Loudspeaker manufacturer Mission, has partnered with product designer Seymourpowell to create the very stylish M-Cube, a 5.1 home theatre system. The M-Cube consists of five individual cubed 'satellites' and one discrete subwoofer. Two satellites can be mounted on a one metre high tapering stand, while three further satellites come with adjustable brackets for wall mounting.
The M-Cube is available in white ('ivory') and black ('midnight'), with further color provided by a wide central fabric strip, which wraps completely round the speaker.

The M-Cube is out now and retails at 1,199 pounds.

via WallPaper

After years of taking the back-seat to Sony and Nintendo in the Japan Game Console Market, Microsoft has announced a new hire for the next generation Xbox console, that is hoped to bring them at least to the passenger side.

Since launch in February 2002 Microsoft has sold 19.9 million Xbox machines worldwide, the company said, but sales have been especially sluggish in Japan, home of Sony and Nintendo Co Ltd, Microsoft hopes to change this by bringing "Final Fantasy" franchise creator Hironobu Sakaguchi on board to develop role-playing game (RPG) video games exclusively for the next-generation Microsoft Xbox video game platform.

The "Final Fantasy" franchise, has sold more than 60 million units worldwide, I can only imagine Microsoft hopes to recreate that success.

The original Xbox was not the blockbuster, Microsoft dreamed of in Japan due to the lack of RPGs for the Xbox, according to Microsoft; they don't want to make the same mistake again. Sakaguchi will lead a development team on two new role-playing games to be released for the new console.

"Sakaguchi-san has taken role-playing games -- traditionally a niche market -- and introduced them to a broad and diverse audience across the globe," said Peter Moore, corporate vice president of Worldwide Marketing and Publishing at Microsoft. "We are ecstatic to work with Sakaguchi-san and celebrate what this news means not only for Xbox, but for gamers worldwide."

Stockist - AudioCubes is offering the Kondo KHR-1 Robot, touted as one of the best and coolest fighting human robots in Japan for $1500. You do the program, you do the control. KHR-1 Robot acts like a human and with 17 adjustable joints, it is capable of doing back flips and cartwheels. Comes with a very simple application program also allows you to design your own moves such as special kicks and poses. Ultra stylish design like no others. Tools are not included. Check out KHR-1 Robot's video

Specifications

Size: 340(H) x 180(W) mm
Weight: Approximately 1.2kg (with batteries)
Joint: 17 (Neck 1, one arm 3x2 book and one leg 5x2 book)
Connection type: RS-23C2C
OS: Windows2000 and XP
Recommendation CPU: Pentium cIii above
Recommendation memory: 128MB above

Colors available: Silver

Sprint has introduced their first digital quad-band phone aimed at business traveling users; the Sprint PCS IP-A790 AKA the Samsung A790 phone that features both GSM and CDMA technology to enable users to roam in over 130 countries.

Features include voice recognition, 256k-color TFT main display, and a second 65K-color display on the outside cover. The phone will also support Sprint's PCS Vision Multimedia Services which include video mail, picture mail and text messaging.- Price $549.99 - Via Mobile Mag

A Limited Edition of the iAUDIO U2 1GB will be sold in Japan - two colors: Silver and Pearl white. Only 1000 units will be manufactured. via ubergizmo

Panasonic, Japan has announced the addition of two new models to its "TOUGHBOOK" range of sturdy notebook PCs that can survive a 90 cm fall when powered off.

The "29 Series" (13.3" LCD) and "18 Series" (10.4" LCD with 180 degree rotation) will go on sale from 7 March. A saltwater corrosion-resistant version of the "29 Series" will be released on 7 April.

The standard 29 Series (CF-29JC1AXS) is expected to cost 450,000 yen while the corrosion-resistant 29 Series (CF-29JC9AXS) should go for 500,000 yen, the 18 Series (CF-18GC1AXS) should go for around 350,000 Yen.

Features include magnesium alloy main body components, HDD protected by special damping material and enclosing it in a metal case, when not operational, the new models can apparently go from a drop from 90cm on to plywood or concrete. - More at TechJapan

Samsung Electronics, has announced the development of a working PTA (Push-to-All) solution. The demonstration of the PTA solution proto-type took place at the company's Telecommunications R&D Center in Suwon, Korea.

This total mobile communications solution incorporates the existing PTT (Push-to-Talk) one to multi-user voice technology with the one to multi-user video conferencing ability of PTV (Push-to-View) and multimedia file sharing function of PTD (Push-to Data).

The core benefit of PTA handsets is their synchronous video conferencing ability. Similar to a walkie-talkie with video capabilities, the speaker's image appears instantly on the handset screen of the user or multiple users on the call. It is a convenient and time-saving function that allows people in multiple locations to easily conduct virtual meetings. In addition, the PTA handset allows one to send image, video clip and music contents to multiple users through one simple operation on a mobile device at one time.

Samsung Electronics plans to offer a commercialized PTA solution handset using not only EV-DO technology but also EDGE, UMTS, and WiFi standards.

Dell has announced the XPS Gen 2 and the Inspiron 9300 laptops.

The XPS Gen 2 is Dell's new gaming laptop that features NVIDIA's new GeForce GO 6800 Ultra graphics card which features 256MB of video ram, a 17-inch widescreen display, Intel Pentium M 2GHz processor, and can be customized for up to 2GB of ram (512MB standard). The laptop will start at a base price of $2,749 US and is available now on Dell's website.

The new Inspiron 9300 features a 17-inch widescreen display, 64MB video card (upgradeable to 256MB), and up to a 2.1 GHz processor

Via Mobile Mag

Samsung, Korea has announced a new 42 inch PDP Flat Screen TV with a 10000:1 contrast ratio.

See AkihabaraNews for more.

According to the folks Joystiq , who spent some time the "Positioning for Profitability in the Video Game Economy" conference, Sony is planning a PSP with built-in 50GB hard. A prototype of the HDD Sony PSP might be shown at the end of 2005. Availability of the Sony 50GB PSP would be in 2006. More details on Joystiq.

RCA's Lyra PDP 2812 is a new portable media player expected to hit some European markets in the near future. The player features a 5GB hard drive, MP3, WMA, & JPEG support, and a 1.5-inch color display (128x128 pixel, 65k colors). Size is 89 x 50 x 14mm, at 84g. The 2812 appears on Amazon.de (Germany) for 249 Euro.

via Dapreview

Coolsmartphone has a first look at the new Orange SPV C550. Features include

- 1.3 megapixel camera
- GPRS class 10
- 240x320 QVGA 65k (see below) TFT colour screen
- 64MB internal memory and Mini SD external memory
- USB, IrDA and Bluetooth connectivity
- Video MMS and download and playback
- Java 2.0
- Integrated SZGA and Flash
- 262K (not 64K gisplay)

The British government has launched a new website to combat computer viruses and other online threats. The government-funded IT Security Awareness for Everyone site (www.itsafe.gov.uk) will give free advice on data protection and issue virus alerts to those who sign up reports. E-mail or text alerts will direct users toward step-by-step guides on how to deal with any problem. The site will use information provided by the National Infrastructure Security Co-ordination Center (NISCC).

"There is a clear need for easy-to-understand and simple, independent advice for non-technically minded people who use computers," Home Office Minister Hazel Blears said in a statement.

Read More

According to the IDC survey of PC shipments in Japan during 2004, Sales at Dell and HP Japan are up, while Sony and Apple saw a decline. In total, approximately 13.4 millions PCs were sold with notebooks outselling desktops by a margin of 140,000 units. Read More

Google has announced the availability of movie showtimes on its leading Web search engine. Movie Showtimes can be accessed via personal computers or mobile phones and other wireless devices that use short-message service. The new feature also provides information such as theatre locations and reviews, and enables users to search for movies by title, plot or genre. GO

The Mozilla Foundation has released a security update for the uber Firefox browser. The Firefox 1.0.1 update addresses a number of vulnerabilities including a flaw in the Internationalized Domain Names (IDN), as well as some issues with arbitrary code execution and cross-site scripting. The IDN vulnerability could allow an attacker to create a fraudulent Web site in order to carry out a phishing attack. Using IDN, phishers could register domain names with characters that resemble letters to trick users.

Mozilla has rated the flaws as "moderately critical" to "not critical." In addition to addressing security issues, the foundation also has tweaked browser performance based on user feedback reports newsfactor.com

Siemens has announced the Siemens A70, the Siemens A75 and the Siemens AX75 handsets.

The new Siemens A70 is touted as an easy-to-use, reliable and affordable phone. Features of the A70 include SMS, EMS and intuitively built two-way navigation keys, clear keypad and straightforward menu options.

The new Siemens A75 features a large 4K color screen and an easy-to-use 4-way navigation key.

The new Siemens AX75 is touted as the essential 'pocket organizer'. F The flagship product within the new A-Series has easy-to-use enhanced functionality with organizational capability, packaged in a new classic, ergonomic and sleek design. With a 65,536 color display, 128 x 128 resolution, and MMS functionality, the AX75 is ideal for crisp viewing pleasure.

Read More

Qwest Communications International Inc. submitted a revised bid for Long-distance telephone company MCI Inc. on Thursday, the new offer is expected to have little impact on MCI's decision to be bought by Verizon Communications Inc. for $6.75 billion. In fact Washington Post reports the revised bid disappointed a few people, Qwest did not offer more cash for MCI stock as expected which probably was a factor in the 6 percent dive Qwest's shares took on Friday. MCI Chief Executive Michael Capellas vowed the company would "do our utmost" to complete the Verizon deal quickly and said the deal made the most sense for MCI. MCI, who was recently accused of not fully analyzing Qwest's previous offer, said it would thoroughly analyze the revised $8 billion bid by Qwest Communications International Inc.

Leon Cooperman, chairman of hedge fund Omega Advisors, which owned 2.9 percent of MCI's shares as of Dec. 31 asked "What has to happen for us to be willing and legally able to speak with Qwest to find out what they've got in their mind?"

