Let's be honest here -- you skimped by snagging the 40GB PlayStation 3 back in the day, and now you're in need of a few extra USB ports and a multicard reader. Thankfully, your fortunes have changed since the days of your original purchase, primarily due to your drunken decision to bet the farm on Seth Petruzelli over the weekend. Whatever the case, Nyko's unsightly Media Hub+ -- which adds a trio of USB sockets and a multicard reader to the 40GB PS3 -- is finally available, and it's just $19.99 for those with no shame in adding it to the face of their console. So, who's tossing a brown grocery bag over their head and picking one of these up?

[Via IGN]

Just when you think you've escaped the darkened woods of firmware 2.0.2 and previous ilk, along comes 2.1, wrapped in faster-loading-contacts-finery to convince you all is well in the iPhone world. That isn't entirely the case, it seems, if you're user of POP or IMAP mail accounts which are set to fetch messages. Apparently, a maddening bug exists in the new software which -- in the interest of battery power conservation, we assume -- stops the device from pulling down new emails while sleeping... unless the phone happens to be plugged in and charging. An ever-growing thread on Apple's support forums has been barraged with reports of the problem, and editors here at Engadget have certainly felt the burn. So we're putting the question to you, dear readers (and hoping the folks in Cupertino are paying attention). Are you noticing email issues with firmware 2.1? Let us know in the poll below!

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

We knew it would be going down, but the formal announcement has finally been made: MSI's Wind will soon be gracing store shelves at Best Buy. As early as "right now" if you're lucky enough, the 10-inch netbook can be procured at your local BB (no word on Future Shop), and we're told that it'll pack a 1.6GHz Intel Atom CPU, Windows XP Home Edition, a 10-inch WSVGA (1,024 x 600) display, GMA950 graphics set, 1GB of DDR2 RAM, a 120GB hard drive, 3-cell battery (sigh...) and a black or white motif. You might expect to just snag one real quick like for $399, but don't expect to leave without being hassled for one of those Product Replacement Plans. Fun, fun! Full release is after the break.

Generally, we'd pass something like this off as just coincidence, but when over 95% of 1,000+ respondents confess to sharing the same issue, we simply can't turn the other cheek. It's assumed that DirecTV botched up a software update early this morning that affected a number of HR2X set-tops. Over at DBSTalk, the vast majority of readers who voluntarily took part in a poll affirmed that at least one of their HR2X units required a restart / reboot this morning. We know there's no real point in asking if you too were affected, but that aside, what was DirecTV attempting to send down? The world may never know.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Look, we love finding out the pre-release minutiae just as much as anyone, but this is getting a little absurd. Yesterday we spotted a Storm slide pack, just this morning we ran across a sneak peek of RIM's BlackBerry Application Center, and merely hours later we're being treated to the BlackBerry Storm User Guide. What's next, internal information on how to best polish the casing? C'mon Verizon, get this thing out in the open already!

The Foundations said it best in their 1968 classic, but seriously, why let us down like this? Nokia didn't mind busting out a litany of press shots and all the specifications one could need to get amped up about the 5800 XpressMusic, but it obviously has something holding it back from launching in "mature markets" before 2009. In an announcement that's just as disappointing to the suits in Espoo as it is to those in North America and Down Under (just to name a couple), we've now learned that the touchscreen-dominated handset will only be available in seven countries in Asia, the Middle East and Europe before 2009 dawns. Even worse? Not knowing how deep into next year we'll have to wait for this thing here in the US of A. Catch our feelings spelled out in video form after the break.

There's not exactly a shortage of options out there for parents that want to keep watch on their kids' driving, but Ford looks to be taking things a bit further than most with its new MyKey system, and it's making it standard issue, no less. Set to debut in the 2010 Focus Coupe and plenty of other Ford vehicles shortly thereafter, the key-based system will let parents limit their car's top driving speed to 80 miles per hour, cut off the stereo's volume at just 44% of its max output, and set a persistent chime to go off if the seatbelts aren't being used (the stereo also gets muted until everyone buckles up). As if that wasn't enough, it'll also provide a low-fuel warning at 75 miles to empty, start issuing a surely annoying reminder as the driver inches up past the 45 mph mark, and make it impossible to disable some of the Focus' usual safety measures like Park Aid and Cross Traffic Alert. Also not able to be disabled: your kid's resentment.

