook will also test the waters with a limited portfolio of ads. At least initially, the site will only show commercial video content from one advertiser in any one day; it will be charging brands “low $20s” per thousand views, whether or not audio was started, the insiders claim.

Although users may well be turned off by the new advertising content, the potential for strong returns may well prove too great for Facebook to resist. The company could see a $1.5m uptick in revenues each day when the system is rolled out, based on initial inventory, it’s said, on top of the existing income from standard image-based adverts.

[via The Inquirer]

BI warns that the tattle comes second-hand, with their source having spoken to someone who supposedly is working on the retail project within Google. However, the idea of bringing Glass out of the lab and right into the public eye seems a likely one, since the concept takes more explaining than a smartphone or tablet.

That public relations smoothing is going to be particularly necessary with something like Glass, which is already prompting privacy concerns given the ease with which wearers can snap photos and video. One common criticism of the headset is that there’s no specific indication when filming is taking place; Google did not include a red light or other notification on the front, for those around the wearer to see, and the only giveaway for video capture is that the eyepiece is active.

As early reactions to Glass in public suggest, there’d be no shortage of visitors to Google’s stores should they ever open their doors. Whether many of those curious enough to step in would actually buy Glass – or, in fact, whether Google would even be offering Glass for sale, depending on where it’s up to with the eventual consumer version – is questionable, however. Google has previously said that it expects the mainstream Glass to be considerably more affordable than the $1,500 of the current Explorer Edition targeted at developers.

Instead the store proposal, if true, could be more about marketing and user research than actual sales, getting the public comfortable with wearables rather than necessarily pushing them to open their wallets. Meanwhile, it would also cement the “Glass” name as the new brand of Android-powered headsets, which would undoubtedly come in useful as Google rolls out its own consumer iteration, or potentially licenses the technology to third-parties like Samsung and others.

Currently, Google invites Explorer Edition buyers to its experience locations in San Francisco and New York City, where they’re fitted for the headset, shown the basic features, and walked through the initial setup of pairing it with a phone and such. Our own Vincent Nguyen picked up one such unit recently; stay tuned for his hands-on impressions over the coming days.

LG’s tablet ambitions were scuppered in 2012, when the company confirmed it would sideline its slate plans so as to focus instead on smartphones. Its Optimus Pad failed to gain traction, and fellow Android device OEMs pushed prices low to undercut Apple’s iPad.

Since then, however, we’ve seen Windows 8/RT arrive, as well as some success among Android devices, fueled in no small part by the low-cost Nexus 7 ASUS manufactures for Google. Meanwhile, we’ve also seen some movement in the high-end Android tablet world, with high-res options like Samsung’s Nexus 10 out-performing the iPad’s Retina Display in terms of pixel density.

That might pave the way for LG to use some of its display arm’s homegrown screen talents. Back at CES, LG Display showed off a 7-inch, 324ppi 1920 x 1200 tablet panel, among others, which seems ideally suited for a small tablet rival to the much-speculated iPad mini with Retina Display.

Of course, there’s not only Android to consider. LG could also opt for Windows 8 or Windows RT, joining a relatively limited market of tablets running Microsoft’s platform. Whether the potential rewards for taking on Microsoft’s own Surface are considered rich enough for LG remains to be seen, however.

[via TechEye]

According to what was reportedly some brief hands-on time with the FuelBand 2, Nike has fettled the speed that the LEDs react, meaning the band shows data more swiftly than the existing version. The use of Bluetooth 4.0, just as on the Fitbit Flex we reviewed earlier this week, means longer battery life, and Nike has apparently built in auto-synchronization too.

However, Bluetooth 4.0′s potential for always-on connectivity without draining the battery too quickly means that Nike can apparently open up the FuelBand 2′s sensor stream to other software. The updated API will include accelerometer data, it’s claimed, so that games and other apps can track user movements and positioning and use them for control and other features.

Meanwhile, there’s also said to be a heart rate monitor – selected from an option on the band, and used by pinching the sensor against your wrist – and the ability to check battery status from the FuelBand 2 itself. Whereas Nike said back in February it had no plans to release an Android app, the current word supposedly from the company’s campus is that an app for Google’s OS is, in fact, in the pipeline.

