Filed under: Desktops, Laptops

Sure, most of the Microsoft antitrust action is going down in Europe nowadays, but Uncle Sam’s lingering judgment against Redmond is still kicking around — Judge Colleen Kollar Kotelly (remember her?) just issued a ruling extending the consent decree against Microsoft for another two years. The judge said that the company has been extremely cooperative with the government thus far, but that “the extreme and unforeseen delay” in acquiring technical documentation from Bill and the boys requires that monitoring continue. That pretty much leaves things at the status quo, although we’re not exactly holding our breath for anything to change once the consent judgment actually does expire.

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Filed under: Digital Cameras

We knew they were coming, and here they are — say hello to Sony’s Alpha A300 and A350. The 10.2 megapixel A300 and 14.2 megapixel A350 are just as we’d heard, with flip-out 2.7-inch swivel screens and live preview that retains the ability to autofocus. The CompactFlash DSLRs also go up to ISO3200, and feature burst modes of 3fps (A300) and 2.5fps (A350). Both cams will hit in April, the A300 with a 18-70mm kit lens for $800, and the A350 in a $900 kit or an $800 body-only package. There are also a couple new lenses, but no word of the mysterious A900 yet.

Read - Alpha A300 and A350
Read - New Alpha lenses

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Get in the paint and post up with this year’s edition of EA’s Collegiate Basketball.

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Filed under: Desktops

Gateway is releasing two new desktops today, both sporting some features we’ve grown accustomed to, but also introducing some new hotness into the typically stale market. The new models — the GM5664 and GT5662 — share a slew of the same features, like the ATI Radeon HD 2400XT graphics card, 3GB of RAM, and 8-channel 7.1 audio, but they also have some notable differences. The GM5664 comes equipped with a Hybrid-SuperMulti optical drive, which gives you the ability to play Blu-ray or HD DVDs to your heart’s content, while also handling typical DVD-RW functions. The system is also packed with a 2.3GHz AMD Phenom 9600 CPU, 1TB hard drive array, and an analog / digital TV tuner. The GT5662 includes a 2.2GHz AMD Phenom 9500 CPU, does away with the dual format drive, halves the storage space, and axes the TV tuner. Both are available now for $1,149.99 and $749.99, respectively.

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In the next episode of Sam & Max, The fearless freelancers come face to face with a raving zombie army… and the vampire leads them.

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Check out this futuristic Road Rage-esque racing game featuring fleet of foot athletes as the sprint to the finish in this full contact bloodsport.

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Filed under: HDTV, Home Entertainment

Just in case you’ve been living under a rock (or mounds of year-end spreadsheets — same difference), we reckoned you should know that you’ve but four days left before Super Bowl XLII kicks off from Arizona. Besides the obvious necessities — an HDTV, lots of seating space, a truckload of junk food and an HD DVR attached to a battery backup system — you may also need to cross a few unnoticed “t”s to ensure the best game day experience possible. Of course, Engadget HD is lookin’ out for you and yours, and we’re here to make sure you aren’t scrambling for an HD signal from your local FOX affiliate three minutes after kickoff. Hit up the checklist here while you still have time.

Further Super Bowl XL II reading:

• Poll: Did you (or will you) buy a new HDTV for the Super Bowl?
• CEA expects Super Bowl to drive over two million HDTV sales
• HD DVD ad to air during Super Bowl XLII, BDA sez it’s futile
• Check for HD before RSVP-ing that Superbowl party
• How to get geared up for Super Bowl XLII

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