Microsoft is making some noise today about the Xbox 360’s sales numbers — it’s the first of this generation of consoles to top 10M sales in the US. That’s well ahead of the Wii, which stands at 8.8M, and the PS3, which has under half the 360’s installed base at 4.1M units sold. Worldwide, the 360 is also doing quite well: Microsoft says it’s moved 19M consoles total, and that 12 million people are signed up for Xbox Live. That’s behind the Wii’s global sales of 25M units, but Microsoft isn’t exactly content with second place — it’s making a point to say that the 360 has the ” largest global install base of any current gen, high definition gaming console.” Take that, Mario. Meanwhile, the PS3s doing quite nicely for itself as well: in addition to outselling the 360 in both the US and Europe, Sony says worldwide sales were up an astounding 156 percent last year with a total of 9.2M units coming off shelves, and that it expects to sell another 10M consoles by March 2009. Looks like the console race is hitting the next level — any bets on how things will shake out in a year?

Seeing how popular our handmade Japanese keyboards are with you Geeks, we decided to post some photos taken at a ryokan in an undisclosed location in Tokyo.

Thanks to Geek Stuff 4 U, we were able to get our hands on four USB and e-SATA racks at 2.5″ and 3.5″ HDD. Make sure you don’t miss the video at the end of the news!

The plug & play system makes these devices extremely easy to use, almost like inserting a cartridge in those good old video consoles back in the day! HDD racks are an excellent tool for those who need to store a lot of data in a tiny and robust device.

Two companies are battling for the market: Black Box and Logitec, not to be mistaken with Swiss company Logitech.

The Black Box is more of a business tool while the Logitec version is aiming at the usual geeks like you and me.

The Black Box range are the: USB and USB/e-Sata versions.

Logitec proposes a USB, hub USB and e-Sata model.

We did a quick speedtest to check the performances in both reading and writing from a USB 2.0 memory stick, and a Western Digital WD5000AAKS 500GB Caviar Sata 7200 Rpm 16MB Cache SATA hard disk drive.

Pros for the black box range:
-robust
-connectics
-long lasting
-heavy base, more stability

Cons for the black box range:
-design
-no protection at the rear (Watch your fingers!)
-missing a USB hub + e-SATA version

Pros for the Logitech:
-Nice design
-e-SATA and USB Hub
-HDD protection cover

Cons for the Logitech:
-Weak SATA connector inside the cradle
-Too light, requires both hands in order to remove the HDD from its cradle
-Cheap, weak HDD protection cover
-USB hub automatically disconnects when e-SATA mode is on

Conclusion:
When it comes to raw data performances, all four of our products are similar in both USB or e-SATA mode. In terms of usability the less fancy “Black Box” model is by far the winner due to its simplicity and sturdiness

Regardless of your views on the Everun’s level of attractiveness, holding 32GB of SSD between your palms is enough to make any true nerd break out in a sweat. Raon Digital’s looking to get quite a few of those kind hot and bothered in South Korea with its Everun S32S Dic. The handheld boasts a 568MHz AMD Geode LX900 processor, 512MB of RAM, a 32GB SSD, 4.8-inch 800 x 480 resolution display, 802.11b/g WiFi, Bluetooth 2.0+EDR, USB connectivity and a built-in SayDic electronic dictionary with text-to-speech support. Apparently Raon’s pretty proud of this puppy, as word on the street pegs it at a stiff ?867,000 ($828).

The Mini-v S41 is the latest and greatest design from Vye Computers, a British firm with production facilities in the UK, China and Taiwan. Vye has a curious marketing strategy: certain models are specific to a few select countries. The new Mini-v S41, for instance, was introduced in Japan and has only lately become available with a US-spec keyboard. “Available” is a relative term, however - Vye markets the Mini-v S41 through an online sales venue called Dynamism. Direct orders are payable by PayPal only, no credit cards are accepted.

According to Vye, “The Mini-v S41 now offers the convenience of being able to play and burn DVD’s or CD’s whilst working in the office, school, home or even when you are out and about.” Plus, the The Mini-v S41 weighs just 2.7 lbs versus a full 3 lbs for the MacBook Air.

As long as we’re showing up the “apple slice”, consider also that in addition to the built-in DVD reader/burner, the Mini-v S41’s 7-inch touch screen swivels like a tablet PC, while (whilst?) its standard keyboard & trackpad are fully compatible with Windows Vista operations.

So, what’s a new Vye Mini-v S41 gonna cost you? A lot less than you might think - just $1499. Consider that the Hello Kitty laptop I recently wrote a post on goes for $1400 and is merely a cute-ified Epson Endeavor NH2100, the Vye Mini-v S41 seems like an exceptional bargain. Even without considering its ability to provoke hyperventilation in MacBook Air owners! (images & info via Dynamism)

For years Sanyo has been without a doubt the largest and strongest player in the Compact Digital Video Camera world, and crushed competitors generation after generation. Now after the Canon TX1, Sony is at the plate with its HDR-TG1, better know in Europe as the HDR-TG3.

