Dr. Augustine Fou's Online Scrapbook

Thursday, April 09, 2009

Intel Promises Two-Second Boot Times With Their Moblin Netbook Linux OS [NetBooks]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/mSt1dNcS7FY/intel-promises-two+second-boot-times-with-their-moblin-netbook-linux-os

Imagine if your netbook went from completely powered off to fully booted and ready in two seconds. It would be an entirely different gadget in your life, wouldn't it? That's what Intel hopes.

We've already seen promising early builds of Moblin, their open-source project to create an Atom-optimized OS for netbooks on the platform. But speaking at a Linux summit in San Francisco recently, Intel's Imhad Sousou spelled out plans to make a two-second boot a reality.

It's ambitious, and it will require significant and deep fiddling, but that's the goal. I don't know about you guys, but I'm really excited for the next generation of netbooks that moves beyond traditional desktop operating systems. Again, it's software that counts. [Ars Technica via Gadget Mix]

Vandals Cut AT&T Fiber Optic Lines In San Jose Affecting Thousands [Crime]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/BL6ECnltz28/vandals-cut-att-fiber-optic-lines-in-san-jose-affecting-thousands

Police in San Jose are investigating two incidents involving severed AT&T and Sprint fiber optic cable that knocked out landline, cellular and internet service to thousands of Silicon Valley residents.

"We're treating this as a crime scene," Lopez said.

Four AT&T fiber-optic cables were severed shortly before 1:30 a.m. along Monterey Highway north of Blossom Hill Road in south San Jose, police Sgt. Ronnie Lopez said. Sprint's cable in San Carlos was cut about two hours later, a company official said. The exact location was not immediately known.

With all of the economic turmoil going on, who would be surprised to find out that this was the work of some disgruntled employee? I, for one, would not be. Hit up SFGate to check out video of the scene. [SFGate]

Nokia working on new MID for this year, wild QWERTY tech for next?

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/09/nokia-working-on-new-mid-for-this-year-wild-qwerty-tech-for-nex/

Let's start this out with a word of warning: TheStreet.com's latest report allegedly from deep within Espoo's most secretive labs contradicts itself on a couple occasions -- and Nokia has a decent (though not stellar) track record of keeping most prized secrets under wraps -- so we're bringing this up with a good deal of caution, healthy skepticism, and cold, hard reality on our minds. That being said, some aspects of the report seem totally plausible, particularly a new bit about a fresh MID (likely to replace the aging N810) in the works with a sliding keyboard and 4.2-inch display targeted for release before the holidays this year; Maemo 5 development is well underway, so we'd actually be kinda surprised if this didn't happen. Odds are it wouldn't be that rumored Sparrow-powered device, though, since we'd heard 2011 for that one.

Here's where it starts to get a little strange -- next up, the report mentions a "Nautilus project" intending to create an ultra-thin touchscreen phone of some sort that uses a "sensor" (you know, a "sensor") to motorize the keyboard in and out of the body; what's more, the keys would rise up when deployed for better feel. This sounds unlikely at best, considering the added weight, complexity, bulk, and reliability concerns around that kind of a mechanism, not to mention the fact that it'd serve almost no practical purpose whatsoever. At first, TheStreet says this is a device, then later changes it! s mind a nd says "the first Nautilus phone isn't due out for another year" -- but whether it's a phone or an entire range of phones, we're just not seeing it; it'd be fun to play with, yes, but we think this is the kind of thing where the engineers would putz with it for a while and realize that it's a really, really bad idea.

[Via Unwired View]

Filed under: Handhelds

Nokia working on new MID for this year, wild QWERTY tech for next? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Apr 2009 12:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Visa rolls out its first commercial NFC payment system

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/09/visa-rolls-out-its-first-commercial-nfc-payment-system/

Nokia fulfilled its part of the bargain by rolling out its NFC-enabled 6212 cellphone last year, and it looks like Visa is now finally making the phone a good deal more useful -- in Malaysia, at least. That's where the company has launched its first commercial NFC (or Near Field Communications) payment service for point-of-sale transactions, which will let folks simply wave the phone in front of a reader to make a purchase instead of going to the hassle of swiping a card. What's more, it doesn't look like this is simply a limited trial, with 1,800 stores in the country ready to accept the magical payments out of the gate, and Maxis and Maybank on board to let folks easily access their credit account. Better still, Visa has also said that this move finally signals the shift from pilot programs to actual roll-outs, although it's unfortunately not being all that specific about the next few markets on tap just yet.

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless

Visa rolls out its first commercial NFC payment system originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Apr 2009 14:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Peapod the friendly Neighborhood Electric Vehicle in the flesh

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/09/peapod-the-friendly-neighborhood-electric-vehicle-in-the-flesh/

We just got an exclusive first look at the Peapod from Chrysler's Global Eco Mobility unit. Like its cousin the GEM, Peapod is a Neighborhood Electric Vehicle, which means it's limited by law to 25 mph and can't go on the highways. Peapod gets about 30 miles on a charge, and adds in all the "car" goodies that GEM was lacking. The vehicle seats four in lightweight Arion-inspired seats, has suicide doors for easy entry, a windowed roof that can be removed for some open-air driving, and even a nice amount of trunk space. On the dash there's an iPod dock and the instruments panel is a colorful collection of informations. We couldn't drive it around just yet -- it was stuck in a building lobby -- but we'll get a shot at taking this onto the city streets shortly. The Peapod should hit the streets in October, for the quite dramatic estimated pricetag of around $12,000. That's a pretty penny for something that can't top 25 mph, but at least this thing is a lot more likely than the P.U.M.A. to land in your driveway in the near future.

Gallery: Peapod the friendly Neighborhood Electric Vehicle in the flesh