I really think we should work harder together on the marketing front. As you and I have talked about, even though we are competitors, we have the common goal of making our category a well positioned, respected playing field. $5 and $8 stocks are a result of no respect.

'Cause price-fixing definitely gets you more respect. It definitely gets you more money though! [Law.com via Crunchgear]

Mac's marketshare is up two percent from last year, claiming 8.5 percent of the overall market (Dell comfortably holds 31.9 percent to HP's 25.3 percent). To take home the bronze, Apple slipped past Acer by 65,000 units. While it won't move out of third anytime soon, you definitely can't deny Mac's got the mojo right now. [AppleInsider]

Wal-Mart and Dell are testing the Solution Station by Dell in 15 Dallas stores, and they'll do things like repair PCs and set up home entertainment and wireless networking stuff sold by Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart and tech support just don't compute in my brain. On the bright side, I'm sure this'll mean lots of fun posts for the Consumerist crew. [WSJ]

One of the most fundamental changes in the R700 cards—which are two RV770s with a PCI Express switch connecting the the two and double the memory—is that the GPUs actually communicate with each other, whereas past CrossFire configs had both cards basically rendering their own sections independently, then combining them. AnandTech says it's not entirely clear how much communication there will be, but there will definitely be more than there was. Also, the drivers still need to come up to spec to let the card truly shine, but the hardware is totally in the right place. [AnandTech]

NEW ACER® ASPIRE X1200 DESKTOP IS A SMALL YET MIGHTY PACKAGE

No-compromise solution boasts desktop power and value in a compact, expandable and environmentally-friendly design

SAN JOSE, CALIF., July 8, 2008 - Acer America, the third largest vendor in the PC market,(1) today announced the Acer® Aspire X1200, a truly dynamic and sleek entertainment center with prices beginning at just $450.

Offering powerful desktop components and expansion capabilities in a small box, the Acer® Aspire X1200 desktop enables users to enjoy high-definition movies, games and theater-like sound while maximizing space in the home. Featuring AMD dual-core processors, NVIDIA® GeForce® 8200 on-board graphics and PCI Express® 2.0, it's ideal for entertainment enthusiasts and space-conscious consumers desiring phenomenal performance in an environmentally-friendly design.

"Our innovative, low energy consumption desktop is a no-compromise solution providing desktop power, performance and value in a compact form factor," said Stephanie Hatchel, Senior Manager, Retail Desktop Product Planning for Acer America. "Aspire X1200 was designed to be an appealing, easy to use media hub for making the most of entertainment. From broadcasting MP3s in crystal clear acoustics to showcasing HD movies, this sleek system is a multimedia powerhouse and available at a price today's budget-minded consumers will appreciate."

Expandable and Elegant Space-Saving Design

Measuring just 10.6-inches (H) x 4.0-inches (W) x 14.4-inches (L), the stylish, compact chassis maximizes desktop real estate. Its high gloss coating and recessed venting sport an elegant look and feel. Translucent plastic knobs on the speakers are attractive and make it simple to adjust volume. Peripherals including the keyboard and mouse showcase subtle color differences that enhance the overall design appeal.

Providing room for expansion, the system offers two PCI Express slots (X1 and X16). For easy access and reach, five USB 2.0 ports, a multi-in-1 card reader, IEEE 1394 port and audio jacks are conveniently located on the front of the PC. Four additional USB 2.0 ports are positioned on the back for connecting to a wide array of peripherals and digital devices.

Dynamic Digital Media Powerhouse

Unlike similar small form factor PCs that leverage mobile components with higher costs and lower performance, the Aspire X1200 offers a choice of models that scale up to an AMD Athlon™ X2 5000 processor and up to 4GB DDR2 memory for taking on advanced multitasking. The AMD processors support downloadable AMD Live! applications for optimal recording, transferring, sharing and organizing of photos, videos, music and media. The energy-efficient designs employing the AMD Athlon™ X2 Dual Core 4850e processor, consume less power, resulting in less wasted energy, lower operational cost as well as cooler and quieter operation.

Boasting the NVIDIA® GeForce® 8200 Chipset with PureVideo HD Technology, the Aspire X1200 supports the hottest games with Microsoft® DirectX 10 for realistic, life-like images. The system also promises high-definition movie picture quality with supported formats including H.264, VC1 and MPEG2. Fully integrated high-definition audio with 7.1-channel audio support provides dynamic sound for games, music and movies. In conjunction with an HD display, the Acer Aspire X1200 delivers a superb home theater experience.

