Sling TR-40

The device that many DTV converter box shoppers seem to believe will be the one to get, won't be available until June and although we originally heard it would be sold as the Sling Media TR-40, recently the little box has gotten 50 percent smaller and will be called the DISH Network DTVPal.

ASUS vaguely hints at alternative Eee form factors

ASUS isn't being shy about its plan for global Eee domination, and it sounds like the company is exploring expanding beyond the laptop and desktop form factors we've already seen. Speaking to Current.com.au, ASUS Australia retail manager Emmanuele Silanesu said that ASUS's Eee group is "obviously looking at other form factors rather than just a clamshell," but wouldn't confirm anything -- and just to make things even hazier, Silanesu said that a forthcoming touchscreen machine from ASUS might not carry the Eee branding. That's just about as vague as it gets, but we're in agreement with UMPC Portal that ASUS has plenty of low-power, low-cost UMPCs on the shelf (like the R2E pictured above) that could easily be made over to fit with the Eee line. We'll see when we see -- Silanesu hinted that something was due to appear at Computex in June.

ASUS to preload Express Gate instant-on Linux on all new motherboards

Express Gate will include a browser based on Firefox and the Skype VoIP app, as well as media playing apps. DeviceVM describe it as a “secure web-surfing environment”. ASUS intend to release four new Express Gate-equipped motherboards this quarter: the P5Q Deluxe, P5Q-WS, P5Q3 Deluxe and P5Q-E. DeviceVM, meanwhile, still intend to get Splashtop on as many motherboards as it can, so don’t be surprised to see it available on ‘boards from other manufacturers in the upcoming months.

Canon's PowerShot SD1100 IS

Canon's flagship SD1100 IS garnered nothing but the utmost praise in a recent Imaging-Resource review. Okay, so maybe critics did kvetch about slight noise at ISO 800, a somewhat confusing interface, and a not-particularly-useful digital zoom, but this point-and-shoot managed to get it right in the areas that matter most. Build quality and design were both smiled upon, the image stabilization performed as advertised and the image quality was deemed "excellent." Of note, they did find very minor chromatic aberration in the wide angle shots, but considering the size of this shooter, results were seen as fantastic. Overall, it looks like Canon has produced yet another winner in the pocket-friendly camera department, but feel free to take a gander at the in-depth review waiting in the read link below.

Sony Xplod in-car CD receivers with USB

Sony has pulled the covers off two new Xplod in-car CD receivers, the CDX-GT920U and CDX-GT620U. Support for CD and radio is a given, but they also have USB ports for playing music stored on memory sticks and Sony’s Quick BrowZer technology to speed tracklist navigation. Both have fold-down, removable face-plates, which in the GT920U’s case is motorized.
Sony has fitted front mounted mini-jacks for plugging in other audio sources, and the GT920U is also compatible with iPods, HD and satellite radio (albeit with accessories required). MP3, non-DRM AAC and non-DRM WMA files are supported, both on CD or memory stick. Power output for both units rates at 52 watts x 4, with three additional pre-outs.

EPIA PX5000EG 500MHz Pico-ITX

Despite the shortcomings, it's hard not to get excited about VIA's Pico-ITX offerings: who cares if the capabilities are limited, they're just so adorably small we want to pinch their cheeks. Now VIA is making things even more efficient with a 500MHz board that can be cooled solely with the heatsink -- no fan required. Naturally, that step down in processor speed from the PX10000 won't exactly be much help to the folks sticking Ubuntu on these things, but the PX5000EG should be a boon to the embedded market and reliability nuts. Video is after the break.

DigiFi Digital Opera wireless headphones

Headphones and audio accessories manufacturer DigiFi have been showing off their new Digital Opera wireless headphones, which couple an over-the-ear headset with an iPod adaptor. Using Kleer’s wireless audio technology, the system includes “point to multi-point” Listen In, which means up to four people can hear music from one transmitter dongle. Kleer uses a proprietary RF wireless connection, promising “lossless CD-quality stereo”.
DigiFi are suggesting you can see in excess of 10hrs of playback through the headset, with a 20HZ to 20KHz frequency range, 86dB signal to noise ratio and less than 0.1-percent distortion. The short-range Kleer wireless has 2.37Mbps bandwidth and a range of up to ten meters. Best of all, when the Digital Opera set goes on sale - in Korea first, then the US and Japan, before worldwide availability - it’ll cost around $98.