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Cupertino, Calif — Apple on Wednesday, Jan 30, announced that MacBook Air, the world’s thinnest notebook, is now shipping.

MacBook Air measures an unprecedented 0.16-inches at its thinnest point, while its maximum height of 0.76-inches is less than the thinnest point on competing notebooks.

MacBook Air has a stunning 13.3-inch LED-backlit widescreen display, a full-size and backlit keyboard, a built-in iSight video camera for video conferencing, and a spacious trackpad with multi-touch gesture support so users can pinch, rotate and swipe. MacBook Air is powered by a 1.6 GHz or 1.8 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 4MB L2 cache, and includes as standard features 2GB of memory, an 80GB 1.8-inch hard drive, and the latest 802.11n Wi-Fi technology and Bluetooth 2.1.

Pricing & Availability
The new MacBook Air is now shipping and will be available through the Apple Store, Apple’s retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers for a suggested retail price of $1,799 (US), and includes:

* 13.3-inch LED-backlit glossy widescreen display with 1280×800 resolution;
* 1.6 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 4MB L2 cache;
* 800 MHz front-side bus;
* 2GB of 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM;
* 80GB hard disk drive with Sudden Motion Sensor;
* Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3100;
* Micro-DVI port (includes Micro-DVI to VGA and Micro-DVI to DVI Adapters);
* built-in iSight video camera;
* built-in AirPort Extreme 802.11n wireless networking and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR;
* one USB 2.0 port;
* one headphone port;
* multi-touch TrackPad with support for advanced multi-touch gestures including tap, scroll, pinch, rotate and swipe; and
* 45 Watt MagSafe Power Adapter.

Build-to-order options and accessories for MacBook Air include the ability to upgrade to a 1.8 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor; 64GB solid state drive, MacBook Air SuperDrive, Apple USB Ethernet Adapter, Apple USB Modem, Apple MagSafe Airline Adapter, Apple Remote and the AppleCare Protection Plan. Additional build-to-order options also include pre-installed copies of iWork ‘08, Logic Express 8, Final Cut Express 4 and Aperture 1.5. More at Apple.

Dec 06, ‘07 — LaCie is accepting pre-orders for its user-friendly 320GB External Hard Drive, which is designed by Neil Poulton.

Here’s what LaCie says about its newest addition: LaCie Hard Drive, Design by Neil Poulton adds sophisticated style to your desktop yet its presence is quiet and unobtrusive. It has a unique distinguishing feature - a cool, blue LED strip on its underside that creates an ambient glow.

Its subtle, all-black design blends perfectly into dark home entertainment setups and workstations. Very small for its vast capacity, this lightweight, compact drive has a fashionable, mirror-polished finish. The smartly engineered design allows for heat dissipation and near-silent, fanless operation.

You can pre-order one for $119.99 at LaCie.

PARIS — Nov 26, ‘07 — Swiss watchmaker TAG Heuer said on Monday it had licensed its name to French customized design manufacturer Modelabs for a series of luxury mobile phones. Reports Reuters.

“”The launch of the first TAG Heuer mobile telephone is foreseen for the second half of 2008,” the companies said in a joint statement.

Luxury goods companies, which realized long ago their brands could be extended to more than clothes and bags, have been rushing to embrace the mobile this year.

Prada and Armani have both recently launched phones made by, respectively, LG and Samsung.

TAG CEO Christophe Babin said in the statement the launch of its eyewear line in 2002 convinced it of the wider potential of the brand, popularized in its adverts by Formula 1 drivers like Kimi Raikkonen, actor Brad Pitt and golfer Tiger Woods.” More at Reuters.

Tokyo, Japan — On Thursday, November 22 Sony released its 11-inch OEL (organic electroluminescent) televisions to roughly 400 large consumer electronics discount stores around Japan.

The official launch of the world’s first mass-market OEL TV was December 1, but sales of audiovisual products in Japan often start before the official release date, as soon as enough quantities become available.

