Acer Liquid Android Smartphone.!

Acer has officially announced the Acer Liquid, which is claimed as the world’s first Android 1.6 high definition smartphone that uses Qualcomm Snapdragon processor. The handset is powered by a 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon CPU with a high-definition WVGA capacitive touchscreen, a new user interface with easy access to entertainment and web bookmarks, and an optimized camera with geo-tagging and auto focus. In addition, the Acer Liquid also provides smart integration of Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Picasa and Flickr in the address book with realtime notification of status or content updates. [Press Release]

Samsung B3310 Released In India!

Samsung has decided to release the B3310 in India as part of the Corby family. Dubbed as the Samsung Corby Mate, the phone features a sliding QWERTY keyboard, a 2-inch QVGA display, a Quad-band GSM connectivity, easy access to social networking sites, email, Bluetooth 2.1, an FM radio, a music player, a 2MP shooter, a 40MB of internal memory and a microSD card support. No info on pricing so far. [Samsung]

Sony intros multi-touch, quad-core VAIO L all-in-one!

Sony at an event tonight launched a trio of new systems, starting with its first touchscreen PC. The VAIO L supports Windows 7's own multi-touch elements for scrolling and zooming through content without needing special software. Like Gateway and HP, Sony has its own custom touch portal, here called Media Gallery, that lets users rely on touch to edit photos and videos.
This sexy all-in-one features Windows 7 support and also has its own multitouch capability for scrolling and zooming through content without any additional software. Sony’s custom touch portal, Media Gallery, lets you use touch to edit photos and videos.

The L begins at $1,300 with a 24-inch 1080p display, a 2.7GHz Pentium dual-core and 4GB of RAM, with a 320GB hard drive and a DVD writer for storage. It relies on a GeForce G210M integrated chipset for 3D and HD video decoding tasks. Higher-end models scale up to a 2.66GHz Core 2 Quad, 6GB of RAM, 1TB of disk space, a Blu-ray drive and a GeForce GT 240M to better decode HD video.

Pre-orders start today and will ship sometime in November.

The Zune HD!

When Microsoft first launched the Zune, the player was something of a kludge. The hardware design had been licensed wholesale from Toshiba, and the fact that it had WiFi and could "squirt" songs was little advantage in a world where few people bought the device. (Several years after its launch, I have yet to run across another person "in the wild" who owns a Zune.) As Microsoft's first product that was meant to derail the iPod juggernaut, it served instead only as a sacrificial victim that the juggernaut overran without pity.
But with the second attempt, Microsoft went from competent to very good. Even today, these second-generation devices are a pleasure to use and feature a few neat tricks like WiFi sync. Industrial design was hugely improved versus the first generation, though plastic was still much in evidence, and Microsoft rolled out both flash and hard drive models along with its Zune Originals engraving program. With Zune 1's “squirting” both useless and widely mocked, the company found new a way to capitalize on the second-gen Zune’s WiFi by providing access to streaming music directly from the Zune music store. Users who paid for the $14.99 monthly subscription could access millions of tracks, then stream or download them to the Zune player, all without hooking the device up to a computer.
For its third hardware redesign, Microsoft has given up on the value segment of the market altogether. Instead, the company is rolling out a single flash-based model in 16GB ($220) and 32GB ($290) varieties and loading it up with a few premium features: a 3.3 inch OLED 480x272 screen, support for HD radio, the NVIDIA Tegra HD video playback engine, a touch screen, real metal on the front and back, downloadable apps, and a Web browser. While updated firmware is available for older Zunes as well, the decision to focus on a single model and end-of-life the other Zunes is a chance for Microsoft to reset the Zune line, focus on a single well-made machine with some new capabilities, and see if there is any traction to be had in the market.
Can it succeed? That depends on whether users buy into the Microsoft way of doing things—a way that includes paying for a monthly music subscription. Those who take the bait will find themselves hooked (in both senses) by one of the best portable music discovery experiences yet created. The full subscription experience on the Zune is now unbelievably compelling, offering something that feels like more than the sum of its parts—but consumers have so far shown little interest in subscription music services.
For everyone else, the new Zune HD is “merely” an excellent media player with a gorgeous screen, HD radio, and 720p output over an HDMI connection.

The Razer Naga MMO mouse! Offspring of a mouse and a phone?

Razer has a history of making hardware designed for gamers, but the company's newest offering does something new; the product is a mixture of both software and hardware set up to make your raids a little more pleasant. While the Razer Naga mouse may simply look like a piece of gaming hardware with a number pad fused into it, the truth is actually much more intriguing.
No software is worth it if the hardware is not up to snuff, and luckily the Razer Naga is a sexy mouse. Yes, it lights up and the blue logo pulses in the dark—very impressive at LAN parties—but more importantly, the mouse features a 5,600dpi sensor, 1ms response rate, and a scroll wheel with 24 click positions. That's a lot of numbers that all mean that the mouse is ultra-precise and smooth in action.

The mouse itself feels good in your hand, although if you're a fan of larger, heavier mice you're out of luck here. I have moderately sized hands and was able to cup the entirety of the mouse very easily, and the hardware is light and easy to move. These are preferences more than issues or strengths with the product, but worth pointing out. The Naga is molded with places for your index, middle, and ring finger, and frankly this mouse is a joy to put your hands on. Even the cord hasn't escaped the notice of the designers; it's made from a braided material, not simple plastic. This would be an impressive mouse on its own merits, but the things that set it apart for MMO fans are noteworthy.

The pad on the side of the mouse features 12 buttons, with a selector switch on the belly of the mouse that maps them to either the top number buttons on the keyboard or the number pad on the side. It's interesting to see my laptop recognize the mouse as a keyboard, and then be able to use the number pads instantly. My wife—who is an accountant—found the idea of actually crunching numbers this way rather ghastly.
The real magic happens when you mix these buttons with Razer's software, called AddOns, which allows you to map these buttons to different actions inside your MMO game with ease. You can set up the buttons to operate like a phone keypad, or arrange them horizontally as they would be as the mouse sits on your desk. You can set it up so that your bindings on the Naga only impact certain characters. You can map the keys so that hitting them while holding the control button controls your pet. Here is a video from Razer showing how flexible the software is in World of WarCraft.

Blaze ‘Wiimote’ for PS3.!

Sony might want to pull the lead out with European video game accessory maker, Blaze, announcing its very own motion-sensing controller for the PS3. The Blaze PS3 Motion Freedom Controller sports more than a passing resemblance to a Wiimote and promises to bring Wii-like motion sensing capabilities to any PS3.

It boasts most of the controls found on a regular PS3 controller, including a directional D-pad, analogue stick and the full complement of buttons. Blaze says its controller employs, “the latest motion sensing technology,” but not having read my latest Motion Sensing Technology Weekly it’s unclear whether that means accelerometers, infrared bars, or some other method.

It’s also unclear how the Blaze controller will integrate with PS3 games, but the company claims it will “allow you to interact and become one with the hottest PS3 sporting and action title’” such as Sega Tennis and Tiger Woods Golf.

Blaze says its controller has been “ergonomically designed from the ground up,” but it’s hard not to think the design process involved a few sessions in front of a Wii given the appearance of the device. Still, they say imitation is the greatest form of flattery so, presumably, Nintendo is taking the design of the Blaze controller as a complement.

There’s no news on a release date or pricing for the Blaze PS3 Motion Freedom Controller, but there’s every chance it will be before the planned second quarter 2010 date Sony has penned in for the release of its own motion sensitive PS3 controller.

Blaze

One ZX Series all-in-one PCs with multi-touch!

With Windows 7 just around the corner, Gateway has introduced a new line of all-in-one desktop PC’s that take advantage of the multi–touch capabilities of the highly anticipated operating system. The competitively priced One ZX Series combines stylish design with impressive features aimed at both the serious and more casual user.

Initially available in two variations, the ZX6800 and ZX4800, Gateway plans to release both with its TouchPortal interface, which sits atop Windows 7. Allowing the user to manage a suite of Gateway multi-touch applications, and give quick access to music, photos, social networking and the like, the TouchPortal interface can be “peeled back” at the swipe of a finger once the user is finished. Gateway believes the space-saving design of the One ZX Series is further enhanced by many applications doing away with the keyboard altogether.

