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Another Week in Europe
Pokémon Mystery Dungeon pair Explorers of Time and Explorers of Darkness reached mainland Europe this week and performed well on the whole, achieving lofty positions in the charts of Holland, Germany, Spain, and Italy (in the UK, they're occupying 21st and 24th place respectively). Cooking Guide (top ten in Ireland, Spain, and Italy) continues to help most Europeans to be better cooks (I emphatically do not count myself in that number), and would you check out that German top ten. Ho boy, go Deutschland!Next week, we'll see whether or not Guitar Hero: On Tour can match the runaway success of the U.S. version. Will Activision's outside-the-box marketing techniques have worked?
TeliaSonera nabs iPhone rights for Nordic and Baltic markets
Ok ok, we hear you tipsters, iPhone now official for Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia "later this year" thanks to a deal between Apple and TeliaSonera. At this point, only The Netherlands seems to be out of the loop in Europe.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
A real Mario party, with drinks to match
Have you ever wanted to try a Yoshi cocktail? If so, you probably should have hit up the Scrollbar in Copenhagen on February 15th.A bunch of students attending Copenhagen's IT University decided to deck out the Scrollbar in Mario goodness, and topped it off by serving original Mario themed drinks.If you're looking to make some of these alcoholic beverages for yourself (assuming, of course, that you're the proper age to do so legally), you can check out the recipes for drinks like the Goomba or the 1up shot here.Too bad -- it looks like we missed out on the video game party of the year.[Via Tokyo Mango]
Bundle up with Space Invaders this winter
While it's true that we love almost anything that has to do with Space Invaders, this jacket is particularly drool-worthy. This isn't the first time that we've seen Space Invaders be fashionable, but for only 239 Denmark Kroner ($47 USD), this retro piece of yum is right up our alley.The catch? This jacket (made by Scandinavian design label Junk de Luxe) is only being sold, to our knowledge, at this Danish shop. If you can make it through the foreign language checkout, it seems like they will ship internationally. Since our Danish is really rusty, though (as in, we've never actually spoken any before), we can't actually be sure[Via Technabob]
Viasat launches high-definition offerings in Europe
Don't look now, but Viasat Broadcasting has just launched its first high-definition offerings (including two Viasat-branded premium HDTV channels, TV1000 HD and Viasat Sport HD) on its Nordic satellite pay-TV platform. Reportedly, TV1000 HD and National Geographic HD will be available in Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland, while Viasat Sport HD makes its debut in Sweden, Norway and Finland; as for Danish subscribers, they'll have access to TV2 Sport HD. Unfortunately, fetching said programming won't come cheap, as it'll demand SEK/NOK/DKK 99 per month (between $15 and $20) in addition to the currently undisclosed HD set-top-box upgrade cost. Speaking of which, two STBs will initially be available: a Viasat Plus HD PVR box from Pace and a standard Viasat HD box made by Samsung, both of which use NDS middleware / content security and support 720p / 1080i. And we thought we were starved for HD...
Apple forced to pay up over iBook G4 flaw
Just months ago, the Consumer Complaints Board in Denmark announced that it had "proven" that the logic board within a slew of Apple's iBook G4s were faulty, and now it seems that Cupertino has been forced to cough up reparations. According to InfoWorld, a US-based Apple spokeswoman stated that it "disagreed with the DCCB's findings based on its own investigation, and has a strong track record for customer satisfaction." Apparently, the counter report that Apple assembled wasn't enough to persuade the board that the swarm of customer complaints were unwarranted, and now Frederik Navne Boesgaard (of the CCB) has said that Apple "paid up" after conceding the point.
