Daily News Brief: Looking Beyond Blu-ray

Posted 02/12/2008 at 4:21pm | by One4yu2c

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Beyond Blu-ray

Blu-ray can very nearly claim victory in the high definition format war, leaving some already wondering, 'what's next?' A successor may already be under way. Answering that question are at least two Japanese companies, Kaai and Soraa, who are dabbling with gallium nitride to develop lasers and LEDs. If gallium nitride sounds familiar, it's because it provides the basis for existing blue LEDs and blue lasers. Before dismissing the two companies' efforts, consider that one of the founders, Shuji Nakamura, invented blue LEDs and is a winner of the Millennium Technology Prize. More on the subject here

Sneak Peek Into IE8

Details regarding Microsoft's next browser incarnation remain sparse, but look for that to change very soon. Dean Hachamovitch, the head honcho running the Internet Explorer team, will give a keynote at this year's MIX conference held on March 5th through 7th. His keynote during the first MIX conference in '06 ranked as one of the highlights, offering an accurate preview of IE7, released several months later. An initial Beta of IE8 is expected in the next few months, with an official launch by the end of the year.

Google's Color Palette

Ever wonder how Google got its colorful logo? Neither have we, but since the topic's been raised, we find ourselves curiously...curious. Ruth Kedar, the graphic designer responsible for the logo, details the evolutionary eight-step process that led to the final result. Have a gander here.

Organized Crime Targets Web Browsers

While not exactly the prototypical mafia, IBM today released findings from the 2007 X-Force Security report. The report notes a sharp and steady rise in web browser attacks, resulting in identity theft and remote controlled PCs at a rate never before seen. More intriguing, the study outlines a complex underground criminal economy, which shot up a frightening 80 percent in the first half of 2007, and almost 100 percent by the end of the year. Read the full report in PDF form here.

$54 Million Laptop Lawsuit

According to news reports, Raelyn Campbell paid Best Buy $300 for an extended warranty on her laptop, and now she's hoping to cash in to the tune of $54 million. Backing up, the problem began when Campbell brought her laptop into Best Buy to repair a defective on/off switch. Told repairs would take two to six weeks, the laptop went missing, and she was offered a $900 gift card as compensation. Factoring in the cost of the laptop, stored music, and irreplaceable photos, Campbell rejected the offer, but her real concern lies with the potential for identity theft. Campbell claims her laptop contained tax return information. The solution? Sue for $54 million to draw media attention. Read more here.

Online Sales Tax

Most e-tailers don't charge a sales tax, leaving it up to the buyer to declare any applicable purchases. But if New York Governer Elito Spitzer gets his way, online companies will have to collect sales tax from NY shoppers, even if the company isn't located in New York. Amazon.com has spoken out against the idea, and similar proposals in California, Michigan, North Carolina, and Texas have all been nixed.

PC EZ-Bake Oven

How many times have you ever wished you could bake a cake or make cookies inside your PC? Boy, haven't we all! And while our GPUs could probably do the trick, cleanup would be a disaster. Enter the PC EZ-Bake Oven, a 5 1/4" drive bay device that comes with six different delicious mixes. C'mon, you know you want to click...