The two-inch-square Space Cube computer has apparently been making the rounds in Japan for some time now, but PC Pro has finally managed to sneak one into the UK and, thankfully for us, they've decided to share. This one packs a 300MHz NEC VR5701 processor, 64MB of RAM, a 1GB CompactFlash card, and a special version of Red Hat Linux, along with a single USB port, VGA out, built-in Ethernet and, most importantly for its target market, a SpaceWire port, which is used by the likes of NASA and the European Space Agency. Unfortunately for hobbyists that may have gotten their hopes up, while the price was initially estimated to be a reasonable $325, it now looks like it could be demanding upwards of £1,500 (or over $2,700) but the time it's officially released outside of Japan, although it seems like it will at least actually be sold to the general public.
While there's likely nothing that will convince most folks of the merits of a full-size, $180 wooden guitar controller, those still on the fence about this particular piece of excess may be interested to know that the good people of PS3 Fanboy recently got their hands on one, and they've now offered up some initial impressions. As you might expect, they found it to definitely be a hefty device, but far from an unwieldy one, with the buttons as familiar as even and the strum bar in particular a significant improvement over other Guitar Hero and Rock Band guitars. Peak also doesn't look to have cut any corners when it comes to the little details, with even the strap made of a thick fabric that makes it more comfortable to wear.
While it may seem like MSI has nothing but the Wind on its mind these days, the company is, in fact, still in the general laptop business, and its just let loose a pair of decidedly ordinary new models to prove it. From the looks of it, the "athletic and fashionable" EX300 (pictured above) is the slightly more interesting of the pair, with it sporting a 13.3-inch WXGA display, an unspecified Core 2 Duo processor, ATI Mobility Radeon HD3450 graphics, a max 320GB hard drive, up to 4GB of RAM, and a Blu-ray drive, among other standard fare. The EX400, on the other hand, opts for a slightly less portable 14.1-inch display and some more traditional styling, along with some virtually identical specs to its more "athletic" counterpart. No word on a price for either of 'em just yet, unfortunately, nor is there any indication of a release 'round these parts. Read - MSI EX300 Read - MSI EX400
We have to admit, that headline makes us a little bit giddy, and Sony seems to be betting there's enough folks giddy enough to throw down their credit card to snag its new high-end SACD player, which has just made its debut in Japan. In addition to making a bold statement of non-conformity in your A/V rack, the SCD-XA5400ES is particularly notable for its inclusion of an HDMI output, which nicely complements the usual digital optical, coax, and analog audio options. According to Sony, you can also expect nearly zero distortion from the twin R-core transformer and D/A system, which is independent from the general processing chipset. What's more, unlike many such product announcements, while this one made its debut in Japan, it's already available for pre-order from at least one US retailer (JR.com), although there's no promised release date just yet (it lands in Japan in October).
While it doesn't appear to be nearly as serious as some of the computerproblems the International Space Station has faced, it looks like a virus has managed to find its way onto some of the laptops used on the Station, which NASA is now describing only as a "nuisance." According to SpaceRef.com, the virus is the W32.Gammima.AG worm, which is normally used to swipe sensitive information for online games. As Wired's Threat Level reports, the worm has also spread to more than one laptop on the Space Station, which would seem to suggest that it has either been spread via an on-board intranet, or via a thumb drive. Somewhat disconcertingly, when asked by Threat Level if any mission critical systems were connected to the same network as the laptops, NASA spokesperson Kelly Humphries simply said, "I don't know and even if I did, I wouldn't be able to tell you for IT security reasons."
While it likely won't cause the same clamoring for benchmarks that we see around the release of a new high-end NVIDIA card, those on a budget will no doubt nonetheless be pleased to know that the company's just bolstered it's low-end offerings a bit, with a new card that starts at just $59. That, of course, won't exactly get you a Crysis killer, but the GeForce 9400 GT does at least boast 16 processor cores, a 128-bit memory interface, dual-link DVI, DirectX 10 support and, in its standard configuration, 512MB of graphics memory (from the looks of it, 1GB versions are also available). Unlike something like a GTX 280 SLI config, this one also likely won't make a noticeable impact on your power bill.
Does having a handle instantly make something portable? Canon sure seems to think so, and it's hoping the lug-ability of its new ES3 and ES30 Selphy printers will be enough to rope you into buying its special integrated ink and paper cartridges for years to come. For the most part, two printers are identical, although the ES3 does boast a slightly larger 3.5-inch LCD (as opposed to a 3-incher), as well as an added 1GB of internal memory, which Canon claims is a first for a compact photo printer. Otherwise, you can expect a 15-in-1 memory card reader on each, along with PictBridge support, and a number of frame, clip art and calendar functions to impress your friends with. If that's got you convinced, you can pick up both of 'em now, with the SELPHY ES3 running $199.99 and ES30 setting you back $149.99.
