Tim Conneally

Toshiba on Monday announced the availability of a new model in the manufacturer's Satellite series of laptops, the A205. This is the fulfillment of a statement the company made in March promising to make HD DVD more widely available in its more popular lines of computers.

The Satellite A205 equipped with HD DVD carries with it a retail price of $1,149.99 USD, approximately 30 percent higher than the Satellite model without the high-definition format, and the two share very similar specs.

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When the buzz starts to die down, the diehard electronics fans come out of the woodwork to enjoy the scene Friday afternoon at DigitalLife 2007 in New York City. Tim Conneally found some Day 2 surprises on the show floor, including some really high-tech goofing off, an attempted robbery (no kidding), and what the fans truly thought were the hits of the show.

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Hundreds of complaints from Minnesotans against Sprint Nextel have been heard by Attorney General Lori Swanson. In a lawsuit against the carrier filed earlier this week, she accused the company of extending customers' contracts without their informed consent, and seeks restitution of up to $25,000 per incident.

The allegation is that the company used "hidden trip wires" to lock customers into lengthy contracts whenever minor plan changes were made. If true, it is a violation of Minnesota state laws that require adequate information to be supplied to customers, and knowing consent be obtained before any contract terms are altered.

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Apple released an update to its iPhone today that applies some critical bug fixes and adds some new features, such as the ability to buy iTunes songs over a Wi-Fi connection. It also delivered a message to users of unlocked devices.

iPhone Version 1.1.1 adjusts the speakerphone and receiver volume problem, adds the ability to view e-mail attachments in portrait or landscape mode, and patches 10 vulnerabilities, most of which are related to the built-in Safari browser.

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Denying there were ever any delays, and after having maintained that stance for at least a few months, Dell finally released its long-awaited XPS M1730 gaming notebook - dubbed "The Beast."

Indeed, the unit's appearance could be described, at the very least, as beastly.

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Broadcom announced today a new addition to its Intensi-fi line: the groundbreaking BCM4322, not only the smallest and most cost-effective 802.11n solution available now, but also the first to enable Wi-Fi products to achieve over 200 Mbps of actual wireless throughput.

This chip combines all the elements of a wireless LAN subsystem on a single silicon die, which means that manufacturing costs will greatly decrease, thereby driving down the price of common 802.11n products. It also means that other electronic devices like TVs, cameras, set-top boxes, even dishwashers, if you're so inclined, can be cheaply equipped with WLAN functions.

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The award-winning Nokia N95, launched last April, received a number of upgrades today geared toward improving the North American user's experience.

In addition to its built-in 5 Mp camera, music player capability, and personal navigator, the newly endowed N95 adds support for North American High Speed Download Packet Access (HSDPA) networks, more memory, and a new battery with extended life, and a feature Nokia is calling Assisted GPS.

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Gateway announced at DigitalLife today its first all-in-one desktop computer, The Gateway One. It could reflect the brand's developing approach toward clutter-free desktop designs very much like Apple's iMac.

Citing market research and reports, Gateway says this unit will function well as the entertainment hub in a digital household, and is especially suited to the consumer who uses his computer itself as his entertainment center. Wireless peripherals, invisible speakers, and most importantly, the CPU and flat screen monitor combo are all present in one sleek package.

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T-Mobile's growing line of Sidekicks now includes the LX and the Slide, produced by Sharp and Motorola respectively, to be made available in coming weeks.

Sharp's LX claims to be slimmer than the Sidekick 3, though spec sheets reveal they share the .9" thickness when closed. Its weight, however, has been knocked down from the previous 7 ounces to a much more manageable 5.7. LX has a 3-inch WQVGA display that is thinner and mounted on an improved swivel joint. Its entire outer edge can be set to glow at varying colors and speeds as a status indicator. Beginning October 17th for existing customers, the LX will be available for $299 USD and a 2-year contract commitment.

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Following the recent announcement that it will be terminating its online music store. Virgin announced yesterday that it will turn its mobile phone business public with an IPO.

Virgin Mobile is a joint venture between Virgin Group and Sprint Nextel Corp that has been providing a pay-as-you-go service since 2002. The service is generally geared toward a younger consumer group, and has seen decreased competition recently with the bankruptcy of Amp'd Mobile announced in the beginning of June.

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Today Sony announced its newest addition to the VAIO line of notebooks: the NR, its cheapest model to date.

Historically, Sony's VAIO line has been heavy on style while remaining light in your backpack. Though at times some entries in the line do look conspicuously similar to MacBook Pros, they have a design ethic that appeals to many.

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Amazon.com launched the public beta of its digital music store Tuesday, offering over 2 million DRM-free tracks.

The new music store could be seen as a strong competitor to iTunes, as it features many of the same artists without copy protection on the files. This means that not only can the tracks purchased from Amazon MP3 be copied, burned, and stored on multiple computers, but they are also compatible with most portable devices, including the iPod. All songs are encoded at 256 kilobits per second.

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Since January of this year, Dell Computer has been tailoring its sales model to fit changing market dynamics. Its very successful direct sales (or build-to-order) approach is simply not the best way to get through to certain markets. China is a shining example of this, and Dell announced today that it will distribute PCs through Gome, China's largest consumer electronics retailer.

Gome has about 700 outlets in 210 Chinese cities. Dell's plan is to immediately assign in-store employees in 50 of those stores, with more planned early next year. Dell says it plans for Gome to feature its XPS M1330 and Inspiron 1420 notebooks, and Dimension 9200 and Inspiron 530 desktops. The latter model is expected to retail for around $300 USD, and be aimed at the rural customer.

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The One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) organization has announced a two-week sale from November 12 to November 26, with the objective of catalyzing greater support from philanthropists and generous consumers, as well as emerging nations whose citizens could stand to benefit.

With each new announcement, the price of the originally-dubbed "$100 Laptop" has, in fact, been rising, and that orders from emerging nations are not coming as swiftly as anticipated. As it stands now, the first mass-produced, commercially available XO laptops will be sold at just under $200 USD each, and only in quantities of two. For each sale, one laptop will go to the buyer, and the other will be a tax-deductible donation to a developing country.

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Halo 3, undoubtedly the most anticipated title for the Xbox 360 -- and perhaps of all time -- will be finally available tonight. More than 10,000 stores will be opening their doors at midnight to sell the game, which is expected to break all sales records and become the biggest interactive entertainment launch in history.

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