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Broadcasters keep upper hand in TV disputes (AP) : Technet

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• Broadcasters keep upper hand in TV disputes (AP)
• Supreme Court to hear violent video game case (AP)
• 5 Stylish iPhone Alarm Clock Apps to Wake You Up On Time (Mashable)
• Apple sues Motorola, further escalating cellphone wars (Reuters)
• Ivorians flock to polls in landmark election (AFP)
• Alternative Search Engine Blekko Launches to Eliminate Spam in Search (Mashable)
• Finally, a keyboard that really works (Appolicious)
• Boost Your Geek Cred With the Linux Credit Card (Really) (PC World)
• Malaysians win global Internet popularity contest (AFP)

Broadcasters keep upper hand in TV disputes (AP) Posted: 31 Oct 2010 05:59 PM PDT By RYAN NAKASHIMA, AP Business Writer Ryan Nakashima, Ap Business Writer – Sun Oct 31, 8:59 pm ET LOS ANGELES – A recent spate of TV blackouts and the lack of government intervention suggests that broadcasters have the upper hand over TV signal providers when it comes to negotiating fees, at least until Congress decides to act. New York-area cable TV operator Cablevision Systems Corp. tested the limits of government intervention in October, calling early and often for the Federal Communications Commission to step in and force News Corp.'s Fox to keep providing its broadcast signal while it pressed for arbitration in a fee dispute. Fox declined and the FCC did little more than suggest mediation if both parties were willing to participate. When the two sides couldn't reach a deal, Fox blacked out its signals to 3 million Cablevision subscribers for 15 days, through two games of baseball's World Series. On Saturday, Cablevision finally accepted terms it said were "unfair" for the sake of its customers. Ultimately, the FCC said that its hands were tied. "Under the present system, the FCC has very few tools with which to protect consumers' interests," FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski said in a letter to Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., in a letter Kerry's office released Friday. "Current law does not give the agency the tools necessary to prevent service disruptions." Some analysts said Cablevision's move was mainly intended to draw the government out. Its battle had the support of other cable and satellite TV signal operators through such groups as the American Television Alliance, which counts Dish Network Corp. and DirecTV Inc. among its members. Fox said in a statement Sunday that "this entire dispute was solely about Cablevision's misguided efforts to effect regulatory change to their benefit." Cablevision did not respond to a request for comment. But the distributors are also competing with one another, rather than presenting a united front. Dish Network announced Friday that it had settled its dispute with Fox, two days before Fox broadcast signals could have been blacked out to some of its 14.3 million subscribers. That would have made its service more attractive to Cablevision customers still stuck without Fox, and hurt Cablevision's position as the lone holdout. It gave in just one day later. Battles between TV signal providers and broadcasters have been raging for years and the latest dispute wasn't the longest. In 2005, about 75,000 Cable One Inc. subscribers in Missouri, Louisiana and Texas went without signals from local NBC and ABC affiliate stations owned by Nexstar Broadcasting Group Inc. for almost the entire year. In March, Cablevision also attempted a high-profile negotiating strategy and its customers lost their ABC station in New York in the hours leading up to the Oscars. Viewers missed the first 15 minutes of the awards show before Cablevision and The Walt Disney Co. reached a tentative deal. The law at the center of the debates is the Cable Television Consumer Protection and Competition Act of 1992. It allows broadcasters like Fox, ABC, CBS and NBC to choose between forcing a TV signal distributor like Cablevision to carry its local TV station, thus boosting its audience, or bargaining for the best rate it can for so-called "retransmission consent." Because broadcasters bought the rights to such high-demand programming like football, baseball and the Oscars, they have chosen to bargain and have recently been pressing for higher fees. The law heavily favors broadcasters in such negotiations because they have the ability to black out signals and subscribers are hard to win back if they switch TV signal providers. David Bank, an analyst with RBC Capital Markets, said it was in the best interests of the FCC to keep the balance tipped in broadcasters' favor. The FCC regulates the airwaves and it has authority over what broadcasters can send out over them. There are rules over obscenity and local content that don't apply to pay cable channels, which escape the FCC's grasp. "That's what the FCC really cares about: minority voices on air, localism, childhood early education initiatives, obscenity," Bank said. If the balance of power were shifted to distributors, media giants could pull back from the broadcast model and move to an all-cable channel lineup. TV stations might disappear and the FCC would "lose the ability to regulate all that," Bank said. The American Cable Association, a grouping of smaller cable operators representing 7.6 million subscribers, argued Sunday that the fight to change an 18-year-old law wasn't over and it said it remains within the FCC's powers to adopt regulations to prevent signal blackouts now. "Despite these deals being done, retransmission consent needs to change," its president Matthew Polka, said Sunday. Both Genachowski and Sen. Kerry called for reforms of the current system. Genachowski, an appointee of President Barack Obama, said in his letter that "the current system relegates television viewers to pawns between companies battling over retransmission fees." Sen. Kerry called the existing regime "broken." "Media interests have every right to play hardball," Sen. Kerry said in a statement Sunday. "But I believe it's incumbent upon those of us in public policy to see if there's a way to help protect consumers and avoid the now regularly scheduled, frequent games of high-stakes chicken that leave consumers in the crossfire."

Supreme Court to hear violent video game case (AP) Posted: 31 Oct 2010 07:23 AM PDT By DERRIK J. LANG, AP Entertainment Writer Derrik J. Lang, Ap Entertainment Writer – Sun Oct 31, 10:23 am ET LONG BEACH, Calif. – Before picking up any Wii games or downloading apps on her iPhone for her two daughters, Lillian Quintero does her homework. She'll first read reviews online and in magazines, then try them out for herself. If she thinks the games are engaging and educational enough, 4-year-old Isabella and 2-year-old Sophia are free to play. "I know there's going to be a point where they get these things on their own," said the 35-year-old mother from Long Beach, Calif. "We're not going to be there to monitor everything. That's why the most important thing is communication, instilling morals and values in them and helping them to understand certain boundaries. There's only so much you can do." Quintero and her husband, Jorge, are some of the parents who support a California law that seeks to ban the sale and rental of violent games to children. The law, which has bounced around the legal system like a game of "Pong" since Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger first signed it in 2005, was declared unconstitutional last year by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco. The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments Tuesday about the federal court's decision to throw out California's ban on violent games, marking the first time a case involving the interactive medium itself has gone before the Supreme Court. It's another sign that the $20 billion-a-year industry, long considered to be just child's play, is now all grown up. California's measure would have regulated games more like pornography than movies, prohibiting the sale or rental of games that give players the option of "killing, maiming, dismembering, or sexually assaulting an image of a human being" to anyone under the age of 18. Only retailers would be punished with fines of up to $1,000 for each infraction. The federal court said the law violated minors' constitutional rights under the First and Fourteenth amendments and the state lacked enough evidence to prove violent games cause physical and psychological harm to minors. Courts in six other states, including Michigan and Illinois, have reached similar conclusions, striking down parallel violent game bans. Under California's law, only adults would be able to purchase games like "Postal 2," the first-person shooter by developer Running With Scissors that features the ability to light unarmed bystanders on fire, and "Grand Theft Auto IV," the popular third-person shoot-'em-up from Rockstar Games that allows gamers to portray carjacking, gun-toting gangsters. The Quinteros, like most supporters, believe the law will protect children from buying such violent titles, while gamers and free speech advocates think California's ban could lead to strict federal regulation on the content of games and other media. All agree, however, that the graphically rich medium has come a long way from 8-bit tennis matches. The average age of gamers is 34, according to the Entertainment Software Association, and many are paying close attention to the Supreme Court case. The Entertainment Consumers Association, which lobbies on behalf of gamers, is organizing a rally outside the Supreme Court building Tuesday as "a way of sending a strong message and uniting gamers." "It's not so much a video game case as a First Amendment case," said George Rose, chief public policy officer at Activision Blizzard Inc., the Santa Monica, Calif.-based publisher of the popular "Call of Duty" and "Guitar Hero" gaming franchises. The gamemaker filed a friend-of-the-court brief opposing California's ban, which was never enforced. Other allies in the fight include Xbox manufacturer Microsoft Corp., "Star Wars" publisher LucasArts, The Recording Academy, Motion Picture Association of America, as well as the Entertainment Merchants Association and Entertainment Software Association, which sued to block California's ban, calling it "unnecessary, unwarranted and unconstitutional." Opponents of the ban have called the measure unnecessary because virtually all major game publishers and retailers employ a universal voluntary rating system, much like movie studios and theaters, that assigns one of eight age-specific ratings to games, then blocks the sale of games that are rated M for "mature" and AO for "adults only" to children. The gaming industry has actually done a better job of preventing minors from buying entertainment not intended for their age group than the music and film industries, according to the Federal Trade Commission. In a report released last year, the FTC found that 20 percent of minors were able to buy M-rated games, down from 42 percent three years earlier. In contrast, 72 percent of minors were able buy music CDs with explicit content warnings, 50 percent were sold R-rated and unrated DVDs and 28 percent purchased tickets to R-rated movies. The FTC noted there were gaps in enforcement of age-based sales restrictions, specifically with the use of gift cards in online purchases and unrestricted mobile games. The Parents Television Council, which supports California's ban on violent games, conducted its own secret shopper campaign this year with children between the ages of 12 and 16 attempting to buy M-rated games at 109 stores in 14 states. The group found 21 instances of retailers, including Target, Kmart, Sears and Best Buy, selling M-rated games to minors. Leland Yee, the Democratic state senator and child psychologist who originally authored the law, contends the gaming industry's rating system is not effective because of the sweeping scope of games, which are longer and more intricate than movies. Yee said he believes violent games are more harmful to children because of the medium's interactive nature. "This isn't an attack on the First Amendment," said Yee. "I'm a supporter of the First Amendment. This is about not making ultra violent video games available to children. Within the bill, the definition of a violent video game is so narrowly tailored because of my respect for the First Amendment. This isn't to stop the creation of violent video games." Yee's position hasn't stopped the Entertainment Software Association's Video Game Voters Network from targeting him. The group has asked gamers to write "I believe in the First Amendment" on old or broken controllers and send them to Yee. When asked about the joystick campaign, the senator scoffed and said that any gifts he received would be returned. The Quinteros, who practice yoga poses in their living room during rounds of "Wii Fit," won't be sending their Wii Balance Board to Yee. While they believe it's ultimately up to parents to police what games their children play, Lillian and Jorge agree that they would feel more comfortable if violent games were legally off limits from being sold to kids. "It's one less way for children to have access to it," said Jorge, a 35-year-old middle school teacher who recently bought an iPad. "It's common sense. You don't pick a weenie off the grill with your hands because you know your hand will get burned. We shouldn't let children buy something violent that they don't think will affect them." ___ AP Technology Writer Barbara Ortutay in New York contributed to this report. ___ Online: http://www.supremecourt.gov/

