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In the minds of gamers, the Dreamcast was an unqualified success. The system had much better 2D capabilities than the PlayStation 2, making fighting games and shooters on the system a joy to play. It included a modem, and later an optional—if hard-to-find—broadband accessory; the system came with a Web browser and a telephone cable in the box so users could go online the second they opened the system. The system included four, count 'em, four controller ports. You could buy a VGA adaptor to play games on screens that supported 480p long before high definition televisions were common.

The Dreamcast launched on September 9, 1999, exactly ten years ago. Today's Sega bears almost no resemblance to the company it was back then. Sonic Adventure brought the hedgehog into the 3D world gracefully, and even introduced some friends without becoming cloyingly cutesy (although some may argue that point). The Dreamcast took risks, with the virtual life title Seaman captivating, if confounding, audiences in both the US and Japan. You spoke to the unattractive titular character through an included microphone, and he spoke back. Was it fun? Maybe not, and that seemed almost the point.

On the Dreamcast, developers and publishers were brave and forward-thinking.

You can find echoes of the Dreamcast's games in what we play today. Rez was never formally released in the United States on the Dreamcast, although the trippy mixture of music and shooting would inform and inspire games like Everyday Shooter, Amplitude and Frequency. And of course developer Q? Entertainment would go on to create one of the PSP's earliest killers apps, Lumines.

While EA never supported the system, it barely mattered. Sega and Visual Concepts released the impossibly high-quality NFL2KX series, as well as NHL2KX titles. For many of us, these titles were more impressive than the EA competition, and continued to be fan favorites until EA's Football monopoly forced the NFL2K series out of the running. If you didn't care about football or hockey, the Virtua Tennis series brought a deep but accessible tennis experience to consoles, and the four controller ports allowed you to invite friends over for a nice set of doubles.

Power Stone was another game that used the four controller ports to great effect, giving us a four-way brawler that still impresses with frantic action and strong character design. Other titles have tried to recreate Capcom's fan favorite, but few have come close. It's worth pointing out that Marvel vs. Capcom 2 on both the PS3 and Xbox 360 is based on the Dreamcast code of the game. There are multiple games, across multiple genres that are still considered definitive on Sega's white console.

Sega never picked up enough steam to put Sony down, but it did have enough power to kick the giant in the teeth. The Dreamcast launched at a lower price point than the PlayStation 2, and delivered more features. The launch lineup of games included enough classics to choke a horse: if you weren't blown away by the graphics and features of Soul Calibur on 9-9-99 when you took home your system then there was a hole in your soul. Hydro Thunder looked great on the system. NFL2K made us forget about EA's snub. Sonic Adventure was the rare 3D Sonic title that wasn't terrible. House of the Dead 2 looked arcade-perfect.

Think of how many Dreamcast games that launched on that day that are still considered classics, and then take a look at the PlayStation 2 launch library. Sony launched with mediocre games, two controller ports, no online features, and games that didn't look as good as what we were used to from the less-expensive Dreamcast.

Sony had done a wonderful job taking out the Dreamcast's knees with a high level of hype and promises that were impossible to keep, but at the end of the day the PlayStation 2 had Madden, it worked with your existing PlayStation One library, and it had a DVD player built-in, a rarity in the year 2000. At this point gamers also realized how simple it was to pirate Dreamcast games, meaning that with a little bit of know-how you didn't need to buy another game.

The writing was on the wall, and in 2001 Sega ceased production of the system. Soon afterward, the company began developing games for competing consoles. The Dreamcast barely made it through half a generation, but the system remains one of the most beloved and collected pieces of hardware ever released. The games, especially those 2D shooters and fighting titles, are now collector's items, fetching a high price on the secondary market. The faithful have held onto their visual memory units, their fishing controllers, and their lightguns and keyboards.

In many ways, the PlayStation 2 brought gaming to the mainstream, and Sony's system was home to its own share of wonderful games. For those of us who waited in line ten years ago, however, the Dreamcast was one of the last great systems for the hardcore gamer. Dreamcast developers and publishers gave us offbeat titles, began working in genres that are only now maturing, and fed our love for the quirky, the quality, and the unexpected. It brought the arcade into our homes. It made online gaming work on consoles. It was non-threatening and approachable way before the Wii made this the generation of casual and family gaming.

Gaming owes worlds to the Sega's system, and today is the day for us to pay our respects. Get your Dreamcast out of the closet, plug in some controllers, and enjoy. And always remember: it's thinking.

Another Palm smartphone announcement, another spotlight stolen by a much-more-ballyhooed (if much less substantive) Apple event. Palm, you just can't win, can you, even with a hot new smartphone called Pixi?

In case you missed it -- and given the hype around Steve Jobs' return to the Apple stage and myriad iPod price cuts and technology updates, you may have -- Palm Wednesday unveiled a new smartphone, the Pixi, that comes with a range of enticing features and is designed as a complement to Palm's already released Pre.

According to Palm, the Pixi sports a full keyboard, a 2.63-inch multitouch screen, an integrated GPS and 2-megapixel camera. Like the Palm Pre, the Pixi incorporates Facebook, Google and Exchange ActiveSync, but also includes LinkedIn and Yahoo contacts, calendar and IM capabilities, plus Palm Synergy, which aggregates those social networking tools into one feed.

As Palm Chairman and CEO Jon Rubinstein emphasized Wednesday, Palm Pixi moves the needle on Palm's webOS (whose version 1.2 was said to have leaked late last week).

"Palm Pixi brings this unique experience to a broader range of people who want enhanced messaging and social networking in a design that lets them express their personal style," Rubinstein said in a statement.

