BenQ covers it all with three new lines of LCD TVs

There is no excuse for sidelining BenQ's LCD TV offerings now that there are twice the number of models to savor. Announced yesterday in Singapore are its latest VA, VL and PL series with an eye on aesthetics to address its previous shortfalls in design.

Hailed by BenQ as the perfect replacement for your aging CRT TVs, the entry-level VA line offers clean-cut design matched with up-to-date specifications like a high-definition (1,366 x 768-pixel) panel and HDMI digital connectivity. Four models of 26- to 42-inch sizes are available and all feature 1,000:1 contrast ratios, 8ms response time and up to 1080i compatibility.

Up the performance scale, we have the VL line designed for advocates of high specifications and affordability. Available in identical sizes as its VA counterparts, all models under this series come with BenQ's proprietary Senseye technology, Virtual Dolby Surround Pro Logic 2 and a built-in light sensor for on-the-fly brightness adjustment.

The flagship PL4271 42-incher completes the lineup and is the only entry in the company's premium PL line. Equipped with a 1,920 x 1,080-pixel LCD panel, it is future-proofed with 1080p compatibility and features Senseye technology. BenQ also claims to deliver top analog audio amplifier performance with its new D2Audio digital amplifier--its first venture into digital audio for the company's LCD TVs.

The VA and VL series will be available in the second quarter of 2006, while the PL series is slated to hit retail shelves in the third quarter.

FlashDisc

Looks like a floppy. Behaves like flash. Presumably, this one's called FlashDisc since FlopDisc sounds rather dire. This strange amalgamation of flash, USB interface and floppy offers anywhere from 16MB to 32MB of storage, which sounds rather measly given today's 2GB media cards. However, its genesis arose from a response to market research identifying what could be an unmet consumer need "for small, easy-to-use, rewritable media with storage density higher than floppy diskettes, but lower than that of personal USB flash drives". Only time will tell if market research holds true when the FlashDisc launches some time in the next two months.

See it closed | lid off

Via gizmag

Price: N.A.
Availability: msystems, just launched in BestBuy stores in the US
Device: Flash memory
Basic specs: N.A.

Motorola adds color to PEBL

It started with the RAZR V3. Then the V3i and V3x. And now the PEBL. It seems Motorola is giving its designer handsets color makeovers, with the latest being the elegant PEBL clamshell which will soon come in palette offerings of green, pink, blue and orange.

Jim Wicks, Motorola's vice president and director of Consumer Experience Design, believes the new shades offered for the PEBL allow consumers to "directly mix and match their mobile phone style". According to the specifications given, the features for the new color PEBLs will remain the same as the original PEBL in black. Expect the multihued handsets in Asia by Q2 of 2006.

Powerful 5.1 sound for a song

Sony rocks the house by packing a powerful 850W S-Master digital amplifier into an entry-level home-theater-in-a-box system. The DAV-DZ120 also comes with the company's proprietary D.C.A.C automatic audio calibration system designed to simplify setup for an optimized installation.

Other notable features include advanced Karaoke functions, A/V Sync for precise synchronization in sound and picture, and a portable audio enhancer to improve MP3 players' music playback performance.

This affordable 5.1 audio system is now available at a retail price of S$499 (US$328.29).
More info here

mTUNE-N

Love it, love it, love it. This iPod accessory caught our eye at the CeBIT booth only because there was a nano sitting in it. That's right. You dock your player into the left ear cup of this wireless stereo MP3 headset, and voila: MP3 unplugged. A direct feed to your ears. mTUNE-N's big foldable cans claim to be "lightweight", though we weren't able to check that out at the stands. For controls, the design offers easy access to your nano's Click Wheel, though just one niggly thought. How in tarnation does one navigate through the menu while the player is tucked away somewhere in the vicinity of your head? Guess it's do the shuffle or pack along a mirror if you don't fancy yanking off either headgear or player.

See cans closed | nano slot | jack

Price: US$49.99
Availability: Macally, patent pending
Device: iPod cordless headset
Basic specs: 3.5mm jack, 40mm Mylar cone speaker, 32ohm impedance, 105dB sensitivity, 6.1oz

Crave is...

The name says it all. Crave is our new blog about cool gadgets and other crushworthy stuff.

Drop us an email if you have tips or suggestions.

Crave for...

» Mobile Phones (575)

» Digital Cameras (356)

» Notebooks (367)

» PC & Peripherals (372)

» Handhelds (213)

» Printers (37)

» Home AV (394)

» Music & Play (358)

» Gadgets (844)

» Future Tech (124)

Previously...

2008

2007

2006

2005

2004

Subscribe to
Crave

Today on CNET |  Reviews |  Crave |  Blogs |  CNET TV |  Digital Living |  Downloads