IBLOG SPACE

Sony pulled the wraps off a new notebook computer called the VPCEA290X Signature Edition . The machine has an interesting pattern on the top of the lid and the palm rest that is embossed not simply printed. The machine is available in gold, black and pink colors. CPU options in the machine include a 2.26GHz Core i3-350M, i5-520M, or an i5-540M. Windows 7 Premium or Pro versions are the OS choices. Sony calls that fancy pattern on the lid and palm rest I mentioned Arabesque. You can order the machine with a black or pink keyboard skin for an extra $20. Storage options include a 320GB HDD at 5400 rpm standard and go up to a 500GB 7200rpm drive. You can get up to 8GB of RAM with 4GB standard. The machine ships with Office 2010 Starter edition and Blu-ray is an option. The notebook has a 14-inch screen and uses ATI graphics.

Scythe has announced a new USB foot switch for computers that let you map controls and buttons for your feet to activate. I can see these things being popular with gamers looking to activate more commands at once. The switches are available in single, dual, and triple setups and support Windows. I used to have something similar and it was cool to map controls for shooters to the pedals like jump or activate commands. The triple switch version is 130 x 360 x 37mm, the double is 130 x 201 x 37mm, and the single is 120 x 67 x 34mm. The maker says the switches are good for a million activations. Pricing is unknown at this time.

No great surprise, given it’ll only work with the freshly launched iPhone 4, but iMovie for iPhone has popped up in iTunes [iTunes link]. Priced at $4.99 in the US or £2.99 in the UK, the app allows for on-handset video editing, including clip trimming, themes – of which there are five preloaded – complete with transitions and titles, and the ability to add in background music and photos (along with Ken Burns panning). Once you’ve hashed a clip together – complete with using multitouch gestures to pan through the timeline – you can export in a choice of three sizes and then upload to MobileMe or YouTube. Expect a huge increase in YouTube content as new iPhone 4 owners get to grips with the app and mistakenly assume everybody wants to see a twelve minute montage of their cat while Bonnie Tyler wails appreciatively in the background.

It’s been a long time since Mitsubishi’s LaserVue made an appearance in the real world. Something like 2008, if our checks are right. It could have something to do with that whole halt in production (which was thankfully temporary) which was announced earlier last year. We can happily announce that LaserVue is back on the scene, and this time around, it’s touting 75-inches of 3D, HDTV awesomeness. But, truth be told, it’s a big TV. And no, not just the screen. The 75-inch model (L75-A91) measures in at a staggering 41.7- x 66.4- x 15-inches. It is 3D-ready, and Mitsubishi is throwing in a 3D Starter Pack, which includes a 3D emitter, 3D adapter and a remote, an HDMI cable, and a Blu-ray disc that will showcase all the awesome of Blu-ray, plus the greatness that is 3D in your living room (on a 75-inch HDTV). The L75-A91 can also connect to the Internet thanks to StreamTV, which will get you access to Pandora, Picasa, Flickr, and other services right from your giant screen. It has a wi

Hoping for a white iPhone 4 ? You’ll have to hold out a little longer, sadly. Apple has just announced that, because of unforeseen manufacturing difficulties, the white version of the new smartphone now won’t be available until the second half of July 2010. “White models of Apple’s new iPhone 4 have proven more challenging to manufacture than expected, and as a result they will not be available until the second half of July. The availability of the more popular iPhone 4 black models is not affected.” Apple The difficulties themselves haven’t been specified, but Apple seem to have been overwhelmed with demand for even just the black iPhone 4. Having seen 600,000 presales availability is pushed back until the middle of July 2010 for that model, too.

Verizon, Motorola and Google have officially announced the DROID X , the latest Android smartphone and something of a multimedia powerhouse. Powered by a 1GHz processor, the DROID X has 8GB of ROM, a 4.3-inch 854 x 480 capacitive touchscreen and will come with a 16GB microSD card preloaded for a total of 24GB storage; that’s useful, as the phone also has an 8-megapixel camera with 720p HD video recording. For playing back that content there’s an HDMI output together with DLNA media streaming support. The battery is a 1,570mAh pack, and there’s EVDO Rev.A, WiFi, GPS, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR and USB 2.0. The DROID X runs Android 2.1 though Motorola say an update to 2.2 – complete with Flash 10.1 – will come later in the summer; there’s also a custom UI, Swype and various social networking widgets. There are also three microphones for noise cancellation and a 3G MiFi-style hotspot feature. The Motorola DROID X will land on Verizon on July 15th, priced at $199.99 with a new, two-year agreeme

