OCZ Equalizer Mobile Gaming Mouse @Futurelooks
XFX 8800 Ultra XXX Video Card @I4U
Thermaltake MaxOrb Intel/AMD Heatpipe CPU Cooler @Tweaknews.net
OCZ Trifecta 2GB Secure Digital Memory Card @ThinkComputers.org
GeCube Gemini 2 (Dual Radeon X1650 XT) @HardwareZone

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At this year's Consumer Electronics Show, Hitach-Maxell demonstrated a 4 layer 100GB Blu-ray disc. Since then, the company has taken this technology one step further, doubling the number of layers and boosting the capacity to 200GB. Here's part of their press release, translated from Japanese:
The hitachi, ltd. Research Center (chief: Yasushi Hukunaga/below, Hitachi), this each time, basic technology of the optical system which expands the regenerative signal output of the optical disk in 10 times was developed. As for this technology, it is something which makes the optical detection method which expands the regenerative signal making use of the interference of two lights the optical disk apply. With this technology, reflected light of the optical disk being weak, accurate reading of the regenerative signal becomes possible, you say that reflected light becomes weak by the fact that the number of record layers increases fundamental topic of the multilayer optical disk is solved, the blue ray disk whose record playback of the single sided 100~200 gigabyte is possible at 4~8 layer (Blu-ray Disc) actualization of the device is expected.
While details are sketchy due to the translation, Hitachi appears to be splitting the laser in half to create a reference beam. This second beam helps cut through the interference caused by the layers being so close to each other. According to other, unconfirmed sources, Hitachi plans to bring this 200GB disc to market by 2009. If you'd like to read more, their entire press release can be found here. Add a comment
Power Quotient International (PQI) has announced that they've released the H series Traveling Disks. Along with faster read and write speeds, these new USB flash drives feature support for ReadyBoost and a built-in offline web browser.

Power Quotient International Co., Ltd. (PQI) have released their performance Traveling Disks series labeling it “H Series”. Current models with H series performances include Cool Drive U310H, U350H and U339H. H series are all Windows Vista ReadyBoost supported to give your PC that extra performance. In addition to performance, Webaroo offline browser comes built-in in every H series Traveling Disk. Webaroo downloads and saves internet packets of the website you choice making it available to the user to browse online contents offline on a laptop, PDA or a smartphone.
The H series is available now in capacities ranging from 512MB to 4GB. More information is available on PQI's website. Add a comment
Samsung recently announced that they have developed an 8GB microSD (Secure Digital) memory card. Ideally suited for mobile phones, this fingernail-sized card can store up to 2,000 MP3's or approximately 5 DVD-quality movies.

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., the world leader in advanced semiconductor technology solutions, today announced that it has developed an 8Gigabyte (GB) microSD (Secure Digital) memory card, a size optimal for today’s multimedia mobile phones. Featuring the highest capacity today for a microSD card, the new fingernail-sized card is capable of storing 2,000 MP3 music files, 4,000 digital photos, or approximately 5 DVD-quality movies...

...With a read speed of 16 Megabytes (MBs) per second and a write speed of 6MB/s, Samsung’s 8GB microSD card well exceeds the Speed Class 4 SDHC (Secure Digital High Capacity) standard which requires a data write speed of 4MB/s. This is also much faster than the SD Speed Class 2 designation carried by most competing microSD cards currently on the market.
No word on pricing or availability. As we find out more, we'll let you know. In the mean time, Samsung's entire press release can be found here. Add a comment

SOAP 2GB MP4 Player @ThinkComputers.org
Microsoft Reclusa Gaming Keyboard @Everything USB
Maxtop 4U ICX-4830B-20BX Rackmount Chassis @Bigbruin.com
Thermaltake Max 4 External HDD Enclosure @HardwareLogic
Antec MX-1 3.5" Hard Drive Enclosure @Madshrimps
OCZ DDR2 PC2-9200 Reaper HPC Edition @Overclockers Online
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Pioneer recently announced plans to introduce the BDP-LX70 Blu-ray Disc player to the Japanese market. Offering "studio-master-quality" sound and video, the BDP-LX70 features 1080/24p output and Dolby TrueHD lossless audio technology.

Pioneer Corporation announced today the introduction of the BDP-LX70, a Blu-ray Disc Player, for the Japanese market.

