First Google Android Phone September 23rd In US

American cellphone provider T-Mobile will unveil the first Google Android phone on September 23rd with the first devices being available some time in October. The offering will put Google head to head with Apple's iPhone and Research in Motion's Blackberry line. The device is manufactured by Taiwan's HTC and operates on Google's Android cellphone platform. This first offering is likely to be followed by devices for others in Google's Open Handset Alliance, including Motorola and Samsung. CBC Story here.

Student Faces Charges After Revealing Security Hole

A 20-year-old Carleton University student, Mansour Moufid, has been charged under the Criminal Code with mischief to data and unauthorized use of a computer after a letter was sent to the university with a list of the students' accounts and their passwords. The letters author claimed he easily broke into student accounts using a keystroke logging program. According to the Ottawacitizen.com "The breach allowed access to the Campus Cards that students use as debit cards for campus purchases, including photocopiers, food kiosks and the bookstore." It seems the student was trying to make a point about the IT departments security procedures, looks like they didn't take kindly to his constructive criticism!

Text Messages Being Sought By Train Wreck Investigators

Federal investigators say they are seeking the cell phone records of two teenagers and the deceased engineer of a commuter train involved in a collision with a freight train on Friday. The accident has left 25 dead and more than 130 passengers injured. The teens, who are train enthusiasts, came forward to say that they had been texting the engineer prior to the collision. "We have been in contact with them and their families. They have been fully cooperative," Kitty Higgins of the National Transportation Safety Board told reporters. "We are going to be obtaining records from their cell phones and of the deceased ... to begin to determine what might have happened and what if any role [cell phones] might have played in this accident." No cell phone was found on or near the dead engineer. CNN Story here.

Another Seinfeld And Gates Commercial - The Simple Life?

Here is another Jerry and Bill commercial that at least attempts to give us a hint at what they are up to, I'm a little less confused by this one. It seems both Seinfeld and Gates are attempting to connect with the real world, as Jerry says to Bill "You and I are a little out of it. You’re living in some kinda moon house hovering over Seattle like the mother ship. I’ve got so many cars I get stuck in my own traffic. We need to connect with real people."

G4's Tech News Countdown

Allison Haislip brings us the top 5 tech news stories of the week in Tech News Countdown. It's brief but covers the big stories in true G4 style. I prefer a little more commentary but this is a decent wrap up. Check it out.

Sticky Note Performance Art

More fun from the folks at Eepybird.com! Check it out...

EepyBird's Sticky Note experiment from Eepybird on Vimeo.

Program TiVo From Your Blackberry

In one of several press releases from Research In Motion yesterday, the Blackberry manufacturer announced a new partnership with TiVo! "TiVo subscribers will soon be able to wirelessly control their TiVo DVRs using a BlackBerry smartphone - anytime, anywhere - and that is a powerful example of how our respective technologies can complement each other to serve our mutual customers," said Jim Balsillie, Co-CEO of Research In Motion. The initial offering allows subscribers to both services to discover what's on television and schedule recordings "while away from the living room and on the go." Tom Rogers, CEO and President of TiVo Inc said "RIM and TiVo share a commitment to great user experiences, which cause our products to become seamlessly integrated into the consumer's lifestyle. We also share a vision for the future of mobile entertainment services and we look forward to a variety of future innovations as a result of this relationship." Now if only the Blackberry could control the popcorn maker...

Canadian Politicians Turn To Twitter During Election

As Canadians prepare to go to the polls on October 14th, Canadian politicians are using every means at their disposal to get their message out. These days that means they are turning more and more to the Internet in an attempt to be heard and appear relevant. Most recently, with the call of the election, I've discovered a number of Canadian politicians who have chosen to follow the likes of Barak Obama and try their hands at Twitter, or so it would seem. As of this morning @PMHarper has made 10 tweets and has attracted 454 followers, NDP leader @jacklayton has made 16 tweets and attracted 467 followers, while Liberal leader @stephanedion posted a single tweet a year ago and has racked up 53 followers. It doesn't appear as though many Canadian voters have migrated to twitter or perhaps they just don't want their social networks infiltrated by election talk? In any event it will be interesting to see who uses the medium effectively and whether or not the numbers reflect the popularity of the parties or their leaders. If this is the case we may be in for some interesting results!

Slim Is In At Apple

Preparing for the holiday season, Apple has introduced new thin iPods including a new Nano that features a "shake to shuffle" mode allowing you to give the device a shake in order to shuffle the play list. According to the BBC "...Mr Jobs unveiled Apple's new Genius function which allows users to create automatic playlists from the iPod's library with the click of a button." the genius function is available on both the Nano and on a new improved iPod Touch that also includes volume buttons on the outside of the case and an external speaker for casual listening. "These are evolutionary products with some revolutionary new features," Michael Gartenburg, vice president of Jupiter Media told the BBC. "Apple has done it again. They have reinvented the line in a way to capture mainstream consumers' hearts and minds and doing at a price point that is extremely affordable."

Google To Scan Newspapers And Make Archive Available

Google has launched a new initiative that sees them working with newspaper publishers to to make more old newspapers accessible and searchable online. According to the official Google blog "You’ll be able to explore this historical treasure trove by searching the Google News Archive or by using the timeline feature after searching Google News. Not every search will trigger this new content, but you can start by trying queries like [Nixon space shuttle] or [Titanic located]." Currently the project has the support of The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Pittsburgh Post Gazette, and the Quebec Chronicle-Telegraph the oldest newspaper in North America having been publishing continuously for more than 244 years. It's a blast looking back into the past to see what was making news, and the old Blondie cartoons are a hoot!