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AMD may have convinced HP to slap their new Congo into the updated dv2 ultraportable, but if you’ve been waiting to hear a little more about the dual-core chipset then we’ve some more detail for you. Targeted at thin-and-light notebooks rather than taking on Intel’s Atom N-series chips, Congo is a combination of the new dual-core AMD Neo processor, updated ATI graphics and an improved chipset.


The chipset is the M780G, while the graphics side of things is handled by the ATI Radeon HD 3200 IGP. That pairing brings with it HDMI, DisplayPort and eSATA connectivity, plus HD video hardware decoding and DirectX 10 for gaming.

There’s also support for hybrid graphics setups, where the Congo system is augmented with a selectable higher-spec GPU for more hardware-intensive applications. That’s an approach which has served NVIDIA well in the case of the GeForce 9400M/9600M offering available across many of Apple’s MacBook and MacBook Pro models. AMD expects Congo to arrive later in 2009, with system prices ranging from around $499 upward.

MSI’s X-Slim range is about to get a new screen option, in the shape of the 15.6-inch X600. Notebook Italia have unboxed the biggest X-Slim in advance of its late-June European launch, finding a laptop that may not be as portable as its smaller siblings, but which is perhaps all the more usable.The X600 might have a full keyboard and separate numeric keypad, but it also comes in at just 25mm thick. Inside there’s up to 4GB of RAM, up to 500GB hard-drive, a choice of processors from Intel’s CULV range (topping out at the 1.4GHz Core 2 Solo SU3500) and ATI Radeon Mobility HD 4330 graphics with 512MB video memory.

There’s also a 6-cell battery, four speakers, VGA, HDMI, three USB, ethernet and audio in/out connectivity, WiFi a/b/g/n and, model depending, Bluetooth. The 720p-capable display runs at 1366 x 768. When it arrives in Italy later this month, the MSI X-Slim X600 will be priced between €799 ($1,123) and €949 ($1,334). Full details of the four models available at launch after the unboxing video.

Chuwi’s W3000 still looks unlikely to arrive on US or European shelves any time soon, but that hasn’t dulled the enthusiasm of the guys over at MP4 Nation. They’ve been putting the 4.1-inch touchscreen PMP through its paces, and finding that in contrast to the SmartQ 5, the W3000 actually does a good job both as a media player and as an internet device.

Chuwi have modified the standard Windows CE version of Internet Explorer, and it apparently renders sites far better than the normal build. However there’s still no Flash support, which means video sites like YouTube and Hulu are no-go areas. Instead, you’ll be looking to play FLV, RMVP, MP4 and AVI video on the PMP, and happily it’s all reportedly smooth and has a handy TV output for larger-screen entertainment.

Unfortunately, despite being Windows CE based the W3000 proved unhappy with the GAPI gaming/application API, which limits its software flexibility. Still, out of the box there’s WiFi support, a microSD card slot, USB host port and a decent media player front-end. It remains to be seen whether Chuwi develop a version of the W3000 for export - right now it only has a Chinese version of CE running - but if they do, expect it to come in at under $170 for the 8GB and under $140 for the 2GB model.

Compact secondary displays, like Nanovision’s MIMO range, are useful ways of adding a little extra desktop to your computer. Connecting via USB, they sit happily next to your full-sized display or laptop. Hanwha Japan, though, have given their secondary LCD something of an odd twist: instead of using USB, it connects via a D-Sub VGA port.

That means you’ll need a dual-head graphics card if you want to use the WM-TL7 with your desktop, though notebook and netbook users should be fine as most have a VGA output. Specs for the 7-inch display are WVGA resolution (800 x 480), 200:1 contrast ratio and 240cd/m2 brightness; as is usually the case, response time is on the sluggish side at 30ms.

While this might seem a vaguely pointless product given the ease of use a USB DisplayLink monitor offers, it could have its strong points. DisplayLink requires some processing power to create a virtual graphics card and run the display; why not use the existing graphics card and save CPU cycles? The Hanwha Japan VM-TL7 is available in Japan now, priced at around $223.

Robotics platform manufacturer RoBe:Do Robotics have added a third model to their range of netbook-powered ‘bots, the Three. As with the previous two platforms, the Three is a modular chassis which uses a USB-connected motor controller; the buyer slaps their laptop or netbook onto the deck, and it acts as the Three’s brain.



Three is supplied fully-assembled, and in its most basic form has two 6.7-inch wheels with twin 120 rpm motors. They’re apparently faster than any RoBe:Do have used before, and are powered by either 8 or 16 rechargeable NiMH 9.6V batteries.

Into the system you can plug an optional three-sensor digital IR navigation array, for autonomous control, or any number of USB sensors, webcams, I/O controllers and other gadgets to adapt the platform. C, C++, C#, Flash AS3, Java, .NET, Python, VBScript and Visual Basic are all supported, among others, and you can use a Linux, Mac or Windows based notebook or netbook.

The RoBe:Do Three is available to order now, priced from $439 ($399 as an introductory offer); the navigation array is a $79 option, while the batteries are priced at $34 or $44 for the 8 or 16 packs respectively.

Panasonic Japan announced a video-conferencing system today called the KX-VC500 that allows you to use HD-quality screens for communicating. This is really pretty cool and takes the entire idea of video conference to a new level of sophistication.

