IBLOG SPACE

HP has outed its latest LCD display, the 2310e, a 23-inch ultra-thin widescreen display. The HP 2310e runs at Full HD 1920 x 1080 resolution with an 8,000,000 dynamic contrast ratio and 250 nits brightness; it gets DVI-D and HDMI inputs together with DisplayPort. HP reckons the new panel is good for 70-percent of the color gamut, meaning it falls short of the company’sDreamColor monitors but is still impressive for a home/office display. It tilts on the detachable stand, but it’s worth noting that there’s no VESA mount on the back. Still, using a third-party mount would mean you couldn’t see the illuminated HP logo on the back, and we wouldn’t want that. The HP 2310e will go on sale on September 29th, priced at $289.

HTC has announced the latest iteration of their Sense UI for smartphones, and its brought along a web-based companion in the shape of HTCSense.com. Described as a suite of services for managing, customizing and controlling the user experience from the phone or a PC, the new site is similar in some ways to Apple’s MobileMe, with remote-wipe and location, but HTC has also put in DLNA streaming and more. HTC reiterated that Sense isn’t a UI, an overlay or an add-on: instead, they describe it as “an holistic experience filled with moments of delight.” They’ve reduced the boot time, down to just ten seconds, allowing for faster access to the call, messaging and other functionality. There’s also new caching in the mapping app, reducing the amount of time required to wait for the map to render, and incoming phone calls don’t dominate the screen but instead slide up at the bottom. When you’re waiting at traffic lights, the map can show a fast-forward of the upcoming turns you’ll need to ta

There are a number of USB 3.0 external storage products on the market today. These drives are generally larger external HDDs though that are larger than most of us will want to take with us on the road. Kingston has offered up a new USB 3.0 flash drive called the Ultimate 3.0. The Ultimate 3.0 is the first USB 3.0 flash drive from Kingston and it can be had in three different capacities. There are 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB versions available and the flash drive is backwards compatible with USB 2.0 ports as well. The DataTraveler Ultimate 3.0 has data transfer speeds as high as 80MB/s read and 60MB/s write. The flash drive ships with a “Y” cable that is needed for the drive to work in a USB 3.0 port due to power requirements. Kingston says in testing that the drive was able to write a 3.9GB movie file in 1 minute and 13 seconds. The 16GB version sells for $89, the 32GB is $138, and the 64GB is $270.

Epson has offered its line of MovieMate home theater systems for a while now. Today the company has announced that it is adding a couple new MovieMate projectors to its line. The new offerings include the MovieMate 85HD and the MovieMate 62. Both of the projectors will let the user watch TV, movies, or play video games on a larger screen than most folks can afford with a regular TV. The high-end offering is the 85HD with 720p resolution and a bright E-TORL lamp that offers more light output than previous models. The projector has up to 2500 lumens of color and white light output. The 85HD and the 62 both have integrated mic jack for voice amplification, HDMI connectivity and they are compatible with the iPod, Wii, PS3, and Xbox without needing additional cables. Both projectors can throw a 60-inch image from 6-feet away and a 120-inch image from 12-feet away. The MovieMate 62 has a lower 540p resolution and only 2000 lumens of color and white light output. The 85HD will sell for $899

Corsair has a lot of PSUs in its line today with some of them being smaller power supplies for mainstream and low power computing and some of them being big and powerful PSUs aimed at gamers with rigs that slurp down power. Corsair has added a new series of PSUs to its offerings that are called the Gaming Series. The new GS series include the GS800, GS700, and GS600. All of the PSUs share the same features save the power rating that they have. They all have a large single +12V rail with support for up to 65A. The fan has ball bearings for quiet operation and LEDs for some bling. Those LEDs can be red, white, or blue and turned off at the user’s choice on the GS800 and GS700 while the GS600 gets blue LEDs only. All of the units are 80Plus Silver certified for 80% or better efficiency at normal loads. The PSUs are all normal ATX sized units as well. The power ratings are noted by the name of the models with the GS800 selling for $119.99, the GS700 for $109.99, and the GS600 for $99.99.

