If you didn’t have a key from a beta the last time we posted about downloading Windows Vista, rejoice. Hit up this Microsoft page, follow the instructions, and you’ll be rewarded with a download link and a valid serial to use. Then you can try it out and tell us how much it rocks/sucks, depending on your expectations of what this OS is going to do for your work/productivity/marriage/sex life. – Jason Chen

Download Link [Microsoft Live via Digg]
from gizmodo

We’ve seen plenty of weather-proof compact shooters, but Pentax is going the extra mile with their new K10D DSLR, stuffing in 72 seals for resistance to water and dust. Pentax also has a snazzy new proprietary Shake Reduction system that doesn’t require specialized anti-shake lenses, and claims to offer a 2.5 to 4 stop advantage for shots. The cam also includes a Dust Removal system to shake any dust off the CCD that might happen to get in. Pentax doesn’t stop there, they’ve tossed in an 11 point autofocus system, SDHC card support, ISO 100 to ISO 1600 sensitivity range and a 2.5-inch LCD. With a 10.2 megapixel CCD and that beefy feature set, the K10D is going to look mighty attractive when it drops in November for $900 ($1,000 with a 18-55mm lens), but the real proof is in the pics, so we’ll hold out for some hands-on reviews. Keep reading for some hot DSLR pr0n.

More info
from engadget
Continue Reading

In a world full of LCD TVs that treat PCs as second rate, I-O Data is taking a stand for those who’d like just a dash of television with their PC monitor. The LCD-TV241 rocks a 24.1-inch screen, 1,920 x 1,080 resolution, Japanese D4 input (which supports Hi-Vision), HDCP compatible DVI-D input, 1,000:1 contrast ratio, and 8ms response time. You’ll also find a built-in analog (sorry, no ISDB-T love) TV tuner with integrated PIP, a rather uninspiring remote, and a sleek array of touch-sensitive controls gracing the frame of the black (or white) panel. While that analog tuner won’t do you much good past 2011, this LCD knows your PC is your first love anyway, and can be picked up in Japan later this month for Â¥133,000 ($1,130).

[Via Akihabara News]
more info
from engadget

While we were busy covering Stevie J’s latest shenanigans yesterday, Intermec announced a new rugged fixed-mount computer, the CV30. This 6.4-inch terminal runs Windows CE.NET 5.0 or Windows Mobile 5.0 and has WiFi (802.11g) and Bluetooth built-in. Intermec is marketing this little guy to cab drivers, forklift operators and other industrial scenarios, and it goes on sale (sans price for now) September 15. Best part: the screen on the CV30 is “heated” for use in cold environments — we can just imagine workers in a refrigerated warehouse crowding around one of these things for warmth. Also on September 12, Intermec introduced the CV30′s little cousin (157 x 84 x 30mm) , the CN3, which looks basically like a ruggedized BlackBerry, except that it runs Microsoft Windows Mobile 5.0 and comes with GSM/EDGE and CDMA/EV-DO, GPS, WiFi, and Bluetooth and has a 1.3 megapixel camera built-in. Still no word on price or availability, but Intermec adds that it should be available by the end of the year. Best part about the CN3? It also comes with a built-in butane lighter. Ok, not really, but that would be pretty rad if it did.

From engadget

As if to prove a point to their comrades in the Microsoft Windows division, Microsoft Hardware has just launched nine new peripherals to show ‘em how its done. We won’t trouble you with all nine products, but the four highlights of the launch are plenty to be getting on with. Pictured above is the new Wireless Entertainment Desktop 8000, which claims to be the first wireless rechargeable backlit keyboard, and who are we to argue? The ‘board features ambient and proximity sensing, while keeping it slim at a mere 1-inch thick, and it should be available next February for $250. Next up is the do-it-all Wireless Presenter Mouse 8000, which stuffs in slide presenter, laser pointer, media remote and laser mouse functionality into its meaty girth. The Bluetooth mouse should be out mid-October for about $100. Microsoft also has the new Natural Wireless Laser Mouse 6000, with high-def laz0r tracking and intense ergonomics, and the new LifeCam NX-6000 webcam, which features 7.6 megapixel stills and 2.0 megapixel video in a minuscule package. The cam should be out in November for $100, while the Laser Mouse 6000 should follow in January for $80. Now, if only we had a shiny new OS to use these with.

Read – Wireless Entertainment Desktop 8000
Read – Wireless Presenter Mouse 8000
Read – Natural Wireless Laser Mouse 6000
Read – Microsoft LifeCam NX-6000

From engadget

Among the other unannounced-announced HTC devices at CTIA this fall: the HTC Libra (aka UTStarcom 5800). Details are yet scarce (so what else is new), but the super thin device will have a compacted keyboard (even by HTC’s standards) with an offset space bar as well as an external numeric keypad. But wait, it gets better. EV-DO Rev. A radio. Q1 2007 launch. GSM version inbound for 07. Yeah, we know, we’re pretty stoked too.

More info
from engadget

The “Solartrike” is a solar-powered bike that “can go 15-18mph and 10 miles per charge.” It sports either a 200W or 400W motor, 80W solar panel, and a 2×2 square steel frame. Prices here.

Some can be set up to go as fast as 25 miles per hour. They take 6-8 hours per charge. They can be custom designed

[via CycleSantaMonica]
from techeblog