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Motorola's "Harmony" project to support iDEN, WiMAX
In a move aimed squarely at Sprint Nextel, Motorola has announced that it's working on solutions capable of supporting iDEN plus WiMAX as a stop-gap 4G solution. The big picture (back end, devices, chipsets) is known as "Harmony," and though the announcement itself is of little interest to most consumers -- especially with iDEN ultimately moving into the government's hands -- this should at least catch Sprint's attention as their hopes and aspirations have lately been wandering from WiMAX toward other 4G initiatives. As PCS Intel points out, with iDEN / CDMA handsets around the corner, it's a pretty short hop from iDEN / WiMAX to the iDEN / WiMAX / CDMA trifecta, leaving Sprint with the total package for supporting CDMA in the consumer sector, high security (read: next-gen) iDEN for government services, and WiMAX for 4G. Of course, Harmony is still a one-trick pony and if Sprint politely declines, it's almost certainly dead in the water. We're pulling for ya, Moto.
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TV standby buttons to be outlawed
The British government is fed up with standby mode; according to a recent energy review, devices left in standby account for 8% of their annual energy usage. In an attempt to curb waste, combat rising energy costs, and apparently annoy citizens, the government is set to outlaw switches that allow TVs, DVD players, and who knows what else to go on hiatus -- mandatory redesigns to remove sleep functions from numerous devices are supposedly on the docket. Whatever comes of this, keep a close eye on the next Windows Update: you might just reboot to find your precious "Stand By" option MIA.
Broadcast, cable cos fight over downconverting
The Big Four networks appealed to Congress to stop a law that would allow cable companies to downgrade their HDTV signal to DTV. In an apparent switch from their previous stance against any converting of signals, the broadcast companies now appear willing to let cable companies convert DTV to analog after the OTA switchover for customers without digital cable converters. However, they are against allowing cable downconversion because they apparently fear cable companies would offer only DTV versions of their HDTV broadcast, and highlight cable stations high definition channels. More disturbing to us are their unspecified oppositions to what they call "broad" exceptions to the broadcast flag.All in all, we can probably look forward to more turmoil and delays before a digital switchover occurs. Still, we don't understand why the cable companies would want to downrez HDTV to DTV and not provide HD signals, but they've done sillier things (*cough* overcompression *cough*) before.
Bush: government research developed iPod
Apple has long boasted of its culture of innovation, and how this led to such products as the original Mac and the iPod. However, it turns out that, at least in the case of the iPod, Apple had a hidden ally: the US government. During a speech at Tuskegee University, President (and iPod user) George W. Bush told his audience, "the government funded research in microdrive storage, electrochemistry and signal compression. They did so for one reason: It turned out that those were the key ingredients for the development of the iPod." While we have to gratefully acknowledge the efforts of government agencies such as DARPA in some of the fields mentioned by the President, we also feel obligated to point out the accomplishments of private companies in the US and abroad, including IBM, Hitachi and Toshiba -- not to mention the Fraunhofer Institute, which developed the original MP3 codec, and codeveloped (with Sony, AT&T and others) the AAC format used by Apple in the iPod. Still, we have to bow down before his Steveness; we knew he was well-connected, but until now we had no idea of his level of influence in the area of government research. Hey, Steve, while you're at it, why not get the government to resolve the display problems plaguing the next-gen video iPod? We're sure they'll get their best minds on it and fix it in no time.
Have Mario send your mail (via stamps from Japan)
Sure, old Mario has been known to paint, play professional sports, and even do some actual plumbing work on occasion, but he'll soon be able to power your mail through the postal service in the Far East.10-stamp sheets of 80 Yen stamps are now available for pre-order in Japan, where gaming otakus will soon be able to adorn their snail mail with the likes of goombas, magic mushrooms, and mustachioed men. The set will be out next month.Has the government of a country like the US ever done anything this official to honor one of the icons of gaming? Perhaps when we have avid gaming advocates in Congress -- or even, dare we say, in the White House -- things will look a little different with game legislation proposals and the postage of unwanted junk mail.[Via GameBrink]See also: French stamps to feature video game icons (Super) Mario Bros. question mark and POW block speakers
Governmental ads: "give your thumbs a rest"
An ad campaign from the Centers for Disease Control is pulling no punches with their tagline "Give your thumbs a rest. Play for real." Supposedly encouraging active lifestyles rather than the way of the couch potato, the ad features an in-game style image of obese baseball players on an overgrown field.As Water Cooler Games points out, this seems to have been created with no thought for its target audience. In particular, the ad mocks rather than reaches out to gamers; not the best way to connect with a demographic. Also, as governmental propaganda goes, jumping on the anti-gaming bandwagon is a disturbing trend--a sideline political campaign is one thing, but a government-approved message seems overkill.With CDC themselves turning to games for educational purposes, we can't help but feel there's a mixed message here.