Although the higher end ZX6800-01 is being aimed at more demanding users including “serious gamers” and the ZX4800-02 is touted as offering suitability for students and casual users, both systems will feature wireless keyboard and mouse, integrated HD web cam and microphone, six USB ports, Super Multi optical drive and multi card reader.

The ZX6800-01 packs a 23 inch HD Ultrabright widescreen display with 1920x1080 resolution, and is powered by an Intel Core 2 Q8200S 2.33GHz CPU and Intel GM45 Express chip set. Visuals come care of a 1GB ATI Radeon HD 4670 GPU. Other specs include 8GB of DDR3 memory, 1TB HDD and 64GB solid state drive, along with 802.11 b/g Wi-Fi, Gigabit Ethernet, a Hybrid TV tuner and eSATA port.

Meanwhile its lower end sibling, the ZX4800-02, features an Intel Pentium Dual Core processor and Intel GMA X4500 HD integrated graphics. Along with 4GB DDR2 RAM and a 750GB SATA HDD, the unit also incorporates 802.11 b/g Wi-Fi and a slightly smaller 20 inch HD display with 1600x900 resolution.

Both models will ship with Windows 7, while a third high performance unit, the FX6810-01, is expected to be released later in the year.

The Gateway One ZX6810-01 and ZX4800-02 will be released around the start of November and are priced from US$1399.99 and US$749.99, respectively. More information can be found at the Gateway website.

LG Lotus 2 rocks with outer touchscreen!

I never expected to see a basic phone like the LG Lotus get a sequel, but that’s apparently what’s happening, and the Lotus 2 seems to be upon us. The phone should be launching sometime in January, and will have the same QWERTY keyboard as featured on the original. As for differences, the Lotus 2 will replace the outer info screen with a touchscreen display, although, how useful a display that small will be with the added touch controls is questionable. In addition, the Lotus 2 will support 32GB microSD cards, up from 12GB on the original.

Be honest: the first time you saw the somewhat-short, somewhat-stout LG Lotus, did you think it would be successful enough to get a sequel? Looks like it was.
One of our sources just spilled the beans on what we’re tentatively calling the “Lotus 2″, for lack of a better name. It’s sounding a whole lot like the original so far, with just a few little tweaks thrown in for good measure.

Here’s what we’re hearing:

• Very similar form factor to the original – same square shape, same QWERTY keyboard
• This model will support 32GB microSD cards, whereas the original Lotus only supported up to 12GB.
• Tentative launch date is currently set for some time in January.
• The screen on the outer face will still be there – but this time around, it’ll be a touchscreen. We’re not sure how much functionality they’ll be able to squeeze into a touchscreen of that size (even if they bump the screen size up to fill most of the face), so we’re guessing it’s more for novelty than anything.

Toshiba's Cell Regza 55X1 is the pinnacle of LED TVs

Toshiba has upped the ante in TV technology by unveiling its flagship model, the Cell Regza 55X1. This new 55-inch LED unit has the TV junkie in mind with many features not seen before, including the ability to record up to eight channels at once, a 3TB hard drive (record and store up to 26 hours of HD programs), a powerful processing chip identical to the one found in the PS3, a dynamic contrast ratio of 5,000,000:1, 240Hz scanning, a display divided into 512 distinct areas (each with individually-controlled lighting and luminance that deliver an industry high 1250cd/m2 – 2.5 times higher than typical TVs, and a seven-speaker sound bar. All for a lazy ¥1 million (US$11,500 approx).

And if that doesn’t whet your appetite – wait, there’s more. Toshiba says a self-congruency process improves image quality at the edge of the picture. At the heart of the Regza is the Cell platform, which achieves an arithmetic processing capability approximately 143 times that of current top shelf Regza TV.

The company says its Cell Broadband Engine is specially developed for demanding multimedia applications and, with Toshiba's advanced image-processing algorithms, the Cell platform achieves these impressive viewing enhancements. This includes improved color and brightness balance for greater picture color and definition, LED backlight control system, luminance to 1250cd/m2, and the dynamic contrast ratio 5,000,000:1.

The Cell microprocessor was developed as a three-way venture among Sony, Toshiba and IBM for reportedly $US400 million. It first appeared in the PS3 but has since been used in IBM servers.

Never miss a moment

Of the 3TB on-board storage, 2TB are set aside for time-shifting – it’s possible to record up to 26 hours (total) of programming simultaneously across eight digital terrestrial broadcasts. A “time shift” key on the remote makes it easy to watch previously recorded programs.

Toshiba believes its improved "roaming navigation" lets viewers easily sort through all the information they may have captured. Searches can be conducted on recorded, current and future programs simply by inserting an identifier — the title, person's name, genre or related keywords.

Good looks, too

The Cell Regza comprises a slim monitor and a stylish tuner that also integrates the hard disk drive. Both have a smoked aluminum finish, as does the remote.

Toshiba's ClearScan 240 helps deliver blur-free fast moving images, by combining the 120Hz scan rate of ClearScan 240 with its new backlight scanning technology, Toshiba now achieves 240Hz scanning that makes action scenes crisper than ever. The new double backlight scanning function divides the display into 16, against eight for current Regza models.

Cell Regza has real-time color temperature analysis that can identify daylight, evening sunlight, interior lighting and darkness to achieve optimum picture quality by automatic fine tuning of multiple control settings: 1024 steps in color temperature, a 128 scale dynamic gamma range, 100 brightness settings, 32 settings each for color saturation, color sharpness, and adjustment of super resolution, plus control of the LED backlighting.

“Roaming Navigator" uses a visual display for faster navigation. A thumbnail of the program chosen by the viewer is centered in the display while other programs are shown circling this, either nearer or further, depending on relevancy. Searches can be based on program title, a character or actor's name, genre or keyword. Relevancy-based searches deliver what you are looking for, and much more.

"Multi Thumbnail" displays recorded programs as a multi-display of 40 time-divided thumbnails, making it very easy to select and go to a particular scene.

Toshiba admits that split screen is nothing new, but no other manufacturer is offering an eight-window multi-display.

Network functionality

A browser supporting full HD, based on the Opera browser and co-developed with Opera Software, provides full support viewing YouTube contents at near HD level quality. In addition, Cell Regza supports broadband, DLNA and JPEG images.

The TV has a newly-developed audio system and multi-amplifier system that delivers sound via a seven-speaker sound bar that Toshiba says far surpasses that of current TV sound systems.

Power consumption is controlled by maintaining optimum image brightness, however, the TV automatically goes into stand-by mode if no command is received from the remote controller for approximately three hours.

The Cell Regza 55X1 will be available in the Japanese market from the beginning of December and shipped elsewhere in the new year.

For additional information, head to Toshiba.

Brain-to-brain communication. This is Good!!!!

Brain-Computer Interfacing (BCI) is a hot area of research. In the past year alone we’ve looked at a system to allow people to control a robotic arm and another that enables users to control an ASIMO robot with nothing but the power of thought. Such systems rely on the use of an electroencephalograph (EEG) to capture brain waves and translate them into commands to control a machine. Now researchers at the University of Southampton have used a similar technique to show it is possible to transmit thoughts from one person to another.

An experiment conducted by Dr Christopher James from the University’s Institute of Sound and Vibration Research saw a person attached to an EEG amplifier. The person would generate a series of binary digits, imagining moving their left arm for zero and their right arm for one. The stream of binary digits was then transmitted over the Internet to a second person who was also attached to an EEG amplifier and a PC that picked up the stream of digits and flashed an LED lamp at two different frequencies, one for zero and the other for one.

The pattern of the flashing LEDS was too subtle to be consciously picked up by the second person, so that at no time were they aware whether a zero or a one was transmitted. Nonetheless, the information could be recovered from their brain, using electrodes measuring the visual cortex of the recipient. The encoded information was thus extracted from the brain activity of the second user, and the PC deciphered whether a zero or a one was transmitted - thereby showing true brain-to-brain (B2B) activity.

According to Dr James, “here we show, for the first time, true brain to brain interfacing. We have yet to grasp the full implications of this, but there are various scenarios where B2B could be of benefit, such as helping people with severe debilitating muscle wasting diseases, or with the so-called 'locked-in' syndrome, to communicate and it also has applications for gaming."

Check out the video below to see the BCI experiment carried out by the University of Southampton researchers.

