Well, here it is. The new MSI Wind running Kalyway 10.5.2 (modified Leopard install). I still have to make some small adjustments, like the resolution and the wireless network card, but I couldn't resist posting these images that I'm sure will get the interest of more than one person. Ethernet and Bluetooth work right out of the box, so I'm really expecting a lot from this small notebook. — Translated from Spanish

I like the idea of a $399 mini-notebook running Leopard at full capacity. [Insanely Mac Forum — In Spanish 2-Germans 0 — Gracias Perico!]

The good news is that when Microsoft said that their red ring problems are fixed on newer units, they were probably right. They went to "an unnamed ASIC vendor based in the United States and redesigned the chip." Probably ATI, is what EETimes thinks. Moral of the story is to not skimp on chip design so you can save tens of millions, because that may come back and bite you in the ass down the road. [EETimes]

Seth Sandler, an undergraduate student at UC San Diego, built a portable multi-touch pad out of a cardboard box, a piece of glass, paper, and his Philips SPC900NC webcam. The camera picks up on the shadows created by your fingers when they're placed on the pad's surface. A tracking software then transfers the motions onto a computer screen. Multi-touch goodness at an incredibly low cost—looks like I can afford to eat this month after all! [New Scientist]

Kodak EasyShare M853 ($150 , 8.2MP) - The Best UI
The Good: The UI is clean and straightforward. On-screen menus explain the different options very clearly. The color in outdoor, well-lit settings was very accurate. Macro shots were clear.
The Bad: For such a great UI, I was surprised at the mediocrity of certain features. The most problematic issue I found was the M853 wouldn't mount to my Mac. Neither iPhoto nor Image Capture recognized it as a USB mass-storage device. The display is too small to get a decent field of vision. There are few options for taking manual shots, and the buttons used for these limited options aren't labeled. The M853 had the worst battery life of any camera I tried. Low light/no flash situations yielded poor pictures.
The Verdict: A beginner will be taking pictures right away, but it's not worth the frustration that comes later.

Nikon CoolPix L18 ($140 , 8MP) - The Easiest to Use
The Good: The CoolPix is so simple that it pretty much has two modes: Auto and Easy Auto. No pure manual mode exists, but there are some scene options available if you need something more specific. Outdoor pictures as well as close up macro shots looked good. Most of all, I really loved the 3" LCD display—larger than any other I tested.
The Bad: It may be too simple for people who like to tinker with their shots. You can adjust exposure and ISO, but the options don't help very much and you may not have as much control over your pictures as you'd like. Low light shots came out very blurry. I am not fans of AA batteries in cameras, and this one takes two.
The Verdict: This camera is a no-brainer for those with no-brains. It's pretty much the digital equivalent of a disposable camera—decent pictures for a decent price.

Canon PowerShot A580 ($150 , 8MP) - The No-Frills Camera
The Good: This camera takes pictures and it takes them well. Outdoor pictures came out bright and colorful, and turned out best when we were able to get a clear shot of the subject without background distractions. Manual options are comprehensive and show changes live, allowing you to see your alterations. The A580 took the clearest pictures of any of the cameras in dim light/flash free situations.
The Bad: It's bulky and unattractive. Pictures taken from a distance were out of focus and came out bad. The UI is cumbersome. Indoor, well-lit, no flash macro shots did not come out well (though maybe that's asking too much). It too runs on AAs, which I have avoided buying since 2002.
The Verdict: If you want the best pictures you can get in this price range, the A580 is a good choice. If you want to win the $150-and-under point-and-shoot beauty contest, you better keep shopping.

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S750 ($150 , 7.2MP) - The Fiddler's Delight
The Good: Pictures on the S750 turned out bright and crisp. Outdoor shots looked good, and so did indoor macro shots. Plenty of manual options put you in control of the pictures you take.
The Bad: It helps to have some experience with digital cameras if you want to get the most out of the Cyber-shot. The auto mode is fine, but the manual options are the stars of the show. The scene modes are few and located on the camera dial itself, not a menu, adding some awkwardness. Low light shots were blurry. It uses Sony's proprietary Memory Stick, and not SD, a big no-no in my book.
The Verdict: The Cyber-shot is a very complete camera, it takes good pictures in different situations, has many options as well as a solid UI. I think it's worth learning all of the features on the camera; after all, this will be an investment, and it could improve my photo-taking skills.

