Have you ever wanted to feel like a secret agent and send a message that self-destructs? Well, now you can: Privnote lets you send messages to friends, family, and colleagues that destroy themselves after they've been read. It's good for a joke, and great for information you want to share, but don't want to have archived and held against you later (we bet the White House was wishing it had this).

Sending a Privnote is simple. The site requires no registration, and doesn't collect any personal information of any kind. Simply enter your message and click 'Post It.' Privnote then gives you a link to the message for you to share with someone. Once the message is read, it is erased from Privnote's servers and rendered inaccessible. You can also elect to receive notification of when your message has been read so you know when your minions have received their orders. [Source: ReadWriteWeb]

Thanks for keeping your promise, Yamaha. The almost unicorn-like Tenori-on music maker has at long last gone on sale here in America, offering USers willing to part with $1,200 the chance to get lost inside a cacophonic wilderness. Good luck finding one in stock. [Source: Tenori-On via CNET]

Long before people lined up for the launch of new cell phones, they lined up for the launch of new video games. And in fine fanboy tradition, Los Angeles' hardcore showed up for the midnight launch of Konami's long-awaited Metal Gear Solid 4 -- all for the chance to buy the game the minute it went on sale, and to have it signed by some of the game's creators.

The 400-odd person line stretched around the block at the Best Buy in Hollywood, at the busy corner of La Brea Ave and Santa Monica Blvd. At the front of the line was Tony (see gallery), a young man who had waited for nearly 24 hours for his chance to get a copy of the game. We asked him how it was going.

"Yeah, I'm sleep deprived," the bleary-eyed Metal Gear superfan told us. He looked excited, but a bit defeated. "The crazy thing is, I had my PS3 stolen a couple of months ago, so I don't even know where or how I'm gonna play it once I get it home." At this very moment, as if by some spectacular twist of fate, Konami PR manager and all-around good dude Jay Boor stepped in and, upon hearing Tony's tale, handed him his business card. "Hit me up, man," he said. "I'll fix that. I'll definitely fix that." Amidst all of the conspicuous consumption, the look on Tony's face at that moment was one to be remembered.

All the while, press and industry folk mingled in the surreal urban courtyard, surrounded by such bastions of retail consumption as Best Buy and Target, feasting on sushi and various foodstuffs from Baja Fresh. And as they drank and ate, the diehard fans stood long into the night, patiently awaiting their chance to play what assistant producer Ryan Payton called, "the best Metal Gear game we've ever made. Pants down." And all in all, it was a good night.

Oh my. First you're slicing cake with the MacBook Air, then you're looking to steal its market share. Lenovo, you can't afford to be too smug either. Voodoo's $2,099, carbon fiber Envy 133 -- out July 20 -- isn't a gaming rig. It is, however, a 13.3-inch ultra-portable with LED-backlit display, 1,280 x 800 resolution, Intel GMA X3100 graphics, 1.8GHz Intel Core 2 Duo SP7700 processor, HDMI, 2x USB (1 doubles as eSATA) and hard disk or SSD option. Size-wise, it's a rival to Apple's super-thin MacBook Air, but like the similarly slim Lenovo X300, the Envy has solid graphics power, HDMI out (for HD video connection to a TV, and two USB ports. Starting at $2,099, though, it's a bit more pricey than the $1,800 MacBook Air.

It also features an instant-on Voodoo IOS mode that lets you surf the Web, chat, look at photos, and make Skype calls without booting into Windows. Impressed yet? Well, what if we told you that the power brick (and it's definitely a brick!) doubles as a Wi-Fi access point? Check the preview just beyond the read link, or full video explanation after the break. [Source: VoodooPC]

We thought a re-branding of .Mac at today's WWDC event was a pretty long shot, but color us surprised when MobileMe, the flashy new replacement for .Mac, was announced. MobileMe does many of the things that .Mac lets you do -- store photos, contacts, etc. in the "cloud" (on the Internet) -- yet MobileMe adds much more, including push e-mail and PC (Outlook) compatibility. Here are the services main features:

Improved compatibility: MobileMe will let you keep your iPod Touch, iPhone, PC and Mac (if you really must own all four) synchronized.

