Peugeot introduces 48 mpg (US) 407 1.6-litre HDi FAP

Peugeot has launched a new version of its mid-sized 407 sedan and wagon that get a CO2 emissions rating of just 129 g/km. The new 407 is powered by a 1.6-liter four cylinder diesel rated at 110 hp. A variety of efficiency enhancing features like low rolling resistance Michelin tires and electro-hydraulic power steering help bump up the mileage to 48 mpg (U.S.) on the EU combined cycle. The power steering is a blend of traditional hydraulic assist, which provides better feedback, with electric drive of the pump that can be optimized to only provide as much boost as needed.

Pics aplenty from Tata Nano's commercial launch

Last week's commercial launch of the Nano was a huge event with significant ramifications, not only for the proud parent Tata, but for all of India and possibly the world. Although we weren't on hand to witness the historical event, our good buddy Shrawan Raja from Indian Autos Blog made it to the Crystal room of the Taj Mahal Palace & Tower hotel for the glitzy roll out and managed to shoot some decent close ups of the pint-sized car despite the fawning crowds. Not only did Mr. Raja relay back information about specs and booking details on the day of the press conference he continues to post about his Nano experience. If you want to re-live the excitement for yourself, hit the jump for a lengthy video that includes everything from the parting of the curtains to speeches from company chairman Ratan Tata and price announcements from the president of the passenger cars division, Ravi Kant.

Cadillac blends top 2 Escalades for one really expensive hybrid

Apparently, some people think that $83,000 just isn't enough money to spend on a new Escalade. That's the sticker on the Platinum edition of the big Caddy SUV. The marketing department has decided the truck needed to move closer to 6 figures to be taken seriously. Therefore, General Motors is adding the Escalade Platinum Edition hybrid to its lineup. The Escalade hybrid has been on sale since last fall with the same Two-Mode hybrid system used in the Tahoe and Yukon. Around the same time, the Platinum edition debuted with the 6.2-liter V8 and lots of luxury upgrades. The Platinum gets the same type of grille design used on the CTS and STS, as well as LED headlamps. Inside Aniline leather with French seams and contrasting stitching gives a fancier look. Cadillac hasn't said when the Platinum hybrid will go on sale or what it will cost. The conventional all-wheel-drive Platinum starts at almost $84,000 so adding the two-mode will likely bring the price tag close to $90,000 or more.

Gigabyte's Booktop M1022 (and dock) hits the FCC

Lookie here -- Gigabyte's Booktop M1022, which we spotted looking peculiar at CeBIT earlier this month, has just splashed down in the FCC's database. The 10.1-inch machine will apparently arrive with a LED-backlit panel, Bluetooth 2.0+EDR, WiFi, a 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270 CPU, 1.3 megapixel camera, optional integrated WWAN, VGA output, an Ethernet port, ExpressCard slot, 4-in-1 multicard reader, 1GB of RAM and a bundled docking station that sits it upright rather than flat. Obviously there's no mention of a US price or release date, but it can't be long now.

Intel Core 2 Quad S-Series shaves power consumption to 65W

In a relatively hush-hush manner, Intel recently slipped out energy saving versions of its Core 2 Quad Q8200, Q9400 and Q9550 CPUs, all of which are suffixed with a simple "s." Put simply, these S-Series chips are built using the same 45 nanometer process technology as used on the regular models, and aside from TDP, all the specifications are exactly alike. The difference comes in power consumption, as the S crew sucks down just 65 watts compared to 95 watts in the standard issue models. Tom's Hardware had a chance to handle, benchmark and report on these new power sippers, and lucky for you, they found performance to be equal to that of the higher power chips. Granted, you'll have to pony up a few extra bucks in order to treat Mother Earth (and your energy bill) better, but at least we're working down the power ladder instead of the other way around.

ASUS 15.6-inch Eee Top all-in-one now shipping

Good news, pre-orderers. ASUS' 15.6-inch Eee Top all-in-one PC is now shipping from legitimate e-tailers around the web. Just in case you've forgotten just under six bills buys you a 1.6GHz Atom CPU, 1GB of RAM, a 160GB hard drive and Windows XP Home. In other words, netbook components tucked within an LCD. Of course, we'd recommend holding off for the much larger, much more HD-friendly ET2203 and ET2003, but it's your loot.

