Featuring a trackpad, backlit buttons and connectivity with most devices through a wireless USB dongle, the Navigator combines crucial mouse functions with practical remote functions in a barebones, minimalistic design that won't take over your lap (aka cuddle space aka pizza box space aka fart fallout area).

For the full-blown home theater PC, all you're missing is text input. But GlideTV offers a downloadable onscreen keyboard to address the issue.

The Navigator, bundled with a rechargeable base and USB wireless hub, is available now for $150. [GlideTV]

GLIDETV® SIMPLIFIES THE PC EXPERIENCE IN THE LIVING ROOM

Introduces the perfect input device to navigate the Internet from your TV.

San Francisco, CA - October 13, 2009 - GlideTV, the company dedicated to simplifying the digital entertainment experience in the living room, announced today the release of its first product, the GlideTV® NavigatorTM. This award-winning and stylish device, which fits in the palm of a hand, combines the functionality of a keyboard, mouse and AV remote and makes it a breeze to access digital content stored on a home theater PC (HTPC) that is connected to a TV. The product is available for purchase from select online retailers worldwide with an MSRP of $149.

The new GlideTV Navigator, a study in modern design, reinvents the computer input device for the living room. The contrast of the highly-polished material and elegant curves is a fitting reflection of the sophisticated technology held within. The product includes a remote, charging station, USB wireless receiver and is compatible with Windows PC, Apple Mac, Sony PlayStation 3 or any set-top box that supports standard mouse and keyboard HID devices.

"Up to now, consumers who wanted to connect a computer to the TV to take advantage of digital content had to bring office equipment to their living room, making the experience bulky and cumbersome," said Chris Painter, President and founder. "With the Navigator, GlideTV brings simplicity to accessing internet-based entertainment and ushers in a new era for computing in the living room."

Consumers plug the USB wireless receiver into their PC and they're ready to take control of their computing experience or explore the Internet with a point and a click. GlideTV Navigator works with popular media applications including Windows Media Center, Apple iTunes, Boxee, Apple Front Row, SageTV, Firefox, and any web browser.

This product features:

· Clickable touchpad mapped to your TV screen — precise cursor control, one-thumb scrolling, single and double-click selection.

· Backlit AV buttons to control volume and playback.

· Directional buttons for easy two-axis navigation.

· Dedicated Esc, Enter, Back, and Function keys to control applications.

· On-screen keyboard — requires download, Windows only.

· Integrated search menu with links to Google, Amazon Video on Demand, Hulu, Netflix, YouTube and more — requires download, Windows only.

· Rechargeable battery.

"GlideTV nailed the customer experience," said Aaron Burt, a beta test user who lives in the Washington DC area. "It's a great way to control Windows Media Center in the living room and even my kids enjoy using it. GlideTV Navigator is the perfect couch-mouse."

The product has garnered significant industry attention by winning the prestigious 2009 Best of Innovations Award at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES). The GlideTV team, led by Mike Machado and Christopher Painter, consists of consumer electronics and Silicon Valley technology veterans from Sony, SageTV, Slim Devices, and VUDU.

GlideTV Navigator is available worldwide from select retailers and directly from the manufacturer in the US and Europe. The Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price is:

· United States — $149

· Eurozone — €129 (VAT included)

· United Kingdom — £119 (VAT included)

For more information, visit www.glidetv.com.

As illustrated in a few of our surveys, many of you have already made the jump, catching fresh TV via broadband instead of actual channels or even DVR. But the vast majority of us are still watching TV the old fashioned way—paying for packages from cable or satellite providers. But from what I've seen in my own house lately, I suspect that it won't be long before this practice is as archaic as owning a landline. Many of you refuse to pay for a phone twice, so why are you paying for two or three different ways to see your favorite TV shows?

There are, of course, drawbacks to a life without a broadcaster-friendly set-top box, so I spent a month trying to find out whether or not these drawbacks were significant enough to justify the huge additional cost.

