From slashdot.org

“According to a CNet article, an incredible one in three people aged 16 to 24 in the UK would not give up their mobile phone for a million pounds. ‘The phone-centric survey, called Mobile Life, was carried out across the UK and questioned 1,256 people aged 16 to 64 on a variety of topics … So young people really like having a mobile phone and we all love buying gadgets. But before you dismiss this research as stating the bleeding obvious, think about this — if someone had told you even ten years ago that people would be taking out second mortgages to buy flat screen TVs, would you have believed it?’ Is this just the result of deliberately skewed marketing dressed up as research, or is this another indication of western culture’s obsession with communication and technology? How much is too much tech?”

Today simultaneously launched the fastest microprocessor ever built and an ultra-powerful new computer server that leverages the chip’s many breakthroughs in energy conservation and virtualization technology. The new server is the first ever to hold all four major benchmark speed records for business and technical performance. At 4.7 GHz, the dual-core POWER6™ processor doubles the speed of the previous generation POWER5™ while using nearly the same amount of electricity to run and cool it. This means customers can use the new processor to either increase their performance by 100 percent or cut their power consumption virtually in half.

The new server offers more than just raw performance – it is the world’s most powerful midrange consolidation machine, containing special hardware and software that allows it to create many “virtual” servers on a single box.

pcworld.com: Our editors rank the best PCs, HDTVs, components, sites, and services. Plus: the products we’re looking forward to next year, and which technologies are rising and falling.

Full story here.

The Guardian is reporting that the UK’s has launched a new breed of police ’spy drone’. Originally used in military applications, these drones are being put into use as a senior police officer warns the surveillance society in the UK is eroding civil liberties. In the UK, there are an estimated 4.2 million surveillance cameras already, and you are on average photographed 300 times a day going about your business.

The Federal Communications Commission approved Apple Inc.’s iPhone, clearing the way for the combined phone and music player to hit the shelves. Apple expects to begin selling the phones in late June. Some of the FCC documents confirm a few features of the phone, including it will have Bluetooth and Wi-Fi and will operate in the 1900MHz and 850MHz frequency bands. The phone uses GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) technology and the low-speed GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) wireless data standard.

From slashdot.org

LG.Philips LCD has announced it has developed the world’s first 14.1-inch flexible color E-paper display, equivalent in size to an A4 sheet of paper. The 14.1-inch flexible color E-paper uses electronic ink from E-Ink Corp. to produce a maximum of 4,096 colors. It can be viewed from a full 180 degrees, so that images always appear crisp, even when the display is bent.

From slashdot.org

Russian government is proposing to build an underground tunnel between Russia and Alaska for transporting goods, electricity and natural resources. The tunnel would be twice as long as that between the UK and France. The $10 — $12b cost is not something to be overlooked, but Russia claims the benefits would pay it off in 20 years. It would take 10 to 15 years to build.

They’ve just announced the Duo HD BD-UP5000, their first player to support both HD disc formats. Samsung is promising that the Duo HD BD-UP5000 will have full support for HD-DVD (including support for HDi).

Philips partnering with Swarovski will offer an Active Crystals collection of 1GB USB drives onto the fashion-conscience set. They are not yet priced and will come in August.

A French train with a 25,000-horsepower engine and special wheels broke the world speed record Tuesday for conventional rail trains, reaching 357.2 mph (574.8 kph) as it zipped through the countryside to the applause of spectators. It fell short, however, of beating the ultimate record set by Japan’s magnetically levitated train, which hit 361 mph (580.9 kph) in 2003.

Original story and vide here.

Here.

InPhase Technologies has begun bulk shipping of its 300GB holographic storage disks and drives, the firm said yesterday. The Tapestry HDS-300R drive costs $18,000, with the 1.5mm-thick platters running to $180 a piece. nPhase’s roadmap sees a series of capacity increases, with disks expanded to 1.6TB in 2010. Data is currently transferred from the platters, which are expected to have a 50-year lifespan, at 20MBps.