The only thing Palm didn't disclose about Pixi was pricing, although various reports previously suggested it would come in at $350 before rebates. Palm also Wednesday lowered the price of the Palm Pre to $150.

Neither announcement, however, did much for Palm's stock, whose shares skidded by $1.23 (an 8 percent decline) to $13.75 in Wednesday afternoon trading after a lukewarm reaction from analysts.

Among the more vocal critics was Credit Suisse's Deepak Sitaraman, who lowered his rating of Palm to "neutral" from "outperform," blaming Palm's choice to make Sprint the exclusive carrier for Pixi.

Others thought Palm was hurting its own interests by coming out with two new smartphones that are so much alike. Morgan Joseph's James Moore said in a research note that Pixi "is a nice device but threatens to cannibalize Pre sales given a large number of overlapping features and the expected lower price point."

Palm needs a winner if it expects to stay in the always-intensifying race for smartphone dominance -- a race in which Apple, with iPhone, and Research In Motion, with BlackBerry, are well ahead.

An upgraded iPod Nano -- with video camera, FM radio and other niceties -- in a slimmer, flashier package is the highlight of Apple's new product lineup.But the fact that it's an upgrade is telling -- Apple Inc. revealed no brand-new products at Wednesday's long-awaited unveiling. The rumored tablet-style computer that's supposedly in the works was not mentioned.

"We didn't see anything bleeding edge or real 'out of the blue,' " said Gartner Inc. analyst Mike McGuire. "We saw logical extensions."

Still, the product "extensions" showed off Apple's trademark innovation, which has in many instances captured the public's imagination, even at premium prices.

And speaking of prices, they're going down on some products as the Cupertino, Calif., company strives to head off competition in the portable music field.

Here's a look at the changes in the Apple lineup:

* iPod Nano -- The diminutive Nano that debuted in 2005 as a flash-memory, discount version of the iPod has become a monster in the marketplace to the point of being the world's best-selling portable player. At the event, Chief Executive Steve Jobs said that more than 100 million Nanos have been sold.

The most dramatic addition to the new Nano, which went on sale online right after the Wednesday morning announcement, is the built-in video camera that can record action in portrait or landscape orientation. A built-in microphone captures the sound.

The video clips it takes can be downloaded to a Mac or PC computer, from where it can be e-mailed to family and friends or uploaded to popular social networking and video sharing websites such as Facebook and YouTube. (If the new Nano is a hit, expect a flood of new vacation, pet tricks and dorm antics videos to hit these Web services).

The new Nano also marks the first time that Apple has embedded an FM radio in its iPod. And in TiVo-like fashion, the radio will have a live pause mode to allow listeners to halt listening and then resume at the same spot later.

The player will also have a bigger screen, a thinner profile and a pedometer to count steps.

The new iPod Nano is priced at $149 for the 8 gigabyte storage size and $179 for the 16GB (that's $20 less than the previous 16GB Nano).

* iPod Touch -- The big news about the Web-browsing, game-playing Touch, which essentially has all the features of an iPhone except the phone, is a reduction in price.

The 8GB model now goes for $199, the 32GB version is $299 and the 64GB model is $399.

This puts the iPod Touch in a better position to head off Microsoft Corp.'s new Zune HD player, which is set to debut Tuesday. The Zune HD 16GB will be $219; its 32GB model will be $289.

Hardware-wise, the main enhancement to the iPod Touch is faster processing for the 32GB and 64GB models.

Also, video game makers announced that several new titles would be coming to the platform, including Madden NFL 10.

* iTunes -- The online store and audio/video organizer is getting several new features for music lovers.

In a retro move hearkening back to the album era, the new iTunes offers more information, photos and graphics. And it provides video features on some artists.

The new iTunes also allows for the sharing of music among as many as five computers on a home network. And it allows organization of iPhone apps in the same handy format as music.

Not part of the announcements -- the Beatles. The Fab Four is still not available on the iTunes store. It seems the long and winding road to getting that deal done has a ways to go.

There also was no mention of a music subscription service for iTunes to let customers access a near-unlimited selection of songs for a monthly fee. These type of services have sprung up elsewhere, but Jobs has said that he's not in favor of them -- and it seems that he hasn't changed his mind.

Today, HTC officially announced the Touch2 with Windows Mobile 6.5 that includes My Phone and Windows Marketplace for Mobile. HTC was skimp on specs, but we do know that the Touch2 will have TouchFLO and a slew of Google products pre-installed. And the new IE Mobile supports Flash. If you’re into that sort of thing, which we suspect you are. The Touch2 launches on October 6 with availability spreading to the rest of Europe and Asia in Q4.

Which phones, specifically? We don’t have the slightest idea. But come October 6th, ol’ Redmond is saying we’ll have a “bunch” of new Windows Mobile 6.5 phones (known as “Windows phones” from here on out) to choose from.

In just a bit over a month, now, WinMo-devouts will be kickin’ around a brand new UI, a new application marketplace, and Microsoft’s backup service, My Phone. It seems like just about every big name is hopping on the WinMo 6.5 train; in North America alone, they’ve partnered with AT&T, Bell Mobility, Sprint, TELUS and Verizon Wireless, HP, HTC Corp., LG Electronics, Samsung and Toshiba Corp.

We know how it is: you've paid $300 for your brand new copy of Windows 7, but what a hassle to enter in that activation code! Well, you don't have to worry about it now for a good four months after install: Microsoft has given its sort-of blessing to a simple hack to keep that non-activated copy of Windows 7 humming for a full 120 days before full-on nag mode sets in. All you have to do is enter "slmgr -rearm" into the command prompt at the end of every 30 day period, and your copy of Windows gets a whole new lease on life -- an action that can be repeated three times. The same command is available to Vista users, and we have to say that Microsoft has come a very long way since its unforgiving WGA kill switch days.

