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Foxconn Worker Dies In Shower After 60-Hour Workweek

Posted: 01 Jul 2011 05:17 AM PDT

A Foxconn employee, Chen Long, died of exhaustion after working a continuous 60-hour shift in one week, stopping rarely to sleep and eat. The employee, who had previously fainted from exhaustion, died in a shower on June 24th.

Here is a rundown by MICGadget:

On June 24th, the day before Chen's death, everything is normal. Chen got off work at 7pm, and went home for dinner. After having his meal, he went out with his girlfriend for some fun at the Internet bar, until 11pm. Chen got back back home for a sleep after the date. Next day, June 25th, Chen woke up at 11am, feeling dizzy and has no appetite. He reluctantly have a meal that includes instant noodle, chicken feet and fruity flavored milk. He only had a few sips of those food. Chen then felt strengthless and sat at home watching the television. At 5pm, the weather is hot and Chen went to the bathroom for a shower. After two minutes, Chen falls to the ground unconscious. His girlfriend quickly called the ambulance, and when the doctor arrived, Chen is confirmed to be dead.

From this story it seems that the death is only tangentially related to the 60 hour work weeks Chen put in at Foxconn where he was, by all accounts, a model employee more than willing to work lots of overtime. His parents requested – and did not receive – assistance from Foxconn to help bury Chen as he was one of their only means of monetary support. Magnanimously, the company “May consider to bear the funeral expenses of the victim.”

Via PlayView: PS3 Gets “World’s First Visual Magazine” In 4K×2K Resolution And 3D

Posted: 01 Jul 2011 03:27 AM PDT

Last year, Sony unveiled PlayView, a service for the PS3 that makes it possible to view high-resolution images on your display, for example in manuals or guides for games. And yesterday, big S announced in Tokyo that PlayView will be able to produce pictures in 4K×2K (4,096×2,160) resolution, or, in other words, four times the resolution of full HD.

The next version of PlayView, due out next month, will also support 3D in 4Kx2K resolution, which is pretty cool.

At a press conference yesterday, Sony said that their technology will be used to launch in Japan the so-called PLUP SERIES of digital “visual magazines”, which will be the first in the world to feature 4Kx2K resolution.

PS3 owners in Japan can buy the first digital magazine of that kind, iQueen, on August 9 for $26 in the PlayStation store (a print version will be released at the same time). Buyers get a boat load of pictures, some in 3D, of lovely Japanese actress Masami Nagasawa (the print version has 96 pages in A4 format).

Via AV Watch [JP]

Apple Employees Complain Of Demoralizing Working Conditions, Fail To See Irony

Posted: 01 Jul 2011 03:21 AM PDT

A story in the pro-union journal InTheseTimes paints Apple store workers as exhausted, demoralized, and generally ready to strum a little Woody Guthrie and hold hands around the old trash barrel, hissing at scabs.

CultOfMac pulls out a few pertinent quotes:

Veteran Apple Store workers asking about pay disparities (namely, that new hires were being paid more than many employees who had been at the Apple Store for a year or more) are told that "money shouldn't be an issue when you're employed at Apple." Rather, the chance to work at Apple "should be looked at as an experience" worth more than competitive pay alone.

Recent changes in Apple Store scheduling policies have led to a "very big overhaul" of workers' schedules and responsibilities, which means that the average Apple Store employee has less time to do repairs, less consistent schedules and a lot more employee burnout as they spend more time on the floor and work more early morning shifts immediately following night shifts. The new system is described as "draining emotionally and physically."

This points to a glaring problem with employment at the Apple store: the unsaid “promise” that workers will eventually work for Apple corporate, which is false. These two worlds are completely separate yet there is the endless hope that in flogging laptops and iPods you’ll catch Steve’s eye and he’ll bring you up, Marilyn at Schwab’s Drug Store-style, out of your penury.