Samsung N310 netbook gets hands-on treatment

Don't be deceived -- Samsung's N310 looks an awful lot tougher, bulkier and manly than it really is. 'Course, it probably will handle gentle bumps a bit better than your average Wind / Eee / Mini xx machine, but it's really only the embossed Sammy logo that's built to withstand flying bullets. All kidding aside, we'll invite you to visit the read link if you're scouting a hands-on experience that just might change your life. Or at least the next 4 minutes of it.

Samsung's sleek BD-P3600 Blu-ray player gets hands-on love

Oh sure, we've already seen this thing spotted at Best Buy, but there's just something especially titillating about photos with clarity. CNET's UK branch managed to get their camera all up in the BD-P3600's area, and they definitely enjoyed what they saw. For starters, the 7.1-channel analog outs are a real boon to those still using that circa-1999 AV receiver, and the bundled WiFi dongle means BD-Live is now entirely more accessible. Granted, we aren't similarly impressed by the 40 second BD load time, but maybe we're just spoiled by the hasty OPPO BDP-83.

ATI's 1GB FirePro V7750 GPU pushes serious pixels for pros

Earlier this month, AMD popped out a 512MB ATI FirePro 2450 quad-display card, but if that's just not pro enough for your professional needs, have a gander at the company's FirePro V7750. Sporting 1GB of GDDR3 frame-buffer memory, a 30-bit display pipeline and twin DisplayPort connectors + one dual-link DVI socket, this workstation powerhouse also features High Dynamic Range (HDR) rendering with 8-bit, 10-bit and 16-bit-per-RGB color component support. You'll also get 320 stream processing units, full Shader Model 4.1 support for vertex and pixel shaders and a unified video decoder for H.264, AVC, VC-1 and MPEG-2 video formats. Show your CAD who's boss for just $899.

Ulysse Nardin's Chairman caught in the wild!

Sure, we've seen all those purtied up renders, but what does the Ulysse Nardin Chairman look like in the flesh? Well, they're keeping it under wraps pretty tightly at BASELWORLD, not letting photographers near it, but our friendly tipster Greg's phone "accidentally" snapped a couple pictures. He says there was no way to touch it or see it in action, but he was struck by the sheer enormity of the device. We're looking forward to selling a few organs for a shot at one ourselves, but for now those two shots up top will have to suffice.

Multi-shape Cobra PSP stand wraps you up, won't let you go

Oh, Brando -- how your works continue to amaze us. As if the outfit's litany of bizarre USB-powered peripherals weren't enough to keep you smiling through tough times, there's... this. The PSP 2K/3K Multi-shape Cobra Stand Bundle Kit is pretty much the best PSP stand of all time, enabling users to wrap their handheld around their forearm, waist, left leg or cranium. The bundled even includes a traditional vacuum hook stand for those who dress in plastic, and the whole package will only set you back 23 bones. ESPIRIT Rowing shirt sold separately.

Wind-powered vehicle hits 126MPH, nabs world record

Sorry Mr. Schumacher, but your ten year record just got obliterated (okay, "beat soundly") by a Briton. On the dry, dusty plains of Ivanpah Lake in Nevada, Sir Richard Jenkins managed to perfectly harness winds of 30MPH in his futuristic Ecotricity Greenbird in order to hit a ridiculously quick 126.1MPH. In all honestly, we can't even fathom how you hit that speed with just 30MPH of wind, but clearly we're not up to speed when it comes to physics and engineering. At any rate, the milestone is pretty important for Ecotricity, which is trying to make wind power the go-to alternative energy source within the next score. Now, if only we could figure out a cheap and easy way to generate wind on demand, we'd really be onto something.

