Where netbooks go, their deskbound nettop brethren eventually follow, and as NVIDIA’s Ion GPU has made its impact on the graphics capabilities of budget ultraportables, so it has its sights set on compact desktops too. ASRock and NVIDIA worked together on the ION 330-BD, a Blu-ray toting nettop that pairs Intel’s Atom processor with NVIDIA’s ION platform, and sent one over to prove to SlashGear that just because the footprint is small, it doesn’t mean the performance is too.
Medion have unveiled a new all-in-one PC, the oddly named Akoya “The Touch” X9613. Based around a 24-inch multitouch-capable touchscreen, rather than stuff the X9613 full of nettop components Medion have taken the far more sensible route and used Intel’s 2.0GHz Core 2 Quad Q9000 CPU with 4GB of RAM, NVIDIA’s GeForce GT 240M graphics card and a Blu-ray drive. Newgadgets were on hand to grab a live demo video, which you can see after the cut.
Video demo after the cut
It might not mean much to the Android smartphone lurking in your pocket (or that you’d like to have there), but MIPS and Sigma Designs have been demonstrating an Android-based set-top box capable of 1080p high-definition video. The STB prototype is being positioned as “a major milestone toward the creation of a reference platform” for Android-powered home entertainment devices, with the two companies adding support for Sigma’s hardware graphics acceleration and decoding.
Don’t back away from the screen in terror; we’ve had it on good authority that the Hercules Dualpix HD720p you see here is actually considerably smaller in real life. What such a large image does help show you, though, is that the webcam is HD 720p capable, complete with an autofocus lens and integrated microphone.
If you’ve been waiting for more detail on PopcornHour’s incoming C-200 “Networked Media Tank” then prepare to set aside an afternoon; the company has released masses of video and full specifications for the Blu ray ready, UPnP set-top box, and they’re now taking preorders for the first shipment.
Video demos after the cut
Sony Japan have unveiled their latest range of Blu-ray recorders, and since there’s no such thing as too much storage they’ve also thrown hard-drives inside the five new models too. Capacity of the BDZ-series ranges from 320GB all the way up to a whopping 2TB in the flagship BDZ-EX200, which is apparently good for up to 253 hours of high-definition TV.
Today marks the day that OmniVision announced a sensor that could potentially make 1080p video capture a very real possibility in mobile devices. And not in ten years. The sensor is called the OV2710, and it can record the HD resolution at 30 frames per second, and it utilizes a 2-megapixel camera that matches the format. Keeping the megapixels low adds quite a few benefits, like lower expenses and getting better image quality in low lighting situations.
Hitachi have unveiled five new HDTVs, each of which includes a 500GB hard-drive for local storage of recorded programming or downloaded content. The sets – three plasmas, ranging from 42- to 50-inches, and two LCDs, at 37- and 42-inches – slot into the company’s endearingly-titled Wooo TV range, and all support Full HD 1080p.
Unless you’ve had your head shoved under a rock today, then you’ve seen that Nokia has announced its upcoming Booklet 3G netbook. And while nothing has really changed since that original post of ours, we can’t help but pass up giving you some live images of the little device, and let you get a refresher on the hardware. Don’t worry though, next week SlashGear will be at the Nokia World event, where we’ll be bringing you all the important details regarding Nokia’s new toy.
Nokia have announced their own netbook, the Nokia Booklet 3G, promising up to 12 hours battery life together with integrated WiFi, 3G HSPA and GPS. The 1.25kg netbook has an aluminum chassis and measures around 2cm thick; it uses an unspecified Intel Atom processor, has an HDMI output for HD video playback and a 10.1-inch glass HD-ready display.
Video demo after the cut
SlashGear Japan