While I’m all for unionization of difficult, demanding, or demeaning work, this is the freaking Apple store. If these employees were serious about workers rights they’d be protesting working conditions at Foxconn before asking for a piece of the pie themselves. However, clearly there is a small groundswell of support for Apple store unionization and anything that helps workers move up is OK in my book.


Ricoh Plans To Expand Camera Business, Buys Pentax Brand From Hoya

Posted: 01 Jul 2011 02:35 AM PDT

Camera brand Pentax will soon have a new owner: Tokyo-based Hoya group, which purchased the brand in 2007, is ready to sell [notice of sale as an English PDF] it to Ricoh in October this year. According to Japanese business daily The Nikkei, the office equipment maker plans to pay an estimated US$124 million for Pentax.

Through the acquisition, Ricoh plans to bolster its relatively small camera business (the company is estimated to have sold less than half a million cameras last year). Another goal is to use Pentax’ single-lens reflex cameras to enter developing countries.

Hoya itself sold 1.6 million cameras last year, but under the deal, all plants, employees and the Pentax name will become part of Ricoh in three months.

The camera you see above is the so-called Q that Hoya/Pentax introduced a few days ago.

 

Daily Crunch: Fiend Edition

Posted: 01 Jul 2011 12:00 AM PDT

IBM Takes Another Step Towards Reliable Phase-Change Memory

Posted: 30 Jun 2011 05:12 PM PDT


Although the world is currently enamored of flash memory, today’s standard for solid-state storage, companies like IBM need to think a few years ahead. One of the technologies they’re looking at is called phase-change memory, in which a memory cell changes from a crystalline to amorphous phase, changing its resistance. Put a bunch of those together, and you’ve got yourself a binary storage system.

The trouble was that they couldn’t store more than one bit per cell, which means the tech couldn’t really scale. They’ve just figured that out, though: they assigned four discrete resistance levels (i.e. phase states) to represent “00,” “01,” “10,” and “11.” A clever and elegant solution that circumvents the problem completely. They also came up with a way of controlling for the fact that the resistance level tends to drift over time.

Interested? There’s much more to read over at IBM Zurich’s Research blog. You’re not going to be seeing this type of memory for a while, though; IBM puts “wide adoption” in 2016. We’ll update you then.

Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 8.9 Hits The FCC

Posted: 30 Jun 2011 03:14 PM PDT

We caught a brief glimpse of the Galaxy Tab 8.9 about a month ago, but it’s just now hitting the FCC for all its tests, readings, and diagnostics. The new Tab is much the same as the old Tab (i.e. the 10.1) but packed into a smaller package. I’m excited for better pixel density, though Samsung is also working on a monster increase in resolution.

The 8.9 has a 3G radio communicating on AT&T’s frequencies, and since there don’t appear to be GSM or wi-fi variants being tested by the FCC at this time, it seems safe to say that’s the version we’ll see first.

[via DroidMatters and Engadget]

Sanyo’s XX Eneloop Rechargeable AAs Are Clearly XXtreme

Posted: 30 Jun 2011 02:40 PM PDT


Rechargeable batteries aren’t exactly headline news these days, but Sanyo seems so excited about their new XX line of NiMH AAs that it would be cruel of me not to post them.

The XX series stores 2500mAh per battery and maintains a smooth, stable voltage all the way down to the end of the charge. They’ll cost $25 for four.

How Secure Is Your Laptop Lock? This HP One Can Be Cracked In Seconds

Posted: 30 Jun 2011 02:15 PM PDT


You guys might remember a few years back when someone demonstrated that many tubular locks, like those use on many Kryptonite bike locks, could be opened with a common Bic pen. That someone was Marc Weber Tobias, and he’s back now to warn you again that your laptop lock might not be as secure as you think. Case in point: this HP lock, which his associate opens on camera in just a few seconds by whacking it with a screwdriver.

Sure, there are better locks out there, but you might just take a second to test the security of your own or checking around on the net for evidence of poor quality. Even expensive locks sometimes have simple and devastating flaws, so if you’re carrying critical information on your laptop and trust the lock on it to keep it safe, make sure you’re not setting yourself up for tragedy.

