Samsung's SP-A800B 1080p DLP projector sure is curvy

Samsung knows a thing or two about working a trade show. IFA's no different. Meet the spacey SP-A800B 1080p (0.95-inch DMD chip from TI) DLP projector on the loose in Berlin. It features a 24fps film mode and a 2,000-hour, 300W lamp which throws 1,000 lumens at a 10,000:1 rated contrast at a relatively noisy 25dB. Around back you'll find 2x HDMI, RGB for your PC, 2x component, S-Video, and RS-232. Sorry, no prices or expected date for availability.

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Sony busts out headphones big and small

Sony looks to be catering to headphone-wearers of all sorts with its latest offerings, busting out the full-size DR-BT22 Bluetooth phones alongside the decidedly small DR-EX32SF earbud headset. In addition to keeping things cordless, the DR-BT22 model also keeps things relatively compact with a foldable design, and you'll get all the most desirable Bluetooth-related acronyms, including A2DP, AVRCP, HFP, and HSP. Those looking for even more portability can opt for the company's DR-EX32SF headset, which drops the Bluetooth but adds a built-in microphone (and your choice of black or white colors). While there doesn't appear to be any word on a North American release, those in Japan should be able to pick up either one starting September 10th, with the Bluetooth phones setting you back ¥10,000 ($87) and the earbuds running just ¥3,000 ($26).

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Dospara intros MSI-branded Prime Note Galleria

Japan's Dospara doesn't look to be trying too hard to conceal the source of its latest laptop, with the MSI logo prominently displayed on the lid of its new Prime Note Galleria, and just barely visible below the screen above. Cross-branding issues aside, the laptop certainly looks like it'll get the job done, boasting a 17-inch 1680 x 1050 display, Core 2 Duo T7300 processor, 2GB of RAM, a 160GB hard drive and, perhaps most notably, GeForce 8600 GT graphics. Of course, all that comes at the expense of an eight pound carrying weight, but if that's not too off-putting, you can grab one now for just under ¥200,000 (or roughly $1,700).

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Wibrain's B1 UMPC: hideous, yet strangely appealing

Ok, it's ugly as sin (and pretty thick, to boot), but we have to give props to Wibrain's new B1 UMPC. Besides coming equipped with a Via C7m CPU up to 1.6GHz, 802.11b/g, Bluetooth 2.1, a VGA camera, HSDPA, and a full QWERTY keyboard and trackpad, the thing's going to sell for a mere 600 or 700k Korean Won (about $650 - $760 US) when it's launched overseas this October.

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Pioneer's BDP-LX80 Blu-ray player supports HD audio bitstream output

Pioneer just announced that Blu-ray Disc player with "HD audio bitstream output" they alluded to with the launch of their BDP-LX70. In what appears to be an industry first for BD players, the new BDP-LX80 supports bitstream output of both Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD high resolution lossless audio output over HDMI 1.3. Sorry, no DTS-HD Master Audio this time. Still, a worthy update from the LX70 assuming your home theater gear is properly matched to decode that signal. Something you'll want to check, and double-check, before dropping the tax inclusive roll of ¥210,000 or about $1,768. We could be wrong, but the move from the LX70 to LX80 appears to be a firmware change only so why all the fuss with a new model Pioneer? If true, then don't be surprised to find a hacked version of the firmware for the LX70 on the Internets soon enough. No word on a global launch -- Japan-only for now with a local release scheduled for October.

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