Anyone got the inside scoop as to when we can expect these?

At this point I wouldnt believe anything I hear. When they hit the shelves, we'll know about it. Till then, I dont want to hear any more predictions... Every projected release date given so far has been broken.

What about the talk of Trijicon scrapping the whole project?

223Rem, that's the first I have heard of that rumor.

Care to cite a source for this "talk"???

They're being carried in by jackalopes even as we speak![:D]

What i'd like to know is why there so "cheap" compaired with their other stuff, & why all of a sudden do they have the need to go to batteries?

They are not so cheap when compared to similar optics. Tripower is tentatively priced  very competitively to Aimpoints, EoTechs and Trijicon's current unmagnified dot optic the Reflex II. The sudden need to go to a battery isnt so sudden. People have complained for years about the Reflex washing out in some loghting conditions. They tired a couple things to fix it, like the polorizing filter and the cylume stick. But the fact is, nothing will work quite as easily, or quite as well as a battery back up.

The "talk" was about Aimpoint's market share and quality of production in red dot optics.  The Source stated that Trijicon found it would be hard pressed to sell an unmagnified red dot optic for a greater cost than what Aimpoint can do it for.

But that's just talk.