Windows 7 Release Candidate 1 impressions, insights, and expectations

As you may or may not know, Windows 7 Release Candidate 1 has been officially handed out to MSDN and TechNet subscribers today, and there are plans to unleash the heavily-hyped OS to the waiting public at large come May 5th. We had a chance to sit down with reps from Microsoft to discuss the new iteration of Windows (and the company's current frame of mind) more in-depth, and we've taken the new build for a bit of a spin around the block.

Sony debuts connected BRAVIA Z5500 LCD HDTV line

And the hits just keep on comin'. Shortly after Sony introduced its connected BRAVIA W-Series to the world, in flies yet another trio: the Z5500 line. Arriving in 40-inch, 46-inch and 52-inch models, the set boasts Motionflow 200Hz technology, DLNA certification, the outfit's BRAVIA Engine 3, its own 'draw the LINE' design concept, a 1080p panel and a CI Plus interface, which only those parked overseas will truly understand. Furthermore, there's an integrated MPEG-4/AVC HD tuner, BRAVIA Sync (HDMI-CEC), an auto shut-off function, a dedicated 'Energy Saving Switch' and -- for the first time -- AppliCast. If you're curious, the latter feature enables users to access a range of online services (RSS feeds and all sorts of other widgets) via the built-in Ethernet jack. Sony didn't bother to share a price, release date or any hope of a US debut, but keep your eyes peeled in for more.

Next Russian space capsule could land on a gentle cushion of fire

We're all used to space vehicles making a fiery ascents into the heavens whilst sitting atop massive, earth-shaking rockets that fill the sky with light and hearts with awe. What's a little more unusual is a spacecraft that relies on the same technique make a gentle return trip. Ships landing under rocket power have been bandied about for decades, but now the Russians seem intent to make it a reality for their next space capsule. The current Soyuz capsules do use rockets to cushion landings, firing at the last seconds before touchdown, but still descent is largely managed by a series of parachutes. This next-gen ship would forgo such frilly things in favor of rather more pyrotechnic ones, a change that sounds rather exciting but, to be honest, somewhat less than reliable. Given our choice we'd probably take a halo of silk above rather than a pack of explosives below, thanks.

Chuwi M70's 7-inch PMP reviewed, said to be large and in charge

Many PMPs are svelte, portable things that feel good in the hand and not too bad in a pocket. The same cannot be said for the 8GB Chuwi M70, a PMP packing a 7-inch, 700 x 480 widescreen LCD and not much else. In a review at MP4 Nation Blog that screen gets high marks, as does the ability to play video up to 1280 x 720 smoothly, but build quality is apparently a disappointment, and those dimensions make it something less than totally portable. The device hasn't officially been released in the US, but if you've got room in your heart for a PMP with a little extra to love they can be found online for under $120. Get hunting.

Palm launching smaller Pre-like device later this year says rumor-mill

As if we didn't have enough Pre rumors to sort through, along comes TechCrunch and Mikey A. with some hard hitting stuff. According to the TC honcho, one of his "better sources" claims that Palm is "very far along" on a second webOS device which is smaller and slimmer than the Pre and may or may not have a physical keyboard. Apparently, this won't be the iPhone 3G to the first-gen iPhone, rather a device which addresses "a different part of the market." Details are still sketchy, but Arrington claims that the "Mini-Pre" (his name) will land sometime this year -- possibly as soon as the Fall. This is all complete rumor right now, but Palm has previously said that there would be more than one webOS device, so the idea of another model in the oven doesn't exactly come as a surprise. Stay tuned for further updates .....!

HP MediaSmart LX195 boasts 640GB HDD, 1.6GHz Atom, $400 MSRP

Yearning for more info on the HP MediaSmart LX195? Here's some new concrete details for you to go along with the leaked images from earlier this month. As previously suggested, it's got a a single 640GB internal SATA drive with 7200RPM, with the only option for expansion being via the four USB 2.0 ports in the back. We're also looking at a 1.6GHz Atom 230 processor, 1GB RAM, Windows Home Server software and support for Apple's Time Machine. Mum's the word on price, but if you're looking to start saving early, suggested retail price is just under four Benjamins.

NVIDIA's GeForce GTX 285 coming to Macs in June

Mac users -- are you tired of being taunted by your PC friends over their myriad GPU options / killer gaming rigs? Well, here's one less front they can battle you on. We've just received a pic of this nasty piece of work in our inboxes with word that it's due in June. Like the PC version, we're guessing you can expect two things here: it's killer... and it's expensive.

