Author: Serkadis

Razer, the firm that brings us all those high-end gaming peripherals, has made its first foray into the XBox market with a couple of add-ons. The Onza controller and Chimaera pro gaming headset will be available later this year.

The $50 Onza, with its swanky green trim, has Razer’s Hyperesponse Technology, (blah blah fishcakes) adjustable tension analogue sticks and a multi-function button that you can program yourself to perform specific actions. Batteries not included, as they have power cords.

And then there’s the Chimaera. Costing $130, it supports 5.1 channel surround sound system, and allows you to connect multiple Razer base stations via its Daisy-Chain cable system. [Techtree.com]

Apparently, the Mexican government believes it owns its pre-Hispanic culture. Michael Scott points us to a story about how the Mexican government claims
it “owns” the intellectual property on various pre-Hispanic artifacts, which Starbucks was using as imagery on mugs. Specifically, it’s upset about images of an Aztec stone calendar and the Pyramid of the Moon from Teotihuacan. I’ve heard that some countries believe they can automatically claim total “intellectual property” control over certain artifacts, but it’s difficult to see what claim Mexico would have under any ordinary intellectual property law.

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German carmaker Mercedes Benz announced today it managed to end the last month of 2009 with an impressive 97,700 units sold in December, no less than 12 percent more than in December 2008. This pretty much makes Mercedes the premium brand with the strongest growth in the world. For the entire year, Mercedes Benz sold 1,012,300 vehicles, down 9.7 percent from 2008 levels.

We were able to steadily increase our sales in the second half of the year after facing strong market declines … (read more)

Dell has certainly entered the Android market with a bang by announcing no less than two new entrants at this year’s CES: the 5″ Dell Streak and the aptly named Mini 3i.  While the 3i looks to be a standard phone handset the Streak could be a tablet sold with or without a carrier.  Rumor pegs AT&T as a carrier being that it does have 3G capability via a GSM SIM.

With their newly formed business unit, the Big D may just be ready for the mobile revolution.  With shades of the Dell Axim still burned into our memories, do you think the new Android devices will face the same fate?  Not likely.  Those devices had no differentiation or any specialness but you say these don’t either, right?  Possibly, but what Dell does very well is commoditize technology and break down pricing barriers for the masses.  Dell will enable anyone who wants an Android device to be able to have one whether it’s sold through a carrier or not.

Filed under: Spy Photos, Performance, Wagon, Crossover, Hatchback, BMW, Luxury

If you love the idea of the 5 Series Gran Turismo but don’t want a vehicle quite that large, BMW’s got something baking in the oven that you may very well be interested in: a 3 Series Gran Turismo. Just like its larger sibling, this wagon that’s masquerading as anything other than a wagon will sport a fastback-like rear roof design that covers up a larger cargo hold than the standard 3’s trunk.

It appears that the upcoming 3 Series Gran Turismo will be both longer and wider than the current 3, and that size advantage may carry over to the rest of the 3 Series line as well. Expect a predominantly aluminum chassis underneath the slinky new bodywork to help keep weight from escalating out of control.

BMW has made no mention of when the 3 Series GT might hit the market, but if it makes an appearance before the expected sedan, coupe and wagon versions of the next 3 – as was the case with the latest BMW 5 Series – we might see the fastback wagon sometime in 2012.

[Source: Autocar]

Spy Shots: BMW 3 Series Gran Turismo caught swirling around? originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 08 Jan 2010 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Etc., Government/Legal, Safety

Speed cameras are at best a dubious safety enhancement sold on the premise of slowing traffic, while the more important proposition is often the promise of the revenue they can generate. Arizona residents have mostly cut through the bovine feculence around the state’s big camera deployment program, one that’s been described as groundbreaking. The state installed 76 one-eyed bandits, but profits are lower than projected, and some citizens want the cameras gone.

Further sabotaging the camera initiative are citizens who have taken to ignoring the automated citations in large numbers. A loophole surrounding mailed tickets is allowing many drivers to motor on with impunity, while an anti-camera group is trying to get a ballot measure to ban the cameras underway. The 700,000 tickets that have been issued since September 2008 should have meant $127 million into the coffers, but only $36 million has been collected. At that level, it’s not even clear if Redflex, the public scourge firm that runs the cameras, is able to break even.

