Sanyo made headlines last week with a waterproof 52-inch LCD in full HD (note: we resisted saying it made a splash), but there are actually larger versions already on the market. Earlier this year, for example, we saw a water-resistant 57-inch HDTV from Aquavision, and now there's a model that dwarfs its competitors. » Read the rest of the entry..

Updated 6/23/08 with information about the sensors. In an interesting turn, JVC's newest hard-disk-based HD camcorders--the Everio GZ-HD40, GZ-HD30, and GZ-HD10--will support AVCHD in addition to its traditional MPEG-2 formats. This is a great idea, at least for the interim, since it theoretically provides you with more flexibility in your video-editing options--especially if its AVCHD files aren't supported right out of the gate--and allows it to deliver high bit rate video beyond the 24Mbps maximum for AVCHD. Plus, the camcorders include FireWire (i.Link) interfaces, which many of today's models have dropped, for dealing with MPEG-2's HDV-compatible datastream. » Read the rest of the entry..

While everyone and his dog is releasing tiny laptops, Samsung is still pouring its heart into mid-sized machines. One such device is the R410, which we first had a look at back in May at Samsung's Korean headquarters.

Back then, we said it was an "absolute steal", thanks to its £499 price tag and generous specification. Today, little's changed apart from a slight design tweak. It still packs a 14.1-inch screen, a 1.83GHz CPU, 2GB of RAM, a 320GB hard drive, a DVD rewriter, a 1.3-megapixel webcam and Vista Home Premium. » Read the rest of the entry..

f you ever dreamed as a child (or as an adult) of owning a car like KITT of Knight Rider fame, you're dream is about to come true...sort of. Unless you're rolling in money, you can't have the actual Trans Am or David Hasselhoff, but you can have the next big thing. Word on the street is Mio Technology is prepping to release a Knight Rider-themed portable navigation system that uses the actual voice of William Daniels (the actor who provided the voice of KITT) to present you with audible directions. » Read the rest of the entry..

The Acer Aspire One arrives fashionably late to the mini laptop party, but it sashays in with flair. Available in either Linux or Windows XP versions, the One is attractive, lightweight and offers great performance for a low price. Does it spoil the netbook night for the Eee PC?

Acer says the Aspire One is not a laptop. It might look and smell like one, but the company has gone to great lengths to promote the message that the One is an 'Internet device'. Others, such as Intel, refer to it as a netbook -- a new category of device spawned by the Asus Eee PC 701. You, friends, can call it what you want. We'll stick with mini laptop.

Despite its lateness to the party, the One has pretty much everything it takes to be a market leader. It's attractive and lightweight. It offers solid performance and it's easy to use. Most importantly, however, is its price: the entry-level One costs a very pocket-friendly £220. » Read the rest of the entry..

We already know you want an Eee PC 901 -- everybody does. But you also want the Acer Aspire One, don't you, you Internet-loving netbook fiend? We happen to have them both in the house, so we thought we'd stick them side by side and write a few words that'll help you choose which is right for you.

The Eee PC 901 has already wowed us. Its 8.9-inch screen, 1.6GHz Intel Atom processor, 1GB of RAM and 20GB solid-state hard drive -- plus 20GB of free online storage -- is pretty much perfect for this sort of product, as is the 4+ hours of real-world battery life from the 6600mAh battery pack. The £319 price tag isn't bad either. » Read the rest of the entry..

As it inevitably had to do, Sony today announced the flash-memory version of its HDR-SR11 hard-disk-based HD camcorder, replacing the older CX7. A tad smaller than the CX7 by one or two tenths of an inch in every dimension, it uses the same 12x zoom lens and 5.6-megapixel ClearVid CMOS sensor that drives the SR11 (and its line mates, the SR10 and SR12). Since it's smaller than the SR models, it uses the same 2.7-inch LCD as its predecessor. » Read the rest of the entry..

In an effort to improve upon the light sensitivity characteristics of its prosumer AVCHD camcorders, Panasonic has switched to a new three-chip MOS system dubbed "3MOS" for its newly announced HDC-SD100 and HDC-HS100 models. The company claims the new sensors provide about twice the photo-sensitive area as the CCDs used by its last-generation model, the HDC-SD9. However, Panasonic did not indicate the resolution of the chips; it's likely relatively low, as most three-chip solutions tend to be. As I guessed, the chips are fairly low resolution--520,000 pixels for 16:9 video--and they're tiny, 1/6-inch versions. The new models also have a new 12x zoom lens, extended over the 10x zoom in the SD9. (Since most of our complaints about the SD9 revolved around the lack of sharpness and poor low-light quality, I'm quite curious to see how the new models fare.) » Read the rest of the entry..

From here on in, the Spurs Engine will be known as the Toshiba Quad Core HD Processor, and it'll star in a range of new Qosmios, namely the 15.4-inch F50, the 18.4-inch G50, and 17-inch X300 gaming rig.

The Toshiba Quad Core HD system is essentially a co-processor consisting of four separate Cell CPUs -- the PlayStation 3 uses a single one, although slightly different -- working alongside the main CPU. Whereas graphics cards are dedicated to moving polygons around, Quad Core HD is dedicated to handling video. One of its uses is to turn standard-definition footage from a DVD or an MPEG file into high-definition 1080p. It does this by upscaling the video, applying proprietary "video-manipulation technology" to reduce artefacts, and interpolating it to fill in any gaps. » Read the rest of the entry..

The Asus U2E Deluxe Edition (32GB solid state) improves on its springtime sibling by adding a 32GB solid-state hard drive. The result of the SSD is improved battery life and better performance. While you won't be gaming on this ultraportable, it's still great for day-to-day tasks.

How many dead cows does it take to make a laptop? In the case of the Asus U2E deluxe edition, it's at least one: it comes with a leather finish on the lid. It does also have some interesting stuff going on inside, thanks to its solid-state hard drive, which distinguishes it from the U2E we reviewed earlier this year. If you're tempted, it'll set you back the not inconsiderable sum of £1,300.

Strengths The first thing you notice about the U2E is its quirky styling. Instead of the shiny black chassis we've come to expect from pricey ultraportables, this one is decked out in brown leather. The leather is used not only on the lid, but also inside surrounding the keyboard and trackpad. The finish may not be to everyone's taste, but one thing you can say for it over more glossy designs is that at least it doesn't show fingerprints. » Read the rest of the entry..