PS3 sales annihilate competition in Denmark
No, something is not rotten in this Denmark. In fact, for Sony, something is downright flowery in this Denmark. According to this Danish website, the PS3 is selling incredibly well: it's reportedly outselling the Wii in a 3.5:1 ratio and the 360 by a 6:1 ratio. Granted, the actual number of consoles isn't mentioned (but we should mention we love italics in this post), so it could be a case of spin. We don't like thinking that way, though, so we're going to consider this good news, as anyplace welcoming the PS3 into their home deserves a friendly pat on the back.Will these results transfer over to worldwide sales in the coming year? There have already been estimates that the PS3 is going to outsell the 360 in the US, at least, estimates for July. We doubt the PS3 is going to overtake the Wii in sales for a little while longer, but that really depends on the media's continued support of the Wii. Perhaps, a few years from now, the millions of people with their PlayStation 3's will look on Denmark with starry eyes and say "It all began there."[via PS3 Forums]
Danish devs come up with Pollen Sonata, need publisher
Pollen Sonata is a game that a small team of Danish developers is hoping will interest a publisher enough to pick it up. A small teaser trailer is also available online (embedded past the break, for your convenience), giving us a glimpse into the oddly serene environments and gameplay of the proposed title. We'd play it.Let's hope a publisher will pick it up so we can some day.
Danes claim to have "proven" iBook G4 logic board defect
Looks like Steve needs to spend a little less time working on his blog and a little more time hammering out the kinks in his portables. You may recall the endless logic board problems with the original G3 iBook, which was eventually the subject of an official Apple "repair extension program." Apple claimed to have worked all those problems out in the G4 rev, but there were still reports around the 'net that many of the machines tended to fail in the same way as the G3s after a year or so: sporadically powering off and then rebooting to black screens and whirring fans. For its part, Apple generally insisted that there were no defects in the G4 design and didn't implement a similar repair program. That might have been the wrong course of action, however, as the Consumer Complaints Board in Denmark just released the results of a study they say shows certain components on the iBook G4 logic board loosen slightly with each power cycle, leading to overall system failure. The Board also concluded that Apple is liable to Danish G4 owners for repairs, and indeed, El Reg reports that Apple International is now settling a number of outstanding cases. No word yet on how this will play out outside of Denmark, but we'd think the opinion of the world's most most technologically-advanced nation might hold some sway at 1 Infinite Loop.
SickSack robotic snake slithers through RoboCup
Although DARwin looked to be a fine effort from the US of A, Aske Olsson and Lars Pontoppidan's entry relied on a more down-low approach to taking care of business. Their SickSack robotic snake chose to crawl rather than run, but the uniqueness of the creature's movement most definitely deserve props. Gearing up a series of rollers to blast across the raceway isn't all that impressive, but the SickSack's use of passive wheels combined with mechanics that enabled lateral undulation made this thing about as beastly as a metal-clad bot can get. It also featured eight Futaba servos, a microcontroller, and a good bit of wiring and programming for its locomotion, and it (rightfully) took home the award for best design / effects at RoboCup 2007. Click on through for the creepy crawly videos.[Via Lars' Electric Endeavors]
Siemens refrigerator gets hacked, adds RFID communication
Although we'd prefer at least a few things in our domicile remain non-intelligent, hooking our refrigerator up with a mind doesn't sound like a half bad idea. Sure, Samsung's already on the ball, but anyone interested in receiving SMS alerts about how out of date their milk is, which peanut butter not to buy, and whether Sally's favorite sherbet is all but empty isn't down with waiting another year. Thanks to Kim Otto of Denmark's Innovation Lab, along with RFID labels / readers, copper wiring, a PragmaSoft-enabled computer, and a (previously) TV-equipped fridge, the task has already been accomplished. Reportedly, the Siemens smart fridge prototype can judge all sorts of facts from foodstuffs that are tagged with RFID, and considering that it's also connected to the internet, it can be made to beam out emails or text messages to alert you of dwindling supplies or warn you of recalled produce. Best of all, the folks even took the time to video the newfangled creation, so be sure to click on through for the not-even-for-sale fridge of your dreams.[Via BoingBoing]
RFID Audiobar brings enjoyment to audio art
