'Hands-on' with Microsoft's upcoming Xbox 360 motion detection gizmo? Impossible, since your hands touch nothing, nor your arms, elbows, legs, knees, or feet. Still, Project Natal, as the mechanism is called, can reportedly do a full-body scan instantaneously as you approach its tube-like webcam, mapping your "arms and elbows, hips, legs and feet" and "replicating your entire body in an on-screen avatar," according to Irish tech site Silicon Republic.

How do they know? Because Microsoft demonstrated Natal to a handful of people in London last night, offering a chance to try out the dodgeball game demonstrated at last year's E3. Sadly that's all they demonstrated, but it gave skeptical gamers a chance to gauge the accuracy of the technology two quarters in advance of its planned 2010 holiday release.

For starters, while Natal's camera can map an impressive array of spatial activity, it suffers from slight lag.

For more details visit
http://www.pcworld.com/article/190025/handsoff_reviews_of_microsofts_project_natal_emerge.html

Events of the past weeks portend an increasingly interesting future for RISC- and EPIC-based systems. Far from the inevitable death spiral some have prognosticated for this sector, current efforts on the part of IBM and Intel suggest that innovation and competition remain alive and well in the Unix market. Even the uncertainty around Oracle/Sparc is better than Sun's previous wallowing in the Slough of Despond.

For more information visit
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/69343.html

In a talk intended to woo investors, Apple Chief Operating Officer Tim Cook said the iPad will win over potential netbook buyers, but not because of specs or features.

No, Cook said the iPad's magical properties will seal the deal. "The netbook is not an experience people are going to continue wanting to have," Cook said, according to Macworld. "When they play with the iPad and experience the magic of using it ... I have a hard time believing they're going to go for a netbook."

I'm not trying to be flippant by bringing this up. Cook is, of course, brings up a valid point about the user experience, one that will be similar to the iPhone. On paper, netbooks can do everything the iPad can -- and more -- especially netbooks with graphics accelerators for watching HD video. They're cheaper too, and more customizable, with an operating system people are familiar with.

For more information visit
http://www.pcworld.com/article/190134/apple_ipad_will_beat_netbooks_with_magic.html

The CULV notebook market has been overloaded with options over the past few months, and this year's Consumer Electronics Show saw even more PC makers jump in with an abundance of new offerings. Asus and Acer seemed to be at the forefront of the CULV revolution, which--for those who don't know--are machines that split the divide between low-powered netbooks and energy-draining full size laptops. Today we'll be looking at a CULV-based model from Sony, as they have taken their well respected VAIO line to the land of the Intel Consumer Ultra Low Voltage notebook platform.

For more information visit
http://hothardware.com/Articles/Sony-VAIO-Y-Series-Notebook-Review/