The Experiment

Since this is Prof. Dealzmodo, you already know the impetus for this experiment was money. In particular my 12-month introductory package runs out soon, and the same channels will soon cost me nearly $80 per month. But why? The channel lineups are bloated and padded with filler—a veritable hot dog of entertainment where the real meat is mixed in with a lot of hooves and snouts. I mean, 70 music channels? Really? Isn't that what services like Pandora—and about 100 others—are for? Speaking of services, I decided to play it straight. I didn't get shows via BitTorrent. For a month, I simply used easily accessible, generally legal alternatives like Netflix, Hulu Desktop and network websites, plus Windows Media Center, which comes "free" with most PCs these days. The idea here is to prove that you don't need to spend tons of money, use complicated software or go to extreme measures to watch what you want.

Hardware

First let's talk about hardware. I don't see the point in spending money on niche players like Apple TV , Vudu, and Roku to get internet content onto your television. These players only handle a fraction of what any home theater PC can deliver. Also, sticking with a computer makes it easier to roll with new services and software platforms as they're released. (Hulu isn't on any set-top box yet, but it's available to every Mac and PC, in several ways.)

You don't need something elaborate here—an HTPC's main purpose is to browse the web and stream video. Just about any computer will do—including the old laptop you're thinking about replacing anyway. Back in the day, I used to attach my laptop to the TV with a simple S-video connection, but a lot of today's laptops and home-theater PCs make things extremely easy with an HDMI port.

If you don't have an HDMI port, there are simple workarounds. For older computers in general, there are DVI-to-HDMI (video only) and VGA-to-component cables are also doable for older PCs, and if you already have some video cables, there are adapters out there that might do the trick for less money. Owners of new Macs have to fudge a bit with Mini DisplayPort-to-HDMI converters, but even those, from Monoprice and others, are getting better.

There are plenty of products out there designed for the home-theater market that cost less than $500—including the Asus' EEEBox line and the Lenovo IdeaCenter Q700. Plus, there is always the option of buying refurbished or upgrading a cheap PC yourself to control costs.

If you want to cheat and record broadcast shows, you still don't have to pay for cable—you can get an over-the-air HD TV tuner. Generally, a USB dongle TV tuner or PCI card like those from Hauppage will cost $100 or so, and they work reasonably well, though you may need an external antenna for best results. You don't have to pay for service, and you can be assured of local news and other local programming, if that's important to you. Just don't come crying to us if you can't get your rabbit ears into just the right position.

No matter what computer and accessories you use, the added cost will probably pay for itself pretty quickly when you start canceling all those expensive subscriptions. As I mentioned earlier, going broadband-only will save me about $80 a month in satellite fees—in 8 months, I will have recouped my $600 home-theater PC investment.

In the end, my entire monthly TV entertainment budget runs about $60—that's $50 for basic broadband plus $10 for Netflix. Compare that to the $140 I would have paid starting in February for the combination of all that plus DirecTV. (As a sports fan, there are online programs that I do pay extra for, but you get what you pay for—as you'll see below.)

How To Manage and Control Your TV Content

You will have to sacrifice the basic (if not exactly pretty) UI you are used to. Fortunately, things are getting better. Hulu Desktop looks more like what you would find with a broadcast set-top box, and with Windows Media Center, having Netflix and other plug-ins makes finding and watching on-demand shows a whole lot easier. And there's at least one new website, Clicker that is taking a crack at organizing internet content into an easy-to-use programming guide.

Fortunately, I managed to keep the number of remotes on my coffee table to a minimum. I have a Windows Media Center remote to handle Netflix, DVDs, Hulu Desktop and downloads. Mac users have their own little white remote which handles much of this functionality, too. (A wireless keyboard and mouse are essential for more intricate navigation and many PC functions, but those can stay out of sight for the most part.)

iPhone/iPod Touch apps like Air Mouse and iTunes Remote have made my iPhone an all-in-one solution for controlling my computer and its software.

Watching Your Favorite Shows

I'm not a TV addict by a long shot, but there are shows that I watch religiously. These shows include 30 Rock, Lost, Family Guy, Californication and Dexter. The following graph illustrates the pluses and minuses of viewing a handful of different shows—not just my favorites—from popular networks.

The newest episodes of many of these shows are on Hulu, which mostly hosts fresh content—there isn't a huge back catalog of shows. The catch with new shows, on Hulu or on network websites, is that you usually have to wait a day to see them. (For many DVR devotees, that's not a big deal anyway.)

It's also important to point out that certain networks tease their new seasons in many locations online—NBC has been offering free HD downloads of many new shows on iTunes, in hopes you'll buy the season pass for $40 or more.

