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(Credit: Epson)

Just in time for the holiday gift-buying rush, Epson on Tuesday announced a brand new PictureMate personal photo printer. We've reviewed plenty of Epson's 4x6 photo printers in the past, but its latest PictureMate Charm promises maximum versatility and print durability for just $150.

The PictureMate Charm gives home photo enthusiasts a new way to produce lab-quality photos on the go at parties, special events, family vacations, and so on, thanks to the inclusion of a carrying handle and a dual-purpose lid that also happens to double as a paper input tray.

Creative types will be pleased to see a variety of color effects and layout options that turn photos into wallet-size proof sheets, stickers, and more. Featuring 5760x1440 dpi, the PictureMate Charm boasts the highest print resolution in its class with built-in auto photo correction and red-eye removal in tow. The Charm will also come with ink and 100 sheets of either glossy or matte-finish 4x6-inch photo paper.

Look for a full review of the Epson PictureMate Charm coming soon. One more photo of the Epson PictureMate Charm after the jump.

Qualcomm will offer its FLO TV on a handheld television, putting this existing service on a dedicated device for the first time.

Qualcomm's FLO TV Personal Television

(Credit: Qualcomm)

FLO TV, the Qualcomm-owned provider of a live mobile TV service, unveiled the FLO TV Personal Television on Tuesday, with availability slated for holiday season at retailers.

FLO, or "forward link only" technology, is designed for multicasting a large volume of rich multimedia content cost effectively to wireless subscribers. AT&T and Verizon already offer FLO TV on mobile phones in the U.S.

Qualcomm says the FLO TV Personal Television is "created with the single focus of delivering high-quality TV." The device receives live and time-shifted content with no buffering, downloading or waiting to view content, according to Qualcomm.

Content includes CNBC, Comedy Central, ESPN, ESPNews, Fox, Fox News, Fox Sports, MSNBC, MTV, NBC2Go, NBC, NBC News, NBC Sports, Nickelodeon, CBS, CBS College Sports, and CBS News. (Editors' note: CBS College Sports and CBS News are offerings of CBS, which is also the parent company of CNET News.)

Though handheld TV is still somewhat of an unknown quantity, viewership--like that of more traditional big-screen TV-- tends to spike during major national events, according to Qualcomm. Its service saw a surge in viewers, for example, during March Madness--the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship.

Qualcomm cited market research from TeleAnalytics that projects a broadcast mobile TV market of $2.8 billion and 50 million users in North American by 2013.

FLO TV Personal Television subscription service starts at $8.99 per month and the device will sell for $249.99. Specifications include a 3.5-inch diagonal screen and weight of of just over 5 ounces. Its battery supports more than 5 hours of active FLO TV viewing or 300 hours standby.

The television uses a capacitive touch-screen allowing channel surfing with a finger swipe. It also includes a built-in stand and stereo speakers.

Michael Tchao

(Credit: CC Michell Zappa/Flickr)

Those expecting Apple to introduce a new tablet computer soon may have another clue to the device's imminent arrival.

Apple has rehired Michael Tchao, one of the original developers of Apple's Newton personal digital assistant, according to a report Monday in The New York Times.

Tchao, who rejoined Apple on Monday as vice president of product marketing, most recently served as general manager for Nike Techlab, where he oversaw creation of new digital products and services for fitness enthusiasts. Tchao spent 10 years at Apple, overseeing product marketing for the Newton and reportedly persuading former Apple CEO John Scully to include the company's handwriting-recognition technology into what would become Apple's first consumer device.

Introduced in 1993 as the brainchild of Sculley, the handheld was plagued by poor reviews that pointed to the difficulty in its handwriting recognition capabilities. Beyond the initial snags, the Newton and other Apple handheld technologies never seemed to catch on, and Apple announced in 1998 that it would discontinue development of the Newton operating system and Newton-related products.

Rumors of an Apple tablet have been swirling for a couple of years, but speculation has ramped up in recent months, including reports that Apple CEO Steve Jobs has been focusing intensely on a tablet device since returning to work in June after a liver transplant.

Apple representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday evening, but Apple has apparently been laying the groundwork for a tablet PC for years. The company was granted a patent in 2005 for tablet PC design, and the company was granted a patent last year for a tablet-like device that incorporated a touchscreen. Apple has also long had some of the key technologies for a tablet computer with Inkwell--a handwriting recognition feature having been in Mac OS X for some time.

(Credit: Seagate/MusicSkins)

Finally, hard drives have cottoned on to the whole personalization deal and realized that color choices are not enough. Seagate's Pimp My Drive initiative is partnering with MusicSkins to offer vinyl skins to dress up your storage drive, just like notebooks and handsets.

There's a bounty of skins--about 161--to pick from at MusicSkin's Seagate page, for what seems to be $20 each. Or you can get a skin from the cryptkeeper when you're buying a FreeAgent Go drive. From Bob Marley to John Lennon to Adult Swim and even personal photos and images, the good thing is these skins are removable so you can always indulge in a different custom look anytime.

But if you're feeling cheap or creative, or both, you can always do it yourself. Just remember that hard drives get hot with use, and that homebrewed adhesive may well go from pimp to limp.

