Tipster @Evleaks Announces His Retirement - via Twitter, Obviously

Evan Blass - the man behind the famous (or infamous, depending on your point of view) @evleaks Twitter handle - announced his retirement from tech leaks on Sunday, in a move that surprised many. One of the most famous tipsters of technology news, and one of the first people with details of most new phones, Blass has made a name for himself with the steady stream of updates from his Twitter account, and he announced his update in the same way, with no fanfare at all.

Blass, who used to write for technology blog Engadget from 2005-2008, would later become famous as one of the most prolific, and most reliable, sources for information about upcoming devices. On his timeline, he's posted a link to his first leak, the HTC Inspire 4G, in January 2011.

Speaking to The Next Web, Blass explained why he is retiring from leaking about phones. He explained that owing to his multiple sclerosis, it has become time to look for work which will help him to prepare for the future, financially.

The problem, he says, is that @evleaks is primarily famous as a Twitter account, and "trying to monetize a stream of Twitter leaks is not easy."

In his email to TNW, he explained how he tried to take monthly sponsorships, and then weekly ones, and then individual sponsored tweets. His website proved to be easier to monetise, however, since all the leaks are on Twitter, people have little incentive to visit.

On top of that, he says, "most of my tech-savvy-heavy audience seem to be pretty heavy ad-block users, as well."

In his interview, Blass reiterated that he will not be returning to leaks at all, and will be starting a new career now. The future of his website is now uncertain, and he will keep the Twitter handle, but only as a personal one.