modular-design
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PlayStation Vita torn down, deemed easily repairable due to modular design
We here at Joystiq like modules quite a bit. As you'll see to your right, our website is adorned with more than a few of them, so we were glad to hear about just how modular the PlayStation Vita's design is, as discovered in a teardown of the device by iFixit. In fact, due to its modular design (among other things), the device was given an 8 out of 10 "repairability score" by the site.Beyond the thrilling news about the Vita's internal architecture, the site also points out that, despite needing a fancy baby screwdriver, the Vita's internal battery is "definitely serviceable by the average user." It also doesn't hurt that the internals won't cost a ton of coin to replace, if something does break. Should you be interested in all the gory details regarding the Vita's internals -- gory details that our dummy brains can't properly contextualize -- iFixit is more than happy to accommodate you right here.[Image credit: iFixit]
Plextor gets all zen with PlexMedia: a modular, network-attached Blu-ray player
It's not often we come across an external drive that looks like anything but a brick, so we were pleasantly surprised to see Plextor demoing something a little more svelte at Computex. We can tell the PlexMedia network attached media player (bottom) is a looker right off the bat, but it truly becomes useful when you plug in the PX-B120U (top) designed to go with it. The combination is a fully-functional Blu-ray disc player that apparently outputs to a TV, but the smaller box can also detach, slip into your bookbag and become an external Blu-ray drive for your PC. Since there's no specs or pics of the unit's rear, we honestly have no idea how it accomplishes either, but we imagine the info will spontaneously pop into our being if we stare long enough at those azure ripples, and thus complete our meditation. On the off-chance that doesn't work, we've also dispatched a carrier pigeon to Plextor HQ for the answers; in the meanwhile, you can peruse the presser after the break.
Onkyo's tiny ION-based P3 nettop has an even tinier removable DVD-ROM
If you're concerned about the future obsolescence of your miniscule Atom-based nettop, chances are its choice of optical storage is not what's bothering you. But, if that's what keeps you up at nights, Onkyo's P3 is your Ambien. Its ION platform sports the usual 1.6GHz Atom 230 proc, 2GB of memory, and 160GB hard drive. The DVD-ROM is a separate module that clips into a groove on the side and, while details are slim, that doesn't look like a standard form-factor to us, so if a Blu-ray upgrade or the like ever surfaces don't expect it to be cheap. The P3 itself (pictured again below with an LCD friend) isn't exactly a bargain to start, with an estimated MSRP of ¥69,800 (about $770) when it ships in March of next year. That's the price you pay for modular design.
