Enda en Eee-konkurrent 9. May 2008
Posted by Nerdmaster in : Robotics , add a commentAlishan har 7 tommers skjerm og veier under én kilo.
Hardware.no
Rock Group goes titsup
Posted by Nerdmaster in : Robotics , add a commentStaff theft leads to cashflow problems
Rock Group PLC is in the hands of administrators who are trying to sell the UK notebook maker as a going concern.
Seamless ice spheres 8. May 2008
Posted by Nerdmaster in : Robotics , add a comment
Hipstomp at the Core77 blog writes:
In some of Manhattan’s better Japanese-staffed bars, like Tribeca’s underground B-Flat, ice cubes are noticeably absent; ordering your scotch on the rocks gets you a large ice sphere. With less surface area than the same amount of ice rendered in cubes, a globe of ice will melt more slowly, keeping your drink cold without making it watery.
As an industrial designer, your correspondent couldn’t help but notice the parting line on B-Flat’s ice spheres; after all, it has to come out of a mold. But now a company called Taisin has come up with a clever device for making a perfect ice sphere with no parting line.
How does it work? You sandwich a large chunk of ice in between the two metal pieces pictured above. As the ice slowly melts, gravity brings the top half to close over the bottom half, enclosing what ice remains in its spherical cavity. Because the ice is in the process of melting into its new shape as the top closes, there’s no parting line. Clever!
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MakeZine.com
Author: Microsoft is Still Here, Dammit!
Posted by Nerdmaster in : Robotics , add a commentEven though Microsoft’s Steve Ballmer bungled Yahoo and Vista is sticking to store shelves, the company he runs is as dangerous as ever, says the author of a new book about the future of Microsoft post-Bill Gates.
While Gates will remain as Microsoft’s chairman, he will no longer be involved in day-to-day decisions, leaving Microsoft’s showy, sometimes sweaty CEO Steve Ballmer to his own devices.
Many industry watchers are hesitant about Ballmer right now, partly due to the botched Yahoo deal and a bumpy Windows Vista release. Still, Mary Jo Foley, a ZDNet blogger who has covered Microsoft since Bill Gates first emerged from puberty, believes the company has a big future ahead of it.
We chewed the fat with Foley about the release of her book Microsoft 2.0: How Microsoft Plans to Stay Relevant in the Post-Gates Era, the Yahoo fiasco, Microsoft’s biggest challenges and the evolution of Bill Gates.
Wired: What’s your prediction — when do you think Steve Ballmer will give up or get kicked out?
Mary Jo Foley: I think he’s going to stick to what he said. He said last year he would [serve as CEO] for nine years, because that’s when his youngest son will be in college. I don’t think they’ll get rid of him before then.
[The board] would be hard-pressed to find a better CEO than Ballmer. He’s pretty wedded to a lot of old-school ideas — like, he’s never going to say, “Let’s just toss out Windows and start over,” which is what a lot of people think is necessary. But he epitomizes Microsoft.
Wired: Do you think Ballmer’s equipped to deal with Microsoft’s biggest problems right now?
Foley: Their biggest challenge right now is to continue to profit from existing products while not neglecting new business models and strategies that come up. Many people think Microsoft’s biggest challenge is competing with Google. That’s not true. Their biggest challenge is to make sure Windows stays relevant.
Wired: So what do you think of Windows Mobile?
Foley: I’ve avoided it like the plague. Every time I get a new cellphone, everyone always warns me not to get Windows Mobile. The thing’s awful. I think Windows Mobile is a huge challenge for them.
They’ve got this new “consumer” bug where they think they’ve got to be a player in every consumer market. I think they would be better served sticking to their enterprise roots and not chase every consumer trend.
Wired: You’ve covered this company for a long time. Did you have any “Aha!” moments when you were researching this book?
Foley: I was stunned by how quickly people count Microsoft out these days. It’s almost like a knee-jerk reaction, like, “Oh, they’re irrelevant.” In the old days, startups pitching VCs used to have what they called the “Microsoft slide,” they had to plan for what they would do when Microsoft came into their market. Now, instead of looking at Microsoft as a player, people think they don’t matter. But it’s dangerous for companies of any size to count them out. They’re still good at figuring out how to come back into a market and steal everybody’s lunch.
Wired: What did you make of the Yahoo takeover attempt?
Foley: When I first heard they were going to buy Yahoo I was completely incredulous. I thought, “This is going to be such a disaster.” I had just submitted the manuscript the week before so I had to revise it. I knew a lot of employees at Microsoft didn’t want it, and I just could not see how it would be a positive.
I sort of think they dodged a bullet — I think it’s going to be great for Microsoft [to have dropped the offer for Yahoo] and I hope they don’t go back into negotiations.
Wired: And what do you think happens to Microsoft after Gates retires?
