AMD's Ryzen 7 9700X is a downright awesome CPU that scored a full five stars in our review, but to get the most out of it, you'll want to pair it with a capable motherboard.

While the latest 800-series boards are readily available, the older 600-series boards remain relevant, especially if you want to spend a bit less money.

Gigabyte's X870E AORUS Elite WiFi7 is my top recommendation thanks to its strong performance and feature set, but I've been sure to include more hardware to suit different users and budgets.

Choosing the best motherboard for your new Ryzen 7 9700X CPU

AMD's latest Zen 5 desktop processors from the Ryzen 9000 series were unveiled in June 2024. Despite a short delay due to a misbranding issue, they launched in August. The lineup includes the AMD Ryzen 7 9700X with 8 cores, 16 threads, a 5.5GHz boost clock, and a 65W TDP.

At the time of the CPU launch, motherboards with the X870/E chipset hadn't yet hit the market. That's now changed, and the new boards bring some notable improvements.

USB4 connectivity is now standard, PCIe 5.0 is available for x16 and M.2 storage slots, and there's better support for overclocked DDR5 RAM speeds. You don't absolutely need the latest X870 chipset for the Ryzen 7 9700X, but you can set yourself up for easier future upgrades compared to the older models.

With all this in mind, my top motherboard recommendation is Gigabyte's X870E AORUS Elite WiFi7. It comes in at around $315 but is often on sale for a lot less. It's easy to use, it can provide stable power for your CPU, and it'll look great in your PC.

MSI's MAG X870 Tomahawk WiFi is another top choice that costs about $280, and it boosts overclocked DDR5 RAM speed support and adds a 5GbE LAN port. If you'd like something slightly more affordable, the ASUS TUF Gaming X870-PLUS WiFi7 is a great pick at about $267.

The X670E-PLUS Wi-Fi is also tempting at about $300. In our ASUS TUF Gaming X670E-PLUS WiFi review, former Windows Central Senior Editor Rich Edmonds remarked, "For the average Joe, this is one excellent mid-range AM5 motherboard from ASUS."

The ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E HERO is more expensive than its predecessor with a $650 price tag, but it has the new chipset features with the same outstanding performance for those who want to push their PC to the limits.

And if you'd like to spend as little as possible on a capable motherboard for your Ryzen 7 9700X, I recommend having a glance at the ASUS Prime B650-PLUS WiFi that's usually available for about $160.

Does my motherboard need a BIOS update for Ryzen 9000?

Upgrading your PC or building a new system with processors fresh out of the foundry can come with some extra steps. The biggest hurdle is often updating the motherboard's BIOS to support the new processors.

While board manufacturers are usually keen on shipping hardware with the latest BIOS updates, you never know how long the board you buy has been sitting around in a warehouse with an older revision.

If the motherboard you buy has been collecting dust for the last few months, you can almost guarantee that it won't have the right BIOS for Ryzen 9000 chips.

While just a few years ago, it was common to require an older CPU installed in the board to update the BIOS, the prevalence of BIOS flashback — which allows you to update without having a CPU in the socket — has made the process much easier. All the motherboards I've recommended here for the Ryzen 7 9700X have some BIOS flashback feature.

Instead of requiring a CPU in the socket, BIOS flashing only requires a separate USB drive with the BIOS. You download the BIOS from the manufacturer support page, plug the drive into the motherboard, hit the flash button on the board, and let it update. It will receive the right BIOS for Ryzen 9000 chips, and you can go ahead and install the CPU without issue.

Is AMD's Ryzen 7 9700X good for gaming?

Considering even the Ryzen 7 5800X from a couple of generations past remains an excellent option for gaming (and beyond), the Ryzen 7 9700X should prove to be an extremely popular chip to pair with a quality graphics card from AMD or NVIDIA.

Windows Central Senior Editor Ben Wilson reviewed the Ryzen 7 9700X, remarking:

"AMD is delivering a multi-punch knockout with the Ryzen 7 9700X, as it drops the MSRP from its previous-generation 7700X and even returns to the 65W power draw of its 5700X. It comes with caveats, and the generational multi-core improvements are barely worth mentioning. However, its single-core performance is a thing to behold, ranking above most of Intel's comparable chips at 125W. Plus, it matches AMD's own gaming CPU champion, the Ryzen 7 7800X3D, while remaining cheaper and more power efficient — it's the new mid-range champion."

