X200
”Sarotech's Abigs DVP-260X Media Player Holds 320GB, Does 5.1 Audio and HDMI, Plus FM Transmitter
Sarotech's' 2.5-inch ABigs player seems to be designed by an engineer with a gigantic budget. Why? Because it's got a 2.5-inch display, H.264 and MKV support, 1080p over HDMI and 5.1-channel out, a built-in FM transmitter, a photo viewer, an e-book and both PAL and NTSC compatibility. The 160GB version is available for $278 and the 320GB version is available for $328 from Korea, which isn't all that bad considering everything you get from it. If you still want the Korean flavor of this Sarotech but a bit more US availability, there's always Cowon's PMPs. They've got not quite as massive storage, but their format support is phenomenal. [AVING]
Microsoft Releasing SideWinder Keyboard in September?
Is Microsoft continuing their SideWinder brand revival—started with a mouse—with the release of a keyboard later this year? Perhaps, but this SideWinder X6 seems to be a pretty interesting keyboard in any case. It's got red (perhaps glowing?) keys, a detatchable num-pad, programmable buttons and TWO gigantic knobs on the right. We're thinking those knobs will be programmable as well, perhaps to cycle through your weapons or scroll through your iTunes playlist. We'll just have to wait until September to see whether or not this $79 keyboard really is the SideWinder. [Pcinpact via Engadget]
OS X Media Application CenterStage Merges With Plex
CenterStage, the great Media Center-like UI for OS X, has merged with the Plex project, an alternative interface in hopes of creating a de facto product for any Mac user looking for more functionality that Apple TV currently affords. The application can play back many formats the Apple TV, and even iTunes, can't, like XviD, AVI, Video_TS, and others, straight through your HDTV. It also has additional features like streaming Internet radio and built-in game emulators. The excellent Plex UI will mix with what CenterStage already has built, the end result being a universal application for Mac-centric Media Centers that's easy to use. Check out the new UI demo and screen shots after the jump. [CenterStage] More »Nikon D90 Coming in Early September? Or is it the D3X? Or BOTH??
Nikon has been sending out press invites for an event on September 3rd. What could they possibly want to talk about just a few weeks before Germany's Photokina expo? It could be Nikon's sequel to their D80, the D90. Or, it could be the 24.4-megapixel D3x that was spotted in Nikon firmware. Or, in a slight breach of etiquette, Nikon could skip the D90 and just release the D100, making the entire photography world crap itself. Because that would be a photo op. [Nikon Rumors via electronista]ATI Radeon HD 4870 X2 Previewed: ATI's Fastest Single Graphics Card Ever
ATI fanboys, your time may have come with the R700-based Radeon HD 4870 X2. It's a $500 multi-GPU card that basically straps together a pair of Radeon HD 4870s with 2GB of onboard memory to create ATI's fastest single card ever. (It's not your imagination, they're really stepping with the Nvidia-killing, which is sweet.) Benchwise, it actually beats Nvidia's monster GeForce GTX 280 running in SLI in a couple of games, like Age of Conan. More »Apple Demands Recall of Every Psystar Mac Clone
More details on Apple's long-coming obliteration of Mac cloners Psystar: Not only have they hit them with eight claims of copyright infringement, breach of contract, trademark and trade infringement, and unfair competition, they're asking that every Psystar Mac clone sold be recalled. That would obviously bankrupt them, and then Apple wants whatever's left, asking for all profits made in addition to both actual and statutory damages. Here's what we expect the proceedings to look like: More »5 Takes on the Lenovo X200 Notebooks
Apple Finally Unleashes Lawyers, Force Lightning on Psystar
Three months after Psystar openly declared war on Apple's EULA and started selling its Open Computer running Mac OS X, Apple has filed a formal complaint against the company with the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. They apparently waited for Psystar to distribute a modded version of the 10.5.4 update, filing the suit a day after, on July 3. Though the suit's intricate details are unclear right now, reason number four for not buying a Psystar machine just went live. [Apple Insider]
Hands On Lenovo X200: Tiny, Cheap, Means Business (But Forgot the Trackpad)
Lenovo officially announced its Centrino 2-based X200 ultraportable notebook today, confirming what we have known for a while now. Namely, that it's the smallest member of the X-family (12.1-inch screen, 0.8-inches thin) and very powerful. Powered by the new Centrino 2 platform, it's got a full arsenal of wireless communication interfaces (including WiMax, WWAN with GPS and Ultra-Wide Band for peripherals), yet it's a slight 2.9 pounds, a hair less than its older brother or perceived competitor. (No optical drive helps there.) And it starts at a much more affordable $1199. But where the hell is the trackpad?! More »MobileMe OS X Update Available Now (Again)
