June 29 - 3:05pm EDT   A major smartphone manufacturer is due to launch a phone based on NVIDIA's Tegra platform, the company has let slip in interviews. One of the "top five" smartphone producers should have a phone based on the advanced graphics technology before the end of the year. The company has also said in a discussion with CrunchGear that it should reach AT&T and T-Mobile for about $199. [full story]

June 26 - 9:30am EDT   When it ships later this year, the Zune HD could cost as much or more than the iPod touch by the time both updates are released this year, an additional leak said Thursday. An interview with a previous source on Neowin cautions that prices aren't "set in stone" but has the base 16GB model costing between $249 and $279, or at least as much as the Zune 120 does today. A current 16GB clickpad Zune costs $179. [full story]

June 25 - 1:05pm EDT   NVIDIA confirmed its plans to release its own netbook PC with its own Tegra chip before the end of 2009. The Tegra chip is so far only used in the Zune HD portable multimedia player and uses hardware acceleration of 720p resolution HD video while using up a minimum of just 150mW. While final specs are not known, NVIDIA is showing a prototype model built by Mobinnova which sports an 8.9-inch screen, Wi-Fi, a 3G data radio and a webcam. It currently runs on Microsoft's Windows CE operating system, but NVIDIA says the final product could run on Google's Android. [full story]

June 24 - 3:40pm EDT   A leak today of purported ad material from Microsoft appears to have clarified some of the company's launch plans for the Zune HD. The documents handed to Gizmodo show the player shipping only in 16GB and 32GB capacities; they also indicate that colors will be dictated by capacity and that the 16GB version will have a simple black while the 32GB model comes in the golden color seen in most previews. [full story]

June 17 - 8:35am EDT   NVIDIA staff are now known today to have confirmed that the Zune HD uses a Tegra processor at its heart. Mentioning the feature to PC Perspective at Computex, the graphics company has made its first deal for the use of Tegra in a major product and is necessary for the Microsoft player's namesake HD video playback. The all-in-one processor offers hardware acceleration of video and can consume just 150mW of power at full speed, giving it battery life like a regular media player in spite of the demands of 720p video playback. [full story]

June 2 - 1:10pm EDT   Mobinnova has announced the élan, a netbook based on one of NVIDIA's fledgling Tegra processors. The system features an 8.9-inch display, which in combination with the Tegra chip is capable of 720p video as well as accelerated Flash content. 3G and Wi-Fi connections are built in, along with a webcam with unspecified resolution. The exact model of Tegra is also unknown. [full story]

May 13 - 3:45pm EDT   Microsoft's Zune HD is real and likely to appear on the company's now-traditional September unveiling schedule, SuperSite for Windows creator Paul Thurrott said on Wednesday. He cites those within Microsoft for the date and is supported by other contacts that echo the same claim. Hardware traits, as well as the actual ship date, haven't been corroborated. [full story]

May 12 - 1:55pm EDT   Specifications have surfaced today that may represent Microsoft's expectations for its "Pink" Zune phone platform. Known as Windows Mobile 7 Chassis 1, the design obtained by Microsoft observer Mary Jo Foley appears to set a baseline level of hardware that would outperform iPhones. A system would use either an NVIDIA Tegra, Qualcomm 8000-series, or Texas Instruments 3430 processor at its heart, at least 256MB of memory, and an 800x480 or larger screen. [full story]

April 20 - 9:40am EDT   Apple is reported today as phasing out its video cables in what may be a sign of a broader move to HD video-capable iPhone and iPod touch devices. An unnamed source for PhoneNews claims that resellers are being told both the Apple Composite AV and Component AV cables are being scrapped in favor of a single cable pack that, like the Xbox 360's component cable, has both the component and composite (RCA) cables on a single line and would let users hook up to both HDTVs and standard-definition sets by purchasing one pack. [full story]

April 15 - 6:55pm EDT   An apparently separate leak has appeared to confirm at least some details of the Zune HD posted earlier this morning. Pointing to sources within Microsoft, Neowin claims the player will ultimately earn its name through the use of an NVIDIA Tegra mobile processor, which will handle both core processing as well as graphics functions. While the exact chip isn't specified, it's likely to be the APX 2600, which supports 720p video, full OpenGL effects, and HDMI yet which can still fit into a media player-sized casing. [full story]

April 10 - 8:00pm EDT   A marketing campaign has leaked tonight through Engadget that appears to confirm the existence of the first touchscreen Zune. Titled Zune HD, little is known about the device other than that it appears to embrace the same philosophy as the iPod touch, with just one button on the front. Its name implies at least high-resolution video playback, though true HD-resolution displays don't typically exist in handheld size. [full story]

March 13 - 5:30pm EDT   Qualcomm and Freescale, who build ARM-based platforms, are expected to demonstrate netbooks using their products at the Computex Taipei expo in June, DigiTimes reported on Thursday, citing sources at netbook makers. The show will reportedly see the debut of a Pegatron netbook running on Freescale's i.MX51 CPU on ARM's Coretex A8 mainboard as well as a Wistron model with a Qualcomm Snapdragon CPU. [full story]

March 4 - 11:20am EST   NVIDIA at a Morgan Stanley conference today said it hopes to have an x86 compatible system-on-chip within two to three years. The company's Investor Relations Senior VP Michael Hara argues that an all-in-one processor, which includes the additional media processing and other features needed to power a handheld or netbook, "makes sense" and that Intel's x86 is very likely the architecture of choice in the specified timeframe. There is "no question on our mind" about using it, Hara says of the technology. [full story]

February 16 - 11:25am EST   NVIDIA today made ambitious claims for handheld devices centering on its Tegra all-in-one processors. The graphics company now believes that its Tegra 600 chip can result in a mobile Internet device (MID) that costs just $99 and yet which has features normally off-limits to more expensive MIDs and even smartphones. Combining a 750MHz ARM processor and graphics acceleration lets it support both full web browsing and other high-end mobile apps but also play back 1080p HD video without requiring a separate graphics component. [full story]

February 6 - 10:20am EST   Microsoft's rumored in-house smartphone is actually a reference design for Zune-themed phones, say sources of reporter Mary Jo Foley. Rather than stand as Microsoft's own products, multiple reference Zune phones are being made that third parties can use as the inspiration for their own models. The company hopes to play cellphone makers against each other to produce one or more particularly strong Zune-capable devices. [full story]