Jens of Sweden has announced the MP-120, a new 1GB player with an OLED display. The MP-120 can play a variety of formats, including OGG Vorbis and WMA. The players offer 22 hours of battery life, and a built-in USB 2.0 plug.

via Gizmodo

The Federal Bureau of Investigations has issued a warning over a fake email claiming to be from the FBI that contains a virus in the attachment. The email uses the fbi.gov domain and Attempts to sound authentic, it is likely to confuse some consumers and even con the gullible ones among them to open the attachment reports EarthTimes.org. I am one of the gullible ones, thanks to Norton it was deleted before I could get my paws on the attachment. The mail first warns recipients that "their Internet use is being monitored by FBI's Internet Fraud Complaint Center and that they have accessed illegal websites." The message asks the recipient to click on an attachment to answer some questions about their alleged illegal Internet use. The attachment contains a virus that infects the user's computer.

So far experts have not been able to determine what exactly the virus does once it infects the computer. Anti-virus firms say the virus is probably a low or medium risk as it hasn't spread as widely as some well-known malicious programs like MyDoom.

In an effort to keep home and small business users abreast of virus and computer threats, the UK Government has launched a new website offering realtime alerts. Anyone who registers for the free service, ITsafe,by supplying a e-mail address or mobile phone number, will be able to receive warnings of high-risk viruses and other security issues as soon as the government National Infrastructure Security Coordination Centre(NISCC) considers them notable reports TechWorld.com. The drive funded by the Home Office, hopes to become an important port of call for the UK's large population of computer users. Home Office Minister, Hazel Blears, launched ITsafe with a promise. "Signing up to this service will give users an extra level of defense in two key ways;by providing general advice on IT security and issuing official alerts if and when it is felt there is a serious enough threat from a virus ofother form of threat," web address - http://www.itsafe.gov.uk

Anthony Greco, 18, has become the first person to be arrested for the sending of unsolicited instant messages aka spim. Greco was lured from New York to Los Angeles under the pretence of a business meeting. He was arrested upon arrival at LA airport last Wednesday. Greco allegedly sent 1.5 million messages advertising pornography and mortgages. According to US reports the recipients of the messages were all members of the MySpace.com online networking service. Greco had allegedly threatened to share his methods for spamming members of the group if MySpace.com didn't sign an exclusive marketing deal which would have legitimised the messages he was sending via the service. Greco believed he was flying to Los Angeles to close that agreement with MySpace president Tom Anderson reports silicon.com. Assistant US Attorney Brian Hoffstadt confirmed the arrest was the first criminal case brought against an individual sending spam over IM.

AMD yesterday demonstrated the industry's first x86 dual-core processor at the company's Austin facilities. AMD showed off an HP ProLiant DL585 server powered by four dual-core AMD Opteron processors manufactured on 90nm silicon-on-insulator process technology.

Based on AMD's existing system infrastructure and industry-standard architecture, enterprise customers can expect more efficient processing power without the penalties of increased power consumption and heat dissipation, thanks to a simple upgrade path to more efficient computing. The dual-core AMD Opteron processor for servers and workstations is expected to offer the best performance per watt in the market when AMD plans to make it available in mid-2005

"Dual-core technology provides an attractive path for increasing processor performance with little or no increase in power consumption or heat dissipation," observed Nathan Brookwood, principal analyst at Insight64. "AMD laid the groundwork for its dual-core processors years ago, when it gave its single-core AMD64 processors the on-chip plumbing they would need to support a second core at a later date. As AMD moves dual-core technology from theory to practice, it is reassuring to see that current investments in core logic and platform technology will remain relevant for years to come."

imation, Japan has announced the 'FlashGO' a new card reader, capable of reading 9 memory card types. Works with Windows 98 SE/Me/2000/XP, after the Mac OS 9.0. Available March 1st. Supported memory card types include SD memory card /MMC/ memory stick/memory stick Pro, miniSD/ memory stick Duo/ memory stick PRO Duo and CF/Microdrive. As for interface USB 2.0. Measures 62.5x100x78mm and weighs 115g.

Denon Corporation, Japan, has announced the 2ch "DCD-SA11 CD/SACD player set for release in March - Expected price 367,500 Yen. As for color ring premium silver (SP).The DCD-SA11 is an update to the DCD-SA1 announced August 2004, features the original DENON technology for high-quality audio - Advanced AL24 Processing (192kHz/24bit). Measures 434x415x138mm and weighs 19kg.

French Telecoms equipment provider Alcatel and US software giant Microsoft Corp. Tuesday announced plans to jointly develop Internet-based TV services for telephone companies. The two groups said in a statement they aim to "rapidly accelerate the availability of Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) services for broadband operators world-wide."

"It will join Alcatel's expertise in high-speed networks with Microsoft's software expertise in interface solutions," Alcatel director of development Marc Jalabert said in a press conference.

"We are committed to integrate the current Alcatel video solutions with Microsoft TV IPTV Edition, resulting in a market-leading integrated offering," Alcatel Chief Executive Serge Tchuruk said.

Eric Boustouller, Microsoft France chief executive, said the Alcatel/Microsoft cooperation would target fixed telephone operators in order to "speed up the widespread delivery of the Internet-television services offered" by broadband operators.

Potential clients include Verizon of the United States, Telecom Italia of Italy, Bell of Canada and Swiss Com of Switzerland. At a news conference, Alcatel development director Marc Jalabert said the two groups also intend to cooperate over cable and ADSL digital TV platforms.

Sirius Satellite Radio announced Tuesday that it has reached an agreement to broadcast NASCAR auto races and related events over a five-year period for $107.5 million, beating rival XM Satellite Radio Holdings. Sirius will become the exclusive satellite radio partner for NASCAR. Last fall Sirius announced it had entered a five-year, $500 million deal to broadcast shock jock Howard Stern's radio show beginning in 2006 reports USAtoday. Sirius expects to end 2005 with more than 2.5 million subscribers. XM, based in Washington, D.C., says it had more than 3.2 million users at the end of 2004.
Sirius' shares traded lower Tuesday after news came out over the weekend that a regular on Stern's show had received a subpoena from the Securities and Exchange Commission regarding the trading of Sirius stock.

Samsung Electronics has started mass production of the world’s largest-capacity multi-chip package (MCP) for 3G phones. The 2.5Gb MCP will allow for intense video playback on mobile phones with digital multimedia broadcasting support (DMB) reports Mobile Mag

The MCP consists of two 1Gb NAND flash memory chips and two 256Mb Mobile DRAMs allowing for four hours of high-quality QVGA video to be stored. The chip will benefit manufacturers to produce slimmer, lighter handsets with increased functionality.

IBM yesterday introduced its X3 architecture and the new Hurricane chip set, which the company said is designed to put superior technology on top of the Cranford chip from Intel Corp. The X3 enables customers to run applications and rapidly process business data to meet critical business needs.

"What we're announcing is the third generation of what we call enterprise X architecture -- and the manifestation of well over $100 million worth of investment in this architecture to bring break-through performance to the scalable part of this market," said Jim Northington, vice president of the high-performance solutions group for the IBM xSeries.

As the world attempts to reach Lindsay Lohan - thanks to the Paris Hilton T-Mobile sidekick hacking, one question keeps popping up in the few emails I received today, ' Am I at risk ?' chances are no one wants to see what is on your t-mobile sidekick, so even if you were hacked no one would care. A CBS report this AM said that cellphones can be hacked just easily as computers can, that everyone is vulnerable. New York Post gets all New York Times and tackles this matter. Findings - even though the hacker was no novice that doesn't mean your Sidekicks, Palm Pilots and Blackberrys are safe. The hacker probably gained access to Paris Hilton's Sidekick II phone and apparently racy photos through T-Mobile's Web site.

"I think it's worth asking the company that provides you with service what kind of security they're protecting your information with," said Kevin Poulsen, news editor at SecurityFocus, an online technology site.

"In the case of Sidekick, they store files on a server with the company . . . As we've seen, people can get in."

Richard Lainhart, an IT director from Rockland County, also warned owners of personal digital-assistance devices such as Sidekicks that there is now software that can be relatively easily downloaded from the 'Net to siphon off information from PDAs from within about 30 feet.

Many PDA users don't activate security measures they should, or use a pass word to protect their com munication, Lainhart said.

According to a report by The Wall Street Journal, Qwest Communications International is expected to make a revised offer for long-distance phone company MCI sometime this week. In a letter sent to MCI's board last Thursday and filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Qwest chairman and CEO Richard Notebaert expressed heartache over MCI turning down his offer. Qwest also made details of its original $8 billion offer public. Even though Qwest's offer was considerably higher than Verizon Communications' $6.75 billion bid, MCI accepted Verizon's offer.

According to thestreet.com by taking its bid for MCI public, Qwest hoped MCI shareholders would force the board to consider its offer and allow the company to sweeten the proposal if need be. So far it appears to have some effect, MCI Inc. shareholder Joseph Pojanowski III sued to block the long-distance telephone company's $6.6 billion takeover by Verizon Communications Inc., saying the price was too low reports Reuters/

Even though Qwest has stated it has backers on hand to supply money, some analysts say Qwest still has a weak hand and that its rebidding ploy isn't likely to succeed. The decision to appeal to shareholders is likely to end in either a higher Verizon offer or a formal rejection from MCI's board, the analysts say.

A month after T-Mobile admitted that a hacker had gained access to the names and Social Security numbers of 400 T-Mobile customers, a spokesman for company confirmed Monday the authenticity of information from Paris Hilton's T-Mobile Sidekick (very hip device that allows owners to make phone calls, surf the Web, e-mail, instant message and take pictures) currently making the rounds on the Internet.

"T-Mobile's computer forensics and security team is actively investigating to determine how Ms. Hilton's information was obtained," the company said in a statement. "This includes the possibility that someone had access to one of Ms. Hilton's devices and/or knew her account password."

The Drudge Report said it confirmed many of the numbers and e-mail addresses, including those of rapper Eminem, actor Vin Diesel, actress Lindsay Lohan, singers Christina Aguilera and Ashlee Simpson, and tennis players Andy Roddick and Anna Kournikova. The FBI has reportedly opened an investigation.