Averatec hints at an Android netbook

Its not sure why Android is suddenly the hottest netbook OS in town, but we'd guess it's about to hit the scene in a big way at Computex next month. Today's whispers? Averatec CEO Tae-Hyun Cho says his company will ship a new netbook with a "surprise" OS that blends "cell phone and PC technology" in August or September. Very mysterious. That's literally all we know for now, but Cho's comments about what consumers are willing to pay has us thinking this one'll come in cheap -- we'll keep an eye out.

Vodafone suggests future Android phones could have less Google

Android and Google may seem inseparable to some, but Vodafone is apparently suggesting that some of its future Android-based phones could possibly pack a little less Google and a little more Vodafone. While the carrier unsurprisingly isn't offering much in the way of specifics just yet, it did tell TechRadar that future Android phones could ditch some of the familiar Google services in favor of a more "basic package" that would let Vodafone (or other carriers following the same route) offer their own client software instead -- a winning idea if there ever was one. And it seems that there will indeed be more Android phones in the offing from Vodafone sooner rather than later, with Vodafone's Rachel William's telling TechRadar that the carrier is "looking at other Android devices," and that "by joining the Open Handset Alliance it shows our commitment."

Acer already working on "several Android devices," smartphone included

Okay, now we get it -- the flood of Android phones we were expecting at MWC and CTIA this year are actually arriving a month or two late. Nice. Anywho, with Samsung just recently dishing out official dirt on its Google-fied I7500 and HTC pushing out its Magic overseas, Acer is making darn sure it's not left out as the bandwagon cruises by. During the firm's Q1 investor's conference today, Gianfranco Lanci (President and CEO) noted that "the entire industry is looking at Android," and that his company "is testing Android on a lot of different solutions." Specifically, he stated that it was "working on an Android solution for the smartphone, but it's too early to say if [Acer] is going to [put the OS] on a netbook in the near future." 'Course, he could be spitting out positive vibes to just make sure we don't forget about 'em, but here's hoping Mr. Lanci takes him own quotes seriously. We'll be watching -- like Rockwell, minus the catchy chorus.

PXP-900 handheld ditches the UMD drive, and the PSP

A new PSP may well be on the horizon, but it looks like the knock-off business is still going strong with the classic model, and it's kicked out one of its most faithful / blatant homages to date with this new so-called PXP-900. While it doesn't do anything crazy like actually play PSP games, you can apparently make use of the included emulator to play NES, GameBoy, SNES, and Genesis games -- even including those rare few 32X games, from the sound of it. Otherwise, you can expect the usual basic PMP functionality, along with a 2GB of internal memory, an SD card slot for expansion, a TV out port, an FM tuner, and your choice of four different colors -- all for the low, low price of $89.99.

Dell's touchy-feely Studio One 19 lands in the US and Europe

Japan got the first crack at Dell's new multitouch all-in-one Studio One 19 in March, but it's finally headed our way. As expected, prices start at $699, with a Pentium E5200 Dual Core processor, GeForce 9200 integrated graphics, a 320GB HDD, 2GB of RAM and a slot-loading DVD burner in the low-end. Built-in webcams and multitouch features are present across the board. Check out a video of the multitouch functionality after the break: nothing much beyond the usual gimmicks, though we're a fan of letting your kid lay down beats with his jam-covered fingers -- that's true love.

Samsung's I7500 Android phone shreds in first hands-on video

We know what you're thinking: you'd love to see some video of Samsung's very first Android device -- the I7500 -- but you don't want to watch it unless the soundtrack for the clip is foreign hair metal. Well, we aim to please at Engadget, so without further ado, we present this totally bitchin' flick of the phone in action, replete with the rockingest shred-fest this side of... wherever this band is from. Enjoy!

HP unveils ProBook s-series laptops for the businessperson who needs a bit more power

HP's adding a little bit of freshness to its portable lineup this evening with the new ProBook s-series, designed as affordable business-centric laptops but should be capable of pulling off a decent game or two for those long flights. The 14-inch 4410s and 4415s pack Intel / AMD processors, respectively, optional Blu-ray drive, HDMI port, and choice of GMA X4500HD or ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4330. The 15.6-inch 4510s (Intel) and 4515s (AMD) includes an optional mobile broadband connectivity module and an integrated numeric keypad. Grandaddy of them all 4710s lacks the mobile broadband and AMD processor options but does sport a larger 17.3-inch screen. In what's being touted as a first for the company, you can have Linux preinstalled if you're interested in using Novell SuSE Enterprise Desktop 11. According to the presser, prices start around $529, and there's a USB 2.0 docking station available for $139.

