Life wound up getting away from me the past few days. Highlights of relevant items will commence.
Former Nortel Execs on Trial
The trial of three former Nortel execs started today in Toronto. The three are charged with fraud; the Crown attorney noted that the former technology company's financial statements were incorrect by "over half a billion Canadian dollars" in the first and second quarters of 2003. This might be the end of the Nortel saga.
Ending the Cell Phone Dominance
OpenMedia.ca has started a petition to have Canadians speak out over the domination of the Big Three service providers. Between Bell, Rogers, and Telus, they control 94% of the market. OpenMedia.ca wants some of the new wireless spectrum set aside for new wireless companies to allow them to compete with the larger companies. The activist group believes that allowing more companies into the marketplace will force the existing firms to compete and lower some of the world's highest fees.
Tricorder Coming Soon?
The latest X-Prize challenge comes from Star Trek. The X-Prize Foundation is offering US$10 million to anyone who can create a working medical tricorder. Some criteria needs to be met, including diagnosing fifteen diseases in thirty patients accurately in three days, capture realtime health metrics, and quickly and effectivly assess health in any location. No word if a Feinberger will be an allowed accessory. Even if a medical tricorder doesn't come out of this challenge, breakthroughs in medical treatment should occur.
Playbook Finally Gets Update
RIM will release the Playbook 2.0 update in February. The free update will include native email, contacts, and calendar software, the ability to synchronize with LinkedIn and Twitter, a video store catalogue, and access to Android apps. The good news, the update, as mentioned, is free. The down side, the update took ten months.
Samsung to Leverage Smartphone Success
Samsung is using its success in the smartphone arena to move into tablets. Included in the process to get their tablets out to consumers, the company will encourage their vendors to learn to use the new technology, including how to set up email on it. The company is also trying to ensure that their tablet's apps will work with all smartphones, not just their own.
–Scott D
