If you managed to grab one of HP’s $99 tablet, consider yourself lucky. It turns out that the TouchPad is far from dead after all. According to Todd Bradley, the head of HP’s Personal Systems Group, the TouchPad could be resurrected under a new standalone company which he’d lead personally if HP managed to spin-off its PC business.

“Tablet computing is a segment of the market that’s relevant, absolutely,” Bradley said. “My intention would be to lead it through this transaction … and if it’s a standalone public company, to lead that.”

On WebOS, Bradley did not reveal much, other than hinting that several companies approached HP for the possibility of licensing the operating system. It’s hardly surprising considering the operating system is now much more attractive than it was a month ago, thanks to the market share it gained with HP’s aggressive fire-sale pricing.

Android on TouchPad

On a related note, the Cyanogenmod team, known for their popular Android aftermarket firmware, had released a video showing a TouchPad running on an alpha version of its custom firmware.

There’s no information on when the final release will be ready, but rest assured, an Android-based TouchPad isn’t too far from reality.

The team also said that “our ultimate vision is to create a *multiboot* solution where the end-user will be able to boot into WebOS, Cyanogenmod, and/or other OSes,” saving users the trouble of deciding which operating system to settle for.

Source: Reuters
Photo credit: Robert Scoble

©2011 SheepTech

HP May Continue Working on Tablets After All

The ordinary North Koreans may not have even heard of the internet, but to Kim Jong-Il, the “Supreme Leader” of North Korea, it’s a source of revenue to the cash-strapped state, in an unusual way.

Citing the South Korean authorities, The New York Times reported that Mr. Kim’s regime had ordered a team of 30 “hackers” to set up bots for popular South Korean massively multiplayer online (MMO) games, such as Lineage and Dungeon and Fighter.

Unlike in the case of Chinese prisoners, these bots were programmed to play, or rather, gold-farm, in online games without any human input. Virtual goods and in-game currency obtained by the bots will then be sold for real money to actual gamers who are willing to spend for the sake of their game character’s progress.

To the naive, gold farming may seem to be just a way for teenagers to make some pocket-money. But to the thousands of professional gold farmers in China, or even Mr. Kim for that matter, gold farming is a lucrative way to bring in the big bucks:

In a little less than two years, the police said, the organizers made $6 million. They gave 55 percent of it to the hackers, who forwarded some of it to agents in Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea.

Source: The New York Times

©2011 SheepTech

North Korea Gold Farm on South Korean MMO Games

For those who’ve been longing for a Chrome OS machine, the wait is almost over. The first two Chromebooks models, built by Samsung and Acer respectively, will be available on June 15th in U.S. (from Amazon & BestBuy), U.K., France, Germany, Netherlands, Italy and Spain.

They are available in two flavors, WiFi only or with 3G. In U.S., the 3G models are bundled with 100MB data monthly from Verizon for two years.

Both the Chromebooks are powered by Intel Atom Dual-Core Processor, two USB ports, one memory card slot, HD webcam with noise-canceling microphone and a full size Chrome keyboard. What sets them apart are the larger 12.1″ Samsung screen compared to Acer’s 11.6″, Samsung’s 8.5 hours battery life, compared to Acer’s 6 hours, and Samsung’s Mini-VGA port compared to Acer’s HDMI port.

With a smaller screen, the Acer Chromebook is slightly lighter at 2.95 lbs (Samsung’s weighing at 3.26 lbs).

The Samsung Series 5 Chromebook will be selling at $429 for WiFi-only and $499 for 3G. Being smaller, the Acer Chromebook is more affordable at just $349 for WiFi-only. No pricing information is available for Acer’s 3G Chromebook at this point.

Chromebooks for Business and Education

For schools and businesses, Chromebooks can be purchased with a subscription plan. With a minimum order of 10 units, education institutions and enterprises can opt to pay $20/user monthly and $28/user monthly for three years. 3G Chromebooks will cost an additional $3 monthly per user, and they too will be bundled with Verizon’s 100MB monthly data.

During this period, full warranty, technical support and updates will be provided. After the three years contract has ended, those who choose to continue paying will receive new Chromebooks to replace their aged laptops.

A three-year commitment is considerably longer than what most consumers are comfortable with. But Google decides that the period is just right with its market research showing that most institutions do not replace their machines in less than three years.

Offline Support for Google Docs, Calendar and Gmail

If your work don’t demand any unique desktop software, chances are you will find most of your software needs available in the form of web app. Google itself offers some of the most widely used apps for free, like Docs, Calendar, Gmail, Picasa and Picnic.

For now, you obviously have to be online to access these apps, but that will soon change. Google is said to be readying offline support for Google Docs, Calendar and Gmail. Perhaps they’d be ready just in time by June 15th, but don’t quote me on that.

