To say that the Chocolate was a hit for LG would be similar to saying the PlayStation 2 went over well for Sony. Indeed, the outfit's best selling handset ever (21 million units worldwide) holds a special place in the hearts of suits and shareholders alike, so it's hardly a shock to see the company issuing a next-generation version of the device. Slated to fall into LG's Black Label series, the phone -- which is simply dubbed the 'second generation LG Chocolate' for now -- will be fully unveiled in August, with bits and pieces to be strategically dropped during the run-up. The only real hint at features that we're given is the following: "The new LG Chocolate will be a disruptive force in conventional mobile screens in an effort to maximize usability while inheriting the original minimalist-inspired style and iconic design of its predecessor." Haptics? OLED? A portal into the future? Only time will tell.

Update: The typically reliable Tweakers.net has come through with a few more details, namely that this here phone will become the first of its kind with a 21:9 aspect ratio display (much like Philips' 56-inch Cinema HDTV). We're also told that the model number will be BL-40, the screen resolution will be pegged at 800 x 345, the display itself will be over 3-inches diagonally, the inbuilt camera will be 5 megapixels and HSDPA will be included. Now, if only we knew how the UI would handle...

[Via Engadget Spanish]

We'd already come to grips with the fact that a Vostro 1220 was indeed on the way, and now Dell's own Japanese branch has confirmed it. Over in the Land of the Rising Sun, the 12.1-inch business laptop has gone legit, bringing with it Intel processor options (a 2.20GHz Celeron or 2.4GHz Core 2 Duo, namely), 1GB or 2GB of RAM, a WXGA (1,200 x 800) glossy display, 4-cell battery (a 6-cell is available), WiFi, three USB 2. sockets, FireWire, gigabit Ethernet, VGA output, ExpressCard slot, a multicard reader and a 1.3 megapixel webcam. The unit should start shipping soon in various configurations, with a lower-end build tagged at ¥79,980 ($837); needless to say, we're expecting a US announcement to follow in short order.

[Via Impress]

Update: And now it's a go in North America. Check the local press release after the break.

Look, we know all about desperate -- those youngsters are cute and all, but any self-respecting parent starts having some seriously evil thoughts about three hours in to any road trip. In a presumed effort to keep you off of the evening news and in good standing with your relatives, AT&T is launching its CruiseCast in-car TV service today. If you'll recall, we knew the in-car satellite TV solution was being tested in various spots, but today marks the first day that the proverbial beta badge has been ripped off. Of course, such a unique offering ain't running anyone cheap, with the initial hardware package totaling $1,299 and the monthly fee ringing up at $28. If those numbers have yet to faze you, hop on past the break for a look at the channel lineup.

That's right folks, the Zune HD is real, and it's coming this Fall. Microsoft officially announced the next iteration in their Zune line today, making it less of a tripped out pipe dream, and more of a totally tubular reality. The specs, which look exactly like that leak we saw, go like this: 3.3-inch, 480 x 272 OLED capacitive touchscreen display, built-in HD Radio receiver, HD output (utilizing a new dock -- not on-board), and... not much more right now. Microsoft is doing away with the famed squircle in favor a full multitouch device, and they seemed to indicate that some new touch-friendly apps and games would be headed our way, though they were fairly mum when it came to details. The device will boast an IE-based, customized browser, but little else was said in the way of software.

Details are also scarce concerning storage capacities, CPU performance, and other crucial numbers, but it seems like they've got more in store come E3... and that's the next big piece of news. Zune integration is coming to the Xbox and Xbox Live, as the Zune marketplace will step in to replace the current Live video resources, expanding the library and offering all kinds of new perks, like Zune's first foray into international waters. According to the company, at E3 "attendees will see first-hand how Zune integrates into Xbox LIVE creating a game-changing entertainment experience" -- we're not entirely sure what the means right now, but it sounds sweet. Try to contain your excitement.

Update: Microsoft's just sent out a press release (after the break) and launched an official Zune HD page.

Update 2: We just got sent a picture of black Zune HD, now after the break, which we're told Microsoft is giving out to selected "Zune MVP" sites such as Inside the Circle and ZuneTracks. See it for yourself after the break.

Oh sure, you could already get your paws around the Archos 2 flash-based PMP if you really, really wanted to, but we're still thrilled to see the company come clean and begin offering it up on its own website. As of now, prospective buyers in the United States of America can "soon" select the 8GB version in black or white for $59.99, while the 16GB model arrives in the same color options for $40 more. In related news, ArchosLounge has shots of a new blue model, though there's obviously no way to procure that bad boy just yet. Then again, there's always Colorware...

Technically, OCZ outed this here PCI-Express SSD way back at CeBIT in March, but it's just now making things super official. Now available with a fresh face and hard specifications, the Z-Drive is aiming to take on wares by firms like Fusion-io and provide blistering transfer rates to anyone who buys in. Essentially, this device removes the SATA bottleneck by employing the PCIe architecture and four Vertex controllers configured in four-way RAID 0 array. Curious about performance? Read speeds can hit upwards of 510MB/sec, while write speeds top out at 480MB/sec -- plenty respectable in our eyes. OCZ's planning to push these out in 250GB, 500GB and 1TB capacities, and while final pricing is still being kept under wraps, we're told that it'll be kept "competitive."

