Bill Gates Children Banned Using Apple Products like iPod, iPhone from Their Father

Microsoft founder Bill Gates, is the world's richest people and also the most generous philanthropist on the Earth, but as a father, he is a bit stringy! Bill Gates did not allow his three children with wife Melinda Gates, Jennifer Katharine (daughter, 1996, pictured above, via), Rory John (son, 1999) and Phoebe Adele (daughter, 2002) to use Apple products at their home. Apparently, it’s not because Bill Gates couldn’t afford iPhone, or iPod to his children, but it’s because those digital entertainment products were made by Microsoft’s arch-rival Apple Inc.

Microsoft founder head Bill Gates has banned the use of products made by arch-rival Apple from his house, his wife has revealed.

She told Vogue magazine that the couple's three children Jennifer, 13, Rory, 10 and Phoebe, seven, are not allowed Apple products.

'There are very few things that are on the banned list in our household,' she said.

'But iPods and iPhones are two things we don't get for our kids.'

Bill Gates bans his children using Apple's iPod and iPhone

First Dual-screen Laptop Lenovo W700ds ThinkPad

Lenovo Dual-screen Laptop: W700ds ThinkPad

Lenovo, China's No.1 computer manufacturer, has launched the world's first dual-screen laptop W700ds ThinkPad (pictured above), which is equipped with a slide-out display to the notebook's main 17” screen. It's fantastic, but I will not buy it any time soon, reasons? Read excerpts from Tgdaily's review:

The privilege of owning one of these notebooks comes at a price – in terms of weight, battery life and money. 

[W700ds ThinkPad,] packs an additional 2 lbs and weighs about 11 lbs. Add the power adapter and you are at 13 lbs and even that may not be the final word, especially if you are adding a second or third hard drive.

Prices for a W700ds base model start at just under $3700, while a quad-core model with Nvidia’s workstation graphics chip will break the $5000 barrier. Add more memory and max out the storage space and you will see a bottom line that exceeds $6000.

There are plenty of reviews of the W700ds already available on the web and it appears that this system is not exactly as mobile as your average notebook. Not only is it bulky and heavy, its battery time is also well below two hours - if both screens are used. The battery times published in the reviews we have seen range from about 95 to 110 minutes with a standard 9-cell battery.

If you are curious what that second display fits to do? Below are answers:

The main screen offers a resolution of 1920 x 1200, the smaller screen (which can be angled towards the user) 768 x 1280, which is about 40% of the screen real estate of the main display. Realistically, the 768 pixel width is not enough to comfortably browse web pages or to edit text documents, presentations or large spreadsheets. In everyday use, the display may be limited to secondary applications such as instant messaging, video calls or emails.

Image & Source: Lenovo announces dual-screen Thinkpad @ Tgdaily.com

Woman Breasts Shaped Light Switch (Pic)

But this is the most exotic switch I ever saw! I did not expect even a light switch can be so NSFW. Link

Steve Jobs Unveils MacBook Air, World's Thinnest Laptop,

Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple Inc. unveiled the world's thinnest laptop, MacBook Air (pictured here, via), during his keynote speech on the MacWorld 2008. Accoridng to PC Advisor, MacBook Air is 0.76 to 0.16 inches thick, back to front. It's so thin that it can fit inside a manila envelope.

Update: More info from Truemors:

MacBook Air, an ultra-thin notebook that features a 13.3″ widescreen display, built-in iSight, 80GB hard disk standard, 1.6 GHz standard, 45 Watt MagSafe, 1 USB 2.0 port, Micro-DVI an LED backlight, 5-hour battery life, multi-touch trackpad and a Core 2 Duo Processor that Intel shrunk 60 percent. The mini processor measures as thick as a nickel and as wide as a dime, but will certainly cost a pretty penny. The latest MacBook lacks an optical drive, but Apple will offer a Superdirve accessory for $99. .... and the price tag? $1799.

Technorati Tags: macbook air,steve jobs,macworld 2008

Amosu Diamond MotoPure Bluetooth H12 Headset

The diamonds-encrusted, 18-carat gold Bluetooth headset tailored for  Motorola's H12 handphone (picture below) is sold for £6250, equivalent to US$12,500. Link via Tracing Gadget

 

Clock with Only 9s

It was received from the email from an Iranian friend of Bahai' Faith [wiki] who we recently met up in Malaysia.

