Samsung’s “Needle Slim,” a 3.9mm thin 40” Full HD LED Backlight TV, featureing a 120Hz LCD panel and a 5000:1 contrast ratio is now the world’s thinnest LCD TV.

A panel used in TV sets is usually 2 millimeters in width before the backlight unit is added. There has been a technical issue in making it 3 millimeter slim. Samsung Electronics used its own ultra slim panel designing technology, newly developed major parts and renewed the design of the backlight unit. It decided to use an edge-type LED backlight while combining its manufacturing technologies for optical film and ultra-slim panels.

Samsung Electronics plans to unveil this ultra-slim panel at the FPD International 2009 scheduled to open on October 28 in Yokohama.

Sources [Akihabara News, Engadget]

So Netflix is coming to the PS3. However, it is going to require a disc until they have XMB embedded software solution expected some time next year. Joystiq had the opportunity to have an interview with a Netflix representative.  The service will be free starting in November.

READ: Press Release
READ: Joystiq’s Interview with Netflix
LINK: Reserve your disc (Must be logged into netflix)

Source [Joystiq, Coolest Gadgets]

Logitech has announced today the G110 Gaming Keyboard as the  new successor to the G-11.  The price will be $79.99 USD.  Here is a link to the product page.

Features Include:

• Custom-color backlighting
  • You can easily locate the correct keys, even in the dark. Plus, you can mix red and blue backlighting LEDs in varying intensities to create custom colors.

• Integrated USB audio
  • Separate headphone and mic jacks and mute buttons mean you can use any analog headset with 3.5 mm plugs as a USB audio device for clear communication.

• Twelve programmable G-keys
  • Three macros per key let you configure up to 36 unique functions per game, including single keypresses or complex macros. You can even create macros on the fly.

• Hi-Speed USB 2.0 hub port
  • You can connect a flash drive for lightning-fast data transfer or quickly plug in your gaming mouse.

• Game/desktop mode
  • No accidental interruptions—you can disable the Windows/Context Menu keys when you play.

• Removable palm rest
  • You’ve got extra support when you need it. If the palm rest is in your way, you can easily detach it.

• Intelligent cable management
  • You can keep mouse, headset, and other cords out of the way by routing them through channels on the underside of the keyboard.

• Instant media access
  • Convenient one-touch controls give you instant access to volume control and media playback.

Source [Logitech Blog]

Office Starter 2010 is a reduced-functionality, advertising-supported version of Office 2010, available exclusively on new PCs. Office Starter 2010 will provide new PC owners with immediate exposure to the Office 2010 experience on new PCs right out of the box.

Office Starter 2010 will include Office Word Starter 2010 and Office Excel Starter 2010, with the basic functionality for creating, viewing and editing documents. Office Starter 2010 will replace Microsoft Works, offering a consistent Office user experience, such as the Ribbon, with a simple path to upgrade to a fully-featured version of Office 2010 directly from within the product.

Microsoft also noted that Office 2007 Home and Student edition has been the top selling PC software title at US retail for the last two years.

The entire Office 2010 Home & Student suite will be installed with new OEM Windows 7 machines, however the suite will be crippled to the ad supported Starter version until you purchase a key card that will be available in retail market.

So I see two things here:

1. The software is there so a crack will be out in no time…
2. If Starter is all a person needs, there is a waste of storage space used by the remainder of the installation files.

Sources [Microsoft Technet Blog, CNet]

Thermaltake has released information about their latest computer case designed in conjunction with BMW DesignWorks.  It’s got room for three optical drives, six hot-swappable SATA drives, and each modular component has its own cooling. Check out Maximum PC, they got their hands on one and has it unboxed.  Oh, I should mention that it’ll cost you around $700 USD…

“Thermaltake Level 10 : The latest high-end gaming tower show piece…”

Check out the Thermaltake Press Release here

Source [Thermaltake, Maximum PC]

Shanzai is reporting that an insider has informed them that Chrome OS will start to appear in mid October.

Google Chome is an open source and light-weight operating system that is designed to load within few seconds after you have pressed the power button. Google says that their upcoming OS is designed to run on both x86 as-well-as ARM chips. So expect to makes its debut on MIDs too along with netbooks. Google Chrome OS is using Linux kernel underneath and thus their OS is not prone to viruses and trojans.

Source [Shanzai]

HSN is selling Vipre’s protection for life for a mere $99.90. Plus $6.95 shipping and handling, of course. You can even cover the tab in three equal installments of $33.30.

Click Here to purchase now.

Source [Sunbelt Blog]

ATI keeps it coming. Not only do they currently have the most powerful GPU on the market today, now they are putting 2 of those GPUs on a single card.  Introducing the ATI Radeon HD 5870 x2 and the HD 5850 x2.  Images of these huge graphics cards have been leaked through Hardware Canucks.

Sources [Hardware Canucks, CrunchGear]

Yesterday, Gizmodo released details about the Microsoft Courier tablet.  It is reported to be dual 7″ multi-touch screens with a hinge to make it resemble a book.

Video by: Gizmodo

Ina Fried with cnet says:

“My sources say it’s legit, but I’m hearing that it’s just one of several prototypes that has been cooked up as part of a skunkworks project being led by executive J. Allard and a small team of ‘Softies.”

EDIT: Added following video

Courier User Interface from Gizmodo on Vimeo.

Sources [Gizmodo, CNet]

ATI has introduced two new players to the GPU market.  Powered by the latest Radeon 5800 Series GPU: the Radeon 5850 and Radeon 5870.  Compared to the Radeon HD 4890, it has twice the number of stream processors, twice the transistors, twice the texture and pixel blending power and is worth twice as much. The 5870 is very competitive at a price of $379 and being as fast as the GeForce GTX 295 with 2 GPUs.

ATI Claims:

ATI Radeon™ HD 5800 Series graphics processors are the most technologically advanced and feature rich GPUs AMD has ever created.

Sources [Ubergizmo, Engadget, HardOCP, ]