India is taking on a huge task to ID their citizens, and since there are some 1.2 billion of them it won’t be easy. Indian Tech Czar Naden Nilekani is behind the project that aims to give every Indian citizen a unique ID number, which is much like the US social security number.

The technology needed to store and categorize these numbers has not been chosen yet but we do know that Yahoo and Microsoft are among those competing for the role. Microsoft chairman Bill Gates expressed a desire to take part in the project earlier this year, and Yahoo CEO Carol Bartz lobbied the Indian Prime Minister this week to consider Yahoo for the project. It is also being reported that IBM has made an offer as well.

Bartz has stated that Yahoo has no commercial interest in the deal, and that their assistance would be entirely non-profit. Microsoft and IBM have not stated their stance yet.

TechCrunch

You may remember that on Monday we reported that iLike was being acquired by Myspace for $20 million. Today we have caught wind that a few other big players have made offers to iLike as well. TechCrunch is reporting that Facebook and Amazon made a bid for iLike but the numbers on those are unknown at this point.

Although the Myspace acquisition of iLike has not closed yet, it is reportedly very close to doing so. Apparently iLike went with Myspace because they felt it was a good fit in terms of price and their personal interests. Facebook was not considered due to growing issues, which have not yet been disclosed.

The popularity of iLike has steadily grown since its launch in 2006. It currently has 50 million registered users. Myspace has a lot to gain from the acquisition, as it now has the potential to become the main online identity for bands. Facebook has a struggle ahead of them as iLike is heavily integrated into their site.

TechCrunch

Microsoft: “Would you like to form an alliance with me?” Nokia: “Absolutely!”

Microsoft and Nokia have made an agreement that will bring Microsoft Office, as well as other productivity software to Nokia phones. This partnership marks the first time that Microsoft will make office for non-Microsoft mobile phones. The deal is an attempt to get in on the business that RIM has been getting with its BlackBerry e-mail software and services.

Microsoft has been hurting in the mobile market but with the Nokia deal, they hope to have more of an edge. With programs like Word, Excel, and SharePoint, Microsoft will be attempting to gain more ground in the smart phone tech competition.

The first Microsoft Office product that comes with Nokia Smart Phones is the Mobile Communicator, it enables business users to find and communicate with colleagues via IM. Plus, both companies have promised a joint partnership in the development of new applications for Nokia smart phones.

Nikkei Electronics Asia suggests that the first USB 3.0-enabled PCs will be shipped out to consumers before the end of the 200.

The USB 3.0—officially dubbed SuperSpeed USB—has transfer speeds of 4.8Gbps (10x faster than USB 2.0) and be able to dump a 25GB HD file in about 70 seconds. Like the USB 2.0 USB 3.0 will be backwards compatible with prior USB hardware, but 3.0 hardware will be needed on both ends to achieve the highest transfer speeds.

NEC Electronics became the first to introduce a USB 3.0 controller in May 2009 and began shipping host controller samples just last month. The company is also scheduled to begin manufacturing an expected one million units per month in September. NEC anticipates that, by 2011, 140 million USB 3.0 ready PCs  will ship. Sales are expected to double by the following year.

Expect a new generation of USB flash drives, external hard drives, and other devices to be developed that will make use of the significantly faster transfer speeds.

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After being rumored for some time now, the Zune HD has at long last been confirmed by Microsoft.  The rumors about a touch screen Zune began over a month ago. Microsoft has kept quiet despite the growing amount of rumors, until now.

The new Zune HD will have a 3.3″ 480×272 OLED touch screen with up to 720p, but only through an HDMI AV dock. The new Zune will also feature HD radio, Internet browser (obviously), and Wi-Fi for instant streaming from the Zune store.

The surprising thing from Microsoft is the Xbox live capabilities the new Zune will have. There will be some type of integration between the Zune HD and live, but it is unclear at this point exactly what it will be.

A price has not been revealed yet, but we do know that the Zune HD will be release in the fall of 09. Microsoft will be showing off the new Zune , and its Xbox live capabilities at E3 09. I am looking forward to it.

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The New York Times has made a big change in the way they view the flow of information. For the first time in the history of the news paper they have created a social media editor position.  In a memo released from deputy managing editor Jon Landman, he details the need for this position. Landman Said “the point is that an awful lot of people are finding our work not by coming to our homepage or looking at our newspaper but through alerts and recommendations from their friends and colleagues. So we ought to learn how to reach those people effectively and serve them well.”

