Sharp , Danger prepping low-end Hiptop

We're light on details and heavy on extraordinarily boring radiation analysis reports at this point, but the FCC's just cleared a Sharp device going by the model number PV150. Ring any bells? It should -- the Hiptop 2 went by PV100 and the Hiptop 3, PV200, suggesting that this'll be another Danger-developed device (as if the "Powered by Danger" on the ID label weren't evidence enough) slotting somewhere in between. Interestingly, there's no mention of 2.4GHz testing in the FCC docs, leading us to believe that the PV150 (Hiptop 2 1/2?) lacks Bluetooth and lending support to the theory that this is a lower-end device. On the upside, GSM 850 and 1900 are both on board, so T-Mobile would have little trouble slapping a "Sidekick" label on this one and rolling it out in these parts. Rest assured, we're going to be on the hunt for shots of this sucker.

ASUS reveals Pegasus Pocket PC Phone

There's not a whole lot of details to go on here, but it looks like the iF Design Awards got the first look at ASUS's latest Pocket PC phone, with the Unwired View blog spotting these two pics of the candybar-style handset. Dubbed Pegasus (a throwback to the origin of the company's name), the phone appears to be a slightly slimmed down revision to ASUS's P525 smartphone, measuring in at a mere 0.6 inches thick while still packing built-in GPS and a camera of unspecified megapixels. Otherwise, about all that's known about the device is that it's Windows Mobile-based, has a full numeric keypad and jog dial, and supposedly has a brushed aluminum finish and diamond-cut edges, although it's tough to discern that from the pics. For the rest of the specs, not to mention details on pricing or availability, it looks like we'll just to wait for a more official announcement.

Walt review Vista : Eh

We're willing to bet those among you that don't make gagging sounds whenever you're in eyeshot of a PC have probably already played with Vista a bit. Maybe you don't have the last beta installed on your machine, but you've sat down to a Vista box and at least logged a few minutes with oohs and ahhs at Aero and Flip 3D. So by this point you probably well understand that Vista, while being a major step forward for Microsoft, will for most users represent something more of a long overdue feature pack, finally bringing Windows up to date with OS X. Granted, Vista does diverge a bit with such features as tablet input and its best of breed Media Center interface (which we're absolutely stoked to start using), but we found ourselves largely agreeing with Unkie Walt's assessment that while this may be the strongest version of Windows yet, it's still got a ways to go to pull ahead of its competitors from a technological standpoint

LG's KE850 PRADA official : iPhone says,wha?

Check it Apple, LG just went official with their iPhone look-a-like LG KE850 Prada phone which they proudly tout as the world's "first completely touch screen mobile phone." A claim they can rightly make since the phone will hit select mobile shops and PRADA stores in the UK, France, Germany and Italy at the end of February and parts of Asia before March is through. Sadly, the KE850 is a non starter for the US market since this version is limited to tri-band GSM 900/1800/1900 with EDGE data. It's smaller that its fruity peer at just 98.8 × 54 × 12-mm resulting in a more compact, 3.0-inch display presumably with that 240x400 resolution we heard about earlier. In case you're keeping track (and we know you are), the iPhone goes quad-band GSM with EDGE and WiFi in a 115 x 61 x 11.6mm shell sporting a 3.5-inch, 320x480 display. Also, the KE850 seems to lack any significant on-board storage opting instead for microSD to boost capacity. Like the iPhone, it packs a 2 megapixel camera (with Schneider-Kreuznach lens) and LED flash and Bluetooth 2.0. However, there's no mention of multi-touch capabilities, an on-screen keyboard, or the accelerometer and proximity sensors found on the iPhone. The KE850 PRADA's UI is Macromedia Flash-based and opts for a minimalist, white-on-black display as opposed to the more, shall we say, OSXish GUI we've already seen floated. Feature-wise, the KE850 comes with a video player supporting MPEG4, H.264, and oddly, H.263 normally used for video conferencing; a document viewer supporting Microsoft's PPT, DOC, XLS formats, PDF and TXT; an audio player with support for MP3/ACC/ACC+/WMA/RA formats; and a "music multitasking function for messaging," whatever that is. How much? €600/$778... that's how much. Still, a compelling choice for those who can't wait for the iPhone's Q4 European introduction or 2008 Asia launch.

Up close with the Ford Airstream's 360 degree TV

We had an opportunity this week to spend a few minutes mesmerized by the tube (literally) television mounted prominently to the floor of the passenger compartment in Ford's Airstream concept van. Granted, the big news here is that brick-like aerodynamics and hydrogen power make for strange bedfellows, but the bizarre display comes in a close second. Inhabitants of the van's quarters are theoretically able to use it to watch movies, but the thought of kiddies scrambling around a pole to catch the action on the other side of the picture is going to be a nightmare come true for parents of the distant future hauling down the highways and bi-ways in this thing. For what it's worth, the images looked extraordinarily bright (perhaps disturbingly so for the interior of a vehicle) and plenty crisp, but we'll ditch the movies -- we think could stare at that faux lava lamp for hours

Look at the pretty lights : Wiimote modded up purty

Chalk another one up for "interesting things to do with your Wiimote that most assuredly void the warranty." Leet hax0r "sir crx" of the MaxConsole Forums just got LED happy in his Wiimote, but unlike lame-o attempts by his predecessors, crx did his one up right, with a different LED color for each controller "port." The blue, red, green and yellow colors denote players 1-4 and make for quite the show -- in a complete Wii fanboy sort of way, naturally.