Nike launched the first Nike+ FuelBand back in early 2012, one of the first wrist-worn activity monitoring gadgets to reach the market. Since then, it has seen rival devices from Fitbit and Jawbone, among others, though Nike has resolutely stuck to its premium pricing: the FuelBand costs $150, versus the sub-$100 tag on the newest Fitbit Flex, for instance. Exactly when the new FuelBand might launch is unknown, and it’s unclear if it will have features not unofficially previewed, such as sleep tracking as supported on both the UP and Flex.

The URL mentioned in the advert – nokia.com/lumia928 – is, surprisingly, already active, though there’s less detail to be found than in the print version. The image is the same, aside from the Verizon logo being absent, and there are no specifications; however, the filename of the image itself does confirm that this is the Lumia 928.

Chatter of the Lumia 928 has been circulating for some time now, with early talk of an aluminum chassis and a more squared off design than the Lumia 920 that the phone is presumed to be based upon. Like the 920, the 928 is expected to use a 4.5-inch display, though there has been talk of Nokia using AMOLED panel technology rather than the ClearBlack LCD of the older device.

Nokia will hold a Lumia event on May 14, though given that will be in London it would imply that either the Lumia 928 is intended for regions beyond Verizon’s coverage, or that the phone will be the support act for another, more broadly available phone. That could well be the device believed to be codenamed EOS, a more photography-centric handset that, so the speculation suggests, could have a waterproof aluminum coating.

Waterproofing may well be something Nokia is looking to push in its new 2013 line-up. The beach photography shown in this Lumia 928 commercial could be a hint that the phone will have a weather-resistant casing.

The rumor comes from EVLeaks, which we have relied on in the past for many smartphone rumors, and they’ve generally been accurate with their many rumors and leaks. If this discount is to be true, prospective buyers would be able to grab an entry-level 16GB iPhone 5 for just $99, but only after signing a new two-year contract of course.

Sadly, no more details were provided, but if true, the deal will go live sometime in the next week or two, allowing users to grab an iPhone 5 for up to half-off. It’s not said if the promotion will be permanent, or if it’s just a temporary sale that will happen. However, our guess is that it won’t be a permanent discount — at least not until the next iPhone releases.

As for this hinting that the next iPhone is incoming soon, it’s hard to say. Verizon could just be doing this for giggles, without even knowing about a new iPhone coming, but it’s also possible that Big Red needs to quickly clear some of its inventory to make way for something new.

According to Ars Technica, Microsoft sent out an internal email to all full-time employees working on the next Xbox saying that “there are a number of scenarios that users expect to work without an internet connection, and those should ‘just work’ regardless of their current connection status.” Microsoft suggested playing Blu-ray discs, watching live TV, and playing single player games as examples.

This certainly makes sense, as we’re prone to believe that making a gaming console completely inoperable without an internet connection is quite illogical. The email also essentially confirms other rumors as well: The Xbox 720 will come with a Blu-ray drive, as well as some sort of input where you can plug your TV or set-top box into to watch live TV.

It’s not known exactly how far the offline capabilities will go in the new console, but it would be a fair bet to say that there will simply be some things that will require an internet connection — tasks that didn’t require an internet connection on past consoles. It’s possible that Microsoft could implement some kind of system to verify games being installed without having to be online, but we’ll ultimately have to wait and see what the company comes up with.

[via Ars Technica]

There’s also apparently a fixed, non-user-accessible 1,800 mAh battery, together with 2GB of memory and 8GB of storage. The display apparently runs at 720 x 720 resolution, just as per the BlackBerry Q10, and runs BlackBerry 10.1 OS.

So far we’ve seen the R10 leak in black, white, and red, which suggests either BlackBerry is having some fun with its color schemes or, alternatively, the company will be offering multiple colors at retail. Given the BlackBerry R10 is presumed to be the BlackBerry 10 equivalent of a Curve-series phone, that would make sense for the youth market traditionally keen on Curve variants.

Although touchscreen text-entry has found favor on most platforms, and indeed BlackBerry 10 itself has a refined on-screen system for the Z10, the Canadian company is reluctant to step away completely from physical ‘boards. Expectations for the Q10 are high, within BlackBerry at least, with ambitions of “tens of millions” of the phone being sold.

