As we have yet to see an active screen shot from the MSI Wind we expect that it is still at prototype stage, but that has not stopped MSI churning out blue, silver and pink iterations. The styling is certainly a step up from the Eee PC, but perhaps that Eee body rework we heard about earlier will throw off the new competition. The Wind is expected to be priced between €299 (US$458) – €699 (US$1072), depending on options chosen. All in all, the sizable keyboard, price point and decent display size have our attention for sure. There is no word on a release date as yet, but we’ll keep you posted. [PC World Italia via Notebook Italia]

Back to the products: “iRobot introduces cheap refresh to its Verro pool robot.” Wow. “Razer introduces entry-level mouse.” Ooh, it’s getting hot in here. And Wilson’s personal favourite, “Logitech unveils first wireless stereo headset for internet calling with a PC.” Mmmm. dreamy. Still, work is work.

A couple of weeks back, I started checking travel websites to see how much it would cost to get there. It was US$925 and I would have to fly via Mallorca—a journey of over five hours, excluding check-in time. On top of that, you’ve got two nights in a hotel, plus expenses. We were looking at paying out around US$3,000, then, for a day and a half tops at the fair. No bango, and mucho bucko.

So, I emailed Dieter Jirmann, one of the writers on German Gizmodo. Was he going? He replied the next day.

As far as I know no one from Giz Germany will be in Hannover, so sorry—perhaps better luck at this year’s IFA where we can perhaps arrange something beforehand.
If you need any advice for Hannover though (Germany’s capital of really bad music—Scorpions are only the tip of the iceberg) please just let us know—we are all vets of surviving CeBIT.

That was it, I’m afraid. If the Scorpions live in Hannover, then it’s a deal-breaker. And if writers based in Germany weren’t even going to go, was there any point in us schlepping all the way there?

Some people, however, did think it was worth it. Ballmer turned up to promote software that displays your electricity consumption on your PC, a tie-in with German energy provider Yello Strom. Eff that, Steve, said the journalists at the press conference, we want to talk to you about Yahoo.

Greenpeace held a press conference to say that some of the tech companies were *pats heads patronisingly* doing better on the green front, but there was still room for improvement. CeBIT’s organisers, who had spent so much time and energy promoting the green side of technology, were left scratching their heads when just a smattering of journos bothered to park their arses on the chairs to listen to the charity’s lecture.

Sadly for CeBIT, the real news has come from the police’s anti-piracy busts. Fifty-one booths were raided, including that of Meizu, whose portable MP3 player was the culprit, rather than its iPhone doppelganger, the Mini One smartphone.

Last year’s CeBIT had stuff going on, the sinister Blu-ray organisation saying they would own the world in just three years, plus a heap of interesting gear. And let’s not forget the laydeez, either. But this year, what has gone on? Hands-on with the Meizu, Asus’ UMPC and a bunch of Samsung printers—and we’re talking edited highlights here.

My guess is that tech companies have realised that too many announcements of the same things at different fairs dilutes the message. The PRs think that the six-day CeBIT, reduced this year from seven, is shinky-shonky. This is what Michael Langbehn, German head of PR and Marketing for Panasonic, thinks. “We decided to do product launches globally at CES. Then there’s IFA, which is a must.” This year, Panasonic is only using CeBIT to promote its business-solution products.

This is one of the things on show at CeBIT this year. I think it looks like a headshot for the latest Sigourney Weaver movie, Alien XIII: Showdown At The Olympic Velodrome, but feel free to tell me that I am even more stupid than you originally thought. Anyway, do you have a clue? Do you even care? It is, gadget lovers, Gigabyte’s Cool Rain, a water-cooled memory module, and a product that the Japanese site Impress put up under the heading: “At CeBIT found Worrisome PC-Related Products.”

IFA 2008 is less than six months away, and I can guarantee you that it will be a crazy fest of deliciousness, of products that we actually want, rather than a bunch of Apple rip-offs, earnest pledges to do better for the environment (while flying a heap of products halfway round the world to show them off to overweight men in suits. Oh, and me.)

But don’t get me wrong. Apple rip-offs make me laugh, but they should only be a side order of chips to the curry wurst of brand new-and-amazing gear that we can fondle. And you can bet there won’t be a hooker shortage in Berlin, either. [CNET and Reuters and Hexus and PC Watch]

