Sony has given is an early Christmas with 21, yes 21! new models of the popular VAIO. Four new series include the VAIO A, BX, FZ and G series, each with upgrades.

The top end of the lot are the VAIO A series laptops, with 17-inch displays (1920×1200 on the higher end model), T7100 or T7300 Core 2 Duo processors, up to 2GB of RAM, two 120GB hard drives, an optional Blu-ray drive, and NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT graphics.

Next is the FZ series with 15.4-inch displays, along with Core 2 Duo processors and slightly smaller hard drives.

VAIO BX models offer a choice of 14.1 or 15.4-inch displays, Core 2 Duo processors, up to 2GB of RAM, and a max 120GB hard drive.

Last, but defintely not least, is the VAIO G, with a 12.1-inch display, a Core Solo U1400 processor, 1GB of RAM, and an 80GB hard drive.

They are supposed to start rolling out in July (in Japan) starting at only $900. Look to spend $3,285 for the top end models though.
source:Sony.jp

AMD is now shipping ATI Radeon™ HD 2400 and ATI Radeon™ HD 2600 graphics processors. Both deliver DirectX® 10 gaming and high definition video for Windows Vista®.

The new graphics cards will be available at online retailers within a few weeks from board customers including Asus, Club 3D, Diamond Multimedia, GeCube, Gigabyte, HIS, MSI, Palit, PowerColor, Sapphire and VisionTek.

The ATI Radeonâ„¢ HD 2400 and ATI Radeonâ„¢ HD 2600 cards are designed for use in entry-level and mainstream systems, in which the UVD technology is beneficial for watching high definition movies.

In contrast, the ATI Radeonâ„¢ HD 2900 XT is a high-end desktop card for gaming enthusiasts, and designed to be used in high-performance PCs with the fastest CPUs. In these environments, the CPU can perform software decoding of HD video without being overburdened and UVD technology is not required. The user will get a high-quality video experience (including watching Blu-ray or HD DVD movies) with any ATI Radeonâ„¢ HD 2000 series card.
source: Businesswire

I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’ve hit that level of nerd where I start to geek out over totally sweet historical stuff.  There’s just something about things that really old that makes me drool.  I think it has something to do with my massive ego and things that have stood the test of time being amongst the very few things that can make me feel inferior, but that is the subject of an entirely different post.  This is about Rome. 

Having been to Rome in the real world, I was sorely disappointed at how much of the history was no longer intact.  Well thanks to the University of Virginia I can now explore ancient Rome at the height of its prosperity, without ever having to take off my pjs.  UVA, in conjunction with some other folks, has constructed the world’s largest digital model of an ancient city.  You don’t have to be a history nerd to think this is totally sweet.

Now, if you are anything like me (not the weird history stuff, just in general), then it’ll only take about 15 seconds before the following thought crops up in the old noggin:  Spice up the graphics, sell it to Rockstar Games, and BAM.  GTA: Rome.  Think about it.  Sweet.

Wacom impressed us at NAB with a preview of its new Bamboo mini-graphics pad, and that Bamboo will ship later this month at only $140. For those who might not be familiar with the concept, Wacom’s pads plug into your PC or Mac’s USB port and act as a graphical input device: You draw with a special stylus, and the pad-aware software on your computer (Illustrator, for example) responds. The stylus has other features like built-in tools and a pressure sensor, so you really get a pen-and-paper-like experience. Handy for designers.

The Bamboo takes the concept to a new place with the edition of an iPod-like scroll wheel at the top. this supposedly makes it simple to scroll through tools, settings, and menus that the pads haven’t really addressed well in the past. Anything to make digital art easier for us non-artsy schmoes is welcome.

Joining Epson and a growing host of others in the miniscule PC arena, enano is throwing its own offerings in the hat while boasting about greenness all the while. The generation e2 lineup sports "book sized" enclosures, a sleek black paint job, and four different models to suit your fancy (and budget). All four units rely on one of Intel’s Core 2 Duo processors, but apparently, none are sporting the Santa Rosa love just yet. The machines can be configured with up to 2GB of DDR2 RAM, 160GB of SATA hard drive space, an integrated TV tuner, gigabit Ethernet, 802.11b/g, 7.1 surround sound audio, and feature Intel’s GMA950 integrated graphics set, an SD / MS / MMC card reader, a total of four USB 2.0 ports, one 4-pin FireWire connector, DVI or VGA out via adapter, S-Video out, and audio in / out ports to finish things off. The box itself weighs in at just three pounds and measures 8.8- x 6.8- x 1.65-inches around, and while the company claims that you’ll save a bundle on energy costs with this power sipper, the up front charges ranging from around $1,200 to near $2,000 probably makes up for it.