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Acer is one of the world’s largest laptop manufacturers and offers a truly comprehensive range of consumer machines. The Aspire 5942G-524G64Bn is its latest high-end media centre and combines a feature-packed specification with stunning performance. Powered by one of Intel’s cutting-edge Core i5 processors, this is one of the most powerful laptops you can buy at this price. Designed for fast and effective multi-tasking, it made light work of our benchmark tests and effortlessly runs even the most demanding software tasks.

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HP’s Pavilion range comprises the majority of its consumer laptops and combines high-end designs with stunning usability and features. Its Pavilion dm3-1020EA is a compact and smartly designed portable that makes a stylish and capable travel partner. At just 1.9kg, it is light and portable and its smooth, curved edges and sleek design let it slip easily into your hand luggage.

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A super-duper amount of RAM! There are two things we think of when we hear the word “supercomputer.” The first is the failed 1970s NBC show Supercomputer (now available on DVD from Shinehart Wigs). The other is a massive room full of HAL9000-like scary boxes just two MIPS away from declaring thermal nuclear war on humanity. So, what was Gateway thinking when it decided to call its FX6831 a Gaming Super-computer?

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Samsung on Thursday said it plans to launch a new line of multimedia “powerhouse” R80 series notebooks at Best Buy, both online and offline, on March 7th. The sub-$1,000 notebook line will come with Blu-ray capabilities and Nvidia GeForce graphics. “Best Buy continues to be an important retail partner for Samsung, and we’re excited to offer a range of notebook and netbook options to our customers that deliver exceptional craftsmanship and performance,” said Todd Bouman, director of product marketing at Samsung Electronics Information Technology Division. “True to Samsung’s unique, customer-focused design aesthetic, these mobile PCs are flexible enough to be used as mobile devices or desktop replacements for all-day use.” There will be three models in all — R480 ($730), R580 ($830), and R780 ($930) — all of which come built around Intel’s Core i3/i5 platform. The flagship 17-inch R780 unit will include 4GB of RAM, Nvidia GeForce GT 330M graphics, a 500GB hard drive, DVD burner, 1.3MP webcam, Wi-Fi, and Windows Home Premium 64-bit.

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Holy moly, talk about a kick ass giveaway. 2K Sports this week announced it would give away an unprecedented cash prize to the tune of $1 million to whoever is the first person to pitch a verified perfect game in Major League Baseball 2K10. “To compete, gamers must play in MLB Today mode, select from any of the available matchups, and then choose the option to participate in the ‘Major League Baseball 2K10 contest’ that will automatically default to the proper gameplay settings according to the official gameplay rules,” 2K Sports states. “Entries must be recorded via camera or digital video recorder in compliance with guidelines provided by 2K in the Official Rules, and all eligible entrants must submit a copy of their recording in its entirety for verification. Submissions will only be accepted on DVD.” There are a handful of other rules you must follow, such as not being allowed to make any pitching substitutions, pause the game, or wait 60 seconds or more in between pitches.

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Now that entry-level Blu-ray players can be picked up at prices that are closer to what you’d expect to pay for a DVD deck, it’s up to manufacturers such as Philips to deliver a deck that restores a slice of status to the hi-def format. And the good news is that with the BDP7500, Philips has done just that. Justifying its mid-range price tag on several fronts, this super-stylish player can deal with almost any video format on disc or USB, while removing the fuss from BD Live.

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The Hollywood studios have finally taken their pound of flesh from RealNetworks, with news that the software makers have been slapped with a $4.5 million settlement fee for the case against its DVD backup software, RealDVD. RealDVD was launched to moderate fanfare back in late 2008, with Real Networks claiming that it was the first software to legally allow you to rip Hollywood DVDs on to your PC hard drive. A swift lawsuit from a number of Hollywood distributors ensued debunking the claims, causing the software to be pulled from retailers’ shelves . This has culminated is the news is that Real Networks has decided to end the fracas with a multi-million dollar settlement

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RealNetworks tried to fight the good fight against the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), but in the end, someone had to lose, and that someone is RealNetworks. A U.S. District Judge has issued a permanent injunction barring RealNetworks from selling RealDVD, the company’s controversial DVD copying software. In addition, the two sides reached a settlement offer that will also have RealNetworks forking over $4.5 million to the movie studios to pay for legal fees.

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Say what you want about MSI, just don’t try and claim the company doesn’t have a sense of humor. How else would you explain the company’s Toast PC ? Let us set the record straight – we’re not the ones who labeled this a Toast PC.

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The amount of consumers getting their movies online has slowed, with the lack of format compatibility cited as one of the reasons for the slowdown. A report by Screen Digest has noted that digital movie downloads in 2009 hit $291 million in the US – some $70 million off of the projected target. While movie distributors are hoping that digital is the next big thing for getting movies into homes, the names behind the technology don’t seem to be doing enough to plug the gap left by dwindling DVD sales. Blu-ray sales may be improving but price-wise it is still very much a premium product – unlike the relatively cheaper alternative that is digital.

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