Alright, move along folks, nothing to see here. Remember that Palm Pre support page that showed up on Dutch provider Hi's website? Seems like that'd indicative a possible future collaboration, but according to a spokesman for KPN (of which Hi is a part), it's all a misunderstanding. While not meant for public viewing at this time, the page in question was apparently intended to explain what settings you'd need for using a Hi SIM card, whether you got the device from them or via another provider. Still seems fishy, if you ask us. Of course, he added the company is very interested in the Pre (as if we thought otherwise), but that nothing's been announced at this time anywhere in Europe. Let's just hope that rumored UK announcement pans out this week, and maybe the rest of the continent will follow suit.

[Thanks, Wesley]

The GSM version of Palm's Pre looks all set for a UK announcement next week on O2. Now we get this, a Pre spotted on the support site for Dutch carrier Hi in The Netherlands. Fine, but what you may not know is that O2 and Hi (part of KPN) are also deeply intertwined with Telefonica -- O2 being owned by Telefonica and KPN being an "integrated carrier" with a long history of Telefonica courtship rumors. So, putting two and two together might equal a September launch if that previous Telefonica rumor was true.

[Via Tweakers, thanks Harm H.]

This one's been a long time coming but it looks like Dutch company SPRXmobile has launched the world's first Augmented Reality browser. Layar, as it's called, runs on Android and aggregates the data from the cellphone's compass and GPS coordinates to understand where you're standing and what you're looking at. A "radar view" then applies a visual information layer on top of the camera display as you pan around your environment. Content partnerships including a local bank, social networking site, and a realty company allows Layar to identify houses for sale, nearby ATMs, and local clubs and bars all laid out visually on your cellphone's display. Layar will be available this month in The Netherlands via the Android Market for phones such as the G1 and HTC Magic. It will launch in the US, Germany, and the UK sometime later this year with the iPhone 3G S listed as a primary target platform. Looks great with plenty of data populated in the video sample (posted after the break) but we have to wonder how well it works in day-to-day reality.

Update: As pointed out by a number of readers, calling this a world's first is a bit of stretch considering apps like Wikitude (a travel guide) and NRU. When pressed, SPRXmobile said they are a world's first AR browser platform.

If you don't like spoilers then look away, now -- seems Forbes has all the details related to iRex's 22 September announcement. The Netherlands-based group is set to release an evolved iLiad e-reader called the iRex Reader 1000. Like Plastic Logic, iRex is targeting business users with its new 10.2-inch E-Ink e-reader able to display "any file format" including PDF, Word, and HTML-rendered documents -- sorry, no video, no color. The Reader 1000 brings a stylus with touch-screen for making notes and markups for up to 80 hours on a single charge. The base Reader 1000 is boldly expected to start at $650 (compared to the $359, 6-inch Kindle). It then ramps to $750 for the writable screen version before topping out at $850 to add WiFi, Bluetooth, and 3G data connection. Now get to it CIOs, we suspect you'll need some time to argue the case why some personnel require a laptop, smartphone, and e-reader to get through the day.

[Via mobileread, Thanks Spencer H.]

Sure, there's always the airbag-equipped motorcycle, but for those who prefer to power their own two wheel transporters, you're pretty much on your own. The Dutch Cycling Federation has just cranked out a study showing that some 60 lives could be saved each year (though we're not sure if that's worldwide or region-specific) if airbags were installed on the hoods of vehicles. These external safety devices could also slash serious cycling injuries by 1,500 a year, and while you're likely passing this off as completely infeasible, Sweden's own Autoliv has already developed a bag that "inflates from the bottom of the windscreen." Of course, these timid cyclists could just wait until 2010 and strap on a wearable airbag of their own, but where's the fun in that?