HTC's XV6175 for Verizon outed in render form

Yo, T-Mobile, you guys might want to speed that Snap / Dash 2 / whatever along, because you've got a few carriers nipping at your heels with their own WinMo-based portrait QWERTY models fresh out of HTC's foundry. There's a whole jumble of codenames and model numbers used to identify this thing, but basically, you can look at the XV6175 as Verizon's answer to the GSM-powered Snap and S522 -- a device that's been seen in Sprint's roadmap as the Willow and in various regulatory agencies as the Cedar (ridiculous, yes, we know). We don't have any better idea of when it might launch, but in the meanwhile, feast your eyes on this render we've unearthed -- and enjoy the Verizon logo-free bezel while you can, because we'll bet you a bazillion dollars that's not lasting.

UMID M1 unboxed ahead of Australian launch

Still no US release in sight, but UMID's M1 has now set the course for the land down under in the not-too-distant future. Pocketables has managed to get its hands on a non-HSDPA retail version to take it through the unboxing and review motions. The pictures are a good reminder at just how tiny this thing is, especially compared to the jacket pocket fave Vaio P. Unfortunately, it's also got a rather awkward set of adapters for USB and what appears to be headphones, as seen in the picture above. Australian retailer Justek's got the unit available for pre-order now, but you might want to glance at that $930 to $1426 price range before you impulsively hit the "pre-order now" button.

Laser-etched Motherboard mirror reflects art, life, and circuitry

Nonesiste's Motherboard mirror is the kind of design piece that any decoratively-inclined nerd might really want in his / her abode. Its designer, Romolo Stanco, has some really big ideas about the meaning behind the mirror, saying that "the etchings are circuits, an intersection of lines borrowed from the world of electronics, a metaphor for connections, global systems, [and] electronic systems for common use which few of us understand the real technical sense." We actually don't understand what he's talking about, but whatever: it looks pretty cool to us. Stanco's mirrors have recently been unveiled in Milan, and are limited to a run of six -- in oval (as above) and rectangle.

Belkin justifies $30 for a pillow, calls it CushDesk

If you're still up for spending unnecessarily these days, Belkin has the perfect excuse to blow 30 bones on a couch pillow replacement. The oddly, almost comically named CushDesk, is nothing more than a sophisticated lap cushion with a somewhat sturdy top that acts as a portable tabletop for your molten-hot laptop. It's available in a number of soothing hues, and while it's fully compatible with mobile PCs and Macs up to 17-inches in size, we're still waiting to hear back about compatibility with UMPCs, MIDs and Linux-based netbooks.

Axxana Phoenix backup system promises to withstand earthquakes and other disasters

It's not exactly for everybody, but those looking to spare no expense when it comes to protecting their data may want to strongly consider adding Axxana's elaborate Phoenix backup system to their shopping list (just below the Bond villain hideout and above the robot army). At the heart of the system is the Phoenix Black Box pictured above, which houses an SSD array that stores your essential data, and packs both WiFi and 3G connectivity to let you retrieve it even if the box itself is inaccessible -- which it may well be, considering that it's designed to withstand earthquakes, floods, and other disasters (including shocks up to 40 Gs and temperatures up to 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit). Of course, the system also gets paired with a remote backup service for an added layer of protection, and you'll have access to a full range of management tools to keep an eye on your data at all times.

VholdR ContourHD helmet cam upgrades your brain to HD

The original VholdR was already one of the more attractive propositions when it comes to helmet cams -- let's face it, when it comes to strapping a video camera to your head, style is likely your first priority -- and now the even sexier followup is here: VholdR ContourHD. The camera shoots 720p at 30fps and WVGA (858 x 480) at 60fps, making it what is apparently the world's first HD "wearable camcorder." A goggle mount and flat surface mount are included, and the lens swivels 192 degrees for easy alignment, with dual lasers to help with setup and a 135 degree wide angle lens to catch your faceplants in a comprehensive manner. There's a 2GB microSD card included, and we must say the H.264 default codec is an extra nice perk. ContourHD is on sale now for $280, and starts shipping on May 15th.

