Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google


News Briefs for Tuesday, Nov. 21

Samsung Trims LCD Panels

Small mobile devices may be getting even slimmer in the second half of 2007. Samsung today announced that it's shaved 0.7 mm off the previous record holder for slimmest LCD panel design. The new panels, which will roll out for mass distribution late next year, measure 0.82 mm in depth—about the thickness of a credit card. The company has also announced a new, related technology called i-Lens for mobile phones. With an integrated protective layer, it can allow manufacturers to trim an additional 1.4 mm to 2.4 mm from the thickness of mobile phones. The screens will come in 2.1 inch-diagonal and 2.2-inch-diagonal screen sizes and offer a 240 x 320 resolution, a 300-nit brightness and a 500:1 contrast ratio.

More info:

USRobotics Intros Skype Webcam

USRobotics today began announced the latest addition to its lineup of Skype-enabled electronics: the USR Mini Cam (USR9640). Designed specifically for use with Skype, the USR Mini Cam offers a 1.3 megapixel resolution for captures and supports full-motion video at 30 FPS. It automatically adjusts to low-light conditions and provides manual controls for brightness, saturation, contrast and horizontal and vertical reversing. It also includes earphones and features "face-tracking auto-focus," a digital zoom and a 70-degree viewing angle. The USR Mini Cam is expected to ship in January for $39.99.

More info:

Rustici Allies with Learning.com

Software developer Rustici Software has announced an alliance with Learning.com. Rustici provides tools to help other developers conform to standards for electronic learning, including the SCORM Engine and SCORM Driver. The deal calls for Rustici to help Learning.com "achieve standards conformance in future products."

More info:

Quanta Rolls Out XO Laptops for OLPC

Quanta Computer in Shanghai has produced the first 1,000 laptops for the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) initiative, the organization announced today. These initial units will be used for environmental testing that will "simulate the harsh conditions under which the laptops will ultimately be used." Following this initial phase of testing, units will be distributed to school children in Argentina, Brazil, Libya, Nigeria and Thailand in early 2007 for further testing under "real world" conditions. Following that, mass production is slated to begin in the summer of 2007. The stated objective of OLPC, which was started by MIT faculty, is to "design, manufacture and distribute laptops that are sufficiently inexpensive to provide every child in the world access to knowledge and modern forms of education." The pricing goal for the laptops is $100 initially.

More info:

 

:: READ MORE DAILY NEWS ::

About the author: Dave Nagel is the executive editor for 1105 Media's educational technology online publications and electronic newsletters. He can be reached at [email protected].

Have any additional questions? Want to share your story? Want to pass along a news tip? Contact Dave Nagel, executive editor, at [email protected].

About the Author

David Nagel is the former editorial director of 1105 Media's Education Group and editor-in-chief of THE Journal, STEAM Universe, and Spaces4Learning. A 30-year publishing veteran, Nagel has led or contributed to dozens of technology, art, marketing, media, and business publications.

He can be reached at [email protected]. You can also connect with him on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidrnagel/ .


Featured

  • circuit patterns

    Anthropic Intros Lower-Cost Claude Sonnet 5

    Anthropic has launched Claude Sonnet 5, positioning the model as its most autonomous mid-tier offering to date and a lower-cost alternative to its flagship Opus 4.8 system. The company said the model can plan multi-step tasks, operate tools such as browsers and terminals, and complete agentic work at a level that previously required larger and more expensive models.

  • digital lock

    CoSN: Cybersecurity and Data Privacy Remain Top AI Concerns in Education

    A leading concern for education technology leaders across the United States is the potential for AI to enable new forms of cyber attacks, according to the latest State of Ed Tech report from CoSN.

  • abstract smartphone translucent screen displaying AI interface

    Apple Unveils Redesigned Siri AI

    At its recent Worldwide Developers Conference, Apple announced Siri AI, a redesigned version of its voice assistant that Apple describes in its own announcement as "a profoundly more capable and personal assistant." The update is intended to make Siri more conversational, more context-aware, and more useful across iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and Vision Pro.

  • large cloud icon on the right in an abstract world above a polygon with a dark blue background

    Cloud Security Alliance Expands Agentic AI Governance Work

    The Cloud Security Alliance (CSA) has announced a series of CSAI Foundation milestones aimed at securing what it calls the agentic control plane, including a new catastrophic risk initiative, CVE Numbering Authority authorization, and the acquisition of two agentic AI specifications.