First genuine Chevy Volt hits production on June 1st

You'd probably never know it from all the pictures, but the Chevy Volt hasn't actually been fully built before -- so far all we've seen are "development mules" constructed from the shell of the company's Cruze compact cars. That's all gonna change on June 1st, when General Motors says it's gonna start production on the first 100 percent genuine Volt. According to the unofficial blog GM-Volt, an average of ten cars will be made each week until a fleet of 80 have been complete. Of course, you're still not gonna get to drive one until at least 2010, so don't go looking for your favorite Gatsby cap just yet.

Concord C1 QuantumGravity watch defies reality, shows itself

We're still trying to wrap our heads around some of the indecipherable verbiage the company has used to describe it, but it looks like Concord's C1 QuantumGravity watch is at last very much real, and one step closer to actually being available (to a very select few). As you can see above, while there's still a few finishing touches remaining, the watch itself is pretty faithful to all those early renders that the company has been teasing us with since January, right down to the magical "fluorescent nanoparticle liquid" that's used to indicate the life remaining in the 3-day power reserve.

ASUS announces Eee PC E1004DN with optical drive, 1008HA gets a release date

In a bombshell of moderate proportions, the gang at DigiTimes have reported that ASUS will be following Mouse Computer's lead (when was the last time you heard that?), and have announced the first Eee PC equipped with an optical drive, the E1004DN. This bad boy sports an Intel Atom N280 CPU, a 120GB HDD, and will be in the ballpark of NT $18,000 - 20,000 (roughly $531 - $590). It should see the light of day sometime in mid-April. The same source reports that the Eee PC 1008HA will be getting its release in May.

Flash coming to Android courtesy of BSQUARE

The fine folks at BSQUARE have announced that they'll be porting Adobe Flash to Google's Android on behalf of a "global Tier 1 carrier." Whether or not that implies this "global Tier 1 carrier" will have exclusive access to Flash out of the gate remains to be seen. Details are otherwise very scarce, and it's unclear how this relates to the demo of Flash Andy Rubin showed off at Adobe MAX last year. However, BSQUARE bought NEC's Adobe® Flash® Technology Consulting and Distribution business 12 months ago, and has done Android work for other customers, so the expertise should certainly be there -- and naturally we wouldn't expect them to go shouting about this if they didn't have Adobe and Google's blessing in one form or another.

"Eco-facilities" are coming; Fisker Automotive signs up 32 dealers in 17 states

Running TV ads. Taking orders. And now setting up a network of dealerships. Fisker Automotive is acting like a real car company.The company announced today that it's signed up its first group of 32 retailers. These retailers can be found in 17 states – Alabama, California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Washington, Virginia, and Wisconsin – and one Canadian Province, British Columbia (see the full list after the jump). Fisker hopes to have at least 40 dealers in the U.S. signed up by June. Deliveries of the $87,900 plug-in hybrid Karma model should begin at the end of this year, and Fisker hopes to sell 15,000 units a year once they get up to full production.
Like the luxury PHEVs themselves, the Fisker showrooms are going to be eco-aware, with natural and sustainable materials used throughout and a solar-powered car port available.

EV Innovations to debut two new cars at NY Auto Show

According to a report on AutoWeek, EV Innovations (which used to be called Hybrid Technologies) has plans to introduce two new electric vehicles at the 2009 New York Auto Show next month. We've been hearing about the Inizio supercar for a while and we're thinking it's the production version of the sportscar prototype that was sold to one lucky Sam's Club member late last year. The quoted specifications are extremely impressive, with the Inizio reportedly able to hit 60 mph in just 4 seconds, a top speed of 170 miles per hour and a range of 200 miles per charge. Price? $139,000. If true, that's a great deal for a vehicle with that kind of performance.

The second EV that's scheduled to be shown is called the Wave. We're not sure if this is a completely new vehicle or if it's based on an existing platform, but it's reportedly able to hit a top speed of 80 mph with a range of 170 miles per charge. Again, the reported asking price of $34,900 sounds too good to be true. Deliveries are scheduled for "sometime in 2010." We'll know more when we get to NY in a few weeks.

