Hi-tech Frontier

Cowon D2 PMP Cowon's D2 portable media player never was much of a looker, and needless to say, neither is the replacement D2+. This somewhat bulky PMP sports a bezel that's remarkably thick, though it does boast a built-in DMB TV tuner, SD / SDHC / MMC expansion slot, FM radio, USB 2.0 connectivity and BBE+ sound enhancement . There's no apparent word on pricing , but we suspect Cowon will clear that up whenever this thing pops official in the North American market.

Beambox Evolution R-1 pico projector You may recall Beambox as the company that brought us the very tiny Beambox Pocket Projector . Well, its newest model, the just-announced Evolution R-1 is not quite as compact (though it's still pretty tiny), but it looks like it will pack a lot more punch than its predecessor. The R-1 will boast an LCoS chip, a brightness of 30 lumens, with a 200:1 contrast ratio and VGA (640 x 480) resolution, and will be capable of projecting an up to 100-inch image . The little guy will also have up to 4GB of onboard Flash memory, plus a microSD slot . The pico -- which weighs in at 175 grams -- is expected to ship around March 20th. It looks like the projector is going to run you £250 ($360), and be available in black, red, silver and white .

Kensington SlimBlade TrackBall Mouse Kensington promised us that the SlimBlade Trackball would turn us into "smooth operators," and we certainly felt retro behind the ball -- we hadn't used a trackball since the original Kensington Turbo Mouse. Muscle memory issues and a loss of efficiency drove us back to our trusty MX Laser after just an hour or so, but overall the Slim Blade is a nice little peripheral with some slick drivers -- mode changes pop up in an HUD, and spinning the ball latitudinally works like a scroll wheel -- so if you're a trackball fan, the gallery below is probably worth a long look.

Samsung PL10 Well, it looks like Samsung has learned a thing or two from all those KIRF cameras we've seen over the years, with its new 9-megapixel PL10 model packing a number of "multimedia" functions in addition to the usual picture-taking abilities. While there doesn't appear to be an e-book reader or any games to speak of, the camera will apparently handle your MP3s and video files with relative ease, and even let you whip up a quick slideshow set to the cheesy tune of your choice right on the camera. As for the camera itself, you'll have to make do without such niceties as an optical zoom, but you will get some face detection and digital image stabilization, as well as a decently-sized 2.7-inch LCD and, of course, your choice of five different colors. Look for this one to hit the UK in April for £179, or roughly $260 .

MSI X-Slim X340 We're seriously impressed -- just like the Atom-based X320, the X340 weighs just 2.8 pounds with a four-cell battery and 1366 x 768 13.4-inch screen, but it's got more horsepower with a ULV Penryn chip and GMA4500 graphics with HDMI out . Not bad, especially if this thing comes in under $1000 like we've heard -- we'll keep an eye out while you check out the rest of the pics in the gallery.

MSI Wind Top AE1900, AE2010, AE2200 touchscreen all-in-ones desktop computers Those sexy X-Slim X340s weren't the only computers MSI was showing off ahead of CeBIT . The company also had on display three new Wind Top all-in-one desktop computers : the 19-inch AE1900, 20-inch AE2010, and 22-inch AE2200, each with touchscreen display . As for specs, here's what we know: the AE2010's running on an AMD 780G chipset with Athlon 1.5GHz, 2GB DDR2 RAM, DVD burner, and 1600 x 1900 resolution . We also spotted an Intel logo on the AE1900's placard and Windows XP on its screen, but other than that, we're pretty much in the dark here. With the Hannover conference just around the corner, here's hoping that shroud of mystery is promptly lifted.

Dell Studio 15 with HD screen and Mobility Radeon HD 4570 graphics We first caught wind of an updated Dell Studio 15 when drivers for a 1555 model with ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4570 graphics popped up on Dell's support site, and surprise -- Dell Singapore's gone and posted specs and pricing. The 1555 gets more than just a GPU boost to a 512MB 4570, it's also scoring a new 15.6-inch WLED 1366 x 768 screen , so you can actually watch some of that high-def media at an appropriate res. The basic config nets you all the new stuff plus a 2.4GHz P8600 Core 2 Duo, 3GB of RAM and a 250GB drive for S$1,599 ($1,044) , which is actually a pretty stellar deal -- let's hope this bad boy makes it Stateside, and soon.

