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Atari Online News, Etc. Volume 13 Issue 35
Volume 13, Issue 35 Atari Online News, Etc. September 2, 2011
Published and Copyright (c) 1999 - 2011
All Rights Reserved
Atari Online News, Etc.
A-ONE Online Magazine
Dana P. Jacobson, Publisher/Managing Editor
Joseph Mirando, Managing Editor
Rob Mahlert, Associate Editor
Atari Online News, Etc. Staff
Dana P. Jacobson -- Editor
Joe Mirando -- "People Are Talking"
Michael Burkley -- "Unabashed Atariophile"
Albert Dayes -- "CC: Classic Chips"
Rob Mahlert -- Web site
Thomas J. Andrews -- "Keeper of the Flame"
With Contributions by:
Fred Horvat
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=~=~=~=
A-ONE #1335 09/02/11
~ HP's Last TouchPad Run ~ People Are Talking! ~ Free Games Offer!
~ Possible Cyborg Tech! ~ PlayBook Tablet Price ~ Call of Duty XP!
~ Chrome Celebrates 3rd! ~ Steve Jobs in '85 Time ~ Gaming on the Go!
-* Lojack for Laptops Lawsuit! *-
-* Chinese General's Spy Talk Leaked! *-
-* LulzSec and Anonymous Suspects Busted in UK *-
=~=~=~=
->From the Editor's Keyboard "Saying it like it is!"
""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Well, at least in my immediate area along the northeastern corner of
Massachusetts, we dodged a big bullet last weekend as far as Hurricane
Irene goes, or went! The storm's path was west of us, and we were hit
with glancing blows of rain and winds. The worst was that some parts
of town had power losses, but we were fine. We were lucky while other
parts of the state, and country, didn't fare too well.
There's not a whole lot to say about it; there's really not much that one
can do about being in a hurricane. You can prepare, you can hunker down,
and you can hope. Preparation helps should you be affected, but one is
essentially at the mercy of the storm.
So, while our neighbors are doing what they can to recover, let's do our
part to move forward as best as we can, and enjoy this week's issue!
Until next time...
=~=~=~=
->In This Week's Gaming Section - Call of Duty XP Begins!
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" Possible Cyborg Tech!
Nintendo 3DS Free Games Offer!
And more!
=~=~=~=
->A-ONE's Game Console Industry News - The Latest Gaming News!
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Call of Duty XP Begins, CoD Elite Premium Unveiled
Call of Duty is a phenomenon. The last few titles have all made over a
billion dollars, and the series has opened the world of online multiplayer
competition to millions of people worldwide. If you personally dont play
Call of Duty, you almost certainly know someone who does. So when
Activison announced that it would be hosting an event to celebrate the
franchise, the gaming world paid attention.
Call of Duty XP begins today in Los Angeles, in a massive warehouse
connected to a plot of land. The area contains a recreation of the level
"Scrapyard" from Modern Warfare 2 that people can play paintball in, zip
lines that travel 60 mph, a recreation of The Pit from Modern Warfare 2
and even a facsimile of "Burgertown" where you can grab lunch.
But more importantly to gamers, the event will give several thousand fans
the opportunity to play the new Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3s competitive
multiplayer, co-operative Spec Ops mode and see Call of Duty Elites premium
offerings. Last night, the press was given the chance to check out the
games, as well as hear a few details about the future of the franchise.
The multiplayer debut showed off a few new tricks, including several changes
to the way you progress your weapons, and how you utilize kill streaks.
Check out our hands-on previews for more details on the multiplayer. But
when it came to the press conference, the real show stealer was Elite.
Earlier this year, Activision announced Call of Duty Elite, a
subscription-based plan that immediately had people screaming that
Activision was moving towards a pay-to-play model. From what we saw at E3,
the service appeared to be primarily a stat tracking tool that connected
your Call of Duty games online, offered a few ways to connect to other
gamers and gave a few new ways to track the way you played in the free
version of Elite. More was promised in the premium version, but Activison
wasnt prepared to go into details at the time. They are now.
