News about what is happening in technology today!

Mazda, which has been absent from the hybrid game, will show off two hybrids at the 2006 North American International Auto Show staring on January 8. The MAZDA5 Hydrogen Hybrid concept car is really a “tribrid.” It has a hydrogen rotary engine with dual-fuel (hydrogen and gasoline) capability as well as a hybrid-electric drive system.

From the information available, it looks like the Hydrogen Hybrid uses hydrogen combustion and not a fuel cell for power. For me it would make more sense to use a fuel cell which could pass electricity to the same electric drive system as the battery pack instead of having a dual ICE system. I haven’t heard much lately about advances in hydrogen combustion engines, which may become popular if fuel cells can’t be manufactured with the requisite affordability and cold-weather reliability.

Mazda is also showing off the Tribute Hybrid sport utility vehicle, a full hybrid that can go up to 25 mph on electric power alone. The Tribute, which is based on the Ford Escape, is a 2007 model year vehicle.

Last but not least, Mazda will be featuring the Kabura Concept vehicle that has asymetrical seat arrangement. The right front passenger seat is closer up than the driver’s side, giving more room to the rear passenger.

Entrepreneurs are coming up with lots of new ways to sell you video these days, and the latest is through your laptop in airports. San Francisco International is planning to hawk TV programs and movies to travelers with laptops, and deliver them over its in-house Wi-Fi network.

The new service will offer passengers live TV as well as archived shows. Travelers should also be able to download films to laptops for later in-flight viewing — if licensing deals can be hashed out.

“The hope is (to launch in) the first half of 2006 but it is more likely to be the summer/fall time frame,” said John Payne, the airport’s chief information officer.

The service will be much like watching TV at home, Payne said. There will be a wide range of TV channels available for full-screen viewing, and viewers will be able to pause and rewind shows — just like with a digital video recorder.

The airport has teamed with IP Video Systems on special features, so one passenger can watch a show she or he missed earlier in the week, while another watches live TV — and both can pause and restart their programs as needed.

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The Chicago Sun-Times is reporting that your phone records are for sale online to the general public. From the article ‘The Chicago Police Department is warning officers their cell phone records are available to anyone — for a price. Dozens of online services are selling lists of cell phone calls, raising security concerns among law enforcement and privacy experts.’ One of these sites is selling cell phone records for $110 for a month’s worth of calls. No court order needed, no credentials required. If they want your records and have the money, they get ‘em.

This time, CNet is caught up in cookie paranoia with their ‘special investigation’ into use of cookies on the Senate and House representative websites.” From the article: “Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., for instance, has been a longtime advocate of strict privacy laws to restrict commercial Web sites’ data collection practices. In a statement posted on his own Web site, McCain assures visitors that ‘I do not use ‘cookies’ or other means on my Web site to track your visit in any way.’ But visiting mccain.senate.gov implants a cookie on the visitor’s PC that will not expire until 2035.

Engadget and BusinessWeek covers Larry Page’s talk at CES regarding the much anticipated Google Video Store. The rumours proved to be true and they’re really going online with CBS to sell commercial-free episodes of their series. Deals with NBA, Sony BMG and Greencine.com were also announced.” From the BusinessWeek article: “The video providers have the option of offering content on a download-to-own or download-to-rent basis. In a sign that content owners will likely pursue different approaches through Google Video, the National Basketball Association will sell broadcasts of its games one day after the event for $3.95. Meanwhile, public television staple Charlie Rose will post his interviews the day after a broadcast, allowing a free streaming for the first 24 hours then making it downloadable afterward for 99 cents each. Meanwhile, CBS is selling episodes of its popular ‘CSI’ and ‘Survivor’ series at the standard iTunes price of $1.99 per download.