No surprise here, but the kids from MIT were (presumably) right all along. The three students who were muffled just before presenting their case at Defcon have finally been freed; the now-revoked gag order had prevented them from exposing insecurities in the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority ticket system, but during the same court setting, the MBTA fessed up and admitted that its current system was indeed vulnerable. Of note, it only confessed that its CharlieTicket system was susceptible to fraud, while simply not acknowledging any flaws in the more popular CharlieCard option. Pish posh -- who here believes it doesn't have dutiful employees working up a fix as we speak?

According to gamesindustry.biz, Microsoft is confirming a slight revision to its Xbox 360 controller design. Apparently, the new iteration of the gamepad includes enhancements to its d-pad, which admittedly has always been somewhat lacking. In Microsoft's words: "The new limited edition green wireless controller offers enhancements to d-pad functionality, which will add to the experience of playing games where the d-pad is the primary control mechanism." We'd like to think that this d-pad tweak will finally give us an opportunity to level up in COD4 from Corporal to Lieutenant General in no time.

Putting it simply, Lucid's goal with its HYDRA technology is to "build a completely GPU-independent graphics scaling technology" which enables two completely different cards to work together in harmony with "little to no software overhead." Let that sink in a minute. Now that a puzzled look has surely overtaken your face, we'd strongly recommend hitting the read link for a (very) detailed look at the technology, an explanation of how it works and even a few hard hitting questions addressed to the company. We're trying to stifle our excitement here, but are hopes are escalating quickly.

What can we say? Intempo has launched a new pair of iPod-compatible speaker systems, and unless you're somehow just entering the market for one in the latter half of 2008, chances are you're already yawning. Nevertheless, the RDi-W (pictured) does distinguish itself somewhat by including support for DAB and wireless internet radio, and there's a 30-watt internal amplifier to kick out the jams. The much drabber Fusion keeps things small and simple by offering up just 25-watts of power and DAB / FM tuners. Expect the couple to sashay into e-tailers next month for £169.99 ($316) / £99 ($184).

Read - RDi-W
Read - Fusion

Just what the world needs -- another pair of perfectly average projectors to choose from. Vivitek has boldly gone where so many others have gone before by introducing the D326MX (XGA) and D326WX (WXGA) projectors, both of which rely on Texas Instruments' DLP engine and boast rapid start-up / instant shutdown features, HDMI / component connectors, 2,600 ANSI lumens, a 2,500:1 contrast ratio, 5-segment color wheel and a 1-watt speaker for mind-blowing monaural sound. The units weigh in at just 3.2-pounds apiece, and both should be available now for $999 / $1,199 should you remember to look within the next 15 seconds. Full release after the break.

We won't say it got picked dead last in kickball or anything, but Sylvania's G Netbook Meso certainly isn't the class king. The ho hum netbook was recently reviewed over at Laptop Mag, and while critics did applaud the Ubuntu Netbook Remix operating system and relatively great battery life, the 512MB of RAM hindered performance. Additionally, the design was harshed on quite heavily, eventually leading to a perfectly middle-of-the-road 2.5 out of 5 stars. Be honest, though -- did you really expect anything different?

At long last, "you are now free to surf the intarwebz while flying." Okay, so maybe it has been possible in the past, but American Airlines is taking a huge leap forward in the US market today by giving passengers aboard long-haul Boeing 767-200 flights the option to hop online during the trip. The GoGo service, which is being provided by Aircell, will charge customers $12.95 for access to the world wide web, though Reuters points out that VoIP calling is "not available." Delta, US Airways, et al. -- time to get with the program.

[Via Dallas News, thanks Travis]

It's never been a secret that pro-level wireless audio manufacturers are nervous about the Wireless Innovation Alliance's whitespace internet plans, but now that Google's taken the fight to the people directly, various equipment makers are starting to air their concerns publicly -- and with millions of dollars in gear and people's livelihoods on the line, they aren't being shy about it. "We are worried the FCC will buckle and allow white space to be used by personal portable devices seeking wireless services," says Letrasonic's Karl Winkler, as professional wireless audio systems like those used in theaters and rock venues exist in the same frequency spectrum and redesigning them to avoid interference could "cost big productions millions of dollars." That's of course the same concern groups like the NAB had about television broadcasts, but where we can see consumers being willing to put up with some TV static to get cheaper net access, we don't think rock bands and stage performers will be as willing to compromise -- and although Motorola says its geolocation system will prevent any interference, it doesn't sound like the industry is ready to buy it. Of course, all these hysterics are based on nothing more than speculation and rumors, since basically no one's ever seen a whitespace device in use -- maybe if one of the giant companies backing the tech would actually demo some of this vapor, people wouldn't be so nervous about it. Just a suggestion -- albeit one we've been making for months now.

