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More reports PSP2 is coming next week

It's never official until it's really official, but there continue to be strong indications that Sony will unveil its next-generation PlayStation Portable game console on January 27.

This time Bloomberg News is reporting that two sources who have knowledge of the company's plans say the new handheld will be announced next week. At the press conference, Sony will also "outline a strategy to use its networked entertainment services to share games, movies, and music among handheld products, TVs, and other devices," according to Bloomberg, once again citing a source who wished to remain anonymous.

And … Read more

Rumor: Next iPod Touch to go 3D?

With Nintendo officially rolling out the 3DS today, we thought it worth mentioning that Japanese blog Macotakara reported a few days ago that Apple is considering glasses-free 3D screen technology for a future iPod Touch.

Thanks to a somewhat garbled Google translation, the key quote that blogs are picking up on involves the usual anonymous sources from a vendor potentially supplying parts for the 3D iPod Touch:

According to a source of a company which provides LCD to Apple, they seems to begin preparing to manufacture small glasses-free 3D LCD panel for iPod touch. This 3D LCD panel looks similar … Read more

E Fun launching three new Android tablets

Consumer electronics company E Fun is bumping up its lineup of Android tablets.

Appearing at CES this week, E Fun will be demoing its new Next4, Next5, and Next6 tablets, all with built-in Wi-Fi and access to the Borders e-book store.

Running Android 2.2, the 10.1-inch Next4 will retail for $349.99, while the Android 2.1-equipped 7-inch Next6 will cost consumers $269.99. Both models include 2GB of memory, an SD card slot, a viewer for MP3 files and photos, built-in speakers, 25 pre-loaded books, and a G-sensor accelerometer that reacts when you tilt and move the … Read more

CES: Texas Instruments trots out tiny new DLP Pico HD chip

LAS VEGAS--The early class of "pocket" pico projectors hasn't taken off as quickly as some people expected, largely because the image quality hasn't been good. Texas Instruments hopes to kick-start the category with a new DLP Pico HD chipset that will make its way into products shipping later this year.

The company says the new chip delivers "stunning" HD (WXGA) video and images on "nearly any surface, with more brightness and greater energy efficiency than ever before," and that it will usher in "a new era for portable high-definition entertainment." … Read more

Rudolph no longer a radar-nosed reindeer

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus, and he's equipped with the latest in satellite-based technology to get you your toys on time (and in one piece).

So says the Federal Aviation Administration, which announced this week that its safety inspectors had certified St. Nick's sleigh, Santa One, for its annual chimney-chasing trek around the globe.

"Children around the world will get their gifts on time, regardless of the weather, thanks to NextGen," a new air traffic control technology, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said in a statement. "We're proud to say NextGen … Read more

What's next for e-readers: a Mirasol in the making?

At last year's CES, the e-reader product a lot of people were talking about didn't exist. It was a concept from Mirasol, a Qualcomm-backed company that was showing off its screen technology in a prototype unit.

Mirasol's screen caught people's attention for a few reasons. For starters, it was color. Secondly, its high-tech reflective display technology was not only energy-efficient but readable in direct sunlight. And finally, it was capable of displaying full-motion video. Marrying the best of what e-ink had to offer with some of the strengths of LCD, it looked a lot like the … Read more

Report: YouTube wants to buy Next New Networks

YouTube has plans to acquire Next New Networks, a Web video production company known for producing video hits online, according to a report in The New York Times.

The Times says the deal is not finalized and the companies are still in talks. Next New Networks is the home of such Web video franchises as "Obama Girl" and the people who brought us the clip "The Bed Intruder Song."

The Times reported that Google is most interested in Next New Networks' video-production abilities. The two most popular YouTube videos the past year came from Next New … Read more

Kindle games start to proliferate

The Kindle as portable gaming platform? Seems like a misprint, but the number of Kindle games is growing, with a new one, Next, released today, and eight total in the Kindle Store.

The latest include Sudoku, Texas Hold'em Poker, and Panda Poet, a new word game in which words you form turn into pandas and the goal is "grow the biggest panda possible."

Due to the rudimentary nature of e-ink, none of these games are terribly sophisticated, but they're all big hits with Kindle users and some claim they are very addicting. A few games are … Read more

Aaxa introduces 'world's first' XGA micro projector

Mainly because of mediocre image quality, the Pico projector market just hasn't taken off as some thought it might. But we're seeing a new trend in mini projectors: go a little bigger and offer improved performance.

That's the idea anyway behind the Aaxa M2, which the company is calling the "world's first" XGA micro projector. It weighs in at a pound, produces a "vivid" 110-lumen image, and has some built-in memory and a media player (you can play files right off the projector). Here are the specs that Aaxa is highlighting (the … Read more