Computer Information - myOddPc
Comcast tells AT&T to lay off its coax, seeks restraining order
Filed under: Networking
Never one shy to
pick a
fight, Comcast is now taking square aim at AT&T, which it alleges is wreaking havoc with its internet service as a result of shoddy installs of the company's
U-verse TV service. More specifically, as Ars Technica points out, while both companies use different lines outside of the home (copper coax for Comcast and twisted pair for AT&T), they each use the same coaxial wiring inside the house, which Comcast says causes "feedback" to leak back out onto its network, possibly as a result of the two services using similar frequencies or filters. That, Comcast says, has caused service disruptions for some 20,000 users in the Chicago area, with it particularly affecting those that mix and match Comcast and U-verse services. To put a stop to that, Comcast is now seeking a restraining order against AT&T, although it apparently hasn't received one as of yet. For its part, AT&T not only unsurprisingly says that "the suit lacks merit and that the company intends to vigorously fight it," but that it plans to significantly ramp up the roll out of U-verse in Illinois.
[Via
Online Media Daily, thanks Alan M]
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Room for one more? Panasonic wiggles into OLED TV game
Filed under: Displays, HDTV, Home Entertainment
Alright, we get it. SED actually
is not the wave of the future for televisions, but
OLED most probably is. At present, we've got
Sony,
Toshiba,
Samsung and
LG Display (among others) all vying for your future dollars, and since competition in the HDTV space is so grand for consumers, we won't be kvetching too much about yet another entrant.
DigiTimes has it that Matsushita (parent company of Panasonic) is looking to begin production of OLED displays "in the future." That's it. No juicy clues as to when, no inside information about panel sizes -- nothing. Just enough to tease you and leave you in a state of panic for the foreseeable future.
[Via
OLED Display]
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News Corp hired hacker to pirate DISH Network access cards
Filed under: Home Entertainment
DISH Network and News Corp's satellite subisdiary NDS Group in California have been involved in an industrial espionage lawsuit for years now, but there was some big drama in court today: a hacker by the name of Christopher Tarnovsky (who used the handle "Big Gun," among others) testified that NDS hired him to create a device called "the stinger" that could reprogram DISH Network access cards. DISH lawyers say the plan was to flood the market with hacked cards, which would cost the satellite company $900M in revenue and repair costs. Unsurprisingly, NDS (which supplies DirecTV, among others), says that it hired Tarovsky only to reverse-engineer DISH's cards for competitive reasons, and Tarnovsky himself says that he believes "someone is trying to set him up." Sure, sure -- but no one's explaining why he was mailed mobile electronics from Canada with $20K in cash stashed inside, or why he was officially on the payroll of HarperCollins, a totally different NewCorp subsidiary, for more than 10 years. Sketchy sketchy -- and we thought satellite hacking was dead.
Read - Reuters article about Tarnovsky's testimony
Read - 2002 article about Tarnovsky and NDS
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Nokia Internet Tablets to get Ubuntu and Qt ports
Filed under: Handhelds
We've already seen Google's Android mobile OS get
shoehorned onto Nokia N810 tablet, but it looks like the Internet Tablet OS is about to get even more flexible with ports of Ubuntu and the Qt toolkit. Nokia is
acquiring Qt developer Trolltech, so it's no surprise the Qt is making the jump, but it looks like it'll be mostly a third-party-targeted framework, with the ITOS interface and bundled apps still using GTK+. Nokia told Ars Technica that it's exploring cross-platform possibilities between ITOS and Series60, and that it wants to see if GTK+ and Qt can coexist on the tablets like they do on the Linux desktop. That's pretty ambitious for a low-powered tablet, but we're all for more flexibility -- which seems to be in the cards with the Nokia-sponsored port of Ubuntu to ARM. Several pre-Hardy Heron versions have been ported and run off SD cards, if you're feeling adventurous -- we're not sure what the advantages are, but it's nice to know that Nokia's keeping things wide open.
[Via
Digg]
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Ask Engadget: What's the best digital camera for a child?