Netflix is another place where networks promote new shows: I was able to see the first episode of Californication and Dexter on Netflix during their limited time Watch Instantly preview. Speaking of that, Showtime shows, if available at all, do tend to appear on Netflix, but mostly only in re-runs.

As you can see, not everything streams in HD quality, although this appears to be changing. ABC is already streaming in HD, and others like Hulu and Netflix are dabbling, so it's only a matter of time before HD content is widely available for streaming online.

What's Not Online

CBS, HBO and Discovery: I'm talkin' to you. I couldn't care less about CBS programming—though it's the #1 rated network, so clearly somebody does. CBS.com (and TV.com) offers a handful of full episodes (CSI and NCIS), and some of those show up in Netflix too, but until CBS decides their agenda, you may have to wait for new seasons of Big Bang Theory to show up on DVD, or try to record over-the-air broadcasts (see above).

I love History Channel and Discovery Channel, and these guys are also reluctant to accept reality, move away from old revenue models and look towards the future. Nonetheless, I still get my fix though Netflix. Early seasons of some of my favorite shows (Deadlest Catch, Man vs Wild) are available for streaming via Watch Instantly, and more recent seasons are available for rental. I have the patience to wait for some of my favorite shows to arrive on DVD or Blu-ray—it's a virtue that could save you lots of money.

Let's Talk Live Sports

Traditionally, one of the major drawbacks of internet TV is a lack of live sports. Again, I don't know what sports and teams you are interested in, but for me it is all about football. For example, a few days ago I checked out the Steelers/Chargers game on NBC Sunday Night Football online. The streaming content is "HD" quality (at least it's in the realm of HD) and the service offers a viewing experience that is actually deeper than a standard broadcast. Users have access to DVR style controls, four separate camera angles, highlights and live analysis.

I also have the privilege of access to my beloved out-of-market NY Giants games each week with DirecTV's online Supercast service. It broadcasts all of the Sunday Ticket NFL games over the internet, but access to the online content requires DirecTV service and the full SuperFan package that runs a ridiculous $400 per year (Manhattan residents can access Supercast without DirecTV service). However, if you know someone with a Supercast account, you can piggyback.

If baseball is your thing, MLB.com offers a service similar to Supercast for around $100 per year depending on the package—although it only includes out-of-market games. Live golf can be viewed for free on PGATour.com; college sports, baseball, tennis, soccer and more is free on ESPN360 (if you are affiliated with an ESPN-approved broadband provider) and streaming sites like Justin.tv offer plenty of free sports viewing options, including live ESPN. Windows Media Center owners can also get SportsLounge, with Fox Sports.

The Future?

This is still the wild west, and things are apt to keep changing. I already mentioned services like DirecTV's Supercast and streaming games from MLB.com. Little by little, you will start to see primetime shows or packages offered a la carte online too. I hope we don't get to a point where we are paying more for access to online content than we now pay for cable content, but there has been serious talk by executives from Time Warner (HBO), CBS and Hulu (Fox, NBC, Disney) about that very thing: Either charge subscribers for premium content on demand, or simply verify that they are already paying customers of cable and satellite, and grant them access to stuff others can't see.

If the broadcasters have their way, you'll pay for it one way, or you'll pay for it another. Still, technology has a way of keeping pace with the dreams of media execs, and the experiments conducted by YouTube and Hulu and others with advertising may lead to some kind of compromise, too. It is really all up in the air, but for now...

What You Should Think About

When all was said and done, I found my experience without standard cable television to be more liberating than anything else. Sure, streaming video isn't always HD quality, not all of my favorite shows are readily available, and I have to search around a bit more for the things I want to watch—but I didn't suffer and I didn't feel like I was missing out. The added expense was not justifiable—especially when I was paying for a bunch of things I never watched. The best part is that I was able to get pretty much everything I needed with a basic set of tools that anyone with a computer can take advantage of right away.

Not everyone shares my taste in television but, at the very least, you should take a good look at your cable or satellite bill and ask yourself if it's really worth all that money.

What it means to you, theoretically, is that you should be able to go out and buy CableCARD tuners and add them to your Windows 7 machines to turn any old machine you have lying around into an HTPC. Also, they've raised the limit to four tuners per "tuner type", so you can have four digital cable channels simultaneously without any kind of special setup.