These connections will be made over the web and allow for HD-quality video to be sent both ways. However, a microphone and a camera do no come with the unit, meaning you have to use an HD camera of your own choosing.

You can use the unit with any HD screen. It has an RGB interface and two HDMI ports. A remote control is included. Only set to be available in Japan at the moment, you’ll be able to get your hands on the KX-VC500 starting on October 1. Pricing is not yet known.

Most people are concerned about the safety and security of their electronics items, so it makes sense that Kensington has released the MicroSaver DS Keyed Ultra-Thin Notebook Lock to help you make sure your sensitive files are kept under wraps.

But this thing is super sleek and not bulky like many other versions. It’s still strong, however and uses a disk-style keyed locking mechanism. You just attach the lock to the security slot that most notebooks have.

Included with the lock is a rubber tie, letting you keep the cord tucked away when not in use. You can get the MicroSaver DS Keyed Ultra-Thin Notebook Lock now for $54.99.

One of people’s primary complaints about the third-generation iPod shuffle was the overall lack of controls. However, Scosche has offered a remedy to this problem by introducing their tapSTICK case.



The tapSTICK acts as both a case and a control panel for the iPod shuffle. You can plug it into the iPod’s headphone jack, which positions volume and track selection buttons right on top of the device for easy access.

This eliminates the need for Apple-specific earbuds, which can be hard on the ears for some. It also allows you to use headphones that just normally wouldn’t work with the headphone jack. It’s comes in black and will be available in July for $29.99.

OCZ has announced another solid-state drive option today with their Agility series. It’s super fast and cost-effective, which is a hard balance to strike, yet somehow the company has managed to do just that.



The Agility series has a faster speed than the basic Solid series and is based on MLC or multi-level cell storage. In fact, the read speed can reach upwards of 235MB/sec and the write speed is about 135MB/sec. Not the fastest in the world, but pretty impressive nonetheless.

It can also withstand 80MB/sec for prolonged writing. This 2.5-inch SATA drive will work with just about any notebook or desktop computer. It’s available in several capacities including 30GB, 60GB and 120GB models. Pricing has not yet been revealed.

It looks, judging by these images, like someone has been faxing something they shouldn’t have, but when the leak is a detailed spec-sheet for the BlackBerry Tour 9630 we won’t quibble over it coming on thermal paper. According to MobileSyrup’s source, the Tour 9630 will arrive on Canadian carrier Bell in mid-July, bringing with it an HVGA 480 x 360 display, 3.2-megapixel autofocus camera with flash, quadband GSM/GPRS/EDGE, 2100MHz UMTS/HSPA and 800/1900MHz EVDO Rev.A.



There’s also GPS and A-GPS, a 35-key QWERTY keyboard, Bluetooth 2.0, 3.5mm headset port and microUSB port. No sign of WiFi, but you do get a microSD card slot (under the battery cover), 256MB of internal memory and a 1,400mAh battery.

The whole thing measures 112 x 62 x 14.2 mm and weighs 130g. While we’re excited for our friends up in Canada, we’re perhaps a little more keen to see whether - as the leaked inventory details suggest - the BlackBerry Tour 9630 arrives on Verizon Wireless in the US on July 13th.

It may look odd, but this ergonomic keyboard promises to free up your desk from the tyranny of your mouse. Well, from the tyranny of a separate mouse, anyway; the handiwork of an Australian inventor, the Combimouse turns the right-side of the keyboard into the mouse itself, using cleverly placed contacts to figure out when you’re trying to use it to to control your cursor.In mouse mode, the I, O, J, K, L and < buttons all become mouse buttons, while there’s a scroll-wheel on the bottom right-hand corner of the left keyboard half. There are also multimedia keys and a numeric keypad accessed with a num-lock button.

According to the inventor, the Combimouse makes spreadsheet data entry, FPS gaming and general computing more straightforward; you can also use just the right-hand mouse portion with a laptop keyboard, as shown in this photo. Unfortunately they’re still looking for hardware and manufacturing partners, so right now the Combimouse isn’t available to buy.

The PSP Go! is shaping up to be great, but it doesn’t have a full QWERTY keyboard, does it. Acidmods forum member folklord36’s PSP Laptop does, though, courtesy of an Xbox Chat Pad, together with relocated speakers, LED lighting and more.



The screen section is a customized Joytech visor, which conveniently has the same finish as the PSP, and here donates its super-sturdy hinge that can be positioned at anything up to 180-degrees. That takes the LCD and the PSP’s original speakers, which are repositioned to the large holes either side. Normal earphone fabric covers them up.

Meanwhile the rest of the PSP - now with the QWERTY keyboard - remains on the bottom, only with some new LED lighting. A custom flat cable extension connects the LCD ZIF port to the screen itself. No word on how long it took him, nor how much he spent, but this is certainly a unique PSP.

You’d think we’d seen every form factor and possible processor combination from Computex already, but III have still managed to surprise us. Their hybrid system combines the base of an HP Mini 1000-series netbook, from which the Intel Atom processor has been junked and replaced with a 1.6GHz VIA C7-M CPU. Meanwhile the display has been replaced with a detachable touchscreen slate, with its own processor, and running Android. The two can be used separately.