CeBit 2008 – Village Tronic will show ViDock Gfx, an extraordinary graphics docking solution for portable computers. Hanover, March 4th 2008 – Village Tronic is proud to announce during the CeBit fair will that ViDock Gfx, the first product of a new family of graphics docking solutions for notebooks, will begin delivery early in Q2 this year. The ViDock family of graphics docking solutions is aimed at the professional user that wants to use a single portable computer both on the road and with a large display area made up of multiple screens in the office. ViDock Gfx allows IT managers and finance professionals to view large quantities of data across multiple screens. Creative professionals can take advantage of ViDock’s powerful multi-display support to experience the final work on one screen while viewing edit commands on another. Home users and gamers can use ViDock to turn their notebook into a high performance graphics platform, with full HDTV support. ViDock Gfx takes advantage of the fast connection offered by ExpressCard technology, the latest standard from PCMCIA for notebook expansion, to deliver an uncompromised user experience in term of speed, responsiveness, 3D acceleration and resolution support. Combined with DVI Dual Link and Dual DVI video output, all the displays currently in the market can be supported, including the 30″ ones at 2560×1600. The operating system compatibility ensures support for Windows Vista, Windows XP and Mac OS X. Aero accelerated user interface for Vista is supported. ViDock will be on the market bundled with the valuable software application “VTMultiDisplay” that improves the user experience when working with multiple screens. Village Tronic is an international, Multi-Display company and since 1996 is the world market leader for independent graphics cards for Motorola based Work Stations. In 2004 Village Tronic ignited the Multi-Display-Revolution for Notebook workstations with the introduction of VTBook for the Windows, Macintosh & Linux platforms. For further information about Village Tronic and its products, please visit the company’s web site: http://www.villagetronic.com. EMail: press@villagetronic.com

[Village Tronic via Impress]

On the other hand, AMD’s refusal to specify when in the second half of ‘08 they’ll launch is a bit worrying—December would basically put them a year behind Intel, and it wouldn’t be the first time they’ve been late. Come on AMD, be awesome again, please. Update: Press release below.

AMD Demos 45nm Native Quad-Core Processors for Server, Desktop

— Customer Testing of Product Samples Underway –

HANNOVER, Germany. — March 4, 2008 –AMD (NYSE: AMD) demonstrated at the CeBit electronics exhibition its first 45nm quad-core chips running multiple operating systems and a range of processing intensive applications. The processors were produced in Dresden, Germany, in AMD’s Fab 36 300mm manufacturing facility, using an advanced 45nm process co-developed with IBM.

AMD 45nm transistors are engineered to enable greater performance-per-watt capabilities in AMD processors and platforms. AMD combines new processes and materials with leading edge technologies, such as immersion lithography and AMD’s fourth-generation strained silicon, for a highly-manufacturable, highly-efficient production process.

This important milestone is the first of many as AMD moves toward delivery of 45nm products later this year. The first 45nm chips demonstrated by AMD include the “Shanghai” product for server and “Deneb” for desktop platforms.

[AMD, CW]

Sony Ericsson targets a style-conscious audience with a small and neat slider phone

04 March 2008

The stylish new T303 slider phone furthers Sony Ericsson’s commitment to broaden its appeal to a wider audience. Petite and good looking, it offers designer good-looks without the price tag to match.

Hanover, Germany – 4th March 2008 – Sony Ericsson today unveiled the T303, an attractive phone that is small and neat enough to carry with you on every occasion. This compact slider phone has been given the high-end treatment, with a mirrored screen, metal housing and chrome finish.

“The T303 is a great addition to the Sony Ericsson T-line of products, combining premium finish and materials with a good feature-set to deliver ’style with substance’.” said Lykke Tærsbøl, Senior Designer at the Sony Ericsson Creative Design Centre. “The balance between shape and size in combination with the design makes it a truly eye-catching product. Our aim was to create a phone that would function equally as a daily companion as well as something to show off on a night out.

Sony Ericsson T303
Style at its best

• Provides pocket-sized convenience
• Promises premium good looks thanks to a metal and chrome finish
• Does the basics well, whether that’s camera, Bluetooth™ or FM radio

Big in looks, mini in size
The T303’s diminutive size is distinctive for all the right reasons. Because it doesn’t take up much room, it’s perfect for those nights out when space is limited and not everything can come out with you. The T303’s compact size means that this phone will always be one of the chosen few.

Chic and smooth, reflecting your every move
The T303’s metal and chrome finish makes it hard for those around you not to be impressed by its premium appearance. Its soft shape and smooth sliding mechanism make it a feel-good experience that you can enjoy every day. And the mirror glass display on the front of the phone goes yet further in making the T303 even more stand-out in its appearance.

Picture perfect
The T303’s megapixel camera is ready to take pictures in an instant. So if you come across the perfect shoes whilst out and about, but want a second opinion, just one quick snap and you can send a picture message to one of your friends. You can use Bluetooth™ technology to transfer photos wire-free from your phone to a compatible computer, and then email them to any number of helpful style-advisers. Or just to send the photos of a day’s adventure directly to a friend’s phone.

Play-as-you-go
With life being ever more hectic, it’s essential to be able to slow down the pace and take time out, whenever you get the chance. The T303 comes with a built-in FM radio, meaning you can tune in, chill out, and let time just pass you by. It also has its own media player and comes preloaded with Sony Ericsson’s TrackID™ feature. Record a clip of a song in a bar or café and find out instantly what track it is and who sings it.

Accessorise
With such a good-looking phone, you’ll want to keep it that way. The Protective Case IDC-22, part of Sony Ericsson’s Design Collection, gives you the opportunity to develop your stylish look still further. Not only will it help keep your phone looking good, but it also has room for all of those essentials…your credit cards, keys and your T303.

The Sony Ericsson T303 will offer designer good-looks without the price tag to match. The T303/T303c is a GSM/GPRS 900/1800/1900 phone that will be available in selected markets from mid 2008.

The T303a is a GSM/GPRS 850/1800/1900 phone that will also be available in selected markets from mid 2008.