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Uruguay vs Paraguay Live Stream | Watch Copa America Online

2011-07-24T17:02:00.000+06:00

Fourteen time Copa America Champion,Uruguay will face the final against Paraguay in 2011 Copa America.Uruguay vs Paraguay 2011 Final will be held on 25^th July at Antonio Vespucio Liberti.Watch Uruguay vs Paraguay 2011 Final match live stream online.

Match Details
Copa America 2011 Final
Uruguay vs Paraguay
Date: Sunday,July 24,2011
Time: 19:00 GMT
Venue: Antonio Vespucio Liberti

Uruguay vs Paraguay Live Streaming

Uruguay vs Paraguay Live

The swirl that shook gaming: the Sega Dreamcast turns 10

2009-09-10T10:33:00.003+07:00

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.

Foiled Again! Palm Pixi Overshadowed By Apple, Stock Dives

2009-09-10T10:30:00.000+07:00

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.

Apple unveils cutting-edge upgrades rather than new technology

2009-09-10T10:27:00.000+07:00

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.

HTC announces the WinMo 6.5 Touch2

2009-09-02T23:40:00.000+07:00

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.

Windows Mobile 6.5 phones launching October 6th

2009-09-02T23:21:00.001+07:00

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.

Windows 7 runs free without activation for 120 days with simple command

2009-08-24T00:43:00.001+07:00

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.

AOC's 2436Vw does 24-inches of power sipping LCD

2009-08-24T00:42:00.001+07:00

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.

Amazon says PS3 Slim already facing supply shortages

2009-08-23T22:39:00.000+07:00

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.

Wiipod modder shoves an MP3 player

2009-08-23T22:11:00.000+07:00

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.

Sony PSP Go game downloads to start from $1?

2009-08-15T21:34:00.002+07:00

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.

Sony PSP Go new firmware emerges, plus further hardware disappointment

2009-08-15T21:31:00.001+07:00

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.

Apple Tablet 2010 launch tips continue as “insiders” scorned

2009-08-15T21:28:00.001+07:00

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.

UK could become key counterfeit route after trademark ruling

2009-08-15T21:26:00.001+07:00

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.

Starline NB1000 netbook hides its touchpad

2009-08-15T21:23:00.001+07:00

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 Introduces Two New iPod Speakers

2009-08-12T23:54:00.002+07:00

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 confirm M1 black coming September; new model at IDF San Francisco

2009-08-12T23:52:00.001+07:00

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.”

Zune HD gets two more hands-on video demos

2009-08-12T23:49:00.001+07:00

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 Wireless Desktop MK700 prioritizes comfort

2009-08-12T23:47:00.002+07:00

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 Z205 PND gets 3D landscapes

2009-08-12T23:44:00.003+07:00

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 T20 Pocket Cinema pico-projector preorders taken in UK

2009-08-12T23:42:00.002+07:00

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.

Lenovo IdeaPad U450p on sale now: 14-inch CULV ultraportable

2009-08-12T23:36:00.001+07:00

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.

Microsoft Xbox Might Be Heading Beyond the Console

2009-08-12T23:21:00.005+07:00

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 EX-1000 Modular Power Supply announced

2009-08-12T23:15:00.000+07:00

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

Apple allows matte screens on 15-inch MacBook Pros again

2009-08-12T00:36:00.001+07:00

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.

Tainell kicks out Atom-powered T500 MID for China

2009-08-11T22:11:00.002+07:00

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.

Now Sony Ericsson eyeing the netbook market

2009-08-11T22:10:00.002+07:00

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.

Intel issues X25-M G2 SSD firmware fix for BIOS password conundrum

2009-08-11T22:08:00.003+07:00

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.

HP to sell contract-free, WWAN-equipped PCs in Japan

2009-08-11T22:06:00.002+07:00

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.

Bluetooth-enabled Modula therapy lamp changes color via cellphone

2009-08-11T22:05:00.002+07:00

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.

Turtle Beach keeps tweens boasting with Ear Force X41 Xbox 360 headset

2009-08-11T22:03:00.002+07:00

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.

Xbox 360 gets exclusive Netflix streaming: no other console allowed

2009-08-11T21:58:00.003+07:00

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.

Samsung N510 landing US in September; first of 3 ION netbooks

2009-08-11T21:57:00.002+07:00

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 add MLB.TV Baseball streaming to media box

2009-08-11T21:55:00.002+07:00

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 Harmony 900 universal remote with RF for out-of-site components

2009-08-11T21:54:00.002+07:00

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.

Gigabyte T1028X touchscreen netbook gets video unboxing

2009-08-11T21:52:00.001+07:00

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.

