Hi-tech Frontier

Ricoh CX1 While high dynamic range is only recently getting some attention in the gaming and display worlds, for decades it's been a tool of serious photographers wanting eye-popping exposures. Now Ricoh's gone and offered it to the masses with its latest consumer digi cam, the CX1, creating a "dynamic range double shot" mode that takes two images nearly simultaneously with different exposures, then combines them automatically to present the best bits of both. It features a 9 megapixel CMOS sensor fronted by a 7.1x (28-200mm) lens and backed by a 3-inch LCD . VGA videos are a bit disappointing these days, but 120 frames per second can be captured at that resolution, which is good news for slow-mo junkies. UK release is mid-March for £299 , about $430 , and we expect/hope it'll be lighting up dim photos Stateside around the same time.

Samsung TL320 We've seen some interesting looking shooters from Samsung before, but nothing quite like this latest charmer, a 12 megapixel mystery model that's just appeared on Amazon's site. It features a 5x stabilized zoom lens on the front , which is nice and all, but the real bits of intrigue are elsewhere. Beaming back at ya will be a 3-inch OLED screen , a rarity for a digi cam, but it's also got a pair of those analog gauges we loved on the NV9 on top that show battery life and remaining storage. Sadly, other than Amazon saying it'll sell for a penny under $330 we don't know a thing about it's availability, but we'll be keeping an eye out for it and its dashing red arrows.

Shuttle XPC Barebone SX58H7 Shuttle's newfangled XPC Barebone SX58H7 is hungry, and nothing but an Intel Core i7 CPU and twin GPUs hooked up in unison can satisfy it. Those looking to pack a lot of power into a relatively small box need look no further, as Shuttle's latest SFF case comes loaded with an X58 Express chipset, 500 watt power supply, two PCI-Express 2.0 x16 slots, space for up to 16GB of DDR3 RAM and room for two SATA II hard drives . You'll also find twin gigabit Ethernet jacks and a case that looks pretty much exactly like every other Shuttle case produced in the past five years. Oh, and then there's the heart-stopping €483 ($611) price tag. Gotta hate that.

Microsoft red Xbox 360 Elite So it looks like that red Xbox 360 Elite that we heard might be on its way is, in fact, on its way. A press release for Halo Wars in New Zealand makes mention of the phantom console -- the deal is that anyone buying a new Xbox 360 will get a free copy of the game, but the fine print excludes the doesn't-yet-exist red model, because it's "exclusive to EB Games." So this is the Resident Evil 5 one? It's all so unclear. We haven't picked up on any context clues as to a time frame for release or price.

CK One and CK Be We are One MP3 Player Still looking for some more speakers you won't use after getting those Best Buy gift card speakers over the holidays? Then you may want to keep an eye out for one of these new "limited edition" bottles of CK One or CK Be , which each come paired with an " MP3 speaker " that appears to be a speaker first and an MP3 player not at all. No word on any technical specifications, as you might have guessed, though those are details probably best left unsaid. $50 and it's yours starting next month.

Intel X25-M SSDs Intel's X25-M SSD drives have certainly shown themselves more than capable enough in the usual tests and various configurations , but a long-term test report from the folks at PC Perspective is now casting a bit of doubt onto their long-term effectiveness and speediness. More specifically, they found that the sector remapping and wear-leveling algorithms that are designed to increase performance and extend the drives' lifespans were actually doing quite the opposite as the drive became increasingly fragmented after extensive use. Further complicating the matter, it seems that conventional defrag programs only make the situation worse, with the only sure way of resetting the drive's sector maps being a complete wipe of the drive. PC Perspective is quick to point out, however, that many users may well never notice the slowdown with light use, and they do have a few suggestions to minimize the problem until Intel devises a firmware fix, which is the only s...

