More news on the HP slate is on engadget today.   From what I have seen so far, I would prefer that – or something similar based on the Windows Phone 7 OS (I have not seen anything about that – but its a logical way to go) to the iPad.

IMHO these devices are revolutionary and will fundamentally change the way we consume what is now traditional print media.   They will be pervasive within fairly short order.   Why has this not been done before?   Its a matter of getting a device with sufficient computing power, battery life, light weight, and useability - at a low enough  price point.

This will become far more than just virtually flipping newspaper or magazine pages.  See this Wired video for what we might expect.

And I suspect we will find them useful for business, as well as personal use.

I’m holding off for a bit to see how the various devices perform -  hopefully I will have one by the end of the year.

UPDATE:  Here’s an eWeek article I just found that delves into this in more detail.

“Sing Me to Sleep” is a new novel published by PENGUIN BOOKS , featuring the Amabile Boys and Men’s Choirs.  The trailer announcement for the book, including a portion of the song is on YouTube.   Details about the book are here on the author’s web site.  The reviews on Amazon have been very positive.

And while you are on iTunes, check out the other Amabile songs.

The quality of Canadian internet access continues to decline in comparison to that of other countries.  See, for example, previous Slaw posts here and here.   This while high speed access is more increasingly considered crucial for the economy,  competitiveness and innovation – even to the extent that many feel that the internet is a fundamental human right.  

The Canadian government talked about a digital strategy in its recent throne speech, but so far we don’t know what that translates to.

Contrast that with what is happening in the US.   The US FCC just announced an aggressive plan to upgrade internet access and speed.  The FCC says “Like electricity a century ago, broadband is a foundation for economic growth, job creation, global competitiveness and a better way of life.”

And Google plans to build trial locations to bring fiber to the home in at least 1 US city with speeds of 1 gigabit per second.  (That’s over 200 times faster than we get at home now.)   Google draws parallels to the space race.

University of Waterloo president David Johnston is quoted in a CBC article saying:   

So I have 2 questions.  

These phones will be available before the end of the year (assuming Canadian cell cos debut them at the same time).  By then I’ll only be 15 months into a 3 year contract on my phone.  So will there be any deals to be had for an early upgrade, or is my choice either pay a huge penalty (not happening) or wait another year and a half?   3 year terms are nasty.

This OS seems like a natural for an iPad competitor.  Windows 7 based versions are coming – how about a Windows Phone 7 based one?

Read this on Canoe

Canada’s privacy commissioner calls for modernized laws to address evolution of cyberspace

Last month, Canada’s privacy commissioner, Jennifer Stoddart, gave an address titled “The Future of Privacy Regulation” at the 11th annual Privacy and Security Conference in Victoria.

Describing herself as the “village elder” in the privacy community, her speech detailed many of the changes that have occurred in cyberspace over the last decade.

The advent of Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, YouTube, Google Street View, and iPods all occurred during the last seven years of her tenure.

She also identified “real-time globalization” and “instantaneous worldwide flow of data” as changing the terrain of privacy regulation.

These developments have resulted in significant challenges for administering th e regulations that protect the privacy of Canadians’ personal information.

“In light of these colossal changes over the past decade alone, it would be foolish to try to predict what the next decade will hold,” she said.

“But what we can say for certain is that the regulatory framework we have in place now for the protection of privacy and personal information is being sorely tested.

“We have bent and stretched it in many different ways,” she added. “And if we don’t want it to snap, we need to figure out how to fortify it for the decade ahead.”

Stoddart recognized that the Privacy Act, which governs the federal public sector, and the Personal Information and Electronic Documents Act, which governs the private sector, need to be modernized so we are properly equipped to meet future changes.

Stoddart noted the technology we now use has created a previously unheard-of market for businesses following consumer behaviour. This creates difficulties for regulators in terms of what information the average consumer knowingly consents to share.

The challenge of new technology is compounded by the increasingly global scope of data flows across borderless virtual communities. When our personal information ends up in countries lacking strong privacy regulation, Canadians may not have the privacy rights they enjoy in Canada.

