We caught Alienware's OptX AW2210 21.5-inch gaming monitor a couple months back—it's part of Alienware's "more accessible" push, but it's got respectable specs, cramming in a 1920x1080 resolution with a supposed 80,000:1 contrast ratio for $299.

You've also got dual HDMI ports, four USB ports and what has to be the most straightforward design of anything Alienware's every shipped, which is in and of itself an accomplishment.

They're also selling what appears to be an Alienware-branded version of SteelSeries' nearly 2-year-old 5HV2 headset that they're calling TactX.

And really, we're still using X for Xtreme? Mountain Dew is gross guys.

ALIENWARE PUTS YOU IN THE GAME WITH THE LAUNCH OF THE ALIENWARE OPTX™AW2210 21.5" FULL HD MONITOR AND ALIENWARE TACTX™ HEADSET

· Eye-catching Alienware OptX Monitor boasts 1080p HD, ultra-fast response time and features low-input lag
· New Alienware TactX Headphones single out in-game sounds for a truly immersive experience
· Together, the Alienware OptX AW2210 Monitor and Alienware TactX Headset help to create the ultimate gaming experience

MIAMI – June 30, 2009 –Gamers looking for a completely immersive gaming experience can now arm themselves with two new weapons from Alienware – the 21.5-inch Alienware OptX™ AW2210 Full HD Monitor and the Alienware TactX™ Headset offering a unique custom-engineered audio experience.

The Alienware OptX AW2210 Monitor, which goes on sale today for $299, features a Full HD screen resolution ideal for the latest-generation games and high-definition movies in glorious 1080p. To give gamers that extra edge, the monitor features low-input lag and a 2ms response time for a more real time gaming experience. With sleek looks and a dramatic profile that catch every eye in the room, the display's key features include:

• 21.5-inch Widescreen Flat Panel LCD
• 1920 x 1080 Full HD Resolution
• Ultra-Fast 2ms Response Time
• Low Input-Lag for Intense Gaming
• 16.7 Million Colors for Vibrant Images
• 80,000:1 Dynamic Contrast Ratio
• Tilt, Swivel and Height Adjustable Stand
• 2 x HDMI ports allow for you to plug in to your PC or your TV for either PC or console gaming sessions
• 4 x Universal Serial Bus ports for hassle free connection to flash drives, mouse, keyboard and other peripherals

Serious gamers know that every single component of their set-up is part of creating the best gaming experience possible. The same is true when it comes to their peripherals. Alienware TactX headphones are optimized to single out key in-game sounds, enabling you to detect gunfire, footsteps, reloads and more with precision clarity. The headset also features:

• Convenient Retractable Microphone for Headphone-Only Use
• Custom Audio Environment for Optimized In-Game Sounds
• Closed Circumaural Ear Cups for Long Term Comfort
• Gold-Plated Connectors for Increased Fidelity
• 3-Piece Design for Quick Break-Down and Easy Transport

"The ultimate gaming experience requires more than just a great PC," explained Frank Azor, Dell Gaming. "Alienware is building an ecosystem around our machines to give gamers the complete gaming experience. We're proud to offer peripherals like these that can make all the difference."

The Premium Panel Guarantee
Alienware monitors are designed and built to our highest standards, providing the quality and reliability you expect when you see the Alienware logo. Each has been exhaustively tested and comes backed by a Dell Limited Warranty1. Unyielding commitment to quality and the satisfaction of our customers has driven Dell to offer a Premium Panel Guarantee ensuring replacement of Alienware OptX series monitors with zero bright pixels. Even if only one bright pixel is found, a free panel exchange is guaranteed during the limited warranty period, so customers can rest assured their investment is protected.

[Alienware, Alienware]

This video purports to be of some unknown creatures in the sewers under Cameron Village in Raleigh, North Carolina. It's probably some early viral marketing for a movie. But! What if it isn't? Oh god, what if it isn't?? [io9]

In honor of some sport nobody here cares about, British satellite company is releasing upside-down remotes for Australians—because the two are playing each other in said sporting match. [Forever Geek via Technabob]

It all seems a little bit early for Ars Technica's fall release prediction, but according to the Economic Daily News, Sony has awarded two companies contracts on the PS3 Slim for shipments starting this July.

The report claims that Hon Hai won a majority of the production contract with Foxconn scoring a bit as well. But details are scarce on the new PS3, describing it only as "smaller" and "lighter."

Unless the Slim were to be released in July (or maybe August), the "early July" shipments from Economic Daily News seem way too early for the console. Sony would need to announce the Slim next week, otherwise where would they hide all the new consoles?

So either the Economic Daily News is wrong about July shipments, Ars is wrong with the "fall" release, Sony is wrong about the best way to announce a console without it leaking or we're all wrong and the PS3 isn't ready for miniaturization. Fun stuff! [UDN via Engadget]

Really interested in what kind of nuclear rocket capability North Korea has? The Bulletin does a really in-depth analysis of the latest launch, based on released and carefully reasoned interpolated data.