Tobias describes the flaw in HP’s lock in detail here.

Student-Designed Micromechanical Dragonfly Is One Millimeter Wide

Posted: 30 Jun 2011 01:43 PM PDT


The winners of the the yearly MEMS (Microelectromechanical system) design competition held by Sandia National Labs were announced a short time ago, and they’re pretty impressive. Students from CMU and Texas Tech were honored and their designs highlighted: the Texas Tech team built a set of millimeter-wide dragonfly wings, and CMU made an electrostatically-activated microvalve. These things are quite small.

The dragonfly wing design was chosen by Texas due to the simplicity of the beating pattern; this simplifies the mechanics of the device. The wings, each of which is about half a millimeter long, beat by a thermal reaction triggered by a current.

CMU had a slightly more practical entry, a tiny valve that can be opened or closed with a change of just picojoules in energy. This could be extremely useful in experiments where incredibly small amounts of material need to be introduced to a fragile environment — for instance, changing the pH level inside a single cell, or adding adhesive material in a microconstruction scenario.

Congratulations to the winners. These tiny devices are truly cool.

[via Reddit]

Steam Summer Camp Sale Now Underway!

Posted: 30 Jun 2011 12:39 PM PDT


Steam’s big Summer Camp Sale starts today! Not that you can buy anything right now, since the store is buckling under the weight of the traffic. Reddit user Remmib has put together a nice little listing of most of the deals here, but you might want to wait an hour or two before trying to get in there.

Some standouts: Valve Complete Pack (Portal 2 included) for $50, Borderlands for $5, a great id pack for $30, and the Rockstar Collection for $40. Ah, Summer!

Windows Phone 7 Mango To Bring Front-facing Camera Support?

Posted: 30 Jun 2011 12:34 PM PDT

Oh man! That girl you met in the hostel in Prague wants to video chat. It’s like 2 a.m there! This can only be good! HIGH FIVE!

Wait. No. No high-five. I TAKE MY HIGH FIVE BACK. You’ve only got a Windows Phone 7 handset. They don’t having front-facing camera support, much less video chat support. Sad trombone.

Fortunately, it looks like a fix is on the way.

Read the rest at MobileCrunch, because DUDE IM SENDING YOU A VIDEO CHAT REQUEST WHY AREN’T YOU PICKING UP HELLO oh right windows phone >>

Starbucks Merges Their Two iOS Apps, Lets You Gift Your Friends Coffee From Your Phone

Posted: 30 Jun 2011 12:33 PM PDT

Oh, how great it is to live in the future. Sure, we may never explore the galaxy in our personal space cruisers (single tear.), but we can buy our friends coffee without even being at a coffee shop. From our phones!

Read the rest at MobileCrunch, because I still haven’t had my coffee today and I’ll be cranky if you don’t >>

How Making Can Help Our Economy, Improve Education, And Make Us Happy

Posted: 30 Jun 2011 12:11 PM PDT

PBS NewsHour sent their tech reporter Miles O’Brien to Maker Faire where he found the weird, wonderful, and wild arrayed before him. In an excellent few minutes O’Brien experiences the wonder of making and posits that DIY could help us out of a number of doldrums.

Bonus video: Adam Savage talks about the magic of making and “dangerous” science. MythBusters is the one “adult” i.e. hour long aimed at an older audience show my kids watch and they love it. It shows them that science isn’t all equations and boredom but involves, occasionally, blowing things up.

via BB


Video: An Extremely Short Hands-On With Sony’s S2 Folding Tablet

Posted: 30 Jun 2011 12:07 PM PDT


The unique form factors and Playstation branding of Sony’s S1 and S2 tablets have us fairly excited to test them out, but Sony hasn’t been very obliging on that front. Luckily, German tech site Golem had a bit more luck.

Sadly, the hands-on is only 18 seconds long, and it’s not exactly action-packed. But you get a feel for the size of the thing, and exactly how annoying that big black bar in the middle of your viewing area is going to be.

