In nowadays people are looking to buy laptops with an average performance for a cheap price, that is one the reasons why the Eee PC (and others) are so popular.

To go against the odds, NEC presents the ShieldPro FC-N22A, a tablet PC that is rugged and resistant to extreme temperatures, such as -20ºc up to +50ºc. The 12-inch small-scale PC boasts the dust-proof detail, and it is shock-proof as well with a maximum fall limit of 90cm.

In the inside, we have a miserable amount of default RAM memory - 512MB - which in the end can be upgraded to 4GB. The processor is powered by Intel - Core 2 Duo U7500, and the included operative system is windows XP Pro SP2.

A 12.1” screen with LED backlight and an XGA resolution, as well as a brightness of 750cd/m2.

Price? About $4,000.

Philips and Cambridge Sounds aren’t the only companies making good looking iPod speakers, add JVC to that list and it is more complete.

Their new speaker for Apple players has the portable detail, meaning that you can have sound almost everywhere. Its design is also good, and the small screen is able to display information about the time, month, date, and day of the week. As an option to your iPod, there is FM radio.

The two speakers are able to provide 4W of sound-power each.

It’s powered by a regular AC adaptor or six AA batteries.

The JVC RA-P30 costs close to $250, in Japan.

Glyde is the name of the new handset created by Samsung, and launched by Verizon. Also known as SCH-U940, the phone can be considered an upgraded version of the previous SGH-F700 model.

In terms of features, it has the whole package including GPS navigation, support for 3G and bluetooth, HTML browser, and for the photos there is a 2-megapixel camera.

The Samsung Glyde looks similar to other handsets that also have the slider detail, and to make it as good as the rest, the screen is touch sensitive.

In case you are afraid of other people spying on your computer, and want to take simple yet drastic security measures, this special mouse is what you need.

It features two authentication options - only the fingerprint, or the fingerprint plus a password. This security system can be used to open/use specific files, to login into Windows, and other functions as well.

The long-named mouse “Sequiam Biometrics ScanQ Fingerprint Authentication Scanner and Software” costs $70 and is compatible with the most recent Windows versions: 2000/XP/Vista.

Use modern biometric fingerprint authentication to secure your computer and encrypt your files.

Summertime is coming and one of the best sports to do during this season is swimming, be it on a pool or on the sea.

To make this wet task more amusing, H2O Audio came up with the iSH waterproof headset, which is made for specific iPod models - Shuffle Gen 2 and 3.

As expected, the headset is able to work up to 10 feet underwater, which seems more than enough. You can either use it with your own swim goggles, or pick the included sportband.

In the end you get to listen to your favorite tunes while swimming, in a comfortable way. For $80 it can be yours.

Fingertip access and full control of the Shuffle’s circular control pad.

PS - there is a case somewhere in the middle to protect the iPod.

If you’re the type of person that likes to watch video content on different devices, this Video Recorder made by Blackmagic Design can be the next item you’ll buy.

Basically the small peripheral has a USB interface in one side, and a set of cables on the other, which include connections to S-Video, PAL, NTSC, and YUV Component. Thanks to the included software, users can easily record video from diverse sources, and instantly convert them to the H.264 format, that is used on the iPhone, iPods, and YouTube.

The Blackmagic Design Video Recorder costs $119 for a normal version, or $300 if you want something better on the performance & connectivity area.

For recording videos automatically, you can set the recording time so you can walk away and recording will stop at a specific time.

Those of you looking for a stylish laptop, take note of what Dell has to offer - the Inspiron 1525 Mike Ming Edition.

In case you are wondering, these laptops feature good-looking cases with a graffiti style, made by the man himself Mike Ming. There are only two options, called “Bunch O Surfers” and “Sea Sky”, but at least they are good ones.

On the technical side, both Inspiron 1525 laptops feature a 15.4-inch screen, but there are differences on the processor, RAM memory, and hard-disk, when comparing the two models.

You can already order one of these notebooks today, and they will be shipped in the very near future.

- Stock model at $699 ships with a basic 1.73GHz Pentium dual-core, 3GB of RAM, and a 160GB hard disk
- Extreme edition at $799 boosts the CPU up to a 1.83GHz Core 2 Duo and doubles the hard drive space to 320GB.

I admit that my attention for Mickey Mouse gadgets is pretty huge, we have already mentioned a Mickey phone, along with a PMP/MP3 Player, and a Flash Drive.

But the latest addition is a 2-in-1 combination, more exactly a MP3 Player with FM transmitter. Sure, it doesn’t look like much, but taking in consideration the huge fan base of the Disney cartoon character, it must be a good item.

In addition to transmitting music to your car stereo thanks to the FM transmitter, which comes with a cigarette lighter adapter, you can use it with other audio devices like the home stereo system.

It comes with 1 GB of built-in memory, and a remote control.

The Mickey MP3 Player with FM Car Transmitter costs $24 and is available in red or blue.

Notebooks with SSD Hard-Drives are becoming common as time passes, even the ECS G10IL notebook has one, remember?

Anyhow, SuperTalent has come up with a a couple of new solid-state drives, that go from 30GB up to 120GB, with prices ranging from $300 to $1,300, depending no the read/write speed you desire.

In terms of size, it is suppose to replace the old-school 2.5-inch drives, and as for the interface, it features SATA-II.

Exact prices: $700 for a 120GB MasterDrive MX with 120/40 MB/sec as the read and write speeds. Other versions with the same speeds include a 60GB model for $450, and a smaller 30GB at $300.

On the other hand, if you need something faster, SuperTalent offers a version with better speeds - 120/70 MB/sec read-write - which are obviously more expensive: $1,300 for 60GB, and $700 for 30GB.

The drives are called MasterDrive SSD and use a proprietary algorithm to extend the life of the drives. - SlipperyBrick

From the different USB Hubs we’ve seen in the past, the most notable ones in terms of design include the Tape Dispenser, the DomeHub, and the recent addition to this group is the Can Shaped Hub.

To make it 2-in-1 product, this hub can read different types of memory cards - SD, MMC, Memory Stick - and others. The 3 USB ports are located near the bottom, and they all support the 2.0 version.

Cheap, good and stylish - it can be your for $20.

- Dimensions: 6cm dia x 8.9cm tall
- Weight: 103g