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

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.

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

Dogs are smart animals, so it makes sense that their technological counterparts carry some semblance of intelligence as well like how the USB Smart Dog Hub is. It comes with a rectangular-shaped head which can be detached (creepy!), providing you with an instant portable radio complete with auto-scan capability from 88MHz to 108MHz. Connecting it back to its body will turn it into a computer speaker (albeit a lousy one) as well. There are two USB 2.0 ports on each side of this digital pooch. The USB Smart Dog Hub will retail for $19.15.

Don't be too smug that your car has just been outfitted with the latest GPS navigation system - chances are, the Geek Scooter you see here has more tech inside of it than you think.

• 1.2GHz Mini-ITX VIA EPIA Motherboard
• 1GB RAM
• 2GB SSD
• Bluetooth connectivity
• Electric guitar PC uplink
• TV/FM radio tuner
• Wireless Cellular Internet Card
• Linux/Windows friendly
• Garmin GPS
• Wireless Access Point
• Webcam
• 8" LCD touch screen display

MSI's Titan is out of the stables before the desktop version of the Eee PC is out, bringing a compact 9.45" x 7.28" x 2.75" device with the following features :-

• 2GHz VIA C7 processor
• 250GB SATA hard drive
• 1GB DDR2 RAM
• 2 x USB 2.0 ports
• VGA and TV-out
• 5.1-channel digital audio out
• Gigabit Ethernet
• Dual-layer multi-format DVD writer

Desktop toys are a welcome distraction at work, and the WowWee Chatterbot would make a good candidate for your next purchase. Available in Devil/Angel, Dog, and the Fairy Godfather models, the $49.99 Chatterbot are USB-powered animated computer accessories which are able to tell jokes, dialog (no idea up to what level) with you as well as comment on whatever you're typing on the computer at the moment. It functions well with email, calendar and instant messaging applications among others, boasting a tiny speaker too. Apparently the trigger responsiveness is not up to par at the moment, so hopefully WowWee will be able to roll out an update in the near future.

Microsoft is putting more resources and effort in its Fone+ program which will see the needy get their fair share of smartphones as a computing platform. I'm rather skeptical about this - just how much work can you actually get done on a smartphone, even when compared to a low cost computer like the Eee PC? I suppose the folks at Microsoft have a palantir which I do not know about, since they believe that the prevalence of cell phones and wireless networks would make third world countries a practical target. Apparently the Fone+ also comes with a docking station which can be connected to TVs for better viewing. No idea on when the final product will be realized, but it shouldn't be too soon. Image courtesy of Cellphone Digest.

If you happen to have a really tough workplace - and I mean one that rivals the bowels of hell itself, then it would be prudent to check out the NEC ShieldPRO FC-N22A Tablet PC. This 12.1" notebook is able to function perfectly well in temperature where you would be freezing your butt off or sweating profusely like a pig being led to the slaughter (-20 to over 50 degrees Celsius). Features include :-

• Compliance to IP55 requirements
• Intel Core 2 Duo U7500 1.06GHz processor
• 12.1" display with LED backlight and XGA resolution
• Brightness of 750cd/m2
• 512MB RAM (up to 4GB)
• Touch screen functionality

Dell isn't that great at keeping secrets I guess, having leaked its upcoming Inspiron 1435, 1535 and 1735 consumer laptops. All of them pretty much look the same, which is natural since they share the same technological genes. Specifications will vary greatly in Dell's tradition, which is basically determined by your budget. All three models will measure approximately 1" thick, sporting the following features :-

• Slot-loading drives with a Blu-ray option
• Up to Intel Core 2 Duo T5850 2.16GHz processors
• Optional 3G connectivity

Everyone loves free stuff, and PowerupMobile.com aims to get a whole bunch of new customers by offering a free Asus Eee PC laptop whenever they sign up for T-Mobile's mobile broadband package. That's a pretty fine free gift to throw in, considering it retails for $399 a pop outside. The whole idea for this bundle (in addition to snaring customers in their web) would be to enable online connectivity anytime, anywhere. No Wi-Fi zone around? No problem! Just hook the Eee PC up to your USM modem and make use of T-Mobile's Web 'n' Walk service.

Toshiba lifted the curtains on its latest laptop, the Portégé M800, and it comes with just about the standard specifications you'll find in most notebooks these days. I especially like the inclusion of draft-N as well as 250GB hard drive, but the 1GB RAM could be improved upon along with a beefier video card.

• 13.3’’trueBrite widescreen WXGA resolution
• Intel Core 2 Duo T5750 2GHz processor
• Intel GMA X3100 video card
• 250GB hard drive
• 1GB RAM
• DVD SuperMulti Drive
• WiFi (a/g/draft-n) connectivity
• Bluetooth connectivity

Iomega has updated its eGo drive with a bold new camouflage pattern, offering 250GB of portable storage space where and when you need it. Other than the cosmetic change, everything within remains the same as the original eGo drive, including Iomega's patented DropGuard technology that protects the eGo drive from accidental damage caused by drops of up to 51", which is much higher compared to portable hard drives from other manufacturers that claim drops of less than 40 inches. The inclusion of new Power Grip band on the eGo Camo Drive allows it to shrug off drops of up to 60" - perfect for butterfingers users like me.