According to survey of 300 senior IT staff, smart phones pose more of a threat to business security than laptops, largely due to user mentality; for one reason or another, many smart phones just don’t seem to be getting the protection their lap dwelling counterparts might.

While 4 out of 10 (that’s it?) IT guys were encrypting the crucial stuff on company laptops, 9 out of 10 smart phones had access to the company network without any security past what’s inherently part of the protocol, and 81% of those purportedly had no access restrictions at all. Sure, there’s no such thing as the perfect lock - but even a basic password might keep Joe Commonthief from digging around before getting frustrated and trashing the device.

All of these statistics — including the laptop encryption rate — are worrying, to state the least. Having to type in an extra password or two can be a pain, but it’s a lot better than having to tell all of your customers that their private data just got jacked because some executive didn’t want to punch in his cat’s name a few times a day.

Photo Credit: CarbonNYC

Via Mobilecrunch

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Boeing has just tested its new thin-disk laser, the most powerful solid-state laser ever made. It fires at over 25 kilowatts, with the scalability proven to go up to a 100 kilowatt laser in the coming years. A 100 kW laser would be the most powerful ever made, one that has a lot of challenges to overcome, including reducing the excess heat generated by such a powerful laser and maintaining the quality of the beam over distances. But even a 25 kW laser is extremely powerful. As the press release states, it “will damage, disable or destroy targets at the speed of light, with tiny to no collateral damage, supporting missions on the battlefield and in urban operations.” Hit the jump for the full release.

Boeing Fires New Thin-Disk Laser, Achieving Solid-State Laser Milestone

ST. LOUIS, June 03, 2008 — The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] fired its new thin-disk laser system repeatedly in recent tests, achieving the highest known simultaneous power, beam quality and run time for any solid-state laser to date.

In each laser firing at Boeing’s facility in West Hills, Calif., the high-energy laser reached power levels of over 25 kilowatts for multi-second durations, with a measured beam quality suitable for a tactical weapon system. The Boeing laser integrates multiple thin-disk lasers into a single system. Through these successful tests, the Boeing team has proven the concept of scalability to a 100-kilowatt-class system based on the same architecture and technology.

“Solid-state lasers will revolutionize the battlefield by giving the warfighter an ultra-precision engagement capability that can dramatically reduce collateral damage,” stated Scott Fancher, vice president and general manager of Boeing Missile Defense Systems. “These successful tests show that Boeing has made solid progress toward making this revolutionary capability a reality.”

The thin-disk laser is an initiative to demonstrate that solid-state laser technologies are now ready to move out of the laboratory and into full development as weapon systems. Solid-state lasers are powered by electricity, making them highly mobile and supportable on the battlefield. The Boeing laser represents the most electrically efficient solid-state laser technology known. The system is designed to meet the rapid-fire, rapid-retargeting stipulations of area-defense, anti-missile and anti-mortar tactical high-energy laser systems. It is also best for non-lethal, ultra-precision strike missions urgently needed by warfighters in war zones.

“This achievement demonstrates Boeing’s commitment to advancing the state of the art in directed energy technology,” said Gary Fitzmire, vice president and program director of Boeing Directed Energy Systems. “These successful tests are a significant milestone toward providing reliable and supportable lasers to U.S. warfighters.”

Boeing’s approach incorporates a series of commercial-off-the-shelf, state-of-the-art lasers used in the automotive industry. These industrial lasers have demonstrated exceedingly high reliability, supportability and maintainability.

A high-power solid-state laser will damage, disable or destroy targets at the speed of light, with tiny to no collateral damage, supporting missions on the battlefield and in urban operations.

[Boeing, Thanks, Jason!]

Via [Gizmodo]

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AMD’s not letting Nvidia have all the graphics card fun at Computex this week, with some huge ATI launches of their own. The Mobility Radeon HD 3800 is their new top-of-the-line notebook graphics card, with supposedly 3x the performance of the last gen. A part of the Puma platform, it brings performance/power balance features, as well as CrossFireX to notebooks, and is so far the only mobile GPU supporting DirectX 10.1 (Nvidia says it ain’t no thang). Finally, it’s the first ATI card to roll with XGP, basically a honkin’ externally powered and cooled graphics card in a box when you wanna toss steroids at your notebook (and have the outlets to do so).