Netgear XAVB1004 Home Theater 4-port Powerline switch kit

2009-08-11T21:51:00.002+07:00

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.

Satoru Iwata says Nintendo Vitality Sensor Coming “Not Too Late” 2010

2009-08-11T21:49:00.002+07:00

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.

QNAP debuts two Turbo NAS servers

2009-08-11T21:47:00.001+07:00

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 TUFF-CLIP USB Drives now shipping

2009-08-11T21:46:00.002+07:00

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.

Thew New Kind of Graffiti: Light, Instead of Paint

2009-08-11T21:44:00.001+07:00

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 TX-NR807 AV receiver with internet radio and DLNA streaming

2009-08-11T21:41:00.001+07:00

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.

ainell T500 MID adds HDMI and 3G to the mix

2009-08-11T21:39:00.002+07:00

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-Series Walkman PMPs leak

2009-08-11T21:38:00.002+07:00

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.

MSI X-Slim X600 gets reviewed: decent GPU and super-skinny chassis

2009-08-11T21:37:00.000+07:00

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.

Hanspree ST251 and ST281 1080p HDTVs arrive

2009-08-11T21:35:00.000+07:00

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.

Motorola Morrison specs leak: entry-level Android for T-Mobile

2009-08-11T21:34:00.002+07:00

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.

Neo Geo mini arcade cabinet mod

2009-08-11T21:32:00.002+07:00

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.

Nanovision confirm touchscreen MIMO 720-S 7-inch USB subdisplay

2009-08-11T21:24:00.001+07:00

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 HD20 projector announced

2009-08-09T01:02:00.000+07:00

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 announces three new digital camera models

2009-08-09T01:01:00.002+07:00

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.

Acer Aspire Timeline 1810T shows up in wild

2009-08-09T00:59:00.001+07:00

Acer’s Aspire Timeline 1810T ultraportable has begun to show up in the wild, with at least two sites – ITC.ua and PCHome.net – getting their hands on the CULV ultraportable. As you might expect, first impressions are that – in terms of the hardware you can see – the 1810T is very similar to the Acer Aspire One 751 it in effect replaces; unfortunately there’s no benchmarking feedback as yet to prove whether the ultraportable runs better than its lethargic predecessor.

Still, the 1810T gets credit for its large keyboard and slim chassis – which ranges from 22mm to 30mm thick – though the trackpad was on the small side. It’s also a fingerprint magnet, with both the gloss red and gloss blue machines picking up prints with gusto.

Actual sales of the Timeline 1810T aren’t expected to kick off in Europe until mid-August, with the ultraportable priced at €499 ($717). Standard configuration is Intel’s 1.4GHz ULV SU3500 processor, GMA 4500MHD graphics and a 6-cell battery promising up to 8hrs runtime.

Stealth NW-2000 rugged convertible touchscreen notebook

2009-08-09T00:57:00.001+07:00

Stealth Computer have unveiled their latest notebook, the NW-2000, a ruggedized hybrid laptop/tablet based around Intel’s 1.06GHz Core 2 Duo, a 13.3-inch sunlight viewable resistive touchscreen and MIL-STD-810F, shock & vibration compliance. The sturdy convertible has 2GB of RAM (4GB maximum), a 160GB shock-mounted hard-drive (or optional SSD) and spill-resistant keyboard, and can cope with being dropped 91cm onto a wood-covered concrete surface 26 times in succession without impairing functionality.
There’s also standard WiFi a/g/n, Bluetooth, gigabit ethernet and GPS, together with optional HSDPA. A standard DVD burner, PC card slot, fingerprint scanner and TPM security module round out the main specifications, and Stealth suggest you’ll see up to 6hrs runtime from the standard 7,800mAh battery.

The whole thing weighs a not-inconsiderable 9.04lbs and measures a chunky 9.96 x 13.54 x 2.31 inches. The Stealth NW-2000 is available to order now, priced from $4,895.

2009-08-09T00:56:00.002+07:00

It’s been a few months since we last heard Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster’s opinion on Apple’s much-rumored tablet, so happily the always-opinionated man is back with not only some pricing, sales and hardware predictions, but a slick render too. According to Munster, his sources in Asia have tipped an unnamed manufacturer winning the contract from Apple to produce the touchscreen device, with fulfillment at the end of 2009; that, he says, underscores his previous assertions of an early 2010 launch.

