Pranav Mistry of MIT Media Lab has invented an invisible mouse he calls “Mouseless.”  By combining an infrared (IR) laser beam and an IR camera inside the side of a laptop, software can detect and track your hand movement atop of a flat surface and convert it into on-screen mouse movement, left/right clicks, and pinch/scroll gestures.  Want to get a bit more technical?

The laser beam module is modified with a line cap and placed such that it creates a plane of IR laser just above the surface the computer sits on. The user cups their hand, as if a physical mouse was present underneath, and the laser beam lights up the hand which is in contact with the surface. The IR camera detects those bright IR blobs using computer vision. The change in the position and arrangements of these blobs are interpreted as mouse cursor movement and mouse clicks. As the user moves their hand the cursor on screen moves accordingly. When the user taps their index finger, the size of the blob changes and the camera recognizes the intended mouse click.

It’s pretty incredible.  The protoype costs a mere $20, so if this technology were to be picked up by a major manufacturer I’m sure it would be a simple addition.   See it in action in the video above.  And check out some relevant stills in the gallery below.

[Via Gizmodo; YouTube; pranavmistry]

Let’s travel back in time, shall we?  The year is 1984 and the Macintosh Classic is all the rage.  9” (512×342) display, 8 MHz Motorola 68000 processor, 1MB of memory, no HDD, $999.  Flash forward to 2010 and you’ve got the $499 iPad.  Leave it to a mac enthusiast and do-it-yourself guru to gut the Mac Classic and shove an iPad inside it.  Which happens to fit almost perfectly where the original display would sit.

And let’s do it one last time.  The year is 1999 and the iBook classic reinvents the laptop scene with a clamshell design.  12” (800×600) display, 300 MHz PowerPC G3 processor, 32 MB of memory, 3.2GB HDD, $1599.  Now it’s 2010, so why not remove the display and place a brand new iPad inside.  And while you’re at it, take out the janky old keyboard and install a current Apple keyboard in its place.

Ah, the awesome-ness that results when retro and modern unite.  Hit up the source links for more images and peek after the break for a video tour of the Mac Classic + iPad.

[Via Hirac; AppleNoir] (Click here for more…)

About a month ago actor Justin Long (aka Mac) hinted that Apple was done with the “Get a Mac” TV commercial series that started way backin 2006.  The latest “Get a Mac” ad was released in October 2009.  So it comes at no surprise that Apple has officially decided to pull the plug on it.  Watch the compilation video above to reminisce the good ‘ol days of PC (the hilarious John Hodgeman) and Mac.  In addition to removing the commercials from the airwaves, Apple has replaced the “Get a Mac” website (which allowed you to watch the ads on demand) with a “Why You’ll Love a Mac” page.  Head over to AdFreak where you’ll find a listing of every ad made over the years (there’s 66 in total).  Look after the break to watch my two favorite spots.

[Via MacRumors; Gizmodo] (Click here for more…)

Rhys Darby of Flight of the Conchords fame (he played Bret & Jemaine’s boss Murray) stars in HP’s latest ad campaign.  The $40 million “Let’s Do Amazing” ad campaign includes a series of commercials that appear to reintroduce the HP brand to consumers in a new, different, and quite humorous way.  Dr. Dre lends a helping hand, making sure to promote his Dre Beats line of headphones and HP laptops.  Look after the break for a second commercial.

UPDATED: You’ll find all the current HP “Let’s Do Amazing” commercials featuring Rhys Darby, plus an interview with the FOTC alum and the “Internal Launch” video, after the break!

[Via Engadget]

(Click here for more…)

Watch out, iPad.  Google Chrome OS-inspired tablets are on the way and they are (conceptually) looking real good.  On Monday Glenn Murphy, Google Chrome’s designer, posted this UI concept video and a handful of stills on Google’s Chromium site.  Though it’s only a mockup of sorts, it proves the Google is working hard to make Google Chrome OS (and devices they will eventually run on) a fully functional, multi-tasking beast of an experience.  Since Chrome OS is at least one year away from deployment, this is essentially Google showing us how they are experimenting with several different UI manipulation techniques and appearences.

