Belkin Powerline AV Network Adapters
Manufacturer:Belkin
UK Price (as reviewed):£60.67 (inc. VAT)
US Price (as reviewed):$129.99 (ex. Tax)
Building the perfect home network can be tricky, especially if you’re dealing with multiple systems all over your home and it gets even more complicated when you want to start streaming or sharing files or media over the connection.
While wireless technology has come on in leaps and bounds in the last few years with now large scale uptake of the draft 802.11n standard, wireless connections can be flaky in larger houses with more solid construction, and the speed and range will vary depending on a whole range of variables.
Best Buy Canada is currently having an online promotion that gives buyers a free 4GB Microsoft Zune music player for every 16GB Zune purchased. The 16GB Zune is priced at $180 CAD (about $141), with the 4GB Zune thrown in for free is valued at nearly $100. Canadian and US 16GB Zunes have recently been reduced to $180, among price drops to other Zune models. 
Capitalizing on two trends at once, Japan's SOTEC today launched a Hello Kitty version of its C101 netbook. The 10-inch C101K3W has a custom imprint of Sanrio's signature character on the back as well as a startup screen and desktop background to match; SOTEC claims that its building process should keep the special outside free of scratches. 
Verizon today marked the official launch of the BlackBerry Storm on its network. The device matches the $199 contract price of the rivalling iPhone 3G at AT&T and is widely regarded as Verizon's best alternative to the Apple handset in features and focus. The Storm has a similarly-sized 3.5-inch capacitive touchscreen meant for finger input but relies on a unique click action that requires a physical push downwards for some actions, simulating a physical button press. 
ASUS on Wednesday introduced its newest and most powerful gaming PC, the ROG CG6190. The mid-tower runs Intel's newly released Core i7 Extreme Edition processor running at 3.2GHz and uses the X58 chipset; in a more unique twist, an ASUS-specific turbo mode lets users dial in up to 20 percent of overclocking from the factory. Compared to a model using Intel's previous generation quad-core chips, the Core i7 system is estimated to run 52 percent faster in 3D gaming tasks. 
Veteran online music store eMusic today said it has registered its 250 millionth download since its subscription service began in 2003. The company is one of the few outside of Apple to reach the milestone and is owed partly to eMusic's business model, which offers unprotected MP3s compatible with Apple and Microsoft players but uses a subscription model which guarantees a certain number of songs at rates that typically fall well below the 99 cents per track found at iTunes and other stores. An entry $12 monthly plan gives users 30 downloads per month, or about 40 cents per song. 
AMD's mainstream Phenom II processors should rekindle the competition with Intel for clock speed, according to a collection of reports of an AMD demonstration session. Based on the recently unveiled Shanghai architecture being used for new Opterons, the quad-core desktop chips should make a modest leap to 3GHz in official clock speeds but will have room for overclocking previously only available with Intel's Core 2 chips. An example tested by AMD is capable of running reliably at 4GHz with fan-based cooling and shows the company could upgrade the clock speed to match or beat Intel if necessary. 
Creative today tried to appeal to a niche market by introducing a line of Zens encapsuled in a cow's head likeness, calling it the ZEN Moo. Basically a new exterior for what is essentially the Zen Stone, the Moo includes 2GB of integrated memory with MP3 and WMA file support as well as built-in speakers. There is an entry version and a higher-end one, called the Plus, that includes a small OLED display behind the cow's nose, an FM tuner, voice recording functionality and an alarm clock. 
Alltel Wireless on Thursday announced the launch of Alltel Perks, a content delivery application that allows the carrier's customers to receive customized content that includes sports scores, weather information, discounts, trivia and more on their handsets. Once the application is downloaded from the Alltel store, it will deliver content to the phone's screen when the phone is idling. Coupons or discount offers from local merchants and restaurants will be sent to users' handsets, which can then be ignored or explored further by clicking a View button. 
MSI in a late weekday announcement announced its long-promised US version of the Wind U120. The update to has the same features of higher-spec U100 models with a 1.6GHz Atom, 1GB of memory, a six-cell battery and a 160GB hard drive but brings in a sleeker design and the option of either 3G cellular Internet access over HSPA or WiMAX for 4G-grade access over networks from Clearwire or Sprint. 
Apple has developed a technology that would let iPhones and iPods display basic warnings to users without invoking the full screen, a new US patent filing shows. The system would use a second, always-on but power-efficient backlight to illuminate a custom-shaped notification when the main backlight isn't switched on, such as an indication that an iPod is stopped or an SMS text message has reached an iPhone. 
Nintendo today set expectations for the launch of the DSi in the US that suggest a summer or earlier release for the new take on the game console. Company president Satoru Iwata notes that individual regions have their own discretion as to when they release the dual-screen system but that a launch in fall would "probably be too late," steering any potential release outside of Japan towards the middle of the year. 
Samsung on Monday issued an announcement that it has launched its D980 handset in Russia. The handset is one of the very few that combines a 2.6-inch, 240x320 touchscreen with dual SIM card support, enabling users to use one card for making phone calls and the other for browsing the Internet and downloading data. The supported networks include the 900/1800/1900MHz GSM/GPRS/EDGE bands, and 3G networks are not supported. Users get a stylus for navigating Samsung's TouchWiz interface, though it is not required.