As for sales, Munster is buoyant about the Apple tablet’s success. He expects – like most other people – it to cost between $500 and $700, and to sell better than the Apple TV did in its first year. He also tips an integrated 3G modem, with either A&T or Verizon the likely carrier partners and potentially subsidizing the device. In fact, Munster predicts it will sell around two million units in its first 12 months of availability, generating $1.2bn and adding around 3-percent to Apple’s revenue stream in the 2010 calendar year.

That’s strong performance for something Gene describes as similar to an iPod touch, only larger, although he does suggest that it will have access not only to most of the existing 70,000 App Store titles but “a new category of apps designed for the bigger screen.” He also believes it will compete with netbooks – being primarily for internet, email and digital media access – but not actually be a netbook, thus not contradicting Apple’s various enthusiastic denials that they have any intention of entering the budget ultraportable space.

Nokia RX-51 tablet captured in the wild

2009-08-09T00:51:00.002+07:00

Not long at all after that mysterious Nokia RX-51 passed through the FCC comes shots from Indonesian message board Kaskus of the tablet-like device in the wild. The blurred box shot and the label behind the battery clearly say RX-51 prototype, and the design is unmistakably similar to the rumored press photo for the Maemo 5-powered Rover from back in May. We can't help but notice the 5 megapixel Carl Zeiss lens and, more importantly, SIM card slot and an ear piece, which would be perfect for placing calls on, say, T-Mobile's network. Few more shots after the break, and hit up the read link for the gallery of photos.

Buffalo adds 16GB microSD card / reader to its line of incredibly small USB memory

2009-08-09T00:06:00.002+07:00

We've seen Buffalo shrink USB drives down to preposterous sizes in the recent past, and now the company is throwing a microSD card reader into the mix. Available for ¥15,500.00 (that's $160, give or take) this guy stores 16GB internally, is available in both colors -- black AND white -- and would be right at home in any of your computer's favorite USB 2.0 ports. And just to get you started, this bad boy includes a 16GB card microSD card. How sweet is that?

Lenovo's Android-powered O1 'OPhone' due next month

2009-08-09T00:04:00.001+07:00

Good news, kids! It looks like Lenovo's O1 "OPhone" handset is finally ready to hit the shelves over on the Mainland sometime next month. Truth be told, the story arc of this Android-powered 3G (TD-SCDMA) handset has been quite the emotional roller coaster: Some were riveted by the sleek, sexy physical design of the thing, while others were repelled by its intensely KIRFish UI. China Mobile is obviously hoping for big things from the little guy -- and getting it into stores before Unicom gets the iPhone sorted can't hurt. Either way, it looks like someone's just taken a bite out of iOrgane's market share!

Stealth Computer kicks and shoves its Warrior 2000 rugged tablet out the door

2009-08-09T00:03:00.001+07:00

Stealth Computer isn't exactly going for much subtlety with a rugged laptop line called "Warrior," but subtlety is hardly part of the equation when we're talking about a convertible tablet that's protected from repeated drops, shocks, dust, water, and, um, lint. Like most such ruggedized computers, however, all that comes at some expense to performance, although this new 13.3-inch Warrior NW-2000 model is certainly still more than adequate with a 1.06GHz low-voltage Core 2 Duo processor, 2GB of RAM, a 160GB hard drive, and a built-in DVD burner, not to mention optional 3G, GPS, and all the usual security measures like a fingerprint scanner and various password protection options. Oh, and a starting price of $4,895.

Sharp's AQUOS DX2 HDTVs don't need any help to burn Blu-ray discs

2009-08-09T00:02:00.002+07:00

Sharp, you introduced the world's first HDTV line with integrated Blu-ray players last year, what are you going to do next? Only naturally, the Japanese lineup of DX2 series one-ups the original DX by adding Blu-ray recording as well. It doesn't appear that these pack the LED backlighting of the new X-Gen based displays headed our way this fall, so for now buyers will have to make do with the 15,000:1 contrast ratio shared with the other D-series televisions. Still, the big deal here is that the 1080p (52-, 46- and 40-inch) and 720p (32- and 26-inch) displays will burn up to 30 hours of HD video on dual-layer Blu-ray discs, by way of transcoding and compressing to MPEG-4 format without any messy external boxes or wires. The price range from ¥170,000 ($1,740) at the low end to ¥480,000 for the largest size when these ship September 15 but don't count on seeing them on this side of the Pacific.

