Fresh Pics of Collapsible, Portable Microsoft Arc Laser Mouse

Thanks to tipster Alex, we've got some fresh hands-on pics of the new Microsoft Arc mouse, which we got a first look of back in July. The $60 mouse folds down to half its size for easy portability thanks to what the packaging calls a "strong metal hinge," and the glossy veneer, to quote Blam, is indeed "flip and drool" worthy.

According to Alex, the tiny USB dongle attaches to the underbelly of the Arc when not in use via a magnet, and there's a storage bag for travel purposes. The packaging quotes a 30-foot range, and jumping is non-existent, says our tipster.

 

Apple Admits British Man Invented iPod in 1979, Uses Him to Win Patent Lawsuit

There you have it folks. The real inspiration for Apple's game-changing iPod, courtesy of the world's unluckiest Briton, Kane Kramer, 52 (not including the fifth Beatle). You see, in the dark technological days of 1979, Kramer saw a beacon of light in his IXI. Capable of playing a mind-busting 3.5 minutes of music, the IXI prototype was Kramer's ticket out of obscurity. Sadly, when he couldn't raise enough venture funding to renew the IXI patent in 1988, the device became the Zune of its time, and was largely forgotten. Fast forward to the present, when Apple, fresh from making year-over-year record profits with the iPod, needed Kramer something fierce to bail them out of a lawsuit jam with Burst.com.

Apple called Kramer so he could serve as a consultant for the trial, and so his patents and drawings could be used to settle the suit out of court.

"I was up a ladder painting when I got the call from a lady with an American accent from Apple saying she was the head of legal affairs and that they wanted to acknowledge the work that I had done," Kramer told Daily Mail. "I must admit that at first I thought it was a wind-up by friends. But we spoke for some time, with me still up this ladder slightly bewildered by it all, and she said Apple would like me to come to California to talk to them. Then I had to make a deposition in front of a court stenographer and videographer at a lawyers’ office. The questioning by the Burst legal counsel there was tough, ten hours of it. But I was happy to do it."

And now he'd be even happier collecting some of that multi-billion dollar iPod business, but so far all he received was compensation for his time at the trial. The struggling furniture salesman, fresh from another failed business, is now negotiating additional compensation, but says he was happy to help whatever the outcome. Well, as long as it isn't more iPods...

"I can’t even bring myself to buy an iPod for myself," he said. "Apple did give me one but it broke down after eight months." Hmm. Apple products seem to be doing that a lot these days.

 

Real Estate Professionals -- Auckland, New Zealand, "David Lim's"

Real estate agents have probably become more unpopular than politicians in the "least trusted profession stakes" this week and it doesn't help when they resort to extreme hyperbole, claiming "views to South America" from Kawau Island, New Zealand and misleading "not taken from property" idyllic views. Here's an idea: how about taking the picture from the property?

A mate from Glenfield, Auckland, sent me this: "This Ray White rental sign was graffitied in June. I've rung Ray White twice, and emailed their head office, but two months on and it's still there - the only graffiti on the street. Unsurprisingly, the property has yet to be let." How can we trust these "professionals" to sell or rent our properties?

Pimp My Blog: From 12" to 42" screen size on Samsung Plasma TV

I have always want to see how my tiny HP 2510P's looks like on my 42" Samsung Plasma TV, so today I went out to JB HiFi at Lynn Mall to buy a video out cable for this little project.  The result is cool and my kids loves it!  Took the pimped out images with my Nokia N95's camera at late evening (click on picture below to see a bigger image).