Fujitsu Siemens' Amilo Mini netbook gets official, spec'd Filed under: Laptops When it was revealed, the appropriately titled Mini netbook looked like a toy next to a 17-inch Fujitsu Siemens Amilo notebook. That short video we saw proved it was indeed the real thing, and now we have some official specs to go with the two-tone looks. The 8.9'' Amilo Mini Ui 3520 will retail for €399 ($588), and come equipped with a trendy 1.6GHz Intel Atom 320 processor, 1GB of RAM, a 60- or 80GB hard drive (no SSD on offer), and the usual accoutrements: 1.3 megapixel webcam, Bluetooth, 802.11b/g, and a copy of XP Home Edition. No mention of battery size or life, but with a weight of just 2.2lbs we're guessing a wee 3-cell, which means no coast-to-coast flight duty for this one. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments   Video: Sony's ODO wind-up camera really works Filed under: Digital Cameras We've seen pictures of Sony's ODO Twirl N' Take, wind-up camera before. Here in Berlin, we actually had a chance to take this eco-friendly digicam for a spin. Ha, get it? We said spin to refer to this kinetic concept camera! Amazing. Anyway, enough with our overly-tired, undernourished gibberish, the full-on hands-on is posted after the break. Continue reading Video: Sony's ODO wind-up camera really works Permalink | Email this | Comments Sony's Cyber-shot T500 10 megapixel compact shoots HD videos Filed under: Digital Cameras, HDTV It's no D90, but Sony has a new compact stillcam for your snapping pleasure, the Cyber-shot T500, and it's touting an HD movie mode just like any good bandwagon hopper should. The 10.1 megapixel camera offers up a 5x optical zoom, 3.5-inch LCD and Optical SteadyShot, but most of the attention is likely to be lavished on the 1280 x 720 30 fps h.264 movie mode. You can grab 720p stills while you shoot, and you can expect to store about an hour of video on your 4GB Memory Stick... you do have a 4GB Memory Stick, right? The T500 hits this October, no word just yet on price. Oh, and she comes in colors. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments   Tangent's Evergreen 17 all-in-one PC barely needs a power plug Filed under: Desktops Tangent's Evergreen 17 is in the running (heading up the pack, actually) for most hideous desktop of the year, but if beauty truly is found on the inside, maybe it has a fighting chance at being loved after all. This all-in-one PC promises an "industry-leading power efficiency at 24-watts," arrives with a touch-friendly display and packs a fanless 1GHz VIA Eden processor (or fan-cooled 1.5GHz VIA C7), an optional SSD with capacity up to 64GB, up to 2GB of RAM and a gigabit Ethernet port. The unit weighs in at 15.8-pounds and measures 2.25-inches deep, though it'll cost you quite a bit more than other basic desktops at $1,195 (and up). But hey, the warm, fuzzy feeling you'll get from going easy on Mother Earth is totally worth it, right? [Via I4U News] Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments Video: Sony's 200Hz MotionFlow Bravia Z4500 tricks kids into sitting even closer to the TV Filed under: Displays, HDTV The wraps are off and we've had a chance to get eyes on with Sony's new Bravia Z4500 1080p LCD. While Japan unveiled the world's first MotionFlow 240Hz set, this is similar, just 40 frames per second slower. That didn't stop Sony from making the claim that the Z4500, "provides the smoothest and crispest motion reproduction to be achieved by an LCD TV." Of course, both are multiples of the industry standard 50/60Hz. Sony's being coy with the measurements and the price of this set, but with the show model listed as KDL-52Z4500, we're guessing 52, kid-captivating inches of silky smooth video that looks so good, you may never have to parent again. "Look into the spiral Jimmy, good critter." We've got a comparison video after the break: 200Hz Motionflow on the left, your father's 50Hz on the right. We could defintely see the difference in the uh, highly controlled demo. Question is: can you when this thing shows up at the local big box before Xmas. Continue reading Video: Sony's 200Hz MotionFlow Bravia Z4500 tricks kids into sitting even closer to the TV Permalink | Email this | Comments   Sharp debuts super slim XS1 LCD, D65E display lineup and BD-HP21H Blu-ray player Filed under: Displays, HDTV, Home Entertainment Thin is in at IFA 2008, and Sharp's LCD lineup leads off with the super-skinny XS1 Aquos series LCD. A 23mm thick 1080p 52- or 65-inch panel packing 10,000:1 contrast ratio, 100Hz