Despite the small screen size, the $1,840 ( ¥200,000 yen) sets have received favourable reviews for their 3mm thickness and high image resolution.Sony plans to make 2,000 units of the OEL TV a month.

The company started accepting advance pre-orders on Nov 14 at its direct marketing Web site. The number of sets that had been made available for pre-orders ran out in just over one hour, according to Sony Style. More at (google translated) SonyStyle Japan.

Nov 21, ‘07 — Tech-On! is reporting on Future Creation Laboratory of Olympus Corp prototyped a new camera and a projector. The camera can shoot video images with horizontal and vertical viewing angles of 360 and 50°, respectively, in 1080i full-HD resolution, and the projector can project the images shot with this camera.

Tech-On! further writes, “Based on Olympus’ proprietary “axisymmetric free-form-surface lens” unveiled in July 2007, the prototypes have enhanced resolution and widen viewing angles. The lens had 760 scanning lines and a vertical viewing angle of 45° when it was first announced in July. The resolution and the viewing angle were achieved by optimization of the imaging optics (lens group) including the axisymmetric free-form-surface lens, the company said.

The lens is shaped like a top with a diameter of about 6cm. It is made of plastic. It can form omnidirectional images (horizontal and vertical viewing angles of 360 and 50°, respectively) on a plane surface in an annular manner, or project annular images on an omnidirectional surface.”

More at Tech-On!

SINGAPORE – Nov 19, ‘07 –PRNewswire — A young couple from Singapore and the U.S. — she’s a currency trader, he’s an IT guy — plan on not missing a day of work as they travel around the world.

To get the public to tag along and see how they do it, Grace and Pedro have hired TransMedia Group to publicize their daily online TV show at Worldiki.

“Hopefully by the time they arrive in New York, a great many voyeuristic fans around the world will know why they’re doing this,” she
added. They’re currently traveling throughout Asia just as a “warm-up” for their grand tour commencing in January, 2008.

This adventurous couple, Grace, 27, from Singapore, and Pedro 26, from the U.S. and Spain, are embarking on this peripatetic journey to show vividly in high-definition film that you can travel the globe without sacrificing your career one bit, said Morgan.

Grace makes money by trading money online (forex trading). She has also authored a book on forex trading (“7 Winning Strategies For Trading Forex”, Harriman House, 2007). Many know her to be this “too-young” girl who crazily takes the road less traveled. After a few years of trading currencies intensively and not having enough time for fun stuff, she has now decided to take her trading on the road and travel the world while managing her trading.

Pedro is an IT geek who wrote his first basic program on an Apple II when he was 7. Since then, he’s done everything from running servers, developing real-time applications to managing the IT infrastructure and department of an MNC. He has now decided to work on his own business and travel the world while doing so (with internet available almost everywhere, this is now possible!), and what would seem more natural for a geek but to blog about it!

From Singapore, the couple will travel to dozens of countries and visit perhaps as many as 30 or 40 cities, including Thailand, Cairo, Jerusalem, Jordan, South Africa where they plan to go on safari at Kwandwe Game Preserve, Guayaquil, Peru, Santiago, Chile, Madrid, Budapest, Rome, where they will visit The Vatican, Mexico, where they will see first hand the devastation caused by recent floods, Miami, San Francisco, Los Angeles and wind up in New York.

“We might squeeze in Australia with maybe a stopover in Tahiti on the way to Hawaii,” said Pedro, who together with his wife, Grace Cheng
has managed to merge their mutual love of travel with earning a successful living as they go. The public can follow their travels daily on their blog, said Morgan. They plan ultimately to turn their travels into a reality television series.

There is something inherently exciting about globes. It’s not just the wonderfully strange names of far off places, but there’s also nothing quite like spinning a globe and then jabbing a finger at it, imagining that one day you’ll go there - unless of course you happen to hit Dagenham.

Dream travelling aside, this beautifully detailed globe has a fabulous trick up its sleeve.

