Toshiba Unveils TVs with Battery Backup

Love soccer but living with unstable power? Toshiba has you covered.

Toshiba today announced a duo of new TVs with integrated battery backups in time for the new soccer season, or football season for our International readers – the Power PC1 series. The Toshiba Power PC1 series feature a rechargeable battery capable of delivering around two hours of TV watching time without power. The Power PC1 series are catered towards users that live in areas with unclean or sketchy power sources that are prone to black outs and power fluctuations.

LED backlit panels are employed for the Toshiba Power PC1 series with an eco-mode for reduced power consumption.  Toshiba plans to offer the Power PC1 series in 32 and 24-inch sizes.

Check out the Dual Screen Acer Iconia in Action

The massive tabtop... err... laplet?

Earlier this week we saw Acer reveal a handful of new products that aren’t anything like its traditional laptop or desktop offerings.

It's called the Iconia, and it looks like a laptop, but it's more like a dual screen touch sensitive tablet.

Try Google Chrome to Win $500 Newegg Gift Card

Try Google's way of browsing the internet to win some money towards computer goods.

Even though there are web standards, not all web browsers are created equal. The great part is that you can try all the different browsers for yourself and pick which works best for you. Thanks to the lovely pricing model that is free, there is no penalty of having a buffet of browsers from which to choose.

iOS Rage Shootout: iPod 3G vs iPhone 4 vs iPad

John Carmack Says the iPad is More Powerful Than the Xbox and Wii

If you have an iOS-enabled device and you like games, you should check out Rage Mutant Bash TV for the iPhone, iPod touch or iPad.

Dell Inspiron Duo Now Shipping December 15

If you've been eyeing up that converting Dell Inspiron Duo, then you'll be pleased to know it's now on sale and shipping in just a couple of weeks.

We got a good eye-full of the Dell Duo two weeks ago when Dell let us spend a couple of hours studying the ins and outs of the machine. Though we found out an awful lot of things about the computer, shipping date was not one of them. We knew first half of December but other that that, we were in the dark.

Well, someone over at Dell has switched on the lights since then. Those of you who preordered the Duo will be glad to know that its now listing a ship date of December 15 – you should get your new computer in time for Christmas!

Pictured: Motorola's Tegra 2 Smartphone

Last week reports of a Motorola device powered by Nvidia's Tegra 2 did the rounds. Further cementing the likelihood that Motorola plans to launch a smartphone packing the chipset are photos of what purports to be the device itself.

A tipster has sent the following two images to several websites and claims they are photos of the Tegra 2-powered Motorola Olympus. The dual-core phone does exist (Motorola confirmed it a few months back) but up until now very little was known about the device.

Thermaltake Chassis Has Top-Mounted HDD Dock

This chassis allows the user to hot-swap 3.5-inch and 2.5-inch drives without the need to open the case.

Monday Thermaltake announced the all-black DOKKER, an affordable PC mid-tower case sporting a top-mounted HDD single bay docking station. This dock allows the end-user to hot-swap a 3.5-inch or 2.5-inch SATA drive without the need for additional hardware and software. How cool is that?

This Concrete PC Case is a Work of Art

Industrial but elegant.

That blinged-out IdeaPad we saw earlier is flashy, but flashy isn't everyone's cup of tea. For those who enjoy a more industrial look (and only plan on moving their computer with the help of Žydrūnas Savickas), we've got the Concretronic from modder and Best Case Scenario forums user D.Heiße.

D.Heiße's creation is definitely special, but when you read how he did it, it becomes even more impressive. D.Heiße made the case using a single layer of concrete, which he accomplished by fashioning a complex frame out of steel sheeting and welding rods. The mod is D.Heiße's entry for a mod contest that asks that finished entries have PSU visible to the user. For this reason, the plexi-glass windows you see in the photos were also included in his custom-made framing.

Soon You Can Diagnose Your STD With Your Phone

No more embarrassing trips to the health clinic, hurray!

There are a lot of pointless gizmos and gadgets out there but we wouldn't consider a USB STD tester to be one of them. The Guardian reports that boffins at the University of London are developing a self-testing device that will bring the convenience of those pee-on-a-stick home pregnancy tests to an STD test. However, unlike pregnancy tests, this fast and private home STD test would rely on electronics to deliver the news. The subject would pee or spit on a computer chip, much like a USB stick, and then plug it into their phone or computer to receive their diagnosis.

