Stories by Melissa J. Perenson

Toshiba issues firmware update for HD DVD players

That didn't take long: Just a month and a half after the official launch, Toshiba has posted its first firmware update for its HD-A1 and HD-XA1 HD DVD players. Users with broadband connections can download the update via ethernet (the alert warns it ...

Pioneer delays Blu-ray disc player

Pioneer Wednesday announced a delay for its first-generation Blu-ray Disc player, the Elite BDP-HD1. Originally due out later this month, this model is now scheduled to ship in September, according to Pioneer. Blu-ray Disc is expected to launch later...

Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 750GB

Seagate's Barracuda 7200.10 750GB drive, the largest hard drive to date, sets new standards for capacity, price, and performance. Its speed was especially notable on the PC World Test Center's write tests, where it came within a hair's breadth of mat...

First impressions: Motorola Q smartphone

My colleague, Erik Larkin, met with Motorola earlier today and hand-carried our evaluation unit back to PC World's offices--where several of us have been eager to get our hands on the much-anticipated Motorola Q (follow the link for more details on t...

Hands on with Palm's Treo 700p

First came the 700w. Today, we got our hands on the Palm Treo 700p, the latest iteration of Palm's smartphone running the Palm OS. This 700p is being offered by Sprint, which is slated to start shipping it later this month; Verizon, which is already ...

Burning Questions: Blu-ray Disc, HD DVD arrive

After much bluster and a few false starts, high-definition DVD has arrived. At least in the US. You'll find several products meant for the living room and for the PC at your favorite store, with more on the way. Unfortunately, high-def DVD comes in t...

E3 - SLI notebooks debut

Notebook makers Alienware and Voodoo PC both announced SLI-powered notebooks at E3 this week. Although the systems are clearly in the vein of a notebook, neither is something you'd want to carry around a lot: Each weighs in at a hefty 15 and 16 pound...

E3 - Sony to ship PlayStation 3 in November

Sony has finally spilled the news: PlayStation 3 will ship November 17 in the U.S. priced at US$499 for the version with a 20GB hard drive, US$599 for a 60GB hard drive.

E3 - Pioneer offers surround sound for Xbox

Pioneer Electronics has introduced at the E3 conference a (mostly) compact 5.1 channel surround sound speaker system, the HTS-GS1. The US$499 system is licensed for the Xbox 360, and its aesthetics are paired with that of the Xbox 360.

E3 - Microsoft's HD DVD drive for movies only

Microsoft Tuesday officially announced that it would offer an HD DVD drive as a peripheral to the Xbox 360 by the end of the year. But don't expect to see any Xbox 360 games ship on HD DVD any time soon.

E3 - Toshiba's Qosmio gets HD DVD

At the E3 conference in Los Angeles, Toshiba announced its latest Qosmio notebook, the G35-AV650, which will be the first model to feature an HD DVD-ROM drive capable of playing HD DVD movies. This announcement comes as little surprise: Toshiba's Jap...

E3 - Nintendo divulges Wii details

We're here at the lush Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, where Nintendo has started its 2006 E3 Media Briefing.

E3 - Gates introduces Xbox Live Anywhere

Call it a sign of changing times--times in which the battle for your living room reigns supreme in the minds of traditional tech powerhouses. One example: About an hour in to Microsoft's Xbox press event at Grauman's Chinese Theater here in Los Angel...

Maxtor goes mini with new OneTouch III

Maxtor finally joins the ranks of major hard drive manufacturers offering a portable drive with its new OneTouch III Mini Edition. Western Digital recently began shipping the latest in its WD Passport line, a 120GB model; and Seagate shipped its 160G...

New Fujitsu super-slim Lifebook Q2010 laptop

On Tuesday, Fujitsu Computer Systems announced its stylish new LifeBook Q Series notebook. The LifeBook Q2010 is super-slim--just ¾ of an inch thick--and weighs just 2.2 pounds.