The call of Duty Elite premium program will cost $49.99 per year, and if you
are a fan of the series, and someone that buys the map packs, then the
service will pay for itself and even offer a discount.
When you become a premium member you will still have all the stat tracking
that a free member has, but you will also receive several benefits. Not
only will you receive the map packs as part of the cost, you will receive
the maps - and all downloadable content - earlier than anyone else, and
Activision is promising new content each month for premium members. Although
it isnt entirely clear what that monthly content will consist of, it could
very well be a new multiplayer or Spec Ops map that the premium members will
have long before those who plan to purchase the map packs individually.
But the real goal of Elite is to connect the Call of Duty community. To
that end, both the free and premium services will offer ways for users to
create and join groups. These groups will be user-created, and could be
anything from fans of a certain sports team, to people that live in the
same area. Users can join as many groups as they like to connect with
people. There will also be clan-specific sections of Elite, where clan
battles can be arranged. Elite will also connect directly with Facebook,
and show you who among your friends plays Call of Duty. You will be able
to message and send game requests from Elite to gamers through Facebook,
offering more ways to connect.
Elite will also allow users to share their custom-created games. Modern
Warfare 3 will have wildly customizable options, and those can be uploaded
to Elite for all to download.
Of all the upcoming features of Elite, the most intriguing may be the video
options. Whether a member is on the free or premium service, you will be
able to share your best videos from the game, captured in the theater mode,
and premium members will have 8 times more video storage capacity. But one
of the more ambitious features of the Elite Premium will be the
professionally created content.
Activision has enlisted several Hollywood powerhouses to come and create
content for the Elite service. Justin Bateman and Will Arnets production
company will be among the first, and they are working on a new online
program called "Noob Tube," which will take some of the more memorable
videos captured from the games, and comment on them a la Mystery Science
Theater 3000 and Tosh.0. Ridley and Tony Scott are also onboard and are
currently working on something for Elite as well. It isnt known what the
directorial brothers have planned, other than that it will be episodic
content celebrating Call of Duty. Expect announcements on more well-known
celebrities getting involved with Elite in the coming weeks.
Another video service on the way will be the Friday Night Fights. This will
pit certain groups against each other, including possibly rival athletes,
facing off in the game. More details on this will be announced in the next
few months as well.
There will also be a huge emphasis on contests, where you can win both
virtual and physical prizes. Contests will be offered for all levels of
player, regardless of skill level. The Elite beta is already working on
this, and recently there were a handful of video-specific contests,
including one where you were encouraged to set the best trap in Black Ops,
then take the video and upload it for judgment. The entries were incredibly
creative, and the winner received a 46" LCD TV. Expect more of that with
Elite, especially on the Premium side. Those in the free version will still
have plenty of chances to win prizes, but premium members will have the
chance to win things like cars and vacations.
And there is still plenty more to come with Elite. It will be a work in
progress, partly determined by the community that uses it. One thing is
certain though, if you are a fan of Call of Duty, it is definitely worth the
price. Although it wasnt confirmed, it was strongly hinted that there will
be (at least) four map packs for Modern Warfare 3, which purchased
individually would cost $60. For that reason alone, it makes sense
financially.
A one-year membership for the Elite premium package will also be included
with the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Hardened Edition, or you can
purchase the membership separately when it is released with Modern
Warfare 3 in November.
New Video Game Shows Glimpse of Possible Cyborg Tech
The hot new video game "Deus Ex: Human Revolution," which hit shelves last
week, allows players set in the future to replace entire organs and limbs
with ones that are stronger and faster than the average person. But
according to the games creators, this concept may not be as far off from
reality as youd think.
"Deus Ex: Human Revolution" - which made news when video game retailer
GameStop yanked coupons placed inside the games packaging for free access
to the streaming service Onlive, a competitor to the retailers upcoming
streaming service - focuses on human augmentation, or the addition of
mechanical parts to the human body. In the game, having a players leg
replaced with a mechanically augmented leg isn't a handicap - it's an
advantage.
