E-Label
Latest
Say goodbye to (most of) those arcane symbols on your gadgets
Like the lower back tattoo you got in college, everyone's been hoping that those mandated symbols on the bottom of your gadgets will just go away. Thankfully, the E-Label act has now been signed into law by President Obama, enabling gadget manufacturers to display those symbols electronically. At some point in the future, therefore, new devices are going to get a lot cleaner, with the FCC logo and that weird instruction not to throw your bin in the trash tucked away somewhere in a settings menu. Of course, the CE logo - for products cleared for sale in Europe - will probably remain, but we can worry about that once we've saved up for the laser surgery.
The E-Label Act may rid your future gadgets of FCC logos
Let's try something really quickly: pull your phone out, flip it over, and maybe squint at it a bit. Chances are you'll see a series of FCC-mandated pictograms emblazoned there, little images you've probably never paid attention to before. If US senators Deb Fischer (R-Nebraska) and Jay Rockefeller (D-W. Virginia) get their way though, those curious icons may soon become a thing of past. Instead, the pair wants to replace those etchings with more informative digital equivalents that users can peek at if they so chose. Alas, your gadgets might not be completely clean if the bill passes -- there are still those pesky CE labels to gaze upon.
WD's My Passport Studio wears contents on its sleeve with always-on 'e-label'
Western Digital's My Passport Studio line has been spinning for years now, but today the outfit is pushing out a revamped version with a little something special. Boasting a FireWire 800 interface, a highly pocketable design and 256-bit hardware-based encryption, this here drive offers an "e-label smart display" on the front that actually remains on even when the drive is off and unplugged. Owners can tweak the text on the display as often as they like via WD's SmartWare software, and by utilizing e-paper technology, you'll always be able to see what's inside at a glance. Just so you're aware, the company's shipping this thing in 320GB, 500GB and 640GB flavors, but all three come pre-formatted for Mac use -- thankfully your Windows 7 rig won't have any issues wiping that slate clean and starting over once you hand over your $149.99 to $199.99.