[Via TheChromeSource; Gizmodo]

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Today Apple announced its latest technological advancement, the Apple iPad.  Before I jump to my initial reactions let’s break down all the announcements from the keynote event led by Apple CEO Steve Jobs.

The specs: The iPad features a 9.7 inch (1024×768 VGA) LED-backlit glossy fully capacitive multi-touch display with ISP technology (allowing for a wide 178° viewing angle); it’s powered by Apple’s custom-designed 1GHz Apple A4 chip (it’s a system-on-a-chip, packing the processor, graphics, I/O, and memory controller); it also includes a built-in accelerometer and ambient light sensor, AGPS, a digital compass, WiFi 802.11n, Bluetooth 2.1, and 3G (more on that later).  It will ship with 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB solid state drives.  Input and output includes a 3.5mm stereo headphone jack, a 30-pin dock connector, a microphone, built-in speakers, and a SIM card tray.  It supports the usual video, mail attachment, language, and accessibility extensions.  It packs a built-in rechargable lithium-polymer battery that lasts up to ten hours with usage and supports over a month of standby life.  It’s also environmentally friendly.  It has a very minimalist design; the external controls include the on/off (or sleep/wake) button at the top, mute and volume up/down switches to the right, and the home button at the bottom of the face.  It’s dimensions are 9.56×7.47, 0.5 inches thin, and it weighs 1.5 pounds.

The software: Although it was not specified, the iPad runs an updated and iPad-optimized version of the iPhone OS software, presumably version 3.2.  When you press the home button you enter an all-touch experience that is extremely similar to what you find on an iPhone or iPod touch today.  After you get passed the lock screen, you are brought to your customizable home screen.  Jobs noted that users will have the option to change their background images with preloaded screens or their pictures.  The iPad will ship with the following apps: mobile Safari, Mail, Photos, Calendar, Contacts, Notes, YouTube, iPod, Video, and Maps (powered by Google).  All of these apps are similar to their iPhone/iPod touch counterparts; they have simply been modified and enhanced by Apple to perform on a larger touch-based device.  Two noteworthy enhancements include menu popovers and split-view workspaces that really take advantage of the larger display.  And thanks to the built-in accelerometer, all apps support landscape and portrait modes.  Side note: If you own a Mac and use iPhoto, the iPad will recognize this and further organize your photos into events, faces, and places categories.  Most apps support an “almost life-size” virtual QWERTY keyboard that pops up when it’s needed.

The iPad comes with modified but familiar iTunes and Apps Stores.  It will run “almost all” of the current 400,000 apps that exist in the App Store today.  It runs the apps unmodified in two ways: you have the option to use them in a tiny format (so you don’t lose pixel quality) or you can tap a “x2″ button that expands and scales the app full screen by automatically doubling the amount of pixels.  Apple was quick to note that an updated version of the iPhone SDK (available today) will give developers the tools to modify and enhance their apps for the iPad.  This will allow devs to take advantage of the larger screen and more powerful internals the same way Apple did with their apps.  The keynote featured modified apps from Gameloft (Nova), EA (Need for Speed: Shift), MLB.com At Bat, The New York Times, and a paint app with Photoshop-like capabilities called Brushes.

Apple introduced a few new apps themselves.  iBooks is Apple’s new e-reader app that serves as a place to read your collection of books and a portal to Apple’s brand new iBookstore.  Here you can browse, preview, and purchase books from HarperCollins, Penguin, Simon & Schuster, Macmillian, and Hachette Book Group.  Apples notes that they welcome all book and textbook publishers to join this new outlet for readers.  Pricing details were not enclosed, but a demo revealed a number of books costing $12.99 and $14.99.  The eBooks support the popular ePub format and are a visual treat.  Once you purchase a book it is placed on your Bookshelf.  Simply tap a book’s cover to start reading.  You can change the font, font size, and search the text for keywords.  The sleek UI includes tap or swipe gestures for page turning.  Apple also intro’d a new version of iWork, built from the ground up for the iPad.  iWork’s Keynote, Pages, and Numbers can be used to create slideshows, documents, and spreadsheets, respectively, right on the iPad.  They will be sold separately at $9.99 each in the App Store.

