IBLOG SPACE

Toshiba has announced [PDF link] a new hard-drive technology, WIPE, that can automatically delete sensitive data on loss of power or should the HDD be removed. Intended for Toshiba self-encrypting drives predominantly used in copier and printer systems, WIPE works by automatically erasing the SED’s internal encryption key. That basically means that, while the data is still present, the encryption can’t be unlocked for third-party access. While leased office appliances seem to be Toshiba’s primary target, it’s not to

We’ve seen Power-over-Ethernet used to allow network CCTV cameras and IP phones cut the AC cord, but a full PC is somewhat rarer. SkinnyBytes new touchscreen Windows 7 all-in-ones can run on less than the 30W of power PoE 802.3at supplies, thanks to Intel’s Atom CPU range and passive cooling. Despite the frugality, the machines are still reasonably specified for nettop-style AIOs. Both 15.6-inch and 18.5-inch desktops are available, each with Atom D510 dual-core CPUs, 2GB of RAM, a 40GB SSD (80GB optional) and GMA 3150 graphics. Connectivity includes four USB 2.0, a VGA output, multiformat memory card reader, audio in/out and gigabit ethernet. No WiFi, but since you’ll need a wired ethernet connection for power that’s probably no great loss. The 15.6-inch SkinnyBytes AIO kicks off at $899, while the 18.5-inch SkinnyBytes AIO starts at $999. The company also offers PoE touchscreen laptops, which charge via the ethernet connection rather than an AC adapter.

It’s taken a while, but Verizon has finally officially announced the Motorola DROID 2. Set to go on presale from August 11th, the DROID 2 has a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, Android 2.2 and a 3.7-inch display, together with Flash 10.1 support, 3G mobile hotspot functionality and a 5-megapixel camera. In the box there’s an 8GB microSD card, which adds to the DROID 2′s own 8GB of internal storage (up to 32GB cards are supported). According to the carrier, the DROID 2 has a better keyboard than its well-esteemed predecessor, together with a faster processor. Motorola preload the Swype keyboard and the smartphone has DLNA streaming too. The Verizon DROID 2 will be priced at $199.99 after a $100 mail-in rebate and presuming a new, two-year agreement.

Asus has pulled the wraps off some new notebooks aimed at business users called the B series. The series includes the B53J, B53F, B43J, and B43F notebooks . All of the machines in the line get the cool Boston-Power Sonata batteries that are guaranteed to charge to at least 80% capacity for three years. The 53J is a 15.6-inch machine with ATI Radeon 5470 GPU, Core i5-520M or i7-620M CPU, 2GB of RAM, and a 320GB 7200 rpm HDD. The 53F has a Core i5-520M CPU, 15.6-inch screen, Intel GMA HD graphics, 2GB of RAM, and a 320GB 5400rpm HDD. The B43J machine has all the same features as the 53J with the exception of a 14.1-inch screen. The 43F is just like the 53F again with the substitution of a 14.1-inch screen. The machines also all have a matte finish screen, which means less glare.

Some of the best concept designs out there come in the small form of a cell phone. There’s a lot of place to use a designer’s ingenuity in there, especially considering you have a lot of people you have to make happy with just one design. But, that’s where things like the Flex Display Phone concept come in, we imagine. It’s designed to give you everything you need, all while still retaining that small form factor. While it may be confusing at first to look at, once you realize that the device would be utilizing flexible display technology, then it all starts to make sense. And, as you can see from the images, the design isn’t meant to work around a physical keyboard, but focuses more on the touchscreen outlook on things. Right there, though, might make more people not want the device, rather than want it. Flipping open the outer shell, you will be able to use the flexible display to “slide” it upward, so that instead of having a 3-inch display, you now have a 5-inch one. Great for whe

