Japanese electronic giant Toshiba Corp. announced on Tuesday that it is developing a new technology that would allow viewers to watch 3D television without special glasses.

In an interview, Toshiba spokesperson Yuko Sugahara confirmed earlier reports, saying that the development for such technology is now being undertaken.

“Many people don’t like to wear those special glasses to watch TV for a long time, specially people who must wear 3-D glasses over regular glasses. That is why Toshiba is now developing a new technology that would allow users to view 3D movies even without glasses,” said Sugahara.

However, Sugahara refused to comment on Japanese newspaper reports that the company will come up with the new 3D television by year’s end.

To date, Sony Corp. and Panasonic Corp. are the leading companies when it comes to 3D TV technology. However, units being sold still require 3D glasses.

Toshiba said that they are looking for ways to go around the traditional 3D glasses, saying that screens that don’t require special glasses are already available in the market.

“The only thing is that these 3D screens were designed only for store displays and not for moving pictures. These screens require viewers to stand on specific spots for them to see the effects,” she said. “Besides having only still images, the quality of pictures in these screens is much lower than those that require special 3D glasses.”

Sugahara said that they are now investing hundreds of millions of dollars in 3D technology for TV to bring the exciting experience of movies like “Avatar” and other blockbuster movies to the viewers at the comfort of their own homes.

The spokesperson also said that the new 3D technology for television will coincide with the development of gaming consoles that can play three dimensional games.

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Cambodian authorities expressed alarm over the significant increase of cheating incidents among students, who used cellphones to share answers during national examinations.

According to reports, hundreds of students were caught talking to friends or relatives over their cellphones to ask for answers in the exams. Some students even bribed their professors to allow them to browse their “smuggled” notes for answers.

Initial investigations also showed that teachers and their cohorts have masterminded the massive cheating incident, even selling answers to the national exams for $30 in advance to avoid suspicion of other school officials.

The report also told that teachers involved with the shenanigan would often turn a blind eye to students who were openly talking to their relatives, and kept inspectors out of the rooms.

The examination result will be announced on August 20, with some 100, 000 students eager to learn if they passed.

Authorities only learned about the cheating incidents after several students (who did not cheat) blurted to school administrators about how their classmates pass on the answers to other students.

“It was hard to copy all the correct answers with just one sheet of paper. So, many of the students just took pictures with their camera phones and pass on the image to other students via mobile Internet,” a female student said.

After the incident, authorities are now studying the possibility of declaring the exam results as null and void.

For his part, Mak Vann, a senior official at the Cambodia Ministry of Education blamed the mass killing of educated people during the 1970s, when the Khmer Rouge has executive all the educated and intellectual people of Cambodia leaving only peasants who have no proper training to help restore the country’s educational system.

He said that the habit of cheating during the years in school is being carried out by students when they work, noting the low-ranking of Cambodia in the fight against graft and corruption.

Vann also recognized that there is still a lot of work to be done before the country can fully restore its education system, saying that it could take years or even decades if the government will fail to act decisively today.

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A report over the weekend told that thousands of Saudis are now selling off their BlackBerry devices ahead of the scheduled ban by the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.

However, with very few people willing to buy the smartphones, Saudis were forced to sell it at a much cheaper price.

“I want to get a new smartphone. Since the announcement of the ban, many Saudis have already traded or sold their BlackBerry fearing that they will not be able to sell it when the ban is already implemented,” a Saudi national said.

Many cellphone shops in the UAE and Saudi Arabia also expressed fear that the ban could affect their sales, saying that fewer people are now buying phones, particularly smartphones.

There are also rumored that the ban would take effect Friday midnight causing more panic among its users. But a day after the “supposed” implementation, many of the devices are still working and services can still be used.

It will be recalled that the governments of Saudi Arabia and the UAE announced plans to ban the use of BlackBerry services starting October 11, saying that the device is a direct threat to national security since the encrypted messages sent through the device is outside the jurisdiction of the government.

The UAE Telecommunications Regulatory Administration (TRA) cited reports that the device are being used by spies and other anti-government infiltrators to pass on encrypted messages that could not be monitored by local governments.

The TRA said that it would ban BlackBerry e-mail, messaging and Web browsing starting in October 11, while Indonesia and India are also demanding greater control over the data.

For its part, Research in Motion (RIM), the maker of the popular BlackBerry device, said that they are now talking “privately” with the governments, hoping to come up with a “win-win” solution that would avert the planned ban.

An RIM official familiar with the matter said that the discussion includes putting up a local server in the respective countries allowing the government to have a peek on the encrypted messages.

The official, who refused to be named, said that they are also discussing the possible privacy violations when the local servers were put up.

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In a bid to attract more consumers to its doors, the world’s largest coffee chain Starbucks Corp. announced on Monday that it will be offering unlimited use of wireless internet access (Wi-Fi) in all company-operated stores starting July 1.