The slate functions as a full standalone touchscreen device, running on a 533MHz Samsung ARM-based CPU, and allows for full wireless connectivity and all the usual Android apps. The base section uses the slate as a display, and runs Windows XP - that means the usual range of productivity and office apps will work fine.

Right now it’s a prototype, with III (the Institute for Information Industry in Taiwan) looking for partners to commercialize the idea. It reminds us of the Always Innovating Touch Book, though of course that only has computing components in the slate-screen section.

ITG’s xpPhone was one of the more curious prospects for Computex - something with the form-factor of a MID but resolutely intended to be used as a cellphone - and jkkmobile stopped by to check it out. The xpPhone certainly tries to fit in as much as possible: SSD up to 64GB in size, multiple wireless options including Bluetooth, WiFi, 3G and WiMAX, and an AMD mobile processor.

Contrary to our initial expectations, ITG didn’t cut down the number of buttons on the xpPhone’s keyboard; that’s perhaps because the device is considerably larger than we first envisaged. The 4.8-inch touchscreen is swaddled by a thick bezel, and as you can see in the video it’s a chunky device.

We can’t imagine holding the xpPhone to our head and using it as a traditional smartphone, but with a Bluetooth headset it might be more practical. An estimated five hours of battery life is always welcome, but we’re unconvinced overall; this seems a little too much like the jarring mash of device-types that has led MID sales overall to be disappointing.

Nothing like a new niche to get the concept artists salivating, but this time it’s Freescale Semiconductor who are working on possible Smartbook designs. The company has commissioned six prototypes, ranging from the touchscreen-slate-with-QWERTY-ears you see here to a modular mini-notebook and a leather-clad clamshell.



The concepts are the work of industrial design specialists SCAD, and don’t appear to have reached hardware stage yet. Instead, the renders suggest the different directions the Smartbook platform - which uses ARM-based processors and boast super-long battery life - might go in, to cater for different usage patterns.

In terms of working hardware, the prototypes are slightly less impressive. Freescale have been demonstrating the Wistron N900z, a more traditional netbook-style design in which the most exciting aspect is perhaps its tipped sub-$200 price.

If you regularly miss phonecalls because your TV or music is turned up too loud, or you want to avoid that desperate hunt-for-the-remote before the answerphone picks up, the TV Silencer may be for you. It may not be pretty, but it can automatically mute your TV or stereo, or even pause your DVD, whenever a call comes in.


Basically, it’s a very specific programmable remote, which you teach how to hit the mute buttons on your TV and stereo together with the play button on your DVD player. It’s of no use to cellphone users, though, only landlines, but if you’ve got an elderly relative who turns their TV up so high they drown everything else out, it could be a useful gadget.

Neatly, the TV Silencer draws its power from the phoneline, rather than from a separate power cable, so in effect the phone company are paying for you to use it. If that’s not a bargain, I don’t know what is. The TV Silencer is available now, priced at $44.95.

Ethernet over powerline is nothing new - many users are already taking advantage of their mains cabling to avoid stringing Cat5 around the house - but HDMI over powerline is less common. Averlogic wants to change all that; they’ve been demonstrating their 1080p H.264 streaming system at Computex, allowing high-definition video to be squirted through mains cabling.

One transmitter can simultaneously stream to three separate receivers, each of which can output via HDMI, composite or component connections. The transmitter itself has three HDMI inputs and one set each of composite and composite, and everything can be remotely controlled at the viewing end.

Streamed media can be up to 1920 x 1080 at 24p or 60i, together with 5.1 surround sound, and Averlogic claim it has a roughly three-floor, 300m range with 200Mbps data rate. The system is also compatible with the HomePlug-AV and HD-PLC standards. No word on when we could expect to see Averlogic products on shelves, though.

BenQ have become the latest netbook manufacturer to throw their hat into the Android netbook ring, as well as confirming their plans to produce smartphones running the open-source OS. The new hardware should arrive on the market sometime in 2010, though BenQ are keeping specification details for both netbook and smartphone close to their chest.

The company recently announced their latest netbook, the JoyBook Lite U121, which offers either Windows XP or a Linux OS. Based on Intel’s Atom Z520 processor, it’s unclear whether BenQ’s Android netbook will similarly use the Intel range of chips or take advantage of one of the low-power ARM-based CPUs that have been shown to be powerful enough to load Google’s platform.

Acer recently confirmed that they would be offering a dual-boot Android/XP netbook in Q3, seeking to distribute the machine through partnerships with carriers. An ASUS Eee PC based on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon and running Android was also demonstrated at Computex.

MIDs a failure? No no no, how could that be when this little beauty is headed to the market? Known here as the Compal KAX15 MID, but likely to find itself a variety of alternative brands including Gigabyte and Aigo, it’s based on Intel’s existing Menlow platform and packs an 800MHz Atom Z515 processor, a 4.8-inch 800 x 480 touchscreen and slide-out QWERTY keyboard.



That processor is actually quite clever, because despite the relatively low billed clock speed it also supports 1.2GHz bursting. While running at 1.2GHz would generally produce too much heat and have too great an impact on battery life, bursting-compatible applications will be able to poke the Z515 into running at the faster speed until the CPU’s controller decides things are getting too hot.

