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Spymaster's Orcasub is a $2 million submarine for two
Sure, you could use an ROV to feel like a regular Jacques Cousteau (or James Cameron, for that matter), but nothing beats the real deal: a personal submarine. UK department store Harrods used its Technology Showcase 2.0 event to highlight a mockup of Spymaster's Orcasub: a made-to-order $2 million submarine that can drop up to 2,000 feet into the briny depths. A total of two passengers can climb aboard the 4-ton, 22 foot-long submersible thanks to a pair of 360-degree domes that offer 80 hours of life support for each occupant. The battery-powered sub is piloted by using two foot pedals and a joystick, and handles somewhat like an aircraft since it was built with the principles of flight in mind. Orcasub comes outfitted with sonar for collision avoidance, a digital long-range communications system and a 60,000 lumen LED lighting rig. What you see above is just a miniature, but Spymaster is taking orders for the real, full-size McCoy. In fact, folks who'd like to dive deeper can put in a request for pricier models, with the most expensive version nabbing explorers a maximum depth of 6,000 feet for a cool $9.32 million. If you ask us, this sounds like a perfect escape vehicle for any luxury yacht worth its salt. Hit the source link for Pocket-lint's photo gallery of the craft.
Sky considering launching Sky Sports 3D, one channel too small for three dimensions
Sky is reportedly considering splitting its stereoscopic programming into separate Sports and Entertainment channels as its content stable swells. Speaking to Pocket-lint, movie bosses Simon Rexworthy and Ian Lewis confirmed that they don't have enough time in the schedules unless sporting coverage is hived off to a distinct "Sky Sports 3D". After the split, Sky 3D would only broadcast films, factual and TV content, with the caveat that they're prioritizing quality over quantity. Lewis mentioning that one recently-released flick has been blacklisted from the service after making the testers sick, although he neglected to mention its title.
Microsoft launching Windows Phone 7 on October 11th?
With a gold master OS, plenty of devices raring to show themselves, and a more or less obvious October launch window, it's clear that Windows Phone 7 is right around the corner. Pocket-lint is reporting today that its sources, "senior figures within the industry," are pegging October 11 as the special day, with a New York launch event to make it all official. The handsets will then be available later that month, according to one of those sources. It sounds like everybody is ready for Microsoft to start fighting back in the world of phones, the question is: are you?
British network ITV responds to Apple iTV rumor, says it has 'vigorously defended' its IP before
This probably shouldn't come as a huge surprise, but British television network ITV has responded to the rumor that Apple plans to rename the Apple TV as... iTV. Now, Apple's no stranger to using names which are already trademarked -- if you'll recall, Fujitsu used to own iPad and Cisco owned iPhone before Apple took care of all of that with its gigantic piles of money. Well, someone at ITV is apparently not pleased to hear that iTV is one of the next Apple products, with a report in The Mirror this morning citing unnamed sources which described its executives as "furious," and hints that litigation is not out of the realm of possibility. Pocket Lint's contacted an ITV spokesperson for a more official take on the matter, and ITV's director of Communications, Mike Large, says that ITV has a "strong brand" with a "highly valued IP," that ITV is a household name in the UK, and that it has "vigorously defended" its IP in the past. Of course, assuming Apple does go ahead with the iTV name, it could always choose to call it something else in the UK, and it's also worth noting that ITV has been fighting to gain the US mark for the name since at least 2006, and has so far failed to do so. While ITV seems to have done a pretty good job at dodging any direct questions about lawsuits, it's pretty clear that the network wants to let everyone know from the outset that they're not going to ignore this one.
Rumour: 40GB PS3 in UK tomorrow alongside 60GB price cut
Pocket Lint is reporting that the 40GB PS3 is coming even sooner than we expected. They have had several separate reports that the new SKU will drop tomorrow, October 5th. Not only that, but the 60GB will be dropping in price to £369 at the same time. While we haven't been able to confirm these reports, and therefore have no choice but to label them as a rumour, we're remaining optimistic and look forward to see what will happen tomorrow. Pocket Lint is also stating that, while two of the four USB ports and the memory card readers will be gone, WiFi and software emulated backwards compatibility will remain. This is a particular point of interest for us, particularly as Play.com pointed out that the 40GB would have no backwards compatability whatsoever (though that information, as well as the other specifications, are now gone from their site). We're looking forward to seeing how this progresses and, if Pocket Lint and their sources are correct, we may not have long to wait.
Samsung BD-P1000 Blu-ray player delayed (again)?
In what may turn out to be yet another crushing blow to HD-hungry consumers, it looks like Samsung could be joining Sony, Pioneer, and, um, itself, in playing the Vista-like Blu-ray delay game that continues to amuse and frustrate us. As of right now, the facts are these: UK tech site Pocket-Lint sent an email to Bite Communications, Samsung's British PR firm, in order to confirm what we all thought was the BD-P1000's June 25th release date; instead of a confirmation, however, Pocket-Lint received a surprising reply stating that "unfortunately, the release of the Blu-ray has been delayed until September." Before you start freaking out, though, keep in mind that at this point details are still very thin -- we can't even be certain if this supposed delay applies to the US launch, or only affects our friends over in Great Britain. As you'd expect, we have our crack team of low-paid interns furiously dialing every Samsung representative we can find a number for, and you'll be the first to know when we can finally pin someone down on a solid release date, so stay tuned.Update: Whew, good news (well, for us Americans at least). Samsung has confirmed that the US launch is still "on schedule," although Bite was right on the money about the UK delay, so as usual, Brits are gonna have to wait a little longer to get a hot new product.