The storyline is based on the assumption that mechanical augmentations
continue to be developed and improved at an exponential rate. These
augmentations are incredibly useful, but as with any implant, the body's
natural response to foreign objects is to attack them with the immune
system. In "Deus Ex: Human Revolution," a drug called Neuropozyne -
informally called Nu-poz - is an anti-rejection drug used by augmented
humans to stop the buildup of scar tissue around augmentations.
This enables everyone to have long-term implants, but at a cost of becoming
addicted to the expensive drug. The story starts with a scientists
revelation that she found a way to do genetic engineering to avoid the need
for the drug, but she is murdered in the first scene.
The game also features superhuman sensor technology, allowing your character
to narrow in on bad guys as they approach, and also obtain noticeable gains
in body function and strength. "Deus Ex" also includes various militarized
augmentations, such as a prosthetic arm that can turn into a gun.
You are able to build your character's augmentations to support your
abilities to be a social manipulator, a hacker, a stealthy or a physically
powerfully player. The choices you make throughout the game affect the
plot.
Game maker Square Enix was committed to making sure the technology used in
the game was as accurate as possible, so they turned to Will Rosellini - a
former professional baseball pitcher in the Arizona Diamondbacks system and
CEO of MicroTransponder, a company working on implants that can actually
control nerve impulses in the human body - to consult on the game.
"When I retired, I realized I had spent 15 years thinking about how best to
prepare my body and mind to deliver a pitch at over 95mph," Rosellini told
TechNewsDaily. "When I saw how researchers were working on these problems
for patients with faulty nervous systems, I decided I could apply my
interest to helping people get better. I also wished it was possible to
replace it with a superhuman one that could throw balls faster than before."
Rosellini became fascinated with electronic devices that could be integrated
into and help repair damaged nervous systems. Although some of the
technology in the game is far from reality right now, the concept of body
augmentation is only expected to grow, Rosellini said.
"People have been augmenting themselves since the beginning of time, with
tools, weapons and now cosmetic implants," he added. "Meanwhile, there is
a growing dependency on chemical augmentations for mood enhancements
(Paxil) or cognitive enhancements for children (Adderall). The question
isn't whether humans should augment themselves or not, the question is
whether augmentation leads them to a happy more fulfilled life."
Rosellini said he views the integration of technology into the human body
as a mixed blessing.
"The major pros involve medical devices that can be used to treat
neurological diseases by improving function and a return to daily life,"
Rosellini said. "However, the primary con relates to needing to have a
surgery and the infection risk."
Augmentations that heighten your senses or boost your strength are probably
closer to reality than enhancements that make you smarter or improve your
memory, Rosellini said, but the latter transplants are not impossible.
Experiments in rats, for example, suggest it may be possible to enhance
cognitive functions by inserting a chip into the hippocampus - the part of
the brain that retains memories - to replace and delete memories.
"The cognitive enhancements would be the furthest out in becoming a
reality," Rosellini said.
Nintendo 3DS Rolls Out Free Games Offer
Ten free NES games now await Nintendo 3DS owners who bought and registered
the handheld prior to August 12.
Best-known among them are the classics Super Mario Bros, The Legend of
Zelda I and II, Metroid, and Donkey Kong Jr.
Yoshi (aka Mario & Yoshi), Balloon Fight, Wrecking Crew, Ice Climber and
Mario Open Golf (aka Open Tournament Golf) complete the line-up.
The games can be downloaded to each qualifying 3DS by accessing the eShop
via WiFi connection, and navigating first to the Settings / Other menu,
then the Your Downloads list, and finally tapping Redownload.
All ten are expected to make their way onto the eShop as purchasable items,
with various enhancements included and deployed to existing copies at no
extra charge.
