FromtheWire

October 26, 2009--Belkin International, Inc., just initiated a voluntary global product recall of its TuneBase Direct with Hands-Free, TuneBase FM with Hands-Free, and TuneBase FM with ClearScan (model numbers listed below).

Belkin has identified that a component of the TuneBase, the washer, may cause an electrical short circuit when plugged into a vehicle’s cigarette lighter adapter. The washer is a circular, black, plastic unit situated at the tip of the TuneBase’s cigarette lighter adapter. After a rigorous investigation, Belkin has determined that under certain conditions of heat, humidity, and prolonged periods of power-on (e.g., when the TuneBase is left plugged in overnight), some units with the washer have shown potential to smoke or pose a risk of fire. Read more

Southwest Airlines and The St. Joe Company Enter Into Strategic Alliance to Land Jet Service at Region's Newest Airport; Carrier Plans Start-Up to Multiple Destinations in May 2010

October 21, 2009 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Southwest Airlines Co. today announces its intent to begin jet service from Northwest Florida's new international airport near Panama City, Florida in May 2010. The planned service is made possible through a strategic alliance agreement developed between Southwest and The St. Joe Company, one of Florida's largest landowners and real estate developers. The new airport will introduce daily jet service to the Northwest Florida Gulf Coast, providing Southwest Customers easy access to its stunning white-sand beaches and vibrant communities. For more information on the Northwest Florida Gulf Coast, please visit www.thebeachfla.com.

Southwest has not released specific service details, saying only that it will add at least two daily nonstop flights from Northwest Florida to four destinations across its 68 airport network for a total of eight daily nonstop flights when it begins service next year. Northwest Florida will be the first international airport to open in the nation in more than a decade. The new international airport is currently under construction and is scheduled to open in May 2010. Specific details on Southwest's fares and schedule will be available in December 2009. Read more

October 20, 2009 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Apple today introduced the new wireless Magic Mouse, the first mouse to use Apple's revolutionary Multi-Touch technology. Pioneered on iPhone, iPod touch and Mac notebook trackpads, Multi-Touch allows customers to navigate using intuitive finger gestures. Instead of mechanical buttons, scroll wheels or scroll balls, the entire top of the Magic Mouse is a seamless Multi-Touch surface. Magic Mouse comes standard with the new iMac and will be available as a Mac accessory at just $69.

"Apple is the Multi-Touch leader, pioneering the use of this innovative technology in iPhone, iPod touch and Mac notebook trackpads," said Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. "Apple's Multi-Touch technology allows us to offer an easy to use mouse in a simple and elegant design."Read more

October 20, 2009 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Apple today updated its popular MacBook with a new, durable polycarbonate unibody design featuring a brilliant LED-backlit display, a glass Multi-Touch trackpad and Apple's innovative built-in battery for up to seven hours of battery life. Inheriting technology and design features from the MacBook Pro line, the new MacBook is an ideal consumer notebook for students and new Mac users, and is available for $999.

"The new MacBook includes many of the great features found on the innovative MacBook Pro, such as an LED-backlit display, glass Multi-Touch trackpad and built-in long-life battery," said Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. "With the only lineup of notebooks all featuring unibody enclosures, LED-backlit displays and long-life battery technology, there's never been a better time to switch to a Mac."Read more

Features LED-Backlit Displays, Available Quad-Core Processors & the New Wireless Magic Mouse

October 20, 2009 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Apple today unveiled an all new iMac line featuring brilliant LED-backlit 21.5 and 27-inch widescreen displays in a new edge-to-edge glass design and seamless all aluminum enclosure. The new iMac line, starting at $1,199, is the fastest ever with Intel Core 2 Duo processors starting at 3.06 GHz, and Core i5 and i7 quad-core processors for up to twice the performance.* Every new iMac ships with a wireless keyboard and the all new wireless Magic Mouse, the world's first mouse with Multi-Touch technology pioneered by Apple on the iPhone, iPod touch and Mac notebook trackpad.

