HP Acquires 3Com For $2.7 Billion

HP is acquiring network infrastructure manufacturer 3Com for $2.7 billion. 3Com provides networking, switching, routing and security components.

HP says the acquisition will further its data center strategy “built on the convergence of servers, storage, networking, management, facilities and services.” The acquisition of 3Com also help to expand HP’s Ethernet switching offerings, add routing solutions and significantly strengthen the company’s position in China thanks to 3Com’s strong presence in China.

Lila-Lou's Ankida Yacht Will Make You Long For A Journey [Design]

I don't even want to imagine what the price tag for Lila-Lou's finely-tuned Ankida yacht will be. I just want to lay on the deck and watch the wind hit those optimally-positioned sails as I drift around the world.
The entire driving force of the Ankida concept, aside from beautiful looks, is to have ideal placement for every part and get the most out of your escapes. Whether you prefer to move under only one sail, or test the performance of them all, you can easily do it with a hell of a lot of style. And while it's a still just a concept design, I'm already lost in daydreams of adventure and pirates.


[Gizmodo via Super Yacht Times via BornRich]

Want a 4K TV? Sony Has a $76,000 Set With Your Name On It [4K]

Regular HDTV is so last year. What you really need is a 4k TV, one with four times the resolution of HD. And hey, Sony's new TRIMASTER offers just that, for a price.
Yes, this $76,583, 56-inch set sports a resolution of 3840x2160, which means you can cram four full-res HD feeds in there at one time. You know, for watching four football games at once, or four movies at once. Samsung announced a similar, larger set a couple years ago, but as far as we know it never actually became a real product. This thing is all real.
Sure, this thing isn't meant for normal consumers, as the price makes it clear. But that doesn't mean you can't get one if you have the scratch. Come on, go for it. It's only $76,000.
[Gizmodo via AV Watch via Engadget]

Billionaire's yacht uses lasers to thwart paparazzi

Apparently, what the man who has everything really wants above all else is privacy. And with enough money, he can even buy that.
Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich's new $2 billion yacht is equipped with something you won't find on any other boats: an anti-photo shield. When turned on, it uses lasers to sweep for camera sensors. When they detect one, they blast it with light, making any photo taken pointed at the boat not come out. Not a bad little trick, eh?
Times Online via Gadget Lab

John Carmack's Armadillo Finally Wins Lunar Landing Challenge [Space]

After crashing the last time, Armadillo Aerospace won the $1,000,000 Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander Challenge this Saturday. Needless to say, Doom-creator, Armadillo's head, and überspacenerd John Carmack was veehee happy:

Since the Lunar Lander Challenge is quite demanding in terms of performance, with a few tweaks our Scorpius vehicle actually has the capability to travel all the way to space. We'll be moving quickly to do higher-altitude tests, and we can go up to about 6000 feet here at our home base in Texas before we'll have to head to New Mexico where we can really push the envelope. We already have scientific payloads from universities lined up to fly as well, so this will be an exciting next few months for commercial spaceflight.

Scorpius was able to complete the challenge, flying the 180 seconds required to escape from the Moon's surface and reach lunar orbit. [Space.com]