The last time we heard from Sugar Labs, its "Sugar on a Stick" project (a tidied-up build of Sugar OS which can be run live from a CD or USB drive) was just entering beta. Apparently all the company needed to take that version to a release-ready state was a month (give or take). A full, free version of Sugar is now available in a 383MB ISO file for anyone to take advantage of -- though the company is obviously setting its sights firmly in the direction of the education market as usual. The OS -- previously designed for the OLPC XO, but now targeted to any PC or Mac schools have lying around -- is based on the newly released Fedora 11, and is in a "Strawberry" release meant for real world classroom testing. The feedback the company receives on this edition will apparently be incorporated into a future version destined for your hands and eyes at the end of the year. In the meantime, you can take SoaS for a spin... ASAP.
Well, we thought this might happen -- especially after the news that Acer's Z5600 all-in-one will be shipping with Windows 7 pre-loaded, come October 23rd of this year. And now it's official: Windows 7 is on track to be released this "holiday season." Now, this announcement may be officially vague, but it is official. Sometimes in this business (as in life) we take what we can get.
We've been made privy to some Sprint planning documentation that implies that the carrier is looking to get all its Pre ducks in a row by May 16, which would suggest that there's no way in hell it's launching any earlier than that. Ultimately, that could mean we're looking at a launch on the 17th -- a Sunday, as Sprint launches often are -- or any time after that, but since Palm continues to reaffirm its first half commitment, we'd say that we're now down to a window between 5/17 and 6/30. Awesome.
Despite letting us play with the thing at CES and then giving us all the details of what's going on inside its upcoming white and green netbook, LG still wouldn't commit to just when its X120 would be hitting retail. Not one for protracted pre-order periods, apparently, the company has now confirmed the laptop will be shipping to Japanese users by the end of this very month, and to Europe and 20 other nations within the next one. We're not entirely sure that the US is going to be one of those 20, but since LG has just over a week left before March becomes April, it had better get shipping already.
Less close, further away -- take your pick. The bottom line is that the UMID M1 mbook that we've been secretly swooning over for weeks now may be further away from a US release than any of us Yanks would like. According to new intel gathered by Pocketables, a Stateside release of the MID is still planned, but it's apt to ship later than previously expected. Furthermore, the units already prancing about in other corners of the globe aren't likely at all to support US 3G bands, so importing one won't fill that hole in your soul the way a WWAN-enabled MID should. Better hurry up and deliver the goods UMID, else we'll be forced to buy a rivaling unit and hack it up to suit our needs. Don't say we won't.
If you're still feeling all giddy about getting your mitts on a DSi here in the States on April 5th, prepare for a bit of a downer. Nintendo Europe has just announced gamers within its territories be getting the multi-screen multi-cam wonder a full two days earlier, on April 3rd, but hasn't said how much they'll be paying for the privilege. Also, while we're stuck with black and a rather cheeky baby blue, Euro gamers will be getting the more stolid/boring color selection of black or white, which may be good or bad depending on your monochromatic tendencies. Regardless, whether you're domestic or abroad, you'd best get your pre-orders in now.
Update: LostProphet commented to say that it's showing up for pre-order abroad at £149.99, or about $214. That's quite a premium for a few days worth of exclusivity.
Generally speaking, Americans can count on the US price of any particular piece of kit being a fair bit less than the straight pound-to-dollar conversion. Unfortunately, the exchange rate here is nearly on point, with the £299 NC10 10-inch netbook on sale for $480 (give or take a few nickles) in the US of A. Granted, it looks as if it'll be a fortnight or so at the very least before any Yanks can wrap their grimy paws around the germ-shunning PC, but we've already got the e-tailers lining up to hold your place in line. Who knows -- maybe our version will come with built-in WiMAX and 12-hours of battery life to really sweeten the deal.
This shouldn't be surprising at all to anyone even remotely familiar with HTC's tendencies, but the Touch HD is officially not ever shipping to America (unless you import, obviously). The news was dropped via a Tweet (of all things), but evidently, the outcry over what we figured was common knowledge has caused some windows to be rattled in the penthouse offices. Another official Tweet followed to thank everyone for "expressing their desire for the HD," with the author noting that "US management now knows there's a grassroots demand for high-end HTCs here." Really, HTC? You needed a flood of angry Twitter comments to understand that Americans would give their second born for a phone like the Touch HD?
[Via WMExperts, thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Update: We've received official word from HTC that they've been really overwhelmed by the "strong" demand for the HD in the States and other markets where no launch has been planned (with that insane display, it seemed like a no-brainer to us!). Sadly, due to the engineering time required to get a North American 3G version in the pipeline, they say they're better off just waiting until the next round of products launches -- hopefully with some extra bands in the radio this time, eh?
