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Xerox retires 40 year old logo
Today Xerox retired its red, capital X logo so prominent in our copy centers (and more recently on printers) for the past 40 years. The new logo represents "the connection to customers, partners, industry and innovation." More than likely, Xerox just dropped tens of thousands of dollars for the new identity which, let's face it, is just like everyone else's. Right, Sony Ericsson?
FujiXerox shows off color e-ink display with writing capabilities
We've only seen a couple prototype color e-ink displays here and there, but this latest version from FujiXerox seems like its the furthest along in terms of refresh rate and usability. The A6 sized panel is made of three polymer-dispersed liquid-crystal layers, but it's still flexible, at just .4mm thick. No hard specs, really, but Tech-On says refresh time is less than one second -- just quick enough to make this viable for the next-gen Kindle, eh?[Via Tech-On!]
Fuji Xerox touts language-translating photocopier
Fuji Xerox has come up with some unique copying systems before, and it looks like its latest photocopier is no exception, with it promising to take a Japanese document and spit out a English, Chinese, or Korean translation on the fly (or vice versa). That's done by networking the printer to a dedicated translation server which, if similar systems are any indication, could well result in some unintentionally hilarious copies. What's more, the device also promises to preserve the original layout of the documents copied, with it apparently making use of some special algorithms to distinguish between text, lines and images. It's just a prototype at the moment, however, so there's no indication as to when or if we might see a commercial version.[Via Crave]
Wearable sensors could build stronger teams
When MIT, Intel and Xerox put their collective heads together, the results have got to be good, right? The trio most definitely hopes so, as they have reportedly developed "subtle sensors that are enriching our understanding of teams and organizations and that are helping call centers improve telephone sales pitches by 20-percent or more." Interestingly, not a whole lot of details are available just yet, but apparently members of the super-team are already envisioning "networks of social sensors" that could seemingly help managers place their subordinates with the most suitable colleagues. As Jemaine Clement would say, "It's business time."[Image courtesy of 6dtech]
Xerox innovation can add anti-counterfeit measures to digital printers
Xerox, the same outfit looking to extract information from your web browsing excursions, has now churned out a swank anti-counterfeiting procedure that purportedly allows a vanilla digital printer to "create personalized fluorescent marks on documents." Of course, these fluorescent signatures are commonly used to authenticate currency, and Xerox is hoping that people warm up to the idea of slapping the same level of security onto documents ranging from licenses, certificates, or even personal checks. The method utilizes the "dry ink" found in xerographic printers to create the secure imprint, and curious users can spot the tell-tale sign when exposing the document to ultraviolet light. Of course, you should still be wary of that dubious looking bizhub crammed over in the corner office, but if you're interested in Xerox's latest counterfeit squashing technology, you can snag it as part of the FreeFlow Variable Information Suite 5.0 software.[Via Gizmag]
Xerox developing "natural language color editing"
Xerox's Geoffrey Woolfe seems to think he's found a way to make picking just the right color a bit easier, laying out his plans for so-called "natural language color editing" at the annual meeting of the Inter-Society Color Council (ISCC). While it's apparently still in the early stages, the system will supposedly let you adjust colors simply by describing them in natural langauge, using voice or typed commands like "make the sky a deeper blue" or "make the background carnation pink" -- the software then does all the rest of the work. Of course, Xerox isn't exactly giving any indication when that may happen, so you'll have to make do with the cumbersome point-and-click method of color-choosing we've somehow managed to get along with all these years for a little while longer.
IP Innovation sues Apple over violating obscure GUI patent
Apparently, just about every graphical user interface that Apple churns out was patented and put on lock down years decades ago, as now a patent holding firm (IP Innovation) has filed a much-delayed lawsuit against the Cupertino-based outfit over its use of an OS interface. The patent in question dates back to 1984 via references in a 1991 filing by Xerox, which actually linked to GUI concepts drafted in the 1970s on the company's Alto workstations. Amazingly, the folks involved have just got around to slapping a lawsuit on Apple for selling OS X with "workspaces provided by an object-based user interface that appear to share windows and other display objects." The incredibly vague wording could realistically be used to target nearly every major OS that we've seen, and considering that Apple and Xerox already went a round in the legal ring back in 1989 over similar issues, this one certainly seems to lack substance. As expected, the $20 million claim was filed in the patent troll haven that is Marshall, Texas, and while we haven't heard word from an Apple spokesperson regarding the matter, we'd say there's a more pressing matter on the table for Jobs & Co. right now anyway.
Xerox wants to extract demographic information from web surfers
The age of Big Brother everywhere is certainly upon us, and while we've seen (or at least heard of) tracking devices being implanted in the most unusual of places, it looks like Xerox is hoping to join the devilish fray. In an attempt to craft a demographic extractor to garner marketing dollars galore, a recently filed patent application spells out a system that utilizes software (and potentially hardware) to map users to "centroid vectors" which would determine a person's age, sex, and other "private" information simply based on their website visits. Interestingly, test cases are reportedly showing a respectable "75-percent accuracy rate" so long as a "sufficient number of pages were visited." Still, we can't imagine any tracing technology would be lawfully allowed behind the backs of law-abiding citizens (right?), but considering that even your TiVo has the potential to sell your soul to lucrative ad agencies, we wouldn't put it past 'em.[Via ArsTechnica]
Your office photocopier could help steal your identity
While we've seen just how to have a Sharp miracle in your office, it now seems that Sharp copiers (along with Xerox and a smorgasbord of others) could become a miraculous find for identify thieves. Given that many all-in-one "bizhubs" of today feature some sort of internal storage device to capture copies, scans, and faxes in case you need to resend the file a week or two later, it's not too surprising to think how such a convenience could be exploited by ill-willed individuals to extract personal information about you and your office mates. Pointing at tax time in particular, it has been suggested that many Americans photocopy sensitive documents that contain all the information needed to jack your ID without even realizing how vulnerable they've made themselves. Both Sharp and Xerox, however, have both released security kits that encrypt the internal data stored on its machines, but if you're using some off-the-wall copier and have noticed something peculiar about that fellow across the hall, stay sharp.
Palm and Xerox finally settle Graffiti dispute
So we weren't even aware that this was an issue anymore, but apparently Xerox and Palm have still been battling over that "Unistrokes" handwriting recognition patent which caused us to waste several minutes of our lives learning a handful of new Graffiti 2 characters oh so long ago. Battling up until today, that is, because after nine years the two companies have finally come to a mutually-acceptable agreement, wherein Palm caves and pays Xerox $22.5 million. The deal does net Palm paid-up licenses on a total of three Xerox patents -- licenses that also apply to Access PalmSource and 3Com -- as well as a so-called seven-year "patent peace," in which the two sides agree to stop fussing and fighting about infringements pertaining to certain technologies. Does this agreement mean that we can expect to see the triumphant return of Graffiti 1 on future Palm PDAs? We're not sure, but frankly, now that we've moved on to packing QWERTY-equipped Treos, we don't really care.
Cheap laptop shade
This laptop shade isn't going to win any beauty contests (though I bet it will garner so comments), but it is cheap and easy. So if you're worried about the MacBook's glossy screen worry not, as long as you have access to a cardboard box that is.[via Make]
iPod the Kleenex of MP3 players
Xerox. Kleenex. iPod.What do they all have in common? They are all brand names that have come to define their category, at least that's what this article argues.Xerox and Kleenex certainly have transcended being a brand, but are people now calling all MP3 players iPods? It seems like the answer is yes, and is that a bad thing? Certainly not for Apple, though other MP3 player manufacturers might not be so keen on it.