[Via Autoblog]

April 2008. That's the date when the notoriously progressive Dutch government goes open source. The plan was approved unanimously yesterday in a meeting of two parliamentary commissions. The policy dictates that government organizations at the national level must be ready to save documents in the Open Document Format (ODF) by April, and the state and local level by 2009. Use of proprietary software and file formats from the likes of Microsoft will have to be justified under the new policy. The government expects to save $8.8 million a year on city housing registers alone by making the switch. Tough week, eh Microsoft? You'll have to get your OpenDocument plug-ins for MS Office ISO approved on the quick if you want to avoid further trouble.

Last we heard from the seemingly endless Nokia / Qualcomm kvetch-fest, the former company was soliciting the ITC's help in barring US Qualcomm chip imports, but for those wishing on their lucky stars that this spat would simply vanish into the night, we've got marginally good news. Apparently, a trio of judges in a Dutch court ruled that it didn't have jurisdiction to rule on the phone maker's claims outside of The Netherlands, thus, the patent-licensing case against Qualcomm was dismissed. Aside from claiming that its "jurisdiction was limited," the court also stated that Nokia's gripe was "too broad to give a reasoned decision." Of note, a German court also dismissed the case just last month on "similar grounds," but if you were counting on Nokia to just take the news in stride, we doubt you'll be pleased to hear that it's already "considering if it will appeal the decision."

Having read the title above, we ask you: how do you feel? Titillated at the prospect or fearful for the little babies? Either way, if artificial intelligence researcher David Levy of the University of Maastricht is to be believed, we'll be consummating relationships with our anatomically correct Roombas by mid-century. Ironically, even though the city of Maastricht sits in free-livin' Netherlands, Levy predicts that Massachusetts will be first to legalize human-robot marriage due to its liberal attitude toward same-sex marriages. He envisions those early man-machine marriages falling victim to the same cultural taboos affecting interracial marriages. However, just as those are accepted over time, so will committed robot-hookups be seen as "normal" as the practice becomes more common. According to Levy, "once you have a story like 'I had sex with a robot, and it was great!' appear someplace like Cosmo magazine, I'd expect many people to jump on the bandwagon." Hear that Digg users? The cure to nerdonic-celibacy is all up to you.

[Via TG Daily]

About a year after the Dutch government began seriously worrying about the integrity of e-voting machines, they've literally pulled the plug on the venture. The biggest flaw was the lack of a paper trail according to a special committee which reported its finding this morning. As such, Nederlanders will return to the "red pencil method" in upcoming elections until an automated paper-counting solution can be deployed... and then hacked.

Update: To be perfectly clear, the regulation allowing e-voting machines has been withdrawn -- i.e., effective immediately, there is no more e-voting in the Netherlands. However, the Dutch government will make an overarching decision in the next two months "to regain the trust of the public in our voting system." Given that the government commissioned this study themselves, the decision is expected to be a simple rubber stamp approval.

[Thanks, Wol]

For those not familiar with portable-urban travel: that's a bicycle. In fact, it's one of several bicycles wedged inside this "Bike Dispenser" created by the Dutch-based (of course) design agency, Springtime. The concept has actually been floating around since 2005 in The Netherlands but it recently won the Spark Design & Architecture Award causing the world to take notice. The idea here is to offer these RFID-tagged bikes to riders in cities supporting bike rental or bike exchange programs. The garages then, would be conveniently scattered around places like train stations and tourist hot-spots to automagically dispense your new ride. This automated system has completed a pilot and is now being worked into the national OV-fiets (public transport bicycle) service in Holland which rents a bicycle for € 2.75 ($3.71) per 20 hours. Unfortunately, the Bike Dispenser relies upon a uniform bicycle design leaving it helpless to relieve the crushing mass of "parked" bicycles seen in Amsterdam and like-minded cities across Europe and Asia. Still, as a quick and dirty, eco-transport solution in-a-box, what's not to like?