Read - Touch HD not coming to the US Read - Thanks for the concern
Before we go any further, we'd like to inform this here Telson UMPC that if Pandora can finally get out of the starting blocks, so can you. Today, we're looking at new evidence that Digital Cube (the handheld's new parent) could be inching ever closer to bringing this shockingly thick gaming handheld to market. Out of seemingly nowhere, images have emerged of the portable posing beside a USB 3D camera dongle (saywha?); additionally, we're told that it will pack a 1.2GHz VIA C7M CPU and feature a 4.3-inch display, 512MB of RAM, 30GB hard drive and Windows XP. Oh, and we're also informed that it'll be "released in October" in at least one section of the world, so we've got T-minus 27 days to see if that claim is legit.
It's shocking to even hear ourselves admit that we're licking our chops for a particular MID, but it's true. BenQ seems to have nailed most everything on the long-awaited MID S6 by including an 800MHz Intel Atom CPU, 4.8-inch WVGA (800 x 480) display, 512MB DDR2 RAM, a 2GB SSD, Bluetooth 2.0 / WiFi, microSD slot, inbuilt G-sensor and support for a myriad of multimedia file formats. On top of all of that, the Italian superstar could be coming to other corners of the globe as evidenced by an elaborate press page on its Global website that details its features in plain English. Said said provides an exhaustive list of capabilities and specifications, not to mention a bevy of press shots. The real kicker? That little note telling us that the built-in 3G module supports UMTS / HSDPA on "Band: 2100" and GSM / GPRS / EDGE on "Band: 900 / 1800 / 1900). Sound familiar, Americans? Hype video posted after the break.
Let's do a quick recap, shall we? So we pretty much know everything there is to know about Verizon's forthcoming BlackBerry Storm save for the price and release date, and so far as we can tell, Verizon's version of the Touch Diamond is still expected to be totally underpowered compared to Sprint's iteration. Now that we've rounded the tables, let's have a look at this image above. This here is Verizon's internal training schedule, and given that employees have to complete their Storm courses before November 2nd and their Touch Diamond courses before December 3rd, we'd say you now have a pretty good idea of when these two will be landing. Hey VZW -- think you could make that "Blocking Features Assessment" available to the public? We're guessing it'd be a real hit.
Let's be honest here -- there's precisely two three things you still need to know about the BlackBerry Storm. Launch date, price and whether it'll play Doom. Sadly, we're no closer to helping you on those last two, but the datasheet you see above does give us a general idea of when we'll see this puppy in stores. Obviously looking to get this out before the holiday rush, it looks as if the carrier will be making things official sometime between September 22nd and October 1st, and that little "eligible for Annual Upgrade (by 11/1/08)" bit gives us hope for a November 1st release. In case you were wishing for the impossible, Verizon gets all red-text up in here with a note that this thing will not, come hell or high water, be sold sans an e-mail / data package. Interestingly, the Boy Genius has asserted that VZW is playing the fiddle by loosing all these "leaks" on the unsuspecting public. We're not very confident of that being true, but it's decent fodder for discussion if nothing else.
We had a hunch that Sony's VGF-CP1 was just too svelte to stay locked in Japan forever, and now that CEDIA is upon us, we're finally getting the news we've been waiting for: it's coming to the United States. Rechristened the VAIO CP1 WiFi photo frame, this device features a 7-inch 800 x 480 resolution display, support for Google Picasa streaming, 128MB of internal storage space, an SD / Memory Stick / CF multicard reader and an RSS reader to keep you abreast on the latest happenings. Furthermore, it touts built-in stereo speakers and an internet radio player, not to mention the digital / analog clock. Check it in mid-October for three bills.
Don't rule out the possibility that this is a complete and utterly disgusting fib, but a recent writeup in The China Post about HTC's financial situation very clearly states when the hotly-anticipated Touch Diamond is coming to Sprint: this month. If you're looking for the play-by-play, the article proclaims that the "company released its Diamond phone in Asia in June and will begin selling the handset through Sprint Nextel Corp. in August." Look, we've seen a CDMA version of this thing donning Sprint garb, we've watched it fall into the capable hands of the FCC and we know it has to arrivesometime. If all of this doesn't add up to Sprint getting the Touch Diamond in August, well, we'll let you do the math.
Unfortunately, we've yet to hear if the Digifriends MID we toyed with at CES will be updated before launching in the US of A, but either way, you can bank on it coming. Reportedly, Peter Kim, the project supervisor at Digifriends USA, has informed Pocketables that the unit spotted in January will be arriving Stateside with "contracted sales through Sprint and NextWave." Pricing remains a mystery, but we're told to expect said unit to be available "very soon." The edge of our seat can barely take all of this pressure.
