Evan Blass
Articles by Evan Blass
Microsoft hit with $2.4 million copyright suit in the Philippines
In an unusual situation for a company so vocal about protecting intellectual property rights, Microsoft is being sued for allegedly distributing material copyrighted by a Philippine college -- despite the fact that the material in question seems to have only been given to fellow educational professionals. Southeastern College in Pasay City is suing Microsoft and Microsoft Philippines for 100 million Filipino pesos ($2.4 million) for handing out at least 700 CDs in 2005 and 2006 containing the 379-page "SEC Microsoft Office XP Manual," which had been copyrighted by SEC director Conrad Mañalac in 2005 (although work on it reportedly began in 1999). Apparently 10,000 copies of this same manual had previously been licensed from the school by the company in 2004, and retitled for use in a program to train high school teachers. For its part, Microsoft Philippines denies having "improperly distributed additional copies of the curriculum," although it's a little unclear what the company's actual position is, with the following statement -- emailed to the Inquirer.net -- seeming to indicate that the primary concern right now is protecting the mothership: "They brought this matter to our attention a year ago and we worked hard to resolve it, but without success. For all intents and purposes, this is a purely local matter which does not involve Microsoft Corporation." Um, okay, whatever you say. We'll be interested to see if / how Redmond responds to this one...[Thanks, Mark]Read - Microsoft suedRead - Microsoft issues response
Ohio report recommends scrapping electronic voting
Like California and Florida before it, habitual swing state Ohio has just issued a report slamming its three providers of electronic voting equipment -- including, of course, renamed Diebold -- and recommending that the 50 counties which use them scrap the machines in favor of a paper-trail-leaving optical scanning method. The report, commissioned by Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner, details the ways in which white hat hackers were able to infiltrate the systems, easily picking locks, using portable devices to manipulate vote counts, and even introducing "malignant software" into boards of election servers. Brunner's plan calls for the entire state's voting infrastructure to be overhauled by next year's presidential elections, a move likely to be lauded by touchscreen voting's many critics, but coming "about eight years too late, jerks -- thanks a lot," according to usually-even-tempered former candidate Al Gore.
Toshiba's Portege G910 / G920 go FCC: followup to the G900 superphone
Probably because it's not that big of a player in the domestic cellphone space, Toshiba may not be familiar with all the ins and outs of FCC confidentiality agreements, as evidenced by its testing subcontractor leaving tons of juicy photos of the unannounced Portege G910 / G920 smartphones in those devices' recently-declassified applications. Tosh's blunder clues us in to a whole world of info about this followup to the WVGA, Windows Mobile 6 Portege G900, such as the fact that it's eschewing its predecessor's sliding form factor for the clamshell-design of the Nokia E90 (perhaps an answer to the tilting screen of HTC's TyTN II?). While full specs aren't yet available, we've pieced together that these devices (differentiated by the fact that one of them will have a crippled GPS receiver) are tri-band GSM 900/1800/1900 -- sorry, fellow Americans, no US broadband here -- with WiFi, Bluetooth, and dual cameras, and powered by a Qualcomm processor of unknown speed. Hit up the gallery below for a few more inelegant FCC glamour shots, including some dissection photos that may help our clever readers glean even more information... %Gallery-11861% [Via Unwired View]
Toshiba's Portege G910 / G920 go FCC: followup to the G900 superphone
Probably because it's not that big of a player in the domestic cellphone space, Toshiba may not be familiar with all the ins and outs of FCC confidentiality agreements, as evidenced by its testing subcontractor leaving tons of juicy photos of the unannounced Portege G910 / G920 smartphones in those devices' recently-declassified applications. Tosh's blunder clues us in to a whole world of info about this followup to the WVGA, Windows Mobile 6 Portege G900, such as the fact that it's eschewing its predecessor's sliding form factor for the clamshell-design of the Nokia E90 (perhaps an answer to the tilting screen of HTC's TyTN II?). While full specs aren't yet available, we've pieced together that these devices (differentiated by the fact that one of them will have a crippled GPS receiver) are tri-band GSM 900/1800/1900 -- sorry, fellow Americans, no US broadband here -- with WiFi, Bluetooth, and dual cameras, and powered by a Qualcomm processor of unknown speed. Hit up the gallery here for a few more inelegant FCC glamour shots, including some dissection photos that may help our clever readers glean even more information... [Via Unwired View]
GumEase dental mouthpiece numbs without needles
Next time you go to the dentist for some dreadfully painful procedure, you may have the option of eschewing that Novocaine-bearing needle for a flexible dental mouthpiece that turns out the lights on your maxillofacial nerves. Developed by Laguna Hills-based BioMedDevice Limited, and recently approved by the FDA, the so-called gumEase uses no conventional anesthetics, instead relying on cryoanesthesia: basically, the freezer-stored device chills your mouth into numbness. One application of gumEase, which lasts up to 20 minutes, is said to relieve 90% of a patient's pain within two to three minutes -- and to prove it, the manufacturer has produced a rather graphic video depicting a hypodermic-free tooth extraction, which you can watch at your own risk after the break. With products such as this one and the RelaxView HMD seemingly making dental visits more pleasant than ever before, we may actually have to review our policy of only making appointments during leap years.