When it gets dark, a light sensor transforms the globe from a map of the world to a magical and brightly illuminated map of the night sky. It shows 88 constellations all with their common names (far easier to remember), so not only is it fascinating and educational, it also makes a great nightlight. Beautiful by day and magical by night, the Glowing Globe is the neatest globe we’ve ever seen.

Features
- This is two globes in one
- By day it reveals the world’s capitals, cities, political boundaries and natural features at a scale of 1:60,000,000
- By night it reveals 88 constellations with their common names
- A light sensor
- Size: 33 x 19 x 19cm

Get yours for $90 at iWantOneofThose.com

ThinkGeek is selling this cool looking Anti-Gravity Globe for just $79.99. The globe does hover above its base in a seeming defiance of gravity. How does it accomplish this astonishing feat?

ThinkGeek explains, “It’s simple really. The globe itself is very light in weight. There is a precisely placed magnet located at the inside top of the globe. Once you plug in the heavily weighted base, and carefully place the globe over top the center of the base, a combination of sensors and micro-processors help to calibrate the embedded electromagnet in the base to properly suspend the globe.”

Get yours at ThinkGeek.

Horological Machines are as much, if not more, art and sculpture as they are micro engineering: they are machines which tell the time rather than machines to tell the time. By designing and constructing three-dimensional machines rather than wristwatches, MB&F are able to break free of the constraints imposed by traditional horology and create kinetic art. Says Maximilian Busser.

Nov 07, ‘07 — The Watchismo Times bring us amazing pictures of this truly awsome timepiece by Maximilian Busser. The HM2 is priced at $59,000 and in larger editions than the $150,000 HM1 and full details will be unveiled on November 19, ‘07 at MB&F.

Excerpts from The Watchismo Times:

“After decades learning and conforming to the rules of corporate watchmaking, Maximilian Büsser broke the chains and started a rebellion - a rebellion called MB&F.

Each of HM2’s twin portholes allows the viewer a different perspective of time. On the right, the Jumping Hours and Concentric Retrograde Minutes reveals time up close and ‘now’, while the Retrograde Date and Bi-Hemisphere Moon Phase on the left dial allows the viewer to take a step back from immediacy and relax.

Horological Machine No.2 (HM2) is a holistically conceived and engineered three-dimensional timekeeping machine for the wrist. The functions and indications were specifically conceived to tailor to the strengths of HM2’s chief watchmaker, Jean-Marc Wiederrecht. The bespoke architecture of the highly technical movement was developed to both fit and complement the radical form of the modular case. HM2 is the world’s first mechanical movement offering: Instantaneous Jump Hour, Concentric Retrograde Minutes, Retrograde Date, Bi-Hemisphere Moon Phase and Automatic Winding.”

More at TheWatchismoTimes.

“Smart Cities” team at MIT Media Lab is developing this cool stackable electric car and concept scooter.

City Car:

The City Car is a stackable electric two-passenger city vehicle. The one-way sharable user model is designed to be used in dense urban areas. Vehicle Stacks will be placed throughout the city to create an urban transportation network that takes advantage of existing infrastructure such as subway and bus lines. By placing stacks in urban spaces and key points of convergence, the vehicle allows the citizens the flexibility to combine mass transit effectively with individualized mobility. The stack receives incoming vehicles and electrically charges them. Similar to luggage carts at the airport, users simply take the first fully charged vehicle at the front of the stack. The City car is NOT a replacement for personal vehicles, taxis, buses, or trucks; it is a NEW vehicle type that promotes a socially responsible and more effective means of urban mobility.

The City car utilizes fully integrated in-wheel electric motors and suspension systems called, “Wheel Robots.” The wheel robots eliminate the need traditional drive train configurations like engine blocks, gear boxes, and differentials because they are self-contained, digitally controlled, and reconfigurable. Additionally, the wheel robot provides all wheel power and steering capable of 360 degrees of movement, thus allowing for Omni-directional movement. The vehicle can maneuver in tight urban spaces and park by sideways translation. This technology is patented-pending and under design development at the MIT Media Lab.