If you’ve ever stared angrily at your 27-inch iMac and asked what – beyond OS X – it’s ever done for you, then Belkin’s new AV360 Mini DisplayPort Converter may be just the ticket. The converter box is capable of taking in an HDMI input – such as from a games console, set-top box or Blu-ray player – and outputting it in through a Mini DisplayPort connector. That takes advantage of the 27-inch iMac’s Mini DisplayPort input, which basically allows it to work as a standalone display for an external source. The AV360 is powered from a USB connection, supports HDCP and stereo audio. However, while it will accept a 1080p HD input, the AV360 only actually outputs 720p HD to the iMac, which could be a disappointment for some hoping to use the full extent of the 2560 x 1440 display. The Belkin AV360 will go on sale later this month, priced at $149.99.

Talk of a touchscreen iMac refuses to die, and with Steve Jobs constantly praising our fingers as the ideal way to interact with tablets, smartphones and other portable gadgets, it hardly seems surprising that there are persistent rumors that Apple will roll that sort of functionality further up their food chain. LOOPRumors claims to have heard that a special Apple event is on the cards, where the company will launch a new hybrid iMac with both regular OS X and iOS touch capabilities. The exact details of the new iMac are unclear, but it’s suggested that Apple plan to offer both a regular OS X environment for normal work and a touch-controlled iOS environment in the same hardware. That would allow developers to more readily create iOS apps, for the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, but also open up the iMac into a more casual system for family use. The source reckons the Apple event will be held within the next sixty days.

Nokia has apparently confirmed that the N8 will be the last NSeries device from the Finnish company to run Symbian, with all future NSeries handsets switching to the MeeGo platform they’re working on in collaboration with Intel. The news comes from Nokia Australia, who told CNet Australia that Symbian^3 and its successor, Symbian^4, will be used primarily on the XSeries and ESeries of handsets. Meanwhile the Nokia CSeries, which makes up the company’s budget range, will languish with Series 40. The Nokia N9 is tipped as the first MeeGo handset, though there’s no new information on what, exactly, that smartphone will deliver. Previous rumors have suggested a version of the N8 with a slide-out hardware QWERTY keyboard.

Intel has been selling its SSDs to a bunch of different OEMs for a while now. The Intel X25-M and X25-V SSD s are among some of the more affordable SSDs on today’s market. Those looking to upgrade their notebook to a SSD can now buy the Intel SSDs at Best Buy. Best Buy is offering the X25-V and X25-M SSDs in 800 of its store locations around the country. The SSD prices will vary depending on the capacity chosen from $129.99 to $229.99. The X25-M SSD has 80GB of storage space and the X25-V offers 40GB of storage. The higher capacity mainstream SSD will sell for $229.99 and the value SSD at 40GB will be $129.99.

It can be confusing when you are shopping for a new SD card. It doesn’t matter if you are looking at a standard SD card, a high-capacity SDHC card or a new SDXC card packed with huge amounts of storage, all three look exactly the same on the outside. The SD Association has announced that it is offering a couple new symbols for SDXC and SDHC cards to make choosing the right card easier for consumers. The new symbols include a new Ultra High Speed (UHS) that will be on SDXC and SDHC cards only. The UHS-I symbol marks cards with the fastest bus speeds available with data transfer at up to 104MB/s. The other new symbol is the UHS Speed Class on SDXC UHS-I and SDHC UHS-I products. The speed class one symbol designates that the cards are able to support speeds needed for real-time video recording. The speed class symbols for non-UHS memory cards will continue to be noted as Class 2, Class 4 and so on.

Every time we look around there are one or two new iPhone and iPod docks being tossed onto the market. Some folks want a big dock with lots of power and features and others want a compact dock that takes up little space. The folks liking compact docks may be interested in the new Altec Lansing Octiv Mini Multifunction Audio Dock . The little dock works with both the iPhone and most dockable iPod models. The thing has an associated app called the Alarm Rock app that is on the iPod and iPhone that lets the dock be used as a fully featured alarm clock. With the app, the iPhone or iPod touch displays the time along with a big snooze button and you can wake to your music. The dock has a cool angled design and uses one 3-inch full range-driver. The cabinet measures 4.5″ W x 4″ D x 3.8″ H. Like most docks, the Octiv Mini charges your docked device while you listen. Orders are being taken now for the dock at $59.95 with free shipping directly from Altec Lansing.