Despite the challenges, Stoddart said Canada’s business community works closely with privacy regulators to ensure they comply with the rules.

Canada is also seeking to work more closely with other countries to create common rules and standards and to ensure uniform enforcement.

Efforts underway include the Spanish Initiative, a draft international privacy standard put forward by an international working group and endorsed in Madrid, which Stoddart calls a “valuable first step towards a harmonized approach to data protection.”

The Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) group as been working to protect information flowing into Asian countries. APEC is developing cross-border privacy rules to govern international information flow and facilitate co-operation between national authorities.

While acknowledging that “a single, enforceable global standard for privacy won’t materialize overnight — if ever,” Stoddart stressed that Canada must continue to actively pursue standardized regulations to protect Canadians’ privacy rights.

And the only thing we did to publicize it was a couple of blog posts and tweets, and a few emails to individuals we thought might be interested.

Many thought the Amazon 1-click patent, which was under review, should not be valid.  The USPTO has, however, confirmed the patent.

Mike Masnick of Techdirt sums it up nicely, with links to further detail.  Mike says:

US Patent Office Decides That One Click Really Is Patentable

from the wow dept

Ladies and gentlemen, we now have confirmation that the USPTO is a joke. After years of back and forth, it has decided, once again, that Amazon’s one-click patent is perfectly valid. This, despite tons of prior art, and basic common sense. We were just wondering what was taking so long for the USPTO to reject the patent. But, of course, it seemed like the USPTO was willing to go out of its way to help keep this patent around. Of course, as some are pointing out, the end result of this patent surviving is that it may be used as example number one for patent reform.

Take a look at this short video interview from author Cory Doctorow that puts it in perspective.

Read this on Canoe

U.S. courts may have to decide if a teen’s parody of a popular clothing line is an infringement

The North Face Apparel Co., more commonly known as The North Face, recently filed suit against Jimmy Winkelmann, a 19-year old high school student and his small Missouri clothing company called The South Butt.

North Face’s statement of claim alleges trademark infringement and dilution, among other claims.

North Face sells athletic apparel and gear for runners, rock climbers, snowboarders and others. South Butt sells jackets, T-shirts and other apparel “approved for relaxation purposes only.”

Winkelmann says his intent was not to rip off the North Face, but to offer consumers an alternative.

He came up with the South Butt idea to mock North Face fleece jackets worn by the popular crowd at his school.

In response to North Face’s tagline, “Never stop exploring”, South Butt adopted “Never stop relaxing.”

The North Face’s legal counsel sent Winkelmann a cease and desist letter in August 2009, requesting that he stop using the South Butt name and logo and halt all sales, production and promotion of South Butt products.

According to North Face, the two logos are so similar as to possibly cause “consumer confusion as to the source, sponsorship or affiliation of particular promotions and services that could dilute or tarnish the distinctive quality of the famous and distinctive marks.”

Winkelmann recently filed a trademark application for the South Butt, which the North Face legal counsel also asked him to withdraw.

In response, Winkelmann’s counsel — a friend of Winkelmann’s father, who apparently agreed to represent the teen in exchange for a good bottle of red wine — filed a somewhat irreverent defence.

Mr. Watson, Winkelmann’s legal counsel, stated “the sense of parody employed by Winkelmann within the context of his South Butt undertakings clearly demonstrate a respectful, if not faltering ‘anti-North Face’ posture designed in all respects to distinguish itself from any and all North Face products.”

The defence points out that, to emphasize its position that the marks are unlikely to confuse, the defendant added this to its website: “We are not in any fashion related to nor do we want to be confused with the North Face Apparel Corp. or its products sold under ‘the North Face’ brand. If you are unable to discern the difference between a face and a butt, we encourage you to buy North Face products.”

Unless it is settled, the case will ultimately be decided on the technicalities of U.S. trademark law.

Since one legal tests of trademark infringement is customer confusion, you be the judge: Are the marks confusing enough that customers might think products bearing them are from the same source?