Syncing the iPad to iTunes with a PC or Mac is done just like an iPhone or iPod does it.  You can sync photos, music, movies, TV shows, contacts, calendars, bookmarks, and apps to it via the included 30-pin connector to USB cable.

Internet access: Apple is giving the user two options here.  You can buy the iPad with built-in WiFi or you can opt to purchase an iPad that packs both WiFi and 3G service.  The 3G service will be provided by AT&T with two different plans: (1) up to 250MB of data per month for $14.99; (2) unlimited data for $29.99.  AT&T also throws in free use of designated WiFi hotspots.  The AT&T plans are prepaid with no contract, so you are free to cancel a plan at any time.  You also have the leisure of activating the 3G service on the iPad without going to a store or calling a company.  It was noted that international deals should be sorted out by June, all iPad 3G models will come unlocked, and they use “new GSM micro SIM cards.”

Pricing and availability: There will be a total of eight different iPad models on the market.  The first group of three are WiFi only and include 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB capacities priced at $499, $599, and $699, respectively.  The second group of three are WiFi +3G and include the same capacities, each with a $129 price increase (so $629, $729, $829).  The WiFi models will be available for purchase in about 60 days (late March) and the WiFi + 3G models will come soon after in about 90 days (sometime in April).

Accessories: Apple unveiled four accessories for the iPad.  The first is a standard charging dock that doubles as a digital picture frame.  The second is a keyboard dock ($69); it charges the device and also includes a full-sized physical QWERTY keyboard that attaches to the iPad via the 30-pin connector.  The third is an Apple designed black case ($39) that can also be used as a stand for watching video.  The fourth is a camera connection kit ($29) that allows you to import photos to the iPad via your camera’s USB cable or directly from an SD card.

What’s missing: Multitasking, camera(s), Flash video support, and HDMI out, for starters.  We’ve come to accept that the iPhone and iPod touch cannot do multitasking, but there is no reason that the iPad cannot support at least two applications running at the same time.  The powerful 1GHz chip can beautifully render HD video, load up and present pictures extremely quickly, and run graphics and power intensive games.  For a processor that’s described as “a screamer,” the lack of multitasking capabilities is a real shame.  How about a camera?  Though rumors pointed to front-facing and standard webcam implementation, there should at least be one backfacing camera installed for video chat.  And don’t tell me the the processor can’t handle that.  The lack of Flash video support in mobile Safari is a real bummer; forget about watching Hulu videos on it.  (This is Apple’s decision; Adobe is able and willing to share Flash software.)  The inclusion of HDMI out would have made perfect sense.  The device can play HD videos downloaded from iTunes; why not give the user the ability to extend their viewing experience to the TV?  What of the newspaper/magazine digital revolution?  I expected Apple to make a big push with partnerships with Time and The Wall Street Journal, formulate subscription-based models, and so forth.  I guess things will start small with the intro of updated apps and this will eventually lead to more significant changes.  Lastly there’s the decision to go with AT&T for data, again.  The latest round of rumors were really pushing for an Apple-Verizon Wireless partnership for the iPhone and the tablet.  Guess we’ll have to wait on that, too.