It's nothing too astonishing in the specs department (300 nits, 60,000:1 contrast, 5ms response time), and the DVI and VGA plugs are rather lonesome without an HDMI or DisplayPort plug to tag along, but we can't fault AOC for the 2436Vw's $220 pricetag. The 49W of power draw in a 24-inch 1080p display doesn't hurt either, and we're sort of digging the clean design. The 2436Vw is out now.

Been holding off on that PS3 Slim pre-order, waiting for Sony to tell you that this whole PS2 backwards compatibility issue was just a big misunderstanding, and of course Sony will keep trying its best to reintroduce PS2 compatibility into the PS3? Well, you might want to rethink that strategy, cowboy, because Amazon is warning of "shortages of this product across the US." It's already limiting Slim sales to one per person, and has a more lax five-Slims-per-person strategy in the UK. Meanwhile, Sony in Europe is saying not to worry, since it has "trucks and trailers" of the new console already on the road . We just don't know who to believe these days, but if you're not prepared to wait past September 1st for a crack at the Slim, you've got some deciding to do.

Readers, don't act like you're appalled that this mod consists entirely of an old iPod shuffle shoved into the battery compartment of a Wiimote game controller. If anything, you should be amused that this mod consists entirely of an old iPod shuffle KIRF shoved into the battery compartment of a Wiimote game controller. See for yourself after the break.

We may be feeling sour about the PSP Go’s hardware, but its software may end up putting a smile on our faces. According to Pocket Gamer, the upcoming handheld’s downloadable PlayStation Network (PSN) games will be priced at €1, €2 and €5 apiece ($1-$7), bringing them to the level of titles from Apple’s App Store for the iPod touch and iPhone. They also claim that Sony have been actively courting iPhone developers, in the hope that they will port their existing titles over to the PSP Go.
However unlike Apple, Sony will demand not only stricter technical testing – including a two week long “quality assurance” period – but control over when games are launched. This seems to be a throwback to the traditional games publishing model, and it remains to be seen whether developers prefer it or the perhaps more esoteric Apple process.

By reducing the cost of individual titles, Sony are obviously hoping to capture some of the casual gaming market that has buoyed the Apple App Store. The PSP Go is set to hit shelves in the US and Europe on October 1st.

Many have argued that Sony’s upcoming PSP Go is more a shameless marketing and cash-grabbing exercise, lacking the segment-shift that a truly innovative device might deliver. We’re holding off from judging until the review units come in, but hearing the latest feedback from pre-launch prototype models isn’t exactly putting us in the most positive frame of mind. Eurogamer got their hands on the early PSP Go, and found that not only does the new handheld require all new video cables but little things like the AV port have changed, too.
Where the full-sized PSP has a headset port that accommodates a microphone headset, the PSP Go apparently has just a 3.5mm headphones jack. That means no microphone and no useful in-line controls for media playback. It’s also worth remembering that the PSP Go uses newer M2 Memory Sticks rather than the older format of the existing PSP, so they won’t be transferable either.

As for the latest firmware, version 5.70, that has added more comprehensive Bluetooth controls, but strangely done away with the auto-adjusting backlight control under power management. Eurogamer also found that the handheld’s 14.74GB of user-accessible storage is formated in FAT32, meaning there’ll be a 4GB file size limit. It’s unclear if this is the version that will ship on the PSP Go when it launches in the US and Europe on October 1st.

The problem with quoting your “insider” at Apple – or any company for that matter – is that somebody else can come along and quote their own, seemingly higher-placed insider back at you. Daring Fireball’s John Gruber has taken Gizmodo’s Brian Lam to task on some of the Apple Tablet “leaked details” published this week, and the phrase “So Lam’s source is an “insider” but has no idea what the OS is and has the ship date wrong. Sure” gives a good indication of how legitimate he thinks it is.

Gruber’s key complaint is that his own sources are telling him it won’t be until 2010 until the Apple Tablet arrives, which doesn’t tally with Lam’s insider. That timescale is also shared by Jim Dalrymple, as we reported yesterday.

That given, and considering Lam’s source also doesn’t know what OS the tablet is running, is enough for Gruber to write-off the information. Of course, it’s entirely possible that Gizmodo’s insider might have little or nothing to do with the hardware side of the tablet, and instead be on the marketing or design side of the project, in which case the gaps in knowledge might be more readily explained. Still, we’re unlikely to find out until late in 2009 at the earliest and – if the current mood pans out – more likely early 2010.

While endearingly janky devices like the Nokla E97 aren’t usually to be found on Western shelves, that could change thanks to a key High Court ruling in the UK. The case had been brought by Nokia, who alleged that Her Majesty’s Revenue & Customs (HMRC) in the UK had acted unfairly when allowing a shipment of counterfeit goods bearing Nokia’s trademarks free passage through the country after discovering they were not intended for sale there.

In fact, HMRC decided that, since a UK trademark would require an intention of trading, items not headed for UK shelves could not be seized. The shipment was allowed to continue on its way to Columbia, and Nokia brought the case before the High Court arguing that HMRC had interpreted the Counterfeit Goods Regulations in an “unduly restrictive” manner.

The courts decision in favor of HMRC was tempered by the judge’s admission that the situation took advantage of a legal loophole, and that he hoped it would be closed as soon as possible.

If you don’t want reviewers to criticize the size of your netbook’s touchpad, you could always hide it flush with the palm-rest so they can’t quite see where it starts and ends. Now we’re not saying that Starline designed their NB1000 10-inch netbook with that in mind, but it’s certainly a side-effect of the slick touchpad integration.