Duo-Gard's illumaWall adds LED action to translucent architecture

We've seen plenty of illuminated wall applications, LED-infused or otherwise, but the green-minded folks over at Duo-Gard are integrating that disco-inspired action we all know and love into its translucent paneling, which gives buildings a breath of fresh sunlight throughout the day while cutting down on energy costs and potentially boosting your morale. The company's new IllumaWALL melds the benefits of daylighting panels with the completely unnecessary, but entirely sensational night-brightening action of LEDs, as the polycarbonate structures feature built-in, fully programmable lights that can output a steady ambient glow or put on "a light show of pulsating colors" if you're throwing a party at your pad. As expected, pricing on these panels vary greatly based on your installation needs, but if you're already looking to craft a new domicile or office building, and need to garner a bit of instant notoriety, IllumaWALL could do the trick.

Team Xtender announces component to VGA adapter box

Its multi-console-connecting component cable has yet to make it out of "preview mode," but the folks at Team Xtender already seem to have another component-centered video game accessory in the bag, now showing off their XCM Multi-cable V2 PC Monitor Adapter. As that mouthful of a name suggests, the little black box will take the component end of the included multi-headed component cable (or presumably any other component cable) and convert it into a VGA signal by the time it reaches the monitor plugged into the other end of the box. Team Xtender has also been thoughtful enough to include a second port and a handy switch for those that still want use their monitor for computing duties. As with their component cable, however, they haven't spilled any details on pricing or availability just yet, although they are happy to sign up anyone willing to sell 'em.

Epson's EMP-1810 and EMP-1815 3LCD business projector

Epson just kicked out a new pair of 3LCD projectors in their EMP-1810 and EMP-1815. The 1815 is the king of this hill and features Epson's EasyMP (Epson Administrative SYstem for Meetings and Presentations) which, among other things, allows you to display content off CompactFlash cards and USB drives without the need for a PC. It will even source content off your PC over WiFi or project your laptop's display over a quick and dirty USB cable. Otherwise, the projectors share many of the same specs: 1024x768 pixel resolution; 3,500 lumens; 500:1 contrast ratio; 1.6x manual zoom lens; 2x analog D-Sub 15 RGB, composite, and S-Video inputs and another D-sub 15 for output; and direct shutdown for quick getaway. Both are relatively light for 3500 lumen projectors with the 1810 weighing in at just 2.9-kg (6.39-pounds). Ok, they don't throw 1080p, but they don't cost 5 Gs either. Both hit in early March with the 1810 going for ¥498,00 (about $4,121) and the 1815 for ¥448,00 (about $3,708). Look for 'em Stateside under the PowerLite branding soon enough.

HP adds Vista to its Pavilion labtop lineup,intros GD9200 model

If you're into confusingly minor laptop updates with mainly a boosted OS and perhaps some RAM and HDD space thrown in for good measure, January is going to prove a banner month for you. HP just announced the inclusion of Vista on four of its Pavillion laptops, including the sexy tx1000 we've been hearing so much about. The biggest bump looks to belong to the dv9200 17-incher, which keeps that sleek form factor -- for a 17-inch, at least -- of its dv9000 predecessor, but adds in Core 2 Duo options up to 2GHz and a base configuration featuring 1GB of RAM, a 120GB HDD and a super-multi DVD burner for 168,000 yen ($1,394 US, though we're sure Stateside pricing will be a little friendlier). Most notable is the inclusion of an HDMI port, and of course Windows Vista Home Premium. Other laptops getting the bump include the dv6200 and G5000, which are both being handed a fresh copy of Home Basic, while the TX1000 is rocking the Home Premium like it was meant to be done

Franklin's 12-Language speaking translator

As international jet-setters, we're always looking for tools that make it a little easier to discuss the latest gadgets with our foreign friends and colleagues. Usually we employ an electronic, translating dictionary for this task, but we always end up sounding like idiots as we futilely attempt to pronounce those crazy words they use in other languages. Well luckily for us, Franklin has just introduced a pocket translator that will put an end to our pathetic gibberish, as the new TGA-490 is actually able to speak aloud over 450,000 words and 12,000 phrases. What's more, you can forget about the old school machine-speak from back in the OK Computer days -- Franklin's device spits out human-sounding words recorded by real humans. All your favorite languages are supported here -- including Mandarin, Japanese, and Korean -- and you can translate back and forth among any of them, not just with English. Other nice touches include an MP3 player (of course), currency converter, world clock, alarm, and the ever-present voice recorder. No word yet on price or release, but when you begin to notice an uptick in the quality of our foreign-sourced posts, you'll know that the 490 has indeed hit store shelves.

