Computers

We knew the Nokia Booklet 3G would be available at Best Buy around November 15. What we didn't know was that Best Buy is giving Reward Zone members the first shot at obtaining the product, per a circular Engadget obtained over the weekend.

Between November 6th and the 14th, Reward Zone members can visit their local Best Buy store to place a pre-order of the Nokia Booklet, with others having to wait until November 15th to order the device.

To recap, the Booklet 3G is Nokia's first Atom-powered netbook. Weighing in at 2.76-pounds, the device features a 10.1 inch HD display, 120GB HDD, 1GB of RAM, Intel Atom processor, Wi-Fi, A-GPS, webcam, Bluetooth, built-in SD card reader, and an HDMI port. It will be sold for $299 with a two-year contract on AT&T, or for $599.99 without a contract.

Last March Dell introduced Adamo, the world's thinnest laptop PC at just a .65-inch thick. Now they have added an even thinner laptop to the line, the Adamo XPS. Measuring just four-tenths of an inch thin and weighing just over 3 pounds, this is one impressive laptop!

Featuring a 13.4-inch high-definition display, 4GB DDR3 800 memory, Intel Core 2 Duo (1.4Ghz) ultra-low voltage processor, and a 128GB SSD, it performs well too.

More features:

• When opened, the body of the Adamo XPS is raised so the keyboard is angled to enhance cooling.
• Capacitive latching device – one finger swipe opens the latch.
• Built-in location awareness to provide real time local maps to show people where they are.
• Replaceable battery, with optional higher-capacity battery available.
• Full size keyboard with aluminum keycaps; touchpad with gestures.
• Built-in 802.11n wireless.
• High Definition (720p) 13.4-inch WLED display.
• I/O: display port, 2xUSB 2.0, audio, Ethernet (via included dongle).
• Operating system: Windows 7 64-bit edition.

Dell expects the Adamo XPS to be available in time for the holidays. Prices start at $1799. More information is available at www.adamobydell.com.

ViewSonic this week announced the new VMP70 media player box, a new device that makes viewing Full HD 1080p multimedia easy. Simply insert a USB or external hard drive into the player and watch HD movies and TV shows on your television. You can view photos and listen to music as well. It also includes an S/PDIF port for surround sound connectivity, HDMI cable and a remote control. Sound expensive? It's not. It is available now for under $100.

The VMP70 weighs less than one pound and supports more video and audio formats than any media player available today, including MPEG1/2/4, Divx/Xvid, MKV, H.264, VC-1, WMV9, RM/RMVB, DTS, Dolby Digital, WMA, MP3, FLAC, OGG and MKA to name a few. Connectivity options include HDMI, Component, composite, S/PDIF and duo USB drive slots.

The VMP70 is now available for an MSRP of $129.99 with a promotional holiday price of $98.99.

More people use laptops to listen to music, watch movies and play games than ever before. Now you don't have to be stuck with the (sometimes) poor quality sound coming from your computer thanks to the new Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 Wireless computer speakers.

Klipsch first introduced the ProMedia 2.1 system back in 2000, and it has become one of their best-selling products. To make the speakers even better, Klipsch decided to create a wireless version. The new ProMedia 2.1 Wireless sounds just like the THX-certified original, only this one features a USB wireless transmitter that plugs into the computer's USB port.

The system is not completely wireless, however. Unless operated via batteries, the power source needs to connect to electricity. With this system, the subwoofer is the power source. It plugs into a wall outlet and then the two speakers connect to it via wires. Wireless, (in this case), means no wires attach to the computer. The ProMedia and computer wirelessly connect via the USB wireless transmitter.

The ProMedia 2.1 Wireless is available at klipsch.com for $199.99, only in the United States. The original ProMedia ($149.99) is available at Best Buy and klipsch.com.

Acer just announced a notebook PC with an 18.4-inch display, Intel Core i7 processor, Windows 7 Home Premium and theater quality sound and visuals, the new Aspire AS8940G-6865.

Perfect for multimedia enthusiasts, this PC features 4GB DDR3 dual-channel 1066MHz memory, NVIDIA GeForce GTS 250M with 1GB dedicated DDR3 VRAM, a 500GB hard drive, 4X Blu-ray Disc/DVD SuperMulti Double-Layer Drive, Multi-in-1 digital media card reader, WiFi, integrated webcam, 5 USB 2.0 ports, 1 HDMI port, 1 eSATA port, and an 8-cell Li-Ion battery.Read more

MAINGEAR just announced the Shift, what they call "the everyday supercomputer." This supercomputer can speed up everyday tasks like photo and video editing, transcoding videos for portable media devices, and upscaling standard definition video, the company said.

Shift's aluminum housing design includes expansion slots, full eATX motherboard support, full sized 5.25" optical drives, multiple SATA hard drive configurations, and up to 2 2.5" HDD in each 3.5" HDD Drive bay. And it takes a different approach to cooling with bottom to top airflow, aggressive liquid cooling, and a 90 degree rotation of the motherboard.

Another quality that sets MAINGEAR apart is their customer support. If you have any problems with your Shift computer, you are able to talk directly to the builder that assembled your system. You can also get support through an internal remote-desktop setup, as well as on-site support should the situation need it.Read more

The QUE, a proReader from Plastic Logic designed for business professionals, will be sold at Barnes & Noble stores next year, it was announced this week. Rather than being a standard e-reader, the QUE supports document formats most business users need such as PDF, Word, PowerPoint, Excel documents and more.

QUE is the size of an 8.5 x 11 inch pad of paper, about a 1/3 inch thick, and weighs less than many periodicals. It features a shatterproof plastic display, is wireless-enabled, and has the largest touchscreen in the industry (at this time). Read more

This is a great year to create personalized gifts for friends and family. Make them something they will remember forever by creating a photo or video disc of some of your best times together.

Do you have some shaky home video footage or cell phone videos you'd like to add to a disc but thought it impossible due to the quality? vReveal is your solution. It is not video editing software, but video enhancement software. This software features super-resolution technology that increases resolution, reduces noise, and provides stabilization. And, to make it even better…it is super easy to use. "One click" touch-up tools stabilize, clean, sharpen, brighten and increase the resolution of flawed videos. You can even trim a video or rotate sideways videos. Video files can be previewed and then saved to disc or upload them directly to YouTube. Read more

Those looking for a Bluetooth wireless keyboard should check out the latest from Adesso, the WKB-4000BB. The company's first compact Bluetooth keyboard, it features a built-in touchpad, low profile scissor-switch keys, an ON/OFF switch (to help save battery life) and a Quick Connect button, which synchs to the PC with a simple click.

Great for people with limited space, this compact keyboard allows for more room on your desk, table, living room…anywhere you want to take it (up to 100 feet). And, thanks to the handy touchpad, a mouse isn't needed, saving even more space. It fits easily in a backpack or briefcase as well, so you can take it with you on the go.

The SlimTouch Bluetooth Wireless Keyboard, model WKB-4000BB, is compatible with Windows 7, Vista and XP systems with Bluetooth connectivity. It is available now for $129.99.

Visit www.adesso.com for more information.

Amazon's Kindle Store is coming soon to a computer near you. The new "Kindle For PC" application is available free of charge, with no Kindle device necessary to access the Kindle Store's books and newspapers.

This new app lets you read and purchase new e-books from your PC. It features Amazon's Whispersync technology that automatically saves and synchronizes bookmarks and the last page read across devices. So, now you can read some on your computer, some on your Kindle, and always pick up where you left off. Read more