5 Stylish iPhone Alarm Clock Apps to Wake You Up On Time (Mashable) Posted: 31 Oct 2010 02:37 PM PDT Amy-Mae Elliott Amy-mae Elliott – Sun Oct 31, 5:37 pm ET Although the iPhone's alarm clock is functional, it has limited features. If you use your phone to wake up in the morning instead of a standalone device, then you'll want to get the most out of it. There are a large number of alarm clock apps available in the App Store, but, almost unbelievably, not all of them work, and some of them are downright duds. We've tried and tested five great alarm clocks apps for the iPhone and iPod touch that can't make getting out of bed any easier, but at least you'll be woken in a way of your own choosing. 1. Radio Alarm Radio Alarm may be at the higher end of the pricing scale, but it's a good looking creation that packs in a lot of functionality -- you really do get what you pay for (and then some!) with this app. As far as looks go, you've got a great retro design with a flip calendar, analogue clock and two "dials," one for volume, which can be controlled in-app and -- essential for a bedside alarm clock -- a brightness control. There are three knobs that represent the three main functions: the alarm clock, the radio and the sleep options. The "radio" can be listened to as a standalone Internet radio option and offers more than 30,000 stations from SHOUTcast Radio that be be browsed via genre, country or search, although you can manually add your personal fave Internet radio stations via their URL. Alarm functionality is superb -- you can choose to wake to a variety of what we'd call standard alarm sounds, your own music stored on your iDevice, one of the many Internet radio stations, one of the sleep sounds (more on that later), and there's even the fab option to record your own sound or message to wake up to. Alarm options include some nice touches such as vibration, the ability to "fix" the volume so you can't turn it down accidentally, different snooze durations, and the option to have the sound "fade in" so you don't wake with a start. Finally, there's an excellent selection of soothing sleep sounds, including waves, rain on a window, a campfire or the sound of seagulls. You can set the timer to turn the audio off after whatever amount of time suits you, and you can make it fade out quietly. This also works with the radio and your own music too. There's some design thought gone into this app -- when you hit the radio knob a little analogue tuner comes on screen accompanied by tuning noise, and you can opt to shake your iPhone a certain number of times to stop the alarm. It's little touches like this that make you smile. Developer: EnSight Media Cost: $1.99 2. iFlipClock Plus There's more retro to be had here with a classic, realistic flip clock design that can be jazzed up with a choice of 65 backgrounds, three colors for the numerals, portrait or landscape display and two different time display formats. That's it as far as the app goes for looks; simplicity is the key word here, and that theme continues with the settings which are bound to only one screen. We can imagine the one-screen design will be too fiddly for anyone with big fingers, but it works for us -- you can just zip around the screen touching various areas to change the settings. With the ability to set two alarms, you can leave the default alarm noise to wake you or select a song from your device. Features include a snooze button, the ability to dim the screen for use on a bedside table and sound effects for when the time flips over. With simple, but perfectly decent alarm functionality, it's a good-looking app for design lovers. Developer: Exedria Cost: $0.99 3. Nightstand Central Another good-looking app, Nightstand Central's design is somewhat reminiscent of HTC phones. With a big, easy-to-read flip clock, the date and the weather for your current location are also displayed. You can choose backgrounds from a selection of beautiful pre-loaded images or ones from your device, either as a static display or slideshow of multiple images. The customization is great -- you can move the clock and change its size by tapping on the screen with two fingers, have it display portrait or landscape, have alarms displayed, and to keep up with the weather, show the temperature in Celsius or Fahrenheit or not at all. On the alarm front, you can set as many alarms as you'll ever need with an interface that's very similar to the iPhone's. There's also "background alarms" that can be set up for those who want to be super-sure to get out of bed. You can give alarms names and wake to a range of sounds or music from your library. Snooze times can be changed and you can make the sound fade in so as not to be too abrupt. The sleep timer will see you dropping off to a relaxing soundtrack (though without nearly as wide a selection as Radio Alarm, we must say), or your choice of music, while brightness control is very swanky -- slide your finger on the screen to dim it. Lastly, Nightstand Central's bonus feature is the "flashlight" (a white screen basically, but adequate illumination in the dead of night), which you can turn on and off by shaking your handset. And if you're not picky about using your own music as an alarm, or want to try before you buy, there's a limited but decent free version of this app available too, although we think $0.99 for the full app is very reasonable. Developer: Thomas Huntington Cost: $0.99 4. Alarm Clock Pro There's more great design here with the Alarm Clock Pro, which shares a similar feature set to Nightstand Central, but has a very different, yet equally stylish look. Alarm Clock Pro looks like a classic bedside alarm clock with a digital display. You can change the color of the numerals and what info is actually displayed, but as far as looks go, this app keeps it clock-like and simple. Behind the scenes you're looking at a very familiar iPhone interface that makes setting alarms easy. The options are similar to those we've seen in other apps -- some pre-loaded alarm sounds, the ability to use your own music, snooze settings, fade-in options, background alarms and the great option to dim the screen with the slide of your finger. Alarm Clock Pro also produces a white screen as a flashlight if you shake it and a sleep timer is promised in a future update, which will be a nice addition to a very competent, no-nonsense alarm clock app. Developer: iHandySoft Inc Cost: $0.99 5. The Alarm Clock This alarm clock option doesn't give you any meaningful way to customize the display, so it's just as well the three-dimensional white letters on a blue background look as good as they do. Alarm options are simple to set up and what you'd expect. You can name alarms, set them up to go off regularly on certain days, choose from pre-loaded sounds or use your own (we had a few crashes with this part, but did get there), set snooze times, auto-snooze, and there's a sleep timer too. However, where this app really shines is its ability to tell you the time at a touch of the screen. Hidden away in the app's "Advanced Options" menu are some nifty perks that will let the app speak the time, say how long until the next alarm or speak the next alarm time. You can set these up to work with one, two or three taps of the screen, and the robo-voice will speak up -- a really nice feature for when you're half-asleep fumbling with your iPhone to try and work out how much longer you've got in bed. Developer: Kirk Andrews Cost: $0.99 BONUS: Nightstand - The Professional Alarm Clock This app gets an honorable mention as it offers some nice functionality. In addition to being a fully featured alarm clock with radio, there's weather data and a "news and Internet" section that you can set up to display all your favorite sites from one page, so you can quickly get your dose of morning news from within your alarm clock. Developer: hubapps.com Cost: $1.99 More iPhone Resources from Mashable: - 10 Mobile Apps for Movie Addicts - 3 Innovative iPad Games That Use the iPhone as a Controller - 10 iPhone Apps for the Global Foodie - 10 Useful iPhone Shortcuts, Tips and Tricks - 10 Useful iPhone Keyboard Shortcuts, Tips and Tricks

