Hi, I'm Molly Wood, and welcome to the Buzz Report, the show about the tech news
that everyone's talking about. This week, it's multitouch, speeding Toyotas, and how to
build a better iPad. First, the gadget of the week.
The Gadget of the Week is the Nexus One! Google's anointed Android phone because
the first phone EVER to defeat the iPhone 3GS in a Prizefight, AND this week it got a new
software upgrade that gives it multitouch capability, better Google Maps, Google
Goggles, and some improved 3G capabilities. And it definitely stands alone at the top of
the Android heap since, for now, it's the only phone that will be getting that particular
upgrade. So, thanks for that, Google. Nexus One it is.
And now for the news. You probably heard a lot this week about Toyota recalling many
models due to faulty accelerator pedals, and now there's possibly a braking problem.
Well, this week, Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple, waded into the fray by revealing
that HE has what he calls a software problem with his Prius that causes some
acceleration issues, and he couldn't get anyone at Toyota or the transportation safety
board to take his calls.
�the next thing you know, he's rambling about it on CNN and finally Toyota says they'll
give him a call. it does state clearly in the Toyota manual that if you have potentially
fatal or just terrifying problems with cruise control or acceleration, you should
immediately contact Wolf Blitzer for assistance.
In other news, remember when we were all speculating about what the iPad would be like, and that was
SO much more fun than what the iPad actually turned out to be? Well, good news. Now we have iPad 2.0
... rumors. Fox News Channel reported that the iPad is definitely coming to Verizon. The Mission Repair
blog got a shipment of iPad parts and noted a spot in its frame that could easily accommodate the front-
facing Webcam we all want. And TechCrunch quotes their usual kissing-cousin source tree, reporting that
an iPad running OS X may be in the works.
So, an iPad running OS X with 3G from Verizon and a camera for Skyping with grandma? Wow. That iPad
sounds GREAT! If only wishing could make it so. Wish harder, Internet!
Now, don't worry, I already know you're going to send me nastygrams for knocking the iPad, or even
appearing to knock the iPad. I'm prepared. Engadget, on the other hand, announced this week that it had
had enough of nasty comments about its Apple coverage and would be turning OFF comments on the
blog completely, just for a little time-out. This just in: Engadget shocked to discover Internet full of ill-
mannered trolls. When did that happen!? Oh, yeah. When the first BBS's came online in the late 70s.
Learn to play, n00bs.
And finally, plenty of material for this week's ... death from above.
President Obama announced a budget proposal this week that ends NASA's mission to return to the
moon. But he did allocate even MORE funding to NASA, and asked the agency to focus on cool NEW space
technology. After all, the moon is so 60s. So, NASA said it will spend the next five years or so working on
robotic missions to the moon, Mars, and nearby asteroids in hopes of, you know, finding us a new home.
And that's good, because we need to get off this rock. Downside: the robots they send into space
eventually encounter an event horizon, become self-aware, and come back to kill us all before we get a
chance to flee. How do I know this is going to happen?
Because there's ALREADY a Cylon base station headed our way! Oh, sure, they'll TELL you the Hubble
telescope just picked up images of two asteroids that collided and fused together, creating a "fascinating"
contrail of "space dust" and an "unusual" x-shaped pattern. Hide your head in the sand all you want,
NASA, but they're coming. And they have a plan. Unlike the ones on TV.
And that's the Buzz Report for this week, everyone. I'm Molly Wood, and thanks for watching.