Other than the touchpad, the NB1000 is pretty mainstream for a netbook, which means three USB 2.0 ports, ethernet and VGA. Inside there’s Intel’s Atom N270 1.6GHz processor, 1GB of RAM and a 160GB hard-drive.

Unfortunately the Starline NB1000’s keyboard may not win it many admirers, since it has a tiny right-side shift key and unusually placed home/end buttons. Still, the price is right: it’s on sale in Hong Kong now, priced at HK$2,498 ($322).

Logitech announced two upcoming iPod docks today, adding to their arsenal of home and portable speakers for the venerable Personal Music Player. The first is the Rechargeable Speaker S315i, a home speaker system designed for long-lasting listening power. The other is the Portable Speaker S125i, which is designed to give you your music whereever you might need it.
The S315i seems to also have been designed with some portability in mind, as the dock system is only two inches thick and has a toughened metal speaker grill covering the full-range drivers. Logitech said that the S315i is capable of carrying your tunes for up to 20 hours on its built-in lithium-ion battery, while also charging a dockable iPod or iPhone.
The S125i is also capable of playing your music while it charges an iPod or iPhone, via Docking Connectors, but it mainly relies on wall-power or four AA batteries. And for those who don’t have enough bass in their music, the S125i comes bearing a bass button to amplify the low-end. The portable speaker system weighs less than a pound, so it should be easy enough for anyone to carry around. Both docks will also come stock with a 3.5mm input jack for connecting other portables like CD players or PCs via their headphone connections. The Logtech S315i and S125i will launch in the United States and Europe later in August, marked at $130 and $70, respectively.

UMID’s M1 mbook MID has fallen of the radar over the past few months, having made plenty of headlines and even clinched the title of “best UMPC available” from at least one reviewer. Over at UMPC Portal they’ve been talking with the Korean company, who apparently are yet to reach quantity shipping due to LCD shortages; that milestone should be met in September this year, with both white and black models produced in bulk. They’ve also dropped a few hints about upcoming model refreshes.
UMID have apparently also addressed the unduly “clicky” screen hinge, which is now quieter and allows for easier positioning. Steve Paine from UMPC Portal pushed them on this, and they confirmed that the screen angle should also be broader, answering a common complaint that the display didn’t quite open far enough for easy use.

There will also be a new model shown at IDF, though UMID are keeping exactly what changes will be made close to their chest. We’re hoping for at least a doubling of RAM (from the non-upgradable 512MB). They also confirmed that Dynamism is their key distributor in the US, where the UMID M1 currently sells from $599, and that they’re “setting up an exclusive distributor organization for EU market as ODM brand.”

It seems that now the Zune HD seal has been broken, the hands-on video and photos won’t stop coming. After two sets of photos, plus a leaked UI video, now we have some more official footage of the OLED touchscreen PMP in action courtesy of PC Mag and Engadget.

Engadget seem quite taken with this latest pre-production model, admiring the “wild transitions, fun motion graphics and plenty of beautiful media to show it all off with,” though they couldn’t find a landscape-orientation keyboard. Meanwhile PC Mag get carried away by the Zune HD’s 480 x 272 OLED display, suggesting it “more than holds its own ground” against the iPod touch.

Unfortunately feedback on the browser is in short supply, with Engadget unable to get a connection and PC Mag saying nothing more than page navigation is speedy. Still, moving pictures often say it better than words, so check out the two hands-on videos with the Zune HD below. We’re expecting to see the new Microsoft PMP land on September 15th priced at $219.99 for the 16GB and $289.99 for the 32GB.

Logitech have outed another desktop keyboard and mouse combo, and this time they’re claiming good old fashioned comfort and productivity rather than bizarre ergonomics. The Logitech Wireless Desktop MK700 consists of a low-profile keyboard with integrated LCD status display, and a wireless mouse with frictionless scroll-wheel.
The keyboard uses Logitech’s InCurve buttons, which are specially dished so as to guide the user’s fingers into the correct positions. They also have a longer key travel than most low-profile ‘boards, together with a cushioned palm-rest.

Battery life is rated at up to three years for the keyboard and up to twelve months for the mouse, depending on “normal” use, and they each use standard AA batteries. The Logitech Wireless Desktop MK700 set is available now, priced at $99.99.

Becker have unveiled their latest personal navigation device, the Z205, and while it may not look all that impressive it does have some nifty functionality. Packed inside the 125 x 82.5 x 12.7 mm case there’s a 4.3-inch touchscreen along with a TMC Pro traffic data receiver module, Bluetooth and 4GB of storage.

As well as standard 2D and 3D mapping, the Becker Z205 is capable of displaying 3D views of cities and buildings, together with 3D landscapes. There’s also text-to-speech, voice control complete with voice-entered destinations, traffic analysis based on historical trends, road signs and lane guidance.

Preloaded is mapping data – courtesy of Navteq – for 42 European countries, and there’s also a media player with image/audio/video playback and a microSD card slot for adding memory. The Becker Z205 PND is likely to see a launch across Europe, though release date and pricing is unknown.

Aiptek’s T20 Pocket Cinema pico-projector has shown up for pre-order in the UK, with a £199.99 ($330) sticker price and a release date of September 1st. Like the BeamBox Essential G2, the Aiptek T20 lacks an onboard battery and media-player, and is instead intended to be hooked up to a notebook or netbook via USB.

According to Aiptek, the T20 is capable of producing a VGA resolution image up to 42-inches in size. It relies on USB for both power and signal, coming with a dual-headed cable in case the juice from one port is insufficient.