This is it, folks -- our wildest dreams are coming true. Oh, and in case you aren't savvy on our wildest dreams, we're talking about having more Aspire Ones to talk about than we can even count. At any rate, the rumored Aspire One D250 and ultrathin Aspire One 531 have both grabbed a landing page over on the outfit's German portal, which likely means we're just minutes, hours or centuries away from seeing these slide over to North America. As for the D250, it checks in with a 10.1-inch WSVGA panel, 160GB HDD, 1.6GHz Atom N270 (or an upgraded 1.68GHz N280) processor, Intel's 945GSE chipset, a multicard reader, up to 2GB of RAM, 0.3 megapixel webcam, Ethernet, WiFi and optional WWAN. The latter machine is a sleek, 1-inch thick (maximum) rig with most of the same specs internally. As for pricing? Try €379 ($502) for the D250 and €399 ($529) for the 531.

[Via PortableMonkey]

Read - Aspire One D250
Read - Aspire One 531

Corsair actually debuted its questionably useful Voyager Port earlier this month at CeBIT, but it's just now getting around to making things official. By the books, this one is described as an "innovative solution to transform any USB flash drive into a powerful and flexible portable backup and recovery device," but really, it does nothing that a standalone USB stick couldn't do given the right software. Essentially, one plugs this into their machine, loads up the bundled NovaBACKUP 10 application, sticks in a USB flash drive and mashes a single button to start the PC-to-USB drive backup process. In other words, it's an unnecessary middleman. Unfortunately, Corsair has yet to come clean with pricing, but anything over $5 or so could be classified as highway robbery.

iriver came clean with its D50N e-dictionary / MID back at CES, but it's taken until now for the company to host up a proper teaser site with all the details (in Korean, naturally). The beautiful handheld boasts a 4.8-inch 800 x 480 resolution display, 16GB of internal storage space, 802.11b/g WiFi, support for a whole litany of files, a microSD expansion slot, full QWERTY keyboard and a battery good for up to 16 hours of music playback (or 8 hours of video). Reportedly, the price on this one is pegged at around $370, but we're no closer to finding out when it'll ship to the states.

[Via PMP Today]

Tough luck, guys -- the secret's out. LG's long rumored Rumor 2 has finally launched exclusively on Sprint, bringing with it a slide-out QWERTY keypad, QVGA display, 1.3 megapixel camera, a removable backplate and your choice of Black Titanium and Vibrant Blue shells. As for availability, you can find the Black Titanium at Sprint's website on March 15th, while the Vibrant Blue edition won't hit until March 29th. If you're web-averse, you'll have to wait until April 19th for it to filter out to all Sprint retail channels before dropping your $49.99 (on contract).

[Via phoneArena]

Cowon's D2 portable media player never was much of a looker, and needless to say, neither is the replacement D2+. This somewhat bulky PMP sports a bezel that's remarkably thick, though it does boast a built-in DMB TV tuner, SD / SDHC / MMC expansion slot, FM radio, USB 2.0 connectivity and BBE+ sound enhancement. There's no apparent word on pricing, but we suspect Cowon will clear that up whenever this thing pops official in the North American market. A few more pics are waiting in the read link if you're still undecided on the design.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Unfortunately, we're still no closer to finding out when the iriver P7 will be available, but given that it's now showing up on the company's worldwide web portal alongside scads of other beautiful pieces of hardware, we'd say it's certainly closer than before. None of the listed specifications look to have changed, but there sure are a lot of purty images to look at there in the read link. Grab a tissue, place it beneath your chin and head on over.

[Via DAP Review, thanks Jeff]

At this rate, LG isn't gonna have any secrets left about the Arena KM900 when it takes the stage for its Mobile World Congress press conference on Monday. The company's released a few more snippets via its Korean site, chief among them being multitouch capabilities for image and web page zooming. Other details include a dedicated multimedia chip and designations for each of the four sides of the interface's 3D cube: phone, widgets, shortcuts, and multimedia. One of our favorite lines, which is almost certainly made funnier by the machine translation, is that this UI is the culmination of 100 years of interface research. We'll have more on the KM900 -- assuming they don't reveal everything before then -- next week in Barcelona.

[Via Unwired View]

Rather than waiting for the KM900 to get lost amongst hundreds of other handsets set to vie for attention at Mobile World Congress, LG has decided it best to go ahead and make its newest touchscreen handset official a few days early. The so-called Arena, which will take the crown as LG's "flagship phone for 2009," is hoping to wow onlookers with its dynamic 3D S-Class user interface. According to Dr. Skott Ahn, president and CEO of LG Mobile: "The direct, intuitive and dynamic S-Class UI will be unlike anything that has appeared on a mobile phone before." We're not quite sure we believe all that just yet, but there's little doubt this bugger will be keen on multimedia. Other specs include integrated Dolby / DivX technology, support for HSDPA 7.2Mbps, WiFi, Assisted GPS and "far more" amenities that should be uncovered in Barcelona. Excited yet?

[Via UnwiredView, thanks Staska]

There's no veil of secrecy covering this one, but Western Digital has finally come clean with the industry's first 2TB internal hard drive. Launched today in the USA, the planet's highest capacity single HDD -- otherwise known as the 2TB Caviar Green ($299; available now) -- sits on a 3.5-inch platform, includes 32MB of cache and is based around WD's 500GB per platter technology (with 400Gb/in2 areal density). HotHardware was able to take a sneak peek at this here device (a pre-engineering sample, as it were), and was gracious enough to host up some juicy benchmark results for those eager to see how this capacious beast performed. Against the formidable Spinpoint F1 (Samsung) and Barracuda 7200.11 (Seagate), the WD managed to hold its own, which is saying a lot for a drive of this magnitude. Check the full release after the break.