Obviously, a new format means you'll need new glass. But, the tipster says that the rangefinder will be able to use DX and FX lenses with a mount adapter, giving you crop factor of 1.5 for the DX, 1 for the FX and 0.5 for MX lenses. When shooting with FX,you'll be able to rotate the sensor crop from landscape to portrait instead of having to turn the whole camera, and somehow you'll still get to shoot the full square resolution. And yes, this thing will have live view. Given Nikon's penchant to leak like the Titanic, we'll know more about this puppy soon, no doubt. [Nikon Rumors, Nikon Watch - Thanks Peter!]

Other Kevin Rose predictions such as a "trippy" visualization with "planet like objects" and downloadable TV shows in HD haven't been confirmed, nor have previous rumors of an iTunes subscription service. But that differently-shaped iPod nano seems to be a lock. [MacRumors]

I'm hoping they stick with a metal backing (but less scratchy and smudgy) instead of switching to plastic like the iPhone, since cell reception isn't really an issue. [iLounge]

Meanwhile, bhphotovideo.com posted a preorder of the Zune 120GB for $250 along with an 8GB Zune in blue. So will the new models hit before or after the Apple event? [Zunerama and Zunerama]

Comcast tries to ameliorate the news by putting the cap in terms even grandma can understand: 250GB = 50 million emails! 250,000 hi-res photo uploads of the grand kids! But in reality, if you're sharing your connection with roommates and downloading legitimate VOD stuff from Apple or Vudu, yet alone your torrentz, hitting 250GB in a month is not that far from reality. And now that Comcast has thrown their hat into the cap ring, it's not unlikely to assume other biggies will follow. Guhhhh.

Read more on how caps are killing us from Matt's recent Giz Explains on the topic.

[Comcast via Giga OM via DSL Reports]

Full Release and FAQs:

Announcement Regarding An Amendment to Our Acceptable Use Policy

It's no secret we've been evaluating a specific monthly data usage or bandwidth threshold for our Comcast High-Speed Internet residential customers for some time. Rumors circulated online last year and they popped up again in May.

In January, we added new frequently asked questions about what we consider acceptable use of our service to our online Help site www.comcast.net/help and Security Channel page www.comcast.net/security.

We've listened to feedback from our customers who asked that we provide a specific threshold for data usage and this would help them understand the amount of usage that would qualify as excessive. Today, we're announcing that beginning on October 1, 2008, we will amend our Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) available at http://www.comcast.net/terms/use/ and establish a specific monthly data usage threshold of 250 GB/month per account for all residential customers.

250 GB/month is an extremely large amount of data, much more than a typical residential customer uses on a monthly basis. Currently, the median monthly data usage by our residential customers is approximately 2 - 3 GB. To put 250 GB of monthly usage in perspective, a customer would have to do any one of the following:

* Send 50 million emails (at 0.05 KB/email)
* Download 62,500 songs (at 4 MB/song)
* Download 125 standard-definition movies (at 2 GB/movie)
* Upload 25,000 hi-resolution digital photos (at 10 MB/photo)

This is the same system we have in place today. The only difference is that we will now provide a limit by which a customer may be contacted. As part of our pre-existing policy, we will continue to contact the top users of our high-speed Internet service and ask them to curb their usage. If a customer uses more than 250 GB and is one of the top users of our service, he or she may be contacted by Comcast to notify them of excessive use. At that time, we'll tell them exactly how much data per month they had used. We know from experience the vast majority of customers we ask to curb usage do so voluntarily.

As stated above the new monthly data usage threshold will officially take effect starting October 1st. We are notifying customers in a number of ways. For example, we have posted a preview of the amended AUP as a PDF on this page. We are also running banner notices on our Comcast.net home page and on our Security Channel Web page to alert customers about this upcoming change. In addition, we have provided a number of FAQs that are available at http://help.comcast.net/content/faq/Frequently-Asked-Questions-about-Excessive-Use. Finally, we will also notify our customers directly by including an insert (also called a bill stuffer) in an upcoming monthly billing statement.

What is Comcast's approach to Excessive Use?

Comcast has an excessive use program to provide a high-quality service for all of its customers. The company uses reasonable network management practices that are consistent with industry standards. Comcast maintains an Acceptable Use Policy ("AUP") located at http://www.comcast.net/terms/use/ for its Comcast High-Speed Internet Service customers. The AUP discloses what constitutes unaccpetable conduct and uses of the service. The AUP includes requirements regarding data usage that all Comcast customers and users of the service must follow.

Comcast determines excessive usage in relation to typical residential uses of its service. The company does so in order to identify truly excessive use while not impacting the vast majority of Comcast customers - more than 99% - who use the service as intended.

Does Comcast use a monthly data usage threshold to determine excessive use?