The whole thing is a laptop-bag-friendly 459g and comes with an adjustable mini-tripod; all of the USB display drivers are stored on the T20 itself. No word on when it might cross over to the US, however.

Having teased us mercilessly back in July with the banner for their IdeaPad U450p, Lenovo have finally put the 14-inch CULV ultraportable up for sale. Kicking off from $799, the U450p has a choice of Intel 1.3GHz Pentium SU2700 or 1.4GHz Core 2 Solo SU3500 processors and up to 4GB of DDR3 memory.
There’s also up to 320GB of 5,400rpm HDD storage, an integrated DVD burner, Intel X4500 graphics and a 1,366 x 768 AntiGlare display. Connectivity includes a choice of WiFi b/g/n or b/g, ethernet, VGA, HDMI, three USB ports and audio in/out.

The standard battery is a 6-cell pack, though we’re not sure what sort of runtime you could expect from that yet. Shipping is expected to begin “in more than 4 weeks” so there’s some wait, but if you’ve between $799 and $899 burning a hole in your pocket and an insatiable demand for a Lenovo CULV ultraportable then the IdeaPad U450p could be for you.

You know who likes money? Razer likes money, and the gaming peripheral maker has decided that the best way to make it is to milk enthusiastic StarCraft II gamers with a range of new hardware and this “distinctive” messenger bag. As well as the bag, the company promises a tournament-grade keyboard, mouse and headset “specially designed” for Blizzard Entertainment’s StarCraft II.

Microsoft is well versed in saying that they plan to invade the “three screens”, which looks to be: TV, PC, and any and all mobile devices they can get their software onto. Of course, Windows Mobile is a well known Operating System on phones around the world, and Steve Ballmer said back in 2008 that the Zune Software would be integrating with WinMo, so maybe this is just one more step in that direction.

Zune would be getting their own games as well, called Indie Games, which was announced in June of this year. But as of right now, the only solid word of any Zune integration with the Xbox branch is Zune Video, which can be played via the Xbox 360 console, later in the year, but all of that might change with the release of the Zune HD. Might we see some kind of integration between video games, and the Zune HD, where gamers could potentially solve puzzles via their portable device, if not something more in depth?

BFG Technologies announced the EX-1000 today, a brand new modular power supply that uses Frequency Conversion Technology in order to imitate a smaller power supply for better low load efficiency.
The new model is up to 80-percent efficient with a +5VSB efficiency. It also got an 80 PLUS Bronze rating. This is pretty impressive and places the EX-1000 above many other power supplies in terms of efficiency.

You can get the EX-1000 from BFG starting today in-store at Best Buy or from their website for $199.99

Hooray for all us big-window dwelling Mac users! If you're craving something other than Apple's standard glossy screen, the anti-glare matte finish is an option again on the Apple Store for 15" MacBook Pros. Except it'll cost you $50 extra and replaces the black border with a silver one. Small price to pay for reducing eye strain, says I.

Well, it looks like folks in search of an alternative to Viliv's S5 MID now have another option -- in China, at least, where Tainell has just rolled out its new T500 handheld. Like the S5, this one packs a 5-inch display and the usual Atom Z510 processor, along with some decent enough specs all around, including 1GB of RAM, a 32GB SSD, a built-in webcam, integrated Bluetooth, GPS, and 3G, and Windows XP for an OS. No word on a price just yet, unfortunately, let alone any indication of a release outside of China.

According to a "reliable" source cited by Netbook News, the mobile phone manufacturer / adorable couple known as Sony Ericsson is looking to follow Nokia into the netbook (or is that "smartbook?") market. There's not much more to this story at present, although it does make sense -- so we'll take it, with the proverbial grain of salt. And while we're on the subject.

Eagerly waiting to change that drive password within the system BIOS on your fancy new X25-M G2 solid state drive? Good news, storage junkies -- today you can. After Intel saw its next-gen SSD launch party hit a snag with an off-the-wall quirk that could cause data corruption for those who altered or disabled a drive password within the system BIOS, the company has finally come forward with a firmware update that solves the dilemma, along with world hunger, "the economy" and an undisclosed amount of other universal pains. Hit the read link for instructions on how to update your drive, but don't blame us if every precious memory you've ever collected goes down in flames during the process. Just kidding.

In a presumed effort to shake up the Japanese wireless industry and provide consumers with 3G-equipped PCs that aren't tied to multi-year contracts, Hewlett-Packard has quietly announced a deal with Japan Communications that will allow its machines to be sold with SIM cards that can be used on a pay-as-you-go basis. For those unaware, JCI leases network space from NTT DoCoMo, and as part of the agreement, HP will not only get to choose which devices can connect, but it'll get to keep a nice slice of the mobile data revenue as well. Here's the crazy part: the initial wave of netbooks will be sold for between $50 and $100 sans contract. That's about what users pay in America now for subsidized WWAN-ready netbooks, but there's a two-year contract tagging along. If all goes well, we could even see full-sized laptops, smartphones and digital cameras hop on the same bandwagon, but for now, we'll be keenly watching how brisk sales are when things kick off next month.

Details are exceedingly light (almost dangerously light, in fact), but the Modula color therapy lamp is simply too soothing to overlook. The three-ringed lamp is built with a slew of multi-color lights (LEDs, we're guessing), all wired up to be controlled via Bluetooth. The video demonstration shows a Sony Ericsson W880i doing the dirty work, but there's no indication of how exactly end users are supposed to accomplish the color changing once it arrives. Those in the camp of "buy now, ask questions later" can get their pre-order in through the read link, but considering that only an EU-friendly 230V version is currently available, those on this side of the pond will need to invest in some serious converters to make it all compatible. The pain? Just €199 ($281) for hours upon hours of endless entertainment.

