Look out, Bluetooth — Ozmo Devices has its eyes set squarely on you. Okay, so maybe this whole thing isn’t as adversarial as advertised, but there’s no denying that the aforesaid company’s latest initiative will target the exact same devices that BT is embedded within now. Ozmo has announced a partnership with Intel at Computex that will extend the latter company’s Cliffside WiFi Personal Area Network (PAN) technology to “low-power devices.” Essentially, WiFi radios that suck less juice nowadays would take on dual roles — accessing WLAN networks and doing the duties typically reserved for Bluetooth — which would enable devices to have one less component stuffed within bulking things up. As of now, there’s been no takers on the design, but word on the street has Belkin already testing the approach out for kicks and giggles (or maybe something way more serious).

[Via DailyWireless]

Read - Ozmo Devices’ press release
Read - WiFI PAN explained

So, what is the HTC CONV100? Looks like we might finally have our answer after the freakin’ Bluetooth SIG left us all scratching our heads a few months back. The answer lies in this grainy picture that the FCC somehow passes as an official filing document, in this case used to identify the location of the Bluetooth antenna relative to the exterior of the device. Those with sharp memories will recall that this looks suspiciously like the spy picture we saw of the supposed Shadow II for T-Mobile, and the lack of WCDMA 850 / 1900 in the test documentation would certainly jibe with that theory. The white casing looks like it could really pan out, too, so we’re kinda hoping T-Mob ends up offering at least a couple colors when this one inevitably gets official in the next few weeks, months, years, or decades.

[Via Cell Phone Signal]

Honlai may not be a household name just yet, but if it can up the resolution on its minuscule projectors just a hair, there stands a decent chance for it to become one. Details are pretty scarce right now, but we do know that the MP100 LED mini-projector utilizes LCoS micro-projection technology and can throw up a 640 x 480 image between 5- and 37-inches. We’re also hearing that it packs a modest 200:1 contrast ratio and a lamp good for some 20,000 hours of use. Not a peep on pricing / availability, but we’ll be keeping an ear to the ground for more on either.

[Via AboutProjectors]

Although it physically hurts to suffer the synaptic explosions required to slap out yet another netbook post, this one might actually be worth it. Laptop had the chance to go hands-on with the ECS G10IL at Computex and came away impressed by the 10.2-inch “Wind-esque” Atom-based ultra-portable. No price or dates were provided, although with a promised HSDPA data capability we’re not expecting anything close to $300. Hit the read link for plenty of pics and video.

Japan’s third-largest mobile phone operator now has rights to Apple’s iPhone. As has been the norm recently, the announcement is a one-liner without any details related to exclusivity (NTT DoCoMo and KDDI still can has a chanceburger) or model… though it should be noted that Softbank is a W-CDMA (UMTS 3G), not GSM/EDGE carrier. Softbank only says that they’ll be selling the iPhone “later this year.”

Another day, another means of converting waste heat into something decidedly non-wasteful. This one comes to us from the folks at Cyclone, whose self-starting Waste Heat Engine can apparently be powered by virtually any source of waste heat, including exhaust emissions from an internal combustion engine, the “direct burning of biomass,” or even the waste heat from another Waste Heat Engine. The company is also touting the engine’s ability to provide a boost to solar-power generators, with it apparently able to capture heat using inexpensive panels attached to a roof, which Cyclone says could be installed at just 20% of the cost of other systems relying on pricey photovoltaic panels. Of course, there’s no word as to what the Waste Heat Engine itself will cost, or when it’ll be available, but you can check it out in action in the (auto-playing) video after the break.

Investigators crack down on illegal tactics against AMD

South Korean antitrust investigators fined Intel Corp. 26 billion won ($25 million), for illegal rebates and parts discounts to manufacturers on condition that they not buy from rival manufacturer AMD.

The fine, which closely mirrors the outcome of a similar antitrust investigation in Japan in 2005, makes Intel the second major global technology company to be disciplined by South Korea’s Fair Trade Commission, after Microsoft in December 2005.

Intel said it was displeased with the outcome of the order, and is considering appeal.

“We’re disappointed and we completely disagree with the findings,” said Intel’s senior VP and general counsel Bruce Sewell.