"The iMac is widely praised as the best desktop computer in the world and today we are making it even better," said Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. "With brilliant LED displays and the revolutionary Magic Mouse, the new iMac delivers an amazing desktop experience that we think customers will love."Read more

Tiny One-Liter Nettop Provides a Brilliant Visual Experience for Digital Hobbies and Casual Gaming for Just $329.99

October 2009--Acer America announced that AspireRevo R3610-U9012, an extremely compact, one-liter nettop, is now available for consumers in the U.S. This nettop is small, energy-efficient and packs enough power to serve as an entertainment center for the entire family. Ultra-sleek, dark blue and about the size of a book, this space-saving and quiet computer makes it an easy fit for any room in the house. It can be used as a fully functional home office PC or as a multimedia hub for casual gaming when connected to an LCD or television.

Featuring NVIDIA® ION™ supporting NVIDIA CUDA technology and Microsoft DirectX, the AspireRevo enables users to watch 1080p HD movies, play DirectX® 10 games, and enjoy the 3D capabilities of Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium. Read more

October 14, 2009 – Nikon Inc., today introduced the new medium telephoto AF-S DX Micro NIKKOR 85mm f/3.5G ED VR lens designed specifically for extreme close-up photography, yet perfectly suited for portrait, nature, and general imaging as well. Focusing as close as 0.9 ft., this new 85mm Micro lens allows photographers to capture breathtaking close-up images with life-size reproduction ratios up to 1:1, helping to ensure that even the subtlest of subject detail is reproduced faithfully. The new 85mm Micro NIKKOR lens, in conjunction with Nikon DX-format digital SLR cameras, renders a picture angle equivalent of approximately 127.5mm (in the 35mm or FX-format), providing a natural perspective along with a desirable and practical lens-to-subject working distance.

"Nikon is proud of its strong reputation for designing and producing some of the world's finest close-up lenses, delivering faithful and consistent color reproduction, stunning sharpness and beautifully balanced contrast," said Edward Fasano, general manager for marketing, SLR Systems Products at Nikon, Inc. "The introduction of the AF-S DX 85mm Micro lens further broadens the Micro NIKKOR family and answers a call from serious nature and portrait photographers, generalists and on-line auction specialists seeking superior close-up shooting performance, affordability and versatility."Read more

Latest Aspire Timeline series offers style and performance with eight hours of battery life, Windows 7 and a sleek, thin and light design

Oct. 14, 2009 – Acer America, part of the world’s second largest manufacturer of notebook PCs, today expands its Aspire Timeline Series of "all day computing" notebooks with a new 11.6-inch model that is ideal for road warriors and ultraportable enthusiasts.

In addition, the company announced today that it has expanded its entire line of Acer Aspire Timeline Series notebooks with models that feature Windows 7 and new Intel CULV dual-core processors for enhanced performance and functionality. The lines starts at just $549.99 (MSRP) and the line comes in several color choices including a new chic, yet subtle "espresso" color for the 15.6-inch model. Read more

Launching with Windows 7, the new Aspire AS5738PG Multi-touch screen Notebook Delivers Incredible New Functionality, High-Performance Features, and Mobile Entertainment

Oct. 14, 2009 – Acer America, part of the world's third largest PC company (Source: Gartner data, 4Q 2008), today debuts its new Acer Aspire 5738PG notebook PC – the company’s first notebook with multi-touch screen capabilities that offer a natural and enhanced way to interact with the PC, applications and digital data.

The Acer Aspire 5738PG multi-touch screen notebook launches with Microsoft Windows 7 Premium and will be available starting October 22 at select retailers.Read more

October 6, 2009 – Verizon Wireless and Google today announced a strategic partnership that will leverage the Verizon Wireless network and the best of the Android open platform to deliver leading-edge mobile applications, services and devices. Both companies view this agreement as an opportunity to offer consumers an array of products that combine the speed of the nation’s largest and most reliable 3G network with the flexibility of the Android mobile platform.

Integral to this agreement is a commitment by the companies to devote substantial resources to accelerate delivery of leading-edge innovation that will put unique applications in the hands of consumers quickly. The two industry leaders will create, market and distribute products and services, with Verizon Wireless also contributing the breadth of its nationwide distribution channels. Consumers will be able to purchase products resulting from the collaboration in Verizon Wireless retail and online stores.Read more