There are also dual cameras, front and back. Squinting at the product spec in the video below (courtesy jkkmobile), it looks like the KAX15 has 512MB of RAM, runs Windows XP (though the press shots have an Android-esque status bar across the top) and have WiFi and Bluetooth. No word on specific launch dates or pricing, but at least the Compal KAX15 will land before Moorestown.

Next Monday Apple kick off their 2009 Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), and first thing on the schedule is one of the most eagerly anticipated keynotes of the year. Apple is expected to announce a new, third-generation iPhone, and SlashGear will be live-blogging the whole keynote from 10am PT on Monday June 8th 2009.

Amid the speculation there’s talk of a front-facing camera for video calls, an FM transmitter for squirting music through your car stereo, and a higher resolution camera. We’ve just seen what are purported to be leaked photos of the new iPhone, which show off the tweaked casing and shifted headphone port; there’s also talk of three different iPhone models, with varying degrees of data connectivity tailored to different markets, in multiple colors.

Whatever gets announced, SlashGear will be there when Phil Schiller takes to the stage on Monday and we’ll be using our homegrown no-refresh-needed Live Blog system to bring you all the details.

Is this a photo of the new iPhone? It’s a question we’ve asked surprisingly few times over the past couple of weeks, given the proximity to Apple’s WWDC on Monday (which SlashGear will be live-blogging at http://live.slashgear.com/) and the spate of rumors throughout May. Now, a Spanish site has released what are claimed to be shots of the upcoming model, complete with shifted ports, new controls and a tweaked chassis.


As well as a different shape to the casing, and an apparent matte finish as has been rumored, the “leaked” photos also show a fascia redesign with two slots at the top of the handset. There’s also a discrete LED indicator embedded in the front panel.

The headphone socket has also seemingly moved, from the top edge of the handset down to the bottom as on the iPod touch, and there appears to be a button on the lower right-side edge of the handset that, given similar controls on other cellphones, could be a camera button. The lower slot on the fascia could be front-facing camera, its been suggested, with the LED an indicator as on the iSight webcam embedded into MacBook notebook displays.

Your dreams of an oversized wrist-mounted computer are one step closer to reality this week, as Universal Display Corp and LG Display demonstrate their curved OLED panel at the SID expo. A 4-inch display running at QVGA resolution, UDC and LG expect the OLED - which requires just 1W of power - to be worn like a watch, hence the rather intimidating rubber cuff.

What exactly it might do - aside from show photos of luscious greenery - is obviously left up to manufacturers adopting the curved panel. A 320 x 240 resolution display capable of 1.67m colors and 100ppi seems somewhat wasted on telling the time and being used as a wearable digital photo frame, but who are we to judge.

Brightness is 100 cd/m2 and contrast is 1,000:1; the panel itself is 0.3mm thick, with a steel substrate to protect it. Despite that, it only weighs 8g, and can be bent to a curvature radius of up to two inches. No word on when it might go into production.

We’ve seen multiple Mobile Internet Devices (MIDs) over the past week, as Computex brings the latest hardware out of the woodwork, but is the whole endeavor an exercise in futility? According to sources at manufacturers, sales of Intel-based MIDs have been just 30,000 units, far less than Intel’s own predictions of 150,000 to 200,000 units.

The sources have suggested that global purse-tightening in the face of a middling economy and “slow-building popularity” of 3G applications are to blame for the significant shortfall. Intel was pressured to sell Menlow platform chips, initially expected for MIDs, to netbook manufacturings to recoup its investment.

Intel have declined to comment on the sales speculation, as its official Q2 results are imminent, but has re-stated its belief that the MID segment - and other internet-focused devices - has great potential and will remain a target. The company revealed more details of its next-gen Moorestown platform this week, which will likely ship in 2010, and be aimed at MIDs. It also revealed five hardware designs, with screens ranging in size from three to five inches, that would be among the first to deliver Moorestown.

MAINGEAR announced Pulse today, a brand new gaming PC that’s supposedly the greenest computer for gamers around. Based on the NVIDIA ION, with the option to upgrade to GeForce, this computer is good on the earth and good for your gaming score.
If you get the NVIDIA ION-based Pulse, then you can expect an Intel Core 2 45nm processor with a 300W power supply with 80% efficiency. The GeForce 9800 GT ECO, on the other hand is more powerful but still 40% more efficient than regular GeForce 9800 GT and comes with a 65W Core 2 Quad processors.

Other features include Wi-Fi, eSATA and optional Blu-ray and a TV tuner. This computer is a great option for those seeking a higher-powered gaming machine without the serious power draw. You can get the MAINGEAR Pulse now for starting at $799.

We found out about the PSP Go officially a few days ago, but now Sony is noting that their new portable will allow owners to download digital copies of games they’ve already purchased on UMD to the new device.
The new program will be based on when you purchased the games or when you bought the PSP Go unit itself. This way, people who have owned a PSP in the past can feel free to trade up without doing away with their previous game library.

We don’t know if the new program will cost anything, but the way Sony is talking about it, it seems like it might be free or only cost a trivial amount. But, we’ll just have to wait until the company announces the program in more detail.

