Toshiba is laying the smack down on Alienware, revamping its flame emblazoned Qosmio X305 by introducing the Qosmio X305-Q708, which features a Core 2 Extreme QX9300 CPU, 4GB of DDR3 RAM, a 128GB SSD, 320GB 7,200 RPM SATA drive, dual-layer DVD writer, twin NVIDIA 512MB GeForce 9800M GTS graphics cards, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR and Windows Vista Ultimate. It’s also got a full-sized keyboard with a ten-key number pad, four Harman Kardon speakers, HDMI / DisplayPort connectors, 1.3-megapixel webcam, Wireless USB / USB Sleep-and-Charge technologies and a 17-inch TruBrite LCD (Unknown resolution).

It should be available by the time you read this for around $4,199.99. But if I were you I’d pay extra to get rid of the whole fire motif. With those specs, it’s a damn shame Toshiba is so set on making you look like a flaming dork.

And thank god, cuz that one is fugly. Makes me queasy just looking at it. Fujitsu recently intro’d the new LifeBook A1110 15.4-inch consumer- oriented notebook with a swappable lid. That way you can show your style with a green mod labyrinth, bright pink with butterflies, or a cool blue Victorian print. The green mod labyrinth pis making me dizzy.

Fujitsu’s LifeBook A1110 is powered by an Intel Centrino 2 and comes with the Core 2 Duo P7350 or T5800 processor, up to 4GB of DDR2 memory, up to 320GB of hard drive space, and a DVD burner. Some other features are a 1.3MP webcam, 802.11n wireless module, Ethernet LAN port, 56K modem, Bluetooth, three USB ports, ExpressCard and SD Card slots, and a VGA output. It only weighs 6.3 pounds and runs on Windows Vista Home Premium OS. The LifeBook A1110 retails for $799.

Desktop computers were once the computer of choice for the majority of users. Improvements in technology making notebooks cheaper and mobile Internet connections have turned the majority of users today to notebooks. However, there is still a market for the desktop PC, though it is shrinking literally and figuratively.

Many desktop computers today are shrinking in size into small form factor systems. The latest SFF desktop to hit retail shelves is the eMachines EL 1200 series. The series includes two computers — the EL 1200-05w and the EL 1210-01e. eMachines says the computers are about the size of a dictionary.

When most people want a new notebook, they look around online and then go to a retail store to buy. Enthusiasts wanting system that you can’t buy in retail outlets may actually order online, but the average consumer wants to walk in a store and leave with their new computer.

To help the retail shoppers find a machine with good performance, Best Buy and Toshiba have teamed up for a Satellite E105 notebook that is a Best Buy exclusive. The notebook has a 14.1-inch LCD and offers up to 5.5 hours of battery life.

Hello Kitty fans can now be spied on by the dreaded pink menace. This USB web camera is no doubt exactly what you’ve been looking for. It will silently watch and make sure that your room is full of other Hello Kitty merchandise, whether you are a 14 year old girl or a 40 something man with issues. It’s compatible with Windows Vista/XP/2000 and features a 640×480 resolution at 15 frames per second.

The price is $86 and this webcam won’t just steal your heart, but it will steal your pink cat-loving soul. Listen, I’ve tried to tell you before, this cat is taking over the world and making life look like a little girl’s room for everyone. And that ain’t right. We must rise up and fight. I have to go now. My cat is watching and I don’t want to be reported to Hello Kitty HQ.

Specialty consumer electronics company Okoro Media Systems has unveiled a new Windows Vista media device designed for the home entertainment room. It is called the OMS-SX100 and you’ll find it pricing around $1,700.

The OMS-SX100 is described as an “Ultra Low Profile” digital entertainment system powered by the AMD Athlon X2 platform. It supports Blu-ray, when working with a Blu-ray drive, to make it Blu-ray profile 2.0 compliant and also capable of decoding 5.1 Dolby Digital and DTS along with 7.1 Dolby TrueHD and DTS Master Audio formats.

The DVR has been the best thing to happen to TV since programming went color. Before the DVR, we had to record shows with a DVD recorder or even worse — a VCR. Anyone who has tried to program a VCR to record a show that isn’t on yet will recall the anxiety. The DVR came along and made recording programs as easy as clicking a button and one of the pioneers in the DVR realm was TiVo.

