Rumor Has It

CEBU, Philippines - The world of techy stuff isn't without its own set of rumors, touching up over the specifications of soon-to-be-released products to speculations over the featured highlights of an upcoming service.

From rumors revolving around the next iPhone, to speculations over the future of the game console industry, here are some of the more prevalent rumors involving gadgets and online services circulating here and there.

The next iPhone and an "iPad Mini"?

With Apple's history of releasing new products by September/October, the gadget arena is highly anticipating the release of the new iPhone, which is said to come with a 4-inch sized screen, standing to be the iPhone Series' first major redesign since the iPhone first came out.

Also, reports from various news agencies note that Apple had subcontracted LG Display, Sharp and Japan Display Inc in manufacturing the said 4-inch sized screens, leaving many to ask: Where is Samsung?

Apart from rumors surrounding the release of the next iPhone, talk is also rife about the release of a smaller version of the iPad, which is rumored to come with a 7-inch sized screen.

Already dubbed by many as the "iPad Mini", speculations over the feasibility and practicality of a "mini iPad" is one hot topic in various forum sites and online Apple-centered communities, which is fabled to NOT come with the famed Retina display.

The next gen PlayStation has been in development since 2010?

Many have been waiting for the PlayStation 3's successor, already dubbed by gamers and netizens as the "PlayStation 4".

One rumor recently revolving around the new console notes that the next gen PlayStation has been in development since 2010, with conclusions drawn from the LinkedIn Profile/Portfolio of a former Sony research and development director noting that he had been working on the "Next Generation PlayStation" between 2010 and 2012.

Though this doesn't really say anything specific about the features of the next PlayStation, this bit of tech gossip says something about the time spent in building up the console.

Security Breach in Yahoo's Voice Service?

A group known as D33Ds recently claimed to be responsible for breaching Yahoo's Voice Service, posting the email account names and passwords of 450,000 Yahoo subscribers on a now "unavailable" URL.

The group is said to have initiated the breach as a wake up call for everyone concerned, quoted to say: "We hope that the parties responsible for managing the security of this subdomain will take this as a wake-up call, and not as a threat. There have been many security holes exploited in webservers belonging to Yahoo! Inc. that have caused far greater damage than our disclosure. Please do not take them lightly. The subdomain and vulnerable parameters have not been posted to avoid further damage."

Changing your Yahoo password may be something you'd want to do, and if you're among the many who tend to "unify" passwords across different accounts, you may want to change that habit too… just in case. (FREEMAN)