Pioneer has begun to ship three brand new Blu-ray players today. Initially debuted at CES, these Blu-ray players include the Elite BDP-23FD, which has a Precision Quartz Lock System and capacitors that are perfect for the audiophile.

Other features include BD Live Support, 7.1-channel audio, RS-232 support and 48-bit color. Next is the BDP-320, which also has PQLS, BD Live support, 48-bit color and high quality, but lacks the unique design of the Elite.

Last is the BDP-120, which has 36-bit color, USB storage and a 1GB external hard drive. It does not have PQLS. These new Blu-ray players started shipping today and are available for $599, $399 and $299, respectively.

If you’re a lover of older games, then you’ll love this new Pocket Retro Game Emulator from ThinkGeek. This gaming device is completely portable and lets you relive the glory days of NES and Sega Genesis in style.


This game emulator makes it possible to play games from numerous older systems including NES, SNES, Neo Geo, GBA and Sega Genesis. Just load up some ROMs and you’re on your way to fun gameplay.

The device comes with 4GB of storage, a mini-SD slot and the ability to play audio and movie files and view JPEGs and e-books. A FM radio is built-in as well. Four control buttons line the right side and there’s two shoulder buttons. You can transfer ROMs over USB from your computer. The Pocket Retro Game Emulator is available now for $99.99.

There’s little that excites us more than a DIY synth, but slapping an arcade-style joystick onto a fuzzy, glitchy, beeping analog monster practically pushes us over the edge. Synth-master Unearthed Circuits has combined four oscillators with various levels of pitch adjustment and come up with Drone Machine; the joystick individually mutes or activates each one.

Pitch is either controlled by the cluster of retro knobs in the lower left-hand corner, or can be thrown over to the bank of photo-resistors up near the top. The dangling arm is actually a strobe light that can be directed at those photo-resistors for some extra-glitchy triggering.

Finally there’s an effects section, with overdrive, fuzz and ring-mod effects. Again, there’s the potential of linear control over them via knobs, but the metal handles at the front are in fact body contacts for less predictable results.

Looks like VUDU got onto something valuable here. They have just added a bunch of movies from the Disney catalog, allowing people to purchase and download about 60 new titles for expanded entertainment.

The added movies are mostly from Disney’s maturer studios and include movies like No Country for Old Men. However, they are also offering very popular kid’s titles like High School Musical 3. What makes this special is VUDU is apparently the first device that is offering permanent, downloadable versions of Disney movies in HD.

So far, other movie providers can only offers these movies as rentals. The movies will be in 720p and the VUDU HDX formats. This should be interesting to watch, especially since iTunes doesn’t yet allow you to purchase HD movies.

All alone in a darkened room: what better to do than run through the GUI of iriver’s quietly-announced B30 PMP. A discrete appearance on the iriver site back in late May, the B30 distinguishes itself with a T-DMB mobile TV tuner and DAB radio, paired with a 2.8-inch QVGA display. Now we’ve a full video run-through of the UI and, as is generally the case with iriver’s products, it’s a beautifully put together system.
As well as the digital TV and radio broadcasts, the B30 has either 4, 8 or 16GB of flash storage, together with a microSD card slot and a USB 2.0 connection to fill it all up. The battery is good for up to 40hrs of audio or 5.5hrs of video, plus there’s a user-selectable equalizer for tweaking audio quality.

As the video shows, all navigation is done via the touch-sensitive buttons on the front panel, since the B30 lacks a touchscreen. Nonetheless it’s a slick arrangement. Unfortunately there’s no sign of the B30 - which ranges from $151 to $231 in Korea - crossing over to Europe or the US.

New renders of what’s said to be the final design for Michael Arrington’s CrunchPad internet and media tablet have been released, and its taken a big step forward from the last devices we saw. Now crafted from aluminum, not plastic, so as to cut thickness down to 18mm, the CrunchPad still has a 12-inch touchscreen, WiFi internet access and a media player app.

The device has minimal hardware controls, but offers a USB port for plugging in an external keyboard or other devices. That way it could be used as a netbook-style portable computer, ideal for blogging and messaging as well as more passive internet browsing.

According to Arrington, the first hardware prototypes of this new design will reach their office in a few weeks time; they’re still talking about a roughly $300 price tag. Below you can see the latest video demo of the CrunchPad, running on the previous-gen prototype; the final CrunchPad design will boot straight into the Webkit-based browser.

Nintendo have announced that they will begin selling a black Wii in Japan come August, shortly after their new red DSi goes on sale there in July. The black console will be the first time the Wii has been available in a color other than white, though Nintendo did initially demonstrate it in various hues.

Accompanying the black Wii - which will be officially known as the KURO Wii - are matching black peripherals. The red DSi will join the white, black, pink, lime green and metallic blue versions already available in Japan.

The Nintendo Red DSi will go on sale in Japan on July 11th, priced at 18,900 yen ($197). Meanwhile the Nintendo KURO Wii will land in Japan on August 1st, priced at 25,000 yen ($260); the matching black Wii Remote, Nunchuk and Classic Controller Pro will be 3,800 yen ($40), 1,800 yen ($19) and 2,000 yen ($21) respectively. No word on a US/European release.