HDMI makes it easy to hook the PC to a big screen TV and gives users a full range of support for any high-definition format via a single cable. A high-performance 14-in-1 digital media card reader makes it easy to transfer video, music and movies from a host of digital devices. The mini-desktop also come with a large SuperMulti Double-layer drive, which provides enough room to record significant data, hours of DVD-quality video and thousands of songs.

Front- and rear-access audio jacks speed up connection of headphones, microphones and other audio peripherals. PCI Express 2.0 optimizes computer components, such as high-end discrete graphics cards and network cards for the fastest performance available.

Specifications, Pricing and Availability

The Acer® Aspire X1200 desktop PC is available now at major retailers nationwide. Prices range from $449.99 to $699.99 depending on configuration. See following for available models.

Acer® Aspire X1200-U1520A: Available now for $449.99

* AMD Athlon™ X2 Dual Core 4850e Processor
* NVIDIA® GeForce® 8200 On-Board Graphics
* 4GB DDR2 Memory
* 320GB SATA II Hard Drive
* 16x DVD+R/RW, DVD-RAM SuperMulti, Double-Layer Drive
* 14-in-One Media Card Reader
* Windows Vista® Premium 64 with SP1

Acer® Aspire X1200-U1510A: Available now for $459.99

* AMD Athlon™ X2 Dual Core 5000+ Processor
* NVIDIA® GeForce® 8200 On-Board Graphics
* 4GB DDR2 Memory
* 320GB SATA II Hard Drive
* 16x DVD+R/RW, DVD-RAM SuperMulti, Double-Layer Drive
* 14-in-One Media Card Reader
* Windows Vista® Premium 64 with SP1

Acer® Aspire X1200-B1581A: Available for $699.99 starting on July 13

* AMD Athlon™ X2 Dual Core 4850e Processor
* NVIDIA® GeForce® 8200 On-Board Graphics
* 4GB DDR2 Memory
* 500GB SATA II Hard Drive
* 16x DVD+R/RW, DVD-RAM SuperMulti, Double-Layer Drive
* 14-in-One Media Card Reader
* 22-inch Widescreen LCD Display
* Windows Vista® Premium 64 with SP1

Other specs: 1920x1200 res, 2ms response time, 400 nits, HDMI and DVI out ports. The arguably most important numbers—price and date—are nowhere to be found. But "not cheap" and "later" sound like reasonable guesses! [Acer via Engadget]

Surely, you can do better. [MetkuMods via Unplggd]

Lenovo Enters Global Consumer Desktop Market With ``IdeaCentre'' Brand

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C.—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Lenovo has announced the launch of the IdeaCentre K210 desktop, marking the company’s global entry into the consumer desktop market outside of China. This announcement follows the recent debut of Lenovo’s IdeaPad series of notebooks, which signaled Lenovo’s dramatic jump into the worldwide consumer notebook business outside of China earlier this year.

Lenovo’s IdeaCentre and IdeaPad introductions are timely, as IDC forecasts worldwide consumer PC demand to grow by nearly ten percent a year between 2007 and 20111.

The IdeaCentre K210 is designed for user comfort and convenience. For example, Lenovo is the only worldwide PC maker to offer the cutting edge “Bright Vision” technology2, which actually detects how far the user is from the monitor and adjusts the brightness accordingly.

Your face is your password

Among the new technologies the IdeaCentre K210 utilizes is VeriFace™3 facial recognition technology that allows the user to log in by having the camera recognize his/her facial image. The K210 is the only desktop PC to offer this distinctive feature. Additionally, The K210 features an anti-microbial keyboard that uses special material to inhibit bacterial growth. This is especially helpful for families that have numerous people using the same keyboard and are concerned with “keyboard germs.”

For ease of use and system recovery Lenovo offers the Lenovo Vantage Technology (LVT) menu. With just a single touch the user can more easily recover from system crashes or viruses. The File Management feature helps save critical data on a special system partition in the event of system failure. And for the “easy open” experience, Lenovo has built in its tool-free design which allows for easy expansion, serviceability and modifications.