OCZ made its name in enthusiast memory for computers and has continued to offer popular products in the memory market while it has expanded over the years into other things like SSDs and PSUs. OCZ has pulled the wraps off several new RAM products with some new Ultra-Low and Extreme-Low voltage RAM kits for enthusiasts. The three new RAM kits that OCZ is talking up all meet the specs for the new JEDEC DDR3L standards to allow RAM to run cooler when used for intensive tasks like gaming. The kits include the OCZ Platinum ELV solutions that operate at 1.35V. That operating voltage puts the RAM well below the maximum threshold for newer Intel CPUs. The new ULV kits are available in Reaper and Gold series that operate at 1.5V, still below the 1.65V max for the new Intel platforms. The Platinum ELV series will come in 6GB and 4GB kits. The Reaper and Gold kits will be offered in 12GB and 8GB configurations.

HTC’s event today may be all about smartphones, but the company’s simmering tablet plans are also getting some press. According to DigiTimes‘ sources at Taiwanese component makers, HTC is ramping up to release an Android tablet – potentially running 3.0 Gingerbread – in Q1 next year. It’s unclear whether this slate is a different model to the unit HTC are said to be preparing for Verizon, which has been tipped to run Google Chrome OS. Unfortunately, the sources are unusually reticent about potential hardware, so there are no details on the exact size or functionality of the new HTC model. Still, it’s expected to include 3G so that HTC can leverage their carrier relationships. We can’t promise any tablet news today – though if we run into HTC CEO Peter Chou we’ll be sure to ask him – but we’ll be bringing you the company’s smartphone news from the press event later this morning.

Intel may just have got its Atom CE4100 SoC into the Boxee Box, among other STBs, but they’re not resting on their laurels; the company has just announced the new Intel Atom CE4200 SoC, the successor to the CE4100. Meanwhile Microsoft and Acer have taken to the IFD 2010 stage to show off Windows Media Center Embedded, a combination of the existing Windows Embedded Standard 7 and the software company’s existing Media Center variant. Acer was running Windows Media Center Embedded on concept Revo 2 set-top box – using an Intel CE4100 processor, naturally – and the companies described the whole experience as a hybrid of a regular set-top box, a DVR and an HTPC. It can play both internet content and broadcast media, making it potentially more flexible than Google TV. As for general availability, Acer expect to have some sort of commercial variant of this prototype on the market in the first half of 2011.

Intel’s AppUp download store has hit “gold” status and gone live, having first started showing up on netbooksback in January. The silicon manufacturer listed their new partners in AppUp at IDF 2010 today, including the news that SEGA will be porting Mega Drive classics over and that Barnes & Noble will also be adopting the store. Other partners include US retailers Best Buy and Chroma, together with UK retailers Dixons and Currys. TheUnity game development tool will also be coming to the AppUp store, opening up the potential for more intensive gaming experiences for ultraportable devices, together with the Havok SDK which developers can use to create realistic cloth and skin models. AppUp will initially be available on Windows and MeeGo netbooks using Intel Atom CPUs, with Intel planning to extend the download store to TVs using their CE4100 SoC, smartphones and other devices. Both paid and free apps will be on offer, and there will be trials available prior to purchase.

Netronix ’s FCC confidentiality agreement with the FCC has expired, and that means we get to see the WiFi-toting ereader first spotted back in early June. Although various model numbers are mentioned, most eye-catching is this, the booq WiFi, which obviously has wireless connectivity as well as an E Ink display. According to earlier reports, the Netronix ereader is headed to Cool-ER as the Connect and will likely show up as Kobo’s next model. The existing Kobo – which has Bluetooth but no WiFi – is on sale in Borders. No word on availability, of course, and nor pricing, but we’re guessing Netronix and their partners will be looking to get these models on shelves as soon as possible.

