Eee PC Helps Asustek Become Sixth Largest PC Vendor, Says IDC
Asustek Computer shipped around 1.4 million notebooks in the first quarter of 2008 and ranked number eight in terms of market share. However, if Eee PC shipments of around 700,000 units are included, the company’s shipments jump to 2.1 million units, surpassing those of Fujitsu and Apple, to rank in sixth place, and closely trailing behind Lenovo who shipped 2.2-2.3 million units, according to a recent report from IDC.
The research firm also estimated total low-cost PC shipments in 2008 will only reach eight million units.
Popularity: 55% [?]
Spielberg’s Rising is on the Rise?
It’s been a rumor that Hollywood’s superproducer Steven Spielberg is going to launch his own social network. Recently, it’s known that this social network is specializing in special interest of paranormal/ghost activities and UFOs and will be called ‘Rising’ or ‘The Rising’. He’s been planning that this Rising–other than being a social network–will be some kind of meeting up place for amateur to professional ghost trackers indicated by it’s original video content sharing main feature.
According to TechCrunch.com, The Rising is being created in partnership with Windsor Media, Terry Semel’s investment firm, but they still haven’t gotten confirmation of their involvement. Windsor was created by Semel before he went to Yahoo, was put on hold during his tenure there, and fired up again after his departure last year.
Popularity: 38% [?]
Hitachi Japan Presents Two New Blu-Ray Products
by Serkan Toto - CruchGear
Hitachi plans to sell two new Blu-ray devices in Japan. Both the DV-BH250 Blu-ray recorder and the DZ-WR90 Blu-ray burner will be in stores in July.
The DZ-BH250 is the first Blu-rayer recorder from Hitachi. It comes with a 250GB HDD and a BR-RE, BR-R and DVD multi-drive. Hitachi says it is possible to record up to 93 hours of video in full HD on the hard disc. The MSRP for the recorder is $1,600.
The DZ-WR90 stand-alone Blu-ray burner will be available in Japan in the middle of July for an MSRP of $680. The device makes it possible to copy HD video from camcorders equipped with eSata ports directly on Blu-ray discs. A PC is not needed.
Popularity: 30% [?]
Modern American Gems on the Block
by Alice Rawsthorn - MindFood
Two American architectural landmarks - Kaufmann House and Margaret Esherick House - are to be auctioned off, but with hefty price tags.
It’s quite a house. Five bedrooms. Swimming pool. Tennis court. All on a 2.5 acre lot with wonderful mountain and desert views in one of the plushest parts of Palm Springs, California. How much would you expect to pay for a house like this? Between US$8 million and US$10 million, or so say the local real estate agents.
Why then does this one have a price tag of US$15 million to US$25 million? The answer is simple. It’s the Kaufmann House, designed in the mid-1940s by the Modernist architect Richard Neutra. Not only is it among his finest work, but it’s a 20th-century American architectural gem. The house is to be auctioned Tuesday, not by a Palm Springs realtor but alongside the trio of Francis Bacon self-portraits and a very rare Clyfford Still painting in a sale of postwar and contemporary art at Christie’s in New York.
Five days later, another modern American architectural landmark will go on the block when the Margaret Esherick House, which was designed by Louis Kahn at the turn of the 1960s for a local bookstore owner in the Chestnut Hill area of Philadelphia, comes up for sale at the Wright auction house in Chicago. The Esherick is smaller than the Kaufmann - with only one bedroom - and Philadelphia isn’t as sunny as Palm Springs.
Popularity: 45% [?]
Researchers Make First Automated Surgery Milestones
by Shane McGlaun - DailyTech.com
Rudimentary robot was able to perform simple surgical procedures without human assistance.
Doctors and surgeons already make use of some types of robots to perform procedures where the precision of the operation required is often more than a human can consistently offer. Some researchers say that the day when these robots can perform procedures without the need for humans is closer.
Engineers at Duke University have conducted a feasibility test in the lab that shows fully automated robotic surgical procedures could be possible and the researchers say that the tests could prove beneficial immediately for current medical procedures.
The engineers used a rudimentary tabletop robot that used 3D ultrasound technology for its eyes. The robot also had an intelligence program capable of processing the 3D information coming from the ultrasound sensors and issue specific commands for the robotic arm to perform.
Popularity: 45% [?]
New Company Deploys Adhesive Solar Panels For Roofs
by Jason Mick - DailyTech.com
Move over screws and racks, new adhesive mounted panels are gaining steam.
DailyTech recently reported on the growing interest in solar power, both public and private, being fueled by enterprising startups like Sungevity. However despite current methods of streamlining installation and reducing costs via optimizations, the installation process remains costly, slow, and has some undesirable side effects.
Panel installation typically involves drilling holes in the roof, compromising its integrity. Racks are affixed to these holes using bolts, and the entire process is rather time-intensive. The end result is big installation bills and a headache for the customer. It’s also a hassle for the installer, who has to use special tools and could be making more money off a more efficient installation approach.
Popularity: 31% [?]
Xbox Manager Slams Sony for Every PlayStation 3 Misstep
by Marcus Yam - DailyTech.com
Microsoft pulls no punches in pointing out PS3 mistakes.
Console wars are the sweet fuel to all fanboy discussions, and whenever a representative of a particular games company says something particularly scathing about the competition, explosions are sure to follow.
Xbox product manager Aaron Greenberg recently spoke out in an interview with Destructoid regarding all the apparent shortcomings of Sony’s current PlayStation execution. “We have been fighting Sony’s promises from the day we entered the market and if you remember at that time it was all about PS2 being an online cybercity with partner announcements from the likes of RealNetworks and AOL,” he said.
Greenberg’s comments were in response to a question regarding whether or not Microsoft would be able to stand up against what will likely be PlayStation 3’s best year yet with games such as Metal Gear Solid 4, LittleBigPlanet, among others. But Greenberg isn’t completely taken with Sony’s software promises, saying, “Then three years ago at E3 they showed what PS3 games would supposedly look like with the Killzone 2 video, that we are now learning will ship four years later. That means that we will have shipped Gears of War and Gears of War 2 before they can even get Killzone out the door.”
Popularity: 37% [?]
