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HP Gets Set to Fly Blackbird002

Last year Hewlett Packard gobbled up boutique builder VoodooPC, as OEMs continue to either merge or whither away. But what they haven't done since the buyout is offer a high end gaming PC under their own HP branding, much like Dell offers an XPS line geared towards the enthusiast. That's about to change, with the HP Blackbird 002 set to debut next week. Proprietary parts get thrown out the window, and the completely upgradeable gaming rig will come with a black chassis consisting of polished metal and aluminum, looking nothing like the typical bulk OEM offering.

The New Space Race

Last month I blogged about near future intergalactic getaways, an ambitious project by Galaxy Suites Limited. For a cool $4 million, they'll fly you to their orbital space station, starting in 2012. But aside from the astronomical price tag, the other roadblock is that they're still in the concept phase, raising more than a bit of skepticism they'll conquer space travel for entertainment, and do it in just four years. Still, the idea of private space questing is taking off, and while Galaxy Suites Limited remains an idea, another conglomerate of investors have released designs to build a launching terminal, with construction to begin next year in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Dubbed Spaceport America, the project's being funded by a joint US and British team of URS Corporation and Foster + Partners. The 100,000 square foot terminal will be solely for commercial use.

MPC Buys Gateway's Professional Segment!

No, not Maximum PC magazine, but MPC Computers, an Idaho based OEM and IT service provider. Acer already agreed to purchase Gateway to the tune of $710 million, and MPC will pay $90 million for Gateway's professional business, which focuses on education, government sectors, and small to mid sized business solutions. Branding is expected to be completely migrated over to MPC within a year, and MPC will acquire Gateway's leased assembly facility in Tennessee under the terms of the agreement.

Justice Department Turns Nose at Net Neutrality

The hottest debate regarding the web right now concerns the idea of Net Neutrality, which would continue to give everyone equal access to all sites, rather than prioritizing and charging more to load some content and sites faster than others. Proponents of Net Neutrality, such as Google, argue that "broadband carriers should not be permitted to use their market power to discriminate against competing applications or content. Just as telephone companies are not permitted to tell consumers who they can call or what they can say, broadband carriers should not be allowed to use their market power to control activity online." Some corporations and content providers don't see it that way, and neither does the Justice Department, who made it known to the FCC that they oppose this equal distribution. The Justice Department argues that such an equal playing field ultimately hinders development and prevents service providers from upgrading their networks. The liken a tiered internet to the USPS charging higher rates for faster delivery and bigger packages. Regardless of which side you stand on, now would be a good time to let your Congressmen know how you feel.

Apple Offers $100 Store Credit

And finally, for the early iPhone adopters incensed over Apple's sudden and significant price slash (reported on yesterday), Steve Jobs hopes a $100 store credit will ease the sting. Jobs still believes the timing was right for the price cut with the upcoming holiday season, but does admit a "need to do a better job taking care of our early iPhone customers," hence the store credit.