Introducing the Chromebook:

Source: Official Google Blog / Engadget

©2011 SheepTech

Chromebooks To Be Available on June 15th

Photo Credit: @WPCentral

Update: Microsoft has confirmed the acquisition. Skype will support Microsoft devices and services, including Xbox, Kinect, Windows Phone, Lync, Outlook, Xbox Live and other communities, according to the press release. The Redmond-based company assured that it will still invest and support Skype clients on non-Microsoft platforms.

- – -

In mid-April, Microsoft’s Joe Belfiore confirmed that Skype will be coming to Windows Phone 7 this fall. Little did we know, by the time it happens, Microsoft will be the new owner of Skype.

Earlier reports signaled that Facebook and Google expressed interest in buying or partnering Skype. Efforts by both the internet giant is however proven futile when WSJ reported today that Microsoft will be acquiring Skype for $8.5 billion in cash.

While the WSJ report states that the negotiations aren’t yet final and the deal could still fall apart, AllThingsD was told the deal is sealed and an announcement will be made as early as tomorrow morning.

The deal, if worked out as reported, will be Microsoft’s biggest acquisition in its 36-year history.

At this point, it’s still unclear how would Microsoft justify the purchase. A Skype-powered FaceTime equivalent for Windows Phone 7 perhaps? For now, FaceTime is limited only to Apple products, and video calls can only be made over Wi-Fi.

By integrating Skype into Windows Phone 7 natively, its users can make video calls to any Skype users out of box (Skype has 663 million users at this point) — not limited by platform or connection type. The only thing Skype doesn’t triumph is the need of yet another account.

Make it possible to sign up with just our phone number (like Viber and Whatsapp), or even sign in using Facebook Connect and it’ll be one step closer to perfection.

That being said, a Facebook-Skype partnership could still be possible despite Microsoft’s acquisition. After all, Facebook is already integrated in Skype and Microsoft’s Windows Live Messenger to some extend.

Go ahead with the partnership, make it possible to video call from Skype to Facebook Chat without additional software (ala video chat in Gmail) and vice versa. That’d put FaceTime to shame.

©2011 SheepTech

Microsoft Is Now Skype’s Owner, After Paying $8.5 Billion

The said display is capable of switching from a full-blown color display to a more soothing e-ink and vice versa.

Divided into three layers, termed as “multiple composite display regions”, the upper most layer is the touch interface, to register touch inputs. Under it is the “electronic paper display”, or e-ink—and lastly, “video display” for color display.

When not in use, users can bypass the translucent e-ink layer and see the LCD display underneath directly. Both the e-ink and LCD layer can also work together, by displaying contents like text in e-ink and other media in full color display.

I have several e-book readers on my iPhone, including Kindle, but finds myself hardly using any of them. No doubt, these apps are all very well designed and there are plenty of high quality free e-books, but facing a bright tiny display for hours is really causing too much eye strain.

That is one reason why I sometimes prefer reading on a real physical book than an e-book. For the same reason, Amazon Kindle still has its own unique appeal to book readers albeit Apple’s effort marketing iBooks on the iPhone and iPad.

If Apple were to implement e-ink on both the iDevice, it will definitely pose a serious threat to Amazon Kindle, the most gifted item in the company’s history. There will be very little reason left for book readers to consider the Kindle instead of the more capable iPad, unless there’s a cash constraint or a serious need of eternal battery life.

via AppleInsider

©2011 SheepTech

Apple Might Bring e-ink To iDevices with Hybrid Displays

Imaginary iPhone Nano & iPhone Shuffle dated in 2007, courtesy of iA.

The new iPhone Nano, as everyone dubs it, will be going for $200 without contract.

It is understandable why Apple is willing to work on a lower end iPhone instead of maintaining its luxury or premium status, considering how quickly its arch rival, Android, is dominating the mid and low-end market.

Apple has done this before with its iPod line up with the iPod Shuffle, blowing the rest of low-end MP3 players out of water even without a screen (when everyone else has one).

The iPhone already has a strong branding across the globe, and I can imagine those who have longed for an iPhone but can hardly afford would welcome this new addition to the iPhone family.

Until there is an official announcement for Apple however, it’s best to take this news with a grain of salt. The iPhone Nano rumor has been going in both 2007 and 2008. It’s 2011 and there’s still no sight of a tinier iPhone.

©2011 SheepTech

Apple Working on iPhone Nano, Smaller & More Affordable

Every so often, Dropbox will award its users some free space for completing tasks (linking Dropbox account to Facebook & Twitter, explore “Getting Started” page), on top of the maximum 8GB referral bonus.

From 15th January to 29th January, you can snap up to 1GB of free space on Dropbox by solving their first ever Dropquest, an online scavenger hunt they have come up with.

You are required to solve a 29-steps quest that will suck your brain juice dry—requiring you to explore the Dropbox site, solve puzzles, extract answers from the given hints etc.