BAE Survivability Concept Demonstrator vehicle to debut at AUSA!

Recent developments in the military sector have demonstrated an increasing importance in protecting troops in the field, whether this be by automating vehicles or enhancing armor-based protection and maneuverability. BAE Systems has decided against picking a specific area to test with its M1151 Survivability concept but, instead, has lumped a range of technologies into a single vehicle, and is currently unveiling the fruits of its research at the AUSA (Association of the United States Armys) annual exposition in Washington.

The main focus does seem to be around improving armor, with a new lightweight kit 500lbs lighter than current methods intended to replace B-kit, Frag 1, Frag 2 and Frag 5 designs. In addition to this, a new steel roof and perimeter armor system adds more support, and survivability systems include mine-blast resistant, energy absorbing seats, gunner restraints, clamshell doors, a TPI hood and peacetime doors.

“Since this is Security & Survivability’s first appearance as AUSA – as a stand alone line of business – we needed something unique that both represents our business and showcases the breadth of survivability solutions we offer,” said Tony Russell, President of BAE Systems’ Security & Survivability line of business.

“In a word, this vehicle affords us opportunity to display and demonstrate our integrated survivability solutions to our customer,” he added. “This vehicle represents what we can do with virtually any military or commercial vehicle in partnership with any OEM or defense contractor. Bottom line, our customer doesn’t want to think our products will work together seamlessly, they want to know they will and this vehicle shows just how well our capabilities, technologies and advanced materials all integrate together.”

BAE Systems (Security & Survivability) has just been awarded a contract by Plasan Sasa Ltd. relating to a subcontract for MRAP All-Terrain Vehicles (M-ATV), and partner Daimler Trucks North America will also be displaying a tractor trailer BAE has provided the armor kits for.

Take your iPod nano videos to a wider audience with the VideoBuddy AV out adapter!

Owners of the new iPod nano 5G will no doubt be racking up hours of video footage by now and looking to inflict - I mean, share - their videos with all and sundry. While the nano’s 2.2-inch display might be ok “on the set”, nothing beats a TV to demand everyone’s attention. If you don’t have Apple TV, or don’t want to waste time turning on your computer to go through iTunes lest your audience disappear, GEAR4 have the perfect solution in the form of the VideoBuddy – a compact Audio Video (AV) kit that connects to the iPod nano dock connector and links to a TV via an RCA cable.

The VideoBuddy can play any recorded or downloaded videos, pictures or music on a big screen, or through a home stereo, without the need for any other third party device or software. It is among the first of a new generation of AV kits, incorporating a new authentication chip from Apple that allows video to be streamed from the more recent iPod models. Older video streaming accessories are not compatible with the newer iPods for this reason. The VideoBuddy doesn’t require any batteries as it is powered by the iPod.

The VideoBuddy is available now from GEAR4 for GBP29.99 (approx. US$48 at time of publication).

Honda’s V4 VFR1200F.

Honda has finally unveiled its much-anticipated V4 road-sports VFR1200F, though sadly it has gone the verbal-diarrhea-PR route with its press announcement and not a great deal has been revealed about the machine. Isn’t it high time that Honda allowed its knowledgeable engineers to tell the story directly to a public that it should know by now is allergic to unsubstantiated prose, and deliver some facts. We understand that the bike is quite special, and raises the bar much higher for its competitors, but in allowing its advertising copywriters to write the press statements and its communication strategists to indulge in prolonged onanistic delight, it is simply selling its engineering prowess way-too-short.

We present Honda’s press statement in full – after all this time, and all the prolonged titillating build-up we’ve had to endure, the following is what they presented upon the release of the bike today. We’d try to interpret it for you, but no-one here can get more than half way through it without gagging.

BEGINS

Headline: Honda’s V4-Powered New VFR1200F Breaks Cover

TEXT: Honda Motorcycles is proud to announce the launch of its all-new and eagerly awaited V4-powered ultimate road-sports machine – the VFR1200F.

This important new machine creates a landmark in motorcycling history, with the latest technologies and styling being focused and developed to enhance every-day riding enjoyment, but with a look, feel and sound that together create a new breed of machine.

VFR1200F has been developed in keeping with previous VFRs and continues the bloodline of Honda’s V4 heritage. But this latest incarnation moves the boundaries even further to deliver a machine with an unrivalled combination of sports and touring capabilities, to meet the needs and desires of customers as understood from extensive research.

The VFR1200F’s revolutionary sculptured styling can’t fail to impress from every angle, with the patented layered fairing design creating the perfect match of form and function. The ergonomically styled fairing works in harmony with the fuel tank to provide extra support and efficient weather protection for the rider and pillion, whilst also allowing for optimal air flow and heat management.

Textured surfaces give the front of the motorcycle a light, open look while also creating a profile that slices through the wind with the least possible resistance. A strongly defined X-shape characterises the front of the machine. Concave surfaces direct the eye and air up towards the windscreen and the powerful single line-beam headlight streams into two tinted LED-look strips that frame the sides of the headlight, increasing the illusion of lightness and space.

The distinctive growl of the flexible and responsive V4 motor may rekindle the emotions inspired by previous iconic VFRs, but its unique ‘heartbeat’ engine feel and an unrivalled level of manageability sets the new VFR apart, not only from its predecessors - but also from every bike currently available.

There were several challenges involved in tailoring the strong V4 power for use in an all-round machine that can be used for weekend enjoyment, commuting and long-distance touring. Key elements of the VFR1200F’s power characteristics are its unrivalled response and strong torque delivery.

In pursuit of heightened levels of control and feedback for the rider, the VFR1200F adopts the latest race-track bred technologies, but adapted and evolved to create a machine that can be many things to many riders. Some of these engineering solutions have never before been seen on a road-going machine before.

At the heart of the VFR1200F is the brand new UNICAM 1237cc V4 engine. Performance is delivered where it’s most useful and enjoyable, and for comfortable yet responsive power delivery. The V4 configuration emulates the briskness of a typical inline-4 engine’s performance, but is delivered with a pure V4 beat and feel.

VFR1200F adopts the UNICAM single overhead camshaft cylinder head design from the world-class CRF motocrossers. This immensely compact solution optimises mass centralisation which contributes to the machine’s balanced feel and ease of control. To further this cause, the rear cylinders are purposefully close together, while the front cylinders are more widely spaced. This layout allows for a slim, compact ‘waist’ that fits comfortably between the rider’s legs. A new Phase-shift Crankshaft complements the advantages of the cylinder layout and operating with a 28° throw, it effectively reduces primary vibration and noise, eliminating the need for a power-sapping balance shaft.

A compact new transmission layout further contributes to high-speed stability, better cornering and improved traction capability. To aid control under intense deceleration, a slipper clutch is also fitted. Even under the most excessive downshifting the clutch is designed to slip, thus preventing the rear wheel from inadvertently locking up, allowing the rider to stay firmly in control.

The highly developed shaft drive system offers incredible throttle-to-drive delivery, unlike any other shaft drive system. Also adding to this heightened level of response and control is a sophisticated throttle-by-wire system, providing light, precise fuel metering at all engine parameters.

A key element in the raw emotion of this V4’s sound is the exhaust system. Engineered to provide excellent cornering clearance and minimal intrusion to the rider’s and pillion’s feet, the high-volume, twin outlet high-chrome muffler produces an unobtrusive but fantastically stirring note. At low revs the noise is off-beat and bass-rich. Further up the rev range, once the servo-operated valve is opened, the noise changes to a truly inspiring, hard-edged V4 howl to stir the emotions.

The VFR1200F frame, suspension and drive components are brought together in a unique configuration. The VFR1200F frame is a strong aluminium twin-spar diamond configuration that is both lightweight and rigid. The swingarm and driveshaft length are optimised without extending the overall length of the motorcycle. The long swingarm contributes to balanced, confident manoeuvring and exceptional high-speed stability.

The swingarm is complemented by a compliant Pro-Link rear shock absorber with adjustable rebound damping. At the front, sturdy 43mm telescopic forks with adjustable preload provide smooth and assured control. Together, these systems ensure a comfortable ride, even with a pillion and luggage on board and add to the overall feeling of total control and riding enjoyment.

The VFR1200F is further equipped with a powerful combined braking system to provide the optimal balance of front and rear braking forces. The addition of a standard-fit compact and lightweight ABS system supports both the motorcycle’s sportier riding potential and its touring proficiency.