Starbucks hopes to take back lucrative share of the restaurant business from its rivals like McDonald’s Corp. and other coffee chains that have long used free Wi-Fi connection to attract customers.

This time, Starbucks takes one step further by giving customers free Wi-Fi access, which will include special news networks and entertainment contents.

The Starbucks Digital Network was done in partnership with Yahoo, giving customers free access to online news websites like the Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Patch and USA Today as well as free music downloads on Apple iTune Stores.

Previously, Starbucks offered only two hours of free Internet access to each user everyday.

The company started implementing the earlier Wi-Fi scheme based on its study, which showed that customers login on the Internet in an average of one hour on each visit to Starbucks stores. Meanwhile, Smartphone users use Wi-Fi access on an average of 15 minutes.

The coffee giant hopes to extend its quarterly gains, which has been slumped for the past 13 quarters due to the recession and rapid expansion plans.

Starbucks also hopes to take back major market shares from McDonald’s, which has offered unlimited Wi-Fi access to some 11, 5000 stores. The coffee giant lost major clientele to McDonald’s due to its McCafe chain.

Following the announcement, Starbucks shares jumped by 1.5 percent or 41 cents ($27.56) during midday trading on Monday.

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Jen-Hsun Huang, the president and chief executive officer of Nvidia, revealed on Monday that majority computer hardware makers are now pushing for the establishment of Google’s Android technology as the primary operating system for new tablet computer lines.

“It is good news that we finally have an operating system to unite behind. Android is an operating system that has gained a tremendous amount of momentum all over the world,” Huang said.

The official said that Android-based tablet computers will be one of the highlights in the annual Computex Show, which will be held in Taiwan.

“Most of the manufacturers and other hardware makers are expected to come up with Android-based prototypes since it is the ideal software to use in tablet computers,” he said, adding that Windows OS is not the best choice for such hardware.

“Microsoft Windows OS is too heavy and too full-featured for a tablet computer or a smartbook,” he added.

Smartbook is a term used to describe low-cost laptops containing processors designed by Arm instead of x86 chips from Intel or Advanced Micro Devices.

Originally designed for Smartphones and other smaller devices of similar size, Android has gained the trust of major computer makers.

One of the best example is Acer, one of the largest computer manufacturers in the world, which has released an Android-operated version of its popular Aspire One netbook.

“Android has become the fastest growing mobile operating system in the world and, in fact, it has surpassed the iPhone in terms of growth and in terms of users,” the CEO said.

Huang, however, refused to comment on issues that Nvidia has vested interest in pushing for the development of Android-based tablet computers. According to reports, the company has been pushing for the Android OS since it will benefit majorly in the hype with its Arm-based processor called Tegra 2.

Tegra 2 is specifically designed for tablet PCs, and Android OS.

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The worlds largest technology company Apple Inc on Monday announced that it had sold more than 2 million iPad tablet computers just a month after its release, breaking the record set by the highly-popular iPhone.

In United States alone, Apple was able to sell more than 1.4 million units of iPad despite restrictions in the demographic launching of the 10-inch tablet computer. Major Apple Stores also run out of units to be sold due to record-high demand.

According to reports, Apple was forced to push back the global launching of the iPad due to limited units and continued rise in demand in the US.

But with the release of the iPad in Japan, Australia, Canada, France, Italy, Germany, Spain, Switzerland, and Great Britain, the company was able to pump up immediately its sales to more than two million units.

The highly-anticipated iPad tablet computer was said to have revolutionize the entire industry, threatening to eat out even the netbook sector.

Many of the technology experts believe that the advertising technique used by Apple and its chief executive Steve Jobs, has a lot to do with the hype for the product. Jobs is considered as one of the best buzz builder in the technology world, considering the success of the iPhone, iPad, and the Macbook line.

In a statement following the worldwide release, Jobs said that Apple fans can now enjoy the features of the iPad as much as the company did when it first launched the product a month ago in California.

He also asked for the people’s patience due to the delay in the delivery of the product, saying that they are doing everything that they can to meet the deadlines.

In July, the company will launch the iPad in nine other countries including Belgium, Ireland, Netherlands, and Austria.

With this, Apple is expecting its sales to go higher than what they have earlier predicted and keep the No.1 spot in the technology industry.

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Millions of parents around the world are now wondering if they can get the same ankle bracelet attached to Hollywood star Lindsay Lohan, saying that the breathalyzer technology can help them monitor or solve alcohol abuse of their children.

But the company responsible for designing and manufacturing the device said that it would be impossible, for now.

In a statement, Alcohol Monitoring Systems Inc. Spokesperson Kathleen Brown said that they have received hundreds of inquiries from parents who wish to protect their children from being addicted to alcohol by monitoring them using the bracelets.

She said that, for now, the ankle bracelet were exclusively being sold to courts, probation officers, and other similar agencies to make sure that drivers addicted to alcohol will not drink again while serving his sentence.

“We want to focus on the corrections market,” Brown said.

