Isn't this the coolest coffee table ever - granted, it won't be able to do what Microsoft's Surface can, but Kyle Downes has poured in a whole lot of sweat and tears into this NES Controller Coffee Table, complete with a high quality finish and glass top that oozes with class. What makes this coffee table all the more fantastic is the fact that it works - as long as it is hooked up to a working NES console. Amazing, isn't it? Makes me feel as though I'm in Wonderland where everything else has been super-sized. I forsee a niche market for this - bring it on with other console-themed tables!

The Newman M8000 looks pretty decent at first glance, but wait till you hear that it comes with a 250GB hard drive inside! That's a whole lot of space to carry all your entertainment files, and chances are it will be a long time before you exhaust the amount of space inside. Of course, if you're on a tight budget, there are always different capacities to choose from such as the 80GB, 120GB, and 160GB models. I wonder if any enterprising person will purchase the 80GB M8000 and dissect it, replacing it with a 250GB or even 320GB hard drive instead. Features of the Newman M8000 include :-

• 4" TFT display at 320 x 240 resolution
• TV out
• Supports MP3, MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4 formats
• 1.3 megapixel camera
• SD memory card slot
• Game emulation
• PVR functionality

Snatch thefts are pretty commonplace these days, which goes to say just how our society has degenerated. Women treasure whatever they have inside their handbags, so it makes sense to be able to track it down should the unfortunate happen. LightsBags helps you in this case with their GPS-enabled purses, allowing you to track it down and let the long arm of the law (which is considerably shorter by the day it seems) handle matters from there to recover your purse. The GPS cannot be disabled by the thief, which is definitely a good thing. Bags will retail for $30 upwards. Sadly, I think the thief is more interested in its contents so the handbag will probably end up in a dollar store instead.

Driving a train in Japan is an extremely stressful job, as you have to arrive at your destination at the exact second and not minute unlike other parts of the world. With this, a comprehensive training system is a must, and Fujitsu certainly does its part this time round by working with video game and simulator developer Ongakukan to develop the first train simulation system using full high-definition video in the world. You get variable-speed playback technology for high-definition video shot on actual train lines, offering an unprecedented level of realism where train operation simulation is concerned. There won't be any lag since accurate responses to the trainee-operator's input and high image quality is possible despite variable-speed playback. There is a second chance here unlike real life, and it is reassuring to know that the training provided is the best to date in Japan.

Narae Inter in Korea has recently introduced its high-performance microphone known as the Recorder Mini. It is extremely tiny, but not as small as those Bluetooth USB dongles which have recently been seen in the market. You connect the Recorder Mini to your PC or notebook's microphone port in order to record conversations held in the office, at least those within a 10 meter radius. Most folks will probably mistake this for some sort of other USB device without looking where it is plugged into properly, so it definitely wins points for being discreet. No idea on how much it costs though.

Is this ever a cute USB gadget. The USB Washing Machine Alarm Clock will vibrate just like the real deal when time is up, and makes for a very cute gift. I think this would fit in very nicely with a modern doll house that features powered USB ports, so that you will be able to hook this one up and make the entire experience all the more authentic. Say, that could be my ticket to a million dollars! Features of the USB Washing Machine Alarm Clock include :-

• Time, data and alarm clock LCD display
• 4 different melodies with vibration
• Hourly chime signal with LED
• 12/24 hour mode switch

Never mind that we're running out of gas soon - a patent application from University of Florida aerospace engineer Subrata Roy lays claim that a micro air vehicle in the future could be propelled by plasma. So far, passing a current or magnetic field through a conducting fluid generates a force, but attempts at exploiting this for use in a moving aircraft has yielded nothing but failure after failure. Mr. Roy is working hard to ensure that the magnetohydrodynamics phenomenon will be able to work on an aircraft, albeit the fact that his invention has a wingspan of less than 15cm and looks more like a flying saucer than your typical jumbo jet. Would be cool if he could extrapolate his findings to accommodate cars, lorries, trucks and planes, then the whole world need not go to war for oil.