Well you can't say you didn't see this one coming -- between the leaked shots, more leaked shots, and those -- yes -- leaked press materials, this was only a matter of time. That's right: Palm has gone and gotten all official with its latest and greatest smartphone, the now-familiar Treo Pro. The new Windows Mobile device is being sold unlocked (!), and features an HSDPA cell radio (tri-band UMTS, quad-band GSM), GPS, 802.11b/g, a 320 x 320 touchscreen display, 256MB ROM, 128MB RAM, a 2-megapixel camera, support for microSDHC cards up to 32GB... and a standard 3.5mm headphone jack! The Pro will run you $549 contract-free here in the States, while you'll be able to purchase it through Vodafone and O2 for prices ranging from €399 to nothing at all (with a contract, of course). Hit the read link and take a tour of the new device, or watch the totally radical -- and long, and detailed -- video after the break.

We've seen one pico projector after another emerge, but we're getting pretty antsy as we wait for one to ship en masse to North America. Call it a hunch, but we highly doubt Fuchitek's PEP01 will be the first to fly stateside. The handheld beamer measures in at just 11.5- x 5- x 2.2-centimeters and features a 640 x 480 native resolution, 80:1 contrast ratio, support for NTSC / PAL, composite input and a battery life of around 40 minutes. Per usual, there's no indication of when Fuchitek plans on releasing it (let alone a price), so we suppose we'll spend yet another night holding the PLC-XL50 up with our hands and pretending that everything's kosher.

[Via Pocket-lint]

Hey friend, ready for a full Lenovo IdeaPad S10 review? Sorry, this ain't it, but Laptop's initial hands-on with this "sweet 10-incher" might be enough to help with any imminent purchasing decisions requiring $429 in cash. What if we sweetened the deal and told you that Lenovo's netbook also features that very same un-netbooky X4500 integrated graphics found in Intel's Centrino 2 chipset -- no lame GMA950 here, pal. And as oddball as it sounds, one reader discovered that the red-colored S10 also features an external CD-RW/DVD-ROM for the same price as the white S10 (but $10 more than the black model). Check the full hands-on text (laced with adjectives like "spacious," "lovely," and "stylish") and video (where it's dubbed a Wind and Eee PC killer) just beyond the read link and just for you buddy.

[Thanks, Peter and and Boning C.]

Generally speaking, HP's Mini-Note 2133 is pretty well loved the world over. Sure, there are a few things that could use tweaking, but what good gadget couldn't use even a small dose of overhaul? Nevertheless, a few reports have been trickling in suggesting that HP's netbook is suddenly going dark and refusing to start back up. Folks are apparently being told that it's a motherboard power failure, though it doesn't seem to have become widespread just yet... or has it? Let us know in comments below.

[Via Chris Rue]

With all the DSLR noise going on, the EOS Rebel XS managed to sneak in without too many people noticing. The proper entry-level replacement to the XTi / 400D recently took the time to cave to Camera Labs' every request, and when all was said and done, critics didn't find too many negative points to harp on. The all-important image quality ranked very highly, and the built-in live view was obviously a boon. Granted, the fixed screen and 7-point AF system (versus the 9-pointer on the XTi) were slight bummers, but it still managed to secure an 82% (Highly Recommended) rating. Care to see how it stacked up against Nikon's D60, Sony's A200 and a Polaroid 80B Highlander? Two of the three comparisons await you in the read link.

[Via DigitalCameraInfo]

USB blankets are old hat (for better or worse), but the USB Heated Shawl takes an aged concept and makes it relevant again with the addition of a single clip. Clearly designed for elderly folks who aren't kept warm enough by the bottoms of their laptops and for the billions of cubical dwellers who freeze in silence each and every day, this $28.95 device is a godsend. Just plug it in, wrap it around and enjoy the warmth. Oh, and ignore the haters.

Though this isn't the first music player we've seen with dual headphone jacks, it's still one of only a handful available today. Head Music's 4GB Blizzard offers up a rather plain (okay, exceptionally plain) design with a 2.8-inch 320 x 240 touchscreen, FM tuner, rechargeable battery, USB connectivity, microSD slot, twin headphone ports and support for MP3, WMA, WAV, OGG, AVI, WMV and MPEG-4 file formats. Word on the street puts a $103 price tag on it, though you'll probably have to hunt high and low to actually find someone selling it.

[Via PMPToday]