First Drive: 2010 Toyota Prius puts up BIG numbers

When you sit in the 2010 Toyota Prius, you notice all those little things that provide the "Prius experience" – the shift lever, information screen, center-mounted instrument panel – are all present, but they're slightly different and noticeably improved. The time it takes to adapt to the revised interior is emblematic of the new Prius experience. It's the same oddly shaped hybrid that almost two million buyers love, but it gets better mileage, looks sharper and is packing more technological whiz-bangery than any vehicle this simple to drive has the right to.

We recently tested the 2010 Prius at its North American launch through the vineyard-covered fields and hills surrounding Napa, California. Through it all, the hybrid, officially rated at 50 mpg, performed well and delivered better-than-expected fuel economy. In fact, when we pushed the car's eco prowess by using the EV mode as much as possible and employing a few other tricks, we blew that EPA estimate out of the water by almost 15 mpg. And we weren't alone.

TAG Heuer launches official Meridiist site, still not on sale

Most of us aren't itching to pay over five grand for the privilege of putting TAG Heuer's first cellphone in our pockets -- or, rather, we simply don't have five grand to blow on such a lustworthy extravagance -- but the small handful of you still sitting there, tapping your fingers on the table with credit card outstretched are probably wondering where the hell you buy this thing. Turns out the Meridiist isn't really "on sale" yet, per se, but at least the company has finally done us the favor of whipping up a site where we can all ogle the luxury candybar at our leisure -- and, more importantly, place a pre-order. The timing of the site is no coincidence; watch show Baselworld starts this week, and the company (along with manufacturer partner Modelabs) wanted to be ready with some new action. It's not as cool as, say... a launch, but we suppose it's better than nothing.

BlackBerry Niagara 9630 reviewed in all its prerelease glory

Most of us are going to have to wait until at least May to get our hands on a 9630, but for well-connected individuals whose blogs rhyme with "Soy Beanius Report," patience isn't in the vocabulary. BGR's gone and landed a 9630 and put it through its hybrid CDMA / GSM paces, and in short, it sounds like it's a phone worth waiting for (not to say you've got many other options if you're tied to Sprint or Verizon anyhow). Voice quality is described as "the best phone we've ever used," battery life seems to be enough to get through a full day of use (and we wouldn't be surprised to see this get better as the firmware continues to get tweaked ahead of launch), the screen is as good as the Bold's amazing example, and the keyboard is "just right." What's amazing is that RIM's managed to package all of this action into a device considerably smaller than the Bold -- and if only they'd manage to throw in WiFi, it seems like we might be looking at the closest thing to BlackBerry perfection here. Verizon, Sprint, your move.

Microsoft unveils gorgeous blue-tinted Xbox 360 dev kit and no, you can't have one

There are so many things we love about the new Xbox 360 dev kit unveiled at this week's Game Developers Conference and due out in the summer. In addition to its sleek black-and-blue tint finish and some stylish etchings, it also boasts 1GB of RAM, or twice what is found in the retail model. Beg all you want, this gorgeous piece of hardware is only for those who make the games -- for now, at least.

iriver's 'pragmatic' E150 PMP is practically an E100 in new garbs

It's been a little under a year since we first -- and last -- heard rumors about and iriver E100 update, the E150. Now it appears to have reared its head and is out in Korea for the equivalent of $78 for the 4GB and $100 for the 8GB models. Officially dubbed the "all in one pragmatic player," its speaker grill is more aesthetically pleasing and the buttons are no longer separated from the body, but otherwise it's pretty much both seasons of the E100 in syndication, with 2.4-inch QVGA screen, XviD support, etc. It's actually 2mm thicker than its predecessor, if that sort of thing is a make or break deal for you. Still, the price is nothing to scoff and there's three colors to chose from: black, silver, and pink. No word on US release, but it's only a matter of time.

Pentax douses K-m in olive, K20D in titanium

We know, you're a firm believer that there's evidence of thaumaturgy splattered all over here, but believe it or not, all it takes to create a camera in a new color is powerful signature and a little paint. As Pentax has done so often in the past, it's pumping out new editions of old cameras with fresh hues. The latest duo to don new Springtime wardrobes is the K20D -- which is now outfitted in titanium -- and the K-m, which now sports an absolutely peculiar olive shade. Both models are being limited to 1,000 in quantity, and while no price is mentioned, we get the feeling a ticket to Tokyo may be your only shot at acquiring one.