The pillion’s comfort and security have not been overlooked either. The supportive, vacuum-moulded dual-seat has a flat and expansive area for the pillion and strong, easy-reach grab handles and footrests positioned with comfort and security in mind.

Attention to detail and quality is evident everywhere within the VFR1200F, and every design element has been fine-tuned in tandem with engineering requirements. The cowl and body are fused together, creating one smooth, unified, aerodynamic surface. The rear design is compact and tapers upwards, emphasising the bike’s lightness and dynamic shape with the tail-light and rear indicators subtly mimicking the frontal design.

The VFR1200F will be offered in three colours of Candy Prominence Red, Seal Silver Metallic and Pearl Sunbeam White, with a wide range of stylish and practical optional accessories developed by Honda Genuine Accessories also available, to include:

35-litre pannier kit that fits the bike’s integral pannier attachments with no need for any additional conventional pannier stays. The left pannier can hold one full-face helmet 31-litre top box featuring a locking, quick-detach mounting system Tough nylon inner bags for the top box and panniers with carrying straps and handles 13-litre tank bag Alcantara seat Sporty 3-position adjustable add-on screen Replacement lower seat with a narrow profile Slim heated grips with an integrated controller for maximum comfort Navigation kit with a unique controller

The VFR1200F will be available from Honda Motorcycle dealers across the country from early 2010, with the date of its (insert country here) launch, and price, being announced later in the year.

Altec Lansing's 200W Expressionist Ultra MX6021 computer speaker system!

Some people like their PC gaming experiences big. They spend big money on big games, big monitors and big gaming accessories but suffer from SSS (small sound syndrome). Well, listen up! Altec Lansing has released the Expressionist™ Ultra (MX6021), a distinctively styled and powerful three-piece home speaker system for computers, MP3 players and more that delivers 200W RMS. And with this quality of sound, it won’t be just the gamers taking advantage of all that power. Consumers who keep their music on their PC will also benefit from these speakers.

The Expressionist Ultra is one of Altec Lansing’s most powerful computer audio systems and is sure to rival Logitech’s Z-2300 set and Razer Mako THX certified systems.

Its boom comes from five digital amplifiers powering five separate drivers. Each speaker driver – the 3-inch midranges, the 1-inch neodymium tweeters and the 6.5-inch long-throw subwoofer - is individually fired and powered. The result is sound you can feel and is designed to take music, movies and games to a whole new level.

“We take pride in understanding our customers’ wants and needs, and in creating products that fit their lifestyle,” said Adrian Bedggood, Altec Lansing’s Consumer Marketing Manager. “These days, more people are keeping all of their music and entertainment on their computer. So sound quality is very important to them. They want an audio system that sounds great and plays loud without distorting their favorite artist, movie scene or video game. The Expressionist Ultra speaker system fits the bill beautifully.”

No need to hide these speakers, either. They’re stylish enough to be displayed on any desktop. The visible drivers on the satellites are set into a translucent bezel and the subwoofer features a distinctive trapezoidal design that breaks up standing waves and delivers the deep bass.

Features and specs

Total continuous power 200W RMS

3-inch midrange driver 33W per channel @ 4 ohms @ 10% THD @ 2.5kHz-20kHz

1-inch neodymium tweeter 33W per channel @ 4 ohms @ 10% THD @ 2.5kHz – 20kHz

Seriously deep bass 68W @ 8 ohms @ 10% THD @ 40Hz–180Hz Single Channel Loaded

Fingertip control – Full-function separate controller

Multi-connect – TV, game console, MP3, DVD and CD player at the same time your computer is connected

Headphone jack – For private listening

Sound Pressure Level (SPL): 106dB

System Response: 40Hz – 20kHz (-10dB)

Signal to Noise Ratio @ 1kHz input:> 75dB

The Altec Lansing Expressionist Ultra speaker system is available online for USD$199.99.

Logitech rock Wii and Xbox 360 with Wireless Drum and Guitar Controllers!

In exciting news for Guitar Hero fans, Logitech has made good on its promise to release premium Wireless Drum and Guitar Controllers for the Wii and Xbox360. Following on from the initial release for the PS3, Logitech’s new peripherals will have lounge room rock stars rejoicing – and all in time for Guitar Hero 5.

The Wireless Drum Controller kits are similar for both consoles. Featuring fully adjustable drum heads and symbols to suit a player’s reach with drum pads that create little noise and offer minimal audible distraction. A stainless steel bass pedal with an adjustable spring for realistic response rounds out the kit, with a recessed rim design meaning less pesky rim shots and more points. The faux skins fold out in seconds and due to their wireless capabilities can be positioned anywhere in the room – front and center for maximum glory or tucked away behind the band, the players decide.

The Wireless Guitar Controllers are again, very similar for both the Wii and the Xbox 360, the most noticeable difference being the color scheme of each particular console’s version. Aiming to make the user experience as realistic as possible, Logitech has used many materials one could expect to find in a real “axe”. The neck is made of maple wood while the frets and tuning peg handles are metal. The realistic craftsmanship continues with a rosewood fingerboard.

Logitech has used rubber dome technology to offer a virtually silent strum bar and fret buttons to avoid the “click clack” of peripherals past. This “noise dampening” design means the self appointed Rock God in control merely needs to focus on shredding those notes.

Both the Wireless Drum and Guitar Controllershave a range of 30ft and are designed to work out of the box for both systems - by pressing the Xbox 360 Guide button the controller connects to the console or in the Wii’s case snapping in the wiimote renders game play good to go (the Wii versions also have an analogue stick for navigating menus).

Logitech claims users can expect a long battery life of about 50 hours (or the average two day rock festival) from two AA batteries.

No word yet on whether there will be any compatibility with Rock Band games, but for those Wii and Xbox 360 lovers of Guitar Hero, let there be rock!

The Wireless Drum Controller and Wireless Guitar Controller are retailing for USD$229.99 and $199.99 respectively for each system and are available now from the Logitech website.

The first million dollar laptop!!!

March UK-based bespoke luxury goods creator Luvaglio has created the first million dollar laptop. That’s what the first of their luxury laptops will sell for. Full details of the laptop have not been released at this point, but it is known that it incorporates a 17" widescreen LED lit screen with a specially designed anti-reflective glare coating for clear and brighter image, 128GB of Solid State Disk space and a slot loading Blue-Ray drive. There is an integrated screen cleaning device and a very rare coloured diamond piece of jewellery that doubles up as the power button when placed into the laptop and also acts as security identification.

Luvaglio CEO Rohan Sinclair Luvaglio told Gizmag earlier today: “Unlike many of the highly priced products being released, we took our time to develop something out of the ordinary with real attention to detail. “

“I didn't want us to simply re-house a laptop into a diamond studded casing, or diamond encrust the entire thing simply to make it expensive. We've put thought in from the keyboard down to the power charger. There is an integrated screen cleaning device and a very rare coloured diamond piece of jewellery that doubles up as the power button when placed into the laptop and also acts as security identification. We have used diamonds elsewhere but have given them purpose.”

According to Luvaglio, “the brand is committed to re-defining luxury in a few sectors, technology being one of them.

“Many claim to produce luxury goods but we believe that the true element of luxury is having something that says "YOU", that money can't buy.

“At present and from our previous luxury work, our initial clients will be chosen from this selection as we have already established trust.

“The range to be released shortly would allow the owner to become the creator and visit our showroom at two or three well known upmarket stores we are in discussion with, whereby our selection of materials, finishes and accessories will be available to view and a choice selected.

“The choice will be based on our selection but of course other colours and finishes can be done on request. We have access to diamonds that are simply rare and near impossible to get hold of, so are able to offer a very embodied choice.

“The presentation boxes are of course supplied and finished in the choice that is selected by the client. Exact figures I am unable to provide at present due to negotiations but will certainly be more obtainable then our master piece.”

The first such masterpiece will sell for more than US$1,000,000.

Powermat wireless charging system!!! Reality????

The Powermat range of wireless charging products we first spied at CES 2009 are now available for purchase. The system consists of a plug in charging mat and a receiver embedded in a cover for your portable device that allows you to "drop and charge" without having to to fiddle with cords as well as simultaneously charge multiple devices.