Sony S-Series Walkman lists itself on French retail site, just wants to be noticed

2009-08-09T00:01:00.002+07:00

That Sony S-Series Walkman we spotted a couple of weeks ago has reared its speaker grill-laden head once more, only this time in what looks like an accidental unveiling on French retailer Materiel's website. According to the specs list -- accompanied by some new official press shots that give us little reason to doubt its validity -- the 8GB NWZ-S544 and 16GB NWZ-S545 feature a 2.4-inch QVGA widescreen display, stereo speakers, a microphone, FM tuner, a Li-ion battery for a reported 42 hours of audio / 6.5 hours of video, and what appears to be a built-in stand for convenient video watching. Codec support includes MP3, non-DRM AAC, WMA, H.254, MPEG4, and WMV. No fanciful colors like in the first pic, we've only got black listed for now, to the tune of 129€ ($182) for the 8GB model and 149€ ($211) for 16GB. We're still waiting on Sony to fess up to the device, but really, it can't get much more official. A price and release date for US would be nice, though.

How would you change Amazon's Kindle DX?

2009-08-09T00:00:00.002+07:00

You didn't have to read much of our recent Kindle DX review to get a handle on our opinions of the super-sized e-reader, but as you've likely gleaned from the headline, this one's not about us. Instead, we're asking you to chime in with your take on this here device during this week's How Would You Change. Did you really gain anything from the larger screen? Have you found it useful in your line of work / education? Are you down on the keyboard? Given Amazon's history, we can't imagine that the DX will stay in this form forever, and listen, wouldn't you want to have a say in what gets changed on Revision B? Drop your most intimate thoughts on the matter below -- who knows, maybe Sir Bezos is tuning in just to cash in on your two pennies.

ioSafe Solo 500GB rugged external HDD reviewed, tortured and drowned

2009-08-08T23:58:00.002+07:00

Look, ioSafe said when it was announced that the Solo external HDD was rugged enough to withstand both fire and submersion in water, so really, it was only a matter of time before at least one of those things happened, right? The hardy woodsmen over at TestFreaks have taken ioSafe at its word and run a 500GB version through the paces. Running it through the benchmarks, they found that the Solo holds up very well when compared with similar makes with regards to speed and performance -- it gets the job done, if you will. Transfer rates were a bit slower when put up against a Seagate BlackArmor WS110 -- but not enough to be terribly disappointing. The real fun, of course, comes with the drowning of the poor little hard drive. Now, we don't want to give anything away, but we'll say this: watch the video (which is after the break) all the way to the end when the protector of Camp Crystal Lake makes a stunning, shocking performance. Hit the read link for the full review, a ton of photos, and even more video.

LG GD900 Crystal submerged in a fish tank

2009-08-08T23:55:00.001+07:00

It's really a shame this isn't an out of box feature, but some ingenious modder has graced LG's GD900 Crystal phone -- you know, the one with the gesture-based transparent keypad -- with a custom water-resistant case that renders it perfect for swimming with the fishes. And so did they just that, dipping it into a fish tank. It'd make for one insanely hip charging dock, but we digress. Meanwhile in Russia, mobile@mail.ru has delivered some impressions on the device, with good words to say for the keypad's gestures but lamenting it's $899 suggested price tag, a figure higher than even the super sexy BL40 Chocolate. Aquatic footage is six feet under after the break, and hit up the read link below for the machine-translated impressions.

Carphone Warehouse gets UK exclusive on Nokia 5530 XpressMusic next week

2009-08-07T20:18:00.001+07:00

If you're looking for the cheapest possible way to get in on this S60 5th Edition craze that's sweeping the globe, you've probably got a keen eye on Nokia's 5530 a phone that strangely looks much nicer than its pricier, more full-featured 5800 big brother and if you're in the UK, you won't be waiting much longer. Mobile Today is reporting that Carphone Warhouse has nabbed itself a nice little six-week British exclusive on the phone starting August 11, running a totally palatable £130 (about $218) on a pay-as-you-go deal. We'd have a hard time adapting to EDGE, but who knows - if you've got enough open WiFi networks in your daily route, maybe it's doable.

Sony Ericsson Jalou S60 5th Edition Phone

2009-08-07T20:11:00.002+07:00

Sony Ericsson have done it again, they are currently creating another touch phone. Sony Ericsson are trying to give a new lease of life and reinvent Android, Windows Mobile alongside symbian Foundation for its smartphone.

The picture shows the Sony Ericsson Jalou, this model runs S60 5th Edition as does the Satio. The Jalou also has GPS, a form of HSDPA and WiFi. As we are all aware Sony Ericsson have a big fan base as they create beautiful devices.

Do you think that the world is ready to take on two of Sony Ericsson’s Symbian-based smartphones with touchscreens in upcoming months?

