Here are the known changes:

Channels:

• The blue light around your Wii CD drive now lights up every time a game is inserted or ejected.
• Digital Clock added to the Wii Menu right under the channel bar.
• Forecast Channel now displays the current condition (cloudy, raining, etc.) directly in the Wii Menu in the Forecast Channel box.
• News Channel can now show 2 scrolling headlines at a time in the Wii Menu, 3 when you click on the button (supposedly this requires occasional downloading of the headlines to keep the ticker updated).
• Message Board now has the “Today’s Accomplishments” message as a white message which allows it to stand out from other messages.
• Address Book entries can now be shifted around using A+B (supposed to be a launch feature) but only to empty spaces. Not too convenient.
• Calendar in Message Board no longer shows “Today’s Accomplishment” only days as having messages.
  Scrolling messages in the Message Board now uses a different sound.

Wii Shop Channel Overhauled (Visual aesthetic is the same, changes made to organization and browsing methods mostly):

• New Welcome screen detailing 4 Recommended Titles and the points they cost (gone is the title screen bar that had linkable games). The title bar can be clicked on to bring up a list of 20 recommended games.
• Titles You’ve Downloaded was moved to the main shop menu.
• New ways to browse.
• Popular Titles (2 pages of 10 and includes launch games so not only based on recent info).
• Newest Additions remains the same.
• Search for a title which can use partial names.
• Search by Category.
• System shows the different systems and how many titles have been released under each.
• Publisher showing different publishers, and amount of titles released, through logos.
• Genre (different genres listed and amount of titles under each).

Settings:

• Warning added pre-system update detailing that technically modified consoles may cease to function upon being updated. Also the only way to not accept an update is to power down the console by holding the button for 4 seconds (the user can’t back out of hitting I Accept w/o powering down).

http://arstechnica.com/…

“Illicit devices like the ones targeted today are created with one purpose in mind, subverting copyright protections,” said Julie L. Myers, Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, in a statement. “These crimes cost legitimate businesses billions of dollars annually and facilitate multiple other layers of criminality, such as smuggling, software piracy and money laundering.”

Despite Myers’ assertion that mod chips are created for the sole purpose of subverting copyright, the truth is that they are popular with gamers for a number of reasons—some of which arise from frustrations related to fair use. Mod chips extend the functionality of the consoles, allowing gamers to load full games onto hard drives (making it easier to lug one’s favorite games to a friend’s house), use the consoles as media centers, and play homebrew content. In contrast, the hardware companies and the Entertainment Software Association can’t stand them because they can also be used to play pirated discs; that’s the rationale given by the ICE for the raids.

This is going to be a DMCA issue I’m sure of it. Funny how someone who is supposed to be related to homeland security is knocking down the doors of people selling little PCBs which allow others to use their private property as they see fit. I agree with the concept of copyright. I think however the laws have fallen behind the times. For example: software which is no longer sold or supported (abandonedware) should no longer be held under the copyright monopoly law. Only the abstract should allow continue use, like characters. Copyright infringement is something the government should be judging on… it should not however be actively searching out infringers. Like patents and trademarks it should be the owners responsibility to investigate and bring charges against individuals.

https://direct.openmoko.com

The Neo 1973 boasts the following hardware specifications

• 2.8″ VGA TFT color display
• Touchscreen, usable with stylus or fingers
• 266MHz Samsung System on a Chip (SOC)
• USB 1.1, switchable between Client and Host (unpowered)
• Integrated AGPS
• 2.5G GSM – quad band, voice, CSD, GPRS
• Bluetooth 2.0
• Micro SD slot
• High Quality audio codec

The base unit costs $300 and advanced kit is $450. It looks like a good start but I’m more interested in a cell with an actual qwerty keyboard. Something like the Sidekick but with a touchscreen plus an open Linux platform would be a killer device.

http://gizmodo.com/…

Bj will be the new robot mutt in town when it arrives worldwide this fall. It may not have Sony’s pedigree, but it’s smarter than any other pup-bot ever. Designed for research and hacking, the fully programmable Bj uses Linux and is loaded with an i.MX 533MHz processor based on an ARM core with 64MB of RAM.

It also uses Kondo’s servo-motors, wireless LAN and a 350,000-pixel CMOS sensor capable of getting 30 frames per second video.

At $4900 it’s a bit expensive but it sounds pretty spiffy. I’d love to see a Bj vs. Roomba match.

http://dark-alex.org/ 

Bye, scene.

I’ve decided to cease OE development, and leave PSP scene.
The reasons are various.One of them is the time it consumes, which i’m losing from other things.The other is related to my security. I didn’t like Sony menaces to PS3 hackers. I think it is better to leave now rather than end paying the consequences.

This is unfortunate. His PSP kernel hacking abilities appeared to be topnotch. I’ve used his OE firmwares for a while now and it’s sad to see him go. I was looking forward to a 3.51 OE. Perhaps someone else will carry on. Too bad most the knowledge is not easily available if at all.

http://www.linuxdevices.com/…

At least two large online retailers are selling Nokia’s 770 Internet Tablet for $140. Originally priced at $400, the 770 was Nokia’s first Linux-based consumer device — and arguably the first product in an emergent new generation of pocketable WiFi-connected Web tablets.

My college roommate has one of these 770s and loves it (except that the community firmware he installed didn’t support suppend). And for him the metal cover is a requirement as he lugs it around in his pocket all the time. I’ve considered picking the N800 up but I’m holding out for something with a physical keyboard that’s more subnotebook like. Hopefully the Palm Foleo will fill that desire.