Two Sources Claim Apple is Working on a Netbook

Apple Inc. (AAPL) is planning to launch a netbook computer with a touch screen monitor as early as the second half of this year, two people close to the situation told Dow Jones Newswires Tuesday.

The mini laptop computers will likely have monitor screens that are between 9.7-inches and 10-inches, one person, who declined to be named, said.

Another person said other specifications and functions are still under evaluation.

I wonder if Apple finally figured out how to make a $500 computer that wasn’t a piece of junk?

UPDATE:Apple Plans To Launch Netbook With Touch Screen-Sources.

Netflix to Stream Episodes of South Park

I stopped by the studio to talk to Mr. Stone because he had some news: the two men and their partner Comedy Central had consummated a deal with Netflix to stream the first nine seasons of “South Park.”

I really hope Netflix ends up streaming new episodes as well. But, I’ve almost lost hope of Netflix getting any fresh content that I am at all interested in.

The Media Equation – Far-Sighted Moves by Creators of ‘South Park’ – NYTimes.com.

Facebook’s Peter Thiel Confirms Twitter Purchase Attempt

In Facebook’s first public confirmation of the talks, Thiel said the parties disagreed over price and structure when they seriously considered a deal last fall. “It became pretty clear it wasn’t going to happen,” Thiel says from the mid-Manhattan office of his hedge fund Clarium Capital. “The deal would have to be done with Facebook stock. And then you have to figure out how much the stock is worth.”

Facebook’s Thiel Explains Failed Twitter Takeover – BusinessWeek.

SunCat Solar Recharging Batteries

SunCat Rechargeable Batteries

Designer Knut Karlsen has come up with the innovative idea of integrating flexible solar cells onto rechargeable batteries.

Karlsen’s current battery is just a prototype and isn’t exactly ideal the charging isn’t that efficient and the battery itself has to be smaller to fit all of the extra components but hopefully the design will get significantly better over time.

Prototype SunCat batteries enable solar charging | Crave – CNET.

Stop the iPhone’s AutoCorrect Feature by Typing a “Z”

iPhone Z AutoCorrectA Lifehacker Australia reader found out that if you type a z into any area of the iPhone where auto-correct is used you can type immediately before the z and auto-correct won’t attempt to fix anything. This is especially useful for those you occasionally type in different languages.

Stop The iPhone’s AutoCorrect Feature Ruining Your SMS Messages – Lifehacker Australia.

Palm Confirms Games are in Development for WebOS

Palm did confirm that games are in development for webOS, and seems a little defensive at accusations that the OS can’t handle that stuff — Palm hasn’t changed its stance on app development, of course, there are no “native” apps allowed currently, but they seem more reticent to admit that web-style app development will limit gaming options.

Palm confirms games are in development for Pre, drops a few other tidbits – Engadget.