Sync all your devices and accounts: Apple is touting MobileMe as Exchange (Microsoft's ubiquitous, but mostly business-oriented, e-mail and calendaring server platform) for the rest of us, and includes push e-mail, push contacts, and push calendar, which automatically "push" any changes or messages to all your devices in real time for near instant updates (like BlackBerry).

Store images, music, and more: MobileMe also offers (at least) 20 gigabytes of online storage for any type of file you can imagine and for photo galleries.

All of these features are accessible online via a slick suite of Web applications, and they sync with with desktop apps, such as Mail.app and iCal. .Mac users will automatically be upgraded to MobileMe when it launches in early July alongside the iPhone 2.0 software update. Unfortunately, the service will start at $99 a year, which is still a little pricey for our blood.

Death to .Mac! Long live MobileMe! [Sources: Apple and Engadget]

Sony revealed a few cool home theater displays and components Thursday, revealing pricing and specs on some LCD displays, free content from YouTube and other online content direct to the TV set and a home-theater-in-a-box (HTiB) setup that features tiny but powerful speakers. All in all, a good day for tech watchers and home theater aficionados.

The seven new Bravia LCD TVs introduced are all HD models and feature Triluminos LED backlight and local dimming, which matches LED color backlighting to the LCD color display. The dimming feature helps reproduce better black levels, something the plasma TV makers have always claimed they're a bit better at reproducing with their technology.

The Web content is delivered by a new module Sony introduced that will fit onto the back of many of its 2007 and 2008 LCD panels, called the BRAVIA Internet Video Link. YouTube, CNET and C-Spot content is added to offerings from Yahoo!, AOL, Sports Illustrated, blip.tv, CondéNet's Style.com, Men.Style.com, Epicurious.com, Concierge.com, Sony Pictures' Crackle, The Minisode Network, Inside Sony Pictures, FEARnet, Ford Models, SingingFool, and VideoDetective. That's plenty to watch. The module costs $299 but since the content is all free we are certainly intrigued. (Note: Sony's not the only company to offer up Web content on its sets. For example, Panasonic's got content streaming on some of its top end units with VIERACast.) Other modules announced include a DVD Link (which attaches at DVD player onto the back of the TV) and and Input Link (more inputs onto the back of the TV. The Internet Link is available now, but the other modules will be out by the end of the year.

Finally, that HTiB with tiny drivers, called the HT-IS100 BRAVIA Theatre Micro System, has five speakers each about the size of a golf ball or a large strawberry (see the image above). It's designed for high-def input with three 1080p HDMI inputs with repeater functionality and support for eight channels of uncompressed audio, which means your Blu-ray Disc player, your PlayStation3 and other HD sources will work hand-in-hand with the system. Look for a price tag of about $700 on this system.

The new Bravia LCD TVs will be shipping this fall but pricing is not yet available. The lot includes the 55-inch KDL-55XBR8 and 46-inch KDL-46XBR8 models, which incorporate the outfit's TRILUMINOS three-color LED backlight technology, 10-bit processing, BRAVIA Engine 2, Motionflow 120Hz and Advanced Contrast Enhancer PRO. The 70-inch KDL-70XBR7 and 40-inch KDL-40XBR7 headline the XBR7 lineup, while the XBR6 features sets range from 32- to 52-inches in size. [Source: Sony Electronics.]

It's been quite awhile since Pure Digital's YouTube-lovin' Flip Video Ultra came around, but folks looking for its rightful successor can finally stop peering around every bend in vain. Announced today, the Flip Mino checks in at just 4- x 2- x 0.6-inches and weighs 3.3-ounces -- a full 40% smaller than the previously mentioned Ultra.

You'll also find 2-gigabytes (GB) of internal storage for holding an hour of footage, along with a sealed rechargeable Li-ion, 1.5-inch anti-glare screen, touch-sensitive buttons and a TV output to boot. As predicted, this pocket-friendly camcorder comes ready to upload to some of the most popular video sharing sites on the Web, and users in the US can procure their own (in black or white) on June 5th for $179.99.

Look what arrived on our doorstep today! That's right -- the shiny, expensive new iMac that's now equipped with that funky custom and / or overclocked 3.06GHz CPU. Take a look at us wildly unboxing and handling the behemoth in the gallery on Engadget Classic, and get a load of its fairly impressive Xbench scores after the break.

Sony doesn't give consumer electronics aficionados a chance to catch their breath.