Sony rolls out new Bluetooth headphones for in-ear or out

They're not exactly breaking down any barriers of style or function, but those looking for some straightforward Bluetooth headphones may want to consider one of Sony's latest offerings, which come in both in-ear and over-the-ear varieties. On the in-ear front, Sony has the DR-BT100CX (pictured after the break), which includes some USB charging capabilities, a promised eight hours of playback time, and three different silicon ear buds to ensure a snug fit. Those looking for something a little less discreet can opt for the DR-BT101CX, which offers the same USB charging, a slightly better 12 hours of playback time and, most notably, a 30mm neodymium driver for a bit more oomph. No word on pricing just yet, but it looks like both should be available any day now -- in Europe, at least.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1 gets unboxed, takes some test shots

Wow, it's been a great day for camera nerds -- the Nikon D5000 got a ship date, the Canon Rebel T1i started arriving in stores, and now the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1's been unboxed. That's a hat trick of hotly-anticipated DSLRs* right there, and the GH1 might be the most anticipated of the bunch. Sadly for would-be importers, the Japanese version here can't be set to display

Canon Rebel T1i trickling out to stores

Sure, the Nikon D5000 might have gotten itself a ship date today, but Canon's Rebel T1i is doing one better and actually turning up in stores a couple weeks ahead of its scheduled mid-May debut. This particular specimen was spotted at Bromfield Camera in Boston, but we'd love to hear if you've seen this guy pop up elsewhere -- let us know!

First Ion-based netbooks reportedly on track for June debut

Nothing is completely official just yet, but Pocket-lint is reporting that its inside source at NVIDIA has "confirmed" that the initial batch of Ion-based netbooks will be announced at the big Computex trade show at the beginning of June, and that the first few netbooks could start shipping "as early as July." Of course, there's no word on any specific companies involved just yet, with the source only going so far as to say that the announcements will come from some "key players." Acer would seem to be about as close to a sure thing as there is, however, considering that it just recently launched the first Ion-based nettop, the AspireRevo, and that it's never passed up an opportunity to roll out yet another new nettbook in the past.

Nintendo rolls out lime green DS bundle just in time for Mother's Day

Talk about things you never knew you didn't want! If Mom hadn't much use for a Nintendo DS Lite before, do you think that throwing in some cooking software is gonna change her mind? Neither do we. That said, if you're really stuck for a Mother's Day present (or just want one you can play Nintendogs on), this bad boy hits the shops May 3rd. You are now free to go back to reading Garfield Minus Garfield and counting down the minutes 'til Happy Hour.

OCZ gets official with Z-Drive PCI-Express SSD

Technically, OCZ outed this here PCI-Express SSD way back at CeBIT in March, but it's just now making things super official. Now available with a fresh face and hard specifications, the Z-Drive is aiming to take on wares by firms like Fusion-io and provide blistering transfer rates to anyone who buys in. Essentially, this device removes the SATA bottleneck by employing the PCIe architecture and four Vertex controllers configured in four-way RAID 0 array. Curious about performance? Read speeds can hit upwards of 510MB/sec, while write speeds top out at 480MB/sec -- plenty respectable in our eyes. OCZ's planning to push these out in 250GB, 500GB and 1TB capacities, and while final pricing is still being kept under wraps and 'll be kept "competitive."

Sony sued for cheating man out of rumble patents

Two years after we thought it was all over, it sounds like the saga of Sony, Immersion, and the rumblin' DualShock has yet another chapter: a New Jersey electrical engineer named Craig Thorner is now suing Sony and its attorneys, claiming that he was more or less duped out of one of his patents in a shady deal designed to help Sony and PDP/Electrosource beat Immersion's cases against them. Oh yeah, it's a tangled mess -- Thorner first signed over his patent to Immersion, hoping to score a little slice of royalty pie when the lawsuit settled, but then took it back when he decided Immersion wasn't pursuing it hard enough and signed it over to PDP/Electrosource, who promised him $150,000. So where does Sony come in? Thorner says PDP and Sony were teamed up to beat Immersion, and that Sony was secretly the one licensing the patent but trying to remain out of the picture to keep the price down -- and he's got proof, in the form of a $150,000 wire transfer between the two companies. Not only that, but Sony's attorneys apparently promised Thorner that they could "wear two hats" during negotiations and represent both him and Sony, which is ten kinds of shady. You can guess what happened next: Sony lost, PDP settled, and Immersion sued Thorner for breaking his agreement -- and Sony's attorneys didn't help him defend the lawsuit. Did we say ten kinds of shady? Eleven kinds. Of course, it's doubtful that Thorner is totally innocent here, so it'll be interesting to see how Sony responds, but at this point we're treating the DualShock 3 as a miracle of nature and leaving it at that.

