Microsoft has previously denied that they were going to put a Blu-Ray drive into the Xbox 360. However, the latest rumors are saying that the company has already placed orders for a Blu-Ray Xbox 360. For more on this, check out the full article.

Possibly encouraged by the success of their Eee PCs, Asustek is going to launch the second generation of these powerful yet cute midget laptops this month in Taiwan. So what can we expect from these notebooks? An Intel dual-core ULV processor, for one. More in the full article.

A number of computer manufacturers are facing a shortage of laptop batteries because or a recent fire at the LG Chem Ochang plant in South Korea. To find out more about this, head on over to the full article by clicking on the "read more" link below.

Asustek has just announced a new Eee product line for the year 2008: E-DT, E-Monitor, and E-TV. As we all know, Asustek and its Eee PC have recently been associated with low cost or competitive prices, and you'll be glad to know that the new products take after the Eee PC in terms of pricing and quality. There's bad news though for those hoping for touchscreen Eee PCs. Check out the full article for details.

Laptop users were thankful to Asustek for coming up with the Eee PC line of budget laptops. But affordable laptops with touch screen panels? As it turns out, budget touch screen laptops are possible for the computer manufacturer. Check out the full article for more details.

Asking PC vendors what they think is superior between Sony's Blu-ray and Toshiba's HD-DVD won't get you anywhere, because even they aren't sure which to adopt. There are already five different types of blue-laser optical drives for these in the market, but even those don't help international PC vendors decide which one should be standard for PCs.

Check out the full article for more details.

Everyone loves electronics that are easy on the pocket, and that's the reason why we're happy to find out that the EeePC, Asustek's ultra-budget laptops, will have desktop counterparts in 2008. Read on to find out more!

The Sony PlayStation 3 community lit up yesterday as word of a new model for the high-end console spread fast. The buzz is that the new SKU is currently being tested by the FCC and is called CECHG01.

No details as to what features this version of the PS3 will have were revealed, but industry insiders have a popular guess in the form of a 40GB unit which will cost US$ 399.

Analyst Michael Pachter is among those who believe that a 40GB PS3 is in the works and is part of a big Sony effort to  lower prices on all its current hardware to compete better with rivals Nintendo and Microsoft.

With deals materializing between Sony and partner firms ASUSTeK and Hon Hai, the chances of a lower-priced PS3 model become even more feasible, making the unit more attractive to the more budget-conscious crowd.

While it's still unclear when Sony will make a formal announcement of the new SKU, Pachter says that it might be a good idea to do it in this month's Tokyo Game Show where Bungie's Xbox 360 exclusive FPS Halo 3 is expected to display fireworks.

We'll give you updates as soon as we dig up more facts on this exciting development for the PS3. Here's hoping that it creates more momentum to the beleaguered platform.

Big Taiwanese consumer electronics company Hon Hai Precision (otherwise known as Foxconn in the PC hardware market) has reportedly sealed a deal with Sony to manufacture low-priced PlayStation 3 consoles. This move by Sony is similar to the pact it has with ASUSTeK in an aggressive plan to compete with rivals Nintendo and Microsoft.

According to website EMSNow, the alliance between Sony and Hon Hai will result in the cheaper manufacture of SKUs which will be introduced in the market some time soon.

This contract is a synergy to Sony's bid to ship a target number of 10 million PS3s worldwide in the next few months. This will also supposedly bring down prices for the high-end console. Pricing is a key seen by many analysts to boost slow sales of the product in order to make it more competitive against Nintendo's Wii and Microsoft's Xbox 360.

Hon Hai is one of Taiwan's biggest and most respected players in the electronics industry, setting revenue records almost on a yearly basis in the island. Not many may know it, but Hon Hai caters even to giants such as Apple, Dell, Cisco, and Nokia. Recently, it has added Sony to that list.

The PlayStation 3 has had a US$ 100 price cut prior to this year's E3 show in the United States, and new cuts are expected by industry insiders on the road to 2008, Sony's earmarked year when its PS3 will come of age. The Hon Hai deal could be an indication that analysts may be right with their predictions.

 

A report coming in from Chinese local newspaper Economic Daily News has pinned the mainstream motherboard manufacturer ASUSTek with a mediocre 2007 revenue performance due to reduced PlayStation 3 shipping. ASUSTeK is one of the favorite and trusted motherboard brands for tech-savvy PC enthusiasts, while also a major contractor for manufacturing quality PlayStation 3 motherboards in Asia.

ASUSTeK Computer Inc. is expecting an all-time low in revenues this coming May, after the Taiwan-based company reported a change in the motherboard profit season and the decreased shipments of the PlayStation 3 from Asia. However, other competing motherboard companies such as Gigabyte Technology and Elitegroup Computer Systems (ECS) have noted a possible increase in May shipments during the summer season, according to local paper Apple Daily.

Despite feeds coming in from Asia that the PlayStation 3 production is indeed slowing down, it appears that ASUSTeK has prepped themselves for a quick recovery, right after Intel starts shipping their new Centrino platforms for laptop computers, codenamed Santa Rosa, for the month succeeding May.

Analysts agree that the Taiwan computer manufacturing giant will be able to return to standard shipping levels by June, allowing the company to benefit from a steady revenue stream for the rest of 2007. Thanks to DigiTimes for the heads up!