Nintendo announced the 3DS Ambassador Program in conjunction with a deep
price cut that shaved off $80, ¥10,000 and around 50/£50 for those that
plumped for the 3DS after that August 12 deadline.
Official support site: nintendo.com/consumer/systems/3ds/en_na/
3dsambassador.jspfreegames
Video Game Console Case Offers Gaming on the Go
Console gaming on the go just got easier thanks to a mobile gaming kit that
comes with a built-in high-definition display screen to connect to your
Xbox 360 or Sony PlayStation system.
The GAEMS G155, short for Gaming and Entertainment Mobile Systems, is
essentially a heavy-duty briefcase with the display neatly fixed to the
inner lid. Your game console is positioned inside and held in place tightly
by two wide fabric fasteners straps.
A short HDMI cable comes with the unit and connects your game console to
a port near the bottom of the display. Two pouches are available for power
cords and a controller or two.
That's pretty much the simple science behind this $299 unit. Once you've
put your console in, you can play "Call of Duty: Black Ops" to your
heart's content anywhere there's a power outlet.
The system supports recent models of Microsoft Corp.'s Xbox 360 and Sony
Corp.'s PlayStation 3. You'd have to buy those separately. (Nintendo Co.'s
Wii isn't supported because it doesn't have an HDMI jack.)
The build quality of the unit is fine. The console sits on a padded base that
helps prevent it from slipping around in the case. I noticed no shifting as I
carried my PlayStation 3 from room to room and to the office.
The 15.5-inch LED HD display delivered crisp colors and sharp detail during
my tests playing a FIFA soccer game and a few shooters titles.
High-definition videos I had saved on the PS3 hard drive also looked fine.
The volume, brightness and menu buttons at the bottom of the display glow
red and offer easy access and usability. That said, I think the unit would
be better if it shipped with an optional wireless remote, instead of selling
that piece separately for $20.
There are twin audio jacks on the bottom of the display, which is a nice
touch if you're gaming against someone next to you.
What might you need the GAEMS G155 for?
If you're traveling on business and are passionate about your games, you
could use it to continue your campaigns from the comfort of a hotel room in
the evenings. You could also bring it home for the holidays and pull it out
after you've eaten enough turkey and endured enough family banter for the
evening.
The GAEMS 155 is one of those products you probably think you don't need
until you see how convenient it is. For some, surely this is overkill. For
avid gamers, however, this is a pretty sweet addition for the road.
=~=~=~=
A-ONE's Headline News
The Latest in Computer Technology News
Compiled by: Dana P. Jacobson
Chinese General's Spy Talk Leaked onto YouTube
Footage of a Chinese general discussing sensitive spying cases has been
leaked onto Google Inc.'s video sharing site YouTube, in what appears to
be an embarrassing failure of secrecy for the usually tightlipped military.
It wasn't clear when or where Maj. Gen. Jin Yinan made the comments and
China's Defense Ministry did not immediately respond Monday to faxed
questions about the video. Calls to the National Defense University where
Jin is a lecturer rang unanswered.
While some of the cases had been announced before, few details had been
released, while others involving the military had been entirely secret.
Among those Jin discussed was that of former Ambassador to South Korea Li
Bin, who was sentenced to seven years for corruption. Jin said Li had
actually been discovered passing secrets to South Korea that compromised
China's position in North Korean nuclear disarmament talks, but the
allegations were too embarrassing to make public and graft charges were
brought instead.
"In all the world, what nation's ambassador serves as another country's
spy?" Jin said.
Similar treatment was handed out to the former head of China's nuclear
power program, Kang Rixin, who was sentenced to life in prison last
November on charges of corruption. Jin said Kang had in fact peddled
secrets about China's civilian nuclear program to a foreign nation that he
did not identify, but that was considered too sensitive to bring up in
court.
Kang, a member of the ruling Communist Party's powerful Central Committee
as well as its disciplinary arm, was one of the highest-ranking officials
ever to be involved in spying, Jin said. His arrest dealt a major shock to
the party leadership, Jin said.
