rumors

HP: Voodoo lives on, but 'not immune' to layoffs

Amid reports of layoffs at Hewlett-Packard's Voodoo PC subsidiary, the company has decided to be slightly more clear about what exactly is going on--emphasis on "slightly."

Phil McKinney, an HP vice president and CTO of the Personal Systems Group, under which the Voodoo brand falls, weighed in on the official Voodoo blog Wednesday. The Voodoo brand is currently being integrated with the company's larger consumer PC line, which means that things at the little niche PC outfit from Calgary, Alberta, are also changing.

"Voodoo's limited size and focus on North America had limited its … Read more

Report: Google to buy Valve Software

See update below that dashes some cold water on the report.

Google is on the brink of buying noted video game maker Valve Software, according to a report in The Inquirer that cites "well-placed sources."

Bellevue, Wash.-based Valve rose to prominence through games such as its Half Life series, but The Inquirer's Charlie Demerjian speculates the reason Google would be most interested in the company is its Steam Powered technology, a multipurpose online hub with throngs of users.

That rationale makes some sense to me as well, in part because getting into the video game business … Read more

Crazy Apple rumor of the day: New MacBooks already shipping

We usually hate acting as an echo chamber for the viciously self-inflating Internet rumor mill, but this one is so gloriously out there that we can't help but weigh in.

Usually respectable financial outlet Barron's (owned by Dow Jones & Company, after all), caught our eye with the following report:

Citigroup's Richard Gardner asserted in a research note this morning that..."field checks" have confirmed that shipments of new MacBooks have begun; he says the most distinctive features of the new MacBooks are "very thin aluminum casing, an LED-backlit display and an aggressive entry-level … Read more

Samsung on a Rant

Is it just us, or is this deja vu? If we didn't know any better, we've seen one of Sprint's newest cell phones before. The Samsung Rant, which Sprint introduced Wednesday as CTIA Fall 2008 began, looks a lot like the year-old LG Rumor. It has same basic candy-bar shape with similar dimensions (4.5 inches by 2.1 inches by 0.7 inch) and it sports a full QWERTY keyboard hidden that's hidden behind the sliding face. And like the Rumor, the Rant is aimed directly at messaging addicts.

So what gives? Has Sprint run … Read more

Apple watchers spot 'iPod Nano' pix, iTunes hints

Update 11:57 a.m. PDT: Added a paragraph on iTunes 8 and iPhone 2.1.

Tuesday's Apple event can't come soon enough for the gazillions of people eager to find out what the company has in store.

Hence, the latest rumor/hint/supposition: The Web site MacNN says it has confirmed that there is indeed such a thing as the fourth-generation iPod Nano, which has long been suspected as one of the highlights of Tuesday's "Let's Rock" event. It also has what is says is a "verified authentic photo" of the … Read more

Apple ready to rumble on September 9?

Several blogs ( see Techmeme) are reporting that Apple will roll out new products on September 9. As previously rumored, starting with missive from Digg's Kevin Rose, Apple may be revamping the iPod Nano and tweaking the iPod Touch with new software, as well delivering iTunes 8.0 with a recommendation engine and selective price cuts.

Per usual with the cone of silence that encapsulates Steve Jobs and the Apple troops surrounding new product announcements, it's uncertain what will actually be unveiled next month.

However, from various sources CNET News is hearing that Apple is gearing up its engine … Read more

Source: No food fights on the way at Google

There's no reason to panic at Google over the rumor that the perks-happy tech giant would be cutting back on free food for employees, we hear.

A source close to the company told CNET News that the rumors are really just spin over a small management decision. Google isn't depriving employees of dinner, the source explained. The issue was that several smaller eating establishments at the company's Silicon Valley campus had been seeing low attendance at dinner, and so their evening food service will be consolidated into a smaller number of cafeterias. The source said that steps … Read more

Google cutting back on free-food perks?

Blame the mounting economic pressures, or too many chubby engineers: Google has decided to stop offering free dinner, afternoon snacks, and its "tea trolley" to employees, according to an unconfirmed rumor floated on Valleywag.

A Google representative did not immediately return my request for comment, so this one is still hanging around in the gossip-sphere. But Valleywag reported that the changes are slated to be announced Monday, which would mean that either a confirmation or debunking should be available within hours.

Google has become renowned for its employee perks: massages, game rooms, gyms, laundry facilities, and free food … Read more

Report: Ben Ling's going back to the Googleplex

Benjamin Ling, the former Googler who was hired by Facebook last year and sparked a barrage of blog speculation about Google employees moving on to the next cool company, may be going back to Mountain View. Earlier this week, Facebook confirmed that he was indeed leaving the company.

Valleywag reported on Thursday that Ling had been spotted at the Googleplex, and the Gossip Girl-ish nature of that post was backed up by a report from Kara Swisher that she'd heard he'd be returning to Google to work on YouTube. More specifically, he was re-hired to help monetize the … Read more