Sometimes it’s not always good to have top leadership from one technology company serving on the board of another. That’s especially true when the two companies suddenly end up being competitors. That seems to be the situation for Google’s CEO Eric Schmidt who also serves on the Apple board.

As reported by AppleInsider, Schmidt sometimes has to excuse himself from board meetings when discussions begin on the iphone. This is because Google is heading the development of an open source mobile operating system called Android, which will compete directly against the iPhone. At least right now, Schmidt doesn’t believe he will need to resign from the Apple board even when Android is released.

I have a little bit of a hard time believing that Schmidt will never be forced to resign from the Apple board. If competition between the Android operating system and the iPhone heat up I would assume Google, as well as Apple shareholders, will demand Schmidt resign. Considering the fact it may take some time for the Android operating system to gain market share; it may be a while before Schmidt would be asked to step down.

Read more from the AppleInsider website.

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by Darren Murph, posted Jun 12th 2008 at 11:00AM
See that image above? Yeah, that’s a sexy new side angle of RIM’s BlackBerry Bold, and it’s coming to us courtesy of AT&T. Just as Sprint did with its fashionable Instinct, AT&T is launching a promotional site for the forthcoming blackberry in order to drum up interest and get you (re)informed. Straight from the carrier’s mouth, we’ve got GPRS / EDGE / UMTS / HSDPA support, integrated WiFi / GPS, 480 x 320 resolution display, a side-loaded memory slot, 1GB of built-in storage, a 624MHz CPU, 128MB of Flash memory, Bluetooth 2.0 with handsfree support and up to 5-hours of GSM talk time (13 days in standby). You’ll notice that the operator makes no mention of an exact release date, but we’re crossing our fingers and sticking to that leaked July timeframe until we hear otherwise.

[Thanks, Daryl]

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Nokia’s 1508 cell phone isn’t anything fancy, as it is but a basic candy bar handset that will function over the CDMA network. You get the following :-

• Lightweight candy bar design
• Easy key pad dialing
• Integrated FM radio
• Color LCD display

No idea on how much this will cost, but it will definitely be very popular in emerging countries where the basic pay isn’t enough to purchase a high end gizmo, let alone a fancy cell phone. I trust this one will be able to take its fair share of knocks as well without any problems.

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Long ago, Pluto was a planet. We all learned that in grade school (unless you were born in the 90s, I suppose), and it stuck with us until two years ago when it was demoted to “dwarf planet” status. Those of us that used mnemonics to remember all of the planets years and years ago (My Very Excellent Mother Just Sent Us Nine Pizzas) will be delighted to learn that while Pluto isn’t coming back, it is going to be honored in another way.

The International Astronomical Union has decided to name any planetoid that spends its time outside of Neptune’s atmosphere a ‘plutoid’ from now on. After two years of wallowing in uncertainty, I’m sure that Pluto is proud to have the new classification. The scientists that were part of the naming process wanted something that clearly gave homage to the fallen planet, but could also be used for other planetoids of the same type.

There are key requirements for becoming a plutoid - the object must reside in a certain part of space and be minimum brightness. Minimum brightness is a term that comes, literally, from how bright the object appears. The brightness depends on what covers the planetoid, so the ice that covers Pluto means that it can be a plutoid, but if it were covered in rock, it would not even earn its own namesake.

While it’s never going to come back as a planet, I think we can all welcome Pluto back in its new position, even if it’s been demoted.

Read more at the International Astronomical Union, found via New Scientist

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Doro has a couple of new GSM cell phones that target the older generation - this time round both handsets will feature some updated specifications in order to keep up with the times. According to Doro, the HandleEasy 330gsm will feature large buttons and a high contrast color display, boasting SMS support, an integrated FM radio, a torch, a vibrating ringer and a speakerphone for hands-free communication. As for the Doro HandleEasy 326gsm, that model will feature a 100 name/number directory, a clear display and SMS support. The latter will cost £99.99 while the former is more expensive at £129.99.

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by Donald Melanson, posted Jun 12th 2008 at 1:46PM LG has just announced what it claims to be the “world’s most energy-efficient monitor,” and it looks like it’s been able to lay claim to that (potentially dubious) title without making too many compromises on specs. That includes a 22-inch screen size with a 1680 x 1050 resolution, a lofty 10,000:1 contrast ratio, a 2 ms response time, a 170 degree viewing angle, and a 250cd/m2 brightness rating, all while supposedly maintaining a 45% (or roughly 40W) reduction power consumption compared to other models. No word on a price, unfortunately, but the Flatron W2252TE will apparently be available in the UK this August.

[Via Smart Planet, thanks Adam]

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It’s official, Firefox 3 will be available on June 17th. During our test of the beta, we saw that overall performance and memory usage were much better than version 2. Now, we hope that our favorite plug-ins will be available on the same day!

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How cool would it be to have a self-stirring mug? They’ve been around for a while already, but at least it makes for a more unique gift for dad compared to yet another tie or belt. The Gevalia Stir Mug might send the wrong message to sour-faced dads though, as they think that you have a lazy viewpoint about them. Still, I would appreciate a gift like this since I hate how the sediments of a drink settles at the bottom whenever a once-hot beverage turns cold. TheGevalia Stir Mug is powered by a couple of AA batteries, retailing for $19 a pop (or you can get a couple for $33).

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Above is a pair of special kicks for those of you who like to find the latest HotSpots. No more pulling out a computer or even a WiFi signal detector for you. When you want to connect wirelessly to the Internet, now all you have to do is look down at your feet.

They are called WiFi Snooping Sneakers and its a simple enough concept. A WiFi detector has been installed in the flap of the shoe that flashes LEDs when there is no signal and when there is a signal detected, the LEDs light up solid.

Nice idea - but I see one simple drawback. Unless you are in grade school, shoes with lights are going to attract attention. Considering these WiFi Snooping Sneakers were probably made to make HotSpot searches a little more clandestine, the flashing lights on your shoes actually defeat (no pun intended) the purpose.

Read more at MSTRPLN.com, found via DVICE.

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In a rather convenient fit of selective blindness, Iameco (geddit?) claims that its “Sarah” PC case is somehow eco-friendly. Why? because it “contains none of the toxins that have traditionally been used in computer manufacture”.

Skipping over the fun thought that toxins are a “traditional” ingredient for computers, somehow tossed in like a legacy PS/2 socket, we get to the ecological hypocrisy. The Sarah is fashioned from Ebony, a wood which is, according to Greenpeace, quite rare:

Ebony trees in virtually all regions have become endangered through over exploitation and some are already extinct.

Hopefully Iameco’s €1000 ($1544) box is only using a thin veneer of the endangered hardwood. It certainly wouldn’t be the only part of the machine that is skin-deep: the specs, too, are similarly shallow: Intel Core Duo processor, 2GB RAM, a 400GB hard drive and a TV and satellite tuner card (for watching nature documentaries, we presume).

It comes paired with a wooden keyboard and mouse, too, although sadly the keys are not made of ivory.

Product page [Iameco via Crave]

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