"The party center was extremely nervous. They ordered top-to-bottom
inspections and spared no individual," he said.
Jin also talked about Tong Daning, an official from China's social security
fund, who was executed in 2006 after being convicted on charges of spying
for rival Taiwan. Jin said Tong had passed information to the island's
leaders about China's currency regime, allowing them to avoid massive
losses due to exchange rate changes.
Among the cases involving military personnel, Jin said that of Col. Xu
Junping, who defected to the United States in 2000, did not involve the
loss of any technical secrets.
Instead, Xu relayed to the Americans his knowledge of the military
leaderships' personalities, attitudes and habits gleaned from many years
accompanying the top brass on trips abroad, Jin said.
The video was also posted on Chinese websites, and while it was removed
from most locations, screen shots, audio files and transcripts of Jin's
comments could still be found on sites such as Sina Weibo's popular
microblogging service.
Jin's presentation, complete with explanatory slides, was typical of how
such cases are discussed at private sessions as a warning to Communist
Party cadres not to be lured into espionage or corruption. The leaked video
appeared to have been from an official recording rather than filmed by a
member of the audience.
Authorities heavily police the Chinese Internet but can only remove
objectionable content after it is posted and have no control over what
appears elsewhere.
While Chinese are enthusiastic users of social media, YouTube and Facebook
are blocked inside China and their Chinese equivalents are required to
inspect all content and remove politically sensitive material before being
ordered to do so.
LulzSec and Anonymous Suspects Arrested In U.K.
British police have arrested two men accused of conspiring to commit
computer crimes under cover of the online identity Kayla associated with
the hacktivist groups Anonymous and LulzSec. Computer equipment belonging
to one of the accused men was seized for forensic examination.
Among other things, Kayla has been linked to the security breaches that
occurred at HBGary Federal last February in the wake of the security firm's
boast that it was about to reveal the true identities of some members of
Anonymous and LulzSec.
"The arrests relate to our enquiries into a series of serious computer
intrusions and online denial-of-service attacks recently suffered by a
number of multinational companies, public institutions, and government and
law-enforcement agencies in Great Britain and the United States," said
Mark Raymond, a detective inspector with the e-crime unit of the
Metropolitan Police Service.
Thursday's arrests are part of an ongoing investigation by the e-crimes
unit in collaboration with the FBI and other law-enforcement agencies
overseas. "We are working to detect and bring before the courts those
responsible for these offenses, to disrupt such groups, and to deter others
thinking of participating in this type of criminal activity," Raymond said.
The latest round of U.K. arrests demonstrates that hacktivists aren't as
anonymous as they would like to believe. In an interview published earlier
this week as part of a Cisco Systems security blog, a former Anonymous
member known by the online identity Sparkyblaze advised other hackers to
stay away from black-hat hacking.
"White-hat hacking is a lot more fun, you get paid for it, it is legal,"
Sparkyblaze observed. "A conviction for hacking and leaking a database will
affect you for the rest of your life."
The former hacktivist said he was initially attracted to Anonymous because
he loves hacking and believes in free speech. However, he eventually became
disillusioned with some of the group's activities.
"I feel that it is OK if you are attacking the governments [for the purpose
of] getting files and giving them to WikiLeaks, that sort of thing," the
former member noted. "But putting usernames and passwords on a pastebin
doesn't [impact governments], and posting the info of the people you fight
for is just wrong."
The biggest problem companies face today is a lack of understanding
concerning the importance of computer security [and having] a good
information security policy, Sparkyblaze noted.
Companies don't want to spend time and money on computer security because
they don't think it matters, Sparkyblaze observed. "They don't encrypt the
data, nor do they get the right software, hardware and people required to
stay secure," he explained. "[And] they don't train their staff not to open
attachments from people they don't know."
Earlier this week, British police arrested three men between the ages of 20
and 26 and two teenagers for conspiring to commit unlawful computer acts.
