The high-definition format wars are over – and you won: Dell customers can now get a Blu-ray laptop for under a $1,000. Available today on dell.com, movie buffs can pick up the Inspiron^TM  1525 with optional Blu-ray disc playback starting at $879.

As retailers and video rental companies expand their high-definition offerings, Blu-ray is the new “must-have” technology to help get the most out of your viewing experience.

The award-winning Inspiron 1525 laptop features a 15.4-inch high definition wide aspect display with 720p resolution. It also includes an HDMI port for easy connectivity to high resolution displays and HDTVs.

The Blu-ray player disc drive is fully backwards compatible, and will play as well as burn traditional DVDs and CDs. Consumers can also chose a Blu-ray burner drive, which is great for backing up and storing important files like digital photos, videos, financial records, etc. A Blu-ray disc will hold up to 50 GB of data, vs. 8.5 GB available on the typical DVD disc.

The lightweight Inspiron 1525 is all about self expression, allowing customers to complement their individual style with a laptop that offers designs like Chill, Blossom and Commotion, or a spectrum of vibrant colors, like Sunshine Yellow, Midnight Blue and Ruby Red.

Dell Inspiron 1525 laptops with Blu-ray disc drives incorporate Broadcom Media PC technology that allows PCs with integrated graphics to play high definition video. The high-definition video playback is enabled through a built-in dedicated accelerator located in a mini-card slot.

Like all Dell consumer laptops, the Inspiron 1525 features Dell MediaDirect technology which provides one button instant access to media files, even if the system is powered off or in hibernate. Optional accessories for a great movie watching experience include a slim travel power adapter ($80), Dell travel remote control (IR) that slips into the ExpressCard slot ($22), and Creative noise-isolation earphones ($25). The Inspiron 1525 laptop with Blu-ray is available today in the U.S., Canada and Europe.

Source dell.com

Asus has launched the “luxury high-end” ASUS U2 series that it says sets a new industry benchmark in the fusion of landmark design and powerful computing.
With design-led features, the U2 has a hand-polished stainless steel frame, with a copper etch and premium leather finish.
The notebook’s screen and keyboard joining “seamlessly” at the polished plated hinge (inspired by luxury cufflinks, apparently) while the touch pad and palm rest are positioned so users can type and navigate the cursor “in one fluid motion”.
The notebook has a back-lit 11-inch LED screen and one version features a 32GB solid state drive, which means improved shock resistance.
The embedded high-res web cam has Asus’ “SmartLogon” face recognition technology that intelligently recognises the rightful owner and only grants access following a positive facial scan while data is further protected thanks to a built-in fingerprint scanner.
The U2E-1P014E in black and the U2E-1P018E in “mocha” brown are on sale now for £1199 and £1499 respectively, sample spec highlights below:
- Intel Core 2 Duo Processor ULV U7500 (1.06GHz)
- Intel Wireless Wi-Fi Link 4965AGN Network Connection
- Intel 965GM Chipset
- Genuine Windows Vista Business
- 11.1-inch (WXGA, Colour-Shine LED backlight)
- 32GB SSD+TPM (Mocha Brown)
- 1.8-inch 120GB HDD+TPM (Black)
- 4096MB (2048MB x 2) DDRII (Mocha Brown)
- 2048MB (1024MB x 2) DDRII 667 RAM (Black)
- DVD Super Multi DL
- Webcam built-in
- Bluetooth
- 802.11a/b/g/n
- Finger print security
- Bag/mouse included
- 3+6 cell battery
- 2 years global warranty

Source pocket-lint

Good news everybody… (Professor Hubert J. Farnsworth)… My dearest friend Jun in Korea just sent me over some pictures of a pre-sample HDMI 1.3 HUB which is amazingly sexy and compact… Apparently the price will also be very attractive… This new device, which will use the code name MEDUSA, is still in the development (final stage).
Has the following specs :
-HDMI Spec 1.3
-Compliant HDCP Rev 1.2 Spec
-Wide Frequency Range : 25MHz – 225MHz
-Supports 12-bit deep color up to 1080p
-CEC support
-HDMI 3 out port
Finally, this product will be available worldwide on GeekStuff4U.com within one month.

Source akihabaranews

This USB 2.0 compatible webcam from GizFever.com comes with a suction cup for easy mounting. I’m not sure the screen solution, as suggested in the above photo, is the best of options though.

