Potato Chase controls pretty smoothly with the Zune Pad. You push slightly on any edge and it moves you forward, backward, left or right. Click the middle, or any of the edges, and it fires a bomb toward your adversary. You can host a game, or join a game wirelessly with up to eight other players. While it is a primative demo, there was a minimal amount of slowdown while playing with two other people. There's also an API feature that uses album art to build the walls of the battle arena, however it wasn't functional on the demo units. Pretty cool stuff from the XNA team.

I wouldn't exactly call the Shift a mobile computing powerhouse, but I found that Vista more or less ran smoothly on the UMPC. While running Microsoft Word and Internet Explorer, I loaded a handful of webpages over EV-DO that weren't too resource heavy, but had dynamic content and graphics. The webpages took about 20-30 seconds to load and suffered a bit of choppiness with Word running in the background. But they did format nicely and looked good, which should be expected since its running a full blown OS.

One of the better features was the SnapView interface created by HTC specifically for the EV-DO Shift. The interface is built around a stripped down Windows Mobile 6.1, and made use of the platform's more attractive features to build a quick-launch screen. It looks a lot like the homescreen on the HTC Touch Dual and, as mentioned before, provides access to weather, calendars, emails in a quick and well-designed interface. The Shift has a dedicated button on its front bezel to access Snap View and it transitions between SnapView and Vista with smooth animations and no lag (Vista is put into a sleep mode while running SnapView).

The hardware felt sturdy, and the 7" screen offered plenty of viewing space, but the keyboard was on the small side (it's intended for standard touch typing) and the touchscreen could have been more responsive. And the carrying case/sleeve is permanently affixed to the UMPC, which is kind of lame. Not a bad outing at all from HTC, but it needs just a bit more horsepower.

Aside from 4g internet, the N810 WiMAX Edition now allows firmware updates over the air without complete memory reformatting (3rd party apps can also utilize this wireless update protocol). The updated tablet also includes a few cosmetic changes to the OS interface and a new, Web 2.0-compatible Mozilla browser. Nokia claims the N810 seamlessly switches from WiMAX to Wi-Fi when available and features a new, Web 2.0-compatible Mozilla browser.

The n810 still has the same 4-inch touchscreen, same cameras, same GPS, and same 2 GB of storage (expandable to 10 with an 8 GB MicroSD card). It also still uses Nokia's MAEMO Linux interface, which is fully open source and supported by an online community specifically focused around the device. Because of the N810's open source emphasis, VoIP apps will function over WiMAX (something the iPhone SDK won't allow with its mobile internet). No price point has been set yet, but expect the Nokia N810 WiMAX Edition in stores before the end of June.

Mobility and broadband speeds unite as Nokia evolves the Internet experience Nokia N810 Internet Tablet WiMAX Edition unleashes an open Internet experience, demonstrating the mobile future of web services LAS VEGAS - Ushering in the next generation of wireless broadband devices, Nokia (NYSE: NOK) today unveiled its newest Nseries device, the Nokia N810 Internet Tablet - WiMAX Edition, Nokia's first device engineered to take advantage of new wide-area high-speed mobile WiMAX networks. This pocket-sized device lets consumers enjoy an open Internet experience, allowing for access to the full Internet without barriers, while on the go. The Nokia N810 WiMAX Edition is the latest iteration of Nokia's popular line of Internet Tablet products. For the first time, the power and convenience of the Internet Tablet platform is combined with next generation wide-area wireless broadband capability, allowing users to easily and quickly access all of their favorite Internet services beyond the limitations of local area hot spots. The Nokia N810 WiMAX Edition is expected to be available in the United States during the summer of 2008 in areas where WiMAX connectivity is available.

WiMAX is a standards-based wireless broadband technology that delivers an open Internet experience similar to that of fixed broadband technologies with typical data download speeds of up to 2-4 Mbps per user with peak download speeds of up to 10 Mbps. Unlike current single point local area technologies like Wi-Fi which have a range of a few hundred feet, WiMAX networks consist of a number of interconnected base stations, each with a radius of up to 2-3 miles, that allow for handoffs from one base station to another as users move about a region or metro area. Additionally, WiMAX networks integrate technology designed to maximize the quality of service for each subscriber.

"By delivering the kind of open Internet experience that consumers previously only expected on a desktop PC, the Nokia N810 WiMAX Edition is a compelling example of how next generation broadband wireless technology will not only change the way people think about the Internet, it will change the very nature of the Internet itself," said Ari Virtanen, Vice President of Convergence Products for Nokia. "Much in the way that the evolution of the fixed Internet from dial-up to broadband enabled a host of new Internet services and changed people's expectations of what an Internet experience should be, the transition to a broadband Internet experience set free from the constraints of a fixed network will spark the next wave of new mobile Internet services, and will forever change the perception of what the Internet can be."

Along with a full featured web browser, powered by Mozilla, that takes full advantage of the Nokia N810 WiMAX Edition's large 4.13 inch touch screen and slide-out QWERTY keyboard, a variety of popular web-based services are also supported. Many of these applications can be found on Nokia's dedicated OS 2008 User Site. To keep connected while on-the-go, a number of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) and Instant Messaging (IM) clients are available, including Skype, Gizmo, and GoogleTalk, which can also take advantage of the Nokia N810 WiMAX Edition's built-in web cam for video calls. A client for the popular Rhapsody online music service is also available, transforming the Nokia N810 WiMAX Edition into a portable jukebox with millions of songs available to enjoy at a few taps of the screen. Beyond these well-known services, an active developer community has also emerged around the Linux-based Internet Tablet platform, creating additional applications - from games to productivity tools.