21-year-old Nicolas Jacobsen ( charged with crime of hacking T-Mobile in October) pleaded guilty Tuesday to one felony charge of accessing a protected computer and causing reckless damage. He is scheduled to be sentenced in May and faces a maximum possible sentence of five years imprisonment and a $250,000 fine reports Zdnet

Sony, Japan has announced the EBR-500MS (aimed at high school students) and the EBR-800MS electronic dictionaries featuring MP3 player functions. Both Models are set for release in Japan on March 5th. shop front expectation price forl the EBR-500MS - approximately 30,000 Yen, EBR-800MS - approximately 35,000 Yen. The EBR-800MS is available in silver while the EBR-500MS is available in pink, blue and silver. The features EBR-800MS Japanese, English, Chinese, Korean, German, French, Spanish and Italian. The EBR-500MS features English-Japanese/Kazuhide dictionaries. Model feature a memory stick slot, enables MP3 playback from memory sticks. Measures 135x97.5x14.1mm and weighs 195g. Music playback time approximately 15 hours

Read More

Olympus, Japan has announced the 4 Megapixel "CAMEDIA X-550" compact digital camera aimed for the beginner. Set for release in Japan from the middle of March - 20,000 Yen. Features include 4 Megapixel 1/2.5" CCD, 50 - 320 ISO Sensitivity, record picture size 2,288x1,712/ 1,600x1,200/ 640x480 pixel, record type JPEG, video 320x240 pixel -- 30fps or 15fps, record type QuickTime (Motion JPEG), 3x optical zoom lens, 1.8" TFT liquid crystal monitor, built-in memory and xD picture card support. As for the connection with PC USB.

Measures 106x36x56mm and weighs 140g.

More

'James' writes in to share his experience with the Luxman L-505f Integrated Amplifier

" I understand your love of Luxman products!"

"In Dec I bought a Luxman L-505f Integrated Amp that I'm using just as a preamp and it sounds fantastic!! I'm using it with a 35 watt tube amp and some Klipsch La Scalas speakers and this set up sounds incredible!!"

"If you have not had the chance to hear Klipsch speakers I suggest you do. My suggestion is find someone in your area with Klipsch Klipschhorns speakers and go over and take a listen. These speakers have a sound that is the next best thing to being there live. They are horn loaded speakers so they have a very forward and in your face sound that live concerts have. I own the Klipsch La Scalas which are the smaller version of the Klipschorns. Klipsch, and Luxman go together very, very well!!! Try and demo some Klipsch KlipschHorns or La Scalas or even the RF-7s with any Luxman products you have and you won't be disapointed. "

"Do you own the Luxman CU-80? I plan to get it and the DU-80 in a couple of years."

We are shooting for the couple of years thing as well, that money thing is holding us back.

Buy Luxman L-505f Integrated Amplifier

Korean Newgen has unveiled the D2000W, a new tri-band GSM smartphone running windows mobile 2003. Features include FM Radio, 1.3 Megapixel Camera, 262k colors screen and support GSM 900/1800/1900. via UberGizmo

Sony has announced plans to end production of the CLIE (an acronym of "Communication Linkage for Information & Entertainment." ) PDA line in July. Parts and repair service will continue to be available for 6 years from end of production, as outlined in the warranty statement. Specialist telephone support for Clie users will continue for one year. After that, support calls will be handled by VAIO customer service. Associated paid services such as the sale of content downloads and the clie domain mail service will continue for the time being.

The CLIE is a Palm OS-powered PDA released in 2000.

According to Sony, "although this is the end of the CLIE platform, the concept of a 'portable entertainment information terminal' will continue" and we can anticipate further expansion of platforms such as the PSP and mobile phone.

- Read More

The three mechanical bipeds , built by researchers from Cornell University, the University of Michigan and Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the US and Delft University in the Netherlands, respectively, that walk like humans were shown off at the AAAS (American Association for the Advancement of Science) annual meeting held this year in Washington, DC. The work could transform the way humanoid robots are built and brings the prospect of robotic replacement limbs a step closer. Read More

The ARCHOS Pocket Video Recorder AV400 Series touted as the ultimate handheld digital video recorder that offers TV recording and a portable home entertainment center in one pocket-sized device is now available in a 100GB model for $799.

Features
# Record up to 400 hours* of TV programs and video content from a TV, VCR or cable / satellite receiver using the TV cradle
# Program recordings using the Recording Scheduler, which directly controls the VCR or set-top box tuner
# Store and watch between up to 200* full-length movies
# Enjoy up to 4 ½ hours of video playback on the color LCD while on the go
# Download / transfer / record between up to 1500* hours of music
# Store and view up to one million* JPEG photos
# Play MP3, WMA (including protected files) and WAV music files
# Listen to and record off the radio (with optional FM Radio & Remote Control)
# Download and store files from a PC

$ 799.95 - Read More

Cingular has finally launched the Sony Ericsson S710a. Available now. Features of the phone include:

- Size: 4.2 x 1.9 x 1.0 inches
- Weight: 4.8 Ounces
- Unique swivel design w/ oversized 2.3-inch 262K color display
- Multiple data communications: Bluetooth, Infrared, and EDGE
- Integrated 1.3 megapixel still/video camera w/ 8x zoom and flash
- Integrated MP3 player
- Video and picture Multimedia Messaging capable
- Mobile Instant Messaging capable
- Embedded and downloadable 3D gaming
- Polyphonic ringtones and super tones
- MEdia Net capable
- POP3/IMAP4 e-mail clients: BellSouth, SBC, and Earthlink preloaded
- Up to 510 contact phone book
- Operates on 850/1800/1900 MHz GSM/GPRS/EDGE networks

via MobileTracker

HP has announced the HP Photosmart R717, M417, M22, M23, and the special edition BMW Williams F1 Team cameras. The cameras are expected to hit shelves in the spring of 2005 for prices ranging from $149 to $349.

The 6.2 megapixels Photosmart R717 features include 3x optical zoom, 8x digital zoom, 1.8 inch LCD screen, and a burst rate of 3 frames per second with a buffer of 3 frames.

The 5 megapixels Photosmart M417 features include 3x optical zoom, 7x digital zoom, 2 shot per second burst mode for up to 3 pictures, and a 1.8 inch LCD screen.

The 4 megapixel Photosmart M23 features include 6x digital zoom,1.5 inch LCD screen, movie mode, and a slim water resistant metal body with a sliding cover to protect the lens.

The Photosmart M22 features 6x digital zoom and a slim water resistant metal body

The Photosmart BMW Williams.F1 Team Special Edition features a 4.1 megapixel sensor, 3x optical zoom, 7x digital zoom, 1.5 inch LCD screen, and 4 shots burst mode for 5 frames. The camera will also come with a BMW WilliamsF1 Team CD.

- Read More

Concord Camera has announced the Concord 5042 and the Concord 5040 5.0 Megapixel cameras for the budget photographer.

The $99 Concord 5042 features a 1.5-inch color LCD, captures AVI movies at 15fps, 16MB of internal memory with additional storage available with SD. it will ship this quarter in Gun Metal Gray.

The $129.99 Concord 5040 ultra-slim camera features 1.8-inch LCD, MPEG4 video capture, all metal housing in a variety of colors; Papaya Orange, Wine Red, Aqua Blue, Royal Blue, Champagne Gold, and Silver, 16MB internal memory with SD expansion and uses 2 AAA rechargeable batteries, it also includes a battery charger worth $15.00. The 5040 measures 1-inch thick and 2.2-inches high, it will be out in April.

Read More

Sony, Japan has announced a free repair program for the Sony PSP. This repair is to correct a defect where controller buttons on some Playstation Portable (PSP) units may become stuck and not return to their default position. The defect occurs in part of the initial shipment of PSP units and is caused by excess plastic not being completely removed during the molding and manufacturing process of the outer cabinet. As a result, when a button is pressed, it can become caught on the excess plastic and not return fully to its default position.

via TechJapan

Korean Stormblue has announced the XUKE AV-700a new small video and music player, the XUKE AV-700. The Xuke AV-700 features a 1.2 inch color OLED Display with 260,000 colors, supports MP4, DivX and AVI video formats, Ogg and MP3 and WMA-DRM music file formats, USB 2.0, FM Tuner, SRS-Wow and 3D sound. The Xuke AV-700 comes in 256MB, 512MB, 1GB and 2GB memory configurations. Seen at i4u

Swedish company Adamond has announced the ZK1, a new 2GB flash-based MP3 Player. The ZK1 features an OLED screen, supports MP3, WMA, ASFand OGG, plays FM radio and connects via USB.

Seen at ubergizmo

According to Apple leak heaven ThinkSecret, the new iPod mini is expected to be announced within the next two weeks, the mini will remain at 249, expected additions include color screen and video games. - Seen at UberGizmo

AudioCubes is offering the Sony PSP Earphones with Remote for $49.95. Sony PSP PlayStation portable can also hold music files. With Sony PSP Earphones and the remote, you can easily choose and play without looking at the PSP screen. Stylish design with high quality sound.

Samsung, Korea has announced the addition of a 6GB version of its YH-820 4GB mp3 player. The YH-820 with 6GB comes in blue and pink. Features include: Color Display, FM Tuner and USB 2.0.

Zenocom, Korea has announced the introduction of a Bluetooth enabled MP3 player line under their XLive brand.

The XLive XM-300 series comes in memory configurations of 128MB, 256MB, 512MB and 1GB. The Bluetooth interface not only supports bluetooth headsets profile for connecting the player to a mobile phone, it also can be used for file transfer and audio recording. The XLive XM-300 flash player measures 33 (W) x 68 (H) x 18 (D) mm and weighs 32g. OGG, MP3 and WMA audio formats are supported. Other features include: FM Tuner, Color display, Voice Recorder with VAD and direct mp3 encoding.

Read More

Sony is showing off three new iPod-ish shuffle type flash players (size only) in some part of the world. The new Sony flash players support MP3,WMA, WAV and ATRAC. They have a 3-line OLED display, so you will actually have some control.

The Sony NW-E505 features 512MB, FM Tuner and 50 hours continous play-back. A high-speed charging feature gives 3 hours play time with just 3 minutes charging. The Sony NW-E505 comes in Blue and Silver. The NW-E407 has 1GB and comes in Black, Blue, Red and Green. The NW-E405 features 512MB and comes in Black, Blue, Red and Green.

via i4u

PNY has announced the Vibe 2GB a new digital audio player. Features include support for both MP3 and WMA files, SRS-WOW enhanced sound processing, can tune into FM radio stations or record voice messages. Battery life is 12 hours on a single AAA battery, custom equalizer or choose one of the five preset settings. $299 for a 2GB Vibe. It will be out in Q2 2005.

via Mobile Mag

Nokia has announced the Nokia 6682 a new 1.3 megapixel tri-band GSM handset. MobileMag reports the Nokia 6682 smartphone for North America is identical to the 6681 announced last week for the European, Middle East and African markets. The handset features include LED flash, 262k color LCD screen for viewing photographs, playing music or watching up to one hour of your recorded videos. Photos can be printed with Nokia's XpressPrint solution or on any PictBridge compatible printer via USB. Memory is expandable via the hot-swappable reduced-size MMC card.

