Sprint introduces the UpStage music phone, aka the Samsung SPH-M620. The phone takes a novel design approach – 1 side is for phone functions and the flip side has music controls.
The UpStage is thin at 0.37″ or 9.4mm & relatively cheap at $149. Music pricing now matches Apple at 99 cents per track.
CNet liked the thing to the tune of giving it an 8/10, although they weren’t too thrilled with the tiny 176×65 screen on the phone side.
UpStage Music Phone – Samsung news release, March 28 2007
The world just can’t seem to get enough memory capacity, especially the non-rotating kind, so Samsung obliges by announcing its newer faster 64 Gigabyte NAND flash solid state drive. Good read speed at up to 64 MB/sec.
SAMSUNG Introduces 1.8” – Type 64GB Flash-based Solid State Drive – Samsung press release, March 27 2007
That staple of the recording industry, the record album, is in trouble largely because nobody’s buying them anymore. The New York Times documents the decline of the genre, and blames the advent of the MP3 player & the online music store. They also hint at a nationwide decline in attention span, as evidenced by the growing popularity of the ringtone.
By way of example, the article profiles R&B/Hip Hop/Rap trio Candy Hill, reduced to hustling a couple of songs and a few ringtones.
The Album, a Commodity in Disfavor - NYT, March 26 2007
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That tease, Apple Inc, gave us another peek at the iPhone, this time at CTIA 2007 in Orlando FL.
The Apple iPhone was introduced at Macworld on Jan 9 2007, will be available in June 2007 and this brief glimpse at CTIA is only its second public appearance.
With approx 42700000 references to “Apple iPhone” in some search engines, Apple might well be concerned about iPhone overexposure.
At Cell Show, a Rare iPhone Glimpse – Palm Beach Post, March 27 2007
Forbes lists the 10 most expensive hotel rooms in the world. At a daily rate of $37,200, the costliest is the 7th floor Suite Panoramique Vue Mer in the Hotel Martinez Cannes.
…while the views are outstanding & the two-star La Palme d’Or provides ”excellent cooking“, the Ikea-esque furnishings & plank flooring seem less than opulent. And so, we declasse might well regard the rates as marquee pricing applicable mostly during le Festival international du film.
Most Expensive Hotel Rooms In The World – Forbes, 04.27.06
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ExtremeTech reviews the GentleMouse software that is supposed to reduce the risk of Repetitive Strain Injury - they like it & gave it an 8/10, but advise that it’s not for gamers.
Users of the $40 software package avoid clicking by instead hovering over links. This delay, of course, results in a productivity hit, but going click-less might alleviate carpal tunnel syndrome – life’s a trade-off.
GentleMouse Ergonomic Software Review – ExtremeTech, March 23 2007
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The Tech section in today’s Wall Street Journal describes the enduring myth of the all-in-one converged device that does everything, and the current contender for that title, the Apple iPhone.
The author notes the various unsatisfactory devices that he’s used over the last while and expresses hope the the iPhone will be ”the one”…the Swiss Army knife of the gadget world.
All in One? – Wall Street Journal, March 26 2007
Sony has just announced the availability of firmware release 1.60 which allows users of their PlayStation3 game console to download and use Stanford University’s Folding@home program.
The stated goal of Folding@Home is to understand protein folding, misfolding and related diseases such as BSE, CJD, ALS, many cancers & Alzheimer’s = some added justification for buying a PS3.
You can start your own folding team at this link, and compete against the number 1 team [H]ardOCP, who has folded more than 4200000 workunits to date. A pharmaceutical company Amicus Therapeutics seems to be one of the few working on treatments for diseases associated with misfolded proteins.
Interesting to watch the PDB 1ten protein folding…looks like there might be many opportunities for things to go wrong.
http://folding.stanford.edu/FAQ-PS3.html - FAH FAQ, March 25 2007
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Rohan Sinclair Luvaglio who is CEO of Luvaglio Plc seems to have created a new niche for notebook computers, namely the hyper-luxury laptop. He’s bypassed the $100,000 price point completely, and gone straight to the million dollar mark.
The computer itself is nicely spec’d. The thing comes with a 17 inch LED backlit display, an anti-glare screen, 128GB of SSD probably sourced from A-DATA, Blu-ray drive and a “rare colored” diamond that doubles as a security token.
The luxury aspect of the device derives from the generous use of diamonds and similar accoutrements. If the base platform costs, say, $10,000, that leaves a gap of $990,000 to be accounted for by the precious stones. If diamonds in the 1.50 to 1.99 carat range cost $1200 per carat, then the purchaser should expect to see more than 400 sparklers glued to his/her laptop.
Details, photos & an interview are available at GizMag…
The first million dollar laptop – GizMag, March 23rd 2007
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Oceanic-Creations AB sees a bright future for carbon fiber reinforced plastic. They’re planning to use CFRP to build floating offices, factories, casinos, student dorms & hotels, and tow them to wherever the demand is. The Maya Hotel, depicted above, is expected to cost $209 million and be ready by 2010 to be anchored off Cancun MX. M-H will have 466 rooms and a length of 220m.
…seems like floating real estate might be a good business model for the age of Global Warming, what with its rising sea levels and vanishing coastal areas.
Holidaying in a floating pyramid – CNN, Feb 16 2007
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