Sun to Bring Java to the iPhone via the SDK

Apple gave Sun kind of the cold shoulder, not giving them the opportunity to put Java on the iPhone for Java apps. Now that the SDK is out, Sun's decided to just take matters into their own hands and prep a Java Virtual Machine for the device that'll allow Java applets to run on it. The JVM for iPhone will be based on Java Micro Edition, allowing apps like games and enterprise applications. You know, uh, all the stuff we've been clamoring for. I guess. Well, I'm sure at least a couple of interesting programs will come out of this, right? We'll see how Apple handles Sun sneaking Java onto the iPhone this way.

 

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Hitachi joins IBM's quest for sub-32nm semiconductor technology

As of this morning you can add Hitachi to the list of cohorts IBM has gathered in its quest for sub-32nm circuitry. Hitachi's 2-year semiconductor research agreement -- a first between IBM and Hitachi -- puts them under a loose-knit alliance with AMD, Chartered, Freescale, Infineon, Samsung, Sony, Toshiba and STMicroelectronics. The notable, non-member here is of course, Intel; that little company making "45-nm processes" and "Hi-K metal gate" house-hold terms amongst geeky, type-A adopters of consumer electronics. Yes, we're looking at you.

 

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Gigabyte's Cool Rain Memory Cooler Was Blade Runner Prop in Past Life

OK, Gigabyte's Cool Rain Memory Cooler was never featured in Blade Runner, but just look at it. Surely, it must be the most awesome way to bring some cool to your memory. Using a water based cooling system, the Cool Rain unit, which we me ntioned earlier, can accommodate memory in dual channel form, has a radiator that flips open, uses two heat spreader units that ensure efficient cooling and also has an obligatory blue LED, which gives that futuristic look we wished our sneakers would have. (Yes, L.A Lights rocked.) The Cool Rain unit supports both single and dual sided RAM, while the ultra slim pump and water tank add to its unnecessarily showy design. Naturally, we'd let Gigabyte's Cool Rain fill our memories with watery cooling events any day.

 

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Samsung's 500GB 2.5-inch drive arrives, alongside 22X DVD burner

Samsung promised it was coming in March, and here she blows. The Spinpoint M6 is the first standard-height 500GB 2.5-incher available, at a lean 9.5mm, meaning you can cram it into most existing laptops unlike the 2.5-inch 500 giggers from Fujitsu and Hitachi. Samsung's using some Perpendicular Magnetic Recording tech to cram everything in, stuffing three 167GB platters into the 5400rpm drive. The M6 goes for $299 and is shipping now. If DVD burning is more your pace, Samsung also just announced an "industry fastest" 22X DVD burner, the SH-S223. The SATA drive can stamp a 4.7GB disc in 12 minutes, and does dual-layer discs at a respectable 16X. No word on price yet for that one.

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Microsoft talks Blu-ray support

Microsoft backed Toshiba's HD DVD in its losing effort against Sony's Blu-ray in the next-gen disc format wars, but it doesn't appear to be holding grudges. At the company's Mix08 Internet conference in Las Vegas yesterday, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer confirmed that Microsoft will be working with Blu-ray, according to a Seattle Post-Intelligencer report.

"We've already been working on, for example, in Windows, device driver support for Blu-ray drives and the like, and I think the world moves on," Ballmer said. "Toshiba has moved on. We've moved on, and we'll support Blu-ray in ways that make sense." The report doesn't mention the Xbox 360 or the hypothetical Blu-ray add-on that has been rumored of, hinted at, and reported on.

As of press time, Microsoft had not returned requests for comment on the issue in light of Ballmer's presentation. However, the company had already addressed the possibility of an Xbox 360 Blu-ray drive earlier this week, with a representative saying, "We have made no such announcement. Games are what are driving consumers to purchase game consoles, and we remain focused on providing the largest library of blockbuster games available."

 

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ESA launches automated spacecraft

The European Space Agency launched its first-ever automated supply ship from French Guiana Sunday to rendezvous with the International Space Station.
Named after the French science-fiction genre pioneer, Jules Verne, the automated transfer vehicle entered a low Earth orbit to eventually dock with the ISS on April 3, the European Space Agency said in a release.
The launch occurred early Sunday morning from the Space Center in South America using a specially-adapted Ariane rocket to handle the 20-ton payload.
The resupply vehicle will dock with the space station automatically, deliver fuel and other supplies, and leave the station in August burning up in the atmosphere upon its descent.

 

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