Sony has announced this weekend that they will be discontinuing all sales of the 3.5-inch floppy disc in Japan starting in 2011, effectively killing off the three decade old disk type.

The company helped pioneer the disk in 1981, introducing the technology that year and then starting to sell the discs in 1983.

At its height in the year 2000, Sony shipped 47 million disks, but that number has progressively fallen, reaching just 8.5 million in 2009. However, that also begs the question, why were so many floppies shipped even in 2009 and who is still using them?

Sony holds 70 percent of the Japanese market share for the disks, compared to around 40 percent globally.

The company cited lack of demand as the main reasoning behind the decision, given the cheap prices of much smaller and higher capacity devices, like USB flash drives.

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Sprint has dropped the price of the Palm Pixi to free with a two-year contract, the final price drop on a phone that Sprint has struggled to sell.

So far, the deal is only online, so if you are looking to test the phone before buying you will have to hit a retail store, then go home and buy it online to get the discount.

The story behind the price drop is much larger.

Palm has put itself up for sale in a last-ditch effort to avoid possible imminent bankruptcy, and potential suitors keep dwindling.

Just last week, Michael Abbott, their software and services chief, resigned, and the company had to pay large bonuses to keep some other key employees on.

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Two prototypes of upcoming iPod Touch models hit eBay this weekend, each sporting cameras and development team tags.

The first prototype was marked with DVT-1 and the second, predictably with DVT-2, with one holding an 'Apple Development Team' label.

The prototypes were running an OS that only the hardware team gets to test when the phones are in development. The apps pictured are special diagnostic and testing apps.

The auctions were quickly taken down, but the pics were saved.

The latest "leak" follows the highly publicized revealing of the upcoming "iPhone 4G/HD," after developer Gray Powell left the device in a bar.

Pics via 9-to-5mac:

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Last week, iPhone Dev Team member "planetbeing" released a video today showing off a huge accomplishment, the Android OS running on a first-gen iPhone.

The hack has been in development for months, and is still in alpha stages. So far the phone only works on the 2G model, with 3G happening likely in the near future. The 3GS, is a whole different ball game, however.

After being hacked, the iPhone can run both Android and the iPhone OS, in a "Bootcamp"-esque way, allowing for the boot of multiple OS on one Apple device.

Today, Androidalot has released instructions and a video on how to run the hack yourself, if you have a iPhone 2G just laying around.

The instructions are here: HOW TO: Install Android On An iPhone 2G

The video is here:

Guide to Installing Android on iPhone 2G from AndroidALot on Vimeo.

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MobilityDigest has posted a few videos today relating to Microsoft Office playback on upcoming Windows Phone 7 smartphones, and the productivity suite looks great.

The clips are short, but they show off how email and calendar support will work, how PowerPoint and Word will act, and how the overall "Office hub" will look and feel.

First announced in February, the smartphone OS tries to differentiate itself from the iPhone and Android phones, which use home screens of widgets and icons, by blending applications together for a more "integrated experience," allowing the OS and applications to "share information with the user in a natural and seamless fashion."

Read more about the OS here: http://www.afterdawn.com/news/article.cfm/2010/02/15/video_daily_the_introduction_of_windows_phone_7_series

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The nation of Israel has ended its ban on the Apple iPad, with the Israel Communications Ministry saying that after a second technical review, the device will be re-allowed into the country.

The device was banned right after launch earlier this month with the CM saying that the device's wireless strengths violated Israeli law and would overpower other wireless devices in the country.

10 of the devices were seized from citizens and tourists, with tourists only getting their devices back when they left the country.

Starting today, they are once again allowed in the country.

Apple, at the time of the ban, had said: "The iPad complies with international industry standards for Wi-Fi specifications."

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