Apple sues Motorola, further escalating cellphone wars (Reuters) Posted: 31 Oct 2010 10:34 AM PDT – Sun Oct 31, 1:34 pm ET NEW YORK (Reuters) – Apple Inc sued rival Motorola Inc, claiming the Droid smartphone maker infringes on three iPhone patents. Cupertino, California-based Apple says Motorola is purposefully using its touchscreen software, as well as other display technologies. "Motorola's infringing activities have caused and will continue to cause Apple irreparable harm, for which it has no adequate remedy at law, unless Motorola's infringing activities are enjoined," Apple said in a nine-page filing on Friday with the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin. Schaumburg, Illinois-based Motorola said it has not yet reviewed Apple's filing, but that it intends to "pursue our litigation to halt Apple's continued infringement." "Motorola has a leading intellectual property portfolio, one of the strongest in the industry, and we intend to vigorously defend ourselves in this matter," the company said in a statement to Reuters. The case is Apple Inc vs. Motorola Inc, 10-CV-662. The suit comes after Motorola sued Apple in Delaware court earlier this month, asking a judge to declare it is not infringing on certain Apple software patents. (Reporting by Ernest Scheyder; Editing by Jan Paschal)

Ivorians flock to polls in landmark election (AFP) Posted: 31 Oct 2010 04:48 PM PDT by Thomas Morfin Thomas Morfin – Sun Oct 31, 7:48 pm ET ABIDJAN (AFP) – Ivorians flocked to the polls in the country's first presidential election in a decade on Sunday, aiming to end years of political turmoil in the divided former West African powerhouse. Long lines of voters snaked around polling stations even before they opened in the main city Abidjan and in Bouake, the northern stronghold of former rebel forces, as people openly relished the opportunity to vote. In some areas in Abidjan, the country's biggest city and home to a third of the nearly six million electorate, polling stations were late in opening and voters complained about a lack of transport but the mood remained buoyant. Polls closed about 5:00 pm (1700 GMT). Sunday's was the first election in a decade in the world's top cocoa-producing country, where incumbent Laurent Gbagbo, 65, leads a field of 14 candidates. "There has not been an election since 2000 and we really have to have a change because Ivorians are suffering, especially the young," said student Mylene Kouassi, 22. Gbagbo and his main rivals, ex-president Henri Konan Bedie, 76, and former prime minister Alassane Ouattara, 68, pronounced themselves pleased with the voting. All three believe they will win, raising fears of unrest when the results come through next week. "Africans are used to post-election tensions. We are making a first step but we have to cross our fingers for the results to arrive and that everyone accepts the verdict," said Gbagbo supporter Georges Etranny, a well-known author and songwriter. Gbagbo said in a midday press conference: "I am happy today that this vote is going well." But he warned "the only institution equipped to provide a provisional result is the Independent Electoral Commission." The Independent Electoral Commission has three days to announce provisional results but aims to do so on Monday, an official told AFP. Gbagbo, insisting that he would win the poll, told the French newspaper Journal du Dimanche that if there was any violence, it would come from his opponents. "The violence will come from those who lose. And ... I am not going to lose." Ouattara said he, for one, would accept the results. "Peace is what this country needs most, on election day as in the days following the elections." Bedie said the vote was a "relief after the long wait since 2005," the date of the last election. Bedie is seeking a comeback after being overthrown in a military coup in 1999 that triggered years of turbulence in the former French colony once hailed as an example of stability and an economic miracle. Gbagbo came to power in a 2000 election from which Bedie and Ouattara were excluded, and survived a coup attempt two years later that escalated into a full-scale civil war in which thousands were killed. The civil war split the country in two between Gbagbo's government-controlled south and the north held by former New Forces rebels, with UN and French peacekeepers patrolling a buffer zone between them. In Bouake, the northern 'capital' from which the rebels ruled the northern half of the country since their 2002 revolt, thousands of people lined up outside schoolhouses from early morning to vote. Azita Bamba, a shopkeeper who brought her six children along to the polling station, hoped the election will bring change. "Here in Bouake we have suffered too much, we live in insecurity, we don't eat well and our brothers aren't able to find work," she said. Despite occasional outbreaks of deadly violence, a March 2007 peace accord has held and a disarmament programme has meant that areas of the north have gradually returned to government control. Gbagbo postponed presidential elections six times since the end of his term in 2005 amid rows over rebel disarmament and voter registration. Thousands of government troops, former rebel fighters, police and UN peacekeepers are deployed to secure the poll.

Alternative Search Engine Blekko Launches to Eliminate Spam in Search (Mashable) Posted: 31 Oct 2010 12:54 PM PDT Jennifer Van Grove Jennifer Van Grove – Sun Oct 31, 3:54 pm ET Blekko's alternative search engine -- a $24 million venture-backed project that's been three years in the making -- is today launching its public beta. With the official rollout, Blekko is also releasing several new features designed for both mainstream and the site's super users. As you may recall, Blekko is designed to eliminate spam search results, allowing users to search just a subset of the web through its proprietary slashtag technology. The most significant upgrade to Blekko's search engine is the addition of slashtags that auto-fire for queries that fall into one seven categories: health, colleges, autos, personal finance, lyrics, recipes and hotels. Every time a Blekko user's query is determined to be in one of these categories, Blekko will automatically append the associated slashtag to the query and limit results to just the subset of URLs that fall under that slashtag. The auto-fire functionality is designed with passive searchers in mind, and aims to eliminate friction for first time users. The technology that powers these auto-slashtags was developed through an extensive research and development phase that involved analyzing the relationship between queries and the type of spam results they typically generate. Blekko plans to introduce auto-slashing for additional categories moving forward, but selected to launch with ones that represent a high volume of search traffic and are typically laden with spammy results. Health, lyric and financial queries on Google or Bing, for instance, will return results dominated by poor quality content farms or malware-hosting sites. Those same searches on Blekko yield results only from high quality sites. Blekko's slashtag formula works because of passionate users who take the time to add and edit URLs for category slashtags. As such, the company has released new features to enable users to apply to be editors for slashtags as well as share their comments and feedback on individual slashtags. Think of this as the Wikipedia formula but applied to search, so a small percentage of users will work together to build out slashtags for the majority of Blekko searchers. Blekko has been testing its solution to search with roughly 8,000 beta testers who have created more than 3,000 different slashtags. Blekko tells us that 11% of its existing user base come back to the site on a weekly basis. CEO Rich Skrenta and Founder Mike Markson have modest projections for the immediate future, but believe that once the site hits one to two million queries per day, it can be profitable. Blekko is currently available on the web or as a mobile-optimized site, but mobile applications are also said to be in the works. Image courtesy of Flickr, Robert Scoble

Finally, a keyboard that really works (Appolicious) Posted: 29 Oct 2010 01:55 PM PDT

