Microsoft Down Compared To Last Year - 1st Time In 23 Years

The world's largest software maker, Microsoft, announced Thursday that its quarterly revenue fell in comparison to the previous year, a first in the company's 23-year history. The news proves that the software giant is not immune to the economic troubles seen globally and the outlook appears to be uncertain “I didn't see any improvement at the end of the quarter that gives me encouragement that we're at the bottom and coming out of it,” said Chris Liddell, Microsoft's chief financial officer. Both the Windows and Office divisions of Microsoft saw profits and revenues drop.

Source: Globe and Mail.

iPhone Sales Strong In Weak Economy

Apple Inc. reported Wednesday that it had sold nearly 3.8 million iPhones in its second quarter, ended March 28th. Both revenues and profits for the quarter were up for the company with iPhones and iPods leading the way, computer sales were down 3% from 2008 figures. "We are extremely pleased to report the best non-holiday quarter revenue and earnings in our history," Peter Oppenheimer, CFO, said in a news release. Investors reacted on the news with Apple stock jumping $2.75 to $124.26.

A New And Improved Asimo

Honda's famous robot "Asimo" is growing up and learning as he goes... check out this impressive video of the little guy acquiring knowledge via sight and verbal queues. He's come a long way from simply walking about and climbing on stairs.

Stephen Hawking Hospitalized

Famed Physicist and mathematician Stephen Hawking has been admitted to hospital in Cambridge England where he is said to be "very ill".

"He is undergoing tests," said Gregory Hayman, University of Cambridge head of communications.

"He has been unwell for a couple of weeks."

Hawking, one of the world's most renowned scientists, suffers from a disease that damages the motor neurons in his brain and spinal cord is said to be fighting a severe chest infection.

Source: CBC

1000 Frames Per Second HD = Amazing!

Check out this amazing High Def video captured at 1000 frames per second by Vimeo user David Coiffier.


I-Movix SprintCam v3 NAB 2009 showreel from David Coiffier on Vimeo.

Thanks to Geeks are Sexy for the find.

iPhone - iPod Touch Becoming Part Of Soldiers Kit

According to News Week the U.S. military is turning to Apple to help equip it's soldiers with portable computing devices in the form of heavy duty iPhones and iPod Touches.

"Using a commercial product for such a crucial military role is a break from the past. Compared with devices built to military specifications, iPods are cheap. Apple, after all, has already done the research and manufacturing without taxpayer money. The iPod Touch retails for under $230, whereas a device made specifically for the military can cost far more. (The iPhone offers more functionality than the iPod Touch, but at $600 or $700 each, is much more expensive.) Typically sheathed in protective casing, iPods have proved rugged enough for military life. And according to an Army official in Baghdad, the devices have yet to be successfully hacked.

The iPod also fulfills the U.S. military's need to equip soldiers with a single device that can perform many different tasks. Apple's online App Store offers more than 25,000 (and counting) applications for the iPhone and iPod Touch, which shares the iPhone's touchscreen. As the elegantly simple iPods—often controlled with a single thumb—acquire more functionality, soldiers can shed other gadgets. An iPod "may be all that they need," says Lt. Col. Jim Ross, director of the Army's intelligence, electronic warfare and sensors operations in Fort Monmouth, New Jersey."

And let's not forget you can play all of your tunes and movies too...

Rise Of The Smart Phone

According to Samsung Mobile Display, a Samsung Electronics company, the global smart phone market is anticipated to grow to 500 million units in 2012 up from 170 million in expected this year. The display maker also expects touchscreens to be used in about 50 per cent of major portable devices – mobile phones, digital cameras, navigations and digital media players – to be sold in 2013. This despite an overall slowing of the mobile market globally.

Source: The Globe and Mail.