Canon EOS Digital Rebel T1i now official

Yep, Canon just went live with that Rebel T1i DSLR that leaked a bit earlier, and it's looking like a hell of a response to the Nikon D90: an XSi body jacked with a sensor matching the 50Ds 15.1 megapixels, 1080p HD video recording, and a $900 price tag. Yeah, it's gonna be a hit. Other notable specs include a 3.0-inch Live View screen, a Digic IV processor, ISO 12.8k sensitivity, and the same 18-55 IS EF-S kit lens as the XSi -- in other words, all those rumors were true.

T-Mobile webConnect available today, carrier's first 3G modem

"T-Mobile USA" and "3G modem" aren't two things you frequently heard uttered in the same sentence -- but now that the number four carrier's got a budding HSPA network that's all dressed up with no place to go, it's time to start rolling out some serious hardware (G1 aside) to take advantage. On that note, T-Mobile's finally getting serious about laptop data, launching its rumored webConnect USB stick today with an integrated microSDHC slot, HSDPA 1900 / 2100 / AWS for compatibility in the US and abroad, and triband EDGE for those times -- and there will be many at first -- when you're out of 3G coverage.

Dell's Studio XPS laptop might be going red

The so far black-only Studio XPS laptop might soon be getting an injection of color. A "Bordeaux" (red) version of the portable was spotted at Dell's design labs, and the company told CNET an official release is currently under consideration. It isn't related to (Product) Red, however, so if you're eyeing this beaut, be sure to do it for style and not charity. Also on display at the labs were some test designs for next-generation server racks, for the fashion-minded out there needing a proper storage solution.

Dell unveils Nehalem-based Precision T3500, T5500, and T7500 workstations, EqualLogic PS6000S solid state storage arrays

Well, what do we have here? An industry source has sent along information and images for a trio of new Dell Precision workstations using Intel's Nehalem architecture. The T3500 (starts at $999) sports up to 24GB DDR3 ECC memory. Just above that, we've got the T5500 (starts at $1,620) with up to 72GB of memory and dual socket Intel Xeon. Meanwhile, granddaddy T7500 (pictured; starts at $1,800) boasts 192GB of three-channel DDR3 ECC memory up to 1066 or 1333MHz, dual native Gen 2 PCIe graphics slots and supports NVIDIA SLI technology. All models feature an E-SATA port, up to 1.5TB SATA HDD, dual / quad monitor support, DisplayPort connectors, and for those trying to keep some assemblance of eco friendliness, these are all Energy Star 5.0 compliant. We also caught wind of new EqualLogic PS6000 and SSD-equipped PS6000S storage arrays, which start at around $17,000 and $25,000, respectively

IOGEAR puts four USB devices on your network with USB Net ShareStation

We've seen a few devices that put your existing USB external hard drives on home networks, but IOGEAR's latest contraption does that crowd one better. The 4-Port USB Net ShareStation (shown left) enables everyone with access to a local network to access four USB devices (HDDs, printers, scanners, drink coolers, etc.), and moreover, that access can be cord-free if the hub is plugged into a wireless router. In other news, the outfit has revealed the 2-Port USB 2.0 Printer Auto Sharing Switch (shown right), which it describes as the "only automatic printer switch compatible with Macs and PCs." Both devices should be scattered across office supply stores by the end of this month for $99.95 and $39.95, respectively.

HP set to introduce 16-inch AMD-based dv6z laptop

There's not exactly an abundance of details on this one just yet, but it looks like HP is set to introduce an AMD-based counterpart to its recently refreshed, Intel-based dv6t laptop, which will make the already affordable laptop even less expensive. Apparently, the AMD-based dv6z will start at just $599.99, which will be knocked down a bit further with a $30 coupon at launch, and further sweetened by a free HP DeskJet printer that'll be available with a mail-in rebate. Unfortunately, there's no word at all on specs, though you will at least be able to get the dv6z in the same Espresso Black or Moonlight White color options as the dv6t, with the latter still demanding a $25 premium.

