Neuros, most famous for their PSP recorders have had a bit of a roller coaster with their 442 PMP. This player has been on the market for a good year now, but in this time it has gone down heavily in price, just check out this for a comparable price range. The PMP features a 40GB hard disk, which you can place all your music and video on. The best feature about this PMP is how you can connect it to a DVD player or TV and record up to 150 hours of video with audio in real time.

Compatible video formats are MPEG4, DivX3.11/4.05/5.0, and WMV v9 formats, and all this will be displayed on the crisp 3.5" screen. The battery life is really good too, 5 hours for video and 9 hours for audio only, and the battery is fully rechargeable. It accepts the usual music formats including MP3/ADPCM/WMA/AAC and the firmware is fully upgradable to handle newer codecs and software flaws. The player is going for a very cheap $349 and includes headphones, USB cable, owner's manual, composite video Input / Output cable, Installation CD, AC adapter, leather carrying case.

 

This is a must for all those out there who either haven't got enough bay spaces, or need to temporarily connect an HDD or optical drive to their PC or laptop via USB 2.0. Working on a Windows 98/Me/2000/XP platform, it allows you to connect 2.5/3.5" SATA/IDE drives via a compatible USB 2.0 port.

The unit has a power indication light, and runs off a 12v AC adaptor. There is also a built-in on/off button. The unit measures 72.5 x 56 x 14mm and the AC Adaptor measures 115 x 57.5 x 32 mm. When released it will retail for 2,980 Yen / $25.

Another possible use for this could be on a more permanent basis. Rather than buying yourself an HDD enclosure, you can simply connect this to your laptop and have a cheaper version of an external drive. Seeing as a lot of large capacity HDDs are less than half the price of their external counterparts with faster read/write speeds too, this actually provides an advantage.

    

From Japan we have this huge beast making an appearance in the multimedia world. Axes Corp have released the VP8360-B/100 PMP with a behemoth 100GB hard drive, and all the multimedia card slots you could ever want. Equipped with a 3.5" TFT screen, it is capable of a 320 x 240 resolution. File support comes in the form of AVI, MOV, MPEG-1 and MPEG-4 for video and MP3, WMA, AAC and WAV for audio. Using the Line-in you can record video and it also has a microphone for audio recording.

It features good use as a photo viewer, where-by you can copy images off media cards, and then if you wish, you can transfer them back to multimedia cards. Compact Flash, Memory Stick Pro/Duo/Pro Duo, SD card, Mini SD cards, MMC and Micro drives are all supported with the inbuilt slots. There is also a built-in FM tuner, which leads me to believe that you can record straight from the radio. Also for your convenience there is a TV out, so you can view your pictures and videos in larger sizes.

The Axes PMP measures 72 x 135 x 23mm and weighs in at 236g. Available sometime this month, it comes with a medium-high price of $610. The images show off a very stylish unit, which has controls placed in good places. If it comes with a dock that would certainly add to the usability of the unit.

  

Matthew Ritter of Yanko design has designed what seems to be the no fuss, cool looking PC concept. Codenamed the XCS (Extensible Computer System) this is a simple unit where the circuitry has been hidden from the user's prying view, and all upgradable units are in the shape of external cartridges.

The idea behind this concept is that buyers are not intimidated by the complex views of the PC's internals. By this method, it makes it easier and less intimidating to upgrade their systems. If you view the thumbnailed image, you'll see each cartridge has a manufacturers name and logo embossed on it, which shows how individual parts such as the graphics card, RAM, and hard drive can be easily upgraded.

Baring in mind that this is a concept, it would be very cool to see this unusual beauty on the market in the future, and following technological trend, it would make sense to make systems that are easier to upgrade. Another argument for this movement is the way new technology is constantly being updated, and nowadays we get the impression that as soon as we purchase a unit, almost immediately it is out of date.