There's two types of mat on offer - one for home and office plus a folding portable version for travel - both are priced at US$99.

The receiver cases are available for Nintendo DS (US$30) and Apple iPhone 3G and iPod Touch (US$40). There's also a receiver dock catering for standard iPod Classic and iPod nanos as well (US$40).

Rather than a case, Blackberry products (Bold, Pearl, Curve 8300 and 8900) get a battery door replacement which is priced at $US30.

The range is rounded-off by a "Powercube Universal Receiver" which connects to portable devices via interchangeable tips. It costs US$30.

Powermat says the system will charge as fast or faster than your plug in cord and an "RFID handshake" between mat and receiver ensures that the exact amount of power is delivered, with an auto-shut off function ensuring no wastage.

Powermat via Engadget.

Apple Tablet is rumored for a January launch!!

Want to know some more about Apple’s upcoming tablet device? You’re in luck. We’ve received the scoop from our reliable source—who correctly called the iPod nano 5G, iPhone 3GS and Chinese iPhone 3G months ago.

1. Apple has created at least three separate prototypes of its tablet computer. Let’s call it “iPad.”
2. Version 1 was designed with a 7” screen, which was judged to be too small. The latest version has a 10.7” screen.
3. It runs iPhone OS.
4. There have been reports that it looks like an iPhone. They’re sort of true. It looks like an iPhone 3G, complete with a curved back.
5. It will come in two different variations: one with 3G networking capabilities, and one without 3G networking capabilities. Think of the 3G version as a bigscreen iPhone 3GS, and the non-3G version as a bigscreen iPod touch.
6. Screen resolutions will obviously jump considerably from the iPhone and iPod touch 480x320-pixel displays, enabling easy reading of full-sized book and magazine pages, plus cropped newspaper pages. Expect something like 5-6 times the resolution of an iPod touch or iPhone screen (720p or thereabouts) and 7 times the touchable surface area.
7. It is designed to expand the iPhone and iPod touch media concept to its next potential level: as a slate-like replacement for books and magazines, plus all of the media, gaming, app, and web functionality of the iPhone and iPod touch.
8. It is not meant to compete with netbooks. It’s an iPhone OS media player and light communication device.
9. Apple is currently planning to announce it on or before January 19, 2010, and to use an iPhone-like hype buildup period to start selling it in May or June.
10. It is apparently awaiting a final green light from Steve Jobs; chances of it appearing in the market are believed to be 80% at this point.

Hitachi ships first 2TB 7200rpm desktop HDD!!!

Like death and taxes, larger hard drives are inevitable, and the latest biggest, a two terabyte (2TB), 7200 RPM hard disk drive comes from the usual suspect, Hitachi, which also shipped the first 1TB drive back in 2007. The new, colossal, 2TB Deskstar 7K2000 blends high performance and high capacity with low power and other eco-friendly features designed to enable Energy-Star rated computers and other high performance desktop systems.

Leveraging a solid track record for reliability, the new Deskstar 7K2000 is now in its fourth-generation using the company’s unique five-platter design with relaxed bit density and proven perpendicular magnetic recording (PMR) technology. Couple this with an ultra-quiet operation, a 32MB cache and a 3Gb/s SATA interface, and the new Deskstar 7K2000 is the ideal desktop drive for power users, gamers or anyone looking for a big, fast hard drive.

In addition to the new 2TB Deskstar 7K2000, Hitachi GST is also refreshing its high-volume desktop hard drive family. The new 7200 RPM Deskstar 7K1000.C family will deliver up to 500GB per platter, and will come in capacities of 160GB to 1TB, hitting the capacity and performance sweet spots for mainstream desktop applications.

Like previous generations, both the 7K2000 and 7K1000.C Hitachi Deskstar drives feature industry-standard 512-byte sector formatting, a patented ramp load/unload design to increase shock protection, and Thermal Fly-height Control (TFC) to maintain a consistent fly-height during the read/write process for added data reliability. Volume production and worldwide availability of the new Deskstar 7K1000.C will begin in Q3.

Leveraging the company’s eighth-generation power management technology, including power-saving innovations like the Hitachi Voltage Efficiency Regulator (HiVERT™), the Deskstar 7K2000 and 7K1000.C deliver outstanding power management and thermal emissions to help manufacturers meet energy compliance targets for their computer systems and storage-based solutions. For example, the new Deskstar 7K2000 offers 10 percent idle power savings over previous generations, and on a watt-per-GB basis, idle power has improved more than 120 percent. The new Deskstar 7K1000.C is expected to deliver best-in-class power efficiency at 4.4 watts or less idle power, which is the best in the industry when compared to current generation, competing desktop drives.

In addition to being RoHS compliant and low in power, all new Deskstar drives are now Halogen free across the entire family, earning both the Deskstar 7K2000 and 7K1000.C the Hitachi EcoTrac™ classification.

Blue M&M food dye reduces paralysis from spinal injuries - but turns you blue

Spinal injuries are both common and devastating, leaving many victims paralyzed and relegated to wheelchairs for the rest of their lives. But in most cases, the worst spinal cord damage doesn't happen at the scene of the injury - it's the swelling around the spinal cord and the crazy firing and burning out of otherwise healthy neurons in the hours and days following the incident that turns a bad situation permanently worse. Now, scientists in Rochester, New York, have discovered a simple way to stop a lot of this secondary damage in its tracks - using the same, familiar blue food dye that gives M&Ms and blue icy poles their color. Patients with spinal injuries could escape with vastly reduced loss of function - but they'll turn bright blue in the process.

I'll admit a personal interest in this story: two years ago, a friend of mine, Lenna, had a nasty motorcycle accident, and I was present at the scene. It was clear she had spinal injuries - her back was twisted fairly badly. But she was able to move her feet and wiggle her toes, so we held out hope that the injury wouldn't be too severe.

As it turned out, she became a paraplegic, with virtually no feeling or movement below her navel. The original injury, as it turns out, does a certain amount of damage to the spinal cord - but the major, unfixable damage is done over the next few hours and days.

Much of this is because of a chemical called adenosine triphosphate, or ATP. ATP is used as a kind of cellular battery to deliver energy to cells around the body in normal life. But in the event of spinal trauma, the area around the injury is flooded with ATP, which causes otherwise healthy neurons to fire like crazy until they burn themselves out and die. It also increases the swelling around the wound. Swelling around an injury site is a positive healing factor in most parts of the body, but the spinal cord lives in a tightly enclosed column of bone, and the swelling, on top of the bleeding from the trauma, can cut off oxygen supply to the lower spinal cord.

In effect, a patient might receive a spinal injury of low or medium severity - but the actions of ATP in the hours and days after the trauma can completely destroy the function of the spinal cord, leaving patients paralyzed. This is exactly what happened to Lenna.

But a study published in July 28's Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) seems to show that it's possible to block the actions of ATP and greatly reduce the severity and permanence of spinal injuries - using the same type of food dye that gives blue M&Ms their color, a food dye called Brilliant Blue G, or BBG.

BBG can be administered intravenously - so there's no need to inject directly into the injury site - and it has the ability to cross the blood-brain barrier, which gives it access to the spinal cord. It happens to bind to the same neuroreceptor (P2X7) as the ATP binds to - but it has a stronger affinity for the receptor than ATP has - so it effectively blocks the action of the ATP at the injury site.

As a fun side effect, it also turns the patient's skin blue - as the researchers found when trialling BBG on rats. See the full method of the experiments here (PDF). The rats were administered either a high or low dose of BBG, or a water injection as a control, 15 minutes after receiving a spinal injury.

While all the rats were severely injured, the BBG-injected rats showed a greatly improved ability to support their bodyweight on their hind legs, control their bladders, and even walk in some cases. The blue skin coloring eventually faded as well, and no side effects were noted - after all, BBG has been an FDA-approved food dye since the 1920s. It's the chemical that turns your tongue blue when you eat a blue ice-cream, and it's well understood as a safe substance at lower concentrations.

Human testing would be required before BBG moved forward into clinical use - but the idea would be to use this study to develop treatments that ambulance drivers and paramedics can use to begin treatment right at the site of the incident, and that hospitals can use from the moment the patient is admitted.

"It could be [as simple as] you drink blue Gatorade on the way to the hospital," lead researcher Maikn Nedergaard, from the University of Rochester Medical Center, told ScienceNews' Rachel Ehrenberg in a recent interview.

