Apple gossip-mongers keep taking the tablets

There are more rumors this week that Apple is planning a tablet computer – an internet-enabled device with a large touchscreen rather than a separate keyboard. But the excitement appears to be based on who the rumors come from, not the detail behind it.

The basics of the rumors have been floating around for some time: it’s arguably a natural market gap; the latest iPhone operating system’s code refers to new devices; Apple has filed patents (pictured) which appear to cover a tablet; and the firm has reportedly reached deals with Chinese suppliers for relevant components such as screens.

The sudden flurry of interest this week is down to a prediction by Gene Munster, an analyst for Piper Jaffray. He makes a career of advising investors about the likely moves which will affect company performance. In some cases his predictions appear to be based on fairly simple logic rather than insider information, but firms pay close attention to what he says, simply because he has such a strong (and lucrative) reputation on the line when he makes predictions.

Jaffray believes Apple will indeed launch a tablet computer, likely next year, for somewhere between $500 and $700. He also suggests the device will be able to download and run applications from the iTunes App Store.

Other reports from mainstream sources such as the Wall Street Journal and Reuters this week suggest the device may be larger than previously though, with a screen as large as 10 inches in diameter.

If these predictions do come true, the big question is whether consumers will see the device as filling a gap in the market, or if it will fall victim to the dual problem of coming across as both an expensive iPod touch and a low-spec MacBook.


National Archives loses Clinton-era government data

When you work for a Federal body and lose a hard drive containing data for more than 100,000 people, it’s pretty embarrassing. But it must feel even worse when you describe yourself as “the nation’s record keeper.”

The National Archives and Record Administration agency, which keeps and maintains around 2% of government documents for legal and historical purposes, has lost a two terabyte hard drive containing records from the Executive Office of the President covering the Clinton administration.

The good news is that the records themselves are not lost to posterity as this was simply one of two hard-drive back-ups of the main tape cartridge records. The bad news is that the disk is reportedly unencrypted, though the NARA did not address that point in a press statement.

The disk contained a mix of records as it was a ‘snapshot’ of the data from computers belonging to staff who left their posts at the end of Clinton’s period in office. The NARA confirmed that the data did contain names and social security numbers for former Clinton staff and visitors to the White House during the time, which suggests security records may be involved. The disks apparently contained some details of operating procedures for both the White House and the Secret Service but it’s said there are no documents dealing with “national security”.

At the moment it’s not known whether the drive was stolen or merely misplaced, but NARA is offering a $50,000 reward for information which leads to its return. The agency is still working to identify people whose data was contained on the disks but says it will inform everyone concerned and offer them a credit monitoring service for a year.

Technorama’s Aluminum Facade Teaches About Wind Currents And Turbulence

In 2002, Technorama, a major science center in Switzerland, asked Ned Kahn to create an aluminum facade for its building, consisting of thousands of aluminum panels that move in the wind, teaching its visitors about air currents and the complex patterns of turbulence caused by them.

[Via OhGizmo]

Geeks in Bed: Less Selfish, More Adventurous

By Casey Lynn
Contributing Writer, [GAS]

geekinbedA recent study in the UK revealed that geeks are good in bed – or at least, less selfish than, for example, gym rats. Four out of five geeks agreed that your partner’s pleasure is more important than your own, as opposed to less than half of respondents who work in the sports and fitness industry. Also, tech industry professionals are far more likely to use sex toys (eight out of ten!).

Granted, this wasn’t exactly the most scientific study, based on survey results and a sample of only about 2000 British men and women who voluntarily answered a survey which happened to have been conducted by a video game website. But it’s interesting food for thought.  But then, around here there’s never been any doubt that geeks are sexy.

One delightful survey trend: those who are more interested in gadgets and new technology are also interested in experimenting with sex toys.

[Via SourceWire; Image Source: Flickr]

Google to end trips to the meter cupboard

Google says a tool it designed for householders to measure their electricity use is so successful that utility companies around the world have signed up to extend it across their customer base.

The technology, Google Power Meter, only works in homes with a ‘smart’ meter, an electronic device which measures power consumption in more detail than a standard dial meter. The Google software allows users to hook their computers up to the meter and analyze their usage, giving them a better idea of when and how they might be able to cut their power costs. The system appears to let users make a note of when particular devices are switched on and measure their direct effect on power consumption – and the associated costs.