Toshiba Corporation, Japan has announced he "RD-H1," the first hard drive-only unit in the "RD series" of recorders, set for release in early April - expected price 30-35,000 yen.
The RD-H1 is a video recorder with a 250GB hard drive, features include a single terrestrial analog tuner, "Net de Navi," allowing for operation from a PC by LAN, "Net de Monitor," allowing for playback of recorded programs o­n the PC by usage of Ethernet, mail setting functionality, 1.5x fast-forward/rewind, folder functions, "Net de Dubbing" functionality allows the RD-H1 to be connected with other RD series recorders o­n the same network that support Net de Dubbing , Input jacks include S-Video, composite, and two analog audio jacks, while available output ports include D2 video, optical digital audio, S-video, composite, and analog audio. It also has a LAN port.

Measures 430 x 336 x 58mm (W x D x H), and weighs about 3.9kg.

Seen at TechJapan

Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (NTT, headquartered in Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo.) is pursuing research and development of an innovative Human Area Networking technology called RedTacton that safely turns the surface of the human body into a data transmission path at speeds up to 10 Mbps between any two points on the body. Using a novel electro-optic sensor, NTT has already developed a small PCMCIA card-sized prototype RedTacton transceiver. RedTacton enables the first practical Human Area Network between body-centered electronic devices and PCs or other network devices embedded in the environment via a new generation of user interface based on totally natural human actions such as touching, holding, sitting, walking, or stepping on a particular spot. RedTacton can be used for intuitive operation of computer-based systems in daily life, temporary one-to-one private networks based on personal handshaking, device personalization, security, and a host of other applications based on new behavior patterns enabled by RedTacton. NTT is committed to moving RedTacton out of the laboratory and into commercial production as quickly as possible by organizing joint field trials with partners outside the company, under NTT's comprehensive producer program.Read More

Seen at TechJapan

Yahoo Japan Corp announced Monday, plans to start offering an Internet-based music download service on a fee basis. The service, known as "Yahoo! Music Download," will allow subscribers of the "Yahoo! Wallet" service to download songs from 73,000 songs offered by 39 record firms. The service will be provided in cooperation with Label Gate Co, a joint venture of 18 firms, mainly music labels, which offers its own Net-based download service under the Mora brand. Users will be allowed to listen to songs before placing a download order. Fees will range from 158 yen to 368 yen per song. Japan Today

Bruce Schneier AKA Mr. encryption in his blog said that a three-person Chinese research team, mostly from Shandong University in China, had been circulating a paper about having broken the SHA-1 algorithm. Paper not yet available to public.

"The research team of Xiaoyun Wang, Yiqun Lisa Yin, and Hongbo Yu (mostly from Shandong University in China) have been quietly circulating a paper describing their results:

collisions in the the full SHA-1 in 2**69 hash operations, much less than the brute-force attack of 2**80 operations based on the hash length.

collisions in SHA-0 in 2**39 operations.

collisions in 58-round SHA-1 in 2**33 operations.
This attack builds on previous attacks on SHA-0 and SHA-1, and is a major, major cryptanalytic result. It pretty much puts a bullet into SHA-1 as a hash function for digital signatures (although it doesn't affect applications such as HMAC where collisions aren't important).

PMA 2005 - Sony has announced the introduction of two W series models: the 5.1-megapixel DSC-W5 and the 7.2-megapixel DSC-W7. The new models combine some of the most desirable characteristics of a fully-featured camera in a compact metal-alloy body wrapped around an impressive, 2.5-inch LCD. Both models feature 32 megabytes of internal memory (30 megabytes available).

Available in March for about $450, the 7-megapixel DSC-W7 camera sports a Carl Zeiss Vario Tessar 3X optical zoom lens that fully extends in about a second, as well as large 2.5-inch color LCD screen for optimal picture taking and viewing.

The 5-megapixel DSC-W5 will be available in March for about $350. This camera also features a Carl Zeiss 3X optical zoom lens and a generous 2.5-inch LCD screen.

Both the Cyber-shot W5 and W7 cameras shoot full-resolution images in just over one-second intervals. Moreover, they offer MPEG-VX Standard/Fine mode, which enables recording of MPEG video with up to 640x480 pixel resolution at 30 frames per second.

- Read More

PMA 2005 - Sony today announced the four million pixel Cyber-shot DSC-S40 aimed at the entry level user. Features include 1.5-inch LCD, MPEG movie mode, a top shutter speed of 1/2000 sec, down to 30 seconds in manual mode, and 32 MB internal memory. It will be available in mid-March for about $200.




Sony's DSC-S60 and DSC-S90 Models incorporatie all the smart features of the DSC-S40 camera, the DSC-S60 and DSC-S90 models step up with an elegant new design, larger LCDs, manual exposure control and the added utility of Cyber-shot Station compatibility. Both of these models also offer the option to add tele- or wide- conversion lenses for greater magnification or a wider field of view.





The DSC-S60 model has a 2-inch LCD, while the S90 display goes a step further at 2.5-inches.

The DSC-S90 camera also comes supplied with rechargeable NiMH batteries and charger. Both models will be available in mid-March for about $250 and $300, respectively.

Read More

Sony has announced the DSC-H1 Cyber-shot digital camera. Features include a five megapixel, Super HAD CCD imager, 12X optical zoom lens and a large 2.5-inch LCD. The DSC-H1 Cyber-shot camera will be available this June for about $500 Read More

Sony, Japan has announced the "NET JUKE NAS-A10," an audio system with a 40GB hard drive compatible with "E Music," set for release March 15th. 63,000 yen.

The NAS-A10 consists of a main unit with a CD player, hard drive, AM/FM tuner, and stereo speakers -- it can also download music to the 40GB hard drive from the "E Music" service.

Other features include support for Hi-Speed USB, "Memory Stick Duo" cards can be used in the Memory Stick slot without the use of an adapter (2GB max), a composite video output, from the CD to the hard drive, the maximum dubbing speed is about 8x (audio monitor OFF), or 6x (audio monitor o­n), supported audio formats for CDs include Audio CD, and MP3, Memory Stick formats are ATRAC3 and MP3, 100BASE-TX port, USB port (Hi-Speed USB), analog audio input port, analog audio output port and headphone port.

via TechJapan

In an attempt to bring MCI back to the table, Qwest Communications plans to submit another offer despite having its nearly $8 billion offer ignored by the MCI board in favor of Verizon's bid of $6.7 billion reports thestreet

In a letter sent to MCI's board Thursday and filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Qwest chairman and CEO Richard Notebaert expressed heartache over MCI turning down his offer.

In the words of his letter - you can fill the blanks.

The Verizon bid "is substantially less than the consideration Qwest offered to MCI shareholders,"

A deal between Qwest and MCI "is superior to the Verizon proposal because our regulatory approval process is likely to be completed at least six months more quickly."

A deal with Qwest would produce more "synergies" than a deal with Verizon. reports NewsFactor Network

More Notebaert "to date, we have not received any response from MCI or its advisors on the terms of our February 11 proposal."

Qwest got "substantially less" access to MCI's financial records to conduct due diligence than "other parties."

Qwest intends "to submit a modified offer to acquire MCI, and we would expect MCI and its advisors to engage us in a meaningful dialog regarding the merits of our offer,"

MCI chose to be acquired by Verizon, even though it offered less money, because Verizon was financially stronger than Qwest and provided better long-term prospects for growth in a rapidly consolidating telecommunications industry, industry analysts say.

The New York Times Co. has agreed to acquire About Inc. from Primedia Inc. for $410 million in cash. The acquisition of About.com is expected to be completed early in the second quarter, pending customary regulatory approvals. Internet news reports About.com offers expert advice on topics ranging from personal finance and home repair to consumer electronics and geography, the site reaches an audience of 22 million unique visitors each month compared to 13 million users The Times Co.'s websites reach. About.com will operate as its own distinct business division, with the media company marketing Times products through the website.

About.com adds cost-per-click advertising to the Times's online advertising base, which currently offers impression-based display advertising. Cost-per-click through sponsored links is the fastest-growing form of online advertising today, accounting for much of the success of search giant Google Inc. About.com's user base combined with the Times Co.'s 13 million users will make the media company the 12 largest entity on the Internet

"We are very excited about this acquisition, which furthers our strategy of delivering news and information to local and national audiences with multiple media products," Janet Robinson, president and chief executive of the Times Co., said.

Promo - The latest craze from the UK is now here in the US. The Laserpod, the 21st Century answer to the lava lamp, adds unique, instant ambiance to any bedroom, dorm room, party or movie-night! Laserpod uses laser light to create both cosmic-cool self-contained lighting as well as Aurora Borealis galactic displays on surrounding walls. Check out www.laserpodusa.com to buy your own intense lighting design, or better yet, enter the contest below and 3 lucky winners will receive their very own Laserpod to enjoy. The Laserpod is priced at $99. I spent some time with the Laserpod a few weeks back check out my laserpod review

Contest: Email us at promo@ployer.com the answer to this question,

What famous photographer co-designed the laserpod ?

Winners will be randomly selected by a fabulous judging panel (me) at the end of the promotion. Promotion Ends 03.30.05

the rules, one entry per person, your full name must be included with answer, must reside in America. we have no intention of sending you an email unless you win so breathe easy as far as Spam is concerned

This contest is fully sponsored by LaserpodUSA.

Olympus has announced the Stylus Verve S five Megapixel camera. Features included a 1.8-inch LCD screen and a 2x optical zoom lens. Available in blue, black, champagne gold, and pink. Should retail for $349.99. - Read More

The D-630 Zoom, is a five megapixel model that's just 24.3mm thick. Features include a 3x optical zoom lens and a 2.0-inch LCD screen on the back. - Read More

The D-595 Zoom is a five megapixel camera with a 3x optical zoom lens, a 1.8-inch LCD screen, and a 2cm super macro mode. Read More

The D-545 Zoom is a four megapixel camera with a 3x optical zoom lens, a 1.8-inch LCD screen, and 2cm super macro mode. Read More

Seen at Engadget

A poll by Forbes.com asking 'What will be Hp's fate?' shows 49% of people looking for HP to Revamp Its strategy. Interim Chief Executive Robert Wayman speaking yesterday on news of a small bump in first-quarter earnings for Hewlett-Packard said "There is work to be done, our management team is focused on driving improved execution to serve our customers, strengthen our competitiveness and improve shareholder value."