LG have announced that their GD910 watch phone will begin shipping in Europe come July, initially on carrier Orange, before spreading to unnamed carriers in Asia, the Middle East, Australia and Latin America. The LG GD910 has a 1.43-inch touchscreen LCD and supports 7.2Mbps HSDPA, video calls and media playback.

At 13.9mm thick it’s perhaps straining how chunky you might want a watch to be, but it’s good for a cellphone. Since there’s Bluetooth inside you could also tether the GD910 to your MID, netbook or laptop for wireless data access; not quite as usable as a MiFi but a whole lot cooler.

Pricing will vary by region, but is likely to be on the high side. Still, we reckon there’ll be a core group of Dick Tracy fans who won’t be able to resist.

MAINGEAR announced a new gaming PC today that’s sure to please the most discerning gamer. It’s called the ePhex Elite and this thing sports top-of-the-line features and ensures your gameplay experience will be fast and accurate.
As far as specs go, the ePhex Elite has an Intel Core i7 975 Extreme processor, the option to include three GTX 285 or three Radeon HD 4890 processors, an Asus X58 motherboard and up to 24GB of RAM. Plus there’s a liquid cooling system that ensures all the components stay cool.

The cooling system actually cools the processor and the GPUs. This system is easy to upgrade, is super fast and allows you the best gaming performance possible. What more could you ask for, really? M.A.R.C. laser etching is also available. You can get the MAINGEAR ePhex Elite gaming PC now for a base price of $5,660.

If you’ve been on the lookout for a good quality desktop PC that has everything you need contained in one convenient package, then you’ll be pleased to hear MSI just made their Wind Top AE1900 desktop PC available for purchase.
The desktop PC is available in black and is a serious energy saver, consuming 80% less energy than other PCs of its type. An 18.5-inch widescreen display is included with touchscreen capability. There’s also SRS Premium Sound and a DVD rewriter built-in.

Other features include a keyboard and mouse, 4 USB ports, a 4-in-1 card reader, a 1.3-megapixel webcam, a microphone, a 250GB hard drive, a 1.6GHz Atom 330 Dual Core processor option, up to 2GB of RAM and more. This desktop PC is available now from several online retailers like Amazon.com and NewEgg.com

BenQ revealed a new super-portable, super-light netbook called the JoyBook Lite U121 Eco today. This tiny PC measures in at just 11.6-inches and weighs only 2.9-pounds. However, don’t let its light frame fool you.
This netbook has a 1.33GHz Intel Atom Z520 processor, a three-cell battery and a six-cell battery option that’s capable of up to eight hours of life. The display has a 1,366 x 768 resolution and a 16:9 aspect ratio.

Also included are several hard drive options that include 160GB, 250GB, 320GB and 500GB models. You can have a solid-state drive as well in either 8GB, 16GB or 32GB sizes. You can choose between Linux Lite or Windows XP Home Edition for your operating system and there’s up 2GB of RAM. Other features include an HDMI output, Bluetooth 2.1, HSUPA mobile broadband, Wi-Fi, two 2W speakers, VoIP and a 1.3-megapixel webcam. The JoyBook Lite U121 Eco netbook will be available in China, Taiwan and Malaysia in June in white and blue color options. Pricing is not yet known.

ASUS have officially launched the Eee PC T91 convertible touchscreen netbook, and already the first reviews are surfacing. Based around an 8.9-inch display which can rotate flat onto the keyboard for slate use, the T91 runs Intel’s Atom Z520 CPU with 1GB of RAM, a 16GB SSD, WiFi b/g/n and Bluetooth 2.1. According to Pocket-lint, it’s a useful compromise between traditional Tablet PC functionality and netbook scale.

They praise the sturdy hinge, which apparently resisted their best efforts to twist it into submission, and the three user-modes on offer. As well as standard Windows XP Home, the T91 offers a quick-boot Eee Mode which allows for internet and Skype access within seconds, and a custom touchscreen-only GUI intended for finger use.

You can see the T91’s GUI in action in the video below [via AsusTablet]. Overall, they’re impressed, describing the T91 as a “welcomed diversion in design”. No word on performance from the Z520 CPU - which has proved disappointing in the Acer Aspire One 751 - but perhaps the touch focus of the T91 eclipses any interest in the 720p playback which so stresses the Atom chip.

The ASUS Eee PC T91 is apparently available in select markets now, priced at around £449 ($684).

We have something of a soft-spot for HP’s Pavilion dv2 ultraportable, the 12.1-inch AMD-powered notebook we played with back in April. Managing to find space for a capacious 500GB hard-drive, 4GB of RAM and a 512MB ATI discrete graphics card, the only potential downside is the ULV processor.

Now HP are preparing at least two new versions of the notebook, together with a new color option. Of interest to anybody who found the Yukon CPU of the original dv2 underpowered, AMD’s dual-core Congo and full Athlon X2 processors are set to hit the notebook; there’s also a white version planned.

The white model keeps the black screen surround - seemingly to prevent eye-strain - but swaps the lower half of the notebook for a glossy white plastic. It looks to work quite well with the silver trim strips, but we find ourselves wondering how it might look after a few months of finger grease and scratches.

