Here's some good news for the businessman looking for some quality portable hardware that's easy on the budget - Fujitsu-Siemens has just unveiled its ESPRIMO Mobile line of laptops. We give you the skinny on what's to expect with the sturdy-looking portable that's got everyone talking.

Well, what's under the hood? A hefty Core 2 Duo system to keep things fast and reliable, Intel's GMA X3100 integrated graphics card for much-needed graphical muscle, as well as the usual connectivity essentials- UMTS, Bluetooth, WLAN. Not shabby at all, and the packaging's pretty neat, too, coming in with three wide-screen flavors (12.1-inch, 14.5-inch, and 15.4-inch).

And for those of us who hate searching for electric sockets to plug our cumbersome wires into, the ESPRIMO line laptops can take a second battery, jacking up the group's happy time to a whopping 10 hours. Plenty enough juice to last you a whole day's worth of work.

No word yet on a definite release date or pricing, however, but we'll keep you updated on all things ESPRIMO, so keep it locked right here.

People may look toward a future that doesn't include having to submit themselves to large, intimidating medical equipment. Siemens has taken a good step toward this future, by unveiling the Acuson P10 ultrasound system. The two-piece P10 ultrasound device that has its own built-in display is small and lightweight enough for doctors to carry it around while doing their rounds. Doctors don't have to lug around heavy lap-top based portable ultrasound, nor will they have to move patients into the ultrasound room.

The device was previewed at World Congress of Ultrasound in Emergency Medicine and Critical Care, where it received rave reviews from Emergency Physicians, Emergency Medical Technicians, and other critical care professionals.

The best thing about Siemen's new medical product is that it can be carried around everywhere, thus making it an essential emergency tool that can be stowed in the bag, ready for use. They also power on instantly, and can be used anywhere as long as there is a trained physician or medical personnel who can use the device properly. The Acuson P10 is scheduled for launch in the fall of 2007.

Parents, this may be the ultimate solution to your problem.

Wireless tracking systems to trace objects and even people are now being developed by Siemens and Motorola, two of the leading names in wireless communications technology. Both companies presented the possibility of using wireless networks in conjunction with Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) at The Wireless Event, held in London.

RFID may sound alien to you, but you probably have encountered it many times in your day-to-day life. Certain major retailers use RFID tags on their products, although RFID can only permit tracking and identification on a very limited range, just enough to track items within the store premises (so there is no cause of any worries for privacy issues...for now). Many countries also use RFID technology in passports as well as transport payments, such as toll collection. Some libraries even use RFID tags on their books, CDs and DVDs, and VHS tapes.

RFID tags alone are passive - they do not have their own power source, and thus only transmit a response when read by a scanner. However, when coupled with current wi-fi technology, RFID can be used for tracking stolen laptops, phones, and even teenagers who managed to sneak out of their windows.

The possibilities are endless: Students can be tracked whenever an emergency - such as a fire or earthquake - arises, and even make retrieving lost items much easier. Employee activities can also be monitored in much more detail, "You can record movements over a period of time. You can see if the security guard in the night makes the right rounds, for example," said Mr. Marcus Birkl, head of wireless at Siemens. He adds, "It's very useful for the health care industry - where there are highly expensive pieces of mobile equipment that move around a hospital...At every point in the day health staff need to know where it is." Indeed, the use of RFID with wi-fi would spare a lot of headaches, especially for people working in Facilities Management.

Of course, this has prompted mixed response from the public. Some consumers have expressed concerns regarding the possibility of using RFID and wi-fi in consumer spending trends, as well as increased likelihood of breach of privacy. Majority of the respondents of a recent pan-Europe consultation about RFID have even agreed that regulations should be put in place to monitor the use of tags.

Mr. Birkl agrees on the regulations issue. "There needs to be standards put in place so the data is not abused for other purposes," said Mr Birkl. "But there are clear benefits to keeping people safe."

Sorry, kids. Looks like you won't be able to sneak out of the house anymore.

German scientists have struck another innovation in lighting technology. Siemens has announced the completion of its Ostar Lighting LED project which has yielded in a tiny LED lamp emitting 1,000 lumen from its frame.

The idea behind the device is simple. The makers of the Ostar LED have made diodes more efficient in converting electricity into light. This, combined with their high-density lighting chip integration techniques have yielded a possible answer to the energy conservation pleas across the world.

This is so because this lamp consumes only 1 watt to generate 75 lumen. That beats the traditional incandescent light bulb that generates 730 lumen with 60 watts. Even a halogen lamp that requires 50 watts to create 900 lumen can't hold a candle to the Ostar.

Essentially, what this new light brings to the table is less energy consumption, less silica for the bulb and smaller diodes that take up less space, all the while giving homes the brightness that they need. The Ostar Lighting LED ships this summer across the EU and US.

Today's a sad day for employees of BenQ Mobile. Forbes has revealed that the bankrupt German handset business of Taiwan's BenQ Corporation will be split up and sold after a failed bid to turn the struggling company around. This was announced by the company's insolvency administrator on Sunday.

"There is no longer a realistic chance of it being sold as a whole," spokesman Martin Prager said, confirming a report in Germany's Sueddeutsche Zeitung. The Munich-based company filed for insolvency protection in September, a year after the Taiwanese firm took over the struggling unit from Siemens AG.

Prager declined to comment on the fact that splitting up the firm means that almost all of the 3,000 jobs at the firm would be lost for good. Around 550 former BenQ Mobile workers have already signed up with other companies, some of them with Siemens. Forbes reports that thanks to a transitional arrangement largely financed by Siemens, the remaining employees will keep on receiving most of their previous wages for up to a year.