In today’s tablet market, the main competitor to the current kind of the hill, seems to be centered around the Android mobile Operating System. But, Pioneer Computers managed to go against the grain, and have unveiled their new DreamBook ePad tablet, which is set to launch in the Australian region later this year. Boasting plenty of features, we’re left wondering if the DreamBook will ever make it to our neck of the woods. First and foremost, the screen. The DreamBook ePad from Pioneer Computers has an 11.6-inch touchscreen display, with a 1.66GHz Atom CPU tucked away inside. You can get either integrated graphics preinstalled, or opt for a 512MB NVIDIA Ion 2 chipset. You can also get up to 2GB of RAM. It has a 3-axis G-sensor. As for the really important part, it will ship with Microsoft’s Windows 7 on board. GPS is optional, oddly enough, but there is a 1.3MP camera on the back of the device. WiFi and Bluetooth 2.1 connectivity are standard, and you can choose to add 3G if you want,

Notion Ink continues to be one of the most searched for companies on SlashGear, an impressive record for a start-up firm taking on the might of Apple. Closely followed since their CES 2010 debut with the Adam tablet, aside from a few morsels of news in the intervening months the company has dropped back into a stealth mode of sorts. Now, in the first of an exclusive two-part feature, SlashGear can flesh out the Notion Ink story so far, including investor nightmares, multiple ODMs and an Android app-drawer’s worth of custom Adam applications. First, a refresher. Notion Ink first made headlines midway through December 2009 as the first tablet to be announced using Pixel Qi‘s innovative transflective display, but it was CES 2010 the following month where they really made a splash with their prototype. Packing NVIDIA’s second-gen Tegra 250 HD-capable chipset, the Android OS and Flash compatibility, the promise was not only internet browsing and multimedia but content partnerships that wou

There are plenty of options for folks who want a computer now-a-days. You can have the traditional monitor and tower, or if you’re short on space, you can cram it all into one, and get yourself an aptly named “all-in-one” system. For example, you can get your hands on the MSI Wind Top AE2280 right now, if you are so inclined. And while it may look like a standard AiO solution for your home or office, it’s hiding something underneath the hood that may just sway your fence-sitting decision. The MSI Wind Top AE2280 is the first PC that’s going to fully integrate the full-featured Hollywood-standard THX TruStudio Pro audio system. That means you’ll get advanced surround sound quality audio, while getting theater-like experiences. At least in the audio department. As for other features, those are listed below. You can choose from an Intel Core i3 or i5 processor, both of which will come with the company’s Turbo Boost technology, making sure you get more juice when you need it. MSI’s Wind T

As an analyst, I’m frequently asked for advice on buying different phones. I’m happy to give it, but when I “review” phones I am typically looking at it from more of a strategic angle. In other words, I’m trying to determine “how does this help/hurt the vendor/carrier,” not “is this a good phone, per se.” You’d be surprised at how many terrible phones sell well, and how many fine phones falter. It’s my job to help vendors and carriers navigate these dynamics. With that in mind, here’s my mid-year update on Android and the challenges vendors face when licensing it. Handset vendors choosing an operating system have the same choice as you do when you’re deciding whether to cook dinner or order take-out: build vs. buy. Building an OS from scratch not only requires technical expertise to compete with the best offerings on the market, but also the ability to galvanize developers to support the platform. Understandably, most manufacturers choose to source their OS from someone else. Android

While Google may be working with Verizon to make sure that the Internet remains open, that’s not stopping them from getting entangled in a terrifying story involving Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and invading people’s privacy. But, considering it involves Google Maps, Street View, and crazy little gadgets flying around photographing updated images of all things public, why wouldn’t it freak people out? No fear though, as Google has responded, and said they aren’t using spy drones to take pictures. News recently broke that Google was working with a German manufacturer, one Microdones, to supply UAVs to the search engine juggernaut, to help the company augment their Maps and Street View applications with more precise images. Due to the fact that Micrdrones has supplied UAVs to the British police and Special Forces, the fact that the company reportedly claimed they had sold some UAVs to Google got everyone up in arms. According to the publication Wirtschafts Woche , Microdrones’ CEO Sv

Last week, reports started coming down the pipe that Verizon and Google have begun to work against Google’s policy of “do no evil,” and were finding ways to make sure that companies out there got more screen-time with Internet surfers, by paying more for their troubles. Of course, that’s not really an “open Internet,” so after denying the whole thing, Google and Verizon have come forward today to clear the air, and outline what it is they actually are working on. Here’s a quick spoiler: it’s an open Internet — for your home computer. The push for ‘net neutrality has been a long and arduous ones, even for giants like Verizon and Google. It all started back in October, at least for the public’s eye, when the two corporations did their best to work with the FCC to make net neutrality the focus of the Internet. To make sure that it didn’t get destroyed. Well, the courts think that the FCC can’t dictate that, and so they ruled against the FCC. Subsequently, several telecommunications compan