Comcast will initiate a 250 GB monthly data usage threshold for all residential Comcast High-Speed Internet accounts. This threshold will be in place to provide a clear definition of what would constitute as excessive use of the service.

The new monthly data usage threshold will go into effect starting October 1, 2008.

Why is Comcast going to provide a monthly data usage threshold for its residential high-speed Internet users?

Comcast has been evaluating a monthly data usage threshold for quite some time and it has heard from high-speed Internet customers who have asked that it provide a specific number for excessive use. By providing a specific monthly data usage threshold, Comcast hopes to provide more clarification to its customers about what would qualify as excessive use.

When will the 250 GB monthly data usage threshold be put into effect?

Comcast will initiate the 250 GB monthly data usage threshold starting October 1, 2008.

What will happen if a customer exceeds 250 GB of data usage in a month?

The vast majority - more than 99% - of Comcast customers will not be impacted by a 250 GB monthly bandwidth or data usage threshold. If a customer exceeds more than 250 GB and is one of the heaviest data users who consume the most data on our high-speed Internet service, he or she may receive a call from Comcast's Customer Security Assurance ("CSA") group to notify them of excessive use. At that time, Comcast will tell the customer exactly how much data per month he or she had used.

If a customer surpasses 250 GB and is one of the top users of the service for a second time within a six-month timeframe, his or her service will be subject to termination for one year. After the one year period expires, the customer may resume service by subscribing to a service plan appropriate to his or her needs.

Will all customers who exceed 250 GB of data usage in a month be identified as excessive users?

Yes, Comcast is setting 250 GB as the residential data usage threshold for excessive use. Customers who exceed 250 GB and are among the top users of Comcast's high-speed Internet service may get contacted by Comcast about their excessive use.

Here's the full list:

This comes from a dude that seems to be right a lot lately.

* 21.1 MP 1.0x
* DIGIC IV
* ISO 100-6400 L:50 & H:12800
* 5 FPS
* 3.2" High Resolution Screen (LCD)
* 19 point AF
* HDMI Out
* Liveview
* HD Movie Mode
* Viewfinder: 100% Coverage
* Full weather sealing
* EF Lenses only

21.1 MP is considerably higher than what we've heard before, and an HD movie mode is a new one to pop up for this camera. But DIGIC IV, live view, 19 AF points and 5fps shooting make sense considering what we've seen before and the recently dropped 50D's specs. Again, could be BS, but it seems like we're getting closer. [Canon Rumors via Electronista - Image: A Nice Photochop]

AT&T offers data plans for BlackBerry that include tethering for an additional $30 per month (a total of $60 per month for the BlackBerry+tethering plan).

It seems ludicrous that the same thing is not offered with the iPhone. I understand the desire to prevent tethering with the current data plan, but I am willing to pay more money to allow tethering! With such an advanced device, why can I not do so?

From "Steve" to our reader:

We agree, and are discussing it with ATT.

Steve

Sent from my iPhone

We're not sure—that "Sent from my iPhone" kicker either makes this email completely legitimate or illegitimate, but it's not a bad little rumor to start your holiday weekend early.

So would you pay extra to tether your laptop to your iPhone? [Image via Lifehacker]

One thing I can tell you for sure is that there will be no new version of the Kindle this year. A new version is possible sometime next year at the earliest.

Oh well, maybe next Christmas. Sorry Timmy, don't cry. Santa still loves you—it's Jeff Bezos who doesn't. [NYT]

The full QWERTY keyboard above has provisions not just for multiple finger keystrokes, but for accepting inputs from all fingers of both hands for touch typing, including multiple key combinations like ctrl-alt-delete and shift/option commands.

As for solving the problem of the many places in OS X where tiny buttons may be difficult to tap (window control buttons, for instance), it looks like we'll see the same pop-up monocle zoom as the iPhone for getting a clearer view of what needs to get tapped.

And a virtual scroll wheel design element can pop up when needed, and be manipulated with single finger swipes, or moved around the desktop with a double-finger drag.

This seems like the most fleshed-out set of multitouch tablet tech we've seen from Apple. It's just a patent filing (dated April 15, 2008), but it seems like things are getting a bit more serious on the Mac Tablet front. And I maintain, being a patent filing illustrator has got to be one of the weirdest, if not best, jobs for someone handy with drawing.
More at: [Appleinsider]

One tidbit that emerged amid all the rendered graphics was the presence of GPS in the supposed iPod nano. I have to say, it seems like Steve Jobs would have to smoke a lot of monkeyshit to come up with a non-touchscreen, non-cellular device with GPS inside. Last I checked, Apple didn't even tell major hardware partners, let alone random case makers, what was up with next-gen stuff. Think what you wish, but I'm gonna go with, "Too much fun with Photoshop and AutoCAD over the weekend." [Alibaba and iDealsChina via MacRumors and Engadget — Thanks tipsters!]

