News 04.04.2006

Mobile News
Antonio Gomes has been working to get Minimo working on the 770 lately, and has made great strides in getting us a usable version of the browser. There's still some work to be done on making it easier to run without using the command line, but I think his project is coming along quite nicely. Be sure to check out his current .deb if you are interested in testing it a bit.

Interesting information over at The Register about Fujitsu's UMPC concept. This is one of the most logical UMPC designs that I have seen yet. It's not perfect, and not likely to replace my 770 with its CD size, but that fold-out keyboard idea looks good. It appears as if some simple functions can possibly be used even when the keyboard is closed. All in all, this is the kind of variety the newly emerging UMPC market needs to retain the interests of potential buyers as well as the media.

News of an Opera browser for the Nintendo DS launching in June in Japan caught my attention over at Tech Digest recently. Good for Opera, Good for Nintedo. I still think the idea of having to pay any extra money to be able to browse the web on a device that has built-in WiFi. Is it just me?

Internet News
There's a very interesting article by Om Malik about the power of URLs. The very simplicity of the URL concept, I think, is what makes it such a powerful and necessary element in networking and web technology. The idea that if it is "out there" you can "link to it" is one that has been taken for granted by this generations of web developers and designers as well as big media companies. What is still amazing to me is how quickly you can build a useful site on little more than links to other useful websites and media. The URL has been the core of Internet ethics discussion for some time, and has been one that blurs the laws between reality and cyberspace time and time again. In the end however, the URL is just another standard tool available to anyone who knows how to use it. Just as cut/copy/paste, delete, and print are tools that right or wrong can and will be used by anyone for as long as the computer exists.

Podcast Links:
UMPC Cast Podcast #4
Buzz Out Loud - 04.04.06
Engadget #74 - 04.04.06