iPhone OS 4 Numerous New iChat Clues Found

It is difficult to understand why Apple wouldn’t have mentioned iChat at its “tentpole”-filled keynote if it was all ready to go on it, but the eternal optimists within us would like to believe that the merest glimpse of the app would instantly reveal a front facing camera on whatever new iPhone hardware is in the works, therefore relegating the app to secrecy. Still, the evidence does indeed seem to be mounting for the software’s inclusion in the OS. Outside of the iChatAgent process that was spotted last week, 9 to 5 Mac has pulled the covers off references within the SDK to moderators, chat rooms, encrypted video conferences, and more. They even uncovered the same notification noises that the desktop iChat application uses. Sure, this could all be one big misunderstanding, but hopefully these tit bits actually do point to a long-overdue, well-integrated IM experience.

Screenshot of New Model Numbers Offers Hope MacBook Pro Updates

Giving up all expectation for a MacBook Pro refresh seems silly! As, isn’t a spec bump for Apple’s flagship laptops a total inevitability? Though, the arduous wait has begun shake our faith, and we’re happy to see even this sliver of evidence to snap us from our stupor. An internal Microcenter system is listing four new laptops with new part numbers, which, if legitimate, almost definitely harbor new Core i5 and Core i7 processors (maybe even thoseNVIDIA Optimus graphics if we’re lucky). According to the Microcenteremployee who sent this out, a similar thing happened in November with a correct model number and price for the new MacBook. Mac Rumors claims to have been able to receive independent confirmation on the numbers, so we might really have something here. Now, as for a specific launch date, the best we have so far is that April 13th rumor, but with a tips box buzzing with rumors, we believe that we have a new MacBook Pro this century.

Consternation Caused by Square Motorola Android Slider

We have definitely seen a Motorola phone that looks like this odd square thing before, but it’s also possible we’re out of brains. Either way, it looks like Moto’s working on a new Blur set running Android 2.1, and if you thought screen size and resolution issues differences were a big part of  Androidfragmentation before, well, you ain’t seen nothing yet. And as for the story that this image came from a student who borrowed the phone from his dad works for Moto? We’d be more skeptical, except that’s exactly how we’ve gotten other dead-on Moto leaks. So… Anyway, a square Moto slider runningBlur. Does that make any difference for anybody?No?Doesn’t Matter!

Nokia Giving A Countdown To ‘Everyone Connect

No clues as to what this is but the Twitterverse has an inkling that we’ll seeOvi Maps integrated with Nokia Messaging. Jury‘s still out on hardware like, say, the N8-00 — though as the rumored flagship S^3 device we’d prefer its reveal to be a bit more formal instead of a countdown.

Navigation Controller PlayStation Move Sub-controller Hits FCC

Wondering what Sony‘s going to call that PlayStation Move sub-controller — you know, since “nunchuk” is already taken? Think no more. Sony part numberCECH-ZCS1U just hit the FCC’s database, and “Navigation Controller” is written in nice bold letters right there on the label. It’s looking like this is official, as the Sony US website has been quietly updated with the change, and we think it makes a certain amount of sense, as most 3D games let you aim the camera with your dominant hand and relegate navigation to the other. Like the Motion Controller, Sony’s opted for confidentiality on this one, meaning we won’t have photos of the controller’s juicy guts for six months, but hey, at least you already know what the outsides look like- Dont worrytechnewstime will keep you updated. Stay tuned!

FCC Hit By Samsung Galaxy S With AT&T Bands Onboard

This news is not even a week old that that we deduced the eventual launch ofSamsung’s Galaxy S Android phone on AT&T, and now here we are looking at FCC documents confirming Ma Bell’s favorite frequencies. So much for intrigue and mystery. Of course, Samsung could have just filed the testing paperwork to cover devices headed to Canada and Mexico, so this doesn’t mean it’s a lock — especially since this phone is labeled as the i9000, not theSGH-i867 number we were sort of expecting. Either way, it looks like the rabid Samsung fanboys out there will be able to get their TouchWiz all up onStateside 3G at some point — and to be true that is all that one can expect from this world.

NWZ-W250 Series Sony Releases Water Resistant Walkman

Sony’s just unleashed a new water resistant, wearable Walkman — the NWZ-250. This tiny little device comes in both 2GB and 4GB capacity models, and apparently boasts an up to 11 hour battery life. Weighing in at 43 grams, this one’s probably perfect for even the most weight sensitive of ears, and it’ll be available in black, silver, lime green, and magenta. You’ll be able to pick up one (or more) of these later this month for $60. Full press release is on the roll.