(Source: Crave Asia)

We found tons of little gizmos that either brought us thoughts of "awww cute" or thoughts of "awww really?" Also, man babies and sticky mats. What, you really want me to explain that in further detail? Really?

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One of the bigger pushes for Nintendo's Wii console recently has been The Conduit, a sci-fi first-person shooter from Sega. Looking past the hype, we put it to the test--hoping to find out if the popular Wii is actually good for something other than casual, party, and kids' games.

As with the recent Ghostbusters debate, our CNET editors' gaming roundtable gives conflicting opinions below, and we naturally want to hear what you think in the handy comments section.

Jeff Bakalar:
We're really impressed at how customizable the game is. In addition to completely changing the controls around, you have the option to move around individual HUD (heads-up-display) items at your leisure, so you can build the presentation that's right for you.

Control-wise, the game performs very smoothly, just how you'd want a first-person-shooter on the Wii to play. It's refreshing to see a game like this built from the ground up specifically for the Wii--you'll notice little things like rack focusing and other camera tricks that aren't seen in most Wii games.... Read more

For a good six months now, Mint has been the go-to app for managing finances on your iPhone. Today, Quicken debuted its own money manager: Quicken Online Mobile. Like Mint, it's free. Unlike Mint, it's passcode-protected.

That protection addresses a long-standing concern: if someone makes off with your iPhone, they can fire up the Mint app and see how much money's sitting in each of your accounts.

Quicken Online Mobile, on the other hand, won't let you in without first entering your four-digit PIN.

To get started, you'll need to create a free Quicken Online account (if you don't already have one). As with Mint, QO gives you a big-picture overview of your bank accounts, credit cards, and the like. (It also allows for a little forecasting, such as when your next paycheck will hit.)

From there, just load up Quicken Online Mobile (which can also run on an iPod Touch, natch) and sign into your account. In addition to showing you account balances, the app lets you record purchases on the run and can find nearby ATMs--two perks not available in Mint's app.

Is that enough to make you switch? Or do you continue to have concerns about carrying sensitive financial data in a device that's easily lost or stolen? Share your thoughts in the comments!

(Credit: Nintendo)

Gamers and geeks, step aside. It's Mom's turn to jump on the gaming bandwagon. On Monday, Nintendo announced a new DS Lite bundle, clearly tailored to the interests of middle-aged women.

At the usual $149.99, the bundle includes a lime green console, a matching carrying case, and Personal Trainer: Cooking. Those who tend to buy into gender stereotypes can already preorder the bundle just in time for Mother's Day on Amazon. Don't forget to add on My Weight Loss Coach and Imagine: Babyz while you're at it.

In the past couple of years we've seen a Nintendogs bundle for kids, a Brain Age bundle for the old timers, and other age-specific packages in between. As with all tech toys, every newly designed DS makes the last seem so passe. The lime green console itself has "geek chic" written all over it and--though I'm not a mom--I may just have to grab one for myself.

The bundle will be available at all retail locations on May 3.

LAS VEGAS--On the eve of the CTIA Wireless 2009 trade show here, Clearwire has announced a portable Wi-Fi router that will use Wi-Fi to connect devices such as smartphones and cameras to its new 4G wireless network.

(Credit: Cradlepoint)

On Tuesday, network operator Clearwire, which is building a nationwide WiMax network, announced the Clear Spot, which is made by CradlePoint.

The compact, battery-powered device connects up to eight devices to the Clearwire WiMax network via Wi-Fi. It costs $139 and is expected to go on sale later this month.

Clearwire said the Clear Spot will work with most Wi-Fi-enabled smartphones, including the iPhone, some BlackBerry devices, Windows Mobile phones, the T-Mobile G1, and the Palm Pre. It will also work with Wi-Fi-enabled game and music devices, as well as Wi-Fi-ready digital and video cameras.

The purpose of the device is to extend and provide access to Clearwire's WiMax network. Intel has already started manufacturing WiMax chips. And some laptops have the technology embedded in them.

Eventually, other consumer electronics devices will also get WiMax connectivity. But until then, there aren't many devices that can connect to the Clearwire network. By contrast, there are millions of devices already on the market that have Wi-Fi connectivity. The Clear Spot router allows these Wi-Fi devices to access the Clearwire WiMax network.

"While many (consumer electronics) devices will eventually include embedded WiMax technology, our customers can now easily use their existing Wi-Fi-enabled phones, cameras, game systems, or laptops in compelling new ways," Scott Richardson, chief strategy officer for Clearwire, said in a statement.

Clearwire currently offers WiMax service in Baltimore and Portland, Ore. The company has plans to add service in another eight cities in 2009, and it expects that by the end of 2010, it will be able to offer its WiMax service to 120 million users. The service is available for $10 a day, or consumers can sign up for a monthly service starting at $30.

Clearwire isn't the only service provider tapping into the power of Wi-Fi to reach more consumer devices. Verizon Wireless is also reportedly getting ready to launch a new device known as the MiFi 2200, which is made by Novatel. This device also creates a personal Wi-Fi hot spot that uses Verizon's 3G wireless network to connect to the Internet.

Verizon isn't commenting on the new device. But Novatel is showing off the device here at CTIA.