Industry leading system specs include:

* Intel® Core™ 2 Quad Processors















* Intel® GMA 3100 integrated graphics















* Blueray HD-DVD Combo accommodates home theater















* High definition audio 5.1 for reverberating sound















* Gamers will love the optional upgrade to ATI Radeon 2600 XT (512MB)

Pricing and Availability

The IdeaCentre K210 is available on Lenovo.com, at various retail outlets in the United States and through Lenovo business partners. The starting price is $379 (after mail-in-rebate). The L195W, 19-inch monitor is priced at $229 (after mail-in-rebate). The L222W, 22-inch monitor is priced at $299 (after mail-in-rebate).

A Radeon HD 3870 system jumped from an overall 3D Mark Vantage score of P3800 to P4262. Though it won't be available for ATI's latest 4800 cards for a bit, you can download the PhysX enabler this weekend at NGOHQ, which should make your Unreal experience on ATI that much sweeter. [NGOHQ via TG Daily via /.]

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1. Windows is on the vast majority of the world's computers, creating a virtually ubiquitous platform that anyone can develop for. That actually breeds innovation and development. Yes, Microsoft fosters innovation. While it's much easier for griefers to be mean if everyone's on the same platform, that ubiquity gives us a common ground to drive forward on.

Stan Seiler, senior docent at the Computer History Museum, credits Microsoft for creating the common UI concept—"a common look and feel across multiple applications,” something that "couldn’t be pioneered until somebody had a whole suite of applications,” which Microsoft was among the first to do. They dragged third-party developers into following it as well, and voila, now most stuff works and looks the same across an OS.

2. Microsoft is basically responsible for the two-button mouse. Will Smith from Maximum PC (but not quite Hancock) gives the Gates machine props for really bringing the mouse to business computing with "the one-two punch of Windows 3.0 and Office." More than that, it created a simple standard for two-button mousing: left-click equals action, right-click equals choices. Love your scroll wheel? (I do.) Microsoft, baby. Apple's mouse philosophy is just silly.

3. Microsoft popularized the concept that software has value and is worth paying for it. Seiler says "it might sound obvious... but it was an important change in the mindset of people.” No one had done it on the scale Microsoft did. Today this leads to some weirdness: There's a different price for each version of Windows. But this theoretically based on how much value Microsoft think is packed into each version of Windows (you can debate this, of course). But unless you're a freetard, you probably don't think the idea itself of paying for software is insane.

4. Microsoft's intimidation leads to innovation. The flipside of Microsoft's scale and success is that everyone hates them. (Duh.) While this sometimes results in unproductive pissing and moaning, it often drives companies to try to outdo the behemoth, after which Microsoft strives to catch up before getting leapfrogged again. This process benefits everyone.

The most famous example is the Browser Wars. Netscape Navigator pushed Internet Exploder forward (not only feature-wise, but leading Microsoft to bundle it with the OS, a big step in and of itself) before IE killed it and achieved a virtual browser monopoly. Years later, Firefox rose from Navigator's ashes to strike back at IE, which resulted in Browser War II and drove us to the point of internet awesomeness (and Web standardization) we're at today. (Not to mention, as Smith points out, mainstreaming TCP/IP in Windows 95 made it much easer and cheaper to get on the internet in the first place.)

So, while Microsoft is now a super-bureaucratic organization that may well be in need of soul, innovation and originality, the truth is, its very unsexiness is why tech and computing are as exciting as they are today. Microsoft's early years provided the foundation and tools, and today it provides technology's version of The Man to outsmart and outdo, which will make tomorrow as good as it's gonna be.

What else should we give credit to Msft under Bill's watch?

All for $1500, which is a lot less than ES used to be and a lot less than what the competition charges over at Yamaha and Denon for the really crazy stuff with more than 7 channels. All do 1080/24p and anything easier as well as Dolby Digital, TrueHD, DTS High Res and Master Audio. Upscaling, the real difference in receivers these days, is handled by Faroudja DCDi Cinema tech, not a bad chip at all. More details below.