Netflix "Watch Now" feature offers movie download alternative

Just as online music stores introduced the "rental" model to music listeners, it looks like we're finally getting beyond the rent / purchase model for online movies, with Netflix mixing things up with its new Watch Now feature. A user gets an hour of video watching for every dollar they spend monthly on the service -- a $17.99 subscriber gets 18 free hours of video. There's no concept of buying or renting a movie, instead you just watch what you want to watch, with every minute spent watching each movie counting against your total, but nothing more. This helps users catch the last few minutes of recent rentals they might not have finished, or preview a bit -- or the whole thing -- of a prospective selection. With a good enough connection, the quality apparently approaches DVD, but there aren't any portability options or DVD burning here: it's all browser based and not a whole lot more. The feature is also XP only at the moment, but Netflix hopes to expand to other platforms, including cellphones. Currently there are roughly 1,000 titles available, which Netflix hopes to expand to 5,000 this year. Netflix is live with Watch Now for select customers right now, and will slowly expand to the rest of its subscribers over the next six months. It seems we've been waiting for Netflix to get into this gig for years -- oh wait, we have -- and while it does seem to be taking

University's Morgui robot deemed too scary for kids

Terrifying robots most certainly aren't anything new, and be it frightening or downright creepy, there's probably a bot out there weird enough to freak just about anyone out. Enter Morgui, the University of Reading-based robot that has been around for some time, but is just now getting the credit a bizarre skull that follows humans around should. The creation, which consists of a disembodied head, oversized blue eyes, and a classically evil grin, has been officially banned from testing around anyone under the age of 18 (permission notwithstanding) by the school's ethics and research committee, leaving the "Magic Ghost" to spook only mature audiences from here on out. Mo, as it's so aptly nicknamed, sports a metal head, the ability to detect visual / auditory cues, and sensors for radar, infrared, and ultrasonic detection as well, but oddly enough, it cannot detect human emotion, so you better not count on this fellow to have sympathy on your soul when you're screeching. The purpose of the machine is to judge how "people react to robots," and when the bot just so happens to lack any form of facial covering beyond a skeletal structure, we're sure the reactions are quite noticeable.

Big brother could slow British motorcycles down, track routes

Most would argue that the UK certainly doesn't need one more piece of surveillance equipment watching its citizens, but regardless of the naysayers, it just might be getting another anyway. The latest implementation of Big Brother in our everyday lives comes courtesy of the Intelligent Speed Adaptation (ISA), which are devices (presumably GPS-based) that will purportedly track motorcyclists' speeds and throttle things down if they attempt to break the posted speed limit(s). Moreover, the ISA could even be used to track bikers' journeys, and if things "prove successful," could eventually find its way into cars and other vehicles (like Segways beefed-up wheelchairs) in a reported attempt to "drastically cut the death toll on the country's roads." As expected, bikers and bike sellers are less than enthused about the new device, as they expect customers will be the ones footing the bill for the homing beacons and that sales could drop when folks realize they can't get a little footloose every now and then. While there's no hard dates on when (or if) these trackers / speed-controllers would hit motorcycles in the UK, the ISA has already undergone testing at the Motorcycle Industry Research Association (MIRA), so those looking to kick up a little two-wheeled dust best get a move on before the eyes in the sky put the clamps on your fun.

Soundoiler unveils duo : the wireless speaker lamp

Seemingly, it's just not to efficient enough to buy lighting tools for your home anymore, as lamps these days have to have at least one other random function thrown in for good measure, and Soundoiler's duo is no different. Melding form with function, this stylish lamp features a built-in speaker to go along with its lighting capabilities, an integrated control pad to dictate volume / channel selection, and an optional "maestro" transmitter that pipes in audio from your wirelessly-enabled DAP. Moreover, the lamps can be purchased in pairs and setup to function as stereo speakers, correctly separating the left and right channels during playback, and if that weren't snazzy enough, there's also a foot-controlled power / dimmer switch so you can set the mood without even lifting a finger. Soundoiler's multi-purpose fixture can be picked up now for $279.95, while the wireless addition will run you an extra $79.95, but the wow-factor in your living room is presumably priceless.

Project Grizzly inventor crafts real-world Halo suit for military use

While it's not likely that you'll encounter the Arbiter on any given day, the slightly off-kilter Project Grizzly inventor has gone out of his way (and possibly his mind) to create what resembles a real-life Halo suit, sporting protection from gunfire and ensuring you an award at Covenant gatherings. Troy Hurtubise created the suit, dubbed Trojan, in hopes of protecting Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan and US soldiers in Iraq, and considering that it has withstood knives, bullets, light explosives, clubs, and even a round from an elephant gun, it sounds like quite the winner. Proclaimed to be the "first ballistic, full exoskeleton body suit of armor," Trojan is crafted from high-impact plastic lined with ceramic bullet protection over ballistic foam, and features nearly endless compartments, morphine / salt containers, knife and gun holsters, emergency lights, a built-in recording device, pepper spray, ingestible transponder for those "last resort" scenarios, and there's even a fresh air system powered by solar panels within the helmet. Mr. Hurtubise claims the 18 kilograms (40 pounds) suit is comfortable enough to make road trips in (yes, he tried it), and if any major military would take him up on it, they could reportedly be produced for "around $2,000 apiece." Now that's a bargain, folks.