With yesterday's bumps mostly smoothed out, and MobileMe live for a straight day, Apple is apparently comfortable enough to push the MobileMe OS X update back out. (It was pulled after going up briefly on Wednesday.) Interestingly, it's version 1.1. Hit Software Update to get the party started, and let us know how it goes. [Apple] More »Creative Zen X-Fi Gets Launch Timing, Price
We brought you some leaked info on Creative's upcoming PMP not long ago, and now it's official. The credit-card-sized player will come in 8GB, 16GB and 32GB versions, and the larger two will support 802.11 b/g wi-fi for wireless syncing of music, video and photos and an IM chat function. It's got a 2.5-inch, 320 × 240 pixel TFT screen and a SD/SDHC slot, for a max of 32GB of expansion. There's also an FM radio, some PDA functions, and a built-in speaker to support its alarm clock option. Sound quality is given special treatment with Creative's own "crystalizer" and "expand" options. Out in Japan at first mid-July for $166, $213, $307 for the 8GB, 16GB and 32GB versions. [AV Watch]
Acer Aspire X1200 Series Mini-PCs Stuff HDMI Jack, 9 USB Ports and More in a Tiny Space
If you gotta go the desktop route, Acer's got three mini-PCs packed heavy with ports that don't take up a ton of space. Measuring 10.6" x 4" x 14.4", about the same as a hardcover book, the X1200s have an HDMI port—like Dell's leaked mini, aka the green PC, but unlike the smaller Asus Eee Box, which only has DVI—plus two PCIes, nine(!!) USBs, FireWire, front and back audio jacks, a DVD SuperMulti drive and a 14-in-1 card reader. Under the hood, it comes standard with 4GB RAM, the better to power the AMD dual-core processor with Nvidia GeForce 8200 integrated graphics to run Vista (now with SP1!). The PCs are out now for $450 to $700, a config which includes a 500GB drive and 22" LCD monitor. Check out the press release after the jump. [Acer] More »Ear Force X4 Headphones: Surround Sound Cussing on Xbox 360
While we enjoyed gaming with the wireless surround sound headphones we tested in our Battlemodo, the major inherent flaw with the systems were their lack of voice-chat capabilities. Now Turtle Beach has announced the Ear Force X4 wireless headphones that combine Dolby 5.1 decoding and voice chat in a package that's compatible with the Xbox 360.
More »AMD's Phenom X4 9950 Processor has Green 9350e, 9150e Siblings
Technically, the trio of new processors from AMD are pretty much the same: they have the same core, and similar feature sets. But while the 9950 Black Edition is a 140W, 2.6GHz overclockable monster (the most power-hungry Phenom AMD has made) the 9350 (2GHz) and 9150 (1.8GHz) are selectively binned and draw just 65W TDP. This makes them the most "power friendly" quadcore processors there are. The 9950 will cost $235 and at HotHardware.com they think it compares with Intel's Core 2 Quad Q6600. While the 9350 and 9150 will cost $195 and $175 respectively, meaning that "eco-friendliness" won't save you many dollars in the chip price, but will cost you a chunk of clock speed. [HotHardware and UberGizmo]TSA Says X-Rayable Laptop Bags are Go
The director of the TSA, Kip Hawley, has spoken to the New York Times and confirmed that X-ray-friendly laptop cases will be accepted by the agency as soon as they hit the shelves, potentially bringing an end to the panic that your laptop will go astray in all the fuss at airport checkpoints. We brought you first hints of this back in May, but it looks like the process of getting the bags approved is well underway. And both Targus and Pathfinder Luggage are hoping to have products on sale as soon as September or October. More »OS X Leopard 10.5.4 Update Is Here
It's been only a month since the 10.5.3 update hit, but 10.5.4 is here now to fix a handful of issues you might have. It's a "stability, compatibility and security" update, which also improves camera RAW image support, VPN connectivity, AirPort reliability issues with 5Hz networks (oooh, we might have experienced this), and fixes some iCal bugs, some Safari bugs, and some Spaces/Expose bugs. Hit up the full list here, then download the update with your Software Update. [Security stuff]Creative's Zen X-Fi to Enter Ring Dominated by iPod Touch, Zune
New details have been leaked about Creative's answer to the iPod touch and Zune, a wireless music player with Wi-Fi media sharing capabilities called the Zen X-Fi. Pictures show the device sporting a chrome-and-black plastic look that's vaguely reminiscent of the iPhone, along with a nine-point directional pad. Besides certain internet features, X-Fi will also come with an SD card slot and a built-in speaker.
More »