As far as we can tell, the look and feel of the standard street bike is going to change drastically between now, and five years from now. With each and every concept we see make its way to the public eye, they get more extravagant, and feature-enabled. This time around, the Ostoure street bike, which takes quite a few aesthetic approaches from sources like Persepolis, along with plenty of one-eyed robotic fictional characters out there. Aircraft elements make a play for exposure here, too, with those handlebars looking more like jet fighter controls than anything else. But, most importantly, that Heads-Up Display. The HUD is actually integrated with the helmet, which will give you an in-depth read-out of what’s going on with your bike. You’ll get real-time access to your fuel level, speed, as well as RPMs. The screen is right on the visor of the helmet, but shouldn’t be so obtrusive that you’ll get distracted from watching the road. The helmet also features speakers, which we hope mean

When it comes to the automotive industry, there’s plenty of big names to play around with, as you think about what kind of features you want to have installed. It gets better when two huge companies, linked to the automotive industry, team up to bring you the coolest in new features, already tucked away inside. So what happens when you get one of the biggest names in-vehicle infotainment (Harman), and one of the largest names in integrated silicon solutions (Marvell)? You get integrated WiFi, of course. Marvell and Harman have just announced that the two companies will be working hard on bringing integrated WiFi services into the vehicle. Utilizing Marvell’s Mobile Hotspot (MMH) technology, the two companies are going to offer automakers the ability to integrate WiFi, making it possible for the vehicles to natively become your mobile workshop, or whatever else you need it to be. The first car to get the WiFi treatment, will be the 2010 Audi A8, which is currently available overseas.

Details of Verizon’s roadmap covering not only the rest of 2010 but partial details of 2011 and even 2012 have leaked, tipping a 1.3GHz Motorola Android phone, various tablets and LTE handsets and MiFi mobile hotspots. However, the information – provided to BGR by a source at Verizon Wireless – makes no mention of a CDMA iPhone 4. Instead, the de-facto flagship is the Motorola DROID Pro, a 4-inch Android smartphone with 1.3GHz processor and global wireless, apparently due to arrive in November this year. Meanwhile there’ll also be another Motorola Android 2.2 device , currently unnamed but described as following the “slab form-factor”, which looks similar to a Motorola Q but with a touchscreen and global roaming. Motorola’s tablet ambitions are also mentioned, pushed back to February 2011 to accommodate Android 3.0, with a 10-inch display, either a 1GHz or 1.3GHz CPU and a front-facing camera. Samsung also have a tablet in the works, with a 7-inch display, likely to be the Samsung G

Sony Style’s teaser page has hatched into the launch of the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10, with the Android smartphone set to hit AT&T’s airwaves from Sunday, August 15th. Priced at $129.99 with a new, two-year AT&T plan, though not currently available to order online, the smartphone runs Android 1.6 with a 4-inch WVGA touchscreen, Qualcomm Snapdragon processor and an 8.1-megapixel camera with LED flash. We reviewed the XPERIA X10 all the way back in March 2010, concluding that the hardware strengths of the handset would only be worth buying into if Sony Ericsson delivered on their software promises. So far we’re still waiting on an Android 2.x update, which isn’t expected to debut until later in 2010. Update: AT&T will be selling the XPERIA X10 direct for $149.99 with a new, two-year agreement.

T-Mobile USA has confirmed that it will be offering the BlackBerry Curve 3G , the new RIM smartphone officially announced earlier today. As we’ve seen with the Rogers version, the Curve 9300 has 3G, WiFi b/g/n and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, together with a 2.4-inch 320 x 240 display, QWERTY keyboard, optical trackpad and fixed-focus 2-megapixel camera. Buyers will also get GPS with TeleNav guidance software, a 2GB microSD card slot (though the Curve 3G will handle up to 32GB cards) and BlackBerry 5. However RIM has confirmed that the smartphone is “BlackBerry 6 ready”, so we’ll have to see what T-Mobile’s plans are to update the Curve 3G when the new version of the OS is released. No word on pricing or a specific release date at present, but T-Mobile USA say the BlackBerry Curve 3G will be arriving “in the coming weeks” in-store and online.