Rare Yoshi edition DS Phat tests your love of Nintendo
Sure, you've bought every console since the original NES, monitor forum threads religiously for any Wii bashing, and may even have a Koopa tattoo somewhere on your body, but are you enough of a fanboy to pay $500 for first-generation Nintendo DS emblazoned with a wire-frame cartoon dinosaur? Well apparently eBayer "joedick" is one such individual, whose $480 Buy-It-Now-dollars earned him one of the only 200 "Hot Summer Yoshi" edition DS Phats ever made, which were part of a larger series of six versions available only to Club Nintendo members in 2005. Congratulations, good sir -- just remember not to play with it or anything, or you won't be able to sell it for ten times what you paid a few years down the road.[Via DS Fanboy]
Toshiba intros five capacious new 1.8-inch hard drives
We're all for bulking up the storage in our notebooks and portable gear, so naturally we're quite thrilled that Toshiba has developed a quintet of new 1.8-inch PATA hard drives that promise higher capacity and better performance for the gadgets we hold so dear. Three of the drives offer up 60GB on a single platter: the 4,200 RPM MK6028GAL for laptops and UMPCs, along with the 4,200 RPM MK6014GAL with 2MB buffer and 3,200 RPM MK6015GAA with 160KB buffer, both of which employ so-called "long data sector" technology to bring "format efficiency, improved error correction capability and enhanced storage capacity" to portable consumer electronics devices, according to ol' Tosh. Also destined for lightweight PCs are the dual-platter 120GB MK1214GAH and single-platter 80GB MK8025GAL, both 4,200 RPM drives with 2MB and 8MB buffers, respectively. Expect the new models to start appearing in consumer products sometime early next year. [Warning: PDF link][Via Slashgear]
Iomega buying ExcelStor, becoming $1 billion company
In an acquisition that promises to create a combined company with over $1 billion in annual revenue, storage manufacturer Iomega has "entered into a definitive share purchase agreement" with ExcelStor Great Wall Technology Limited -- another storage firm headquartered in Beijing but doing business out of the Cayman Islands. ExcelStor, a subsidiary of the $2.6 billion Great Wall Technology Company Limited, has been manufacturing certain external hard drives for Iomega since 2004. The deal, still subject to approval, would create an organization with a 3,000-member workforce, led by Iomega's current executives joined by former ExcelStor management in the positions of Executive Chairman and Chief Administrative Officer.
Pentagon prepping non-lethal "light and sound" weapon
Blissfully unaware that it's up against a generation raised in the sensory madhouses known as techno clubs, the Pentagon is reportedly working on a non-lethal weapon that utilizes light and sound to sicken and disorient targets. Like Homeland Security's "pukelight," the so-called Distributed Sound and Light Array Debilitator being developed by Penn State's Applied Research Laboratory is meant to induce a feeling of nauseousness, in this case combining light patterns with "aversive noises." So yeah, like we said, sounds pretty effective unless you happen to run into a group of insurgents hardened by years of all-night raving and the accompanying neurological damage.
Cowon A3 unboxed
Although Archos may have stolen some of its thunder with the less-expensive, arguably more full-featured 605 WiFi, Cowon is still hoping to ride the wave of buzz that followed its A3 PMP's launch at CES, as the first players are finally finding their way into consumers' hands almost a year later. Gadgetaholic's already got its hands on the 30GB version of this 4-inch device, and has posted some nice unboxing photos along with a few shots of the interface. Keep reading to check out the icon-based home screen, and then hit up the Read link for the full gallery plus some brief impressions....
iPhone a shoo-in for TIME's Person of the Year?
