This week the act known as the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) has been pushed before the European Union’s highest court where it will face scrutiny by law. This move has been described by EU trade head Karel De Gucht as a question by the court that will clarify whether the treaty was able to comply with “the EU’s fundamental rights and freedoms.” What we know so far of the ACTA, for those of you following along, is that its a multi-nation agreement currently being signed (or protested against) after its initial negotiation excluded civil society groups, developing countries, and the general public on the whole.

The agreement has thus far been signed by 22 EU member states including the UK (and holds support from the United States, Japan, and Canada) and needs 6 countries to come into force. Protesters include Germany and Denmark and the agreement is set to be debated by the European Parliament in June. As the European Commission stated this week:

“[We have] decided today to ask the European Court of Justice for a legal opinion to clarify that the Acta agreement and its implementation must be fully compatible with freedom of expression and freedom of the internet.” – EC

Though the agreement is being lauded by supporters as being put in place to raise global standards for intellectual property rights, opposition includes talk that blocking the internet in any form or fashion is the opposite of the basic freedoms that should be part of the European Unions defended rights. As Viviane Reding, the commissioner for justice, fundamental rights and citizenship, wrote this week in a statement:

This situation can and must not be changed by the ACTA agreement, which has been negotiated by the EU Presidency and is currently under public discussion in the European Parliament and in the national parliaments of the EU Member States. As I said, I am against all attempts to block Internet websites. Even though the text of the ACTA agreement does not provide for new rules compared to today’s legal situation in Europe, I understand that many people are worried about how ACTA would be implemented. The European Commission has therefore decided today to ask the European Court of Justice for a legal opinion to clarify that the ACTA agreement and its implementation must be fully compatible with freedom of expression and freedom of the Internet.” – Reding

We’ll continue following this agreement, I assure you, as it has the ability to turn into something much greater than a clarification of rules. Blocking the web via internet providers is never the answer, ladies and gentlemen, and any act that may lead to such a law should rightly be struck down.

[via BBC]

ASUS has released the bootloader unlock tool for the Eee Pad Transformer Prime this morning, and developers have wasted no time in opening up the Tegra 3 tablet to Ubuntu. Prime owner littlesteve had a Ubuntu build prepped and waiting for just this day, though there are still some hardware issues to iron out: no touchscreen support, for instance, so that a Bluetooth mouse is necessary for navigation.

However, this is still believed to be the first native port of an OS to the Transformer Prime, something developers have long been anticipating. The Prime currently ships with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, having been upgraded to the OS earlier in the year, but ASUS opted to lock down the bootloader in what it said was a move to ensure device stability and protect content-owner DRM.

That unsurprisingly didn’t go down well with the developer community, and ASUS was forced to backtrack and promise an unlocker tool. It’s not for everyone, though; using it will void your manufacturers warranty, meaning if you brick your slate, it’s your problem.

We’ve been promised more information on the hack, and it’s only likely to be the first of many modifications made to the Transformer Prime over the next few weeks. We’ll update when we know more.

You can download the bootloader unlock tool, meanwhile, from ASUS’ support site.

[Thanks Steve!]

The next generation of 3D smartphones has begun to drop here just one year after we first saw similar devices drop at Mobile World Congress 2011. It appears that LG will be the first big manufacturer to come back swinging with a new Optimus 3D, this time called the LG Optimus 3D Cube complete with 3D video editing. At the moment it appears that this device is only set to be released in Korea, but afterwards we can expect this handset to hit at least one carrier here in the United States – bet on it!

This device continues the trend of adding more and more letters to the name of a device in order to make it seem more awesome, this time actually improving the specifications along with the name though as well. What we’ve got here is a massive 4.3-inch IPS display for brightness and beastly sharpness, a dual-core 1.2GHz processor from what we must assume is Texas Instruments OMAP line once again, and a very similar shape to the last Optimus 3D model all around.