The RIM “BlackTab” BlackBerry tablet will apparently be manufactured for the Canadian company by Quanta, with production expected to ship in September 2010 according to DigiTimes. Expected to be priced at $499, it will have both WiFi and Bluetooth, the latter used to tether with a BlackBerry smartphone and access the handset’s 3G mobile connectivity. According to the rumor site, RIM expect to ship two million BlackTab units by the end of the year, and then sell eight million in 2011. RIM acquired the BlackTab.com domain last month, while differing screen sizes have been suggested: some reports tip a 7-inch panel, others an 8.9-inch one.

It isn’t often that DigiTimes quote their own research arm as primary source, but whenever they do the rumors tend to be particularly juicy. Today’s report is no different: they’re two new iPads in Q1 2011 (both 9.7- and 7-inch models) together with a CDMA iPhone hitting mass production in December 2010, and a new Apple TV based on AMD Fusion. Both new iPads will run ARM Cortex A9 processors , with the larger having 512MB of RAM – twice that of the current iPad. The smaller unit will have a 7-inch IPS LCD display running at 1024 x 768, they predict. As for the CDMA iPhone 4, that’s expected to go on sale in January 2011 after a CES 2011 unveil on Verizon, together with China Telecom availability, and eventually account for 35-percent of iPhone sales in 2011. It will have a metal back-plate and an integrated antenna, DigiTimes say. AT&T has hinted at an end of iPhone exclusivity recently. The new Apple TV, meanwhile, fits in with other rumors about the home entertainment STB, wi

Having been spotted up for sale on Rogers’ site last week, and in the wild many times before that, it hardly comes as a surprise to see RIM make the BlackBerry Curve 3G official. The new messaging smartphone has a 2-megapixel camera, dual-band UMTS/HSPA and a 2.8-inch QVGA display. It’s also BlackBerry 6 “ready”, which means the Curve 3G 9300 will run BlackBerry 5 at release and will likely see an OS 6 release later in 2010. There’s also a full QWERTY thumbboard, optical trackpad, WiFi b/g/n and GPS, together with a 3.5mm headset jack and microUSB port. In addition to quadband GSM/EDGE there will be North American and European 3G versions: (800/850)/1900/2100 MHz and 900/1700/2100 MHz UMTS. No official pricing from RIM themselves, though Rogers had the Curve 3G listed at CA$79.99 with a three-year agreement. It’ll begin shipping in August 2010.

Microsoft’s Menlo “frankenOS”, said to be an attempt by the company to develop a new mobile platform, has birthed its first prototype, with the suitably hacked-together device you see here being included as part of a new Microsoft Research publication. According to “User Experiences with Activity-Based Navigation on Mobile Devices” [PDF link], the test hardware “is a prototype mobile device with a capacitive touch screen (4.1-inch diagonal, 800×480) running Microsoft Windows Embedded CE 6.0 R2 which incorporates a Bosch BMA150 3-axis accelerometer and Bosch BMP085 digital pressure sensor (barometer).” In this case, the prototype is being used for location-based services, with a GPS-aware Silverlight app called Greenfield running on top of the underlying Menlo code; that is designed to guide users back to saved positions, such as wherever their car is parked. Rather than create a new route, however, Greenfield tracks the user’s original path – including step counts, whether elevators

While Aamir Khan's latest home production Peepli Live manages to draw in the crowds with each passing day, there seems to be a certain section of the audience who are not too happy with the film. Yes…we are talking about some farmers and their families in Vidarbha who are upset over the way the whole issue of farmer suicides has been portrayed in the film. Few widows in the Vidarbha region, whose husbands had committed suicide, felt that the makers of Peepli Live have trivialised the issue by depicting that farmers commit suicide to claim compensation from the government. In fact they are demanding clarification from Aamir on this issue, if not, then a ban on the film. Effigies and posters of actor-producer Aamir Khan were also burnt in the region. It's sad but true that yet another Aamir Khan film finds itself amidst some controversy just days after its release.