The person who has been named for this position is Jennifer Preston, and her experience is extensive. She has worked as a reporter, editor, and marketing manager. Jon said that “Jennifer will work closely with editors, reporters, bloggers and others to use social tools to find sources, track trends, and break news as well as to gather it. She will help us get comfortable with the techniques, share best practices and guide us on how to more effectively engage a larger share of the audience on sites like Twitter, Facebook, Youtube, Flickr, Digg, and beyond.”

Jennifer will also be the go to gal for anyone around the news room who has questions about social media. As her position will also include keeping them up to speed on the social media world.

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Image Courtesy of MIT

Tired of missing those raids over silly things like eating and going to the bathroom?  If you answered yes, then say hello to the “WOW Pod!” Made with you in mind, “the obsessed Wow fan,” this breakthrough in modern laziness has all the comforts that a troglodyte could ever need.

Designed through a collaborative effort by MIT students.  The “WOW Pod,” is said to be the bee’s knees for any reclusive Wow addict.  Designed to resemble the Warcraft style environment.  This little hut includes snacks, toilet, and a cooking pot.

“The WOW Pod is an immersive architectural solution for the advanced WOW (World of Warcraft) player that provides and anticipates all life needs. Inside, the gamer finds him/herself comfortable seated in front of the computer screen with easy-to-reach water, pre-packaged food, and a toilet conveniently placed underneath his/her custom-built throne.”

I would have called it the “WOW HUTT.”

Jabba Approves

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Movie

We first announced this story way back in February, and at long last it has arrived.  Let it be written that on April 21, 2009, the Left 4 Dead Survival Pack was released. If you have been waiting eagerly for this DLC,  feel free to start screaming over top of your cubical “Left 4 Dead DLC, hooray!”

Survival Mode will take place at the horde trigger points within each of the 4 campaign modes. You will jump between each of these points, (each more intense than the last) until you reach the finale titled “Last Stand.” Described as being the high point of the Survival Mode, “Last Stand” is a lot like horde - on steroids.

According to Valve “Survival Mode draws on the planning and communication aspects of a successful Finale or Crescendo event, while taking it to another level. It rapidly hits a fever pitch that only a well coordinated team will be able to successfully survive. Everything from simply covering a reviving teammate, to making every shot count to minimize reloads becomes crucial in Survival Mode.”

Infected Spawn Curve

Courtesy of Valve, above is a graph depicting the infected spawn time of Survival Mode.  I would suggest tattooing it to your chest. Valve has also provided us with “lull” time. Which was described by Valve as “a short interval of time during which nothing new will spawn.” These are the moments that you can catch your breath, reload your ammo, and heal.

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Some of you are saying “thanks captain obvious,” but when was the last time you really considered the scope of Social Media’s popularity. Back in 2002 when all this craziness began, it was a word that was fairly new and its definition was obscure. Fast forward to 2009 and social media is taking over the world! According to Bambi Francisco (great name) with VatorNews “Today, for the first time ever on a global basis, social networks are more popular than email.”

Social Media has grown into a monster, two-thirds of the planet are on social media websites now.  Facebook is currently the king, with 175 million active users. Surpassing MySpace with a higher number of visitors, Facebook peaked at 132 million. Currently the top 3 Social Media sites are Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter. I can honestly say I don’t know a single person who isn’t on one of these three sites.

Hit the jump below to read the story, very good stuff.

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Image Belongs to Tech On

Through the joint effort of Shimizu Corp and Yaskawa Electronic Corp, the “Smart Showroom” debuted in Japan and it may be the precursor to the Intelligent building.  Combining infrastructure technology and the Yaskawa “smart guide” robot the intelligent building will interact with any individual who may enter it, using the smart guide robot as a greeter/guide.

The “Smart Showroom” utilizes infrastructure technology to prompt the “Smart Guide” robot when an Individual enters the room. From there the robot will greet, guide, and assist individuals with speech commands.

The smart showroom is the first step in the interactive building.  The concept is to have multiple robots with multiple roles all controlled by a central hub, that recognizes each robot individually. Eventually we may very well have robots that will not only greet and guide, but also take the role of guards and cleaners as well.

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