You're in luck if you're hoping to terrorize small animals and stream the results the Web: it has a programmable 1.3-megapixel CMOS camera and built-in Wi-Fi. And you get the usual stuff for the PC side of things, like a VGA output for a monitor, and USB ports for a keyboard and mouse...

That all sounds good until you see the 15-inch tall mini PC uses a 3 axis accelerometer and two 2 axis gyro sensors to move about. Those don't come cheap. In fact, bragging rights will set you back 400,000 Yen (about $4,500). Yeah, you read that right. For that sort of MIT-only style money, I'd want it to at least mix my cocktails…or make me bacon and eggs in the morning. Sheesh. [Vstone Store via Plastic Pals]

Otherwise, its specs are the same as the recent EeeBox EB1012. That means dual-core Atom N330 processor, 2GB of DDR2-800 RAM (expandable to 4GB), 250GB hard disk, and Nvidia Ion graphics.

The optical drive is only a DVD-RW, but I can use my PlayStation for Blu-ray. Otherwise, the EB1501 can pretty much connect to anything and everything: it's got 802.11n Wi-Fi, Gigabit Ethernet, 6 USB 2.0 ports, an SD card reader, and an eSATA connection for external hard disks. An S/PDIF connection also gives you 5.1 audio.

What a crazy little box. We're still waiting on U.S. pricing and availability, but it's expected to be €399 ($580) in Europe, and should arrive around October 22—when Windows 7 arrives. [Asus]

• Lenovo's C100 nettop we first spotted a few weeks ago is now shipping, but we're still waiting on Lenovo to deliver some of the more exciting features they promised. The C100 features an 18.5" display, Windows XP, and your choice of either a single or dual-core Atom processor. We heard from Lenovo back in August that they're planning a touchscreen version of the C100 to take advantage of the Windows 7 touch pack, but that option won't be available until at least October. If you don't need all that fancy touchscreen witchcraft or just don't want to wait, you can grab the C100 over at Lenovo's online store today. Starts at $400. [Electronista]

Like the first EeeBox PC, the EB1012 is super compact (222mm x 178mm x26.9mm), and Asus claims its Nvidia MCP7A Ion graphics and HDMI output will allow full 1080p playback.

Also useful: a 5.1 S/PDIF audio connection, built-in multi-card reader (including SDHC), plus 4 USB slots, and one single eSATA port to connect your external hard drive.

It'll be available in black or white, but Asus hasn't listed any pricing or release details yet. Can't be too long now, though…[Asus via Engadget]

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]

It's actually not a bad little system for a low-powered (some would say under-powered) home theater PC. It's got the Atom 230 system, a 2.5-inch HDD of unspecified capacity, a Blu-Ray drive, 1GB of RAM and HDMI out, all in one diminutive, delicate package. If you've got the kind of living room where a vase would seem less out of place than a HTPC (that excludes mine), it's a pretty cool idea. No word on price or availability, as it's probably just a proof of concept. [via Engadget]

Acer barely mentioned the Revo amidst its armada of cheap machines last night but after seeing what it could do, in a lot of ways, it's the most interesting because of the performance it promises to bring to cheap computers, especially if Nvidia can get all of the software ducks in a row to take advantage of its graphics platform. Ion, BTW, is just Nvidia's brand for its MC79 graphics chip (the GeForce 9400M at the heart of the new Macbooks) coupled with Intel's netbook Atom CPUs. Revo is the first announced product to use Ion. Nvidia couldn't reveal the final pricing me, only that it's "really aggressive" and "well under" $500.

The demo model I got to check out was stocked with Intel's year-old Atom 230, which is by all accounts, a weak cup of sauce. But the Revo's packed with some features that potentially make it a solid TV PC: HDMI output with full 7.1 HD audio, wireless N (for streaming video), seven USB ports, card reader, and for some reason, eSATA.

But let's just jump into the impressive part: It played back an Blu-ray movie with an average video bitrate of 28 megabits per second—peaking around 36—smoothly and basically flawlessly. If you're not up on bit rates, check out this explainer, but the important part is that it's a ton of data, something a regular Atom-powered machine couldn't handle without choking hard. It ran Spore, albeit at the lowest graphics settings at 1024x768, with a buttery smoothness. Google Earth ran very usably, even though you wouldn't think it was running off a MacBook Pro or anything by any means. What these apps all have in common, and why the Revo can perform with them better than standard Atom computers is that these apps all leverage graphics cards—in this case, Nvidia's—for power, instead of just using the CPU.

There are limitations to the wonder, even on the video front. Since nettops and netbooks are built for surfing the internet, a fairly egregious hole right now for Ion is HD internet video. HD Hulu or HD YouTube clip wouldn't run noticeably better on the Revo than another Atom 230 computer. That's because Flash and Silverlight, the two major mediums of web video, don't use graphics acceleration yet, though Nvidia's hoping they will by the time Revo and other Ion products—of which there are at least 40 in the pipeline—ship (probably) around June, since it would give Nvidia that much more leverage in the netbook space.

The other catch is that preliminary tests by other publications, showed early Ion samples delivering fantastic video performance but not so great battery life. This isn't as big of a deal for mini desktop, obviously, so a real niche for Ion machines could be cheap media PCs to plug into TVs—the Revo seems ideal for it, and even comes with a mounting bracket to snap onto the backs of TVs and monitors.

But if this or something like it comes out at $400, it's the first kind of "net" computer I'd actually consider buying. [Nvidia Acer]

Or that's what turkish site Donanim Haber says, posting some images of the computer, which can be mounted on the back of any VESA-compatible display.

According to the Inquirer, sources close to "one of the firms" have confirmed that it will launch at the beginning of April, with three to four models ranging from a mere $199 to $399. The Inquirer's source says it will be a "Full PC with a Wii-like size" with HDMI output. [Donanim Haber via The Inquirer]

• Intel Atom N270 CPU
• 1GB of RAM
• 160GB HD.
• Three USB ports.
• Gigabit Ethernet
• Wi-Fi b/g
• Windows XP

It weighs 1.1 pounds and measures 300 mm x 240 mm x 65 mm. It has been announced in France for for $254. [Journal du Geek via Pocket Lint]

Tech Corner claims the Netbook uses a 900 MHz Celeron processor and would sell for around $400. This contradicts reports that the upcoming Netbooks would be using the Intel Atom Diamondville processor and fall between the $250-$300 price range. However, claims of a June 2008 launch do seem to line up with those same reports.

Looking at its design, there's a handle attached to the back of the device, which looks a bit stupid. But if it's for the classroom, I guess we shouldn't care. And for a budget notebook, it looks pretty decent otherwise. We'll see come mid-year if this really is Intel's Netbook. [Flickr via Tech Corner]

A standard PC setup with DVD drive (and we're assuming with monitor) would run just $199 to $250. Intel calls the system a "Nettop," and it will use the Atom Centrino processor to run Vista without Aero, XP or Linux (depending on target price and intended application).

A laptop with the same specs won't run much more, estimated at only $250 to $300.

But given the inexpensive price of many full-blown Core 2 Duo laptops and desktops, it's hard to see these moderate price breaks ushering in an Atom revolution. For developing countries and educational purposes, on the other hand, the Atom is a tad more exciting. [pcworld]