SONY enhances “elevated standard” audio/video receiver line

WITH THREE NEW MODELS
SAN DIEGO, June 26, 2008 - Sony today introduced three new
audio/video receivers in its “Elevated Standard” (ES) product
line that deliver high-quality sound and video performance.
Engineered for high-end home theaters, the new STR-DA4400ES,
STR-DA3400ES and STR-DA2400ES receivers feature sophisticated
A/V technology supporting 1080/24p video signals, the latest
audio codecs (Dolby® Digital Plus, Dolby® TrueHD, dts® High
Resolution Audio and dts® HD Master Audio) and Faroudja® DCDi
Cinema™ technology for upscaling all video sources to 1080p
when connected via HDMI™ to a compatible high-definition television.
The ES receivers are all designed around a unique construction
platform, digital board and a wide band power amplifier to
maintain the purity of the audio and video signals by minimizing
external vibrations and internal jitter.
“The rapid evolution of audio and video has generated increased
demand for connectivity and high-performance components,” said
Tyler Ishida, director of marketing for Sony Electronics' Digital
Imaging and Audio Division. “This new line of ES receivers
delivers the fidelity, build quality and connectivity expected
for an outstanding cinematic experience in the home.”
The new models utilize a xross media bar™-inspired graphical
user interface for easy content navigation, Sony's Digital
Cinema Auto Calibration for simple surround sound setup, and
BRAVIA® Sync™ for Theatre for easy synchronization of compatible
home theater components.
Sony's DIGITAL MEDIA PORT adds control, networking and connectivity
options for music playback through various accessories, including
a Cradle for iPod (TDM-iP10), a Network Walkman™ cradle, a
PC client device and a Bluetooth® adapter (each is sold separately).
The models are also Sirius® and XM Connect-and-Play™ Ready.
The STR-DA4400ES 7.1 channel receiver has a 120-watt amplifier
(8 ohms, 20 Hz - 20 kHz, 0.09 percent THD), six HDMI inputs
and DSD decoding through HDMI. It offers high-definition video
distribution to a second zone, audio distribution to three
zones and picture-in-picture for monitoring of multi-zone output
or an external video source. The model will be available in
August for about $1,500.
The STR-DA3400ES 7.1 channel receiver has a 100-watt power
amplifier (8 ohms, 20 Hz - 20 kHz, 0.09 percent THD), four
HDMI inputs, a 12-volt trigger, IR repeater and high-definition
video distribution to a second zone (composite). It will be
available in August for around $1,000.
The STR-DA2400ES 7.1 channel receiver has a 100-watt power
amplifier (8 ohms, 20 Hz - 20 kHz, 0.09 percent THD), a basic
icon-driven graphic user interface and four HDMI inputs. The
model will be available next month for about $800.
All ES receivers are supported by a five-year limited manufacturer
warranty and will be available online through www.sonystyle.com
, at Sony Style stores nationwide
and at authorized Sony dealers across the country.

Price: $1500 (The IQ504, sans TV-tuner, sells for $1300)

The Verdict: The TouchSmart comes with the standard array of features you'd expect in an all-in-one PC—22-inch widescreen, 2.16 Core 2 Duo Processor, ATSC tuner, 4 GB RAM, 500 GB HDD, 5 USB ports and an SDHC reader. These are all solid features, though not mindblowing. The real hook here is whether or not the touchscreen features are as good as advertised. The short answer is that they're satisfactory within the custom interface, and not so great in the normal Vista environment.

The touch interface has a homescreen with a row of giant, oversized tiles up top, and smaller ones underneath that display various widget-like apps. Examples of these apps include a music player, photo browser, movie player, RSS feed, calendar, weather, chess, solitaire, notes, etc... Both rows can scroll fromside to side, similar to that of the iPhone, and tiles can also be exchanged between the top and bottom rows freely.

Once inside individual apps, they take advantage of using pan and scroll features for lists and thumbnails. The movie player even has a record feature that lets you create a short movie with the webcam that you can email out when finished. The photo browser lets you perform basic adjustments, or even use the touchscreen to crop your photo.

Some apps are better than others. Apps like the photo browser, and weather widget are perfectly suited to the touch interface, because the menus are simple and typing is hardly ever required. The RSS reader and Web Browser are not so great because they both use Internet Explorer as its backbone (you have to enter your RSS feeds as bookmarks in IE). The calendar app is decent if you just want to check your schedule, but you ultimately need the keyboard and mouse to do anything more.

And while the touchscreen works well within the interface, trying to control the rest of Vista (Media Center notwithstanding) can be maddening. Buttons and icons in Vista are too small for fingertaps on the screen, resulting in hitting the wrong button, or not hitting anything at all. I basically gave up on navigating Vista with the touchscreen after the first 30 minutes.

