CrunchGear |  |
- After Price Drop: Nintendo Japan Sells 215K 3DS Units In 7 Days
- Daily Crunch: Gundamcraft
- Supply Line Troubles To Delay iPad 3 Launch?
- Photovoltaic Cells In LCDs Could Recycle Wasted And Ambient Light
- Steve Jobs Biography To “Launch” In November
- PrimeSense Positioning Itself For Integration With Next-Gen TVs
- This Fake Apple Store Is More Stylish Than Most Real Ones
- Glorious Minecraft-Themed Xperia Play For Sale On eBay
- Microsoft Reader E-Book System Comes To Its Conclusion
- Apple’s Evidence In European Galaxy Tab Injunction Was Seriously Misleading… As In False
- $200k Fundraiser Means SETI Can Listen For Aliens Again
- Qualcomm Explores A New Market: Finding Your Lost Dog
- Google / Motorola Deal Doesn’t Guarantee a “Nexus Droid”
- Imec: Japanese Company Lets Plants Grow On Thin Films Instead Of Soil (Video)
- Jim Zemlin on 20 Years of Linux
- Report: Apple To Build 26 Million iPhone 5 (or whatever it’s called) In The Second Half Of 2011
| After Price Drop: Nintendo Japan Sells 215K 3DS Units In 7 Days Posted: 16 Aug 2011 04:13 AM PDT  Nintendo caused a major splash in the video game world when it announced to slash the price of the 3DS in Japan, the US and elsewhere by 30-40% (depending on the country) – just a few months after the system went on sale. And now we have the first hardware sales numbers from Japan coming in, and it looks like casual gaming on social networks, the rise of freemium and all those free/inexpensive smartphone apps made consumers more price sensitive in recent years. According to video game magazine publishing house Enterbrain, Nintendo managed to sell a whopping 215,000 units of the 3DS between August 8 and 14. The price drop (from 25,000 Yen to 15,000 yen) went into full effect on August 11 (but quite a few stores in Japan actually reduced the price a few days earlier). By way of comparison: Nintendo in Japan shipped over 350,000 units in the week after launch (and roughly 200,000 in the week after that), meaning the price drop triggered some kind of second beginning in this country for the system (in May, for example, only 109,000 3DS were sold domestically). In total, 1.5 million 3DS systems have been sold in Japan so far. Via Famitsu [JP]
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| Posted: 16 Aug 2011 01:00 AM PDT  Here are some of yesterday’s stories on TechCrunch Gadgets:
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| Supply Line Troubles To Delay iPad 3 Launch? Posted: 15 Aug 2011 07:17 PM PDT  Analysts and pundits have been predicting an iPad 3 with a late 2011 launch for some time now, but if accounts from suppliers in Asia are to be believed, there just is no way that’s going to happen — if the rumors of the high-DPI screen are correct in the first place (and we think they are). A 9.7″ display sporting 2048×1536 pixels, four times more than the current iPad and three times more than the HD displays on many Android tablets, is quite simply at the very limit of LCD panel manufacturing capability. Apple previously had hoped to have at least five or six million units by the end of the year and placed orders to that effect, but Digitimes is reporting that those orders have disappeared. The chatter around the display industry water cooler is that Sharp is the only company capable of making these panels with any kind of real reliability; Samsung and LG apparently can’t reach a good yield. If these companies wanted to throw away money, they could invest despite poor yields, as Microsoft did in order to bring the Xbox 360 to market early, but we all know how that turned out. Samsung has actually demonstrated an alternative type of high-resolution display, but it’s unlikely Apple would use it even if it were ready for market. These screens would be among the highest performing in the world, yet must be manufactured by the millions for relatively low cost. Apple doesn’t make its own displays (among other things), so it’s at the mercy of OEMs like Sharp. And if Sharp says “if anybody could do it, we could — but we can’t,” then Apple has no choice but to take that hit and delay the product. Meanwhile, the same sources estimate as many as 30 million iPad 2s will be shipped in 2Q11; with no “rare” parts, they can be made as fast as the millions of hands in vast factory towns can put them together. Of course it has to be said that a product that is not announced can’t, strictly speaking, be delayed. And I’m sure Apple was prepared for this eventuality, likely being informed while collaborating with Sharp that yields might just not hit targets in time. So: a revised launch schedule. January, anyone? The Apple iPad, formerly referred to as the Apple Tablet, is a touch-pad tablet computer announced in January 2010, and released in April 2010. It has internet... Started by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne, Apple has expanded from computers to consumer electronics over the last 30 years, officially changing their name from Apple Computer,...
