Windows XP-powered Eee PC laptop: $400, April 9th

Filed under: Laptops

Sounds like we’ve finally got a price and a date for the XP powered Eee PC: $400, and April 9th. The hardware’s identical to current-gen Eee PCs, though, so if you’re happy with your little white lappy and are itching for XP you might try to pick up a license on eBay. Still, if all goes well for ASUS, they’ll be selling 4x what they did the first time around, innit?

P.S. -If you are, for whatever reason, itching to read more about current hardware running the 7 year old OS, Laptop’s got a hands-on. Nothing that wasn’t already out there though.

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Apple patent apps reveal plans for iPhone as “lifestyle companion”

Filed under: Cellphones

While it doesn’t exactly come as much of a surprise, it seems that Apple has plenty more goodies in mind for the iPhone (and, presumably, the iPod touch), with a recent batch of no less than six patent applications revealing some of its plans to turn the device into what it describes as a “lifestyle companion.” In this case, that rather vague term refers to what is effectively an upgrade to the Nike+iPod system, with the iPhone’s accelerometer and other built-in capabilities also coming into play in addition to the usual external sensors. It doesn’t stop with workouts, however, with the patent applications also indicating plans for a diet coach of sorts, which could even make use of the iPhone’s camera to scan bar codes on products. Those components would also of course all work together, with the system able to suggest workouts based on your diet and physical condition and vice versa. Of course, these being patent applications, there’s no indication as to when we might actually see such a system, but it sure seems a good deal more likely than some of Apple’s other ideas.

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South Korean police aiming to equip all new handsets with GPS?

Filed under: Cellphones, GPS

Presumably taking a note from Japan, it’s being reported that South Korean police are backing a highly controversial plan that would equip each new mobile sold in the nation with a GPS chip. Reportedly, Song Kang-ho, chief of the investigation bureau of the National Police Agency, has stated that the government has “already submitted a related bill to the National Assembly,” and the general idea here is to crack down on the rise of kidnapping and various other crimes against children and women (not much different than we Americans having such a chip for E911, really). Granted, there’s not a lot of supporting evidence that this is actually set to go down, so until we see it inked in stone, our skeptic hats are remaining in place.

[Via textually, image courtesy of The New York Times]

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Filed under: Robots

It looks like professor Noel Sharkey isn’t the only one stirred up about autonomous killing machines. An anti-landmine group in London called Landmine Action is now calling for the ban of robots capable of killing people all on their lonsome. The group believes these bots fall under the same category as landmines — which are outlawed in 150 countries — and is pressing governments to keep control in the hands of a human operator. The group is also campaigning to put a stop to autonomous cluster bombs (which self-detonate), and feels these bots fall under the same category. Says spokesman Richard Moyes, “Our concern is that humans, not sensors, should make targeting decisions. So similarly, we don’t want to move towards robots that make decisions about combatants and noncombatants.” Of course, if the bots can pass a Turing test, how will we know the difference? Needless to say, Skynet could not be reached for comment.

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Via [Engadget]

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Linux becomes only OS to escape PWN 2 OWN unscathed

Filed under: Laptops

After a week full of Red Bulls, Fruit by the Foot and dreams of In-N-Out, the mighty Sony VAIO loaded with Linux stood as the only machine unhacked by the end of the PWN 2 OWN hacking contest at CanSecWest. As you’re well aware by now, the MacBook Air on display was seized in two minutes by the presumably well prepared Charlie Miller, and after two full days of work, Shane Macaulay and a few of his 1337 associates managed to crack the Vista rig on Friday. Reportedly, Shane and his pals weren’t expecting to do battle with the extra protected SP1 version of Vista, and while the exact loophole won’t be divulged, we are told that it was a cross-platform bug that “took advantage of Java to circumvent Vista’s security.” In the end, it was reported that some folks on hand had discovered bugs in the Linux OS, but many of them “didn’t want to put the work into developing the exploit code that would be required to win the contest.”

[Image courtesy of TippingPoint]

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BlackBerry 9000 in the wild

Filed under: Cellphones, Features, Handhelds

Today, Engadget answers the singular question on the mind of everyone out there who’s sitting at a solid oak desk in a glass office wearing a suit as they read this: what’s up with the next BlackBerry? The rumored BlackBerry 8xxx / 9000 series is getting a lot clearer today, and we’re happy to report that RIM’s cooking up a beauty to keep its legion of devotees loyal — and maybe even win a few converts along the way. Head on over to Engadget Mobile for pictures and video of the little beast in action!

[Thanks, BaggedLunch]

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Cows, Farmer’s Daughters Get $267 Million Broadband Boost [PCs]

If your Internet surfing gets cut constantly because a cow kicked over a lantern and burned down the barn or worse-because you use DSL, help could be on the way. Denver-based Open Range Communications is hoping to eliminate rural DSL Internet surfing with a substantial $267 million loan it received from the Department of Agriculture. The loan is part of the USDA’s Rural Development Broadband Loan and Loan Guarantee Program, and will provide broadband service in 518 rural areas in 17 states, including Illinois, Alabama, Arkansas and Wisconsin. This is great news and a long time coming for the rural communities of the US because, if anything, they’ve consistently shown a great thirst for knowledge, science and the unknown. [USDA via GigaOM]

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Filed under: Robots

It looks like professor Noel Sharkey isn’t the only one stirred up about autonomous killing machines. An anti-landmine group in London called Landmine Action is now calling for the ban of robots capable of killing people all on their lonsome. The group believes these bots fall under the same category as landmines — which are outlawed in 150 countries — and is pressing governments to keep control in the hands of a human operator. The group is also campaigning to put a stop to autonomous cluster bombs (which self-detonate), and feels these bots fall under the same category. Says spokesman Richard Moyes, “Our concern is that humans, not sensors, should make targeting decisions. So similarly, we don’t want to move towards robots that make decisions about combatants and noncombatants.” Of course, if the bots can pass a Turing test, how will we know the difference? Needless to say, Skynet could not be reached for comment.

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Via [Engadget]

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Dilbert’s Boss Is Probably Zoltan in Disguise [Cartoon]

Today’s Dilbert cartoon reminds me of Addy’s brilliant story about Zoltan, the man who married a robot made with a sex doll, hacked teledildonics, and A.L.I.C.E., the artificial intelligence software that makes her brains. Some people made fun of Zoltan, but this cartoon shows a simple fact: many humans, bosses, employees, spouses, and lovers around us have the same probabilities of passing the Turing test as Zoltan’s wife. Including myself on a friday night. [Dilbert]

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Runtriz Touchscreen Communication Displays Networks Up Your Luxury Home’s Kitchen [Gadgets]

This Runtriz touchscreen is something we’d want in the kitchen area of our home. Not because it’s totally necessary, because it isn’t, but because it display stocks, weather, news, recipes, wine organization, and even send emails and text messages to people on the outside. Why would we use this? One example is to make up a grocery list on the device (assisted by the recipes so we know exactly what to buy) and then emailing it to our phones so we can see it at the store. Or better yet, email it to the person who’s actually at the supermarket so they know what to buy. That seems more likely. [Runtriz]

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