Submission + - Verizon to Kill All Unlimited Data Plans (cnet.com)
afabbro writes: "Verizon mentioned in an investor conference that it will be eliminating unlimited data plans, even for those it grandfathered in."
Submission Summary: 0 pending, 17 declined, 11 accepted (28 total, 39.29% accepted)
Submission + - gTunes coming? (wsj.com) 1
Submission + - Auto Industry's Fastest Processor? 128Mhz (thetruthaboutcars.com) 1
afabbro writes: GM stated that the 2011 Buick Regal will have the industry's fastest processor: 128Mhz, and 3MB of flash. "Three meg of flash memory and 128 MHz clock speed doesn’t sound like a lot in terms of computing power until you consider the environment these controllers have to live in. Our controllers are made to operate reliably up to 260 degrees (127C) and down to -40 degrees (-40C) for the life of the vehicle."
Submission + - Neuromanceresque Coffins n Japan's Recession (nytimes.com) 1
afabbro writes: "Case had rented a coffin here, on a weekly basis, since he'd arrived in Chiba." Apparently, so do some some of Japan's homeless: Capsule Hotel Shinjuku 510 houses 700 fiberglass sleeping coffins, each 6 1/2 feet long by 5 feet wide, and not tall enough to stand up in.
Submission + - Apple Reportedly Considering Making Its Own Chips
Submission + - SCOTUS Sides With Rambus Over FTC
afabbro writes: The U.S. Supreme Court rejected the FTC's bid to impose anti-trust peanalties on Rambus. Without comment, they let an appeals court decision favoring Rambus stand. The FTC found that Rambus undermined competition by getting secretly patented technology included in industry standards but the Supremes evidently didn't agree.
Submission + - Anatomy of the First Video Game (1958)
afabbro writes: Fifty years ago, before "Pong" and "Space Invaders," a nuclear physicist created "Tennis for Two," a 2-D tennis game that some say was the first video game ever. Built in 1958, it was "gynormous." "In addition to the oscilloscope screen and the controller, the guts of the original game were contained in an analog computer, which is "about as big as a microwave oven." "We have to load it into the back of a station wagon to move it. It's not a Game Boy that you put in your pocket."
Submission + - Why OLPC Failed
afabbro writes: "The current issue of BusinessWeek has an expansive article on the history of OLPC and why it has, to date, been a flop. Among the reasons: no preparation for the educational systems expected to use it, uncertain pedagogical theories, poor business management, competition from Microsoft/Intel, and no input from education professionals in designing the software. As one educational expert put it: "The hackers took over" and the applications are too complex for children to use. To date, 370,000 laptops have been shipped — a far cry from the original 150 million planned to be shipped by end of 2008."
Submission + - 802.11n May Never Happen Due to Patent Concerns
afabbro writes: The Register is reporting that the 802.11n standard is imperiled because the Commonwealth Science and Industrial Research Organization has refused to submit a Letter of Assurance, promising not to sue those who implement the standard. "...the realisation that CSIRO holds essential patents, and has failed to provide a Letter of Assurance as required by the IEEE, could prevent the standard ever being finalised."
Slashdot Top Deals
Prediction is very difficult, especially of the future. - Niels Bohr
