May 25 - 7:55am EDT   Lenovo chose Memorial Day to launch a range of PC updates that include a world-first. The IdeaPad S12 is the first netbook to have an option for NVIDIA's Ion platform and overcomes one of the performance setbacks for netbooks: the advanced graphics can fully decode 1080p HD in hardware and is capable of 3D that would be off limits for Intel-based video. It also helps drive visuals on the newly enlarged 12-inch, 1280x800 display or the (optional) HDMI output. [full story]

March 16 - 9:40am EDT   LG on Monday said it has launched the Arena in Europe. The company's new range-topping phone should be available today through carriers like Orange and T-Mobile in the continent's "major" markets and is still claimed as one of LG's most anticipated phones with more than 1 million pre-orders, though this includes carriers in Asia and other regions besides Europe. No mention has been made of how many Arenas are expected to sell through on launch day. [full story]

March 12 - 12:30pm EDT   Onkyo has launched a trio of new AV receivers that are topped by an industry first. The TX-SR607 is the first to include Dolby Pro Logic IIz support and can add a vertical dimension to the sound in movies that support it: the element lets home theaters with two extra, elevated front channel speakers register sounds that would appear above the movie viewer, such as an aircraft. It additionally brings support for 7.2-channel surround at 90W per channel with Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio as well as a rear port for add-ons like an iPod dock or HD Radio tuner. [full story]

March 9 - 12:20pm EDT   LG today was revealed to have provided early details of its likely update to the Viewty in a largely unnoticed booth area at last week's CeBIT show. In addition to specifcations, Phone Arena has obtained photos that effectively confirm the GC900 will replace its camera-centric predecessor: the device will have an upgraded 8-megapixel sensor with a Schneider-Kreuznach lens and Xenon flash. It should also have a much sharper 800x480, 3-inch touchscreen useful for the phone's DivX video and Dolby Mobile sound support. [full story]

February 10 - 4:05pm EST   LG's KM900 Arena should beat out the Palm Pre to be one of the first non-Apple phones to support multi-touch input, LG Korea's press site shows. The interface, known as S-Class, will let users pinch to zoom in the web browser and while viewing photos. While its main home screen has a conspicuously iPhone-influenced design, the 3D aspect divides the front end into core phone tasks, apps, media playback and a section for widget apps like clocks and calculators. [full story]

January 6 - 9:10am EST   Logitech on Tuesday exploited the run-up to CES to revise its G series gaming peripherals, including the addition of its first Mac-friendly gaming keyboard. The G19 is the company's new flagship keyboard for play and centers on a 320x240, color LCD that can be used to provide information on active games with support for the company's GamePanel software, such as World of Warcraft. It also performs double duty as a VoIP call panel, media viewer and performance tracker; users can switch between many of these without having to leave a currently running app, the company notes. [full story]

January 5 - 3:10pm EST   MSI today outlined its plans for CES and confirmed the presence of the company's first all-in-one nettop. The Wind NetOn (shown) competes against ASUS' Eee Top and also described as one of the fastest; in the US-specific AE1901 model, the 19-inch system will come with a dual-core 1.6GHz Atom that should significantly improve performance while keeping power use down to just 50W. IT and the other 16- and 22-inch systems have yet to receive full details but should come with 16:9 ratio, 1366x768 touchscreens (1920x1080 in the 22-inch version) that simplify their respective interfaces. [full story]

January 2 - 3:20pm EST   Taiwan's ASUS on Wednesday announced it will soon release its Xonar HDAV1.3-series of sound cards that are the first in the industry to offer TrueHD audio bitstream support for HTPCs. The lossless digital compression rate of 24-bit/192KHz audio is delivered to AV receivers thanks to the use a specially designed C-Media AV200 audio processor and ArcSoft's TotalMedia Theatre software. HTPC users can now enjoy DTS-HD, Dolby TrueHD and Dolby Digital Plus audio formats usually found on today's Blu-ray movies discs. [full story]

November 13 - 4:00pm EST   ASUS on Wednesday announced a new range of Xonar Essence STX PCI-express audio cards with an industry-leading 124dB Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) that delivers clean, clear sound. The cards also offer an uncommon feature with their built-in headphone amplifier that delivers less than 0.001 percent distortion. ASUS used its Hyper-ground technology and EMI Shield design in the construction of the cards to help it achieve the high SNR score and protect its analog outputs from external magnetic interference. [full story]

November 4 - 3:40pm EST   High-end home theater maker NAD has made a late entry into Blu-ray players with the launch of the T 587. The dedicated player quickly catches NAD up to rivals with both Profile 2.0 support, which adds support for BD-Live and other Internet-related special features, as well as a quick startup time. Unlike even some high-end players, the T 587 is said to load movies in under a minute versus times from rivals that creep over this mark. [full story]

July 30 - 12:05pm EDT   LG today said it has struck an agreement with Dolby Labs to build Dolby Mobile audio into its media phones. The recently-developed technique gives listeners virtual surround from plugged-in earphones despite the relatively small size and low power of a handset. It can also enhance audio for stereo signals, either widening the perceived sound stage for a less compressed sound and restoring lost detail both through a treble enhancer as well as a bass boost. [full story]

May 12 - 2:40pm EDT   Creative expanded its lineup to the underserved notebook audience with the Sound Blaster X-Fi Surround 5.1. The USB device is claimed as the first to both boost audio quality and output in full 5.1-channel surround sound; Dolby and DTS movies, as well as games that support surround through DirectSound or OpenAL, automatically have their video processed and split across a speaker setup. Compressed audio is also cleaned up through the Crystalizer hardware that Creative says restores lost details. [full story]

May 7 - 12:10pm EDT   As part of its home theater product launch on Wednesday, Pioneer USA introduced four new A/V receivers to its Elite line. The SC-07, SC-05, VSX-03TXH and VSX-01TXH feature 7.1-channel surround sound connections and support DTS HD Master Audio, DTS-HD High Resolution, Dolby TrueHD and Dolby Digital Plus lossless audio formats. The SC-07 and SC-05 benefit from the same Direct Energy HD amplifier with ICEpower analog class D technology Pioneer uses in its flagship SC-09TX receiver. [full story]