There is also a new Firmware update for ATI TV Wonder Digital Cable Tuners to mark copy-freely content—the content you can move around your network and portable devices. [Microsoft]

Loaded with Windows 7, the X9613 features a multitouch screen, Core 2 Quad Q9000 processor, Nvidia GT240M graphics, 4GB of RAM, Blu-ray drive and even a second Sideshow monitor (that box you see on the bottom, we believe). But it's the system's glossy, touch-button and fingerprint-friendly design that would make it an aesthetically welcome addition to one's typical array of home theater equipment.

Announced for Europe only at the moment, the X9613 is priced between $2,100 to $2,700 after conversion. Luckily, these types of rigs will only get cheaper.[New Gadgets via Engadget]

Measuring just 4x4x1 inches, the fanless, XP-based system operates in complete silence. Storage is managed through MicroSD (though a 2.5-inch bay awaits modders), while a 1.6GHz Atom and 1GB of RAM power the system. And even with the small size, you get Wi-Fi (draft n), 6 USB ports (WTF), mini PCI-E, IR (for a remote) and HDMI-out. Portwell promises their system can output 1080P content, despite most Atoms falling a bit short in this department, through deployment of an Intel SCH US15W chipset (a combination of northbridge and southbridge tech).

I really hope the HD claims are true. Because at $460, the WEBS-1010 would make a pretty kickass portable HTPC. [Portwell via Windows For Devices via ubergizmo]

Here are the specs: 1080p, Blu-ray drive, HDMI 1.3, eSATA, Core 2 Duo, Gigabit Ethernet and a $2000 price tag. It lands in a strange spot between performance and "HTPC-ability", as in the ability to sit nicely on your home entertainment center without standing out too much.

We tested it ourselves, and found it was a very capable Windows Vista Media Center, doing all the Media Center tasks (streaming network content, Netflix, watching Blu-rays, what have you) as larger machines we've tested. (We haven't tested the previous Zone, so we can't compare it to that.)

Despite its small size, it is capable of supporting one Media Center extender, such as an Xbox 360, so you can watch the same show on your 360 as you can on your Zone. This, provided you add the third-party TV tuners. We're going to test how well that performs in the coming weeks.

There are still some tests other than that to run as well, including actually using it as a Media Center for an extended period of time, plus putting Windows 7 on there, but for the most part this is a quality compact HTPC. It's a little pricey, but Niveus has previously lived in the enthusiast (read: rich man) market, so the Zone and the Zone Pro are their way of bringing their home theater experience down to the slightly well off man's market. [Niveus]

Though it cites unnamed "industry sources" (which could mean anything), DigiTimes gets specific for the Eee keyboard's pricing: around US$400-500. The keyboard has a built-in 5-inch display, 1.6Ghz Atom processor, 1GB of RAM, 16/32GB SSD, Wi-Fi and a wireless HDMI dongle.

Meanwhile, the Nvidia Ion-based 20-inch Eee Top ET2002 AIO, and Eee Box nettop are expected to cost about $670 and $300 in September.

The ET2002 has an Atom 330 CPU, 1600 by 900 resolution, 2GB RAM, 250GB hard disk, and 802.11n Wi-Fi.

Bonus news: DigiTimes also says HP is expected to launch an Ion-based netbook in September, along with some new ultra-thin netbooks. We're gonna be busy! [DigiTimes]

The Altus line is just iPod docks and network audio—like wireless speaker setups—for now, but Sony and Best Buy say it's "the beginning of many future cooperations" between the two. When I asked about future products, they said it "might be video," so we could see a Best Buy Sony TV as well. What's weird is that the Altus stuff isn't Best Buy exclusive—it's Best Buy and Sony Style initially, but it'll hit other retailers eventually.

SONY AND BEST BUY COMBINE FORCES TO DELIVER

NEW LINE OF AUDIO PRODUCTS

New "ALTUS" Product Line Brings Wireless, Multi-Room Audio Freedom to the Home

NEW YORK, Aug. 18, 2009 – Representing nearly two years of cooperation in market research and engineering efforts, Sony Electronics Inc. and Best Buy Co., Inc. today announced the new "ALTUS" audio product line.

Featuring a stylish assortment of wireless music systems, speakers, and home theater products, the ALTUS line offers a variety of simple, easy, and effective solutions for experiencing premium audio throughout the home.

