Sony P-series "netbook" unveiled, underwhelming

Courtesy: www.engadget.com

Nokia's 6208c now official, officially in love with stylus input

Nokia's 6208c isn't arriving as a surprise, though it is quite nice to see it being made completely official. The rather unique handset was designed with the Chinese market in mind, as it boasts an integrated, removable stylus modeled after bamboo slips for inputting Chinese characters via pen. You'll also notice a stainless steel back cover, 3.2-megapixel camera (with twin LED flash), a 4x digital zoom and a microSD slot for expanding storage. Mum's the word on pricing, but it should be loosed in "select markets" during the first half of 2009.

Courtesy: http://www.engadget.com/

HP Firebird 803 tower with VoodooDNA leaked!

A gaming tower which flips the disc drive and most other components on their sides to save on space. The resulting kit seems to have more in common with gaming consoles than desktop PCs in terms of design, with very little configurability or expansion available, but the leaked specs are still quite palatable to the modern PC gamer:
NVIDIA nForce 760i SLI chipset
Core 2 Quad Q9550 2.83GHz processor
4GB of RAM
Dual NVIDIA GeForce 9800S cards
Two 320GB SATA drives
Blu-ray
5-in-1 card reader
6 USB, 1 FireWire, 2 eSATA, 1 S/PDIF and 1 DVI dual-link
Bluetooth
802.11n WiFi To save on space (and heat), the Firebird actually uses an external power supply, but we suppose the included wireless keyboard and mouse should help to make up for that clutter. As you've probably gleaned from the specs, those small form factor 9800S cards aren't going to be putting away the frame rates quite like the cutting edge cards from NVIDIA and ATI, and the seeming lack of expandability makes the (theoretical) up-front cost savings seem a bit less exciting, but for a certain type of gamer the Firebird could be a welcome respite from monstrous, unrealistic and just-as-quickly-outmoded performance towers.

Courtesy: www.engadget.com

Mac OS X 10.5.6 now available via Software Update

Headline pretty much says it all, and it's a big one. Tipping the scales at 377MB (or 190MB for some; see image after the break), the OS X 10.5.6 update is now available via Software Update.
Apple has posted the official changelog. Here are the highlights:
Improves the reliability of AirPort connections, including improvements when roaming in large wireless networks with an Intel-based Mac.
Improves reliability of Address Book syncing with iPhone and other devices and applications.
Includes general improvements to gaming performance.
Includes fixes for possible graphics distortion issues with certain ATI graphics cards.
Contacts, calendars, and bookmarks on a Mac automatically sync within a minute of the change being made on the computer, another device, or the web at me.com.
Improves Apple File Service performance, especially when using a home directory hosted on an AFP server.
Improves reliability and performance for AT&T 3G cards.
Improves printing for USB-based Brother and Canon printers.
Fixes issues that could cause Time Machine to state the backup volume could not be found.
Improves Time Machine reliability with Time Capsule.
Adds a Trackpad System Preference pane for portable Macs.
Personal Engadget favorite: Improves the performance and reliability of Chess.

Courtesy: www.engadget.com

Asus unveils Celeron-based Eee Box B203

Aside from the the Intel C220 processor, very little has changed from the Atom-based Eee Box B202: it sports Windows XP Home, ships with up to 2GB RAM and 160GB storage, and measures a diminutive 222 x 178 x 26.9 mm (roughly 8.7 x 7 x 1 inches). Of course, it still ain't the prettiest device we've ever seen -- but if it's cheaper, faster, and small enough to fit behind your monitor anyways.

Courtesy: http://www.engadget.com/

Cyber Sport's Orbita Mouse is a revolution

The big selling point on this 800 DPI mouse is the use of a spinning scroll-wheel that replaces the typical left and right mouse buttons (push down for left-click, squeeze for right) -- it's like a Griffin PowerMate riding optical wheels. That gives you 3-axis control over objects in 3D be they wireframe models, the world according to Google Earth, or a BFG 9000. It also makes for quick scrolling through documents or a low-cost jog dial for frame-by-frame video manipulation. Orbita communicates wirelessly over 2.4GHz "zero lag" RF to the USB charging base and includes PC and Mac compatible software to map the mouse to your different applications. $98.50, that's how much -- render of the Orbita docked after the break along with a video of an early prototype.

