Gizmos and Gadgets

Your Weekly Update in the World of Science and Technology 

Regan Meloche
Contributor

Apple vs. Samsung: After recently being awarded $1 billion from Samsung, Apple takes another victory this week in its quest to conquer all things Android. Apple was found not guilty of violating some of Samsung’s U.S. patent rights. The war, which began over a year ago, is still far from over. 

Another iPhone? The iPhone 5 has been announced, and shipping dates were expected to slip within an hour of pre-sales due to an excessively high number of orders.

Wii: The launch date for the new Nintendo console, Wii U, has been announced for November 18. The most notable new feature on this Wii is the tablet-like controller with a 6.2- inch LCD touch screen.

Honouring a Hero: A burial at sea is held for the late Neil Armstrong, the first human to walk on the moon and who recently died at age 82 from complications with a recent heart surgery.

Student Space Experiments: Astronauts conduct the winning experiments from YouTube’s student contest. One of the projects tested the effects of microgravity on a species of jumping spider.

Just a Matter of Time: A newly discovered asteroid passed by earth this week, at a distance of 2.85 million km. Even at this distance, it is still considered a PHA (potentially hazardous asteroid). Another asteroid is scheduled to come even closer to Earth in February of next year.

More Monkeys: A new species of monkeys is confirmed in the Democratic Republic of Congo. First discovered in 2007, the Lesula is recognizable by its yellowish mane, and bright blue buttocks.