We tend not to make a lot of predictions around here, but we've totally got odds on TIME magazine's pick for 2007 Person of the Year (and not just because we're owned by the same parent-company). Since TIME already named the iPhone both Invention of the Year and, more recently, Gadget of the Year (along with devoting a fawning cover story to it), it seems to us that the obvious path of least resistance for jaded journalists eager to start their holiday vacations is to screw over Gore and go for another easy-bake geek pleaser. Plus, what better symbol to convey the restrictions on political freedoms still so prevalent in the 21st century than the current poster child for walled gardens? Granted, it hasn't been since 1982 that a piece of electronic equipment took home this prestigious honor (renamed Machine of the Year in deference to the PC), but after lowering its standards so drastically last year by choosing you of all people, well, TIME has shown that almost anything has a shot.
UK wants every home wind-powered by 2020
In an ambitious scheme than even industry proponents seem skeptical of, Britain has unveiled plans to power every home in the country via off-shore wind farms by the year 2020. Right now the UK produces approximately half a gigawatt through this method of power generation, enough to provide 2% of the country's electricity, but nowhere near the 33 gigawatts called for in business secretary John Hutton's proposal. According to the British Wind Association Trade Group, while more offshore farms are always welcome, it is far more reasonable to expect a 20 gigawatt output by 2020 -- the bottleneck, apparently, is in procuring an adequate number of turbines. Another issue is the economic cost of wind power, which continues to exceed that of fossil fuel-based alternatives; luckily for the Brits, favorable exchange rates should help them pick up some American-made turbines on the cheap.[Thanks, WebOn]
PlayStation emulation coming to iPhone via psx4iphone
Those of you who have already loaded up like 1,000 NES ROMs on your iPhone will be excited to learn that an even more powerful emulator is on the horizon, this one for the original PlayStation. Called psx4iphone, and currently in pre-beta, the software is being developed by ZodTTD, the same programmer responsible for the gpSPhone GameBoy Advance emulator for the iPhone and iPod touch. According to ZodTTD, if enough people donate, the program could be out within days, complete with sound implementation and memory card support, along with compatibility for a claimed 75% of titles. Still, we've played with the DualShock a time or two before, and considering how difficult FPSEce playback is on Windows Mobile devices with full QWERTY keyboards, we're not sure how well all those buttons, triggers, D-pads, and analog sticks will translate to the touchscreen experience.[Via pspsps]
PlayStation emulation coming to iPhone via psx4iphone
Those of you who have already loaded up like 1,000 NES ROMs on your iPhone will be excited to learn that an even more powerful emulator is on the horizon, this one for the original PlayStation. Called psx4iphone, and currently in pre-beta, the software is being developed by ZodTTD, the same programmer responsible for the gpSPhone GameBoy Advance emulator for the iPhone and iPod touch. According to ZodTTD, if enough people donate, the program could be out within days, complete with sound implementation and memory card support, along with compatibility for a claimed 75% of titles. Still, we've played with the DualShock a time or two before, and considering how difficult FPSEce playback is on Windows Mobile devices with full QWERTY keyboards, we're not sure how well all those buttons, triggers, D-pads, and analog sticks will translate to the touchscreen experience.[Via pspsps]
AT&T gets into the kid-tracking game
While it probably won't be peddling this new tech in California, there's still a whole world of youngsters out there for AT&T to track with its new RFID- and GPS-based mobile resource management systems, which the company has designed specifically with school districts in mind. The so-called MRM platform allows administrators to follow Junior's progress from the minute he steps on the bus in the morning, thanks to GPS-equipped transmitters that log location, speed, and condition and can even "report on events within vehicles." Once he gets to class, the school's WiFi backbone can pinpoint him anywhere on campus courtesy of that mandatory RFID badge he's wearing, which AT&T touts as an efficient solution for daily attendance tracking. That is, until teachers start relying on this system without question, and classes eventually thin out to one student in the back row with a pocket full of cash and a backpack full of IDs.
