Surely you’re not content with just multi-touch and built-in accelerometers, right? Microsoft Research is expecting not, as it’s already working towards integrating force-sensing technology that will enable gestures to twist on-screen imagery without crafting UMPCs out of flexible material. Essentially, the gurus behind the idea feel that implementing said tech would “turn an otherwise passive component that just holds the device together into an active input surface.” In the future, it’s likely that auditory cues would enable users to know when they’ve applied enough pressure to cause a change, and of course, they expect it to work hand-in-hand with existing human-computer interfaces. Yeah, who needs keypads these days, anyway? [Warning: PDF read link]

http://www.engadget.com/

Like your Rolls-Royce, Louis Vuitton bags, and priceless, endangered animal collection, the Urwerk UR-202 turbine regulated watch is another expensive item you don’t really need. Still… you want it, right? Who wouldn’t want this beast, what with its self-winding kinetic motor, telescopic minute hands, orbiting and revolving hour satellites, and fancy, mechanical turbines that we understand almost nothing about. But hey, when your timepiece is more complicated than a jet plane — and likely more expensive — you’ve probably made it. Check out the totally awesome video after the break to see this thing in… uh, action.

We’re serious this time, people. No more kidding around with those international ship dates, we’ve got ourselves a real live release date from Asus: May 12th. The hotly-anticipated Eee PC 900 with that relatively bountiful 8.9-inch screen is going to sell for a starting price of $549, with Linux and XP versions available at launch.

http://www.engadget.com/

We suppose we’re pretty easy to please: pack some NES emulation and some decent slide-out controls into a passable PMP form factor and we’re sold. Add in a 3-inch LCD, TV-out and a superfluous 1.3 megapixel camera… what more could we ever ask for?

Sure, there’s a clip-on display for gaming on-the-go made for basically every console out there, but for whatever reason, Sony’s PlayStation 3 just doesn’t lend itself to being the perfect candidate the way Nintendo’s Wii does. Who knows, maybe it’s that curvaceous design or something. Anyway, Clearvision is hoping that you don’t much care how unsightly your console becomes when strapping its PS3 gaming monitor on, which adds a 7-inch LCD, a pair of speakers and little else. Unfortunately for those actually interested in picking one up, it seems you’ll have to put in an inquiry with one Shenzhen Madcow Digital Technology Co., Ltd. Good luck with that.

http://www.engadget.com/

What’s better than having a nice leather or cloth iPod sleeve to show off to your friends? If you’re thinking one made of imitation meat — you’re dead right! Apparently, a company in Japan is under the impression that you want to wrap your music player in a grade A lookalike, undoubtedly to the thrill of your vegetarian friends and family. Of course, don’t just get one for the shock value — this thing oozes pure, sophisticated style. If you’ve got ¥6,800 (or about $66) and dignity to spare, it can be all yours.

No doubt, we liked Samsung’s 10 megapixel NV24HD camera with 720p video. But we loves us some Panasonic DMC-FX500. It shoots 720p video and 10 megapixel stills just like its Korean competitor only with a 5x, 25-mm wide-angle Leica DC Vario-Elmarit lens instead of the 24-mm 3.6x zoomer found on the Sammy. Oh, and it brings a bigger 3.0-inch touchscreen too. With the unit already making its way out the door in the US for about $400, we’re just waiting to hear about the image quality before grabbing one for ourselves. Reviews please, somebody… Bueller? Video hands-on after the break.

http://www.engadget.com

16:9 LCD panels designed for computer use aren’t exactly all that uncommon, but this latest batch announced by LG will likely generate a bit more interest than most, especially given that they’re apparently intended specifically for use in low-cost laptops. According to DigiTimes, LG will first roll out a standard 16:10 aspect ratio, 8.9-inch panel with a resolution of 1024 x 600 in August, which will then be followed by a 16:9, 10.1-inch panel with a 1024 x 576 resolution in October, and finally a 9.4-inch panel of unspecified resolution in April of 2009. Making things even more interesting is that some unspecified “industry sources” say the panels are “expected” to be adopted by Acer and HP for use with their low-cost laptops, and possibly Asustek as well, which will no doubt add plenty of fuel to the next round of Eee PC rumors.

AMD wasn’t exactly all that specific about exactly when its new ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3000 series graphics chips would actually find their way into some laptops when it announced them earlier this year, but it looks like they’re now finally starting to trickle out, with new laptops from Toshiba and ASUS now each receiving a boost from ‘em. For Toshiba’s part, it’s squeezed the lower-end ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3470 into its 17-inch Satellite P305 and P305D laptops (pictured at right), with other “select” P305 models also getting the more powerful Mobility Radeon HD 3650 model, which boasts 120 stream processors, a 128-bit memory interface, and 512MB or 1GB of VRAM depending on the system. ASUS also opted for the higher-end HD 3650, with it landing in the company’s 15.4-inch M50 Series M50Sa laptop. Needless to say, however, those aren’t the only models in the 3000 series, with the even higher-end Radeon HD 3850 and 3870, and 3850 X2 and 3870 X2 dual-core models, apparently also on track, though there doesn’t seem to be any word on a release for those just yet.

Under most circumstances, we too would take one glance at the monolith pictured above and scream in horror. But of course, we’re entirely sure you’re familiar with the wacky machines emerging from NextComputing. The ultra-tough Vigor Evo HD is hailed as the company’s “highest performance rugged workstation,” and besides offering up a floating chassis which absorbs all sorts of bumps and shocks, it also comes with a 17-inch LCD plastered right on the side. Said panel is covered with a hard-coated protective screen, and sitting just beneath that is your choice of AMD / Intel processors, up to four PCIe or PCI-X 64-bit slots, a dual-layer DVD writer, up to 3TB of internal HDD space and most everything else you’d find in a pre-fab desktop. Of course, it loses the vast majority of its intimidation factor when equipped with the optional wheels / telescoping handle package, but we won’t tell anyone if you’re not man / woman enough to lug it over your shoulder.

http://www.engadget.com/

BenQ has been showing off its first stab at an MID since the Intel Developer Forum last fall, but it hasn’t exactly been all that forthcoming about the full specs of the device. That situation seems to have changed at the more recent IDF in Shanghai, however, although those details seem to just now be making their way across the Internet. As we knew before, the device will pack an Intel Atom processor (the base 800MHz model), which will apparently be backed up by 512MB of RAM, a 4GB SSD hard drive, and HSPDA support in addition to some integrated WiFi and Bluetooth. The device will also apparently pack a so-called “G-Senser” for “direct touch and free movement to surf on internet,” along with voice activation, and optional GPS. Still no word on the all important pricing or release details, unfortunately, although we hope BenQ will save itself some embarrassment but getting the thing out the door before the next Intel Developer Forum.

Alright, so we know there aren’t hordes of you out there currently possessing one of GamePark’s GP2X F-200 handhelds, but we have absolutely no doubts that the owners that do exist are mighty vocal about their diminutive emulation powerhouse. When the unit was reviewed recently over at Ars Technica, critics found an awful lot to love, but it’s not like the admittedly hefty, battery-eating, mildly unsightly unit was flawless or anything. Sure, we know the hardcore emulation geeks out there are likely turning their attention to the forthcoming Pandora, but that’s not to say the F-200 can’t handle a good talking-to from its loyal followers. Go on, put away that unconditional adoration for just a moment and tell the world how this thing actually could be improved upon — we’re sure there’s something that grinds the gears.

http://www.engadget.com/