A Word On Tech Rumors - Nexus One and iTablet

I love rumors as much as the next mobile warrior.  As you know here, Onxo doesn't talk about rumors but we're okay in blatant, even wild, speculations.  And right now, folks in the Internet are going nuts over Apple's iTablet and Google's Nexus One.

Fine, I just want to tell everyone to enjoy the holidays and the new year celebrations along with a healthy diet of tech rumors.  But come next Tuesday when Google's press event unveiling its own Android phone and then again on January 26th when Apple's likely to unveil the iTablet, be prepared for some indigestion.

First, Google's going to show the world on January 5th what Android 2.0 and its own hands at mobile design can produce to change the world of mobile computing and experience. That much we know is a fact.

But last night, rumors started flying around about pricing and contracts and I can tell you a lot of folks are going to be disappointed come Tuesday. See, before that, along with others, I was really giddy over the prospect of Google changing rules of the mobile market the way Apple did with the iPhone and now it is beginning to look less like Google's going to be doing much of that.

I remain hopeful that the latest disappointing rumor is merely an attempt to mislead the public and we'll still be wowed. Honestly, $530 for an unsubsized Nexus One and $180 for a very restricted voice and data plan from T-Mobile isn't going to wow people next week.

Now, for the iTablet. Haha, jokes on us if Steve Jobs wakes up on the morning of the 26th and decides the iTablet (or iSlate) isn't good enough for him and uses the 26th event to talk about the great Christmas Apple just had and walks off the stage and leaves his minions to introduce the next Macbook update.

That is the reality of Apple rumors. It takes one guy to start speculating (like us but someone more influential) and for the rest of blog world to catch fire. I've got my own iTablet speculations but I always make sure people know that. For some tech folks, they like to report what they talk about to Wall Street guys as if they've seen the Apple tablet. You know as well as I do that Wall Street guys mostly take their cues from the blog guys. And when the analysts simply talk out of their behinds, they're almost always wrong about Apple.

So, I simply want to put a dose of reality into all this going-ons. I love to see Nexus One at $99 with no contract running on Google's secret white spaces network supported by ads. I love for Apple's iTablet to be 10" running OS X as well as iPhone apps for 15-18 hours of rigorous use while weighing in at 1 pound or less with iChat video and VOIP while giving me the option to watch streaming video from iTunes. All for $500.

Chances are that a majority of that ain't gonna happen. Nevertheless, I insanely hold out hope. Heck, I still believe in Santa, it's just that he doesn't visit me because I've been naughty.