Courtesy: http://www.engadget.com/

How would you change HP's TouchSmart 2 all-in-one PC?

HP's TouchSmart 2 launched without a whole lot of fanfare, but what you get for $1,299 is pretty unique. The IQ504 / IQ506 all-in-one PCs are one of the first to actually encourage full-on touchscreen use in a PC, with HP urging users to touch their way to computational bliss.

Courtesy: http://www.engadget.com/

iriver's 7-inch Framee-L digiframe handles multimedia just fine

The subtly beautiful 7-inch Framee-L features a 720 x 480 resolution display, 1GB of inbuilt memory, an SD / MMC card slot, USB port and an alarm feature for waking you in the mornings (or nights, if you roll like that). Furthermore, you'll find a capable multimedia player that can handle photo slideshows, all sorts of audio files and even MPEG-4 AVC / H.264, AVI and Motion JPEG video formats. It'll hit Japan just before Santa takes flight for ¥17,800 ($196).

Courtesy: http://www.engadget.com/

ASUS rolls out four new VH-series 16:9 LCD monitors

With four new VH-series LCD monitors, each of which boast the desirable-to-some 16:9 aspect ratio. Those include the 18.5-inch VH192 model, the 21.5-inch VH222 and VH226 models, and the 23.6-inch VH242, the first of which packs a 1366x768 resolution while the latter three all offer full 1080p. All four also boast ASUS' "Smart Contrast Ratio" technology to deliver numbers from 10,000:1 to 20,000:1, and all but the low-end VH192 include an HDMI port, along with built-in speakers and, of course, the usual VGA and DVI ports. The VH226 also distinguishes itself a bit further with a slightly better 2ms response rate and a glossy finish. No word on a price or release date for any of 'em just yet, but I would expect to start seeing them show up any day now.

Courtesy: www.engadget.com

Acer Aspire One goes official on AT&T's 3G network

The netbook is being offered for the teensy price of $99.99 (coupled with a lengthy and expensive contract with AT&T). The diminutive laptop comes equipped with a single mind-blowing gigabyte of memory and a decently sizeable 160GB hard drive. Besides doing its mobile broadband thing, it also sports 802.11b/g, weighs in at 2.44 lbs., and will never, ever seem worth it in the long run.

Courtesy: http://www.engadget.com/

The solid gold Vertu Boucheron

It looks like it was shaped by an overly taut sphincter. The Vertu Boucheron 150 is made from "solid gold" and is meant to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Boucheron jewelry house in Paris. According to the designer, it took 1,000 hours to cut into shape, 700 hours to hand polish, and more than 500 hours to build. Funny, it only took us a split-second to wretch.

No price or any real detail announced.

Intel's 32nm chips ready for MIDs and netbooks in 2009

In 2005 Intel revealed its 65-nm manufacturing process, then 45-nm in 2007. Today, in keeping with its "tick-tock" strategy, Intel is announcing a further shrinkage to its manufacturing process as it ends the development phase for 32-nm chip circuitry. That puts the chips on a production schedule for Q4 2009 -- interesting as Intel's rumored 32-nm Medfield chip wasn't expected until the first half of 2010. According to Intel, the new chips incorporate second-generation high-k + metal gate technology with transistors that switch 22% faster than its current 45-nm Penryn chips. Why should you care? Well, the smaller chips are cheaper to manufacture which should translate to consumer savings. They also require less power than Intel's notoriously power-friendly Atom-class chips.

Courtesy: http://www.engadget.com/

PlayStation Home launching globally tomorrow, December 11th

PlayStation Home will launch globally on December 11th. The 3D virtual on-line community is like Second Life, only with the risk of rootkit. Hot. All kidding aside, the new service gives PS3 owners a customizable place to chat (voice or text) and play games with other PlayStation Home users through personalized avatars. Just like real life except without acne and all your social shortcomings. Home will be available to download and "experience basic features" for free -- some services (like creating a "club") will require cash though, so be prepared.