Mat17 sure is one determined developer. If you'll remember, he's that guy who did the PspIrda 0.0.1. Well, he's back and working on new versions of his homebrew app, still determined as ever. Apparently, he got a good share of feedbacks from his first version.

Thanks to your participation, the compatibility tests based on your feedback from v0.0.1 revealed the conclusion that the app's compatibility with Nokia and Siemens mobiles are a-ok. But when it comes to Sony Ericsson phones, well, let's just say it ain't as smooth as with the other brands.

So, this is where he'll be focusing on before he finally releases v0.0.2. And in order to do that, he's again asking for your help by checking out his application and sharing your critiques or whatnot regarding it. He's sent a couple of beta versions (in debug version only) over at our forums, namely PspIrda 0.0.2 Beta 3 and Beta 4. Where's beta 2? He already released them to beta testers.

Anyhow, a little explanation is required as to Beta 4. According to him, this is also a debug version, only, a more verbose one. This will produce two files, namely: dump.log and debug.log in the '/PSP/GAME/pspirda' directory.

The instructions for it are as follows:

•   start the homebrew
•   align the devices before starting the exchange
•   do only one transfer (send for example)
•   exit the program
•   send me dump.log, debug.log at mathieu17@gmail.com
•   repeat the operations for the inverse transfer (receive for example)

So there. The guy's pretty persistent on hearing from you guys, whether it's good feedback or not.

Download: [PspIrda 0.0.2 Beta 3]
Download: [PspIrda 0.0.2 Beta 4]
Discuss: [Forum Release Thread]

Rise of Antares 2, an all-new turn-based space strategy game from HeroCraft, is back and its a very bitchy mood. The game is designed for all gamers with political ambitions bigger than Hillary Clinton's. As head of an interstellar corporation, gamers must take the reigns, set a successful plan and fight elections in order to rule the freaking galaxy. Oh and there's one more thing on the agenda: kick Star League Bureaucrats asses back to where they belong! Which is anywhere but your turf.

Rise of Antares 2 is packed with features to help fight for intergalactic dominance including:

• Full stepwise space strategy
• A diverse array of technologies
• Masses of different ships and buildings
• Easy-to-follow training system and a captivating campaign
• Game graphics to advanced interstellar standards

Rise of Antares 2 is supported by various handsets from Alcatel, BenQ-Siemens, LG, Motorola, Nokia Panasonic, Samsung and more.

Looks like our UK fanboys will have their first taste of the PS3 sooner than they expect. For the price of a mere £13 (around $25) on advanced ticket booking, anyone who gets to drop by at the Novotel London West Hotel in Hammersmith on November 3 to 5 will get a chance to lay their hands on the PS3 console. And the games will be shown on a 63" plasma screen!

It's all part of Best of Stuff's Sound and Vision Show, themed "What Hi-Fi?". A premier gadget show in UK, it will feature all of the latest gadgets and gizmos from Philips, Creative, Siemens, Toshiba, and Sony, to name a few.

It's a grand way to exhibit the PS3 and encourage more players to buy the system. Funny thing is, with limited units being shipped to Europe in the coming months, how long will our UK fanboys be able to hold their patience before they get their own? Also, the fact that the PS3's launch has been delayed until March 2007 next year hasn't made things easy for our British friends.

Sony, however, confirms that this is just the beginning of a series of events where the PS3 will be showcased on the road, giving them the chance to have hands-on access to the arguably best console hardware-wise. So brace yourself, Europe!

In UFO Predator, a lost alien ends up on planet Earth and settles among us. But the ungrateful guest creates nothing but carnage and turns giant creatures and advanced weapons into worthless rescue teams! In most games, players assume the role of the alien buster. In UFO Predator, gamers become the evil alien and battles the good guys for a change.

Your objective as the nasty visitor from space is is to launch a campaign to capture Earth. By flying over the humans you get to snack on them and increase your power. Other weapons of mass destruction at your command include manipulating items such as trucks dropping it over your opponents.

The game also features:

• Real-time destruction with stunning explosive effects
• Intelligent enemies respond strategically to attacks
• High-level physics on manipulating background items

UFO Predator is now playable on selected models of Symbian, Nokia, N-Gage, Siemens, SX1, Sendo, Panasonic, Samsung, Motorola, Sony Ericsson and Sharp mobiles.

More screenshots after the jump!

Apple, Acer, Motorola, and Lenovo are among the worst polluters, according to Greenpeace, while Nokia and Dell just barely passed. Greenpeace ranked major electronics companies according to what they were doing to remove the harmful chemicals in their gadgets, phones, and computers. Also, Greenpeace ranked the companies according to their policies about taking responsibility for their products when these are thrown away by their customers (for example, companies should recycle old components as much as possible and they should process and dispose of the chemical waste properly). Like all other piles of garbage, the amount of toxic waste caused by electronics ("e-waste") is growing, and it often gets dumped in poor developing countries.

Greenpeace's rankings (points are out of 10; 10 is the highest possible score):

7: Nokia - Needs to improve recycling program.
7: Dell - Some models still have the worst chemicals, but has a good program of taking back their toxic trash.
5.7: Hewlett Packard
5.3: Sony Ericsson
5: Samsung
4.7: Sony
4.3: LGE
3.3: Panasonic
3: Toshiba
3: Fujitsu-Siemens
2.7: Apple
2.3: Acer
1.7: Motorola
1.3: Lenovo

Greenpeace will update the rankings four times a year. And as for Apple scoring so low, the Greenpeace article had this to say: "It is disappointing to see Apple ranking so low in the overall guide. They are meant to be world leaders in design and marketing, they should also be world leaders in environmental innovation."