Foley: There’s always been this dichotomy between “Bill’s guys” and “Steve’s guys.” Steve’s guys have MBAs and their roots are in sales. Bill’s guys have been traditional technologists. The people who are more like Steve will probably get more power and will run the show, so I wonder who’s going to be the tech champion for Bill’s guys. I think that’s going to be a big cultural and noticeable change once Gates is out from his day-to-day duties.
Wired: How has Bill Gates changed during the time you’ve covered Microsoft?
Foley: The first time I interviewed Bill Gates was in 1984, and back then, he was a really difficult interview. As a reporter you went into a Gates interview knowing that you were going to be insulted. He would say things like, “That’s the stupidest question I’ve ever heard.” Or he would look off into the distance and ignore you. He’s a much better press-trained guy now. People attribute that to his marriage, having kids or getting older. But whatever the reason, he’s more press-savvy now.
Wired: And Steve Ballmer?
Foley: He’s the same. He’s always been unpredictable and crazy. He’s a really fun interview. You never know what he’s going to say. You always walk out of a Ballmer interview with a great sound bite.
A farewell to gadgets 7. May 2008
Posted by Nerdmaster in : Robotics , add a commentThough this marks the sixtieth and final—for now—Gadgetbox column, we will not leave you empty-handed. Savor our parting gift, these three last gadgets, until we meet again.
MacWorld
‘Grand Theft Auto IV’ by the Numbers
Posted by Nerdmaster in : Robotics , add a commentWith $500 million in sales, a $300,000 lawsuit and one restraining order, Rockstar Games’ record-smashing sequel is giving the competition a fierce beating.
Virtualisering hetast
Posted by Nerdmaster in : Robotics , add a commentIDCs analysÂchef är säker pÃ¥ sin sak: den hetaste trenden pÃ¥ it-omrÃ¥det stavas virtualisering.
Fujifilm Finepix F100fd 6. May 2008
Posted by Nerdmaster in : Robotics , add a comment
Fujifilm’s 12MP advanced compact offers face detection, extended dynamic range and a high ISO.
TrustedReviews
Video: Why ‘Boom Blox’ Rocks and ‘Mario Kart Wii’ Doesn’t
Posted by Nerdmaster in : Robotics , add a commentSome gamemakers really work the Wii, teasing the most possible fun from Nintendo’s white-hot console. Others don’t, and sometimes a promising franchise gets driven into the ditch.
Dell, OLPC Affordable Laptop Bout Only Hurts Users (PC World) 5. May 2008
Posted by Nerdmaster in : Robotics , add a commentPC World - Anyone with the remotest interest in ICT development will have noticed the battle raging at the “bottom of the pyramid,” where…
YahooTechNews
Sun cites open source tribulations (InfoWorld)
Posted by Nerdmaster in : Robotics , add a commentInfoWorld - Sun Microsystems officials on Monday acknowledged issues the company has had to deal with in offering products such as the OpenSolaris OS and Java via an open source business model.
YahooTechNews
K11 redder AMD?
Posted by Nerdmaster in : Robotics , add a commentNeste generasjon prosessorer fra AMD skal bli helt annerledes enn dagens Phenom.
Hardware.no
Elkjøp-åpning ble kaos
Posted by Nerdmaster in : Robotics , add a commentSlåsskamp om tilbud i ny butikk.
ITAvisen
Miyamoto Voted #1 in ‘Your Time 100′ Poll 1. May 2008
Posted by Nerdmaster in : Robotics , add a commentMario’s creator believed to be more important than Nobel Prize-winning Al Gore.
1Up.com - PSP
HP ProCurve 1700-24
Posted by Nerdmaster in : Robotics , add a commentWith the HP ProCurve 1700-24, small and medium-size businesses seeking a low-end network switch can get the basic features they need—though not much else—at a terrific price.
iBuyPower Gamer Mage 855
Posted by Nerdmaster in : Robotics , add a commentDespite its name, the iBuyPower Gamer Mage 855 is no hard-core gaming rig.
Every Italian’s tax bill published online
Posted by Nerdmaster in : Robotics , add a commentMakes UK government look like amateurs
The British government might be useless at keeping our data safe, but the outgoing Italian government has gone one better - it has published the tax details of every single Italian on a website and made them available to anyone interested.
Prosjekt Dreamfall - del 1
Posted by Nerdmaster in : Robotics , add a commentI lys av Funcoms kommende storlansering, presenterer vi en casemod basert på den forrige suksessen – Dreamfall.
Hardware.no
EBay Says Craigslist Held Secret Meetings, Pushed It Off the Board
Posted by Nerdmaster in : Robotics , add a commentEBay’s complaint against Craigslist is finally unsealed. Among other things, eBay charges Craigslist founder Craig Newmark and CEO Jim Buckmaster of holding clandestine meetings in an effort to push eBay off the board.
Discoverer of LSD dead at 102 30. April 2008
Posted by Nerdmaster in : Robotics , add a commentAlbert Hofmann takes his final trip
Swiss chemist Albert Hofmann, who in 1943 accidentally discovered the hallucinogenic effects of Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), has died at the age of 102, Reuters reports.