NVIDIA GeForce GTX 285 / 295 review roundup

NVIDIA's GeForce GTX 295 is only a week old at retail, but that hasn't stopped the company from turning around and releasing yet another card -- the GTX 285-- today. The reviews for both are in and from what we've read, the GTX 295 seems to match or outshine its AMD Radeon HD 4870 X2 counterpart in most performance tests. As for the GTX 285, the general consesus is that it's the fastest single-GPU graphics card on the market right now. It's only slightly better-performing than the GTX 280, however, so if you've already got that, it's probably not worth the upgrade. We're not gonna pretend to understand every benchmark result, but we'll gladly point you in the right direction.

Johnson Controls rolls out re3 plug-in concept vehicle

You may not be seeing the car itself roll off an assembly line anytime soon, but Johnson Controls is hoping that some of parts in its new plug-in concept vehicle will eventually find their way into a few production vehicles. The car, dubbed the re3, made its debut at the Detroit Auto Show this week, and packs a whole slew of gadgetry, including an "extended cluster" with a 7-inch touchscreen, a seat-wing armrest and controller that moves some of the controls away from the dash, and a lithium-ion battery pack that makes use of "active cooling" and is able to be tucked in between the two front seats. Johnson Controls also says that the car makes use of renewable materials throughout and, supposedly, it can seat five people relatively comfortably

Kensington SlimBlade trackball for the smooth operator

Yep, Kensington is still making desktop trackballs for all of you out there still rocking your original Macworld '92 T-shirts, and its latest model is actually quite attractive -- the SlimBlade trackball features a minimalist low-profile base with four buttons and a ruby red ball. The drivers are equally slick, displaying mode changes on screen in an HUD, letting you know when you've flipped from cursor to media control to view control profiles. Not a bad way to spend $129 if you're into trackballs, we suppose -- and we wholeheartedly support any product whose press release claims it'll turn us into "smooth operators." Video after the break.

Eizo debuts pair of new color-accurate FlexScan LCDs

Apart from the occasional foray into unconventional remote controls, Eizo is best known for its often-specialized monitors, and the company has returned to its stomping grounds with its latest announcement: a pair of new FlexScan LCDs that promise to cover 95% of the Adobe RGB color space (and 92% of the NTSC color gamut). Those include the FlexScan S2242W-H and FlexScan S2232W-E, both of which are 22-inchers, with the former boasting a full 1920x1200 resolution and the latter dialing things back slightly to 1680x1050. Otherwise, the two seem to be mostly identical, with each sporting a 1,200:1 contrast ratio, a 12ms black-to-white response time, VGA and HDCP-capable DVI ports (but no HDMI), a pair of USB ports, and pair of built-in 0.5W speakers. No indication of a release over here, as usual, but folks in Japan will be able to pick 'em up next month for ¥69,800 yen and ¥62,800 (or roughly $780 and $700).

Stanton's SCS-1 digital DJ system finally ships

It sure took 'em long enough, but Stanton has just announced that its completely boss SCS-1 System is finally shipping to eager DJs. The system is comprised of the SCS.1d deck and the SCS.1m mixer, both of which give funkmasters that digital flair while preserving the familiar feel of older school gear. One of the unique technologies is the HSS1394 protocol, which is a proprietary high-speed communications standard developed specifically for the SC System 1 in order to transmit MIDI messages rapidly over FireWire. You'll also find a preset library for the System (Traktor Pro included), and Stanton has vowed to make updates available regularly and free of charge. Check the full release just past the break.

What Apple could learn from Palm's webOS

In case you missed the keynote, Palm took some special moments to let everyone know that they're not trying to compete with Apple -- which is of course exactly what they're doing with the Pre and webOS. Sure, there's plenty of room in the market for multiple operating systems and manufacturers, as both companies have pointed out, but we can't help but think that Palm took a long hard look at where Apple was at with its ultra-successful mobile OS and what they could improve upon, and we would like to assume that Apple is looking very carefully at webOS right now (and hopefully the Pre's physical keyboard, but we're dreamers) and comparing it with its current iPhone OS. So, if you'll indulge us, let's look at a few of the iPhone's existing shortcomings that Apple might try and shore up -- or perhaps already has fixes in the works for -- now that there's some very serious competition on the scene. Plus, with Steve on the sidelines, we can imagine there's some extra pressure on the company to prove that innovation at Apple is not just about one man.

Canon retires PowerShot A470, replaces with A480

After a year of duty, the PowerShot A470 is finally withdrawing from the retail market. In its stead, Canon has announced the 10 megapixel A480. It's 25% smaller than its predecessor and features a 3.3x optical zoom (up to 4x digital), 2.5-inch LCD screen, and a DIGIC III processor. The company is also touting a simplified button scheme and a choice of four colors to match your fashion tastes: red, blue, black, and silver. No definitive word on a US release, but Europeans can look forward to these in February for around £129.00 (US$188).

Sony sells its 50 millionth PlayStation 2 in North America

Joining the all-important 50 million club today is Sony, which has just recently moved its 50 millionth PlayStation 2 game console here in North America. For those with short-term memories, the PS2 hit the scene in the year 2000, well before the iPod, Windows XP and America's current president took their rightful places. NPD numbers estimate that around 43 million of these 50 million units were sold here in the US of A, and if you're really looking for some staggering numbers, get a load of this: In November 2008, 206,000 PS2s were moved in America, while just 172 million more PS3s were sold in the same window. Talk about longevity / sluggish adoption, respectively.

