Word on the street has it that come July 10th, Archos will be debuting its first 3G Wi-Fi-enabled portable media player. While production of device has already been confirmed, it remains to be seen when such a desirable PMP will be unleashed on the ever-hungry public. I certainly can't wait for this one, as being able to surf the Internet wherever I want on something other than a notebook with a decent user experience is a plus point in my books. It is unconfirmed whether the new PMP will be locked down to a specific mobile network or remain SIM-free. Sounds like this is just a larger, flashier version of the 3G iPhone.

It seems as though Palm's Treo 800w will come with a 2 megapixel camera instead of a 1.3 megapixel shooter, if the leaked training document from Engadget is accurate. Not only that, Sprint's 800w will also feature a USB 2.0 connection that allows one to transfer data to-and-fro much faster compared to the other Treos of the past. Unfortunately, you won't get MMS picture messaging over Sprint's network, instead relying on their own Picture Mail whenever you want to share images. Other leaked information includes Windows Mobile 6.1 as the operating system of choise, A-GPS, and Wi-Fi connectivity.

Word has it that Innolux have successfully come to an agreement with Apple where touch panel orders are concerned, with shipments slated to begin real soon. Innolux have yet to respond to this speculation, but it does give out an indication that it will be shipping capacitive touch panels in the forseeable fuure. Currently, Innolux has two production lines for capacitive touch panels, one each in Taiwan and China. I wonder whether there is anything in the world these days that are no longer "Made in China"...it seems that every single gadget has at least a single part from the Land of the Sleeping Dragon.

Here's an image of what could possibly be the Nikon D700 - granted, leaked blurry images have been available for some time already, but this is a full-on body shot for you to drool over. Rumors have it that the D700 will feature the D300 body with the D3's FX sensor within, while some others are pointing towards an upgraded version of Nikon's AF-S 24-120mm VR unit as the lens on this baby. Apparently the rumor mongers have even come up with a release date - sometime this August for the sweet price of $3,300, making this one high end DSLR. I'll wait for the official announcement before jumping up and down in joy though.

Word on the street has it that Microsoft could allow third parties to come up with their own Xbox 360 consoles. This is certainly news, but do you see any benefits for Microsoft in this exercise, assuming the rumor is true? Well, one thing's for sure - the larger the install base, chances are the more software you're going to sell. Also, console makers usually sell the hardware for a loss (in the early days), then at cost or for a slim margin (after a year or two). Licensing the Xbox 360 hardware might allow Microsoft to “outsource” these low-margins or losses to others, but without knowing their financials, it’s hard to build a scenario based on any meaningful data.

Still, this is a rumor that ought to be taken with more than the usual pinch of salt, and have you ever wondered what happens if someone made an Xbox 360 with a Blu-ray drive and a motion controller?

Here's a leaked image of the Helio Ocean 2 that was caught in the wild, and as with all other spy/leaked images, there is no hint of pixel perfection here. It takes on a slider form factor and looks pretty much the same as the predecessor, although the specifications are clearly superior. The source material seemed to have been removed from the current reality, so the only thing to do is to wait and see how it finally pans out when released.

Don't you just love the Internet? After all, that's where all the juicy rumors are, and this time round we have the Nikon D700 to keep you transfixed over what Nikon has in store for the future. Apparently, the D700 is set tp be a full frame dSLR, boasting 12.1 megapixels of goodness and retailing for a cool $3,000. It will most likely share the same CMOS sensor found in the current king-of-the-heap D3, with 14-bit A/D conversion and 16-bit image processing thanks to Nikon's EXPEED processor, 51 focus points, a single Compact Flash memory card slot, and a hardy magnesium body to round of the list of features.

Word has it that China Unicom could potentially be selected to carry Apple's long awaited 3G iPhone in China when August rolls around, but there is no solid proof as at press time. It will be interesting to see how Steve Jobs attempts to entice Chinese carriers to be a willing party in his rather demanding revenue sharing model, but hopefully an agreement will be reached since the China market is absolutely huge, thanks to the 1-billion plus population. Just wait till August for the full picture.

This rumor, IMHO, will remain just that, although I don't mind such pie-in-the-sky thinking to come true. After all, who would mind having the capability to play PS3, Wii and Xbox 360 games on the good ol' PC itself? Even if the technological hurdles involved with such a monumental task were to be overcome, what about the legal aspect of it? Still, the site known as "Trioxide" has already listed $49 and $299 price tags, where the latter will feature controller use. I guess April Fool's Day has come rather early.

Don't get all too hot and bothered under the collar just yet - BlackBerry has yet another smartphone coming out sometime in the middle of next year - nicknamed the Javelin. Unfortunately, you won't find any 3G connectivity with this handset, although it is rumored to feature WiFi connectivity, GPS navigation, and a 3.2 megapixel camera. Do you think a smartphone with such meagre specifications (by the middle of next year, for Pete's sake) will actually take off?

There are whispers of a 60GB Xbox 360 that will be introduced come E3 next month, and that would certainly be a (pleasant) surprise. Should it be real, word has it that Microsoft will release it this August, but other than that information is pretty tight as we don't know how this will affect the other SKUs, or will it replace any other Xbox 360 models at this point in time. All I want is a round of price cuts for hardware (and if possible, software) during this E3 in order for next-gen gaming to be affordable to other people living in poorer countries.

Word on the street has it that there will be an upcoming handset from Sony Ericsson known as the Shiho, and this one will boast a whopping 7.2 megapixel camera in addition to optical zoom and face recognition technology - clearly, cell phone camera technology has advanced to such a level where it is better than dedicated digital cameras which were released a few years back. Guess should the Shiho be released, it will fall under the 'Cyber-Shot' category. Where do you think it will all end for compact point-and-shoot digital cameras as cell phone cameras start to catch up and perhaps even overtake this category of gizmos?

Robbie Bach, the man responsible for Xbox, Zune, and Windows Mobile divisions did mention “We don't make phones ourselves. We don't have any plans to make phones ourselves. A phone is a very personal thing. Different people want different types of phones.” Guess that could be taken as a confirmation that a Zune-branded phone is but an impossibility, although that doesn't mean that the Zune won't be able to function as a piece of software or service on a Windows Mobile-powered device. In addition, Robbie did drop hints of a Zune Touch. I only hope should Microsoft take the touchy-feely route, they will improve on the UI that makes Apple's iPhone and iPod touch huge sellers.

Dell has a new line that will fall between the XPS and Inspiron range, known as the Studio. Word on the street has it that the new machines will be the rumored 1535 and 1735 notebooks, where the former will also come in AMD flavor, going by the model number 1536. It would be interesting to see how the design is like on this, as the Inspiron is like a perpetually ugly duckling while the XPS might be a wee bit too slick for business use. Hopefully the Studio range will take the middle path, and please include an SSD option in the mix as well since that is clearly the path we must forge forward in order for the industry to evolve. Higher adoption rate and better manufacturing processes will equate to lower prices for everyone, or at least that's what my economics professor taught me.