The new "i" line checks in at $349, and knocks the control-less X10 down to an even $300. They won't be here in time for Christmas, or even New Year's, with their reported sell date placed ambiguously in "early 2010."

The other nugget out of Klipsch today is that the popular S4i ear buds—which reviewed favorably here at Gizmodo in August—are about the get a color refresh (as seen in the image). The price will remain $99. [Engadget]

Yup, even though the specs page lists support for UMTS/HSPA 800/850/900/1700/1900/2100, Sony Ericsson is going to be localizing the radios. From the source:

UMTS HSPA 800/850/1900 only available for phones sold in Americas (except Brazil) and Australia. UMTS HSPA 900/1700 not available for phones sold in Americas. UMTS HSPA 1900/2100 available worldwide.

So that means you'll still be able to find an X10 that works on T-Mobile, just not in this country. You'll still be able to import if you want to use your expensive handset with T-Mo's cheap Even More Plus plans.

This also doesn't mean that the X10 is definitely coming to AT&T. Sony Ericsson wants to have a carrier relationship, but it depends on if one works out. As it stands, if anyone will be subsidizing that huge $880 cost, it'll be AT&T. [Phandroid via Engadget]

No wonder they "desire to have a carrier relationship" to subsidize the price. Sony's long had a tough time cracking the U.S market on its own, and the X10 deserves better.

Bonus news: Remember how Sony Ericsson's page said it would arrive this February? Well, it's now gone back to "to be announced". Don't be too concerned if you've got your eye on one...it's still slated to arrive by mid-next year. [Wall Street Journal]

Well, rather, I know that it's definitely something about the phone itself. It's missing that spark, the emotional drippings of OMG, that say, the Droid has. The X10 is perfectly fine. It's just that everything outwardly belies the specialness of what's going on inside. The all plastic-build feels just slightly better than cheap, the shape is kind of awkward unless you have gorilla hands, the design—it all just feels, well, incredibly ordinary.

What stood out in terms of hardware was the screen (at 4 inches, with a resolution of 854x480 it's big), and the camera, which borders on amazing for a phone. The extra betaness of the software meant we couldn't really get a grasp on how deadly the 1GHz Snapdragon processor is, since while things were quite speedy, the phones also froze a lot, apps crashed or wouldn't start, etc.

Sony Ericsson's approach to customizing Android with its own Nexus interface is mercifully respectful of your boundaries. That is, if you don't want to use their TimeScape or MediaScape UI for managing for your contacts and media (though you probably want to in the latter case), you don't have to—the default Android contacts app, and everything else, is still there. The only thing you can't escape is all the blue, which is skinned on pretty much everything, from messaging to contacts. If you take Windows Media Center and imagine it ported to a phone, that's pretty much the Xperia X10. But with more "infinite buttons."

MediaScape actually feels like Media Center, the way it arranges and presents your photos, music and videos. The concept behind TimeScape should be pretty familiar at this point. Everything from a contact, like Facebook, emails, Twitter, photos, text messages, calls, whatever are integrated into a single interface, so you can check their status updates or get a hold of them however you want from one screen. That infinite button is what coagulates all of the services into a cohesive contact, and shows you everything you have on your phone about that person.

For the most part, I think the Nexus interface works (even as crashy as it was today on these pre-production phones). It's easy enough to navigate, it stands out against the other custom Android interfaces with lots of bright colors and transparencies and it's not bad too look at. More than that, you only use it as much as you want. (Some people might want a more complete Android UI overhaul, and that Nexus doesn't quite deliver.) I don't see how Sony Ericsson is going to get developers to put out apps just for Nexus, though I'm not sure how much that matters. It's an example of Android's potential in the hands of phonemakers who actually know how to design interfaces.

Sony Ericsson's always had trouble getting their smartphones to crack the US, since they haven't had carriers footing the bill for phones to make them actually affordable. It seems like they're trying to make that change with the X10, saying it's "our desire to have a carrier relationship for this product." So you might actually get to use one. It still doesn't set my pants on fire like the Droid did, at least not yet, so I'm not sure how much you actually want to. But maybe it just needs more time.

The Price:

$100

The Verdict:

Actually a good deal.

There are two components of the remote that, depending on your habits, you may use more or less of. There's the "universal remote" part of the iconRemote RF, which acts similar to the Logitech Harmony remotes in that it controls all your electronics, but it doesn't have the fancy software programming suite to back it up. And there's the X10 part of the remote, which acts as a wireless control—via the included wireless receiver and appliance/lamp modules—to various appliances around your house.