Just over a year after Turtle Beach gave whining teenyboppers a decent Xbox 360 headset to annoy mature gamers with, the outfit is hitting back with the third-generation. We should caution you that these are far from a major upgrade, but those just now looking to take the plunge into cord-free bragging should find plenty to appreciate. The Ear Force X41 cans claim to handle Dolby 7.1 channel surround sound, but given that there are precisely two ear cups here, we're somewhat (read: tremendously) skeptical of said claims. At any rate, the RF-based headphones now sport a dedicated Digital Signal Processor along with a feature that will likely entice young brats and frighten those with actual jobs: Chat Boost. As you can imagine, this enables users to automatically jack the volume of the Xbox Live chat as the game gets louder, which -- in our experience -- is probably not a good thing. Those with the patience of Job can buy in anyway for a nickle under $200.

Microsoft have begun to push out the Xbox LIVE update for their Xbox 360 console, and along with the games on demand, new avatar customization and UI improvements comes confirmation that the company has signed an exclusive deal with Netflix for instant streaming to a console. The partnership means that the Xbox 360 will be the only console on which Netflix streaming is possible, effectively cutting the PlayStation 3 and Wii out of the loop.
As well as the usual TV and movie streaming from Netflix’s catalog, there’s a new “Party Watch” feature which allows multiple groups to gather together and watch the same content simultaneously on different 360’s and in different locations. You’ll need to be a Netflix unlimited plan subscriber to have access through Xbox LIVE Gold, and use a separate computer to queue up titles as there’s no facility to do so through the 360 itself.

Xbox LIVE will be pushed out to users starting from today, offered as an upgrade when you restart your console. Later on in 2009, Microsoft have promised to add access to the Zune Video Marketplace – for 1080p content – together with integration with Facebook, Last.FM and Twitter.

Fresh Samsung ultraportable tidbits for you today, with the news that not only will the company’s N510 NVIDIA Ion netbook be shipping in the US come September, but that it will be the first of three models to use the GeForce 9400M GPU. According to documentation acquired by Netbook Choice, the N510 will be joined by the Samsung NP-N511 and NP-N508.

Details of the two new notebooks are unknown; however it’s speculated that the N511 will use a different Atom CPU while the N508 might drop down a size-point and have a 10-inch display. Release dates are similarly unknown.

As for the N510, according to Liliputing that will begin shipping in September with a $599 MRSP. The ultraportable – which has an 11.6-inch 1,366 x 768 display, HDMI port, Intel Atom CPU and 160GB hard-drive – is expected to land in Europe this month priced at €499 ($707).

Roku have announced MLB.TV Premium streaming for their eponymous HDTV media player. The update – which will be pushed out to all Roku players automatically – allows MLB.TV subscribers to watch live, out-of-market baseball games in HD, together with offering on-demand access to the last week’s worth of games.
All of the games can be navigated directly from the Roku box, rather than requiring a PC to queue them up, and the system offers full play/pause, rewind/fast-forward and resume functionality. The Roku device itself has HDMI, component, composite and S-Video connectivity, together with digital audio output, and can link to your network via either a wired or wireless connection.

The Roku streamer is priced at $99.99. As for a subscription to MLB.TV Premium, that comes in at $34.95 per year or $19.95 per month.

Update: Commenter jstraw points out that $34.95 is the fee for the remainder of the 2009 season; a full season is around $110.

Logitech have unveiled their latest universal remote, the Harmony 900, an RF unit that – with the three bundled IR blasters – can control devices in other rooms or enclosed in cabinets. The Harmony 900 remote has a full-color touchcreen as well as numerous backlit hardware buttons, and can be set up via an online wizard; Logitech claim battery life of up to a week.
Logitech bundle the Harmony 900 with three IR blasters: two “mini blasters” and a main unit that has the RF receiver. These can be spread among the shelves of your AV rack and control multiple components, as opposed to traditional IR emitters that must be adhered to the IR receiver of a device.

Up to fifteen remotes can be supplanted by one Harmony 900, and the remote comes with a docking station for easy recharging. The Logitech Harmony 900 is available to preorder now, priced at $399.99.

The great thing about only spotting a new device when it launches is that you don’t have to wait too long until you can see if unboxed and in action. Gigabyte’s TouchNote T1028X convertible touchscreen netbook only crossed our paths yesterday, but already Liliputing have their review unit in to play with.
While the T1028X may look ostensibly the same as its T1028M predecessor, there are a couple of key changes. The Intel Atom N270 of the M-variant gets thrown out, to be replaced by the slightly faster 1.66GHz Atom N280 chip; more obviously (once you turn it on, anyway) the display has had an update to a 10.1-inch 1,366 x 768 panel.

A 7,650mAh battery is also on the capacious side of what we’ve seen for netbooks, so hopefully the T1028X will last longer than, say, ASUS’ Eee PC T91. It’ll have to be good, though; early pricing suggests you’re looking at $679 from Amazon. There’s also a first-look video over at Liliputing, to help you decide if it’s worth it.

Back before HDTVs, set-top boxes, consoles and Blu-ray players sprouted ethernet ports, the only people who needed a network hook-up near their AV kit were those with media streamers. Now one cable might not be enough, so Netgear have stepped into the fray with their XAVB1004 Home Theater Internet Connection kit. Consisting of a four-port ethernet switch with Powerline support, the kit funnels an internet connection across your mains wiring and shares it with multiple devices.
The Powerline system offers bandwidth up to 200Mbps (theoretically at least), which should be enough for VoIP use, HD video streaming and internet gaming. As for the Powerline adapters, two are included – one to send, one to receive – in the starter kit, and they’re also compatible with any other HomePlug AV product.
Apparently available to order now (though not yet on Netgear’s own site), the XAVB1004 kit is priced at $179.99. The individual components are also available separately for those who already have a Powerline system set up.