Blue food dye! If only we'd known... Then again, I'm not sure how you'd go about getting somebody in extreme shock, confusion and physical agony to drink Gatorade or eat a pile of blue M&Ms. We'll be catching up with Lenna very soon in the Gizcast - her journey since the accident has been equal parts fascinating, inspiring and high-tech: she's undergoing experimental stem cell treatments in India right now and she's been working hard to get back out on the road on a cleverly modified Suzuki motorcycle. But I bet she'd swap it all for an IV drip of BBG as she lay on the road a couple of years ago, that might have prevented a large part of her paralysis in the first place.

Here's hoping that this simple technology shows similar results in humans, and that it makes it through into clinical use around the world as soon as possible. Any treatment that can reduce the severity of spinal cord injuries stands to vastly improve the quality of life for victims, and for such little expense this seems like an enormous breakthrough.

Nature can still surprise us: more than 350 new species found in Himalayas.

You’d think there’d be nothing new in the world to discover, but Mother Nature still has a few surprises up her sleeve. According to a new report from the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), scientists have discovered 353 new species in the eastern Himalayas over the past decade. They include a ‘flying frog’ that glides using long webbed feet, fossil evidence of a 100 million-year-old gecko, and the world’s shortest deer which, when fully grown, stands just 20 inches tall.

The eastern Himalayas is one of the biologically richest areas on earth, a biodiversity ‘hotspot’ at the intersection of two continental plates. Encompassing remote mountain regions across Bhutan and Nepal, and stretching as far as Tibet and Myanmar, the region has been largely untouched by development.

Consequently, between 1998 and 2008, scientists were able to observe and record a staggering 10,000 plant species, 300 mammal species, 977 bird species, 176 reptiles, 105 amphibians and 269 types of freshwater fish. New discoveries included 244 plants, 16 amphibians, 16 reptiles, 14 fish, two birds, two mammals and at least 60 new invertebrates.

Some of the most interesting finds include a bright green, red-footed tree frog Rhacophorus suffry, that uses its long, webbed feet to glide when falling. The oldest fossil gecko known to science, the 100 million-year-old Crestaceogekko burmae, was discovered in an amber mine in the Hukawng Valley in 2008.

And, perhaps most intriguing of all was the miniature muntjac which, at first, scientists assumed was simply the juvenile of another, larger animal. Eventually the 'leaf deer' was confirmed as a new species – and the world’s oldest and smallest deer – in its own right. Discovered in 1999, the miniature muntjac grows no taller than 20 inches and weighs just 25 pounds.

All in all, the WWF report The Eastern Himalayas – Where Worlds Collide makes fascinating reading, if for no other reason than the area is now starting to disappear to logging and agriculture. We may have only just discovered these new species but, already, they’re under threat.

Samsung DualView cameras put you in the picture

Seems one LCD display per camera is not enough for Samsung, which has just unveiled two compact digital cameras that feature dual LCD screens – one on the back and one on the front. The extra displays found on the TL225 and TL220 are designed to make turning the camera on yourself a bit more reliable than the "hold at arm’s length and hope" method usually employed when taking self-portraits and profile picture shots. And for those after a digital camera that boasts unprecedented connectivity, Samsung has also unveiled the CL65 with geo-tagging, Bluetooth 2.0, DLNA, and Wi-Fi capabilities.

The DualView TL225 and TL220

Aside from the 1.5-inch front LCD found on the TL225 and TL220 DualView cameras, both feature a 12.2-megapixel CCD and 27mm wide-angle Schneider KREUZNACH lens with 4.6x optical zoom. The TL225 boasts a 3.5-inch wide 1,520,000-pixel resolution touch-screen LCD on the rear, while the TL220 has to make do with a 3-inch wide 230,000-pixel touch-screen. Both cameras also record 720p HD video in H.264 format with an optional HDMI adapter also available for the TL225.

Samsung claims one of the reasons it has implemented the second LCD screen is to make taking a self-portrait or profile picture easier for the growing numbers of people joining social networking sites. Seems no matter how many Facebook friends you have, they can’t replace someone local to actually take a snapshot.

The well connected CL65

Like the TL225, the CL65 boasts a 12.2-megapixel CCD, Schneider KREUZNACH lens (but with 5x internal optical zoom), and 3.5-inch wide 1,520,000-pixel resolution touch-screen LCD. Unlike the TL225, however, the CL65’s s wireless functionality enables users to send and post pictures almost as quickly as they take them.

Built-in geo-tagging allows users to record the details of the location and time the image was taken. Bluetooth 2.0 allows images to be distributed wirelessly to supporting devices such as mobile telephones, and Wi-Fi means that users can now email photos directly from the camera and upload photos or videos to sites such as Facebook, Picasa, and YouTube. The CL65 also offers an optional HDMI adapter for connection to a HDTV, but anyone with a DLNA compatible device can choose to connect wirelessly thanks to the CL65’s DLNA capability.

Common features

All the newly announced cameras feature Samsung’s new Smart Gesture User Interface, which uses a built-in gravity sensor to allow the control of some functions just by tilting the camera. Meanwhile, the new cameras’ touch-screens use haptic technology to enable scrolling through images with a swipe of a finger, or the rotating of an image by drawing a circle on the screen.

Other features common to all three cameras include Smart Face Recognition of up to 20 faces, Smile Shot, Blink Detection and a Photo Style Selector.

The TL225, TL220 and CL65 from Samsung will be available from September priced at USD$349.99, $299.99 and $399.99 respectively.

Sony Playstation back with the smaller, cheaper PS3 Slim

In a move set to shake things up in the ongoing gaming console war, Sony has unveiled the overhauled Playstation 3. Dubbed the PS3 Slim, the unit features a revised cell processor, 120GB hard drive and is smaller, lighter and – yes – cheaper than its predecessor.

With rival Microsoft's Xbox outselling the Playstation 3, Sony have implemented several changes in a bid to close the gap and return to their glory days as leader of the pack. The new console is around a third smaller and lighter, and is also quieter - thanks largely to a Cell processor using the 45 nanometer manufacturing process (as opposed to the previous 65nm Cell). The smaller Cell is said to generate around 15% less fan noise, and is cooler, with around 30% less energy consumption.

The PS3 Slim’s integrated 120GB storage capacity virtually ensures relevance for years to come even if downloadable high definition content becomes available. The console continues to feature Wi-Fi connectivity as well as a Blu-ray player, with Bravia television owners sure to appreciate the Bravia Sync feature, whereby their existing remotes can be used to navigate the system in place of the expensive and awkward PS3 Blu-ray version. An additional system “standby function” will shut down the PS3 Slim when the Bravia TV is switched off.

While removing the option to install an alternative operating system like Linux may disappoint some, Sony looks to be focusing on increasing the PS3’s accessibility to the wider population of gamers. With a reported Wii-esque motion sensitive wand in the works, the emphasis looks to be on appealing to the casual gamer as well as the fanatic.

Sony have simplified the branding, doing away with the Spiderman-type logo of the Playstation 3, opting instead to emboss a simple “PS3” on the console front. The casing has also reverted from glossy to the more traditional black matte finish.

Lower production costs have seen the price for the PS3 Slim, on sale September 1st, reduced to US$299. With this lower price point potentially making the unit a viable option to those previously deterred by higher cost, and with Micrsoft's Xbox expected to make a similar move, will it be “game on” once more?

Check out the Playstation website for a closer look.

Nokia's Booklet 3G to join the netbook fray.

They’re known as netbooks, ultraportables, subnotebooks, mini-laptops or even kneetop computers in some circles. Now consumers have yet another moniker to contend with as Nokia announces its upcoming Nokia Booklet 3G. Featuring a glass 10.1-inch HD display and Intel Atom processor, the Booklet 3G is a Windows-based unit that promises the performance of a full-function PC alongside a rated 12-hour battery life.

Coming from the market-leader in mobile phones, the Booklet 3G has, naturally, been designed with mobile connectivity in mind. As its name suggests, it is 3G/HSPA ready for high-speed mobile broadband access with a hot-swappable SIM card, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and integrated assisted-GPS (complete with a copy of Ovi Maps). Other features include an HDMI port for HD video out, front facing camera for video calling, SD card reader and seamless sync with Nokia smartphones through the use of Nokia’s Ovi Suite.