The Remote:

The iconRemote RF is a so-so universal remote, and you program it like you do the old style ones you buy at Radio Shack; you point it at your TV and you stop cycling when the TV turns on. Repeat as many times as you have A/V equipment you want to control.

This method makes initial setup actually easier than the Logitech Harmony remotes, but limits you to how much fine-grained control you have. The remote may "know" how to turn on and off your receiver, but it doesn't understand how many HDMI inputs there are or how to switch between them. So it's a universal remote only for more simple systems with just a TV and maybe a DVD player.

One nice feature the iconRemote introduces is the semi-hard coded favorites, which has network logos on screen that you can click to jump to. And, as the name of the remote implies, it has an RF to IR blaster included, so you can eschew line-of-sight and put your equipment in a cabinet and still be able to change channels.

Package includes an RF to IR blaster

It's only a rudimentary universal remote

Also, it's kind of gigantic

The X10 Wireless Control:

X10 has dialed down their popup ads in recent years, but their product is the same: home automation via light, appliance and electronics controls. The package includes one wireless transceiver, one lamp module and one appliance module. The transceiver takes the wireless signals and shoots them over your powerline, which them gets interpreted by your lamp or appliance module to turn on/off whatever's plugged in.

Its major flaw is the fact that the whole transceiver + module has to be on the same circuit. A transceiver upstairs wouldn't control a lamp downstairs, for example, because they weren't able to talk to each other over the electrical system. You'll have to go and buy more transceivers to control every room of your house this way.

But, once you do have everything set up, being able to dim lights, turn on and off appliances, and otherwise interact with other X10 home automation devices, is a pretty valuable thing to have in your universal remote.

Controls X10's home automation modules

Comes with one transceiver and two control modules

You'll have to buy a lot more to control your entire house

At $100, the iconRemote RF is a pretty interesting package. It's not great enough of a remote to replace a Logitech Harmony for hardcore users, but it is decent enough to be a step up from those cheaper universal remotes you may have. Coupled with the fact that it's an X10 remote, it's a very handy thing to have at all times.

To get the package, add both the iconRemote RF and the Remote-Controlled Dimmable Theater Lighting to your cart before checkout. [X10]

Even better, the X10 has an improved GPS reception for tracking in difficult locations, like under heavy foliage in the rainforest. It's also got a track-back function so you can retrace your steps if you're lost, and 33% more battery life than the previous X9i generation. It also live-records routes and waypoints, so you can pinpoint on your PC later where that ancient undiscovered ruined temple really was, and it charges/connects over USB.

Available in two colors in September, though there's no info on price. [Navigadget]

The table comes pre-configured with blackjack and Texas Hold Em' and can deal up to 50 hands in an hour. It can even allow users to play both games simultaneously. In other words, it completely eliminates the need for cards, chips and a dealer for maximum gambling efficiency. Games like this are already available in many casinos, but if you want to get one for your home, you had better fine-tune your card-counting system, because it will cost you around $30,000. [Play Hard Gaming via BornRich]

The X10 supports Bluetooth steaming audio from a phone or laptop through its DMPORT (Digital Media Port) if you fork over some extra cash for Sony's adapter. Audio is auto calibrated to your room, as with most compact surround sound systems, and Bravia televisions will sync for super easy input calibration. HDMI carries a signal from the integrated upconverting DVD player, which handles DivX, SACD, and MP3s.

As for now, the X10 lacks any info on price or HDMI inputs. [sony]

Well, you won't be able to control the world, just four different things, but it's hard to beat this easy setup that you (or your dad, think Father's Day) can put together right away for very little money. – Charlie White

Product Page [Taylor Gifts, via Oh Gizmo]

Considering the price, we're not sure that it's worth it just to have a cheap-looking picture of your room around to remember which switch turns off what. Unless you're setting this up for grandma, in which case it may be worth it just to avoid the midnight tech support calls when she can't figure out how to turn everything off to go to bed. – Jason Chen

Product Page [Simply Automate via Automated Home via Slashgear]

When they say any browser, they really mean any browser — PDAs, laptops and smartphones can all play too. Try it for 15 days free, and buy it for $28 if you like it.

[Place pinkie up to corner of mouth and laugh diabolically]

X10n Software Lets You Control Your X10 Devices Through a Web Browser [eHomeUpgrade]