The Toshiba Portege G900 runs on Windows Mobile 6.0, meaning you have access to Windows Live Messenger and Hotmail on the go. It also has a full Qwerty keypad, which is useful if you need to type out a long email.

The fingerprint scanner/touchpad is on the back, which might seem strange at first, but feels in the right place once you pick up the G900 and start using it.

More info here.

By Katie Marsal and Kasper Jade from Appleinsider

According to an “IT Hardware” report from Prudential Equity Group analyst Jesse Tortora, the move would pave the way for smaller form factor players, a more diverse model mix, and improvements to both battery life and durability.

In addition to the flash-based storage, Apple’s next generation video iPod will include a wider touch screen similar to that of iPhone, Wi-Fi to enable the transfer of digital content from Apple TV, and GPS functionality.

В From www.digitimes.com

Although the Apple iPhone has not even hit the market, it has already become an industry measuring stick for any new multimedia handset being launched, with the latest comparison coming through the introduction of Samsung’s Ultra Smart F700 on February 8th.

Like the Apple iPhone, the F700 features a full touch screen. However, although Samsung noted that the device reflects the recent trend in the telecommunications industry by using a touch screen user interface, the F700 will still include a QWERTY key pad (unlike the iPhone) for users who are not yet familiar with a touch-screen-only user interface. The F700 also features VibeTonz technology which allows users to feel the buttons accompanied by responsive vibrations.

A “Drag and drop” method of touch screen was adopted for easier menu navigation, Samsung indicated, and the device includes a music play list control. Volume, play lists, brightness of screens as well as other menu controls can be controlled utilizing the touch screen.

Samsung has also touted the 3G capabilities of the Ultra Smart F700, with 3G not initially scheduled to be supported by the iPhone. Although a High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) network is not yet fully deployed, the handset supports the standard. Samsung pointed out that once the 7.2 Mbps HSDPA network is completely deployed, F700 users can download an 4MB MP3 song in 4.4 seconds.

Samsung added that a full HTML browser along with the QWERTY key pad enables access to the Internet for e-mail and data services. The device also features a 2.78-inch TFT LCD color display, a 5 mega-pixel camera with auto focus and Bluetooth support.

The company did not say when the handset will hit the market and at what price.

Sony Ericsson unveiled its W880 and W888 third-generation phones, products designed to take on Finnish rival Nokia Corp. and U.S.-based Motorola Inc. in the high-end market.

The phones, which are just over a third of an inch thick, can store as many as 900 songs on a 1-gigabyte memory stick and sport a 2-megapixel camera. They come in a stainless-steel finish and are expected to be available before spring.

The company also showed off its latest Walkman phone, the W610, a candy bar-style phone that can store as many as 470 songs on a 512-megabyte memory stick. Like the W880, it has a camera but also features TrackID, which lets the user record a portion of a song and identifies it by name, artist and album. It’s expected to be released during the second quarter of 2007.

Sony Ericsson also extended its Cybershot camera-phone line with the K810 and K550 models. The company said its first Cybershot phone, the K800, has already sold more than 4.5 million units worldwide.

Sony Ericsson will launch four basic, entry- level phones in the second quarter, including the K200 and K200 camera phones, one of which includes FM-radio popular among users in Latin America and Asia.

It is also launching the J110 and J120 candy bar-style phones, which offer basic talk and text functionality.

http://www.sonyericsson.comВ 

Press release from Virgin America focuses on the seat-back entertainment on each seat. The screens are 9-inch and touchscreen, which are powered by an actual individual PC running Linux. These are all interconnected via Ethernet, which grab streaming video off of three file servers in the plane’s belly. You can listen to music, watch TV, get pay-per-view movies, or even order food from the touchscreen. The best part? They ported a bunch of Linux games-including Doom- so you can play it right on the screen.