Panasonic is calling on the Blu-ray Disc Association to create an interface standard that will force manufacturers to store 3D images within the left- and right-eye two-channel mode on all HD content. The company is also calling for a new HDMI standard that will make it easier to transfer the left- and right- single-frame data units (unique to 3D feeds) to TV displays that feature the option. According to the giant Japanese manufacturer, the new standards will prevent patent conflict related to 3D imagery and allow the technology to grow exponentially over the next few years. Current 3D image encoding uses a two-channel function and that's where Panasonic believes it should stay. The easier the new 3D-enabled TVs can identify image data, equipment and other elements through this standard, the easier it will be to sell the technology to consumers. But Panasonic doesn't want to enforce a standard for actual 3D displays – too many other companies are trying to outdo each other with different, intriguing techniques in that area. Mitsubishi's first laser TV uses a 3D IR wireless emitter, where the source device supports checkerboard display formats (a type of complicated calibration). Samsung offers 3D-ready TVs that vibrate the images at 120 frames per second, alternating back and forth at 60 fps in each eye (Panasonic is offering basically the same thing). And Philips is on the verge of releasing their Quad-Full Autostereoscopic real 3D display, which has such a high speed and resolution that it alternates between 46 views at once, pushing 3D into the real world and eliminating the need for silly glasses. Add Hollywood's (and the public's) increased interest in 3D to the equation, and you have a technology that needs to be supported. Stunted growth due to patent battles and consumer confusion caused the similar battle between HD DVDs and Blu-ray disks to suffer the consequences this year with a less than bountiful bottom line. After all, a consumer won't buy a 3D Blu-ray movie if it can only be played in one type of television, or if takes two different media players. Panasonic says that their standard request is built to be accepted easily by the rest of the companies. If it’s accepted by the Blu-ray association, expect to see a 3D storage standard within two years. Photo: /pitzyper!/Flickr Source: Tech-On 

With the touchscreen Storm, Research In Motion offers a response to Apple's iPhone. Unfortunately, the Storm is more like a flurry, failing to add much more than a trace of innovation. If you use a BlackBerry, you quickly will grasp the basics of how to work this phone. But if you're a smartphone newbie -- the kind of person RIM wants to lure -- who's looking for a touchscreen model, there are better choices. The Storm is sleek and offers nice multimedia functions; videos look great. But navigating the phone can be cumbersome.

Blockbuster on Tuesday threw its hat into the increasingly crowded ring of set-top boxes with the announcement of a deal with hardware maker 2Wire. Blockbuster's system will bring video directly to viewers' televisions on demand via a broadband Internet connection. The move follows similar offerings from competitors. The Web-connected hardware comes months after chief rival Netflix came out with a set-top box manufactured by Roku. However, Blockbuster's system draws video from the Web differently, and it charges using a different pay structure.

The Utah-based SCO Group has been cleared to appeal a court ruling that might lead to a revival of its dispute with IBM over copyright claims to the freely distributed Linux operating system. Utah Federal Judge Dale A. Kimball has signed a final judgment in a case involving Novell, in which he had awarded Novell $2.5 million for some of the revenues SCO obtained in licensing the Unix computer operating system. The judgment is the latest development in the case that began in 2003 when SCO sued IBM saying the Unix code that SCO claimed to own had been the basis for code placed in Linux.

Justin Roberts has wildly curious young fans, the type who might lean into a live monitor during one of his concerts just to see what it sounds like. But the popular children's entertainer knows a blast of loud music isn't the only risk to a child's hearing. What parents and kids really need to watch is the everyday use of earbuds that come with iPods and other MP3 players, said Roberts, who has teamed up with the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association to raise awareness about noise-induced hearing loss.