Scooter with ITRI and Sanyang Motors:

The MIT Media Lab is co-developing with ITRI and SYM an innovative concept scooter. The vehicle design reflects innovations in new materials, ergonomics, emerging connectivity, mass customization, and social networks. The project embodies new aesthetics as a result of novel and re-organized functionality by achieving high levels of styling and product packaging.

Working with SYM and ITRI, MIT is also considering future product planning, branding strategies, and new ownership/business models. The final show-quality prototype will be formally presented at the Milan Motor show in November of 2007. More at MIT Media Lab here and here.

Organizations plan to collaborate on optical networking, advanced content delivery and security initiatives.

ANN ARBOR, Mich., Oct. 31 /PRNewswire/ — Internet2, the foremost US advanced networking consortium led by the research and higher education community, has announced that Verizon Business has joined Internet2 as a corporate member. The company plans to engage the consortium in several innovative ways, including collaboration with the Internet2 community on projects involving advanced optical networking as well as in important areas of next-generation content delivery and network security.

“Verizon Business has been actively engaged with Internet2 from its inception back in 1996. As a corporate member, we look forward to collaborating with Internet2 on applications and technologies to have an impact on the research and higher education community and the commercial marketplace,” said Dennis Elwell, director for Verizon Business’ government and education organization. “Affordable optical access, wireline/wireless IP convergence, alert and notification services along with security are the hot-button issues with university chief information officers across the nation and we look forward to working with the Internet2 community on these important initiatives.”

Elwell recently was named to the Internet2 Applications, Middleware & Services Industry Advisory Council, where he will collaborate on middleware and application services for the consortium, as well as provide feedback to Industry on the trends and requirements for higher education.

One of the strongest values of the Internet2 community is its commitment to the exploration and development of leading-edge Internet technology. Internet2 thus provides an expedited life cycle path from idea to inception to research to commercialization for advanced network technologies and applications. The Internet2 community provides Verizon Business innovative partnership opportunities and a test bed for examining future network-based services and capabilities such as new network security methodologies as well as emerging technologies like IPTV.

“Internet2 relies on its corporate members like Verizon Business to play a key role in transferring technology developed within the Internet2 community into the commercial marketplace,” said Ellen Vaughan, Internet2 program manager for member and partner relations. “We are pleased to partner with Verizon Business, a leader in advanced communications and networking, on many important technology initiatives. Our shared interest in developing the latest in content distribution, security and optical technologies will provide myriad benefits to the research and education community and we believe, in the long- term, will have a long lasting impact on consumers and businesses alike.”

About Internet2

Internet2 is the foremost U.S. advanced networking consortium. Led by the research and education community since 1996, Internet2 promotes the missions of its members by providing both leading-edge network capabilities and unique partnership opportunities that together facilitate the development, deployment and use of revolutionary Internet technologies. More at Internet2. 

KEYPORT - The world’s first universal key fob. The new Keyport Slide is light and durable with an ultra futuristic look; created to complement your personal style and organize those jagged objects you can’t live without. Keyport integrates all the items on your personal keychain into one universal access device. Says Keyportusa. The company plans to integrate RFID for keyless entry and built in remote for secure access, to its key fob. More at Key-Port

Oct 29, ‘07 — Amol Sharma of The Wall Street Journal speculates on highly rumored and long awaited ‘Google Phone‘. In his words, “Google Inc. is close to unveiling its long-planned strategy to shake up the wireless market, people familiar with the matter say. The Web giant’s ambitious goal: to make applications and services as accessible on cellphones as they are on the Internet.

In a move likely to kick off an intense debate about the future shape of the cellphone industry, Google wants to make it easier for cellphone customers to get a variety of extra services on their phones — from maps to social-networking features to video-sharing. To get its way, however, the search giant will have to overcome resistance from wireless carriers and deal with potentially thorny security and privacy issues. 