This is where funny gets funnier. There have been endless speculations and criticism following the Common Wealth Games (CWG) right from incongruous work to corruption, that any and every ray of light seems spectacular. No wonder then that when a press conference was called announcing the composition that would be the Anthem for the CWG the media was abuzz. AR Rahman whose composition would've been unveiled at this P.C. was especially flown down for the event. But the organising committee blew this one as well when they decided last minute to withhold the song for reasons unknown. After being urged by the media, Rahman did sing one line from the anthem " O Yaron Yeh India Bula Diya ". It was last Sunday that the Group of Ministers had approved the Rahman's song after a meeting which was headed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. It was a song that took the Oscar winner six months to compose. At the press conference, Rahman said that he had ca

Farhan Akhtar's film Don , which released in 2006, proved to be a turning point in Arjun Rampal's career. Post Don , Arjun bagged a series of big films such as Om Shanti Om, Rock On etc. and his character of Jasjeet in Don is still remembered by one and all. However, there is sad news for all Arjun Rampal fans as the actor wouldn't be seen in the eagerly awaited sequel Don 2 . Although the buzz is that there were some creative differences between Farhan and Arjun over his character in the sequel, no one knows the real reason as to why Arjun has decided to walk out of the project. Confirming the same, Arjun tweeted last night, "Hey Guys, Yes it is true won't be part of Don 2 . Wish the team all the success. I am sure it will be a super film." It will now be interesting to see which actor replaces Arjun and gets the chance to play Jasjeet in Don 2 .

It was not too long ago when Himesh Reshammiya became the first man from India to perform at the Wembley Arena and Heineken music hall Amsterdam with a packed audience. Now he is thinking bigger and would now be the first International Pop star to be launched globally from India in the mainstream Western music market. The album is titled "at da edge" and has 15 songs written, composed and sung by Himesh. The highlight of this album is that all songs would be in English. Also, world's biggest Music Publishers and also one of the biggest Music Labels have come on the board to sign Himesh. There would also be a series of music videos that would be directed for the album and the man who would come on board is Roman White, creator of worldwide hit videos of Justin Bibber, Taylor Swift and Carrie Underwood. Himesh's first mainstream international album in English, "at da edge" would be released across 122 countries. Also, Himesh's lo

It looks like recession has given Bollywood directors a chance to live out their acting fantasies. The season of directors turning actors is upon us full-blast. After a full-fledged debut as leading men by Farhan Akhtar and Rituparno Ghosh and cameos by Sudhir Mishra ( Corporate ), Karan Johar ( Luck By Chance ) and Anurag Kashyap ( Luck By Chance ), it is Apoorva Lakhia's turn. Unlike his colleagues, Lakhia will be seen as a villain in buddy Sanjay Dutt's film Knock Out . Ironically, he plays the guy who wants to kill Dutt. He plays what a source from the film's unit describes as, "The villain, a highly scientific very precise killer who uses a combination of killer squads, sophisticated technology and razor-sharp mind to locate and liquidate Sanjay Dutt...Lakhia's character turns the tables on Sanju so quickly and with lethal efficiency. His character is volatile and unpredictable. Lakhia takes the audience to a gripping climax where he

Another combination people are extremely keen to watch is that of Shah Rukh Khan and Katrina Kaif. There's talk that at least two top notch producers are keen on casting SRK and Katrina together because [a] they haven't worked together at all and [b] both are in the prime of their careers. In fact, the rumour gained momentum when SRK announced plans of making RA.ONE . At that point of time, there was speculation that Kat was being considered for the project. But the role eventually went to Kareena Kapoor. The latest is, a leading production house is keen on casting SRK and Katrina for its ambitious venture. Katrina, however, maintains that they haven't signed any film so far. "Yes, people are keen to see us together, but there's nothing on the platter yet. The only film I've signed is Yash Raj's next with Imran Khan. That's it," she tells me.