Four of the defendants are scheduled to be arraigned in the City of
Westminster Magistrates' Court on Sept. 7. Additionally, a 16-year-old male
has been referred to the Surrey Youth Justice Board.
Judge Greenlights Privacy Suit Against LoJack for Laptops
Internet communications and location services can be useful for tracking
down lost or stolen devices - but all that tracking can have unintended
consequences. A judge has ruled that a couple can sue Absolute Software -
developers of the theft-recovery system LoJack for Laptops - after the
company intercepted sexually explicit messages and images sent between the
couple and shared them with police.
The story is a little convoluted. According to court documents, a laptop
computer owned by a Springfield, Ohio, school district was lent to a
vocational school student; while at the public library, the laptop was
stolen and the theft reported to police. Some time later, another student
at an alternative school purchased the laptop - which had had part of its
serial number scratched off - for $40, and brought it to one of the
plaintiffs, offering to sell it to her for $60. (The student claimed it
belonged to his aunt and uncle, and that he had permission to sell it.)
The plaintiff agreed on the condition the laptop could get up and running
again; a third party re-installed an operating system and software, and
the plaintiff took possession of the laptop.
However, the computer still had Absolute Softwares LoJack for Laptops
installed, and the company had been logging the systems IP address
whenever it popped up on the Internet. After the plaintiff took possession
of the laptop, Absolute Software began intercepting communications on the
system, which included sexually explicit messages and webcam images with
the second plaintiff, an old high school sweetheart with which the first
plaintiff (a 52-year-old widow who works as a substitute teacher) had
restarted a long-distance relationship. Absolute Software shared the
intercepted communications with the police, who then went to the
plaintiffs house, confronted her with the materials, and placed her under
arrest for receiving stolen property. Those charges were dropped a week
later.
The lawsuit against Absolute Software - as well as the Springfield, Ohio,
police department - alleges that the interception of the private
communications violates the Electronic Communications Privacy Act and
federal wiretapping laws. The defendants argued that the plaintiffs had no
such rights since the notebook was stolen, but federal judge Herbert Rice
has ruled that the case can go to trial, finding that a reasonable jury
might find that the conduct of Absolute Software and the police department
crossed an "impermissible boundary."
If the case goes to trial - and thats anybodys guess, at this point - it
may set an important precedent regarding what data can be legitimately
collected by device recovery services.
HP Plans One Last Production Run for the TouchPad
Hewlett-Packard said Tuesday it plans one last production run of the
TouchPad, which has become a hot seller following a price cut and the
announcement the company was killing the tablet computer.
Citing disappointing sales, HP, the world's largest personal computer
maker, announced on August 18 that it was ending production of the
TouchPad, its rival to Apple's iPad, after just seven weeks on the market.
HP also said it was halting production of phones based on the webOS mobile
operating system acquired from Palm last year for $1.2 billion.
The Palo Alto, California-based HP also announced that it was cutting the
price of the most basic model of the TouchPad from $399 to just $99.
The tablet computer has been flying off the shelves ever since.
"Since we announced the price drop, the number of inquiries about the
product and the speed at which it disappeared from inventory has been
stunning," HP said in a blog post on Tuesday.
"Despite announcing an end to manufacturing webOS hardware, we have decided
to produce one last run of TouchPads to meet unfulfilled demand," HP said.
"We don't know exactly when these units will be available or how many we'll
get, and we can't promise we'll have enough for everyone," HP said. "We do
know that it will be at least a few weeks before you can purchase."
HP also announced on August 18 that it was exploring a spinoff of its PC
unit in a historic shift away from the consumer market.
RIM Drops PlayBook Tablet Prices at Best Buy Stores
Those sounds you hear are more tablet prices dropping. Research In Motion
is the latest dropper, via a Best Buy limited sale offering a $50 discount
on RIM's 16GB BlackBerry PlayBook, down from $499.99.