South Korean officials hit Intel with antitrust charges last year, working from findings of a two-year investigation wrapped up last September.

Forbes called the rebates a “time-honored practice in the personal computer industry;” identical practices in Europe, the United States, and Japan have since landed the company in considerable hot water. Both European and American investigations are still pending.

In Europe, rumors of a “provisional decision” at the end of last month proved to be false, after European Commission officials dismissed a report that it had gathered sufficient evidence to enter a ruling. Despite that, the Commission promised an antitrust ruling against Intel “as soon as possible,” but refused to provide a specific timeline.

If antitrust rulings against Microsoft are any indication, Korea’s ruling against Intel will be a pittance against the kind of money that European investigators might fine. Antitrust investigations against Microsoft hit the company with a whopping $1.4 billion fine last February – compared to $32 million in South Korea – and EU antitrust rules allow for fines of up to 10 percent of annual sales.

Intel will wait for the dust to settle before it acts, it said, as the official outcome could take between 30 and 60 days and may change significantly during that time. The company can also opt to request reconsideration from the KFTC, or choose to seek a court ruling.

Regardless, Intel denied any wrongdoing with respect to its rebate practices.

“To ask us to cease and desist behavior which we are not doing and never have done is odd,” said Intel representative Nick Jacobs. “We don’t use rebates in an anticompetitive fashion.”

Thompson says You don’t know Jack

Jack Thompson, the infamous attorney that has been a factor in multiple anti-video game lawsuits, reportedly walked out of a hearing before the Florida Bar Association today. Thompson’s hearing went on without him and the Florida Bar Association recommended Thompson be disciplined with an “enhanced disbarment” stipulating that Thompson can’t apply to practice law again for a decade.

The reason Thompson cited for walking out of the courtroom was that Judge Dava Tunis, whom Thompson calls the referee, didn’t have the authority to hear his case. Thompson claims that Tunis has an invalid loyalty oath and that because the oath is invalid Tunis will be removed from office and can’t preside over his Bar hearing. Thompson also claims that Tunis forged a new loyalty oath to cover the fact that her original oath was invalid due to improper wording.

Thompson filed a massive and rambling 14 page document he titled “Thompson’s Formal Objection to June 4 Sanctions “Hearing””. Thompson points out in the opening lines of his objections that, “I depart from the traditional identification of myself, a party herein, in the third person and instead speak in my own voice in the first person directly to the referee.” After all speaking about himself in the first person would make him sound crazy.

In the rambling objection document, Thompson claims that he has been denied is due process by not having the accusations against him made clear “in English any rational person can understand.” Thompson also claims that Tunis leaked the court document outlining that he was found guilty on 27 of the 31 counts raised by the Florida State Bar.

Thompson goes on to compare his quest to confront Howard Stern and his supporters to John the Baptist confronting Herod about marrying his brother’s wife.

The best sentence from the entire rambling document says, “The consequence of all of this post facto oath taking is that all that the Florida Supreme Court has done in this case is invalid and will be voided, and if you think I will not accomplish that end then a) you do not understand the lawsuit already filed, and b) you don’t know Jack.”

The loss of mathematical potential is costing Britain alone billions in productivity, and all signs point to similar slippage in U.S. and elsewhere

A rigorous new study looking at the aptitudes indicated by responses to, formats of, and content presented in math exams from 1951 to 2006 shows a disturbing decline both in standards and an apparently correlated decline in student competence. The study looked at British 16-year old students’ exams and confirmed what many in the educational systems in Britain already recognized — math competency is in an unprecedented weak state. And similar problems appear to be true in the U.S. and elsewhere.

The study says that the immediate effect of this inadequacy is not always readily apparent, but that the grave result is the loss of a generation of mathematicians that could have contributed diversely to the economy. Mathematicians are essential to tackle the more cerebral side of problems in topics as diverse as economics, biology, computer science, and mechanical design. Without these mathematicians, many problems go unsolved or have suboptimal solutions, and this translates to loss in domestic product and standard of living.

Of course such slippage is hard to monitor. However, the decline in abilities is far more visible. Despite government claims that it is carefully protecting standards by government testing of students, much like here in the U.S., the testing standards have been in steady decline, according to the study, since around 1970. Between 1951 and 1970 the study found the standards to be quite high and to demand competency in algebra, arithmetic and geometry, all essential topics. By the 1980s the testers began to try to simplify the test.

