Gigabyte's 12.1 and 15.4-inch laptops invade Japan

Taiwan's Gigabyte Technology just launched a pair of laptops into the highly competitive Japanese market. The 12.1-inch W251U-512 (pictured) and 15.4-inch W551N-712 both hit on January 30th and come with a Vista pre-load as you'd expect. The 12.1-incher packs a 1280x800 (WXGA) glossy panel resolution, 2GHz T7200 Core 2 Duo, up to 2GB of memory and 80GB of disk, a DVD super multi-drive, and Intel 945GM Express graphics in a 1.9-kg (4.19-pounds) 23~32-mm (0.94~1.26-inch) thick wedge. The 15.4-incher features pretty much the same specs only with better graphics (but same pixel resolution) by slapping 128MB of GeForce Go 7400 into the 2.8-kg (6.17-pound) 25.5~35.5-mm (1.0~1.4-inch) thick sled. It also features a remote control to make the most of its Windows Vista Ultimate Media Center OS. Considering the Spring refresh to Sony's domestic VAIOs, well, let's just say that Gigabyte's got their work cut out. The W551N-712 is tagged at ¥169,800 (about $1,405) while the W251U-512 is set to pop for ¥159,800 ($1,323). Click-on for a picture of the W551N-712.

iPhone ain't widescreen!

You know how Steve Jobs and Apple like to boast of the iPhone's ability to function as a "widescreen iPod?" Well, anyone who sat in Moscone Center to witness the holy unveiling surely noticed the screen cropping (letterboxing) that occurred when Steve played Pirates of the Carribean. That's because the iPhone isn't "widescreen" as the term is customarily understood outside of the reality distortion field -- it is not a 1.78:1 (16x9) aspect ratio. Rather, the display utilizes a 1.5:1 aspect ratio. That puts the iPhone somewhere in the proprietary zone between the NTSC or PAL television standard 1.33:1 (4x3) and a proper widescreen 1.78:1 (16x9) aspect ratio like that thrown off Apple's new Apple TV. As demonstrated during the Jobsnote, true widescreen videos can be zoomed to fill the iPhone's screen but only at the expense of cropping the left and right-hand side video. Will this, uh, clarification or other nits prevent the first batch from selling out? Oh hells no. But at least now you know the truth

Dell finally uses its designers, sheds ugly duckling facade

In between all the announcements, Dell was kind enough to bring some humor to CES with its irony -- after finally making something that doesn't look like it was designed in Soviet Russia, the company reveals that it's only a concept product. The "ultra-flat" LCD (with a resolution estimated as high as 1920 x 1200-pixels) is encased in glass and features four built-in speakers. Dell manages to keep it svelte by taking a design cue from Microsoft and outsourcing the power supply to your floor rather than keeping it inside the actual device. There is also a microphone / webcam on the top, not unlike the supposed Apple display rumors; overall a very well thought out and nicely designed device -- we're hoping to find it leaked somewhere on Dell's site soon.

You still think Dell is Dull?

Buffalo's new 20-inch LCD dons black or white

In case that 19-incher was just a hair too small, Buffalo's cranking out a slightly larger panel in its FTD lineup by offering up the 20.1-inch FTD-W2025ADSR. Aside from the unnecessarily long name, this unit rocks a 16:10 aspect ratio, 1,680 × 1,050 resolution, 800:1 contrast ratio, 5-millisecond response time, and a 160-degree viewing angle. Additionally, you'll find a pair of skull-rattling one-watt speakers, DVI / VGA inputs, and an RoHS-approved logo to keep those energy costs minimized. Buffalo's apparently aiming for the trendy crowd, as it offers the panel in both black and white frames, and while we're not really feeling those feet on the stand, you can pick this one up later this month for a currently undisclosed price.