This is what Nexus One looks like... just like an HTC Passion

You have probably noticed in the past couple of days that the hype surrounding the network-free Google Nexus One phone has almost reached its climax. I say “almost” because Google has yet to officially reveal images of the phone that employees describe using words like "iPhone" and "Steroids" in the same sentence. The WSJ says that despite using Android, the 'experience' will be different (read: better) than current Android phones. "how different" is unknown but the question is: what good does such a phone do for you, me and Google?

Given that “Wireless Carrier” is the most hated profession after lawyers and car dealers, it's fair to assume that there mere fact that Google seems to go remotely against them makes the company some sort of super-hero. It's very good for Google's image. In theory, it would let you and I get a cool phone without being tied to a contract or to a network (most phones have to be unlocked to work on a different carrier network). Sounds great huh? But, wait, we had that option for years, so why don't we all buy a Freedom Phone?

It's hard to spend a day without writing or reading something about a new tablet. Whether it is real like JooJoo or a rumor like Apple's (and Dell, and Asus and...) one thing is certain: there's a growing tablet obsession among manufacturers.

Many companies are still kicking themselves for having missed the first "Touch" wave, and now that Apple is said to be building a tablet there's no way around it-- they "need" to have a tablet offering too. In addition to not being Apple, there’s a greater issue at stake: in most cases, companies don't even know why they are building one.

Slowly but surely, the iPhone initial exclusive deals with select carriers around the world is fading away. Carriers have taken notice that an iPhone deal will boost their data usage (and their bottom-line), and for Apple, it's a logical step to grab market share more rapidly than waiting (or hoping) that users will switch networks. Apple needs this to keep the pace at which iPhone has been growing.

The Google Voice application for iPhone has been rejected by Apple, says Google. The reason invoked by Apple is that Google Voice duplicates the dialer function included in the iPhone and replaced a “native function”, which is grounds for a rejection. The rejection would have occurred in July during a phone conversation with top executives (Apple's Phil Schiller and Google's Alan Eustace) from both companies. Apple has previously said that Google Voice was technically still being reviewed, but in a letter to the FCC, Google clearly said that it had been rejected.

Google Voice is an application that creates a virtual number that can then be redirected to one or several physical numbers. It is possible to port an existing number to Google Voice. Some say that AT&T would be threatened by a massive move to Google Voice and that Apple is trying to protect its partner. Both Apple and AT&T deny that this is the case.

Update: Apple has replied to Google's statement: "We do not agree with all of the statements made by Google in their FCC letter. Apple has not rejected the Google Voice application and we continue to discuss it with Google." Google has posted this on their blog today: "We continue to work with Apple and others to bring users the best mobile Google experience possible".

Related: iPhone 3GS Review by Ubergizmo

Silicon Xtal has filed a patent for an adult-oriented game console called SexBox. Read the info from the Trademark Office:

Video Gaming System Console comprised of computer hardware with unique user controls which plays interactive Adult Only rated (AO) video game software titles, and has proprietary software and firmware that provides access to associated AO content and entertainment in all other digital forms ex: audio, video, HDTV, DVD, online, gaming, social networking, webcams, video on demand, downloading, movie rentals, purchases, stores, advertising, interactive adult communities, massive multiplayer online games and emerging markets in one or any combination of these and more as technology evolves.

Now, we're really curious to see how Microsoft will react to this. [photo from Kotaku]

Nvidia's Mike Rayfield has confirmed that his company is working with an unnamed partner on a Tegra-powered "Media Pad". A Media pad is defined by Mike Rayfield as being a touch tablet ranging from 7-13 inches in size, with 3G capability.

So here's the burning question: is Nvidia in the rumored Apple Tablet? Quite frankly, nobody knows, but it seems surprising to me that an official from the company would even remotely say something that would hint at an upcoming Apple product. Usually Apple's suppliers are scared to death about unintentionally leaking something out.

Would it make sense for Apple to use Nvidia's platform? Yes, because the iPhone's platform might not have the horsepower to drive a much larger display. Ideally, Apple might try to make something that is binary-compatible with the iPod Touch (but faster). It might have been working on its own faster SoC (system on a chip) based on a PowerVR design. With a larger device, Apple has a lot more room for thermal management and could crank up the speed. That said, anything is possible.

French website nowhereelse.fr (now down, crushed by traffic) has published what look like the first legit photos of the Apple Tablet. The construction is seems a bit sub-par for an Apple product, but these are the best photos that we've seen to date.

From the screen content, it looks like it is running (desktop) OS X, which is weird because the Tablet is supposedly a big iPod Touch. Or may be it runs the iPod Touch Os with that OS X movie... go figure. It might also be a good fake. So, what do you think, is this hot or not?

