Amid the growing rumors surrounding an Apple tablet, a patent has surfaced that involves hand gestures on a touchscreen much larger than the iPhone display. The technology, labeled as "Contact Tracking and Identification Module for Touch Sensing," appears to be an extension of the current Multi-Touch system, but integrates elements from two hands instead of several fingers.
Despite analyst speculation that Apple might be preparing to launch an update to its Apple TV device at the upcoming media event, sources familiar with the matter claim the company will not diverge from its focus on music-oriented products. The "very reliable" sources told The Loop that Apple TV will definitely not be included in the announcements.
The recent Mac OS X Snow Leopard build, 10A432, has allegedly reached the Golden Master stage, according to the French site Mac4Ever. Several "knowledgeable sources" claim the latest version seeded to developers is the final copy and ready for mass production on DVDs.
A new, previously unseen handset, the Samsung Instinct Mini, is coming to wireless provider Sprint, BGR says in a new leak. Little is known about the new phone, other than that it will be sold alongside current Instinct models and will be available in two colors: copper or graphite. The phone will only support EVDO Rev 0 data networks, however, and is due for a release at the carrier on April 19th. More information about the new phone is expected soon, and may surface as early as next week at Mobile World Congress in Spain.
Yahoo's top executive, CEO Jerry Yang, could resign to avoid a forced departure ahead of a decisive shareholders meeting on August 1st, according to new rumors. Yang and one of Yahoo's most influential shareholders, Gordy Crawford, butted heads at a recent meeting, sources say, with the latter and his top analysts questioning Yang's arguments and demanding an update on Yahoo's near-term strategy. Crawford has expressed interest in Carl Icahn's proxy takeover for Yahoo, which would likely lead to Microsoft taking over the company.
T-Mobile has announced an unlimited cellular plan to compete with similar offerings by AT&T and Verizon, both of which have already unveiled similar plans. The $100 monthly plan brings T-Mobile up to speed by offering its customers unlimited calling in the US, including roaming and long distance. Unlike the rival plans, the newest addition also includes text messaging without requiring an extension. T-Mobile offers the plan to customers for most of its phones as of Thursday.
Linkin Park and Apple are putting together a "secret" concert in New York City, according to band member Mike Shinoda. He writes on his blog that the band had recently won its second German Echo award, and is preparing to play a sold-out show in Madison Square Gardens, before briefly mentioning the "secret" project. According to AppleInsider, this could potentially coincide with a highly rumored Apple event, but is unlikely, since Apple has not sent out invitations.
Akamai, the company in charge on most of Apple’s content delivery for iTunes and most of its online services, was falsely reported to being dumped by the company, in favor of a switch to Google. Seeking Alpha writes that Swiss American subsidiary Credit Suisse, despite the fact that they are not Akamai’s financial representatives, was blamed for initiated the rumor. Swiss American later denied that they gave any information regarding Apple’s supposed plans, even though technologist Dan Rayburn received the update from several different analysts.
Rumors had circulated that rap star Jay-Z and Apple would together launch a record label, but a new report from the Boy Genius Report "just about" confirms a deal. Citing a "high-up" source attached to Jay-Z, the deal is said be a go. Jay-Z is allegedly happy with the business model and wants to go ahead with the plan. The implications of Apple forging its own music label would likely send tension thundering through the already-tenuous relationships between the Cupertino-based company and its music label partners selling tracks via the iTunes Store.
Sprint has pulled its LG Rumor messaging phone from shelves due to sheer demand and not technical flaws, the company announced on Wednesday. The carrier has acknowledged a problem with the slider phone which allowed users to accidentally wipe the phone's firmware clear through a debugging code but says it is an isolated incident; most models have not been affected and have already received a fix, Sprint says.
