HTPC Cases, VoIP, Dual Layer DVDs, Mini-MP3 players
Good morning all. Time for some morning reading courtesy of your good friends at HotHardware. JeffB checkin' in with the latest news floating around the hardware world. Got a decent selection waiting for me in my mailbox this AM, so let's not waste any time!
Aristec Accent HT-400b HTPC Case Review at htpcnews.com:
"As newcomers to the HTPC community begin their journey one of the first questions that they have is "what case should I buy" and the answer is not always what they want to hear. HTPC's are not a cheap hobby by any means... Yes you can build a HTPC for practically nothing but you will be heavily limited on what it can do in the grand scheme of things. The one purchase that anyone will make that in the end will make or break a system's acceptance by the "significant other" in the living room has to be the case."
Techware Labs has just published a review of VoicePulse's consumer VOIP telephone service:
"Over the past year or so voice-over IP telephone services have been becoming a more attractive alternative to plain old telephone service. With VOIP users can enjoy low costs and features that normal telephone carriers will never be able to offer. The best part: You can even use your current analog telephone as VOIP phones."
Sony DRU-700A Dual Layer DVD ReWritable at the GamePC Labs:
"In a surprising (and welcome) twist, we're seeing the first drives based on this technology hit the market at incredibly modest prices, only slightly more than today's DVD /- ReWritable drives, while offering twice the storage capacity and all the same speed. The first such drive which we've seen hit the market is from Sony, who has proven itself the dominant player in the DVD ReWritable market since they introduced the first dual format DVD ReWritable drive in early 2003. Their new DRU-700A is heralding the charge to the golden age of DVD storage, let's take a closer look."
MSI Megastick 1 MP3 Player Review @ Designtechnica:
"We do not know what MSI was thinking when they decided to ditch the ear buds in favor of the external headphones on the 256MB version of the player and that hurt its score significantly. The backlight display and menu is easy to see and use, and because the player is seen as a hard drive on your computer, it's very easy to transfer files over to the player."
OK folks, that's about it for now, but stick around. There is more on the way!