A week after the exit of celebrity CEO Carly Fiorina, HP posted earnings of $932 million, or 32 cents per share, edging year-earlier figures of $936 million or 30 cents per share. Revenue grew 10% to $21.45 billion from $19.51 billion a year ago reports Forbes Magazine.

Back to Poll Results - Its no surprise a HP revamp is desired, since the ouster of Carly most media outlets have said one of the main reasons for Carly's ouster was failure to execute her Strategy.

Results 3:48pm - 02.17
Break up into small entities (15%)
Spin off its imaging business (17%)
Purchased by a competitor (6%)
Sell PC business to Dell (11%)
Revamp its strategy (49%)
I don't know (0%)
None of the above (0%)

Kotaku.com has scored some new information via a secret source on the Microsoft Xbox 360. * I cannot confirm this information so you will have to take Kotaku's word for it. The Juicy details. The Xbox 360 will attempt to cater to men and women by being pretty, gone are the days of the big black box. The new console is a sleek silver and features a design that turns the hard angles of the original Xbox into sweeps and curves. Features include ability to stand upright or on its side, Back-lit power button called the ring of light, case can be customized with colorful designer face plates, customizable dashboard, on the inside the 360 will feature high definition audio and video and wireless controllers and will come with a hard drive or without.

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., has unveiled the world's first DDR3 dynamic random access memory (DRAM) prototype chip. The new 512Mb DDR3 DRAM, can process data at a rate of 1,066Mbps, and will be available in early 2006. DRAM is the type of memory used in personal computers, notebooks and servers reports WebProNews . Samsung Electronics was the first to produce a DDR DRAM and DDR2 DRAM in 1998 and 2001 respectively. physorg.com

Philips is set to introduce the Philips PSA610 a new small 4GB harddrive MP3 Player under the Nike brand to the market this summer. The Nike Philips PSA610 features special buffering to prevent the HDD from skipping during playback. The PSA610 will support MP3 and WMA. The MSRP should be 229.99 Euros. via i4u

Hollywood folk have a new reason to rejoice today, no Brad is not getting back with Jenn (not today anyway), something even better has happened, news of over 1 billion dollars possibly be saved by curbing online piracy using New technology developed by Macrovision has reached the set.

Called "RipGuard DVD," the product can plug both analog and digital holes, if combined with the company's analog copy protection, according to the firm.

Macrovision reports that its technologies are embedded in over nine billion DVD, VHS and CD units representing over $130 billion of protected entertainment content.

The true danger to copyright holders, of course, are the loopholes in the digital format. People are able to exploit a hole created by PC-based DECSS ripper software, according to Macrovision, thus allowing them to make unauthorized digital copies of DVDs -- many of which subsequently are traded on peer-to-peer Web sites. via CIO Today

Movies on Sony's Universal Media Disc to play on the PlayStation Portable (PSP) will be priced at $19.99 here in the U.S according to sources. While I am excited about the PSP, I am not to sure about paying 19.95 for a movie that can only playback on the PSP, maybe when the UMD format is used on other devices I will consider, ah OK, I will just get maybe three, just to see, you know.

The EOS Digital Rebel XT is a new 8-megapixel DSLR set to be unveiled any day now. The New Canon Rebel XT features a 3 frames per second shooting rate (14 frame bursts) that Canon believes will take over from where previous Rebel releases have left off and DIGIC II image processor of found in the high end professional 'D-series' of DSLRs. The Canon Rebel XT (known as the EOS 350D Digital in Europe and the EOS Kiss Digital 2e in Japan) also features USB 2.0, simultaneous RAW and JPEG writing and a super fast 0.2 second start up. It comes in both silver and black.

Canon's SD400 is the smallest five megapixel digital camera Canon has ever produced. Features the DIGIC II processor Canon uses in its digital SLR cameras, 2-inch LCD screen and a 3x optical zoom lens.
Read More

Canon's SD500 is a seven megapixel camera with 2-inch LCD screen and a 3x optical zoom lens. Read More

- Seen at Engadget

Sharp Corporation has announced the "DV-HRD300," the "DV-HRD30" and the "DV-HRD3" hybrid recorder (AQUOS High Vision Recorder) set for release in Japan, March 10th. The "DV-HRD300," with a 400GB hard drive expected to cost around 200,000 yen, the "DV-HRD30" with a 250GB capacity around 160,000 yen, and the "DV-HRD3" with a 160GB capacity around 130,000 yen. Models feature terrestrial, BS, 110 CS Digital tuners, and can record the MPEG-2 TS video of digital transmissions directly to the hard drive, "High Vision Quality High Speed Processing Engine" - unit can record, playback, and edit HD video streams simultaneously, supports direct digital recording of MPEG-2 TS streams from digital broadcasts, and recording to HD or DVD-RW (CPRM support, VR format) after down conversion to XP, SP, LP, or EP recording modes and DVD-R and DVD-RW record support, supports the playback of DVD-R/RW, DVD+R/RW (Video mode), and DVD-RAM discs.

The "DV-HRD300" and "HRD30," feature HDMI video output ports - can be connected to the "LC-45GD1" AQUOS LCD TV which supports HDMI, with a HDMI cable -- both video and audio in a single cable. Also, it supports output of DVD-Video and such upscaled to 1080i/720p. via Tech Japan

Motorola is set to unveil ROKR, the much talked about Apple iTunes phone. ROKR, will be Motorola's first phone that is fully compatible with Apple Computer Inc.'s iTunes software, which will be Motorola's default music player on handsets. Motorola's ROKR is aimed at tapping into the digital music market. Handset competitors Nokia and Sony Ericsson earlier this week announced their own deals with online music services Sony Connect and Loudeye reports Reuters.

Just one sec .

Apple will restrict the number of songs that can be stored on the Motorola handsets, in a bid to protect its popular iPod portable music player business, the rivals will allow consumers to carry as much music as they can store on their phone's memory cards.

Read More

Microsoft on Tuesday confirmed plans for Anti-virus and anti-spyware products for enterprise customers, the company stopped short of giving details on pricing and release dates. It's on the way. At the RSA Security conference, Microsoft Corp. chairman Bill Gates discussed Redmond's aggressive push deliver the first version of "the ultimate mail virus protection" by the end of this year. He also announced that a consumer version of Microsoft's anti-spyware software will be free for genuine Windows users reports PCMAG.com
"We've looked hard at the nature of this problem, and made a decision that this anti-spyware capability will become something that's available at no additional charge for Windows users-both the blocking capability, and the scanning and removal capabilities. Those are features we think should be available to protect every system," Gates said.

Hewlett Packard Co Wednesday reported flat quarterly earnings. The company's profits for the three months ended January 31 increased to $943 million or $0.32 per share, from $936 million or $0.30 per share in the year-ago quarter. Hewlett-Packard reported a 10% increase in its F1Q05 revenues to $21.5 billion. The sales growth was driven by the company's printer, personal computer and service businesses. Wall Street analysts had expected the company to earn on average 36 cents a share, within a range of 32 cents to 39 cents, on revenue of $20.96 billion. This good news comes a week after the company's board members ousted Chairman and Chief Executive, Carly Fiorina, following increasing criticism of her management style. The company's interim chief executive, Chief Financial Officer Bob Wayman, said that the company still had much to do. "While we continue to make progress, there is work to be done to improve our profitability," he said. The company's share price appreciated $0.70 to $21.77 in after-hours trade following the result announcement reports newsrating.com

Novint Technologies , an Albuquerque, N.M., based company showed off 'the Falcon', a touch-based game input device at the Demo conference. The technology behind Falcon was originally developed for complex information modeling, some uses included dental education and geological exploration. Falcon apparently goes several steps further than Force-feedback by providing a three-dimensional tactile experience. OK. Its so pretty. Novint plans to begin selling the Falcon early next year for around $100. For now, the company is busy trying to convince game developers to support the device by adding the application programming interface supplied by Novint to their code. Read More at CNet

via Cnet

Technology hardware giant Hewlett-Packard offered investors some positive news today, following its ouster of CEO Carly Fiorina last week, the company posted first-quarter results above Wall Street expectations. The result guided revenue higher as Traders responded after hours, bidding the stock up 2.1% to $21.50 after shares finished the regular session down 0.3% to $21.06 reports thestreet.com. Hewlett-Packard reported net income of $943 million, or 32 cents a share, on sales of $21.5 billion for the quarter ending Jan. 31. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $936 million, or 30 cents a share, on sales of $19.5 billion. According to Thomson First Call. H-P earned 37 cents a share compared with analysts' expectations for earnings of 34 cents a share on sales of $20.96 billion, on average. According to thestreet Wednesday's report marks the beginning of a new era for HP, which removed Fiorina on Feb. 9 following growing criticism of her management style and her lack of momentum in business areas outside of printing.

Circuit City revealed plans Wednesday to slash a part of its operations, one day after Boston hedge fund Highfields Capital Management offered to acquire the company in a $3.2 billion buyout. Circuit City saw its shares jump more than 16 percent on Tuesday after receiving the acquisition offer. The cuts are part of an effort to improve Circuit City's overall financial performance, the company said. The electronics chain will shut 19 underperforming stores, five regional offices and a Virginia distribution center by the end of February. Circuit City also said it sold a building that's part of its corporate headquarters reports thestreet. The 19 stores accounted for revenue of $170 million for the 12 months ended Dec. 31, Circuit City said. Circuit City said the sale of the corporate building will yield an after-tax gain of about $1.8 million and will eliminate $12.6 million in long-term debt.