The SSD is certainly reaching the tipping point with more and more offerings landing on the market every day. The more SSDs that consumers have to choose from, the more competition will push prices down and storage capacities up. Mushkin has announced a new Callisto Deluxe SSD series that promises 50,000 IOPS thanks to improvements in the SSD hardware. The SSD is controlled by a SandForce SD-1200 controller. The SSD promises a read speed of up to 285MB/s and write speeds at up to 275MB/s. The new line of drives will be offered in 60GB, 120GB, and 240GB and all three capacities are available right now. The 240Gb version is $666.49, the 120GB sells for $369.99, and the 60GB version is $218.49.

Just about everyone who ventures to the lake, pool, or beach during the summer wants to take some tunes with them. If you use an iPod or an iPhone for your tunes that means you will need some sort of speaker dock that can run on batteries to enjoy your tunes. iHome has announced a new speaker dock for dockable iPods and the iPhone that is perfect for those summer days by the water called the iP46. The iP46 is a speaker system that uses SRS TruBass circuits and has four speakers inside a Reason8 chamber for audio quality. Power on the go is provided by an internal rechargeable lithium-ion battery. iHome is mum on exactly how long that battery will last. When near an outlet the iP46 can run from 100 to 240V AC power. A line in jack lets you connect other sources for playback as well. The dock measures 13″ W x 3.6″ H x 1.9″ D and charges the iPhone or iPad while it plays. You can pick one up now for $99.99.

The only reason I don’t have a HTPC in my living room is that I lack the space to put it into my entertainment center. That is no longer an excuse for me with new and very thin machines like the Shuttle X350 Slim PC hitting the market. The new X350 is only 1.5-inches thick and is about a one-third the size of Shuttle’s previous generation Slim PC. The new X350 is so thin that it can be connected to the rear of a PC monitor or a TV. That means that it would add no extra bulk or gear in your entertainment system or on your desk when installed. Inside the machine is an Atom D510 CPU and next-generation NVIDIA Ion graphics. 1080p output is optional and Shuttle will start taking orders for the machine this week.

Toshiba still hasn’t confirmed exactly when in July its dual-touchscreen Libretto W100 will go on sale, nor at what price, but at least one Japanese retailer is already offering the compact clamshell for 124,800 yen ($1,379). This particular model packs integrated WiMAX, which will likely have edged the price up, though the retailer is saying it may not come into stock until August 2010. Previously we’ve heard talk of a roughly $1,000 price tag for the W100 in the US, or £800 to £1,000 in the UK. That makes it around twice the price of the iPad, though we suppose you are getting twice the number of displays, but of course the Libretto runs the full Windows 7 OS rather than the cut-down iOS of the Apple slate. Still, this is definitely one for the early-adopters only, and we’re more interested in seeing what Toshiba do with their feedback and how it might shape the next-gen model they’re talking about. For more on the Libretto W100, check out our hands-on report from earlier in the

HP has added a new model to its netbook range, the HP Mini 100e Education Edition , and as the name suggests it’s targeted at schools rather than mainstream consumers. Based around an Intel Atom N455 CPU and 1GB of RAM, the Mini 100e is clad in a distinctive toughened casing with integrated carry-handle, reinforced hinges and a spill-proof keyboard. The deck around that keyboard – together with the base and lid – can be customized with a school’s logo. Connectivity includes WiFi and a dial-up modem, audio in/out, a memory card reader, USB 2.0 and VGA; there’s also a VGA-resolution webcam and a choice of 3- or 6-cell batteries. Like on other HP education-centric netbooks we’ve seen, there’s an LED on the outer lid which shows when the network connection is being used: handy for teachers to spot which kids aren’t paying attention and are instead surfing Facebook, but easily silenced with a patch of duct tape. The HP Mini 100e Education Edition will go on sale in July and be priced acc

Gateway’s netbook range has come in for a refresh, with the 10.1-inch LT Series getting a design refresh along with Intel’s Atom N450 CPU. Priced from $329.99, the Gateway LT23 Series has a 1024 x 600 display, 1GB of RAM and a 6-cell battery good for up to 8hrs of runtime. There’s also the usual 250GB HDD, trio of USB 2.0 ports, ethernet, VGA and a memory card reader, along with WiFi b/g/n. Gateway have added in a “social network” button which basically sounds like programmable shortcuts to call up Facebook, YouTube and other sites you may be checking regularly. So, nothing outlandish or stand-out, but a solid range with a reasonable price tag. The Gateway LT23 netbook series is available now in champagne, pearl or black.