We’re seeing a growing trend in iPod speaker docks to take advantage of the recent models’ Bluetooth support, and that’s just what XtremeMac‘s Tango TRX delivers. You can still dock your iPhone, iPod touch or even your iPad at the front, but alternatively you can pair it via Bluetooth 2.1 and beam your music over wirelessly. XtremeMac also offer a free remote control app which allows you to tweak the audio as well as adjust the various EQ settings. There’s also a line-in jack for using other PMPs, while the speakers themselves consist of two midrange drivers, two dome tweeters and a downward firing subwoofer. Two versions are on offer, the basic model at $179.99 and an Apple exclusive version, the Tango TRX D. That adds a separate charging dock for your iPod/iPhone/iPad (though we imagine the latter would be more than a little precarious).

We can’t say we’re massively enthusiastic about LG’s pair of new Optimus Android smartphones , the LG Optimus Chic and LG Optimus One. Perhaps it’s because the teaser image looked so much more tablety than either of the entry-level handsets actually are, or maybe it’s the mediocre specifications: a 3.2-inch HVGA display on the Optimus One, for instance. There’s also a 3-megapixel camera, DLNA streaming support on the Optimus Chic, and LG’s own custom UI on top of Android 2.2 Froyo. No word on pricing at this stage, but the two devices will drop in Europe first – October for the Optimus One, November for the Optimus Chic – before broader EMEA and Asia-Pacific availability.

Kensington debuted some cool new iPhone 4 compatible accessories this week and among the new products was the AssistOne Handsfree Car Device with Voice Activation. That is a long name and the device is a car mount with some really cool functions. Other than just holding the iPhone in the car for you, the AssistOne also supports hands free talking and voice activation for controls. The device also amplifies turn-by-turn directions, which is a feature that is required if you have ever tried to use an iPhone for a GPS device in a car. The device pairs to the iPhone using Bluetooth for calling and media playback. The voice controls let the user answer or decline a call using iPhone Voice Control. Specifications include Bluetooth v 2.1 + EDR with 5V DC inputs and the case will work with all iPhone models, not just the iPhone 4 as well as the iPod touch , nano, and video music players. You can pre-order now for $99.99.

Kensington debuted some cool new iPhone 4 compatible accessories this week and among the new products was the AssistOne Handsfree Car Device with Voice Activation. That is a long name and the device is a car mount with some really cool functions. Other than just holding the iPhone in the car for you, the AssistOne also supports hands free talking and voice activation for controls. The device also amplifies turn-by-turn directions, which is a feature that is required if you have ever tried to use an iPhone for a GPS device in a car. The device pairs to the iPhone using Bluetooth for calling and media playback. The voice controls let the user answer or decline a call using iPhone Voice Control. Specifications include Bluetooth v 2.1 + EDR with 5V DC inputs and the case will work with all iPhone models, not just the iPhone 4 as well as the iPod touch , nano, and video music players. You can pre-order now for $99.99.

Microsoft has all sorts of peripherals to its name with lots of mice, keyboards, and webcams to choose from. The company has unveiled its latest webcam called the LifeCam Studio that offers up to 1080p resolution and lots more. Microsoft says the camera is the next best thing to being there when you want to video chat with someone. The camera has a sensor that is twice as large as the sensor on 720p webcams and can adapt to changing light conditions for optimum performance. The camera is also fully compatible with video chat for Windows Live Messenger 11. The camera has a swivel mount that lets it pan 360-degrees for optimum placement and an elongated hood. Other features include TrueColor technology to make colors accurate and lifelike in different lighting conditions. Microsoft also uses ClearFrame technology that helps provide smooth video in low light. The LifeCam Studio will sell for $99.99, can be ordered on BestBuy.com now, and will hit stores later this month.