And that brings me to my initial reactions.  Rumors of an Apple tablet have been swirling for years, nearly for a decade, in fact.  All of us highly anticipated and theorized its pending existence as the never-ending rumors continued to pile up over the years.  I imagined the mysterious Apple tablet to revolutionize the portable computer industry just as Apple forever changed the landscape of the mobile phone arena with the iPhone.  Having watched today’s keynote in its entirety I was left surprisingly underwhelmed by the announcement of the iPad, though I do see a bright future for it. (Click here for more…)

Remember that mysterious tablet from HP that was breifly handled at the Microsoft keynote at this year’s CES?  Well HP CTO Phil McKinney is here to go into a bit more detail about the origins of the HP Slate.  At its core it’s a multitouch tablet that runs Window 7; it’s the “rich media experience” that promises to set it apart from the rest of the pack.  It’s set to release sometime this year.

[Via Engadget]

HP recently showed off its “wall of touch” concept to The Wall Street Journal.  HP labels it a “large digital sign” that allows users to interact with it.  Interestingly HP gives the user two options for said interaction: you can touch it as you normally would with, say, a Microsoft Surface table, or you can simply point to specific locations on the wall.  With the aid of integrated cameras and a magnetic strip the wall can detect when a user approaches and intentially interacts with it with hand gestures.  For now HP is selling this technology to companies who plan on using it in large public spaces.  In fact, Continental Airlines has one of the first walls installed in their Houston airport.  HP does leave the door open and hints that it may turn into a “mainstream product” if there’s enough interest and demand for it.  It would cost anywhere from “a couple thousand dollars” to $100,000, depending upon the built-in technologies (HD video cameras, etc.).  Be sure to check out a demo of HP’s “wall of touch” in the video above.

[Via Wall Street Journal; Engadget]

The Lenovo Skylight is being billed as a “smartbook,” positioning itself in the yet to be exploited niche between a netbook and a laptop.  The internals are the most intriguing, so let’s start there.  It’s the first ARM-based smartbook based on Qualcomm’s 1GHz Snapdragon processor and it packs a 10.1 inch (1,280 x 720) display, 20GB of Flash storage, 2GB of cloud storage, an 8GB miniSD card, a 3.1 megapixel webcam, WiFi, and two USB ports.  It also features an AT&T WWAN module, allowing you to connect to AT&T’s 3G service for internet access on the go.  Keep in mind you must purchase an AT&T DataConnect plan in order to enable this feature.  The impressive internal battery lasts up to ten hours on one charge.  The Skylight has a very sleek, minimal design; it weighs under two pounds and it’s about the same thickness as a standard smartphone.  When you open the no-frills clamshell lid you find the HD display, a full-sized keyboard, and an integrated USB stick.  There’s a designated slot where the included USB stick can be stored when it’s not in use.  On the software end, the Skylight runs a customized version of Linux that is based around “live web gadgets.”  These gadgets include customizable windows for Facebook, Twitter, Gmail, and YouTube that are constantly updating in front of you.  You maybe changing your Facebook status as your live Twitter feed and Gmail account updates themselveswith a YouTube video running in the background.  There’s no need to continually log in or refresh.  And don’t fret–there’s a standard web browser to surf the Internet the way you’re used to doing it.  The OS comes with over 18 pre-installed web gadgets including Amazon MP3 and Roxio CinemaNow, to purchase and download music and movies, respectively.  The Skylight will be available for purchase this April for $499 at Lenovo, AT&T, and AT&T stores.  There’s no word as to whether or not AT&T will sell it at a subsidized price if you were to purchase their two-year Data Connect plan at time of purchase.  Look after the break for a Lenovo product tour video.