Avega Systems intros pearly white Oyster WiFi Speakers

While we got a small taste of Avega Systems' master wireless scheme at CES, SciFi has sniffed out a forthcoming set of tower speakers from the company that looks to utilize that WiFi freedom the Aios platform supposedly enables. Requiring just a power source, these pearly white towers feature a trio of full-range drivers, a tweeter for the highs, and an Oyster nametag. Additionally, they can purportedly "accept wireless music streams from your PC or media server, game consoles," or essentially anything capable of stream audio over WiFi. Although there's no word just yet on price, we don't envision these coming cheap, but we'll find out for certain when Avega rolls 'em out in March.

New Xbox 360 due for late '07 to handle IPTV

According to a pre-CES briefing that Windows expert Paul Thurrott received from his Microsoft pals, the big M will be coming out with a new version of the Xbox 360 (Zephyer?) at the end of 2007, which will feature a larger HDD and some new hardware to enable that IPTV functionality Robbie Bach was talking about during the Microsoft CES keynote. It also stands to reason that such a Xbox 360 might be sporting a fancy new HDMI port and perhaps run just a wee bit cooler -- meaning HDCP and less fan noise, natural fits for home theater use. It still seems a bit unreasonable for Microsoft, which has been bragging about its 10 million strong installed base, to leave those early adopters out in the cold, but if that's the way it goes down we can't say we won't welcome the excuse to ditch the fan and disc drive hullabaloo of our current gen box.

Did Apple swipe "Visual Voicemail too"?

We're guessing not, but El Reg has a piece up squarely accusing Apple of another swipe, this time of the term "Visual Voicemail" to describe the iPhone's voicemail UI. Visual Voicemail, which is owned by Citrix and originally developed by Net6, has been around for years and may (or may not) be what's powering Apple and Cingular's solution for the common problem of having to wait through all the voicemail you don't want just to hear the voicemail you do. And "Visual Voicemail" is, in fact, capitalized on Apple's site, meaning if legit usage of the term or licensed software isn't in the cards, Apple could soon find itself in two simultaneous pots of hot water.

ZOMG,Zune runs teh Linux

A tip like "omg its true. mys videl was really workin on teh zune linux." doesn't really inspire confidence -- in the story, or in the future of mankind -- but if this YouTube video is to be believed, it seems as if some foolio named "MysVidel," who can't even manage to get a camera to focus properly, has hacked up his Zune to run Linux. It could very well just be a video playing back on the Zune, meant to fool the casual viewer, but the button presses are well enough timed that we're willing to give this one a fair shake. Don't let us down, MysVidel. As for tipster -- our hope in you is lost already. Like always, check the video after the break.

Seagate booth tour

Seagate like IBM makes a essential component in many of the devices we buy today. Every electronic device sold today has some sort of storage and Seagate hopes that they continue to consist of spinning platters. While they were showing just about every DVR on the market at their booth, our Series3 had a Western Digital drive in it.

Happy B'day

these 2 days off!!!no post as busy celebrating my b'day!so sorry 2 those who are intending 2 look forward 4 my new posts!

Sony announces 3 new Mini DV Handycams

Along with all those new DVD-based Handycams announced this week, Sony's also seen fit to give its line of Mini DV camcorders a bit of a boost, introducing three new models for those who prefer to keep things tape-based. The top-end of the three is the DCR-HC48, packing a 1 megapixel CCD, 25x optical zoom, a 2.7-inch widescreen LCD, and a Memory Stick slot, although you can't record video directly to a card, just still pics. Moving down the lineup, there's not a whole lot separating Sony's DCR-HC38 and DCR-HC28 from each other, each boasting 680k CCDs, 40x optical zooms, and 2.5-inch LCDs, with the HC38 adding a still image mode and USB streaming capability, among other minor upgrades. Look for all three to hit sometime next month, coming in at $400, $330, and $280 for the HC48, 38, and 28, respectively.

AMD introduces DTX open standard to boost SFF adoption

Although vanilla desktop PCs have (generally) been the same size and shape for years, the small form factor world has never really settled down, and while various other protocols have been thrown out there, no one has actually stepped up the task of standardized an SFF chassis until now. AMD has just announced the DTX "open standard," which the firm hopes will "enable broad adoption" of the SFF PC in order to deliver "innovative solutions to market that are smaller, quieter, desktop-friendly," and less taxing on the ecosystem. Reportedly, the DTX standard "will be designed to embrace energy-efficient processors and allow an optimally designed small form factor system to consume less power and generate less noise." Additionally, an open standard that's widely embraced will make the lives of OEMs much easier, and will hopefully give us folks looking for those wee PCs a bit more choice when it comes to picking one up. Notably, it seems that Asus has latched on already, boasting that it will start busting out DTX-compliant motherboards here shortly, likely to be bundled in some fashion with an AMD chip. If all goes as planned, this open standard should actually decrease manufacturing costs across the board over time, and AMD stated that a "review copy of the DTX specifications" should be made available sometime this quarter.