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| Photovoltaic Cells In LCDs Could Recycle Wasted And Ambient Light Posted: 15 Aug 2011 06:47 PM PDT  Researchers at UCLA have created a twist on traditional LCDs that would allow displays to reclaim wasted photons from the backlight, or even act as a normal solar cell. Normal LCDs rely on an always-on backlight, but because of the way LCDs work, most of that light never escapes. This inherent inefficiency hasn’t stopped us from getting bright displays, but the power necessary to make them so is usually what runs down your battery. Enter UCLA materials science professor Yang Yang and his team of engineers. Among the layers of the LCD are two polarizing sheets that block unwanted backlighting depending on their configuration. The team at UCLA has designed a new type of material for these layers called a polarizing organic photovoltaic film. Instead of simply blocking the light, it would act like a photovoltaic cell and reabsorb some of the light’s energy — whether it’s coming from inside or outside the device. Essentially it would recycle the light from the backlight while simultaneously acting as a solar cell. No guarantees are made regarding things like battery life and power draw, since these depend on many other factors, but Intel’s Youssry Botros commented that it could “potentially harvest 75 percent of the wasted photons from LCD backlight and turn them back into electricity.” Make your own calculations. He later uses the word “synergetic,” by which I think he means synergistic, but to be honest his version sounds better. Yang hopes to work with manufacturers to make this mainstream, and says that the method is “simple.” All the same, don’t expect your phone to charge itself using this method any time soon. The research, published in the journal Advanced Materials, was conducted with money from Intel and the Office of Naval Research. [via Hot Hardware]
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| Steve Jobs Biography To “Launch” In November Posted: 15 Aug 2011 03:40 PM PDT  A bit of non-Motorola news comes in the form of a change in the B&N listing for the Steve Jobs biography (Steve Jobs). Originally slated for March 2012, the book will be available on November 21, 2011, just in time for Thanksgiving. Written by Walter Isaacson, the book features interviews with Senor Jobs as well as a full reckoning of his personal life. Don’t expect any bombshells. This should be a calm, candid look at a man who single-handedly killed the PC.
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| PrimeSense Positioning Itself For Integration With Next-Gen TVs Posted: 15 Aug 2011 03:25 PM PDT  The great smartening of the idiot box continues. It was several years ago that we started seeing the first internet-connected TVs, and since then TV makers have been adding more and more slightly useful features, generally one or two per generation — it wouldn’t do to put them all out at once, of course. And while much functionality is still left to the set-top box, media player, or console, it seems inevitable that these increasingly capable display devices will integrate things we consider cutting-edge today. Take gesture controls, for instance. Microsoft’s hit gaming peripheral, the Kinect, has made people aware of the possibilities of motion tracking and depth-sensing cameras, though it’s often hacks that really deliver on the potential. PrimeSense, who contributed much to the development of Kinect, is hoping to combine this next-gen interface with next-gen display hardware. Speaking at GDC Europe, PrimeSense’s Amir Hoffnung described plans to supplant traditional controls, and demonstrated the flexibility of the company’s OpenNI framework by coding a basic game in under half an hour. He hopes that the open framework will help bring new and intuitive controls to increasingly powerful TVs: "The key products in your living room are evolving. Living rooms now have connected TVs and smart TVs that can run a range of applications beyond TV shows. But all these smart TVs will need a new remote control device, because all these smart TVs need richer and deeper levels of input.” They face stiff competition: Microsoft opened up the Kinect SDK in June after much unofficial hackery made it clear they had a potential development gold mine in hand. And Although PrimeSense has worked with Asus to produce a Kinect-like device, it’s much more expensive and not quite up to snuff. That they’re not Microsoft gives them an advantage, though. OpenNI is open-source, and while of course that doesn’t mean it’s a free for all, it’s more likely that a company like Samsung or LG, for instance, will try playing with it. Microsoft is likely already exploring ways to expand Kinect on its own: no less than Gates himself talked up the applications in desktop computing. Hoffnung also mentions OnLive being brought to TVs. While many are still skeptical of the service, its potential and the technical accomplishments