Project Charlie, iPod cameras, background apps and Hackintosh improvements

It was a busy week for Apple rumor followers with four major headlines coming this week.  

1. The 10.5.7 update went bad for many Mac users out there.  While the fix was usually a simple reboot or a reinstall, people were spooked.  But that isn't just legit Mac users.  Some Hackintosh users also found that their machines were bricked after the update.  

It wasn't all bad news for the Hackintosh faithful, however.  Once patched, MSI Wind users were greeted with a surprise.  Their systems now saw significant battery improvements.  Some to almost 50% extra time from the same hardware.

This phenomenon has led many to question whether they've accidentally stumbled upon an optimization meant for future Apple Netbook.  Perhaps a new device with a similar setup as the MSI wind is coming around the corner, maybe as early as WWDC next month.  Why else would Apple optimize the OSX software for a netbook?

2. Three different sources have said Apple is interested in promoting third party background apps on the iPod touch and iPhone.  Push notifications are set to be released in iPhone 3.0 but having applications fully function in the background (like Mail, phone and SMS currently do) will give the iPhone more functionality. 

Applications like instant messaging and VoIP would see a significant increase in functionality if these apps are allowed to function in the background.There were different ideas on how Apple would solve this problem, specially since the Palm Pre and Android both allow apps to function in the background.

3. French website Hardmac came out today saying that the new iPods (both Touch and Nano) would be sporting cameras in September.  It is easy to see that the iPod touch would have a camera just like the iPhone, but the iPod nano would be a tight squeze.  It will be interesting to see what Apple does in this area.

4. Best Buy computers this week came up with a new product SKU number called "Project Charlie" that will be a part of the AT&T network.  "Charlie" is often used for the third generation because it denotes "C" in military nomenclature.  Alpha, Bravo, Charlie.

Finally, some interesting iPhone "Charlie"concepts hit Flickr this week showing rainbow colored iPhones with Unibody shells.

With WWDC right around the corner, Apple rumor season is kicking into high gear. What will be next?