MSI set to add 3 models to Wind netbook line-up

At a press conference recently held in France, Taiwanese computer maker MSI introduced new versions of its Wind netbook, the MSI Wind U115, U110 and U120H. The U120H will ship with a 3G data network module from Ericsson that will enable it to access the high-speed network with a SIM card. Other specs of the new netbook include an Atom CPU, 1GB of RAM and a 160GB hard disk with Windows XP on it. Bluetooth and Wi-Fi modules will also be accounted for, with the computer powered by a six-cell battery. MSI recently announced a stock U120 with similar specs and the availability of a Wi-Fi module.

Orange to introduce HD Voice technology

Orange, a wireless provider and brand of France Telecom on Tuesday announced its future technologies at the La Collection show in Paris. Key among them is the planned introduction of High Definition Voice technology that aims to improve voice clarity during calls. The software will find its way into certain Orange handsets starting in December, and promises to reduce background noise by doubling the handset's ability to pick up the human voice.

Amazon Kindle sold out well into 2009

The Internet-connected Kindle e-book reader sold exclusively at Amazon will not ship in time for Christmas, instead arriving at buyers' doors in between 11 to 13 weeks, according to a Friday report. The device was also sold out for the holidays last year, but Amazon's reason for the low volumes was that production was not yet up to capacity.

Cowon's iPod touch rival due in US for December

Cowon today revealed that it will bring its S9 Curve media player to the US in December. The device is the Korean company's most direct answer to the iPod touch and centers on a rare, 3.3-inch AMOLED touchscreen that both produces more vivid colors than LCDs and also boosts the battery life to 40 hours of music. It also includes an accelerometer to rotate the image into landscape, Bluetooth for wireless audio, and is unusually fast for its category through a dual-core processor.

Creative Vado HD reaches US on Dec. 7th

Creative will launch a version of its Vado pocketable camera with a flash drive that is capable of recording high-definition video on December 7th in the US as per an Amazon product page. The small camcorder will record video using H.264 compression at up to 1280x720 resolution (720p), with its 8GB of integrated capacity good for two hours of HD video or double that at VGA resolution. It will be priced aggressively at $199 and should have more storage and small feature improvements over the well-received Flip Mino HD.

Consumer Reports releases electronics buyer's guide

Just in time for Black Friday shoppers, Consumer Reports has released its guide to recommended electronics gifts, with Apple receiving several nods from the list. The independent non-profit organization tests and rates products, and has set up a web page grouping ratings for HDTVs, digital cameras, blu-ray disk players and more. Each section highlights best values and highest rated performers and links to full reviews of the products.

ATSC greenlights new mobile TV standard

The ATSC TV standards company today said it has approved a candidate version of the Mobile DTV standard. The technology will give American cellphones, notebooks, portable media players and other devices a more universal way of watching over-the-air mobile digital TV provided by regular broadcasters rather than through proprietary, subscription-only services such as the MediaFLO network used by AT&T and Verizon.

Jasper-based X360 consoles hit store shelves

Microsoft's Jasper-based Xbox 360 consoles are finally arriving in stores, according to forum posts found on xbox-scene [1|2], with photographs detailing both the internal and external features of the new models. The Jasper model consoles feature a smaller 65nm process die for the graphics chip, decreasing overall power consumption and heat generation. The move is expected to reduce "red ring of death" failures in consoles.

Battech launches iPower SX solar charger

The UK's Battech recently introduced its iPower SX solar-powered charger that will add battery life to portable consumer electronics. It stores energy captured by the sun in a high-capacity, 2,200mAh battery and is said to be capable of powering an iPod classic for 50 hours. The device is capable of charging many popular phones, including the iPhone and Nokia devices, as well as portable gaming consoles, MP3 players and cameras.

Rogers quietly intros $30 data/text value pack

Rogers has quietly bolstered its wireless data plans this week to improve its options for iPhones and other smartphone users, according to forum posts from observers. The carrier has introduced an as-yet unpublished $30 Data Value Pack that combines 500MB of monthly data with 10,000 outbound text messages, Visual Voicemail on the iPhone, caller ID, and a WhoCalled text notification of missed calls. The data applies to any device Rogers offers and can be combined with any voice plan.

