Media Watch October 10, 2006

Tuesday, October 09, 2007

By PJH Staff

JACKSON HOLE, WYOMING -

“$100 laptop” unveiled
A selected group of technology reporters this week got their hands on what has been dubbed the “$100 laptop,” created for distribution in classrooms in the developing world.
A group called One Laptop per Child (laptop.org) led the effort to develop a highly rugged laptop that can take being dropped, withstand a spill or survive dirt on the keyboard.

At a retail price that is actually a little closer to $200, the laptop, now dubbed the XO, will be available for sale in the U.S. during a two-week window in November.
People will have the opportunity to pay $400 (xogiving.org) that will buy not only one for them but also one for a child in a poor country.

The laptop features a battery with a 6-hour life when in heavy use, or 24 hour life light use.  Each comes with a built-in video camera, microphone, memory card port, game pad controllers and has a screen that rotates and folds down to configure into a tablet-like mode for reading.  

There is even a feature where a user can access and alter the codes running the Linux system.  That anyone could use the XO to learn sophisticated computer programming language.  

As New York Times tech whiz David Pogue said, the real challenges to the laptop are not technological but human.  

“Overseas ministers of education fear the change of the status quo might risk their jobs,” Pogue wrote.  “It’s a technological breakthrough for sure.  Now let’s just hope it breaks through human barriers.”
- Ben Cannon

No winners in media bust-up
NBC and Apple had a bad break-up. NBC used to sell episodes of its shows, including the popular “The Office,” on iTunes for 99 cents. When NBC tried to negotiate a higher price per episode, Apple balked. NBC decided they were going to pull out of iTunes. Apple yanked NBC’s shows early – “You can’t fire me because I quit” – leaving the network high-and-dry for online delivery. NBC decided to create its own clunky platform at www.nbc.com and give the episodes away for free. So what does it take to beat a monster like iTunes? A dinosaur, apparently, which is what NBC trotted out to much amusing fanfare. Will episodes ever be downloadable? Will they really disappear after a week? Are commercials going to continue to be spliced in, dogging the streaming performance with annoying “buffering” issues and stuttered delivery? Supposedly, this platform is a stop gap for the launch of something bigger and better than iTunes. For now, there are only losers in this battle, and the former happily-paying customer is stuck with the biggest frown.
- Grace Hammond

iBricks
Apple has released – or “unleashed,” – a software update for the iPhone that happens to “brick” – render unusable - some phones that have installed third-party software. The iPhone user agreement states that any installation of third-party software voids the warranty, so if the phone goes kablooey, you’re out of luck. Bloggers have compared the update to a virus and an attack on personal property. Indignant hackers have already released some fixes for the bricked phones. They correctly argue that it’s not illegal to use hacks on a cell phone. But Apple’s stance seems pretty clear: unlock your phone and kiss your $400 investment goodbye.

How does this affect Wyoming? It appears that there are two ways to use the iPhone in this area. The first is to hack the phone so you can use any network you choose. You can even buy an “unlocked” iPhone on eBay – just pony up $750 and hope Apple doesn’t send a thug to your home to destroy  the phone. I’m told that it’s also possible to use the iPhone here if you contract through an out-of-state address. Either way, you’d be wise to study the update before you sync your phone and your computer. Hacks are not for the faint of heart.
– Grace Hammond
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Media Watch October 10, 2006 | Planet JH News Article: Media Watch

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