No word on pricing or specific availability for any of the new dv2 versions

Sony have announced two new products in its GIGA Juke range of streaming home audio equipment, which also add docks for the company’s Walkman range such as the OLED-touchscreen Walkman-X we reviewed. The NAS-SC500PK (shown here) gets increased amplification - up to 100W - and a chunkier 160GB hard-drive, while the NAS-E300HD (shown after the cut) sticks with 60W and half the storage.

The GIGA Juke NAS-SC500PK has a full color display and can feed music to up to five satellite systems; each can play separate tracks, or - by pressing the PARTY button - be synchronized to play the same thing. It comes with a new speaker design and can connect directly to your WiFi router to update its media database. There’s also the same SenseMe autoplaylist feature as on the new Sony PSP Go!

As for the Sony GIGA Juke NAS-E300HD, that has a monochrome display and 80GB of storage, together with 60W of amplification. It, too, can connect to the internet to update its database. Both it, and the NAS-SC500PK, will land in Europe midway through June 2009, prices to be confirmed.

Sharp have been wowing with their display technology at the SID conference; their five-color LCD stands to revolutionize accuracy-dependent industries like graphic design, and now they’re hoping to do similar things with mobile displays. The Sharp Memory LCD is intended to drastically cut power requirements of a traditional LCD display by reducing the energy each individual pixel requires to remain in its current state.

The 1.4mm thick display pairs pixel-memory with a new reflective display technology which reduces the need for backlighting. Thanks to that, power consumption is down to just 15 µW, compared to standard 1mW STN displays.

Right now the prototype is only 1.35-inches square, and displays a monochrome image. However smooth-moving graphics are apparently possible, which is more than you can say about e-ink based displays; Sharp are offering them as samples for $25. Color displays, plus different shapes and sizes, are in the works, with Sharp suggesting possible uses as including cellphones, watches, remote controls and wrist-top computers.

ASUS have announced the O!Play HDP-R1 HD Media Player, a compact wired-only media streamer intended to funnel local and network content into your HDTV. Supporting HDMI and composite A/V connections for the display and a choice of USB 2.0, eSATA or wired ethernet, there’s also an optical digital audio output for use with a surround sound amp.


Supported codecs include MPEG 1/2/4, H.264, VC-1 and RM/RMVB, with a list of file formats as long as your arm; check out the spec sheet below for full details. The O!Play HDP-R1 will also play back music and images, including FLAC and OGG files.

The absence of WiFi draft-n support will likely be a deal-breaker for many, though those who have eSATA hard-drives and would like to play content from them might find something to appeal here. No word on pricing or availability as yet.

Wistron’s most endearing Smartbook machine may be the compact VAIO P-lookalike that has been floating around tradeshows for a few months now, but it’s not their only offering with ARM under the hood. Freescale Semiconductors are showing the Wistron N900z at their Computex 2009 stand, a more traditionally designed 10-inch netbook, and LaptopMag shot some hands-on video.



The design is relatively basic, with a rubberized keyboard (that LaptopMag compare to that of the OLPC XO-1, but we can’t avoid thinking about the Spectrum ZX) and “almost unusable” touchpad. Inside, though, is the real draw: Freescale’s i.MX515 platform, with an 800MHz processor and 4GB SSD.

The N900z runs Ubuntu, and loaded OpenOffice Writer in around fifteen seconds; Firefox, even when opened simultaneously, didn’t present any performance issues, though attempting to then play a video clip resulted in sluggishness. When the video was played on its own, though, it ran fine; Wistron expect the N900z to manage in excess of 10hrs runtime from a single charge, and be priced at under $200 when it eventually launches.

Intel have been talking about their upcoming Moorestown platform, and demonstrating it with this Inventec MediaPhone. The device - a voice-enabled MID with touchscreen interface - runs a customized version of Moblin v.2; the bad news is this won’t be appearing on shelves any time soon.



Full specifications of the device are unclear, but according to Intel’s launch (which you can see in the video below) there’ll be pinch-zoom functionality, which suggests a capacitive rather than resistive touchscreen. There’s also a camera on the back, which looks to have a flash.

Much of Moorestown’s hardware will be the same as is used in netbooks; what will differentiate the two will be the UI, and Intel are working on a “ground up” new design. Moorestown is expected in 2010, so don’t expect to see a MID-phone like this until well into next year.

Acer have brought their F1 Windows Mobile 6.5 smartphone to Computex, and there’s finally a spec sheet to go with the prototype. We now know that the F1 is based on Qualcomm’s 1GHz Snapdragon processor - the same as Toshiba’s TG01 - paired with a spacious 3.8-inch WVGA touchscreen and 5-megapixel autofocus camera.


There’s also an always-welcome 3.5mm headphone jack on the top of the phone, and the camera has a flash to accompany it. The front controls are touch-sensitive, plus there’s a front-facing camera for video calls, GPS, WiFi and support for up to 7.2Mbps HSDPA.

Acer are talking about potentially putting their own shell on top of Windows Mobile 6.5, but nothing has been decided. Apparently the F1 will be reaching shelves by Christmas, but there’s no word on what this flagship Acer smartphone might cost.