Coming on the heels of a whole host of big announcements made at the annual Consumer Electronics Show last month in Las Vegas, the consumer electronics powerhouse returned to Sin City for its line show, where it introduced a boatload of new products, including no fewer than 18 audio products and accessories, from Bluetooth-capable Walkman portable audio/video devices to a turntable (yes, a turntable!) for those music aficionados who still have vinyl records (and want to turn them into MP3s).

Of course, we'd be remiss not to mention the big ticket items you've come to expect from Sony, such as new Blu-ray disc players. The BDP-S350 (coming this summer with a $400 price tag) and the BDP-S550 (arriving this fall with a $500 tag) -- both feature picture-in-picture capability, which is a new feature showing up on many BD movie releases. Plus they both have Ethernet ports, which Sony calls "BD Live," so you can plug them in to an Internet connection and receive firmware updates and interactive content.

We are particularly interested in the four BRAVIA products that Sony introduced with the new S-AIR technology, which is all about wireless audio transmission. We're big fans of systems that eliminate wires around the house. The top of the line unit is the DAV-HDX576WF model, which includes one S-AIR Air Station receiver/speaker (AIR-SA10) and a wireless rear speaker kit (WAHT-SA10). That's coming next month for $500. The DAV-HDX277WC is basically the same system without the rear speaker kit, for $400, and the DAV-HDX275 is again the same without the Air Station or the rear speaker kit. That kit alone will run you $149.

The Walkman players consist of a whole slate of audio and video capable units with Bluetooth capability. They'll run you from $150 to $370 depending on memory size and feature sets.

Kind of an odd addition to all these product intros were two new Cyber-shot digital still cameras. First, the new 9.1-megapixel DSC-H50, with a 15x optical zoom lens, will be shipping this May for $400. Then the slim DSC-W300, which has a 13.6-megapixel CCD, a 3x optical zoom lens, a 2.7-inch LCD and an eye-level viewfinder. All that plus a titanium body is coming out this May for $350.

Oh, we didn't forget. That turntable, the PS-LX300USB, has USB output and can deliver MP3s of your records to your computer. Look for it next month for about $150.

Finally, one interesting announcement was for a limited edition Vaio notebook computer series, the FZ Series, which can be ordered up with one of three highly stylized covers. The so-called Graphic Splash Expression Collection PCs will have cover options called Victorian lace, flora, and leaf, and with four variations on keyboard fonts, including three new ones called Bradley Hand, Copperplate, and Synchro. These laptops are available now starting at about $1,300.

From Gearlog and Sony.

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• Sony Mylo 2 Personal Communicator Out Next Week
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By "Air" we mean MacBook Air, of course, and we're always a fan of a little Mac vs. PC competition here. The Fujitsu P1620 Lifebook has just been announced, an update to its earlier P1610 ultra-portable. The new Lifebook P1620 offers the same processor as its predecessor, a 1.2 gigaherz dual-core processor, two-gigabytes of memory, and 100-gigabytes of disk space. All in a package just a little over 9-inches wide, making it a reasonable alternative to Apple's latest.

It stacks up reasonably well against the Air, though it's at a disadvantage at the start compared to the Air's 1.6-gigaherz processor. The Lifebook's 2.2-pound-heft makes it almost one-third lighter than the Air and it's dimensions are smaller overall, though at 1.4-inches, it's nearly twice as thick as Apple's wunder-portable.

The screen is considerably smaller too, 8.9-inches vs. 13.3 on the Air, but the Lifebook's screen swivels around, turning the device into a tablet PC.

Then there's the battery, which is both user-replaceable (unlike the Air's) and comes in two flavors. The standard three-cell pack will deliver an estimated 3.5 hours of life while an optional six-cell pack ($45 extra) will give twice that, quite a bit more than the five hours promised by Apple for the Air. Finally the price: $1,599 to start, compared to $1,799 for the Air.

So, an Air alternative? Possibly -- but only if you don't have a preference of Apple vs. Microsoft. Clearly Mac fans will still choose the Air, but for PC fans who are on the go and looking for something similarly lithe and (arguably) more functional, the updated P1620 looks to be a good option.