Courtesy: http://www.engadget.com/

LG tests world's first LTE cellphone chip: 60Mbps downloads are go

As mobile service providers ramp-up for the WiWAX vs. LTE battle, LG just announced a significant milestone: the world's first 3GPP LTE chip for cellphones and data cards. While theoretically capable of 100Mbps/50Mbps download/upload speeds, LG's 13 x 13-mm chip was able to demonstrate 60Mbps down and 20Mbps goes up.

Courtesy: http://www.engadget.com/

Acer takes the "most netbooks sold" crown from ASUS

The hotter-than-ever netbook market -- which has seemingly been headed Acer's way for a while now -- has seen its numbers for the third quarter of 2008 arrive, and the Aspire One has indeed overtaken ASUS Eee PC as top dog in units moved. Acer's captured 38.3 percent of the market share, selling 2.15 million netbooks, while ASUS sold about 1.7 million, or 30.3 percent. XP-loaded Aspire One can be yours for $299 today at Best Buy.

Courtesy: http://www.engadget.com/

Sony Ericsson's Walkman Xmini for Japan is awesome, but not for the usual reasons

In most parts of the world, the cute little device you're looking at here would pass as a perfectly acceptable Walkman. In Japan, though, it's more than just a Walkman -- it's a Walkman phone, people. The Sony Ericsson Xmini has been added to KDDI au's CDMA-based lineup, measuring just 75 x 44 x 18mm and tossing aside the usual barrage of 8-megapixel cameras and wide VGA displays for a mere 320 x 240 screen and 4GB of on-board memory. When closed, its colorful chin reveals music controls; opened, the whole thing morphs into a tiny handset -- and a refreshing change of pace from the giant clamshells those poor souls on KDDI are usually subject to.

Courtesy: www.engadget.com

Nikon's D3X DSLR hits the scene in official fashion

After a quick outting in its own mag, Nikon has gone and gotten all officially official on the D3X. The big boy DSLR sports a bone-crushing 24.5-megapixel CMOS FX format sensor, full resolution shooting at 5 FPS, ISO from 100-1600 (expandable to 50-6400), TIFF, JPEG or NEF (RAW) file formats up to 138MB, and a newly updated EXPEED image processing system. The top-tier digicam won't come super cheap, hitting shelves at $7,999.95 -- but if you need something like this, money probably isn't much of an issue. The camera goes on sale this December, so you might want to get the piggy banks out.

Courtesy: www.engadget.com

Bluetooth 2.2 spec could be released as early as mid-2009

According to CNET, it looks like Bluetooth 2.2 will see the light of day sometime in mid-2009. Designed to work in tandem with other wireless technologies already present in many devices, the spec will be referred to either as Bluetooth 10x (working in conjunction with WiFi) and Bluetooth 100x (working with UWB). Something like this should good news for manufacturers of PMPs and handsets, expanding the range of possibilities to include Bluetooth media streaming and much larger file transfers. On the other hand, perhaps the new spec will finally herald the age of the Bluetooth viruses the doomsayers have been hollerin' about. No matter what happens, it shouldn't be too long before we find out.

Windows Vista / Server 2008 SP2 Beta out now to MSDN and TechNet subscribers

Windows Vista SP2 may not be hitting manufacturers 'til next April, but the beta is already scootin' about to MSDN and TechNet subscribers. Yep, as of this very moment in time, the Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 SP2 Beta is in the wild, and Microsoft is planning to making it publicly available via TechNet this Thursday.

Click on the links given below if you want to know more about this issue.

http://windowsteamblog.com/blogs/windowsvista/archive/2008/12/02/announcing-the-windows-vista-and-windows-server-2008-service-pack-2-customer-preview-program-cpp.aspx

http://blogs.technet.com/windowsserver/default.aspx

Courtesy: www.engadget.com