But even within the interface, though it functions competently, you can't help but feel like it needs a bit more polish. Sure, it looks great, but sometimes its choppy or laggy in reacting to your touch, making it feel less than intuitive.

Part of this is due to the fact that the touchscreen isn't a real touchscreen, but rather an IR ring around the front of the monitor that tracks the position of your finger on a 2D plane. When the plane is broken, it interprets that as a mouse click. It isn't microscopically precise, but the big buttons of the custom interface help compensate for that to a degree. While I'm sure this helps keep cost low, It doesn't have the same smooth feel.

The Touchsmart IQ506 is a good computer, both in design and features, but is a little rough around the edges when it comes to it's touch features. If you want a kitchen computer that looks nice, functions well with a keyboard and mouse, and has a few neat touch functions to boot, this $1500 machine, or the IQ504, isn't a bad deal. But if you're expecting to be blown away by the touchscreen experience, you may want to hold off. [HP Touchsmart]

Here's the standard Vista desktop:

And here it is when it's been all Dockified:

Dell talks about customizing it in various ways by adding and deleting icons, changing colors and adding text:

There's no mention of whether you can move it to the bottom or sides, though. Wouldn't that be, uh, Mac friendly? All joking aside, I would like to say kudos to Dell for the cool execution. I, for one, can't wait to test it out.

[Dell]

I grew up with Windows. Although my first computer was a Mac Classic (I was like 3 at the time, and I only used it to play that helicopter game where you have to drop the little man into the horse-drawn hay carriage), I've been using Windows PCs for nearly my entire life, learning how to fiddle with the command prompt in DOS and dealing with the rudimentary pile of crap that was Windows 3.1. I survived Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows ME for a short, painful time, Windows 2000 and now, finally, Windows XP. It hasn't always been pretty (see: Windows ME), but through it all I've figured out every little trick there is to know about running Windows. I'm a monster on Windows.

And yeah, while some of those earlier versions were essentially garbage, running Mac as your OS wasn't all that great a choice either, especially before OS X came out. Yes, fanboys, I know you love your Macs and everything, but come on: The OS never really came into its own as a real competitor to Windows until 2001. By then, it was too late for me.

And while I used to be pretty into PC gaming, the whole no-good-games-on-Macs thing doesn't bother me so much anymore. It's just that to me, when it comes down to it, the PC just feels more logical. Windows is an OS that feels structured and it makes sense just because I'm used to them. Macs feel more nebulous and more dumbed down, like the corners have been softened to not intimidate your mom when she uses your computer. Well, I like having the corners exposed. I like tinkering in the registry to improve performance, I like being able to really tweak the system at the base level. Windows has its engine exposed, and while it might not always be pretty, if you know what you're doing you really have access to the whole thing. And hardware choices are choices I cherish as are access to plenty of apps. Apple takes pride in hiding everything under the rug and keeping it out of your hands to not let you mess it up. I don't need kid gloves.

Furthermore, beyond the OS itself, I hate the cult of personality that surrounds Steve Jobs. I like the soon-to-be-retired Bill Gates way more than Steve Jobs, because the guy cares about more than just making enough money to build a castle for himself out of stacks of $100 bills (not that Bill can't do that). Bill Gates is going to be remembered for seriously impacting the global health climate for the better. After all, the Nobel Prize is named after the dude who invented TNT, but his name is invoked a lot more often for encouraging advancements in science, literature and peace. And chances are, if the Gates Foundation keeps chugging along, Gates may even win a Nobel. Steve Jobs, on the other hand, just makes pretty plastic objects, and when it comes down to it, he seems like kind of a greedy dick. I'm more than happy to not give him any more money.

And you know what? Macs are too hip. Oh, look at me! I do graphic design! I wear women's jeans and hang out in coffee shops! I'm a DJ! Well good for you. My computer is not a fashion statement. It's a computer.

But really, when it comes down to it, the main reason I still use Windows is this: I'm stubborn and lazy. I don't want to switch because it will amount to admitting that I've been wrong for the last 15 years or so. And it would be just a huge pain to do it even if I swallowed my pride, having to relearn all the shortcuts and commands and little nuances that make an OS tick. I know all those for Windows already. I am just far too lazy to relearn OS X, and I don't care how easy you claim it is. I've made my choice, and I'm sticking by it. At least until I buy my next computer, because I sure as hell don't want to have to use Vista. I mean, I like Windows, but I'm not crazy.

