According to BBC News, “Sony, Philips and digital paper pioneer E-Ink have announced an electronic book reader that is due to go on sale in Japan in late April for $375. Called Librie, the device will be the size of a paperback book and can hold 500 texts in its onboard memory.” The main selling point is that it can be read in bright sunlight, but at nearly $400 for basically a black and white handheld, I say, stick to your laptop or handheld.

This is one of those news stories that you’ll find over there on the right side of the page and this one in particular has caused my mind to wander. (And Alice’s chin to drop at the thought that I actually read those things.)

Here’s the deal… For years it’s been sort of an assumed, if not exactly known factoid that Gateway arrives at its lower price structure by cutting some corners it considers irrelevant. What does that mean? Well, if you notice, Gateway doesn’t always call its component parts by the same name as the folks who ostensibly make those component parts. That’s because they’re not exactly like them and in many, if not most cases, drivers from a board’s purported creator will not work correctly for the Gateway version of that board. Eliminating some of the features cuts Gateway’s component costs.

Although it can be annoying if you don’t know what’s going on (and if all the world about you is getting the latest driver for something while you wait for the Gateway version), it’s not necessarily a bad thing. I mean, I once wanted to buy a 1986 Dodge Daytona Turbo CS with T-tops and Chrysler insisted I also get air conditioning if I wanted the T’s. See, sometimes a combination of features, although flashy, just doesn’t make sense.

Which brings me back to the main topic: Just how much patent infringement could Gateway be involved in if its modus operandi over the years has been to change everything not copy it? More as things unfold, I’m sure.

Motorola announced that it will have a ‘world phone’ real soon now. Well, almost a world phone. Okay, at least a dual-standard phone that will operate on GSM and CDMA networks –standards that are typically incompatible with each other. On the other hand, Verizon (CDMA) and the UK’s Vodafone (GSM) say they’ll have one by April. (That’s Thursday, for those of you living in Davis, Ca.).

April 1st… Isn’t that April Fools Day? I mean, isn’t it great these guys want to do so much for you? It wouldn’t be that moving from a voice-centric modality to a data-centric modality might generate more income for the companies, would it? Or that anything promoting more cell phone use in general is going to help rake in bigger bucks. Nah… These guys are just good, wholesome folk with only the benefit of the people in mind.

Here I sit with almost 3,000 comics, wrapped in plastic, with cardboard spines, sitting in sealed boxes, and Superman #1 isn’t in any of them!! Just goes to prove that, no matter how old you get, there always are those times at which you’re proven not to be old enough!

Oh, and for those of you really not so old, that’s not a drawing of a Volkswagon Beetle on the Superman #1 cover….

Off the Subject: Take a tech break and enjoy the first-ever appearance of Superman in the comics. You can buy the issue for $75,000 or enjoy it for free online.

Tech Angle (you know there had to be one): This is the best scanning I have ever seen online. The cover looks like you are holding it in your hands.

Boeing is about to unveil a pricey but still nicey in-flight WiFi service called “Connexion.” At $29.00 for a long flight and a gripping $14.95 for 3 hours, the company’s stock was up on the news. All we can say is FINALLY. After wasting everyone’s time and money on those in-seat phones no one ever used, we can finally surf our boredom away. A bargain at half the price.

Comcast wrote a $300 million dollar check for struggling TechTV. With plans to fold TechTV into its game channel G4, this just proves my asserment that video games are not even getting started when it comes to revenue generation.

It was 5 years ago that Melissa first struck fear and bewliderment into randy surfers who opened the attachment without a second thought. How innocent we were. Journey back….