A company called Qrio have released what seems to be a very stylish DMB portable TV. Called the QT-9, it measures a very slimline 9.8mm and supports a wide crisp 3.5" QVGA screen. Rival models including the iRiver B10 only have 2.2" screens and have a 17.1mm thickness. There is a single built in speaker and an extendable aerial. Details show that there will be two colours available, pink and black. By taking advantage of the H.264 coding format, the DMB (Digital Multimedia Broadcast) TV uses a terrestrial signal to send you a crisp signal courtesy of ground transmitters.

No details on release date and price are not yet available, however expect this to be a Korea only product. Rival units retails for between $120-160 so therefore it would be logical to think this will follow suit. Be warned, those who think they can get the Korean model and bring it to Europe or the US, think again, besides the DMB service not being fully operational, these countries require subscription of sorts. Again following rival models, battery life should be in the region of 3 to 5 hours.

  

We've already told you about BenQ's BW1000 back in April. Now, BenQ Europe have just announced more details on one of its newest internal Blu-Ray burners.

The BW1000 is a 3-in-1 writer which incorporates CD, DVD, and Blu-Ray reading and writing. The system behind this process uses one single lens capable of achieving red, infra-red and blue laser frequencies.

The unit also contains its own firmware which has Tilt Control Technology, SolidBurn and Write Right technologies.

Tilt Control Technology allows the laser to follow its read/write path even when bumps are placed on the unit, and also physical imperfections in the media. SolidBurn is a system which chooses the automatic write speed to ensure maximum lifespan and perfection within the media. Write Right is a technology which provides maximum protection in data that has been written - this makes sure that no errors or data inconsistencies are made while writing data in real time or in under-buffering.

The unit should be available at the end of August 2006 at a suggested price of €799 (including VAT). This makes a very good unit for those with a cube/small PC with one drive bay; however, the price might let some people down.

This is possibly the sexiest, thinnest and most useful MP3 player on the market yet. Released by MobiBLU, it is called the US2, but I would expect a better name soon. It is a Razr-styled aluminium digital audio player available in 1, 2 or 4GB varieties. It has a 1.5" OLED colour display, and has support for audio, picture and video. There is an inbuilt FM tuner, and a necklace design, being able to clip onto its included neckstrap. The final feature is a bit of a rare one, but it includes built in SRS WOW Audio Processing, which gives the music and audio output more feel to it. Just to show it off, we've got some pictures taken by the nice people at DAPreview.net...

    

I've always wondered if these worked properly, and it seems they do. Samsung are loving the growing popularity of their autonomous Hoovering systems so much that they have decided not only to upgrade older models, but also release newer ones to the market. Introducing the VC-RS60 and the VC-RS60H, both designed by Zairo. The usual features are included such as automatic battery recharging, sensoring for detecting obstacles and easy emptying of dust and rubbish. However one cool function which will surely add to the popularity is the way you can call/text your machine, and it will clean when you are not about. Great for those at work or with friends.

  
 

Health Mate, a company who are infamous within their industry for supplying top end sauna's have a new range of infrared sauna's which allow the users to burn up to 1000 calories in 30 minutes. Seeing as the most movement you're going to have is changing the track on the inbuilt Panasonic stereo system, that's a pretty good result.  These work by heating the body directly, and not the air. This method is different from the traditional steam based sauna's which heat the surrounding air. The manufacturers claim that the  units have many health benefits including detoxification, weight loss and holistic well being.

The units are available in capacity of between 1 and 5 people and again in various watt-ages. Prices vary between a single person unit costing $3500, while the five-person unit costs $8250. Accessories can be purchased too, which include outdoor covers, and star lights.

I was browsing for a present for a friend, and I came across this little charmer, however I dont think that its advertised as the maker wanted it to. This toaster is special as it includes a special metal plate which prints the words 'I LOVE YOU' on the sides of the bread as it gets heated. However, the side of the white retro toaster says 'I love toast' and brings me to believe that the toaster is saying I love you back. Either way, I'm sure you'd bring a lovely round bright smile to your loved one if you wake them with some loving toast, orange juice and a large flower. For those in the UK, it is available for £29.99 from Gadgets.co.uk. There is also a variable heating knob and a removable bread crumb tray.