USB missile launcher goes wireless
Never content with leaving their gimmicky products as is, the perfectionists over at Brando are prepping yet a third iteration of the wildly-popular USB missile launcher, with the new model featuring an upgrade to wireless control. Cubicle commandos now have over a 15-foot range from their workstations to wage this geekiest form of warfare, thanks to a two-part system that connects transmitter and launcher with a proprietary RF signal. If you happen to work in the type of environment that condones this sort of silly behavior, or just want to go out with a bang, the set can be yours for $45 starting on the 20th.
Hands-on with BetaBlue, JetBlue's WiFi-equipped Airbus
Generally we're the type to pass out the second we've stowed our carry-on items safely in the overhead bin, but on a recent test flight for a gang of reporters, photographers, Fortune 500 execs, and the obligatory PR team, JetBlue managed to keep us awake by magically letting us communicate with our friends and colleagues on the ground over IM and email. Actually, it takes a lot more than magic for the Airbus A320 named "BetaBlue" to bring limited WiFi connectivity to properly-equipped passengers throughout the single-class cabin: quite a bit of technical and administrative work went into getting this service off the ground, from snatching up and deploying a rare slice of 800MHz ground-to-air spectrum to effectively managing cell tower connections while traveling over 500mph to developing clients that would maximize the precious bandwidth being shared by so many mobile gadget lovers. Keep reading after the break for all of our impressions from this media preview voyage, and don't forget to hit up the gallery below for glimpses of the entire experience along with some of the screenshots you can expect to see in-flight... %Gallery-11394%
RelaxView is back to distract tattoo customers
We've certainly got to hand it to Dutch retailer relaxView B.V., which is making a name for itself by bundling off-the-shelf components together with a "hygiene set" and marketing the package as a distraction kit for providers of painful services. Following the presumed success of its relaxView 5.0 Dental Pack with tooth torturers worldwide, the company is back with what appears to be the exact same set of HMD plus video discman, but being sold this time around as the 6.0 Tattoo Pack. (FYI, we have no idea why the 5.0 and 6.0 packs both incorporate the relaxView 3.0 head mounted display -- and not the relaxView 4.0, which is the self-proclaimed "Rolls-Royce in video eyewear.") If you're looking to get your favorite tattoo artist something extra special this holiday season, relaxView will part with this kit for a mere €499 ($733) until Christmas, after which the price leaps up to €569 ($836).
Omwave's Windows Home Server-based OMSERVERs
We've already seen a handful of networked storage devices running Windows Home Server, and now comes yet another option from across the ocean in France, Omwave's one to four terabyte OMSERVER. Both the 1TB and 4 x 500GB 2TB options are based on Intel's G32 chipset, powered by 1.8GHz Celerons, sport 1GB of RAM, and offer VGA, mouse, keyboard, three audio, and four USB 2.0 ports; meanwhile, the 2 x 1TB 2TB and 4TB models step up the processing speed to 2.0GHz on a G33 chipset, while also offering FireWire and S-PDIF, two more USB and audio jacks, and the option of an e-SATA module. Shipping immediately, prices on these range from €960 ($1,411) to €2,460 ($3,617) depending on configuration.[Via We Got Served]
JetBlue introduces free in-flight email, IM
In a welcome first for domestic airlines, JetBlue will be rolling out free in-flight Yahoo IM and email services to passengers packing WiFi-equipped devices, starting aboard its new "BetaBlue" Airbus A320. Once this test-bed passenger jet reaches 10,000 feet, an in-plane network with three in-ceiling access points is activated, allowing most any wireless gadget with a Flash-enabled browser to view specialized versions of either Yahoo Messenger or Mail through a universal landing page. What's more, owners of certain BlackBerry handsets like the 8820 or Curve 8320 can keep feeding their addictions non-stop thanks to an agreement between JetBlue and RIM. Bandwidth for these services is provided by LiveTV, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the carrier that provides the entire fleet with select DirecTV and XM radio channels, and which also happens to possess a valuable 1MHz slice of ground-to-air spectrum that it's deploying for this very purpose (with the help of some 100 existing cell towers around the country). If all goes well in what is admittedly a beta test, more aircraft will receive the WiFi makeover, and more features -- such as access to terabytes of locally-stored multimedia content -- will be rolled out, along with additional service providers besides Yahoo. Just don't expect an open pipe any time soon: that sweet little slice of spectrum is not nearly robust enough to handle the heavy Slinging, VoIPing, and Torrenting you all would obviously be doing.