Apple reveals 17-inch MacBook Pro battery replacement details

Ever since the new 17-inch MacBook Pro was introduced, the million dollar question (make that $179 question) has been: what goes down when the battery fails? Sure, the machine is small -- and the alleged eight hours of charge is nothing to sneeze at -- but is all that worth the hassle of a non-removable battery? When the thing eventually goes kaput (and they always do), those of us in the States can expect to lay out $179 plus tax for a replacement. According to the site, if you drop the machine off at the Apple Store they can turn it around in a day (with appointment). If you mail it in, give it four days or so upon receipt. If you decide to do it yourself? Well, you probably shouldn't. But if you do, make sure you send us pictures

Samsung publishes NC20 user manual, new images surface

Eager to get your digits onto an keyboard? Sadly, we can't help you there, but we can point out something to whet your appetite until shipment day dawns. Samsung's UK branch has hosted up the NC20 user manual, and while it doesn't really offer too many nuggets that we weren't already aware of, it still proves that this here netbook will arrive with the oh-so-promising 1.3GHz U225 CPU. Additionally, you'll find a 12.1-inch WXGA display (1,280 x 800), VIA Chrome 9 HC3 graphics, a multicard reader, Ethernet / USB 2.0 ports, optional WiFi / Bluetooth and your choice of HDD or SSD. Check out the links below for more on the hardware details and a new load of press shots, and start saving you pennies now, 'cause early estimates put this one at around $500 or so.

President Obama's official portrait: the first ever taken with a digital camera

You're now gazing at President Barack Obama's just-released official portrait -- the first of a U.S. president ever taken with a digital camera. That means we can peek at the EXIF data -- this fine specimen of portraiture was snapped with a Canon EOS 5D Mark II on January 13th, 2009 at 5:38 pm with no flash, using a 105mm lens stopped to f/10 at a 1/125 exposure, with an ISO of 100 by newly crowned official White House photographer Pete Souza. Nice work, Souza -- but we think it could use a few lens flares.

Pandora's CTO talks about Pre, webOS development, gaming, and small children

While we were happy just to see pictures, Tom Conrad, CTO of Pandora, is one of the lucky few to have seen in action the innards of the software that keeps things moving on the Pre. He sat down with Palm Infocenter (on the wrong end of a zero-bar concall by the sounds) to talk details of webOS software development. Conrad clarified that, despite all apps being mixtures of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, webOS is more than just a big browser -- it has direct access to local files and UI elements. However, he echoed the fears of others that this web-friendly programming interface won't exactly be well suited for gaming, expressing hope that Palm will address this with integrated Flash support or some sort of a lower-level API to appease those who want to tap that OMAP processor directly. Hit the read link to hear the whole conversation yourself.

SONYERICSSON W302

Sony Ericsson has expanded its best-selling Walkman phone portfolio to include the Sony Ericsson W302 designed to deliver music and much more to the masses. Building on successful and classic Walkman features, Sony Ericsson now introduces a phone that truly delivers beyond expectations. Sony Ericsson new W302 is packed with impressive Walkman features in an affordable no-compromise 10.5mm slim, aluminium front handset. Targeting all audiences, the phone comes complete with an impressive two megapixel camera, FM radio, TrackID and 512MB Memory Stick Micro (M2).

Specifications:

Form Factor	Bar
Size	100 x 46 x 10.5 mm
Weight	78 g
Display Size	176 x 220 pixels
Display Colors	TFT, 256K colors
Ring tones	Polyphonic, MP3, AAC
Media Player	Yes
Games	Yes
Ports	Yes, 512 MB card included
Total Memory	20 MB shared memory
Talk Time	Up to 7 h
Standby Time	Up to 300 h
Operating Frequency	GSM 850/900/1800/1900

HTC Touch 3G

HTC Touch 3G is a cool looking phone and in line with the insustry trend of making keys obsolete. Starting with the network support, the new HTC Touch 3G is a quad-band phone that allows global roaming. It offers 3G HSDPA connectivity which means you can enjoy up to 18 times more download speed on it than the standard 3G. Live Video streaming from Youtube can be enjoyed on the HTC Touch 3G as well. Other than 3G, it also offers GPRS, EDGE & WiFi support. Its Native support for Google Maps along with A-GPS means you won't miss the directions, where ever you are..

Specifications:

Form Factor	Bar
Size	102 x 53.6 x 14.5 mm
Weight	96 g
Display Size	240 x 320 pixels
Display Colors	TFT touchscreen, 65K colors
Ring tones	Polyphonic (40 channels), MP3
Media Player	Yes
Games	Yes
Ports	Yes
Total Memory	192 MB RAM, 256 MB ROM
Talk Time	Up to 6 h 30 min
Standby Time	Up to 450 h
Operating Frequency	GSM 850/900/1800/1900

HTC Touch HD

HTC Touch HD is a very impressive Windows Mobile handset with a large 480 x 800 pixel screen, a 5 megapixel camera, HSDPA and WiFi support plus inbuilt GPS.It comes with a 5 megapixel camera with autofocus (but no flash), plus a secondary video calling camera. Although there are plenty of non-Windows phones with better cameras, the Touch HD has possibly the best unit for a Windows device.The Touch HD features GPS support, so it can be used with Google Maps or another application.

Specifications:

Form Factor	Bar
Size	115 x 62.8 x 12 mm
Weight	146 g
Display Size	480 x 800 pixels
Display Colors	TFT touchscreen, 65K colors
Ring tones	Polyphonic (40 channels), MP3, WAV, WMA
Media Player	Yes
Games	Yes
Ports	Yes
Total Memory	288 MB RAM, 512 MB ROM
Talk Time	Up to 6 h 30 min
Standby Time	Up to 450 h
Operating Frequency	GSM 850/900/1800/1900