Nero and TiVo announced that they have teamed up for a new software and hardware product called Nero LiquidTV | TiVo PC. The product allows users to record TV programs on their PC with typical DVR ease as well as pause and rewind programs. Once TV programs are recorded, the shows can be exported to PSP, iPod or DVD automatically.

Two new Webcams were recently conceived over at little old Microsoft in Redmond, WA. The more standout of these is the slim LifeCam Show, priced around $100.

The Microsoft LifeCam Show comes with what Microsoft says is a “complete attachment kit” to anchor it to many surfaces. These kit parts include a magnetic laptop clip, magnetic desktop stand and two attachment discs which have adhesive backings.

Apparently the new series of Windows Vista ads starring Jerry Seinfeld and Bill Gates did not impress Microsoft, or many others for that matter. Microsoft has now basically admitted that the ads bombed, sucked and otherwise blew and they’ve actually fired Jerry Seinfeld. Bill Gates being Bill Gates will stick around and may be back in future ads.

The series will go on, but not with Seinfeld. Which likely means without the funny. And who knows what direction it will take. Personally after the suckage of the first ad, I thought they were beginning to hit their stride. So tomorrow you’ll hear some Microsoft spin regarding phase two of the project. That would be the phase without Seinfeld.

Cliff Kushler is the inventor of T9 Keyboard technology, and now he has another revolutionary technology that will make texting even easier. It’s called Swype is as simple as tapping on your touch screen and sliding your stylus/finger to all the letters of a word and lifting after each word is finished. It’s smart thanks to a built-in 65,000-word dictionary that corrects obvious spelling errors. If there are alternate options, a word menu pops up. A nudge upwards will capitalize the words, and a wiggle will allow for double letter entry.

This will make many users lives easier. The technology was developed with Windows Mobile, the tablet version of XP and Vista, and Surface in mind, but the iPhone could really use it. Kushler says he can type 55 words per minute using it. Everyday users may not fair that well, but it will still be easy to use.

A new Sony docking station being made available for VAIOs makes use of DisplayLink technology for USB-enabled displays. It is called the Sony VAIO Docking Station (model number VGP-UPR1) and you’ll find it available now for around $200.

The VGP-UPR1, according to DisplayLink, allows Sony notebook users to connect an analog or DVI display to a laptop using USB 2.0. It supports a resolution up to 1600 x 1200 and works with Windows 2000, Windows XP and Windows Vista 32-bit and 64-bit, including support for the Windows Vista Aero interface.

IOGEAR has been on a tear of late with new connectivity products for your computer living experience. One of the latest is the Wireless USB to VGA Kit, priced around $230.

The IOGEAR Wireless USB to VGA Kit, according to IOGEAR, enables HD video streaming between a PC and TV or projector up to 720p in a home or office. It works from up to 30 feet away on a HDTV and lets one make use of the TV’s picture-in-picture feature to watch a show and look at a computer display at the same time.

Whether you’re a Mac fan or not, I think we all get a chuckle out of the “Get a Mac” ads. And they must have converted many PC users. Now Microsoft is looking to give as good as they get, recruiting Jerry Seinfeld and of course Bill Gates to show you how magical Vista is. It’s a $300 million campaign that has $10 million set aside for “key celebrity pitchmen”.

The ads apparently focus on “Windows, Not Walls,” talking about the need to “break down barriers that prevent people and ideas from connecting.” It will no doubt involve the Mojave Experiment too, which is Microsofts version of candid camera, where Microsoft made unsuspecting users(Prejudiced against Vista) test a new product that was in fact Vista. They’ve got Seinfeld, why not get Kramer and George in on it too?

Feeling a tad nostalgic for Windows 3.1 after some Vista crashes? Then this is for you. It’s an actual Windows Window. Just gaze outside and relive the good old days of Bill Gates’ fortune and your old 286 PC. These conceptual window coverings give your home large Windows 3.1 screens. You’ll notice in the second picture, the guy is battling with the Blue Screen of Death via the scroll bar!

As far as we can tell these aren’t ready for production just yet, and that’s probably a good thing. Because I think most everyone prefers Windows XP. These would go great with the web 2.0 blinds.

HP had a few new laptops to show off today, including its smallest and lightest notebook to date with a built-in optical drive. Featured were two HP laptops – one a tablet – and a Compaq.

The HP EliteBook 2530p and HP EliteBook 2730p are expected to be available by early September, pricing around $1,500 and $1,670 starting, respectively. The HP Compaq 2230s is currently available for around $1,000. You can get full details after the jump via HP’s press release.