The Booket 3G is also easy on the eye with echoes of Apple’s Macbook line thanks to its aluminum body, which measures just more than 2cm (0.78 inches) thick and weighs 1.25kg (2.75lb), and an island keyboard.

Nokia says more detailed specs, availability and pricing details will be announced via Nokia World on September 2, so stay tuned

Acer Veriton All-in-One Desktop PC

Acer certainly isn’t resting on its laurels. Following on from a recent flurry of new product releases comes the All-In-One Veriton Z280G desktop PC. With an emphasis on energy and space saving qualities, Acer is taking aim firmly at the commercial computing market.

The Veriton Z280G features an 18.5” widescreen LCD monitor, offering a 16:9 aspect ratio with 1366 x 768 resolution. The unit itself is less than three inches in width, making it perfect, says Acer “for reception areas, hotel lobbies ... and any office that requires an integrated space saving design”.

The inclusion of an Intel Atom Ultra Low Voltage 1.60 GHz processor eliminates the need for a fan, meaning cooler, quieter operation, with the unit being Energy Star qualified. Specs wise, the Veriton Z280G features a 160GB hard drive, 2GB RAM, 802.11 b/g wireless and an Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950. Five U

SB ports, a built in card reader and dual layer drive offer functionality along with the form.

As well as being bundled with Windows XP, Acer has included a range of software like Adobe Reader, and the Acer eRecovery Management Application for creating system backups.

The sleek, space-friendly units are now available from USD$499, and a closer look can be found at the Acer website.

LG 15-inch OLED TV.

Although Sony may have delayed development of larger screen OLED TVs, it seems LG can’t wait to get its 15-inch active-matrix organic light-emitting diode (AMOLED) unit into stores with news it is set be released in Korea even sooner than the previo
usly announced December 2009 to January 2010 timeframe. As well as announcing the TV is due to hit the shelves in Korea next month, LG also released some mouth-watering technical details about the world’s largest consumer OLED TV ahead of its unveiling at the IFA 2009 consumer electric show in Berlin.

One of the first things people notice about OLED TVs is their slim profile, and the LG unit will be no different boasting a panel just 1.7mm thin. It has a 1366x768 pixel resolution and boasts a contrast ratio of 100,000:1. LG has also posted a roadmap of where it plans to take OLED technology over the next couple of years. Starting with small display applications in mobile phones and mobile TVs in 2008, moving on to medium-sized applications in small TVs, laptops and smartphones in this and next year, before larger panels become available for TVs measuring more than 30 inches in 2011.

Anyone who can’t wait that long for some OLED goodness and doesn't mind their TV a little on the small side has the choice of heading to Korea next month, or waiting until LG starts offering the 15-inch TV in other markets sometime in 2010.

There’s no word on what the 15-inch OLED will cost, but here are the technical specs LG has announced so far:

• Resolution (HxV) 1366xRGBx768 Pixel
• Outline Dimension (HxVxT mm) 347.938x210.293x1.70
• Number of colors: 16.7 million
• Luminance (peak/cd/m²) 200/440
• Contrast ratio: >100.000:1
• Color gamut NTSC %: > 87
• Viewing angle: All azimuth angle
• Response time ms: < 0.01
• Interface: LVDS

Nokia's N97's little brother, the N97 mini

Another key announcement to emerge from Nokia World in Stuttgart was a new version of their flagship N-series multimedia device, the N97 mini. The N97 mini owes its diminutive size to a reduction in the overall keyboard size made possible by removing the D-pad and adding navigation keys to a slightly redesigned keyboard. All other stats appear to remain the same.

Nokia has decided to price the mini with an MSRP of Euro450, which is a steep reduction compared to the N97 which still in excess of Euro500. Additionally, Nokia made it clear that they expect the N97 mini to be free with a contract in many markets, signaling that they've been cutting deals with carriers to fully subsidize the mini.

Expect the N97 mini to ship Q4 2009.

Apple’s new iPhone 3G S – 2x faster, 32GB, 3MP camera and video.!

Apple finally delivered the new iPhone 3G S today, with more power, speed, battery life, and a 32GB flagship model. Major features include a 3mp camera, video recording and hands free voice control. There’s also the iPhone OS 3.0 operating system with 100+ new features including cut and paste, MMS, “Spotlight Search”, and a landscape keyboard. The entry level price for the existing 8 GB 3G model dropped to USD$99, with the 3G S 16GB model coming in at $200 and the 32GB model at $300 .

“iPhone 3G S is the fastest, most powerful iPhone yet and we think people will love the incredible new features including autofocus camera, video recording and the freedom of voice control,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of WorldWide Product Marketing. “And with a breakthrough price of USD$99, we are thrilled to get iPhone 3G into the hands of even more users who want them.”

iPhone 3G S offers incredible speed and performance, on average up to twice as fast as iPhone 3G, so you can render web pages quicker and launch applications faster. iPhone 3G S takes advantage of the OpenGL ES 2.0 standard for stunning high-quality 3D graphics, making mobile gaming and other graphic intense applications better than ever. iPhone 3G S is not only faster, but with longer battery life you can watch more videos, listen to more music, browse the Internet or keep using your favorite apps even longer. The new iPhone 3G S also supports 7.2 Mbps HSDPA for faster networking speeds.

iPhone 3G S features a new 3 megapixel autofocus camera that takes amazing pictures and video, making it easier than ever to capture, edit and share those moments instantly with family and friends. The new autofocus camera adjusts focus, exposure, color and contrast for the best possible image and includes an automatic macro focus for extra close up shots. With the new “tap to focus” feature, you simply touch the display to select an object or area of interest and the camera automatically re-adjusts focus and exposure. You can record incredible high-quality video clips and edit them right on your iPhone 3G S by simply trimming the start and stop points. With iPhone 3G S you can send photos and video by email or MMS and post them to MobileMe or YouTube with just one tap.

The voice control feature in iPhone 3G S offers hands free operation for both iPhone and iPod functions. Simply speak the appropriate commands into the built-in microphone or headset microphone to dial by name or number. With voice control you can play your favorite music by artist, album or playlist and activate the Genius feature by saying “play more songs like this.” You can also tell iPhone to pause the music, play the next track, turn on shuffle or ask, “What’s playing right now?”

iPhone 3G S features a new built-in digital compass for instant navigation. The Compass app shows you which way you are headed and rotates as you change direction. You can orient yourself to true north or magnetic north, and iPhone’s built-in GPS automatically displays the coordinates of your current location. The new built-in digital compass is also integrated within Maps, so it automatically orients any map to the direction you are facing.

iPhone 3G S provides new accessibility features including VoiceOver, a screen reader that speaks what appears on the iPhone 3G S display, enabling visually impaired users to make calls, read email, browse web pages, play music and run applications. The new universal Zoom function magnifies the entire screen, and the White on Black feature reverses the colors on screen to provide higher contrast for people with low vision. iPhone 3G S also supports Mono Audio which combines left and right audio channels so that they can be heard in both earbuds for those with hearing loss in one ear.

iPhone 3G S includes the new iPhone OS 3.0 software with more than 100 new features including: Cut, Copy and Paste; MMS; Spotlight Search to search across iPhone or within Mail, Contacts, Calendar and iPod; landscape keyboard for Mail, Messages, Notes and Safari; expanded parental controls for TV shows, movies and apps from the App Store; and the ability to capture and send audio recordings on the go with the new Voice Memo app. iPhone 3.0 software also includes a new Find My iPhone feature that works together with MobileMe so you can locate your lost iPhone on a map, send a message that will appear on the screen or play a sound to help you find it even if your phone is set to silent. If you cannot find your iPhone, you can erase all data and content on your iPhone with the new Remote Wipe feature. New iTunes features available with iPhone 3.0 software include wirelessly downloading movies, TV and audio programs as well as iTunes U so students can download learning materials on the go.

iPhone 3G S gives users access to the revolutionary App Store, the largest application store in the world with more than 50,000 applications. The App Store allows developers to reach tens of millions of iPhone and iPod touch users around the world. To date, customers have downloaded more than one billion apps from the App Store. And with more than 1,000 new APIs available with the iPhone SDK, developers can create even more innovative applications using In-App Purchases, a new Maps API and Push Notifications.

iPhone 3G S also features built-in Nike + iPod support making it an incredible workout companion. Users simply place the optional Nike + iPod sensor ($19) in their Nike + shoe to seamlessly connect with iPhone 3G S to track miles run or sync with the latest generation gym equipment.