[Source: New York Times | Photo: Redflex]

Arizona to abandon ‘groundbreaking’ speed camera program? originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 08 Jan 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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While the top-selling vehicles in the United States in 2009 was the Ford F-150, in Japan the Toyota Prius clinched that spot, making it the first time a gasoline-electric hybrid vehicle has held the ranking. According to Japan Automobile Dealers Association, Toyota sold a total of 208,876 units of the Prius in Japan in 2009, nearly three times more than the amount it sold the previous year.

The success of the Prius shows that consumers are starting to accept green vehicles as their primary choice – well, at least in Japan. Hybrid sales make up about 10 percent of new vehicles sold in the country.

According to Green Car Congress, hybrids have only a 2.8 percent share of new vehicles sold in the United States (and we’re pretty sure there’s an acceptable reason for that in terms driving habits, road conditions and many other factors).

– By: Kap Shah

Source: Detroit News

It’s been a few months since the announcement of the Yahoo – Microsoft search deal, but it’s still far from being completed and there is still a lot of confusion about how everything will slot in. One thing that has been causing developers a lot of headache is the fate of the popular search API Yahoo BOSS. With Yahoo Search out of the picture, the… (read more)

Who would have thought that the British offshore would supply so much of the UK’s energy needs. In the 70’s the country tapped the North Sea’s formidable oil and gas reserves, pressed by the squeeze brought on by the Middle East oil and gas embargo. That was then. Today, the Gordon Brown government launched a new, greener phase of the country’s offshore development, as it announced an ambitious £75 billion ($119 billion) project to build thousands of offshore wind turbines. The development is part of the country’s ambitious Round 3 of bids for leasing of portions of the British sea bed.

Ed Miliband (number two in our December Top Ten Players in Green Energy), UK Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change said:

Today’s news shows we’re creating the right conditions for the energy industry to invest in harnessing it.

The plan, if fully developed, will play a crucial part in helping the UK meet 15 percent of its energy needs from renewable sources by 2020. Round 3 is administered by the Crown Estate, an independent body that owns most of the country’s seabed.

Monday we reported that the nine projects were expected to cost a combined £100 billion.  Today’s announcement sheds some £25 billion on the project’s price tag. We’ve got calls out to the Crown Estate in London to hammer out the estimated price of this massive undertaking.

The Guardian writes that the nine announced projects will be further away from the coast and in deeper waters than any existing offshore project. Across Britain’s offshore there are already 700 megawatts of installed offshore turbines and another 1.2 gigawatts under construction and  3.5 gigawatts in planning stages.

The nine wining consortiums slated to develop these projects are:

1.    Moray Firth Zone, Moray Offshore Renewables Ltd which is 75% owned by EDP Renovaveis and 25% owned by SeaEnergy Renewables – 1.3 GW

2.    Firth of Forth Zone, SeaGreen Wind Energy Ltd equally owned by SSE Renewables and Fluor – 3.5 GW

3.    Dogger Bank Zone, the Forewind Consortium equally owned by each of SSE Renewables, RWE Npower Renewables, Statoil and Statkraft – 9 GW

4.    Hornsea Zone, Siemens Project Ventures and Mainstream Renewable Power, a consortium equally owned by Mainstream Renewable Power and Siemens Project Ventures and involving Hochtief Construction – 4 GW

5.    Norfolk Bank Zone, East Anglia Offshore Wind Ltd equally owned by Scottish Power Renewables and Vattenfall Vindkraft – 7.2 GW

6.    Hastings Zone, Eon Climate and Renewables UK – 0.6 GW

7.    West of Isle of Wight Zone, Eneco New Energy – 0.9 GW

8.    Bristol Channel Zone, RWE Npower Renewables, the UK subsidiary of RWE Innogy – 1.5 GW

9.    Irish Sea Zone, Centrica Renewable Energy and involving RES Group – 4.2 GW

So will all of these projects end up being constructed? The development faces some significant hurdles. It will take some convincing for project finance bank to step in and fund these power plants. Although the British Government’s strong support might convince them to open their purse. Also, as we wrote here last summer, the UK lacks the cleantech supply chain to support such massive undertaking.

Photo Credit: The Guardian; The Crown Estate

Have you ever got fined and thought the amount was too much? This might make you completely change your mind, as a Swiss driver just got the biggest fine in the world from a court in the northern Swiss canton of St Gallen: 299,000 Swiss francs, which is about $290,000, Reuters reported.

Considering the value of the fine, you might imagine that the man was driving with 200 km/h, but you couldn’t be more wrong. The Swiss police caught him driving with 100 km/h through a village in h… (read more)

The human bone is so strong it’s a wonder it ever does break! Bone can carry a load 30 times greater than brick can. The strongest bone in the body, the shin bone, can support a load of 1,600 kilograms.