Fancy a portable Xbox? I'm sure many people have thought about it before, and it will really see Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony slug it out both in the living room as well as on the portable front. How would you like the portable Xbox to look like? There are several major pitfalls for the big M to look out for, and one of them would be the lack of connectivity. Microsoft's Xbox Live is one of the biggest attractions to date, and has not seen any serious competition from either Sony or Nintendo, so that will be quite a problem unless WiMAX is rolled out extensively. Also, disc changing on the go just isn't viable, so Microsoft will have to think of a way to circumvent this. Should one be able to engage in online multiplayer, there is also the issue of lag to deal with - will there be a good enough coding like Quakeworld to compensate for latency found using 56k modems? As for the number of games available, I wonder whether Microsoft has it in them to court developers over to their side in such an unchartered territory.

Word on the street has it that pricing for the HP 2133 Mini-Note is now available, where the 1.2GHz processor model equipped with 1GB RAM and a 120GB hard drive will retail for $729, while the 2GB RAM and 160GB hard drive model is a wee bit more expensive at $789 - totally worth the $60 IMHO. As for the 1.6GHz model, it will come in two flavors - 1GB RAM and 120GB hard drive as well as 2GB RAM and 160GB hard drive which will retail for $749 and $819, respectively. Are you planning to get these instead of the Eee PC? I think for the little bit extra in exchange for superior storage space, every penny is totally worth it.

Let's take a sneak peek at the Gigabyte GK-K8000 gaming keyboard which will soon be completed and ready to be unleashed upon the masses. Apparently, "design issues" is proving to be a damper and causing all the unnecessary delays. It looks all too square to me, and the bright orange function keys at the top don't really look appealing at all. This definitely won't do for a gaming keyboard in my books, since the keys themselves don't look as though they are backlit, which pretty much rules out the coolness factor when it comes to playing in the dark.

MSI's Wind, the rival to Asus' Eee PC, is now available for pre-order. The 10" ultra portable notebook will be available in both Linux and Windows XP flavors just like its nemesis, with the former featuring :-

• 1.6GHz Atom processor
• 10" LED backlit display
• 80GB hard drive
• 1GB RAM
• WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity
• 1.3 megapixel webcam

Have you jumped onto the Wii Fit bandwagon yet? If you do (and are hooked on it), I'm pretty sure you've experienced the sudden interruption while playing when the Wii balance board runs out of juice unexpectedly. This scenario can be disappointing, especially when you're halfway through working up a sweat. Nyko aims to save the day with the Energy Pak which was developed specifically for the Wii balance board. It is installed at the bottom of the board, and is a snap to plug in for a recharge without having to remove the device nor turn the board over. The Nyko Energy Pak will be released this May 19th for $19.99.

Now this is definitely one home improvement idea I would love to see in my apartment - the WaSnake. Constructed from wood and elastomer, the WaSnake shelf cna be reconfigured to suit just about any space or whim. This digital furniture helps relay discreet information in the home, including comments and addresses, and could even display text messages sent to the home address in addition to your favorite feeds from selected RSS. A cluster of colored LEDs and optical fibers will form the screen, while the system itself is connected to a computer and functions as an interface for selecting and creating both information and communication channels. For wives who disapprove of their hubbies reading or watching TV during meal times, the WaSnake could be heaven sent as they check out the day's news while munching on their breakfast.

LG Display holds the honor of developing the first TFT roll-printing technology in the world, with the potential to replace the photolithography process in due time. For the uninitiated, the photolithography process is used in TFT-LCD fabrication to form patterns on the TFT and color filter substrate. This requires a whole set of complex processes, including huge and costly equipment. With roll-printing technology, the complex set of processes used to form the required patterns can be proceeded at once, resulting in reduced material and equipment costs as well as a shortened production time where TFT LCDs are concerned. This green technology will also reduce the use of chemicals in the photolithography process. For those who want to see it in action, you can view it at the SID (Society of Information Display) 2008 which will be held from May 20 through 22 in Los Angeles, California