7.4-inch OLED display Sony

We await the OLED revolution to make our monster LCD HDTVs obsolete, but till the time it  finally gets here we’re left covering niche devices like this, the7.4-inch PVM-740 professional monitor from Sony. It has a 960 x 540 resolution, can be connected directly to camera systems, is rack-mountable, and is said to “deliver superb high contrast, high color images, even in ambient light.” Given the $3,850 MSRP ($1,000 dearer than the consumer-oriented 11-inch XEL-1), we don’t think it going to be seen in the commons.

Human Sacrifice, Dogs and Cats Living Together (update: refreshed MacBook Pro?) Apple Store Down

Yeah yeah, the Apple Store is down globally, on a Tuesday, and we’re sitting on a pile of overdue MacBook Pro and Mac Pro rumors. Next.

Update: AppleInsider has a last minute tip showing refreshed MacBooks Pro across the entire range of 13.3-, 15.4-, and 17-inchers. Each ships with 4GB of memory and new Intel Core processors with clocks ranging from 2.4GHz to 2.66GHz with options for glossy, high resolution glossy, and high resolution glossy with anti-glare displays. Some models are expected to offer a 512GB SSD option as well.

N900 Still Awesome FireFox Ported To Pre

All well and good with WebKit, but every once in a while there’s a reason why you’ve got to pull out the Old Standby, right? Once reserved for the Maemo Elite, Firefox is slowly spreading from pocket to pocket, and webOS is mercifully the latest to get hooked up. We don’t know the full backstory here yet — it looks like you can’t download a user-friendly package right now — but this’ll undoubtedly be a good option when the Pre‘s in-built browser simply won’t do. It’s not an official port we’re looking at, but let’s be honest: the community does a better job half the time, isn’t it?

Competition With iPad Leads To Delay of Lenovo Skylight

We’ve heard talk of competitors delaying products to see what the competitors from Cupertino are up to. Before this, it was HP making some last minute pricing and feature adjustments to its Slate. Now we’ve got DigiTimes’sources claiming that Lenovo is holding up its Linux-based Skylightsmartbook — pushed from April to July – for some similar reasons. Specifically, “control is not able to act as smoothly as the iPad.” Guess even a 1GHz Snapdragon can’t fix a poorly implemented UI.

Everything is 3D Automatic Ecept “buying a new TV” Part Motorola Software

It’s not like a couple of button presses on a remote was the big gap between us and the perfect 3D experience but when most people can’t even figure out if they’re actually watching HDTV, some automated assistance can’t hurt.

Logical Next Step Showed By Multitoe

If you were not fascinated enough by the toe mouse, how about an entire floor to practice your foot-based inputs on? Researchers at Potsdam’s Hasso Plattner Institut have put together a multitouch floor that recognizes individual users by their shoe pattern and responds to such universally familiar actions as stomping your feet and tapping your toes. The so-called multitoe project works on the basis of frustrated total internal reflection, which allows it to ignore inactive users while being precise enough to recognize foot postures. Follow us after the break to see this back-projected proof of concept in action.

T-Mobile to Get HTC's 4G-ish Sensation but AT&T Merger May Chill Demand

HTC is positioning its Sensation 4G smartphone to compete with the iPhone, but even if the smartphone itself should prove worthy, it could have problems getting off the ground due to carrier concerns. T-Mobile will be offering the Sensation, but T-Mobile could get swallowed up by AT&T if a planned acquisition goes through, and many of its customers might not want to sign new contracts only to end up with AT&T.

HP crams Fermi-based Quadro 5000M GPU inside 17-inch EliteBook

Gotta live up to the name, rightHP?NVIDIA's new pro graphics solution for mobile creatives, theQuadro 5000M, was unsheathed only yesterday but HP appears to have been first in line to get some of that new 40nm goodness. Electronista reports that the world leader in PC shipments is readying a 5000M solution for its 8740w EliteBook, which will bring 320 CUDA cores and a jumbo 2GBof dedicated memory to the party. That comes replete with the latestDirectX 11 and OpenGL 4.1 compatibility, naturally, as well as a bunch of pro-friendly computational enhancements. Dell's also going to be offering a 5000M-equipped rig, but lest you get too excited, bear in mind that getting the current best Quadro-equipped 17-incher fromHP costs north of $3,000, so affordability is clearly not a priority here. Skip past the break for NVIDIA's joyous press release announcing the new Quadro chips.