Yet, as we all know, bone sometimes breaks as a result of violence. Each type of break has a name, depending on how the bone has been broken. If a bone is just cracked with part of the shaft broken and the remainder bent, it is called an “infraction”. If there is a complete break it is called a “simple fracture”. If the bone is broken into more than two pieces, it is a “com-minute fracture”. And if the pieces pierce the muscle and the skin, it is a “compound fracture”.

Mending a broken bone is somewhat like mending a broken saucer. The fragments have to be brought into as close alignment as possible. But the big difference is that the doctor does not have to apply any glue. This is produced by connective tissue cells of the bone itself.
Bone tissue has an amazing ability to rebuild itself. When bone is broken, bone and soft tissues around the break are torn and injured. Some of the injured tissue dies. The whole area containing the bone ends and the soft tissue is bound together by clotted blood and lymph.

Just a few hours after the break, young connective tissue cells begin to appear in this clot as the first step in repairing the fracture. These cells multiply quickly and become filled with calcium. Within 72 to 96 hours after the break, this mass of cells forms a tissue which unites the ends of the bones!

More calcium is deposited in this newly formed tissue. And this calcium eventually helps form hard bone that develops into normal bone over a period of months.

A plaster cast is usually applied to the broken limb in order to immobilize the bone and keep the broken edges in perfect alignment.

Motorola, Inc. (NYSE: MOT) today announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire the assets of SecureM, LLC and its wholly owned subsidiaries, together operating as SecureMedia®, a developer of software-based digital rights management (DRM) and security systems for IP video distribution and management.

Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. The acquisition, which is subject to customary closing conditions, is expected to close in Q1 2010.

SecureMedia will now become part of Motorola’s Home & Networks Mobility business.

SecureMedia develops and markets software systems for securing the distribution of digital entertainment over multiple platforms to multiple devices, including set-top boxes, wireless handsets, PCs and portable entertainment devices.

Approved by all major film studios and TV broadcasters, SecureMedia’s Encryptonite ONE(TM) system supplies proven end-to-end security for content in managed IP, mobile, over-the-top (OTT) and hybrid environments, enabling new business from the consumption of high-value content anytime and anyplace.

SecureMedia complements its product offerings with customer support and consulting services including installation, training, integration and support.

With this acquisition, Motorola will enhance its content security product portfolio. It will be able to offer both stand-alone and integrated software security solutions to IP video customers.

“Motorola continues to invest in our video infrastructure solutions as our customers evolve their networks to handle the explosion in consumer demand for video,” said John Burke, senior vice president, Motorola Home & Networks Mobility business.

“SecureMedia has superior expertise in IP-based video security and digital rights management — critical capabilities for the emerging Internet Era of Television, where video content is mobilized across the three screens of TV, mobile phone and PC.”

“As part of Motorola, the SecureMedia team will continue to expand the reach of our award-winning digital security solutions by gaining new customers and partners in business segments such as cable and we will also continue to support our current customers and partners,” said Fred Ellis, chief operating officer for SecureMedia.

“We’re thrilled to become a part of Motorola, a major global video leader.”

Motorola’s Home & Networks Mobility business delivers fully integrated and customizable media solutions enabling operators to provide personalized, rich media experiences to their subscribers.

As a global video leader in digital entertainment devices, digital and IP video headends and digital video processing, Motorola brings its video expertise to bear as operators — wireline, wireless, cable and telco – seek to evolve their networks for the future.

About SecureMedia

SecureMedia is the most experienced provider of proven open-platform content protection software for video-on-demand, IP video, multimedia, music and other digital content distributed over cable, satellite and broadband IP networks.

More information is available at securemedia.com.

SecureMedia is a registered trademark of and Encryptonite ONE is a trademark of SecureM, LLC.

About Motorola

Motorola is known around the world for innovation and leadership in wireless and broadband communications.

Inspired by our vision of seamless mobility, the people of Motorola are committed to helping you connect simply and seamlessly to the people, information, and entertainment that you want and need.

We do this by designing and delivering “must have” products, “must do” experiences and powerful networks — along with a full complement of support services.

A Fortune 100 company with global presence and impact, Motorola had sales of US $42.9 billion in 2006.

For more information about our company, our people and our innovations, please visit: motorola.com.