Boost Your Geek Cred With the Linux Credit Card (Really) (PC World) Posted: 31 Oct 2010 10:00 AM PDT Elizabeth Fish Elizabeth Fish – Sun Oct 31, 1:00 pm ET What is the coolest thing for a Linux fan to carry in their pocket? Why, the new Linux Tux credit card! The Linux Foundation teamed up with UMB Bank and CardPartner Inc. to create the Linux-branded Visa card. It's pretty much your typical credit card, except that, by applying for the card, you are also helping to promote Linux. For every card that gets activated, Linux gets $50 and percentage of every transaction made on it, which goes straight into their innovation program. That means doing things such as providing travel grants for open source community members and funding Linux's technical events. Anyone who gets the card--which you can get Linux events as well as online--has two different designs and Tux posings to choose from, as well as a bonus-points reward scheme for stuff like free airline tickets. So, get a cool looking credit card and help out an operating system company; win-win right? Unfortunately, the card is only available if you live in the US. And thanks to a lack of partnerships in other countries, that won't be changing anytime soon either--a mega shame for Linux. But for you US citizens, have fun getting that credit while geeks in the rest of the world look on in envy. [The Linux Foundation, via Download Squad] Like this? You might also enjoy... New Yahoo Game Teaches Economic Theory With Zombies Massive Lego Map Has Europe Covered Android Hacks: CyanogenMod 6.1 Release Candidate Now Available Follow GeekTech on Twitter or Facebook, or subscribe to our RSS feed. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Malaysians win global Internet popularity contest (AFP) Posted: 31 Oct 2010 04:35 PM PDT by Sarah Stewart Sarah Stewart – Sun Oct 31, 7:35 pm ET KUALA LUMPUR (AFP) – Malaysians are the most popular people on the Internet, while Japanese are the least, according to a global survey which shows how national cultures are reflected in online behaviour. Malaysians won the Internet popularity contest with an average of 233 friends in their social network, compared to 68 in China and just 29 in Japan, according to the Digital Life study by global research firm TNS. The findings are no surprise in a gregarious, multicultural nation which has a tradition of "open house" parties where the doors are literally thrown open to all, and where new acquaintances are eagerly made. "The Malaysian way is just to invite everyone you know," said Chacko Vadaketh, a Malaysian actor and writer with an impressive 1,010 friends on his Facebook account. "And people who you would know and consider your friends is a much broader concept than in other communities," he said, reminiscing over family weddings with 1,000-strong invitation lists. Malaysia also has a large diaspora of professionals who have sought opportunities abroad, in a "brain drain" that has made social networking sites invaluable for maintaining links among far-flung friends. Vadaketh, who has Indian and Syrian ancestry, studied in Britain, has family and friends on several continents, and is now living in the United States, is not untypical of Malaysia's wired generation. "I resisted Facebook for a while but I felt I had no choice because it's overtaken email in some ways," he said. "I wanted to keep in track with events or get invited to parties, and a lot of it was only going out on Facebook." Mark Higginson, director of digital insights with Nielsen's Online Division, said that each country's embrace of social media is dictated by its own national characteristics. So the outgoing Southeast Asian nations of Malaysia, Philippines and Indonesia have reacted differently to the more conservative East Asian cultures of China, Japan and South Korea. "Japanese are big users of social media, they're just not highly adoptive of Facebook and a platform like Twitter is only just starting to take off," he said, adding that blogs are also enormously popular in Japan. "A blog is very much a self-editorialised viewpoint so it's a statement and not a discussion... I think that fits in with the Japanese culture in that sense, the concept of face and of a very organised profile." Koreans prefer the more free-wheeling discussion forums on leading homegrown portals, while in China social gaming or other activity-based concepts are most popular, he said. "Social media is so diverse and one of the big things we learned looking at different countries in Asia Pacific is that the differences are really quite amazing," Higginson said, adding that this had big implications for business. "One size does not fit all in a region like Asia Pacific. You can imagine it's a little easier to have a social media strategy across Europe, but here, knowing the local landscape is so critical." James Fergusson from TNS said that the firm's study showed each country has "a unique digital DNA". "Malaysians like many Asian cultures are very open to establishing friendships online whereas in Japan people tend to be more selective in choosing their online friends," he said. "Social networkers in Japan tend to shy away from revealing personal details, instead relying on avatars and aliases." In some Asian countries, lack of media freedom has also driven the rise of blogs and social networking sites where information can be freely exchanged. In Malaysia, where the mainstream media is mostly government-controlled, there has been a blossoming of independent news portals, political blogs and prolific Twitter feeds on current affairs. And Malaysians are also not shy about using such sites as a marketing and networking tool for small business. Daniel Zain, a Kuala Lumpur-based photographer whose social network is nudging 2,000, estimates he knows just 10 percent of those "friends" but the list has grown as he has steadily added clients and their contacts. Malaysians care little for privacy and "are generally a very curious lot", happy to make online contact with friends-of-friends who they have never met, he said. "We love to meet up with people, we love open houses," he said, referring to the free-for-all parties held to mark festivals including Christmas, Deepavali, and the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan. "We've taken the concept of open house and put it online. Anyone is invited to your house, and anyone is invited to your Facebook page."

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• Amazon Kindle gets ebook lending
• Google Nexus 2 gets Android 2.3 Gingerbread