Within the next two weeks, Google is expected to announce its plans to bring Google-powered phones to market by the middle of next year, people familiar with the situation say. In recent months Google has approached several U.S. and foreign handset manufacturers about the idea of building phones tailored to Google software, with Taiwan’s HTC Corp. and South Korea’s LG Electronics Inc. mentioned in the industry as potential contenders.

Google is also seeking partnerships with wireless operators. In the U.S., it has the most traction with Deutsche Telekom AG’s T-Mobile USA, while in Europe it is pursuing relationships with France Télécom’s Orange SA and Hutchison Whampoa Ltd.’s 3 U.K., people familiar with the matter say. A Google spokeswoman declined to comment. The Google-powered phones are expected to wrap together several Google applications — among them, its search engine, Google Maps, YouTube and Gmail email — that have already made their way onto some mobile devices.

The most radical element of the plan, though, is Google’s push to make the phone’s software “open” right down to the operating system, the layer that controls applications and interacts with the hardware. That means independent software developers would get access to the tools they need to build additional phone features. Developers could, for instance, more easily create services that take advantage of users’ Global Positioning System location, contact lists and Web-browsing habits. They would also be able to interact with Google Maps and other Google applications.

The idea is that a range of new social networking, mapping and other services would emerge, just as they have on the open, mostly unfettered Web. Google, meanwhile, could gather user data to show targeted ads to cellphone users. Google helped push through controversial rules for an upcoming spectrum auction at the Federal Communications Commission that would result in a new cellular network open to all devices and software applications, even those not favored by an operator. Google has said it will probably bid for the frequencies. 

For now, the company knows it has no choice but to work operators to make its open platform successful. D.P. Venkatesh, CEO of mPortal Inc., which makes software for wireless operators, puts it this way: “There are a few things carriers control that will always keep them in charge at the end of the day.” More at WSJ

Even though the new Dell all-in-one desktop XPS One is out there for everyone to see, thanks to FCC, Dell is still trying to tease with this “All Beautiful, The End of The PC As You Know It” ad. Enter you addy in there to receive email when Dell releases “The One”.

NEW YORK, Oct. 29 /PRNewswire/ — GQ has teamed up with Calvin Klein Fragrances to launch their newest fragrance, Calvin Klein MAN with a nationwide search. Five men will be chosen that best epitomize the Calvin Klein MAN: Sexy, Stylish, Sophisticated, Socially Aware and Smart. This first-ever nationwide search will be conducted in department stores nationwide and on-line. The five lucky winners will have their stories and photographs featured within a 2008 issue of GQ.

Now through November 30, consumers can log on to GQConnects and enter by submitting a photo and filling out an entry form. They can also view a listing of stores where they can enter during special in-store events, where men can sign up for the competition and have their photo taken by a professional photographer.

At the conclusion of the search, a panel of judges - comprised of representatives from GQ and Calvin Klein - will choose the five finalists who will be flown to New York for a photo shoot to be revealed in a 2008 issue of GQ that celebrates the “Year of the MAN”.

On Tuesday, November 13 from 5pm-7pm, customers can visit Macy’s Herald Square in New York City to enter the contest and meet Garret Neff, the exciting new face of Calvin Klein MAN.

New 3G Windows Mobile 6 Global Smart Device Bridges Mobile Needs of Personal and Professional Lifestyles With Variety of Entertainment and Business Features 

San Antonio, Texas, Cypress, California, October 29, 2007 –AT&T and Pantech announced today that the eagerly anticipated Pantech duo is now available in the U.S. exclusively from AT&T. The device features the convenience of both a full QWERTY and a numeric keypad in one sleek 3G device.  

The Pantech duo is a global smart device that takes “cool” to a higher level in redefining form and function. Boasting an innovative dual-sliding, double-keyboard design, the Pantech duo marks a new breed of mobile handset — created to address the lifestyle needs of both business customers and consumers. In addition, the UMTS/HSDPA-enabled Pantech duo is one of the first devices in the AT&T portfolio to be powered by the Windows Mobile 6 operating system. 

