Hi-tech Frontier

Elecom's Scope Node precision mouse Usually, when a company attempts to change up the mouse it's a purely cosmetic affair. But as any ergonomist will tell you, the fundamental design of the device leaves a lot to be desired. Unlike Cyber Sport's recent outing, Elecom's Scope Node retains the same basic "mousetastic" shape, but it places the laser sensor off to the left -- where it would be if you were holding a pen. The company promises greater accuracy, though until the thing ends up on these shores we'll have to take their word for it. Available in Japan for ¥6,300 (that's about $64, Americanos).

Dell Adamo Dell's Adamo 13 might be a looker, but the 1.2GHz Core 2 Duo, X4500 graphics, and 2GB of RAM found in the $1,999 model announced last night are fairly underwhelming, and it doesn't seem like the $2,700 higher-end configuration reported by Laptop is going blow any minds either: Dell Australia has it listed with a 1.4GHz ULV Core 2 Duo, 4GB of RAM, and a built-in 3G card. That's a lot of money for integrated graphics in a four-pound machine -- anyone taken with Dell's artsy new image enough to shell out?

Stanton's T.55 and T.92 USB turntables We've already seen a number of mainstays in the turntable game crank out decks that easily archive vinyl records to MP3, and now we've got a new pair from Stanton making that same claim. The T.92 and T.55 USB turntables each feature USB and S/PDIF outputs and come bundled with Cakewalk Pyro Audio Creator and Audacity software. On the hardware front, you'll find an S-Shaped tone arm for lower distortion and reduced record wear along with a built-in DSP with key lock for controlling tempo without affecting pitch. As for differences, the T.55 is a belt-drive turntable that features a straight tone arm, while the T.92 touts a high-torque direct drive motor. Check 'em both right now at popular music retailers across the globe for $299 (T.92) and $199 (T.55).

VIA's 1080p-lovin' VX855 chipset emerges in MacBook Air knockoff We've already seen one legitimate laptop maker botch up its specification sheet within the past 24 hours, so we certainly wouldn't put it past a KIRF-maker to pull a similar trick. At least on paper, Top Crown Technology Limited's simply-titled 3G Notebook includes a 1.3GHz VIA Nano CPU, the newfangled VX885 Media System Processor, a 10.1-inch LED-backlit display (1,024 x 576), Chrome9 graphics, a 2.5-inch HDD or SSD, 3-in-1 multicard reader, WiFi, Bluetooth, 3.5G WWAN and a pair of built-in speakers. The only problem is the backwards Apple logo and the absolute assurance that this thing will be just marginally less craptastic than the "world's cheapest laptop." For shame.

Electrolux vacuum You may think that the world's most expensive vacuum would be a Dyson or some other high-tech cleaning contraption, but that's apparently not the case, at least according to the vacuum authority that is the Guinness Book of World Records. No, the world's most expensive vacuum is apparently this otherwise ordinary Electrolux, which has been adorned with 3,730 Swarovski crystals by Polish designer Lukaz Jemiol and now commands the princely sum of £13,825 (or just under $20,000). That may not help the vacuum's cleaning ability much, but it'll certainly help it hold its own against all the other Swarovski-encrusted products out there, which, last we checked, includes everything imaginable. Better act quick if you're looking to add to the collection though, as this one is strictly one of a kind.

Fujitsu melts faces and wallets with FLEPia, the first color e-book for general consumption After years of teasing -- FLEPia was first announced in April of 2007, and first proven in 2006 -- Fujitsu has at last released its color e-book (or e-paper mobile terminal, as they'd like you to call it) to the masses. Featuring an 8-inch XGA screen capable of displaying 260,000 colors, along with Bluetooth, WiFi and up to 4GB of storage via SD card, and measuring less than half an inch thick, FLEPia's not just getting by on color alone. Fujitsu promises 40 hours of continuos use, and the unit can be operated by its touchscreen or the assortment of function buttons. Naturally you can do the regular e-book thing, but the Japanese version of the device also includes full-on Windows CE 5.0, which would probably be a bit of a chore to use with the relatively slow screen refresh times of e-ink (1.8 seconds for a single wipe), but undeniably retrofuturistic. FLEPia ships on April 20th in Japa...