Rumors of Samsung's BD-Live-ready BD-P2500 Blu-ray player first started cropping up a few months ago, and the strikingly similar BD-P2550 just slipped out at Best Buy a few days ago, but if you like your Blu-ray news all official like, you'll be glad to know that Samsung has now finally actually talking about the player, and it's set to show it off at the big IFA show later this week. In addition to BD-Live support (which will apparently come in a future update), Samsung also confirms that the player packs the always-desirable Silicon Optix HQV video processing chip, and support for both Dolby TrueHD and DTS HD in addition to the usual non-HD formats. No firm word on a price just yet, but you can look for the official launch to happen in September. If that Best Buy slip is any indication, however, it seems likely that they could start showing up even sooner than that.
While it seems to be all but a sure thing that all three Xbox 360 SKUs will be getting a price cut on September 7th, if you need a bit more reassurance, you can now take comfort in this apparently authentic Best Buy ad provided by a helpful tipster, which should be making an appearance in paper form just in time for the big day. Just like Radio Shack's, this one lists the Arcade, Pro and Elite for $199, $299, and $399, respectively, and, unsurprisingly, there's no mention of a motion controller with any of 'em.
Nikon's still unofficial D90 DSLR may have been pulled from Target's website after making a brief appearance a few days ago, but it looks to be holding steady at Circuit City, where you can now get your pre-order in for the expected price of $1,299.99. As you can see above, the site is also listing the camera with a release date of September 5th, which is only a tad off the mark of some of our earlier tips. There's also no surprises with the specs, although the "real movie-like" video recording mode that piqued our interest yesterday is apparently now officially known simply as an "HD movie mode" -- a step backwards if you ask us.
[Thanks, Chris]
Update: Looks like the game is still afoot! Circuit City has pulled its page too.
We haven't heard a whole lot from M2E Power since it burst onto the scene last year with promises of powering your gadgets with movement, but the company now says that it's made some real progress with its wonder device, and it's claiming that it'll actually be available sometime next year. According to the company, the charger will let you get about 30 to 60 minutes of talk time on your cellphone after six hours of cumulative motion, and you'll of course be able to use it with other gadgets as well. As you can see above, the charger unit can also simply be plugged into an outlet to be topped off if you need a slightly quicker fix. What's more, M2E also says that it has had discussions with some unspecified cellphone makers to build the generator directly into a phone, although it says it'll take "at least two years" before something like that is commercially available.
While we're quite certain you can still buy an "electronic dictionary" that is actually only a dictionary (or, maybe, a thesaurus), that seems to be the exception to the rule in Korea, where devices like the Udea Expert 300W are the norm. Apparently, this is the first such dictionary to boast built-in WiFi, Bluetooth, T-DMB mobile TV and a built-in FM radio, which is more than you can say for most netbooks. Apart from that, you can expect a 4.3-inch WQVGA touchscreen, Windows CE 5.0 for an OS, 2GB of memory, an SD card slot for expansion, TV out, a pair of built-in speakers and, of course, an amply supply of dictionaries to help you out. Look for this one to set you back 418,000 KRW, or about $385.
Nikon's much-anticipated D90 has been popping up alloverthe place lately, but it hasn't actually shown its face -- in any non-Photoshop fashion, that is. That now looks to have changed, however, as the all-but-official picture above (and a few more) recently made an appearance on Target's website only to be unceremoniously yanked, but not before being grabbed by a helpful member of the dpreview.com forums. Nikon Rumors also claims to have some "100% legit" specs for the camera, including word that it clocks in at 12.3 megapixels, and that it'll sport a 3-inch LCD, ISO 200 to 3,200, 11 AF points, and video recording with "real movie-like" quality. Be sure to head on past the break for another pic, and dig into the links below if you still want some more.
It's been a while since we've seen any new DAPs from TrekStor, but it looks like the company is set to roll into IFA with a brand new batch, including an updated vibez player, and new i.Beat organix and i.Beat nova players. From the looks of it, the vibez is identical to the version we first saw way back in 2006, with the notable exception of a boost to 32GB of flash memory. The tiny i.beat Organix, on the other hand, is now available in 4GB and 8GB versions (and your choice of four colors) and promises a hefty 55 hours of battery life, while the even smaller i.Beat nova comes in 2GB, 4GB, and 8GB iterations and packs an OLED display of unspecified size. No word on a release 'round these parts for any of them just yet, but those in Europe can look for them to being available by the end of September with prices ranging from €29 (or about $40) for the lowest-end i.Beat nova to €129 (or $190) for the top end vibez.
While ASUS's new, quietly-launched Eee Download service would seem to be a welcome addition for most Eee PC users, it looks to have caused nothing but confusion in the few days it's been live. The main problem is that all of the files on the site are in the so-called Click 'N Run (or CNR) format, which is a quick and easy way to install Linux apps -- when the Linux distro supports CNR, that is. Unfortunately for ASUS (and Eee PC users), the Eee PC's Xandros distribution does not. As some on the EeeUser forums point out, however, Xandros now actually owns Linspire (the company behind CNR), so it would seem to be entirely possible that CNR support could be coming in a future version of Xandros, but that still doesn't explain ASUS putting the cart before the horse like this.
