Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Schmidt on Chrome OS

Schmidt says Chrome OS devices will be 'disposable,' priced like netbooks

posted Apr 20th 2010 8:08PM

You might have heard Google's Chrome OS will live entirely in the cloud, and that devices running the web-based platform will automatically back up your data on remote servers. You might think it will keep your private details safe -- as safe as anything else you trust Google to store, that is. But had you ever considered what the cloud meant for the hardware running it? CEO Eric Schmidt has. This week, he told the Atmosphere Cloud Computing Summit that Chrome OS devices will be "completely disposable" atnetbook-esque price points of between $300 and $400. That's pocket change for a large IT department perhaps, but we can't imagine tossing even the cheapest Eee PC in our dustbin. How about subsidized, though? Asked whether Google might give away devices on contract, Schmidt said "Sure," adding afterwards only that his company doesn't see itself selling the data plans. We wonder what that means for the thousands of enthusiastic towns now praying for Google fiber. Hear Google's CEO for yourself after the break; info in question begins 13:33.

source : engadget.com

VeriFone Payware

VeriFone Payware Mobile iPhone now available in Apple retail outlets, your CC weeps

It's a little past January, but it's not like you've had too much trouble burning through your credit limit these past few months anyway, right? VeriFone -- that company responsible for the other iPhone credit card accessory -- has just announced that its slip-up case is now available in Apple retail stores. For those unaware, this card reader works on all iPhone 3G and 3GS handsets, and there's a built-in stylus for capturing signatures from those arguably shady street-corner transactions that you'll be engaging in. Best of all, the device and app are totally free assuming you agree to a 2-year service contract and a $49 "activation fee," but we'd caution you to read through the fine print under "merchant fees" before tossing away too much of that profit margin.

See more video at our hub!

source : engadget.com

BlackBerry OS 6.0

BlackBerry OS 6.0 screenshots and details leak out

The leaks, they keep coming. Boy Genius has some new images and details on BlackBerry OS 6.0today, and while we've got our fair share of questions, there's no denying that what we're seeing looks like a substantial and much-needed improvement to the platform. First off, it appears that RIM's acquisition of Torch Mobile has paid off with a totally new WebKit-based browser, complete with tab switching, redesigned favorites, and pinch-to-zoom. About time, we'd say. Pinch-to-zoom and multitouch are also said to be present system-wide, along with kinetic scrolling, and long-pressing on the screen brings up a new modal context menu. That's definitely intriguing. The media player, photo viewer, and messaging apps have all also been re-done, and we're told the new inbox offers Facebook, Twitter, and RSS integration. The best part? BGR says this is all due out in June / July, "100%."

Now, here's the interesting parts. First, it's obvious that this system is made for and being demoed on a touchscreen device, yet BGR says it was being shown off by an "AT&T connect." That suggests Ol' Blue is about to get a touchscreen BlackBerry of its own to counter Verizon's Storm sometime soon -- perhaps that leaked slider? We can't say for sure. What we can say for sure is that this is the third set of 6.0 leakswe've seen that have content about San Francisco and the earthquake in Haiti displayed on the screen -- and while RIM has said the previous two leaks were just mockups, it's more than a little odd that SF / Haiti has become a theme here. What does it all mean? We may never know, but whatever -- just hit us with that new browser and we'll stop asking questions.

source : engadget.com

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Hmmm internet map looks like a brain...

where are you???

Monday, April 5, 2010

SPP info

Building a North American Community

Citizen's Guide to the Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP)

In March 2005, as a result of intense lobbying from North America’s richest corporations, the leaders of Canada, Mexico and the United States met in Waco, Texas to shake hands on the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America (SPP). The SPP was a pledge to speed up the corporate goal of continental economic integration by linking it to U.S. government security demands... continue reading!

SPP handbills - download (PDF) and distribute in your community!

Download the full report, Behind Closed Doors: What they're not telling us about the Security And Prosperity Partnership (PDF 10.7 MB), or follow the links below:

Table of contents

For more information about the Council of Canadians, or its campaign against the SPP, please sign up to receive updates above or call us at 1-800-387-7177.

source : canadians.org

The Amero Case Study

The Case for the Amero:

The Economics and Politics of a North American Monetary Union

by Herbert G. Grubel

foreword by Gordon Gibson

Click here to view a PDF version of this document (1.1MB)

Acknowledgments

I am grateful to the John Dobson Foundation whose generous endowment of the David Somerville Chair has made it possible for me to write this paper at the Fraser Institute after my mandatory retirement from Simon Fraser University at age 65. I thank Michael Walker for comments on the first draft and acknowledge the valuable insights gained during the Western Washington Conference on Monetary Union on April 30, 1999. My special thanks also go to Benjamin Cohen and William Robson who made some valuable, detailed comments on a later draft of the paper. Remaining errors of fact or judgement are mine.

Critical Issues Bulletins

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source : oldfraser.lexi.net