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President Obama test drives a Sphero on Boulder visit
President Obama was in the Centennial State last night, hyping up an enthusiastic crowd at the University of Colorado at Boulder's Coors Events Center. Of course, he couldn't help but take some time to check out some some of the local innovation. The President took a few moments out of his busy schedule to play around with the smartphone-controlled Sphero RC ball, declaring "how cool is that," before demanding that the crowd, "give me some space to drive my ball." He also tossed out some superlatives like "terrific," after nearly driving it into a woman's flip-flop. Now that's a solid endorsement, if ever we've heard one. In the end, though, it didn't last long -- the guy's got a country to run, after all.
Authorities decrypt laptop without defendant's help, Fifth Amendment need not apply
Constitutional junkies have had their eyes on Colorado for awhile now, because a federal judge there ordered a woman to decrypt her hard drive in a criminal trial. This, despite her cries that doing so would violate her Fifth Amendment right to be free from self-incrimination. The argument is now moot, as authorities have managed to access the laptop's data without any aid from the defendant, thereby obviating any Constitutional conundrums. Who knows if the feds found the evidence of bank-fraud they were looking for, or whether it was brute force or a lucky guess that did the trick, but at least we can say it's the last of the laptop-related Fifth Amendment court cases for awhile, right?
Judge forces defendant to decrypt laptop, fuels debate over Fifth Amendment rights
A judge in Colorado yesterday ordered a defendant to decrypt her laptop's hard drive at the prosecution's request, adding new fire to the ongoing debate surrounding consumer technology and the Fifth Amendment. The defendant, Ramona Fricosu, is facing charges of bank fraud, stemming from a federal investigation launched in 2010. As part of this investigation, federal authorities used a search warrant to seize her Toshiba Satellite M305 laptop. Fricosu's legal team had previously refused to decrypt the computer, on the grounds that doing so would violate her Fifth Amendment rights to avoid self-incrimination. On Monday, though, US District Judge Robert Blackburn ruled against the defendant, arguing that the prosecution retained the right to access her device, as stipulated under the All Writs Act -- a law that requires mobile operators to comply with federal surveillance."I conclude that the Fifth Amendment is not implicated by requiring production of the unencrypted contents of the Toshiba Satellite M305 laptop computer," Blackburn wrote, adding that there was strong evidence to suggest that Fricosu's computer contained information pertinent to the case. Fricosu's lawyer, Phil Dubois, is hoping to obtain a stay on the ruling, in the hopes of taking the case to an appeals court. "I think it's a matter of national importance," Dubois explained. "It should not be treated as though it's just another day in Fourth Amendment litigation." It remains to be seen whether Dubois succeeds in his appeal, though civil libertarians are already paying close attention to the case, since the US Supreme Court has yet to weigh in on the matter.
GE's new factory will push out one solar panel every ten seconds
General Electric is sending its troops to Colorado to conquer the thin film solar panel business. The 38th state will play home to a new facility that leverages the supermodel-thin panel know-how of PrimeStar Solar, which GE scooped up back in 2008. In traditional solar panels, sand is refined into silicon ingots, sliced wafers of which are then placed in a frame. The thin film process eliminates this, sandwiching layers of semiconductors between panes of glass -- saving time, money and, most importantly, energy. The factory will open ahead of schedule in 2012 and is reportedly capable of producing a new panel every ten seconds. You can learn all of that and more in the press release we've got for you after the break.
Westone lab tour: how in-ear monitors are made, from impressions to impressing (video)
You probably don't think "top-tier audio" when you ponder the wonders of Colorado Springs, but sure enough, one of music's best kept secrets is headquartered there, camped out slyly in quite the nondescript building. A few months back, we were granted unprecedented access to Westone's lair (just a year and change after visiting Klipsch's HQ), and they even let a film crew in for good measure. The goal? To show you, the budding audiophile, exactly how a set of custom in-ear monitors are crafted, and what kind of work goes into creating one of the planet's most diminutive speaker arrangements. We've whipped up the entire experience there in the video above, but if you're looking for a more textual perspective, head on past the break. %Gallery-126952%
North Carolina town goes paperless, embraces iPads
The town of Cornelius, NC has launched a new program designed to cut down on paper use in the town's government facilities, and the linchpin of this program is none other than Apple's tablet, the iPad. According to the local Herald Weekly paper, the town passed out iPad 2s to commissioners at a recent board meeting, and plans to use the devices for sharing agenda packets, budget information, and everything else you need to run a small town, without printing any of it out. The whole plan seems surprisingly well thought out -- the town actually ran a trial of the program with just three iPads, and the paperless agenda plan has been set up for quite a while now. It was relatively cheap, too -- the town has only spent $5200 on the iPads (not counting some document sharing software previously purchased), and fully expects to make that money right back up in saved time and paper costs. Pretty impressive move, and of course this means the town commissioners also get to use Apple's magical and revolutionary device during meetings (though they should probably keep the Angry Birds off of government property, just in case). We've seen iPads used in a professional setting before to great effect, and here's another situation where Apple's product is not only better for a few reasons, but actually cheaper as well. [via Gigaom -- but the town is not in Colorado, it's in North Carolina]
Verizon down in Wyoming, Colorado, parts of the Midwest?
