FocuSoft Tech Blog |
- Barnes and Noble e-book reader hits the FCC
- $199 Nintendo Wii spotted in Best Buy ad?
- The Engadget Podcast is live… now!
- Review: Zune HD
- This Guy’s Cellphone Takes Augmented Reality To a Whole New Level [GPS]
- Windows Mobile 6.5 joins the ranks of iPhone and Android with its own app kill switch
- Apple and Google tell the FCC different stories about Google Voice
- Photographing bats looks really damn hard
- "First Clown In Space" May Also Become First Space Murder Victim [Space]
- New Lawsuit Brings Clarity To Skype’s IP Problem (Prognosis: Screwed)
| Barnes and Noble e-book reader hits the FCC Posted: 18 Sep 2009 05:04 PM PDT
 Barnes and Noble, the United State’s largest book seller has filed with the FCC its own e-book reader, as it’s insinuated in the attached Agent Authorization Letter. The dipping of the toes into the digital text industry isn’t as peculiar as, say Discovery Communications, since Barnes and Noble already has some known precedence in the e-book reader market, partnering with Plastic Logic as their “exclusive eBookstore provider” — this may very well be the Plastic Logic reader, but there’s no indication one way or another. Chances are it’ll be some time before we know, as all external and internal photos are under a confidentiality extension for 180 days as of September 3rd, or about six months from now. See you in Spring 2010! Filed under: Handhelds Barnes and Noble e-book reader hits the FCC originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 Sep 2009 19:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| $199 Nintendo Wii spotted in Best Buy ad? Posted: 18 Sep 2009 04:40 PM PDT
 First there was an alleged Toys R Us ad, and now we’ve caught wind of what’s claimed to be a Best Buy spot showing the Nintendo Wii getting that long-desired $50 price drop, down just below the two Benjamin mark. Easily Photoshopped image? You betcha, so we’ll just have to play wait-and-see as the evidence seems to mount up — it’s been a long time coming, after all, we wouldn’t be that surprised given the oncoming holiday season and the recent downward trend in demand. Filed under: Gaming $199 Nintendo Wii spotted in Best Buy ad? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 Sep 2009 18:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| The Engadget Podcast is live… now! Posted: 18 Sep 2009 04:27 PM PDT
 Hey, Josh is currently making a high-speed run across state lines, but have no fear — once he’s suitably safe from danger the Engadget Podcast will be broadcasting live. Settle into the chat room below, and we’ll see you at 6:30PM EST! Continue reading The Engadget Podcast is live… now! Filed under: Podcasts The Engadget Podcast is live… now! originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 Sep 2009 18:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Posted: 18 Sep 2009 04:01 PM PDT
But what did he see in the clear stream below? His own image; no longer a dark, gray bird, ugly and disagreeable to look at, but a graceful and beautiful swan. —The Ugly Duckling It’s been a long, brown trip for the Zune: from its early days (mocked and abject) to its awkward years (deemed a dead end and money pit) it’s been embattled and criticized, and rightly so. After all, here was an unpopular company with a frankly ridiculous brand it had pulled out of thin air, attempting to compete with the guys who defined the market. We’ve always been champions of the devices, despite their quirks, and of the service, despite its growing pains — and Microsoft occasionally made it pretty hard for us to stand by our favorite little misfit media player. Well, for once they just made it really easy. Let’s not beat around the bush, now: this thing is going head-on with the iPod touch, one of the most versatile and well-liked devices on the planet. There are other PMPs, sure, but the caliber of these two devices is well beyond the best offerings from Creative, Samsung, or Sony. To make it easy on the Apple fans who are impatient to comment on this story, let me just state it right now for the record: the Zune HD is not an iPod-killer, but it is the only player out there that can go up against it and not be annihilated in the process. It’s good enough that everyone owes it to themselves to give it a look — unless you’re afraid of just how good it might be. Original post:
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| This Guy’s Cellphone Takes Augmented Reality To a Whole New Level [GPS] Posted: 18 Sep 2009 04:00 PM PDT
Apps involving augmented reality may be the next big thing, but this guy’s crappy cellphone is already light years ahead. [Sheepfilms via b3ta via YBNBY]
Go here to read the rest:
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| Windows Mobile 6.5 joins the ranks of iPhone and Android with its own app kill switch Posted: 18 Sep 2009 03:57 PM PDT
 Earlier this week the internet alarms rang loud with word that Microsoft had added an app “kill switch” to its upcoming Windows Mobile 6.5 platform. Of course, such a kill switch is not unprecedented, as both the Android and iPhone platforms have their own variant. A Microsoft rep recently relayed a message of peace to assuage fears, telling Ars Technica that the vast majority of app rejections won’t cause a remote uninstall, and it’ll only be used if the app “exhibits harmful behavior or unforeseen effects” — not that we’re entirely assured by the latter scenario, but wording aside, it does echo statements from the aforementioned companies that have so far been very conservative with its use (i.e. we can’t recall a single instance of its use). “While we hope to avoid this scenario,” he said, “we will make refunds available in such cases.” Only time will