Features:

• Lens rotation for adjusting clear image
• Video Conferencing
• Workable on ICQ, MSN, Skype, etc
• Plug and play
• USB Interface
• Fully support USB 1.0 and 2.0
• Drive free for Windows XP and Vista
• Weight: 175g

Source geekalerts

Adobe has announced the immediate availability of Adobe Photoshop Elements 6 for Macintosh with the claim that software will help photography enthusiasts achieve desired results quickly and easily.
The software offers three edit modes, “Guided”, “Quick” and “Full”, to meet the needs of beginner to expert photographers. The new Guided edit mode offers step-by-step assistance to help users improve their photos.
Adobe says Photoshop Elements 6 software “streamlines” editing with clean, uncluttered spaces that draw focus to the photos, with new tabs providing easy access to the many capabilities of the program.
Additional enhancements include an improved conversion tool that converts colour images into black-and-whites, a “Photomerge” tool that creates the perfect group shot by combining the best facial expressions and body language from a series of shots and new sharing options with customised layouts for photo-themed products such as books and cards.
Adobe Photoshop Elements 6 for Macintosh runs on Leopard, (Mac OS X v 10.5.2), as well as previous versions of Mac OS X starting with 10.4.8.
Photoshop Elements 6 is immediately available at an estimated street price of £57.58. Owners of previous versions of Photoshop Elements can upgrade to Photoshop Elements 6 for £45.82.

Source pocket-lint

A-Data introduces the S701 USB flash drive and SDHC memory card Eee PC special edition. For those who recently purchased an Asus Eee PC and looking for additional storage – A-Data offers these accessories to storage your entire digital life. A-Data 8GB SDHC memory card offers larger capacities at great prices and able to store 4,000～6,000 pictures, more than 2,000 mp3 songs and 14 ~16hrs MPEG videos.

Source newlaunches

The still-new Kingston DataTraveler HyperX ($131 list), announced at CES in January, builds on memory-maker Kingston’s HyperX brand for high-speed memory. It doesn’t disappoint. It had the fastest read time among these USB flash drives. If only it didn’t cost so much! The 4GB model is $131 list, which is $60 more than comparable 4GB USB flash drive in this group. A lower-capacity (2GB) version is $74 list, and the 8GB model is a whopping $266 list. That’s more than the SanDisk Cruzer Contour costs at double the capacity (16GB for $199 list). All the HyperX USB flash drives are exclusively available on Amazon, sometimes for lower prices, depending on when you shop.

More info at pcmag

Dell will lead off the introduction of its completely overhauled Latitude E-series with mainstream models that promise both a better image and new wireless features, according to details reported today by Engadget. Besides the visual redesign, the 14-inch E6400 and 15.4-inch E6500 will be the first Latitudes in their class to bring LED-backlit displays that offer better color and light; both receive the option with a 1440×900 panel, while the larger E6500 will also have the option of a 1920×1200 screen. The systems will have the option of 256MB dedicated NVIDIA graphics (likely Quadro chipsets) to drive their sharper displays.

These and the budget E5400 and E5500 models will also have a wider range of wireless features, Dell explains in its documents. All will have the option of a GPS receiver for navigation but will also have new support for ultra-wideband for short-range wireless peripherals. Bluetooth 2.1 and “next-generation” wide-area wireless Internet will also be options, though whether this will include WiMAX or simply HSPA and EVDO Revision A is unknown.
The entire lineup will be faster. Every notebook will be based on Intel’s Centrino 2 platform and will see a dramatic improvement in performance, including memory and battery life: each system will have the option of up to 8GB of RAM and a new, 84 watt/hour extended battery for the E6400 that should allow it to run several hours on a charge.
All four systems are being readied to launch in June along with Centrino 2 and may see additional specification leaks closer to their release date.

Source electronista

Besides the economical Eee PC Asus also dabbles with high-end electronics and the new M50 lappie belongs to this segment. The fancy-shmancy piano black finish laptop boasts of a 15.4″ screen and features an integrated Blu-ray player, an HDMI (high-definition multimedia interface) port, and Dolby Home Theater surround sound technology. The cursor pad also doubles as a multimedia touchpad. Penryn processors from Intel and a choice of Windows Vista, from Basic to the Ultimate edition are all in it.

There is no word on pricing and availability of the Asus M50 laptop.

Source newlaunches

Philips has launched a new range of products into its “Streamium” wireless music offerings including the Philips WACS7500 core hub with its WAS7500 satellites, the WAS6050 wireless music station, and the Philips NP1100 network player.
The Philips WACS7500 is the new “flagship” Streamium hub while the WAS7500 satellite extenders are described as the right choice for people with extensive CD collections and numerous MP3 files saved on their PCs.
The WACS7500’s 80GB hard disk drive (half the size of the iPod classic’s) can hold about 1,500 CDs. Through a Wi-Fi connection, the WACS7500 center will automatically search and connect WAS7500 satellites to itself.
The Streamium range features an Ethernet PC connection meaning consumers can backup the system’s hard disk, upgrade features or download music tracks direct from a PC.

More info at pocket-lint