A flickr member by the name of magneisme has posted a photo (noticed that it's singular) of the prototype of the Cowon X7. Rumored to have 80gb or 60gb of hard drive space, and tactile buttons, the device is scheduled to be announced at the coming IFE electronics show in Europe.

From the photo, the button configuration on top looks very much like the iAudio 7 we just reviewed (hold, mic, Menu, and volume up/down). The screen takes up the whole of the front with a small "COWON" logo at the bottom. This looks to be a very sleek DAP indeed. Can't wait.

It took Microsoft almost 2 years to finally offer HDMI connection on their popular Xbox 360 Premium consoles.  Our prayers were answered.  Thank you, Microsoft.

Apparently, there are no announcements from Microsoft regarding this great news.  It just so happened that somebody bought a new Xbox360 Premium from Target and noticed that the HDMI port was already there.  The Core version of the console still does not have port yet though.

First the price drop, and now the inclusion of HDMI port.  Two great Xbox 360 in one week!

It seems like somebody was able to get a hold of some unauthorized photos of the new Blackberry devices:  8820, 8310, 8320, and the new Pearl.  That's great news.  It's about time we get some new devices from RIM, especially the ones running the new Blackberry 4.3 OS.

The poster, theOutsider, seems to know a lot about the availablility and the capabilities of these new devices.  Wonder who his source is.

The availability will be around October for these new devices. Let's hope his source is correct.

In case you haven't been following iPhone-related news as of late, somebody has managed to port InfoNES portable NES emulator to the iPhone. Also bundled with the emulator are the classic game ROMs like Super Mario Brothers, Metroid and Legend of Zelda.  Right now, however, it is too slow to be functional and the controls are awkward.

Wired has a video of how bad it plays on the iPhone.

The long-awaited HTC Advantage is now available in the US.

Packed with a 5" screen and magnetically attached keyboard, the Advantage runs on Microsoft Windows Mobile 6 Professional Phone OS. Other features include Bluetooth 2.0, built-in GPS, 8GB hard drive, TV out, 3 mega pixel camera, and a MiniSD slot.

So is it a phone, a PDA or a superportable computer? That's hard to answer. You just have to check it out yourself.

At 5.9mm, the U108 is Samsung's thinnest cell phone to date. Some might even say it is too thin.   Talk about a candy bar style phone; this one is as thin as a Hershey's chocolate bar.

Samsung didn't skimp on the features either.  The U108 packs a 3.2 mega pixel camera, plays music/video files (AAC, mp3, 3gp) and has SMS and MMS capability.

All this for only 9,000 Yuan.  Who wouldn't want one?  Of course, it is only available in China. 

Finally got it. I was waiting at the Apple Store at South Coast Plaza for 2 - 3 hours before the Apple employees brought it out for me. It was worth the wait though.

I rushed back to the office and took some photos of the new iMac and then did a side by side comparison between my white 24" iMac. It's definitely thinner. Looks sturdier. But the keyboard. I don't know. I am typing on it right now to blog this post but I have a lot of getting used to.

Enjoy the pictures. Be back in a few days with the review. We'll see if I get used to the keyboard by then. For now, I'm not liking the feel at all.

Update: By request, I added photos of the RAM "drawer", located at the bottom of the screen. There are two slots for RAM sticks. Once is currently occupied. There are also foldable tabs used to pull out the RAM sticks.

Microsoft has dropped the price of all Xbox 360 consoles across the board by $50. This should get those consumers on the fence about buying one to make a move, although the price drop would have a strong impact if GTAIV wasn't delayed until '08.

The estimated retail for the 360 systems are now as follows:

• Xbox 360 Core - $279.99
• Xbox 360 Console (includes 20 Gig hard drive) - $349.99
• Xbox 360 Halo 3 Special Edition (special paint job, 20 gig hard drive, headset, play and charge kit) - $399.99
• Xbox 360 Elite (Black, 120 gig hard drive, HDMI output) - $449.99

Strangely enough, the Halo 3 Special Edition Xbox 360 does not include the game so for an extra $50 you are getting a paint job, a play and charge kit, and some extra content on the hard drive.

In the big picture where does this leave the consumer?

Now we have a choice of a system with a great library, reasonable price, but questionable build quality (I'm only on my 2nd 360 for the record), a system with fantastic potential but a horrible library and a company with a questionable sense of direction in terms of what "next-gen" is (PS3), and an extremely innovative system with a lackluster library that appeals to a wide audience (Wii).

With titles such as Rock Band, Halo 3, Metal Gear Solid 4, Bio Shock and Metroid Prime 3 consumers are in for some of great gaming experiences. As is the case whenever companies compete, the consumer is the one who wins.

I'm actually at my local Apple Store right now (11:00am PST) waiting for the all new aluminum iMac to come out from the back of the store. One of the guys told me that he's not allowed to talk about it. Whenever the online store is back up is when they can get the new products out from the back.

Some specs on the new iMac. Aluminum and glass design, glossy screen, 20" and 24" only, bundled iLife 08, new 0.33" alumninum keyboard and bluetooth 2.0. Pricing is starts from $1199 for the 20" version.

In the mean time, if you want to catch what's going on at the Apple press conference, you can check it out on Engadget here.

New iMac, iLife '08, all new .Mac. Man, it's Christmas in August!

Update: I was informed that the machines are upstairs and they're bringing them down right now. They said 45 minutes to an hour. I'm waiting.

Update 2: Got it. Taking unboxing pictures now. Just wait.

The phone is not even available in the US yet but that didn't stop the folks at All About Mobile from taking a crack at it.

The sleek K850i's main feature is its cyber-shot-grade 5 mega=pixel camera with auto-focus and image stabilizer.  Low light?  No problem.  The phone comes with a xenon flash to brighten up your pictures.  Another highlight is its BestPic technology, which takes 9 pictures in one single press of a shutter button.  And you definitely know that SonyEricsson is serious about this camera phone, the camera lens is actually located in the center of the back of the phone; just like a regular camera.

Not all is well with the K850i.  The reviewer didn't like its low-resolution (320x240)video capability and its quirky keypad.  We must agree at least looking at the keypad.  Those tiny buttons don't look comfortable at all.

Still the phone should be on your short list if you are looking for a sleek camera phone with serious shooting capability.