motion processing and detachable speaker system, halves it's previous 5cm best from May of this year. Old school fat LCD fans can look forward to the D65E line, pulling 20,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio and claiming an "environmentally conscious design" for Sharp's premium range, in sizes from 32- to 52-inch models, with prices to match from €899 to €2299. Of course, none of this would be right without a matching Blu-ray player, and Sharp has announced the BD-HP21H, a Bonus View Profile 1.1 model with a quick-start mode, but like the XS1 lacks pricing info that would make it so much juicier. All are due in the UK in October, we should hope for more details before then. Gallery: Sharp XS1 eyes-on Gallery: XS1's official press shots Permalink | Email this | Comments Orange says Polish iPhone 3G customers weren't paid actors Filed under: Cellphones Folks, be honest with us here -- did you really expect Orange and / or Apple to say anything other than this? Amidst reports that iPhone 3G line sitters at Polish Orange stores were actually paid to be there, the carrier has shot back in order to defend its dignity. In an e-mail reply to an Ad Age inquiry on the matter, a spokeswoman proclaimed that as "part of the excitement around the launch of the iPhone, some of [Orange's] team has been joining customers outside [of the] shops." She also noted that "sales were strong" and that Orange "was happy," though actual numbers were not revealed. So there you have it, now make of it what you will. [Image courtesy of AppleBlog] Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments   Toshiba expands the Regza family with RV, XV series 1080p LCDs Filed under: Displays, HDTV IFA's apparently given Toshiba just the opportunity necessary to refresh its line of Regza LCDs, for those without the Resolution+ itch with a few new sizes and features. The existing entry-level XV line of 1080p LCDs gets 46- and 52-inch models, plus a gloss black design that helps it fit in at the Regza family reunion. The brand new RV line of 1080p LCDs bring similar features to the ZF Series, sans Resolution+ technology and one HDMI port, but with Active Vision M100 HD 100/120Hz 5:5 pulldown image processing intact. 37-, 42- and 46-inch sizes are confirmed for the October Euro launch, prices and U.S. availability for both TBD. Permalink | Email this | Comments Sony intros S-, E-, and B-Series Walkmans Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video Remember those new Walkmans we saw recently? Well the folks at Sony have decided to get all fancy and official with them. The electronics-maker is introducing S-, E-, and B-Series PMPs, all featuring MP3 and WMA playback, drag-and-drop file management, and a variety of storage capacities. The 4GB NWZ-S736F and 8GB NWZ-S738F sport Sony's "Open Platform" which allows AAC, Linear PCM, and other codec support, 40 hours of battery life, in-flight noise cancellation, and SensMe -- which creates song shuffles based on user listening habits. The 4GB NWZ-E436F and 8GB NWZ-E438F come in a handful of colors and deliver up to 45 hours of playback, while the low-end 1GB NWZ-B133F and 2GB NWZ-B135F add an FM tuner and voice recording functionality. The players will be available come September, ranging in price from around $45 to $180. Permalink | Email this | Comments   Toshiba's new ZF LCDs include Cell-based Resolution+ upscaling Filed under: Displays, HDTV, Home Entertainment As expected, Toshiba is offering a new (supposed) world's first here at IFA: a true upscaling TV, finally getting rid of the middle man for upconverting those SD sources. The new ZF Series LCDs include Cell processors and Toshiba's home grown Resolution+ technology, which does similar edge and detail enhancement to Toshiba's XDE upscaler -- sharpening detail, smoothing edges, and leaving the rest of the image alone -- but with the added fun of Cell power in the mix. As for the actual displays, Toshiba will be shipping the 40ZF575D (40-inch) and the 46ZF575D (46-inch), both offering 1080p, 30,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, 6ms response times and Active Vision M100 HD 100Hz 5:5 pulldown processing, along with four HDMI plugs, component video, RGB and PC input. Right now this is just a Europe launch, and we don't have exact ship dates or pricing, but hopefully Toshiba will soon rectify that. Gallery: Toshiba's new ZF LCDs include Cell-based Resolution+ upscaling Permalink | Email this | Comments Japanese firms to partially propel cargo ship via solar panels Filed under: Transportation First things first -- when we say "partially" propel, we mean partially. Nippon Yusen and energy distributor Nippon Oil are teaming up to spend around $1.37 million in order to equip a car-hauling cargo ship with 328 solar panels. Rather than just provide energy for the crew's on board entertainment system, it will be the first solar installation to actually produce a smidgen of power for the boat's engine. If successful, the panels would provide 0.2% of the ship's energy consumption for propulsion, and they're hoping to raise that to a whopping 1% by 2010. Gives a whole new meaning to "baby steps," huh? Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments   Hands-on with LG's X110 netbook: HSDPA, GPS and a price to match Filed under: Laptops A USB shuffle here, a logo swap there and here's what you get, the MSI, uh hem, LG X110. Sporting a fairly obvious MSI Wind base, LG's X110 is making its first appearance in Berlin. Prices will range from €399 to €499 (about $590 to $738) which takes home an 8.9-inch display, 120GB disk (6GB SSD option), 1GB of RAM, and choice of built-in 3G HSDPA and GPS modules. Yes, XP running atop a 1.6GHz Atom processor, too. On sale in Europe at the end of September. Gallery: Hands-on with LG's X110 netbook: HSDPA, GPS and a price to match Permalink | Email this | Comments Panasonic IFA 2008 plasma prototypes: super thin, super green, super big Filed under: Displays, HDTV Panasonic's welcoming you to the future of plasma HDTV, starting along with the stunning 150-inch 4K plasma, that is, surprisingly enough bigger than its old 103-inch model (shocking, we know) leading to the debut of three "super thin" plasma prototypes measuring 24.7mm deep in 50-inch and, for what it claims is the first time, 58- and 65-inch sizes that also include Wireless HD. One-fourth the thickness of current Panasonic models and one-half the weight combined with no wires leads Panasonic to believe we'll be able to reorganize the living room shortly, without silly mounting issues and need to run cables. If that fails to inspire, how about a 42-inch prototype that claims twice the luminance efficiency and the same brightness as its current 42-inch 1080p model while only sipping half the power -- if that's a concern. Check out more pics after the break. Continue reading Panasonic IFA 2008 plasma prototypes: super thin, super green, super big Permalink | Email this | Comments   Panasonic DMP-BD35 & DMP-BD55 Blu-ray players officially official, still unpriced Filed under: HDTV, Home Entertainment Say hello to the successors of the short-lived Panasonic DMP-BD50, the new DMP-BD35 (above) and DMP-BD55 (after the break) check off every feature we can think of for a new Blu-ray player, complete with a slim profile (49mm high on the BD35) and hopefully low, low price thanks to a 45nm 3rd-generation UniPhier processor. Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Digital Plus and DTS-HD MA audio support, with internal decoding or bitstreamed output in full 7.1 (plus 7.1 analog audio outs on the DMP-BD55) on top of fully BD-Live / Profile 2.0 compatible hardware finally promise no-compromise hardware for Blu-ray buyers. Release dates and pricing information? Your guess is as good as ours, for now. Continue reading Panasonic DMP-BD35 & DMP-BD55 Blu-ray players officially official, still unpriced Permalink | Email this | Comments Navigon brings gratis real-time traffic updates to entire product line Filed under: GPS In a move that we can only hope signals a trend, GPS maker Navigon has announced that real-time traffic updates will now be free for all users of its wares. For awhile now, the outfit has offered gratis traffic updates on its higher-end models, but now, it's taking the Free Real-Time Traffic Updates for Life program to each navigation system it produces. There's no extra hardware to buy, no hidden fees -- just good, clean, free traffic updates. What's not to love? Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments   Dell's Inspiron 910 netbook limps a bit closer to release Filed under: Laptops You're looking at official Dell pics of its upcoming Inspiron 910 netbook nabbed from their on-line support docs. These images match the others we've seen down to the key (look, no dedicated function keys) which pretty much confirms the mini laptop's final appearance. Now if Dell could just hit one of the rumored release dates we could all get back to pillaging market share from standard sized laptops. [Thanks, Mike and Hao] Read -- keyboard Read -- external optical DVD/CD drive Read -- status LEDs Permalink | Email this | Comments Sony's 1,000,000:1 contrast BRAVIAs launch in Japan October 10 Filed under: Displays, HDTV Sony's XBR6 / XBR7 / XBR8 models are still waiting in the wings for their U.S. debut, but along with HDTVs that push the extremes in thin and fast, the company announced these more conventional models it's deemed "the highest quality BRAVIA HDTVs in history." The XR1 (read: XBR8) series will feature a 1,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio (3,000:1 static) courtesy of those new TRILUMINOS three-color LEDs, 10-bit BRAVIA Engine 2 processing and Motionflow 120Hz technology. If you can live without 240Hz or WHDI, the 1080p 55-inch edition runs ¥750,000 ($6,489 U.S.) with a 46-inch for ¥600,000 ($5,479 U.S.). The next level down is the X1 (read: XBR6 / XBR7) series, based on old school CCFL backlights limited to a 3,000:1 contrast rating, ranging in size from 40- to 52- inches and in price from ¥530,000 ($4,866 U.S.) to ¥320,000 ($2,922 U.S.) when they go on sale October 10. Digital Media Extender support, DLNA connectivity and all the other high end feature's make their expected appearance across the lineup. With fears of watered down technology effectively quelled, Sony wouldn't make us wait until October to find out when we can buy an HDTV in the U.S. or Europe from this lineup -- somehow we doubt it. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments   Sony's shrouded BRAVIA Z4500 LCD with 200Hz Motionflow Filed under: Displays, HDTV, Home Entertainment We're super short on info here, but it looks like Sony is about to intro a new Z4500 LCD TV with a "world's first" of 200Hz Motionflow -- yeah, you could've gleaned all that from reading the headline, but it's just so much more awesome down here. Stay tuned. Gallery: Sony's shrouded BRAVIA Z4500 LCD with 200Hz Motionflow Permalink | Email this | Comments New Sony Walkmans surface at IFA booth Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video Sony's IFA press event isn't for another couple of hours, but we managed to sneak these shots of Sony's minor refresh to its Walkman lineup. Everything is looking nice and sleek, and the screens on the S-series players we saw that were on looked sharp and bright, but we're still waiting to see the fruit of Stringer's talk last year about not suffering at the hands of Apple as badly in portable video as they did with portable audio -- these Walkmans just aren't doing it. Stand by for official news as we get it. Gallery: New Sony Walkmans surface at IFA booth Permalink | Email this | Comments   iPhone 3G vs. Sony's 40-inch ZX1 LCD television... Fight! Filed under: Displays We knew Sony's new 40-inch Bravia Edge LED ZX1 was thin, 9.9-mm thin in fact (at least at the top section). But man, we didn't expect it to make the iPhone 3G slipping around the insides of our pockets look like such a chubster. Plenty more to see in the gallery below. Gallery: iPhone 3G vs. Sony's 40-inch XZ1 LCD television... Fight! Permalink | Email this | Comments Brando unites external iPhone battery with speaker at long last Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds Nothing says "I'm mad as hell about my iPhone 3G's battery life and I'm not going to take it anymore" better than blasting it out of a loudspeaker. Bonus points for that loudspeaker being integrated with a battery pack, which in turn connects to your -- you guess it -- iPhone 3G (or original iPhone, if that's how you roll). Well, $44 to the folks at Brando will buy you that very opportunity, it turns out. Who knew? Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments   Sony delivers the first 240Hz LCDs November 10 Filed under: Displays, HDTV Sure Samsung had 240Hz (and wavier hair) first, but with its TVs stuck in development until 2011, Sony's back with another first / best of the night in the W1 series display, packing four times the speed of previous LCD HDTVs, and double that of the new 120Hz your best friend just picked up. Allegedly smoother than Billy Dee Williams cracking open a Colt 45 in Cloud City, the KDL-46W1 and KDL-40W1 bring 1080p with a 3,000:1 contrast ratio, BRAVIA Engine 2 image processing, 24p support and an assortment of hookups from modem to HDMI. Stop by your nearest Japanese electronics shop November 10 to get a peep at these and their slim, sexy sister, but bring ¥400,000 ($3,652 U.S.) for the 46-inch or ¥290,0000 ($2,648 U.S.) for the 40-inch -- you could try showing up without it, but why take chances? Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments Sony unveils world's thinnest LCD HDTV - 9.9mm KDL-40ZX1 Filed under: Displays, HDTV Sony's taken the crown in the race for thinnest LCD HDTV. At just 9.9mm thick the KDL-40ZX1 nearly halves the depth of Hitachi's former champ (likely throwing up in the bathroom right now) and comes within a whisper of Pioneer's ultra thin concept. Featuring a LED backlighting, a 3,000:1 contrast ratio, 120Hz MotionFlow tech, x.v.Color and BRAVIA Engine 2 image processing this is about as close to a 40-inch window on your wall as is likely to arrive soon. Only one HDMI in is directly on the screen itself, all unnecessary HDMI / USB / component inputs are relegated to a base station, with the option for wired or -- possibly WHDI based? -- 5Ghz wireless (unfortunately limited to 1080i max resolution for now). We'd mention the XMB GUI, AcTVila video on-demand and DLNA support, but at some point it's just piling on. A mere 490,000 yen ($4,474 U.S.) puts the ZX1 on your wall, due at your local Japanese retailer November 10. See you there? [Via AV Watch] Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments   Physicists develop microlens with earth-shatteringly short focal length Filed under: Digital Cameras, Misc. Gadgets It's hard to say when we, the consumers, will actually see any real benefit from the latest noteworthy discovery from Northeastern University, but we can only imagine that Srinivas Sridhar and team aren't wasting any time moving things forward. Said crew has recently created a "new microlens that focuses infrared light at telecommunication frequencies," and if you're looking for specifics, it can focus an infrared beam to a spot just 12-micrometers away from the surface. The science behind the discovery is probably only digestible by those that understand rocket science, but the long of short of it is this: the "research shows that it is possible to create smaller, ultra-compact infrared optical components that can be integrated into existing semiconductor technologies while not sacrificing image quality." Now that's something even the layman can appreciate. [Via Physorg] Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments Logitech Squeezebox Boom hits the stage Filed under: Home Entertainment It's been a month since we first caught a glimpse of the sharp-looking Logitech Squeezebox Boom, but the wireless network speakers are official today, coming in at a list price of $299. Yeah, it's basically a standard-issue Squeezebox with a built-in amp and speakers, but that's a pretty solid idea, especially since we're guessing the 24-bit Burr Brown D/A converter and bi-amped 3-inch woofers and 3/4-inch tweeters will offer up some decent sound. Everything else is regular Squeezebox kit -- 802.11g WiFi, SqueezeNetwork, optical and S/PDIF out, VFD display, 10/100Base-T Ethernet -- so if you're looking to expand your system, this is probably a pretty solid way of getting it done. Expect to see this one on shelves next month. One more pic after the break. Continue reading Logitech Squeezebox Boom hits the stage Permalink | Email this | Comments   SanDisk Extreme III SDHC cards hit 30MB/s Filed under: Storage SanDisk's pushed both Memory Stick PRO-HG Duo and regular SD cards to 30MB/s transfer rates before, and now it's SDHC's turn with the new Extreme III series. Yep, it's a really fast memory card for DSLRs, and it'll cost you: 4GB will be $65, 8GB $110 and 16GB will set you back whopping $180 when these hit in October. [Via Digital Camera Info] Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments BlackBerry Storm 9530 for Verizon gets boxed Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds So we might not have a physical device here, but these packaging renderings are pretty solid evidence of exactly what BlackBerry fans on Verizon -- particularly those jealous of the Bold -- can expect in a few weeks' time. It looks like RIM's first foray into the scary world of touchscreens will be officially branded the 9530 Storm, will be global (it includes a SIM card, after all), and will feature an 8GB SanDisk microSD card preinstalled. Wondering what happened to the Thunder name? Turns out that'll apparently be reserved for the version of the phone launching on Rogers up in Canada and on Vodafone across the pond. Those Storm users on the screen there sure look happy, don't they? Gallery: BlackBerry Storm 9350 for Verizon gets boxed Permalink | Email this | Comments   Creative