A direct challenger to the Sanyo Xacti HD1000, the HDR-TG1 is also a full HD capable device (1080i), but a very expensive one. In Japan it’s twice as expensive, is the TG1 really worth it?

Handling
Similar in appearance to the Canon TX1, the Sony TG1 has a pretty rectangular design with sharp edges and a strange heaviness even though it only weighs 300g with its battery. Housed in smooth, good quality plastic or brushed aluminum, the TG1 offers a nice compromise between style and sturdiness. Thanks to its compact body this new handycam can be easily carried in the front pocket of your trousers, ready to capture anything at anytime. Once in your hand, thanks to its Stand-by mode and “Quick-On,” HD video can be taken in seconds and saved for eternity.

Video
Once you start recording video you’ll be stunned by how pictures are wonderfully shown on its little LCD. Once plugged to your full HD TV you’ll begin to wonder if you were really recording in 1080. Pictures are without a doubt beautiful, but far from what’s to be expected from a 1080 camera. They’re perfect if you save your video at 720p on your computer.

Like many other compact HD cameras, the TG1 suffers from obvious aliasing on fixed pictures with contrasted lines, or pictures with slow movements. However, these are problems you should expect with something as light and compact as the TG1.

Plus:
Compact and Stylish
Good video, once converted in 720p
Good AF even in Low Light
Great IS

Minus:
Horrible UI
Horrible Photo Mode
Needs Sony proprietary SOftware to edit video on your PC
No optional Wide angle lenses

Conclusion:
Compact, Stylish and providing good video once turned in 720p, Sony with the TG1 will definitively attract a lot of potential buyer, but unfortunately for us the TG1 is not mature yet, several UI flaws combined with poor photo quality and a poorly design companion software make us wonder why spending SO much money when the HD1000 form Sanyo offers as good as video as the TG1 for half its price (In Japan)

Sanyo presents two new projectors, the LP-XC55 and LP-XC50. Both utilize the Active Maintenance Filter (AMF) and feature a 7W speaker. You also get an Auto Set-up function which does all the work finding signal sources for you.

Osaka, May 12, 2008 – SANYO Electric Co., Ltd. (SANYO) announces the LP-XC55 (3,100 lumens)
and the LP-XC50 (2,600 lumens), two new portable projectors that not only adopt SANYO’s ‘Active
Maintenance Filter’ (AMF) system, allowing easy filter changes, but also are equipped with a very sturdy
and durable ‘Security Bar’, allowing thick security wires up to 11 millimeters, raising the level of security
for small, portable projectors. Additionally, in response to consumer demands, the projectors feature a
loud 7-watt built-in speaker. The new projectors will be available in the Japanese market starting from
July 11, 2008.

About the new projectors, Mr. Tadashi Arata, SANYO Digital Systems Company Projector Division
Deputy General Manager, said, “For portable projector models, while we continually see year-on-year
improvements with brightness, we are also seeing more users install the projectors on ceiling mounts and on stationary desktops. Users are becoming more concerned with security and maintenance, so we have added a very strong security bar and the industry’s first*1 Active Maintenance Filter for peace of mind and ease of maintenance.”

Main Features:

1. Adopts the ‘Active Maintenance Filter’ (AMF) for easy maintenance.

- Filter system eliminates necessity to frequently*2 manually change the filter.
- Filter automatically senses when airflow is obstructed by dust, and advances the cartridge to new filter.
- Industry’s first*1 portable model to incorporate AMF.
- Easy to replace, with one-touch cartridge and side-loading access.
- New projector design prevents excess dust from entering.

2. Security bar (compatible up to thick 11-mm security wires) built-in for higher security.

- New security bar allows thick 11-mm security wires.
- More portable, but also more secure.
- Expected to be a theft-deterrent, protecting this media/AV facility investment.
- Only administrator is allowed to operate on-board buttons and logo-control settings.
- Uses on-board pin number reader to lock the projector when not in use, allowing the unit to be placed in a stationary place, such as in a classroom with peace-of-mind.

3. Loud 7-watt speaker allows everyone to hear in the meeting or class room.

- Projectors are increasingly used in more media-rich presentations, including video and audio.
- Eliminates the need for a separate external speaker.
- 7-watts is loud enough for an average classroom or business meeting room.
- Projector becomes a truly multi-media device.

4. Other Features.

- Equipped with ‘Auto set-up function’ that automatically seeks signal sources.
- DVI-I digital interface connection among an abundance of other connections available.
- Able to change lamp even while installed on ceiling through an easy access panel.
- Compatible with four variously colored (red, blue, green, and yellow) projection surfaces via ‘Color board mode.’

• 624MHz CPU
• 802.11 a/b/g and GPS
• Half-VGA screen (480 x 320)
• Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP support
• microSDHC support up to 16 GB
• Quad-band EDGE, Tri-band HSDPA
• 2MP camera w/ flash and 5x digital zoom
• Replaceable “leather-like” backplates