GE A735 ($100, 7MP) - The Cheapest
The Good: The A735 is seriously cheap—$40 to $50 less than the rest—and holds its own when it comes to features. Manual mode is full of options. Bright light pictures had rich, deep colors.
The Bad: Most pictures didn't come out well and were very dark. Indoor and low-light situations were blurry and unfocused. The UI is a mess, way too many options and not easy to figure out. I've said it before and I'll say it again, I don't want no stinking AA batteries!
The Verdict: If you're super-broke, wait until you save up some more and get something nicer than this. It will take pictures, but you won't be happy with most of them.

The Final Word: Point-and-shoots in this price range will never be masterful at taking great pictures. However, if you don't have the money or desire to make the DSLR investment, or even spring for the next step up, you don't have to be stuck with junky pictures or a junky camera. There are different things I liked about each one I tested, especially the screen on the Nikon and the picture quality of the Canon. But for the best all around package, I'd spend my hard-earned $150 on the Cyber-shot DSC-S750.

Hop-On markets the phone as an ideal choice for kids, teens, seniors, and world travelers. If you ask me, it also sounds like a good option for anyone who... well... may not want the government tracking their activities, if you know what I mean. [Telecoms.com]

Price in Japan is 27800 , that translates to around $245, but expect it to be a tad cheaper over here. [Akihabara News]

It's appropriately rugged, with a kiddy-but-pukey periwinkle rubber case sleeve, and the keyboard/touchpad are solid. Despite not being a powerhouse machine, apps like Office load with reasonable speed and the battery life's nearly biblical (3h40m). But the Windows and Office install gobbles up space, leaving just 1/2 a gig for storage, and it weirdly runs kinda hot. Still, perhaps more importantly, it's cheaper than the other hype-grabbing ultra-cheapie, Asus's Eee and not too far off of OLPC's mark at $300.

Throw in the Microsoft goods—which, love or hate, is what some places are looking for to be on a level playing field—and you've got an OLPC-killer, especially if they could chip the price down a bit further. [Gadget Lab]

Its $299 price is especially low considering that it gives you those higher-end features. It also uses 640LP, a new video mode rolled out today for many of Canon's Powershot cameras. Aimed at YouTube users, it's a higher compression movie mode for 640x480 30fps video that fits twice as much video in the same amount of disk space as its also-included normal video mode.

Holding this camera in our hands at a demo in New York, we noticed it's not any bigger than lots of other cameras in its class that have just a 3x zoom lens. It's a lot of camera for that price range. It'll be available next month. [Canon]

Skybus is far from a fully functioning airline. Currently, all flights must run through Columbus, meaning you can't fly direct from Los Angeles to San Francisco using Skybus. A $10 dollar one-way ticket is more of an exception than the norm. Only flights to and from nearby cities such as Cincinatti offer prices that low, and only if you book your flight months in advance. A cheap flight from the west coast will cost somewhere around $175. Still pretty cheap, but hardly a steal.

In order to profit from this service, Skybus has to plaster the cabin with ads, turn flight attendants into gift shop sales people and charge for everything above and beyond your ticket. Including checked baggage. It'd be great to see Skybus grow to a point where flights between nearby cities across the nation are all $10, but we'll watch with a skeptical eye for now. [Popular Science]

At these prices, it probably doesn't do any of those things well, but we really wanted to show you that picture of the bikini-clad gals in its viewfinder (see a close-up in the gallery above), so perhaps you're not entirely disappointed with this post.

Here's an idea: This camcorder could be a good disposable unit for taking to the beach this summer or out on the ski slopes this winter. Just be sure to check out what its video looks like before plunking down your plastic. [Press Release]

You don't actually have to be in NY. You just have to be around for NY's morning hours. The work that we need help with can be easily accomplished over the internet.

If you're in NY, that's a bonus. You'll get lots of hands on time at press events, dealing with shipments of fun toys from tech companies, erotic oil massages, and maybe even a bit of writing.

You should be interested in gadgets (obviously), have decent grasp of the tech blogosphere, have strong organization skills, and be able to write well. Photoshop and video skills are a plus. Still interested? Shoot an email to tips@gizmodo.com with "Morning Intern" in the subject line with a cover letter selling us on why we should let you work for us for free. No attachments, please.