Next up is the Lenovo IdeaPad U1 Hybrid.  Lenovo is marketing it as the industry’s “first hybrid notebook” giving users the ability to switch from a normal laptop setup to a slate tablet.  Allow me to explain.  The Hybrid contains two PC form factors in a single device.  What’s interesting here is that each form factor has its own processor, operating system, and storage.  At first glance, the Hybrid is a 3.8 pound traditional clamshell laptop an 11.6 inch LED (1366 x 768) screen, a full-sized keyboard, runs Windows 7, and is powered by a CULV Intel Core 2 Duo processor.  You guessed it–the second form factor is the detachabledisplay.  The display doubles as a 1.6 pound multitouch slate tablet with its own Snapdragon processor and customized “Skylight operating system” as found in the Skylight smartbook.  Other specs include up to 4GB of RAM (512MB in tablet mode), two USB ports, eSATA, VGA, HDMI,  4-in-1 memory card reader, and a 1.3 megapixel webcam.  The laptop can be equipped with a 128GB solid-state drive, with 16GB allotted to the tablet.  Like the Skylight it also includes WiFi + 3G Internet connectivity.  The battery can support up to five hours of 3G web browsing and six hours when 3G is switched off and in tablet mode.  Also neat is that the two form factors are always synchronized; for example, if you are browsing the Internet in laptop mode and detach the display your content seamlessly transfers to the Skylight OS without interuption.  The two also share “battery power, 3G wireless, data and documents.”  The Skylight software features a “Me Centric” user interface with a four or six section screen display option allowing you to easily access websites, calenders, and other apps while in landscape or portrait mode.  Lenovo plans to release the IdeaPad U1 Hybrid on June 1 for $999.  Again, no word on a 3G carrier subsidy price.

Normally I do not report on every PC/laptop/netbook release that comes my way.  I deemed it poignant to share Lenovo’s smartbook and laptop/tablet hybrid machines because they radiate innovation.  The Skylight has a distinctly small, light, and no-frills design and packs impressive internal specs and battery life.  It’s customized operating system is unique in that it’s optimized for the web experience from top to bottom.  The IdeaPad U1 Hybrid is a fresh concept that I’m frankly surprised to see actually coming to the market.  Though it poses as a sleek and lightweight notebook, its detachable multitouch screen that runs the Skylight OS is very intriguing.  Such a wild idea may result in the long sought solution to helping the slate tablet find its niche in PC market.  No matter how these new entrants in the young smartbook and new hybrid categories sell once they’re released I have a strong feeling their unique form factors and intentions will reverberate throughout the industry as effective product designs.

[Via Engadget, here & here; LaptopMag]

(Click here for more…)

Out of the boring status quo comes a netbook with specs that don’t mention Intel Atom, NVIDIA Ion, HDD, and standard def.  Chrome OS, that browser-as-your-operating-system concoction from Google, is coming soon and it will come installed inside a Google-designed netbook of their own.  According to the IBTimes, the “Google netbook” looks to be one beast of the netbook: it will be powered by an ARM CPU and NVIDIA’s Tegra graphics chip; it will feature a 10.1-inch TFT HD multi-touch display, 64GB SSD, 2GB RAM, and other goodies such as WiFi, 3G, Bluetooth, an Ethernet port, USB ports, a webcam, a 3.5mm audio jack, a multi-card reader, and more.  According to the latest rumors, the device will be subsidized with a 3G plan and will end up in the sub-$300 category.

I really hope these specs are fact, not rumor.  A netbook with an ARM CPU and NVIDIA’s sweet Tegra graphics would be a welcome addition to the netbook mix.  Tegra can only be found inside Microsoft’s Zune today, and it deserves more than that!

In related Google news, Google will be holding a press conference on January 5 where they will likely announce the coveted “Google phone,” the Nexus One.  Search, browsers, cell phones, netbooks, oh my!  Google world dominance is starting to gain hold.

[Via IBTimes; Gizmodo; Engadget]

This is a mock up of what shopping at an Ikea store with an Apple tablet could potentially be like.  And man is it slick.  The experience is smooth, quick, and intuitive, just like we have come to learn on the iPhone.  In fact, this device looks like a super-sized iPhone, and that is exactly what I expect the oft-rumored tablet to be.  Jobs, we are waiting…

[Via Gizmodo]