Filed under: Ask Engadget, Digital Cameras
Kids these days. Gifted with cellphones before they're able to walk, texting before they can write and wrecking mum's DSLR before they can even earn an allowance. In order to nix that last issue, many parents are looking to snag a point-and-shoot that wouldn't be too overwhelming for the average kiddo, yet could stand the abuse
and churn out somewhat respectable images. According to Sean:
"I have tried a couple of child-specific digital cameras on the market and have been unhappy with them. They are poorly made and take really crummy pictures. Does anyone have a recommendation for something that takes decent pictures (over 3-megapixels, please) and that you'd be comfortable turning over to a 10 year old?"
We'll go ahead and assume Mr. Sean wants to keep the price point low, and while finding a
kiddie camera with decent quality may be tough, feel free to include suggestions in comments for digicams you've had that have survived unspeakable catastrophes. Want to get your inquiry up in here next week? Shoot us a line at
ask at engadget dawt com and we'll see what we can do.
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CompUSA rises from dead, attacks Florida
Filed under: Misc. Gadgets
CompUSA
died a
sputtering,
inglorious death, but Ohio-based Systemax (which owns TigerDirect) didn't
shell out $30M to pick up the pieces for nothing: it's just announced that it's re-opening 15 US stores and opening a new one, 13 of which are in Florida. We're not sure why the Sunshine State faces the brunt of CompUSA's angry zombie wrath -- do retirees enjoy being ripped off?* -- but Texans and Puerto Ricans can join in the fun with four stores of their very own. These are all apparently open now -- anyone brave enough to check out the scene?
*Rejected asides: "Is this punishment for that Pitbull record?" "Guess you don't need braiiiiiins to pay these prices!" "Screw you, Mickey!"
[Thanks, Steven]
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Nintendo "passionately upset" about Wii shortages, won't give out free Mario cakes
Filed under: Gaming
Besides being infuriated with leaving
over a billion dollars on the table this past holiday season, Nintendo of America is also "passionately upset about the
lack of product relative to demand." Those words came straight from
Mr. Reggie Fils-Aime himself, who noted that North America was the only Wii-serviced territory where supply and demand were still out of sync. Reportedly, some 40-percent of the 1.8 million Wii consoles manufactured each month are making their way over, but even after 17 months on the market, the average Wii sits around on retail shelves for "just an hour before [it is] purchased." Unfortunately, we're no closer to being able to clone the consoles in order to meet the insatiable appetite.
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Canon VIXIA HF11 model name turns up, imaginations run wild
Filed under: Digital Cameras, HDTV
Believe it or not, HF11 actually wasn't one of the many units Canon
introduced at CES, but curiously enough, that moniker is showing up on the outfit's own website. When taking a peek at the Drivers & Downloads section for the
DC320 DVD camcorder, you'll find a link for a PDF brochure of the VIXIA family that supposedly includes the HF11. Upon opening said file, however, you'll discover nary a mention of the mysterious item. A new model waiting just around the bend? A simple typo? A devilish trick played by the suits at Canon? The world may never know.
[Thanks, Dan]
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Limited edition Renault Sandero to boast Nokia branding, N95
Filed under: Cellphones, GPS, Transportation
Nothing shows your complete and unwavering devotion to a handset maker like buying an ultra-rare vehicle with its logos on there, wouldn't you agree? Those vigorously nodding up and down (well, those vigorously nodding up and down
in Brazil) can get set to grab a limited edition Renault Sandero, which will come "fully equipped with Nokia's navigation system and [undisclosed] car add-ons." The super-special Sandero will come stocked with an
N95 and cost around €17,650 ($27,693), but you'd better hurry, as only 1,000 of these niche motorcars are being built. It's like Nokia heard your cries for letting the chance to nab one of those
co-branded Twingos slip through your too-busy-texting thumbs or something.
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MIRA's H4V 'plugless plug-in hybrid' is surprisingly clever
Filed under: Transportation
We're surprised this hasn't been though up before, which means it probably isn't as simple as it sounds. MIRA's got a new
plug-in hybrid in the works that skips the whole plug aspect. Instead of plugging the whole car into an outlet, you can pull out any of the three battery packs in the trunk and hook 'em into the wall. That means the car doesn't have to have direct access to a plug to be able to juice up, you just take the batteries to where the power's at and commence charging. They're calling the system H4V, and are powering the unit on lithium ion phosphate batteries. MIRA expects the retrofit to an existing car to cost about £2000 (around $3950 US).
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Please note that this website is for information only. Whilst every care has been taken to provide accurate information you should always seek the advice of a professional before attempting any repairs or making any purchase(s).
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