Seagate will be making its move into the SSD storage market as well as unleash a spanking new 2TB hard drive sometime next year. 2TB is a whole lot of space, as most of the current commercial 3.5″ hard drives top out at 750GB. This will definitely be good news to those who deal with plenty of data in their everyday line of work, including graphic artists and Torrent downloaders. Granted, the latter isn’t much “work” to begin with, but more storage is always good for everybody since there is always room for one more movie/song. After all, isn’t that the case with iPods as their storage space increases with each new generation? I like Seagate’s foray into SSDs - more competition in the market will probably translate into lower costs, and consumers win in the end.

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Filed under: Cellphones

Looks like Hutchison (aka 3) snagged the iPhone for distribution in Hong Kong and Macau, which will be coming “later this year.” Like the rest, this was another one liner un-announcement with no real info, but you probably wouldn’t want to anger Steve before WWDC. Besides, in Hong Kong 3 doesn’t sell anything but 3G phones — so put that in your iPipe and smoke it.

[Thanks, Chris and Joe]

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Filed under: Computers

It used to be that getting a degree online was a joke. Internet colleges were the new mail-order diploma — saying you got your degree online was like saying your diploma was found at the bottom of a Cracker-Jack box.

Times have changed. Not only is it now acceptable for classes to be taught online, but schools are considered behind the times if they don’t have some online element. Dozens of reputable colleges offer online courses, Ivy league institutions like MIT and Yale offer lectures and course materials for free online and as downloads via iTunes.

San Jose State University has decided to take things even further, moving the entire campus online in the increasingly popular online world of ‘Second Life.’ Students interact, complete assignments, and give presentations all in a virtual class in a virtual world. San Jose State isn’t the only university to buy up land in ‘Second Life,’ but it is one of the few that has developed it and put it to use.

Is ‘Second Life’ the future of the online classroom? Maybe, but probably not. Interacting with avatars is likely just a stepping stone to high quality streamed audio and video that makes taking a class online exactly like being there, though it will make it harder to discreetly make eye contact with the cute girl across the room. [Source: Yahoo! News]

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Asustek will be launching the Essentio CS5110 as part of their Eee Station series at Computex early next month. What this tiny multimedia desktop PC will have include an optional Blu-ray drive for folks who prefer to enjoy their high definition media in front of the computer instead of the living room. You will be able to choose from either white or black colors, with an Intel Core 2 Duo processor running at the heart of things. Depending on the overall system configuration, you are expected to fork out anywhere between $657 to $1,642 - no prizes for guessing which added component will see a significant price bump.

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Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

In a move of unsurprising proportions, StyleTap announced today that it will be bringing its Palm OS emulator to the iPhone and iPod touch… officially. This basically means that every one of those precious Palm apps you couldn’t live without will now be easily accessible via Apple’s devices, thus seriously threatening the argument for keeping your Treo 600. Gregory Sokoloff, CEO of the company, said that the response to a video posted in February of a demo version of the software convinced them to take the plunge. Palm, now might be a good time to stun us with your new OS.

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Filed under: Cell Phones, iPhone

The US Patent and Trademark Office has revealed a mammoth document that can only be described as The iPhone Patent, a 371-page spectacular that covers Apple’s handheld multi-touch UI paradigm in excruciating detail. Many of the mocked-up screen shots depicted in the paperwork are dead ringers for screens that we’re well acquainted with in the production phone, while others represent ideas that either haven’t finished cooking or eventually found their way into the Cupertino circular file (follow the break for a picture of a home screen with dedicated “Blog” and dictionary apps, for instance).

The application also mentions “modules” for video conferencing, GPS, and other currently non-existent (though widely expected) functionality. And in case there’s any doubt over who was responsible for this compendium of legalese, industrial design, and technical diagrams, one only need look at the header of page 1: “Jobs et al.” Yep, Steve himself wasn’t the least bit shy about taking credit atop an entire column of company A-listers for inventing the iPhone’s trademark user interface, which we’re guessing came about from a mix of equal parts truth, ego, and ass-kissing from the legal department down the hall. Seriously though, if you’re Scott Forstall down there at number two on the Inventors list, what are you going to do — go boardroom showdown all John Sculley-style? [Via Cellpassion]

Continue reading The iPhone Patent: Steven P. Jobs, Inventor

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Filed under: Cellphones

With all this hubbub floating around about the elusive 3G iPhone, let us not forget about the latest touchscreen smartphone to land at AT&T: LG’s Vu. After getting official earlier this month, we were able to sit down with the Mobile TV-supporting handset and form a few opinions of our own. Here, however, we’re interested in your take — do you feel the $549.99 (or $299.99 on contract) price tag is reasonable for what you get? Are you pleased with the hardware / software? Are you feeling buyer’s remorse like never before? Go on and spill it, we’re all friends here.

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A Clone Trooper is but a Clone Trooper, right? Apparently not, if you happen to be a hardcore Star Wars fan with plenty of time and passion on your hands to convert this regular LEGO Clone Trooper into one that has glowing eyes, thanks to the use of LED. It isn’t too difficult to throw in the LED, but I guess you’ll need a steady pair of hands and a fair number of LEGO figures before you get the entire process down pat.

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Filed under: Computers

Blogging is fun, informative, and is amazingly still gaining in popularity after all these years. Did you know it’s good for your health, though? According to a recent report in the magazine Oncologist, cancer patients who wrote about their experience and treatment felt measurably better than those who did not. Such behavior is called “expressive writing,” and blogging definitely falls under that category.

Expressive writing also includes keeping a journal and writing poetry and the like, however blogging is seen as especially beneficial because of the direct ability for people to receive encouraging comments from others. Doctors are finding that those who partake in expressive writing not only feel better but sleep better too, something even those in good health can appreciate. This is stark contrast to the fears many recently had about blogging being a potential health risk after prolific blogger Om Malik’s heart attack at 41.

Now, though, doctors seem to be saying “write two posts and call me in the morning.” So, the next time you’re wide awake at night don’t reach for the remote control, start writing. Just be prepared for some less-than encouraging comments, too. [Source: Scientific American]

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Filed under: Cellphones

DigiTimes has it that HTC has already shipped its first batch of over 10,000 Touch Diamond mobiles to Hong Kong CSL, which has consequently sent our saliva glands into overdrive. The report continues on to say that deliveries to European / Asia-Pacific operators should get going in June, though no further details were mentioned. Meanwhile, North Americans are left to weep softly to keep from embarrassment.

[Via SlashPhone]

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