    MEDIA CONTACT:

    Stephanie Forrest, +44 (0)7739 884452
    [email protected]

CBC.ca

Olympic tourists asked to buy carbon offsets CBC.ca Vancouver Olympic organizers say they need tourists flying to the Games to pick up their share of carbon offset expenses. (CBC) Vancouver Olympic organizers … and more »

Nintendo once again ended up in last place in the 14th edition of Greenpeace’s Guide to Greener Electronics. Microsoft’s there to keep them company though, while Sony is still sitting in the middle of the earth-friendliness spectrum.

Although he experienced a series of outings in the rally world so far, Robert Kubica’s next commitment will be driving a Renault Clio R3 in the famous Rally Monte Carlo of 2010. The news was confirmed earlier today, when the Automobile Club de Monaco announced the official entry list for the event scheduled for later this month.

Since last year, the Monte Carlo route is no longer part of the World Rally Championship, but had become the regular season opener in the International Ra… (read more)

In what is one of the rare moments of joy for Japanese carmaker Toyota, the Japan Automobile Dealers Association yesterday announced that the Prius is the country’s best selling models of 2009, with 208,876 hybrids finding new owners last year.

"The numbers speak for themselves," Toyota spokesman Paul Nolasco said, according to DetNews. "The Prius represents the ideal package people in Japan are looking for in terms of environmental and driving performance."read more)

Our friend Taylor of AndroidAndMe spotted this strange looking device from Motorola (HS1001) while in Vegas the other day.   Upon closer examination, he found that it’s actually a cordless home phone running Android.

The HS1001 offers Wi-Fi capability and connects to a base unit. Look for this to hit the UK later in the year for around $150.

Specifications include:

• DSPG Arm9 240 MHz processor
• 2.8 inch resistive touch screen (QVGA)
• 256 MB flah ROM / 128 MB RAM
• MicroSD expansion slot
• Android 1.6

Does a unit like this appeal to you at all?  What if your contacts were stored in the cloud and had some other Google features?

PKB Animal Health, Inc., makers of Zymox® Otic and Zymox® Topical Spray announce scientific research demonstrating effectiveness of the enzyme-based products against Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, MRSA.

Zymox® adds a much needed level of confidence in the ability to manage stubborn infections of the ears and skin of dogs and cats, including antibiotic resistant microorganisms such as MRSA.

This discovery has timely benefits as there has been growing concern in the veterinary community regarding treatment and prevention of MRSA and the potential for pets to spread this bacteria to people.

According to published research, both Zymox® Otic for ear infections and Zymox® Topical Spray for skin infections, wounds and cuts have been shown to eradicate MRSA in as little as 30 seconds upon contact.

Gentle on skin, yet effective on microbes, Zymox® utilizes the patented LP3 Enzyme System which is non-toxic and formulated without antibiotics, chlorhexidine, harsh detergents or chemicals.

Zymox® requires no pre-cleaning and is applied only once a day.

PKB Animal Health, Inc. has been dedicated for over 10 years to providing antimicrobial enzyme-based products for topical use which are safe, non-toxic and proven to be effective antibiotic alternatives.

PKB Animal Health also offers an enzyme-based product line for pet oral care as well.

To view the research, please view these reports:

• jarvm.com/articles/Vol7Iss4/King1.pdf
• jarvm.com/articles/Vol7Iss4/King2.pdf

With the endearingly precious Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium hitting theaters in a few weeks Natalie shared a few of the life lessons she has learned in her wise, wise 26 years. Including her regret over one revealing scene in Goya’s Ghosts that in the end wasn’t even her. Here’s highlights:The 13-minute film, which serves as a prologue to Darjeeling, is about an American named Jack (Jason Schwartzman, left), holing up in a fancy Paris hotel, who has an unexpected reunion with an estranged girlfriend (Natalie Portman, right). Shot two years ago, before screenwriters Anderson, Schwartzman, and Roman Coppola developed the character into one of the three brothers on Darjeeling’s rail journey across India, “Chevalier” sees Anderson working in his customary jewel-box/dollhouse mode, but the form and length really suit each other here. (Anderson’s arcane taste in ’60s British Invasion pop tunes is present as well, in the repeated use of Peter Sarstedt’s 1969 tune “Where Do You Go To (My Lovely),” a Donovan-lite song that began to grate on me with repetition but which I now can’t dislodge from my brain.) “Chevalier” is an exquisite short story where we learn not much but exactly enough about these two characters; plus, there are several allusions in Darjeeling to elements of “Chevalier” that you won’t catch if you haven’t already seen the short.

Oh, by the way: there’s been a lot of drooling fanboy talk that Portman finally gets naked in “Chevalier.” Well, not quite. Like the film, she reveals not much, just enough.

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