Acer Aspire 3935 review roundup: sleek and affordable, but lacking gaming cred

If you're in the market for a new laptop / netbook, you might want to add Acer's just-released Aspire 3935-6504 to the list of potentials. The early reviews are in, and it looks like Acer's got an aggressively-priced winner on its hands. Laptop Magazine calls it "one heck of a bargain," noting particularly its sleek and sturdy design, backup and power saver buttons, full-sized keyboard, and the appealing $900 price tag. PC Magazine went so far as to give it the Editor's Choice award for budget laptops, lauding also its eco-friendly credentials and impressive battery life (4 hours and 50 minutes, by its metric). Both sites bemoaned, however, the lack of HDMI and eSATA ports and its inability to run games as well as competitors like the Dell Studio XPS 13 or HP Pavilion dv3z. Providing a less enthusiastic tone is Computer Shopper, who seems to take more of an issue with its gaming deficiencies than the other two reviewers. Still, the site recommends it for those consider style, portability, and price tag the main selling points.

ASUS gets official with business-minded P30A laptop

We already knew that ASUS's P30 laptop (or P30A, as it's now apparently known) would come equipped with Intel's latest and greatest anti-theft technology, but ASUS has only just now gotten fully official with the laptop itself, and dished out all the rest of the specs that at least some folks have no doubt been waiting for. This being a full-on ultraportable, you won't exactly get a ton of power, but you can expect a snazzy LED-backlit 13.3-inch display (1366x768 resolution), along with a low-voltage 1.4GHz Core 2 Duo processor, up to 4GB of RAM, your choice of 250GB or 320GB hard drives (in either 5,400 or 7,200 rpm variations), a DVD drive, HDMI out, a 4-cell battery, and even some built-in 3G -- all in a package that weighs in at just over three pounds. Still no official word on a price, but it looks like you should be able to pick one up any day now -- or you could just wait for a similarly thin-and-light and slightly more stylish Acer Timeline, your choice.

Report: Nokia's Comes With Music not selling very well in the UK

After hearing initial reports that Nokia's Comes With Music subscription service was doing "okay," word on the streets is now... even less good. According to estimates released by Music Ally at an Association of Independent Music conference in London, Nokia's gotten about 23,000 subscribers to the service since it launched last October. That's not a great number, if it's anywhere near accurate... though Nokia has "refused to confirm" whether or not it is. Tim Grimsditch, head of Nokia's product marketing division added that it's "a very new business model, we're live in five markets and the numbers only mention one. We're going to continue to develop the model and fine tune how we market it." That said, the report can't be terribly heartening either way you slice it, and is rather reminiscent of N-Gage's niche market status if you ask us.

T-Mobile-branded HTC Touch Pro2 appears in the wild

It's really no secret that the Touch Pro2 is destined to arrive in the States on T-Mobile, but this is the first time we've seen the T-Mo edition not, uh, drippings with goo. And yes, that's a US-spec keyboard and the "fewer dots" US T-Mobile logo, so this looks like the real thing -- hopefully that means a launch is imminent.

Amazon Video on Demand supports 5.1 surround on TiVo (plus hands-on)

So we were pretty bummed in our early testing of Amazon's newly HD-enabled Video On Demand service to find that it only streamed stereo audio instead of full 5.1 surround, but it looks like that's actually device-dependent -- we just tried it out on our TiVo HD, and movies play back in Dolby Digital 5.1. Yeah, that's still no Dolby TrueHD or DTS-HD, but it's definitely a vast upgrade from the sad two channels we got off the Roku Video Player. So why the difference? The TiVo doesn't stream content like the Roku -- it actually downloads a video file and plays it locally from its hard drive. That means that in addition to surround audio, we also saw a pretty dramatic increase in picture quality over the Roku -- not exactly Blu-ray, but at least on par with the Apple TV, which also downloads content locally. Sure, downloading first means playback can be much slower to start, but we'll take the delay over a blocky image any day. Our only gripe is that the TiVo interface is far less attractive and workable than the Roku's -- although it has a search feature, everything seems a little clunky and thrown together, and the UI just feels plain slower. Overall, though, it's hard to see TiVo owners complaining about this upgrade...!

