Bluetooth 2.2 is likely 3.0 instead

Last week, we posted a story that Bluetooth 2.2 is to be released in mid-2009. We received a follow-up call from Bluetooth SIG informing us that it was inaccurate, and that the IMS Research analyst report was a little misleading. Well, now Wireless Week has an article quoting Bluetooth SIG's Mike Foley as saying that the next version of Bluetooth will likely be 3.0 instead of 2.2, and will sport faster overall speeds and connection times.

We also received a follow-up e-mail from IMS Research that said that 2.2 will offer faster data rates, but Bluetooth 3.0 (or High Speed Bluetooth) is the true upgrade due to support for WLAN and UWB (known as Bluetooth 10x and Bluetooth 100x, respectively). No word on the release of Bluetooth 3.0 (mid-2009 seems to be a mistake as well), as they're still working on it.

We made a call to Bluetooth SIG to confirm these facts, but have yet to receive a reply. We will update this entry if we hear anything different.

Via CNET Crave | Photo credit: Bluetooth SIG

Billionth Logitech mouse scampers off assembly line

Hunting down mice isn't our personal idea of fun, but this mouse mission might not be so eek-worthy. Logitech has launched a contest in the US inviting people to track its billionth mouse shipped, a milestone announced Wednesday.

A PR stunt to be sure, but also a nice chance to reflect on Logitech's 20-plus highly successful years in the mouse-making business (check out this cool PDF of Logitech mice that never made it out of the lab--hockey puck design, anyone?).

But back to the billionth mouse. The milestone mouse's journey will be chronicled on Logitech's blog, Blogitech. Each day, the notable mouse (named Billie, naturally) will post online mouse-related questions. Get a question right and you can enter a daily drawing to win a Logitech product.
Read more »

ASUS to offer Celeron-based Eee Box

If you're a regular Crave reader, you know about the runaway popularity of the ASUS Eee PC, the grandfather of the Netbook category. But the company's attempts to roll that success into a small-form-factor desktop, the Eee Box, have thus far fallen flat.

That hasn't stopped the company from trying to make a splash in the so-called Nettop category. According to a report in DigiTimes, ASUS is readying a new version of the Eee Box that will feature a budget-minded Celeron 220 CPU instead of the Intel Atom found in earlier versions. ASUS will also increase the hard-drive space in the new model, going from 80GB to 120GB.

According to the report, the processor change will drop the cost of the Eee Box to US$240. The company seems to be hoping the lower price point will present a better value proposition than the previous version, which at US$350 couldn't compete with similarly low-cost desktops and laptops.

Via Crave CNET

Apple suggests Mac users install antivirus software

In what appears to be a first, Apple is recommending that Mac users install antivirus software.

But don't read this as an admission that the Mac operating system is suddenly insecure. It's more a recognition that Mac users are vulnerable to Web application exploits, which have replaced operating system vulnerabilities as the bigger threat to computer users.

Apple quietly signaled its shift with an item titled Mac OS: Antivirus utilities posted on its Support Web site November 21: "Apple encourages the widespread use of multiple antivirus utilities so that virus programmers have more than one application to circumvent, thus making the whole virus writing process more difficult."

The item offers three software suggestions: Intego VirusBarrier X5 and Symantec Norton Anti-Virus 11 for Macintosh, both available from the Apple Online Store, and McAfee VirusScan for Mac.
Read more »

The information flow from Mumbai

As the tragic events unfolded in Mumbai, India, the Internet backchannel came to the foreground with messages, photos, and videos from the masses using Twitter, Flickr, YouTube and so-called citizen reporting sites such as Global Voices, as well as CNN and NDTV.

The terrorist attacks have left more than 100 dead and several hundred wounded in Mumbai, the country's financial center.


As you would expect, the flow of information has been chaotic and potentially unreliable,
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