Update: Peter Kim pinged us to say: "We have made contact with Sprint and NextWave, but have not yet made contracts with them."
ngela Becerra inaugura la campaa de Animacin a la LecturaEste encuentro se enmarca dentro de la campaa de promocin de la lectura Escritores en la Biblioteca Valenciana con nios y jvenes que organiza la Biblioteca Valenciana y que busca inculcar el hbito de leer, destacaron las mismas fuentes.
Los encuentros tendrn lugar en el Monasterio de San Miguel de los Reyes y se iniciarn a las 10.00 horas con una visita guiada, seguido a las 12.00 de una conferencia-encuentro con los autores.
Adems, paralelamente a los encuentros, se inaugurar este mircoles en la Biblioteca una exposicin que muestra, a travs de fotografas e informacin, a los principales autores que han participado en las ocho anteriores ediciones que se han celebrado de Encuentros con escritores.
Estos encuentros han comenzado con la escritora ngela Becerra y finalizarn el 13 de mayo con Marc Granell. La prxima sesin ser con Joaquina Barba el 21 de enero. Participarn, asimismo, Manuel Vicent, Jos Mara Merino, Agustn Fernndez Paz, Albert Snchez Piol, Rafael Chirbs, Gemma Pasqual, Ildefonso Falcones, Juan Ramn Barat, Jordi Sierra y Fabra, Luis Seplveda, Jorge Bucay y Manuel Baixauli.
ngela Becerra naci en Cali, Colombia, en 1957, y estudi Diseo Publicitario y Comunicacin. Hasta 1988 trabaj en agencias de publicidad de Cali y Bogot, primero como redactora y ms tarde como directora creativa. En abril de 2000 y en pleno xito profesional, dej sus veinte aos de carrera publicitaria para dedicarse de lleno a la literatura.
En junio de 2001 public su primer libro, Alma abierta, en el que la autora desgran en este libro las preocupaciones, los sueos y las sensaciones de una mujer actual. En 2005 obtuvo el Premio Azorn con la novela El penltimo sueo.Pacto histrico PP-UV.
Unin Valenciana ha vivido en cuatro aos tres reveses electorales que le han llevado a perder 20.000 votos y la mitad de concejales tras la ltima cita electoral de mayo. Al final, Chiquillo ha abierto los ojos y se ha dado cuenta de que sus objetivos polticos haban sido fagocitados casi plenamente por el PP.
Los partidos regionalistas, en el marco poltico actual de acentuacin del bipartidismo, tienen ms difcil su supervivencia como formaciones autrquicas. Ni siquiera Gonzlez Lizondo logr por s mismo su sueo de la alcalda de Valencia, en pleno apogeo de UV, como para ahora jugar con ensayos.
En los ltimos aos, UV ha perdido a pesos pesados en sus filas internas, aunque a otros Chiquillo ha tenido que agradecerles su marcha, por lo que el cartel electoral no terminaba de satisfacer a los votantes.
La admisin por parte del PP de los mensajes y eslganes de UV (PHN, AVE, infraestructuras, distanciamiento del catalanismo...) ha provocado que se produjera ese desplazamiento de la masa electoral de UV hacia candidatos populares y es que adems el crecimiento de los partidos regionalistas de Espaa, en su mayora del centro-derecha, sesuele producir cuando gobierna la izquierda.
Ni UV ni el PP quieren hacer pblico su presentacin conjunta en las elecciones del prximo ao, pero nada me extraara ver a Chiquillo como nmero dos tres al Congreso de los Diputados por Valencia.
En varias ocasiones, miembros del PP me han dicho que su partido no puede volver a caer en el error de la soberbia de una mayora absoluta porque te hace pasar malos ratos como los vividos en las manifestaciones contra la guerra de Irak donde casi todas las formaciones estaban en contra del conflicto y dejaron solo al PP.
Ahora, en el PP valenciano no quieren ms contratiempos y para ello qu mejor que pactar con quien te ayuda a aumentar el espacio electoral.
Visita real
Medio ao despus ha servido para vivir algo inaudito, pues no recuerdo la visita oficial de un miembro de la familia real a Valencia sin contar con la presencia del presidente del Consell.
Las agendas de Zaplana y Camps son comparadas diariamente para no restar protagonismo mutuo, porque no es casualidad que mientras uno est en Valencia, otro organice un viaje por tierras polacas.
El ministro de Trabajo actuando de anfitrin con la reina doa Sofa, y Francisco Camps en tierras polacas. No lo entiendo. El presidente, como representante de los valencianos, debera estar all donde su obligacin le exige. Es la primera visita de un miembro de la Casa Real desde las ltimas elecciones y Camps no est all.
