With features such as a built-in GPS system, compass, altimeter and barometer, the TS4 remains the company’s top model. Even for non-outdoorsy types who may just be clumsy, or looking for gadgets as tough as they are, it’s waterproof to about 40 feet, shockproof from a fall of about a 6.6 feet, freezeproof to temperatures as low as 14 degrees Fahrenheit, and dustproof as well.

As a camera, it has chops too, with a Leica 4.6x optical zoom lens, a 12.1-megapixel Hi-Speed CCD sensor and the advanced image processing LSI Venus Engine.

This engine powers high-speed burst shooting and super-fast auto focus to help you capture all the action, and gives images the added bonus of reducing noise on photos and videos. For the first time in the Lumix TS-series, the TS4 gives adventurous photographers manual control of their devices for adjusting shutter speed and aperture.

The TS4 builds on the GPS data of its predecessor to include more than a million landmarks and 82 countries/regions, which are in the maps available on the bundled DVD. For those on the journey of their lives — or who believe it’s the journey, not the destination that counts — geo-tagging allows for a virtual map to exist of where they’ve been, all saved in the EXIF data.

And as (or when) you’re reaching all those places that most mere mortals can only imagine, you can document the moments with full 1080p HD video. Come mid-March, the TS4 will be available in orange, blue, black and silver for around $400. (If you want to save a little money, you might want to look for the older TS3 to start dropping in price, as it gets phased out for the TS4.)

For those who don’t need all that, the entry-level TS20 should provide ample resources. Besides also being waterproof (but only to 16 feet), shockproof (from a height of about 5 feet) and dustproof, the 16.1-megapixel compact camera has a 25mm ultra-wide-angle lens and a 4x optical zoom that extends to 8x.

The TS20 shoots 720p HD video, and has a 4x optical zoom lens. It can also switch between taking still photos and videos, which can be uploaded directly to YouTube when the included software is installed. Like the TS4, it also has 2.7-inch LCD screen, but there’s no GPS, barometer or altimeter.

With both models, you can show the world those images in creative ways, too, with the time-lapse feature. Set the start time, interval and the number of photos to shoot, and then the camera automatically records the images based on those settings. Leave it alone and you’ll see those cool NatGeo-type images of clouds across the horizon, flowers blooming, meerkats at play, etc. In “Miniature Effect” mode, photos are given the diorama treatment. And of course, for those breathtaking summits, panorama shots reward the achievement with 360-degree of horizontal or vertical images, taken by snapping consecutive shots and overlaying the photos.

You don’t have to ascend Everest to grab this camera — it’ll probably come in just as handy for that stroll around the lake or anywhere you might run into the elements.

The TS20 will be here in late-February, in orange, blue, black and red models for about $180.

Panasonic has also expanded its ZS-series of digital cameras with the Lumix ZS20, which purports to be “the world’s slimmest digital camera” with a 20x optical zoom lens. It takes stills up to 14.1 megapixels, with manual controls, and can also record full 1080p HD videos. Though it’s not rugged like the TS4, it also has built-in GPS. It’s got a 3-inch touch screen and intelligent auto mode for minimal-thinking, maximum point-and-shoot potential. It’ll be available in March for about $350, in black, red, white and silver.

Source: GADGETBOX @ msnbc

One of the companies putting down that kind of cash this year is Samsung, in their first ever Super Bowl ad. In posts on the company’s Twitter page, Samsung states they will use their Super Bowl commercial time to “launch a device so revolutionary only an ad in America’s biggest game can do it justice.”

The Twitter page hints that the device is in fact the Galaxy Note, the massive 5.3 inch Android smartphone that will launch on AT&T on February 19 for $299.99. Samsung says the ad will appear sometime in the game’s fourth quarter and will be “one of the longest in the game.” That means Samsung could be spending over $4 million for a 60 second spot or over $6 million for 90 seconds.

The commercial will be directed by Bobby Farrelly, one half of the Farrelly Brothers team that have given us such comedy hits as Dumb and Dumber and There’s Something About Mary. This will be his first ever TV commercial spot.

Source: Neowin

Source: Engadget

Accessories
Thermaltake Meka G Unit @ LanOC Reviews

Cases
Corsair Carbide 500R @ TechReaction
SilverStone SST-GD06B HTPC Media Center Case @ Benchmark Reviews

Cooling
Noctua NH-D14 SE2011 CPU Cooler @ Hi Tech Legion

Motherboards
ASUS P9X79 WS @ Benchmark Reviews
ECS X79R-AX Black Series @ Legit Reviews

Storage
OCZ Synapse Cache 64GB @ Bjorn3D

Video
Sapphire Radeon HD 7970 3GB @ Tweaktown
Galaxy GeForce GT 520 MDT @ Overclockers Club

Source: Engadget

The story further claims that 10,000 wafers of the processor are being made, with the conclusion that these chips are being created for installation in official Xbox Next/720 game developers kits. It claims that the production of these chips actually started at the end of 2011 and that the first chips will be ready to go sometime in late February. The article speculates that development kits with these chips could be ready to be sent to game developer studios in March 2012.

The article also speculates, and many other people agree, that Microsoft will once again have a PowerPC-based CPU for the next Xbox processor, just as the Xbox 360 has one based on PowerPC’s design. Xbox Next/720 might also have a Radeon-based graphics chip from AMD.

Again, this is all rumor and Microsoft is likely not to confirm anything about the next version of the Xbox until E3 2012 in June at the earliest.

Military Class III components
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About MSI
MSI is proud of its more than 20 years experience in designing and manufacturing high performance IT products.
The product lines of MSI are mainboards, graphic cards, notebooks, consumer electronics, barebones, networking and server products, and fully integrated add-on peripherals. With its ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 qualified facilities, MSI products provide the best performance, reliability and value-increasing productivity.
We distribute our products through offices located in The Netherlands, Germany, Italy, France, United Kingdom, Spain, Turkey, Czech Republic, Poland, Serbia, Ukraine, Russia, United States, Canada, Mexico, Latin America, Brazil, Taiwan, Japan, China, Korea, India and Australia. MSI markets its products to distributors, computer system manufacturers, and system integrators. For more information about the company go to www.msi.com

Source: MSI

Microsoft, via the Twitter page of 343 Industries’ developer David Ellis, is putting their foot down, telling gamers that those invites are not what they seem. Ellis’ Twitter page stated earlier this week, “If you see a page claiming to allow you to sign up for a Halo 4 beta be advised, IT’S A FAKE.” The Twitter page also has an amusing YouTube video link to prove that point.

Microsoft has yet to officially announce any sort of Halo 4 beta test. That doesn’t mean that the company won’t have a beta for Halo 4 at some point. Some of the previous games in the Halo series have had multiplayer betas for the Xbox 360. You can bet that when Microsoft does make such a beta announcement, it will be all over the Internet (and posted here at Neowin).

Microsoft has been saying that the recent rash of Xbox 360 account highjacks by hackers has been due in part to phishing schemes. This fake Halo 4 beta test could be just one example of a scam designed to get a person’s Xbox Live user name and password.

Source: Neowin