Remember this insane transparent OLED laptop we saw at CES? Well, Samsung is actually planning on selling this ludicrous contraption within a year. Prediction: it will be expensive and not worth it. But we'll see! [PlusPlasticElectronics via OLED-Info]

The only way the Porthole Bath could be more charming? Through the addition of a periscope. $5,100—nuclear core and depth charge detector not included. [Water Monopoly via Bem Legaus via bookofjoe]

The company that supplies Amazon with its Kindle displays is working on touchscreen electrophoretic panels according to Digitimes. This doesn't necessarily mean Amazon will be using them, considering their recent snap-up of Touchco.

Scott Liu, chairman of PVI (which bought e-ink mid last year) reckons their color pressure-sensitive touchscreen EPDs will support animation this year, hinting at the possibility of being able to do more with e-ink than read books. Full of grandiose plans, Liu also hinted at flexible EPDs using TFT LCD components—something we've already looked at previously. [Digitimes]

A B&N employee (who'd just updated their store's Nooks) sent us all the details of the new Nook firmware 1.2 update that, according to the date on this memo, should hit later today. UPDATE

• Enhanced in-store seamless connectivity to enjoy free Wi-Fi, with More In Store content promotions exclusively for Nook owners
• Improved opening of eBooks and ePeriodicals
• Improved response to Reading Now and Settings buttons
• Current reading page and bookmarks on all eBooks are properly saved when you power your Nook off
• Eligible LendMe eBooks in your library have LendMe flags
• Easier navigation of daily subscriptions with issues rolled into one folder
• Improved "back" button functionality for navigating eBooks and ePeriodicals
• Personal files downloaded and displayed in My Documents can be sorted by author and title
• Overall system improvements and battery optimization.

We're also told that the touchscreen fades in and out now (rather than flashing on and off), plus it "feels snappier."

Each of the bullet point updates is fairly vague, as words like "improved" are tough to gauge until actually seeing them implemented. But in terms of making the Nook generally more pleasant to use, firmware 1.2 looks like it's stepping in the right direction. Something as simple as being able to power down the system without losing one's page is definitely a biggie, and battery optimization, well, that's always welcome.

UPDATE: We've already received word from a reader who has installed the update, so it looks like B&N is widely releasing the firmware as of now. She says that "pages load noticeably faster, and the touchscreen seems more responsive. There's also some redesign of the UI, although the cover flow feature is about the same."

And maybe most importantly, the LCD-based buttons are rounded now.

Sony just announced a few colorful Core i3/i5 notebooks, and now HP is following suit with its new G62t. Its design closely resembles HP's $1300 Envy, but you'll pay less than half of that for the G62t's base configuration.

That $600 base model has respectable specs, too: a 2.13GHz Core i3 processor, a 160GB hard drive, 3GB of DDR3 RAM, a 15.6-inch (1366 x 768) LED display, DVD burner, and three USB 2.0 ports. It's also upgradeable to a Core i5 or i7 CPU, a 500MB hard drive, and 4GB RAM. You can also tack on a Blu-ray player and a multi-format memory card reader.

There are a few downsides: an HDMI port doesn't come standard (but can be added on), and you're stuck with Intel's integrated graphics no matter what. But for $600, you could certainly do a lot worse. [HP via Slash Gear]

Sony just announced a few colorful Core i3/i5 notebooks, and now HP is following suit with its new G62t. Its design closely resembles HP's $1300 Envy, but you'll pay less than half of that for the G62t's base configuration.

That $600 base model has respectable specs, too: a 2.13GHz Core i3 processor, a 160GB hard drive, 3GB of DDR3 RAM, a 15.6-inch (1366 x 768) LED display, DVD burner, and three USB 2.0 ports. It's also upgradeable to a Core i5 or i7 CPU, a 500GB hard drive, and 4GB RAM. You can also tack on a Blu-ray player and a multi-format memory card reader.

There are a few downsides: an HDMI port doesn't come standard (but can be added on), and you're stuck with Intel's integrated graphics no matter what. But for $600, you could certainly do a lot worse. [HP via Slash Gear]

The astronauts on the ISS sent their first tweet from space just a short time ago. Now they've upped their game, using Twitpic to send us breathtaking shots of significant locations all around the world.

That picture up top? Mount Fuji, in Japan. These pictures here? See if you can guess:

The astronauts are encouraged to photograph and tweet anything that strikes them as interesting, and I'd say Flight Engineer Soichi Noguchi is off to a great start. There are plenty more images of our magnificent orb already posted at his Twitpic account—including a look at Port au Prince just a few weeks after the earthquake—and it looks like he's going to continue updating regularly.

Pictured in gallery: Tokyo, Hawaii, Mount Kilimanjaro, Golden Gate Bridge [Twitpic via Mashable]

Don't place the Hori Real Arcade Pro Premium VLX on your lap. You may never walk again.

Available in Japan this March for the equivalent of $330, the Hori Real Arcade Pro Premium VLX is the biggest fightstick yet (and probably ever) for the Xbox 360 and PS3.

Modeled after the actual Taito Street Fighter IV arcade cabinet, the controller features Sanwa buttons along with a flip up panel that allows you to rewire/configure the device as you see fit.

And let me be the first to say, if you have this ridiculous joystick at home, nobody, and I mean nobody, better be defeating you at Street Fighter. Like, if Yoshiki Okamoto shows up at your house, he loses. All night. [Play Asia via Joystiq]

After launch, It took the iPhone 3G a few weeks to attract its first batch of silly, completely superfluous apps. So how long will it take the iPad? Oh, about -54 days.

Oh yes, here is a new chapter in the Apple vs Google war. iPhone app developer Flash of Genius claims to have received this mail from Apple demanding to take down the mention about Android in their app description:

Dear Flash of Genius, LLC,

Thank you for submitting Flash of Genius: SAT Vocab 2.2 to the App Store. During our review of your application, we found that your application contains inappropriate or irrelevant platform information in the Application Description and/or Release Notes sections.

Providing future platform compatibility plans or other general platform references are not relevant in the context of the iPhone App Store. While your application has not been rejected, it would be appropriate to remove "Finalist in Google's Android Developer's Challenge!" from the Application Description [Emphasis added].

Please log into iTunes Connect to make appropriate changes to the Application Description now to avoid an interruption in the availability of Flash of Genius: SAT Vocab 2.2 on the iPhone App Store.

Regards,

iPhone Developer Program

The developer says that he doesn't mind, and that he understands the move. I have to agree with him: It's Apple's store, they can do whatever they want to it. Just like Google can do whatever they want with theirs—and don't be fooled, the do exactly that.

And while this is hardly an offensive move, it's good to see the war trickling down through all the aspects of the business. [Flash of Genius]