Gateway has outed their latest notebook, the Gateway ID Series, packing Intel Core i3 and i5 processors and NVIDIA Optimus switchable graphics on select models. The Gateway ID49 has a 14-inch HD 1366 x 768 display while the Gateway ID59 has a 15.6-inch HD display; both get an aluminum alloy lid and an aqua-blue multitouch touchpad that resembles matte glass when not lit and then glows when touched. Connectivity includes WiFi b/g/n and HDMI, and there’s up to 500GB of storage and up to 8GB of DDR4 memory. Meanwhile Gateway thrown an NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M GPU into select ID49 models, automatically switching between that and the regular Intel HD graphics. There are also programmable keys – which can be used to call up social networking sites – and a 1.3-megapixel webcam with twin digital microphones, plus a multi-format memory card reader. The Gateway ID49 kicks off from $679.99 while the Gateway ID59 starts from $799.99.

When someone says Vizio, more than likely the first reaction is to start asking about HDTVs. Today, Vizio has announced that they’re going to release a wireless router with WiFi /n capabilities, which will feature (at least to our eyes) the same aesthetic approach as their HDTVs. The router is all set to feature the faster wireless standard, but it also shoves a few other features in there that make us question what we’ll spend our next $100 on. The Vizio XWR100 has the same dual-band WiFi n functions that you’d expect. However, it also has the ability to prioritize its network traffic, based on time-sensitive audio and video streaming, and according to your usage at the time. On the back, you’ll find our 100Mbps network ports for those local networks we’re sure you’ll be utilizing, plus a USB port that will allow you to connect network-attached storage devices. While there’s no direct time line here, Vizo claims that the new wireless router will be all set for shipments some time in

It’s been just over a year since Google Voice launched. Back then, it was just a preview (or, Beta, if you prefer), in which you’d actually need to get an invite to participate in the service. You’d get one phone number that could ring all of your other devices, or just one device in particular, based on your preferences. You also got free voice calls, and text messages, to the US and Canada, low-priced international calling, and voicemail that “works like email.” Basically, a bunch of goodies. And now, today, Google has officially pulled the “preview” off their Google Voice service, and opened it for everyone else. Google is saying that there’s over one million users utilizing Google Voice right now, already. And considering the fact that Voice is far more widely adopted, used, and cherished than other services like, say, Google Wave, we can assume that that one million users is about to jump up significantly. All you need to do is head on over to Google Voice’s website, and sign up.

Considering all the hub-bub that the Amazon Kindle, and Barnes and Noble nook (both versions) received yesterday, we were shocked that some of the other eReaders out there didn’t follow suit. Apparently it took a day for the news to hit the competition, because today sees the announcement from Borders that, for the same price as the “nook Lite,” you can pick up the Kobo variation, plus a little gift. Just in case you didn’t hear, the B&N nook just dropped in price, to $199. The reason for that change? Well, the bookseller managed to wrangle up a WiFi-only model, which is only $149.99. And then, sure enough, Amazondropped the price of the Kindle to $189.99, still with its free 3G and WiFi connectivity. So where does the Kobo eReader stand amongst the pack? $149.99 gets you the Borders-backed eReader, but now Borders is including a $20 Borders gift card with the purchase of a new device. Is that a good enough deal to make it stand out? $20 might not go all that far in the digital bo