"The ALTUS line is something that both Sony and Best Buy can be proud to call their own" said Mike Fasulo, executive vice president, chief marketing officer and corporate social responsibility officer of Sony Electronics Inc. "We're breaking new ground in the consumer electronics industry with this unique cooperation between manufacturer and retailer."

Mike Vitelli, executive vice president of customer operating groups at Best Buy Co., Inc., added: "By working with Sony throughout the product development process, we were able to focus directly on our customer to better understand their needs and interpret how best to present ALTUS in a retail environment."

Expand your iPod from Room to Room

Heading up the ALTUS product lineup are two iPod™ docking systems designed to enhance and expand your home listening experience.

The premium ALT-SA31iR multi-room iPod package features three separate components: an iPod/iPhone® docking station and two high-output wireless speakers.

This multi-room package also features an AM/FM tuner and S-AIR remote control with an LCD display. On the display, users are able to see all metadata of the streaming audio, including album, artist, and track information. Further, the ALT-SA31iR system can be used to transmit audio to all other S-AIR compatible receivers.

Sony's AIR-SW10Ti iPod dock consists of a compact docking station with two built-in speakers and a wireless subwoofer that can be easily concealed. This powerful new model has a maximum output of 60 watts RMS and includes both an infrared remote control and FM tuner capabilities. The AIR-SW10Ti system can also be used to transmit wireless audio to compatible ALTUS and S-AIR products. The ALT-SA31iR system will retail for approximately $700 and the AIR-SA10Ti model will retail for about $400. Each unit is available today for pre-sale on www.sonystyle.com and will be available in September at Best Buy locations nationwide, along with other select retailer partners.

Wireless PC Audio

Recognizing the importance that the computer holds to any digital music collection, Sony is also introducing two PC audio multi-room packages as part of the ALTUS brand.

The new ALT-SA32PC multi-room audio package features three components: an S-AIR transmitter that connects to your PC (via USB input) and two high-output wireless speakers. The USB transmitter streams audio wirelessly from the connected PC to the two included speakers for a simple multi-room solution.

The ALT-A33PC package has an identical USB S-AIR transmitter, but includes a universal receiver that can connect to a variety of audio products with its RCA outputs. This enables users to stream music wirelessly from their computer to most existing music systems.

Both packages include unique music management software that has the ability to tap into existing playlists on your computer in programs like iTunes™ and Windows Media Player™. Additionally, this software facilitates the creation of new music "channels" using the digital music library of a connected PC. Each of these two PC systems is compatible with the entire ALTUS family of products as well as all of Sony's S-AIR accessories.

The ALT-SA32PC package will sell for approximately $500 and the ALT-A33PC for about $200. Each can be pre-ordered today on www.sonystyle.com and will be available September in Best Buy locations nationwide, along with other select retailer partners.

Plug and Play Speakers

For those looking to expand their ALTUS audio system with small, compact and stylish speakers, Sony is introducing the sleek ALT-SA34R Socket Speaker Package.

This ALTUS product is compatible with all S-AIR enabled transmitters and features two small, unobtrusive S-AIR wireless speakers that plug directly into any power outlet in the home. The speaker system also includes an S-AIR remote control highlighted by an LCD display for viewing music metadata.

The ALT-SA34R Socket Speaker Package will retail for about $350 and is available for pre-sale today on www.sonystyle.com. Next month, the package will hit Best Buy stores nationwide, along with other select retailers, for about $350.

Blu-ray Disc Power

Also included as part of the new ALTUS lineup is Sony's BDV-E500W 5.1 Channel Blu-ray Disc™ Home Theater System, announced earlier this spring.

The BDV-E500W Blu-ray Disc home theater system features both wireless rear speakers and wireless multi-room audio capability. With the addition of compatible ALTUS or S-AIR devices (sold separately), audio from the BDV-E500W system can be expanded in up to 10 additional rooms throughout the home.

This Blu-ray Disc system is also BD-Live capable via a rear Ethernet connection. BD-Live allows users to access content including additional scenes, short subjects, trailers, interactive games and more. It also enables easy firmware updates to assist in keeping the player up-to-date with the latest Blu-ray Disc media and features.

The unit also supports the latest advanced audio codecs, including Dolby® TrueHD and Dolby Digital Plus, DTS®-HD High Resolution Audio, and DTS-HD Master Audio decoding as well as bit-stream.