- Revamp of entire iPod line.
- Small cosmetic changes to Touch, Nano to see significant redesign (see pic below).
- iPods to see fairly large price drops to distance itself from the $199 iPhone.
- iPod touch 2.1 software, iPhone to get update very soon after.
- iTunes 8.0 ("it's a big update w/new features").
- All of this coming in the next 2-3 weeks.

In a way I kinda miss the crazier predictions even if he is more correct now—I liked hoping that at least one of his more outlandish ones was true. And he says more info—with pictures—is coming. Has Kevin finally gotten a rock solid source? [Kevin Rose]

Price seems to be the blurriest bit of info, possibly because it isn't totally set yet. For instance, TmoNews, who has a more proven record, says it might be $150 for upgraders. (One scenario: It's $150 for pre-orders, $200 for eligible people with new two-year contracts. But that seems a little overly complicated.) Monthly plans will be $35 w/ unlimited data/messaging or $25 for unlimited data/400 messages. Most of this sounds about right—not too far off the mark, anyway. [TmoWorld]

The full leaked list (including cities recently launched):

Baltimore - Aug 18th
Houston – Aug 19th
Minneapolis – Aug 20th
San Diego – Sept 15th
Los Angeles – Sept 16th
Phoenix – Sept 16th
Sacramento – Sept 17th
Portland – Sept 18th
Seattle – Sept 23rd
San Francisco – Sept 24th

The remainder of the list of rumored 2008 cities is the same group from April:

Atlanta
Birmingham
Chicago
Dallas
Denver
Detroit
Kansas City
Memphis
Miami
New England
Orlando
Philadelphia
Tampa
Washington, D.C.

Almost there, urban T-Mobilers. [Cellphone Signal via BGR]

The M528 contains a 4.8 inch screen with a 800 x 480 pixel resolution, a 800 Mhz Intel Atom, 512 MB RAM, roughly 4GB of storage space, and an 11 hour battery in a case that weighs about three quarters of a pound. It also boasts 3G, which makes it a possible replacement for the Nokia N810 if you think 3G's worth paying over double for. [UMPC Portal]

1) The issue is limited to a few notebook chips only; we have not seen and don't expect to see this issue on any NVIDIA based desktops

2) Only a very small percentage of the notebook chips that have shipped are potentially affected and the problem depends on a combination of environmental conditions, configuration and usage model

3) We continue to work closely with our partners and have taken the necessary steps to ensure that all NVIDIA chips currently in production do not exhibit the problem

[VR-Zone]

All summed up, the Inquirer is saying almost the entire run of 8 and 9-series GeForce cards are defective and "going bad in the field at high rates." More than that, they say that Nvidia will continue to cover it up because the cost of admitting the nature of the problem would be devastating, meaning we'll never know for sure. We'll just have to watch for anecdotes to pile up. We're really hoping they're wrong on this one—that's a lot of graphics cards, and if true, it could basically destroy Nvidia. [Inquirer - Thanks Jagslive!]

If anyone could/should include a QuickTime-exclusive chip in their hardware, it's Apple, who uses QuickTime for iTunes, iMovie, Final Cut Pro and a slew of other programs (as well as plenty of functions within the core of OS X). The chip could be small, cheap and take a load off the CPU while providing silky-smooth playback of any and all Apple-based A/V content. Nothing can beat the quality and speed of a chip dedicated to one particular video function. That's why such solutions are still huge in the professional video industry.

Then again, such a chip would serve a niche use that video cards already handle pretty well, and it wouldn't have the functionality to replace a 3D graphics card. Plus in most Apple products, the CPU isn't burdened by the load of QuickTime because the GPU is handling the work. Also, at WWDC, Apple claimed to be developing QuickTime around multi-core technologies. That would mean NOT a dedicated chip.

Nonetheless, it's a pretty juicy rumor that's fun to think about. [Alley Insider]

Worse in the long-term is that the analyst's contacts tell him that developers are not exactly snapping up Google's SDK—they're too busy developing for the ten million other OSes out there, like Windows Mobile, Symbian, OS X and BlackBerry. It wouldn't be too surprising, given stuff like infrequent updates to the SDK, unless you're one of the super special developers with access to the privately updated one. The fact that bad news about Android keeps rearing its head isn't a good sign itself, since noise this persistent usually has a bit of signal embedded in it. [Barrons via Electronista]

It's for the second generation of their upcoming Nehalem based processors (specifically Clarksfield and Auburndale), and it'll drop Intel's current northbridge and southbridge chipset arrangement—stuff like the memory controller will be integrated with the CPU (AMD style) for more bandwidth and lower latency, while a single integrated chipset codenamed Ibex Peak-M picks up the rest of the slack.

Wireless will be pretty similar to Montevina, with two wireless module options—Pumka Peak will have 802.11 a/b/g/n while Kilmer Peak will roll with WiMax. [Digitimes via Inquirer