Specs: 

- Dual Sliding Keyboards
- Windows Mobile 6
- Quad Band GSM, EDGE, UMTS/HSDPA
- 2.2″ 240×320 QVGA LCD
- Bluetooth 2.0-A2DP
- 1 MP Camera
- MicroSD Card Slot
- 3 Hrs Talktime, 250 Hrs Standby
- 4.01″x1.97″x0.78″, 3.88 oz 

The Pantech duo is available now in the U.S. exclusively from AT&T for a special introductory price of $199.992 at AT&T retail stores nationwide, online at AT&T, at select national retailers and through AT&T’s business-to-business sales organizations. Unlimited monthly data plans, which include corporate e-mail, are $44.99 a month with a voice contract. More at AT&T

Tokyo, Japan–October 29, ‘07–Audi has unveiled Sony Ericsson, UK made mobile phone with its new hybrid concept car “Metroproject Quattro” at 40th Tokyo Motor Show 2007.

Tech-On! reports, “The terminal(mobile device) works as a verification system when starting the engine and supports mobile phone, car navigation system and video player capabilities. These capabilities can also be operated from outside the car. With a port located at the center console inside the car, the terminal can be fit in there.

The Audi mobile device can render images shot with the camera set inside the car, as well as letting users remotely set automobile air conditioner and music programs playback from outside the car. Communications between the car and the terminal uses wireless LAN (WLAN).

If the car is stolen, for example, and goes outside of the WLAN connection area, a 3G mobile phone access module equipped with the car will automatically turn on and inform the car’s present location to the terminal.” Cool. More at Tech-On!

LANGENALTHEIM, Germany, October 29/PRNewswire/ — Yet it is true - there is such a thing as a Laser Turntable: No Needle, No Wear!

Vinyl enthusiasts will rejoice over this good news. After years of research and development by engineers in both Japan and the United States, the dream of a Laser Turntable has finally become a reality.

An analog signal process enables the ELP Laser Turntable to effortlessly reproduce the finest nuances of sound and provide audiophiles with an authentic recording studio experience.

The ELP Laser Turntable employs a set of 5 laser beams to read all types of records (vinyl, shellac, “decelith”), even damaged ones, without physical contact or wear.

Prices are starting from cool $9990 up to $13,990. More at ELPJ

Look at this awesome looking, mirror finish, stand alone CD player by Marantz which can play CD/CD-R/CD-RW in MP3/WMA format and comes with an USB port and round remote. It can be yours for $759 at AudioCubes. More details and pics at (google translated) Marantz Japan

Brent Butterworth of Robb Report Home Entertainment magazine visits this $3.4 million home theatre outside Austin, TX and writes a fine article with some great pics. In his words, “I get an idea of what I’m in for before I even set foot inside the house. Huge transformers in a room off the garage hum softly as the electronic systems designer, Kyle Griffith of Texas Integrated Systems, describes the home’s power system. “There are three transformers for the house and one for the pool house,” he explains. “There are three electrical panels just for the media system and two grounding rods with special clay packed around them to help eliminate electrical noise. We had to upgrade the outside service four times as the job grew”—a fact confirmed when I see that the curbside service box is about three times as large as those of the neighboring homes in this development outside Austin, Texas.

What kind of audio/video system could demand thrice the power that a typical suburban home draws? I soon find out. Griffith leads me up a flight of stairs and opens a pair of huge bronze doors decorated with cast figures of lions. Behind the doors lies one of the most ornate—yet apparently simple—home theaters I have ever seen. Its character lies in the details. “The fabrics are hand-screened and hand-embroidered,” interior designer Mark Cravotta points out. “All of the sconces were cast from original antiques. The carpet is handmade in a single piece.”