Viliv S5 unboxed in beautiful, epic video

We've had our eyes and hands all over Viliv's S5 for quite some time now, but we'll freely admit that we kind of can't get enough of the little guy. Well, until now, maybe. jkkmobile's got an exhaustive video unboxing which shows the device off quite nicely -- its 4.8-inch haptic touchscreen looks super responsive -- and overall, this UMPC is shaping up to be one decently impressive piece of work. They're expected to ship around May 8th in the U.S. for $599.

Bluetribe's new Bluetooth 2.1 audio receiver for iPod speaker docks

While Bluetribe may sound like the DJ collective you used to follow around back in your "rave days" (when you wore dangerously baggy trousers and never awoke before 2:00 PM), it's actually a Japanese outfit known for its Bluetooth headphones and accessories. The company's new Bluetooth Audio Receiver sits in your speaker dock in lieu of your iPod, letting you stream music to it from anywhere in the room -- the perfect gift for folks who hate to walk across the room to switch songs (the extremely lazy, for instance). Available in stunning black or pristine white, this bad boy supports Bluetooth 2.1 and should be hitting retailers in Japan sometime in early May, for a price yet to be announced.

Seagate rolls out low-power Barracuda LP hard drives

Seagate's Barracuda drives have been plagued with a few problems as of late, but it looks like the company is doing its best to push the line in a fresh new direction with its just-announced Barracuda LP series, which promise to cut down on power consumption without making too many compromises in performance. Specifically, Seagate says that the drives will use up to 50% less electricity than standard hard drives, while also cranking out 5,900 RPM, along with an average latency of 5.5ms, and a 32MB cache. No word on what so of premium, if any, they'll demand, but you'll apparently be able to get 'em in 1TB, 1.5TB, and 2TB varieties (all 3.5-inch) right out of the gate.

AT&T now offering refurbished 16GB iPhone for $149

It's always nice to see an already decent deal sweetened -- which is just what's happening over at AT&T these days. The company is now offering refurbished models of the 16GB iPhone 3G for $149 with a new two-year contract. That's $50 less than the previous price, so head over and save yourself a few bucks if you're so inclined. The 8GB refurb is still on offer at $99 with a two-year contract. It looks like the deals only apply to the black model, so you'll have to cough up full price ($299) for a new one if only white will do.

Western Digital finally releases the 1TB My DVR Expander, TiVo owners rejoice

Finally! We've been waiting for Western Digital to put out the 1TB My DVR Expander for so long we almost thought that Amazon listing a couple weeks ago was a mistake. The external eSATA drive allows any number of HD DVRs to record an extra 120 hours of HD content, but the real noise is that it's certified to work with the TiVo HD and TiVo XL, which have locked-down eSATA ports that prevent you from using just any drive. (The original Series3 doesn't have this restriction.) Stupid, we know, but at $199 list and $167 at Amazon.

LG announces 1080p DivX support, release windows for new TVs

LG's always done a good job supporting DivX in its players and TVs, so this morning's press release announcing that the company will offer 1080p DivX support in its latest gear isn't all that surprising -- we're mostly excited because it suggests that the latest round of LED-backlit LCDs will arrive in "late May and late April." That's, uh, real soon now, so those of you waiting on a little Scarlet action in your lives should look sharp.

Qtv launches console IPTV platform on the PlayStation.... 2

In one of the more unexpected developments from NAB 2009, Qtv is pushing its streaming media player platform for consoles. Not an altogether radical idea we know, but what's different here is a plan to launch first on the PlayStation 2 and move to newer hardware later. From the makers of the Qcast technology behind the GameShark Media Player, Qtv includes YouTube and access to streaming video from other sources, plus pictures, music and video (DivX, h.264, XviD & more) from USB devices or networked computers. The PS2 may not be the first HD set-top box we thought of, it does have the highest installed base. The Qtv player launches later this year and will be available on Mac and PC as well for "less than $50," although thanks to the free 30-day trial the hardest part may be remembering where we left our PS2s.