Call of Duty: Black Ops multiplayer: further details revealed Posted: 31 Oct 2010 04:43 AM PDT Posted by Richard Wordsworth on Sun 31 Oct 2010 Black Ops ramps up the customisation options and adds online splitscreen. World at War developers Treyarch already gave us a taster of what Call of Duty fans can expect from Call of Duty: Black Ops multiplayer at the beginning of September, and now just two weeks before the game's release we're still getting details that are making the week of November 9th look like a period of not-much-getting-done. Related links Call of Duty: Black Ops multiplayer modes revealed Call of Duty: Black Ops multiplayer videos revealed Call of Duty: Black Ops to adopt 3D gameplay Call of Duty: Black Ops special editions announced Call of Duty: Black Ops uncut trailer debuts Call of Duty: Black Ops gameplay trailer Call of Duty: Black Ops will have zombies According to developer Treyarch's community manager Josh Ollin, Call of Duty: Black Ops' multiplayer looks to be taking pointers from Bungie's Halo series, offering players on both PS3 and Xbox 360 the chance to play online from the same machine with an online splitscreen mode. A further tip of the hat goes to Halo for the new almost excessively detailed levels of match customisation: players can now start matches with specific weapon loadouts, select which gear can be found in the level and which "perks" (player-specific boosts like enhanced speed or invisibility to radar) are made available. "You want a pistols-only match?" asks Ollin, via the PlayStation blog, "make one. No longer do custom matches rely on the honour system." New game types created by players can also be saved and uploaded online for the Call of Duty: Black Ops multiplayer community to enjoy. Says Ollin: "You just might create the most addictive game mode of all time from the comfort of your living room!" The previous installment in the Call of Duty franchise - the record-shattering Modern Warfare 2 - scooped up awards around the world for its frenetic multiplayer deathmatches. Whether Black Ops can raise the bar still higher will become clear on November 9th. Via: PlayStation Blog Can't wait to get stuck into Call of Duty: Black Ops multiplayer? Send us your thoughts via e-mail or on Twitter.   This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Amazon Kindle will receive ebook lending Posted: 31 Oct 2010 03:59 AM PDT Posted by Richard Wordsworth on Sun 31 Oct 2010 Amazon Kindle books can be borrowed for up to a fortnight, gratis This just in from Amazon HQ: users of the Amazon Kindle ebook reader will soon be able to "lend" each other titles they've purchased for up to two weeks from sometime this year, according to a post by the Kindle team. Related links Amazon Kindle 3 review New Amazon Kindle unveiled Amazon Kindle App review Amazon Kindle books outselling hardbacks Amazon Kindle to introduce gaming platform Amazon Kindle gets free word games Once a user has lent a copy of a book from his or her digital library, the user receiving the book will be able to read it just as if they'd purchased it themselves. However, the original purchaser won't have access to their ebook so long as it is on loan - just like how actual books used to work. A book can be lent to another Kindle user for up to two weeks, although each book can only be lent once (whether that is once per person or once per book isn't clear from the Kindle team's post). Not all books will be lend-able, however; it's down to individual publishers deciding which of their titles can and cannot be borrowed. The Amazon Kindle team also announced in the post plans to make newspapers and magazines purchased from the Kindle store available to customers using the various incarnations of the Kindle app (they had until now only been accessible on the physical Kindle itself). No word on when these updates will hit beyond "later this year", but when they do, you'll be the first to know. Via: Amazon.com   This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Amazon Kindle gets ebook lending Posted: 31 Oct 2010 03:59 AM PDT Posted by Richard Wordsworth on Sun 31 Oct 2010 Amazon Kindle books can be borrowed for up to a fortnight, gratis This just in from Amazon HQ: users of the Amazon Kindle ebook reader will soon be able to "lend" each other titles they've purchased for up to two weeks from sometime this year, according to a post by the Kindle team. Related links Amazon Kindle 3 review New Amazon Kindle unveiled Amazon Kindle App review Amazon Kindle books outselling hardbacks Amazon Kindle to introduce gaming platform Amazon Kindle gets free word games Once a user has lent a copy of a book from his or her digital library, the user receiving the book will be able to read it just as if they'd purchased it themselves. However, the original purchaser won't have access to their ebook so long as it is on loan - just like how actual books used to work. A book can be lent to another Kindle user for up to two weeks, although each book can only be lent once (whether that is once per person or once per book isn't clear from the Kindle team's post). Not all books will be lend-able, however; it's down to individual publishers deciding which of their titles can and cannot be borrowed. The Amazon Kindle team also announced in the post plans to make newspapers and magazines purchased from the Kindle store available to customers using the various incarnations of the Kindle app (they had until now only been accessible on the physical Kindle itself). No word on when these updates will hit beyond "later this year", but when they do, you'll be the first to know. Via: Amazon.com   This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Google Nexus 2 gets Android 2.3 Gingerbread Posted: 31 Oct 2010 03:03 AM PDT Posted by Richard Wordsworth on Sun 31 Oct 2010 Google Nexus Two whispers: designed by Samsung, packs Android 2.3 More details are surfacing on Google's latest hush-hush incarnation of its own-brand smartphone, the Nexus Two. The reportedly Samsung-designed follow-up to last year's Nexus One has been tipped to be the first handset on the market to come running Android 2.3 - or Gingerbread, as the kids call it. Related links Samsung Google Nexus Two coming November 8th? Google Nexus Two spotted ahead of expected Nov 8th launch Android Gingerbread details emerge Samsung Galaxy S review Google Nexus One review The updated Gingerbread OS is rumoured to include an updated user interface, improved social networking capabilities and access to an Android music store, although Google remains tight-lipped on whether the handset even exists. From what details have been leaked so far, the Google Nexus Two looks and feels a lot like the Samsung Galaxy S, with a 4" AMOLED touchscreen and a black gloss plastic shell. New additions include the now compulsory front-facing camera for all those video calls you're itching to make. The Google Nexus Two is expected to get its big debut at a Samsung press event in New York on November 8th. More details when we have them. Via: i4u.com   This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

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• Better Place's electric taxis coming to SF Bay Area, thanks to $7 million grant
• Gucci's 3D glasses up the ante with $225 fashion tag
• Roku previews UI tweaks on the way
• iPod foils potential kidnapping attempt in the hands of quick-thinking child
• MSI brings graphics switching action to 15.6-inch FX600MX laptop
• Hundred Year Starship Initiative plans to put people on Mars by 2030, bring them back by... well, never (video)
• The Apple Store is down, nobody here but us chickens (update: back up)
• Xbox Live mandatory update coming November 1st, all hands on board
• Microsoft buys Canesta, continues camera-based domination of our interfaces
• Fox blackout on Cablevision ends after 14 day standoff, glaring contest continues on
• HP Envy 14 Beats Edition no longer available with Dr. Dre endorsed headphones, results in price drop
• Entourage Pocket Edge reveals itself on the Home Shopping Network
• Droid 2 Global appears in Costco database for $199, T-Mobile Comet at $149
• HTC Desire HD vs. EVO 4G... fight!
• Apple sues Motorola right back over six patents
• OnStar's MyLink smartphone apps now available on Android and iOS

