Filed under: Wireless, Networking

The same folks who brought us fire-proof plastic, air guitar clothing, and wireless air hockey apparently delivered a lot more of the WiFi technology we all utilize daily than was previously recognized. Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization has won a landmark case against Buffalo Technology, “under which it could receive royalties from every producer of WLAN products worldwide.” US patent 5487069 — which “encompasses elements of the 802.11a/g wireless technology that is now an industry standard” — was granted to the body back in 1996, and has subsequently been utilized in seemingly every piece of wireless kit ever since. Considering their recent victory, CSIRO’s pending cases against Intel, Dell, Microsoft, HP, and Netgear definitely have roots now, and if judges continue to rule in the Aussies’ favor, the big boys could be shelling out “hundreds of millions of dollars” in back pay to cover their wrongs. Ruh roh.

[Thanks, Phil]

 

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time

Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Filed under: Household

As much as we’d love to stand in the shower all day while our robot butler wrote these snarky posts, it’s pretty unconscionable to waste a kiddie pool’s worth of water on a daily basis (not to mention the fact that we don’t actually have a robot butler nor any desire to be taunted with “pruneface” remarks). Well even though we can’t while away the hours under a soothing stream of aqua, a new invention out of Australia may at least help us prolong what has unfortunately become the best part of our day; since the aerated showerhead invented by researchers at Melbourne’s CSIRO Manufacturing Materials Technology uses 30% less water than traditional fixtures, we’d be able to take a 30% longer shower each morning (does that also translate to 30% more cleanliness?). The CSIRO team’s device employs a so-called Venturi tube to mix air into each water droplet — essentially creating hollow drops — but differs from previous implementations in that test subjects “detected no difference in water pressure, sensation, or overall perception of showering.” CSIRO is currently looking for a manufacturing partner to mass produce the ~AUD$20 ($15) unit, so we’re putting our bosses on notice right now that we’ll soon be 30% later to work than we normally are.

 

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time

Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Filed under: Desktops, Media PCs

So Apple pioneered the “PC-in-a-monitor” form factor with the iMac G5, and though other manufacturers have since followed suit, no one has been able to top Cupertino when it comes to screen size on this form factor — until now, that is. PocketPCReviews is reporting that an Australian company called OzIQ — which already has a range of All-in-One machines topping out at 22 inches — is poised to release a mammoth 32-inch model called the OZ-632i7, making the 24-inch iMac look positively miniscule in comparison. Although not much information is available yet concerning the guts of this monster, spec sheets indicate that it will be powered by Core Duo and Core Solo processors, rock up to 3GB of DDR2 RAM, and presumably feature Windows Media Center Edition, seeing as it sports an internal TV tuner as well. Supposedly OzIQ is planning on pushing this one out the door “in a couple of weeks,” priced at the equivalent of $3,200.

[Thanks, Anton]

 

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

We’ve all heard of facial recognition software, that detects people against an image databse of known suspects, but what about software that checks against behavioral warning signs? Strange as it sounds, certain behaviors or body language can tip off a watchful eye, be it algorithm or a trained human. Australian scientists are working on automating this procress in software to track “inappropriate behavior” in public places, interpret that how you will. This, of course, is normally the work of trained officers, like the Nevada Highway Patrol officer who earlier this week unknowingly pulled over polygamist Warren Jeffs. The fugitive was then apprehended when the officer noticed Jeffs’ carotid artery pulsating abnormally. Maybe a new Robocop isn’t as far off as we might think, but we’re all going to need some new gear as our pulsing carotid artery’s already telling us the tin foil hats we’ve come to rely so heavily upon just ain’t gonna cut it.

[Via TechDirt]

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Filed under: Desktops, HDTV, Home Entertainment, Storage

And we’ve been griping about Blu-ray delays in the good ol’ USofA. Looks like the folks Down Under have it way worse, since Sony has just released their BWU-100A internal PC drive for reading and writing Blu-ray discs in Australia, ‘cept supposedly the thing can’t actually manage to play back is Blu-ray movies. Apparently they’re blaming the lack of HDCP-compliant graphics cards, and the fact that there isn’t any retail software that can play Blu-ray movies, just the OEM version of Intervideo WinDVD BD that ships with Sony’s VAIO AR laptop — assuming of course, that your Blu-ray content requires HDCP to begin with. That would make us wonder why Sony can’t just bundle that same software with the BWU-100A, but we’re clearly thinking with the addled mind of a consumer. If we were smarter, we’d realise the logic behind releasing products so saddled with rights management that they can’t even play back the media they were built for. Luckily, Sony says they’re optimistic about resolving both issues soon, and that for now the device is still 100% functional for storage (hooray), and can play back your own home-burnt movies as well (as well as Blu-ray flicks that are HDCP-free). All this can be yours, you lucky Australian you, for a mere AU$1,399, or about $1,075 US.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

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Filed under: Handsets, Others, GSM

As you may recall, we touched on the m300 GSM watch a couple weeks ago with a healthy dose of skepticism, but it now appears the device is more than just vaporware. SMS Technology, the m300's manufacturer, did us the favor of sending along a handful of in-the-flesh pictures along with a detailed account of its development. Apparently, the m300 owes its existence to another Australian product -- MTrak -- a kevlar-strapped GPS bracelet designed for tracking children. MTrak evolved into a CDMA watch phone, and then on to its current GSM incarnation. Packing the GPS proved too bulky for a mainstream watch, though, so the December '06 delivery date is giving SMS some additional time to engineer that part of hardware out of the platform. The result is said to be roughly the size of a TAG Heuer, supports speech-to-text for messaging, and rocks both Bluetooth and a speakerphone -- not shabby specs for a phone the size of a few coins. The company claims to have some 1.2 million Australian orders alone on tap, so hats off to these guys for giving it the old college try, eh? More wrist-talkin' eye candy after the break.

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Filed under: Gaming

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Filed under: Portable Audio

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Filed under: Culture, Studies

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