FINIS AquaPulse monitors, communicates heart rate to swimmers

Now that every kid on planet Earth is attempting to mimic the once-heroic Michael Phelps, it's only fair to equip them with the very best in training tools. FINIS, the same firm that's been cranking out bone conducting underwater MP3 players for years on end, has finally branched out a bit with the introduction of the AquaPulse. By utilizing an Infrared sensor, the device -- which straps onto one's goggles and rests on the temple bone -- can continually monitor heart rate and communicate it audibly to the swimmer via bone conduction in customizable intervals. Unfortunately, FINIS didn't think to integrate music playback into this for moments when it's not dishing out vitals, but you could also rock one of its dedicated music players on the non-dominant ear. Olympians-to-be can catch it this May for $139.99.

iHouse SmartFaucet with face recognition is more smug than smart

Ready for the ultimate in convergence overkill? Meet the SmartFaucet from iHouse; a tap with built-in face recognition technology that automatically adjusts the water pressure and temperature to your preferred settings. The touchscreen display even features widgets for at-a-glance access to eMail, appointments, and the outside temperature while LEDs illuminate the flow with temperature matching colors. iHouse's Fadec (pictured after the break) also adds face recognition to a 2.8-inch in-house remote control. That little trick allows the remote to respond to pre-programmed scenes (think AC, lighting, audio) customized by inhabitant. Too much? Never.

Sharp's Mebius LCD trackpad

Akihabara News was on-site for the unveiling of Sharp's Mebius netbook with combo LCD display and trackpad. Fortunately, they did the world a favor and snagged video (posted after the break) of the 854 x 480 pixel LCD in action. Sure, the icons and apps demonstrated are all a bit lame but the idea of repurposing that 4-inch space for a dual-purpose trackpad and secondary display / widget panel is killer. This friends, this is the future.

Samsung's M7 500GB laptop drive can take a licking

While we've seen plenty of 500GB hard disks for laptops but Samsung's SpinPoint M7 is the first with the guts to call itself "rugged." The dual-platter, 2.5-inch drive spins at 5400rpm and features a 400G operational shock tolerance -- that's about 50G better than the claimed tolerances of other 500GB drives and 75G better than Sammy's own Spinpoint M6. Expect to see the M7 ship sometime this month.

Fujitsu's 10.1-inch LOOX M netbook looks good, positively average

Not that Fujitsu's totally new to the netbook arena or anything, but we've got to hand it to the outfit's design team on this one. The newfangled LOOX M netbook is definitely handsome, even though the innards contain a list of hardware components that we could rattle off in our sleep. Ready? Here goes. A 1.6GHz Atom N270 CPU, 1GB of DDR2 RAM, a 160GB hard drive (yawning yet?), WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, three USB 2.0 sockets and a multicard reader. If you're suddenly overcome with déjà vu, you're definitely not alone -- 'tis a shame Fujitsu has the nerve to charge ¥59,800 ($611) for something that's no more advanced than the original line of Eee PCs.

Sony's Walkman E-series lets music nerds play dress up

Think USB sticks are fashion statements? Then listen up nerds, Sony's get a sackful of Walkmans to match your technicolor style. The Walkman E series will get to poppin' next month in 2GB (NW-E042), 4GB (NW-E043), and 8GB (NW-E044) capacities starting at ¥8,000 (about $80, tax inclusive) on up to ¥13,000 (about $132). Each stick ships with a second front panel / cap combination for a quick color swap. Spec-wise, you're looking at a 3-line color LCD display, FM radio, quick 3-hours on 3-minute charge (or 90 minute full charge for 28 hours of MP3 playback), and Sony's excellent earbuds with 13.5mm driver

Sharp's Mebius PC-NJ70A packs LCD trackpad for the whiz-bang crowd

And you thought Apple's button-less "glass trackpad" was hot stuff. Sharp has just let loose details on its thoroughly Japanese Mebius PC-NJ70A, which sadly packs an exceptionally boring list of internal components but manages to stay interesting with a decidedly unorthodox trackpad. As you can see in the image above, Sharp has actually tossed an 854 x 480 resolution LCD right onto the palm rest, which automatically adjusts brightness based on surrounding light and can likely act as a secondary display for things like adjusting an equalizer with your digits. Beyond that, the netbook is downright drab, sporting just a 10.1-inch display (1,024 x 600), 1.6GHz Atom N270 processor, 1GB of RAM, a 160GB HDD, three USB 2.0 ports, Ethernet, WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR and a multicard reader. There's no set price as of yet, but word on the street puts it right around ¥80,000 ($817).