“And all of that gilding you see is 24-karat gold,” Griffith adds. Find out more details with picture gallery at Robb Report Home Entertainment

LOUISVILLE, Ky., Oct. 25, ‘07 –PRNewswire — Developers in Louisville broke ground Thursday on the landmark Museum Plaza project, a $490 million skyscraper that will transform the city’s skyline.

“Museum Plaza will be one of the world’s most unique new skyscrapers –a structure that integrates art at every level,” Louisville Metro Mayor Jerry Abramson said.

Designed by a world-renowned team led by Joshua Prince-Ramus and Erez Ella, Museum Plaza is a 62-story skyscraper with an innovative design and mission, combining arts, commerce and residential space. Stretching more than 700 feet above Louisville and the Ohio River, this new cultural center will house 165 luxury condominiums; 300,000 square feet of class-A office space; a 260-room Westin Hotel; and the University of Louisville Master of Fine Arts program. The island, located 24 stories above ground, will be a hub of activity with a 35,000 square-foot world-class contemporary arts center, a luxury spa, pool and fitness center, a condo club, ballroom, restaurants and retail. The plaza will feature a new three-acre public park with connections to the Muhammad Ali Center and the riverfront.

Governor Ernie Fletcher and Louisville Metro Mayor Jerry Abramson joined developers Laura Lee Brown, Steve Wilson, Steve Poe and Craig Greenberg as a 20-foot, 400-pound shovel dropped from a crane to symbolize the beginning of construction on the project. Museum Plaza is expected to open in Spring 2011. Condo reservations are now being taken at the Museum Plaza Sales and Design Center at 707 West Main Street in Louisville.

More at PRNewsWire and MuseumPlaza

A slim, light and flexible tool for direct pen-on-screen drawing. - October 22, ‘07 - Wacom today launches the Cintiq 12WX – Wacom’s first hybrid product combining the advantages of a Cintiq interactive pen display. Offering slimline dimensions (405×270x17 mm) comparable to an Intuos3 A5 Wide, the Cintiq 12WX mixes a high quality, 12.1” TFT display for direct pen-on-screen drawing, painting and sketching, with the advanced features and performance consistent with the Cintiq 21UX and Intuos3 range. The new Cintiq 12WX is aimed at professional digital content creators undertaking tasks including storyboarding, finishing, retouching and compositing.

Combining the small size and flexibility of a normal pen tablet with the convenience of an interactive pen display, the Cintiq 12WX enables perfect hand-eye co-ordination. Like the Cintiq 21UX, users can work with the pressure sensitive pen directly on the high quality screen, which provides a WXGA resolution of 1,280 x 800 pixels with 24-bit colour depth and a wide viewing angle of 170°.

The ergonomically designed, cordless and battery-free Grip Pen is precise and provides advanced control and realistic results due to the 5,080lpi resolution and 1,024 pressure levels in both the pen tip and eraser. Tilt functionality is supported, with angles of up to 60 degrees recognised, allowing natural-looking pen, brush and eraser strokes. It can also be connected either by VGA or DVI-I for added convenience.

Bundled software
The Cintiq 12WX is bundled with Corel Painter Essentials – a special edition of the natural media drawing application Corel Painter.

Availability and pricing
The new Cintiq 12WX will be available from November 2007 in the UK from Computers Unlimited and is priced at £829.99 ($1699) including VAT. More at Wacom

With LeanSteer technology, the Segway PT seems to anticipate your every move, and will adjusts to your slightest whim. Says Ferrari. The Segway PT i2 Ferrari edition is characterized by the Scuderia Ferrari logo in metal coated in enamel, featuring the unmistakeable red color and can be yours for approx $10118 at FerrariStore

Twist this tray of shot glasses left, right, sideways, even upside down and these gravity defying shot glasses will never fall off! Says HomeWetBar. For $24.99, set of six vibrantly colored plastic glasses with magnetic stainless steel bases and one stainless steel serving tray, sounds a great deal.

Get yours at HomeWetBar