Samsung and Sprint introduce the Reclaim - a cellphone made from corn

2009-08-06T22:54:00.000+07:00

We love the Earth, and apparently so do Sprint and Samsung. The two companies have just introduced the Reclaim, a super-eco cellphone made from 80 percent recycled materials. The device -- a stout, sliding, QWERTY message-friendly model -- is constructed from "bio-plastic" materials made from corn, is free of PVC, and mostly free of BFR (brominated flame retardants)... which are apparently pretty bad. The phone also has a 2 megapixel camera, stereo Bluetooth, can accept microSD cards (we assume) up to 32GB, and has Sprint Navigation onboard. The packaging will be eco-friendly as well, as it's constructed from 70 percent recycled materials and printed with soy-based ink. The carrier will be selling the Reclaim in "Earth Green" or "Ocean Blue" come August 16th for $50 (after a $30 instant rebate and $50 mail-in rebate) with a two-year contract. Additionally, $2 of that profit will be funneled to the Nature Conservancy's Adopt an Acre program. Finally, a phone that goes with your Prius.

AMD Congo detailed: dual-core Neo plus Radeon HD 3200 GPU

2009-06-13T00:01:00.002+06:00

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 X-Slim X600 gets full specs, prices, video unboxing

2009-06-12T23:59:00.001+06:00

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 W3000 PMP reviewed: better MID than SmartQ managed

2009-06-12T23:58:00.002+06:00

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.

Hanwha 7-inch LCD uses D-Sub, not USB connection

2009-06-12T23:57:00.002+06:00

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.

RoBe:Do launch Three: new netbook-based robot

2009-06-12T23:54:00.000+06:00

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 announces HD video-conferencing system

2009-06-06T21:06:00.001+06:00

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.

Kensington releases MicroSaver Lock for Ultra-Thin notebooks

2009-06-06T21:05:00.002+06:00

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.

Scosche tapSTICK gives Gen 3 iPod shuffle controls

2009-06-06T21:04:00.002+06:00

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 announces Agility SSD series

2009-06-06T21:01:00.001+06:00

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.

BlackBerry Tour 9630 specs leak: Arrives in Canada mid-July

2009-06-06T21:00:00.002+06:00

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.

Combimouse merges keyboard and mouse

2009-06-06T20:58:00.003+06:00

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.

DIY PSP Laptop

2009-06-06T20:56:00.001+06:00

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.

III Hybrid netbook with removable Android UMPC-display

2009-06-06T20:52:00.001+06:00

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.

xpPhone video hands on: 3G, 5hrs battery & plenty of bulk

2009-06-06T20:46:00.002+06:00

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.

Freescale Smartbook concepts: ARM-based ultraportables

2009-06-06T20:44:00.001+06:00

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.

TV Silencer auto-mutes TV, pauses DVD when the phone rings

2009-06-06T20:43:00.002+06:00

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.

Averlogic demo HDMI over Powerline

2009-06-06T20:41:00.002+06:00

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 planning Android netbook & smartphone for 2010

2009-06-06T20:39:00.001+06:00

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.

Compal KAX15 MID with overclocking Atom Z515 CPU

2009-06-06T20:37:00.001+06:00

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.

Apple WWDC Live-Blog: June 8th at 10am PT

2009-06-06T20:36:00.002+06:00

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.

3rd-gen iPhone photos leaked? Front camera, headphone port on base

2009-06-06T20:34:00.001+06:00

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.

Curved OLED panel intended for wrist-display use

2009-06-06T20:33:00.002+06:00

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.

MID sales just 15% of Intel’s predictions claim manufacturers

2009-06-06T20:24:00.001+06:00

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 announces super green Pulse gaming PC

2009-06-05T10:07:00.000+06:00

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.

Sony PSP Go owners to get UMD download access

2009-06-05T10:04:00.004+06:00

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 debuts three Blu-ray players

2009-06-05T10:00:00.001+06:00

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.

Pocket Retro Game Emulator keeps it old school

2009-06-05T09:57:00.001+06:00

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.

Unearthed Circuits DIY Drone Machine synth with arcade control

2009-06-05T09:53:00.001+06:00

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.

VUDU adds HD Disney movies to offerings

2009-06-05T09:27:00.001+06:00

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.

iriver B30 PMP gets video walkthrough

2009-06-05T09:23:00.001+06:00

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.

CrunchPad Tablet renders show new 18mm aluminum design

2009-06-05T09:21:00.001+06:00

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 black “KURO” Wii and Red DSi confirmed for Japan

2009-06-05T09:19:00.002+06:00

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 GD910 watch phone begins shipping July

2009-06-05T09:17:00.002+06:00

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 announces ePhex Elite gaming PC

2009-06-05T09:15:00.001+06:00

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.