  Panasonic is calling on the Blu-ray Disc Association to create an interface standard that will force manufacturers to store 3D images within the left- and right-eye two-channel mode on all HD content. The company is also calling for a new HDMI standard that will make it easier to transfer the left- and right- single-frame data units (unique to 3D feeds) to TV displays that feature the option. According to the giant Japanese manufacturer, the new standards will prevent patent conflict related to 3D imagery and allow the technology to grow exponentially over the next few years. Current 3D image encoding uses a two-channel function and that's where Panasonic believes it should stay. The easier the new 3D-enabled TVs can identify image data, equipment and other elements through this standard, the easier it will be to sell the technology to consumers. But Panasonic doesn't want to enforce a standard for actual 3D displays – too many other companies are trying to outdo each other with different, intriguing techniques in that area. Mitsubishi's first laser TV uses a 3D IR wireless emitter, where the source device supports checkerboard display formats (a type of complicated calibration). Samsung offers 3D-ready TVs that vibrate the images at 120 frames per second, alternating back and forth at 60 fps in each eye (Panasonic is offering basically the same thing). And Philips is on the verge of releasing their Quad-Full Autostereoscopic real 3D display, which has such a high speed and resolution that it alternates between 46 views at once, pushing 3D into the real world and eliminating the need for silly glasses. Add Hollywood's (and the public's) increased interest in 3D to the equation, and you have a technology that needs to be supported. Stunted growth due to patent battles and consumer confusion caused the similar battle between HD DVDs and Blu-ray disks to suffer the consequences this year with a less than bountiful bottom line. After all, a consumer won't buy a 3D Blu-ray movie if it can only be played in one type of television, or if takes two different media players. Panasonic says that their standard request is built to be accepted easily by the rest of the companies. If it’s accepted by the Blu-ray association, expect to see a 3D storage standard within two years. Photo: /pitzyper!/Flickr Source: Tech-On 

Oil Canvas, an iPhone app released Wednesday, is a neat piece of image-editing software that enables virtual finger painting. The app allows users to choose a photo from their album to brush and paint with their fingers. You simply need to rub over the image, as the software automatically detects the colors from the base picture, treating it as a canvas. Different brush sizes are available -- from an extra small stroke to add finesse to an extra large one to smudge over the boring parts (e.g., solid backgrounds). After finishing your painting, you can share it with others in Oil Canvas's PhotoShare community. In its video demo, the software's developer Big Canvas makes painting on the iPhone look extremely easy. Being a non-artist, I didn't produce very good results; the photo to the right is the best I could do. But it's a free app, so why not give it a dab? Download Link [iTunes] (Thanks, Nate!)

We have seen a robot play the flute, violin and other musical instruments. Now a Japanese play is using robots to act alongside human actors. The play called Hataraku Watashi (I, Worker) premiered at Osaka University and is being considered as one of the few examples of robot-human interaction on stage. The robots were programmed to speak their lines as they moved about on stage. The robot in the play is the 'Wakamaru' from Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. The Wakamaru was designed primarily to provide care for the disabled and elderly. It runs Linux operating system, has limited speech and speech recognition abilities. The play itself has a very interesting premise. It's about a young couple with two housekeeping robots. One of the robots complains about its "demeaning" work and that leads to a discussion about the role of robots in human lives. It's an interesting question and one that is likely to come up more often as use of homes robots become more widespread. [via BBC] Photo: The Wakamaru Robot

Ahhh Thanksgiving, a time for egg nog and egg nog based martinis. But that blasted shaking? Who has time to do that when there's a perfectly good turkey that needs to be horridly burned? Houseware maker Waring thinks they have the answer with its automatic martini maker. Too bad the gadget is, well, pretty much unnecessary.  From Christopher Null's review: Let's put on our Captain Obvious cape for a moment and deliver this nugget of wisdom: There's no good reason for anyone to buy the Waring Martini Maker. No good reason it should exist at all. For one long minute this device does through electrical what your arms can achieve in a mere 10 seconds... and it does a worse job of it too. But the Waring Martini Maker does exist. And for that reason, we had no choice but to try it out. $100, waringproducts.com Read the rest of the review of the Waring Martini Shaker right here.

Getting your name laser engraved onto a notebook sounds like a cool idea. But you'd look pretty dumb carrying around a Rhodia notebook that quotes some guy named "Buddah" (photo to the right). Otherwise, Notebook Engraver's offerings look snazzy: The company sells a variety of notebooks from Rhodia, Quo Vadis and Clairefontaine. On the site, you can enter text you'd like custom engraved on the front or the spine ($5 per engraving). And just like that -- Buddah-bing, Buddah-bam -- you've got a slick notebook with your sexy name etched onto it. Just make sure to check your spelling first. Product Page [Notebook Engraver via Twitter]