This one also lets you plug in two drives at the same time, just like the others, but doesn't include that one-touch backup software. It supports 1.8", 2.5", 3.5" and 5.5" IDE hard disks, and any 2.5" or 3.5" SATA or SATAII drive up to 750GB. Might be a great way to save a bit of money, getting low-cost bare SATA or IDE drives and plugging them in via USB, no enclosures required. Neat. [Brando]

KEF has incorporated its Uni-Q technology into these diminutive speakers, which are still able to project plenty of separation even when they're positioned closely together. The system even has a S-Video and composite video outputs so you can watch the on-screen display of your iPod's antics, and there's a remote control shaped like a credit card to let you enjoy all the iPod's functions from afar. Other MP3 players can play along, too, by plugging in a 3.5mm audio jack, albeit without all that complete iPod control.

KEF says this mini system, available in either black or white, will be available next month in the UK for a whopping £250, which is $513 in real money. Ouch. It better sound pretty damn good for that kind of money. [HiFix]

I mean, I enjoy Johnny Depp as much as the next guy. But what about a Scarlett Johansson version...maybe wearing this costume. Or a pirate outfit. I'll basically take her in anything that can be removed at this point. [cepro]

And that's $400—or $399, to be exact. This is what happens. You buy your Ooma Hub and connect it. It gives you free internet calls, but also works with your existing landline. If you have to dial 911 it does so on your landline (VOIP apparently can have problems connecting to the emergency number). International calls are automatically routed through the internet—which means they are gratis.

There are other benefits as well: Ooma gives you a virtual second line, meaning that if another call comes in while you are already on the phone, your butler/gimp/special friend/warthog can answer it from another extension. It comes with a built-in answering machine, and you can check your messages and call logs online. So, kind of like Skype, but not Skype.

WSJ's Mossberg has just had a go on one and gave it the Walt thumbs-up, with just one niggle: He had a bit of trouble with incoming calls until he connected to another jack.

The Ooma comes out in September but until then they're making it rather exclusive—rather like the launch of Gmail. Over the summer, 1500 lucky people will be getting freebies, as well as three Ooma tokens to give out to their friends so that they can pick up a hub for free. Lucky them. [Wall Street Journal]

KVH Industries offers a pretty slick global broadband setup, but it's a little pricey. $5,000 a month, to be exact. Oh, and the equipment costs $34,000. And hey, if that $5,000 per month pricetag is too much for you, you can always buy your bandwidth a la carte at the low, low price of $5 per megabyte downloaded. That would make your DVD rip of You, Me, and Dupree cost you about $3,750. See kids? Piracy just isn't worth it. [Product Page via Broadband Reports]

Product page [Amazon Japan via <3yen]

LG's 60,000 customer policy goes into effect immediately, and will give you up to 200,000 South Korean Won if you break your phone. The bad news: 200,000 Won is only $215. The phone is $700. Try not to break your phone. – Jason Chen

LG Offers Free Insurance for Prada Phones [Chosun]

Apple Outlet [via CrunchGear]

Why's this interesting? Well, seeing as Google is Google, they'd no doubt integrate calling into some of their other popular products as well. How about (since they're #1 business is still advertising) making you listen to an ad before you make a free call? Or, if you have to pay, making you pay through Google Checkout in order to get a lower fee? Both interesting, and both possible if Google really is going forward with PC-to-phone calling. – Jason Chen

Google Talk Dialpad PC to Phone VOIP to Challenge SkypeOut? [Search Engine Journal]

So far it says Best Buy, Sears, Circuit City and Fry's are participating, but we've heard from the HD DVD folks that Amazon is as well. Amazon's price? Only $299 before rebate. That means you can make out with a $199 player when all's said and done. Score!

Hit the jump for the rebate.

Update: Looks like Amazon sells it for $299 after instant rebate. Elsewhere you'd need to get it for $399 to qualify for the rebate.

– Jason Chen

Rebate [PDF]

Product Page [Amazon]

Sure, you could just visit gasbuddy.com on a mobile phone that has a web browser, but if you've already GotMobio then why not add this one as well? That is, if you don't live on a farm, otherwise the whole suite is pretty worthless. And gas is pretty cheap there anyway (it's almost $4 here in the Bay Area). – Jason Chen

Product Page [GetMobio]

Well, instead getting five people who want Gamefly, just pay five friends $10 each (that's the cheapest Gamefly subscription) and have them sign up for a month before cancelling. You get a Wii for $50 and your five friends get a month's worth of free rentals. Win/win. Except for Gamefly, that is. – Jason Chen

Gamefly Deal [Gamefly via The Last Boss]