The guys over at Macotakara[JP] and iLab Factory[JP] have posted images of a new aluminum case which appears to have a slightly different depth for its LCD panel, adding 1mm to the thickness of the back panel, but making adjustments for a slightly thinner LCD panel – reportedly this 2048×1536 panel from Sharp – which fits into the case perfectly. The images do nothing to confirm rumors of a Retina Display, but the changes to the case depth indicate there is clearly a change coming to the display panel itself.

In addition, it looks like the camera opening has changed, possibly to support a new, higher quality (and possibly wide-screen) camera.

It also looks like refinements have been made to the dock connector, improving its rigidity – which should make it less likely that you’ll accidentally yank out the dock connector.

So are these images of parts from the actual iPad 3? Will there be an iPad 2S first, with minor refinements to the iPad 2? Or is this just some knock-off clone being made in China? Only time will tell.

[via iLab via Macotakara]

X313Xkillax has a video of a HP Slate prototype up on YouTube. He boots it up with Windows 7, but ultimately, it’s possible that another OS will have to be used, since Win7 isn’t really well optimized for finger operation (there’s some basic multi-touch support, but it’s pretty weak compared to dedicated mobile OSes.)

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

It’s an interesting looking tablet, but will it really be able to tackle the iPad? I doubt it, but we’ll see. It’s got two cameras, making it already better equipped than the iPad from that perspective, but the Windows-based OS and apps will need major refinement for it to be a viable competitor.

Then, the guys at Kotaku created a mockup of what the system might look like based on numerous bits of information they’ve gathered over the last few months. I really like the idea of the larger widescreen for the top half if that’s really the case – since the bottom touchscreen on the DSi has always been less of the focal point than the top screen.

Now, an image has surfaced on another Chinese website which looks a whole heck of a lot like the Kotaku mockup. So, is this the real deal, or just another bit of clever Photoshoppery? You guys be the judge:

I’m calling Photoshop, but I could be wrong – I certainly have been before. Chances are that all will be revealed this week at Nintendo’s E3 press conference, which will be carried live at e3.nintendo.com starting at 9am Pacific time on Tuesday, 6/15.

[via Sankaku Complex via Albotas]

According to this screenshot, some of the games we can look forward to getting all fingerprinty over on April 3rd include: Flight Control HD, Labyrinth 2 HD, and Sparkle HD and Cro-Mag Rally. Apps like Pianist Pro promise a serious multitouch keyboard playing experience, and OmniGraphSketcher is probably going to be pretty slick on that big 9.7-inch screen.

From what I can tell these screens from the new iPad app store probably came from the iPad developer’s kit, but I’m not 100% certain of their origin. Of course, since these screenshots are preliminary, there are bound to be changes and new apps coming online between now and launch day.

[via 9 to 5 Mac via TUAW]

From the looks of this manual, as well as a number of devices recently submitted on the site, LG plans on a major refresh of their display line, with 21 new display models mentioned on the front cover, along with a couple of others I managed to scrounge up. The new models include:

• LCD TVs: 32LD550, 42LD550, 46LD550, 60LD550, 52LD550, 47LD650 and the 55LD650
• LED-lit LCD TVs: 22LE5300, 26LE5300, 42LE5400, 47LE5400, 55LE5400, 42LE5500, 47LE5500, 55LE5500, 60LE5500, 42LE7500, 47LE7500, 55LE7500, 47LE8500 and 55LE8500
• Plasma TVs: 50PK750 and 60PK750

With displays ranging from 22″ to 60″, it looks like there’s something for everyone coming out. That 60″ LED/LCD sure sounds nice to me. Woot! The shot below shows a rather unsexy photo of the sexy top-of-the-line LED LCD model, the 55LE8500. Check out how skinny it is. Looks about as thin as Samsung’s super slim LED LCDs…

There’s also a couple of smaller LED lit LCD models which might be nice in a bedroom or used as computer displays – the 22LE5300 and the 26LE5300, pictured below:

And here’s a decidedly unflattering shot of the ginormous 60″ plasma, the 60PK750:

Further examination of the manuals reveal that at least some of the sets will include internet connectivity (although it looks like wireless still requires an add-on dongle), along with Yahoo! widgets and digital streaming of movies from Netflix, Vudu and YouTube. There’s also the ability to view content from your Picasa albums.