Nintendo’s Wii Motion Plus wasn’t the only thing they announced back at E3, and while it may not be on everyone’s collective minds anymore, the Vitality Sensor is something Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata is excited for.
During an investor Q&A, Iwata said that “Nintendo would like to deliver the actual product not too late in the next year.” While this is by no means an exact date, the release of this peripheral device for the Nintendo console would be Nintendo’s only real bet against the rumors of Microsoft’s Project Natal, as well as Sony’s Motion controls releasing in the Spring of the same year.

And probably the most important part, Iwata commented on the software, stating that the first game will “have a theme of relaxation, which is completely opposite from traditional ones, to enrich the user’s lives.” He did mention that “measuring how horrified a player is in a horror title” is just another application of the Sensor.

Both new servers have four drives and can work with 1U racks and are hot-swappable. Maxed out, these servers can hold up to 8TB. Both also can hold 2.5-inch or 3.5-inch hard drives. They have a 1.6GHz Intel Atom processor along with 1GB of RAM plus a 87.3MBps transfer speed.

These servers can be set up with RAID 0, 1, 5, 6 and 5+ configurations. They also have iSCSI Target service and dual gigabit LAN ports. Both servers work with Windows, Mac, Unix and Linux systems and feature AES 256-bit encryption. You can get both NAS servers by the end of the month though pricing has not yet been revealed.

Verbatim announced their TUFF-CLIP USB drives today which offer up both 4GB and 8GB capacities for people who need a bit of storage while on the go that’s not going to break apart from a slight bump or jostle.
These new USB drives are targeted toward the outdoor crowd who need a more rugged sort of device. Included on the drives is a carabiner clip that allows you attach them to your belt loop or backpack.

The 4GB model is available in turquoise while the 8GB is available in black. Both come with a password-protected folder, and work with Windows, Mac and Linux. You can get these drives now for $30 and $50, respectively.

For those interested in finding new ways to express themselves, without causing any physical damage to property, then light writing may be what you’re looking for. Utilized for the first time almost 100 years ago by Pablo Picasso, awareness for the new style of graffiti spiked with mainstream advertisements by Sprint back in 2007.

This particular design is called Halo, and created by Aïssa Logerot based out of Paris. He has several other “light-style” creations, but the Halo is particularly interesting. While there are other formats for graffiti artists to utilize, the Halo replaces the standard nozzle on a spray can with a tiny LED, which can then be turned on at will.

The real ingenuity comes in Halo’s manipulation. Not only can the LED’s brightness be altered, but the colors are interchangeable. And to make it better, the intensity of the light, as well as the strength of the battery, can be recharged by simply shaking the can, just like a real spray can. There isn’t any word on a release date as of yet.

Onkyo have dropped a new home AV receiver, the company’s first such home theater product to include Pandora, Rhapsody, and Sirius streaming internet radio support. The Onyko TX-NR807 supports DLNA 1.5 media streaming, for playback of media stored on networked computers and drives, together with offering six HDMI ports, Faroudja DCDi Cinema 1080p upscaling and both Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio.

There’s also Audyssey DSX soundstage extension processing and support for MP3, WMA, FLAC, Lossless, Ogg Vorbis and AAC files, together with a bi-directional remote control, ethernet port and 7.1 surround sound. The TX-NR807 also supports multi-room audio, with powered zone two and three options as well as a serial port for system integration.

Amp power is seven channels of 135W, and there are various digital inputs/outputs as well as the HDMI (which you can see in the gallery below). The TX-NR807 is joined by the TX-SR707, which has the same local switching but only 7 x 100W amplification and no networking functionality.

The Onkyo TX-NR807 is available now, with an MRSP of $1,099; the Onkyo TX-SR707, meanwhile, has an MRSP of $899.

Is there room in your heart for another Intel Atom based MID? Okay, for many of you there wasn’t room there for even the first such device, but if you’re still shopping around for a touchscreen handheld (and you don’t mind likely having to take a trip to China to pick it up) Tainell may have the device for you: the imaginatively titled T500 MID.
Not, it’s fair to say, the most attractive MID we’ve seen, the Tainell nonetheless packs a 5-inch resistive touchscreen in a casing measuring 6.1 x 3.5 x 1.0 inches. They’ve also squeezed in an Intel Atom Z510 1.1GHz processor, 1GB of RAM and a 32GB SSD, together with WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS and 3G WWAN.

There’s a little surprise among the ports, too, as the typical USB, audio in/out and power are joined by a mini-USB and an HDMI socket. A 0.3-megapixel webcam round out the specs; unfortunately there’s no word on pricing from Tainell.

Sony’s upcoming S-Series Walkman has leaked, prematurely listed at French retailer materiel.net. Two versions of the PMP are detailed, the 8GB Sony NWZ-S544 and the 16GB NWZ-S545, each with a 16:9 aspect QVGA 2.4-inch LCD display and integrated stereo speakers.

There’s also an FM radio with 30 presets, MP3, WMA and AAC support, a built-in microphone and H264/AVC, MP4 and WMV video playback at up to 30fps. Unlike the OLED X-Series Walkman there’s no WiFi, internet access or YouTube playback, but then the S-Series are meant to be a far more affordable breed of PMP.

Battery life is listed as up to 42hrs music playback or 6.5hrs video playback, and there’s a nifty little stand for hands-free use. The listings have since been pulled, but the S-Series started from €129 ($183) for the 8GB model.