The study accuses the math education of being shallower and broader. The questions were easier and less demanding. Worse, it says, students were not allowed to independently formulate paths to solutions, but had to follow a dictated path or risk losing credit. Calculators snuck their way into the allowed list of supplies and formula sheets began to appear. This had a net effect of decreasing students’ basic math knowledge and arithmetic abilities.

Additionally, the actual grades themselves fell. The standard for a C fell to a mere 20% mark on the harder British standardized test. The apparent rise in scores from 1990 to present is “highly misleading” it said. It said this increase is due to easier tests, lower standards, and a cram-and-forget mentality on the part of students just looking to use the test to gain college admittance. Says the study, “Exams have changed from being a staging-post to further study to being a series of ‘tick-boxes’.”

British Deputy director of Reform and a co-author of the report Elizabeth Truss state that the loss of competent mathematicians at the university level is a trend that must be stopped. She states, “In today’s Britain it is acceptable to say that you can’t do maths, whereas people would be ashamed to admit they couldn’t read. We need a cultural revolution to transform maths from geek to chic.”

Schools Minister Jim Knight disputes her remarks saying British standards are world class. Perhaps he’s right, as many say standards are slipping worldwide. Knight was able to point to minor recent improvements. He stated, “Ucas figures show the number of people who took up places on full time maths degrees has gone up by 9.3% on last year. That is good news, but we agree maths is of vital importance to the economy and it is a top government priority to encourage more mathematicians in the future. In addition, we have launched a campaign to encourage more young people to consider careers in maths and science.”

In Britain, where every position has a “shadow” political second in command, Shadow children’s secretary Michael Gove was quick to comment, “India and China are producing four million graduates every year. The single largest area of graduate growth is mathematics, science and engineering. A third of graduates in China are engineers - here it’s just 8%. Between 1994 and 2004, more than 30% of the physics departments in Britain disappeared.”

Liberal Democrat schools spokesman David Laws added, “This is a damning critique of maths education in this country. Our education system is too often failing to get the basics right, which risks damaging the national economy.”

While many in the U.S. remain unconcerned about such developments in Britain, similar signs of slippage are showing up in the U.S. In fact many physics programs in the U.S. are gradually losing funding or disappearing. The last U.S. particle physics lab is on the verge of collapse and is only being kept afloat thanks to private donations. As mentioned, such trends may seem harmless, but promise to greatly harm the world economy.

Oklahoma City network is for City use only

Municipal Wi-Fi networks made big headlines for a while and then when one of the biggest backers of municipal Wi-Fi, EarthLink, pulled out of the service, many urban areas were left without internet access.

Oklahoma City unveiled the world’s largest privately-owned and operated municipal Wi-Fi mesh network this week. The mesh network cost the city $5 million to construct and funds for the construction of the network came from city capital improvement funds and from public safety capital sales tax.

Oklahoma City’s mesh network took over two years to implement and the City says that it uses strong security measures to keep the information sent across the network secure. Unlike the municipal Wi-Fi networks EarthLink was involved with, the Oklahoma City network is not intended to provide internet access to consumers.

The network is used exclusively by City employees to give them access to over 150 different software applications while they are working in the field. Police officers in the field use laptops to connect other network and access criminal information in real time and they can download photos from the network, file reports and do paperwork from their cars.

The network also gives police officers and fire fighters access to live feeds from 300 different cameras around the city. The video access allows first responders to get an idea of the layout and view of areas in the city in route to calls. Fire chiefs can use the network to locate fire hydrants, review site maps and get building floor plans.

The network uses Tropos Networks equipment and covers 555 square-miles with 95% service coverage. Wireless Tropos outers are located on City siren towers, traffic lights, buildings and mobile routers are installed in City vehicles.

Tropos Networks president and CEO Tom Ayers awarded the City of Oklahoma City a plaque in recognition of building the world’s largest municipal broadband network. Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett said, “We’re proud to receive this award and claim this distinction. Our state-of-the-art wireless communication system allows City government to be more efficient and provide a higher level of service to our citizens.”