Rumors are swirling around the internet of a new cell phone from Sony that looks like a cross between the PSP and a HTC-ish QWERTY slider phone. The design is definitely tempting, but since it is a Sony product it will likely be bogged down by the same type of downfalls that other Sony products have. Here's to hoping that no rootkits come standard with this little beauty.
Read more about the Mylo 2 at Wired.
Add Computer Programmer to the list of positions that the Army will be recruiting to fill in the near future. The Army recently opened an Office of Gaming, which will solely charged with developing simulators for the troops. The Army was an early adopter using simulators for training and has spun out some really cutting edge tech through DARPA. More recently the Army has received buzz for the America's Army game. However, they have never had a department dedicated to game development.
Is this a good idea? While I admit they are plenty of good uses for sims in military settings, given the inability of the government to do anything quickly, efficiently, or high tech - wouldn't it be better to outsource this?
Read the full story at Wired.
Web 2.0 darling Facebook doesn't have the best track record of protecting user privacy over its short history. First there was the news feed, then there was the Beacon mess, so what's next? Logging into the service today there was a poll that asked whether people would like to access their financial institution information through Facebook. I immediately thought that was an awful idea, 1) because Facebook isn't exactly a great protector of all things private (there is still no way to delete pictures and other information unless you do it piece by piece), 2) it's easy enough for crooks to capture sensitive information online - why make it easier. Anyways, I checked to see how their poll was doing and it looks like I was in the majority. A solid 80% said they were not interested in accessing their financial information through Facebook. Thank god, get the message Zuckerberg? People can head over to mint.com for that.
The Wall Street Journal is reporting that last month 1 out of every 1,000 page views were by iPhone users. Without a doubt those numbers are probably skewed, but since there are only 1.4 iPhones that have been sold it is still impressive. Couple that with the fact that AT&T's network is downright pokey when it comes to data transfer and I think it makes that stat even more impressive.
Why are iPhone users surfing up a storm while Palm and Windows mobile users still make up such a small minority? Is it the demographic that Apple attracts?
Videogamer.com is reporting that SEGA has recently filed an application to protect the Dreamcast trademark.
Now the cynic in me says so what? Companies protect their IP. Why wouldn't a company that poured millions of dollars into developing a brand spend a few grand extra to protect it? However, the reason the blog-o-sphere is worked up is because the new trademark app submitted on Aug. 13, 2007 states that the trademark relates to
"Home video game machines; player-operated electronic controllers for electronic video game machines, video game interactive controller, namely, hand held pads, and floor pads or mats, joysticks for video games, computer cursor control devices, namely, computer mouse, flash memory cards, video game software, computer game programs."