From Engadget

Related Links:

• First MacBook Air Reviews In, and They're Not Entirely Positive
• Apple Announces New MacBook Air, World's Thinnest Laptop
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Nokia is really pushing the whole "phone as fashion statement" concept, which is actually fine by us so long as the phone itself doesn't suck muffins. Its newest piece of tech art, the Nokia 7900, comes with a fairly standard feature set: 2-megapixel camera, built-in MP3 player, EGPRS/GPRS Web browsing, and 1-gigabyte (GB) of internal memory.

More interesting is the phone's case: the "Crystal Prism" (Nokia's words, not ours) is unique, with its customizable back-lighting in 49 different colors. Graphic artist Frederique Dubal (whose resume includes graphic and textile designs for Nike in the Netherlands, Sony PlayStation in France, and Paul Smith in the UK), now has Nokia to add to the impressive client list, with laser-etched graphic designs and exclusive wallpapers available for the handset.

It's a 3G quad-band GSM jam, which means it'll work fast on all five continents, and is expected to be available in the first quarter of 2008 -- in Europe, for roughly the Euro equivalent of 554 dollars, or 6,028 pesos.

From BetaNews


Related Links

• Nokia Readying Unlimited Music Download Service
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Today, the Tech Wizard of Oz lifted the curtain to unveil the new T-Mobile Samsung t819 cellular phone. Equipped with wireless, stereo Bluetooth technology, the t819 sings its own praises with features like a 1.3 megapixel camera with video capture capability, an MP3 player and a micro SD slot for a maximum of 2-gigabytes (GB) of removable memory.

A slider phone that weighs in just shy of 3.5 ounces, the latest T-Mobile device has numerous messaging options, including AOL, SMS, MMS, ICQ, Windows Live and Yahoo. Furthermore, it is compatible with T-Mobile Address Book and offers the T-Mobile myFaves calling plan.

The cellular phone's full moniker is the Samsung SGH-t819. It is available in a two-toned brown hue, with a frame that measures approximately 4"x 2" x .5", which makes it one of the smaller slider-phones out there. The phone should be available over the next few days and weeks at T-Mobile retail stores, as well as online at t-mobile.com. Check out the gallery below for images.



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Yesterday, PlanOn, the company that brought you the DocuPen scanner writing utensil, released for retail a one-of-a-kind portable printer, called the PrintStik. The tiny, mobile device, oblong and light, is a Bluetooth-enabled development that allows users to print e-mails and images from a smart phone, laptop or PDA. The technology is particularly useful for those of you who get annoyed with wires running wild when you're on the go, or for the professional who hates having to suffer in line behind Larry the Molasses Executive at those business centers just to print out a couple of pages.

The PrintStik is a self-contained unit, meaning you don't have to lug the 20 sheets of paper that fit inside. It prints at a leisurely three pages per minute, with the only other drawback being that you are not going to get a sheet of paper that might have come out of the printer at home. Instead, you will get thin, ticker-type sheets set with ink that looks like it came out of a random cash register.

Obviously, this product is not meant to turn out the annual report while you're driving to work. Instead, it is best suited for printing out things like directions or an E-mail from your handheld device.

We know, we know -- where and when, right? Expect to pay $299 for the PrintStik when you visit planon.com.

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• How to Print Your Own Halloween Mask
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Need a heavyweight Mac to do some serious computing in a stylish form factor? The Mac Pro has always been the go-to box for just that purpose, and now it's even faster, offering two 3.2-gigaherz quad-core CPUs from Intel. And, with four slots for hard disks, you can configure up to a whopping four terabytes of storage, as well as up to 32 gigabytes of RAM.

When using the right applications, users of the new Mac Pro could find upwards of twice the performance of the last generation, thanks to the quad-core CPUs, which in some cases can do many times the work of a traditional CPU or even multi-core CPUs. Graphics and 3-D rendering applications in particular should see a serious improvement with this new beast.

The new Pro is available today starting at $2,799 if you want two CPUs, or $2,299 if you can get by with one. But you should know this: If you configure it to the max and with the fastest chips and the most memory, you'll be looking at a figure closer just shy of $20,000. Yes, that's the right number of zeros.

So, maybe you can get by with that iMac for awhile longer after all, but if you have the bank, check out the Apple Store to configure your own.

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• Fastest PC Notebook...Is a Mac?
• Is This the Ultra-Portable Apple MacBook? Nah.
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