With official photos, full specifications, an unboxing and demo video behind us, all that’s left for MSI’s X-Slim X600 – before a post eventually saying it’s been retired, of course – is a full review. Happily LaptopMag are on hand to deliver just that, putting the 15.6-inch CULV ultraportable through its paces to see if it’s more than just good looks or falls flat like its smaller X340 sibling.

The X600’s dimensions can’t be ignored, and that’s partly down to shedding an internal DVD burner in favor of an external one, and partly thanks to MSI’s using an Intel 1.4GHz Core 2 Solo SU3500 ULV processor that requires less in the way of cooling. Of course, the payoff to that is reduced performance, significantly below that of traditional 15-inch notebooks, but the graphics – from the ATI Radeon HD 4330 GPU – put in a reasonable performance, squeezing 25fps from Far Cry 2 at 1,024 x 768 resolution.

For $799 LaptopMag are quietly impressed by the X600. You’re choosing size and portability over performance or multimedia capabilities – for the same money you can get a Sony VAIO NW with integrated Blu-ray drive – but it certainly doesn’t disappoint like the X340 has.

Hannspree have announced a new range of 1080p-capable displays, the ST-series, offering entry-level sizing with budget price tags. The ST251 and ST281 are 25-inch and 28-inch HDTVs respectively, with 10,000:1 dynamic contrast and two HDMI ports apiece.The ST251 has a 16:9 aspect ratio, 300cd/m2 brightness and 2ms grey-to-grey response time. As for the ST281, that has a 16:10 aspect ratio, 400cd/m2 brightness and 5ms response time. Each also has composite, component, VGA and dual SCART inputs, together with dual 10W speakers.

Both sets are available in the UK now, priced at £269 ($449) for the 25-inch ST251 and £329 ($549) for the 28-inch ST281. Hannspree promise larger models in the ST-series later in the year.

Specifications for Motorola’s upcoming entry-level Android handset, the Morrison, have leaked, and anybody hoping the company might have injected a little interest along with what’s presumably going to be a low purchase price will have to go home disappointed. The parts list sounds mighty reminiscent of HTC’s existing Android devices, with a 528MHz Qualcomm MSM7201A processor, 256MB of RAM, a 512MB ROM and 320 x 480 HVGA touchscreen display.
There’s also WiFi b/g, Bluetooth 2.0+EDR, quadband GSM and triband WCDMA (900/1700 or 1900/2100), together with a 3-axis accelerometer, class 6 MicroSD slot supporting 32GB cards, USB 2.0 with a microUSB connector and a 3.5mm headphone jack.

The camera is a 5-megapixel unit with autofocus, geotagging and 25fps 320 x 240 video recoridng, and there’s both standalone GPS and A-GPS. The Morrison will support Exchange ActiveSync push email, has a digital compass, proximity sensor and ambient light sensor.

As for a release date, the Motorola Morrison is tipped to arrive on October 21st on T-Mobile USA. No word of pricing as yet, but this is definitely being positioned as an entry-level, budget device.

If we had an “utterly awesome” tag here on SlashGear, you can bet I’d be using it for this. Pocket Lucho has a history of making incredible miniature arcade cabinets, and his latest fully-operational model is a Neo Geo cabinet complete with illuminated marquee and false coin slot.

The screen is courtesy of a PSone clip-on LCD attachment, which is held into place via magnets so as to make internal access more straightforward. A magnetically-latched door on the side gives access to the cartridge slot and more, while there’s also a port for attaching a second controller and a video output.

In the videos below he explains first how he made the cabinet, and then runs through a demo of it in action. No word on what sort of money he spent, but I bet he could find plenty of takers if he made these to order.

After mentioning Nanovision’s new MIMO 710-S USB LCD sub-display last week, we’ve now heard from the company themselves that there will indeed be two versions of the 7-inch 800 x 480 monitor. The range kicks off with the 710-S, as expected, but also includes the Nanovision MIMO 720-S, a touchscreen version.
Both models feature the same patented dual-hinge, which allows them to not only be positioned in portrait or landscape orientation, but folded flat for transport. The MIMO 710-S and 720-S are each slimmer than the existing MIMO displays that we reviewed previously, and are compatible with both PCs and Macs.

The Nanovision MIMO 710-S is available for preorder priced at $149.99, while the MIMO 720-S is yet to go up for pre-order. We’re hoping to get the new display in for review soon, so keep reading for all our coverage.

Optoma announced a brand new projector today that actually dips below the $1,000 mark. It’s called the HD20 and is a DLP-based front projector with a 1080p resolution and targeted at computer and home theater users.
You can blow the image up to 120-inches. It sports a contrast ratio of 4,000:1 and also has a 1,700 lumens of brightness. Other features include two HDMI ports, as well as a VGA connection.

Analog connectors are also included such as RCA and component for added flexibility. We don’t have a release date for the Optoma HD20 yet, but the $999 price tag is certainly enticing.

AgfaPhoto announced three brand new digital camera models today, the Optima 1, Optima 102 and Optima 100, which all expand the camera company’s digital offerings and sport some neat features.

The Optima 1 has a 12-megapixel sensor, 1080p support, blink recognition, face recognition, smile recognition and many other programs, a 5x wide angle zoom lens, and a 2.-inch LCD screen. You can even use the beauty mode which adds soft color tone to faces and covers imperfections.

Also announced was the Optima 102 which also has a 12-megapixel camera, 28 program modes, a 3-inch display, a 3x optical zoom and an ISO 3,200. The Optima 100 on the other hand has the 28 modes, but a 10-megapixel sensor, a 2.7-inch LCD screen and 3x zoom. You can get all three models in September for about $254, $212 and $183, respectively.