Has Aditya Chopra roped in Aamir Khan for the third installment of DHOOM? Believe me, everyone's keen to know the answer to this question. What makes it interesting is that Aamir has been approached for the villain's role in DHOOM 3 and if one looks back, the negative character in the DHOOM series has always had the meatiest part. Recall John Abraham in DHOOM and Hrithik Roshan in DHOOM 2. Another reason why an announcement like this would hit headlines instantly is because Aamir and Yash Raj have not worked again after FANAA and if DHOOM 3 happens, it would be, without doubt, the most awaited project to look forward to, since Aamir, Yash Raj and the super-successful brand [DHOOM] happens once in a lifetime. Of course, Aamir is non-committal about it. He is neither confirming the development, nor denying it. But knowing Aamir he wouldn't comment on it till everything is worked out to the minutest detail and perhaps, DHOOM 3 is still in the plann

After Aamir Khan, it's now Priyanka Chopra who is all set to endorse Samsung. While the electronics major has been having a longstanding association with Mr. Perfectionist Aamir Khan, sources close to ApnaDesi  have confirmed that they have now chosen Priyanka Chopra to endorse their range of washing machines. Looks like Priyanka is all set to become the undisputed queen of brand endorsements too!

Big B's indomitable energy is stuff that folk tales are made of. Before rushing off to Gujarat to promote tourism, the Big B quietly pulled off a new singing coup by rendering flawlessly a pure classical song. A first for the self-proclaimed amateur singer who has crooned everything, from love ballads to folk songs to children's ditties. The song ' Dhara Gagan Chahe ' was composed by Aadesh Shrivastava in Raga Basant, a complex intricate and high-pitched tune that Aadesh thought might be tough on the 67-year old actor. "But he just sailed through it, after just a couple of rehearsals. This is his first pure raga-based song and I was apprehensive of what he would say. But he just took it up," says Aadesh. After many hours of exhausting recording, the Big B still had the energy to rush home and return for a photo-shoot. He apparently told the composer, "Let me get into my coolest togs before we do the photo-shoot." Says Aadesh

First it was mom Sarika whose good offices were used to launch daughter Shruti Haasan's career in Hindi cinema. Now, apparently dad Kamal Haasan has taken over the responsibility. Shruti's Hindi launch Luck starred Imran Khan, a close family friend of Sarika (Sarika and her two daughters used to stay with Imran's mom during her earlier visits to Mumbai). Now Ghajini director Murugadoss has been asked to create an impressive re-launch film for the pretty Shruti Haasan. Her first attempt at stardom in Luck was a big fiasco. But now Shruti is all set to make another attempt to make an impression in Hindi cinema, this time with a film being made on her illustrious dad Kamal Haasan's home-ground Tamil Nadu. The story goes that director A .R Murugadoss had gone to Kamal Haasan to collaborate on a project. Instead, Kamal Haasan suggested that Murugadoss work with Shruti whose experience in Mumbai was far from satisfying That's how Murugadoss ended up s

The updated Apple Mac Pro desktop has gone on sale, complete with a choice of quad- and hexacore Intel processors. Announced at the end of July, the new Mac Pros start from $2,499 – for a single 2.8GHz quadcore Xeon, 3GB of RAM and a 1TB hard-drive – while single-chip hexacore machines using Intel’s 3.33GHz Xeon bump that to $3,699. If you want dual hexacore chips then you’re looking at $4,999; that’s upgrading the basic dual-CPU Mac Pro, which in itself is $3,499, with a pair of 2.66GHz Xeons. Other options include up to 32GB of DDR3 memory, four hard-drive bays to be filled (with optional RAID) and a choice of ATI Radeon graphics with either single or dual-card setups. Ports, meanwhile, include four FireWire 800, five USB 2.0, analog and digital audio in/out, and then of course whichever graphics outputs are supported on the ATI video cards. New Apple Mac Pro machines ship within 7-10 days.

WD has been in the business of making external storage solutions about as long as external storage has been around. The company has also been wrapping its storage tech into products like media players for a while now. The new WD Elements Play has been announced and it packs its own internal HDD for storing media directly. The Elements Play device comes with 1TB or 2TB of storage. With that much storage, it’s more like an external hard drive that has connectivity for a TV built-in. That connectivity is for full 1080p resolution using component and composite connectivity along with USB 2.0. The device measures 1.6″ H x 8.9″ L x 5.9″ W and weighs 2.31 pounds. The device supports DTS 2.0 digital sound and has a HDMI output as well.