While today might not seem all that out of the ordinary, it's not everyday that we find not just one, but two cases of folks using RFID technology to enhance our lives and bring excitement to otherwise mundane exhibits. Following up on ET's playful garb, Mogens Jacobsen has crafted the Audiobar (Hørbar), which is a "physical bar-like social environment that enable visitors to interact with sounds via RFID tagged bottles." His was recently commissioned by The Museum for Contemporary Art Roskild to come up with a new and varied way to present the museum's "vast archive of sound-art," and is now garnering worldwide attention for his success. Each tagged RFID bottle responds to the reader installed in the table, and the housed computer channels the appropriate audio clips to correspond with the bottle movements. While it still might take a bit more pizazz to get a gang of second graders to listen to anything on a museum field trip, this is most certainly a step in the right direction, and can be checked out now if you're stopping through Denmark.[Via Textually]
3 nixes foreign roaming charges
Although providers around the globe have been doing away with those pesky roaming charges for some time now, not everyone has the luxury of yapping anywhere without a care in the world, but at least those loyal 3 customers out there can now. The newly-unveiled "3 Like Home" plan allows 3 customers to travel abroad and not face roaming charges when dialing out or receiving a call in a nation that 3 covers, which includes Hong Kong, Australia, Ireland, Sweden, the UK, Austria, Denmark, and Italy. Furthermore, SMS, video calling, and data services will be filed under the same principle, meaning no roaming fees altogether when using your mobile in a coverage area. Notably, the company states that users will still "face higher charges if they roam onto a non-3 network," but hopes that "the European Commission will be successful in reducing these wholesale charges, which will allow price reductions for customers roaming between different operators within Europe." We wonder if they can take a hint?[Via MobileBurn]
Danish scientists achieve advanced quantum teleportation
As you can imagine, here at Engadget, we love it when science fiction becomes more science and less fiction. With that in mind, we're pleased to pass along the news that Danish scientists at Copenhagen University have made a breakthrough in the wacky world of quantum teleportation by transporting quantum information over a distance of half a meter (1.6 feet). In order to achieve this, Dr. Eugene Polzik and his team shined a strong laser beam into a cloud of room-temperature cesium atoms that shared the same directional spin. As Scientific American reports: "The laser became entangled with the collective spin of the cloud, meaning that the quantum states of laser and gas shared the same amplitude but had opposite phases. The goal was to transfer, or teleport, the quantum state of a second light beam onto the cloud." (It should be noted that this process is more akin to duplication than actual teleportation, i.e. using this method on a human being would result in the formation of a doppelganger and not a magical Star Trek-like movement of matter). To achieve this goal, Polzik and other scientists added a second weaker laser pulse and split the two beams into separate branches in order to measure the difference between the quantum phases; through that measurement the scientists were then able to transfer the information of the spin state of the weak laser to the combination of the cesium atoms and the strong laser, without disturbing the quantum entanglement between the laser and the cesium. Umm, so the short of it is: one small step for a cesium atom, but one giant leap for quantum computing research and the advancement of teleportation theory.[Thanks, Josh H. and Eric M.]Read - ReutersRead - Scientific American
US DOJ sides with Apple in brewing fight with Europe
DRM lovers and haters alike, gather round, because the good ol' US Cavalry (played in this film by the US Department of Justice), has just saddled up and taken sides in what is prepared to be an epic showdown between some wild west cowboys (Apple) and strangers from the east (Europe). As IDG News Service reported yesterday, the first shot has been fired by Thomas Barnett, an assistant attorney general at the DOJ's antitrust division. Barnett and his DOJ posse are siding with Apple and warning European countries like Norway, Sweden, Denmark and France to back off, arguing that forcing companies to reveal their intellectual property slows innovation -- and they haven't discussed the anti-consumer angle, or the increasing feeling abroad that Apple is acting anti-competitively. Meanwhile, the Norwegian Consumers Council is going to meet with Apple later this month to try to solve this issue more diplomatically before things gets out of control and Apple and Europe have to duke it out in the OK Corral court.[Via Boing Boing]
Bang & Olufsen's Helping Hand reminds you to take meds