The quest however has been ongoing for two days now, which means answers and walkthrough are already posted all over the internet. If you don’t think you’d have enough time, energy or brain to figure all the answers out by yourself, here’s two walkthrough that will breeze you through the quest effortlessly (walkthrough1, walkthrough2).

Ready? Start the Dropquest.

Good luck!

©2011 SheepTech

Get 1GB Free Extra Space on Dropbox with Dropquest

Summary of the news article:

• Mark Zuckerberg announced that Facebook will be shut down in March.
• “Facebook has gotten out of control, and the stress of managing this company has ruined my life. I need to put an end to all the madness,” said Zuckerberg.
• “I don’t care about the money,” said Zuckerberg. “I just want my old life back.”
• The Facebook Corporation suggests that users remove all of their personal information from the website before March 15th. After that date, all photos, notes, links, and videos will be permanently erased.

As ridiculous as it sounds, many Facebook users, the hardcore ones especially, got really concerned. Some even commented “if Facebook ends, my life ends“.

The rumor is definitely not true, Facebook will not shut down on March 15th. Because:

Mark Zuckerberg Has Only 24% Facebook Share

So the Facebook founder finds it too stressful to manage the largest social networking site, but can he really shut down the entire company? With just 24% ownership of the company, can he convince other shareholders to agree with his plan to close the money tap? Probably not.

Also, he can just resign, sit back at home and still watch the money flowing in without working. He can even sell all his shares to dissociate himself from Facebook. That would relieve his “stress” because he no longer have to manage the company and yet have enough money for the rest of his life being jobless.

Doesn’t that sounds better than closing the company entirely?

Facebook’s $50 Billion Valuation After New $500 Million Investment

Just days ago, Goldman Sachs and Digital Sky Technologies invested a total of $500 millions in Facebook, and Facebook has a valuation of $50 billions as a result of it. Now less than a week down the road, Mark wants to shut down Facebook?

The hitman would be smiling waiting for a job.

New Seattle Office

Around the globe, there are Facebook offices in 12 countries and have a total of more than 1,700 employees. It seems like Facebook is ever expanding.

In fact, Facebook had open a new office in Seattle last August. That is less than 6 months ago.

Origin News Article Published On Satirical News Site

The source where the rumor originally comes from is a satirical news site publishing fake news for entertainment purpose. Let’s see some of their latest articles:

• Glenn Beck Moving to China!
• US Trades Carrot Top for Canadian Pennies
• Alien Spaceships to Attack Earth in 2011
• Young Adults Moving Into Nursing Home

Now put the headline “Facebook Will End on March 15th!” next to any of these, oh sure it’s true.

Official Deny from Facebook

Responding to this viral hoax, Facebook responded with the following statement:

We didn’t get the memo about shutting down, so we’ll keep working away like always. We aren’t going anywhere; we’re just getting started.

If this doesn’t convince you, I don’t know what will.

©2011 SheepTech

Facebook Shutting Down on March 15th, Not!

As if it’s not “cross-platform” enough, Angry Birds will now be coming to your table. It’s not a typo, I really mean table, not tablet.

Angry Birds Knock on Wood is a board game based on the popular Angry Birds game on iPhone and other devices. It features a set of wooden bricks (plastic actually), a few green pigs, three birds (red, yellow, black), a mini catapult and a deck of cards.

The gameplay is simple. Player One will draw a card from the deck, which will reveal the obstacle construction and birds to use. Player Two will then build the obstacles exactly as shown, and Player One will launch the birds to bring down the pigs.

The first player that reaches 1,000 points wins. Watch the demo video below.

A set of Angry Birds Knock on Wood will set you back $14.99 and will be available in May 2011.

(via Electricpig)

©2011 SheepTech

Angry Birds is Coming To.. Your Table

The more tabs you open, the more Google will donate:

• 10 tabs = 1 tree planted
• 10 tabs = 1 book published and donated
• 25 tabs = 1 vaccination treatment provided
• 100 tabs = 1 square foot of shelter built
• 200 tabs = 1 person’s clean water for a year

Every opened tabs are counted, regardless whether any website is being loaded. You can spam the “new tab” button and make Google donate more, but there is a limit of 250 tabs being tracked in a day.

Google has allocated up to one million dollars to run this charity campaign. If you are not using Chrome as your primary browser, why not try it for just four days? Team up with the rest of the Chrome community and dry that million dollars.

To participate, you are required to install the Chrome for a Cause extension. A new icon will appear after installing, counting your total opened tabs.

At the end of everyday, click on the icon to submit your tabs and select your cause among the 5 available; vaccinations, books, clean water, shelter, and trees.

*the extension will only track your tab counts, no browsing history will be stored.

©2011 SheepTech

Google Donates When You Use Chrome