It hasn’t even been a month since the 4GB Xbox 360/Kinect bundle was announced, but sure enough there’s already talks about a 250GB bundle out there, somewhere. Actually, it’s more than talks. If the Australian packaging for the 4GB bundle is to be believed, then the 250GB version definitely exists. Though, as you may have already guessed, it hasn’t been officially unveiled by Microsoft quite yet. From what the packaging tells us, there isn’t much of a difference between the packages. Outside of the most obvious ones, of course. As you heard previously, the 4GB model isn’t as glossy (as we like to say, shiny) as the 250GB model, as it comes in a more “matte” finish. There’s also the fact that it comes with a remarkably smaller hard drive. The 250GB bundle also comes with a headset, while the lesser version does not. Interestingly enough, on the packaging it says that the 250GB bundle will have a “Hard Drive (that) includes game and demos.” Sure, demos make sense, but what about that g

Cutting as many cords as you can from your life, obviously one of the things you need to detach from the “main unit” is your mouse, so getting your hands on a wireless mouse has to be one of the first steps in the process. (And it’s certainly a process.) That’s why Canon’s new wireless mouse has to sit on your radar. You don’t want to have to deal with that regular numbpad, do you? No, of course not. So why not combine your wireless mouse and number keys? Genius, right? That’s exactly what Canon has done with their MArk I Bluetooth Wireless Calculator Mouse. Yeah, the title really does just give away the whole surprise, doesn’t it? The device itself is a wireless laser mouse, and it connects to either your Mac or PC courtesy of the Bluetooth connectivity. And before you jump to conclusions, you’ll be able to deactivate the whole “mouse” thing when you need to actual calculate things, and you’ll be able to turn off the “calculating” part when you need to get your mouse activities on. Ri

While everyone was busy dreaming about the Microsoft Courier, Toshiba was already hard at work on one — and one they actually planned to release. And while initial thoughts on the device have been all over the place on the Internet, the Libretto W100 does indeed do one thing very well: it’s a good way to get your Courier needs placated, because you can’t have the Courier. If you’re in Japan, or if you’re willing to take a few flights to get their, then be happy to know that the dual-screen tablet is landing on those shores August 11th. If you haven’t done so already, you should probably go check out our own hands-on time with the Toshiba manufactured tablet. If anything, it will let you know whether or not you should even be excited about something like this. As for the device itself, you’ll be looking at two 7-inch, 1024×688 multitouch touchscreen displays. Which will show you Windows 7 all day long. The screens aren’t set in any particular lifestyle, either. Depending on what you’re

You might remember that we’ve been highlighting some of Freescale’s tablet and ultramobile device conceptscreated with SCAD over the past month or so; now the company has put its (virtual) silicon where its pens have been, and created some concept videos. The company sensibly reckons that different demographics will prefer different functionality, and so they’ve four different types of tablet ranging from young kids gaming, through teenagers using them for education, to adults wanting slates that work in business environments. Unfortunately Freescale didn’t go quite so far as to whip out their screwdrivers and come up with physical, working units, instead taking the easy way out and opting for renders. Still, there’s plenty to like here, with a broad range of screen sizes and plenty of integration with desktop computers, home automation and security systems, and online services like social networking. Best of all is Freescale’s insistence that there’s “no science fiction here” and t

Plenty gets said about Windows 7 and its suitability for tablets, and despite Steve Ballmer’s best efforts not much of it is positive. But have we all been too harsh on the Microsoft OS? A side-by-side comparison videopitting a Hanvon slate running Windows 7 agains the iPad running iOS goes some way to suggesting that the desktop OS can hold its own against its Apple counterpart. The demo runs through browsing, text entry using on-screen keyboards, YouTube access (either via the full site, on the Hanvon slate, or the iPad’s dedicated YouTube app), messaging and Google Earth, as well as a few other tasks. While at first glance you might assume the mobile-centric iPad would easily overshadow its rival, the Hanvon puts in a surprisingly good showing. Running desktop apps has an impact on usability in some places – Google Earth being one of them, with the iPad version obviously suited to the Apple slate’s screen – and the video doesn’t drill down into some of the smaller, trickier cont