"the latest solution to video card noise reduction. It has an excellent implement of state-of-the-art design and technology and give you a better gaming experience by reducing the distortion and noise generated from graphic card. It reduces the noise distortion generated from high-end graphic card (from both Radeon and GeForce) or TV tuner card, which provide up to 10% increase performance on Signal-to-Noise Ratio"

So to sum things up, it seems that the iClear doesn't do a damn thing. As far as anyone can tell, it is simply a slab of plastic that plugs into PCIe x1 socket.

However, according to a review by Alexey Samsonov the device did have a positive effect on signal-to-noise-ratios at certain frequencies when utilized with a low-quality analog TV tuner card and a video card configuration. But even if that is accurate, it is hardly worth spending around $80 on (athough Newegg has been bundling them free with certain video cards apparently). Still, if you do decide to experiment with it, I highly recommend picking up Boing Boing Gadgets' X-Maple pixel-flutter reduction block for PCIe as a companion. [HIS iClear via HTSAP via Boing Boing Gadgets and iClear Review]

Second place went to a concept called WITHUS. The device is intended to "help preschool children shape the right values and human relationships by driving them into playing and learning with multi-human interactions." Children are encouraged to break away from traditional computing and make genuine connections with other human beings using an interactive, collaborative display.

Third place went to The Backpacker's Diary—a PC that focuses on travelers using a "book" with "pages" that offer different functions like GPS, media recording and solar charging.

Rounding out the list in the finalist category we find a number of familiar gadgets like the Alphagrip HC (which I thought was too ergonomic for its own good), Siafu (a computer for the blind that is made from a material that does not exist) and the Illusion PC (cool but not really next-gen). Hit the following link for the complete list. [Next-Gen PC via CNET]

UPDATE: We figured out the $479 price. The model shipping on June 27th will have a 3-cell battery (as opposed to 6-cell) because of industry-wide battery shortages. 6-cell models should be around in July. [MSI via thegadgetsite]

HP Introduces HP Blackbird 002 Exhilaration Edition

PALO ALTO, Calif., June 16, 2008 – HP today announced the release of the HP Blackbird 002 Exhilaration Edition, built for the ultimate PC gaming and performance computing experience.

The system, developed by the company's Voodoo business unit, is among the first to offer the newly released NVIDIA GeForce GTX 280 GPU-based graphics cards with DirectX 10 support in an NVIDIA SLI configuration, along with the NVIDIA nForce 790i Ultra MCP-based motherboard, DDR3 memory from Corsair, a liquid-cooled Intel® Core™ 2 Extreme quad-core processor QX9770(1), Windows Vista® Ultimate 64-bit edition(2) and more.

Available for order today, the HP Blackbird 002 Exhilaration Edition balances the performance of its next-generation component suite with stable high-performance gaming and computing. Each Exhilaration Edition system includes a Voodoo keyboard and mouse, as well as special edition SkinIt skins.

"Since its unveiling last year, HP Blackbird 002 has been recognized as one of the best designed gaming and performance systems available," said Rahul Sood, chief technology officer, HP Voodoo Business Unit. "With the HP Blackbird 002 Exhilaration Edition, we have made an incredible machine even better by leveraging the very latest in next generation components and conducting exhaustive tests to ensure that our customers enjoy a stable and immersive high-performance computing experience. We are also excited by the prospect that this system will accelerate more than just gaming applications through Visual Computing. We are so excited about this machine that I am personally signing every Exhilaration Edition Blackbird on behalf of our entire team."

The HP Blackbird 002 Exhilaration Edition includes:

· Liquid-Cooled Intel Core 2 Extreme Quad-Core Processor QX9770(1) – With a core speed of 3.2 GHz, a 2 MB L2 Cache and a 1,600 MHz Front Side Bus, the Intel Core 2 Extreme quad-core processor QX9770 is the heartbeat of the system. Experience games the way they were meant to be played, and run multimedia applications without breaking a sweat. With Intel's 45nm CPU coupled with HP Voodoo's liquid-cooling solution, users have power and performance at their disposal.