Habey has unveiled a new storage solution for the user needing the protection of hardware RAID for their data. The new RAID enclosure is called the DS-540 and it’s very affordable at under $200. The device has four drive bays and offers eSATA and USB 2.0 connectivity. The RAID enclosure will work with Mac and Windows computers and supports hot swap without needing software. RAID modes supported include RAID 0/1/3/5/0+1, JBOD, and Clone functions. The hardware support for these RAID modes means that the CPU doesn’t have to be tied down running the RAID feature of the enclosure. Habey says that the device supports full HD video streaming at 200+ MBps and can support as much as 8TB of storage. Other supported RAID features include Auto-Rebuild at 200GB/hour and the enclosure has a RAID 3/5 write-back cache for enhance performance. The enclosure can be purchased on Amazon for $199.99 drives are not included.

Ultrasone is a German maker of some really nice headphones and the company has announced the latest addition to its line with a new set of headphones called the Pro 2900. The headphones will be released in two versions for the first time ever with a standard single cable version and dual cable balanced version. Both versions of the headphones have the same open back design. The double cable version of the headphones is designed to be used with a balanced amp to increase performance thanks to doubling of the slew rate and voltage swing power. The double cable design will only work with a balanced amp. The headphones have a black design with velvet covered ear pads and a diamond cut insignia on the ear cup. The drivers are 40mm titanium-plated units and they use S-Logic Plus technology to reduce the sound pressure on the eardrum and improve tonal perception. That means that the headphones can be worn longer before the listeners ears hurt. The headphones come with a spiral cable and a st

Silicon Power has hoards of flash drives and other storage solutions in its line. The company has added a new product to its line of flash drives called the Unique 530. The flash drive is enclosed in a “green” silica gel material that is pliable and provides a “sporty” style according to the maker. I’m not sure the silica gel has a sporty look, but it should make the drive more rugged thanks to the rubbery nature of the material. The silica also has ridges to make it easy to grip the drive. The drive claims to be the first on the market to fuse metallic accessories with the silica gel material. The metallic accessories promise to withstand as much as 10kg of pull force making it likely to survive living on a keychain or in a bag where it might be pulled. The flash drive has a chip on board packaging technology and is waterproof, shockproof, and dustproof thanks to that gel overlay. The drive ships with software for backups and security functions. No lid is used and the connector has a

There are lots of cameras on the market today that fall into the super-zoom category offering huge zoom levels. The new Canon PowerShot SX30 IS takes the category to a completely different level with the world’s first 35x zoom lens with wide-angle capability. That lens is good for 24mm wide angle at one end of the spectrum to 840mm on the other end. The camera has a Zoom Framing Assist button to help the shooter keep the subject in the frame as they zoom in from a long way away. The button allows the user to zoom out, find the subject and zoom back in. The camera has a 14.1MP image sensor and uses a DIGIC 4 image processor. The rear LCD of the camera is a 2.7-inch unit with a variable angle for Live View shooting. The camera uses a lithium ion rechargeable battery. The camera can record 720p HD video using the entire 35x zoom range making video close up even when the shooter is far from the action. With such a high zoom range, the camera has optical image stabilization to prevent blur

Sharkoon has some nice gear that I have covered before like that cool Bandit PC case that had the SATA dock on top for HDDs. Sharkoon is also big on enclosures to turn your old HDDs into external storage devices and the company has announced a new product today that is compact and fits into its Rapid Case series. The new product is a USB 3.0 external drive housing that fits any 2.5-inch SATA HDD. The USB 3.0 connectivity allows you to use an extra drive for a blazing fast external storage solution with transfer speeds up to 5Gbit/s. The addition of the new case makes nine Rapid Case models. The new case can be had in black, red, or blue colors and all three hues feature the same aluminum construction. The case measures 123 x 78 x 11mm and has an empty weight of 70 grams. The case ships with instructions, the USB 3.0 cable, and the screwdriver needed to mount your drive inside the case. Pricing for the USB 3.0 case is 22.99 euros.