Meet the XO-3 from the OLPC (One Laptop Per Child) project.  You know, the non-profit organization that created the $100 XO-1 laptop and whose mission is “to create educational opportunities for the world’s poorest children by providing each child with a rugged, low-cost, low-power, connected laptop with content and software designed for collaborative, joyful, self-empowered learning.”  On a side note, the XO-1 “has been distributed to more than 1.4 million children in 35 countries and in 25 languages,” according to Nicholas Negroponte, founder and chairman of One Laptop Per Child.  The latest concept iteration, the XO-3, is skipping a whole “second generation.”  In fact, the XO-2 concept was unveiled in pictures (much like this go-around) and never came to fruition.  The dual-screen concept was scrapped and Negroponte began to focus on what we see here.  The XO-3 “will feature a new design using a single sheet of flexible plastic and will be unbreakable and without holes in it.”  The device itself is one big 8.5 x 11 touchscreen with a folding ring in the corner as a grip and a camera can be found on the backside.  It will take advantage of inductive charging (think the Palm Pre “puck”) and will use less than a watt of power.  Negroponte on the potential success of the XO-3: “Sure, if I were a commercial entity coming to you for investment, and I’d made the projections I had in the past, you wouldn’t invest again, but we’re not a commercial operation. If we only achieve half of what we’re setting out to do, it could have very big consequences.”  The XO-3 is designed by Yves Behar and is projected to cost $75 when it goes on sale in 2012.

In a press release Negroponte spilled the beans on two more iterations of the OLPC that are planned to emerge before the introduction of the XO-3.

The XO 1.5 is the same industrial design as the XO 1.0. Based on a VIA processor (replacing AMD), it will provide 2x the speed, 4x DRAM memory and 4x FLASH memory. It will run both the Linux and Windows operating systems. XO 1.5 will be available in January 2010 at about $200 per unit. The actual price floats in accordance with spot markets, particularly for those of DRAM and FLASH.

The XO 1.75, to be available in early 2011, will be essentially the same industrial design but rubber-bumpered on the outside and in the inside will be an 8.9”, touch-sensitive display. The XO 1.75 will be based on an ARM processor from Marvell that will enable 2x the speed at 1/4 the power and is targeted at $150 or less. This ARM-based system will complement the x86-based XO 1.5, which will remain in production, giving deployments a choice of processor platform.

The “One Laptop Per Child” initiative is great.  I’m all for putting computers in the hands of less fortunate people, giving them access to a wide array of educational opportunities.  The point of the XO-x laptops is their ability to be mass produced and shipped to countries around the world for the purpose of spreading the importance of education and development.  The XO-1 did its job, and according to Negroponte, the XO-3 and other form factors that come before it will do the same.  The only thing I worry about is whether or not the technology will be around to support Negroponte’s dream computers.  In pictures, the XO-3 looks like a device from 2050, not 2012.  Even if such technologies arearound to build this device in three years, will it be possible to price it at a mere $75?  These are pressing issues Negroponte and his designers and engineers I’m sure are dealing with today.  I have my fingers crossed that a day will come in the near future when little boys and girls in less-developed countries will sitting at desks with their thin, stylish XO-3s, developing their minds and expanding their opportunities.

“To fulfill our mission of reaching 500 million children in all remote corners of the planet, OLPC will continue to innovate in design and performance. Because we are a non-profit, we hope that industry will copy us.”  With a mission like this in mind, OLPC is on track to becoming a global force in the push for widespread education and innovation.

[Via Engadget; BusinessWire; Wiki]

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How are your netbooks holding up?  Kinda slow, huh?  Doesn’t run YouTube and Hulu videos up to your high standards?  Well, I have some pleasant news for you.