Tablet manufacturer Motion Computing has outed their latest model, and while the Motion J3500 rugged slate may not appeal to the same audience as the iPad (nor come in at quite the same price) that’s not to say it’s not an appealing machine in its own right. Packing a 12.1-inch WXGA touchscreen – with various types of touch support on offer – and a choice of Intel Core i5 and i7 processors, the J3500 meets military specifications for bumps, drops and other rough treatment. Up to a 160GB HDD or 128GB SSD are on offer, together with integrated Gobi 2000 WWAN, and there’s a 3-megapixel camera too. As for the display, there are multiple options including indoor/outdoor versions and GorillaGlass toughened versions; all support both active digitizer and capacitive multitouch control. GottaBeMobile spent a few days with the Motion J3500 and shot the following video demo of it in action. It’s fair to say it’s a niche device – it’s also pretty heavy, too, thanks to all that ruggedization –

Sonos has spilt the beans on its upcoming Sonos Controller for iPad app , set for release in August 2010. The new app, specially designed to take advantage of the iPad’s 9.7-inch display, will turn the tablet into a touchscreen controller for the multi-room audio system, allowing users to control playback in each of their zones – either individually or linked together in party mode. As well as local sources, Sonos Controller for iPad will also support internet radio as well as various online streaming media services such as Pandora, Last.fm and Napster. Volume levels for all zones can be controlled from a single slider, or managed individually. Sonos Controller for iPad will be a free download from August 2010.

Is this the T-Mobile USA branded Samsung Vibrant , the carrier’s rebadged version of the Samsung Galaxy S? According to CellPhone Signal it is, and judging by the shots T-Mobile has demanded a few tweaks for their version of the Super AMOLED Android 2.1 smartphone. Gone is the hardware “home” button, with the space now taken up with the usual menu, home, back and search keys we’ve seen on other Android devices. Meanwhile, contrary to rumors, it seems T-Mobile won’t be getting a version of the Galaxy S with a flash added. In fact, beyond the button change things look – physically, at least – unchanged from the European Galaxy S we unboxed last week. According to the latest rumors, the carrier expects to launch the Samsung Vibrant on July 21st; of course, AT&T has also announced their own version, more heavily reworked, in the shape of theSamsung Captivate.

Samsung’s brilliant Super AMOLED displays are on their way to becoming more broadly available for rival manufacturers to use, with the company announcing they are planning a 5.5 generation plant scheduled to open in July 2011. The new facility will boost Samsung’s potential output to a healthy 70,000 13 x 15 cm sheets per month, which works out to roughly 30 million 3-inch mobile device displays. In actual fact, Samsung are aiming for the far more useful 4-inch size panels such as found on the Galaxy S, though there’s also talk of the other extreme – HDTV-scale displays – measuring in at the 42-inch mark. The company’s Super AMOLED technology boasts improved outdoor visibility together with reduced power consumption and crisper graphics than regular AMOLED, but so far such displays have been limited to Samsung’s own product lines thanks to limited manufacturing capacity.

Acer has refreshed its TimelineX series of thin-and-light notebooks, with the new range packing Intel Core i3 or i5 processors and starting from $599.99 in stores today. Four sizes are on offer, from the 11.6-inch Aspire Timeline 1830T, through the 13.3-inch 3820T and 14-inch 4820T, and finishing up with the 15.6-inch 5820T. The Aspire 5820T and the Aspire 4820T notebooks have 4GB of memory, up to 500GB of HDD space and an integrated optical drive, and start from $749.99. The Aspire 4820TG has ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5650 graphics, which can be manually toggled with the regular integrated graphics; it’s $799.99 with a Core i3 processor, 4GB of DDR3 memory and a 320GB hard drive, or $899.99 with a Core i5 processor, 4GB of memory and a 500GB drive. Meanwhile the Aspire 3820T gets a 13.3-inch CineCrystal LED backlit display, 4GB of DDR3 memory and a 320GB or 500GB hard drive. It starts at $729.99. Finally the 11.6-inch Aspire 1830T weighs 3.09 pounds but still has a 100-percent full-s

Acer has unveiled its latest multimedia behemoth, the Acer Aspire AS8943G Series , a range of 18.4-inch Full HD aluminum-clad monsters each packing Intel Core i7 quadcore CPUs and Dolby Home Theatre support. There’s also ATI Mobility Radeon HD5850 1GB graphics and a nifty trackpad that doubles – thanks to some backlit icons – as a media controller. Connectivity includes HDMI, eSATA, WiFi b/g/n, gigabit ethernet and Bluetooth, together with a 1.3-megapixel webcam, fingerprint reader and a 500GB hard-drive. Standard RAM is either 4GB or 8GB, but the AS8943G Series will support up to 16GB if you’re feeling flush. Of course there’s Blu ray along with a five speaker and sub setup all integrated into the notebook itself. Pricing kicks off from $1,549.99 with the Acer Aspire AS8943G Series

