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First International's slim, VIIV-powered GE2 multimedia PC
Ever since the Mac mini made its much-heralded debut, new small form-factor multimedia PCs have been popping up seemingly every day, so a new company called First International (FIC) has its work cut out for it if it hopes to top the likes of AOpen, Blueado, and Hi-Grade with the super-slim, VIIV-powered GE2 revealed at Computex. Not surprisingly, the specs on this machine closely match other models on the market, so features like a Core Duo processor, integrated graphics, slot-loading DVD burner, WiFi and Bluetooth 2.0, optional TV tuner, and DVI and S/PDIF outputs will probably sound quite familiar by now. Since neither pricing nor release date are known at this point, all we can hold onto is FIC's promise that the GE2 will be shipping "very soon."
Blueado's m5e "Sport Edition" HTPC
If you liked the Mac mini-inspired Blueado m5e home theater PC, then you're gonna love a recently-released, improved version of the machine that the company is touting as a "Sport Edition" (because, you know, nothing invokes athleticism like sitting around watching TV and movies all day), which adds several compelling features (and $500) to its $1,500 sibling. Packing in the same 2.0GHz Pentium M processor and integrated graphics as the m5e, this new edition doubles both RAM and HDD capacity to 2GB and 400GB, respectively, and also throws in both analog and digital tuners for keeping you entertained. You get a fairly wide variety of connectivity options with this one -- USB 2.0, FireWire, DVI, VGA, S-video, and digital coax -- along with Dolby Digital and DTS support for hooking up your surround sound speakers to the included RCA outputs. Of course, no HTPC would be complete without a DVD burner, remote control, and million-in-one card reader, so the Sport Edition -- rolling into dealerships now -- mixes in those ingredients as well.