[Via Core77 Design Blog]

We wouldn't normally think that cattle farming would be the easiest, cleanest profession out there, but considering the wireless tracking gizmos, robotic milkers, and RFID tattoos that are now available, we're startin' to think these guys / gals have it made. Aside from dodging cow pies, farmers can now look forward to one more robotic innovation making things better, as Lely's automated strip grazing system, dubbed Voyager, "utilizes two robots to move an electrified fence-line at a pace that ensures that the sward is completely grazed." The "frontal grazing" approach purportedly maximizes grass utilization and keeps ungrazed areas from being "contaminated by manure," and moreover, the machines are solar-powered, automatically keeps the wire taught at all times, and communicates with one another via Bluetooth. Don't think that installing robots to do your dirty work will run ya cheap, however, as the Voyager system will only be available in limited quantities for around £15,000 ($29,664).

[Via TheRawFeed]

With all the flowers starting to bloom and bunny rabbits (stuffed or otherwise) beginning to emerge, we're sure it won't be long before you're busting out the Wham-o Peeps maker, but if you've been pondering a way to make those hearty breakfasts pop out a tad quicker, we've got just the thing. Apparently, a group of waffle-lovin' kiddos have concocted an automated machine that not only opens and closes on queue, cooks and unloads the finished waffle onto your plate, and closes back for easy cleanup, it even boasts a tiltable pail filled with waffle mix and a funnel so that filling the hot iron is no longer your (messy) responsibility. The project was crafted at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, and looks to be constructed primarily of wood, strings, and pulleys, and while we certainly wouldn't recommend that novice DIYers try this unaided, be sure and hit the read link for a look at waffles made easy.

It looks like those crazed individuals who somehow managed to escape from the nation's video game addict rehab center won't be sneaking into major football events to stir up trouble anymore, as Amsterdam Arena has launched a trial program to scan the fingerprints of football fans before letting them enter as they try to better "exclude known troublemakers" from making it to the stands. While European soccer football matches are known to elicit tremendous passion from both parties, oftentimes resulting in violent behavior, the biometric scanners will hopefully curb the conflicts as it better enforces bans to precious offenders. Reportedly, the system will initially be at home games of Ajax, Feyenoord and Vitesse, and if it seems to go over well (read: enraged fans chill out), it could be rolled out in a few more locales later this year.

[Via BBC, thanks Stewart D.]

It looks like those serious about motoring around on their Segway might have to start crossing international boundaries in order to do so legally, as the Netherlands have now joined Japan and Britain in the growing list of countries which have outlawed the oft ridiculed (and potentially dangerous) personal vehicles. Dutch police have officially enjoined Segways "on all public roads, sidewalks, and bike paths," claiming that the lack of an onboard braking system prevents it from being categorized as a "vehicle" by the Royal Traffic Agency, which bars it from receiving a license plate and becoming a street-legal ride. Although a spokesman from the RTA actually commented that the Segway was "a nice vehicle," using the machines on public property is no longer permissible, but it was said that it could take some time before regulations are actually passed down and "enforced." Segway Netherlands director Piet Kruijt was (unsurprisingly) upset by the ruling, and claimed that he was "working on all fronts to get things resolved," and for nothing more than our sincere concern for the Amsterdam Segway Tours (saywha?) employees that are hoping to have work come March, we hope he's successful.

[Via The Raw Feed]

Joining the fairly saturated Bluetooth GPS market -- but not exactly competing for that "world's smallest" crown -- is Amaryllo's Purity. Sporting a 3.39- x 1.73- x 0.52-inch enclosure and weighing 2.08 ounces, the sleek, matte-finished device sports internal Bluetooth for connecting with PDAs, smartphones, and other GPS-lovin' gizmos, and receives its intel via the SiRF Star III LP (low-power) chipset. Reportedly, the unit can muster 15 hours on a single charge, and should also ship with a car charger, AC adapter, rubber anti-slip stickers, and a silicon protections sleeve. While we doubt this €90 ($118) receiver will see US shores anytime soon, it's slated to land in Europe next month, but we American (and Taiwanese) lads have plenty of alternatives to choose from, anyway.

[Via NaviGadget]