associated are difficult to deny. If you were to combine OnLive tech with some basic casual gaming, controlled by a gesture-sensing webcam, it could simply explode. Play a little match-three or farm sim during commercials, or while waiting for your rented movie to cache? You better believe there are a tens of millions of couch potatoes who would jump at the opportunity. Well, perhaps not jump, but they would at least wave their hands around, and that’s all it takes. This is all fairly distant speculation, though, and it depends very much on what TV makers bring to their devices. HD webcams for video chat integration, and a little more horsepower behind the screen (you need a good amount of cache and a bit of specialized hardware to do hardcore streaming and gesture tech), and PrimeSense’s dream could become an everyday experience. Prime Sense’s concept is a device, which allows a computer to perceive the world in 3D and derive an understanding of the world based on sight, just the way...
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| This Fake Apple Store Is More Stylish Than Most Real Ones Posted: 15 Aug 2011 03:15 PM PDT  China is infected with fake Apple Stores. Some have been shut down where some have just changed their names. This gorgeous rip-off is located in Zhongshan China and, as MICGadget notes, it’s probably the best looking one yet complete with a massive glowing Apple logo and wall of glass windows spanning the two-story outlet. This retailer seems to fall under the second category and doesn’t go by Apple Store per ce. You see, this is a Sinzd Apple Shop and its employees wear blue t-shirts with that logo and name. Still, from the monolithic white tables to the stark-white color scheme to the large product banners, this story is designed to look and feel like the real McCoy. Need more proof? Click through for the video.
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| Glorious Minecraft-Themed Xperia Play For Sale On eBay Posted: 15 Aug 2011 01:05 PM PDT  One of the more pleasant surprises at E3 this year was our hands-on with the Xperia Play. I was really expecting to dislike the device, but after playing a few games on it, I found it to be totally legit, even if the games selection isn’t so hot right now. And what’s more, they had Minecraft on it. As one of the headline games of the new platform, it’s no surprise that Minecraft is getting a little official love — today, it takes the form of a truly sweet looking Minecraft-themed Xperia Play. It’s being sold by Mojang themselves, so you know it’s for real. It’s not clear whether this is a one-off or just the first of many decals and themes. I’d guess the latter. That hasn’t stopped the bidding from topping $1200, though — and there are still six days to go as of this writing. But then again, people do tend to open up their wallets a bit when the proceeds are going to charity, as these will. Some people might think that thing is garish, but I love it. It matches this mousepad. [via Droid Gamers and Engadget]
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| Microsoft Reader E-Book System Comes To Its Conclusion Posted: 15 Aug 2011 12:09 PM PDT  Microsoft is officially putting their MS Reader system to bed. First made available in 2000, before e-ink readers were more than a twinkle in some materials researcher’s eye, the application was intended for the consumption of e-books on LCD screens, using Microsoft’s ClearType font smoothing and a relatively compact, familiar format. The .lit filetype and Reader application have only been receiving the lightest of support, the last desktop version appearing in 2007 and the last mobile update bringing it up to speed with Windows Mobile 6.1. You can’t blame them, really; it was never much more than a hobby (e-books were far from big business then) and they couldn’t have predicted the hardware advances that would make the Kindle and other popular devices the default for reading e-books. Like so many Microsoft projects, it was ahead of its time — but too little, too early. How Microsoft plans to treat e-books now is anybody’s guess. It’s entirely possible that with the new look and feel of Windows 8, Microsoft will want to bring in e-book support with a custom reader app. The actual timing of the Reader roll-up could have been any time in the last year, and the team might be working on making use of Microsoft’s relevant patents and internal advances to make a Live or tablet-focused e-reading environment. The development of Reader coincided with Microsoft’s first tablet push, including such things as handwritten notes and highlighting. Palm and the others offered similar capabilities, but Microsoft was thinking ahead and may have laid in some nice supplies for their next effort, if it exists. The attractive full-screen apps and deep Windows integration in Windows 8 suggest to me that we’ll at least see something native, if not an attempt to replace dedicated ecosystems like Kindle and Google Books.