Better Place's electric taxis coming to SF Bay Area, thanks to $7 million grant Posted: 31 Oct 2010 11:02 AM PDT San Francisco, San Jose and Palo Alto, California were all too happy to endorse Better Place's electric vehicle infrastructure two years ago, but now the powers that be have invested some cash to get this show on the road. The Bay Area's Metropolitan Transportation Commission has dropped $6.9 million to purchase and build 61 electric taxis and four robotic battery swap stations to put freshly juiced cells in place -- just like Better Place has been doing with Tokyo taxis since April 26th. Yellow Cab Cooperative and Yellow Checker Cab will operate the zero-emission vehicles, though CNET reports that they've yet to choose a particular type -- perhaps we'll finally see Mitsubishi's i MiEV with a steering wheel on the left-hand side? PR after the break. Show full PR text MTC Awards $33 Million in New Grants to Spur Innovations in Emissions Reduction 17 Bay Area Projects Selected OAKLAND, Calif., Oct. 27, 2010 - The Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) today approved 17 grants totaling $33 million through its Climate Initiatives Program to promote breakthrough techniques for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and vehicle-miles traveled around the Bay Area. The commitments include 13 Innovative Grants totaling $31 million to support electric-vehicle fleets, encourage alternatives to solo driving, institute dynamic pricing for parking, promote bicycle sharing, allow ocean-going ships to turn off their diesel engines while loading or unloading cargo, eliminate the need to transport hot asphalt for pavement rehabilitation projects, and upgrade signalized intersections to detect and count bicycles. The Commission also approved four Safe Routes to Schools grants totaling $2 million for programs designed to encourage walking or bicycling to school. These grants will supplement $15 million already distributed to the nine Bay Area counties for local Safe Routes to Schools programs. "The stiff competition for these grants shows the spirit of innovation is alive and well in the Bay Area," said MTC Chair and Alameda County Supervisor Scott Haggerty, noting the Commission received 75 initial project requests totaling $250 million at the start of the two-step evaluation process. "But the spirit of partnership and collaboration among the applicants is equally strong. We ultimately selected the projects that have the biggest potential for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and that can be replicated regionwide. And because many of the original project sponsors ended up joining forces with other applicants, good proposals got even better." The biggest of the 13 Innovative Grants is a nearly $7 million award to the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, the city of San Jose and Palo Alto-based Better Place to demonstrate electric taxis in San Jose and San Francisco. Other grants for electric vehicle programs included $2.8 million for a national demonstration project led by Alameda County which includes the purchase of 90 electric vehicles and accompanying Level 2 chargers for use by public agencies in Alameda, Marin, Santa Clara and Sonoma counties; and $1.7 million for a team led by the San Francisco County Transportation Authority to deploy 19 electric vehicles in the City CarShare fleet in San Francisco and the East Bay. A partnership involving the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, SamTrans, the San Francisco MTA and the Bay Area Air Quality Management District received almost $4.3 million for a pilot bike-sharing program through which 1,000 bikes will be available for use at 100 kiosks in San Francisco, San Jose, Mountain View, Palo Alto, Redwood City and other cities along the Caltrain corridor. The Port of Oakland won a $3 million grant to install the infrastructure needed to allow ships at one of its 18 international berths to turn off their auxiliary diesel engines and plug into the electrical grid while loading or unloading cargo. This Shore Power initiative is planned as the first step in the eventual transformation of all the port's international berths and its eight marine terminals. The city of Napa teamed with Sonoma County to win a $2 million grant to demonstrate cold-in-place asphalt recycling, which eliminates the need to produce new paving material or transport it to the worksite. The demonstration will include roadway rehab projects in both Napa and Sonoma counties. The city of San Jose received $1.5 million to test eight different bicycle detection and count systems at signalized intersections around the city. Each test will last at least three months. The city will conduct outreach to bicyclists to identify the best technology, and then implement the system on two major travel corridors with existing bike lanes. The city of Berkeley received a $2 million grant to implement a pilot program for dynamic pricing of parking spaces in the Southside and Elmwood districts, to enhance parking enforcement to manage spillover into adjacent residential neighborhoods, and to implement various transportation demand-management (TDM) strategies to help reduce the number of auto trips in the city. SamTrans got nearly $1.5 million to implement car-sharing, short-distance vanpools and other TDMs in and around downtown Redwood City. The San Francisco County Transportation Authority received $750,000 to establish a forum for implementing TDM tools such as parking cashout programs and a Muni Partners shuttle. A partnership between the Sonoma County Transportation Authority and the city of Santa Rosa got $600,000 to restructure Santa Rosa's Guaranteed Ride Home program, its commute pass and youth pass programs and other TDM strategies. Another partnership led by the Sonoma County Transportation Authority received a $1.5 million grant to demonstrate dynamic ridesharing technology in Sonoma, Marin and Contra Costa counties. The four Safe Routes to Schools grants approved by MTC included $867,000 to a partnership spearheaded by the Alameda County Waste Management Authority for a climate change curriculum and competition in schools in Alameda, San Mateo, Santa Clara and Sonoma counties; $500,000 to a team led by the Alameda County Transportation Commission for a mobile truck that workers will use to promote walking and biking, and to provide bicycle repairs and bike repair and bike safety lessons; $383,000 for a group led by the Transportation Authority of Marin that will use social media to promote "Green Ways to School;" and $250,000 for the Solano Transportation Authority to develop geographic information systems (GIS)-based route-to-school maps with safety coded routes. MTC is the transportation planning, coordinating and financing agency for the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area. A complete list of projects approved for funding through the Climate Initiatives Program grants can be viewed here (PDF). Better Place to Bring Electric Taxi Program to the San Francisco Bay Area October 27, 2010 Palo Alto, Calif. – (October 27, 2010) – Better Place, with support from the U.S. Department of Transportation via the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, today announced a commitment to bring a switchable battery, electric taxi program to the Bay Area in partnership with the cities of San Francisco and San Jose to further cement the region's position as the "EV Capital of the U.S." Taxis are a high-mileage, high-visibility segment that can serve as the on-ramp for technology transfer to the mass-market. Over the next three years, the program will deploy and operate four battery switch stations in the San Francisco to San Jose corridor that supports a fleet of zero-emission, switchable taxis. This fleet will offer many thousands of Bay Area residents and visitors their first EV experience. The program also has the potential to help California and the Bay Area meet their aggressive energy and climate policy goals when scaled to the entire region. Electric taxis are the gateway to clean cities. While gas-powered taxis are fewer in number than personal cars, these high-mileage vehicles are disproportionally responsible for harmful greenhouse gas (GHG) and other tailpipe emissions, so electrification of this fleet is essential to making a real impact on air quality and oil consumption. Since taxis drive nearly continuously, they require instant charge of their battery to maintain quality of service and continue serving the public. Given the taxi business, waiting three to four hours for standard charge is not an option. Battery switch is the only option that allows the driver to recharge in less time than it takes to refuel, the means of range extension for today's gas-powered taxis. Better Place has been successfully operating an EV taxi program in Tokyo, supported by the Japanese government. The pilot project began on April 26, in cooperation with Nihon Kotsu Co., Tokyo's largest taxi operator, and focuses on the feasibility of an automated battery switch process as means for taxis to have instant, zero-emission, range extension. In the first 90 days of the trial, the EV taxis drove over 25,000 miles using battery switch as the primary means of "instant charge" or range extension. "Today marks a significant milestone in our march towards accelerating the mass adoption of electric cars in the Bay Area. This program will enable us to reach a broad audience and demonstrate a solution that offers drivers a more convenient option than today's gasoline cars," said Jason Wolf, VP of North America for Better Place. "The battery switch model is gaining momentum globally. Our Tokyo EV taxi program has proven to be an example to major metropolitan areas around the world, and we are pleased that the MTC recognized this and the Bay Area is taking a leadership position in the U.S." This program will be developed in partnership with key regional stakeholders and organizations that are working together to build Bay Area EV leadership, including: • Taxi operators and car sharing programs: Yellow Cab Cooperative, Yellow Checker Cab Inc.; • Regional and state agencies: Bay Area Air Quality Management District • Consumer and EV organizations: Plug-in America, AAA Northern California; • Leading regional business/community organizations: Silicon Valley Leadership Group, Bay Area Council, Bay Area Climate Collaborative, Joint Venture: Silicon Valley Network, and others; • San Francisco Public Utilities Commission "In November 2008, I was joined by Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums, San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed and Better Place in calling for making the San Francisco Bay Area the EV Capital of America," said San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom. "This partnership with Better Place to build the first electric taxi program with switchable battery EVs in the U.S. helps make this a reality." Better Place remains on-track in developing and deploying countrywide networks of charging and battery-switching infrastructure in its first two markets, Israel and Denmark, for commercial launch in late 2011. Better Place will begin its initial network deployment in Canberra, Australia in late 2011 as part of a nationwide infrastructure roll out.

Gucci's 3D glasses up the ante with $225 fashion tag Posted: 31 Oct 2010 09:12 AM PDT Perhaps we were being unfair with Oakley's $150 3D shades -- that company, in fact, just didn't go far enough. Cut to Gucci with "optically correct" Real D frames of its own. No wraparounds, it's all glass forward, and like we said last time, you'll be the absolute most fashionable person in a crowded room full of people decidedly not looking in your direction for the entire duration of the glasses' applicable use. Look for these to hit your local US Gucci boutique -- if you have to ask where, it probably wasn't on your purchase list anyway -- for $225. Your move, Louis Vuitton.

Roku previews UI tweaks on the way Posted: 31 Oct 2010 07:10 AM PDT Our friends from ZatzNotFunny and Liliputing spotted Roku at a recent event showing off the next version of software for its media streamers: version 2.8, which should add several UI improvements including the updated Channel Store seen above. Also spotted was a special fall-themed skin and placeholder for the soon-to-arrive Hulu Plus access. The DLNA we've been expecting since our Roku XDS review still hasn't made an official appearance but we'll keep our fingers crossed until the update is offical and we have a changelog in our hands.

iPod foils potential kidnapping attempt in the hands of quick-thinking child Posted: 31 Oct 2010 05:09 AM PDT Apple's iPod touch can't make cellular calls -- at least, not without a special case -- but it did look enough like the similar iPhone to foil one would-be predator. A Delaware suspect asked a 12-year-old girl to get into his van in front of her middle school, but quickly fled the scene, when the girl reportedly put her iPod against her ear and told him she was dialing police. The local authorities did eventually get called and are still looking for the suspect. If you see a "white male, 35-45 years of age, with a dark crew cut styled hair" suspiciously eying the headphone jack placement on devices in your local Apple Store, perhaps you'd best stay away.

MSI brings graphics switching action to 15.6-inch FX600MX laptop Posted: 31 Oct 2010 03:06 AM PDT MSI stops short of calling the graphics switching technology within the FX600MX "Optimus," but it's pretty obvious what's behind the curtain. The outfit's latest 15.6-incher is equipped with a Core i3 or i5 CPU, Windows 7 Home Premium, up to 8GB of DDR3 memory and a 320/500GB hard drive. There's also a 512MB NVIDIA GeForce 310M GPU, and MSI has thrown in a handy control panel to make switching from discrete to integrated a lesson in simplicity. Moving on, you'll find a DVD SuperMulti drive, two USB 2.0 ports, a 4-in-1 card reader, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, gigabit Ethernet, an HD webcam and a conventional six-cell battery. You'd be wasting your time hoping for a price and release from these guys, but usually a proper announcement means it'll be on shelves soon.