[via MobileSyrup]

If, though, this was the next-gen Nexus, or “Nexus 5″, the positioning of the LG logo would be a minor coup for the manufacturer. On the current Nexus 4, the fascia of the phone is completely logo-free, with the only mention of LG and Google on the back panel.

Of course, that could also mean that this is the LG Optimus G2, the oft-rumored successor to the Optimus G. That phone was functionally all but identical to the Nexus 4 inside, differing only really with branding (and pricing); since Google and LG are said to have renewed their Nexus collaboration and already be working on the fifth phone of the series, the same internal components in this prototype might – if authentic – end up in both handsets.

Estimates of scale suggest the mysterious phone is around 5.5-inches, which would be a considerable step up from the 4.7-inches of the current Nexus 4 and Optimus G. It would also put it on a par with the display size of the newer Optimus G Pro; indeed, one possibility is that this device is a variant of the G Pro, complete with the slightly curved glass that we know from the Nexus 4.

Should Google opt to refresh the Nexus line more imminently, that would break the roughly year-long lifecycle of the previous phones. However, it would also give the company a high-profile handset to reveal at Google I/O, as well as a time advantage over the next-gen iPhone which isn’t expected until later in 2013.

[via Android Community]

A cluster of renders expected to closely resemble the final coupe have been dug up as part of a design patent Jaguar filed ahead of the car’s expected 2014 release, Germany car site Auto Motor & Sport reports. Things don’t deviate too far from the C-X16, thankfully, with a tapering rear window that notches in crisply with the distinctive light clusters.

It’ll be a handsome beast in profile, too, if the patent CGI is anything to go by. One of the concerns had been how the relatively flat trunk lid of the convertible F-Type might work with the extra metal of a coupe, but Jaguar’s design team has handled that well.

By starting out with a drop-top and only bringing a coupe on later, Jaguar claimed it was making sure both would have the sort of on-the-road dynamics that drivers expect from a two-seater. Curb weight for the coupe isn’t known, but given the car company opted for a fabric hood rather than a folding metal roof – arguing that it helped keep the center of gravity low – there may not be the common difference between the two versions.

As well as the photos, the car site also claims to have heard that Jaguar will be offering a different engine option alongside the supercharged 3.0-liter V6 and supercharged 5.0-liter V8 already announced. A 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder, the new engine is borrowed from the Range Rover Evoque – albeit with some fettling involved in the process – and should help bring the cost of entry to F-Type ownership down to less than the $69,000 starting point that preorders opened at.

[via Jalopnik]

This means that users won’t necessarily have to have an Android device in order to use Google Glass, and it’s possible that they’ll soon be able to function without needing the My Glass companion app. We already know that iOS doesn’t take Google Glass lightly, and while the pair of glasses will at least work with the iPhone, users can’t get turn-by-turn directions or use text messaging.

However, that’s expected to change, most likely with the retail version of Google Glass, where it’ll act independently instead of relying on your smartphone for a lot of its functions. Currently, Google Glass uses your Android smartphone’s GPS and data connections to get many of the features working.

Taking into account what the Google representative said, it seems Google Glass will soon be fully functional on its own, and while you’ll still be able to pair it with your smartphone, it shouldn’t matter what smartphone you’re using. However, it’s possible that a companion app will always exist on Android that will give Android users a bit of an advantage over iPhone users, but we’ll see.

[via TechCrunch]

Google’s more recent Nexus releases have stuck to a roughly yearly refresh cycle, though given the fast pace of the smartphone market, there’s no guarantee that the Nexus timetable will stay the same. Nonetheless, demand for the Nexus 4 remains strong, with Google and LG struggling at times over the past months to produce sufficient stock to meet orders.

If the collaboration rumors are true, it means LG would become the second firm to have two successive Nexus projects. While HTC worked with Google on the first device, the Nexus One, it was replaced in that role by Samsung, who developed the Nexus S and then the Galaxy Nexus.

