Not long ago, I reported that Apple joined BAPCo, the Windows-based benchmarking consortium that also includes PC Magazine and Ziff Davis Media.  I have since noticed that the BAPCo main site now (finally!) lists Apple as an official member.  I've also since talked to reps from Apple Computer's Os/Software group, and though the timing is interesting, Apple is joining BAPCo mainly for input, investment, insight and influence on the Windows benchmarking process (just like the rest of the BAPCo members).  With Apple's history of quoting benchmark numbers in its launch campaigns, it is no suprise that Apple will probably be interested in having SYSmark or MobileMark numbers in its launch ads for Intel powered versions of their consumer notebook (iBook replacement) or Mac tower (née Power Mac G5) or maybe whenever Mac Os X 10.5 ships, since Boot Camp is reported to be included in OS X 10.5 Leopard. 

The splash screen seen here is the new official one.  I like those guys on the right in the third row.

Do you consider yourself the next Jimi Hendrix? OK, so maybe you're not THAT good, but you consider yourself quite talented. Then you should try out for RedOctane's "Be a Guitar Hero" II competition. If selected, your song will be featured in the November 2006 release of Guitar Hero II for PS2.

Here are the rules:

1. Submit original music at www.beaguitarhero.com
2. Songs must fall in the hard rock or heavy metal genre with a featured lead guitar. 
3. RedOctane will accept music entries by 11:59 p.m. PST on June 30, 2006. 

If you remember last year's Be a Guitar Hero competition, it was Graveyard BBQ who won. You can see them perform live at the RedOctane booth during the upcoming Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in Los Angeles next month. Their winning song was "Cheat on the Church," which can be unlocked in the original "Guitar Hero" PS2 game.

The grand prize winner one who rocks the hardest will also receive these cool prizes:

- Epiphone G-400 Electric Guitar
- EMG Zakk Wylde pickup set
- Krank Distortus Maximus distortion pedal
- Pacific Drums and Percussion CX Drumset
- Morley Pedal Steve Vai Bad Horsie Wah pedal
- Copy of Guitar Hero" and "Guitar Hero II" videogame

Think you're ready to rock the house?

[via RedOctane's Press Release]

The Samsung Q1 arrived in my hands last week, and I got to play with it over the weekend. It looks like a blown up version of the Sony PSP, except that it has a Windows XP operating system loaded. It's too big to fit in any pocket, but it is light. Some of the things I really liked were the 7 inch screen and the sound quality of the unit. As you can see, playing the X-Men movie trailer looks pretty good, and you get that surround sound feel if you bring the unit close enough to you.

The Q1 loads Windows XP Tablet OS. The stylus is your typical PDA stylus and uncomfortable to use after extensive periods. The touchscreen is very responsive considering it's not Wacom enabled. The side of my hand consistently hits the screen when I write. An external keyboard is recommended.

It doesn't have built-in WAN or GPS, which were some of the cool features Microsoft was marketing. It does have 802.11AG and a built-in Ethernet port. The processing power is pretty weak for running anything other than a web browser, iTunes, or a Word document. You can only get it at BestBuy Online or CDW at the moment, and it'll run you a pretty penny at $1,099. You can read the full review here.

These are scary statistics: over 1 million children in the U.S. are reported missing each year. What's even scarier is that 270,000 are abducted by their own family members*. As a society, we realize that we can't keep an eye on our children every second of the day, but there are ways to keep track of their whereabouts and alert them if they are in danger.

Thanks to CATS Communication and Wonder Boy Foundation, now you can help keep your family safe with just a computer and a GPS phone. Dubbed CATTrax, the technology is a location based service that allows parents to keep track of children through a GPS cell phone and alerts them when their child is in a sexual predator zone. Parents can view their children's whereabouts on a map on a computer by logging in to their CATTrax account. Then they can see how fast their children are traveling and even their approximate location.

I'm no parent, so we asked Lance Ulanoff, Editor of Reviews of PC Magazine, to weigh in his thoughts on this family protection system:

I love the idea of being able to know where my kids are at all times. My wife and I are already incredibly paranoid parents. We always know where our kids are—because we never let them out of our sights. Yes, they go to school and an occasional play date. But neither my 7 year old nor my 11 year old has gone to the store on their own or even around the block. Okay, there was that one time that my son took off around the block and we cornered him by my wife going one way and I the other.

CATTrax is, of course, a great idea for tween and teen parents. It's probably the only good reason to give any child or teen a cell phone: to track their whereabouts via GPS. I can imagine my wife sitting at her laptop with CATTrax, calling out my son's position as he goes from street to street: "He's on Oak…Okay he's turning left. Now he's on Smith..wait. he's turning back, now he's going forward again—I bet he picked up a something off the street..he's on Sunrise. Wait, I've lost him. He must be in the mall…"

The concept of adding predator zone is intriguing, but I'm not buying it. Of course the press release doesn't really flesh out how this will work. But I have an idea. We already get notifications in the mail every time a "predator" has moved into our neighborhood. This is a convicted sex offender who is now out of jail and living near us. He isn't identified by name, but we know he's nearby. I guess the Cattrax people get those pieces of info and the general location of the convict and overlay that on the GPS.

