Schaap managed to get OS X Snow Leopard “booting into a multi-user prompt” on the Marvell chipset, though there were lingering hardware issues that persisted. In the process, he needed to build a filesystem and kernelcache from the ground up, as well as work around old code in the existing ARMv5 branch of XNU.

A proper release, he suggested, would first require significant reworking of elements of code, along with new drivers to “fully utilize the potential” of Apple’s hardware. Apps themselves would also need to be re-written – or ported from ARM-based platforms – as well.

Nonetheless, it adds to ongoing suspicions that Apple is at least considering using ARM-based chips – such as the company’s own A5 and upcoming A6, as currently used in the iPad 2 and iPhone 4S – in notebooks as well as tablets and phones. At least one prototype MacBook Air running on an Apple A5 chipset has been reported, performing ”better than expected”, though it was not specified whether it was running iOS or OS X.

[via Apple Insider]

Line art shows a tablet style controller that has some kind connectivity with a sensor on top of the TV. The set-top sensor connects to the console, which looks very much like the current Nintendo Wii in the artwork. Making things even odder, one of the pictures with the patent shows what appears to be the gamer turned into a robot with a laser gun in the tablet controller screen. The smart thing would be to use the PS Vita rather than some other controller, which is what this patent appears to be showing.

Engadget reports that patent text outlines a “position-dependent gaming, 3-D controller, and handheld as a remote,” that acts like an “input for video game.”" I really don’t want to make this; it is very odd. I am not surprised Sony is trying to go this route; it doesn’t want to be left out on a new and hot feature that Nintendo will be using. What do you think? This could be part of that Sony four screen strategy.

[via Engadget]

According to the company, the quartz crystal that the Raspberry Pi board was designed to use was readily available in UK, but over in China where the device is manufactured it was hard to find. The manufacturer is finally putting the boards together after getting a supply of the crystals. The first batch of boards is expected to be finished on February 20.

After the boards are complete, they will be shipped over to the UK where they will be available for purchase shortly thereafter. Another interesting piece of news has been offered up as well. Broadcom has published a datasheet on the BCM2835 SoC that is used inside the Raspberry Pi. Those of you out there dying to learn more details about the SoC can grab the datasheet, which describes the ARM peripherals inside the chip in PDF form here. We mentioned that the Raspberry Pi would be running a custom version of the XBMC software not long ago.

Currently, Samsung Mobile Display is jointly owned by Samsung Electroncs, with 64.4-percent, and Samsung SDI, holding the minority 35.6-percent. The joint-venture is unlisted on the stock exchange, but operates semi-independently, supplying not only Samsung Electronics but other companies with AMOLED displays.

That could change, at least partly, if Samsung Electronics decides to bring the display business in-house. Such a move with give the company even more choice for the first-pick of new panel technologies, and allow it to better control the access of rivals to the screens.

As the smartphone and tablet markets heat up, that advantage could see Samsung extend its lead in the Android segment, as well as better challenge high-profile rivals like the iPhone. Apple has already shown how tight control over the supply-chain can work to a firm’s advantage; now Samsung looks to be following in those footsteps.

[via OLED-Info]

However, there’s no AT&T branding to be seen on this white Lumia 900, lending weight to speculation that Nokia will indeed be selling it – probably without LTE, however – outside of the US. That’s no bad thing, as the 4.3-inch phone has a great ClearBlack AMOLED display, 8-megapixel camera and a front-facing camera, along with a bigger, 1,830mAh battery than its Lumia 800 sibling.

Exactly when the international Lumia 900 will be confirmed is unclear, though with Mobile World Congress fast approaching there’s plenty of reason to assume it may be brought out into the light in Barcelona at the end of the month. Some UK retailers have already started listing it as a June release.

Meanwhile there’s also talk of an improved Lumia 910 complete with a 12-megapixel camera. That’s been tipped to arrive in May 2012.

[via WMPoweruser]

PowerShot SX260 HS – 12.1-megapixel CMOS and 20x optical zoom with optical image stabilization. 1.29-inches thick. Supports 1080p Full HD video recording and GPS phototagging. 10.3fps burst mode. Ships March 2012 for $349.99.

