The UpStream

We'd heard HP's Todd Bradley had confidentially told employees that a webOS tablet would arrive in first quarter 2011, but now the man's gone on the record in the company's third quarter 2010 earnings call.

"You'll see us with a Microsoft product out in the near future and a webOS-based product in early 2011," he told investors and analysts in response to a direct question about tablets, adding that potential slates were part of the reason HP bought Palm in the first place. Now, we're not financial experts, but we've heard it's typically a good idea not to promise things to your shareholders if you don't intend to deliver. In other words, there's a good bet the PalmPad is actually not an imaginary friend our subconscious created after Mark Hurd's hateful words in June. Instead, it does exist and that's why HP has gone a new direction when it comes to their CEO decision-making - you know, minus the whole $50 million severance package thing.

Something innovative or at least interesting always comes out of Sony's R&D team. This little invention could change the appearance of Sony and Sony Ericsson products some time soon. Sony just announced the development of a "single wire interface technology" that replaces the 20+ cables currently found inside mobile devices that connect the phone's moving pieces together.

These signal, video and audio cables hidden in the hinge or rotating parts will be replaced with one single wire capable of transmitting data at 940Mbps. Sony says that this will provide greater reliability and flexibility in their products, but we disagree. While typically if one of the cables were to break in your device, you'd just get a new one, so it might not be a big deal if this new cable breaks as well. However, one cable designed to do 20+ things leads to more potential for it to fail. What do you guys think?

Yahoo! may be making a move and purchasing a "considerable" stake in Hulu if the website decides to pursue an initial public offering, according to analyst group Stifel Nicolaus & Co. Hulu, who is owned by three of the biggest US broadcast networks, is preparing a share sale as early as this year, and they are predicted to value the company at over $2 billion.

Is Yahoo! in a position to do this? Check after the break for more insight on this possible purchase.

Another week, another convention. This one was unlike any I have attended before. MizuCon is in its third year and doing very well for itself. While remaining small, the con feels bigger than it is.

Part of what made the con feel so much bigger was the presence of TATE'S Comics+Toys+Videos+More and the 3000 Brigade. With a team of over 30 people, this pairing certainly gives the feeling of the larger cons. And anywhere the 3000 Brigade goes you have fun and feel at home.

For more about MizuCon and their entertainment, hit the break.

A study recently conducted by the Department of Psychiatry at South Korea's Chung Ang University has found that StarCraft "addiction" can be treated with Bupropion, an antidepressant and anti-smoking aid. Yes thats right...StarCraft "addiction." The study found that individuals who took the drug for six weeks saw their average StarCraft playtime decrease by 35.5 percent. In addition-- and this is honest to god no joke-- MRI scans showed that participant's brains reacted less strongly to pictures of Zerglings after the treatment. It's studies like this that make me think, "Why does North Korea want them back?"

For those of you that don't know what StarCraft is North Korea helpfully summarized StarCraft for people just like you:

As a military leader for one of three species, players must gather resources for training and expanding their species’ forces. Utilizing various strategies and alliances with other species, players attempt to lead their own species to victory.

Treating someone's obsessive behavior towards a video game with real-life pharmaceuticals is a fairly heavy prescription. Then again, out of the survey's eleven participants, six had dropped out of school for two months due to the amount of time they put into StarCraft every day. Two participants were divorced due to their demanding StarCraft schedules. Now I have never had an addiction to a specific game but I know how much of a hassle it is too keep up with things like raids or guild functions. One minute you are just playing a game, having fun, and all of a sudden it feels like a job that you have to do. I wonder what game addiction they plan to tackle next. World of Warcraft, Aion, or StarCraft 2 perhaps? Only time will tell, but one things for sure I am looking forward to whatever whacky study South Korea comes up with next.

Apple has decided that remotely removing applications you have downloaded is a thing of the past. The more important issue is those pesky unauthorized iOS users. So, this week, Apple has decided to apply for a patent on a new method to tell the difference between authorized and unauthorized users of a specific iOS device. Once one is detected, the device would be able to shut off certain features or send notifications to services about the disallowed use.

The patent, titled "Systems and Methods for Identifying Unauthorized Users of an Electronic Device," describes many ways the device could sense who is using an iPhone or iPad. Included are voice print analysis, photo analysis, heartbeat analysis (what!?), hacking attempts or even "noting particular activities that can indicate suspicious behavior."

Want to know more about this scary, Big Brother-esque operation? Follow the break.