Sony Ericsson handsets are still relatively rare in the US market, and so Sony Electronics are stepping in as the official unlocked handset reseller for their cellular cousins. One of the first offerings is the W995a, a SIM-unlocked multimedia phone featuring an 8.1-megapixel camera and Walkman mediaplayer; it’s available for pre-order starting today at SonyStyle.com and will be available in stores on July 6 for around $600. Sony sent one over for SlashGear to check out.


The W995a is a 3G-enabled phone (850/1900/2100MHz UMTS/HSPA) that’s geared towards folks seeking a premium multimedia experience. Primary functionality includes snapping photos and video, playing music and videos, or accessing the internet, and our first-impressions of the W995a is that it’s a high-quality, compact way of doing all that.

The W995a is also equipped for WiFi access, and includes stereo Bluetooth (A2DP) support for use with wireless headphones. Bundled with the W995a there’s a set of “premium” 3.5mm headphones, an 8GB Memory Stick Micro card (which wasn’t provided in our review unit) and a USB connector cable.

The 2.6-inch QVGA display is gorgeous, even though it’s LCD and not AMOLED like Sony’s recent Walkman PMP, and there’s plenty of sturdy and tactile metal used in building the casing and the buttons.

Sony Ericsson created the W995a for those who are up on the latest in mobile phone design, technology and feature sets and typically purchase unlocked phones for their added features and flexibility to switch phones whenever the latest and greatest is available. Doing so through Sony themselves mean you’re also getting a warranty and access to their Sony Ericsson partner network, just in case something goes wrong with the handset.

The GameOn Game Console Organizer is designed to organize your games console, controllers, games and all the leads that come with it.
It is designed to also keep you console cool as it is vented, which is great for Xbox owners who want to keep everything tidy but cant put it inside a closed media unit as it may get to hot.

The GameOn Game Console Organizer can be wall mounted, and it comes in a variety of funky colors including, red, yellow, blue, green, black and white.If you want one the GameOn Game Console Organizer is available for $59.99 .

The KGB Disappearing Ink Pen uses a special gel ink that disappears completely, and because the pen uses gel ink, you don’t need to press hard on the paper when you are writing so there will be no paper indenting which could reveal your secret message.

The special ink inside the pen is really hard to detect on paper, even UV scanners can’t pick it up, although we are not sure how you reveal your message once it has disappeared., check out this video of it in action.

If you want one of these fin KGB Disappearing Ink Pen’s they are available for $14.99 from Think Geek.

Details have been leaked of the latest gaming laptop from Alienware, the Alienware M17X Gaming Laptop which wasn’t scheduled to be released for another four days.

From the specifications, the Alienware M17X Gaming Laptop certainly looks like it is going to be a serious piece of kit, with dual 1GB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 280M GPU’s and a Intel Core 2 Extreme quad-core processor.

On top of that the Alienware M17X will come with up to 8GB of 1333MHz DDR3 RAM, and the choice of either a 1TB 7200-rpm HDD or a 512GB DDD, as well as a nine cell battery, firewire, 4 USB 2.0 ports, eSATA, 802.11n WiFi and an 8-in-1 card reader.

The Alienware M17X also features an GeForce 9400M G1 GPU which can be used instead of the dual NVIDIA GeForce GTX 280M GPU’s when you want to save on battery usage.

The Alienware M17X Gaming Laptop will go on sale shortly, with prices starting at $1,799.

When your first handset looks set to rack up close to twelve months of delay, you may as well announce a few more. That seems to be the attitude at Garmin-ASUS, who are conveniently forgetting all about their much-postponed nuvifone G60 and instead are talking about their upcoming Android smartphone, set to arrive by the end of Q1 2010.

Garmin - who have been a member of Google’s Open Handset Alliance since December 2008 - were initially tipped to be offering an Android device sometime this year. While company executives now say that the phone “could come a bit earlier” than the end of March 2010, it doesn’t seem likely to beat that timescale by a full three months, especially given Garmin-ASUS’ ongoing issues.

The duo have declined to comment on how much the Android smartphone might cost. However they have confirmed that the GPS will be used for geotagging photos and for offering other location-based services.

I confess, I’ve been hearing Vincent and Ewdi wax lyrical about the Verizon and Sprint versions of the MiFi portable personal hotspot, and going green with envy. Happily we’re finally hearing details regarding the GSM HSPA version of the device, the Novatel Wireless MiFi 2352, and while there’s still no sign of European carrier confirmation it’s already showing up at importer Mobilx.

Thanks to the new information, we now know that the MiFi 2352 supports triband HSDPA/HSUPA (900/1900/2100MHz) and quadband GPRS/EDGE (850/900/1800/1900MHz), with support for up to 7.2Mbps downlink and 5.76Mbps uplink speeds (network depending). As with the CDMA EVDO Rev.A versions, it supports WiFi b/g with WEP, WPA and WPA2 security, and can handle up to five simultaneous clients.

It also offers GPS, as with the Sprint version of the MiFi, and measures 62 x 98 x 15.3mm while weighing just 81g. Interestingly, it has a microSDHC card slot - happy with up to 16GB cards - that can be accessed by any of the WiFi clients, basically turning the 2352 into a mini-NAS.

Mobilx currently have the MiFi 2352 listed for $259 before taxes, unlocked, and with the first stock expected on June 20th.