harbor

Pirate game not worth the doubloons

Backstab is a loosely pirate-themed third-person action-adventure game with promising potential but frustratingly flawed execution given its price.

Backstab advertises an "unprecedented story" and a "blockbuster production with the best graphics." Unfortunately, the story is highly precedented (and told unevenly, with spotty voice acting and wooden animations) and the graphics--while somewhat impressive for a mobile device, especially given the game's limited sandbox environment--are far from the best. Backstab evokes derivative late '90s console games, although with more-frustrating controls: what should be an intuitive camera system (you swipe the screen to rotate the camera) is anything … Read more

Ford named in patent infringement lawsuit over Sync and other technologies

A Washington state technology company filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Ford today in federal court.

Eagle Harbor Holdings, and its subsidiary MediusTech, claim Ford used several automotive technologies in Ford, Lincoln, and Mercury vehicles without authorization.

According to the lawsuit, Ford uses patented technologies such as Sync, Active Park Assist, Blind-Spot Identification System with Cross Traffic Alert, Integrated Control System for Stability Control, and MyKey.

"Our representatives began meeting with Ford in 2002 to discuss and disclose our patented automotive systems technology and its applicability for use in Ford vehicles," Jeffrey Harmes, general counsel for Eagle Harbor … Read more

At Acadia National Park, Maine's rugged beauty reigns

ACADIA NATIONAL PARK, Maine--From high atop Cadillac Mountain here, you can see for miles in any direction, including some of America's most treasured coastline, pristine forests, sparkling lakes, and even a resort town favored by President Barack Obama and his family.

If it's not completely shrouded in fog, that is.

I've come here as part of Road Trip 2010, and for better or worse, my visit is met by thick fog and clouds that are hanging low over Cadillac Mountain, obscuring it and most of what can be seen from there. Yet, there is an ethereal beauty … Read more

L.A. presents its heavy-duty electric truck

Today's video isn't new, but I thought since we were on the subject of electric cars this past week I'd present this Web clip about an all-electric heavy-duty truck--a project vehicle commissioned by the Port of Los Angeles and the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD).

This project was put together to make a prototype of the world's strongest, most heavy-duty truck that could run for short hauls exclusively on electricity. Reportedly it was the first heavy-duty electric cargo truck from any port in the world, and statistically it could haul over 50,000 lbs. … Read more

Scribd fires back, denies violating copyright

Scribd, an online publishing tool where users share their manuscripts and essays, while others post pirated copies of books, denied that the company encourages copyright infringement.

A lawsuit filed by author Elaine Scott on Friday alleged that Scribd violated Scott's copyright and those belonging to many others. According to a copy of the suit obtained by CNET News, Scott claimed that Scribd "shamelessly profits" from stolen works and "built a technology that's broken barriers to copyright infringement on a global scale."

On Sunday evening, Scribd issued a comment to CNET in response to the … Read more

Dig for treasure and manage a busy harbor: iPhone apps of the week

I just wrote about Baseball Slugger 3D earlier this week because it went on sale, but seriously, if you like baseball at all, this home-run derby game is worthy of the regular price of $2.99. I started playing last night using the online matchup system and didn't stop playing for over an hour. Not only is hitting home runs really satisfying, but when you play and lose against someone, you can always go for a rematch, which leads to another rematch...and so on. Then, if you really think a particular opponent is a good competitive match, you … Read more

Crypto pioneers differ on cloud-computing risks

SAN FRANCISCO--A group of pioneers in the security field, whose work in encryption is used to protect Internet data and communications every day, spoke about the state of security at a cryptographer's panel at the RSA security conference on Tuesday.

They tackled various questions about cyber security in general, but the topic that dominated was cloud computing.

"Cloud computing is a challenge to security, but one that can be overcome," said Whitfield Diffie, chief security officer at Sun Microsystems. "I believe cloud computing will get to (the point) where no real program...will be done anymore … Read more