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Vizio's M TV means major features up to 80 inches

LAS VEGAS--Vizio is traditionally known for cheap TVs, but at CES 2013 it's doubling down on its foray into step-up, feature-rich (read: slightly more expensive) territory with the 4K XVT models and the all-new "M" series.

The company's M range LED-based LCD TVs goes from 32- up to the company's first 80-inch model, the M801d pictured above. All of the sizes in the series should ship in the first half with the exception of the 80-incher, which is a second-half product. Pricing was not announced, but knowing Vizio it will be extremely competitive.

No other … Read more

New Acer tower desktops aim for budget buyers

Following news of its innovative Aspire Revo RL100, Acer also has a new pair of more traditional desktops. In keeping with Acer's mainstream desktop strategy the last few years, the two new tower systems both come in under $1,000, which positions them squarely for the mass market.

The Aspire X Series slim tower straddles the line between a living room PC and a standard tower desktop. Starting at $398, its CPU options include Intel Pentium Dual Core and AMD Athlon II X4 chips, along with 500GB and 1TB hard drive options, and 4GB of system memory. Acer makes … Read more

Video: BMW M5 versus M6

We know that the BMW's M6 is lighter, faster, and more expensive than its sibling the BMW M5. But just how much faster is it really? Is it worth $16,000 more and two fewer doors for a slightly faster lap time? Fifth Gear's Vicki Butler-Henderson aims to find out in this video. Though I think she's slightly more interested in powerslides than price-points.

2009 BMW M models get new nav system

Word is out that BMW's updating its high-performance M line of vehicles for the 2009 model year. Featuring a host of external tweaks, such as new taillight designs and exterior mirrors, the most noteworthy updates are the inclusion of the new iDrive across the M line, a competition package for the M6, a new hard drive-based navigation system, and what BMW calls ConnectedDrive.

On the performance front, the entire M line will see incremental power upgrades and suspension tweaks, but the M6 gets the biggest bump with the addition of an optional competition package. This primarily suspension package consists … Read more

Gateway catches up to the notebook design bandwagon

Welcome, Gateway!

So, you're doing the colored/crazy-designed notebook thing now, huh? Yeah, so is, well, everyone else.

It's pretty well-established now that the masses see their computer as an extension of their personalities. First, it was the brightly hued notebook trend that all the top-tier PC makers were latching on to, including Gateway. Now as a laptop vendor, it seems you have to offer some artsy-looking version of a standard notebook to even get noticed anymore. (With the exception of Apple, which garners plenty of attention with its commitment to minimalism.)

Cases in point: Sony, which already … Read more