tell just how trigger happy Microsoft gets, assuming they ever use it. Hey, just be happy we know about it — remember the last time we were surprised to discover such a feature? Filed under: Cellphones Windows Mobile 6.5 joins the ranks of iPhone and Android with its own app kill switch originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 Sep 2009 17:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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| Apple and Google tell the FCC different stories about Google Voice Posted: 18 Sep 2009 03:53 PM PDT Google's logo at its headquarters in Mountain View, Calif. Credit: Nicholas Kamm/AFP/Getty Images. Google Inc. and Apple Inc. can't seem to agree on why the new Google Voice application for the iPhone doesn't appear in Apple's App Store. The Federal Communications Commission posted a previously confidential letter today by Google that said the Google Voice app was rejected. “Apple's representatives informed Google that the Google Voice application was rejected because Apple believed the application duplicated the core dialer functionality of the iPhone," the letter said. In the letter, Google says that Phil Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of worldwide product marketing, told Google's senior vice president, Alan Eustace, that Apple declined the application during a July 7 phone conversation. But Apple
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| Photographing bats looks really damn hard Posted: 18 Sep 2009 03:30 PM PDT
I like that the photographer is labeled. Good luck putting together your own bat-shot rig with that information. At least it gives you an overview. It appears to be from a how-to, but I can’t find the original post on the Organization for Bat Conservation page. Also, I first read that as Bat Conversation, which I think you’ll agree would be a puzzling goal for an organization. See more here:
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| "First Clown In Space" May Also Become First Space Murder Victim [Space] Posted: 18 Sep 2009 03:30 PM PDT
Laliberte even has a pocket full of red clown noses to give to the crew. Oooh boy…this is going to be the longest ISS mission ever. If they can handle this, Mars should be no sweat. Fortunately, this will be the last wealthy, eccentric space tourist the crew will have to deal with for quite some time. Astronauts from the US will take up the extra seats on Soyuz missions in order to travel back and forth from the ISS while the shuttle program transitions. [Yahoo via Neatorama]
Here is the original:
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| New Lawsuit Brings Clarity To Skype’s IP Problem (Prognosis: Screwed) Posted: 18 Sep 2009 03:24 PM PDT
Sure, Skype doesn’t own its core P2P technology, and founders Janus Friis and Niklas Zennstrom were trying to rip that IP out of the service. But that’s all old news from months ago. Surely those new investors wouldn’t have committed to paying $1.9 billion for 65% of a company that didn’t control it’s IP? At the time of the deal, people close to the transaction told me that the new investors had a much better relationship with Niklas and Janus than eBay, and the situation would soon be worked out. Our best guess was the two would be given a piece of Skype, and possibly a board seat, and the litigation would be dropped. But that isn’t the case, it seems. This new intellectual property lawsuit against former Joost CEO Mike Volpi and venture capital firm Index Ventures really has nothing to do with Joost at all. It’s all about control and ownership of Skype, and it’s a signal that the dispute is nowhere near over. What’s most interesting about the lawsuit is a single disclosure early in the lawsuit complaint. Not only does Skype not own the core P2P technology underlying the service, but they don’t even have access to the source code (emphasis added):
And this bit of information singlehandedly explains possibly the entire history of Skype over the last few years. Want to know why they never opened up to developers in a meaninful way? It’s because they couldn’t. They can’t even tweak their own core source code to allow it. Skype has never disclosed this, but it must be a source of monumental frustration for them. That frustration boiled over in an interview I did with Skype last week, where they made it very clear that they want to, and plan to, open up widely to developers. But until this litigation is cleared up, and Skype has access to the actual source code that runs its service, that isn’t going to happen. This new litigation could tank the acquisition. Or it could change it materially. Or it could result in a big compromise where Niklas and Janus take a big role in the new Skype. But whatever happens, it has very little to do with Mike Volpi and Index Ventures. The real story here is that Skype is restrained from innovating because they don’t own their own IP. In fact, they can’t even see the core IP. Information provided by CrunchBase Crunch Network: CrunchGear drool over the sexiest new gadgets and hardware. Read the original post:
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![This Guys Cellphone Takes Augmented Reality To a Whole New Level [GPS]](http://www.focusoft.biz/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/226ac3e48deus.gif.gif?eui=2226 "This Guys Cellphone Takes Augmented Reality To a Whole New Level [GPS]")
![565ff15805space.jpg "First Clown In Space" May Also Become First Space Murder Victim [Space]](http://www.focusoft.biz/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/565ff15805space.jpg.jpg "\"First Clown In Space\" May Also Become First Space Murder Victim [Space]")
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