Olympus E-620 DSLR Olympus just joined the pre-PMA pileup with the announcement of its E-620 DSLR for entry-level enthusiasts. The E-620 is a mash-up of Olympus' semi-pro E-30 and entry-level E-520 in a compact body approaching Oly's own E-420 (the world's smallest DSLR when launched). The resulting cam brings a 12.3 megapixel Live MOS image sensor with sensor-shift image stabilization, 7-point AF, TruePic III+ image processor, built-in wireless flash controller, and a fully articulating, 2.7-inch tilt-and-swivel live-view LCD . It also features Olympus' Art Filters which take in-camera image enhancements a bit beyond sepia. Expect the E-620 body to ship in May for about $700; $800 with the 14-42mm f3.5-5.6 lens .

Red 'Resident Evil 5' Xbox 360 Looks like that red Resident Evil 5 Xbox 360 bundl e wasn't just some tripped out figment of your imagination. Just moments ago, the package popped up for Xbox Live subscribers, detailing a handsome red Xbox 360 Elite with a 120GB hard drive, Resident Evil 5, Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix, and a few other odds and ends (like a handful of cables ). There's an indication that you can pre-order the kit, but at this point, we're not aware of any place to follow through. We'll keep our eyes peeled, of course.

Verizon Wireless CDM8975 It's most definitely a hit and miss affair in the push-to-talk realm, and while the (Pantech) CDM8975 doesn't deliver the sexy, it does seem to deliver the lower-end goods. This flip is priced at $99 on a two-year stint and brings a 1.3 megapixel camera, dedicated push-to-talk and speakerphone buttons, memory expandability up to 8GB, Bluetooth, and even stereo speakers . There is a $50 rebate on a 2-year plan, but Verizon seems to have decided that instead of cash, that rebate will come in the form of a debit card and not cash. Perhaps you can pay for the $5 unlimited push-to-talk services, or a case, or to courrier your letter of complaint about getting a debit card rebate and not cash? Available online now and in stores as of March 9th.

Motorola RAZR Lúk gilded Apparently Motorola hasn't deep-sixed the RAZR thing as we've just caught a glimpse of another version that's oh so golden, white, and headed for Korea. The new RAZR features 7.2 Mbps HSDPA, a QVGA display, Bluetooth, video calling, 18k gold plating, and a design aesthetic that hearkens back to 2004 . Otherwise, specs are as thin as interest may be in this phone.

Samsung touchscreen GT-S5600 Samsung's GT-S5600 snuck past us at MWC last week -- which was bound to happen with so many things making an appearance -- but we're catching up now. This small and potentially lower-cost touchscreen features Samsung's TouchWiz UI, some type of cam, touchscreen display, and we're sure plenty of other goodies that we still have to figure out. While Mobile-review caught sight of it at the show, Samsung seems perfectly happy to remain tight-lipped about it, so hopefully we'll catch wind of more info in the near term.

Motorola Ruby (VE1) We'll hand it to Moto here -- it truly is admirable that it didn't use all caps and no vowels to name a phone that's so strikingly similar to the original RAZR, but we can't help but doubt this thing's ability to sell. The Motorola Ruby (or VE1), will reportedly boast a 5 megapixel camera, a standard flip phone design and... well, that's about it. Or, at least that's all we know of.

Pantech Matrix PRO: $179.99, February 24th, AT&T stores We've known just about everything there is to know about Pantech's slip-sliding Matrix PRO , but those two most important tidbits have thus far eluded us. Thankfully, the pricing and availability details you've been craving since last week have finally arrived. The handset will be available on the 24th (that's tomorrow, kids) in a steel-blue metallic finish at AT&T company-owned stores and online at the carrier's website . The pain? $179.99 after a two-year service agreement and a $50 mail-in rebate.

Samsung SPH-W7100 Scared? So scared that you need to carry a 100dB alarm with a direct link to local emergency services ? Good, the SPH-W7100 is for you and your milquetoastian kin. In addition to emitting an alarm blast equivalent to your MP3 player's earbuds set at full volume, the SPH-W7100 features an SOS function that alerts local authorities to your position via GPS . The phone is being marketed at women and children in Korea for its launch next month. And having gained FCC approval back in December, Samsung might be prepared to prey upon your fears Stateside in time. Too bad you've lost all ability to hope.