Acer has announced two new sets of mainstream notebooks, with the Acer Aspire AS5745 and AS7745 offering up to Core i7 CPUs, discrete graphics and optional multitouch displays, while the new regular Aspire notebooks kick off from $429.99 and have a choice of Intel or AMD chips and integrated or discrete graphics. The AS5745 has a 15.6-inch display, Core i3/i5/i7 CPUs and NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M GPU, while the AS7745 gets a 17.3-inch display, Core i7 CPU and ATI Radeon HD 5650 GPU, Blu-ray and room for a second HDD. Up to 16GB of RAM is supported, and the AS7745 can have up to 1TB of onboard storage. The Acer Aspire AS5745PG gets a multitouch display, discrete graphics and a Core i5-450M CPU from $899.99; the AS5745G starts at $1,049 with a Core i7-720QM CPU instead. $1,399 gets you the larger AS7745G, with the Core i7-720QM, 8GB of RAM, ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5650 GPU and Blu-ray. As for the value line, there are 15.6-inch or 17.3-inch models with a choice of ATI Mobility Radeon HD

Motorola has announced an interesting new wireless access point that is designed to be very small and unobtrusive in a room. The device is called the AP6511 802.11n WallPlate access point. The device is designed to extend WiFi access to multi-room facilities like hotels, hospitals, and offices. Motorola claims that each access point can be installed in minutes without cost and time issues associated with other types of access point installations. The device is about the size of a deck of cards according to Motorola. The device uses in wall CAT 5 or 6 cabling and then turns that wall ran Ethernet cable network into a wireless network for the room. Up to 25 wall plates can be deployed without an external controller. The devices can also be managed by an external Motorola RFS wireless controller for larger installations. The WallPlate adapter will ship in Q4 2010 at undisclosed pricing.

Andy Roddick pointed to three "horrendous" sets as the reason for his shock capitulation against Taiwan's Yen-Hsun Lu. Lu caused the biggest upset at this year's tournament by defeating the three-time finalist 4-6 7-6 (7/3) 7-6 (7/4) 6-7 (5/7) 9-7 in the fourth round. Despite winning the opening set, Roddick was out of sorts as he slumped to back-to-back tie-break losses to hand the world number 82 the initiative. "Through three sets I was playing horrendously. Really, really badly, to the point where I was thinking how to put balls on the court," said the fifth seed. "I think the fifth set was the best I played in terms of hitting the ball. But when you dig yourself a hole it's tough to get out when you've given someone confidence and when they have their feet under them a little bit more." The American was asked whether he was stunned by the outcome. "I don't think stunned is the right word," Roddick said. "I don't

Liow Yi Yang rates the players in Japan's heartbreaking penalty shootout defeat to Paraguay. Paraguay Justo Villar - 7 Villar was alert throughout the match to smother the sporadic Japanese efforts. Antolín Alcaraz - 7 Another dependable performance at the back from BPL bound Alcaraz. He has had an impressive tournament so far. Paulo Da Silva - 6 Found Honda more than a handful today. Claudio Morel Rodríguez - 6.5 Looked nervy towards the end but overall, had a decent game. Carlos Bonet - 7 Offered good support to his forwards coming from deep and was sound in defence. Cristian Riveros - 7.5 Good shift from the midfielder whose distribution was first rate. Néstor Ortigoza - 7 The burly midfielder was a competitive figure, he contributed in the tackling department and also got forward to support his forwards. Edgar Benítez - 6 Showed glimpses of skill but was largely peripheral. Enrique Vera - 6 Another industrious performance from Vera but struggled to create chances. Lucas Barrios

Paraguay progressed through to the quarter-finals of the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ after beating Japan in a penalty shoot-out. With neither side able to make the breakthrough during 120 minutes of precious few goalscoring chances or notable incidents, it needed the first shoot-out of the 2010 World Cup to separate the two nations. And it was Paraguay who emerged victorious after Japan defender Yuichi Komano, looking to make it 3-3, slammed his effort against the crossbar. That proved to be the crucial miss as Paraguay scored all five of their efforts, with Oscar Cardozo casually slotting home the winning spot-kick to send his team wild. Paraguay will now meet the winners of tonight's match between Spain and Portugal for a place in the semi-finals, while the Blue Samurai head home after seeing their own dreams of a maiden World Cup quarter-final ended. There was little to separate the sides during an evenly-fought first half that produced only a couple of moments to excite the fans at Lo

