This notebook from Gateway has a splash of red to liven it up a bit. There is a 15.4 inch widescreen display with a resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels. The machine is powered by the 2.16 GHz Intel Pentium Mobile Processor T4200 and it has 4 GB of RAM and a 320 GB hard drive. This notebook is intended to support gaming as well as work and web surfing and the graphics are handled by the Mobile Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500M.

The decent specs are backed up by a double layer DVD drive, a multi memory card reader and a 1.3 megapixel webcam. It also supports Wi-Fi on the 802.11 b, g or n standards. It comes pre-installed with Windows Vista Home Premium with Service Pack 1. There are three USB ports which seems a bit limited but on the whole this is a nice machine for the $545.27 price tag.

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This smart phone has a 3.1 inch color touch screen and a slide out full QWERTY keyboard. With support for 3G and Wi-Fi you can access the web and Palm’s Synergy technology helps you pull together contacts and calendar and keep up with emails easily. You can view all your appointments or contacts drawn from various sources and you can use IM as well as email to chat. The phone comes with 8GB of storage as standard and it has a built in 3 megapixel camera with flash and extended depth of field.

The screen supports a resolution of 320 x 480 pixels. There is also a headphone jack and you can use the phone as a digital audio player. There is an App Catalog available and you can buy and download applications directly. It comes with a travel charger, carry pouch, USB cable and a 3.5mm stereo headset. These kinds of specs are commonplace now as everyone tries to compete with the iPhone. The Palm Pre does a reasonable job of providing an alternative but the App store can’t compete with Apple’s. On the other hand this phone has a proper keyboard.

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The peculiar HP DreamScreen has been released. It comes in two varieties and this is the larger 13 inch version. It is basically a portable wireless screen which can display photos, video or music. There are touch sensitive controls around the frame and it is easy to wirelessly access your digital entertainment using HP MediaSmart. The built in Wi-Fi at 802.11 b or g allows you to connect to your existing home network and access the internet or files from your PC.

You can use it to check Facebook or listen to the radio and it also includes an alarm clock function. The screen resolution is 800 x 480 pixels upscaling to 1280 x 800 pixels. It also has 2 USB ports, a headphone port and support for 6 kinds of memory cards. It comes with a stand and remote control and is fully rechargeable. The idea is to save you booting up your computer every time you want to check Facebook. This could be a handy device but it does seem as though it should have touch screen functionality and some people won’t see the point of it at all.

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If you’re looking for a slim 32 inch HDTV which supports full high definition at a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels then this release from LG is worth checking out. Amazon is currently offering it for around $500. It has 3 HDMI ports and can be used as a PC monitor. It also has an invisible speaker system with support for Dolby Digital 5.1 and Clear Voice. The 50,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio helps to deal with dark scenes and the self calibration picture wizard helps you set up the right levels of color, sharpness, tint and backlight.

The HDTV has three modes to choose from for 24p cinema, sports and games. The TV is finished in glossy black and comes with swivel stand. This is a great choice for a smaller room and people who love to calibrate their sets and want loads of options will not be disappointed.

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The new standard USB 3.0 is approaching release in consumer products and it offers fantastic speed increases. The top speed of USB 2.0 is 480 Mbps. USB 3.0 is ten times faster at 4.8 Gbps. That means you could transfer a high definition movie which is 27 GB in size in 70 seconds. The USB 3.0 cables will feature two-way traffic as well so you can actually send and receive at the same time. In addition to carrying more data the USB 3.0 standard will pack more power so you’ll be able to recharge your devices faster than ever before.

USB 3.0 will be backwards compatible with USB 2.0 so you’ll be able to use existing ports and devices with the new cables. You just won’t get the added speed benefits unless you have a device or port that supports the new standard. Developers have been working with the new standard and although products are not expected to hit the market until next year there were some devices on show at IDF which support the new SuperSpeed standard.