The retailer is also discounting the 32GB PlayBook by $50 to $549.99, and
slashing the 64GB PlayBook by $150, also to $549.99. Best Buy hasn't
indicated the length of the sale, or why a customer would buy the 32GB for
$549.99 when they can get the 64GB at the same price.
The Best Buy discount for RIM's tablets may help move those models this
Labor Day weekend, but it's unlikely to cause the recent stampede that Best
Buy experienced for Hewlett-Packard's discounted, discontinued TouchPad.
After HP announced last month that it would no longer make the tablet or
continue development on its webOS operating system, the $499 16GB model
dropped to $99, and the $599 32GB model to $149. Only a few days before the
HP announcement and price drop, Best Buy reportedly asked the computer
maker to take back hundreds of thousands of unsold units. After the price
drop, the TouchPad sold out within a few days.
Rather than getting ready to dump its tablet, a la HP, RIM may be clearing
out inventory in preparation for a new model with a new version of its
PlayBook OS containing an Android app player, among other new features.
Such rumors are floating around the web.
But the Best Buy discounts may only be the beginning of the pricing story
for PlayBooks. There are reports that Staples has sent out emails from
internal sales reps to regular customers, offering PlayBooks at 50 percent
off, only on Sept. 7 and 8 and only "while supplies last."
RIM said in June that it had shipped 550,000 PlayBooks, although it's not
clear how many of those were actually sold through to customers. RIM is
looking to move as many of the PlayBooks as possible to stave off more talk
about its financial problems when it gives an earnings report in the middle
of this month.
In the last year, the company's stock has dropped more than 50 percent. In
July, RIM announced it was cutting its workforce about 10 percent. Along
with the layoffs, the Waterloo, Ontario-based company changed its senior
management team, with a new COO for product and sales, a new managing
director for global sales and regional marketing, and a new COO for
operations.
Even as RIM fiddles with its pricing, a wave of $200 to $300 tablets are
expected to hit the market. Lenovo's new IdeaPad Tablet A1 starts at $199,
Samsung's original Galaxy Tab is now $279, Barnes & Noble's seven-inch
nook color e-book reader and pseudo-tablet is $249, and Amazon.com is
expected to release one or two models in this price range before the end
of the year.
Chrome Celebrates Its Third Birthday
For the last three years Googles Chrome team has been working hard to
make browsers faster, smarter and less complicated.
"In that time, the web community has continued to inspire us," says
Google, "bringing the power of the web into all kinds of apps and
experiences, with all modern browsers making great strides in speed,
simplicity and security. To pay homage to the goodness of the web, weve
put together an interactive infographic, built in HTML5, which details the
evolution of major web technologies and browsers."
Celebrate Chromes third birthday and see how the web and browsers such as
Mosaic, Netscape, Opera, Internet Explorer, Safari, Firefox and Chrome have
evolved from the humble beginnings of HTTP and HTML 1.0 in the early 1990s
into the modern web browsers we use today by visiting The Evolution of the
Web at http://evolutionofweb.appspot.com/.
Time Magazine, 1985
TIMEs Barbara Rudolph, in "Shaken to the Very Core," September 30th 1985,
which calls Jobs "brash," "brilliant," and "petulant," among other things:
Silicon Valley remains rife with speculation about how well Apple will
function without Jobs. Sculley is confident: "Steves great contribution
was recognizing that computers were tools for individuals and not large blue
boxes for institutions. That doesnt change, whether Steve is here or not."
Some observers, noting that Apple stock jumped $1 a share after Jobs
resignation became known, believe his departure may be a blessing for the
company. Says David Gold, a Palo Alto venture capitalist: "Its good news
for Apple that | hes out of their hair. The loss of a few employees is
probably a small price to pay to have Steve Jobs going off and doing
something else." But Nolan Bushnell, who founded Atari and subsequently
launched and left several other firms, including Pizza Time Theater, is
not so sure. Says he: "Where is Apples inspiration going to come from? Is
Apple going to have all the romance of a new brand of Pepsi?"
=~=~=~=
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