Apple’s now venerable MacBook Air currently languishes as the notebook most in need of an update, and so it comes as little surprise to hear that just such a refresh may be imminent. According to BMO analyst Keith Bachman, Apple’s supply chain is ramping up for what he believes to be a September launch; interestingly, he also expects the new MacBook Air to start off significantly cheaper than the current model’s $1,499 base price. Bachman has no hard specifications for the two SKUs he expects, but previous rumors had suggested that Apple would reduce the Air’s screen size from 13.3-inches to 11.6-inches, and switch to using Intel’s latest ultra-low-voltage Core iX processors. The new model would be positioned more as a mainstream notebook rather than as a premium ultraportable. Meanwhile, Bachman also has a few things to say about Apple’s iPod plans, suggesting that along with the fourth-generation iPod touch in September there will be a new iPod nano that ditches the current model’

As we’ve seen in the past, publicly announcing your deals with Apple before the Cupertino PR machine has had its way is generally a shortcut to seeing your business partnership dissolve, but that hasn’t stopped Chinese game developer Handseeing. The company’s VP for operations has apparently confirmed that they’re in talks with Apple regarding acquisition: “We should have a decision in about one or two months,” Tian Bo told Reuters, “they’re still talking about it and it’s not quite settled yet right now.” Handseeing creates online games titles based on Chinese folklore, using Java rather than Flash. While the company is little known outside of China, within the country it has won awards for its JGnet games engine; back in June 2009 Handseeing secured 50 million RMB ($7.4m) investment from Green Pine Capital Partners Co., Ltd. Apple declined to comment on the speculation.

ASUS has sent over a handful of shots of their upcoming ASUS Rampage III Formula motherboard, and it’s all looking decidedly tasty. Based around Intel’s X58 chipset, meaning compatibility with the latest breed of hexacore Core i7 processors, there are a full six DDR3 DIMM slots and three PCIe x16 slots. Buyers will also get ASUS’ own X-Fi2 SupremeFX audio system, together with all the usual ports you’d expect from a high-end motherboard: USB 3.0, Intel ethernet connectivity and plenty of SATA 3Gbps and 6Gbps ports. In fact we’re basically looking at a larger, more feature-packed version of the ASUS ROG Rampage III GENE. No official word from ASUS on how much the Rampage III Formula will cost, nor when it might slip out into stores. We’re guessing this one won’t come cheap, since the GENE is retailing for around $236 online.

ASUS has fallen a month behind in its launch schedule for the Eee Tablet monochrome ebook reader, while the pricing seems to have shot up; according to Digitimes, ASUS has confirmed that the Eee Tablet will drop in October 2010, priced at “under $599″. Announced back at Computex, the Eee Tablet was initially tipped to arrive in September, priced between $199 and $299. The price discrepancy could be accounted for by comparison carrier subsidized and unsubsidized figures. ASUS is apparently in talks with carriers regarding bundled sales, which could potentially bring the price down to the originally suggested levels. Unlike rival ereaders, such as the Amazon Kindle, the ASUS Eee Tablet uses an LCD TFT display rather than an epaper screen from E Ink. This non-backlit monochrome panel allows for 0.1s screen refresh rates, far faster than E Ink can manage, and ASUS expect it to be a hit with students who can use the included stylus to annotate documents (including those they’ve snapped

Asus has more nettops than you can shake a stick out along with one of the largest catalogs of netbooks on the market. The company generally crams the latest tech into a few of its models and a new version of its EeeBox has surfaced that sports new hardware. The EeeBox EB1501P is the name of the little rig that looks like many of the other nettops from Asus on the outside. As mama always said, it’s what’s on the inside that counts though. The little nettop gets NVIDIA next-generation Ion graphics. The Ion graphics are also often called Ion 2 and support HD media. Other features of the machine include an Atom dual core D525 CPU, 2GB of DDR3 RAM, and 250GB HDD. The machine also has HDMI out and 802.11n WiFi along with Bluetooth, eSATA, and USB connectivity. Update: Electricpig say that ASUS UK has confirmed the EB1501P, which will apparently hit the UK in late Q3 or early Q4 priced at £379.99 ($602).