Integrated graphics sets that handle DirectX 10 like it's their job are a dime a dozen, but ASUS has nevertheless managed to find bragging rights in its G35 series of mobos. Hailed as the "world's first Intel platform" with onboard graphics capable of supporting DirectX 10 natively, the aforesaid motherboards won't require a separate GPU in order to handle the simplest of DX10 demands. Of course, we wouldn't expect the GMA X3500 to run circles around Crysis frame rate tests, but we suppose they'll do for the casual fans in attendance. Per usual, ASUS has left us high and dry in regard to pricing, but the trio of boards should be available as we speak.

[Via I4U News]

For proud owners of Nissan's newest Altima or Infiniti's G35 sedan, we certainly hope you don't habitually stuff your shiny new I-Key in the same pocket as that diminutive handset, or you may return from your next stop to find yourself totally immobile. In a rather bizarre (and strangely ambiguous) announcement, Nissan North America has claimed that owners of the 2007 Altima and G35 should make certain that their "intelligent key" is kept at least "one inch away" from their cellphone at all times, as getting too close for comfort could cause the keys to be "erased, rendering them unable to unlock or start the car." Interestingly, a Nissan spokesperson stated that the company found "incoming and outgoing calls had the potential to alter the electronic code within the I-Key," and as if that weren't tragic enough, the keys seemingly can't be reprogrammed afterwards. Of course, the firm assured everyone that the issue was only in "a very small percentage" of the total keys (and cars) sold, and while a new iteration will be out this fall, you can presumably rent a car and drive to your dealer for a replacement if the glitch hits your whip.

We suppose comparing Toshiba's HD DVD laptop, the Qosmio G35-AV650, to Sony's full-fledged RC310G Blu-ray desktop might be a bit unfair, but so far they're the only systems with next-gen drives we've spotted reviews for. For starters, as a laptop the AV650 is nothing to scoff at. With a 17-inch widescreen, 2GHz Core Duo processor, NVIDIA GeForce Go 7600 GPU, 200GB HDD and 1GB of RAM, the specs are quite adequate for desktop replacement work, but enhancements like 1920 x 1200 screen resolution and HDMI out (though sadly, no DVI) make it clear this think is built to rock the HD DVDs. Unfortunately, HD playback is all this $3000 system is getting you beyond the normal laptop fare, since the drive doesn't burn HD DVDs. Sony's Blu-ray systems, even their AR Blu-ray laptop, come with a whole suite of software to create content and burn to Blu-ray discs, making the hefty premium a bit more excusable. Also, Toshiba's bundled WinDVD HD playback software was glitchy with HD DVD discs, which might make even the staunchest early adopter rethink the purchase. We're not so sure the Toshiba has hardware decoding provided by its video card like that of Sony's desktop, so that could factor in. It's hard to call this thing much of a portable, though with a 3 hour battery life, an HD DVD on the go is definitely possible, but the 10.2 pounds of heft might make you rethink those plans. Obviously HD DVD has arrived, but we're just not sure it's ready for prime time, or worth corralling into a mere 17-inches.

After showing it off for close to six months, Toshiba is finally ready to drop the Qosmio G35, the company's first laptop with a built-in HD DVD drive. Toshiba is expected to show off the box at E3 today, and will begin selling it on its web site later this week for about $3,000. In addition to its HD DVD player, the G35 includes a 2GHz Core Duo processor, two 100GB drives, 1GB RAM and an Nvidia GeForce Go 7600 with 256MB. The 10-pound portable features a 17-inch display, and comes with Windows XP Media Center Edition.

Infiniti's G35 may be the most expensive CD ripper you ever bought (or lusted after, anyway). The new 2007 G35 has an in-dash system apparently outfitted with not only a CompactFlash slot, but a CD player that will also rip and encode your CDs for storage on an internal drive of unspecified size (we're really hoping the "9.5G" mentioned in the article is a model designation, and not capacity). Sure, it might just be easier to have a removable drive (or USB port) for dropping already-ripped or, um, downloaded songs into your car, but Infiniti must not expect the unclean to understand luxe doesn't always mean ease.

[Via Anything But iPod]