David Beckham Motorola RAZR2 V8 Lux Advertisment

David Beckham Motorola RAZR2 V8 Lux Ads Picture

After wearing a tight and bulging white pants in the new underwear campaign for Giorgio Armani, David Beckham sported a slippery snake while shoting a new ad campaign for Motorola's new luxury-edition handset RAZR2 V8 Lux which shrouded in 18-carat gold-plate.  Source: The Sun Tags: David Beckham, Motorola RAZR2 V8 Lux, Ads Picture

Madrid Pac Man Christmas Tree

Cool!

This electronic Christmas tree fashioned in the likeness of a Pac-Man map, complete with Pac Man, power pellets and ghosts, shows the Spanish know what they're doing when it comes to the holidays. Currently in downtown Madrid, the tree not only features all the elements of the game, but Pac-Man and his nemeses are partially animated, shifting back and forth in place.

Link via Tags: madrid, pac man, xmas, chritmas tree

Toyota Violin-playing Robot

Toyota violin-playing Robot picutre (AFP)

Japanese auto giant Toyota Motor today in Tokyo unveiled Toyota Partner Robot that can play the violin as part of its efforts to develop futuristic machines capable of assisting humans in Japan's greying society.

The 1.5-metre-tall, two-legged robot wowed onlookers with a faultless rendition of Elgar's Pomp and Circumstance, using its mechanical fingers to push the strings correctly.

With 17 joints in its hands and arms, the robot has human-like dexterity that could be applied to helping people in the home or in nursing and medical care. Source: AFP Tags: toyota parnter robot, violin-playing robot

GE Microwave Combo Wall Ovens Recall

GE Microwave Combo Wall Oven Picture

General Electric Co is voluntarily recalling 92,000 microwave combo wall ovens because of fire hazards. The ovens in question featuring a traditional thermal oven below a microwave in a design that can be embedded in a wall were sold from January 2000 to December 2003 under the GE and GE Profile brands, as well as the Kenmore brand of Sears Holdings Corp.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said the problematic ovens retailed for $1,500 to $2,000, has caused 30 cases of minor property damage (e.g, adjacent kitchen cabinets) but no injuries related to the problem.

GE and Sears are offering owners of the affected ovens a free repair, a $300 rebate toward the purchase of a new GE or Kenmore brand unit, or a $600 rebate toward the purchase of a new GE Profile brand unit.

Consumers who own the microwaves in question can contact GE at (888) 240-2745 or Sears at (888) 679-0282.

If you are not sure whether your microwave is affected or not, please carefully check the information posted below:

The ovens were sold in white, black, bisque and stainless steel. The brand name is printed on the lower left corner on the front of the microwave door. The following model and serial numbers can be found inside the microwave oven on the left interior wall.

-Recalled Models Serial number begins with: GE / Profile

-Recalled Models:

JTP85BA2BB, JTP85BA3BB, JTP85BA4BB, JTP85BA5BB, JTP85BD1BB, JTP85WA2WW, JTP85WA3WW, JTP85WA4WW, JTP85WA5WW, JTP85WD1WW, JTP86BF1BB, JTP86CF1CC, JTP86SF1SS, JTP86WF1WW, JTP95BA2BB, JTP95BA3BB, JTP95BA4BB, JTP95BA5BB, JTP95BD1BB, JTP95WA2WW, JTP95WA3WW, JTP95WA4WW, JTP95WA5WW, JTP95WD1WW, JKP85BA3BB, JKP85BD1BB, JKP85WA3WW, JKP85WD1WW, JKP86BF1BB, JKP86CF1CC, JKP86SF1SS, JKP86WF1WW, JT965BF1BB, JT965CF1CC, JT965SF1SS, JT965WF1WW

-Serial Number Begins With:

AZ, DZ, FZ, GZ, HZ, LZ, MZ, RZ, SZ, TZ, VZ, ZZ, AA, DA, FA, GA, HA,LA, MA, RA, SA, TA, VA, ZA, AD, DD, FD, GD, HD, LD, MD, RD, SD, TD, VD, ZD, AF, DF, FF, GF, HF, LF, MF, RF, SF, TF, VF, ZF

-Kenmore (All model numbers start with 911)

-Recalled Models:

41485991, 41485992, 41485993, 41485994, 41489991, 41489992, 41489993, 41489994, 49485992, 49489992, 47692100, 47699100

47862100, 47869100, 47812200, 47813200, 47814200, 47819200, 47792200, 47793200, 47794200, 47799200

-Serial Numbers Begin With: 0, 1, 2, 3, 4

Source:s Reuters, CPSC & Timworstall Tags: GE Microwave Recall