Finally, today is a longtime coming: the actual acknowledgment and release date of the iPhone north of the border. It has been confirmed that July 11th is the day where I may be camped outside of a Rogers or Fido *or Apple* outlet to get my hands on a sweet lil’ gizmo.

Photo by MostlyLisa

Still no clue on data plan rates in Canada. US is sittin’ pretty around $30/month.

Some specs:

• 3G network support
• GPS navigation
• Thinner design
• $199 (8GB), $299 (16GB) subsidized w/carrier contract
• App Store
• MS Exchange Support
• No jailbreak required!

Update: Globe & Mail article

Americans invented the Internet, but the Japanese are running away with it. Broadband service there is eight to 30 times as fast as in the United States — and considerably cheaper.

More here

Tech UK is reporting a startling new disc storage technology that could end the HD war between HD-DVD and Blu-Ray: the Tera-Disc. So, how much data is that?

On a 1TB disc, you could store:

 - 212 DVD-quality movies
 - 250,000 MP3 files
 - 1,000,000 large Word documents

Mother of lord, that means seemless Magnum PI reruns!

Oh snap!

A teenager in New Jersey has broken the lock that ties Apple’s iPhone to AT&T’s wireless network, freeing the most hyped cell phone ever for use on the networks of other carriers, including overseas ones.

George Hotz, 17, confirmed Friday that he had unlocked an iPhone and was using it on T-Mobile’s network, the only major U.S. carrier apart from San Antonio-based AT&T that is compatible with the iPhone’s cellular technology.

While the possibility of switching from AT&T to T-Mobile may not be a major development for U.S. consumers, it opens up the iPhone for use on the networks of overseas carriers.

“That’s the big thing,” said Hotz, in a phone interview from his home in Glen Rock.

The phone, which combines an innovative touch-screen interface with the media-playing abilities of the iPod, is sold only in the U.S.

AT&T Inc. spokesman Mark Siegel said the company had no comment, and referred questions to Apple. A call to Apple was not immediately returned. Hotz said the companies had not been in touch with him.

The hack, which Hotz posted Thursday on his blog, is complicated and requires skill with both soldering and software. It takes about two hours to perform. Since the details are public, it seems likely that a small industry may spring up to buy U.S. iPhones, unlock them and send them overseas.

“That’s exactly, like, what I don’t want,” Hotz said. “I don’t want people making money off this.”

He said he wished he could make the instructions simpler, so users could modify the phones themselves.

“But that’s the simplest I could make them,” Hotz said.

The modification leaves the iPhone’s many functions, including a built-in camera and the ability to access Wi-Fi networks, intact. The only thing that won’t work is the “visual voicemail” feature, which shows voice messages as if they were incoming e-mail.

Hotz collaborated online with four other people, two of them in Russia, to develop the unlocking process.

“Then there are two guys who I think are somewhere U.S.-side,” Hotz said. He knows them only by their online handles.

Samsung recently paraded a version of its Direct Methanol Fuel Cell (DMFC) notebook that enables the notebook to run up to a month without the need for recharging. This will definitely go a long way in rendering standard lithium ion batteries used in notebooks today obsolete. The DMFC contains an energy density of 650Wh/L and a total energy storage of 1,200Wh, although plenty more could be done in the design department as the DMFC itself is nearly as wide as the notebook while standing almost twice as tall. It is hoped that in two to three years’ time, these DMFC-powered notebooks will be able to make a sexy splash into the market.

Hopefully the technology is translated into cellphones and iPods as well.

In podcasting news, wire service Ananova reports that breast-implanted MP3 players may soon be on the horizon! BT Futurology analyst Ian Pearson has just predicted that such devices would sit conveniently within one breast, using Bluetooth-based controls located on a convenient wrist panel. The player could also be configured to reveal such valuable biometric diagnostics as blood pressure and heart murmurs, and serve as an early detection device for diabetes and breast cancer.

Ahh, ain’t science grand?

Google has its eye on us with its fleet of camera vehicles shooting pictures for its Streetview mapping service, so we decided to turn the tables and put our eyes on Google.

View pics

Microsoft on Thursday said it would trim the price of an HD DVD player add-on for its Xbox 360 video game console and give away movies with the player, in a bid to support the format.

The move comes one day after Target Corp. confirmed that it will promote the rival Blu-ray format for high-definition DVDs this holiday season, following a similar move by rental giant Blockbuster Corp.

Microsoft trimmed the price of the player to $179 from $199, and said it will add five free movies for buyers between Aug. 1 and Sept. 30.

Most Hollywood studios are releasing films either in Blu-ray only or together with HD DVD. Only Universal Studios, a unit of General Electric, is releasing exclusively in HD DVD.

Ethernet has come a long way since Xerox PARC engineer Bob Metcalfe invented the networking system back in 1974. Back then it was merely another networking standard among many, and few thought it would defeat established standards such as IBM’s Token Ring. Metcalfe left Xerox to found 3Com and promote Ethernet as a new standard, bumping the original 3Mbps (megabits per second) speeds to 10Mbps, which was considered fast for the time. Now, as 1Gbps networks are becoming standard, the Higher Speed Study Group (HSSG) has approved a Project Authorization Request (PAR) for a new standard, dubbed IEEE 802.3ba, which will propel Ethernet to speeds up to 100Gbps.

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• 100 gigabit Ethernet transmission sets new record
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Initially, there were multiple possible speeds discussed for the standard: 40, 80, 100, and 120Gbps were all possible options. Eventually these were boiled down to just two, but after that the HSSG reached an impasse. HSSG chair John D’Ambrosia told PC World that although he “wouldn’t say there was a fight, I would say there was an education going on, and it got heated at times.” There were two different groups that wanted two different standards: members who were interested in faster server-to-switch applications wanted 40Gbps, whereas other members who were more interested in developing a more robust network backbone favored the higher 100Gbps speed. The higher speed would require more expensive and power-hungry equipment, some of which was detailed in a presentation given by D’Ambrosia to the Internet2 Member Meeting last fall.

