KARYNE: Hey, I�m Karyne Levy
EMILY: And I'm Emily Dreyfuss.
KARYNE: Welcome to Rumor Has It! The show where we round up the
week's biggest tech rumors.
EMILY: And vote on what sounds legit, and what seems like it'll never ever
happen.
KARYNE: And remember: you can vote on all the rumors! Keep your eye
out for the poll in the interactive player, if you're watching on CNET.
KARYNE: First up, Google might be releasing a new Chromebook with a
touch screen. Citing the Chinese-language newspaper Commercial Times,
DigiTimes said the search company will launch a 12.85-inch Chromebook
soon, possibly by the end of the year. According to the report, Google
placed an order with its Taiwan-based manufacturer Compal for 20 million
of the new devices.
Previous Chromebooks were manufactured by Acer and Samsung. This
one, interestingly, would be Google branded.
EMILY: This rumor seems likely. Touch is already a big part of the Google
landscape, and with Windows 8 focused on touch, Google has to compete.
But if they�re gonna release it by the end of the year they better get crackin.
KARYNE: Agreed; everyone's pretty much finished their Hanukkah
shopping. Maybe we'll see it at CES in January.
EMILY: Next, Xbox World magazine sent gamers into a frenzy reporting that
the new Xbox -- supposedly codenamed Durango -- will have a new version
of Kinect, a Blu-ray drive, and an AV port for watching and possibly
recording TV. Shablamo! Oh, and another new thing the Xbox Durango will
supposedly have? A brand new controller.
How you doin over there? You need a brown paper bag to breathe into?
KARYNE: I�ll be fine. I just. Need to catch. My breath.
EMILY: So obviously, this is very exciting. Xbox World editor and chief
stands by these �leaked specs� but where they got them is unclear. There
are also some other nerdy specs in this rumor: directional audio and
augmented reality glasses as an add-on.
KARYNE: Oh my god, I want those glasses. WHEN CAN I GET THEM?!
EMILY: I�m sorry to say, but don�t hold your breath. Like all previous Xbox
720 Durango rumors, this one has no timeframe.
KARYNE: Next up, last month it was announced that Disney purchased
Lucasfilm, leading everyone and their wookies to speculate what was next
for the "Star Wars" franchise.
The best rumor of all -- and probably the least likely to happen -- came from
British tabloid site Express.co.uk, citing "industry insiders," saying Disney
plans to have Darth Vader return to play a significant role in a new trilogy.
EMILY: I have a bad feeling about this.
KARYNE: So, I don't think there's any way they're going to -- spoiler alert
for an almost 30-year-old movie -- bring Vader back from the dead without
legions of Star Wars fans freaking out. Also, we've seen him as a kid, as a
teenager, as an adult, as a really gross adult under a helmet. We've seen
him as a ghost hanging out with Yoda. Like, what else is there for Vader to
do, wait in line at the DMV?
EMILY: Since it's Disney, maybe he gets brought back to life with a kiss
from Sleeping Beauty?
KARYNE: Or maybe he�ll sing? I mean, his daughter *is* a Disney princess
now.
EMILY: Whoa, that is blowing my mind.
KARYNE: Or they cloned him and now his clone is back.
EMILY: Or they�ll just unearth a hologram of him telling Leia he�s sorry he
was such a bad dad. I don't know, I guess the fans would freak out over
that, too. I think the only thing that would incite more fan rage is if they put
Jar-Jar Binks in the Vader costume.
KARYNE: What do you guys think? Will Vader rise again? Will there be a
new trilogy? Will Vader sing and dance? Don�t forget to vote and leave a
comment on the blog, while we ask the CNET council what they think.
EMILY: And the CNET Council�s verdict is.....no. Four editors said
absolutely not cross their hearts and hope to die, and one said sure.
KARYNE: That�s our show everyone, share your rumors at
rumorhasit@cnet.com or call us at 1-800-750-CNET. And tweet us!
EMILY: Tune in next week for more tech rumors.