BlackBerry Curve 8900 lands at Rogers

Rogers today has quietly launched its version of the BlackBerry Curve 8900. Appearing ahead of schedule, the QWERTY smartphone is known to be arriving in stores and in its Canadian guise should support Rogers' Talkspot service, which lets the phone use its Wi-Fi for UMA (Unlicensed Mobile Access) calling that automatically transitions to and from VoIP and the cellular network. The phone is considered a smaller, budget alternative to the Bold with EDGE-only cell data but the same 480x320 screen, GPS and software features as its 3G counterpart.

XPS 1340 product page appears on Dell's website

A product page for the XPS 1340 notebook PC on Dell's website hints at the upcoming release of the laptop, which could happen as early as this week. While the product page is incomplete, it does reveal the notebook will have a 64GB solid-state drive that will fit into the bay sized for traditional 2.5-inch hard disk drives. It's the same SSD as Dell uses in the XPS M1330 in overseas markets, and the XPS 1340 is likely to be an update of the XPS M1330 model.

Dell adds 3G, 32GB SSD options to Inspiron Mini 9

Dell today rolled out a pair of build-to-order options to give the Inspiron Mini 9 features previously only available outside the US. A new 3G option during the customization process installs a 7.2Mbps HSPA card that provides cellular broadband on AT&T's network in the US as well as supporting foreign networks. The feature costs $125 but receives an immediate $120 discount if the Mini 9 is bought alongside a two-year data plan, Dell says.

LG set to bring 3D TVs to some markets in 2009

Korea's LG will launch 3D TVs next year, says the Vice President Director of Digital TV Research Lab Choon Lee in a Wednesday report. Not much specific information about the launch details was given, other than that one or two unspecified markets will see the launch of the technology. As for the tech itself, Lee said it would involve a slight change to existing Blu-ray technology and use the media to keep costs to buyers down.

Garmin Nuvifone still on track for a 2009 release

The Nuvifone from Garmin is still due for an early 2009 release despite being delayed earlier this year. It will be a carrier-exclusive offering, though the company is not revealing its choice of partner network to the public. As Garmin is traditionally a portable navigation device manufacturer, the Nuvifone will bring many of the company's technologies to its GPS mapping functionality, as well as access to high-speed 3G data networks.

XPS 1340 product page appears on Dell's website

A product page for the XPS 1340 notebook PC on Dell's website hints at the upcoming release of the laptop, which could happen as early as this week. While the product page is incomplete, it does reveal the notebook will have a 64GB solid-state drive that will fit into the bay sized for traditional 2.5-inch hard disk drives. It's the same SSD as Dell uses in the XPS M1330 in overseas markets, and the XPS 1340 is likely to be an update of the XPS M1330 model.

Dell adds 3G, 32GB SSD options to Inspiron Mini 9

Dell today rolled out a pair of build-to-order options to give the Inspiron Mini 9 features previously only available outside the US. A new 3G option during the customization process installs a 7.2Mbps HSPA card that provides cellular broadband on AT&T's network in the US as well as supporting foreign networks. The feature costs $125 but receives an immediate $120 discount if the Mini 9 is bought alongside a two-year data plan, Dell says.

XPS 1340 product page appears on Dell's website

A product page for the XPS 1340 notebook PC on Dell's website hints at the upcoming release of the laptop, which could happen as early as this week. While the product page is incomplete, it does reveal the notebook will have a 64GB solid-state drive that will fit into the bay sized for traditional 2.5-inch hard disk drives. It's the same SSD as Dell uses in the XPS M1330 in overseas markets, and the XPS 1340 is likely to be an update of the XPS M1330 model.

Dell adds 3G, 32GB SSD options to Inspiron Mini 9

Dell today rolled out a pair of build-to-order options to give the Inspiron Mini 9 features previously only available outside the US. A new 3G option during the customization process installs a 7.2Mbps HSPA card that provides cellular broadband on AT&T's network in the US as well as supporting foreign networks. The feature costs $125 but receives an immediate $120 discount if the Mini 9 is bought alongside a two-year data plan, Dell says.

XPS 1340 product page appears on Dell's website

A product page for the XPS 1340 notebook PC on Dell's website hints at the upcoming release of the laptop, which could happen as early as this week. While the product page is incomplete, it does reveal the notebook will have a 64GB solid-state drive that will fit into the bay sized for traditional 2.5-inch hard disk drives. It's the same SSD as Dell uses in the XPS M1330 in overseas markets, and the XPS 1340 is likely to be an update of the XPS M1330 model.

