rumors

Apple's long-rumored streaming music service won't be arriving until this summer, or later according to a new report.

Citing sources, The New York Times says that Apple's still wrangling with Sony over licensing rights, adding delay to the service that Apple had originally aimed to launch last month. Those people now believe that negotiations will be sorted out in time for a launch this summer, or later in the year.

The report goes on to say that the service was being designed to come preinstalled on Apple's devices instead of an additional app that needed downloading … Read more

Verizon Wireless may be the first U.S. carrier to offer one of LG's brand-spankin'-new Optimus F5 Android smarphones.

According to a set of alleged press photos obtained by UnwiredView, Verizon will carry the Optimus F5 as a followup to the LG Lucid. Introduced just last week at Mobile World Congress, the LG Optimus F5 features a 4.3-inch qHD display, a 1.2GHz dual-core Snapdragon processor, 1GB RAM, and 8GB internal storage. The handset, powered by Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean, will likely be priced low to attract new smartphone buyers.

Reportedly, Verizon will announce the … Read more

Holdouts expecting a larger version of the iPhone this year will have to keep on waiting, a new report says.

Citing sources, Japanese Apple-news site Macotakara says such a device is instead slated for next year, and will use plastic instead of aluminum for its body.

Macotakara says the device will sport a polycarbonate plastic enclosure much like the one found on the MacBook and iBook before it. Other rumored details include a 4.5-inch screen, which would be half an inch larger than the one found on the iPhone 5 and iPod Touch; Apple's usual home button; and a $330 price tag that would be a little less than half of the average selling price of the iPhone 5 (without carrier subsidy). … Read more

A new Pantech smartphone may be headed to Verizon Wireless.

Documents found on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Web site reveal the Pantech Perception, which has not been announced by Verizon.

The Pantech Perception appears to be a standard slab touch smartphone with an 8-megapixel rear camera. Additional details confirmed in the FCC filing include NFC, 4G LTE, as well as CDMA and GSM roaming. A glance through the drafted user manual also yields references to microSD expansion, DLNA, HDMI, and Wi-Fi Direct. Judging by the screenshots, the Perception will run at least Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich.

Based … Read more

Sprint may soon announce an entry-level Android smartphone, the Sprint Force LTE, according to Engadget. Manufactured by ZTE, the phone should run Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and feature modest hardware specifications.

Details include a 4-inch display, a 1.5GHz dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM, 4GB of internal storage and a 5-megapixel rear camera. Additionally, the Sprint Force LTE could have a 1-megapixel front-facing camera, a 1,730mAh battery, and support for Sprint's growing LTE network.

Sprint and ZTE have become quite cozy over the last few years, most recently collaborating on the Sprint Flash. With but a … Read more

Move over, Apple -- there might be another smartwatch entering the fray.

An unnamed Korean forum has posted images of what could be a Samsung smartwatch, Slashgear is reporting today. Slashgear did not, however, link to the forum posting.

The images published by Slashgear show black-and-white display screenshots that Slashgear says measure 500x500 pixels. It's not clear, though, whether the watch comes with a 500x500 display or the images were crunched down.

Some of the images themselves show time being displayed, while others illustrate the ability to choose other entertainment options like music. The screenshots indicate that whatever the … Read more

Dear Rumor fans,

Don't cry for me, readers, just because I am moving away from you and my partner in rumor sleuthing, Karyne Levy, to voluntarily shovel snow in Massachusetts for the rest of my life.

OK, cry a little bit (aww shucks, guys, I'm going to miss you, too!) but then dry those tears and rejoice because Rumor Has It is continuing on without me. And it's going to grow and change and highlight all the amazing talent CNET has to offer and make me so proud.

The concept for Rumor Has It popped into my … Read more

Apple TV rumors have about as much currency in the real world today as a Circuit City gift card, but a new round of rumblings this morning are strangely specific.

The word from Jefferies analyst Peter Misek and his "channel checks" is that Apple is planning an event for next month at which it could introduce an SDK for an iTV set in the 42-inch to 55-inch range. He thinks the Apple HDTV itself could launch in September or October at a price point starting around $1,500.

"Apple is likely to largely rely on leveraging content via partnerships with existing pay-TV operators," reads the note to investors.… Read more