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Acer outs AZ3, AZ5, Veriton Z Series all-in-ones, starting at $650
Not wanting to be left behind by the AIO hordes, Acer has unveiled a trio of new options for your spick and span desktop. The higher-end AZ5 provides a 23-inch expanse of full HD, multi-touch glory, a minimum Core i3-2120 processor, 4GB of DDR3 memory and a 1TB HDD, all for the sum of $750. Next up is the AZ3, which saves you $100 by cutting the screen size to 21 inches, switching to an AMD dual-core A4 APU (along with a discreet Radeon HD6410) and slimming the HDD down to 500GB. Both models come with an adjustable stand, two side-mounted USB 3.0 ports (plus four USB 2.0 ports on the rear) and a built-in webcam and mic. Meanwhile, Acer's new Veriton all-in-ones target enterprise users who are prepared to sacrifice those high-def media credentials in favor of better performance and a smaller, more office-friendly footprint -- the 20-inch Z2620G, for instance, packs a Core i5-2400s quad-core processor and NVIDIA GeFore GT 520M GPU for $850. All the new models are available in densely populated areas as of right now, and you'll find more details in the PR after the break.
Toshiba reportedly prepping glasses-free 3DTV for Q4 launch
Hot news out of Japan if you're an eager 3D beaver: a report from Toshiba's home nation indicates that the company has three models of glasses-free 3D displays in the pipeline, which are being prepared for launch "before Christmas" at prices of "several thousand dollars" each. As you might recall, we got our first inkling about Toshiba Mobile Display's multi-parallax technique back in April, which is when the above 21-inch panel was being touted along with promises of eliminating eye strain and widening 3D viewing angles. We suspect that by now Toshiba has put a slinky bezel on the thing and started thinking up alphanumeric product names for it, though do bear in mind that queries to its press office were deflected with the boilerplate "no comment" response.
"Employee only" bronze Orc and wolf statue finds its way onto eBay
Here's an eBay auction that might be worth watching: A rather spiffy looking bronze statue of an Orcish Wolf Rider. While the statue looks pretty awesome on its own, what's intriguing is the source: the seller claims that this is the statue created exclusively for Blizzard by WETA employed sculptors Eden Small and Daniel Cockersell. You may recall this article in the OC Register (Alex Ziebart reported on it for WoW Insider here), which mentions the commission of a 12 foot high version of this statue for the courtyard of their new headquarters, to be installed this summer. Certainly, the statue looks pretty good, and it has an impressive pedigree. Daniel Cockersell himself has also created some pretty good looking Warhammer sculptures, and Small and Cockersell have also worked together on official merchandise for the upcoming Prince Caspian Movie and Doctor Who, among other things. I'm not sure I'll have the money to get in on this auction, since I imagine it'll get pretty high, but I do sort of want to head down to Irvine this summer just to drool over the larger version. I'm sure it'll look pretty sweet if this smaller statue is any indication.I have to admit to being curious as to which Blizzard employee decided they'd rather have a bit of extra pocket money instead of the statue, though, or if there's another reason that this statue has appeared on eBay, and from a seller in Ireland, at that. [Thanks for the tip, Lim!]
Microsoft to team with Samsung on 22-inch LCD for Vista?
We were just getting used to that whole wave of 21-inch LCDs, when it looks like 22-inchers are going to be the hip new thing in the coming months. A new report is out claiming that Microsoft is working with Samsung to produce a special 22-inch widescreen LCD to work with Windows Vista and be branded with the Microsoft logo. Sounds like they're trying to promote widescreen monitor usage with their new OS, and we're guessing Microsoft wouldn't mind making a few bucks while they're at it. The word from Chi Mei Optoelectronics makes us think that Microsoft and Samsung aren't the only ones to get the 22-inch bug. Dell has reportedly just made a large order for 22-inch widescreen panels from CMO, and LG.Philips and AU are jumping on board as well. There's no telling how heavily Microsoft is going to be recommending 22-inch displays to the users of Aero, but it doesn't look like anybody wants to be left out.[Thanks, Mr. Kaiser and Will P.]Read - Microsoft and Samsung team for 22-inch LCDRead - Dell orders from CMO
Samsung 215TW 21-inch monitor reviewed
We know you've been fretting the Vista-mandated upgrade to an HDCP monitor (haven't you?), but according to this review of Samsung's new 21-inch widescreen addition to the prolific Syncmaster series, the transition shouldn't be that tough. At 1680 x 1050, the resolution is average, even for smaller 20-inch models, but the expanded range of physical adjustability and a bevy of connection options, including DVI, D-SUB, component video and S-Video can at least make up for the expectedly terrible performance of the integrated speakers. Other specs, like an 8ms response time, PIP, 1,000:1 contrast ratio, 178-degree viewing angle and the MagicBright technology, which helps it adapt to any environment, push the 215TW to a slightly higher level -- and price point (£469.98) -- than the slew of other 21-inch LCDs out there.
Mitsubishi's new 21-inch RDT212H monitor for Japan
Mitsubishi has just announced a new 21.3-inch flat panel monitor for the Japanese market, and even though it offers two DVI ports and a UXGA resolution of 1,600 x 1,200, we're not sure how many folks will be willing to part with close to ¥200,000 (about $1,775 US) to have this model on their desks. The RDT212H, in silver or black, does offer a pretty nice 1000:1 contrast ratio, but the 16-millisecond response time won't impress any gamers, and the 300cd/m2 brightness is nothing special, so we're struggling to discover what those hundreds of thousands of yen are really buying you. We'll have to wait a few weeks to find out, though, as that's when this LCD is scheduled to hit stores -- stay tuned to Engadget Japan for the latest.[Via Impress]