Se ve que los intereses de Zaplana, como cabeza de lista popular por Valencia a la prximas elecciones generales de marzo, le reclaman de nuevo para ganar presencia entre los valencianos y tener su espacio equivalente en los medios de comunicacin.
Pero para ello, el presidente de la Generalitat debe saber compatibilizar su cargo con la presencia de cualquier representante del gobierno, ministro Zaplana incluido.
Hasta marzo, el ministro de Trabajo pretende ejercer con hegemona las obligaciones que como nmero uno de su partido al Congreso tendr en Valencia.
Pero si eso es as, espero ver al presidente Camps en su sitio y no lejos de Zaplana.
Contra Sadam, contra la guerra o contra Aznar?Hasta hace dos semanas respetaba la actitud de quienes se manifestaban en contra de la contienda porque este tipo de demandas forma parte de la piedra angular de la democracia. Pero una mayora de los supuestos pacifistas se ha convertido en intolerantes. Y as empieza a percibirse entre la mayora silenciosa de la sociedad. Si a principios de febrero, en la primera concentracin antibelicista se consigui reunir a decenas de miles de personas, de todos los colores polticos, en las ltimas slo se ve a aquellos que quieren instrumentalizar el ataque a Irak para hacer su guerra a Aznar y al PP.
Una manifestacin pacifista debe tener unos mensajes obvios, y no expresar fanatismo, intolerancia e intransigencia con mensajes como esto nos pasa por tener un Gobierno facha o Aznar capullo, enva un hijo tuyo. Aqu debe tener especial cuidado el PSOE y sus radicales posicionamientos de los ltimos das, ms en la lnea de los comunistas y anarquistas, que en la de un partido moderado que aspira a ser alternativa de gobierno.
La guerra contra Sadam es una respuesta a una forma brutal de opresin y terror con la expectativa de aumentar la libertad y evitar el genocidio cometido por parte del dictador irak. No se puede comparar a Sadam con otros dictadores, porque entre otras cosas Husein adems de dictador es un genocida (como Hitler, Stalin, Milosevic, Mao Tse Tung, Pol Pot y los Jemeres Rojos, los talibn...) con 100.000 vctimas kurdas gaseadas mediante armas qumicas en 1988 y enviado a morir a cientos de miles de irakes en su guerra contra Irn.
Cierto es que acabar con Sadam se tena que haber planteado hace 12 aos, pero me pregunto: todos aquellos que se alzan ahora como garantes y protectores de los irakes por qu no se manifestaron entonces en defensa de ellos? No tenan elecciones a la vista? Cual imprudentes y frvolos son algunos.
A ver quien la suelta ms gorda
Todo por atrapar un puado de votos nacionalistas, como si fuera algo trascedental para el futuro los catalanes o para los propios deportistas catalanes. Pero no debe mezclarse poltica con deporte.
Si Artur Mas quiere ms votos que anuncie iniciativas de mayor inters social, pero que no trate de presionar a los deportistas, quienes quedaran posiblemente colocados en un brete, presionados por un lado por Mas y los suyos para que fueran con la seleccin andorrana, y por la aficin espaola que querra verles luciendo los uniformes de Espaa.
La metedura de pata de Mas radica tambin en creerse que iba ser aplaudida por el gobierno andorrano y va ste y le da con la puerta en las narices.
Es un defecto muy habitual de nuestros polticos el hecho de que por afn de ganar unas elecciones acaben salpicando a otros colectivos de naturaleza apoltica que deben quedar al margen de las batallas entre partidos.
Una de las cosas que llama la atencin de este asunto es que el candidato Mas se haya rodeado de un equipo jurdico de lujo para defender su postura ante el COI, cuando finalmente todo quedar ah, en un punto de enajenacin electoral, porque los deportistas, como profesionales que son, preferiran vestir los colores de un pas de entidad en el contexto internacional y con trayectoria olmpica antes que satisfacer el capricho pueril de Artur Mas.
Don't rule out the possibility that this is a complete and utterly disgusting fib, but a recent writeup in The China Post about HTC's financial situation very clearly states when the hotly-anticipated Touch Diamond is coming to Sprint: this month. If you're looking for the play-by-play, the article proclaims that the "company released its Diamond phone in Asia in June and will begin selling the handset through Sprint Nextel Corp. in August." Look, we've seen a CDMA version of this thing donning Sprint garb, we've watched it fall into the capable hands of the FCC and we know it has to arrive sometime. If all of this doesn't add up to Sprint getting the Touch Diamond in August, well, we'll let you do the math.