PowerShot D20 – 12.1-megapixel CMOS and 5x optical zoom in waterproof, shock-proof and freeze-proof body. Full HD video recording and GPS integration for location tagging. 3-inch preview display. Ships May 2012 for $349.99.

PowerShot A4000 IS – 16-megapixel sensor, optical image stabilization and 8x optical zoom. 3-inch preview display. Ships February for $199.99.

PowerShot A3400 IS – 16-megapixel sensor, optical image stabilization and 5x optical zoom. 3-inch touchscreen with touch-focus and touch-shutter. Ships March for $179.99.

PowerShot A2400 IS / A2300 – 5x optical zoom and 2.7-inch display. A2400 IS adds optical image stabilization. A2400 IS due March for $159.99; A2300 due March for $149.99.

PowerShot A1300 – Optical viewfinder along with 2.7-inch LCD. 5x optical zoom and uses AA batteries. Due April for $199.99.

PowerShot A810 – 5x optical zoom and 2.7-inch LCD. Uses AA batteries. Due April for $109.99.

For obvious reasons, the new Skyrim Workshop and Creation Kit are available exclusively on the PC version of Skyrim. The former, the Workshop, is a digital storefront where users can browse mods that other users have created. There is also a rating and feedback system in place so users can find the best and most popular mods in an instant. The best part – they’re all free.

And for those who would rather be the ones on the creation side of things, the Creation Kit for Skyrim makes the process much easier. Previously, it was possible to make custom mods for the game but it was somewhat of a pain. With Creation Kit, there’s a scene editor that makes it easy to create high-quality interactions between players and NPCs, and add create much more professional custom content. Bethesda is known for opening its doors to modders, so we knew this was only a matter of time. And now, that time has come.

[via PC World]

Some headlines regarding the new report claim that “only” 8.5% of Internet downloads and uploads come from smartphones. From our perspective, though, the word “only” is a complete misnomer. Just look back one year – StatCounter’s version of this same study one year ago found that 4.3% of Internet usage came from mobile, and in 2009 the number was 1.6%. So in the span of just two years, mobile Internet usage has increased more than five-fold. That’s pretty impressive if you ask us.

As for who is responsible for that usage, Nokia remains the leader in mobile Internet access, purely because of the volume of handsets it has throughout the world. In addition, in many of the areas where Nokia has never declined in its ubiquity, like developing countries, much of the population does not haves access to a computer so phones are the primary Internet medium. Second on the list was Apple, for a completely different reason – though it does not have the global reach Nokia does, the customers it does have are far more likely to eat up gobs and gobs of mobile data. Samsung, RIM, and HTC rounded up to the top, in order.

[via PaidContent]

Honda’s “Matthew’s Day Off” commercial was the most-liked among full Super Bowl commercials for its ode to Ferris Bueller. Sitting right behind that was Volkswagen’s complete version of its “The Dog Strikes Back” ad. The Skechers commercial titled “GOrun Mr. Quiggly” and “Dannon Oikos: The Tease” rounded out the top five, respectively. Here is the complete list of the top 10 user-rated ads on Hulu:

1. Volkswagen: The Bark Side Teaser
2. Honda: Matthew’s Day Off – Extended
3. Volkswagen: The Dog Strikes Back
4. Skechers: GOrun Mr. Quiggly
5. Dannon Oikos: The Tease
6. Chevrolet: 2012
7. M&M’s: It’s That Kind of Party
8. Audi: Vampire Party
9. E*Trade: Fatherhood
10. Acura: Transactions – Extended

These are where the votes stood as of 2:00 AM this morning. Of course, if you happened to miss any of these, and you weren’t among the rest of the country who caught up on the ads during work or school today, they’re all still available to view on Hulu. Super Bowl ads are more important than ever, since they live on in YouTube, Hulu, and other viral sites. In addition, we analyze all of them after the fact in an expansively increasing number of ways. Just wait until next year.

Those questions have been put to rest, though, as Square Enix producer Shinji Hashimoto has confirmed that it will only be an “HD remaster.” This is what most gamers had expected. After all, there is decreasing hope of a full-fledged remake of any recent Final Fantasy title after Square Enix has continously refused to reinvision the penultimate Final Fantasy VII on a modern-generation platform.