Hands-on with the LG Shine

We knew it was here, so we tracked down LG's new GSM variant of the Shine phone and gave it a quick go-around. Straight up, the Shine is one fine slider. We were surprised to find it lacking the same, touch sensitive controls found on the Chocolate. Instead, the Shine is equipped with a spinning thumb wheel across the midriff which scrolls like butter. The feel is solid, not heavy, and the slider springs with a satisfying pop into place to revel that laser etched keypad. We didn't put it though a rigorous suite of tests by any stretch of the imagination. However, it certainly looks like a winner based upon first impressions.

Series 3 8.1 upgrade at CES

The Series3 has been around for about 3 months now and among other missing features the Series3 didn't ship with some basic features available on other TiVos including "Recently Deleted" and KidZone. The exact reason isn't known, but considering other more important features that are missing; it is reasonable to believe that somewhere along the way the code base split and TiVo has some work to do, to catch up on the Series3. Almost immediately after the Series3 released there was talk of a .1 update and at TiVo's CES booth they were demoing the Series3 with the latest software. We can't wait for this to be released into the wild and many other features to be enabled on the Series3, especially the new features that are only available on the Comcast version.

The Belkin Bluetooth Dock Adapter for iPod

Almost missed this one: Belkin announced a Bluetooth dock adapter for the iPod yesterday. The product's name? Why, it's the, uh, Belkin Bluetooth Dock Adapter for iPod, which more or less consists of an attachment for your iPod that can wirelessly stream audio to a pair of included speakers from up to 30 feet away (they describe it as turning your iPod into a "wireless remote"). Better still, it's compatible with all stereo Bluetooth devices, like A2DP headphones. Retails for $129.99.

Philips unveils DCP lineup of portable DVD and iPod video docks

Philips announced a couple of iPod docks at their press conference yesterday which deserve a bit of attention. The 7-inch DCP750 and 8-inch DCP850 feature swivel screens, DVD player, and dock for the iPod. The player also supports DivX playback on DVD+-R, DVD+-RW, and (S)VCD formats. The kit includes a car adapter to keep the entertainment flowing when not being drive by the 2.5-hour battery. Nice looking rig for a decent price; just $150 or $200.

Bigger & Biggest HDTVs : Sharp's 108 vs Samsung's 102

It's hard to decide. We're seeing so many great HDTVs every day like these two giants -- and some not so giant -- but still, which one of these screens would we rather take home? On the left we've got Samsung's old school 102-inch plasma, on the right Sharp's new 108-inch 1080p Aquos LCD. Some people could be content with a mere 102-inch or even 103-inch screen and prefer plasma to LCD, but with 120Hz motion and other advancements coming off of Sharp's 8th-generation manufacturing line its impossible to say no to the new size king in town. Check out the gallery for a couple more pictures of both.

LG hybrid Blue-ray/HD DVD standalone drive coming soon

Not to be outdone with just a combination set-top Blu-ray/HD DVD player, LG has also announced the GGW-H10N combo standalone drive for computers. The drive -- which presumably incorporates the same Broadcom integrated chipset as the BH100 -- can read both blue-laser formats, but only writes to Blu-ray or standard DVDs and CDs. According to the LG press event from Sunday, the PC drive will support all iHD functionality for HD DVD titles, whereas the set-top box will not due to hardware limitations. The SATA drive is set to be released before the end of January for $1200.

Sprint announces large scale WiMax rollout,start with Chicago and DC

Sprint's been rolling this whole WiMAX idea around for quite some time, but it finally looks like all the pieces are actually coming together. The firm chose CES to announce that Chicago and Washington, D.C. should get that coveted 4G service "by year-end 2007, with a larger rollout encompassing at least 100 million people by year-end 2008." Apparently Sprint's not backing down either, as it's named Nokia, Samsung, Motorola, Intel, and LG as critical partners for making this happen, which ought to be enough corporate manpower to get something launched, eh? Although we're not positive as to when Chi-town and the Capital City will get their WiMAX fix, we've got just over 11 months to find out, and hopefully by then Sprint will be a bit more forthcoming about who those "other 100 million" are.