Samsung Shows Off Flexible AMOLED Display

Samsung's flexible AMOLED display is sexy and stunning.
Over the last few days, Samsung has mainly been in the news for its latest addition to the Galaxy S family, the Samsung Continuum. However, while the Continuum wasn't exactly breathtaking in the excitement department, another AMOLED creation from Samsung has caught our attention.

At FPD International 2010 this week, Samsung demoed a 4.5-inch flexible AMOLED display. SlashGear reports Samsung's display is possible because the company has developed a manufacturing process that allows the plastic substrate to withstand the 350-400 degree temperatures involved when assembling the various AMOLED layers.

Turn Your iPad into a Netbook for Under $150

Turn your MID into a kind-of netbook.

iPad or netbook, iPad or netbook? The former is more expensive and it's considered a very casual device because of its OS and the fact that its touchscreen keyboard isn't exactly conducive to productivity. Still, there's something to be said for touchscreen displays and the iPad is awfully sleek. If only you could mash the two together for some kind of super-device netbook. Well, you actually can, as long as you're willing to spend more money and don't mind sticking with iOS.

U.S. iPhones Hit by Same Alarm Glitch as Europe

Did you wake up late this morning?

Last week, word got out an iPhone alarm clock glitch affecting European users. The glitch was said to be an issue with Daylight Savings Time and resulted in iPhone alarms going off an hour later than they were supposed to. This past weekend, Apple warned that the same issue could affect U.S. users.

Is In-Flight Wi-Fi Now Threatened by Terrorists?

Bomb scare turns renews questions of wireless devices while in flight.

In-flight Wi-Fi is a modern wonder. In an age where electronics are suspiciously inspected in airports, getting to access the internet while at higher than 30,000 feet seems like a small miracle. That's why Virgin America is one of the preferred ways to fly here at Tom's, but sadly the wonders of Wi-Fi on a plane could be threatened by paranoia over terrorism.

Dell Staff Get Win Phone 7 to Ditch BlackBerrys

Microsoft made headlines back in July when it gave out over 90,000 Windows Phone 7 phones to its staff. Now it looks like Dell is taking a leaf out of Redmond's book while supporting its own product at the same time.

The Wall Street Journal reports that Dell has revealed plans to move its 25,000 employees over to its own line of smartphones, giving them all Windows Phone 7-equipped Venue Pros in exchange for handing in their BlackBerrys.

Leak: ''Iconic'' DROID Pro to hit on November 18

A leaked Verizon document has let the cat out of the bag on when we can expect to see the Motorola DROID Pro.
Dubbed a BlackBerry killer, the Motorola DROID Pro was first talked about at the beginning of October. However, though Verizon piqued our interest with the announcement of the QWERTY keyboard-equipped DROID, the network didn't mention a release date other than "the coming weeks."

Is This 3D Mouse The Future of PC Gaming?

This "mouse" features a seated ball that can manipulate the position of a 3D object.

Axsotic's 3D-Spheric-Mouse could be the next step in PC peripherals. Although the company is currently promoting the mouse as a tool for professional 3D animators, it could possibly change the way PC gamers play their favorite FPS titles or how consumers maneuver through Windows, OS X, Ubuntu or other operating systems.

58-inch GIANT iPhone Table: Big Enough For You?

That SMS icon does look a little outdated...

Is the iPhone's 3.5-inch screen feeling a little too puny to you? What about an iPad? Still too small?
Then maybe it's time to look at this 58-inch version of the iOS device. No, it won't fit in your pocket, but it'll fit inside your house.
This is Table Connect, which interfaces with the dock connector port of an iPhone 4 or iPhone 3GS (older devices not supported due to the slower processors) to blow up the iOS interface to massive proportions.

Huntkey PC Chasis Offers Radiation Protection

This chassis could help prevent acne and hair loss!

Last week Huntkey Enterprise Group revealed its new SHIELD chassis slated for a global launch. The big deal behind its upcoming PC case is that it supposedly protects the end-user against radiation generated by PC components. This means the chassis could possibly reduce acne, balding and infertility--three side effects associated with PC-generated radiation.

Why Auto-Brightness on iPhone, Android is Awful

The auto brightness settings don't work so well on these so-called "smart" phones.

In a controlled environment, like your office, you can set the brightness of your display how you want it and it'll be good for most of the time (unless you're lucky enough to have an office with giant windows). Smartphones, on the other hand, are constantly in a state of travel and will be under various different light conditions, varying from pitch darkness when you're hiding under a cardboard box to when you're under the blasting rays of the sun. For this reason, automatic brightness is an important feature of smartphones.