Dell adds 3G, 32GB SSD options to Inspiron Mini 9

Dell today rolled out a pair of build-to-order options to give the Inspiron Mini 9 features previously only available outside the US. A new 3G option during the customization process installs a 7.2Mbps HSPA card that provides cellular broadband on AT&T's network in the US as well as supporting foreign networks. The feature costs $125 but receives an immediate $120 discount if the Mini 9 is bought alongside a two-year data plan, Dell says.

XPS 1340 product page appears on Dell's website

A product page for the XPS 1340 notebook PC on Dell's website hints at the upcoming release of the laptop, which could happen as early as this week. While the product page is incomplete, it does reveal the notebook will have a 64GB solid-state drive that will fit into the bay sized for traditional 2.5-inch hard disk drives. It's the same SSD as Dell uses in the XPS M1330 in overseas markets, and the XPS 1340 is likely to be an update of the XPS M1330 model.

XPS 1340 product page appears on Dell's website

A product page for the XPS 1340 notebook PC on Dell's website hints at the upcoming release of the laptop, which could happen as early as this week. While the product page is incomplete, it does reveal the notebook will have a 64GB solid-state drive that will fit into the bay sized for traditional 2.5-inch hard disk drives. It's the same SSD as Dell uses in the XPS M1330 in overseas markets, and the XPS 1340 is likely to be an update of the XPS M1330 model.

Dell adds 3G, 32GB SSD options to Inspiron Mini 9

Dell today rolled out a pair of build-to-order options to give the Inspiron Mini 9 features previously only available outside the US. A new 3G option during the customization process installs a 7.2Mbps HSPA card that provides cellular broadband on AT&T's network in the US as well as supporting foreign networks. The feature costs $125 but receives an immediate $120 discount if the Mini 9 is bought alongside a two-year data plan, Dell says.

LG set to bring 3D TVs to some markets in 2009

Korea's LG will launch 3D TVs next year, says the Vice President Director of Digital TV Research Lab Choon Lee in a Wednesday report. Not much specific information about the launch details was given, other than that one or two unspecified markets will see the launch of the technology. As for the tech itself, Lee said it would involve a slight change to existing Blu-ray technology and use the media to keep costs to buyers down.

Garmin Nuvifone still on track for a 2009 release

The Nuvifone from Garmin is still due for an early 2009 release despite being delayed earlier this year. It will be a carrier-exclusive offering, though the company is not revealing its choice of partner network to the public. As Garmin is traditionally a portable navigation device manufacturer, the Nuvifone will bring many of the company's technologies to its GPS mapping functionality, as well as access to high-speed 3G data networks.

Nokia intros Home Control Center platform

World's-largest cellphone maker Nokia on Thursday announced it is developing the Nokia Home Control Center, a platform that will allow users to control their home electronics, security systems and energy management systems via a mobile device. It's an open platform that will allow third parties to write their own smart home solutions for use in mobile devices or PCs and control all compatible devices in their home either locally or remotely.

Garmin Nuvifone still on track for a 2009 release

The Nuvifone from Garmin is still due for an early 2009 release despite being delayed earlier this year. It will be a carrier-exclusive offering, though the company is not revealing its choice of partner network to the public. As Garmin is traditionally a portable navigation device manufacturer, the Nuvifone will bring many of the company's technologies to its GPS mapping functionality, as well as access to high-speed 3G data networks.

LG set to bring 3D TVs to some markets in 2009

Korea's LG will launch 3D TVs next year, says the Vice President Director of Digital TV Research Lab Choon Lee in a Wednesday report. Not much specific information about the launch details was given, other than that one or two unspecified markets will see the launch of the technology. As for the tech itself, Lee said it would involve a slight change to existing Blu-ray technology and use the media to keep costs to buyers down.

Garmin Nuvifone still on track for a 2009 release

The Nuvifone from Garmin is still due for an early 2009 release despite being delayed earlier this year. It will be a carrier-exclusive offering, though the company is not revealing its choice of partner network to the public. As Garmin is traditionally a portable navigation device manufacturer, the Nuvifone will bring many of the company's technologies to its GPS mapping functionality, as well as access to high-speed 3G data networks.

PSP2 may feature PowerVR chipset for graphics

Sony is allegedly looking to achieve a slice of Apple's gaming pie – praise of the iPod touch and iPhone's graphics hardware have come from industry giants John Carmack and Sega – as it has apparently signed a license agreement for the PowerVR SGX chipset. EE Timeswrites that an anonymous deal was signed Monday, with little details readily available, which sources say is to outfit the PSP2 with the SGX55x chipset.