On Monday Intel announced the introduction of their latest Atom processors: the N450 (or “Pine Trail”), the D410 D510, and the NM10 Express chipset.  The single-core D410 and dual-core D510 are designed for nettops.  What I want to focus on is the N450 chip.  What’s so different about the 1.66GHz N450 chip is that it integrates the Intel graphics and memory controller directly into the processor.  This results in a smaller processor that can be placed into even smaller devices such as tiny netbooks.  The N450 is 60% smaller and 20% more efficient than its predecessor.  Clocked at 1.66GHz, the N450 single-core chip has a 512kb cache, only supports, DDR2 memory, and is limited to handling 2GB of RAM.  After playing around with a new netbook from Asus, fellow bloggers at Engadget report back bittersweet news: while the new chip provides longer battery life it lacks in the performance category, especially in graphics.  Cue NVIDIA Ion 2…

Yesterday NVIDIA announced that its next generation of Ion graphics chips will be compatible with Intel’s new “Pine Trail” processors.  They will be available sometime during the first quarter of 2010.  This is very good news.  Those of you who are crying on a daily basis because your netbooks won’t load HD YouTube videos or stream shows from Hulu in a normal speedy manner will have Ion to thank for the resolution of your woes.  Atom + Ion is a match made in heaven, and I can’t wait for the next generation versions of these two to live in harmony with one another.  In fact, I still haven’t purchased a netbook because I’ve been waiting for this very moment to happen.  Expect to see a slew of netbooks sporting these new chips during next month’s CES.

[Via Engadget, here & here; Gizmodo]

According to a computer store employee HP computer are racist against black people because their video camera software cannot recognize or track black faces.  White faces have no problem being recognized, as evidenced in this video.  HP responded to this rather awkward issue:

“We are working with our partners to learn more. The technology we use is built on standard algorithms that measure the difference in intensity of contrast between the eyes and the upper cheek and nose. We believe that the camera might have difficulty “seeing” contrast in conditions where there is insufficient foreground lighting.”

[Via Gizmodo]

Scientists at IBM have created the “biggest artificial brain ever” with a computer simulation (1.6 billion virtual neurons connected by 9 trillion synapses) that far surpasses the previous attempt (55 million neurons) to do such a thing.  This year’s results simulate a cat’s brain, while the last time simulated a rat’s brain.  Who’s up next?  We are.

These massive simulations are merely steps toward Modha’s ultimate goal: simulating the entire human cortex, about 25 billion neurons, at full speed. To do that, he’ll need to find 1000 times more computing power. At the rate that supercomputers have expanded over the last 20 years, that super-super computer could exist by 2019. “This is not just possible, it’s inevitable,” [Dharmendra Modha, computer scientist] says. “This will happen.”  [He adds:] “I’ll have it ready for you within the next decade.”

Modha meet SkyNet.

Well then, time to go out and buy all the Terminator movies and study up.  Judgement Day is imminent.

[Via Gizmodo, here & here; Popular Mechanics]

According to the latest round of rumors the reveal and shipping date of the Apple tablet device will be delayed until the second half of 2010 due to component switches.

The source says Apple will ship two versions of the tablet; one with a 9.7 inch LG OLED display that may cost around $2,000 and one with a larger 10.6 inch TFT LCD display costing between $800-$1,000.

…gotta love rumors.

[Via Gizmodo; Digitimes]

Those of you in the market to purchase a netbook, listen up!

So we already know that that netbooks are no longer being forced to ship with Windows 7 Starter Edition; new netbooks give customers the option to have it shipped with Home Premium or above.  That said, now there is a different restriction being lifted on netbooks: Intel will allow netbook manufacturers to ship their systems with more than 1GB of RAM.  This will allow for much faster and efficient netbooks.  The 1.83GHz N470 Intel Atom “Pine Trail” chip will give a boost to netbooks ’round the world come this March.

The lifing of the 1GB RAM restrcition continues to blur the distinction between netbooks and small laptops or ultraportables.

[Via Engadget]

The first ever Microsoft Store will open this Thursday in Scottdale, Arizona.  MS tells customers to “Be entertained,” “Be excited,” and “Be early.”  There will be free give-aways and a live performance from who else by “pop superstar” Ashley Tisdale.  According to Engadget, the Store will look a little some like this (see the gallery below) and will feature a genius support bar.

[Via Engadget]

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