Seagate unveils 6TB BlackArmor NAS

It's been a hot minute since we've seen a NAS from Seagate, and now we have news that the company is launching not one but two new secure storage devices. Both the BlackArmor NAS 420 and NAS 440 are billed as "fully-contained, out-of-box solutions with user-serviceable, [tool-less] hot-swappable drives that are RAID-configurable 0/1/5/10 arrays," designed to scale up to 50 workstations. The devices both sport a 1.2GHz processor, 256MB memory, dual Gigabit Ethernet ports, and four USB 2.0 ports. Additionally, they feature CIFS, NFS, HTTP, HTTPS, FTP, Bonjour, Microsoft Rally network, and Microsoft Windows Server Active Directory, Access Control List (ACL), volume-level encryption, an iTunes server, and a DLNA-compliant digital media server. Available now, the 420 has a total storage capacity of 2TB and an MSRP of $799.99. The 440 is available either in a 4TB version for $1,199.99 or a 6TB version for $1,699.99. An 8TB version is due out in May.

Toyota's Urban Cruiser, in diesel or petrol flavor, coming to UK in May

First unveiled at the 2008 Geneva Motor Show, Toyota's new Urban Cruiser is coming to UK salesfloors this May with a list of eco-friendly features. Using the Toyota Optimal Drive, Toyota's name for the more-efficient-yet-powerful engine package, that debuted in the Auris last fall, the B-segment hatch has two engine options. First up is the 1.33 Dual VVT-i 2WD model, which comes with Stop & Start technology and emits 129 grams of CO2 per km. Mileage rating is 43 mpg (U.S.) on the UK system. The 1.4 D-4D common rail diesel engine is used on the AWD version of the Urban Cruiser, and just barely loses out to the other model, with emissions of 130 grams of CO2 per km thanks, in part, to a diesel particulate filter. Toyota says this is the lowest for any four-wheel drive vehicle in the world. Anyone got a counter to that? The diesel also happens to get 48 mpg (U.S.)

Aside from the engines, Toyota has also tweaked the production method to limit the amount of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) used in the Urban Cruiser's interior.

BMW on the lookout for battery partner

Like most any other automaker with plans to stay around for more than the next decade or so, BMW is hard at work developing its proprietary technology for electric cars. The biggest piece of the EV puzzle is undoubtedly the batteries, and there are very few companies that specialize in large-scale vehicular energy storage systems. So, just like the vast majority of its competitors, BMW is looking long and hard at its options as it searches for a partner to help design its high-tech lithium ion batteries.

Klaus Draeger, BMW's head of R&D, said, "We are examining the products of Korean suppliers like LG Chem, and we are talking to Japanese suppliers as well as U.S.-based suppliers like A123 Systems Inc." These units are destined for the upcoming Megacity small car that the German automaker just announced. Currently, BMW uses batteries sourced from AC Propulsion for its MINI E.

Tata to send Nano to America?

Could an extremely inexpensive, minuscule little car like the Tata Nano actually sell in America, the land historically enamored with powerful V8 engines surrounded by as much sheet metal as possible? According to reports, Tata Motors may be about to find out, as the Indian automaker is said to be looking at an introduction into the U.S. market by 2011 or 2012.

What makes Ratan Tata, chairman of the automaker that bears his name, think that his diminutive machine might sell in the United States? The economy, of course. Americans may be willing to accept some of the sacrifices that would go hand-in-hand with owning the World's Cheapest Car, though the version likely to sell in the States would surely differ in major ways from what's is now on sale in India.

If the Tata Nano were to hit the U.S. market, it would need to pass the same safety and emissions regulations as any other car currently sold in America. Those are not insurmountable tasks, however, as proven by the version of the Nano that's planned for European markets. So far, there's no indication how much a Tata Nano would cost in U.S. dollars if it were sold here.