Garmin Nuvifone still on track for a 2009 release

The Nuvifone from Garmin is still due for an early 2009 release despite being delayed earlier this year. It will be a carrier-exclusive offering, though the company is not revealing its choice of partner network to the public. As Garmin is traditionally a portable navigation device manufacturer, the Nuvifone will bring many of the company's technologies to its GPS mapping functionality, as well as access to high-speed 3G data networks.

Garmin Nuvifone still on track for a 2009 release

The Nuvifone from Garmin is still due for an early 2009 release despite being delayed earlier this year. It will be a carrier-exclusive offering, though the company is not revealing its choice of partner network to the public. As Garmin is traditionally a portable navigation device manufacturer, the Nuvifone will bring many of the company's technologies to its GPS mapping functionality, as well as access to high-speed 3G data networks.

PSP2 may feature PowerVR chipset for graphics

Sony is allegedly looking to achieve a slice of Apple's gaming pie – praise of the iPod touch and iPhone's graphics hardware have come from industry giants John Carmack and Sega – as it has apparently signed a license agreement for the PowerVR SGX chipset. EE Timeswrites that an anonymous deal was signed Monday, with little details readily available, which sources say is to outfit the PSP2 with the SGX55x chipset.

Nokia 5800 sees limited shipping

Nokia today said it has started the first wave of shipments of the 5800 XpressMusic, its first touchscreen phone. The Symbian S60 device is already on sale or should be soon for the few regions receiving it before the end of the year, including Nokia's home country of Finland as well as Hong Kong, India, Russia, Spain and the Taiwan area. The company positions it as a near-smartphone with support for full apps, 3G, GPS and Wi-Fi but also a media-centric interface with an always-present media bar for navigating tracks, a 3.2-megapixel camera with video capture and a particularly sharp 640x360, 3.2-inch display.

Nokia intros Home Control Center platform

World's-largest cellphone maker Nokia on Thursday announced it is developing the Nokia Home Control Center, a platform that will allow users to control their home electronics, security systems and energy management systems via a mobile device. It's an open platform that will allow third parties to write their own smart home solutions for use in mobile devices or PCs and control all compatible devices in their home either locally or remotely.

Nokia intros Home Control Center platform

World's-largest cellphone maker Nokia on Thursday announced it is developing the Nokia Home Control Center, a platform that will allow users to control their home electronics, security systems and energy management systems via a mobile device. It's an open platform that will allow third parties to write their own smart home solutions for use in mobile devices or PCs and control all compatible devices in their home either locally or remotely.

Samsung outs large touchscreen displays

Samsung today introduced five large touchscreen displays meant for public use, such as presentations and terminals at mass transit. Using similar sizes and resolutions to HDTVs, the 32-inch 320TSn, 40-inch 400TSn, 46-inch 460TSn, 70-inch 700Tsn and 82-inch 820TSn all work in either portrait or landscape mode and also support a unique MagicInfo feature that lets the owner manage several displays at once, such as when they play a multi-screen video.

Nokia 5800 sees limited shipping

Nokia today said it has started the first wave of shipments of the 5800 XpressMusic, its first touchscreen phone. The Symbian S60 device is already on sale or should be soon for the few regions receiving it before the end of the year, including Nokia's home country of Finland as well as Hong Kong, India, Russia, Spain and the Taiwan area. The company positions it as a near-smartphone with support for full apps, 3G, GPS and Wi-Fi but also a media-centric interface with an always-present media bar for navigating tracks, a 3.2-megapixel camera with video capture and a particularly sharp 640x360, 3.2-inch display.

Samsung outs large touchscreen displays

Samsung today introduced five large touchscreen displays meant for public use, such as presentations and terminals at mass transit. Using similar sizes and resolutions to HDTVs, the 32-inch 320TSn, 40-inch 400TSn, 46-inch 460TSn, 70-inch 700Tsn and 82-inch 820TSn all work in either portrait or landscape mode and also support a unique MagicInfo feature that lets the owner manage several displays at once, such as when they play a multi-screen video.

Nokia 5800 sees limited shipping

Nokia today said it has started the first wave of shipments of the 5800 XpressMusic, its first touchscreen phone. The Symbian S60 device is already on sale or should be soon for the few regions receiving it before the end of the year, including Nokia's home country of Finland as well as Hong Kong, India, Russia, Spain and the Taiwan area. The company positions it as a near-smartphone with support for full apps, 3G, GPS and Wi-Fi but also a media-centric interface with an always-present media bar for navigating tracks, a 3.2-megapixel camera with video capture and a particularly sharp 640x360, 3.2-inch display.