Pricing & Availability 
iPhone 3G S will be available in the US on June 19 for a suggested retail price of $199 (US) for the 16GB model and just $299 (US) for the new 32GB model in both Apple and AT&T’s retail and online stores, Best Buy and Wal-Mart stores. iPhone 3G S requires a new two year contract with AT&T for qualifying customers. iPhone OS 3.0 software will be available on June 17 as a free software update via iTunes 8.2 or later for all iPhone customers. iPod touch customers will be able to purchase a software update for $9.95 (US). Beginning June 8, iPhone 3G will be available for just $99 (US) for the 8GB model. New MobileMe features for iPhone require iPhone OS 3.0. MobileMe is available for an annual subscription price of $99 (US).

No fine detail is yet available on availability in non-U.S. markets other than the statement “iPhone 3G S will also be available in more than 80 countries in the coming weeks.”

For further information about US and international pricing and availability can be found on the iPhone section of Apple’s web site.

LG shows off its new Prada phone with matching Bluetooth watch!

Two and a half years after it released its first Prada phone, Korean electronics giant LG has revealed a successor. While it's a long time in the world of mobile phones, the updated LG-KF900 Prada phone does include a range of features not found on its predecessor, while retaining the same slick minimalist styling and touchscreen. LG has simplified accessorizing the Prada phone with the availability of the Prada Link, a Bluetooth digital watch that can remotely monitor phone calls as well as read SMS text messages.

Definitely not in keeping with its fashion credentials, the LG-KF900 has put on a bit of weight and is a smidge bigger than the former KE850 model. Don’t worry, though, the phone is definitely still no plus-size model and the increases were needed to accommodate the Prada phone’s new slide-out QWERTY keyboard – something to keep text-happy fashionistas smiling, pouting or whatever face fashionistas pull when texting.

Fashion snaps will also be improved with the camera phone's pixel count increasing from 2-megapixel to 5-megapixel. The phone also features slow-motion video recording and DivX playback. As well, it has 3G capability with HSDPA up to 7.2 Mbps and a 3-inch capacitive WQVGA touchscreen. Other features include Wi-Fi, HTML browser and video-calling capabilities.

The Prada Link Bluetooth digital watch has the same minimalist styling of the phone with full metal body, tempered glass exterior and leather strap. It lets you check caller ID or preview text messages – via its 0.9-inch, OLED (120 x 56) display – without you having to rifle through your Prada handbag (naturally) for the phone.

The updated KF900 Prada phone measures 104.5 x 54 x 16.75mm (up from the KE850’s 98.8 x 54 x 12mm), and weighs 130g (up from 85g). The battery should last 400 hours in standby mode or three hours of talk-time. The Prada Link watch weighs 51g and has a battery good for 48 hours in standby.

Both the LG-KF900 Prada phone and LG-LBA-T950 Prada Link are available in parts of Asia and should be available in Europe this month for about €600 (about US$833).

Samsung jet - smartphone or not?

Samsung is touting the new Jet as “smarter than a smartphone”. Not sure how they measure “smartness”, but the claim probably stems from the beefy 800MHz processor powering the phone. However, opting for Samsung’s own TouchWiz 2.0 platform instead of a traditional smartphone operating system means the phone is more likely to fill a niche between feature phones and smartphones.

The Jet is packed with a laundry list of features including 5.0 Megapixel AF camera, A-GPS, D1 video 30fps recording, DNSe and SRS WOW Sound Effect technology, Bluetooth v2.1, microUSB and Wi-Fi. But the first thing you’ll notice when laying eyes on the phone is the beautiful 800x480 Active Matrix OLED (AMOLED) 3.1” touch screen display, which boasts a resolution four times higher than a WQVGA screen and allows the Jet to consume 40% less power than a mobile phone equipped with a TFT-LCD display.

Head on over to the-mobiler to get the complete rundown on the new Samsung Jet.

Touch Book: netbook, tablet and high-tech fridge magnet!

While it's not the first transforming touchscreen netbook we've encountered, the Touch Book from Always Innovating is definitely a first: it runs on a power saving 600MHz ARM processor that promises a battery life of up to 15 hours while making it a heat and noise free system, and also features a detachable keyboard that transforms it from a standard looking 8.9-inch netbook to a standalone tablet.

This netbook sports 256MB of RAM, a replaceable 8GB microSD card for storage and two batteries – one for each side – that sum up to five hours of autonomy in tablet mode and up to 15 with the keyboard attached. It has a 1024x600px 8.9" screen that can display 720p videos and render OpenGL 3D graphics. Standard 802.11b/g/n wireless and Bluetooth connectivity are also included in the offering.

Most striking is the Touch Book's flexibility: its six USB 2.0 ports – three of which internal and can be used to add permanent features such as HSDPA or GPS capability – allow for countless configuration options. Weighing just under two pounds, the tablet side is magnetic and can act as an hi-tech fridge magnet, or take advantage of the built-in 3-axis accelerometer to play iPhone games. Multi-touch capabilities were however deemed superfluous and are not included.

When the keyboard is attached the Touch Book runs on a standard Linux-based system, but in tablet mode it runs on a custom-made, touch-based interface. Both hardware and software are open source and can therefore be modified at will. This netbook can also run mobile operating systems such as Android or Windows CE.

Always Innovating will launch the Touch Book in the US in a just few weeks and start shipping it internationally shortly thereafter. Available in gray and red, it will be priced at USD$299 for the tablet alone, and at USD$399 with the keyboard included.

Samsung watch phone calls in early

Looks like Samsung is going to beat LG to the punch with the release of its S9110 watch phone due to hit stores before the rival LG GD910 – in France anyway. Aimed at Dick Tracy fans and gadget lovers alike the S9110 even manages to squeeze a few more features into its diminutive body, including a larger 1.76-inch touchscreen (to the GD910’s 1.43-inch), Bluetooth 2.1 and Outlook email sync.

Like the LG GD910, the Samsung offering also packs an MP3 player, speakerphone, and voice recognition. The watch phone also supports 900/1800MHz, is powered by a 630mAh battery, and has 40MB of internal memory - so you probably won’t have enough room for your entire music library. The 176 x 220 pixel, 262k color TFT TSP display is protected behind scratch-proof glass and the stainless steel body measures just 57.5 x 41.1 x 11.98mm and weighs 91g.

The Samsung S9110 is set to hit shelves in France this month for around EUR€450 (approx. USD$639 at time of publication), a month ahead of the LG GD910. No word on wider availability as yet.

Roadrunner: supercomputer breaks petaflop barrier!!!!

A collaboration between IBM and the Los Alamos National Laboratory has resulted in the world's fastest supercomputer. Roadrunner can run at speeds above the "petaflop barrier" of 1,000 trillion operations per second, making it twice as fast as IBM's Blue Gene/L™ and opening up an era of science at a previously unseen scale.

Roadrunner began operating earlier this month at Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico where around 80% of its capacity will be used to ensure the safety and reliability of the US nuclear weapons stockpile. In addition, the supercomputer will also be used for research into astronomy, human genome science and climate change, with researchers already using the machine to mimic complex neurological processes of the human brain that were previously beyond the reach of artificial replication.

The machine uses "hybrid" computing architecture, combining conventional AMD microprocessors (like those found in consumer laptops) with cell broadband engines (like those used in the Sony PS3), but on a massive scale. In all, Roadrunner connects 6,948 dual-core AMD Opteron™ chips and 12,960 PowerXCell 8i processors, with the Opteron processors used for standard processing and the PowerXCell 8i engines accelerating mathematical and CPU-intensive processing.

The numbers are mind-boggling - occupying 6,000 square feet, the Roadrunner has 10,000 connections require that 57 miles of fiber optic cable and its 80 terabytes of memory weighs 500,000 pounds.

Apart from the incredible scaleability of the system, the hybrid computing approach also delivers a relatively affordable and energy efficient system, one which IBM believes will find its way into general commercial use where, for example, it could be used to simulate the inner workings of an entire aircraft in one setting, model the effect of pharmaceutical drugs on the human body or applied to extremely complex financial modeling.