NEC have a cost-sensitive pico projector out there, but the main thing that stands out about the NP115 is the specs are of a higher standard than your run-of-the-mill pico projector whilst the price tag is $400.

* Contrast 2,000:1
* 2500 lumens
* 2.5 kg
* 800×600 res
* 4:3 Aspect Ratio
* Lamp Life 3,500 Hrs
* Lamp Cost $179.00
* S-Video, Composite, RGB, RS232 connectivity
* Supports 480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i, 576i, 576p Video Formats

We only managed to track down one review for the NEC NP115 projector over at Projector Central. They gave it at least four stars out of five across the board, going one further with Value. The NEC NP115 is available at Amazon for only $397.

Harman Kardon have got a cool looking iPod sound system out there called the Go + Play. The unit will set you back $300 and for your money you get

* Compatible with all docking iPod models
* Included RF remote with full iPod navigation
* AC- or battery-powered (eight D batteries
* Digital amplification and DSP
* Evercharge topology charges iPod even when unit is switched off
* 9.5 x 9 x 20 inches
* 12 pounds

PC Mag have reviewed the Go + Play and awarded it a four out of five rating. On the pro front they state audio performance, design, battery powered and full iPod navigation on remote control. Cons include potentially too large for true portablility, large number of batteries required.

The Harman Kardon Go + Play is in a very competitive iPod docking system market. We’ve already taken a look at the JBL On Stage iPod dock which may be at the cheaper end of the market at $76.62 but probably beats the Go + Play iPod dock on portability.

However if audio quality is important to you then you can check out the Harman Kardon Go + Play at Amazon for $299.

Toshiba have a 11.6 inch netbook out there, perhaps the most surprising thing about the T215D-S1140 is the 1.7GHz AMD Athlon II Neo processor. That’s right, it’s not an Atom processor. Here are the rest of the numbers on the Toshiba Satellite T215D-S1140

* 1.7GHz AMD Athlon II Neo
* 2GB RAM
* 250GB hard drive
* No Optical Drive
* 11.6 inch 1,366×768 res display
* ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4225 graphics
* 3.3 pounds
* 0.7 x 11.2 x 8.2 inches
* Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit)

Here’s some marketing speak from Toshiba on the unit

Take off where netbooks leave off with the affordable Toshiba T215D laptop with 11.6-inch screen (model T215D-S1140), Toshiba’s thinnest and lightest Satellite model yet. Offering the performance, flexibility and functionality you expect in a standard-sized laptop but in a highly portable and efficient package, this T215D features a power-efficient AMD mobile processor and a number of energy saving enhancements that deliver up to 5.15 hours of battery life.

Computer Shopper have done a full review of the T215D laptop and gave it an 8.7 rating claiming the processor speed, HDMI port, full-size keyboard as pluses whilst perhaps much more importantly battery life or lack of as a negative.

There’s also a customer review over at Amazon which generally cites similar pros and cons as Computer Shopper.

The T215D-S1140 is available at Amazon for $468.

With the digital world slowly becoming three dimensional, it’s no surprise you can now get your mits on a 3D gaming desktop. Perhaps what is surprising is the base model’s price tag of $1489. Digital Storm are the cool manufacturer bringing you this delicious dollop of 3D at such a mouth-watering price. They’ve knocked up a large range of machines to choose from but we’ll concentrate on that base model.

* AMD Phenom II X6 1055T Black Edition (2.8GHz) (6 Core) (6 MB Cache) AM3 Socket
* Gigabyte GA-890XA-UD3 (AMD 790X Chipset) (SATA3 and USB 3.0) (Socket AM3)
* 4GB DDR3 1600MHz Digital Storm Certified Performance Series (Highly Recommended) (Hand Tested)
* 500W Digital Storm Certified
* 1x 500GB Western Digital (16MB Cache) (7200 RPM)
* DVD-R/RW/CD-R/RW (DVD Writer 24x / CD-Writer 48x)
* High Speed Network Port (Supports High-Speed Cable / DSL / Network Connections)
* 1x NVIDIA GeForce GT 220 1GB (Includes PhysX Technology)
* Integrated Motherboard Audio
* Standard Factory Heat-sink and Fan
* Standard Factory Chassis Fans
* Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium (64-Bit Edition)
* !PROMO BUNDLE: NVIDIA 3D Vision Kit (Asus 23 inch 120Hz VG236H + NVIDIA 3D Glasses)

A nice set of features and specs associated with that $1489 price tag. Of course the model can be configured pretty much however you want it to be and more expensive models include three 23 inch monitors.