It's quite interesting, with well-thought-out logic that points to NK obtaining parts and knowledge from Russia. In short, they probably don't have quite as good a capability for delivering the payload as previously thought. [The Bulletin]

It's five dollars. It has half the functionality of Twittelator Pro. But Birdfeed just became my default iPhone Twitter app.

It's fast. The fastest Twitter app I've seen since Twitterfon (which isn't that fast anymore, once it started inserting ads.) The user interface is even cleaner and more spare than Tweetie's—the app it will inevitably be compared to the most. For instance, the "load more" button at the bottom is gone—you just keep scrolling down, and it keeps loading new tweets.

Gone, even, is the ubiquitous row of buttons that line the bottom of most Twitter apps for one-touch access to mentions, direct messages and other features. You have to slide back to a list-style menu to reach any feature besides the one you're currently looking at, meaning it's at least two taps to get from a timeline to mentions or vice versa. It solves this problem in part by making it so that you only have to do that when there's a reason to—a number pops up in the back button whenever you have new mentions or DMs telling you many are waiting (pointedly, it badges only new mentions and DMs, not new tweets in your overall timeline). The problem is when you use multiple Twitter clients, since you'll have to look at the same mention twice to get rid of the badge.

Like most every Twitter app except Tweetie, it does cache tweets on your phone, so you can read them offline. Caching is also part of the reason it feels fast. Beyond search and integration with Instapaper, however, it lacks any of the other "power features" that are the bread and butter of say, Twittelator Pro or TweetDeck, like grouping or multiple windows.

It's the opposite: A remarkably focused and well thought out exercise in restraint. It's the details like a timestamp marking every time you open the app so you know where you left off, that shine. If you only use the core Twitter features, Birdfeed is the best app you can buy.

That's not to say it's necessarily better than TweetDeck or Twittelator. The amazing thing about Twitter is that you can do whatever you want with it, and having all of those features is fantastic if you need them. Birdfeed is simply the most essential Twitter app for iPhone yet—it's only what you really need, beautifully designed.

It's not perfect—it freezes for a second when loading new tweets, like you hit the bottom of a timeline and starts pulling in more, and then there's that account amnesia bug.

But whether or not it's worth the extra $2 over Tweetie or the same $5 as feature-rich Twittelator Pro depends on how much speed, focus and design really matter to you. [Birdfeed, iTunes]

Alas, I have no spawn of my own. So when LeapFrog mailed their new Tag Junior, a handheld device that reads special LeapFrog books to children, I had to call in the big guns for the review. Err...little guns.

My 18 month old niece Rysa (with the help of her mother Katharyn Wheeler) put the Tag Junior through the paces. Their collaboration:

Tag Junior 'book pal'
Let's just say that the Tag Junior looks a bit like an alien, a happy alien, but an alien nonetheless. It was actually difficult to keep the reviewer interested in the book because the Tag Junior book pal was so interesting in comparison.

By touching the pal to pictures throughout the pages, everything from animal sounds to the specific names of colors play back on the pal's speaker. The audio quality is pretty decent for such a small device, and all voices are clearly audible.

The biggest problem with the book pal is that the power button is available to the child. The second biggest problem is that the power button makes noise when it is turned on and off. Subsequently, the reviewer was far more interested in turning the button on and off than touching the Tag Junior to the page.

The third biggest problem is that the pal is set to read through a whole passage when touched to any word on a page. This feature is great in the entry-level Curious George Color Fun book where there is one word a page, but proves detrimental in more advanced books that hold up to four lines of text on each page.

Beyond the one bundled book you get with the Tag Junior, each additional book requires you to update the Tag's software via a PC/Mac and USB. This is a simple process, but it requires some preplanning. The reviewer that was so excited seeing the Curious George book was disappointed in having to wait to look at it with the book pal since it wasn't preinstalled. Luckily, once all these books are installed to the pal, the reviewer was able to switch between books at will—every book is loaded at once.

LeapFrog makes use of PC syncing in one other notable way: Once the book pal has been connected it uploads information onto LeapFrog's site to help you monitor your child's activity. The site shows the amount of time spent with the Tag, which books were read, and which skills accomplished. These tools are far beyond what any other toy/learning tool manufacturer is doing right now.

And by far the cutest function is that you can personalize the book pal so that it uses the name of the child each time it powers on (and for names not available you can set a nickname such as "little monkey").

Overall, the reviewer liked the book pal and loved the books themselves. She cried when they were taken away from her.

Formfactor Fits Perfectly In Little Hands

Online Progress Monitoring Is Excellent

The Books Themselves Are Entertaining

You Need to Sync Every Book to PC

Power Button Too Prominent/Enticing

Children Might Cry When Pal Is Taken Away

The only time people visit arcades these days is when they're waiting for the 8:30 showing of Transformers to start. Whether it's convenience of quality of games, people just aren't going. But what if it came to YOU?

Games2U puts PS3s, Wii and Xbox 360 games inside of a van and delivers it, letting 20 people play no matter where you are. We can imagine it being useful for kids' birthday parties, tailgating parties or funerals; especially since the company also offers laser tag and giant hamster balls.