X-Fi Go! mobile sound card set to appear at IFA Filed under: Misc. Gadgets Creative isn't showing off too much new stuff at IFA this week, but we should be hearing about the X-Fi Go! mobile sound card, which looks to be an update on the old Soundblaster Play!. The tiny USB 2.0 stick packs in quite of bit of audio-tweaking magic, with Crystallizer, CMSS-3D, EAX Advanced HD and OpenAL support, as well as 1GB of flash storage preloaded with Alchemy, WaveStudio, and other apps. Available now in Singapore for S$79 ($56), we'd guess it'll be similarly priced when it hits Stateside. [Via Electronista] Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments JVC's NX-BD3 system enters the Blu-ray HTIB arena Filed under: HDTV, Home Entertainment The appearance of Blu-ray HTIB systems under a number of brands is an encouraging sign that the format is at least trying to move into the mainstream living room, and now JVC's thrown its hat into the ring with the 2.1-channel NX-BD3. Of course, simply pulling bits off of Blu-ray discs isn't enough entertainment value these days, so the system also sports DLNA support, a 200-Watt powered sub and a 4x55-Watt amplifier (leaving you two channels to grow into). At £799 ($1,465) for a 2.1-channel setup, you might expect to get the latest and greatest in Blu-ray tech, but Profile 2.0, DTS-HD MA and Dolby TrueHD didn't make the cut -- let's hope some sort of "market adjustment" happens between the time this appears next month and when it crosses the pond. [Via Electronista] Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments   Eyes-on with LG's NB41 Blu-ray NAS Filed under: Storage Sure, it's just network attached storage, but somehow, someway, LG's dressed its NB41 Blu-ray burnin'' NAS with just enough sex, just enough appeal to coax this helpless editor into risking security's ire just to grab a few pre-IFA snaps. It's bigger than we expected -- mini-tower PC big -- but we guess those four 1TB disks need plenty of ventilation. Just check that reflection in the mirror for a sense of scale. Gallery: Eyes-on with LG's NB41 Blu-ray NAS Permalink | Email this | Comments LG injects 7000-series HDTVs with Bluetooth at IFA Filed under: Displays, HDTV, Home Entertainment Even though it's in nearly every phone available, only a few flat panels with integrated wireless networking have surfaced so far, and now LG's packing Bluetooth into its already highly anticipated "infinite black" PG7000 plasma and Scarlet LG7000 LCD models. Pricetags are still in the air, but LG says these flatscreens will hit worldwide starting with Europe in September. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments   Two-inch-square Space Cube computer gets shown off Filed under: Desktops The two-inch-square Space Cube computer has apparently been making the rounds in Japan for some time now, but PC Pro has finally managed to sneak one into the UK and, thankfully for us, they've decided to share. This one packs a 300MHz NEC VR5701 processor, 64MB of RAM, a 1GB CompactFlash card, and a special version of Red Hat Linux, along with a single USB port, VGA out, built-in Ethernet and, most importantly for its target market, a SpaceWire port, which is used by the likes of NASA and the European Space Agency. Unfortunately for hobbyists that may have gotten their hopes up, while the price was initially estimated to be a reasonable $325, it now looks like it could be demanding upwards of £1,500 (or over $2,700) but the time it's officially released outside of Japan, although it seems like it will at least actually be sold to the general public. [Via Slashdot] Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments Peak's Starpex wooden guitar controller gets the hands-on treatment Filed under: Gaming While there's likely nothing that will convince most folks of the merits of a full-size, $180 wooden guitar controller, those still on the fence about this particular piece of excess may be interested to know that the good people of PS3 Fanboy recently got their hands on one, and they've now offered up some initial impressions. As you might expect, they found it to definitely be a hefty device, but far from an unwieldy one, with the buttons as familiar as even and the strum bar in particular a significant improvement over other Guitar Hero and Rock Band guitars. Peak also doesn't look to have cut any corners when it comes to the little details, with even the strap made of a thick fabric that makes it more comfortable to wear. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments   MSI rolls out EX300, EX400 laptops Filed under: Laptops While it may seem like MSI has nothing but the Wind on its mind these days, the company is, in fact, still in the general laptop business, and its just let loose a pair of decidedly ordinary new models to prove it. From the looks of it, the "athletic and fashionable" EX300 (pictured above) is the slightly more interesting of the pair, with it sporting a 13.3-inch WXGA display, an unspecified Core 2 Duo processor, ATI Mobility Radeon HD3450 graphics, a max 320GB hard drive, up to 4GB of RAM, and a Blu-ray drive, among other standard fare. The EX400, on the other hand, opts for a slightly less portable 14.1-inch display and some more traditional styling, along with some virtually identical specs to its more "athletic" counterpart. No word on a price for either of 'em just yet, unfortunately, nor is there any indication of a release 'round these parts. Read - MSI EX300 Read - MSI EX400 [Via Far East Gizmos] Permalink | Email this | Comments Sony intros TA-DA5400ES and TA-DA3400ES AV receivers Filed under: Home Entertainment We thought we had seen all of Sony's 2008 ES lineup, but boy were we distinctly incorrect. Sony Japan has today revealed a trio of newcomers, two of which we've never seen before. The TA-DA5400ES packs a 120-watt x 7 channel internal amplifier, six HDMI inputs (and 2 outputs), six optical audio jacks and three sets of component inputs (among others). As for the STR-DA3400ES, the wattage steps down to 100-watts per channel and the port selection isn't nearly as robust; the STR-DG820 is already available in the States, making us believe this one's just an overseas re-release. Anywho, feel free to check out the full specifications in the read link below, and you can look for these to land (at least in Japan) this November. [Via SonyInsider] Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments   Garmin's new nüvi 7x5 and 2x5 navigators live and in person Filed under: GPS We got a brief glimpse at Garmin's new nüvi navigators, the 7x5 Series and 2x5 Series. Since we weren't on the road, the 755T treated us to 3D views of the IFA building we were chilling at, spinning at a blistering 10 fps. The Lane Assist also does what it says on the box, giving you a crystal clear look at your next merge. The 265T was considerably less dramatic, and both units show a considerable amount of boredom on the industrial design front. Garmin clearly knows what it's about when it comes to navigation devices, but we could use a bit more spice with those maps to keep us coming back. Gallery: Garmin's new nuvi 7x5 and 2x5 navigators live and in person Permalink | Email this | Comments CE-Oh no he didn't! Part LVIII: NVIDIA CEO doesn't know what Larrabee is, doesn't care Filed under: Desktops, Laptops NVIDIA CEO Jen-Hsun Huang just can't resist throwing more jabs at Intel, distracting the inaugural NVISION crowd from Battlestar Galactica star Tricia Helfer with the claim that "Larrabee hasn't shipped so you don't know what it is and I don't know what it is." The fact that we do know what it is -- a next-gen hybrid CPU / GPU -- shouldn't be a concern according to Huang, because "By the time it does ship, Nvidia's technology will be so far advanced it won't matter." Besides stuffing Usain Bolt-type speed into a GPU the company will keep busy working on its WinMo smartphone hardware, and software for the not-exactly-Atom-killing VIA Nano, but forget about that rumored x86-compatible hardware 'cuz, as Jen-Hsun reminds us, "the Internet doesn't run on x86." For a company that lacks innovation, is "a joke," and at least four years behind, Intel must be doing something right, because the competition can't keep its name out of their mouths. Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments   Garmin's Nuvifone teases its way through another trade show Filed under: Cellphones, GPS, Handhelds Oh, Nuvifone, how you disappoint us. Over here at IFA we just managed to get a Garmin rep to whip out his Nuvifone prototype for a quick look, but sadly, almost a year after the device was first announced, there really wasn't anything new to see. We still aren't allowed to take video of the interface, or really see much of the phone other than the home screen, and when the rep tried to show us how the Nuvifone kicks the iPhone's ass in navigation, the Nuvi promptly crashed -- so at least those two have that in common. Not that we should be surprised, Garmin mentioned last month that the phone had been delayed into 20