For more information on Digital Storm’s 3D machines stroll on over to their website.

With standard SSDs not within a good price range yet, Seagate have decided to offer a half-step upgrade. They’ve released the Momentus XT, a hybrid SSD/traditonal spinning HDD. All models offer 4GB of SLC NAND SSD memory which the unit uses if it thinks using SSD would benefit the user. This clever trickery is performed by the Momentus XT’s Adaptive Memory technology.

Adaptive Memory technology enables the drive to tailor performance to the user. Whether you are gaming, editing digital media or crunching numbers, performance is optimized and ready for your next move.

The Momentus XT sports three capacities of spinny HDD, namely, 250, 320 and 500 GB which rotate at 7,200 RPM. Here are the rest of the details on the Seagate Momentus XT.

* Model Number ST92505610AS/ST93205620AS/ST95005620AS
* Interface SATA 3Gb/s
* Cache 32MB
* Capacity 250GB/320GB/500GB
* Areal density (avg) 394Gb/in2
* Height 9.7mm (0.378 in)
* Width 70.10mm (2.76 in)
* Length 100.55mm (3.959 in)
* Weight (typical) 105g (.227 lb)
* Spin Speed 7200 RPM
* Average latency 4.17ms
* Random read seek time 11ms
* Random write seek time 13ms
* I/O data transfer rate 300MB/s

The hybrid Momentus XT seems like a great idea to us, opening up SSD benefits to users for good prices, with the 250GB model available at Amazon for $118. Of course if you have already invested in the Momentus XT do let us know what you think.

Amazon Prices

250GB - ST92505610AS - $118
320GB - ST93205620AS - $126
500GB - ST95005620AS - $135

AT&T have got a new smartphone out there, namely the Samsung Captivate. The Android based 4 inch AMOLED unit will set you back $200 with the usual two year plan or $500 sans plan. Here are the specs on what looks like a decent smartphone from AT&T

* Android 2.1 OS
* 4 inch 800×480 res AMOLED capacitive touch screen
* 5 MP Camera with 4x zoom
* 802.11x connectivity
* Bluetooth 3.0 connectivity
* GSM, UMTS networks
* GPRS, EDGE, UMTS, HSDPA high-speed data
* 1 GHz processor
* Music player with streaming radio
* IM AOL®, Windows Live, GoogleTalk, and Yahoo!® Messenger
* POP, IMAP4, SMTP email
* 5 hours 50 min talk time
* 340 hours standby
* 4.5 oz
* 4.18 x 2.5 x 0.39 inches
* 16 GB internal memory expandable to 32 GB (microSD)

It certainly has all the features you’d expect from a decent smartphone. Here are a few reviews of the Samsung Captivate for you to mull over.

infoSync - 85% - screen, OS speed positives, iPhone 4 better negative
CNET - 4 stars out of 5 - screen, 16GB memory positives, lack of apps and no flash negatives
phoneArena - 8.5 out of 10 - screen, processor speed positives, photo and call quality negatives
PCMag - 4 out of 5 - processor speed, syncing options positives, flash, lack voice dialing over bluetooth negatives

Pretty good reviews all round for the Samsung Captivate. If you’re keen then check out the product info ovet at AT&T.

Here’s an iPod docking system from JBL called the On Stage Micro II. Simply drop your iPod into the slot and listen to the funky tunes from the unit. It’s currently retailing for a snip under $100 at Amazon, so if you’re keen here are the specs on the the iPod dock from JBL

* Compatibility: iPod mini; iPod nano 1G, 2G, 3G, 4G; iPod classic 3G, 4G, 5G, 5.5G, 6G; iPod touch; iPhone 1G, 3G, 3GS
* Four neodymium-driven Odyssey and slipstream port design provide full-range, accurate sound
* New RF remote provides reliable control from distances up to 50 feet
* 3.5mm auxiliary input for external audio devices such as iPod shuffle, MP3 players, etc.
* Power with included power supply or four AAA batteries for portable use

Whilst all sounds good for the On Stage Micro II, a review over at PCMag gave the unit only three stars out of five with audio performance a negative and portability a positive. Unfortunately with audio performance the most important criteria for docking units this has put a damper on the JBL’s On Stage Micro II, yet a customer review on Amazon (four stars) rates the Micro II’s performance and only dislikes its volume or lack of.

If you’ve played with a JBL On Stage Micro II iPod system, let us know what you reckon.