iBUYPOWER's Gamer Power 906 rig does Intel Quad-core for a bit over $700 Sure, there are endless desktop configurations out there and oodles of good deals, but we're still smitten with this particular setup from iBUYPOWER: the Gamer Power 906. Putting that name to good use, they've managed to toss together an Intel Core 2 Quad Q8300 processor, NVIDIA 9600GT graphics with 1GB of RAM, a 500GB SATA hard drive and 4GB of system memory. There was even enough change left over for interior lighting -- and we all know about the direct correlation between ground effects for nerds and frags per minute. Available now for $710.

Psystar new Open (3) Mac clone desktop Other Mac-cloners may know their time is limited, but good 'ol Psystar just keeps on forging straight ahead -- despite being locked in a nasty legal battle with Apple that could result in it getting shut down any second now. Ignoring that (sophisticated looking) elephant in the corner for a moment, the company has released its latest model, called the Open(3). It sports your choice of processors ranging from a 2.8GHz Core2Duo E7400 up to a 2.53GHz Core2Quad Q8200, up to 4GB of memory, 1TB of storage, a 6x Blu-ray burner, and graphics from an NVIDIA GeForce 9500GT, all packaged in a slim case that, while not quite up to Cupertino standards, certainly looks a fair bit more visually appealing than its previous black boxes. Prices start at just $599, but tick all those option buttons and you'll be looking at something closer to $2,000 -- a lot, but close to $1,000 less than a comparably spec'd Mac Pro. Get 'em while you can.

FujiFilm FinePix F200EXR While some early shots showed a lot of promise, a full review was necessary to ensure that FujiFilm's latest compact camera would be the performer we were hoping for -- and that it would live up to its $400 price. According to Photography Blog this 12 megapixel shooter doesn't disappoint, scoring very high marks for image quality and features. Its EXR mode, which can toggle between favoring resolution, dynamic range, or low noise, works more or less as advertised, bringing far more depth to shadows than your usual pocket cam can manage. Pictures were clear through ISO 800, but anything above that (up to its ludicrous ISO 12800 mode) were too noisy to be usable. Overall the cam was found to be a "veritable breath of fresh air" and a solid choice for a serious photographers who like air and don't want to lug their SLR everywhere.

General Dynamics Itronix GD8000 toughbook It's been a hot minute since we heard anything from General Dynamics in the toughbook department, so it's good to see the company come back with a product that really raises the bar. The Itronix GD8000 sports an Intel Core 2 Duo SL9400 processor, 4GB of memory, integrated GMA 4500MHD graphics, 120GB storage, and a 13.3-inch DynaVue sunlight-readable touchscreen display. But that ain't all! This bad boy also features integrated GPS, WiFi, a biometric fingerprint reader, a smartcard reader, and an integrated Gobi 2000 WWAN module. Bluetooth is optional. As far as the toughness goes, with its magnesium chassis and polycarbonate case this bad boy meets MIL-STD 810F standards, able to withstand a drop from 42 inches, 30 gallons of water at 40 mph, and operates in temperatures anywhere from -22°F to 140°F.

Motorola VE465 In this world, there are phones, and then there are phones. The VE465 from Motorola is definitely in the former, non-italicized category, but that's fine -- there's a place for all handsets in our heart. There's apparently also a place for this thing in Alltel's heart, because a product page has now sprung up over on the carrier's site pimping the unreleased phone's specs and chocolatey goodness. Alright, it's really not all that chocolatey, but hey, at least it's got EV-DO, a 1.3 megapixel cam, and compatibility with Alltel's Celltop service -- and if we had to guess, it'll probably go for a song on contract when it finally launches. We'll keep an eye on this one.