Sony's Digital Media Port, included on the BDV-E500W, allows for easy connection to the included iPod cradle and the ability to connect other portable music players (optional cradles sold separately). The model also features Precision Cinema Upscaling technology for outstanding picture quality, and Sony's Xross Media Bar (XMB™) graphic user interface for easy menu navigation and operation.

The BDV-E500W is currently available at Sony Style stores, Best Buy and other authorized retailers for approximately $800.

[Sony]

About the size of a DVD player, the compact HTPC sits either horizontally or vertically (with stand), and has a metal liner to shield against electromagnetic radiation. Lenovo also says it'll support 1080p.

On the front you'll find a slot-loading DVD writer, four-in-one media card reader (SD/MMC/MS/MS Pro), four USB 2.0 ports, plus microphone and headphone jacks.

One the back: eSATA and HDMI connections (nice!), VGA, four further USB 2.0 ports, and a variety of audio connections, including S/PDIF-out. Ethernet is standard, while options include 802.11g Wi-Fi, the TV tuner, and various flavors of Windows Vista. [Lenovo via Nexus404]

Processor options scale up to an Intel quad-core chip, and prices start at (cough), $7820. Yep. But anyone can afford that, right? Thankfully, the design09 Tricolor Gold model on the bottom-right has the more penile-extending price tag of $32,300. I mean, they're perty and all, but yikes. [Gaiser High End via Born Rich]

More specifically, the Axess HD can include a Blu-ray drive, 8-channel HD audio, WIndows Vista Home Premium and up to 4TB of hard drive storage or, if you choose, dual 160GB SSDs. Connections include: DVI-D, VGA, HDMI and component out, dual gigabit ethernet, eight USB 2.0 ports, two 6-pin FireWire ports and eSATA. There is also the option of adding a TV Tuner (no CableCARD). Granted, the Axcess is highly configurable, and if you get this thing completely loaded it will cost you over $6,000 (base $1,800). Yeah, I think I will stick with an Xbox 360 and a basic $600 HTPC for now. [Maingear]

According to the poll I ran earlier this week, it seems that you guys are also poised to make a break from your cable service. It seems pretty clear that this sort of technology is what the future holds for television, but do cable providers have anything to worry about right now? Do you plan on ditching cable for online content like Hulu?

As you can see in this image, the general "dispersion of artifacts" is not consistent with an unedited picture. In other words, all of that confetti you're seeing around the ports and power plug are pretty suspect. Zoomed in to the pixel, the image also reveals the use of multiple macroblock types.

But apparently the expert's most damning argument has nothing to do with the image quality itself. It's the placement of the Mini DisplayPort and Mini DVI—the ports don't appear to be lined up with the motherboard, which is a big design no-no. [9to5Mac]

Phantom was kind enough to send us the first final production unit off of the line—preorder shipments should be fulfilled starting Feb 20th. It's unfair to judge any product with higher standards only because of funding and manufacturing delays—even if the Phantom Lapboard is the Duke Nukem Forever of the keyboard world. But despite these delays and issues, there's still no clone or ripoff to compare it to.

Phantom's pitch is a wireless, ambidextrous keyboard that can be used via lap for a home theater PC with a full-sized mouse. The keyboard itself pivots vertically, lifting the keys from the platform on your lap to make room for a mouse, while simultaneously spinning 360 degrees horizontally so that it works for righties and lefties.

In use, the lapboard functions as promised. It synced instantly to both my PS3 and Mac through a 2.4GHz USB dongle (though, I should mention, I had left mouse button recognition issues on the PS3). The keyboard locks after a gentle tilt, and you can actually spin it round and round indefinitely...which can be addictive.
Typing, however, is a bit more problematic than I expected. It's certainly possible, and the keys are clicky and responsive. But the keyboard tilts a bit too much for my taste (a full 22 degrees) and I found myself typing with one hand uncomfortably higher than the other. I wish there were two tilt settings—one that would just fit your mouse hand under it, and one with a little more clearance. That said, a few hours of hands-on gaming would probably put you more at ease with the design.