We know, January wasn't that long ago, but in consumer electronics years, it's been forever since a new Harmony was revealed. For those of you already on the hunt for a sub-$100 gizmo to give to your favorite person this holiday season, Logitech is jonesing for your business with its entry-level Harmony 510 universal remote. You should know, however, that the IR remote operates just five devices (remember the "entry-level" bit we mentioned?), though it does boast an inbuilt LCD and a fair amount of buttons. Harmony freaks have already pointed out that this one looks almost like a repackaged 550, though your technology-challenged sibling / parent / colleague probably won't take the time to notice. Get those stockings stuffed early for $99.99 (MSRP) a pop.

[Via CNET]

The NPD Group offered a bit of insight into the carrier-jumping habits of original iPhone buyers way back when and, as you might expect, it's now back at it and taking a stab at determining exactly where the iPhone 3G's users are coming from. According to the group, between July and August of this year, 30 percent of iPhone 3G buyers ditched their existing carrier to buy the phone, which is a somewhat significant uptick from the 23 percent of consumers overall that switched carriers during the same time period. Of that 30 percent, 34 percent of 'em switched from Verizon, 24 percent came from T-Mobile, and 19 percent came from Sprint. That same report also pegs the BlackBerry Curve, BlackBerry Pearl, and the Palm Centro as the next best selling smartphones. In related news, the 2.2 firmware beta floating about has apparently turned up a few more hidden surprises -- namely, support for Japanese emoji icons, an off setting for the auto-correction feature and, purportedly, support for Google Street View in the Google Maps application, although there's unfortunately no screenshot evidence of the latter feature just yet.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Read - CNET News, "30 percent of iPhone 3G buyers dump existing carriers"
Read - Mac Rumors, "iPhone 2.2 Hidden Features: Google Street View, Emoji, Auto-Correction Off"

Given that Digital Foci's IMT-062 was getting a bit long in the tooth, we'd say it's about time a suitable successor hit the streets. The IMT-063, or "The Executive" as its known around the office, is the outfit's very latest Image Moments 6 digiframe, which features a 5.7-inch 640 x 480 display, LED backlighting, a two-tone chrome finish, 450MB of internal storage space, support for a multitude of card formats and USB 2.0 connectivity. Better still, the frame will also play back audio and video files, and the auto-rotate orientation sensor will keep your curious youngsters occupied for hours. Look for this one to leave the shipping dock next week for $149.

When the SATA HDD Stage Rack launched last October, we figured it would just be a one-off gizmo that all of four or five people would pick up. A year later, we're staring at a smattering of iterations from a number of companies. Sharkoon's own attempt at beefing up this apparent product category looks to be a pretty solid product, as the SATA QuickPort Duo gives owners the ability to slam in two 2.5- / 3.5-inch internal SATA hard drives and connect them up to a PC via USB 2.0 or eSATA. Unfortunately, the €47 ($64) price tag is a touch on the high side, but it is the Cadillac of the bunch, you know.

The reams and reams of spam found with every check of our inboxes here at Engadget HQ have quashed the surge of emotions we used to experience when that new-mail notifier started blinking. So, we went looking for something to help get our e-mail groove back, and we've found it: the USB webmail notifier. It's a little box with the iconic envelope design on the front that lights up in green, blue, or red when you receive mail. The color indicates either the location of the received message, for those of you who rock Outlook for work and Gmail for personal, or the volume, for those who need some encouragement to clean out that inbox. It is somewhat less useful than other multi-purpose USB indicators we've seen, but its simplicity, and its $17 price tag, make it our choice to bring back that lovin' feeling.