Tesla Model S priced just under $50K, rest of car still shrouded in mystery

While much of the Tesla Model S is still a mystery wrapped in an enigma wrapped in an inconvenient white cloth, the company has revealed the EV will list for $57,400, which after the $7,500 federal tax credit puts the final price at just a Benjamin under $50,000. That's almost $40,000 less than the Fisher Karma and $10,000 more than the estimated price of Chevy Volt. Of course, we still haven't actually seen the thing, but at least we won't have to wait much longer for that -- the grand unveiling is set for this Thursday at Tesla's design studio.

Michael Dell does/doesn't confirm Dell smartphones

Depending upon which source you believe, Michael Dell either directly commented on Dell's smartphone plans or just hinted at them. DigiTimes has Michael Dell paraphrased as saying in Taipei that Dell will not delay its smartphone lineup and is on schedule to release devices in line with its internal roadmap. The IDG news service, however, has him in Tokyo just hinting at smartphones. "It is true that we are exploring smaller screen devices," said Dell, adding, "We don't have any announcements to share today but stay tuned as when we have new news we will share that with you." Mr. Dell also mentioned Dell's carrier agreements already in place for the 3G radios Dell ships in it laptops. As such, "it wouldn't be unreasonable to expect that we would have smaller mobile Internet devices or smartphones in the future." Look Michael, just spit it out. We don't care how dull they look -- we know you're probably going after the big, fat chewy center of corporate market share here. Just don't call it the Ditty Talker and we're cool.

OCZ introduces Eclipse and Behemoth wired gaming mice

It's going to be tough for OCZ Technology to top its Z Drive, but clearly, it's not aiming to do such a thing just yet. Instead, it's setting its sights rather low with a somewhat plain duo of gaming mice. Both the Eclipse and Behemoth arrive with the ability to switch between four different profiles and with support for uploading profiles direct to the onboard memory. The former sports a "time-honored compact style" and sports a 2,400DPI sensor, while the latter is a bit beefier in size and touts a 3,200DPI sensor. There's no mention of pricing or availability for either, but you definitely won't be asked to pay a premium for cutting-edge design.

Qualcomm-powered Zeebo console pulls circa-1999 games over 3G

Heads up, we've got another game console hitting the scene, but this one has a few interesting tricks up its sleeve. Zeebo's built on Qualcomm's MSM chipset and uses the same 528MHz ARM processor found in the Xperia X1. No discs or cartridges here, all games are downloaded from an online store over 3G, which is not only convenient but also a move intended to thwart software piracy. Software is developed using the Qualcomm BREW platform, and according to the company it's already amassed 300 titles including Crazy Taxi, Street Fighter Alpha, and the original Quake. Hey, it's not gonna rival the PlayStation 3, or even the PS2, but it does boast a more reasonable price point for countries where the markup on current gen hardware is rather extreme. It'll first launch in Brazil in May for the US equivalent price of $200, about one-third the cost of buying a Wii locally. Following that, expect it to hit Mexico later this year, India and Eastern Europe in 2010, and China sometime in 2011. No word on when or if they're planning to play up the retro card in the US.

Samsung NC310 netbook gets a price, official pics

Samsung didn't exactly skip over a lot of details when it announced its new NC310 netbook earlier today, but it looks like it's now clearing up a few remaining tidbits, and dishing out some new, polished up press shots of the long-lasting netbook for good measure. While there's unfortunately still no official US pricing just yet, the NC310 (or N310 as it's also being called) will apparently demand £399 (or $577) when it hits the UK in May, at which point it'll only be available in basic black, with blue to follow shortly thereafter (no word on the remaining colors). As you can see above, the official shots also reveal a bit more of a resemblance to some of Sony's high-end VAIOs than Samsung's current netbooks, though you'll of course still get Samsung's trademark glossy, piano black bezel. Hit up the links below for a few more shots, and the complete specs in case you missed 'em the first time around.

Epoq's HH07 pico projector now on sale in US

Calm down, vaquero. You've definitely seen this sucker before, but it was rockin' the BeamBox Evolution R-1 label and headed for a release across the pond. Epoq's iteration, however, is on track for a US release, and in fact, it can be ordered up right this moment for those interested. Specs wise, you're looking at a 640 x 480 resolution, 30 lumens of brightness, a 100:1 contrast ratio, SD card slot, a USB port and a size of 108- x 59- x 28-millimeters. Get in line for "just" $339.95.

