rumor

The Zune HD is one of the most interesting, possibly fake, products in the portable player market. Almost every week there's a different rumor swirling about the device. And yet, we still have no idea if it will ever hit store shelves. But if the latest rumors are true, the Zune HD will be the best portable music player on the market.

According to a report at Windows Mobile Power User, the Zune HD will sport a multitouch OLED screen, playback of HD media from the Zune Marketplace, TV-out with a mini-HDMI port, HD radio, and wireless sync. It will come in 16GB or 32GB flavors, offer a browser that supports multitouch, and support 3D Xbox games. Though the report makes no mention of price, it claims the device will be made available in September. And just look at that picture--it's gorgeous.

I know this all sounds fantastical. I'll be the first to admit that we need to be wary of all rumors. But for the purposes of this column, let's assume for a moment that this really is the Zune HD. Judging by those specs, wouldn't you want one?

I certainly would.… Read more

Something's afoot at Twitter. Well, something's always afoot at Twitter, but this time the founders are leaving everyone hanging by Twittering about it.

CEO and co-founder Evan Williams posted to his Twitter account on Thursday morning: "Tomorrow just became a very big day. (Sorry for the teaser--more later.)" Ooh! Fascinating!

So what's up with his fellow co-founder, Biz Stone? He's in Boston, which happens to be where one of Twitter's big investors, Spark Capital, is headquartered. Spark led Twitter's $15 million Series B funding round last year.

"It's almost midnight … Read more

Everybody's playing the Facebook valuation game again, in light of persistent reports that the social network is in need of more cash to fuel its rapid and expensive global expansion.

The rumors aren't too surprising. Given the recession and the tough advertising climate, the numbers getting tossed around are some of the lowest we've seen recently.

Currently circulating: Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg rejected a fresh round of funding that would have valued the company at $4 billion. Another: one potential investor submitted a term sheet for a valuation in the neighborhood of $2 billion.

What we've … Read more

AccuWeather may be teaming up with Mercedes to develop a next-generation navigation system, according to a source within the Pennsylvania-based weather forecasting company.

More than delivering just weather temperatures and forecasts, the partnership will integrate real-time weather information into the navigation system to inform drivers of potentially dangerous driving weather.

When a driver programs a route, the navigation system will use weather overlays provided by AccuWeather to predict encounters with rain, snow, or extreme conditions. The information should help drivers be more prepared for bad weather and improve safety.

There's been chatter on the Web (and Wall Street) for years now about whether Time Warner should spin off its AOL subsidiary. Now, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal, it looks as though Time Warner's management is looking to tweak the requirements that prevent it from unloading AOL. So it finally might happen.

On the other hand, AOL's slow drift away from its parent company has been at about the speed of plate tectonics; these "fresh start for AOL" moves are nothing new. It was way back in 2003 that Time Warner … Read more

Nikon's lower-end SLR line is due for a revamp, and there are some signs that it could come soon in the form of a model featuring an articulated screen.

Photos of an SLR with a screen that pivots out and twists surfaced Sunday at the Something Awful forum and Monday at Engadget; the photos depict the production of a Nikon commercial in Eastern Europe, according to the forum posting from "indyjb" and Engadget.

Articulating screens are nothing new; some Olympus and Panasonic SLRs feature them, while some Sony models have a pivoting LCD that can be useful. … Read more

As you might recall, the LG Banter is Alltel's version of the LG Rumor 2. Well, U.S. Cellular will also offer the phone, and we managed to take a slightly closer look at the LG Banter at CTIA 2009.

Indeed, it looks a lot like the LG Rumor 2, but it has a slightly more rectangular design, plus it has interchangeable faceplates. The faceplates are pretty easy to take on and off--just slip your finger nail in around the edge to pry it off. So far, the Banter has silver and green face plates. The Banter's keyboard … Read more

I won't believe it for sure until we see grainy paparazzi shots of actor Michael Cera walking around on a movie set in a North Face fleece and Adidas flip-flops, but it looks like things are moving forward on the film based on the early days of Facebook.

And, Business Insider hears, Facebook may be warning former employees not to talk to people involved with the making of the movie.

This is consistent with something I heard last fall from an early Facebook employee who is no longer with the company. This former Facebooker said the company had told … Read more