We're getting a boatload of tips this morning that Verizon service has been down in Wyoming, Colorado, and parts of the Midwest this morning. An article posted on Wyoming's thetrib.com cites a "technical snafu" overnight at a Colorado-based switching center as the culprit with plans in place to have everything back up and running by late morning Mountain Time today, but we're curious who all has been affected -- Midwesterners in particular, have you gotten dragged into this nonsense? [Thanks to everyone who sent this in] Update: We've received Verizon's official statement, and it sounds like everything should've been back on the straight and narrow by 2PM MT today; for what it's worth, Denver and the surrounding areas were never affected.
Thieves snag iPad from buyer, yank a finger off while they're at it
We'll be honest with you -- it literally pains us to write this. If you're the queasy type, we'd probably suggest scrolling on down and continuing about your day. For the hardcore still with us, the story goes a little something like this: a Denver-area man headed out to his local Apple store to pick up an iPad for a colleague (read: not even for himself), and in an interview, he admits to not even really understanding the fascination with Apple's new product. After doing his good deed and plopping down the plastic, he casually curled the strings atop the Apple bag around his hand as he headed for the exits. Unfortunately, a pair of thugs met him along the way, yanking the bag, the iPad and all of the flesh surrounding his pinky finger as they bolted for a getaway. Currently, police are investigating surveillance footage in hopes of tracking down the crooks who pulled off the stunt... and, uh, a bit more than they likely bargained for. Video after the break if you've still got the stomach. [Thanks, Chris]
TUAW TV Live from the Aspen Grove Apple Store
Those of us in the flyover states have been watching the photos and video coming in from the Eastern seaboard as the Apple Stores open their doors to a new era in personal computing. TUAW Editor Steve Sande is live at the Aspen Grove Apple Store in Littleton, Colorado, and will be streaming the action to you via Ustream at around 11 AM EDT (8 AM PDT). In case you want to know the mechanics of how this is being done, Steve's using an iPhone 3GS running Ustream Broadcaster, connected through Wi-Fi to a Sprint MiFi. The iPhone is encased in an OWLE Bubo with a wide-angle lens, and has a SIMA LED Camcorder Light attached to it as well as a small directional mic. All of this is standing atop a Manfrotto monopod. Enjoy the video, and if you're at the store or in a line somewhere else, remember that you can watch this on the Ustream app. One more thing -- due to the nature of this broadcast, we won't have the traditional chat this morning. Oh, and one MORE thing -- until we go live, you'll be watching Dave Caolo's previously recorded video stream from Boston.
Select LA-area iPhones insist they're in Boulder, Colorado
The iPhone's iteration of Google Maps has been shown up time and time again by Google Maps Navigation on Android, but a quirk this big just has to be linked to some Skyhook database issue. According to a new report coming from the LA area, select iPhone users in Southbay cities near Los Angeles are seeing their GPS software linked to Boulder, Colorado, and the issue has been going on for around a week now. What's curious is that the erroneous positioning affects other third-party iPhone GPS apps as well, and an ABC report notes that a "spokesperson at AT&T said the problem is with Apple." Pass the blame much, AT&T? So, have any of you LA-based iPhoners found yourself navigating to Folsom Field when trying to find your way to Rodeo Drive? [Thanks, Charles]
Christie Golden appears at Loveland, CO Barnes and Noble today
Here's a heads up to all our readers in the general area of Loveland, Colorado. Christie Golden will appear at 2 PM Today at your local Barnes and Noble to sign copies of her New York Times best selling book, Arthas. If you're in the area and don't need to be glued to your computer waiting for BlizzCon tickets -- or are lucky enough to get one of the first tickets -- this is a pretty decent use of a Saturday afternoon, I'd say.And whether you're in Colorado or California or anywhere else, if you haven't checked Arthas out yet, it's definitely worth a shot. If you have anything more than a passing interest in WoW Lore, you owe it to yourself to buy or borrow this book. Not only is it the best piece of non-game Warcraft fiction according to multiple members of the WoW Insider team, but it contains tidbits of lore and happenings that are almost sure to figure prominently in future patches and expansions. You can read our review of the book for more of my gushing on the book.But anyway, if you're in the Loveland area and happen to drop by Barnes and Noble, let us know if anything cool goes down, and happy reading.