But Brown stressed that they are not eliminating the possibility of going in the mainstream market.

For many years now, an electronic gadget has been used by court to restrict the suspects’ movement at the comfort of their own homes.

But the addition of the breathalyzer technology has made the bracelet more useful for the courts, especially with people under alcohol probation.

Just like a breathalyzer, the bracelet checks the person’s blood alcohol level. But instead of checking the breath for alcohol, it samples the perspiration on the skin.

The alcohol detecting device gained popularity after a Los Angeles Court ordered actress Lindsay Lohan to wear one after failing to show up in a hearing schedule last week.  The actress was also asked to pay $100, 000 bail for her temporary liberty.

Reports told that the former teen star went to Cannes Film Festival despite being informed of the set hearing.

Aside from Lohan, others who were made to wear the bracelet were rapper-actress Eve and ex-NBA star Jayson Williams.

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A new study released by a wireless industry firm showed that majority of users are now preferring to use prepaid cellphone service rather than committing to a two-year subscription contract.

New Millennium Research Council added that the new trend among cellphone users are putting the burden on the shoulders of major carriers in the United States since most of the popular phones, like the Apple iPhone and Research and Motion Blackberry, are being sold in the country can only be acquired through subscription plans.

“Prepaid service not only cost less but also offers more attractive service options to millions of users,” NMRC said, citing the significant decline in the number of people signing up for plans.

“If someone wants to get an iPhone or an Android Smartphone, they have to pay over $70 every month to enjoy the device that goes along with the subscription plan. While prepaid will only cost a person around 10 to 20 cents depending on the number of minutes they need to talk, making it a cheaper alternative than to have a $70-month iPhone,” the group added.

For many years now, prepaid service has been the bread and butter of many people who can’t afford to acquire plans because they failed to qualify the necessary credit check.

To date, around one-fifth of Americans are on prepaid. But the number is expected to shoot up as many of them search for a cheaper alternative.

NMRC said that the recent recession is one of the major factors why people are now shifting to prepaid from postpaid subscription plans.

Also, better offers like unlimited text messages and calls are now being peddled to prepaid users for just $45 a month, almost half of what major carriers offer in their postpaid lines.

The popularity of text messaging and tweet on the go are now making the shift to prepaid an easier choice for many of the mobile phone users in the US.

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Google Inc., the maker of the ever-more popular Android phones, has now taken away the Top 2 spot from Apple Inc. after outselling the iPhone in the US market during the first quarter of 2010.

Many of the analysts said that the change in lead for the Smartphone software industry has now sparked a tougher competition among mobile phone makers in the coming years, which could potentially generate more advance devices.

However, Google’s success was cut short after reports that one of its key partners, Sprint Nextel, has parted ways with the Internet giant.

Sprint officials, in a statement, said that they will no longer support the distribution of the Nexus One Smartphone. The new sleek touchscreen Android phone was developed by Google with the help of HTC, and was being sold directly in its website.

Based on records, Google’s Android operating system has accounted for some 28 percent in the US Smartphone unit sales in the first quarter of this year. Meanwhile, Research in Motion’s Blackberry device remained on top with 36 percent share of the market sales.

Smartphone sales in the US have significantly increased over the past year due to its flexibility, allowing users to surf the Internet and send emails while on the go.

Millions of users, based on a survey, also told that they are looking forward of having a Smartphone to replace their outdated phones, making the Smartphone market a viable business opportunity for the mobile phone companies.

It will be recalled that Hewlett-Packard Co expressed its intention to enter the Smartphone market by acquiring Palm Inc for $1.2 billion.

According to technology experts, the company that will bring together all the capabilities and features of the Smartphone in a sleeker package will win the top spot in the market.

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A new study by media watchdog Ofcom showed that the number of children, aged 12 years old and below, who have Facebook and other social networking accounts increased in the past couple of years.

According to the report, many of these children have ignored the age restrictions by the social networking sites by posing as older persons. The average age restriction for social networking sites is 13 years old.

The study also revealed that one out of five (19 percent) children, aged 12 years old below, uses social networking sites such as Twitter, Facebook, and MySpace. But the most alarming fact about the study is one out of six parents did not even know that their kids have social networking accounts.

The study also included the number of young Internet users that visited social networking sites from their homes, showing the number grew by more than 37 percent.

Many of the experts who have reviewed the new data said that the new study could spark a new set of debates on how social networking sites should regulate theirs age policy. They also said that despite the warning on the age limit, there is no real verification process to distinguish if the applicants were on the right age group.

It will be recalled that Facebook has faced a barrage of criticism from Child Exploitation and Online Protection Center for its refusal to install the CEOP abuse report program in its website. The program aims to look after and report inappropriate behavior of the youth in the website.

Sophos Internet safety expert Graham Cluley said that there are mix types of dangers that children will encounter on social networking sites, including being preyed by adult users.

He also mentioned that racism is a popular topic among the people in this websites, which could potentially misinform millions of youth in the website.

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