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| Apple’s Evidence In European Galaxy Tab Injunction Was Seriously Misleading… As In False Posted: 15 Aug 2011 11:01 AM PDT  Last week the Apple-Samsung patent brawl took a serious turn after Apple won a preliminary injunction banning sales of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 throughout the European Union, excluding the Netherlands. As we noted, Samsung had no idea any of this was happening until after the injunction had been issued, as is standard procedure in the German court system. Had the South Korea-based company known, they probably would have mentioned that the evidence Apple used to get the import ban (pictured at left) was pretty seriously flawed. According to Dutch IDG publication Webwereld.nl, the image used for a side-by-side comparison between the iPad 2 and the GalTab 10.1 is either wrong or manipulated. On page 28 of Apple’s filing, the image of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 has been cropped and the image ratio has been tampered with. Samsung’s tablet measures in at 10.1in x 6.9in x 0.34in, while the iPad 2 sports dimensions of 9.5in x 7.31in x .34in. So if you were looking at the tablets side-by-side (both in portrait position), you’d notice that the iPad 2 is a bit wider from side to side, but shorter in length. Based on the specified dimensions, the aspect ratio of the GalTab would be 1.46. In Apple’s evidential image, the aspect ratio is 1.36 (8 percent wider than it should be), making the Galaxy Tab 10.1′s “overall appearance” look “practically identical” to the iPad 2 (which has an aspect ratio of 1.30). And that’s exactly the language Apple used in its complaint — also on page 28. We’ve seen our fair share of lawyer screw-ups lately, but this fairly shady, no? The current import ban on the GalTab is entirely related to design, so the court is truly judging these books by their covers. Presenting evidence that falsely represents the appearance of a product — especially when entire injunction is based solely on hardware/design — is incredibly suspect to say the least. Let’s add to that the fact that Apple had some serious alone time with the judge when presenting this evidence. Meanwhile, Samsung didn’t even have the opportunity to dispute the image. Whether the deception was intentional or not, “complete and truthful” evidence is a requirement in the German court system. At a surface level, this doesn’t look good for Apple. It’s entirely possible that the picture they used of the GalTab was an outdated pre-release image. Even so, the fact that false evidence was submitted at all makes Apple look sneaky and weak. Snweaky. Plus, this “mistake” could change the outcome of the case, according to a PC World interview with Florian Müller, a German IP consultatnt. More on this as it develops.
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| $200k Fundraiser Means SETI Can Listen For Aliens Again Posted: 15 Aug 2011 09:34 AM PDT  Nestled in a field 290 miles northeast of San Francisco, the Allen Telescope Array has been dormant since budget cuts forced the SETI Institute to take the facility offline last April. Instead of continuing the search for extra-terrestrial intelligence, the array’s 42 radio telescopes now dot the landscape like strange ruins of a lost civilization. That was the case, at least, until the SETI Institute announced that thanks to their recent fundraising efforts, the ATA would get a new lease on life next month. $200,000 was raised through the institute’s SETIStars initiative, with names like Jodie Foster and Apollo astronaut Bill Anders popping up on the donor list. An unspecified amount of money will also be supplied by the U.S. Air Force, ensuring another few month’s worth of E.T. searching should the deal go through. It’s a promising re-start for SETI, but there’s no guarantee that the array will keep running. The facility costs an average of $1.5 million to operate each year, with most of its funding coming from government sources. The insitute has already shown that it has some friends with deep pockets, but the array’s future seems shaky past 2011. Fan as I am of all things space-related (and as someone who saw Contact over 12 times), I hope they manage to keep their collective ears to the stars for as long as they can. Searching for extraterrestrial life may seem frivolous to some, but think what a day it would be if those radio telescopes picked up something worth listening to. Unfortunately, the financial reality of the situtation means that dedicated space junkies may have to take what we can get.