Scosche unveils solar-powered solCHAT Bluetooth speakerphone If you happened to snag one of those Iqua Sun solar-powered Bluetooth headsets a few years back, you'll probably have no need whatsoever for this. For everyone else, listen up. The Scosche solCHAT Bluetooth speakerphone boasts an integrated solar panel and rechargeable Li-ion, and when installed within one's vehicle, it simply pairs up with BT-enabled handsets when in range in order to give drivers the ability to talk handsfree. The simply styled unit has just three visible buttons -- volume up, volume down and the all-important answer / hang-up key -- and it can be yours right now for $99.99. Oh, and just in case you live in some shadowy place like Seattle, a USB charging cable is also throw in -- just don't tell Mother Earth, alright?

Motorola Aura gets the fake Louis Vuitton treatment Sure, you could just get a plain old KIRF Motorola Aura, but those looking for a double dose of fake luxury will no doubt want to give some serious consideration to this latest knock-off wonder, which adds some of that always popular Louis Vuitton excess to Moto's often imitated sense of style. Of course, that imitation doesn't exactly extend all that far, with this so-called Imobile Phone V453 ditching the Aura's pricey circular display in favor of a not at all pricey square-within-a-circle display, although the phone does one-up the Aura with a eye-catching ring of LED lights around the display. Or, if the Aura's not your thing, you can also save a few bucks and snag a fake Louis Vuitton RAZR... or not.

HTC Maple Not that it's really far-fetched or anything, but the Chinese-language Economic Daily News is reporting that HTC's QWERTY-packin' BlackBerry rival is gearing up to launch at CTIA in April. Codenamed Maple, we're left to wonder about most of the details, but we do know that it'll arrive with some sort of Windows Mobile operating system and should draw loads of attention from faithful 'Berry users. Needless to say, we'll be on the ground in Vegas when the show kicks off next month, and we'll be watching intently for this thing to surface in official fashion.

Motorola blasting out ten smartphones in 2H 2009? We knew Motorola had a few tricks up its sleeve somewhere, but ten? According to the apparently well informed (or well inebriated) Oppenheimer & Co. analyst Ittai Kidron, the struggling handset maker is gearing up to launch "as many as ten new smartphone models" in 2H 2009, which is in stark contrast to the sole release in the first half of this year. Of course, this could be (and probably is) pure speculation, with Kidron also noting that "with sentiment at an all-time low and investors' attention lost, we believe Motorola warrants another look." Truthfully, we'd be impressed with ten new handsets from Moto in the latter half of '09, but if it seriously dumps nearly a dozen smartphones on us, you can tickle us pink and call us Shirley.

Sigmatek's HFDL-1080 brings an LCD to the mini-system desk party The niche product segment dedicated to "executive desktop" solutions will be getting a new entry in the "hi-fi with articulated LCD" category in late April (€159) thanks to Sigmatek's HFDL-1080. This piece of desk jewelry comes with a DVD spinner, DVB-T and ATV tuners and an articulated 7-inch LCD. We're guessing the "1080" in the product name is just a byproduct of the predecessor's "HFDL-1070" moniker and not a spec, but for what it's worth, the HFDL-1070 came in at 500 lines of resolution, so the new model will at least meet ED spec. More to the point, we seriously doubt you're going to notice a dramatic difference between HD and ED on a 7-inch display; and shouldn't executive types be focused on work while at their desks anyways?

SmartQ HDTV Player Generally speaking, SmartQ has stuck to what it's best at -- mediocre portable media players -- without deviating an inch. Finally, someone at the company conjured up enough courage to take a risk, and we think the outcome is pretty decent. The simply titled and not-at-all-confusing HDTV Player is the firm's very first set-top-box, which aims to play back a litany of high-definition files on one's HDTV. As predicted, the box offers up an HDMI 1.3 port for getting all that lovely 720p+ content onto your screen, and there's also a pair of USB 2.0 ports for connecting external HDDs and the like. Beyond that, details are astonishingly sparse, but we get the feeling it'll be quite some time (read: forever) before this thing floats far from the shores of Asia.

Popcorn Hour A-110 review With HD media streamers being a dime a dozen these days, when one particular one seems gain popularity we take notice. So we figured there was no better way to learn what all the fuss is about then to spend a little time with it. The main point of our curioiusity was to go beyond the specs and to try and determine how usuable it was.