Blade Runner Archive

  • The robot doctor will see you now

    The robot doctor will see you now

    Posted on April 27, 2010 | No Comments
    It's a brave new world of health and technology, coming together to keep you as healthy as modern medicine allows. The Senate Committee on Aging was witness to a show-and-tell of sorts last week, getting a first-hand look at some of the hi-tech innovations that promise to annoy people who cringe at the idea of universal healthcare. Because keeping people healthy is pure, pure evil, apparently.

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  • Should we even bother going after cyber-criminals?

    Should we even bother going after cyber-criminals?

    Posted on March 5, 2010 | No Comments
    At what point do you stop trying to track and prosecute cyber-criminals? Obviously, you can't let criminals run around willy-nilly, but when you look at the resources involved in bringing those guys to justice—and are you really nabbing the right guys in the first place?—it's worth at least talking about. Is fighting cyber-crime about as futile as fighting the war on drugs?

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  • Google files for Nexus One trademark

    Google files for Nexus One trademark

    Posted on December 15, 2009 | No Comments
    The mystery of the Nexus One continues to grow ever deeper, but we can pretty much confirm Google's planning to sell something under that name: the search giant filed an intent-to-use trademark application for "Nexus One" on December 10th, and in order to be granted the trademark registration it'll have to use the mark in commerce at some point in the future. Now, don't get too carried away -- sure, that could mean free unlocked GSM Android sets for all, but it could also just mean Google's planning to sell the Nexus One as its next-gen Android Developer Phone. Considering everything we've heard points to the device being limited to T-Mobile 3G, we'd say the developer phone theory is still the most likely, but it's all up in the air until Google provides a sample of the Nexus One mark being used in commerce to the USPTO -- or, better yet, announces something official.

    Update:     Ruh roh. As we're sure you're aware, the "Nexus" name is a riff on Philip K. Dick's Nexus-6 replicants in Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? and ultimately in Blade Runner -- and his estate is none too pleased that Google's using it without permission. According to the New York Times, Dick's daughter -- who is in charge of licensing his work -- was never told of Google's plans, and she's contacted the lawyers now that she's found out. We're guessing Google can still make nice though: she says she would have been open to an agreement had contact been made earlier. So... let's get on that, guys.

    [Thanks, Amit]

    Google files for Nexus One trademark originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 15 Dec 2009 17:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  • The Google Phone identifies as an early replicant

    The Google Phone identifies as an early replicant

    Posted on December 13, 2009 | No Comments
    The Gruber brings us this bit of news: the new GPhone identifies as Nexus One in browsing logs. Five points to anyone who can remember what the Nexus models were? In Blade Runner the Nexus Six models were the “rogue” replicants and someone – not saying who – was a Nexus Seven model. So is Google [...]

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  • CrunchGear in China

    CrunchGear in China

    Posted on December 7, 2009 | No Comments
    Greetings from sunny Shenzhen, just north of Hong Kong. I've spent some time in Asia - at least the tech centers - and have never found a place like this. It's like Blade Runner meets 1990s Prague meets the end of the world. I'm here to report on what's going on here in terms of electronics and how it's changing the way we think about price, cost, and value. It's pretty crazy. Thirty years ago Shenzhen was a rice paddy, a town of about 50,000 souls. Today it is a hive, and a dirty one at that. Smog is a way of life. As the sun goes down over the city, the streets take on an amber cast and the darkness falls quickly. There are no picturesque sunsets here. This is the first in a series called CrunchGear In China about manufacturing in Shenzhen. Look for more posts this week and next.

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  • CrunchGear in China: Seeing Where the Tech Sausage Is Made

    CrunchGear in China: Seeing Where the Tech Sausage Is Made

    Posted on December 2, 2009 | No Comments
    Greetings from sunny Shenzhen, just north of Hong Kong. I’ve spent some time in Asia – at least the tech centers – and have never found a place like this. It’s like Blade Runner meets 1990s Prague meets the end of the world. I’m here to report on what’s going on here in terms of [...]

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  • What will you do if piracy as we know it goes away? (I’ll just read more)

    What will you do if piracy as we know it goes away? (I’ll just read more)

    Posted on July 2, 2009 | No Comments
    Let's say you're not about to pay $30 for the Blu-ray edition of Blade Runner or Transformers, especially after you've already seen the film a dozen or more times on regular DVD. But now that The Pirate Bay, as far as I'm concerned, long gone, what are you gonna do? Will its “reboot” cause you to change your pirating ways, or will you merely move on to the next service and/or Web site?

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