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| Qualcomm Explores A New Market: Finding Your Lost Dog Posted: 15 Aug 2011 09:21 AM PDT  Qualcomm. You’ve probably heard of them. Hell, chances are pretty solid that you’ve got a bit of Qualcomm in your pocket right now — if you’ve got any recent, popular Android phone in there, at least. More-likely-than-not, it’s running on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon chipset. Qualcomm has been up to all sorts of fun stuff lately: they’ve got an SDK that makes it feasible for just about any developer to build otherwise insurmountable augmented reality projects, they’re doing all sorts of work around location-based peer-to-peer technology, and now they’re… uh.. building rechargeable GPS collars that help you track down your lost dog. Called the “Tagg”, this thing is being built by one of Qualcomm’s new wholly-owned subsidiaries, Snaptracs.
Oh, and it’s waterproof. As anyone who’s ever had a lost dog come back covered in what seems to be all of the mud in the world could tell you, that’s probably a good idea. The collar’s wireless connectivity is all powered over Verizon’s network. Qualcomm says this thing should launch sometime in September, with 200 bucks nabbing you the collar, charger, and one-year of tracking service. In July 1985, seven industry veterans came together in the den of Dr. Irwin Jacobs' San Diego home to discuss an idea. Those visionaries—Franklin Antonio, Adelia Coffman, Andrew Cohen,...
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| Google / Motorola Deal Doesn’t Guarantee a “Nexus Droid” Posted: 15 Aug 2011 08:17 AM PDT  One of the burning questions we all have after hearing this morning’s news of Google’s $12.5 billion bid for Motorola Mobility is: what does this mean for the next Nexus device? Will Google leverage its acquisition to build Android phones that look and function exactly how Google wants them to, a move that would postion the company to compete more directly with Apple? Or will it continue to anoint one handset maker as the temporary “king” of Android devices through the same process it uses now? According to statements made this morning by Android chief Andy Rubin, it will be the latter. Google doesn’t expect the acquisition to impact the Nexus program and lead device strategy, he said. ”We select, around Christmas-time each year, a manufacturer to release a phone,” explained Rubin. “After the acquisition, Motorola will be a part of that bidding process and lead device process.” Reading between the lines, it seems Rubin is saying that we shouldn’t expect to see a new Nexus-branded “Droid” any time soon, and especially not this winter when the new Nexus device is chosen. That statement seems to jibe with the previous rumors regarding which manufacturer will build the new Nexus phone. Motorola hasn’t even been in the running this year, according to various reports. For example, Android-tracking blog AndroidandMe stated in July that the four manufacturers bidding to build the new Nexus device included Samsung, HTC, Sony Ericsson and LG. There was also a slight possibility of a “surprise” device featuring an Intel CPU. It’s likely that some or all of the above are indeed being evaluated and considered by Google as the new “Nexus,” which will be the first phone to run Android 4.0, aka “Ice Cream Sandwich.” Above: Leaked photos of Android 4.o (reportedly) on Samsung device, Source: Rootzwiki Google Needs to be Careful in Selecting Nexus OEM Nexus-branded smartphones are Google’s flagship devices for Android, meant to show off the newest version of the mobile operating system (OS), without any tampering from device manufacturers and operators. Even though the phones are free from manufacturers’ tinkering – tinkering which OEMs usually promote as a feature, not a drawback – winning the Nexus bid is seen as badge of honor. The Nexus phone is the Android developers’ preferred device, and that’s a market every OEM wants to claim. In fact, HTC CEO Peter Chou likes to boast that his company has the largest group of Android developers outside of Google. Getting developers’ attention through a Nexus device means more potential interest in HTC’s own developer-focused initiatives, like its newly launched HTCDev.com and OpenSense SDK (a kit that lets developers skin their apps to look like they’re a part of HTC’s own user interface). Other manufacturers have similar interests, like Samsung’s push for more Android tablet apps for its Galaxy Tab devices, or Sony Ericsson’s interest in attracting game developers to build for its Xperia PLAY, for example. Then there’s the