New All-in-One PC Using NextWindow Touch Screens

NextWindow, the market and technology leader in optical touch screens for desktop PCs and large-format displays, today announced that another PC maker will soon begin selling an all-in-one computer with NextWindow touch screens. Global PC and consumer electronics developer Medion recently announced plans to offer a multi touch-enabled system with a 24" screen. Branded the Medion X9613, the all-in-one PC will be available initially in Germany.

All-in-one computers represent a growing segment of the larger PC market. These products combine all hardware and software inside a computer's monitor, and they mainly are desktop systems though some, such as the Medion X9613, can be mounted to a wall. US-based electronics giants Dell and Hewlett-Packard were among the first companies to offer a PC version of the all-in-one computer. Both companies are using optical touch screens from NextWindow in their all-in-ones. Gartner is forecasting the number of all-in-ones shipped (with a screen size greater than 16") will double from 2009 to 2010.

(Source) Press

Xbox 360 Dashboard: Facebook, Twitter, Last.fm, and Zune!

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

Isn't there anything that Social Network Services (SNS) like Facebook, Twitter, etc. won't touch? It's not a surprise that tech, social, and gaming geeks have come full circle in Microsoft's Xbox 360 Dashboard coming soon.

Facebook's even better on Xbox 360!

From what I gathered from Joystick's preview is that the Facebook integration is even better on the Xbox 360 than it is on the PC!

Whereas the dot com site is plagued by a sluggish AJAX design, the Xbox app loads photos and galleries instantly, making it much faster and easier to browse through your friend's pics. On the Facebook website, you'll see ads clutter the screen as you browse individual photos. On the Xbox, however, each photo gets the full-screen treatment, with captions minimally presented at the top of the screen.

What's even better is that in the future, games will autopost via "Facebook Connect" all your game achievements and gameplay videos. Talk about bragging to the world that you've pawned the biggest and baddest boss in the game, eh?

Twitter's a small bird, Last.fm's ok, Zune Marketplace rocks!

Twitter is such a big phenomenon online but in the Xbox 360, it amounts to nothing more than a vanilla version of itself. Yes, you can post and read your friend's status and trending topics but that's it. No clicking on links nor viewing pictures. Ouch.

Another "why bother" is the installation of Last.fm. You can listen to music and view slideshows of the band/performer but there's no way you'll be playing music while playing a game. Sorry but you can't listen to your fave Barry Manilow song while killing zombies.

Besides Facebook, the saving grace of Xbox 360 seems to be the Zune Marketplace. Video and music downloaded to your Xbox 360 and then transferred to your Zune. Sorry rental lovers but this is only for purchased items only. If you don't have a Zune, you can still watch movies running at 1080p--yep streaming movies! It's not a Sony DVD Blu-ray killer (yet!) as the quality is not yet as high.

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Wii and Xbox 360 Elite Holidays Rumors

With the PS3 generating good news finally, it seems that the competition is reacting. Both Nintendo and Microsoft are gearing to take the thunder from Sony and be on top of every game geek's Christmas list.