AMD Announces its Highest-performance Mobile Graphics Chip Ever for HD Visual Computing on the Go

— ATI Mobility Radeon™ HD 3800 series outperforms previous generation ATI Mobility Radeon™ GPUs by 3X for breathtaking power management and eye-catching graphics1—

Computex, TAIPEI, Taiwan — June 4, 2008 —AMD (NYSE: AMD) today announced the ATI Mobility Radeon™ HD 3800, tripling top-of-the line graphics performance in comparison to the previous generation ATI Mobility Radeon™ GPUs1. Joining the previously announced ATI Mobility Radeon™ 3000 family, the new ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3800 series offers notebook manufacturers the capability to deliver fast graphics performance, energy-efficient 55nm graphics processor technology, breathtaking video playback, and, for the first time ever, ATI CrossFireX™ technology for a mobile graphics solution. ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3800 series coupled with the AMD Turion™ X2 Ultra Processors, the AMD 7-Series Chipset, and industry-leading wireless technologies like 802.11n Draft 2.0 form the next-generation AMD notebook platform, also announced today, for the ultimate in HD visual performance on the go.

Notebooks equipped with ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3800 series grant users to experience the power of HD with graphics processing designed for work and play to satisfy the needs of the most demanding graphics professionals on the go. 2

“The ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3800 is the most feature-rich notebook graphics solution we have ever produced,” stated Matt Skynner, vice president of marketing, Graphics Products Group, AMD. “It’s an ‘uber-performance’ chip that beats all comers. Our notebook manufacturing customers now have the capability to create the ultimate in notebook solutions that feature extraordinary energy efficiency coupled with next-generation, unsurpassed mobile graphics technologies.”

As the only high-performance mobile graphics solution capable of supporting applications created using Microsoft® DirectX® 10.11, ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3800 series offers superb HD game performance and life-like realism for The Ultimate Visual Experience™. New PCI Express® 2.0 support enables fast throughput and superior overall system performance — best for high-performance gamers. Notebooks with ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3800 series will allow users to like the latest Blu-ray movies in full-HD 1080p resolution2 and free the CPU for other tasks. The ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3800 series also provides break-through energy efficiency with improved performance-per-watt to deliver exceptional battery life.
The ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3800 features a variety of new technologies designed to improve overall notebook performance:

* The Ultimate Visual Experience™ is enabled with next generation Unified Shader Architecture, immense processing power and a 256-bit GDDR3 memory interface. The ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3800 series delivers feature-rich graphics for astounding image quality and optimal 3D modeling application performance.
* ATI CrossFireX technology for mobile graphics delivers high-performance Personal computer gaming by combining multiple ATI Radeon™ graphics in a single notebook Computer to increase graphics quality and performance. ATI CrossFireX is designed to the latest industry-standards for notebooks this day.
* PCI Express 2.0 offers more than enough horsepower for the most demanding professional graphics applications by boosting 3D graphics performance while providing fast throughput resulting in an excellent overall system performance.
* ATI Avivo™ HD Technology is the high-performance engine for advanced image and video technology, while freeing the CPU from compute-intensive video decoding tasks. ATI Avivo™ HD Technology delivers smooth full HD format video playback and pic editing with brilliant colors and sharp images, ideal for professionals demanding the next level of display technology excellence. 2
* Energy-efficient 55nm graphics processor technology helps extend battery life and conserve energy.
* ATI PowerPlay™ technology dynamically delivers the optimal balance between performance and power to suit performance stipulations for long battery life and superior performance-per-watt operation.
* Breakthrough Performance-per-watt is critical to users who demand exceptional performance and power saving features that help lower power consumption.
* New design size implementation allows the chip to run cool, producing less heat so that notebook delivers the power, performance and efficiency users crave.

And for the XGP:

AMD Announces Revolutionary External Graphics Solution for Notebooks

Portable ATI XGP™ Technology unlocks notebooks for enthusiast-class desktop graphics performance and true multimedia upgradeability

Computex, TAIPEI — June 4, 2008 —AMD (NYSE:AMD) today announced ATI XGP™ (External Graphics Platform) Technology, a new external PCI Express® (PCIe) 2.0 graphics platform, designed to deliver enthusiast-class desktop graphic performance and true multimedia upgradeability to notebooks1. ATI XGP is an exclusive technology that capitalizes on PCIe 2.0 to deliver enthusiast-class graphics via a connected cable to an externally powered and cooled device. This one-of-a-kind innovation delivers up to 4.0 Gbyte/s in each direction in bandwidth communication between the notebook and external graphics, whereas previous consumer level external solutions were limited in graphics bandwidth2. ATI XGP is fully optimized for new AMD Turion™ X2 Ultra notebook platforms, also announced this day.

ATI XGP Technology is being first launched with the newly announced ATI Mobility Radeon™ HD 3800 series for eye-catching HD graphics. As an industry first for notebooks, ATI XGP Technology delivers multi-GPU capabilities of scalable performance with ATI CrossFireX™ technology. The additional high bandwidth of the included USB 2.0 connectivity allows users to connect to a wide variety of USB-based devices, including external TV tuners, external Blu-ray players, and much more.

