The Zone

The last Intel Developers Forum (IDF) for the year happened in Taiwan with not much new revealed. As usual there was mention of MIDs (although no definite date on when they'll be released), the associated Moorestown PC display, architectural information on the Nehalem (the usual QuickPaths and integrated GPU) and scant news of the Larrabee GPU. We did manage to get shots of some stuff which did catch our eye but if you've seen them at other IDFs this year we wouldn't be surprised. For a more detailed report on our IDF Taiwan trip check it out in the latest issue of HWM.

A special demo for Mirror's Edge, an upcoming first person action-adventure title developed by EA Digital Illusions CE (DICE), will be available at the PlayStation Store (Oct 30th) and on Xbox Live Marketplace (Oct 31st) this week. The demo will feature the prologue of the game, a tutorial and a segment of the single-player story mode, giving gamers a taste of the game that's soon to be released next month.

Last week, Pioneer had a regional launch in Singapore for their upcoming second generation Kuro plasma TVs, which also marks the introduction of their 9th generation Plasmas to the market. We didn't manage to publish this on time for the November issue of HWM, so why not tease you with some of the images from the launch itself? The new Kuro TVs sport even deeper blacks than the previous-gen televisions, and one should certainly see them in action - seeing is believing, its what they say with the Kuro! Although Pioneer did not refresh the smaller 42" market, we saw a new 60" Kuro that boasts some really juicy specs, as below;

Full HD 1920x1080 resolution with 24p capability, Enhanced Optimum Mode - a seperate white balance probe can be purchased for on-the-fly claibration of both room darkness and hue, Five times the darkness as compared to previous Kuro models, a 100000:1 contrast ratio and the capability to blow your mind.

More images after the jump!

For people who were disappointed with the recent E3 clampdown on skimpily-dressed booth babes, they could find some solace with the boothbabes at the TGS2008. Most of them were dressed pretty classily, though some dared to show off their midriffs. We weren't able to take pics of all of the booth babes due to lack of time (we were too busy playing the latest game demos and watching game trailers) but we still managed to compile an adequate pictorial collection of the booth babes of the show. 

Much more pictures after the jump! To view a larger size of the image, right-click and select 'View Image' in Firefox. 

Good things come to those who wait as the HD remake of the first Prince of Persia game will be available for purchase from the US Playstation Store this Thursday, October 23rd. Previously released back in June 2007 under the Xbox Live Arcade banner, this reimagined classic features an enhanced visuals on top of the same intricate level design, exciting swordplay, puzzle solving, and storyline from the original.

For the uninitiated, Logitech does not only make computer peripherals, trick audio systems and de facto standard racing wheels, they also manufactuer cool remotes which literally becomes the One Remote you'll ever need. More after the jump!

Taking a page from the hip world of fashion ASUS recently launched their latest N series notebooks and P552w PDA phone at the KLPac in the form of a fashion showcase. With clothes from fashion designer Key NG of the KN boutique line, models and a number of celebrities were on hand to sashay their way on the catwalk with either the N series notebooks or the P552w PDA phone.

The N Series Notebooks are meant more for mobility with three of the four models in the series designed for portability.

The P552w PDA phone features the latest touch screen functions with the GLIDE feature for easy navigation. 

For more details on the event take a look at our latest issue of HWM.

Yes, you read that right. Broken Sword 2.5: The Return of the Templars is a fan-made unofficial sequel to the first two Broken Sword adventure games by UK-based Revolution Studios. The dedicated folks of mindFactory started the project in year 2000 and the fruit of their labor is now available as a freeware download at their official site. The current release is for Windows PC, with possible ports to Mac and Linux in the near future. Voiceovers are entirely in German with optional English subtitles.

Right after the GO OC 2008, Gigabyte was kind enough to let us play around with their new P45 Ultra Durable 3 board. With a 2 Oz copper layer in between the PCB, as well as stronger components this board is quite likely what the Toughbook is to notebooks, the ruggedly tough version. We didn't manage to play too much with it in that we didn't push it too much (overclock) but the board does have custom BIOS function to do so. For more information and details on the board check out our full coverage in the latest issue of HWM.