If you’re in the market for a new flat-panel, you might want to wait a few weeks to hear when these will be released and how much they’ll cost. I’m assuming that LG will provide more details at the upcoming CES show in early January.

In addition to the exterior pics, here are some additional photos of the innards of the controller splayed out for all to see…

It looks like the main turntable part will be the same for each console, while the wireless and controller pod will be different per each system.  The ones pictured here appear to be from the PS2/PS3 version. And the detachable controller pod is also designed so lefties can flip it around and play too. There’s also a preliminary user manual which spells out all the details of how to use the controller. I can tell already what part of the controller will fail with some frequency:

You can check out all of the gory details over at the FCC website. And if you’re ready to pre-order DJ Hero, head on over to Amazon now and plunk down your credit card. I can’t wait to scratch that itch this October.

To me, it looks like a nice bit of Photoshoppery by some dork who just can’t wait for the real thing to come out. But, fake or real, there’s enough industry discussion and gossip out there that I was able to piece together the following rough sketch of what we might expect from the iTablet:

• 9.7-inch multi-touch flat LCD screen
• Industrial design and thin form-factor reminiscent of the iPhone
• Will run a variant of the iPhone OS X kernel
• Apps will be downloaded from the App Store
• Wi-Fi and Bluetooth built-in
• SD card reader for storage expansion
• E-book reader capability to compete with Kindle
• Possibly will still use hard drive storage, but SSD has also been mentioned
• Possibly two versions – one for consumers one for education
• While it will be able to run most iPhone/iPod Touch apps, it won’t make calls or send MMS/SMS
• Estimated release date: Early 2010
• Estimated price: Between $699 and $899 (USD)

Here’s a roundup of some of the various Apple tablet design concepts I’ve found, and they range from the sublime to the ridiculous:

Word on the street is that Steve Jobs will reveal the details at an upcoming press conference in early September. With the holiday season upon us, I would think that Apple would want a big product release for the October through December timeframe, but most indications are that it won’t make it to market until 2010.

So will you guys run out and buy an iTablet/MacBook Touch/iPAD when it’s released? Or do you really need another gadget that sits somewhere between your laptop and your iPhone? What do you guys think?

[via BGR | photos: Flickr]

The PSP Go is a new handheld that lightens the load of the older PSP models by making games available via wireless download or on Memory Stick Micro cards. Bye, bye UMD! It’s been nice knowing you.

The PSP Go will feature 16GB of on-board flash memory for storage of downloadable games, movies and music from the Playstation Network. It looks like they’ve revamped the controller to slide out from under the screen to maximize screen real-estate while keeping the console small (the Go has a 3.8″ display – just a hair smaller than the PSP-3000′s 4.3″ screen). Too bad they kept the stupid single analog nubbin. I hate that damned thing.

As you can see from the icons below, there’s also Bluetooth connectivity in addition to Wi-Fi.

Word on the street is that Sony will still sell the PSP Go’s larger PSP-3000 brethren, but I wouldn’t expect them to keep making a mechanical drive-based system for too much longer. I’m sure any plans to keep making those is only because of the relatively high price of solid state memory. As those prices drop, so will the need for any sort of optical media.

Sony has revealed that the PSP Go will be released in North America and Europe on October 1, 2009, at a price of $249 /€249, and in Japan on November 1, 2009 for 26,800 yen. Check out the Qore June 2009 video clip below to see an early preview of the PSP Go in action:

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Is it just me or does the PSP Go look a whole lot like the Mylo?

[via Eurogamer, The Awesomer, Engadget and PlayStation Forums]