The firm has now signed deals with six US power companies, plus firms in Canada and India, which already have smart meters in many or all of their customers’ homes. Google says the scheme is currently only available to some customers, but will be rolled out later this year.

Google is also working with Itron, a firm which helps 8,000 utility firms run smart meter schemes, to integrate Google Power Meter with its technology. Meanwhile General Electric says it is working on a project to produce smart meters which have the Google tool built-in directly.

The big change with Google’s system is that it harnesses the information from smart meters for the consumer’s use. Generally, smart meters are designed mainly to provide utility firms with more detail on patterns of use so that they can anticipate spikes in demand. There have been fears that ‘smart grids’ which connect such meters wirelessly could be vulnerable to hackers.

Microsoft Patent on “Magic Wand”

By Casey Lynn
Contributing Writer, [GAS]

Whereas my enjoyment of most of my favorite games on the Wii isn’t really dependent on the functionality of the Wii remote, there is one exception: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Because I think it’s just cool that you cast spells by waving your “magic wand” in certain ways. It’s a small part of the game, but still enough to make me think, “Oh yeah, this is what this can do that the Playstation and XBox can’t.”

So it’s not really surprising that Microsoft is trying to get a handle on some of the functionality, but it’s still kind of amusing that their patent is for a “magic wand.” The patent application, made public a few days ago, was filed in November 2007 and involves an architecture that “facilitate[s] rich interaction with and/or management of environmental components included in an environment” and uses sensors “to determine an orientation or gesture in connection with the wand.” Oh, and it resembles “a wand or similar object.”

Of course, the patent covers functionality that goes beyond that of the Wii remote, including biometrics and communications with other wands. There’s obviously a comparison there, but I have no idea how much of the conceptual ideas behind the Wii Nintendo managed to get patented.

Though despite all that, I’m still not sure that “magic wand” is the best name, even just as a working one. Especially since if it’s not one magic wand that comes to mind, it might be the other.

By the way, with a new Harry Potter game coming out soon, it might be kind of neat (if a bit superfluous) to have a Wii-mote-compatible “wand.” After all, there’s already maracas.

[Image Source: Flickr]

Europe calls for glitch-free game guarantees

Proposed European guidelines could mean an end to the misery of bug-filled video games. But manufacturers say the rules would be unworkable and could even limit how many games are developed.

The European Commission, the administrative arm of the European Union, says games should lose their current exemption from quality guarantee laws. As things stand, there’s no legal comeback for buyers, even if a game has a bug that makes it impossible to finish.

If the proposals came into force, manufacturers would have to offer a minimum two-year guarantee that games would work properly. Officials say there is a risk some customers would abuse this by returning games for spurious reasons after they were done playing with them, but that this doesn’t outweigh the right of honest players to be protected from faulty products.

However, Tiga, the trade association of video games producers in Europe, says the rules would deter manufacturers from producing innovative games for fear that a bug could prove costly. Its spokesman Richard Wilson (pictured right) told the BBC that problems often occur because games take so long to develop that it’s not always possible to predict exactly what hardware will be in use when the game is eventually released.

The Business Software Alliance claims it is wrong in principle to apply general consumer laws to video games because software is licensed rather than sold, meaning any problems must be dealt with through the civil court system.

The Commission is also aiming to bring more consistency to national laws dealing with piracy, and to stop firms offering software licenses which are restricted to particular European countries. If it goes ahead with the plans, European governments would be required to introduce the changes to their domestic laws.

Sims 3 Pirates Download for their Girlfriends

By Casey Lynn
Contributing Writer, [GAS]

Sims 3 is the continuation of the bestselling videogame franchise of all time, and as such, the release date in less than two weeks has been pretty highly anticipated. Therefore, it’s not terribly surprising (especially given EA’s experience with Spore a few years ago) that the game has apparently already been leaked onto torrent sites.

Though according to Ars Technica, the eager file sharers aren’t snagging the game for themselves – but for their girlfriends.

Nothing says romance like illegal downloads! I sense some “woohoo” in the future… in the game, after the girl has started playing it and refuses to look up from the screen.

Question of the day: Come on, is it really for their girlfriends?  Also, if you’re not willing to do it yourself, would you want someone else to brave pirates’ waters on your behalf for the sake of some early Sims action?

Interested in reading our full review of the game? Check it out here: Sims 3 Review

[Image Source: Flickr (CC)]