The Interactive Colour Cube doesn’t do anything per se, other than change colour based upon its angle of rotation. Three accelerometers each control a different axis (X, Y, and Z) which directly correlate with either a red, blue or green set of internal LEDs (that “float” in a cube within the cube). The result is a logical, dynamic light show as you rotate the device. Here’s a clip:
It looks like Verizon Wireless is super duper committed to open development, because they’ve just joined the LiMo Foundation board of directors. LiMo is “an industry consortium dedicated to creating the first truly open, hardware-independent, Linux-based operating system for mobile devices.” Verizon isn’t dropping support for Android (or any other OS) as a result of the move, but LiMo will become their “preferred OS,” with the first handsets dropping in 2009, starting out as simpler devices and moving into more complicated ones as they “get smarter.” Unfortunately, it looks like the clunky red UI you’ve grown to loathe will remain intact, however. This gives Verizon a fair bit of say in how mobile Linux develops as well—and provides yet more competition for Android. Full press release below.
A senior manager for Samsung has said that the company will stop manufacturing laptops if it doesn’t triple sales. Sukyong Hong, the senior manager of overseas sales and marketing, claims that the Korean giant will need to shift 11 million notebooks in order for the division to remain sustainable. At the moment, Samsung has a 1.7 percent share of the global market. But will the company meet the target?
Our ground PONG-snorting buddies over at Kotaku have gotten their hands on a potentially legitimate list of new functions coming with the annual Xbox 360 Spring Update. In the list we see more confirmation of the Newton motion controller, as well as hints at a news/weather service, more hard drive game data caching and four-person video conferencing. Microsoft has denied the list by saying, “We don’t comment on rumours or speculation, but what we can tell you is we’ve never seen this list before.” Honest denial or tricky wordplay? You can decide for yourself with the list after the jump.
In a recent survey, 757 gay and lesbian participants were asked to rank companies by their gay-friendly factor. Apple came in first place among tech companies with 39% of participants strongly considering the brand to be gay-friendly. Among all brands, Apple came in second behind Bravo (who dominated with a rating of 52%). But alas, things didn’t turn out so well for our friends (we can no longer be seen in public with) at Samsung.
Utah-based company Paraben has come out with a nasty, sneaky little device that sucks all the data from a person’s mobile phone, perfect for all the pathologically jealous, untrustworthy toads lurking out there. So, while your significant other is at the bar getting the drinks in, you can sneak into her purse, grab her mobile phone and plug this thumb drive-sized device into it to see if she’s playing you. Cost is US$200, and it currently only works on Samsung and Motorola phones. Thank God my RAZR is being forcibly retired in two weeks, then—not that I’ve got anything to hide, you understand. [CSI Stick via Textually]
The X800 mobile phone from Philips has been seen around and about this past few weeks, but it’s finally been officially announced. Although there’s still no release date or, more importantly, a price, this e2e touchscreen (that’s edge-to-edge) that’s being mooted as, snore, Philips’ iPhone killer, is lacking in both 3G and EDGE departments. Full specs below the jump.
China has been semi-famed for launching DDoS attacks and poking around the US’s secure networks generally. One Air Force colonel’s solution? Build a massive botnet to DDoS the Commie bastards (or anyone else) right back. Because we’re on the Light side, our bigass botnet wouldn’t infect new computers, but the plan would press millions of computers set for the scrap pile into DDoS duty, as well as every unclassified computer in the Air Force’s possession (including civilian government machines).
Officers of the NYPD may be forced to carry cameras on their guns, if a Brooklyn senator gets his way. Following a spate of controversial shootings, democrat Eric Adams—a former cop himself—has proposed the addition of a US$700 gadget, insisting that it will improve public confidence in the police force. Before being adopted, however, the city’s SWAT teams will take part in a pilot scheme. More details of the idea, which has already been mooted in DC, below.
A report in a Swiss publication claims that the long-awaited, much-speculated 3G iPhone will rock GPS, mobile TV and videoconferencing. Le Matin claims that mobile phone provider Swisscom will get the privilege of flogging Apple’s mobile phone in the land of the cuckoo clock, and that it will be available some time this summer (AU Winter). [Le Matin via MacRumors]
