First off, it's not actually called the PS3 Slim, that's just it's nickname. It's officially called the PS3 120GB. Either way, I plan to buy one myself. I like that the matte finish is more scratch and fingerprint resistant, even if it comes over as a little retro Chinese knock-off. In the same vein, these 10 considerations may not affect how you plan to use the Slim—but knowing is half the battle, right?

1. Available September 1, Prices Already Dropped (North America)
If you prefer your PS3 fat and glossy, the existing 80GB model has now dropped to $300—that's how much the new 120GB PS3 Slim will be in September. (The current 160GB PS3 has also been reduced, to $400.) And be on the look for bargains as retailers wind down stock: Today's Gadget Deals of the Day has an 80GB bundle that includes LittleBigPlanet and a Blu-ray copy of Wall-E for $299 (normally $400).

2. You'll Probably Want the Stand
As Jason said in his hands on, the Slim isn't really stable enough to balance vertically without its stand. Problem is, the stand is sold separately, and at $24, seems over priced. You also won't be able to pick one up until 2 days after the PS3 Slim first goes on sale. Expect to eventually see third-party alternatives in a Skittles-rainbow of colors.

3. Hard Drive Upgrades
As we've mentioned, FCC records indicate that Sony may also have plans for 150GB and 250GB versions of the PS3 120GB. Either way, it only takes one screw (now located under the front, instead of the side) to swap in your own SATA laptop hard disk (and doing so won't avoid the warranty).

4. PS3 3.0 Firmware Not Initially Pre-Installed
That's because it's released on September 1, the same day the Slim goes on sale. So to get the 3.0 Firmware goodness, you'll need to sit through a software update out of the box. Sony says it'll preinstall 3.x in later units. Sounds fair to me.

5. It Won't Play Your Old PlayStation 2 Games
That won't be returning," Sony's John Koller recently confirmed. Likely not a big deal unless you've got a massive collection of PS2 titles that you don't want to part with. If so, the launch PS3s with hardware PS2 Emotion Engine are your best bet (for greater compatibility), but the second-generation 60- and 80GB models will also play PS2 games using software emulation.

6. No Linux for You!
In its infinite wisdom, Sony has removed the "Install Other OS" feature (Settings -> System Settings -> Install Other OS) and official Linux support along with it. The current 80- and 160GB PS3s support Linux, but Sony's cut the cord on the Slim because it wants to "standardize" the OS. Counting down to open-source hack in 3, 2…

7. No On-Off Switch
The Slim has no on-off switch at the back, so now relies on the standby power button at the front. Both the power and eject buttons are no longer touch-style; they've been changed to physical buttons.

8. No Media Card Reader
No surprise here: PS3s haven't had media card slots for ages. Why not just stream photos from your laptop to the PS3 wirelessly, or copy them to a USB drive? Speaking of which…

9. Two USB Ports, Not Four
Not what we had hoped for, but again, not surprising. Not only is this a slimmed-down model, but all third-generation PS3s have only 2 USB ports (and skip the media card reader).

10. Bravia Link
Connect the PS3 Slim to a Bravia Link-capable Sony HDTV (via HDMI) and you'll be able to control the XMB interface with your TV remote. The TV will even automatically power down the PS3 when it gets turned off.

11. It Plays The Same PS3 Games!
Slim or not, it's still a freakin' PS3 and will play the same PS3 games and Blu-ray movies you throw at it! Plus, the smaller 45nm Cell chip helps it consume less power, and may potentially even be a little faster.

The LED cellphone had a simple layout, with basic functions illuminating according to need. (Coincidentally, that isn't too dissimilar to a concept we have seen before. Borrowing inspiration were we, Mr Art Student?) The overall winner was the Free Key, which had 40 programmable keys beneath a flexible LCD screen. Check out the lot in the gallery above. [BBC via Textually]

SCEE's David Reeves also mentioned he was "disappointed that such extremely sloppy journalism has resulted in this totally inaccurate story." We are too, Mr. Reeves. Just like we're disappointed by the lack of Blu-ray 1.1 spec in the new firmware, disappointed that difficult PS3 development has led to lousy ports and disappointed...ah, we kid. In fairness, SCEE actually went on record to say that our sister site Kotaku was not part of said disappointment, which has to be worth something. And that, friends, is why we have rumors. [kotaku]

- "...snaps on with a satisfying click..."
- "The keys provide adequate, clicky feedback and are spaced well enough for fast typing..."
- "...the pad also has a messenger button that can open up the messaging window onscreen..."
- It doesn't work with PC users with USB controller (yet at least)
- "...solid product..."

A new headset comes free with the package since the old headset is not compatible. For $30, we just might try it out. Though we're curious as to how much (if any) battery life the glowing keyboard will drain from our frag time. [gamespot]

Steampunk turntable [Boing Boing]

Head over to the forums to find out which drives and enclosures have been confirmed to work—which should be updated frequently—and various other gotchas you should look out for when doing your own upgrade. Brian will get right on it as soon as he's done cleaning the bodily fluids off. – Jason Chen

Series 3 Upgrade FAQ [TiVo Community]

So if you've got a PS3 to sell, be careful where you sell it. And bring some large friends for backup. – Jason Chen

Fatal stabbing over Sony PlayStation [SFGate via 1pstart]

The driver's alpha, which means all you get is black text on a white background, but the groundwork seems to be there. Pretty soon you'll be pressing buttons like a pro on your Mini 3. – Jason Chen

OM3 Windows SideShow driver [Optimus Blog]

Now instead of selling the Mini 3 separately as a control scheme (which they've been doing), Epiphan's integrating it into their own unit for both display and control. Although we probably wouldn't buy the Mini 3 solo, having it integrated into keyboard would be totally tubular. – Jason Chen

OM3 Usage [Optimus Blog via Slashgear]

The PS3 apparently has a sophisticated facial recognition system that allows the slideshow to zoom in and out of faces, as well as pan across multiple faces in one shot. – Jason Chen

Face Detection in the PS3's Portrait Slideshow [QJ]

Dean Takahashi of the Mercury News says—after 10 paragraphs that don't even mention gaming—that the Xbox 360 only has games currently at 720p, whereas the PS3 has about half its games supporting 1080p. He recommends a TV with HDMI for the PS3, but if you have a 360 you're going to have to go with component. After testing with all of three TVs, two of which were 720p, he recommends you go 720p until 1080p becomes more widespread in gaming.

So yes, Dean takes 34 paragraphs to say that you don't really need a 1080p set, because it's hard to tell the difference between 1080p and 720p. THANKS! Gamers are totally set for the HDTV revolution now. – Jason Chen

Buying an HDTV: What do Gamers Need To Know? [Mercury News via Kotaku]

– Jason Chen

Black Sidekick 3 Coming? [Boy Genius Report]

What's also interesting is that the T-Mobile guy at that store said he was in the process of getting the stock to T-Mobile workers so they can eBay them for $1,000. Not anymore, compadre! – Jason Chen