New pictures of what seems to be the HTC Leo have appeared on the web. The HTC Leo runs on a Qualcomm 1Ghz snapdragon system on a chip (SoC). The device thickness (or thinness) is 11mm and its design looks like a good compromise between the large display and the use of physical buttons required by Windows Mobile 6.5. There's another photo and a list of rumored specifications in the full post.

Epic Games founder and 3D engine architect Tim Sweeney has presented what he calls "The end of the GPU roadmap", where he essentially says that GPU as we know them are too limited, and predicts that by 2020 developers will switch to a more flexible massively parallel programming model where all fixed functionality (texture filtering, anti-aliasing, rasterization) have been replaced with a software implementation, backed by massive computing power. There's no denying that such a perspective is exciting for software engineers, and T. Sweeney commands a lot of respect: the Unreal engine was one of the best software 3D engine before we all jumped onto the GPU boat and the Unreal Engine3 is used in about 150 games today.

The Option WS80 is a waterproof camera that can capture underwater photos and videos without requiring the use of an airtight case (note that the maximum depth is 1.5meters or 5 feet – best for snorkling!). I wish that I had this product earlier in the summer, but I guess that it might not be too late for some of our readers. Here are the features, in a nutshell:

• 10 Megapixel sensor with (digital?) stabilization
• 2.7" LCD display
• Video recording at 30fps (720p)
• ISO 6400
• Face detection

The Optio WS80 is a suggested price of $250. From Pentax

WSJ's Don Clark has written an interesting article about how GPUs (graphics processing unit) and CPUs (central processing unit) are competing to be the top processor in Hollywood's Computer Graphics (CG) business. In "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince", ILM used GPUs to compute a fire effect*. This is quite a milestone for an industry typically dominated by CPU farms.

While there is indeed a nascent competition between both types of chips, the reality is that in the short-term, both chips will be used for different things. Sorry, look elsewhere for drama! CPUs are largely ahead in terms of utilization, as they benefit from a huge software legacy. On the other end GPUs can process particular datasets like particles and other parallel-friendly problems orders of magnitude faster... but only if the data can fit in the GPU-accessible memory.

During its last conference call, Apple said something very sound: "We expect traditional MP3 players to decline over time as we cannibalize ourselves with iPhone and iPod Touch". While many companies are afraid of cannibalizing (the sales of) their old products with the new ones, the cold reality is that if you don't cannibalize yourself, someone else will do it.

It is clear that older iPods (non-Touch) are nearing the end of their life cycle, simply because their main purpose has been fulfilled for a while. Additional storage can't extend their use much and it's hard to imagine what features will justify maintaining the price or even raise it.

Yet, they still sell well, even if the trend is downwards. So, when will these products go away? When they start dragging Apple's overall gross margins down. At that point, they won't be worth the marketing, support and engineering efforts required to prolong their existence.

We blogged live at the Silverlight 3 keynote this morning and had the opportunity to look at some very interesting demos. For most people, Silverlight is "just another web video player", but in reality it's much more than that. HD Video streaming is only one of the infinite possibilities that SilverLight would let developers do. It's really a platform that runs on different operating systems and Microsoft has shown that you can build and run media application, but also business applications that can work online or offline.

This morning, we talked about the fact that the current user base for SilverLight is small. Others agree. As a developer, I would not dismiss Microsoft 's chances of getting a significant market share in the coming years. Visual Studio is a favorite Integrated Development Environment (IDE) for a huge number of programmers, and it's hard to argue that it is not genuinely good. Microsoft does exactly what it needs to do to get end users: it is helping companies build a better user experience and deliver value. Everyone's interest is aligned: developers need technical help (and maybe some marketing too), Microsoft needs new developer and end users want a better experience. Microsoft actually has the means to deliver on this front, and it wants to capitalize on the fact that Adobe's development tools are nowhere near where Visual Studio is.

This will take time, but this is probably one of the bright spots in Microsoft's web/multi-platform strategy. Adobe should kick it up a notch.

Earlier today, there were reports that NVIDIA would sell Netbooks under its own brand, after having them manufactured by another company. Websites cited an "NVIDIA spokesperson" saying that the Netbook would be out in time for the holiday shopping. The rumor also included a bundle deal with wireless carriers and the computer would be priced for about $250.

I don't put much faith in this rumor for one simple reason: economics. NVIDIA is in the business of selling high-margin products (well, as high as they can, at least) and clearly the notebook market does not fulfill this objective. They are better off finding ways to make the Netbook trend work in their favor instead of thinking of news ways to shave another buck on a computer in a low-margin business. I don't know how Tegra is truly priced, but I guess that it is in the $12-$25 range, and if I'm right, this is a very good price for such a small chip.