Colorado vNet ships Vibe Video System for media management
If you've been turned off on home automation due to prohibitive startup costs, you aren't alone. And we'll be the first to admit that Colorado vNet's newest shipping solution isn't dirt cheap, though the functionality is sure nice for those that can swing it. The Vibe Video System works to store a homeowner's movies, music and photo collections on a server for instant access from any connected TV in the home. The system itself will only be offered through company-approved dealers, though it is noted that support for Dolby TrueHD / DTS-HD Master Audio and Blu-ray is included. Prospective buyers have a few choices when it comes to servers, players and network servers, with each ranging from $2,199 to $7,999. Check the read link below if you aren't immediately turned off by such figures.[Via CEPro]
Comcast handing Denver HDNet and SciFi HD in December
Worried about running out of material to watch as you weather the winter blues in Denver? Fret not, as Comcast has announced intentions to add in HDNet (slot 664) and SciFi HD (slot 688) on December 8th. Additionally, Versus / Golf HD will be split into two distinct HD channels (Vs HD on 689; Golf HD on 672), while MOJO HD will sadly drop from the lineup entirely. Two steps forward, one step back.[Thanks, Dr. No]
MountainWest Sports Network makes HD debut November 22
Despite BYU's fall from the national championship picture, MountainWest fans have something to cheer about as the The Mtn - MountainWest Sports Network makes the leap to HDTV broadcasting Saturday, November 22 with a doubleheader of Colorado State/Wyoming and BYU/Utah college football. Also in HD on The Mtn are all the pre and postgame shows, giving a planned nine hours of sweet, sweet high definition. Now, about that whole needing a sidecar to pour a regular drink thing...[Via KSL]
DirecTV drops in HD locals for Colorado Springs-Pueblo, CO / Dayton, OH
DirecTV customers that have been surviving with an SD feed of KOAA (NBC), KKTV (CBS) and KXRM (FOX) in Colorado Springs-Pueblo can finally rejoice. We're here to inform you that you won't have to spend yet another long, lonely winter without 30 Rock in high-def. As of today, the satcaster has delivered those three locals in high-def to the aforesaid DMA, which brings the grand total to 103 cities across the United States. You've still got 18 to go before the year's out to meet that goal of 121 locales this year, DirecTV -- the clock's ticking!Update: Looks like DirecTV delivered all four of the broadcast networks today in Dayton, Ohio. 'Grats!
Comcast's 14 new HD channels nearly ready for Longmont, CO
It has been a long time coming, but those 14 HD channels that Comcast promised back in May are just about ready for primetime. Based on a followup in The Longmont Times-Call, we're told that the carrier is around 80% complete with its $6 million infrastructure upgrade, which will bring 14 new high-def channels and 35 pay-per-view stations to the lineup. When all's said and done, LoMo residents will have access to the same lineup that's currently in Denver and Boulder, and if everything stays on schedule, that 80% figure should reach 100% within six weeks. Huzzah!
Live at CEDIA 2008: bring on the pixels
Now that IFA is behind us, the consumer electronics world is turning its attention to Denver, Colorado to see what CEDIA has to offer. We're expecting hordes of new HDTVs, projectors, speakers, AV receivers and even THX-certified soundproof doors (yes, really), but it never fails that at least something on the show floor completely takes us by surprise. We've touched down here in the Mile High City to bring you up-to-the-minute updates, and for the most obsessive coverage, be sure to point your browsers to Engadget HD for the next few days.
Huntsville, AL and Denver, CO net HD news stations
Add two more to the growing list of news stations in America that have made the switch to high-def. Word from respective locals informs us that WHNT (the local CBS affiliate) in Huntsville, Alabama is now broadcasting news in HD, while KMGH (the local ABC affiliate) in Denver, Colorado has done the same. Any others out there needing recognition while we're on a roll?[Thanks, Mike and Steven]
Bresnan Communications adds Outdoor Channel HD
Bresnan Communications, the 13th largest cable operator in the US, has fittingly added Outdoor Channel HD to its lineup in Montana, Wyoming, Utah and Colorado. Given the areas in which it serves, it makes sense to offer up an outdoor-oriented station in high-def, which Randy Brown, senior vice president of affiliate sales and marketing, completely agrees with. Let us guess -- fishing will be the most watched sport.
Massively interviews JGE producer Hermann Peterscheck
Ever since ION 2008, the fine folks at NetDevil have been slightly more forthcoming with details from their sci fi opus-in-development, Jumpgate Evolution. First there was the interview that writer Keith Baker did about the game's three factions, filling us in one some of the background lore that's being plugged into the game. More recently, they did an interview on the more technical aspects of the game's development. Not wanting to miss out on the action, we caught up with Jumpgate Evolution producer Hermann Peterscheck, who, as you might recall, is awesome.Check below the cut for some insights into NetDevil's perception of the recent mergers in the MMO industry, their approach to integrating PvP and PvE into the same game, and some information about Jumpgate's capital ships.