fact that many consumers, too, have grown to love the Nexus phones, which not only offer the full Google experience, but are also first to get updates and new features as they become available. It’s the early adopters’ preferred device, as it enables them to stay on the cutting edge of mobile technology innovation. That’s also a niche any OEM would want. Making all future Nexus devices Motorola phones could easily anger Google’s Android partners, who will already be nervous about what this acquisition means for them in terms of preferential treatment. Google will have to be careful to not overtly favor Motorola in the Nexus competition, or risk losing its partners to competitors like Microsoft’s Windows Phone, or even HP’s webOS. However, that doesn’t discount the possibility of a Motorola-built Nexus phone (or tablet!) in the future, it just means that this is one area where Google knows it has to step lightly. Motorola is a telecommunications company based in Schaumburg, Illinois. It is a manufacturer of wireless telephone handsets, also designing and selling wireless network infrastructure equipment such as cellular transmission...
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| Imec: Japanese Company Lets Plants Grow On Thin Films Instead Of Soil (Video) Posted: 15 Aug 2011 07:47 AM PDT  Here’s some amazing tech from Japan: Tokyo-based Mebiol is working on an membrane–based plant cultivation technology called Imec that makes it possible to let plants grow on thin film instead of soil. The film is made of a water-absorbent material called hydrogel and is just “tens of microns” thick. Mebiol says that tomatoes, radish, cucumber, melons etc. need up to 80% less water to grow when compared with conventional culture and that 1g of SkyGel (that’s the brand name of the hydrogel) absorbs and holds 100ml of water. In contrast to soil, bacteria or viruses have no chance to harm the plants. Another advantage is that SkyGel can be used on various surfaces, including sand, concrete or ice (see this PDF for examples from recent years). The film can be used to grow plants for 2-3 years before it needs to be replaced, according to the company. This video, shot by Diginfonews in Tokyo, provides more insight (on both the advantages and the disadvantages of Imec):
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| Jim Zemlin on 20 Years of Linux Posted: 15 Aug 2011 07:19 AM PDT  Jim Zemlin, executive director of the non-profit Linux Foundation, has been using Linux for about as long as I have, which is roughly half the time that Linux has been around. I recently spoke with Jim about the Linux Foundation’s upcoming LinuxCon, the history of Linux, and what might be in store for the next twenty years. If you look at the history of computing, we see big established players dominating in their respective spaces, and then slowly wither and in some cases die altogether. 40 years ago computing was all mainframes and UNIX. Then the personal computer era began and desktop operating systems like Microsoft Windows ruled the roost — UNIX and mainframes were still around, but failed to adapt to the sea change in the primary nature of computing. In the last decase, we’ve seen an absolute explosion in mobile computing — Microsoft is still a contender but there’s no denying that they’ve been slow to react to the change in how people use computing devices. Linux, on the other hand, has thrived across all of these platforms. There are many reasons for this, but the fundamental reason for Linux’s longevity is without a doubt its open source roots. Linus Torvalds released Linux under the GNU Public License, allowing people to use it and extend it as they needed, provided they shared their work with the rest of the world. Zemlin digs a little deeper into the long-term value of Linux’s open source nature. According to him, it permits self-forming communities to arise to scratch their own itches. The work of these self-forming communities, and the cross-pollination between them, has given rise to unexpected benefits, where work on X has demonstrably benefitted Y. For example, work on power management in the Linux kernel for embedded devices has demonstrably improved mainframe Linux, where power consumption is a primary cost consideration. In this way, interested parties have been able to build Linux for every conceivable computing platform: from mainframes to desktop computers to telephones to embedded devices inside televisions and automobiles. There may be no incentive for the mainframe Linux folks to work on embedded Linux, but neither is there anything inherent in Linux or its