While our favorite Danish gadget company, Bang & Olufsen is better known for making fashionphones and audio gear, it also has a medical devices division, known as Medicom. This division has just released a new device to help patients make sure they're on track for taking medication. The aptly named "Helping Hand," which looks like a slightly curved handset, stores a blister pack of medication and then will send a signal to a computer or cell phone (via Bluetooth or USB) to remind you to take your meds. The Helping Hand's red, yellow or green lights will go off to give a visual cues as to how many instances have been missed, and can upload that info to your doctor (or medical assistant robot), so the next time you see her, she can give you a stern reprimand. Speaking of reminders, we'd like to alert B&O Medicom that its press release doesn't have a price or a release date on it -- so get on that, guys.[Via medGadget]
Connect your Commodore 64 keyboard to your PC via USB
This Danish hacker has converted an older clacky Commodore 64 keyboard to a more modern real-deal USB keyboard. We won't bore you with the gory details, but if you're interested, Mikkel Holm Olsen has a long play-by-play account of his travails on his website, linked below. Apparently, he was asked to create the keyboard for some buddies of his, a Commodore 64 revival band, appropriately called "Press Play on Tape." We honestly had no idea there were so many Commodore 64 fanboys in Denmark, but given their progressive culture it only makes sense that they're super obsessed with oh, only the best computer system ever.[Via MAKE:Blog]
Sweden jumps on anti-iTMS DRM bandwagon
It sounds like those DefectiveByDesign guys were simply in the wrong place, but at the right time: Sweden has joined forces with Denmark and Norway to add fuel to the fire of pressuring Apple into opening up its FairPlay iTMS DRM system. A quote from a Swedish Consumer Agency spokeswoman dubs the iTMS ToS flat-out "illegal", and all three countries are threatening to take the case to their respective market courts.DRM debates aside (which have been raging here over the last couple of posts), my money is on some music industry lobbyists making all this go away, as we saw when France tried this.[via Engadget]
D-Link relents, agrees to halt its "NTP vandalism"
Although we never got that press release we wanted from D-Link addressing accusations that it was engaging in so-called "NTP vandalism," the company has apparently seen the error of its ways and been shamed into come to a settlement with the Danish admin whose time server its routers were programmed -- without permission -- to regularly query. In the absence of any government-sponsored options, Poul Henning-Kamp had set up his own NTP server (with donated bandwidth) so that 2,000-odd Danish server administrators could reliably sync their clocks, but because D-Link began coding the server's address into all of their hardware, Henning-Kamp's traffic skyrocketed and his ISP threatened to hit him with a multi-thousand-dollar bill. After writing an open letter exposing D-Link's misdeeds, Henning-Kamp finally heard back from the company that had previously been ignoring him, and the two parties apparently agreed that products already on the market can continue to query the server (which means some sort of payment was probably made), but that D-Link will remove its address from hardware manufactured in the future. Lesson learned: if you've got a problem with a big, faceless corporation, instead of wasting your time in fruitless attempts to contact their lawyers and executives, just make a big public stink until someone pays you to shut up.
Danish server admin exposes D-Link's "NTP vandalism"
It seems that incompetence on the part of the coders who write network hardware manufacturing giant D-Link's router firmware, and possibly even more insidious willful ignorance at higher levels of the company, may force Denmark's only networked time server to permanently shut down its vital public service. Apparently thousands of Danish servers use Poul-Henning Kamp's pro bono publico NTP server to sync their own clocks -- which is hosted for free by the Danish Internet Exchange (DIX) with the understanding that it is restricted to server-level access, but whose address D-Link hard coded into their device firmware without ever having asked Kamp's permission. The traffic from D-Link devices consists of well over 75% of the packets that the server handles, and has caused DIX to hit Kamp with an $8,800 per year connection fee that may mean the end of the free service and extra work for those thousands of Danish admins, not to mention the embarrassment Danes will have to face when mocked for living in an NTP-free technological backwater (despite their army's snazzy MP3 pillows). Kamp claims that although D-Link is well aware of the issue (they've since updated some, but not all, of the firmware on their site), but instead of fixing their mistake and encouraging customers to upgrade their firmware, the company simply offered Kamp an unspecified amount of "hush" money that doesn't even cover his most direct expenses. Hey D-Link, please drop us a press release if and when you decide to address this issue, because we think your "NTP vandalism" isn't very cool.[Via The Inquirer]
