You might have followed the NVIDIA/Intel licensing drama, so here’s the second round. Context: Intel and NVIDIA entered an agreement in which NVIDIA could make motherboard chipsets compatible with Intel’s Front Side Bus (FSB, the piece that connects the processor with the rest of the system). In return for the license, NVIDIA granted Intel accesses to its patent portfolio. Recently, Intel said that this agreement does not cover Intel’s new Core i7 CPU.

NVIDIA’s argument is that if it is not entitled to build chipsets for Intel’s future CPUs, Intel should not be allowed to continue to use NVIDIA’s intellectual property in their products. As we said before, we’re not lawyers and we have no idea how this will be interpreted by a judge, but NVIDIA’s counter-argument is interesting and could be a strong leverage, especially if it has short-term repercussion on Intel’s integrated graphics, a key feature in the popular low-cost segment. Without knowing the implementation details of Intel’s graphics chips, so it’s hard to tell how bad it would hurt if the court sided with NVIDIA’s. However, it is fair to think that if Intel granted the FSB license (they resisted for a while), Intel probably needed the patents.

Link: NVIDIA’s filing

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Looking for a BlackBerry Bold but don’t want to pay the full price for one? Well, if you’re willing to accept a refurbished unit, then AT&T certainly has a deal for you. The carrier is currently offering refurbished BlackBerry Bolds for free, as long as you’re willing to commit yourself to a new 2-year contract. Considering that the price of a normal refurbished BlackBerry Bold is $199.99, it’s quite a good deal. It seems that this promotion is only valid for a very limited time, so check it out as soon as you can! From Uberphones.

Permalink: AT&T Refurbished BlackBerry Bold For Free from Ubergizmo | Cheap | Hot: Apple’s Netbook | Hot (FR): Test du Palm Pre

Waiting eagerly for the HTC Magic? Well, you’re one step closer to it, as the FCC has given its blessing to the phone. The T-Mobile G2, which is the HTC Magic, will sport the 1700MHz band of HSPA, not to mention the 2100MHz band for Europe and Asia. While we’re talking connectivity, it also has Wi-Fi with UMA to support Hotspot@Home. Additional good news comes in the form of the camera being bumped from the stock 3.2-megapixels to a 5-megapixel camera. There isn’t an official word as to when the device will be officially release, or even pricing, but it should be fairly safe to say that the device will be heading towards a US release some time soon. From Uberphones.

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Won’t it be cool to own a home like the Walking House you see here? Granted, you will definitely miss the extra space that a landed property affords, but this modular dwelling system aims to let the owner live out a peaceful nomadic life, traveling from place to place extremely slowly via the landscape or cityscape without impacting the environment around in a negative manner. Energy to move around is collected using solar cells padded all over as well as tiny windmills. Best to use this in climates where there is adequate rainfall, as it collects rain water for your bathing and drinking needs. Inside, you will find a solar-heated water system just in case it gets too chilly, while a composting toilet system enables sewage produced by the inhabitants to be disposed of in a clean and hygienic manner. The Walking House is able to move at 60 meters per hour at best, and we wonder whether one needs to apply for a license to “drive” this.

Permalink: Walking House from Ubergizmo | Cheap | Hot: Apple’s Netbook | Hot (FR): Test du Palm Pre

Ben Heck is at it again with the Xbox 360 Controller Monitor being his latest brainchild this time round. This project requires one to modify a wireless Xbox 360 controller and a display board, where the board will rely on LEDs to show which are the buttons on the controller that are being pressed, in addition to analog stick movement. Playtesting sessions can be recorded to be used as a latency reference to the game itself later on. All signals are taken from the hardware level of the buttons/sticks themselves, hence doing away with bottlenecks when providing feedback. These signals will be buffered so that they will not interfere with data being sent back to the mothership - we mean, Xbox 360 itself.

Permalink: Xbox 360 Controller Monitor from Ubergizmo | Cheap | Hot: Apple’s Netbook | Hot (FR): Test du Palm Pre

Maingear has just introduced its latest notebook, the mX-L that allows you to customize its lid with virtually any photo or image of your choice, thanks to the M.A.R.C laser-etching technique that will laser-beam an uploaded image or logo of choice on the lid permanently. The mX-L notebook will feature the following :-

• Intel Core 2 Duo processor
• 13″ LED display


• Intel SSD


• Up to 8GB RAM


• Integrated graphics


• Optional Blu-ray drive

Permalink: Maingear mX-L Notebook from Ubergizmo | Cheap | Hot: Apple’s Netbook | Hot (FR): Test du Palm Pre

Want to quit smoking but haven’t yet had the willpower to do so? This well-meaning campaign hopes that the shock factor might actually stop people from lighting up, offering a cigarette lighter that comes in the form of blackened lungs. What do you think - will a person actually quit smoking just because they’ve seen all the diseases and detrimental health effects, or will it take much more than that to quit the habit? They might as well come up with a version that includes audio tracks of wheezing and hacking for added dramatical effect.

Permalink: Lung Cigarette Lighter from Ubergizmo | Cheap | Hot: Apple’s Netbook | Hot (FR): Test du Palm Pre

Speedfit is one treadmill with a difference - it was invented by Olympic medalist Alex Astilean and works pretty much like Fred Flintstone’s leg-powered vehicle, although this one comes with more creature comforts. Not only does it help you break a sweat, it also moves you around. No idea on what the local transport authorities have to say about this, but Alex’s dream is to develop a public transportation version of treadmobile so that large crowds will be able to power their own mass transit. We think this is cool, but isn’t it more energy efficient to just - you know, jog to work? After all, doing so without the Speedfit Treadmill will allow you to arrive at your destination much faster.

Permalink: Speedfit Treadmill Is Human-Powered from Ubergizmo | Cheap | Hot: Apple’s Netbook | Hot (FR): Test du Palm Pre

Fireplaces were once created to be functional and that’s that. Humans, however, always want something better and hence ushering in the new era of designer fireplaces that are used whenever the mercury drops to levels which you cannot bear even with three layers of clothing over. Blomus of Germany have come up with the Vidro fireplace that looks simply stunning, finding a place in virtually any and every home as it is constructed fro glass and stainless steel. Fuelled by gelled ethanol, the Vidro will retail between $969 and $1,174, although you can settle for a smaller 22″ version if your home is small and cosy.

Permalink: Vidro Fireplace Spices Up Your Living Room from Ubergizmo | Cheap | Hot: Apple’s Netbook | Hot (FR): Test du Palm Pre

UK car customization shop Carcomputer have uploaded both information and images of what is possibly the next generation of the Nanovision USB-driven Mimo monitor. The specifications look set to be the same as its predecessor, featuring a 7″ LED-backlit display at 800 x 480 resolution, but the newly designed case makes it stand out from the crowd. No longer do you need to bear the shame of its chunky and cheap-looking glossy plastic, as you now can bask in pride of the slender matte black and silver design that is collapsible and stowed away in a bag so that your panel will remain scratch-free when traveling.

Permalink: Nanovision USB Mimo Monitor from Ubergizmo | Cheap | Hot: Apple’s Netbook | Hot (FR): Test du Palm Pre