If you can force your brain to remember back to January, you may recall Sony’s curiously designed TP1 HTPC. Interestingly enough, it seems that Sony has indeed launched the device and didn’t even bother to tell anyone, but that doesn’t mean you can’t be brought up to speed. Be warned, however, that Living Room PC does not equate to high-end AV center, as this modestly-spec’d machine lacks an HD optical drive and CableCARD option. Internally, you’ll find a 1.83GHz Intel Core 2 Duo chip, 2GB of DDR2 RAM, a 300GB 7,200RPM SATA hard drive, dual-layer DVD writer, ATSC / NTSC TV tuner, GMA 950 integrated graphics set, and HDMI / DVI / VGA outputs. Moreover, Sony included a 4-pin FireWire connector, audio in / out, four USB 2.0 ports, Memory Stick / SD slots, 802.11b/g, and Vista Home Premium to run the show. So if you’re still intrigued by this ho hum (albeit Viiv-certified!) PC, you can snag it right now starting at $1,599.99.

[Via CNET]
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Take a look behind the sound board at most small-to-medium size concert venues lately and you’ll probably find the sound guy is playing the pre- and post-show tunes from an iPod jacked into the mixer — a trend Alesis is hoping to capitalize on with its new iMultiMix 9R rack mixer with built-in iPod dock. While we’ve seen a lot of mixer / iPod dock combinations in the past, this is the first we’ve seen targeted at the pro market, and it shows in the lack of chintzy features — in fact, apart from the iPod dock, you’re looking at a pretty standard seven-channel rack mixer: five mic preamps with phantom power, two line inputs (one switchable from the iPod dock to the external input), three band EQ with bandpass controls, and an effects loop. Interestingly, the unit also features a composite video output, which presumably will allow videos to be played right from connected video iPods. Expect these to start shipping later this year for around $299.

[Via iLounge]
from engadget
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Asus appears to be adding a new laptop called the F8S to its fairly crowded lineup (although we’re almost certain this one isn’t gigantic and made of wood). The new model is a Santa Rosa-based, 14.1-inch widescreen offering, built around an Intel PM965 chipset, with a Core 2 Duo T7300 processor, up to 4GB of RAM, a 160GB hard drive, and either an ATI Mobility Radeon HD 2600, or NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT graphics chipset. Word on the street is that the F8S will additionally sport 802.11a/g/n, a TV tuner, built-in webcam, fingerprint reader, and will hit for around €2000.

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ExtremeTech, known for getting down to the nitty gritty, has just given the Logitech Wave a thorough review — and they kind of like what they see. The comfort-minded keyboard with the cheapo price point might be what you need, but only if your requirements for “ergonomics” aren’t too serious. The Wave’s keys are arranged in a U-shape design, and the heights of individual letters are higher or lower in an attempt to match hand placement (taller for shorter fingers and vice versa), but that’s about it. So while the Vista-approved input device gets decent marks from ET on feel (“soft and cushy” “high-end”), they say the actual comfort factor isn’t all that noticeable. Logitech also offers a Desktop bundle which includes the LX8, an ambidextrous mouse that ExtremeTech says is good in most respects, but can’t match the feel of a right- or left-hand specific mouse. If you really need to be sure, hit the read link for the full rundown.

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