rumor mill

With a projected March announcement date, we're seeing iPad 3 rumors hit the Internet at a rapid pace. According to new leaked images of what is reported to be the iPad 3, the next generation device will have an improved camera and may measure 1 mm thicker than the iPad 2. There's also increased buzz on the prospect of a mini-iPad, priced under $400, to be released later this year.

It's that time of year again — the iPad 3 rumor mill is working overtime! According to a new report, the iPad 3 could be announced in March alongside the iOS 5.1 update, said to be coming on March 9. Though the iPad 3 is said to be coming with a similar form factor as the iPad 2, it should include a 2048×1536 Retina display and a larger battery.

According to internal Best Buy documents, the Apple iTV could cost $1,499 when it hits stores. Alongside built-in iOS, iCloud, and iTunes support, the iTV could come with a 42-inch screen, 1080p playback, and stocked with an iSight camera for Skype calling. The documents also reveal that the so-called "Apple HDTV" can be controlled with an iPad or iPhone.

The iTV info comes from Best Buy customer surveys that are aimed at gauging interest on upcoming products and releases.

CES 2012 is coming up next week and we'll be there to bring you the latest tech news from Las Vegas! As usual though, the product leaks begin days before the show floor opens, so we'll be rounding up the juiciest of them all right here. Get excited and check out all the latest pre-CES leaks and rumors below.

• Polaroid Tablet and Ereader — Some lucky tipster got an early look at what could be a tablet or slate ereader coming from Polaroid. There's front and rear cameras, but that's about all we know so far.
• Nokia Lumia 900 — Coming with a 4.3-inch WVGA display, 512MB of RAM, and an eight-megapixel camera, we hope to see this smartphone at CES next week. Nokia's press conference is on Monday Jan. 10, so keep an eye out for our liveblog of the action!
• Fujifilm interchangeable lens camera — This beauty picks up where the X100 leaves off. There are pics at the source link, so be sure to check out this retro-styled camera sure to make an appearance at CES. Update: Looks like specs and images of the Fujifilm X-Pro1 have surfaced.
• Fujifilm's digital camera lineup — Speaking of Fujifilm, the company is prepped to introduce 19 new cameras at CES this year, some of which are available to view now.
• Olympus weather-proof camera — There are little details about Olympus' next interchangeable lens camera, but the company may actually hold off until after CES to announce it. Let's hope not.
• HP Envy Spectre — The super thin and sleek ultrabook teased in a new HP video looks to be a fierce competitor to the MacBook Air. No details are known yet other than the name, but boy, would I like to get to know Spectre a little better.

Gadget lovers that tend to drop their tech on a regular basis will love this news coming out of tech site Boy Genius Report — the next iPhone will come with a built-in rubber bumper around the edges that will join the front glass bezel to an aluminum backing.

The next iPhone, said to be sporting a completely new design (yeah, yeah — we've heard that before), will possibly come with a four-inch touchscreen and is set to launch in the Fall of 2012.

Remember the "first" Facebook Phone, the HTC Status? It's going to get some company soon. According to a new report, Facebook and HTC are building a Facebook phone code-named Buffy that will deeply integrate Facebook into the core of its functionality. It will be an Android-based device, run HTML5, and integrate Facebook in ways that other phones haven't, bumping up the social network's status from supporting role to main star.

Facebook is already becoming more mobile with its ability to integrate your mobile contacts into the Facebook platform, Facebook Messenger, and video calling, so it will be interesting to see what this phone looks like from the inside out.

Right on schedule, the iPad rumor mill is heating up! According to Digitimes, iPad 3 production will begin in January for a early 2012 release. Panels for the iPad 3 are similar to those on the iPad 2, and suppliers have already shipped one million screens, with two million more expected this month.

Additionally, reports say that LG and AU Electronics have delivered samples of a 7.83-inch screen for the fabled "iPad Mini," but there are no signs that this tablet will actually exist in the coming year.

Rumor has it, Apple is testing a 15-inch MacBook Air-like laptop to be released sometime next year. If size matters to you when it comes to your laptop (of course it does), but you aren't into the smaller 11- or 13-inch screen sizes of the current MacBook Air lineup, this version could be for you.

Although it's unclear whether the laptop will be a MacBook Air or a lighter MacBook Pro (possibly without an optical drive), a bigger screen on an ultralight body would be a welcome addition to business travelers who need more desktop real estate.

Your holiday shopping plans may be getting a little more exciting this month with the introduction of the Nook Color 2, which is expected to drop on Nov. 7.

The soon-to-be-released Kindle Fire will have some competition in the Nook Color 2 if rumors are correct. The Nook Color 2 is said to be sporting a seven-inch touchscreen and support web browsing, email, apps, music, and games, alongside a $200 price tag. It's a great price and sure to excite shoppers who want a tablet feel on an ereader budget.

There are endless iPhone 5 rumors floating around the Internet on a given day, but how do you know which ones are based in reality? We've scoured through some of the most prominent rumors and rounded up a few that we think might actually be true. Check them out below.

1. It will be announced on Oct. 4 — Earlier this week media received invitations to an event at Apple's Cupertino headquarters on Oct. 4 with the message "Let's talk iPhone." Tuesday can't come soon enough.
2. It could have voice control — Reports of an "Assistant" feature indicate voice activation that will allow users to make appointments, get directions, and set reminders as well as send SMS and iMessage texts just by speaking commands.
3. It could be released on Oct. 15 — France Telecom's CEO announced to the press recently that he's been told the iPhone 5 will be released on Oct. 15. This seems to fit the other release date rumors we've heard, which pinpoint the iPhone 5 launch to be "sometime in early October." Additionally, an Apple employee who remained nameless says we're "just weeks away" from an iPhone 5 announcement. We're not sure why Apple would launch the iPhone on a Saturday, so we're betting on the 14th instead.
4. It could be available on Sprint — There are several rumors saying that Sprint won't just get the iPhone 5, but that it will offer unlimited data packages with the device and will also get its own iPad 2.
5. It could be slimmer, wider — Several leaked cases (and case images) seem to suggest that the iPhone 5 could come with a new form factor, similar to the iPad 2. A slimmer, wider body, tapered back, and rounded edges.
6. It could come with a better camera — Though a next-gen iPhone is almost guaranteed to come with a better camera, a photo that popped up on Flickr recently suggests the camera could be 8MP. Someone from inside Apple's cafeteria at 1 Infinite Loop in Cupertino, CA, snapped a pic of his sushi lunch and uncovered image data says it has an original size of 3264 x 2448 — approximately 8MP. Fishy, indeed.