development model that precludes simultaneous development across mulitple hardware platforms. Zemlin had many ready examples of Linux’s adaptability, all of which help ensure it’s relevance today and into the future. Playing devil’s advocate, I suggested to Zemlin that Linux was largely a reactive effort, responding to needs rather than anticipating them and forging new solutions. Zemlin was quick to counter that Linux’s development is absolutely innovative. One needs only look at the phenomenal work in the High Performance Computing market to see examples. Linux dominates 90% of the HPC market, and researchers are constantly finding new ways to make Linux excel in that space. The same holds true for embedded devices, where Linux is the de facto choice. Linux users used to joke about “Linux world domination”. There were all manner of clever and ironic poster images of a gigantic Tux the Penguin looming over Microsoft’s corporate headquarters. These days, Linus Torvalds no longer makes those jokes. According to Zemlin, Linux is “an unstoppable force”: so much of every day life is influenced — directly or indirectly — by Linux. As Zemlin puts it, “Unless you’re Microsoft, Appe or RIM, you’re using Linux.” World domination, indeed. It was suggested that the Linux kernel could be a good predictor of coming technologies. The Linux kernel itself gets new features much more quickly than the various Linux distributions make available. So what’s in the core kernel today will make its way to mainstream distribution in a couple months, as vendors test these new features with the rest of their stack’s components. So if you watch the kernel commits, you’ll get a good idea of where the bulk of Linux computing is headed. Zemlin joked that he expected a number of visible mid-life crises to be on display at this year’s LinuxCon. After all, many of the major names in the open source community have literally grown up with Linux. The Linux Foundation has been working hard to ensure the next generation of innovators are ready to pick up the mantle. This year’s LinuxCon features a student program, including training scholarships for five lucky winners, allowing students the opportunity to learn development methods adn techniques directly from the major luminaries of the open source world. More than just a big group hug to celebrate one another’s achievements, LinuxCon is an opportunity to continually advance Linux development. What might take six months of mailing list back-and-forth can be resolved in person with a five minute chat. Folks can meet like-minded developers working on similar problems to expedite problem solving, share experiences, and improve the overall state of the Linux community, which is every bit as important as the work produced by that community. I’ll be at LinuxCon this year, speaking with developers and executives alike about the past, present and future of Linux. I’ll also be participating in the media panel where other journalists and bloggers will share their perspective on the changing nature of media coverage of Linux over the years. If you’ll be there — or just live in Vancouver — send an email to scottm@techcrunch.com to let me know. I’d love to chat with you.
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| Report: Apple To Build 26 Million iPhone 5 (or whatever it’s called) In The Second Half Of 2011 Posted: 15 Aug 2011 05:56 AM PDT  Apple is gearing up for a big second half of 2011. The computer company is reportedly ramping up iPhone production lines by 12 to 13 percent, which includes orders for the next-gen iPhone, iPhone 3GS and the iPhone 4. Per a supply chain source, industry watchdog DigiTimes is reporting some staggering production numbers. Apparently Apple’s 2H2011 iPhone order is now more than 56 million units, up from 50 million units and 26 just iPhone 5s. Interestingly enough, the time frame for iPhone 5 orders shifted slightly, with the Q3 order decreasing from 7 million units to 5.5 million units while the Q4 order increased from 14 million units to 20 million units. That’s 20 million iPhone 5s. If those are sold at retail, that would eclipses Apple’s blockbuster 2Q2011 sales record when it sold a total of 18.65 million iPhone units. The massive uptick puts Apple on track to come in just below the 100 million mark for 2011. The company sold 34 million iPhones in the first half of the year and those were technically older models even though the Verizon iPhone did give a little boost. Cloud iPhone or not, Apple is expecting the next iPhone to sell like Betty White’s hotcakes.
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