Toshiba Prepping World's Lightest 13-Inch Laptop [Unconfirmed]

There's no official confirmation yet, but it looks almost certain that Toshiba is gearing up to launch the lightest 13-inch notebook ever. We're talking just over two pounds with an SSD. But how on earth did they do it?

It's not the processor. The info unearthed at vozExpress indicates that the mystery laptop will coming in standard voltage Core i3, i5, and i7 varieties pretty standard these days.


Instead, look to the battery: this new Toshiba's going to employ a second Super Charged ion Battery (SCiB) that we'd previously seen achieving 90% charge in ten minutes. That was back in 2008, so we could see improvements even over that. The laptop's honeycomb rib structure, another first, will presumably also save some weight.


Other presumed specs: up to 4GB memory, 500GB hard disk or a 512GB SSD, 16:9 aspect ratio, and USB 3.0. Not to mention the 'Blaze Mountain' cooling system, which at the very least sounds impressive. But that kind of power with that little weight, and a sleek design to boot? Yes, please.
[Gizmodo via vozExpress via Engadget]

This is either the Nintendo 3DS or an over-the-top mock-up [Nintendo]

We’re not sure what to make of this thing. On one hand the design is clearly out of the box in a way Nintendo tends to think, but the twisting and turning seems just a tad too far from the norm to be real. But the Japanese site says it’s the real deal so it must be real.



The handheld seems to have everything that we’re expecting with a touchscreen autostereoscopic screen with a 854×512 resolution that’s stylus-friendly along with a dual screen mode to replicate the functionality of current DS games. Then there’s the input controls that are clearly designed to work in a 3D space that are obviously included. But it’s the extras that make us question if this thing could really be real.



Apparently the device can generate 3D objects in a augmented reality mode using two rear-facing cameras and sensor. The same sensor can also double as a sort of object scanner to import real objects into the virtual space. The performance is also said to be in the same class as the PS2/GameCube and the unit will reportable be able to link up with the Wii for some sort of VC sharing. The article goes on to tell a tale of WiMAX, WiFi, and even an optional keyboard for some blogging – seriously. It might just be too good to be true.

The post states that the 3DS should hit stores (probably in Japan first) next March 31st and Nintendo will official unveil the unit at E3 in the coming weeks. Jump over to the site and peek the pics. What do you think? Real or fake?

[TechCrunch via Mogu Mogu via Kotaku]

Rumor: iPhone 4 Casing Will Be Touch-Sensitive Like The Magic Mouse [Apple]

We're not usually prone to listening to analysts' speculation—especially when it comes to Apple products—but this latest, previously unheard-of rumor could see the iPhone experience reinvented completely if proven to be true. Still, please do BYO salt bag.
Robert Chen, an analyst at Goldman Sachs, told Bloomberg that the next iPhone will launch in June (obvious to anyone in this world), but will also be remarkably different to what we've seen before.

'Apple's going to put a lot of innovation, not just on the hardware, but also on the software of the new iPhone'

The 'new plastic casing' will be touch-sensitive, much like Apple's Magic Mouse, and according to Chen it will also have a 5.0-megapixel camera. The camera will undoubtedly be upgraded in the next iPhone model, so that's not a far reach for Chen to make, but this new touch-sensitive casing sounds intriguing.
Making the next iPhone completely touch-sensitive sounds slightly redundant, if you ask me. Why would you want to be able to make a gesture on the back of the iPhone with your finger, to answer a call or turn the volume up on your music, when it's already all too easy to do that on the touchscreen?
Unless Apple has something else up their sleeve. When you think about how you hold an iPhone, your index finger is usually pointed upwards, resting somewhere in the middle of the back. Could a touch-sensitive area there allow for quicker one-handed scrolling through emails, or application of pressure to perform a different task? Could it be used effectively in gaming?
It's perplexing thinking about what Apple can offer via a touch-sensitive casing that its touchscreen can't already do, but if you've got any ideas about this big fat piece of analyst hype, do let us know.
[Gizmodo via Bloomberg]

Chrome OS Netbook Specs Leaked: Multi-touch, SSD, and More [Rumor]

Google's Chrome OS netbook's rumored specs are out, and they're looking pretttty, pretttty, prettttty good.
According to IBTimes, the Google netbook will house an Nvidia Tegra platform with an ARM CPU. If the rumors hold up, it will also have a 10.1' multi-touch screen that supports HD, come with a 64GB SSD, 2GB of RAM, and other standards like Wi-Fi, 3G, Bluetooth, a webcam, and so on. Not surprisingly, the netbook will run Chrome OS and come pre-installed with a suite of Google Apps.
The rumors also indicate that the netbook will be available by holiday season 2010 for a subsidized price of under $300, which is impressive for the type of hardware they're talking about. It would sold directly from Google's website, and they may partner with a network operator to sell it as a bundled 3G plan.
If these rumors turn out to be true—which at this point, who knows—that's a welcome step up from the current generation of netbooks.
[Gizmodo via IBTimes]

Apple Tablet With 7″ Screen Coming in January [RUMOR]

Christmas is coming, and we can’t imagine a better time to revive the Apple Tablet rumors.

We’ve heard it all — from 7-inch to 12-inch screen sizes, with launch dates now mostly pointing to the first half of 2010, but Boy Genius claims they now know for certain just how big the mythical device will be in the end.

According to their report, Apple Tablet is “definitely coming in 7″ size.” This doesn’t exclude a bigger, 10” tablet (although Apple simultaneously releasing two different tablets sounds highly unlikely), but Boy Genius’ source is “100%” about the 7-incher. There’s also a date attached to this rumor, with Apple supposedly set to announce the tablet in January. We won’t mind if they do.
[Mashable via BGR]