There does remain one question, though – will the Final Fantasy X re-release be based on the American version of the game, or Final Fantasy X International, which included an “Expert” gameplay mode and increased the customization and flexibility of play. This special version was never released in North America, so if the PS3/Vita relaunch uses the International edition as the base game, we could be looking at new content for American gamers. There is still not much information released about the project, and we have heard nothing about a release date.

[via PlayStation Lifestyle]

Samsung normally holds its big exclusive mobile product announcements in New York City, but it has sent out an invite to media in France for the event. As a result, it is perhaps not a slam dunk that this is a Galaxy S III event. But knowing that’s the only Samsung thing that anyone has on his or her mind right now, it certainly is a popular assumption. The device is expected to run Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, contain a Super AMOLED HD display, and include a massive quad-core processor, 12-megapixel camera, and more.

When it confirmed that Galaxy S III would be a no-show at MWC, Samsung provided only a vague detail that the unveiling would happen before June. Earlier today, there were rumors that surfaced, pegging the smartphone with a May release date. So in order to build the right amount of hype, a March 22 event unveiling sounds just about right. Hopefully we won’t be disappointed. Let’s hope it isn’t just some European phone that no one cares about.

[via Unwired View]

Around 350,000 people around the country remembered to log into their Foursquare account while they were still sober and check in to a Super Bowl event. Nearly 3,000 Foursquare users checked in from the stadium in Indianapolis itself. Aside from that, as can be expected, there was an enormous cluster all along the northeast coast, stretching from well below New York all the way up through New England. But even areas that didn’t have a dog in the fight still reveled in the partying atmosphere that the Super Bowl always brings.

Oh, and here’s a surprising stat – according to Foursquare, 49% of the people who checked in at a Super Bowl even were women, quashing two stereotypes at once and proving women are technologically up to speed and also like sports. Or, at least they have a boyfriend who likes sports and while they were bored they decided to log into Foursquare. Yeah, let’s go with that one. And beyond the US, Foursquare noted that there were “Super Bowl” check-ins in 117 countries including Iran, Afghanistan, Macedonia, Russia, and Japan.

[via Wired]

The notion of switching to GPS technology is something that has been discussed for years, but bureaucratic red tape always slowed down the process. In addition, the US commercial airspace industry is massive and converting such a wide-sweeping system into something completely new is a daunting process to say the least. Nevertheless, the new bill, once set into law, will give the FAA a firm deadline of June 2015 to implement the new system at 35 of the busiest airports.

Currently, pilots and air traffic controllers rely on information that is updated every 6 to 12 seconds regarding other aircraft in the vicinity. In addition, planes are forced to make “stair-steps” in altitude as they travel from one destination to the other. But with precise GPS information, fewer planes would be diverted, planes could take off more quickly, and landing procedures would be greatly improved. West Virginia Senator Jay Rockefeller (D) called the bill “the best news that the airline industry ever had. It will take us into a new era.”

[via AP]

The robot, named da Vinci, was employed at the San Anotonio Methodist Hospital. Dr. Nathan Hales performed the surgery, which involves inserting the tiny robot into the patient’s mouth and then remotely controlling it with a sophisticated computer terminal. He said instead of being admitted to the hospital for 7-10 days, the patient will likely be ready to leave in as little as three days.

In addition, she was able to eat and drink almost as normal within the next day. Patients of traditional throat cancer surgeries have to wait for up to a week before that’s possible. “As a head and neck surgeon, having one more tool or one more method that we can address these cancers, it’s advantageous for all of us. It gives us one more way to provide hope and help for patients,” Hales said.

[via KENS]

Durall, who was a designer on Red Faction: Armageddon, was quoted as saying, “There’s another big rumor about the next Xbox console that could really start to shake things up… it won’t play used games at all. Personally I think this would be a fantastic change for our business.” The way such a system would work would be for every Xbox 720 game to require registration from the console, and at that point there would be a one-to-one relationship between game and system. If you popped it into another Xbox 720, the registration would fail.

Obviously this has a huge cascade of effects, including preventing someone from playing a game at a friend’s house, renting games from sources like GameFly, or re-authenticating games if your Xbox 720 breaks and you buy a new one. But Durall says those issues can be ironed out. “I could see Microsoft implementing their own rental service which would maybe give them a code that activates the game for X days and they are charged a small amount,” he said. Sounds like a lot of work to us, but who knows? We’ll see what happens.