There are an awful lot of options out there for portable speakers to use with your iPod or MP3 player. All the big names have an option and then there’s this effort from iLuv. This speaker is shaped like an oversized pill but the sub $30 price is easy to swallow. It only weighs about 1 pound and it isn’t much bigger than your iPod or MP3 player. The speakers offer a decent depth of sound and are surprisingly not too tinny. You’re never going to get real quality from something this size but if you need a portable option you could do worse.

The device takes three AAA batteries and there is a power indicator so you’ll know when the batteries need changing. It is compatible with any device that can use the 3.5mm jack. It also ships with a drawstring pouch for convenient carrying. This is a decent option for people who need a portable speaker.

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This 42 inch Plasma is under $600. It is only a 720p HDTV but for a 42 inch screen the price is very low. It runs at 600Hz so you’ll get smooth motion which is ideal for gaming, sports or action movies. There is even a dedicated gaming mode. The TV also has a contrast ratio of 30,000:1 for deep blacks and rich color. There is an anti-reflective filter and the TV has a wide viewing angle.

There are three HDMI inputs and the VIERA link lets you control compatible Panasonic devices using your TV remote control. You can also view photos from an SD memory card thanks to the VIERA image viewer. The panel is guaranteed for 100,000 hours which is 30 years at 8 hours a day. It also features a relatively eco friendly construction with no lead or mercury. Most people want LCD HDTVs so you can find some real bargains like this if you are willing to buy a Plasma instead.

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This is an 18 megapixel camera with dual DIGIC 4 image processors enabling you to capture images at up to ISO 12800 and at speeds of up 8 frames per second. You can capture incredible quality images at high speed with this device. As with the majority of high end cameras on the market nowadays this one can also capture video footage. In fact it can record in full high definition 1920 x 1080 pixels at 24, 25 or 30 frames per second. It can also capture in lower resolutions so you can pack more on to the memory.

It has a 3 inch LCD and an intelligent viewfinder both of which support a number of overlays such as a grid or spot metering. The light detection and auto focus are extremely advanced and backed up by color measurement. The camera body is sturdy and it connects to PC or Mac via USB. It comes with a variety of editing software and the body alone costs $1.699.99 on Amazon right now which is heavily discounted.

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This laptop is similar to the Gateway NV5814u but the lack of Intel inside makes it slightly cheaper at $529.99. It packs a 2.1 GHz AMD Athlon 64 X2 QL-64 dual core processor, 4 GB of RAM and a 320 GB hard drive. The visuals are catered for by the ATI Radeon HD 3200 graphics card and it also has a 15.6 inch high definition Ultrabright LED backlit display. There are two built in stereo speakers, a webcam and same handy keyboard shortcuts including power save, back up and touch pad lock.

Connectivity is also good with support for Wi-Fi (802.11b, g or n), 4 USB ports and 1 HDMI port. You’ll also find a multi digital media card reader. The rechargeable battery is good for at least 3 hours and a power adapter is supplied. It comes pre-installed with Windows Vista Home Premium with Service Pack 1 and a 60 day trial of Norton Internet Security. You should be able to upgrade to Windows 7 easily, in fact if you buy through Gateway you should be eligible for a free upgrade until the end of January 2010.

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The console war has really taken off in the last few weeks. First Sony announced a price drop and a new slim PS3. Following that Microsoft dropped the price of the Xbox 360. Now Nintendo have dropped the price of the market leading Wii console. The Wii is $50 cheaper than before and will be selling for $199.99 from Sunday. It looks like the package will remain the same so your money gets you a Wii with the Wii mote, Nun Chuck controller and a copy of Wii Sports.

The Wii has outsold the competition so far but sales of the console in recent weeks have dipped significantly and the PS3 is beginning to shift. Nintendo will be hoping to halt their slide with this latest move but even with a $100 difference in price the Wii is miles behind the PS3 in terms of functionality and raw power. Sony also announced recently that they will be releasing a motion sensitive controller which will bring Wii-like functionality to the PS3.