Todays & Tomorrows Technology

We’re not entirely convinced by the name 22Moo, but now that iPhone OS 3.0 supports third-party peripherals we’re sure we could find some bag-space for their GameBone Pro controller. Intended to be used with an iPhone or iPod touch, the GameBone Pro hooks up via Bluetooth or Apple’s dock-connector, and has an 8-way D-pad plus six buttons.

There’s also a 2,000mAh Li-Ion battery, which not only powers the GameBone Pro’s functionality but – if you use the wired connection – can recharge your iPhone or iPod touch, too. A row of LEDs shows charge status.

The controller also has integrated speakers, a microphone, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. It’s set to hit shelves in mid-September, but we don’t know price yet; 22Moo are asking potential customers to suggest what they’d pay for the GameBone Pro, which seems like an obvious way to find your shiny new peripheral now costs fifty cents.

Details of a new device in Logitech’s distributed audio streamer range have emerged, the Logitech Squeezebox Touch. A WiFi-connected base-station controller with 4.3-inch color touchscreen and integrated stereo speakers, the Squeezebox Touch can seemingly both integrated with an existing setup as well as be used to access online music and internet radio.

The Touch supports MP3, FLAC, WAV, AIFF, WMA, Ogg Vorbis, AAC and Apple Lossless, among other formats, together with MP3, Ogg and WMA internet radio streams. Its WiFi b/g connection supports WEP, WPA and WPA2 encryption, and there’s also a 10/100 ethernet port. A USB host port will allow you to plug in a USB drive, plus there’s an SD card slot for loading music and photos that way.

In addition to the onboard speakers there’s also a headphone jack, stereo RCA output, digital optical and digital coax outputs. Logitech have even squeezed an ambient light sensor and proximity sensor into the bezel. No word on release date or US pricing as yet.

According to Dave Zatz, both the Squeezebox Duet and Squeezebox Boom are also in for an upgrade, though no details on exactly what will change.

As well as the somewhat VAIO-esque Mini 5101 netbook they announced this morning, HP have also got a new ProBook full-sized notebook for you to consider. The HP ProBook 4310s has a 13.3-inch display and the same styling as the rest of the S-series the company announced back in April; there’s also optional Gobi WWAN mobile broadband, DDR3 memory and a full-sized keyboard.
Under the hood, there’s a choice of Intel Celeron CPUs up to 1.9GHz, or Core 2 Duo CPUs up to 2.8GHz. RAM is up to 8GB, while storage is either up to 500GB of 5,400rpm HDD or 500GB of 7,200rpm HDD; you also get a choice of DVD burner or Blu-ray optical drives.

In addition to the optional WWAN there’s WiFi a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1 and gigabit ethernet, and you can also specify a standard modem if you’re feeling retro. Ports include three USB 2.0, HDMI, audio in/out, an ExpressCard 34 slot and an SD/MMC card slot. There’s a 2-megapixel webcam and microphone array.

Graphics are courtesy of either Intel’s GMA 4500MHD chipset or ATI’s Mobility Radeon HD 4330 with 512MB of its own memory. Other options include a fingerprint reader and a choice of XP, Vista or Linux OS. The HP ProBook 4310s is expected to arrive on July 20th, priced from $799.