· NVIDIA Nforce 790i Ultra – The nForce 790i motherboard is Intel Core 2 Extreme quad-core ready and designed to work and play well with the latest generation of Intel CPUs. It features full support for dual channel DDR3 1600MHz memory and beyond. And even though it arrives factory tuned for performance, the performance BIOS allows for complete end-user configuration.

· NVIDIA GeForce GTX 280 graphics cards in SLI – The Blackbird Exhilaration Edition features dual liquid-cooled GeForce GTX 280 Gpus, each with 240 multi-threaded processing cores.

· Corsair 1,600 MHZ DDR3 memory – Corsair 1,600 MHz DDR3 memory, upgradeable to 4 GB(3), lets the Blackbird run the most demanding applications and games smoothly.

· Creative Audio Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtremegamer FATAL1TY Professional – True 7.1 digital sound that was developed specifically for gamers. X-RAM provides earth-shattering quality and performance enhancement for games with X-RAM support.

· Super Multi BLU-RAY disc and HD DVD-ROM drive- The Blackbird's Super Multi Blu-Ray Disc and HD-DVD-ROM(4) drive gives users an expansive range of high-definition playback options. Users can enjoy next-generation media without sacrificing support for the titles already in their collection. Play BD-DVDs, HD-DVDs, DVDs, and CDs, and burn CDs and DVDs(5), all on a single optical drive.

· Windows Vista Ultimate– To support the high performance needs of its users, the Blackbird includes Windows Vista Ultimate, the most complete edition of Windows.

HP Blackbird 002 Exhilaration Edition can be ordered on the new Voodoo DNA website www.hp.com/voodoodna.

About HP

HP focuses on simplifying technology experiences for all of its customers – from individual consumers to the largest businesses. With a portfolio that spans printing, personal computing, software, services and IT infrastructure, HP is among the world's largest IT companies, with revenue totaling $110.4 billion for the four fiscal quarters ended April 30, 2008. More information about HP (NYSE: HPQ) is available at www.hp.com.

[HP]

Meh, we could live with the case for a 1GB video card. [Logic TV]

If you're thinking it sounds too good to be true and that the site looks a little scuammy, you should know that it took a lot of time to craft this voodoo stick and required the developers to thwart "various problems, including sabotage." After six months of testing, it's due on June 23. Our advice? Let someone else be the guinea pig. Hey guinea pigs, if you buy this, let us know how it goes! [EFiX via Insanely Mac via Hack a Day]

That padding? It's not fluffy down. From the modder:

To clear out the storage half, I used a large auger bit and a drill. I also occasionally soaked the asbestos to help keep it from finding its way into my lungs. I started to question whether this mod was worth lung cancer, then decided it was.

(Ed note: we'd make a joke about death here, but were the modder to actually die of lung cancer, we'd feel like douches for the rest of our lives. So pardon our restraint.) [brettsprojects via technabob]

The Price: $3300 as tested.

The Verdict: The Vaio LT is a solid computer with a lot of good features. It's easy enough on the eyes that it could be placed in a kitchen or bedroom (it can also be VESA mounted), but it is hardly underpowered. Blu-ray playback provided a nice picture, and watching HD via CableCard was crisp and clear. Rarely, if ever, did I experience slowdown while using many of the media features, showing the hardware is up to the task.

The integrated 1.3 MP webcam is up to par with similar offerings, and the speakers provide good audio in most settings. Despite its TV-esque appearance, there are no inputs for VGA or component video, meaning hooking up a game console or laptop is out of the question.

But looks and power come with a price. The low-end model does start as low as $2000, but it only has a 1.6 GHz processor and 3GB RAM. The high-end model, with the Penryn processor, Cable card tuner and 4GB RAM, will run you $3300. But as hardware alone, the VAIO LT is a solid choice for a media PC.

Also, it doesn't look like you have a whole lot of maneuverability inside the case, at least from the pics—granted, if you're spending that kind of coin on a build-to-order PC, I don't know how much tooling around inside you'd be doing anyway. [Pocket Link]

Why We Care: MRAM uses just 10% of the power of DRAM and offers instant-on computer booting. Plus we're sick of typing "DRAM."

Why It's Too Good To Be True: Engineers still needs to get their MRAM failure rates down to 1% over a decade before the technology will be deemed acceptable. Everyone thinks that this can happen by 2015 (which is a lot further off than, say, tomorrow). [NikkeiNet via techradar]