Wii Super Famicom Classic Controller Remember that limited edition Super Famicom Classic Controller ? You know, that one that was once available only to Club Nintendo members over in Japan? By some remarkable feat of magic, wit and unmatched skill, the crew over at Play-Asia has secured stock to sell to the public at large, and wouldn't you know it, they have no issues shipping to the United States of America. Of course, you could also execute the X2Wii hack in order to make your existing SNES controller play nice with the Wii, but where's the fun in that? Unfortunately, this piece will run you just over $80 shipped, so you should make sure you're really as hardcore a gamer as you say you are before plunking down.

Philips GoGear Ariaz, Opus PMPs Philips has been keeping things relatively simple with its GoGear line as of late, but it looks to be getting back to full-on PMPs with its latest pair: the GoGear Ariaz and GoGear Opus . The GoGear Ariaz is the slightly smaller of the two, with it packing a 2-inch display, along with 4GB, 8GB, or 16GB of storage, an FM tuner, a built-in mic for voice recording , and a somewhat unique interface that includes a combination of "touchscreen buttons" and a large rocker key . The Opus, on the other hand, appears to be an updated version of one of Philips' original GoGear players , and packs a larger 2.8-inch QVGA display , your choice of 8GB, 16GB, or 32GB capacities, built-in Bluetooth , and integrated support for the BBC's iPlayer . No word on a release 'round here just yet, but both will apparently be available in Europe in April for between €79 and €179 , or roughly $100 to $230 .

Kisai Sensai watch I am not sure if you've noticed, but choosing a wristwatch just might be the most difficult decision a man or woman has to make in their entire life. If you just keep hemming and hawing, why not add a little more confusion to the mix with Kisai's Sensai? This lightweight piece is constructed from high grade aluminum , and it supposedly uses " positive shapes and negative lines " in order to create a face that's impossible to ignore . The LEDs beneath the metal tell time in code, a process that reportedly takes between eight and ten decades to master. Thankfully, instructions are provided in both English and Japanese , though native Yiddish speakers may have some difficulty piecing it all together. Purchase at your own risk.

OCZ Illuminati backlit keyboard OCZ Technology's Elixir keyboard was fine and dandy, but let's face it -- it's pretty hard to beat the awesomeness of a keyboard with lights. Today, the company is expanding its Alchemy peripheral line with the Illuminati multimedia keyboard , a board with rubber coated keys , fourteen quick launch buttons and the choice of two backlit colors (red or blue, naturally) . OCZ promises that the keys can withstand over five million cycles , and given its USB 2.0 port , it should play nice with just about any machine you jam it into. Regrettably, the company has failed to divulge a price here , but it's supposedly "attainable on all budgets" -- whatever that means.

Vuzix iWear AV310 Widescreen eyewear It's taken awhile for Vuzix's iWear AV310 Widescreen to escape the show floor and begin shipping en masse, but those looking for a little on-the-go video can finally strap a set on after handing over $249.95 . Reportedly, these things throw up a virtual 52-foot screen viewed from 9-feet (we take it that means "big"), and there's independent +2 to -5 diopter focus levels on each side in order to keep things from blurring out on you. You can also expect upwards of five hours from a single AA battery, and given the adjustable, hypoallergenic nose piece and the "comfort fit" earbuds, we'd say you just might be able to survive 5.5 (give or take) straight episodes of 24. If you're curious as to where to find a pair, head to Brookstone, SkyMall, MicroCenter, Hammacher Schlemmer or Vuzix.com.

ASUS Eee PC 1000HE ASUS's Eee PC 1000HE , which managed to garner some pretty high praise amongst reviewers, is now shipping out to eager buyers. For those that missed it, this here netbook sports a 1.66GHz Atom N280 and a high-capacity battery that could last up to 9.5 hours under perfectly ideal conditions . And for under $400, how in the world can you complain with that? If you too have received your tracking number, feel free to gloat about it in comments below. Might want to hold the actual digits close to your chest, though -- we hear netbook interceptions are on the rise.