[Via MAKE]
Black Box Lightshow flickers its LEDs to the beat
[Via MAKE]
Keepin' it real fake, part LXXXVIII: Zen Vision:M goes metallic
[Via PMP Today]
Samsung, Sun teaming up for Java phone?
Considering that we've already seen Sun parade its iPhone-like Java Mobile FX platform around, it's not too surprising to hear that Samsung and Sun Microsystems could be teaming up to "jointly develop a mobile phone to challenge Apple's iPhone." Furthermore, the two firms already have a history together, and according to Sun Chairman Scott McNealy, the duo could be working on "a Java phone that would surpass Apple's iPhone in functionality and cost less." Of course, Sun's spokespeople couldn't be reached for comment and Samsung's folks simply stated that "no decision had been made regarding co-development of the Java phone," so it looks like we'll be filing this away in the somewhat believable rumor cabinet for the time being.[Via CNET]
Nintendo's Perrin Kaplan leaving at year's end
No shocker here: Nintendo's Vice President of Marketing, Perrin Kaplan, will be joining George Harrison and Beth Llewelyn at the end of this year by not continuing to work for the Big N. After being employed by Nintendo for some 15 years, Kaplan has now announced that she "will be leaving the outfit at the end of the year," but noted that until that day, she will remain "focused on getting a great transition team in place and handling all of her normal responsibilities as well." As with Ms. Llewelyn, no replacement has been named just yet, but we can't imagine the firm wasting any time finding a sufficient successor.[Via GamesIndustry]
Patent investigation could force hard drives off US market
This one's still a ways off, but the International Trade Commission has just launched a patent investigation into five manufacturers that could result in a ban on hard drive imports if the agency finds evidence of infringement. The patents, which are owned by Californians Steven and Mary Reiber, cover a method of using "ceramic bonding tips" on the internal wiring of the drives, and the couple claims Western Digital, Seagate, Toshiba, Hewlett-Packard, and Dell have all infringed by importing the drives. Much like the Qualcomm case, the ITC has a variety of ways of dealing with the situation and the parties have a lot of methods of appeal, but products that infringe on US patents are barred from being imported, so this initial determination will set off a lot of dominoes when it gets made in 45 days. Details are still pretty sketchy on what exactly the ITC is investigating, but we'll definitely keep you updated as we get more info.Disclaimer: Although this post was written by an attorney, it is not meant to be legal advice or analysis and should not be taken as such.
Asus introduces trio of new LCD monitors
[Via FarEastGizmos]
President of AT&T's mobile phone biz retires
Stan Sigman, the president and chief executive of AT&T's mobile phone business, has announced that it won't be long before he punches his last time card for the carrier. Reportedly, the exec revealed that he would be leaving to enjoy the luxuries of retirement after 42 years with the firm, and it was noted that Ralph de la Vega would be the man appointed to fill those shoes. Apparently, Stan will be staying on board in order to "assist with the transition through the end of the year," and John Stankey, the president of operations support, will take over De la Vega's prior role.Widget Summit next week in San Francisco
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- Full rules can be found here.
TiVo offers lifetime service transfers to the HD... if you've got $199
Comcast begins long-awaited rollout of TiVo set-top-box
Gateway rolls out P-series laptops, GT-series desktop
While it likely won't do much to appease those who missed out on the ever-so-shortly-available $300 Gateway laptop, the company has just announced a couple of new entries in its slightly higher-end P-series laptop line, which each manage to stay under the $1,000 mark. Those include the $800 P-6801 model, which sports a 1.46GHz Pentium dual-core processor and a 160GB hard drive, and the $950 P-6822, which ups things to a 1.5GHz Core 2 Duo processor, a 250GB hard drive, and a built-in 1.3 megapixel webcam. Both models also pack the same 17-inch 1440 x 900 display, along with the usual Intel X3100 graphics. On the desktop front, Gateway has let loose its new GT5628 model, which is based around Intel's G33 chipset and packs a speedy 2.4GHz Core 2 Quad processor, along with GeForce 8500 GT graphics, 3GB of RAM, and a spacious 500GB hard drive. Look for it to set you back $950 when it lands October 14th, which is the same day the laptops are set to be released.
Penn State goes Big Brother with new high-security testing room
Our attempts to cheat in college pretty much boiled down to a smeary mess of indecipherable acronyms written on our palms, but apparently the kids at Penn State have moved on from iPods and calculators, because the school has resorted to building a high-tech cheat-proof exam facility to cut down on the fakers. Students first enter through a security gate which displays ID photos to proctors on monitors as kids swipe their IDs before sitting down at individual cubes outfitted with network-disabled PCs to take their tests. Proctors are given strict lists of what's allowed and what's not -- everything from textbooks to pencils can be outlawed -- and continually monitor the room with a bank of ceiling-mounted video cameras as well as random spot-checks. We're not certain why Penn State wants test-taking to be even more nerve-wracking than it already is, but something tells us profs who give 24-hour take home exams are going to be mighty popular from now on.[Via Switched]
WebApps library launched for Apple's iPhone / iPod touch
Is Garmin prepping a GPS mouse? Answer... no
Update: Thanks to a helpful reader, we've unraveled the mystery of this Garmin device, which appears to be this RF wireless mouse (or some variant of it), used to control the company's marine navigators... now, on to finding out who's really behind the JFK assassination.
AT&T could win reprieve from FCC's broadband rules
According to The Wall Street Journal, AT&T is "seen as likely to win a reprieve from the Federal Communications Commission from having to comply with some rules in the commercial broadband market." As expected, a number of smaller telecommunications companies are vehemently opposed to the petition, as they suggest that it would "allow AT&T to be excused from rules which give them access to AT&T's network." The FCC has until midnight tonight to make a decision, and it currently looks as though the vote would swing in AT&T's favor three to two. Notably, the outfit may have to agree to "stricter regulation over the special-access market, which provides high-volume voice and data services to large commercial customers" if the reprieve is in fact granted. [Warning: read link requires subscription]