“With ATI XGP Technology, notebooks can switch between everyday computing and hard-core gaming with a simple plug-in that’s also portable enough to bring powerful 3D performance on-the-go,” stated Matt Skynner, vice president of Marketing, Graphics Products Group, AMD. “This technology allows users to choose notebooks with slim, lightweight and elegant designs, yet enjoy the full performance of a traditional desktop gaming rig wherever it’s convenient.”

Björn Fehrm, head of Strategy and Innovation Consumer, EMEA, Fujitsu-Siemens Corp., said: “Powered by ATI Mobility Radeon™ HD 3870 in an external AMILO GraphicsBooster, the ultra mobile AMILO Sa 3650, with ATI XPG technology, takes on two very different but equally compelling personalities. Use it for your daily computing with the internal graphics for outstanding mobility and battery life. Dock it to your AMILO GraphicsBooster when coming home, in a hotel room or at a LAN event and now your gaming and multimedia performance is in another world.”

ATI XGP Technology is contained in an external chassis connected to the notebook via a specially designed self-latching, easy-connecting PCIe 2.0 cable from Japan Aviation Electronics Industry, Limited, a leading provider of electronic devices and connectors. Based on AMD’s dedicated research and development, the cable also provides USB 2.0 connectivity directly to the notebook allowing for additional USB functionality. Independently cooled and powered, ATI XGP Technology offers the potential for higher performance than traditional entry-level graphics solutions. Notebook users can take advantage of the varied usage scenarios including multiple monitor support, high performance gaming, Blu-ray video playback, and increased graphics performance for video editing3.

“ATI XGP Technology is slicing edge and we’re excited to participate in this revolutionary solution for notebooks,” said Mark Saubert, marketing manager, Japan Aviation Electronics Industry, Limited. “ATI XGP Technology redefines what mobile graphics is all about.”
The initial offering of ATI XGP Technology features the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3800 series graphics solution giving notebook users a variety of additional functionality:

* PCI Express® 2.0 offers more than enough horsepower for the most demanding professional graphics applications by boosting 3D graphics performance while providing fast throughput resulting in an excellent overall system performance
* ATI Avivo™ HD Technology that delivers smooth video playback and photos in high-definition format with brilliant colors and sharp images
* ATI Avivo HD technology features an enhanced version of AMD’s Unified Video Decoder (UVD) offering full hardware acceleration of video decode for smooth playback of full 1080p content from Blu-ray movies4
* Integrated Digital Outputs enable viewing standard and high-definition content on a variety of devices including HDMI with integrated audio and DVI5

For more information about ATI XGP Technology, please visit: http://ati.amd.com/technology/xgp/index.html

[AMD, AMD]

Via [Gizmodo]

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Alltel, the tiny carrier that could, is in speaks with Verizon to merge this year. Verizon is expected to pay eight times Alltel’s EBITDA (”Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization”). How much that is we don’t know but it’s definitely more than fifty dollars. UPDATE - The deal could be about $27 billion, according […]

Alltel, the little carrier that could, is in talks with Verizon to merge this year. Verizon is expected to pay eight times Alltel’s EBITDA (”Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization”). How much that is we do not know but it’s definitely more than fifty dollars.

UPDATE - The deal could be about $27 billion, according to Reuters.

Via [crunchgear]

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Long lines at the airport can make flying really frustrating. To help breakup some of the congestion, Continental Airlines is experimenting with a pilot program that’ll let you put your boarding pass on a mobile phone or PDA. Transport Security Administration (TSA) officers are using the WORKABOUT PRO from Psion Teklogix to electronically scan boarding passes on passengers’ mobile devices.

As part of the joint TSA and Continental Airlines Paperless Boarding Pass program, the WORKABOUT PRO is helping to speed passengers through airport check-in and security. The experiment is taking place at George Bush International Airport in Houston, Newark Liberty International Airport, Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, and Boston’s Logan International Airport.

Each paperless boarding pass contains a two-dimensional bar code along with passenger and flight information. Transportation Security Officers scan the bar code to verify the boarding pass’ authenticity and if everything is correct you’re on your way. This might not speed an individual’s time that much, but when there is a long line even ten seconds per person can add up quickly.

Mobile barcode scanning technology has been around for a few years now. It’s a good idea that hasn’t taken off yet. Speeding passengers through security check-points may be a niche that mobile barcode technology needs to introduce itself to the general public.

