It's Friday the 5th, that means that the $200 Xbox 360 just became the lowest-priced console in the US (as it is in Japan) compared to the perpetually "sold out" $250 Wii and 80GB PS3 selling for double the price of a diskless Arcade. With no new price cuts expected from either Sony or Nintendo, the holiday console wars are officially on. Picture proof of the $199.99 Xbox 360 Arcade in the wild after the break.

[Thanks, JerkyChew]

Sony's VAIO CP1 looked mighty sexy in the press shots, but trust us when we say it's even more stunning in person. We still think it's overpriced at $300, but this WiFi-enabled frame was showing off all of its sides (RSS reader, split-screen Picasa viewing, music player) at CEDIA. Take a look at this fine piece of technological goodness in the gallery below.

We know, we know -- you already know most everything there is to know about Sony's SOCOM PS3 Bluetooth headset, but up until now, the most important tidbit has remained a mystery. The device will be launching this fall as part of the SOCOM: Confrontation bundle for $59.99, or if you just loathe the whole SOCOM series, you can pick it up all by its lonesome for $49.99. Tough call, huh?

We had a hunch that Sony's VGF-CP1 was just too svelte to stay locked in Japan forever, and now that CEDIA is upon us, we're finally getting the news we've been waiting for: it's coming to the United States. Rechristened the VAIO CP1 WiFi photo frame, this device features a 7-inch 800 x 480 resolution display, support for Google Picasa streaming, 128MB of internal storage space, an SD / Memory Stick / CF multicard reader and an RSS reader to keep you abreast on the latest happenings. Furthermore, it touts built-in stereo speakers and an internet radio player, not to mention the digital / analog clock. Check it in mid-October for three bills.

We're beginning to think the US government is playing tricks with our head. Let's see, in late 2004, a Boeing anti-missile airborne laser achieved first light; in October of 2006, a laser-equipped 747-400F was deemed ready for testing; in January of 2007, an MD-10 with Northrop Grumman's Guardian anti-missile system took off; now, we're back to the testing stage? Something doesn't add up. Whatever the case, we're being fed information that leads us to think that the US Air Force's Airborne Laser has moved on to some "other" stage of testing. More specifically, engineers are making sure its "sequencing and control" functions are operating normally. Unsurprisingly, we're left in the dark as to when this thing will see action (again?), but consider our interest piqued for a reason The Man didn't intend.

Call it a hunch, but you shouldn't have to wait too awfully long (like, hours / days / weeks) to secure Nokia's North American E71 today. Said handset is now available at the company's flagship store in Chicago, complete with a QWERTY keyboard and US-friendly 3G. Eager to grab one? Total cost will be $483 (plus tax) in addition to a roundtrip ticket to Chi-town, considering the store won't ship to out-of-towners (or so we hear).

[Via IntoMobile]

Acer played it safe early last month by telling Americans to expect its Aspire One "later this year," but just a month and change after UKers had the privilege of toying with one on video, here she comes. So far, we're seeing a couple of variations for sale here in the US, two of which include the $399.99 A110-1295 (8GB SSD) and the $422.99 A150-1006 (120GB HDD). We're also hearing that select e-tailers are already slapping those shipping labels on there and moving 'em out to anxious consumers, so be sure and chime in when your confirmation arrives. Wait, what? You already own six netbooks? Ah well, what's another one amongst family?

[Via AspireOne, thanks Tony and Timothy]

You've piddled around in our unboxing shots and replayed that hands-on video countless times. Now, the time has finally come to bust open the piggy bank and secure your very own Nokia N78. Dramatics aside, the HSDPA-packin' handset that also musters a 3.2-megapixel camera and A-GPS can now be purchased at Nokia flagship stores in Chicago and New York, numerous online retailers and the occasional mom 'n pop shop for around $560. So, who's getting one?

Thanks for keeping your promise, Yamaha. The almost unicorn-like Tenori-on music maker has at long last gone on sale here in America, offering USers willing to part with $1,200 the chance to get lost inside a cacophonic wilderness. Good luck finding one in stock.

[Via CNET]

It doesn't sound like Qualcomm has all of its legal woes here in America worked out just yet, but apparently that won't stop fat-walleted USers from snapping up the forthcoming HTC Advantage X7510 real soon. Both Dynamism and On The Go Solutions are expecting stock any day now, and they'll be shipping to your US-based address so long as you're willing to accept a $1,299 charge on your preferred piece of plastic. Before you brush this off as absurd, listen to that devil on your shoulder whispering things like "5-inch VGA display" and "HSDPA." Hmm.

[Via Pocketables]
Read - Dynamism
Read - On The Go Solutions

Sharp's biggest announcement at InfoComm isn't the plethora of new projectors and LCD monitors. No, dear friends, it's the proclamation that its 108-inch LB-1085 1080p display will soon be available right here in the US of A. Sharp's smart enough to not let out a US price just yet, but our handy Japanese currency conversion calculation puts it somewhere around $100,000. Chump change, right?

Unfortunately, we've yet to hear if the Digifriends MID we toyed with at CES will be updated before launching in the US of A, but either way, you can bank on it coming. Reportedly, Peter Kim, the project supervisor at Digifriends USA, has informed Pocketables that the unit spotted in January will be arriving Stateside with "contracted sales through Sprint and NextWave." Pricing remains a mystery, but we're told to expect said unit to be available "very soon." The edge of our seat can barely take all of this pressure.

Update: Peter Kim pinged us to say: "We have made contact with Sprint and NextWave, but have not yet made contracts with them."

It has taken long enough, but the US Supreme Court has finally ruled in the patent royalties case between Quanta Computer and LG Electronics. Justice Clarence Thomas noted that "because the exhaustion doctrine applies to method patents and because the license authorizes the sale of components that substantially embody the patents in suit, the sale exhausted all patents," essentially hammering down any of LG's lingering hopes to extract additional royalties from Quanta (or anyone else tangled up in a similar situation). Put simply, the court ruled that LG couldn't solicit more royalties from firms buying LG-provided Intel products, of which Intel had already paid patent royalties on. So much for double dipping in the royalties pool, huh?

Yeah, so Sony's hitting us with magically-thin OLED TVs, Microsoft is showing off Windows 7, and Google's demoing hot new Android phones, but nothing gets us going like an old-fashioned tariff agreement dispute based on the classification of certain types of goods, you know? That's just good clean fun. It's also what's going down between the US and the EU -- our charming government has just filed a complaint with the World Trade Organization, alleging that the EU is mis-classifying multifunction printers, flat-panel computer displays, and cable boxes that fall under the 1996 Information Technology Agreement in order to collect tariffs on their imports. Essentially all these products should be duty-free, but the EU says their additional functions require the ITA be re-negotiated to cover them -- LCD displays can also be used with DVD players, for example, and so qualify as "video monitors," which are taxed. Sure, it's a totally semantic fight, but that's what trade representatives live for -- we hear this one's going to be bigger than the 2006 Canadian Softwood Lumber Import showdown.

[Via Physorg]

If that Swarovski crystal-clad E010 was a bit too rich for your blood, why not take a gander at said unit's successor? The recently introduced NWD-E020F series sports that well-known USB stick style, and as you can tell, you can customize yours in (almost) any color you choose thanks to the bundled (and changeable) Style-Up panels. By juicing this one all the way up -- which takes just an hour, by the way -- users can expect a respectable 28 hours of continuous playback; as for file compatibility, the E020 will play nice with MP3, WMA, AAC and LPCM formats. Get yours here (as in, the US of A) sometime soon for $69 (1GB) / $79 (2GB).

[Via CNET]