Nikon has announced an upgraded version of their high speed shooting D2H professional digital SLR. The new D2Hs features 8 frames per second shooting for up to 50 JPEG or 40 RAW images, 12 bit ASIC processing, WT-2 wireless support (802.11b/g, PTP/IP), improved AWB, 3D Matrix Metering II, higher resolution 'flicker free' LCD monitor, modified vertical shooting buttons, sYCC color space support and more. The D2Hs will be available in March with an MSRP of $3499 - Read More

Nikon also announced the seven million pixel camera the Coolpix 7900 and an almost identical 5.1 million pixel twin, the Coolpix 5900. Both cameras feature 2.0-inch LCD, Help button for explanation of menu functions, a 3x optical zoom offering a focal length equivalent of 38 - 114 mm and Face AF for focusing when using portrait mode. The 7900 is available in black and silver while the 5900 is available in silver. The Coolpix 5900 is due for release this month, and the Coolpix 7900 is scheduled for release in March. An underwater housing, WP-CP 4, is also available in Europe. Read More

Nikon's 7 million pixel Coolpix 7600 camera features D-Lighting technology which corrects exposure problems in playback and in-camera red-eye removal, Face-priority AF, 3x optical zoom (38-114mm), 1.8-inch LCD, five movie modes and take SD storage. It will be available in Europe in Springtime in black and silver.The Coolpix 7600 will only be available in black in the US. Read More

Nikon also introduced the Coolpix 4600 and Coolpix 5600 (4.0 and 5.1 million pixels respectively). Both feature Nikon's D-Lighting function, a newly designed GUI and help buttons that explain menu functions,1.8-inch color LCDs, 4cm macro function and a 3x zoom. Both cameras will be available this month. An underwater housing, WP-CP 3, is also available in Europe. Read More

Casio, yesterday announced the 7.2 megapixel Exilim EX-Z750 and the 5 megapixel Exilim EX-Z57 digital cameras.

The five megapixel EX-Z57 features a 3x optical zoom lens and 2.7-inch LCD screen.

The 7.2 Megapixel EX-Z750 features include optical viewfinder, 2.5-inches LCD screen, 3x optical zoom lens, shutter release lag time of just 0.007 seconds and can record MPEG4 video clips.

- Seen at Engadget
- Read More

Sony has announced the 'Nexelion battery' a new hybrid lithium-ion battery offering 30% more lifespan than conventional lithium-ion batteries. Recharge time has also been improved, with 90% of the Nexelion battery's capacity being recharged in approximately 30 minutes. The Sony Nexelion batteries will first be used in Sony Handycam camcorders. - Read More

Major Japanese filmmakers Toho Co and Toei Co will support the Blu-ray Disc technology developed by companies led by Sony Corp and Matsushita Electric Industrial Co as the next-generation DVD format repors JapanToday. The Blu-ray Disc format is competing with the HD DVD format to become the standard for next-generation DVDs. Toshiba Corp, NEC Corp and other companies developed the HD DVD format.

In an effort to entice people to try Pepsi Twist, Nintendo is giving away a special edition blue DS, oh this promotion is Japan only. If you hop a plane you could also get 'Mario Tape' and Mario characters in Lego reports Gizmodo.

Al-Tech has announced the MediaGate MG-35 and MG-350HD media players. Both models feature Ethernet, internal 3.5-inch hard drive, a USB 2.0 port, RCA-compostive, S-video, and component outs, optical/coax and analog stereo 5.1 audio out, and codec support for MP3, OGG, WMA, MPEG-1/2/4, DivX 3.11+, and XviD. The MG-350HD has a USB 2.0 host port, integrated 802.11a/g, and MPEG1/2/4 and WMV9 in hi-def (720p and 1080i)
via engadget

MG-35
MG350HD

Sharp Corporation, Japan has announced the "Mebius PC-AL3DH," a new notebook PC with a 15" 3D LCD capable of displaying XGA resolutions. Release date March 25th - 360,000 yen. Features include special 3D supporting display that allows for the enjoyment of 3D video without the use of special glasses, "TriDef DVD Player" which allows for the realtime pseudo-3D display of conventional DVDs, "NVIDIA 3D Stereo" to display games supporting Direct3D/OpenGL in 3D, Pentium M 750 (1.86 GHz) CPU, 1GB of memory (DDR2-533, max 2GB), 80GB hard drive, Intel 915PM chipset, GeForce Go 6600 (128MB), a DVD Super Multi Drive (+R DL support), Gigabit Ethernet, IEEE 1394 (4-pin), USB 2.0, D-Sub 15 pin, modem, etc..

The battery life is about 1.7 hours. Measures 326 x 273 x 32.2 ~ 41.5mm and weighs about 3.5kg. via Tech Japan

The Philips 162 incorporates all the basic communication features required from a mobile phone, which will appeal to a wide range of users.

The Philips 568 mobile phone allows recording, playback and sharing of video images

The Philips 760 digital camera phone combines a high-end 'clamshell' mobile phone and a 1.3 megapixel digital camera with zoom, flash and photo toolbox in a single compact device.

The Philips 655 mobile phone combines a mirror display with a camera making it always easy to take self-portrait photos in favorite places and situations to share with family and friends.

The Philips Xenium 9@98 mobile phone, known for its extremely long battery lifetime.

Read More

- Seen at Gizmodo

Pioneer Corporation, Japan has announced the "CDJ-200," a CD player for DJs that supports the playback of MP3 files recorded o­n CD-R/RW discs. Release set for early April- estimate price 50,000 yen. Features include "Quick Start," "Cue Sampler," loop setting functions that can be changed realtime why a song is playing. Measures 216 x 292 x 99.5mm and weighs 3.2kg. Via TechJapan

MobileTracker reports the Motorola E1060 announced on Monday does not have iTunes. A Motorola spokesperson speaking to MobileTracker in an email early Wednesday morning said that while iTunes was shown off with the E1060, it was a special case meant just for the demonstration. "E1060 was used to demonstrate iTunes client; however, it is not our iTunes product."

Mobile phone maker Sony-Ericsson will launch high-quality digital Walkman mobile phones in March to benefit from the surge in the mobile music business, which it expects to be a major growth area in 2005 reports indiatimes.

Sony Ericsson will integrate high quality digital music players into stylish mobile phones under the Walkman brand. This, it said, will create a compelling proposition for the consumers capable of redefining the digital music market reports techtree

Nokia the world's leading phone maker, announced an alliance with Microsoft to allow mobile subscribers to load music from a PC onto their phones -- much the way that a digital music player works.

Motorola and Apple announced a few weeks ago, a partnership to offer iTunes on Motorola handsets.

According to the Pew Internet and American Life Project Some 14% of men have the iPods/MP3 players, compared to 9% of women. The Pew research was based on a nationwide phone survey involving 2,201 people and has a margin of error of plus or minus two percentage points. Umm Speaking on iPod mine just died - I am devastated, time to add to that 14%. Here are some of the other results

The consumer electronics retailer Circuit City says it has received an acquisition proposal from Highfields Capital Management, offering to pay $17 a share for the company's outstanding stock. Highfields Capital Management LP, a Boston hedge fund who controls about 8 percent of Circuit City's stock, offered $3.3 billion for the chain. According to nwherald.com some analysts think the $3.25 billion cash offer is too low and that the retailer can work its way out of a financial slump. Investors on the other hand appear to like the idea, Circuit City's stock jumped 16 percent, or $2.30, to close at $16.53 Tuesday on the New York Stock Exchange amid speculation there will be a higher bid. Circuit City says its board plans to evaluate Highfields' proposal and other alternatives. Circuit City also said the retailer could better execute a business plan as a private company that does not have to disclose its strategy.

Macrovision Corp, yesterday unveiled a new technology touted to block 97 percent of the DVD-copying software used by Internet pirates, without interfering with a DVD's play ability or picture quality. Going by the name RipGuard, the system can be included in personal computers, DVD players and DVD recorders, to plug the digital hole through which unauthorized versions of DVD films can be easily copied on a computer and then "burned" to other discs or put online for downloading reports xinhuanet.com. "Macrovision RipGuard DVD is designed to dramatically reduce DVD ripping," Steve Weinstein, head of the company's entertainment technologies unit, said in a statement Tuesday. It is estimated that unauthorized DVD copying cost Hollywood studios about 1 billion out of the 27.5 billion dollars they collected from worldwide DVD sales and rentals in 2004.

Burn 1.3 million songs for 14.95 ? OK that is definitely an Apple iTunes killer. I think I am having a change of heart towards Napster-to-Go, I totally love it, granted it is just wrong what has brought on the change, OK enough ranting, what made napster infamous, looks to tarnish the company's attempt at being straight and legal. Someone has some how hacked the Napster to go service which offers access to 1.3 million songs for a small rental fee, the catch is that when you stop paying you no longer have access, the hack converts Napster-to-Go file into WAV files, to be burned to CDs or re-encoded to your compressed music file of choice. * NOTE it is so wrong to steal, I mean on how earth is Britney supposed to pay for Kevin's outfits if you steal her music. I know you don't want to see Mariah wearing flats, that is just wrong. Burning through Napster's collection, free

The Motorola SLVR V8 aka the candy bar Razr was announced yesterday at 3GSM World Congress in Cannes. Features of the SLVR V8 include: 126 x 220 pixel 262K color TFT display, EDGE high-speed data, Mini USB, VGA camera with 4x zoom and MPEG-4 recording, Bluetooth 2, TransFlash memory card slot and Push-to-Talk.

Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), yesterday announced their latest updates to the AMD-8000 series x86 Opteron Processors. The AMD-8132 HyperTransport PCI-X 2.0 tunnel brings high-performance PCI-X 2.0 connectivity to Opteron processor-based systems. The processors now also come with increased throughput and enhanced HyperTransport technology. HP has announced that a new range of blade servers and workstations will be based around the AMD Opteron.

'This is a great day,' said Marty Seyer, AMD's VP and General Manager of Microprocessors. 'For a long time we have wanted to partner with a tier one manufacturer and now this partnership with HP will project us into the mainstream.'