LG's G910 watchphone Know what comes with exclusivity? Price gouging. Word has it that Orange's little European exclusive on LG's touch-screen G910 watchphone with HSDPA data will result in a £1,000 / €1,144 price per . That directly translates to about $1,500 but, as these things generally go, it will likely be priced closer to $1,000 (without tax) whenever it lands Stateside . With contract, however, you'll be handing over £500 and then £40 per month for what we suspect will be the next two years. Such is the life of the early adopter.

Yamaha RX-V receiver lineup It's late February which means it's time for Yamaha to roll out new receiver models across its bread-and-butter RX-V receiver lineup . Right on cue, Yammy has introduced five refreshed models, ranging from the RX-V765 to the RX-V365. The top four models now feature 4 HDMI inputs, and 1080p upscaling of analog inputs has now been sprinkled across the top three models. On the audio side, all models save the RX-V365 now play nice with Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD MA. One thing is for sure -- with prices ranging from $650 to $250 , these features combined with Yamaha's typically solid performance will put a lot of pressure on other offerings, both in the Yamaha family and out. Price: RX-V765 ($649.95) RX-V665 ($549.95) RX-V565 ($479.95) RX-V465 ($379.95) RX-V365 ($249.95)

LG 42- and 47-inch Bluetooth LH70 HDTVs Watch out, world -- LG's got two new Scarlet sets comin' atcha, and both of them sport integrated Bluetooth. The LH70 line will (at least initially) consist of two models, a 42- (39.7mm thin) and a 47-incher (40.9mm thin). Each set will feature a 100,000:1 contrast ratio, 120Hz technology, 2 millisecond response time, a USB port for connecting external media, a touch sensitive power button, DivX compatibility and an ambient light sensor to automatically adjust screen brightness in order to best fit the room and conserve energy . Per usual, there's nary a mention of price , availability or percentage chance that these make it out of South Korea, but we'll be keeping an eye out.

DALI LEKTOR 8 speakers You might not have noticed from the press shot of the LEKTOR LCR on-wall speakers , but the Danish DALI company's coated paper woofers have a deep red color to them. Based on the review at Audioholics, the treated paper used in the foorstanding LEKTOR 8's 8-inch woofers isn't just for show. Striking a contrast to what we've heard from other, more well-known Danish speaker companies (like, say, Dynaudio), the LEKTOR 8s turned in a big and bassy performance . That's not a slight on either company, and it's nice to know that you can have both Danish styling and bigger sound if that's what you're after. The wood grain vinyl wrap was the highest quality the reviewer had ever seen, and the metal accents definitely give the LEKTOR 8s a touch of class you'd expect at $1,800 per pair .

Philips Cinema 21:9 HDTV, 9000 Series and Net TV While it doesn't much matter to Yanks, Philips has some pretty stellar things going on across the pond. MyTechnology was able to attend an overseas showcase where the company finally divulged some of the Cinema 21:9's deepest, darkest secrets alongside tidbits on the soon-to-launch Net TV service and 9000 HDTV series . As for the 56-inch Cinema 21:9 , it will reportedly ship with a 2,560 x 1,080 native resolution panel, Spectra Ambilight technology, a one-millisecond response time, 200Hz Clear LCD, 80,000:1 contrast ratio, Net TV integration, five HDMI 1.3 ports, DLNA support and inbuilt WiFi .

Sony GXD-L64H1 LCD We see plenty of rugged and semi-rugged entries in the portable market, but it's not often that you see a large-screen HDTV you'd want to touch with anything other than white gloves and (clean) cotton diapers. Sony's GXD-L64H1 is one of those rare durable displays, a 65-inch LCD that scores an IP54 on the International Protection Rating scale. That means it's almost entirely dust-proof and can survive a light shower -- at least we presume that's what they're demonstrating, as the footage never shows the thing actually turning on again. The set is due to hit the market with a splash (sorry) in May at a price of ¥1,850,000, about $19,300 , making us wonder if it can float in these economic times.