Nokia 5800 sees limited shipping

Nokia today said it has started the first wave of shipments of the 5800 XpressMusic, its first touchscreen phone. The Symbian S60 device is already on sale or should be soon for the few regions receiving it before the end of the year, including Nokia's home country of Finland as well as Hong Kong, India, Russia, Spain and the Taiwan area. The company positions it as a near-smartphone with support for full apps, 3G, GPS and Wi-Fi but also a media-centric interface with an always-present media bar for navigating tracks, a 3.2-megapixel camera with video capture and a particularly sharp 640x360, 3.2-inch display.

Nikon slips D3x camera's existence early

Nikon on Wednesday night inadvertently confirmed the existence of a flagship D3x camera through the posting of a product entry (note: now pulled) on its own site as well as matching photos. Little is revealed about the camera, though the x label is typically used to indicate special high-resolution models of Nikon's cameras and has been used both for the D40 and D2 in recent memory. The D3x appears to be externally identical and includes the same back controls and optical viewfinder as the stock, 12-megapixel D3.

Nikon slips D3x camera's existence early

Nikon on Wednesday night inadvertently confirmed the existence of a flagship D3x camera through the posting of a product entry (note: now pulled) on its own site as well as matching photos. Little is revealed about the camera, though the x label is typically used to indicate special high-resolution models of Nikon's cameras and has been used both for the D40 and D2 in recent memory. The D3x appears to be externally identical and includes the same back controls and optical viewfinder as the stock, 12-megapixel D3.

Nikon slips D3x camera's existence early

Nikon on Wednesday night inadvertently confirmed the existence of a flagship D3x camera through the posting of a product entry (note: now pulled) on its own site as well as matching photos. Little is revealed about the camera, though the x label is typically used to indicate special high-resolution models of Nikon's cameras and has been used both for the D40 and D2 in recent memory. The D3x appears to be externally identical and includes the same back controls and optical viewfinder as the stock, 12-megapixel D3.

Nikon slips D3x camera's existence early

Nikon on Wednesday night inadvertently confirmed the existence of a flagship D3x camera through the posting of a product entry (note: now pulled) on its own site as well as matching photos. Little is revealed about the camera, though the x label is typically used to indicate special high-resolution models of Nikon's cameras and has been used both for the D40 and D2 in recent memory. The D3x appears to be externally identical and includes the same back controls and optical viewfinder as the stock, 12-megapixel D3.

Nikon slips D3x camera's existence early

Nikon on Wednesday night inadvertently confirmed the existence of a flagship D3x camera through the posting of a product entry (note: now pulled) on its own site as well as matching photos. Little is revealed about the camera, though the x label is typically used to indicate special high-resolution models of Nikon's cameras and has been used both for the D40 and D2 in recent memory. The D3x appears to be externally identical and includes the same back controls and optical viewfinder as the stock, 12-megapixel D3.

Nikon slips D3x camera's existence early

Nikon on Wednesday night inadvertently confirmed the existence of a flagship D3x camera through the posting of a product entry (note: now pulled) on its own site as well as matching photos. Little is revealed about the camera, though the x label is typically used to indicate special high-resolution models of Nikon's cameras and has been used both for the D40 and D2 in recent memory. The D3x appears to be externally identical and includes the same back controls and optical viewfinder as the stock, 12-megapixel D3.

Blockbuster intros VOD set-top box from 2Wire

As promised earlier this month, video and game rental giant Blockbuster on Tuesday announced it would begin selling the previously introduced 2Wire MediaPoint player, a hub that brings video-on-demand (VOD) movies over the Internet to users' TVs. The set-top box connects to the Internet via an Ethernet link or built-in Wi-Fi module and, unlike similar products from competitors, does not require a monthly subscription or minimum rental requirement. Blockbuster promises DVD quality movies with the ability to fast-forward, rewind and pause capabilities, as well as saving movies for viewing later. The player has an HDMI connection for connecting it to HDTVs.

Data Robotics offers holiday deal on Drobo

In time for Thanksgiving, Data Robotics today started offering a $50 holiday discount in the form of an instant $50 coupon for the driveless model of its of its Drobo storage robot as well as the preloaded 2TB and 4TB versions. This comes in addition to recent, permanent price cuts to the 2TB and 4TB Drobo. As before, all offer a hot-swappable drive functionality that lets users keep a perpetually upgradable redundant backup by adding or replacing SATA drives of any capacity that automatically merge their storage existing content.