Today must be new digital camera day. Canon has unveiled a new digital camera called the PowerShot G12 that boasts HD video recording capability. The G12 has a wide range of shooting and recoding modes to fit most any situation and has new features for the line like HDR scene mode. It can also shoot 720p resolution video. When used with a tripod the camera can take three shots with one press of the shutter with various exposures that are then combined into one image that is optimized for the best possible lighting and detail. This process is done completely inside the camera rather than needing outside software. The G12 also has the Canon Hybrid IS image-stabilizing tech for shake free pictures. The rear LCD is a 2.8-inch screen that can be tilted to different angles and has a 461K dot resolution. The camera has a control dial on the front to allow easy adjustment of settings similar to using a DSLR camera. The lens is a 5x optical zoom unit with wide-angle 28mm capability. The G12 wi

Olympus has unveiled a new professional level DSLR camera that is tough enough to survive lots of use outside and in. The camera is called the E-5 and it has some interesting new features like the first 100% digital specific lenses and a Supersonic Wave Filter Dust Reduction System. The most interesting feature for pros that do lots of outdoor shooting may be the fact that the camera body is splashproof and dustproof with magnesium alloy construction. The big 3-inch rear LCD of the camera has 920K dot resolution and swivels 270-degrees with Live View for accurate composure of shots when the viewfinder isn’t ideal. The sensor inside the camera is a 12.3MP unit with a TruePic V+ Image Processor. The E-5 can shoot HD video in 720p resolution at 30 frame per second. The E-5 also has a 3.5mm input for connecting microphones and the video shooting works with more than 20 four thirds lenses according to Olympus. The shutter mechanism has a life span of 150k exposures and the optical viewfind

Samsung has tossed a new camera onto the market today called the NX100. The new camera is an interesting new mirrorless offering with the first i-Funciton lens offering a new way to control the camera. The camera claims to be the first mirrorless cam in the world to use an APS-C size sensor. The camera also has a 3-inch AMOLED screen on the rear. Samsung says that the design of the NX100 is based on that of dew forming on a leaf; I see nothing leaf-like in the design. The i-function lens communicates with the camera body to give the user total manual image control and provide customized settings specific to the lens being used on the camera. The NX100 also records 720p HD movies. Samsung will offer multiple lenses with a 20-55mm lens at launch and other lenses are coming later like a 20mm wide-angle pancake lens. Other lenses will be launching next year including a zoom lens and a macro lens. The image sensor in the camera is a 14.6MP unit, ISO range is 100-3200, and the camera has a

I’m in London this week at Nokia World and it’s a defining moment for Nokia. Last week Nokia announced their CEO’s departure, and new CEO (and Microsoft alum) Stephen Elop. Nokia phones once defined state of the art and the S60 platform defined the modern smartphone era in 2002. Today, in a world dominated by news of the latest Android and iOS devices , Nokia looks to drive forward their relevance and innovation. Among the plethora of news, one of the highlights is Nokia officially unveiling the N8, their flagship device for the Symbian^3 platform. I’ve been using one for the last week or so and I can safely say it’s the best Symbian phone I’ve ever used. The question remains, though: is that good enough in today’s competitive market? The hardware is first rate. The N8 packs a 3.5-inch OLED display, anodized aluminum body (my test unit is a great shade of orange) and 16GB of storage with a microSD slot for added expansion. In addition to the standard Nokia charger port there’s a micro

Nokia‘s third new smartphone for Nokia World 2010 is the Nokia E7 , the spiritual successor to the original Nokia 9000 Communicator. It has a 4-inch capacitive touchscreen display, a slide-out full QWERTY keyboard and a slimline stainless steel case. And, as Anssi Vanjoki insisted at several points during his keynote, “it’s BIG.” There’s full Exchange integration, Office document viewers and all the usual Ovi applications. That means turn-by-turn directions in Ovi Maps, Ovi Store downloads and more. Vanjoki calls it the best business smartphone to date; we’ll have to wait for some hands-on time to find out if that’s true. Update: Price will be €495 ($636) when it arrives on the market in Q4 2010. Specs are impressive, too: five-band WCDMA (850/900/1700/1900/2100) and quadband GSM/EDGE, an AMOLED display with polarizing layer, 16GB of onboard storage, FM radio, WiFi b/g/n, Bluetooth 3.0, GPS/A-GPS, HDMI, USB Host support, HD 720p video recording and more.