D-Link finally ships the DXN-221 Coax Ethernet adapter

It's taken almost a year, but D-Link is finally shipping its DXN-221 Coax Ethernet network adapter. The MoCA-certified box does exactly what it says -- it turns your existing coax cabling into a giant Ethernet network without interfering with TV signals, allowing you to get hardwired network speeds anywhere in your house without having to run Cat6. A pair will set you back $239 at retail, but it looks like D-Link is selling them direct for $156.

NVIDIA rolls out Quadro FX 4800 graphics card for Mac Pro users

Been itching to add an $1,800 graphics card to your shiny new Mac Pro? Then you're in luck, as NVIDIA has now finally made its high-end Quadro FX 4800 graphics card available to Mac users, just a few short months after PC folk first got their hands on it. Of course the core specs of the card remain unchanged, and include a 1.5GB frame buffer with memory bandwidth up to 76.8 GB/sec, a pair of dual-link DVI connectors with some added support for 3D stereo glasses, 192 stream processors, a maximum power consumption of 150W, and some Boot Camp support right out of the gate. You'll still have to wait a tiny bit longer to check out all that for yourself, however, as the first cards apparently won't be available until some time next month.

Nintendo moves 435,000 DSi handhelds during first week in US

We already heard that the Big N managed to lighten its DSi inventory by 300,000 during the handheld's first full weekend in America, and apparently another 135,000 procrastinators swooped in to grab one as the week finished up. Potentially more amazing, however, is the overall impact of Nintendo in the month of March. Last month, Nintendo systems accounted for just south of 60 percent (58.4 percent, if you must know) of all video game hardware sold in America. And yeah, that's even despite a shocking 17 percent drop in Wii sales during the same 30 day window. Have we mentioned lately that things seem to be going quite well in the Mushroom Kingdom? 'Cause they definitely do.

RAmos RM990 iOne2 PMP looks surprisingly desirable

RAmos definitely isn't the most respected name in PMPs here in the US, but as of late, it's done a commendable job of staying relevant... at least on the design front, anyway. The firm's latest concoction, which goes by RM990 iOne2, is a touchscreen-heavy media player that's clearly not anorexic. Specs wise, we're told that it features a 3-inch WQVGA touch panel, haptic feedback, a built-in accelerometer, 4GB of internal storage and support for a whole gaggle of file formats. Not bad for the low, low asking price of just 399 yuan (around $58), but it's hardly worth a trip to Shanghai.

Washington DC announced as first MPH mobile TV market

In the 22 city-strong foot race to get a live MPH-based mobile TV network up, running, and available to anyone who wants it, it looks like Washington DC's poised to come out on top. Raleigh has already deployed a handful of transmitters for the benefit of bus-goers, but the Open Mobile Video Coalition has announced that Washington DC's local CBS, PBS, NBC, and Ion affiliates plus a Fox-owned independent will all be ready to roll with MPH transmissions by late summer; of course, what remains to be seen is what sort of hardware will be ready to take advantage of the tech by then. We can likely count AT&T and Verizon out for offering MPH-enabled handsets seeing how they're still trying to figure out how to profit from their MediaFLO-based networks, so T-Mobile and Sprint's decisions to take a wait-and-see approach to the mobile TV phenomenon may really end up working in their favor here. Moving beyond the phones, it's said that Dell will be showing some sort of netbook this week with an integrated MPH tuner at the NAB show in Vegas this week, while Kenwood has in-car solutions in the works. As long as the broadcasts stay free -- which by all accounts they will -- the standard has a fighting chance at relevancy, assuming hardware comes to the table.

Pilotfish's Ondo music editing mobile concept puts new twist on smartphones

It's been nearly three years since the Onyx tickled our imagination, but Pilotfish is looking to completely melt our brains with its latest concept. The Munich-based industrial design firm has just introduced its Ondo music editing mobile, which is half cellphone, half music mixer and thoroughly amazing. In theory, the phone would boast a small mixing panel, three removable recording sticks with internal memory and a bendable center to give music lovers the ability to insert pitch bends and relieve stress. Essentially, the trio of OLED-infused sticks serves two purposes: when installed, they're the main phone panel, and when removed, they can be clipped onto instruments for recording purposes. Afterwards, they can be swapped with other Ondo owners or edited on the fly right on the device itself