In the end, unable to come up with a consensus, the HSSG decided to standardize both the 40Gbps and 100Gbps speeds as part of the IEEE 802.3ba spec, with connection equipment for speed having different physical specifications. 40Gbps links can be up to one meter long for switch backplanes, 10 meters for copper cable and 100 meters for fiber optics. The 100Gbps spec will add specifications for 10- and 40-kilometer links over single-mode fiber. The feasibility of 100Gbps Ethernet transmissions was successfully tested back in November of last year.

According to D’Ambrosia, this is the first time that an Ethernet standards group has approved two different speeds for a single standard. If the IEEE approves the spec, the standard may be fully completed by 2010, with devices and equipment that supports it expected to follow shortly thereafter.

Source: ars technica

Project: Atomic Bomb

Worldwide controversy has been generated recently by several United States government web sites removing, or restricting access to, material regarding technical aspects of nuclear weapons; specifically, how to make an atomic bomb. The reason usually given by the Administration is that National Security would be compromised if such information were generally available. But, since it is commonly known that all of the information is publicly available in most major metropolitan libraries, obviously the Administration’s officially stated position is covering up a more important factor; namely, that such atomic devices would prove too difficult for the average citizen to construct. The United States government cannot afford to insult the vast majorities by insinuating that they do not have the intelligence of a cabbage, and thus the “official” press releases claim National Security as a blanket restriction.

The rumors that have unfortunately occurred as a result of widespread misinformation can (and must) be cleared up now, for the construction project this month is the construction of a nuclear device, which will hopefully clear up any misconceptions you might have about such a project. We will see how easy it is to make a device of your very own in ten easy steps, to have and hold as you see fit, without annoying interference from the government or the courts.

The project will cost between $5,000 and $30,000 dollars, depending on how fancy you want the final product to be.

Construction Method

1. First, obtain about 25 pounds (~10 kg) of Plutonium²³⁹ at your local supplier. A nuclear power plant is not recommended, as you’ll have to extract and separate it from spent fuel rods, and it’s a messy job. Besides, large quantities of missing Plutonium tends to make plant engineers unhappy. We suggest that you contact one of the former Soviet Republics, or perhaps the Junior Achievement in your neighborhood.
2. Fashion together a metal enclosure to house the device. Most common varieties of sheet metal can be bent to disguise this enclosure as, for example; a briefcase, a lunch pail, or a Buick. Do not use tinfoil or gum wrappers.
3. Arrange the Plutonium into two hemispheral shapes, separated by about 4 cm. Use rubber cement to hold the Plutonium dust together.
4. Now get about 100 pounds (44 kg) of trinitrotoluene (TNT). Gelignite is much better, but messier to work with. Your helpful hardware man or local Bomb Depot store will be happy to provide you with this item.
5. Pack the explosives around the hemisphere arrangement constructed in step 4. If you cannot find Gelignite, feel free to use TNT packed in with Playdoh or any modeling clay. Colored clay is acceptable, but there is no need to get fancy at this point.
6. Wrap this entire structure very tightly with duct tape. Use a whole roll. This shall be the neutron reflector and inertial containment.
7. Insert the assembly from step 6 into the enclosure made in step 2. Use a strong glue such as “Crazy Glue” to bind the hemisphere arrangement against the enclosure to prevent accidental detonation which might result from vibration or mishandling.
8. To fabricate a detonator for the device, obtain a radio controlled (RC) servo mechanism, as found in RC model airplanes and cars. With a modicum of effort, a remote plunger can be made that will strike a detonator cap to effect a small explosion. These detonation caps can be found in the electrical supply section of your local supermarket. We recommend the “Blast-O-Mactic” brand because they are no deposit-no return.
9. Now hide the completed device from the neighbors and children. The garage is not recommended because of high humidity and the extreme range of temperatures experienced there. Nuclear materials corrode easily, and devices have been known to spontaneously detonate in these unstable conditions. The hall closet or under the sofa will be perfectly suitable.
10. Now you are the proud owner of a working nuclear device! It is a great ice-breaker at parties; is nice to cozy around on a cold night; and in a pinch, can be used for National Defense.

Theory Of Operation

Oversimplified, the device basically works when the detonated TNT compresses the Plutonium into a critical mass (smaller sphere). The critical mass then produces a nuclear chain reaction similar to a domino chain reaction. The chain reaction happens really, really fast, which promptly produces a big explosion. And there you have it, a 10 kiloton party favor!
 
Notes

• Vaporization Point - Everything is vaporized by the atomic blast. 98% fatalities. Overpress=25 psi. Wind velocity=320 mph.
• Total Destruction - All structures above ground are destroyed. 90% fatalities. Overpress=17 psi. Wind velocity=290 mph.
• Severe Blast Damage - Factories and other large-scale building collapse. Severe damage to highway bridges. Rivers sometimes flow countercurrent. 65% fatalities, 30% injured. Overpress=9 psi. Wind velocity=260 mph.
• Severe Heat Damage - Everything flammable burns. People in the area suffocate due to the fact that most available oxygen is consumed by the fires. 50% fatalities, 45% injured. Overpress=6 psi. Wind velocity=140 mph.
• Severe Fire & Wind Damage - Residency structures are severely damaged. People are blown around. 2nd and 3rd-degree burns suffered by most survivors. 15% dead. 50% injured. Overpress=3 psi. Wind velocity=98 mph.