I know spy tech is interesting stuff, but this ID-pass holder spycam from Brando has me pondering. I mean... it's all very clever and such, able to record 1.2-megapixel photos, audio and CIF-resolution video onto its 4GB internal storage and is USB rechargeable. But its likely use is for genuine industrial espionage, which really isn't very nice. Or am I being overly sensitive? Still, it's a meaty $US174, so you're going to have to really want to snoop on your office operations, and bore a hole in your genuine ID before you stick it on the top of this. [Brando via i4u]

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Todd Hollenshead, CEO of id Software (think Doom and Quake), accuses PC hardware manufacturers of implicitly supporting piracy of all kinds because they see it as a "hidden benefit" when you buy a PC. This came up in an interview with Gamesindustry.biz, and was part of a larger point aimed at answer the question of why PC manufacturers aren't doing more to stop piracy with hardware measures. When asked if these companies are secretly happy about piracy, Todd says:

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We're all for making hyperbolic statements about how powerful the iPhone is as a gaming system, but John Carmack's taking things to the next level. As you remember, Sega has previously said that the iPhone is as powerful as their Dreamcast system, and EA has previously said that it's more powerful than the DS, but less than the PSP. Carmack, on the other hand, is having none of this. He says that it's more powerful than "a Nintendo DS and PSP combined." Combined! Like, if you taped the two together and had them working simultaneously, he's saying it won't be as good as an iPhone!

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I don't think John Carmack had a version of the Doom 2 and Wolfenstein RPGs in mind when he recently said that id Software was bringing something "very special" to the iPhone, but CEO Todd Hollenshead has revealed that he would like to bring both of these games to the device, which he claims is more powerful than a DS and PSP combined. The software is already being worked on for other platforms, but Hollenshead admits that it is too early to tell whether the games will be ported to the iPhone.

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Probably dismayed by the current smleh state of games for the iPhone, game wizard John Carmack has announced that iD Software is bringing something very special for the iPhone. Knowing that John is the creator of Wolfenstein, Doom, Quake, but, more importantly, Commander Keen, you can imagine how excited we are. Yes, that excited. In fact, as excited as he is about the iPhone as a gaming platform, comparing it to the PS2, as Chris Morris reports:

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The obviously named Solar House Number Display & Mailbox will not only help guests find your home in the dark, but it keeps your mail and newspaper snug, too. The box drinks in solar rays during the day, and when evening comes, it automatically triggers the LED backlighting, lasting for up to ten hours. Just use the numbers provided in the package to indicate your house number, mount the thing up, and forget about it–no batteries, and it's water resistant. Worried about someone walking up and snagging your mail? The mailbox has a lock, though the newspaper just slides into the cubby at the bottom of the unit. Good luck trying to get the paper boy to walk up and slide your newspaper in just for you. The Solar House Number Display & Mailbox costs $128. Product page [NapaStyle via Uberreview]

This Microsoft patent for acoustic caller ID seems ingenious. Instead of relying on the phone company to ID by easily spoofed phone numbers, the system IDs by voice. That way, callers can be identified from whatever line they call from, cell, voip, landline, and gas station pay phone. Of course, that means the caller has to actually talk before the person picks up the phone. So smart, yet so dumb.–Brian Lam Patent 7,231,019: Automatic identification of telephone callers based on voice characteristics [USPTO via Wired]