Nokia has outed its new range of smartphones, and there are three new devices alongside the N8. First up is the Nokia C6 , a full touchscreen handset with a new CBD “ClearBlack Display” that, according to Anssi Vanjoki, is “blacker than black”. Then there’s the Nokia C7 – “the thin one” says Vanjoki – with the same functionality as the C6, a 3.5-inch display, more memory and a stainless steel chassis. The C6 also has an 8-megapixel camera and WebTV support, along with Nokia Navigation with turn-by-turn directions. It shares the CBD display with the C7, which Vanjoki describes as having “the sleekest, smoothest device in the world, no doubt about that”. Both phones have Ovi Store access, pedestrian access features in Ovi Maps – including public transportation information – and broad social networking integration. Both will begin shipping in Q4 2010; no word on pricing as yet. Update: Nokia says the C6 will be priced at €260 and the C7 at €335.

When the story of the Ectaco Jetbook Mini eReader broke cover, we were pleasantly surprised by the mini eReader that managed to hide under our radar for so long. While the initial story didn’t give us much in the details department, we did manage to catch it on video, and since then we’ve been waiting to see whether or not this little eReader makes it to the market. Today is the day for those looking to get their hands on an eReader, but want to pay even less than $139. Well, today’s the day you can pre-order, anyway. The Ectaco Jetbook Mini eReader is available for your pre-purchase pleasure. It’s still packing a 5-inch TFT display, and it weighs only 5.8 ounces. The little eReader also features “all-way reading,” which means if you’re a leftie, the reading angle will be fine for you, too. There are even multi-language interface options in there, too. There’s a built-in clock, adjustable line spacing, and you can change the font size and line breaks, too. As for other features, like

MOST-WATCHED MICHIGAN-NOTRE DAME GAME ON NBC IN 16 YEARS Most-Watched ND Game on NBC in 5 Years 2010 Two-Game Average Best in 4 Years NEW YORK – September 14, 2010 – NBC Sports’ broadcast last Saturday of Michigan-Notre Dame was the most-watched game featuring those two teams on NBC in 16 years and the most-watched Notre Dame on NBC game vs. any team in five years. In addition, the average viewership and rating for the first two Notre Dame on NBC games this season are the best in four years. Saturday’s Michigan-Notre Dame game, which featured two unranked teams, was watched by 7.0 million viewers, making it the most-watched game on NBC between the two teams since September 10, 1994, when the Wolverines were ranked No. 6 and the Fighting Irish No. 3. It was also the most-watched Notre Dame game on NBC since October 15, 2005, when the then-No. 9 Irish hosted No. 1 USC. The game was also: The most-watched Notre Dame on NBC game ever featuring two unranked teams The third-most watched Mich

NFL football returned and the Thursday and Sunday game coverage on NBC (plus the OT on FOX) dominated the weekly broadcast charts taking all the top 5 spots and 7 out of the top 10 spots both with adults 18-49 and total viewers. Sunday night’s game was the most-watched Sunday Night Football game ever, and the combined viewing between Thursday and Sunday was the best since 2002. America’s Got Talent was pushed to 8th with adults 18-49 and seventh with total viewers. A rerun of The Simpsons on Sunday night was the top scripted show with adults 18-49, and a rerun of NCIS was the top scripted show among viewers of all ages. Primetime Broadcast Adults 18-49 viewing for the week ending September 12, 2010: Rank Shows R=Repeat S=Special P=Premiere Net 18-49 Rating 18-49 Viewers 1 NBC NFL THURSDAY SPECIAL(S) S NBC 10.7 14,108 2 NBC SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL P NBC 9.6 12,685 3 SUNDAY NIGHT NFL PRE-KICK P NBC 7.1 9,340 4 NBC NFL THURSDAY PRE-KICK(S) S NBC 7.0 9,197 5 OT, THE P FOX 5.5 7,260 6 FOOT