Verdict: Good, but not great. I think there are many of us who like the idea of someday owning a slim, light weight, large touchscreen, budget priced, Internet tablet that we can use to surf the web and do some simple productivity duties. Unfortunately, Smart Devices’ SmartQ 7 falls a bit short when it comes to UI and app refinement (it’s more of a hack job) as you’ll see in the video above (full review here). For me it’s close to what I want, but no cigar — even if it does sell for less than $200 (will reconsider if Smart Devices implements the ARM port of Ubuntu MID Edition or even Android). On the bright side, it’s nice seeing the blurring between Internet tablets and e-book reader devices.

Now here’s an interesting shift. Sony Ericsson is announcing that its latest Aino touchscreen mobile phone will come bundled with a bevy of media-centric features that PlayStation 3 users and Digital Home enthusiasts will find extremely attractive. [via] MORE »

Exciting news today for Hulu lovers. Hulu is announcing the immediate availability of Hulu Desktop for Mac and PC. The current offering is one of many new products being released from the site’s new skunkworks, Hulu Labs. Above is a video overview of Hulu Desktop which will provide users a rich, browser-less media experience that can be controlled via a mouse / keyboard or six-buttom PC or Mac remote. I think the only thing missing from Hulu’s strategy now is premium movie rentals and a TV widget for next-gen networked TVs.

Now that the cats out of the bag with the Zune HD, one can’t help but wonder if this is still too little too late for the Zune. Does the addition of the Zune HD really change anything for the Zune and the related Zune Marketplace? MORE »

It appears that Microsoft has been sizing up the competition and has some innovative plans of their own. Microsoft is announcing that this Fall they will be releasing the Zune HD Portable Media Player featuring a built-in HD radio (a first in the segment), OLED 480×272 touchscreen, Wi-Fi connectivity for downloading and streaming content (from the Zune Marketplace & Zune Pass music subscription service), a multitouch optimized Internet browser, and HDMI video out @ 720p via a separate A/V docking station. MORE »

SonyConvergineer has uploaded a couple new videos to their YouTube channel that will give you a taste of the Internet capabilites built into the latest XBR9 and Z-Series BRAVIA Networked HDTVs. In the videos, you will see how Sony has integrated the Yahoo! Widget Engine seamlessly into the XrossMediaBar (XMB) so users can access a variety of Internet content directly on their TV without a PC. Folks who have owned or used a PS3 or PSP will appreciate the fact that the HDTV’s now have a consistent UI with the other Sony entertainment products. [via] MORE »

Icron Technologies is prepping a new PC-on-TV solution that appears to have a lot of potential. The technology is currently being dubbed TV 2.0 and it makes use of the company’s patented ExtremeUSB technology. Essentially, the setup consists of a two receiving and transmitting clients. The PC client attaches via USB and is able to transmit all activity from the PC to the TV client over Cat 5 Ethernet, Wi-Fi (including 802.11n), Fiber, Powerline, Coax, or Phoneline. Icron states that the transmission can span up to 40km via Fiber or 100m using Cat 5 Ethernet. In addition, the TV client is capable of accepting USB peripherals (like a mouse, keyboard, flash drive, webcam) and relaying the signal back to the PC. No word on pricing or availability, but Icron will be demonstrating TV 2.0 at The Digital Living Conference and Showcase on June 3, 2009 in Santa Clara, California.

The Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) is out with press release stating that there are now 5,000 DLNA certified devices that consumers can purchase and be assured that their device will be interoperable with similar products today and in the future. What’s impressive, DLNA states that 2,000 of those devices have been certified just in the last 6 months — due in large part to the 200+ multi-industry companies backing the interoperable, industry standards-based platform. Chief DLNA 2009 promoting members include: Access, Awox, Broadcom, Cisco, Comcast, Ericsson, HP, Huawei, Intel, JVC Kenwood Holdings, LG, Macrovision, Microsoft, Motorola, Nokia, NXP, Panasonic, Philips, Pioneer, Samsung, Sharp, Sony and Toshiba. MORE »

It looks like HP’s MediaSmart Server line has got some competition to worry about. Acer today has unveiled its own Windows Home Server (WHS), called the Aspire easyStore, that places itself somewhere between the 640GB single drive HP LX ($399) and multi-drive, powerhouse EX series (starting $599). Personally, I think the 1TB Acer easyStore ($399) hits the sweet spot of what general consumers are looking for — offering power-efficiency, expandability, compactness, and a low price point. Product highlights: 1.6Ghz Intel Atom 230 processor, 2GB DDR2 RAM, 1TB of storage, 4 hot-swap bays (3 of them empty), DLNA / UPnP support, one-touch USB copy, 5 x USB 2.0 ports, Gigabit Ethernet, and bunch of other goodies WHS natively offers. MORE »

Think: compact, power-efficient, and fully loaded. The new QNAP SS-439 Pro Turbo NAS is a leaner version of its popular selling big brothers, but without the bloat. Highlights include: 18W power consumption, 1GB of memory, a 1.6Ghz Intel Atom N270 processor, 4 hot-swap bays, 3 x USB 2.0 ports, 2 x eSATA ports, RAID 0/1/5/6/5+ options, Wake on LAN, UPnP media server, Gigabit Ethernet, and plenty more. Just bring the 2.5-inch SATA drives and you’re good to go. The full press release is attached below. MORE »