The Reporters Without Borders organization has sent a letter to Apple Computer CEO Steve Jobs asking him to implore iPod supplier Foxconn to drop a lawsuit against two Chinese journalists who wrote an article critical of working conditions at a Foxconn Electronics factory.

Wang You and Weng Bao of China Business News have been hit with a libel suit filed by Foxconn after they wrote a story critical of working conditions at a Foxconn plant where iPods are manufactured.

Apple | News.blog | CNET News.com

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The release of a new games console in Japan is always an event. Huge, police-managed queues are not uncommon. However, when the Nintendo DS lite was released in Japan, it wasn’t the length of the queues that made headlines, but their content.
For the first time in gaming history, there were females in the queues. And not just teenage manga lookalikes. The Nintendo DS’s friendly interface and games like Nintendogs, Animal Crossing and Brain Age have drawn a wide range of Japan’s demographic into the joys of gaming.
The pink Nintendo DS was released on July 20, and has been a tremendous success.
Never one to miss a marketing trick, Sony has responded with pink versions of their PS2 and their PSP.
Contributed by: Brett Jordan

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Intel yesterday announced their new Core 2 Duo mobile processor (a.k.a. Merom) and PC notebook manufacturers are already out of the gate with models utilizing the new chip. Suspiciously absent from the list is Apple, who may rev the MacBook and MBP as soon as 12 September (at Apple-Expo in Paris) or in the October/November time frame.

Now that Intel has officially launched its Core 2 Duo processors for mobile platforms, notebook manufacturers are scrambling to release new products based on the chip. Core 2 Duo processors bring 64-bit functionality to Intel’s mobile platform and all Core 2 Duo processors will feature virtualization technology.

Dell announced today that it is adding Core 2 Duo processor options to all of its mobile XPS systems and Precision mobile workstations. Dell will also make Core 2 Duo processors available on select Inspiron and Latitude models. The Core 2 Duo processors will be available in the low-end starting with the Inspiron E1705 at $1,124 going on up to the XPS M2010 which will start at $3,500 when configured with a Core 2 Duo processor.

DailyTech – Core 2 Notebooks on the Way

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Dell and Apple recently announced recalls of 5 million Sony laptop batteries. The recall was prompted by safety issues caused by batteries melting, and in some cases, even catching on fire. While the incidents aren’t widespread, the very real danger posed by laptop batteries unpredictably catching on fire has consumers worried.
Here’s a look at the problem, how batteries work, and steps you can take to maximize your safety.
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Contributed by: Daniel Eran, RoughlyDrafted Magazine

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MacBook Random Shutdown Syndrome (RSS) seems to becoming more common with MacBook owners. Luckily there’s a simple test to diagnose if your MacBook is afflicted.
Read the rest of the story on my ZDNet Blog: The Apple Core.

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The biggest names in electronics have just sat their first global exam on their green credentials. Ranked on their use of toxic chemicals and electronic waste (e-waste) policies only Dell and Nokia scraped a barely respectable score while Apple, Motorola and Lenovo flunked the test to finish bottom of the class.

Our scorecard highlights which of the major electronics companies is doing the most to remove the worst toxic chemicals from their products and which companies have good recycling programs for their products

Newsvine – Your guide to green electronics

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