And if you think this is a good and viable business opportunity, they even offer franchise options to set one up where you live. [G2u via Kotaku]

There are some great laptop and monitor deals today. With all the extra cash, you can get a new Timbuk2 bag to carry all your gadgets.

Computing and Peripherals:
• 15.4" Dell Latitude E5500 2.5GHz Core2Duo Laptop with Docking Station for $659.28 (normally $999 - valid 7/1, use coupon code PWW3W5B4FZR936).
• 14.1" Lenovo ThinkPad T400 Core2Duo Laptop for $636.65 plus free shipping (normally $1,022).
• 14.1" Lenovo ThinkPad T400s Core2Duo Laptop for $1,359.15 plus free shipping (normally $1600 - use coupon code USPLENOVO).
• 22" Dell E2209W LCD Monitor for $143.10 (normally $209 - use coupon code TJJSS8$J2MNJ0P).
• 19" Samsung 943SWX Widescreen LCD Monitor for $99.99 plus free shipping (normally $130 - use this rebate form).
• 18.5" Samsung Syncmaster 943SWX Widescreen LCD Monitor $99.99 (normally $145.25).
• AMD Phenom II X4 940 3GHz AM2+ Quad-Core Processor Black Edition for $169.99 plus free shipping (normally $189.99 - use coupon code EMCLTPL82).
• OCZ Gold XTC 3GB (3x1GB) DDR3-1600MHz PC3-12800 Memory for $19.99 with free shipping (normally $51.99 - valid 6/30, use this rebate form).
• Altec Lansing FX2020 Expressionist Classic Speakers $54.99 (normally $70.90).

Gaming:
• Ear Force X4 Dolby Digital Wireless Headphones for xbox 360 $149.98 plus free shipping (normally $195.94).
• Ninja Gaiden Sigma for PS3 for $17.99 plus free shipping (normally $23.99).
• Dynasty Warriors 6: Empires for PS3 for $36.99 plus free shipping (normally $40.00).
• Gold's Gym Cardio Workout for Wii for $19.99 (normally $29.99).
• 20% off used DS games at Gamestop (valid through 7/2, use coupon code EBC3009669).

Home Entertainment:
• 55" Samsung LN55B640 1080p LCD HDTV for $1,899.99 (normally $1999.99).
• 52" Sharp AQUOS LC52D64U 1080p LCD HDTV for $1299.99 plus free shipping (normally $1399.99).
• 47" LG 47LH40 1080p, 120Hz LCD HDTV for $1097.99 plus free shipping (normally $1399.99).
• 46" Sony Bravia KDL-46V4100 1080p LCD HDTV for $999 plus free shipping (normally $1200 - use coupon code Q4W4Q0S6BQ140C).
• 40" Sony Bravia XBR KDL-40XBR7 LCD TV plus Sony Bravia Wireless HD Link for $1,199.99 plus free shipping (normally $1498).
• Panasonic SC-BT200 Blu-ray Home Theater System for $459.99 (normally $486.99).
• Epson Powerlite S5 SVGA 3LCD Projector with free 80in Screen for $399.99 plus free shipping (normally $547).
• Entourage The Complete 5th Season DVD set for $9.99 with free shipping (normally $19.99).

Personal Portables and Peripherals:
• 14.1" Westinghouse DPF-1411 Digital Photo Frame for $99.99 (normally $139.99).
• Olympus FE-20 8.0 Megapixel Digital Camera for $69.99 plus free shipping (normally $108).
• 4.3" Garmin nuvi 255 Portable GPS Navigation for $139.99 plus free shipping (normally $167).
• 30% off Palm Pre accessories plus free shipping (valid through 7/31, use coupon code PALMPRE30).

Miscellaneous
• Up to 65% Off Timbuk2 Bags and Accessories (valid until 7/5).

Hobomodo:
• Wild West Pinball for iPhone and iPod Touch for $0 (normally $1.99).
• Five Martini Golf Tees for $0.
• Calcia Calcium Sample for $0 (use this form).
• Free 10 songs itunes Warped Tour sampler on Facebook for $0 (use this app).
• Nescafe Taster's Choice Coffee Sample for $0 (use this form ).

If a deal looks too good to be true, investigate the store and see if it's a good, reputable place to buy. Safe shopping!3

[Thanks TechDealDigger, Fat Wallet, GamerHotline, SlickDeals, Cheap College Gamers, CheapStingyBargains and TechBargains.]

Chances are (about 99.9999%) that you don't have access to the HTC Hero just yet, but that doesn't mean you can't run its famed HTC Sense Android skin.

According to some Italian software enthusiasts, it is possible to flash your G1 with their SuperHERO ROM, a port of the HTC Hero's firmware. Aside from the OS skin's beautiful graphics and animations, SuperHERO will activate G1 multitouch that allows you to zoom into webpages a la iPhone.

Of course, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi aren't all that functional with this firmware, and the OS can get a bit laggy and light on memory. So you'll need take the good with the bad should you decide to hack your G1. [HD Blog via androidguys]