New image hyperlinking patent comes under fire in online forums

If Vuestar Technologies Pte Ltd, a Singapore-incorporated company, has its way, the World Wide Web could be facing its biggest hurdle to date.

According to an alert from Singapore technology law firm Keystone Law Corporation, Vuestar has been granted a patent that requires Web sites to have a license when they use images to link to another site or Web page.

This patent, which apparently extends beyond the shores of Singapore to include Australia, New Zealand and the US, has caused an uproar in online forums. One member of HardwareZone has even posted images of the invoice which was sent out by the company asking the site affected to pay up the licensing fees.

Vuestar's patent publication number is 95940. For more details, click here for the full report on ZDNet Asia.

Is iSlide going places?

Apple hasn't done us any favors with its popular use of "i" to prefix its model names. Now here's another one for the bandwagon, the iSlide. This doesn't come a hair close to Marty McFly's supercool Hoverboard which we've been patiently waiting to make the leap from reel to real. Still, designer Ofir Tal's concept skateboard is an interesting spin on the skateboard and Segway, as an onboard gyroscope lets the iSlide mimic similar moves to accelerate (leaning forward) and slow down (leaning backward).

The result is a bit of a balancing act, particularly since this zips up to 15kmh on one wheel, with help from the hydrogen fuel cell-powered motor. Built-in lights make this user-friendly for night use, in addition to a rear handle for lugging onto buses and trains. It's been eight months since Tal dreamed this up in college. Now all this needs is a commercial taker to get it on the road.

Via Gizmag

Dutch claim world's first solar speedboat

Boats that run on solar power have been around for a while, but they're usually reserved for touring watercraft and other conveyances designed for a leisurely pace. And that's precisely what makes the Czeers MK1 stand apart from the aquatic crowd.

This Dutch-made prototype is billed as "the world's first solar speedboat," which has reached speeds of up to 30 knots. The 10m boat was built by the Delft Technical University Solarboat Team, which rode it to first place in the 2006 Nuon Frisian Solar challenge, according to Gizmag.

Its success was attributed in no small part to its lightweight carbon-fiber shell, as well as 14sqm of solar panels that power an 80-kilowatt motor. But the MK1's design is anything but utilitarian, featuring a touchscreen LCD control system and full leather trim--in bright orange, no less. (It is Dutch, after all.)

Via CNET Crave

James Cameron: 3D heading beyond movies

REDMOND, Wash.--Filmmaker James Cameron sees the world in stereo. So does everyone else, though, and that's exactly his point.

"When you are viewing in stereo, which is what we do," Cameron said, "more neurons are firing. More blood is pumping through the brain."

Cameron has been a big proponent of making movies in 3D, but he said that the digital projectors going into movie theaters are capable of showing more than just movies. Cameron's talk came as part of Microsoft's Advance 08 advertising conference, which runs through Wednesday.

"That digital image can be live," Cameron said. "That digital image can be 3D."

He suggested such locations can show live sports and events, alongside impressive travelogues and other content.

"We're not quite there but we are on the cusp of that and people need to have a strategy for it," he said.
Read more »

Wafer-thin: Samsung's OLED laptop prototype

This picture of a Samsung OLED laptop prototype raises more questions than it answers. Just how thin and light is it? Is touch-typing possible on that keyboard? Where's the mouse pad? What's that panel behind the display? Why is the woman pictured on the display checking her pulse? When can I have one?

What a translated-from-the Korean Samsung page does reveal is that it's an AMOLED (active matrix organic light-emitting diode) laptop prototype that Samsung's display division developed for the Society for Information Display's gathering in Los Angeles next week. According to Samsung, the prototype features a 12.1-inch screen with a 1,280x768 resolution. Perhaps we'll be able to glean more information next week when the display scientists, engineers, and manufacturers get together. As for when we might see this product on store shelves, Samsung has previously stated it'll start rolling out OLED TVs, monitors, and laptops in 2009.

Via Crave CNET | Source: Engadget

Crave is...

The name says it all. Crave is our blog about cool gadgets and other crushworthy stuff.

Drop us an email if you have tips or suggestions.

Crave for...

» Mobile Phones (2154)

» Digital Cameras (948)

» Notebooks (1206)

» PC & Peripherals (1278)

» Handhelds (579)

» Printers (78)

» Home AV (1100)

» Music & Play (873)

» Gadgets (1446)

» Future Tech (379)

» Green Tech (166)

» Lifestyle (142)

» Luxury (22)

» Home Appliances (56)

» Cars (97)

» Games and Gear (226)

» Software (83)

» Web (89)

Previously...

2009

2008

2007

2006

2005

2004

Hot Topics

Subscribe to
Crave

What's Hot

apple apple inc. apple iphone apple ipod asia battery camera game google inc. iphone microsoft corp. microsoft windows mobile phone photograph singapore smart phone software sony corp. video

Today on CNET |  Reviews |  Crave |  Blogs |  CNET TV |  Digital Living |  Downloads