Video conferencing is becoming an increasingly important part of business communication in the poor economic climate around the world. In better years, companies would just fly employees to a conference to talk business, but now many use video instead.

Samsung has announced a new stand alone video conferencing LCD that is called the VC240. The device can also be used as a Pc display. The screen is 24-inches in size and it uses V2oIP for communications and is fully compatible with other VoIP systems.

Wal-Mart is upping its electronics game, filling the void left by Circuit City’s closure. If you’re counting, that’s about $11.1 billion in annual revenue waiting to be made. Wal-Mart is rolling out new sections for Apple and Nintendo in some of its electronics departments this week.

They are also adding higher-end Sony and Samsung televisions, expanding Blu-ray equipment and is even getting the Palm Pre next month. Wow. Does this mean under $1000 macs? That would sure make Laptop Hunters happy.

Sharp just rolled out two new home theater racks in the AN-AR410 and the AN-AR510. The racks support 37″ – 42″ and 42″ – 52″ LCD TV’s.

Both racks are equipped with 3.1 channel surround sound, 3 x HDMI ports, 2 x Digital inputs and a digital amplifier which delivers an output of 485W. The AN-AR410 is priced at 90,000 Yen ($900), while the AN-AR510 sells for 100,000 Yen ($1000). Both units will be available in Japan starting June 10.

Pentax has released the Pentax K20D Titanium Limited Edition which features a 2.8-inch LCD screen, image stabilization and dust proofing. The original version of the Pentax K20D is available for $700, while the limited edition Titanium version costs a stunning $1199.

So you’ll be paying for that sexy sleek look. It also has a cool metal-wrapped battery grip that can hold some extra batteries. The 14.6MP DSLR will be available in Japan at the end of April 2009. Only 1000 units will be available.

Today iBUYPOWER announced LAN Warrior, the first small form factor gaming system in the company’s line up. But don’t be fooled by the small package, there’s no power sacrificed here. Some specs include dual slot video cards, a 1000W power supply, 24GB of Triple Channel DDR3, SupremeFX X-Fi for enhanced sound effects and more. Plus overclocking.

It packs in even more. Like an Intel Core i7 Processor, a NZXT Rogue case with 3-120mm ventilation fan ports, eSATA, a card reader, audio out, two USB ports, a removable power supply bracket and a lock on the front cable for theft protection.

It’s a good idea. Not just because it’s cool, but also because it’s green. We’re talking monitors that activate or deactivate based on the mere presence of humans. It’s almost alive. Or may seem that way. It’s how Eizo’s 20-inch FlexScan EV2023W-H and 23-inch EV2303W-T roll. They’ll save you energy and money. And maybe help you shed some of that some of that green guilt.

The built-in motion sensor on the monitor switches to standby mode when a human is not detected for 40 seconds. Aside from that, both of these monitors are pretty typical. You’ll get 1600 × 900 native resolution, 178-degree viewing angles, and a 3000:1 contrast ratio for the EV2023W and 1920 × 1080 native resolution, 160-degree viewing angles, and a 1000:1 contrast ratio for the EV2303W.

Panasonic has a pair of dash-mountable devices that will finally let you toss aside those old school DVDs. The first is the CN-HX3000D Windows-powered device, sporting a 7-inch, 1280 x 720 display and also offering GPS, Bluetooth, a 40GB hard drive, and iPod/iPhone compatibility.

The second device is the CY-BB1000D in-car Blu-ray player (Not BD-Live compatible). Both are set to arrive this fall for an unknown price. Whatever it is, you’ll gladly pay it, just to keep the little ones happy and sedated.

If you have ever worked at a job where you had to take a projector with you on the road to give presentations you know how big a hassle it can be taking the often heavy devices with you. If you have to travel a long way by air, the hassle is even worse. A company called AAXA Technologies has a new projector called the P1 Pico Projector that may make carrying that full-size projector a thing of the past and let mobile multimedia fans watch on a much larger screen than their portable device offers. The real question is can a tiny projector work in the real world. Read on to find out if the P1 Pico Projector can really replace a full-size projector.

A battery charger powered by a battery. You will be free and untethered, assuming you have some D-sized batteries to power it. Isn’t this like robbing Peter to pay Paul? Or robbing Duracell to charge Energizer. Something like that.

It “Uses up to 1000 disposable batteries”. How can you resist? This must have been dreamed up by battery manufacturers to sell more D batteries. I can’t remember the last time I used a D battery myself. We have no idea where to buy one. If you have this gadget let us know. It’s probably a joke. Well, we know it’s a joke, but you know…

I remember when Blu-ray drives for computers first starting coming to the market. The internal drives were over $1000 to purchase making them far too expensive for most of the people interested in them to afford. Thankfully, as things happen in the technology industry, prices have dropped significantly today.

Pioneer has announced a new Blu-ray writer called the BDR-2203 that can burn dual-layer Blu-ray discs at 8x speeds. The best part is that the internal optical drive retails for $249.99, about a quarter of what Blu-ray drives sold for not so long ago.

JVC Japan has unveiled the GD-463D10 a 46 inch HD LCD TV which can…wait for it… display images in 3D. The LCD features a contrast ratio of 2000:1 with a maximum of 10000:1 in dynamic mode and is super thin at just 39mm.

The panel was developed using the Xpol polar screen system and much to our sadness requires special 3D glasses to watch the image in its full 3D glory. The 3D will look excellent, you’ll just look like a dork. The onboard speakers deliver an output of 10W×2ch and the unit comes with two 3D glasses. Though I am sure they are willing to sell you more.

Video: Laptop Hunters $1000 – Lauren Gets an HP Pavilion
The ongoing war between Microsoft & Apple continues. In this new ad, Microsoft exploits Apple’s Achilles heel, being outrageously overpriced. It’s a brilliant ad that hits them right where it hurts. Because it’s true.

The ad shows a customer looking for a laptop for under a $1000. She searches both the Apple store and a conventional electronics store and finally settles on an HP laptop for under $700. Unlike their previous ads, this one works because it actually speaks to the consumer, and what matters to them. Getting a decent computer for a fair price.

External storage is particularly important in the business world where the loss of data can mean the loss of significant money or important records that can’t be replaced. For that reason businesses often spend lots of money on external storage solutions. Seagate has announced new NAS devices that are more affordable than the average solution.

The new products are in the BlackArmor line and include the NAS 440 and NAS 420 storage servers, which can support up to 8TB each. Both of the devices are four bay, hot swappable units that offer a centralized way to backup and secure data in a business or home. The NAS 420 ships with two drives installed with 2TB of total capacity. The NAS 440 comes with four drives installed and capacities up to 8TB.

Asus’s Fold/Unfold concept that they showed off at CES is actually going to be released, according to Asus CEO Jerry Shen. The notebook will cost somewhere between $1,000 and $1,500. The Fold/Unfold (Lets hope it gets a better name) should arrive around September or October 2009.

The design maximizes space for the keyboard and trackpad by sliding the keyboard forward over the trackpad when the laptop’s closed, and sliding back to reveal it when open. It’s an interesting development given the size limitations of netbooks while wanting to maximize keyboard space.

SanDisk will be shipping its slotRadio at the end of this month, so those looking for an MP3 player that doesn’t have an Apple logo can give it some love and see if it loves you back.

This player comes with a microSD memory card slot so you can have your choice of pre-loaded music. You can get it pre-loaded with Billboard hits cards that hold more than 1,000 tracks. Which means that for every song you like, there will be ten that you don’t.