Microsoft confirms Zune will play games by July 2008

Microsoft's Peter Moore, chief Xbox-exec and avid bicep tattooer, confirmed a plan to add video games to the Zune (Xune?) at CES yesterday. This would bring the Zune up to speed with the iPod's ability to offer games, albeit several months late. Moore said the Zune's large screen would provide a better platform for handheld gaming, gushing, "I love the interface, I love the screen." We know you do, Peter. We know you do. While this isn't quite what we were thinking when pondering a Microsoft-branded handheld gaming system, everyone's gotta start somewhere (we're looking at you, Zune). Of course, Peter Moore -- perhaps prematurely -- told BusinessWeek last year, "It can't just be our version of the iPod ... in addition to playing music and videos, a Microsoft device would include games." And now it will ... err, rather, it will in about eighteen months.

iTV becomes Apple TV

Well now we know that iTV has officially become Apple TV. It's real folks: we got 802.11 b/g AND 802.11n, USB 2.0, Ethernet, WiFi, HDMI, bunch of standard outs, plus a 40GB hard drive -- all powered by an Intel CPU. So resolution is only 720p -- looks like a few folks are gonna be out of luck, but TV manufacturers are sure gonna be happy to sell all those new sets. Not just one, two or three but five computers can connect to the Apple TV box, making a true hub for all your PCs. You can watch content stored on your rig -- movies, TV shows, photos, etc. -- and you can also pull streaming vid directly off sites like...Apple.com! Plus, the box will even grab content from PCs outside of your house -- finally, we can watch all the great swag that our rich can afford. Interested? You'll be able to grab one immediately for $299.

The Apple iPhone runs OS X

Capping literally years of speculation on perhaps the most intensely followed unconfirmed product in Apple's history -- and that's saying a lot -- the iPhone has been announced today. Yeah, we said it: "iPhone," the name the entire free world had all but unanimously christened it from the time it'd been nothing more than a twinkle in Stevie J's eye (comments, Cisco?). Sweet, glorious specs of the 11.6 millimeter device (that's frickin' thin, by the way) include a 3.5-inch wide touchscreen display with multi-touch support and a proximity sensor to turn off the sensor when it's close to your face, 2 megapixel cam, 8 GB of storage, Bluetooth with EDR, WiFi that automatically engages when in range, and quadband GSM radio with EDGE. Perhaps most amazingly, though, it somehow runs OS X with support for Widgets, Google Maps, and Safari, and iTunes (of course) with CoverFlow out of the gate. A partnership with Yahoo will allow all iPhone customers to hook up with free push IMAP email. In a twisted way, this is one rumor mill we're almost sad to see grind to a halt; after all, when is the next time we're going to have an opportunity to run this picture?

N76

Nokia has taken its Nseries line of smartphones in a decidedly more fashionable direction than it's used to going, announcing the 13.7 millimeter thick N76 clamshell this week. Specs aren't quite up to snuff with Nokia's latest and greatest, but hey, they're not bad either: QVGA display, 20MB of internal memory, and 2 megapixel cam, topped with a standard 3.5 millimeter audio jack (which may not be internal to the phone itself, but rather provided via dongle -- we need to investigate this one) and UMTS data for 2100MHz-friendly portions of the globe. As we've seen with other Nokia models, a second variant of the N76 will be made available for us broadband data-hating Americans that simply removes the UMTS support while retaining quadband GSM with EDGE. Look for the N76 to find its way into fashion-conscious hands starting later this quarter for around €390 ($510, give or take).

Dell's sideshow-enabled,Bluetooth sportin' MP3 player

We thought Dell was out of the DAP game for good once they killed off the Ditty, but our agents spied a gadget that may possibly be that SideShow-enabled Dell digital audio player we heard rumors about a few days ago. Nothing official yet, but what you're looking at is a "production-ready concept design" for a DAP that's supposed to pop into a dock on your laptop or desktop where it would double as a SideShow display. The model we spotted sported 1GB of storage, Bluetooth (no word on A2DP), and touch-sensitive controls. No word on when, or even if, this thing might see the light of day, but now we're pretty damned curious. Click on for a couple more pics.

Casio EX-V7 zooms up to 7x without breaking a sweat

It's been a few months since we saw the latest EXILIM, Casio's line of super-tiny shooters. But this is the time of year when nearly every product line is getting updated, and fortunately for us, Casio didn't disappoint. Enter the EX-V7 digicam, a 7.2 megapixel number with a 7x optical zoom (yes, you read that right -- this is a 38mm to 266mm equivalent in a tiny little ultracompact) kept nicely tucked inside the body. Furthermore, the EX-V7 apparently has new software that will lighten up aspects of a darkened photo, which is a feature that not every photographer will want to use -- but surely your non-techie grandmother might appreciate it. We're still waiting on the sticker price and the release date, so just sit tight for now.

Nokia N800 hands-on

We're sure you're bored to tears of this thing by now, what with all the spy shots, unboxing pics and specs we've been running by you. But if you have room in your heart for just a little bit more Nokia N800 love, we've spotted this thing live and in person at Digital Experience, and all the pics are after the break for your perusal. Or you could just head over to CompUSA, but it's your call.

Duracell FM Transmitter,extended battery comba for iPod Video

Already available for the iPod nano, Battery-Biz is rolling out their Duracell PowerFM line to the iPod Video, complete with FM transmitter, extended battery, and bonus protective silicon case. The extended battery more than doubles the iPod's run-time while powering the FM transmitter, with unlimited channel selection. It also replicates the iPod's dock connector, so you can still use all those other accessories without unplugging your 'Pod. No date yet (they're saying end of Q1, early Q2) but expect a retail price of $79.99.