A number of additional features further enhance the utility of the Nokia N810 WiMAX Edition. With built-in GPS, the Nokia N810 WiMAX Edition can easily transform itself into a fully featured personal navigation device, complete with real-time on-screen maps. An integrated media player and 2 GB of internal memory, expandable to a full 10 GB of memory with the addition of an optional microSD memory card, allows the Nokia N810 WiMAX Edition to store and play back a large library of music and video content. When not in range of a WiMAX network, the Nokia N810 WiMAX Edition can also access the Internet over Wi-Fi or via conventional cellular data networks by pairing to a compatible mobile phone via Bluetooth technology.

Also being introduced with the Nokia N810 WiMAX Edition is the newest Internet Tablet operating system. This new upgraded OS2008 introduces useful new features to the platform, including an enhanced e-mail client, support for Chinese character rendering in the browser and RSS feeds and Seamless Software Update functionality to eliminate manual software updates, making periodic updates of the operating system quick and easy. While standard on the Nokia N810 WiMAX Edition, current owners of Nokia N810 and N800 Internet Tablets with earlier operating systems will be able to upgrade their device to the revised operating system for free during the second quarter of 2008.

Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA) today released 20 additional players for its recently launched Internet Radio feature on PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) system. The new Internet Radio players offer something for every music lover, with more specific genres such as '80s, Classical, British, and J-Pop. In other news today, SCEA also released the newest system software update, v. 3.93, which expands support for PLAYSTATION®Network titles.

More than 50 percent of PSP users listen to music on their system, and to address this user interest, SCEA launched Internet Radio for PSP in December 2007, with more than 22,000 stations via AOL's SHOUTcast Radio and icecast.org's icecast. The new players are organized into more specific styles of music so that PSP users can easily find what they are looking for and listen to their favorite genres. The additional stations expand PSP's broad set of music capabilities and demonstrate how SCEA continues to add services and features that benefit PSP owners.

The PSP system's Internet Radio can be accessed at any Wi-Fi* hotspot, giving users a vast library of music to choose from that goes well beyond the music files stored on their Memory Stick Duo.*

How to use Internet Radio on PSP

· PSP system software must be 3.80 or later to use Internet Radio.

· Ensure you are in a Wi-Fi environment before attempting use.

· Insert Memory Stick Duo™ media into the PSP, select the Internet Radio icon under the Network icon, and then select "About Internet Radio."

· Follow the on-screen instructions for adding an Internet Radio player.

· When you have added the desired Internet Radio player, the player icon will appear under the "About Internet Radio" icon.

· Select the Internet Radio player icon.

The Internet Radio feature is compatible with both the original PSP (PSP-1000 series) and the recently released PSP (PSP-2000 series).

The RSD5 uses the same technology as ionic air purifiers, which create an electric current to generate a breeze. The fan uses plasma-generating live wires to release ions, which in turn creates an electric field where the ions push air molecules to an uncharged conducting plate that envelops the wires. This moving of air molecules creates a breeze, or a Corona Discharge. A mechanical fan for portable electronics moves wind at a speed of .7-1.7 meters per second, whereas the RSD5 can do 2.7 meters per second.

Lead engineers Dan Schlitz and Vishal Singhal just presented their research for the project at a symposium for thermal semiconductor research on March 17, and ultimately hope that this technology can be integrated into processors to create self-cooling chips. [Thorrn Micro via Science Blog]

Unfortunately, we don't think the green and blue versions match entirely, but with an LCD screen for FM station display and great styling to accompany your iPod nano, you cannot go far wrong. Pricing and shipping details are not available at present, but we shouldn't imagine you will be waiting too long. [Akihabara News]

Other than that we have nothing to go on, the information is from iriver's Korean website, so the news is a little mangled due to our interpretation skills being as efficient as a combustion engine, but we have faith in iriver, not only because their CES booth kicked ass, but because they generally kick ass. Stay tuned; this looks promising. [iRiver (Korean link), via Engadget]

There are only a few complaints thus far: The nano is not compatible with voice recording devices, there is no 'straight-to-nano' photo transfer capabilities, and the product name is all lowercase. I hate when they pull that crap.

From the day it was born, the ROKR was trouble. Apple isn't selling it—don't even have a photo of the much-anticipated phone up on the website.That changed fast! Steve Jobs even had some trouble getting it to work the right way on stage—Jobs says he hit the wrong button, but people in the know say that the feature that lets you resume play after a phone call doesn't work properly. What's more, the iTunes client has been surgically connected to the Motorola V-series interface and the scars are showing. The screen isn't wide or colorful enough to do the music store justice. The orange headphones shown in the Cingular ad weren't the phones used for today's unveiling. There is no support for Bluetooth headphones. But hey, thank goodness all the rumors of a 25-song capacity, 3G over-the-air downloads and $2 per song charges proved false.

iPod Nano Combines Beauty, Function [WSJ]
Appe Unveils iPod nano [iLounge]
Motorola ROKR iTunes Phone Introduced [iLounge]
Music To Our Ears? [The Apple Blog]