Hundred Year Starship Initiative plans to put people on Mars by 2030, bring them back by... well, never (video) Posted: 31 Oct 2010 12:03 AM PDT For a while now, there has been a conversation going on in certain circles (you know, space circles): namely, if the most prohibitive part of a manned flight to Mars would be the return trip, why bother returning at all? And besides the whole "dying alone on a hostile planet 55-million-plus kilometers from your family, friends, and loved ones" thing, we think it's a pretty solid consideration. This is just one of the topics of discussion at a recent Long Now Foundation event in San Francisco, where NASA Ames Research Center Director Pete Worden discussed the Hundred Year Starship Initiative, a project NASA Ames and DARPA are undertaking to fund a mission to the red planet by 2030. Indeed if the space program "is now really aimed at settling other worlds," as Worden said, what better way to encourage a permanent settlement than the promise that there will be no coming back -- unless, of course, they figure out how to return on their own. Of course, it's not like they're being left to die: the astronauts can expect supplies from home while they figure out how to get things up and running. As Arizona State University's Dr. Paul Davies, author of a recent paper in Journal of Cosmology, writes, "It would really be little different from the first white settlers of the North American continent, who left Europe with little expectation of return." Except with much less gravity. See Worden spout off in the video after the break.

The Apple Store is down, nobody here but us chickens (update: back up) Posted: 30 Oct 2010 10:16 PM PDT Could it be a Verizon iPhone? The white iPhone 4? Perhaps a surprise Core i3 ULV in the 13-inch MacBook Pro? We can't tell for sure, but our money's on none of the above, folks. We'll be sure to dig through for changes as soon as the house that Jobs built is up and running once more. Update: The store's back up, but contrary to popular belief nothing of import seems to have changed -- the white iPhone 4 option had been removed and the Core i7-640M made available in the larger MacBook Pros a while back. We're hearing from an internal source that it may have just been scheduled maintenance. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Xbox Live mandatory update coming November 1st, all hands on board Posted: 30 Oct 2010 08:34 PM PDT Dashboard, that is. You've already seen the new Xbox 360 dashboard update right here and thousands of you have tried its flatter, faster interface for yourselves, but if you've missed out, it's looking like your Halloween candy bag may include a full-scale rollout. Xbox Live subscribers are getting the above message in their inboxes right now, indicating that November 1st will bring a service update of some sort, after which point "You will notice a change to the layout of the Xbox LIVE Dashboard, a new color scheme, and new fonts being used." That doesn't necessarily sound like a cornucopia of Netflix Search, ESPN, Kinect and Zune Music to us, but it's not like you have a choice -- it's mandatory, and you'll lose all Xbox Live functionality unless you comply. We for one welcome our new gaming software overlords. Unlike some of the competition's updates, these at least add functionality. [Thanks, Timothy C.]

Microsoft buys Canesta, continues camera-based domination of our interfaces Posted: 30 Oct 2010 07:22 PM PDT It seems that Microsoft's taken the camera to heart following its dismissal of the pen -- the company bought 3DV, collaborated with PrimeSense on Kinect, and today it's apparently finalized a deal to acquire 3D CMOS camera chipmaker Canesta as well. In case you've already forgotten, the latter company is the one that made an paid actor look particularly smug last year, by allowing the gent to control his television with a flick of the wrist. Things have progressed a good bit further than that, however, as you'll see in a demo video after the break, and Canesta president and CEO Jim Spare says he expects the company's stuffs to "see wide adoption across many applications that embody the full potential of the technology" under Microsoft's reign. Press release after the break. Show full PR text CANESTA ANNOUNCES DEFINITIVE AGREEMENT TO BE ACQUIRED BY MICROSOFT SUNNYVALE, CALIFORNIA – October 29, 2010 – Canesta, Inc. today announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to have its products, technology, intellectual property, customer contracts, and other resources acquired by the Microsoft Corporation. Canesta is a leader in 3-D sensing technologywhich is critical to making Natural User Interfaces (NUI) possible. According to Jim Spare, Canesta president and CEO, "This is very exciting news for the industry. There is little question that within the next decade we will see natural user interfaces become common for input across all devices. With Microsoft's breadth of scope from enterprise to consumer products, market presence, and commitment to NUI, we are confident that our technology will see wide adoption across many applications that embody the full potential of the technology." Canesta is the inventor of a leading single chip 3-D sensing technology platform and a large body of intellectual property. With 44 patents granted to date and dozens more on file, the company has made breakthroughs in many areas critical to enabling natural user interfaces broadly across many platforms. Some of these include the invention of standard CMOS 3-D sensing pixels, fundamental innovations in semiconductor device physics, mixed-signal IC chip design, optics, signal processing algorithms, and computer vision software. No details of the agreement have been disclosed. The acquisition is expected to be completed before the end of this year.

Fox blackout on Cablevision ends after 14 day standoff, glaring contest continues on Posted: 30 Oct 2010 05:29 PM PDT Evidently missing the first two games of the World Series was about all Cablevision thought it subscribers could take, as news just hit the wire: the fourteen-day standoff is over and both tonight's game three of the World Series and tomorrow's Jets vs Packers game are available to subscribers. While these carriage disputes are pretty common, it is very rare for channels to be pulled and downright unheard of for a channel as popular as Fox. It came to this because Cablevision was very unhappy about News Corp's new terms and after many pleas to the FCC and politicians to intervene, an advertising campaign, and eventually an unaccepted offer to match the price that Time Warner Cable pays, a deal has finally been done. Not exactly all's well that ends well, though, as Cablevision released the following statement: "In the absence of any meaningful action from the FCC, Cablevision has agreed to pay Fox an unfair price for multiple channels of its programming including many in which our customers have little or no interest." Talk about sour grapes. Well at least we can hope that Cablevision's efforts paid off a little bit and your cable bill won't go up as much as it would've if the outage never occurred to begin with. We can hope. Show full PR text FOX PROGRAMMING RETURNS TO CABLEVISION BETHPAGE, NY, October 30, 2010 – Cablevision Systems Corp. (NYSE: CVC) today reached agreement with News Corp. to return Fox programming to Cablevision. The channels will return to Cablevision immediately and in time for tonight's World Series game and tomorrow's NFL match-up between the New York Jets and Green Bay Packers. The company released the following statement: "In the absence of any meaningful action from the FCC, Cablevision has agreed to pay Fox an unfair price for multiple channels of its programming including many in which our customers have little or no interest. Cablevision conceded because it does not think its customers should any longer be denied the Fox programs they wish to see. Cablevision thanks its customers for understanding the reasons for the dispute and for staying with us. We are also grateful to the 175 government leaders who raised their voices to urge government intervention and binding arbitration to prevent this blackout. It is clear the retransmission consent system is badly broken and needs to be fixed. In the end, our customers will pay more than they should for Fox programming, but less than they would have if we had accepted the unprecedented rates News Corp. was demanding when they pulled their channels off Cablevision." The channels returning to Cablevision are Fox 5 (WNYW), Fox 29 (WTXF), My9, Fox Business Network, National Geographic Wild and Fox Deportes.

HP Envy 14 Beats Edition no longer available with Dr. Dre endorsed headphones, results in price drop Posted: 30 Oct 2010 04:41 PM PDT The differences between the HP Envy 14 Beats Edition and the plain ol' Envy 14 have been primarily aesthetic -- it's got a black Beats branded lid and red backlit keyboard -- but HP's also included that set of Monster Beats Solo headphones you see up there. Sadly, that last differentiator is no longer. We'd heard from a few readers that their Envy 14 Beats Edition laptops arrived sans headphones, and HP has confirmed for us that due to "supply constraints" the Dr. Dre Solo from Monster headphones are no longer included with the snazzy black and red laptop. Hopefully those customers that paid full price for the laptop and didn't receive the Solos will get a refund, but we're told by HP that the price has been lowered by $100 since the cans went out of stock -- the starting price was originally $1,249.99 and is now $1,149.99. We're not entirely sure why you'd pay $150 more for the Beats version now, considering you get the same audio experience with the standard $999.99 Envy, but what do we know? There may be tons of diehard Beats Audio fans living amongst us. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Entourage Pocket Edge reveals itself on the Home Shopping Network Posted: 30 Oct 2010 03:37 PM PDT We're still trying to understand why Entourage has chosen the Home Shopping Network of all places to reveal its new Pocket Edge, but at least we now know that the previously spied dualscreen tablet / e-reader lives! Although the 1.35-pound device has been shrunken down with smaller displays -- a 6-inch "Wacom Penabled" e-ink panel and 7-inch LCD -- it actually doesn't appear like much else has been changed from the original. Unfortunately, that means our biggest complaints about the device are very much present -- it's got a resistive touchscreen and appears to run an older version of Android. If it's any consolation, the trackball on the right edge has been replaced with an optical touchpad and there are now red and black color options. Spec-wise, it still boasts 4GB of storage, a 2 megapixel camera (hopefully there's software now that takes advantage of it), 802.11 b/g, a USB port, and micro-SD slot. It is, however, more affordable -- though it's originally priced at $499, HSN has a sale running that puts it at $399. Of course, no word on if a 3G version will be arriving at Verizon as we've previously heard, but we're sure this thing will get its official unveil sometime soon. Until then feel free to keep yourself preoccupied with the gallery below and at the source link -- just don't get lost in the cookware section. Entourage Pocket Edge on HSN.com