With the start of terrestrial digital broadcasting and the spread of Plasma and other high-definition televisions in recent years, interest in high-definition video images is growing rapidly. In November, 2006, the first Blu-ray Disc titles were released in Japan, and further releases of high-definition content are expected in the future.

In response to the growing demand for high-definition video contents, Pioneer has decided to release its Blu-ray Disc player in Japan, following its first entry to the North American market last year.
The BDP-LX70 will be available in Japan in late June for a suggested retail price of 170,000 yen ($1,400US). Full details can be found here. Add a comment
CyberLink has announced that PowerDVD Ultra now supports NVIDIA's PureVideo HD (VP2) architecture on the GeForce 8500/8600 series of graphics cards. Here's part of their press release:
CyberLink Corp. (5203.TW), a world leader in digital home solutions, announces that PowerDVD Ultra—the only retail software to support Blu-ray Disc, HD DVD, and DVDs—now supports NVIDIA's second generation PureVideo HD (VP2) architecture on NVIDIA's latest GeForce 8500/8600 series graphics cards.

CyberLink PowerDVD Ultra, incorporating superior H.264 decoding technology powered by the new PureVideo hardware engine, is able to provide owners of NVIDIA GeForce 8500/8600 series graphics cards the benefit of dramatically reducing CPU utilization when executing high-definition video decoding and playback.
CyberLink PowerDVD Ultra with support for NVIDIA's Second Generation PureVideo HD (VP2) Architecture is available now for $99.95. More information can be found here. Add a comment
Panasonic has announced that they've integrated the Panasonic SW-5582 into its Bravo SE Blu and Bravo XR-Blu Disc Publishers. By using this drive, the Bravo SE Blu and Bravo XR-Blu can now burn and print to dual-layer, 50GB Blu-ray Disc media.
Primera Technology, Inc., the world’s leading developer and manufacturer of CD, DVD and BD duplication and printing equipment, today announced it has integrated Panasonic SW-5582 Blu-ray Recordable Drives in its Bravo SE Blu and Bravo XR-Blu Disc Publishers.

The Panasonic SW-5582 drives record onto the widest range of optical media, including CD-R, DVD±R (single and dual layer) and BD-R (single and dual layer). Dual-layer BD-R media, which has only recently become commercially available, has a capacity of up to 50GB per disc.
The Bravo SE Blu and Bravo XR-Blu are available now and sell for $2995 and $5295 respectively. If you'd like to read more, Primera's entire press release can be found here. Add a comment
Good news for HD DVD fans. To help celebrate Father's Day, Toshiba is offering two in-store instant rebates that will cut as much as $200 off the price of their HD DVD players. Their HD DVD movie mail-in offer will also continue to run through July 31, giving you five free movies on top of the instant rebates.
- From May 20 through June 9, movie enthusiasts that purchase an HD-A2 HD DVD player will receive a $100 in-store instant rebate.

- From June 10 through June 16, consumers that purchase any Toshiba HD DVD player will receive a $100 in-store instant rebate. For individuals seeking the complete home theater package, an HD DVD player can be purchased with any Toshiba 42" (measured diagonally) or larger HDTV for a $200 in-store instant rebate.
It's unknown whether or not these instant rebates can be used at Amazon. If so, you'll be able to pick up an HD-A2 for less than $220. Full details can be found here. Add a comment
Samsung sent out a press release this morning, announcing a new portable, slot loading DVD burner, the SE-T084L. Along with support for LightScribe, the SE-T084L features 8x DVD±R, 6x DVD+R DL, 4x DVD-R DL and 5x DVD-RAM writing speeds.

Samsung Electronics Ltd., the worldwide digital consumer electronics and information technology leader, announces its new high-end SE-T084L portable front slot loading DVD burner targeted to the business traveler that uses a portable notebook computer. The WriteMaster(TM) SE-T084L is ideal for the traveler on the go who requires a DVD burner, but whose notebook does not include the device...

...The SE-T084L is a slim and compact portable DVD burner featuring easy insert and eject capabilities with its slot loading technology. It offers USB bus power and gives users the ability to read and write to DVDs without the need for an AC adaptor. The SE-T084L features 8X DVD+R recording, 6X DVD+R DL recording, 8X DVD+RW and DVD-R recording. It also features 4X DVD-R DL recording, 6X DVD-RW recording and 5X DVD-RAM recording.
The SE-T084L started shipping back in April for a street price of $150. More information can be found here. Add a comment