Hasta La Gadget!

Yes, this is a rumor, and by golly it strains the limits of credulity, but take note of its source. Firstly, the details: according to Eldar Murtazin, Microsoft and Nokia will enter talks next week to discuss the potential for the American software giant to purchase the Finnish company’s mobile arm, meaning the part that makes all those delectable smartphones. Eldar’s not been able to dig up any further intel, but expects a deal could be closed as early as the end of this year. We’re inclined to believe there’s at least some semblance of truth to Eldar’s words because of his track record. Way back in December of last year, when nobody believed Nokia would deviate from its Symbian strategy, Eldar reported the similarly incredible-sounding news that Microsoft and Nokia were in discussions about the latter using Windows Phone as its main smartphone OS. That turned into reality this February, and more recently, the Russian mobile spy managed to also accurately predict Nokia killing off the Ovi brand in favor of an eponymous naming scheme for its services. And that’s all on top of Eldar’s knack for obtaining Nokia prototypes way ahead of release.

So, assuming for a moment that Microsoft does indeed have its eyes set on turning Nokia’s handset business into its own mobile hardware division, what would it all mean? Well, we can only see this making sense for Espoo if underwritten by a humongous check from Microsoft, but that might not be a problem. The Redmond camp has recently shown its determination to get what it wants by spending $8.5 billion on Skype, and previously offered north of $44 billion for Yahoo, a good deal more than Nokia’s total market cap of around $32 billion. Let’s not forget, Nokia once used to manufacture galoshes and tires, so it already has a history of transformative change. And hey, having an ex-Microsoft guy at the top means that if this kind of move were to ever happen, now might just be the right time for it.

Update: As Reonhato pointed out in comments, Mark Squires, UK Communications Director for Nokia, has already issued an uncharacteristically pointed non-comment. “We typically don’t comment on rumors. But we have to say that Eldar’s rumors are getting obviously less accurate with every passing moment.”

Eldar Murtazin: Microsoft will enter negotiations to buy Nokia’s mobile division next week originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 16 May 2011 10:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Oh, the sweet smells of summer: surf, sunscreen, barbecue, Gingerbread. We’ve known all along that HTC’s Android 2.3-packing smartphone was set for release at the “beginning of the summer,” and thanks to some loud-mouthed Google AdWords, we’ve seen June 8th floated as a possibility. Those who understandably doubt the word of search-based text advertisements, take heart: it’s shaping up to be a big weekend for Sensation 4G leaks. First TmoNews got its hands on a Target placard pricing the snappy dual-core Snapdragon handset at $199.99, for what appears to be a June 12th release, and then the site snagged a shot of internal T-Mobile documentation that confirms the earlier June 8th date. Why the discrepancy? Well, it certainly wouldn’t be unheard of for the carrier to give itself a head start, and surely Target wouldn’t mind timing its own release up with its Sunday circulars. In both cases, it looks like the phone’ll be spending a fair amount of time beneath beach umbrellas.

HTC Sensation 4G hitting mid-June for $200? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 16 May 2011 03:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Just as we’re wrapping up day one of Google I/O 2011, Forbes received an interesting piece of information regarding Chrome OS. According to an unnamed senior Google executive, tomorrow’s keynote will see the launch of a Chrome laptop sold as an attractive $20-per-month “student package.” If true, this will make a compelling option for laptop-seeking students bounded by a limited budget (booze before books, right?), and Forbes speculates that a similar enterprise offering will follow soon — makes sense considering Google’s already cozying up to businesses with its $50-a-year Google Apps suite. Anyhow, all will be unveiled soon enough — keep an eye out for our Google I/O day 2 liveblog tomorrow for the full monty.

Google to offer $20-a-month ‘student package’ for a Chrome laptop? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 10 May 2011 22:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Like two knights jostling for the hand of a fair maiden, both Facebook and Google appear to be courting the graces of Skype. A source close to Facebook recently told Reuters that CEO Mark Zuckerberg is thinking about buying Skype outright, as part of a deal that could be worth $3 to $4 billion. A second source, meanwhile, claimed that both Facebook and Google are more interested in forming a joint venture with the teleconferencing company, which has yet to issue an IPO. With discussions still in a nascent stage, both suitors are playing their cards close to their chests, while Skype, rather coyly, has declined to comment on the speculation. At this point, details are still hazy and rumor-infused, though it’s certainly not shocking to hear these kinds of murmurs buzzing around. Skype’s been integrating Facebook more deeply into its software for a while now and has gradually branched out to Android, as well (albeit with mixed results). Both Facebook and Google would also stand to benefit from Skype’s millions of users and all the targeted advertising potential they’d offer. Until we receive more substantiated reports, however, all discussions of possible unions remain restricted to the realm of conjecture.

Facebook, Google rumored to be vying for Skype deal originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 05 May 2011 06:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Eee Pad Transformer may be wowing tablet lovers with its unbeatable price-to-features ratio today, but ASUS looks to have its sights set on even mightier devices for the future. DigTimes reports that the Taiwanese company is hard at work on a Tegra 3 tablet — built around the spectacular Kal-El quad-core SOC that we saw demonstrated at MWC 2011 — as well as another one running an Intel CPU. As far as the Intel slate is concerned, we’re probably looking at the tablet-centric 1.5GHz Atom Z670, which promises 1080p playback and great battery life. You’ll forgive us if we reserve our excitement for the Tegra 3-powered tablet, however, which should be able to churn through quite a few more pixels than regular old 1080p. There’s no indication on when ASUS intends to deliver it, but NVIDIA’s roadmap for devices with the quad-core chip expects to start appearing in August. Video of that awe-inspiring MWC demo follows after the break.

Continue reading ASUS planning quad-core Tegra 3 tablet, yet another Intel slate

ASUS planning quad-core Tegra 3 tablet, yet another Intel slate originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 May 2011 04:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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