Toshiba just embraced the Blu-ray standard. I’ve often been accused of being an agent for Toshiba, even though I’ve never had any financial connection to the side of Toshiba that made the drives, and initially supported Blu-ray. (I switched to HD-DVD when I saw how much the Blu-ray technology cost, and how it destroyed the price structure of the PS3). Sony bought the market, and if you look at their financials you can likely see why that still looks, in hindsight, like it was a really bad idea. The current rumor is they’re rushing the PlayStation 4 to market because the PS3 did so badly.
Tag Archive: system
Are Apple and Google Flaming Out?
Over the last two weeks, the discussions surrounding Apple and Google have me wondering whether both companies have completely lost their collective minds. The US government now has a series of investigations surrounding both firms, ranging from collusion between them, to Apple pulling Google Voice off the iPhone. To be clear, this is like trying to find out if the companies were working together closely as criminals, or whether Google is Apple’s kick toy.
At Black Hat, one of the large security conferences where Microsoft is typically the whipping boy, Apple was front and center, with stories of potentially catastrophic problems on every product but the low-end iPods. Apple’s response to these, apparently, was not to return calls.
Gateway LT2000 Netbook Sports 10.1-Inch Screen
Computer maker Gateway is expanding its LT series of netbook computers with the new LT2000, sporting a 10.1-inch display in a chassis that’s only one inch thick and weighs just 2.62 pounds. The LT200 is designed to offer a good range of communications capabilities while staying lightweight and highly portable—and Gateway has thrown in a multi-gesture trackpad that enables users to (say) scroll windows using a swirling motion of their finger.
More Mac Malware Spotted
So you thought that Mac was safe from malware? It’s definitely time to think again. There might be nothing like the amount of malware there is for PCs, but the numbers are growing.
The latest is known as Puper, a Trojan that disguises itself as a video program for the fictional MacCinema system on OS X.
Researchers at McAfee Avert Labs have determined that the malware attack appears as a disk image, which then launches an installer application for the non-existent software. Once installed, the user’s computer is infected with a malicious script file called AdobeFlash.
Is the Desktop PC Disappearing?
Heading home for the holidays in college was always an ordeal for this desktop diehard.
While my friends dropped their laptops into messenger bags and walked out the door, I was still under the desk unhooking an ungodly tangle of monitor cables and USB cords, coughing on dust, and looking for enough dirty laundry to pad my fragile LCD monitor for the trip home.
It occurred to me, at some point, that it really might be better to just cave and invest in a laptop. I did, not long later, and never looked back. In fact, at this point, my home desktop has been broken for months, but I haven’t bothered to fix it because my trusty laptop gets me by just fine at home, at work, and on the road.
Windows 7 Update, Vista SP2 Coming
If you downloaded the beta of Windows 7 when it was available, keep your eyes open this week, since Microsoft will be releasing updates for the new operating system, which you’ll need to download manually via Windows Update.
In a blog entry, Windows 7 manager Brandon LeBlanc announced that Microsoft would release up to five test updates on February 24, which will “allow us to test and verify our ability to deliver and manage the updating of Windows 7.”
The updates will not contain any new features or fixes; instead they’ll “replace system files with the same version of the file currently on the system.”
FAA Gets Hacked, Staff Data Stolen
Last week hackers managed to infiltrate the computer system of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), stealing personal data on around 45,000 staff and retirees. In a statement on Monday the FAA announced that 48 files had been breached, two of which contained the personal data. The server affected wasn’t connected with air traffic control in any way.
The personal data files covered employees on the FAA payroll in February 2006, the agency said.
In a statement, the FAA said:
“The FAA is moving quickly to prevent any similar incidents and has identified immediate steps as well as longer-term measures to further protect personal information.”
Cell Phones For The Oceans
For crews on those merchant and container ships, phoning home has meant using expensive satellite phones. But a new system is set to change that and allow them to make calls on their cell phones.
While the new system does rely on satellites, it will see picocells – small base stations that extend mobile coverage – installed in the crew areas of the ships, the BBC reports. They’ll convert mobile calls into narrowband IP signals that can be transmitted over the satellite network.
The new system has been developed by Irish company Blue Ocean Wireless and picocell developer ip.access, a company that has already placed the technology on cruise ships and ferries.
BFG Begins Shipping $8,000 Phobos Systems
The over-the-top gaming rig that manufacturer BFG Tech showed off at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show is no longer just a flashy display. The company began taking orders for its ultra-exclusive Phobos, with prices starting at $3,000, on Thursday.
Besides the usual set of hot internals, including a choice of Intel Core i7 processors and Nvidia’s latest GTX-series graphics cards, BFG has dressed the system up with a number of unique touches. The most obvious would be its front-mounted touch LCD panel, which lets users view system performance, control multimedia, and even overclock it with a single touch. That’s not to mention the liquid cooling, integrated iPod dock, or even the cabling system, which allows cables to discretely trail out the bottom of the case rather than out the back.
Hands-on with Hitachi prototypes
Hitachi — like Toshiba — chose to show off technology demos of products that do not have a model number yet. Interestingly, while their booths were filled with products already available on the market, the tech demos were getting most of the attention. For Hitachi, a remarkable gesture technology was on display.