Playstation 3 hacking challenge ends ; winner :no one

It looks like there weren't any hackers l33t enough to meet the "0wn a PS3 and own it" challenge, wherein a modified PlayStation 3 was up for grabs to anyone who could replace a specified JPG image without violating the site rules disallowing your run-of-the-mill DoS attacks, etc. That means the tricked out PS3 featuring a 160GB hard drive, HDMI cable, Fedora Linux pre-installed, and a free game isn't going anywhere, losers! Fortunately for the PS3-less masses, you probably won't have too much trouble picking one up without resorting to beefing up your mad hax0r skill.

Kohjinsha SA1F00A UMPC Hands-on

Nice, we got to spend a few fleeting moments with the Kohjinsha SA1F00A convertible tablet UMPC. It's kind of pushing the boundaries of what a UMPC actually is since, well, as we said it's a convertible tablet, but it's a damned tiny and small one. It's also rather solid-feeling (hey, Japanese engineering at work). Image gallery, hop to it.

S-Xgen Hands-on

Finally, we got to play with the S-XGen, that cellphone handheld that apparently will do pretty much everything but cook us dinner. Translated into specific spec-language, this one runs Windows CE 5.0 with a 520MHz Xscale processor, a 20GB drive, 128MB of SDRAM and shows itself off with a 4.25-inch screen at 470 x 270 pixels. Beyond that, you've got nearly every kind of connectivity known to humankind, with WiFi, tri-band GSM, Bluetooth, Ethernet, USB OTG and that good ol' Infrared (we're not totally sure whether you can sync it with your Newton). Unfortunately, we didn't have time to do a full dance with this device, but we gave it a quick spin and it's light, plasticy, and definitely unique.

Linksys joins the NAS party with its upcoming NAS 200units

Some PC World ads let slip a bit of new gear from Linksys, including the NAS200 Network Storage System, Linksys' first NAS product. About all we know about the box so far is that it's got dual drive bays and looks as boring as all get out, but it should be a welcome addition to the lineup for any Linksys/Cisco fanboys in the house. Linksys is also apparently prepping the CIT400 DECT Skype phone, which doesn't need no stinkin' PC, just like Netgear's SPH101. There's also that WRT600N we spotted in November and the PLE200 PowerLine AVEthernet Adapter, but deets are slim -- we're sure we'll know more soon.

Researchers claim dye key to faster internet

The CBC is reporting that a team of researchers from the Chinese Academy of Science, Washington State University, and the University of Leuven in Belgium have devised a synthesized organic dye molecule that could potentially be used to make the Internet considerably speedier, not to mention more fashionable (on a molecular level, at least) than it is in its current undyed state. Supposedly, the molecule reacts more strongly to light than any others tested -- some fifty percent better, specifically, which could apparently translate to a direct increase in data transmission rates if applied to optical fibers or computer circuits. Of course, this is all strictly confined to the lab for the time being, with no indication given as to when we might actually see the dye coating the sides of the Internet's tubes.

Bio-Sense concocts Bark-sensing alarm system : Doguard

We doubt inmates get the luxury of catching the latest episodes of Prison Break while under lock and key, but we also doubt they'd need a pre-fabbed drama to instill such thoughts in their brain. Bio-Sense Technologies has reportedly harnessed the power of software that "interprets barking" in order to alert humans sooner to when danger is approaching or something has gone awry. In tests performed by the firm, they found that in 350 various dogs, they all possessed a distinctive "alarm bark" that differed from any other yelp, and this distinction allows for an alarm system to be triggered whenever a canine unleashes said sound. Marketed primarily towards prisons and supply yards where intruders may often wander, the "Doguard" security system has been fairly successful since being installed in a high-security Israeli jail, and just a few false alarms have been set off thus far. Further improvements could actually monitor the dog's heart rate to further substantiate a true threat, and while the system can work when Rover's rolling solo, having multiple pups on guard tends to increase effectiveness. While we're not sure if these howling systems will ever make it into American joints, we hope none of you have to personally find out, anyway.

Cingular to Demo Streaming Video Calls

Although the formal "unveiling" won't be until summer of '07, Cingular will demo live video streaming through handsets at CES next week. With a video-capable handset, streams can be started over standard audio calls by just pressing a button on the cell.
"The parents receive an invitation asking if they want to view the live video stream, and once accepted, they begin seeing the video shot by the kids in San Antonio," a Cingular spokesman explained. "The speakerphone turns on and the proud new grandparents in Miami can see a live video of their granddaughter taking her first steps or saying her first words."
3G video has been live in other countries for a while, but if Cingular can pull this off with their HSDPA network here in the States, it'll be huge in convincing the public that it needs next-gen data connectivity. We'll be sure to check it out and report on the quality of the video streams.