Droid 2 Global appears in Costco database for $199, T-Mobile Comet at $149 Posted: 30 Oct 2010 02:34 PM PDT What happens when you punch the phrase "Droid" into a Costco sales terminal? If Boy Genius Report's sources are right, you see the Motorola Droid 2 Global ring up (in black and white!) for $199.99. Considering we're also seeing the 1.2GHz quad-band worldphone on a Verizon rebate sheet, it's a pretty safe bet the handset's coming out soon -- and if Verizon also lists the phone for that price, it could be the death knell for the A955. (We've gotten several tips today that the original Droid 2 has been marked for end-of-life at Best Buy.) There's also a T-Mobile Comet pictured above, also known as the Huawei Ideos, a low-budget Android smartphone whose $149.99 price will almost certainly be free of two-year contracts. Of course, in the spirit of Costco you probably won't get off that easily -- subliminal messaging will surely compel you to purchase the $24.99 Ewoks and Star Wars Droids Adventure Hour on DVD.

HTC Desire HD vs. EVO 4G... fight! Posted: 30 Oct 2010 01:30 PM PDT By now you've probably read our Desire HD review and you've seen how HTC's latest Android flagship stacks up against its Windows Phone 7 sibling, the HD7. But how does it fare against the original Android giant, Sprint's EVO 4G? The devices share common displays (4.3-inch WVGA) and cameras (8 megapixel with dual LED flash) -- but they use different radios (HSPA+ versus CDMA / WiMAX) and processors (first-generation Snapdragon in the EVO, second-gen in the Desire). In fact, the two phones actually have very different personalities when you consider the Desire HD's aluminum unibody case and the EVO 4G's HDMI output and kickstand. Take a look at these mighty beasts side-by-side in our gallery -- along with a video after the break! Note: In the video we mention that the Desire HD features a front facing camera. This is incorrect. HTC Desire HD vs. EVO 4G... fight!

Apple sues Motorola right back over six patents Posted: 30 Oct 2010 12:42 PM PDT What, you didn't think Apple was just going to sit around and take it after Motorola first sued for patent infringement and then asked to court to declare some 20 of Cupertino's patents weren't applicable to its products, did you? Apple's fired back with two lawsuits claiming that Motorola's Android phones, including but not limited to the Droid, Droid 2, Droid X, Cliq, Cliq XT, BackFlip, Devour A555, Devour i1, and Charm, infringe a total of six multitouch and OS patents. That would be pretty much par for the course -- you sue me, I sue you -- but there are a couple interesting strategic wrinkles to note: We've only seen Apple litigate one of these patents before: #7,479,949, Touch Screen Device, Method, and Graphical User Interface for Determining Commands by Applying Heuristics. You should remember it well -- it's the patent covering scroll behavior on multitouch screens that was hyped as "the iPhone patent" and triggered a press frenzy over a possible Apple / Palm lawsuit. As we predicted at the time, that hasn't yet materialized, but old '949's gotten pretty popular: Apple's asserting it against Nokia and HTC as well. Apple might be suing over six patents in these two cases, but ultimately Apple will claiming Motorola's devices infringe a total of 26 patents -- part of Apple's defense to Motorola's 20-patent lawsuit will be to claim that that Moto's in fact infringing each of those patents. That's a lot of patents across a lot of devices, and it'll just take one finding of infringement to cause a lot of pain. Apple's filed its two cases in the Western District of Wisconsin, a patent "rocket docket" that tries cases quickly and are often perceived as being plaintiff-friendly. (Part of the Apple / Nokia lawsuit is happening in this same court.) Moto's obvious next move will be to try and consolidate all these cases into a single proceeding at one court, a procedural tactic that will take likely take months. And that's just the first step. Don't expect these cases to be decided for at least a year -- probably many years -- unless Apple and Motorola decide to settle, which is always possible. Apple's now seriously engaged in litigation with the two largest Android handset makers (HTC and Motorola), largely over OS-level patents. At some point Google has to get involved, if only to indemnify its partners against further liability for using Android, and we can't help but think Apple and Google are eventually bound to face off directly. Or perhaps not -- by suing Android handset makers, Apple's essentially putting a tax on Android without having to further muddy up its complex competitor / partner relationship with Google by adding in a major lawsuit. We've added in a list of the patents after the break, if you're interested -- and we know you're interested, right? It's not like it's a beautiful Saturday afternoon or anything. 7,812,828, Ellipse Fitting for Multi-Touch Surfaces 7,663,607, Multipoint Touchscreen 5,379,430, Object-Oriented System Locator System 7,497,949, Touch Screen Device, Method, and Graphical User Interface for Determining Commands by Applying Heuristics 6,493,002, Method and Apparatus for Displaying and Accessing Control and Status Information in a Computer System 5,838,315, Support for Custom User-Interaction Elements in a Graphical, Event-Driven Computer System

OnStar's MyLink smartphone apps now available on Android and iOS Posted: 30 Oct 2010 12:10 PM PDT Looking to spend a little quality time with your ride this weekend? If you just plunked down for a 2011 Chevrolet or Cadillac, and you just so happen to own an Android or iOS-based phone, you can now download the myChevrolet, myCadillac, and OnStar MyLink mobile phone apps that were duly introduced last month. We're told that the Buick and GMC versions will be launched in November, with the whole crew enabling owners to access vehicle-specific information, vehicle diagnostics, and even lock / unlock the doors. There's still no word on widespread Facebook integration, but hey, baby steps... right? Show full PR text myChevrolet and OnStar MyLink Apps Now Available Free apps for iPhone and Android platforms combine convenience of smart-phone applications with power of OnStar 2010-10-29 DETROIT – Beginning today, owners of 2011 Chevrolet models can access their vehicle information and OnStar services right from their smart phones. The myChevrolet and OnStar MyLink applications, available as free downloads, provide drivers with unprecedented connectivity to their vehicles from their Android or Apple iPhone device. "This is a great example of how we are focusing on smart technologies that address customers' needs," said Chris Perry, vice president, Chevrolet marketing. "With myChevrolet and Onstar MyLink apps, customers can search their owners' manual, find their parking spot, and even unlock their car – right from their phone." Features of the apps fall into three categories: location-based services, vehicle-specific information, and OnStar connectivity features. The location-based services include a parking reminder that allows drivers to save their parking location to a GPS-enabled map, set a timer to track how much time they have on the parking meter, and even add a note or photo with details about their parking location. If they return to a flat tire, the driver can use the app to request roadside assistance or to locate the closest Chevrolet dealership and schedule a service appointment. Vehicle-specific information is accessible after scanning the vehicle identification number using the smart-phone camera. These features include searchable content for the most-commonly accessed information in the owner's manual, such as directions saving radio presets. The app also provides explanations of warning lights and indicators on the vehicle instrument panel at the touch of a button. In addition, myChevrolet integrates with the OnStar MyLink app to access exclusive OnStar technologies. Through OnStar's unique connection to the vehicle, owners can send remote vehicle commands such as unlocking or locking the doors, and starting the engine. In addition, owners can access key diagnostic information, including fuel tank level and range, remaining oil life, current and recommended tire pressure and lifetime average miles per gallon. The diagnostic information is current as of the last vehicle start, giving OnStar subscribers an up-to-date health report of their vehicle anytime they need it. myChevrolet and OnStar MyLink are currently available for download, free of charge, from www.apple.com, or from www.android.com.

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