5:45 PM
California's DMV has begun issuing a security-enhanced drivers license that is supposed to combat forgers and identity thieves. They even have a new license for drivers under 21 that is *vertical*, making things easier to tell if someone is of legal drinking age:
http://signonsandiego.com/news/2010/oct/06/california-debuts-security-conscious-drivers-licen/
Active metamaterials can be tuned to create solar cells that change their properties with the weather to maintain high efficiency, goggles that block out blinding glare, and devices for processing optical signals to speed telecommunications:
http://www.technologyreview.com/energy/26482/?nlid=3609
Purdue researchers developed a method to extract hydrogen from seawater to run engines in boats and ships, so cruise ships to tankers could replace the gas and diesel fuel they use now with seawater. The technique used to be limited to freshwater systems, but the researchers created a technique that works with seawater:
http://www.purdue.edu/newsroom/research/2010/101007WoodallBoats.html
Study found that women who weight 25 pounds less than the average earned $15,572 more than women of average weight, and women 25 pounds more than the average earned $13,847 less than women of average weight. However, thin men earned $8,437 less than average-weight men and men consistently earned *more* as they gained weight, with the trend only tapering off when men hit the obese level:
http://blogs.wsj.com/juggle/2010/10/06/for-women-it-pays-to-be-very-thin/
Article about how Sprint's board members pulling out of Clearwire (even though Sprint owns 54% of Clearwire) may result in Sprint abandoning WiMAX for LTE and having WiMAX die in the US:
http://www.infoworld.com/d/mobilize/wimax-now-likely-die-thank-goodness-172
Motorola demonstrated a new app that is supposed to be available in a month or two that allows Motorola's Android phones to print documents to a wide range of printers. The app shows a Google map view of all your local printers, lets you select a document on your phone and then print to any PostScript printer in your network. Motorola Android users can print Office documents, PDFs, and graphics:
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2370389,00.asp
Yahoo is about to challenge Apple's FaceTime video calling solution, as they just disclosed they will soon be offering mobile app versions of Yahoo Messenger with built-in video calling capabilities. The *free* app will let iPhone and Android users to make video calls with other Yahoo Messenger users on smartphones or PCs. FaceTime is limited to WiFi calling, but Yahoo's app can be used over WiFi or 3G/4G. Note: Yahoo had to issue a clarification that their iPhone app hasn't been approved yet and Apple responded to the article by saying that they will not allow an iPhone app that supports video calling over 3G:
http://blogs.reuters.com/mediafile/2010/10/07/new-yahoo-app-to-challenge-apple-facetime-on-iphone/
AT&T increased their early upgrade program fee from $75 to $200:
http://www.boygeniusreport.com/2010/10/07/atts-early-upgrade-smartphone-program-detailed-spoiler-they-made-it-125-more-expensive/
Leap Wireless (provider of the no-contract Cricket service) plans to sell an Android tablet in the first half of next year. They are getting an increasing number of BlackBerry and Android smartphone options but have no plans to add Windows 7 phones...and they say they would lover to have a CDMA iPhone:
http://www.fiercewireless.com/ctialive/story/leap-sell-prepaid-android-tablet-next-year/2010-10-07