LG then took Samsung’s position for the Nexus 4, creating a device – built mainly to the pattern of the existing LG Optimus G – that was sold at an ambitious $299 off-contract, as Google attempted to ween smartphone users off of their carrier dependence. Samsung instead contributed the Nexus 10 tablet.

One possibility is that the new Nexus could follow LG’s even larger new smartphone, the Optimus G Pro, though with that handset’s sizable 5.5-inch display, it’s possible some would-be buyers might find it simply too large. Specifications for the device are yet to leak.

Meanwhile, LG is also believed to be talking with Google about the potential for an OLED Google TV, as well as more “futuristic projects as part of the big picture” in consumer electronics. That could include wearables like Google Glass, sources suggest.

[via AndroidBeat]

Chatter of just how much of a challenge the mobile overhaul was turning out to be peaked earlier this week, with unofficial reports from inside Apple suggesting that the extent of the company’s plans may force a staggered release of sorts. As well as aiming to change the aesthetics of iOS, chief designer Jony Ive is also believed to be looking to rework certain core apps, including email and calendar.

Whether those refreshes would be ready in time for the main iOS 7 release was unclear, the insiders pointed out, with some concerns that their arrival might be pushed back into 2014.

So as to avoid any delay – though, to be fair, Apple hasn’t yet pegged a public release date on iOS 7 – the company has been “borrowing” engineers from the Mac team to work on the iOS project. It’s a move that has some history; Apple did the same back in 2007, shifting OS X coders to the iOS 5 team so as to meet its deadlines for that release, too.

The end result may well be worth waiting for, though. Though iPhone and iPad sales have remained impressive, there has been a growing call for the company to look at the cleaner, less fussy examples set by rival platforms and reconsider its wood- and leather-effect designs, which attempt to mimic real-world materials or devices, in most cases unnecessarily.

iOS 7, therefore, will be “de-glitzed” according to one unnamed source, with elements like the green-felt finish in Game Center to be removed in favor of a more authentic finish. That’s also been described as “a much-needed ‘de-Forstallization” by another source, referring to former interface chief Scott Forstall who left the company in 2012, and who was known as a strong supporter of skeuomorphic design.

Exactly what parts of iOS 7 will be ready for WWDC in June 2013 remain to be seen. If the preview takes the same form as in previous years, however, Apple will likely pick ten key features to highlight and save the rest until closer to release.

According to the various leaks and sources, the Olympus E-P5 will be offered to consumers in three varieties: black, white, and silver. The cameras will feature 17mm, 45mm, and 75mm offerings, and a shutter speed as fast as 1/8000th of a second. In addition, the specs are pointing at some improved features over the previous E-M5 digital camera.

Image stabilization is said to be new and improved, offering 5-axis stabilization with an IS-Auto mode, which allows for improved stabilization over the E-M5, as well as better auto focus and all-around clearer photographs. Under the hood, users will find a TruePic VI engine for image processing, as well as the E-M5′s 16-megapixel image sensor.

There is said to be focus peaking and a 5-frames-per-second shooting burst mode for rapid image capture. The display, which you can see in the gallery below, is on a hinge and can be tilted. And a feature that is beloved by many, the E-P5 is also said to offer integrated Wi-Fi for easy image transfer, possibly as well as remote display viewing and remote control of the device. Word has it we’ll be hearing something official on May 9th or 10th.

[via 4/3 Rumors]

Overall, the phone is said to be a massive improvement over the Xperia Z, which we have still yet to see in the US. Honami will come packing with a lot of the same features in many of Sony’s Cybershot cameras, so we’re guessing one of the main focal points of the new phone will be its 20MP camera, and it’s easy to see why.

However, as for internal specs, we’re looking at some powerful hardware on board. It’s rumored to be packing a 2.3GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 quad-core processor, with the standard 2GB of RAM, as well as a huge 2700mAh battery. The device is also said to be surfaced with a 5-inch 1080p display to compete with the Samsung GALAXY S 4 and HTC One.

As for further features of the camera component on Honami, it’s said to come with an completely new image-processing algorithm, as well as a redesigned camera UI, which will be based off of Sony’s Cybershot line. As for the LED flash on the Honami, it’s said to be ten times brighter than a typical LED flash on a today’s smartphones.

[via VR-Zone]