New MSI Wind Ships with TV-Tuner

MSI’s new Wind U123 distinguishes itself with not none, but one, stand-out feature: a TV tuner. In addition to the usual array of holes around the rim of the machine (USB, mic in and line out, RJ45 jack, D-sub video-out and a multi-card reader) there is a TV antenna connector. It might not sound like much, but it’s pretty smart on a few levels. First, even if you have no internet you have access to free TV pretty much anywhere in the world. And if you hook the Wind up to a bigger screen at home, you now have one extra extra quill in your home entertainment quiver (sorry, again).

The U123 also has the new 1.66GHz N280 Atom processor, which performs only a little faster than its ubiquitous predecessor but uses a lot less power. And as for power, the U123 doesn’t even bother with those lowlife 3-cell batteries. Instead you get a choice of a sic-cell or the huge nine-cell, which is enough to watch a whole day of Pop-Idol re-runs. $380, available now.

BenQ’s $499 Joybee GP1 pocket projector up for pre-order

BenQ’s Joybee GP1 pocket projector is just about ready to ship here in the States. Starting now, interested consumers can plop down $499 in order to secure a place in line, ensuring that you’ll be one of the first on the block to take possession of the planet’s first LED-based PJ with a USB reader.

Features:

• DLP projection system
• Resolution 858 x 600
• 100 ANSI lumens
• 2,000:1 contrast ratio
• built-in 2-watt speaker and
• VGA / component / composite inputs

iriver’s T-DMB-packin’ B30 portable media player

Check it, North Americans — yet another PMP that’ll never arrive here in this form. The T-DMB-equipped B30 just popped up over on iriver’s Korean website, complete with an FM tuner, 2.8-inch QVGA display, a microSD expansion slot, 4/8/16GB of inbuilt memory, white / black / silver color options, USB 2.0 connectivity, a user-selectable equalizer and a list of supported file formats too lengthy to cover in this space. Furthermore, we’re told that the battery is good for 40 hours on audio and 5.5 hours with video, and while a ship date has yet to be revealed, we’re expecting ‘em to go for around $155, $183 and TBD from least capacious to most.

Fuel cell cars hit the road

Electric cars have been getting plenty of buzz lately, but the development of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles is still going strong. The California Fuel Cell Partnership, along with Powertech Labs, National Hydrogen Association, and U.S. Fuel Cell Council, will seek to regain the spotlight with a road trip to demonstrate the practicality of these vehicles.

Twelve fuel cell cars from seven automakers will drive from Chula Vista, in Southern California, up to Vancouver, Canada, a trip of 1,700 miles. Vancouver was chosen for the destination because it will play host to the 2010 Winter Olympic Games, where a fleet of fuel cell buses will provide transportation.

Fuel cell cars that will be making the trip include the Chevy Equinox Fuel Cell, Mercedes F-Cell, Honda FCX Clarity, Hyundai Tucson FCEV, Kia Borrego FCEV, Nissan X-Trail, Toyota FCHV-adv Highlander, and Volkswagen HyMotion. The cars, which have ranges of 200 to over 500 miles, will be relying on a mobile refueling station for their hydrogen needs.

The tour starts on May 26 in Chula Vista, and ends on June 3 in Vancouver. Stops have been scheduled along the route so the public can get a chance to see these cars.

Orange Power Pump

If you have plans to head off to a place where you know there won’t be a power outlet for miles anywhere, then might we suggest the Orange Power Pump to help your gadgets remain juiced up even when it rains (yeah, solar power can be a pain if it is particularly cloudy all day long). This device will feature a compact generator that has a turbine driven by a standard air bed foot pump. Instead of making sure your inflatable pillow is comfortable enough to sleep on, why not use that time to generate enough juice for your cell phone to make a call to the nearest pizza delivery outlet? After all, the urban geek isn’t exactly well equipped to handle grizzly bears and deer hunting.

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