Still how accurate or useful will this be? If it's by zip then one bad guy living 10 blocks from me and Cattrax would have my entire neighborhood lit up as a predator zone. And, of course, Cattrax is useless if the predator is new and unknown to authorities. In the end, any place can be a predator zone. My plan for keeping my kids safe is to tell them—as I have been for years:

Do not talk to strangers. Do not talk to people who pull up along side you in their car. Do not go into strange homes.

And, for as long as they'll let me: Do not leave my sight.

Currently, CATTrax works on the Sprint IDEN network only, on the following cell phone models: Nextel i275, Nextel i760, and Nextel i850. The company is working on providing the service on additional carriers. Call 1.877.229.CATS to activate the service.

*Read the full press release here.

GPS CELL PHONE WITH SEXUAL PREDATOR ZONE ALERTS
HELPS PARENTS KEEP TRACK OF LOVED ONES

Dateline: May 1, 2006 ... Irvine, CA
Contact Name: Zaynab Behzadnia
Contact Phone: 949-502-7750 ext 202
E-mail: zaynab@lucidfusion.com
Web Address: http://www.kidssafegps.com

IRVINE, CA - May 1, 2006 - Today's world is busier and
unfortunately scarier than ever, but now CATS Communication, an
Irvine, California based company, is making it easier to keep
track of loved ones so families can have greater peace of mind.
Wonder Boy Foundation, an organization dedicated to educating
kids and their families on protection techniques against
predators, is proud to announce its endorsement of CATS
Communication's latest development in family protection
technology: CATTRAX(TM). CATTRAX(TM)(http://www.cattrax.us) is
the most advanced "Location Based Service: that allows parents to
keep track of loved ones through a GPS cell phone and even alerts
them when their child is in a sexual predator zone.

Over 1 million children in the U.S. are reported missing each
year. Another 270,000 are abducted by family members, and as many
as 60,000 are abducted by non-family members. Add to that
millions that are just not where they are supposed to be and that
adds up to a lot of children unaccounted for by their parents.

CATTRAX(TM) has gathered a great deal of nationwide attention; it
has been featured on "Geraldo at Large", "MSNBC Morning News" as
well as local news stations on all major networks. CATTRAX(TM)is
software that runs on a GPS cell phone and can be accessed on a
computer, keeping track of a child's location in real time. The
position of the child can be viewed on a map on a computer so
parents can see where their child is in the neighborhood, how
fast they are traveling and their approximate street address or
latitude and longitude.

"I can watch every move my kids make," said David Cooper, CATS
Communication field test specialist. "If Alyssa calls me and says
she's home, I can look on the map on my computer at work and rest
assured that she's safe, and if she wants to go out with her
friends I can worry a little less, because I can check in
whenever I need to. CATTRAX(TM)is a remarkable parenting tool!"

Lisa Millsap of Kansas City is particularly grateful for the Zone
and Alerts feature on the CATTRAX(TM)phone, which notifies her if
her child has traveled in or out of a designated area by sending
her a text message, email or page. Lisa said," Matt was in a part
of town he wasn't supposed to be in. We tracked him with
CATTRAX(TM)and found him at a teen party. The computer told us
the street address and we went to the house to pick him up. We
avoided a lot of potential trouble that night."

In addition to affording parents incredible peace of mind by
providing the most up to date information about their children,
CATS Communication is also reaching out to customers interested
in staying in touch with elderly parents and active recreational
participants.

The CATTRAX(TM) service costs about $20.00 per month, in addition
to the cell phone and phone service costs. It is currently only
available through CATS Communication and can be ordered online at
http://www.cattrax.us or by calling 1-877-229-CATS (2287).

For more information on the Wonder Boy Foundation visit
http://www.kidssafegps.com

There are several portable iPod speakers on the market today, but I haven't seen anything like these.

The Apple Foldable Speaker does just as the name suggests, ideal for bringing on vacation or for the outdoors. Not only does it work with iPods, it also works with other MP3 players, laptops, DVD players, and any other audio device with a headphone jack.

The fold-up design is said to also protect the iPod. The Foldable Speakers operate on 4 AAA batteries or the included AC adapter. It's also USB powered.

I'm not sure how well they sound, but they are said to be of "high quality." 

Get the Apple Foldable Speakers for just $16.00. Delivery is offered worldwide.

I don't think these are really made by Apple though.

[Found via TechEBlog]