This time around though the device is much thinner than before, it measuring in at a tiny 126.8 x 67.4 x 9.6 mm, this including an NFC chip as well. This device is coming with Android 2.3 Gingerbread with no word on a timeframe for Ice Cream Sandwich and does include a custom user interface like the first 3D model from LG with lovely 3D glasses-free excellence across the display.

This device also works with the awesome LG Tag system which allows you to make groupings of settings then attach those settings to an NFC-activated label. You can then switch the way your phone looks and acts by simply placing it near the card with the NFC tag in it whenever you wish. In addition, the LG Optimus 3D Cube has full 3D video editing software as well as a 3D mapping application right out of the box.

We fully expect to see this device live and in action next week at Mobile World Congress 2012 – see you there!

You could soon be able to see where your friends and, how much farther you have to go until you reach the building for your job interview, and other important information just by walking around. That may sound like the kind of stuff you can get by taking out your smartphone and opening a couple apps, but Google wants it to happen right in front of your face. Yeah, the company is planning on releasing its own brand of futuristing glasses with heads-up displays by the end of the year.

The company has not officially announced anything about the project, but an employee with loose lips has been quoted as saying the smart glasses will come fully equipped with mobile broadband connectivity, GPS functionality, and a built-in digital camera. Wearing the glasses will essentially be like grabbing all the locally relevant information you can get on an Android phone and augmenting it into what you actually see right in front of your face.

The software powering the glasses is based on Android, and each pair is set to retail in the range of $ 250 – $ 600. That is quite a range, to be sure, and it’s unclear if Google plans to offer a wide variety of models or if there will only be one universal pair. The cameras will reportedly have built-in sensors and will adjust the information based on user movement. This kind of stuff has been on display at trade shows for years, but we’ve never seen it actually materialized. If anyone can make it happen, it’s Google.

[via NY Times]

ViewSonic reportedly has a new 7-inch Android tablet lined up for debut at next week’s Mobile World Congress and it’s called the ViewPad G70. Sources familiar with the company’s plans spilled the beans to Pocket-lint, dishing out most all the specs.

The ViewSonic ViewPad G70 will feature a 7-inch 1024 x 600 high-resolution screen, which means 169ppi pixel density. The processor specs have not been revealed, but it’s believed to have 1GB of RAM and 4GB of onboard storage that can be expanded with a microSD card.

It will offer a variety of ports, including mini-HDMI, micro-USB, and mini-USB. Front and back cameras will also be included, although the rear-facing camera is said to have only a 2-megapixel resolution.

There’s no official product shot of the tablet just yet besides the rendering above, which makes it look a bit boxier than its predecessors. However, it’s expected to be ultra lightweight and will offer 3G connectivity.

It will run Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, but will still have Viewsonic’s own ViewScene 3D interface layered on top. Being a Google-certified device, it should offer all the normal Google services, including access to Android Market. Pricing could be around $ 350, but nothing’s official at the moment. We’ll find out more live from next week’s MWC in Barcelona.

[via Pocket-lint]

Multitouch touchscreens are set to get significantly more immersive and responsive, if Neonode is to have its way, with the company’s new Multi-Sensing technology that can identify objects, respond to gloved fingers and more. Based on the same zForce system as already implemented by several devices, the Neonode Multi-Sensing system can track the size, pressure, depth, speed and proximity of an object to a surface, opening the door to more advanced art and notation apps on tablets, more safely navigated content-rich car dashboards, and more.

The system uses light to track and identify objects, and can respond to pens, brushes, bare/gloved fingers or larger objects like a whole hand, with what Neonode says is very low latency. zForce can already recognize stylus input – without requiring a specific digital pen – along with gloved fingers, and has been used in the NOOK Simple Touch.

This 3D sensing system promises even greater flexibility, however, and Neonode says it sees applications in smartphones, tablets and automotive, and inflight infotainment systems. Exact technical details are in short supply, though Neonode promises to tell all next week at MWC 2012.