We figured it was coming, we knew it was coming, and sure enough, it has arrived. All build-up aside, the LCD deal — not to be confused with the already implemented plasma arrangement — between Matsushita (Panasonic) and Hitachi has finally been finalized, and under the terms of the agreement, Matsushita will acquire a 24.9-percent stake in Hitachi Displays, Ltd. by March 31st, pending regulatory approval. It should be noted, however, that Hitachi and Canon (who is technically still a part of this wheelin’ and dealin’ triangle) are still working to hammer out a formal contract, but you can get all up in the fine print by tapping the read link below.

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written by Jose Castillo

Are we going to see new Cinema displays by the end of the month? If so, they might look like this– it’s a nice-looking mockup posted by Ben over on the redrant forums. It is interesting that Cinema displays are almost starting to match up to the Beatles as the one thing we hope to get from Apple but never do. For years now, people have been hoping for an update to these things– an installed iSight (that one’s actually been “a lock” for years) and even a touchscreen display. But Apple hasn’t budged– the last time they updated the Cinemas, it was to drop the prices two years ago.

Yup, it’s been since then that a Cinema update has seemed to be just around the corner. You can only think of so many ways to update monitors, but it seems that Apple hasn’t, so far, liked any of the ideas enough to put them on sale.

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written by Jose Castillo

From iRiver and the house The Mouse built comes this limited edition M-Player. Gold plating and a Philips PNX0103ET audio processor create what iriver calls an “assassin’s mace” of a device. Sure, Cute. Simple. Friendly. Now add Opulent to the tagline too — at ?888 Chinese Yuan (about $123) you’ll be looking at a 100% or so markup over their standard 1GB Mplayer.

[Via Engadget]

written by Luke Manning

Although I can be a bit of a slob, I’m pretty anal retentive when it comes to keeping my electronics clean. That goes triple for my MacBook. Although I was pretty scrupulous with my last laptop, the glossy screen and black casing that shows all have required me to become even more attentive. Even though I don’t have people touching my screen all the time, I manage to accumulate build up of fingerprints, smudges and dust marks (most likely from the keyboard) that require giving the screen a full cleaning every week.

The Apple Blog has posted some some great tips/techniques for keeping your screen looking like new, and while they are directed for glossy screen owners, the same basic techniques can be used for any screen, be it iPod/iPhone, matte LCD screen (like on a MacBook Pro or older Apple laptop), iMac, etc.

The key is getting the right type of cleaning solution an the right type of cleaning cloth. The author of the tips article recommends using monitor wipes from some sort of Office supply store, but I’ve found that unless you get individually sealed one-time use wipes (which can get expensive), the wipes tend to dry out very, very quickly, effectively making them useless. I prefer to use cleaning product like iKlear or a home-made 50/50 solution of isopropyl alcohol and bottled water. 99% of all electronics cleaners out there are essentially diluted isopropyl alcohol (add blue dye and some fragrance and ammonia and you have Windex — don’t use Windex on your screen).

As for the right kind of cloth, you want to use a lint-free microfiber lens cloth (it will be slightly textured as opposed to a smooth microfiber cloth that you use for polishing/cleaning an iPod or digital camera screen, you can use a smooth microfiber cloth, but I have had much better results with the more textured ultra-suede cloths for laptop screens).

Now for the actual cleaning:First you want to turn off your notebook and let it cool down completely. Heat messes with the cleaning process. Shut off the computer, unplug it and let it cool for a few minutes.

If you are using a product like iKlear that is completely alcohol free, lightly spray the entire screen (it usually takes 1 pump for a MacBook, 2 for a MacBook Pro) and then use the edge of your cleaning cloth to lightly evenly disperse the solution. If you are using something with alcohol, spray directly onto a portion of your cloth first and then apply the solution evenly to the screen.

Next, using a different edge of the cloth (or a different cloth - just make sure it is starting out dry), polish small sections of the screen in vertical strokes until all of the cleaner is gone. it’s OK to be firm when polishing, just make sure you support the back of the screen with your hand. Continue until the entire display is clean.

If you still have streaks on the screen and the screen is “dry” — you didn’t polish your screen enough and the cleaner has left residue. Re-apply the solution and start again.

That’s it! Enjoy your clean Mac!

What I like about iKlear is that you can get the cleaning solution, the cleaning cloths and some travel pre-moistened wipes all in one package. You can use the same solution to clean the casing of your laptop (use the smooth microfiber cloth instead) and your iPod, cell phone and digital camera.

[Via The Apple Blog]

written by Jose Castillo

Well, at least we didn’t have to wait long. After a bit of a premature showing on Dell’s website in the AM, the Crystal is back for realsies. Obviously the notable thing here is the design statement Dell is making with all that glass and metal — these days it’s almost like they’ve started paying their designers or something — but the good news is that beauty isn’t only skin deep here, since this 22-inch LCD has a 1680 x 1050 resolution, 98% color gamut, 2ms response time, 2000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, and a built-in 2 megapixel webcam. There are also built-in speakers, and fancy touch controls across the base of the monitor, all wired along the glass with style. Connections include DVI and HDMI with HDCP and DisplayPort. Perhaps the best news is that you don’t have to wait until CES to pick this thing up: it’s available now for $1,199.

[Via Engadget]

written by Jose Castillo