Ericsson reaffirms commitment to Sony Ericsson joint venture

Given the current state of Sony Ericsson, we completely understand the re-heating of rumors regarding a nasty breakup. That said, a new report from Dow Jones confirms that Ericsson (at least) has "has no plans to abandon its joint venture Sony Ericsson," with spokesperson Minako Nakatsuma Olofzon stating that "[Ericsson is] committed to the joint venture; it hasn't changed its view on that." Of course, the report makes no mention of Sony's take on all of this, but at least one half of the equation is still in it for the long haul. Publicly, anyway.

Acer A1 touchscreen Android phone to arrive in September?

It's unsourced, but we're hearing today that Acer's first Android phone will be called the A1 and arrive in September. That's at least the word according to the Phillipine BusinessMirror, and it lines up nicely with our peek inside Acer's secret roadmap diary at MWC. The touchscreen A1 will apparently launch alongside three other handsets, one of which we're guessing is the mysterious white C1 pictured above. We'll see how it goes -- hopefully Acer's second effort is a lot more interesting than its first round of ho-hum WinMo phones.

Sony Ericsson's US president steps down

Quite honestly, we can't imagine now as being an awesome, jovial time to be heading up any division of Sony Ericsson. Thus, we're not too awfully shocked to hear that Najmi Jarwala, President of Sony Ericsson USA and Head of Region North America (comprising the US and Canada markets), has decided to leave his corner office at the end of March in order to "pursue other career opportunities." The announcement comes just a weekend after SE proclaimed that its Q1 sales were down some 50 percent, and with the outfit's somewhat lackluster showing at MWC (Idou notwithstanding), we can't imagine things magically turning around in the near future. At any rate, Anders Runevad (pictured), Executive VP and Head of Global Sales & Marketing will be taking over until a successor is named, and that's assuming anyone is willing to walk into such a severely precarious situation.

Lenovo's X1 for China is full of KIRF, win

Okay, there's some amount of originality here, but enough to justify a Red Dot design award? What you're looking at here is the award-winning Lenovo X1 -- as opposed to, say, the Sony Ericsson X1 -- which is a triband EDGE handset Lenovo sells in China. To us, it looks like an Instinct with a slide-out keypad and TouchWiz, but what do we know? Coincidentally, Lenovo calls this totally original UI "Touch Dream," which sounds just a little bit (okay, a whole lot) like an HTC device. So, to summarize: Sony Ericsson and HTC branding, Samsung design, made by Lenovo. Right then.

11.6-inch Acer Aspire One inches closer to our hearts, reality

It's very possible that we're just reading too far between the lines here, but a recent post over at macles* lines up awesomely with specifications gleaned from a recent Acer FCC filing. Basically, what we're probably looking at is a forthcoming Aspire One with an 11.6-inch panel (as opposed to the 10-inch versions available now), a 1,366 x 768 resolution and very strangely placed Ethernet and VGA ports. Furthermore, we're also told that this bugger will house an Atom Z530 CPU, Intel's SCH USW15S chipset (Poulsbo) and GMA500 integrated graphics. Oh, and there's also an extended battery option that should provide up to eight hours of life. Interested yet?

11.6-inch Acer Aspire One inches closer to our hearts, reality

It's very possible that we're just reading too far between the lines here, but a recent post over at macles* lines up awesomely with specifications gleaned from a recent Acer FCC filing. Basically, what we're probably looking at is a forthcoming Aspire One with an 11.6-inch panel (as opposed to the 10-inch versions available now), a 1,366 x 768 resolution and very strangely placed Ethernet and VGA ports. Furthermore, we're also told that this bugger will house an Atom Z530 CPU, Intel's SCH USW15S chipset (Poulsbo) and GMA500 integrated graphics. Oh, and there's also an extended battery option that should provide up to eight hours of life. Interested yet?

Mobile Visor, for BlackBerry Curves on the pro tour

Looks as if the blackberry curves are on the move to play golf....anyways a cool visor for the curves.....!