KARYNE: Hey, I�m Karyne Levy
LYNN: And I'm Lynn La, this week's guest host!
KARYNE: Welcome to Rumor Has It! The show where we round up the
week's biggest tech rumors.
LYNN: And vote on what sounds legit, and what seems like it's probably a
no-go.
KARYNE: And remember: you can vote on all the rumors, too! Keep your
eye out for the poll in the interactive player, if you're watching on CNET.
KARYNE: First up, my favorite kind of rumor: next-gen consoles.
According to leaked Microsoft documents on the site VGLeaks, the next
Xbox will only offer hard-drive-based game playback; you won't be able to
play a game from the optical drive, which, will be Blu-ray.
The doc goes on to say it will be big enough quote: "...to hold a large
number of games."
Don't panic, because it says that you'll be able to play the game while its
downloading.
LYNN: Downloading the games could mean faster load times, too. But as
noted by The Verge, this leaked document is from last year. So keep in
mind that Microsoft could've made a gajillion changes since then.
KARYNE: A gajillion?
LYNN: Yes, more or less -- that�s a ballpark figure.
KARYNE: Gotcha.
LYNN: Our next rumor is from the people over at Droid Life who say that
Google Play�s UI is getting a bunch of new design tweaks. These include
larger thumbnail and icon images, a leaner and more streamlined layout,
and my personal favorite, some new menu typefaces.
KARYNE: You�re seriously excited about that, aren�t you?
LYNN: I... just have a lot of time on my hands. Don�t judge me.
KARYNE: Well, whatever you�re excited about, from what we can tell from
the alleged preview, the store�s new look appears to be tidier.
LYNN: Right, and small things like that �Users Also Installed� window that
pops up right after you start downloading an app has seemed to disappear.
In general, though, everything looks to be about the same, so you�re not
going to wake up one day and see that your Google Play pulled a Facebook
and Timelined your ass.
KARYNE: Next up, TechCrunch is reporting that Amazon has a $99 Kindle
Fire on the horizon.
Citing NOBODY, TechCrunch just "heard" that the 7-inch device is on the
production line, with plans to ship sometime this year. Reportedly, the new
device would use a TI chip and offer a 1,280x800-pixel resolution, just like
the current Kindle HD 7-inch tablet.
LYNN: Amazon recently dropped the prices on the 8.9-inch Kindle Fire.
This led TechCrunch to believe that much cheaper 7-inch Kindle Fires are
on its way.
KARYNE: That's a really big leap: that $100 price difference is huge,
especially when Amazon already loses money on each of its $199 Kindle
Fires. So I don't think this rumor is true. At all. Ever.
LYNN: And, hey, neither does Amazon. Apparently it totally refuted the
claim and basically called TechCrunch a silly goose.
KARYNE: Then we're all in agreement!
LYNN: Next, a rumor from The Financial Times, says that Google may be
developing a smartwatch.
KARYNE: I have a Jawbone Up that I'm obsessed with for no reason, so I'm
sure when all these smartwatches come out, I'll buy each one and wear
them up my arm like sleeves.
LYNN: Yes because that won�t look nerdy at all.
Keep in mind, smartwatches are nothing new. Samsung has been making
them for years, Sony, LG and Motorola have some, and Apple is rumored,
on this show even, to be working on the tritely named, �iWatch.� So the
idea that Google may be throwing its hat into the ring doesn�t sound so far-
fetched.
KARYNE: Especially now that we�ve reached a point in tech that we can
cram all these software features in a tiny amount of space.
LYNN: True, and I think that walking around with this chunk of tech on your
wrist doesn�t look as unseemly or douchebaggy as, say, Google Glasses?
KARYNE: What do you guys think? Will Google jump on the smartwatch
bandwagon? Do you care? Do you think it'll be called G Time? Don't forget
to vote, leave us a comment, and we'll check in with the CNET Council...
LYNN: And the Council's verdict is a unanimous YES. Every one of the
editors we asked think that Google is likely coming out with a smartwatch
of its own.
KARYNE: That�s our show everyone, share your rumors at
rumorhasit@cnet.com or call us at 1-800-750-CNET. And tweet us! And
thanks to Lynn, our guest host this week!
LYNN: Tune in next week for more tech rumors.