They also took this really nice shot of the S1:

It looks slimmer than I expected. Hopefully we’ll have a similar hands-on event here in the states soon, and get you a hands-on of our own.

[via Electronista]

Microsoft Takes A Few Minutes To Laud The New Surface

Posted: 30 Jun 2011 11:19 AM PDT


It’s a bit of a random time for a video like this, seeing as the announcement was back at CES and we had a nice, thorough hands-on with the new SUR40 Surface then, but hey. Maybe you missed it. If you don’t mind a little redundancy (and of course, the ever-present soft techno), this is a nice way to catch up on Microsoft’s Surface project.

I won’t lie, I was hoping for a little more substantial information about the PixelSense sensor array, maybe what they’re doing with it (like maybe Windows 8, hello), some cool stuff it does, etc. Oh well. Here’s our hands-on, by the way:

Hublot’s Complicated F1 Tourbillon Chronograph Watch

Posted: 30 Jun 2011 08:43 AM PDT

I am not always sure what Jean-Claude Biver is thinking. The machine-gun minded Swiss CEO covers so many bases when deciding what new Hublot watches are made that it can be almost impossible to predict what will come next. However, I do know one thing: Mr. Biver is watch lover. It might sound ironic, or silly, but when a watch lover runs a watch brand, it is a good thing. And trust me, not all watch brand CEOs are watch lovers.

Read the rest here…

Fly Or Die: Guess Who Doesn’t Like The HP TouchPad?

Posted: 30 Jun 2011 08:03 AM PDT

Erick is a cruel man. Known throughout TC HQ as the “Iron Stampede,” his rages against technology products are epic and legendary. You should have heard him go off on Google+ yesterday. He was livid.

That’s why it’s interesting to see him calmly dismantle the TouchPad in this episode of Fly or Die. Gone is the red faced anger, the spittle, the curses. Instead, he tries it out and comes away disappointed and nonplussed.

Read more…


Onkyo Latest To Pay Microsoft Royalties Over Android Tablets

Posted: 30 Jun 2011 07:16 AM PDT

Microsoft is on a roll. Onkyo is the latest company to trade Android tablet royalties for access to Microsoft’s patent licensing program. The details of the agreement wasn’t released. This makes Onkyo the third company this week that has signed such an agreement. Velocity Micro and General Dynamic’s Itronix brand joined the club just days ago.

"We are pleased that Onkyo has taken advantage of our patent licensing program for Android devices and has signed this agreement," said Horacio Gutierrez, corporate vice president and deputy general counsel of Intellectual Property and Licensing at Microsoft. "This agreement and similar agreements recently announced evidence the momentum and success of our licensing program."

Back in 2010 HTC became the first Android maker to sign on the dotted lined and has since been handing over royalities to Microsoft. It was reported that the deal might have HTC paying Microsoft $5 per handset sold. This is a major part of why Microsoft is making more money from Android that its own Windows Phone 7.

Other Android makers didn’t roll over so easily, though. Motorola and B&N are both fighting Microsoft regarding patents over their headlining products of the Droid 2, Droid X, and the Nook Color. But the pressure is likely mounting on those fighting as Microsoft gets more and more companies to fold.


Google Teams Up With Virgin America To Allow Passengers To Test Out Chromebooks In-Flight

Posted: 30 Jun 2011 07:01 AM PDT

Google just announced that it is teaming up with Virgin America to allow passengers to “test-fly” the search giant’s new Chromebook computers for free. Virgin passengers will be able to use the computers onboard their flight and at select airport gates from July 1 through September 30, 2011.

As an incentive, flyers who check out a Chromebook will receive a free WiFi session onboard Virgin America. Virgin says that at airport gates in San Francisco, Chicago O’Hare, Boston and in Dallas-Fort Worth will include Google “Chrome Zone” lounges starting this week, where passengers can learn more about the Chromebook and check one out for their flight. Google is also partnering with the Ace Hotel in New York to offer Chromebooks in hotel guests’ rooms.

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