Senior vice president and general manager, Industry Standard Servers, HP Brad Anderson told the media: "Customers want products that improve productivity, help make decisions faster, reduce time-to-market delivery schedules, and are designed to support virtual machine environments."
- Via TecHWhack

Corega, Japan, has announced the "CG-PMPPOD" a new HDD portable videoplayer. The "CG-PMPPOD" features a 7" TFT liquid crystal panel - resolution 720x480 dot, 1.8 inches 20GB HDD, supports WMV9 (352x288 dot /30fps), Quick Time 6 (640x480 dot /30fps), DivX 4.x/5.1/5.2 (720x480 dot /30fps), DivX 3.11 (352x288 dot /30fps) video formats, AV output (composite/analog sound), supports video output from HDD - television, sound recording in MP3 , voice recorder, supporting playback of MP3/WMA music formats, JPEG , BMP (largest 1,500x1,200 dot), GIF ( 800x600 dot) image support - file size must be 16mb or less and USB 2.0 interface. Continual playback time, with playback of video approximately 3 hours, approximately 12 hours sound only

Measures 115x192x28mm and weighs approximately 570g. Available in Japan on February 15th. 59,800 Yen.

via impress.co.jp

Verizon Communications, yesterday agreed to acquire long-distance provider MCI Corp for $6.75 billion, a move, considered by some in response to the acquisition of AT&T by SBC Communications. The purchase price was about a half billion dollars below what Qwest offered for MCI, which recently changed its name from WorldCom after emerging from bankruptcy and a multibillion-dollar accounting scandal. Bloomberg reports MCI Inc.'s agreement to be bought by Verizon Communications Inc. for $6.75 billion faces opposition from MCI shareholders who own 11 percent of the telephone company and say the offer undervalues their holdings. Three of MCI's top six shareholders: John Paulson at Paulson & Co.; Bruce Berkowitz at Fairholme Capital Management LLC and Leon Cooperman at Omega Advisors Inc., said MCI, the No. 2 long- distance telephone company, should reconsider a higher bid from Qwest Communications International Inc. or stay independent.

Under the agreement, Verizon will pay $4.795 billion worth of its stock and $488 million in cash for MCI's shares. In addition, MCI shareholders will be paid dividends worth $1.463 billion reports thestate.

The deal with Verizon represents the latest buyout of a major long-distance provider by a Baby Bell within the last 30 days, following San Antonio-based SBC Communications' $16 billion acquisition of AT&T Corp.

The deal would give MCI shareholders about $20.75 per share based on the stock's closing price Friday. Verizon shares fell 12 cents, or 0.3 percent, to $36.19 yesterday. Qwest shares fell 17 cents, or 4.1 percent, to $3.98.

Panasonic, yesterday announced its new GSM product line-up for the year 2005 at 3GSM World Congress in Cannes, France.

Models include :

The VS series - slim, clamshell-designed phones with exchangeable covers:

VS7: 2.5" LCD display with approximately 16 million colors; 2 megapixels camera; 19 mm thick

VS3: 2.2" LCD display with approximately 16 million colors; 1.3 megapixels camera

VoodooPC has announced the launch of a new thin and light notebook computer featuring the new Intel "Sonoma" Centrino Platform. The Voodoo ENVY m:515 features new technology from Intel and Nvidia. It offers a faster bus speed, faster memory, and superior wireless performance than previous Centrino models. Also featuring new PCI Express graphics from mVidia, the Envy m:515 is thin and light, with strong graphics performance.

Starting at $2800, the Voodoo ENVY m:515 is the latest entry into the gaming notebook category. - Seen at Gizmodo

Motorola, yesterday introduced the A1010 Handset at 3GSM World Congress. The A1010 smartphone features Symbian 7 with UIQ 2.1, WCDMA and GSM support, WCDMA 2100 , GSM 900/1800/1900 MHz , 2 mega pixel camera for still shots plus VGA camera for video conference , 208 x 320 TFT display, TransFlash Memory , A-GPS , Bluetooth and USB and E-mail and Instant Messaging

Expected to be available in Q4 - via PhoneArena

Motorola and Oakley have announced the development of sunglasses with Bluetooth attached to them AKA RAZRwire. The device weighs less then 20 grams, supports Bluetooth 1.2 specification with up to 6 hours of talk time and about 100 hours of standby time. Expected to be available in Q3 - via phonearena

The DiBoom DB-MP3-0210 is a new portable music player from Dibon Technology of Shenzhen China. The player features 2 or 5GB drive, OLED display, voice recording, FM radio, line-in, integrated li-ion battery, English-Chinese dictionary and is USB 2.0 mass-storage compatible. via Engadget

Motorola, yesterday introduced the PEBL V6 handset at 3GSM World Congress. The PEBL features: triband GSM, EDGE high-speed data downloading, 262k color display with a 176x220 resolution inside, and a smaller 96x32 CLI display on the outside, built-in VGA camera is capable of taking still photos as well as recording MPEG4 video clips. MMS/SMS messaging support and 5MB of internal storage. The PEBL V6 measures 49mm x 86.5mm x 20mm and weighs 110g (3.7oz). Its 740mAh batter should provide anywhere from 200 to 400 minutes of talk time and from 150 to 250 hours of standby time. Motorola expects the PEBL V6 to be available in the second half of 2005. via MobileBurn

Motorola, yesterday introduced the E1120 a Sleek 'n' smooth candy bar handset at 3GSM World Congress. Features include built in three Megapixel camera with 8x digital zoom, 30 lux lamp for extra lighting and a dedicated camera shutter key, enhanced streaming capabilities, crystal clear playback and recording of more than 25 frames per second which can all viewed on the large, QVGA color display (320x240 pixel LCD screen), Bluetooth, barcode scanning software, media player compatible with Windows Media, and a TransFlash memory card sloy. This handset also includes 3D audio and dual polyphonic speakers . via Engadget

Visa, Microsoft and online marketplace eBay on Monday announced a global service to combat identity theft on the Internet with reported "phishing" incidents reports the Financial Times. The Phish Report Network was launched as more than 10,000 online security experts gathered in San Francisco for the RSA conference the industry's biggest annual event. Visa, Microsoft, eBay, its payment subsidiary PayPal and security firm WholeSecurity said the Phish Report Network was the Internet's first global anti-phishing aggregation service.

The new 24" Widescreen UltraSharp 2405FPW Flat Panel Monitor from Dell is touted to offer the ultimate display experience. Targeted for computing enthusiast and graphics professionals, the 2405FPW features 1920x1200 Native Resolution, 12ms (typ) Response Time, Dual input support, P-I-P (Picture-in-Picture) , and a 4 port USB Hub and 9-in-1 card reader.

via Gizmodo

Atari announced yesterday that it has reached an agreement with Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment to develop and publish The Matrix: Path of Neo. Atari, Shiny Entertainment and the Wachowski brothers, will work together on The Matrix: Path of Neo. (PS2). The Matrix: Path of Neo will allow players to play as Neo and participate in some of his milestone sequences from the films. The game will feature the likenesses of all the major actors, including Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Ann Moss and Hugo Weaving reports GameSpy

Microsoft and contract electronics group Flextronics have announced Peabody, a new mobile phone platform. Peabody phones will be GSM based and will run Windows Mobile software. Available only to Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), Peabody is a low-cost, feature-rich Original Design & Manufacture (ODM) platform developed by both companies. Peabody can be brought to market quickly, cost-effectively and at high volumes. The Peabody models will include cameras for video and will use the Windows media player technology for playback. The mobile phones, despite the cost, will include high specifications.

Nokia yesterday introduced the new edition of the Series 60 Platform. The Series 60 Platform 3rd Edition will enable Series 60 handset manufacturers to create smartphones for various user segments, device formats and better target high volume consumer markets. Furthermore, Series 60 3rd Edition with the latest version of Symbian OS forms an unparalleled combination, enabling licensees to design enterprise grade devices. The Series 60 3rd Edition, which runs on Symbian OS v9.0, will be available for licensees in mid-2005.- MORE

Pentax has announced the OptioS5N, the Optio50, the *istDS.

The Pentax OptioS5N uses Pentax's proprietary Sliding Lens System to create 3x zoom lens, which is just 20.5 mm wide, can capture VGA-quality movie clips, 2.0-inch LCD. The five Megapixel Optio S5n will be in the shops in March - approx. $386.

The Pentax Optio50 is a new compact five Megapixel digital camera with a 3x optical zoom lens and a 1.8-inch LCD screen.

The silver-colored 6.1 megapixel Pentax *istDS features a 2.0-inch LCD, top shutter speed of 1/4000th sec and RAW image capture.

via Engadget

Nokia, together with Loudeye Corp., yesterday unveiled a mobile music platform for operators. The white label platform enables operators to launch a comprehensive branded mobile music service for their customers with a minimum amount of effort and resources. The mobile music platform is designed to allow users to browse, search, listen, and download either to the device or the user's PC, full length songs and RingTunes (MasterTones) using an operator branded music application on their mobile device. Customers can also use their personal computer and an operator customized PC client to access the music shop via the Internet. Additionally, users can synchronize their music collection with their mobile device. The PC client will be based on the Windows Media Player, which has built-in support for mobile music formats, including WMA, and will also support the AAC family of codecs for mobile use.

According CNet Allison Johnson, HP's senior vice president of marketing is leaving the company. A source in the know said Johnson's decision was unrelated to Fiorina's departure and was made prior to the board's request for Fiorina's resignation. The Board apparently begged Allison to stay. Johnson, one of Fiorina's closest advisers at the company, took care the company's public-relations campaign during the acquisition of Compaq Computer as well as the "+HP = everything is possible" advertising campaign). Johnson heads off to become vice president of worldwide marketing communications at Apple Computer. Word of Johnson's planned departure comes less than a week after Fiorina was ousted by HP's board.

Nokia, today announced 3 new handsets at 3GSM World Congress - the Nokia 6101, the Nokia 6680 and the Nokia 6681

Nokia 6101
The Nokia 6101 features a Clamshell design, Xpress audio messaging and a VGA camera.