Psion Teklogix

To see New England Cable News coverage visit: NECN

Via Mobilecrunch

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the new psp go cam plz comment or subscribe or even both tell me what you think

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Japan’s number three mobile carrier Softbank Corp. announced late yesterday that it has struck a deal with Apple to sell the iPhone to the tech savvy Japanese public. Sales of the iPhone should start sometime this year. Softbank was able to beat Japan’s number one service provider, NTT DoCoMo, for the coveted right to carry the iPhone. Last year NTT DoCoMo was in negotiations with Apple to sell the iPhone but talks broke down over Apple’s demand for a share of subscriber revenue.

Softbank isn’t saying much about the deal. It’s unknown whether Softbank will be the exclusive iPhone provider in Japan or if the company is sharing subscriber revenue with Apple.

Softbank has been chipping away at number one and number two service providers NTT DoCoMo and KDDI Corp. with aggressive marketing and low-price plans. Softbank has 18.77 million subscribers in Japan but has a long way to go to reach the number two position held by KDDI.

As of the end of March this year, Apple sold 5.4 million iPhones globally. The company has set the goal of selling at least 10 million units by the end of this year. Recently, Apple has had difficulty keeping up with the demand for the iPhone. Many industry analysts predict Apple will sell well over 10 million handsets by the end of this year.

Softbank

Via Mobilecrunch

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Take a look at the above picture. Notice anything strange? Those legs and that hand next to the guy with the microphone belong to a critic of Vladamir Putin named Mikhail G. Delyagin. The rest of him? It’s been digitally erased from the entire broadcast, a result of his being placed on a “stop list” of critics of the Russian government and Prime Minister Putin.

Using digital manipulation to literally erase any critic of the administration is a pretty great way to stifle any kind of dissent, and it’s pretty easy when you’re in control of the national networks. It’s also scary, reminiscent of the “memory holes” from 1984 and a startling sign of an oppressive government.

It’s not just politicians and talk shows that are affected, either.

Televizor, a rock group whose name means TV set, had its booking on a St. Petersburg station canceled in April, after its members took part in an Other Russia demonstration.

When some actors cracked a few mild jokes about Mr. Putin and Mr. Medvedev at Russia’s equivalent of the Academy Awards in March, they were expunged from the telecast.

Indeed, political humor in general has been exiled from TV. One of the nation’s most popular satirists, Viktor A. Shenderovich, once had a show that featured puppet caricatures of Russian leaders, including Mr. Putin. It was canceled in Mr. Putin’s first term, and Mr. Shenderovich has been all but barred from TV.

It’s a pretty scary reminder that while we usually see technology as fun and convenient, a neat diversion from our daily lives, new digital video editing tech grants for some pretty horrible things to take place. [NY Times]

Via [Gizmodo]

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This monster of a projector is part of the REALiS Multimedia Projector line and is called the REALiS WUX10. This WUXGA-resolution (1920 x 1200) widescreen projector uses LCOS (Liquid Crystal on Silicon) technology to produce reportedly breathtaking color and clear image quality. It supports 1080 video content natively. The REALiS WUX10 cranks out 3200 Lumens with […]

This monster of a projector is part of the REALiS Multimedia Projector line and is called the REALiS WUX10. This WUXGA-resolution (1920 x 1200) widescreen projector uses LCOS (Liquid Crystal on Silicon) technology to produce reportedly extraordinary color and clear image quality. It supports 1080 video content natively.

The REALiS WUX10 cranks out 3200 Lumens with a contrast ratio of 1000:1. It can handle everything from full motion video to small text. If you’re the traveling type you will be happy to know its only weighs 10.8 lbs. Look for it to be available in October 2008 with a retail price of $12,999.

Via [crunchgear]

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Last week, I introduced our DIY Apple Mockup Kit, a Photoshop file with all the doodads that’ll grant you to make your very own fake Apple product for leaking to blogs before a large announcement. We got a great response. Hit the jump for the 35 best entries as well as special awards for Most Droolworthy, Most Questionable and Most Batshit Insane.

Most Droolworthy — iMac Pro by Jim D’Alessandro
I love the super-thin bezel and the speakers all along the base. Who knows if this is feasible, but I really enjoy it.

Most Questionable — iShuffle by Misha Kvakin
While the design itself is pretty nice, there’s only one button, and according to Misha “you just press the button and call a random person from your list.” Yeah, I can’t imagine ever wanting to just call a random person from my contacts.

Most Batshit Insane - Whatever the Hell This Is by “Flip”
Yeah, I got nothing. Although it is accurate that Chen shoots a laser beam of Steve Jobs’ face on an Apple logo out of his pants. But an Ethernet jack for a mouth?? You so crazy!

And now, for the rest of the ideal. Thanks to everyone who took the time to send something in! If we didn’t include yours, don’t take it personally; we got a ton of entries for this one. Try again next time!

Via [Gizmodo]

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