Real Madrid are set to test Liverpool's resolve by tabling a £20 million bid for Steven Gerrard, according to The Times. The England captain has been in the mix of intense rumours linking him to a move to the Bernabeu after the Anfield club finished a disappointing seventh place in the Barclays Premier League. Liverpool's bid to keep their captain took a further blow after Champions League winning manager Rafael Benitez left the club on mutual consent and his departure has reportedly made Gerrard unsettled at the Merseyside club. It is no secret that Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho is a huge fan of the 30-year-old, after attempting to sign Gerrard when he was in charge of Chelsea. After wrapping up the signing of Argentina winger Angel Di Maria, The Special One is understood to have requested president Floretino Perez to add Gerrard to his squad.

The man behind the Hawk-Eye system claims he would install goal-line technology in every Premier League ground free of charge. Paul Hawkins, managing director of Hawk-Eye Innovations, said the spin-off from sponsorship would more than cover the cost of installing and running the system. Hawkins also gave a cautious welcome to FIFA president Sepp Blatter's announcement that the issue of goal-line technology would be revisited next month - just four months after FIFA had kicked it into touch. The cost of installation would be between £125,000 and £250,000 per ground but Hawkins told Press Association Sport: "We would install it free of charge in every Premier League ground if we could have the rights to sell the sponsorship. "That just highlights that it is commercially viable and that the cost would not be an issue. "For example in tennis Rolex, pays to the All England Club a lot more than the All England Club pay to us!" Blatter has suggested that Hawk-Eye may n

Paul Merson has told Aston Villa they will throw away their hopes of a Champions League spot if they sell James Milner this summer. Milner will look to sort out his future now he has returned from the World Cup and is due to have talks with Villa over a new contract. But Villa have already received a £20million bid from big spending Manchester City for Milner, which they rejected. Former England and Villa midfielder Merson believes offloading Milner would send out a negative message to other star players, such as Ashley Young. Merson told the Wolverhampton Express and Star: "Looking at it from a business point of view it's a good deal but, for the fans who turn up every week, it's not good business. "If Villa sell Milner I think they can write the top four off. "It would be a miracle to get in the top four the season after you sell one of your best players. "Villa are three or four players away from getting in the top four, but if you sell Milner and get a c

FIFA president Sepp Blatter may be open to the idea of goal-line technology after the FIFA World Cup™ finals. Frank Lampard's disallowed goal during England's 4-1 defeat to Germany in Sunday's World Cup second-round encounter in Bloemfontein, when the ball clearly crossed the line, has led to renewed calls for the introduction of video replays. FIFA, who blocked any further experiments with technology at a meeting of the International FA Board in March, faced a barrage of questions on the subject at a media briefing in Johannesburg yesterday. Sunday night's match between Argentina and Mexico had also thrown up a controversial incident, with Carlos Tevez scoring the opening goal from a blatantly offside position. Asked about the use of technology last night, president Sepp Blatter told Sky Sports News: "Tomorrow I will have a press conference. "We are in a World Cup. We have a principle and we cannot change the principle in the World Cup." That could be in

The Dutch and the Samba Kings get set to face off in Port Elizabeth, but who will take their place in the last four? Based on the history of the two teams, the quarter-final match up between the Netherlands and Brazil should be a display of end-to-end attacking football, with plenty of flair and some rather suspect defending. However, both sides have come into this World Cup with a more compact and defensive style, with the two teams conceding only 2 goals apiece so far. Despite this the quality present in both sides, and the high scoring history of the two teams suggests the showdown in Port Elizabeth will be a thrilling encounter. World Cup so far Brazil Many in the Brazilian press wrote off their team even before their arrival in South Africa, a feeling that seemed justified after a somewhat unconvincing 2-1 win against minnows North Korea in their first group game. However, the next group match saw the Ivory Coast dismantled 3-1 by Dunga's counter-attacking style of play, and a