[via CVG]

Before preliminary rulings, the ITC staff attorney assigned to a case makes a recommendation to the ITC judge. In this case, staff attorney Jeff Hsu revealed in an interview today that he will be recommending to judge Theodore Essex that there has been no violation by Barnes & Noble on the Microsoft patents in question.

However, the judge is not required to follow the recommendation and if Essex rules in favor of Microsoft, the Nook e-reader could face an import ban. The patent suit is part of Microsoft’s strategy against Android device makers, which has already successfully secured patent royalties from several manufacturers, including HTC, Samsung, and LG. The preliminary ruling for the Barnes & Noble case is set to be released on April 27.

Later in the day, at 11:00 a.m., Dr. Rajiv Shah, Administrator, U.S. Agency for International Development, Gayle Smith, Special Assistant to the President & Senior Director of the National Security Council and Tom Kalil, Deputy Director for Policy, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy & Senior Advisor for Science, Technology, and Innovation, National Economic Council will take your questions on the role of science, technology and innovation in global development.

• What: Open for Questions: Innovation for Global Development
• Who: Dr. Rajiv Shah, Administrator, U.S. Agency for International Development, Gayle Smith, Special Assistant to the President & Senior Director of the National Security Council and Tom Kalil, Deputy Director for Policy, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy & Senior Advisor for Science, Technology, and Innovation, National Economic Council
• When: Wednesday, February 8 at 11:00 a.m. ET
• Where: Watch live at WhiteHouse.gov/live and submit your questions via Facebook, Twitter using the hashtag #WHChat or our webform.

• Nearly 3.6 million people with Medicare saved $2.1 billion on their prescription drugs in 2011 thanks to the Affordable Care Act.
• The average person with Medicare will save nearly $4,200 by 2021 because of the new law.
• Medicare Advantage premiums have fallen by 7 percent on average and enrollment has risen by about 10 percent from 2011, and premiums are down by 16 percent since 2010.

HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius talked about these announcements during her trip to Florida, where 238,362 Florida residents with Medicare saved $141,948,339 on their prescription drugs in 2011 thanks to the health reform law, the Affordable Care Act.  Behind these numbers are compelling stories like that of Floridian William Morris who saved $2,000 on the cost of his chemotherapy because of the law.

In Orlando, the Secretary participated in a State of Seniors Health discussion, addressing 85 seniors and community leaders at the Beardall Senior Center. She was joined by a number of panelists including Orlando pharmacist Carmen Rosado. As the Orlando Sentinel reported, Carmen is now retired and on Medicare, so she has seen both sides of the Part D program. She shared that:

“In the 46 years I practiced pharmacy, I have seen seniors who had to decide whether to eat or buy their medicines,” Rosado said Thursday. “Sometimes I would pay for their medicines, because [their situation] would hurt me. They would say: ‘Of all these medicines, which are the important ones?’ With the health law, they can continue with their drug regimen to better their health.”

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Today, we’re holding a special session of White House Office Hours to celebrate the second anniversary of Let’s Move!, the First Lady’s initiative to solve the problem of childhood obesity within a generation. At 2:30 p.m. EST, Sam Kass, Senior Policy Advisor for Healthy Food Initiatives, is answering your questions live on Twitter.

First Lady Michelle Obama, with chefs Todd Grey from Equinox, left, and Sam Kass, from the White House, gestures during a “Let’s Move!” event with hundreds of chefs from around the country on the South Lawn of the White House, June 4, 2010. The First Lady called on chefs to get involved by adopting a school and working with teachers, parents, school nutritionists and administrators to help educate kids about food and nutrition.

Join Sam for Office Hours at 2:30 p.m. on Monday, February 6th. Here's how it works:

• Ask your question on Twitter with the hashtag #WHChat
• Sam Kass, Senior Policy Advisor for Healthy Food Initiatives, responds to your questions in real-time via Twitter from @LetsMove
• Follow the Q&A through the @WHLive Twitter account
• If you miss the live event, the full session will be posted on WhiteHouse.gov and Storify.com/WhiteHouse
• We hope you can join us! Follow us on Twitter @WhiteHouse, @WHLive and @LetsMove for the latest updates and more chances to engage.

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