To tilt the keyboard back down, you push in on a semi-awkward rubber latch.
The mouse has a subtler style than you'd expect to see with a hardcore PC peripheral, with a one-piece plastic top creating two buttons with perfect resistance. (There's also a clicking scroll wheel.) It's rated at some insane DPI—it felt accurate enough—but there's one downfall to gamers. The board for the mouse is just too slippery. At the slightest angle on your lap, the mouse will literally slide off. I'm actually tempted to sand the plastic or add new pads to the mouse because this very small (overlooked?) detail makes the lapboard far less pleasant to use.
I find the Phantom Lapboard's $130 asking price a bit steep—but if it cost less than $100 it would be a strong recommendation. Using the mouse can feel a bit like walking on ice and the keyboard tilts a lot, but given that there are few competitors that can offer a full keyboard/mouse that fit comfortably in your lap, I'm glad to see the still-fresh idea finally come to market. [Phantom]

The keyboard is packing a 5-inch built-in display, a 1.6 GHz Atom proc, 1 GB of RAM, 16/32 GB SSD, WiFi, and Bluetooth. As far as ports, it's got wireless HDMI, 2 USB 2.0, VGA, HDMI, and audio in/out. It's running Windows XP home, which is an odd choice for something that's asking, nay, begging to be a home theater PC, although it's not packing a TV tuner either. No word on price or release date, but the Asus CEO claims it'll be available in the next 3 to 6 months. [Boy Genius Report]

Yes, that's a tad steep if you compare it to Apple TV, Roku, or Xbox 360, but not so bad if you compare it to the average HTPC.

The Netgear's biggest advantage is that it supports a wide variety of codecs and includes a 500GB SATA hard drive that's user-swappable.

The Netgear's biggest disadvantage is that it while it can browse YouTube, Flickr, content from your PC, and probably services like Hulu as well, there's no Netflix partnership to speak of. But for the Bittorrent fan who wants a place to toss media for an HDTV, it might not be a bad option when it's released at a yet unannounced time. [Wired]

The new Eee Box B204 and B206 look to beef up the line's capabilities into something worthy of HTPC application. While still running light 1.6GHz Atom processors with 1GB of RAM, the systems now feature ATI Radeon HD 3400 series discrete graphics with 256MB of DDR2 memory along with HDMI output to play back high def video on an HDTV. And when you account for the Wireless-N networking and 160GB SATA hard drive, you realize that the the Eee Box could be a contender in the low end home theater PC market.

No word yet on pricing or availability, but the original Eee Box ran a palatable $300. [Asus]

Note: Image is of the original Eee Box.

The Netgear Digital Entertainer Elite, expected to be officially announced at CES, is a set top box that may lack a tuner but happens to stream every format you could want at encoding rates up to 40Mbps (Blu-ray territory) over ethernet or its integrated Wireless-N adapter.

Playing 1080P video over HDMI, plus packing component, optical and SCART outputs, the Digital Entertainer can also be expanded to move beyond streaming with any 3.5-inch internal SATA drive you like.

The catch, of course, could be the price. But we probably won't know about that point for another month. Until then, we'll admit that our interest is piqued. What would you pay for this sleek HTPC light? [FCC via DVICE]

The Good:
• Feels Like TiVo—Ars really liked that the whole TiVo experience exists on TiVo PC with few limitations.

• The UI is made for the PC—Ars noted that the interface works as well with a keyboard and mouse as it does with the remote. You can click with ease, or use the keys to do what you need to do.

• PC Versatility—With TiVo PC, you can swap content between other TiVos or Liquid TV setups on the same network. You can also remotely schedule programs to record.

The Bad:
• Exporting—The ability to export to PSP or iPod was a plus on paper, but the execution wasn't so great. Ars said that even with a 2.66 GHz Core 2 Duo and 8 GB of RAM on a Mac Pro, it took even longer than the minute of conversion for minute of content that TiVo PC suggested. Secondly, the lack of customizable encoding options and automated uploading to devices detracted from a good experience.

• No TiVoCast Support—Downloading from TiVo content partners like The Onion is not an option on TiVo PC. I'm sure there are some legal issues for this, being on the PC and all, but still, it's nice to have content like that already waiting for you.

• No CableCard Support—If you want to record more than Over The Air content in HD, you're out of luck with TiVo PC. Nero says they plan to add CableCard support in the future, but Ars doesn't think we'll see it anytime soon.

So there you have it. If you want a good, solid DVR program that records basic TV content, this might be right for you. If you want more, you may want to look elsewhere. [Ars Technica]