xpPhone Will Cost $400-650, Run Windows 7 Too

Recall that xpPhone that we've mentioned before? Well, there's an estimated price range on it now.

Whenever it releases (which is still a mystery), it'll retail for somewhere between $400 and $650, according to reports from TechTree and Hot Hardware. While that price may sound astronomical when you think of the type of laptop that you could buy with that, it's not that bad considering $400 to $650 is the average price for a modern unsubsidized smartphone.

Perhaps even more interesting than the price, though equally unverified, is that the xpPhone will be able to run Windows 7. Given that the xpPhone's hardware can run Windows XP, fitting Windows 7 on it shouldn't be too far of a leap – other than the device's namesake, of course.

Google Chrome Tablet to Kill Apple Tablet

OK, the war continues between Google and Apple and it’s getting ridiculously obvious. The new rumor has it that HTC abd Google are again collaborating, this tie for a tablet device that will run Google’s Chrome OS. The rumor originates from Smarthouse of Australia and gives few details about the 18-month-old partnership.

HTC, which been working closely with Google for the past 18 months, has several working models of a touch tablet, including one model based on the new Google Chrome Operating System, say sources.

The Google Tablet is ostensibly at the prototype stage and should be ready to be shown to private customers at CES. Google, apparently, doesn’t want to make the mistake that iPhone competitors have made and will be interested in launching an Apple Tablet competitor before the latter achieves anything like the success of the iPhone.

UK mobile operator O2 says iPhone apps hurt network

BEIJING, Jan. 4 (Xinhuanet) -- UK mobile operator O2 has been having problems with the huge amount of data being schlepped around the network by iPhones, according to media reports Monday.

According to O2 CEO Ronan Dunne, the performance of the O2 network had been disappointing since this summer and that the company was trying to cope with the increasing number of mobile apps running on devices such as the iPhone.

He also noted that the company is working with Apple, RIM, and other handset manufacturers to learn more about which applications are causing the heavy demands on O2 network.

Meanwhile, O2's parent company, Telefonica, is making moves that could place further demands on the network. Telefonica purchased mobile VoIP company Jajah to add to O2's portfolio of services, and VoIP services are notorious devourers of bandwidth.

In U.S., Verizon can smirk about AT&T's network issues, but O2's problems point out that no mobile operator is immune from the bandwidth-eating apps that are popular on the iPhone platform.