Nokia 6680
The Nokia 6680 is a 3G Series 60 handset. The 6680 also works on GSM networks (GSM 900/1800/1900, EDGE and WCDMA). Features: Always-on email with document viewer, 1.3 Megapixel camera and VGA camera for video calls and HTML browser

Nokia 6681
The Nokia 6681 is the smallest Series 60 handset to date. Features include a 262k color screen, 1.3 Megapixel camera, Push-to-talk and EDGE

Sendo, today announced the Sendo X2 at 3GSM World Congress. Features of the phone include: 1.3 megapixel camera with 8x digital zoom and video recording, 32MB memory, miniSD slot, Bluetooth / USB (charging by USB as well), 2.2" 65K color TFT display and Series 60 . Size: weighs 95 grams and is 18mm thick. via MobileTracker

Sony Ericsson, today announced the Z800 Clamshell style 3G handset at 3GSM World Congress. Features include: Bluetooth / IrDA / USB, Memory Stick Duo slot (comes with 64MB card), 1.3 Megapixel Motion Eye rotating camera with 4x digital zoom and 176 x 220 pixel display. The Sony Ericsson Z800 will be available in Q2. via MobileTracker

Sony Ericsson, today announced the K600 3G mobile phone at 3GSM World Congress. The slim handset features dual mode UMTS-GSM/GPRS 900/1800/1900 and offers a 1.3 megapixel digital camera and a 1.8" 262K color display. The K600 will be commercially available in Q3 2005. Mobile Tracker

Motorola, today announced the much talked "iTunes phone"-- Motorola E1060 at 3GSM World Congress. The 3G handset features include: 1.3 megapixel camera, Video calling, TransFlash card slot (to store those MP3s) and Bluetooth. - via MobileTracker

GSPDA, today announced the Xplore M68 smartphone at 3GSM World Congress. Features of the M68 include Palm OS Garnet, Bluetooth, 1.3 megapixel integrated camera for vibrant photos; 32 MB RAM / 64 SDRAM flash memory; 2.2" 64K color display and SD/MMC Card expansion. The Palm OS powered smartphone is available now in France, Germany, Italy and Spain.

via Mobile Tracker

Here is a First Look at the candy-bar RAZR V3, this baby goes by the name Motorola Royale Blade V8. via Engadget

-Source

Specs after jump

Sony Pictures will release "XXX," "Hellboy," "Resident Evil 2" and "Once Upon A Time in Mexico" titles on the Universal Media Disc (UMD) video format that plays on the new PlayStation Portable handheld entertainment system for the North American market. The UMD format designed initially for use with the PSP, holds about 1.8GB of content. The disc can hold up to two hours of DVD-quality music videos or four hours of standard quality. The 4 titles will be released on April 19, additional titles to be released monthly thereafter. Movies on UMD will be produced in 16:9 widescreen aspect ratio and encoded using advanced AVC compression reports physorg.

According to Bloomberg News, Qwest Communications International Inc. has increased it's bid from 6.3 billion to more than $7 billion for MCI Inc. The increase tops an earlier bid by Verizon Communications Inc. Qwest made the offer to MCI on Friday, Bloomberg said in a report on its Web site. Verizon had matched a $6.3 billion takeover offer by Quest earlier in the week. Shares of MCI closed up 1.42 percent at $20.75 in Friday trading on Nasdaq. Meanwhile, Verizon shares gained 0.75 percent to close at $36.31 and Quest closed at $4.15 in trading on the New York Stock Exchange.

Japan's electronics giant Sony recently showed off the "QUALIA 006" a 70-inch rear-projection TV set, featuring three full-HD spec (1920x 1080-pixel) reflection LCD panels "SXRD" on its optical unit which creates smooth and film-like images. Sony will put it on the market in March with a price tag of 1.68 million yen (USD 16,000).

- Seen at UberGizmo

Stockist - AudioCubes is offering the Sony Qualia 017 MD player for $2,399.00USD. The futuristic Sony Qualia 017 features an HD digital amplifier touted to give out a nice and rich sound. Sony Qualia MDR-EXQ1 earphone is included that supports an output of 101dB/mW at a frequency response of 5Hz - 24kHz. The material of the body is brass coated by palladium, which is used for coating luxury watches and fountain pens. Comes with 2 ultra stylish colors.

Scientists have created a printer that could allow them to "print" human skin.

Scientists at The University of Manchester have developed breakthrough technology which will allow tailor-made tissues and bones to be grown, simply by inputting their dimensions into a computer. Professor Brian Derby, who is Professor of Materials Science in the University's School of Materials, and head of the Ink-Jet Printing of Human Cells Project research team, said: "It is difficult for a surgeon to reconstruct any complex disfiguring of the face using CT scans, but with this technology we are able to build a fragment which will fit exactly. We can place cells in any designed position in order to grow tissue or bone."

Sony UK, has announced the XDR-M1 a new DAB FM walkman that offers a four-line backlit LCD display complete with clock. Other features include a capacity to store over 40 of your favorite stations and built-in FM radio. The XDR-M1 comes in a black acrylic and brushed silver aluminium casing. Sony has yet to set the price for the player.

via Gizmodo

Denon Corporation, Japan gas announced the "PMA-SA1" High End Integrated Stereo Amplifier set for release in Japan late February. 693,000 Yen. The flagship PMA-SA1 is an update to Denon's 1993 S1 amplifier. SA stands for (Sensitive & Advanced). The PMA-SA1 adpots UHC(Ultra Hight Current)-MOS. ultra-high-current (UHC) MOS is praised for its ability to drive speakers while preserving the delicate details of high-quality music recordings.

Measures 434x508x181mm and weighs 30kg.

Carleton S. Fiorina, the former chief executive of Hewlett-Packard, will receive a severance package worth about $21.4 million, and stands to gain at least $21.1 million more reports the New York Times. Carly Fiorina announced her resignation after pressure from Hewlett-Packard's board of directors on Feb. 9. 2005. In her absence HP have announced that Robert P. Wayman, HP's chief financial officer, will be fulfilling the role of CEO, and Patricia C. Dunn, a HP director, will be filling the role of chairman of the board.

Speaking on behalf of the Hewlett Packard board, Patricia Dunn had the following to say about Fiorina's departure:

Carly Fiorina came to HP to revitalize and reinvigorate the company. She had a strategic vision and put in place a plan that has given HP the capabilities to compete and win. We thank Carly for her significant leadership over the past six years as we look forward to accelerating execution of the company's strategy.

The additional 21 million reflects the estimated value of her pension, stock options and Hewlett stock holdings, which the company did not include in her severance package.

The Breakdown of what Carly will see - via New York Times

o2 Germany is expected to show off their latest UMTS offer Surf@home at the CeBIT trade show in March. Surf@home is expected become an alternative to fixed-line Internet access and works with o2's UMTS network. Features include 384 Kbit/s support, includes a Surf@home box. The O2 Surf@home box contains a UMTS radio interface and a W-LAN interface to connect to the PC, Notebook etc. The usage is charged based on online time. i4u reports the UMTS home modem comes in handy for people who cannot get a DSL line into their home.

via i4u

Software Giant, Microsoft and drug company Pfizer are taking aim at those advertisements for fake Viagra that constantly flood in-boxes. The two companies yesterday announced they had filed 17 lawsuits against online pharmacies they say sent hundreds of millions of unwanted e-mail ads, or Spam, to users of Microsoft's Hotmail e-mail program last year alone. Pfizer and Microsoft filed parallel lawsuits against two international Web sites -- CanadianPharmacy and E-Pharmacy Direct -- that sell illegal versions of Pfizer's Viagra. The companies claim they hope to lower the number of junk mails people receive in their inboxes. With health, sexual aid drugs and pornography being the most popular subjects for spam messages. "If you've ever received unwanted spam, you've probably received spam about Viagra," said Microsoft attorney Aaron Kornblum.

Nokia and Macromedia yesterday announced a licensing agreement that will integrate Macromedia Flash technology into Series 60 Platform. Series 60 becomes a reference platform for Macromedia's mobile Flash technology, and Macromedia will implement new versions of its mobile Flash technology on Series 60. Nokia has also agreed to support Flash in its other software platforms. The agreement will provide opportunities for the 1.8 million registered developers in Forum Nokia and the more than one million Macromedia Flash developers to create new compelling Flash content and applications for mobile phones to be deployed through operators worldwide. This will enable operators to quickly and cost-efficiently build rich, innovative services for their subscribers using Series 60-based devices. - MORE

Yahoo! has released a beta version of its toolbar for the Mozilla Firefox Web browser. The free download comes with most of the features that accompany Yahoo!'s toolbar for Microsoft's Internet Explorer. According to Yahoo! spokeswoman Stephanie Ichinose since Firefox launched their Web browser late last year, the demand has been so strong for this development. Yahoo! will allow users to create bookmarks and custom buttons, to search within an opened Web site, view past searches, and add a site's available RSS or Atom feed to My Yahoo!. The toolbar provides links into a range of Yahoo! services beyond Web search, including Yahoo! Mail and Yahoo! News.

If you are now returning from vacation, and somehow missed the big news in business this week, Carly Fiorina Hewlett-Packard's Chairman and CEO, considered one of the most powerful women in corporate America announced her resignation after pressure from Hewlett-Packard's board of directors on Feb. 9. 2005.

Possible reasons for Carly's ouster - failure to execute her ambitious plan for HP, the boards' inability to work constructively with her, oh and that Compaq deal still looms

BusinessWeek has a special Insider story on the road Carly went down at HP which ultimately lead to her being kicked out, one very interesting piece from the story is that Fiorina held separate meetings with at least four high profile CEOs on how to make a 'graceful exit' from HP in December 2004 according to Industry sources. The CEOs included Cisco Chief Executive John T Chambers and Intel President Paul S. Otellini. Fiorina apparently told the CEOs she was feeling some pressure from HP's board and inquired about ways to save face. * not confirmed.

Now Carly is out, Patricia C. Dunn, is the new chairwoman - New York Times has a great profile on Patricia C. Dunn, who has shunned the role of celebrity as much as Ms. Fiorina sought it out

International Business Machine's (IBM) 2004 Global Security Index Report published by consulting arm of the world's largest computer company is flexing its psychic muscle, prediction - the trend of viruses and worms for mobile devices, such as cell phones, PDAs and Pocket PCs, is expected to grow in 2005. According to the report desktop viruses and worms contributed to this threat with Bagle, Netsky and MyDoom making a large impact. CoolTechZone reports IBM stated many viruses and worm makers will not copy many of the previously released worms and viruses, but in fact, there will be new ones - made from the ground up. The company posed wireless standards, such as Bluetooth, as a potential risk for targets, since they allow for an open access. Australian IT reports IBM's report draws on data from 500,000 electronic devices.

It details a range of challenges that computer users faced in 2004 and extrapolates from early warning signs what sort of new threats electronics users are likely to face this year.

Known computer viruses grew by 28,327 in 2004 to bring the number of old and new viruses to 112,438, the report said. In 2002, only 4,551 new viruses were discovered.

LordPercy reviews the Nokia 7710 widescreen multimedia smartphone touted to keep you organized, entertained, and in the know-

Quote 'As a phone the GSM 900/1800/1900 7710 offers excellent RF performance, the calls we made were all crystal clear even in an area of low signal strength, the unit seems quite tenacious in holding onto calls other phones would easily have dropped. While we are on the subject of dropping, the Nokia 7710 is one rugged smartphone, the overall build quality is very good and we were only really concerned by what damage could be done to the screen if the phone was in a pocket near sharp objects, the supplied pouch is ok but not a real protective case." - Read More