Cobra sets to unveil red-light camera

If you've driven overseas or any mildly large city in America, there's a good chance you slipped by (or not) a red-light camera at a busy intersection. If you happened to be in the unlucky bunch that had to endure a stiff fine for trying to squeeze the lemon tomato, you'll certainly be interested in what Cobra's uncoiling next week. The company so widely known for its speed / radar detectors and GPS units is breaking into the stoplight camera detection game, giving haphazard and flustered drivers a second chance that ticketers would rather them not have. The device will reportedly sync with GPS satellites to determine when a red-light camera, "black spot" (highly watched area), or school zone is being approached, and will give an early warning to the person behind the wheel in order to save them a few bucks, and potentially their life. A spokesperson for Cobra insinuated that the unit would cause drivers to take extra precaution when approaching a target zone, which would also cut back on the daring attempts to blaze through intersections when the light is red; folks who profit mightily from the fees, however, aren't as enthused about the forthcoming device. Nevertheless, Cobra should have its red-light warning device on display at next week's CES, and while we're not sure how much it'll cost just yet, we're certain there are those who'd pay anything to avoid yet another ticket

Cobra sets to unveil red-light camera

If you've driven overseas or any mildly large city in America, there's a good chance you slipped by (or not) a red-light camera at a busy intersection. If you happened to be in the unlucky bunch that had to endure a stiff fine for trying to squeeze the lemon tomato, you'll certainly be interested in what Cobra's uncoiling next week. The company so widely known for its speed / radar detectors and GPS units is breaking into the stoplight camera detection game, giving haphazard and flustered drivers a second chance that ticketers would rather them not have. The device will reportedly sync with GPS satellites to determine when a red-light camera, "black spot" (highly watched area), or school zone is being approached, and will give an early warning to the person behind the wheel in order to save them a few bucks, and potentially their life. A spokesperson for Cobra insinuated that the unit would cause drivers to take extra precaution when approaching a target zone, which would also cut back on the daring attempts to blaze through intersections when the light is red; folks who profit mightily from the fees, however, aren't as enthused about the forthcoming device. Nevertheless, Cobra should have its red-light warning device on display at next week's CES, and while we're not sure how much it'll cost just yet, we're certain there are those who'd pay anything to avoid yet another ticket

Garmin 580 GPS : Can get movie times,weather,traffic and gas prices

When we spotted that Garmin Nuvi 680 a few weeks ago, with its MSNDirect data-over-FM service, we didn't think it would be the only one to get bits of useful data from the airwaves. Here's the car focused c580.
It does the head-of-its-class GPS navigation that all Garmins do. But like the 680, it has the ability to download gas prices, movie times, weather, and traffic -- and use that data to route you accordingly. Add a Mcdonalds finder before road trip season, and we'll be up to our neck in McNuggets in no time. Garmin's entry is just in time, to meet the challenge from upstart Dash, with their cellular-data equipped GPS hitting California roads in a month or so.
I'd be happy, but not thrilled to hear about this setup, but screenshots abound. The integration looks tight.

CES 2007 : Olympus Digital Voice Recorders Double as DAPs

Olympus rolls out an improved line of digital voice recorders that double as digital audio players, and we're liking their detachable stereo microphones and 44.1kHz recording capability. Voice menus make them easier to use, too, and their updated software makes downloading music and RSS podcast feeds a cinch.
The DS recorder line will be available this month and consists of three versions, the DS-30 256MB model will be $150, the DS-40 will pack 512MB at $200, and the flagship is the DS-50, storing a gig and retailing at $250.
Olympus digital voice recorders are great for journos and interviewers, and the tiny devices pretty much have a lock on the market. Rightfully so. I've been using the company's excellent DM-1 digital recorder for years, and it's virtually indestructible. But the detachable stereo mic on this DS line, along with its higher-fidelity recording, looks like it'll be enough to convince me to finally retire its trusty ancestor.

LG annouces 20 LCDs for CES 2007

We're beginning to wonder just how much floor space LG has reserved at CES. Beyond its plasmas and other high profile launches, the company has announced a lineup of 20 LCD HDTVs to go on display next week, including nine 1080p models. There are five different lines of products coming, in our opinion headlined by the LY3D series, featuring 47-, 52- and 57-inch 1080p LCDs with TruMotion Drive 120Hz panel technology for clearer moving images and improved wide color gamut, displaying up to 92 percent of the NTSC spectrum. Next is the LB5D series of panels, which at 37-, 42-, 47 and 52-inch sizes bring 1080p resolution, 3 HDMI inputs and USB Media Host capabilities to the table. The next level of panels are the LB4D line, which include TruMotion Drive for 120Hz refresh, and combine that with a third HDMI input and USB Media Host for streaming pics and music.The 47-inch model will be 1080p, but 32-, 37- and 42-inchers should all come in at 720p. LG's LC7 line of LCDs range from 26- to 47-inches and include only the base features of the HDTVs shown, a 5,000:1 contrast ratio, LG Simple Link HDMI control, XD Engine scaling of low res signals and TruWide Viewing Angle tech. Last and, literally, least is the LS7D series measuring at 20- and 23-inches, small widescreen LCDs with integrated ATSC/NTSC/QAM tuners. From the leastest to the mostest, LG says we can expect overall even slimmer flat panels and glossy black finishes to make sure things look good even when the TV is off.