This week in tech, we discuss cable cutting, corporate love triangles, a gluttony of gaming, and an old fashioned Cupertino round-up.
We often joke about our internet being made up of a series of tubes. However, sometimes we don't realize how vulnerable our internet really is. This week, South Asia and the Mid East suffered significant service outages, due to undersea fiber optic cables being mysteriously cut. The first incident occurred early in the week, when service was disrupted as two cables were found severed. Reports indicated that the incident may have been caused by a ship dragging its anchor. Since then, three more undersea cables have been cut, causing much speculation. The actual cause has yet to have been determined, however, three of the cables should be repaired by this weekend.
In a move that has many people talking, and many more scratching their heads, Microsoft has commenced a somewhat hostile takeover of internet giant, Yahoo. Earlier in the week Microsoft offered a 44.6 billion dollar bid to Yahoo's board of directors, in an attempt to merge the two companies. Yahoo has the opportunity to analyze and/or reject the bid, however, this could only prompt Microsoft to take more aggressive measures to seal the deal. Never one to keep silent, Google warned Microsoft that a merger of such magnitude seems a tad monopolistic. Microsoft responded back by reminding Google that they are the ones who have a monopolistic hold when it comes to internet territory. Meanwhile talks emerged of a Yahoo/Google partnership. Only the future will reveal the outcome of this love triangle. As I have said in the past, there is only one clear winner in the battle of corporate giants; the consumer.
Speaking of Microsoft, the price of their HD DVD addon for the XBox 360 has been cut to $129.99. Coupled with the existing offer of 6 free movies, it is definitely a purchase that pays for itself. But is there truly any price worth paying for an endangered technology? While you are at it, be sure to check out the three new XBox Originals available on the Marketplace.
Electronic Arts has recently shared its predictions for the 2008 gaming year. According to EA, Sony's PS3 will outsell the XBox by at least a couple million units throughout the US and Europe. Predictions for Japanese sales were not included, but Sony is a sure winner in the east, as the XBox has never really caught on over there. These claims may not be as bold as they seem, considering that it is only natural for Microsoft's sales to plateau eventually. It should be noted that EA did place both systems behind the Nintendo Wii.
As for the Wii, it seems as if Nintendo had a little case of patent fever. A number of patents that Nintendo filed back in May of 2006 have recently surfaced. These patents predate the launch of the Nintendo Wii, but they do show what Nintendo had in mind when it came to the Wiimote. Some of the designs are a bit odd, such as a bicycle with a Wiimote as a petal, or a skateboard with the controller lodged in one of the wheels. Even more strange is one diagram containing a teddy bear with the Wiimote submerged in his stomach. One can only hope that Nintendo patented these ideas so that nobody else could release such products and sully the gaming console. The original patent can be found here.
Shelled out an extra $1,300 for the solid state drive for your MacBook Air? Seems to be money well wasted. Reports show that there is almost no speed or battery life boosts when using the more expensive storage solution. Speaking of storage, Apple has released new versions of the iPhone and iPod Touch, with 16 and 32 GB hard drives, respectively. Both retail for $499. The appleTV update still has not been released, but it looks as if Apple is already thinking ahead with the product. Though Apple has the tendency to file patents that never see the light of day, these particular upgrades for the appleTV, including iChat, Widgets, amongst others, are sure hoped to come to fruition. Could Apple be planning their own version of an ebook reader? According to Steve Jobs, people don't read books anymore. Extremetech.com uses the power of reverse psychology to find hidden meaning in the words of the wise one. I'll believe it when I see it.
We often joke about our internet being made up of a series of tubes. However, sometimes we don't realize how vulnerable our internet really is. This week, South Asia and the Mid East suffered significant service outages, due to undersea fiber optic cables being mysteriously cut. The first incident occurred early in the week, when service was disrupted as two cables were found severed. Reports indicated that the incident may have been caused by a ship dragging its anchor. Since then, three more undersea cables have been cut, causing much speculation. The actual cause has yet to have been determined, however, three of the cables should be repaired by this weekend.
In a move that has many people talking, and many more scratching their heads, Microsoft has commenced a somewhat hostile takeover of internet giant, Yahoo. Earlier in the week Microsoft offered a 44.6 billion dollar bid to Yahoo's board of directors, in an attempt to merge the two companies. Yahoo has the opportunity to analyze and/or reject the bid, however, this could only prompt Microsoft to take more aggressive measures to seal the deal. Never one to keep silent, Google warned Microsoft that a merger of such magnitude seems a tad monopolistic. Microsoft responded back by reminding Google that they are the ones who have a monopolistic hold when it comes to internet territory. Meanwhile talks emerged of a Yahoo/Google partnership. Only the future will reveal the outcome of this love triangle. As I have said in the past, there is only one clear winner in the battle of corporate giants; the consumer.
Speaking of Microsoft, the price of their HD DVD addon for the XBox 360 has been cut to $129.99. Coupled with the existing offer of 6 free movies, it is definitely a purchase that pays for itself. But is there truly any price worth paying for an endangered technology? While you are at it, be sure to check out the three new XBox Originals available on the Marketplace.
Electronic Arts has recently shared its predictions for the 2008 gaming year. According to EA, Sony's PS3 will outsell the XBox by at least a couple million units throughout the US and Europe. Predictions for Japanese sales were not included, but Sony is a sure winner in the east, as the XBox has never really caught on over there. These claims may not be as bold as they seem, considering that it is only natural for Microsoft's sales to plateau eventually. It should be noted that EA did place both systems behind the Nintendo Wii.
As for the Wii, it seems as if Nintendo had a little case of patent fever. A number of patents that Nintendo filed back in May of 2006 have recently surfaced. These patents predate the launch of the Nintendo Wii, but they do show what Nintendo had in mind when it came to the Wiimote. Some of the designs are a bit odd, such as a bicycle with a Wiimote as a petal, or a skateboard with the controller lodged in one of the wheels. Even more strange is one diagram containing a teddy bear with the Wiimote submerged in his stomach. One can only hope that Nintendo patented these ideas so that nobody else could release such products and sully the gaming console. The original patent can be found here.
Shelled out an extra $1,300 for the solid state drive for your MacBook Air? Seems to be money well wasted. Reports show that there is almost no speed or battery life boosts when using the more expensive storage solution. Speaking of storage, Apple has released new versions of the iPhone and iPod Touch, with 16 and 32 GB hard drives, respectively. Both retail for $499. The appleTV update still has not been released, but it looks as if Apple is already thinking ahead with the product. Though Apple has the tendency to file patents that never see the light of day, these particular upgrades for the appleTV, including iChat, Widgets, amongst others, are sure hoped to come to fruition. Could Apple be planning their own version of an ebook reader? According to Steve Jobs, people don't read books anymore. Extremetech.com uses the power of reverse psychology to find hidden meaning in the words of the wise one. I'll believe it when I see it.
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