The Gigabyte A5 X1 15.6-inch gaming laptop has dropped to $1,449 at Newegg. That's a huge drop off the laptop's regular $1,800 price and a great deal. However, the deal is part of Newegg's Shell Shocker sales, which means it's a temporary price that will jump back up soon enough. Take advantage of it while you can.

You can actually save even more on this laptop, too, thanks to a mail-in rebate form. Just fill out the form linked on the product page and you'll get an extra $200 off the price... eventually. The deal is great even without this extra savings, but if you're willing to jump through the hoops you'll be saving $550 total off this laptop. That's some craz

The specifications for this laptop include an AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX processor, 16GB RAM for multitasking, and a 512GB solid state drive with plenty of space and speed for your favorite applications. It's also powered by a Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 graphics card, which is where a lot of the value for this deal comes from because these are rather expensive cards.

You get a 15.6-inch display with 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution and a 240Hz refresh rate, which is great for video games. You'll also get Intel Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth, and Windows 10 Home. The connectivity options include a USB-A 2.0 port, a USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 port, and a USB-A 3.2 Gen 2 port. There is also a USB-C port that has DisplayPort 1.4, HDMI 2.0, a mini DisplayPort, and more.

Check out some other great gaming laptop deals available now.

Your games need to look good when you play them. Time for a screen that puts all that computer power to work. Grab the Gigabyte M27Q 27-inch USB-C gaming monitor on sale for $269.99 when you use the code EMC2AZ9A737 in your shopping cart during checkout. The code takes $30 off its price. It's still going for $300 or more at most other retailers including Amazon. It was going for $320 or more in July, and we have never seen it drop as low as Newegg's price.

This is a great monitor with a ton of awesome features. It's absolutely what you want if you're into video games and have a decent graphics card that can take advantage of things like adaptive sync. The specifications include a 27-inch screen, a pixel resolution of 2560 by 1440, a potential refresh rate of 170Hz, and a response time of 0.5ms. It does all that with an IPS panel, which gives you great color accuracy and 178-degree horizontal and vertical viewing angles.

Let's talk about that refresh rate for a second. If you connect to the screen via HDMI, you will only be able to max out at 144Hz. That ain't too shabby, and if that's your only option you'll still feel good about it. If you want to boost the screen up to 170Hz, you're going to have to use the DisplayPort connection.

It's also worth pointing out that while this monitor does have AMD FreeSync Premium, which is on its own fantastic adaptive sync technology that will work great with an AMD graphics card, it's also G-Sync compatible. Being G-Sync compatible means it can also reduce screen tearing with a Nvidia graphics card, but only if that graphics card is from the 2000 series or newer and only if you connect it via DisplayPort. So in order to get the absolute most out of this display, you will need to use DisplayPort. Luckily, it comes with a DisplayPort and HDMI cable so you don't have to go looking for one.

Other features include VESA Display HDR400 support for bright, improved image quality, an ergonomic design that's highly adjustable, and VESA wall mounting capability with 100x100mm. Gigabyte also has low blue light and flicker free tech to help keep your eyes strong even after long sessions. In addition to two HDMI 2.0 ports and one DisplayPort 1.2, the back also has two USB 3.0 ports and a USB-C port.

What you need to know

• Gigabyte will let people return or exchange GP-P850GM and GP-P750GM power supply units.
• These units were found to spark and fail in extensive testing by Gamers Nexus.
• Gigabyte claims that both PSUs are "reliable for real world usage" but has lowered the over-protection trigger point of each unit.

Gigabyte will allow people to return or exchange GP-P850GM and GP-P750GM power supply units. These units made headlines after Gamers Nexus and Aristeidis Bitziopoulos determined that the PSUs could fail catastrophically. In some cases, the PSUs would spark while other units arrived dead (via The Verge).

In testing by Gamers Nexus, half of all GP-P750GM units that were purchased or received from YouTube viewers failed. Gigabyte's response to the failing units seems to put the blame on the testing methodology rather than the power supply units:

Gamers Nexus does not agree with Gigabyte, stating, "Gigabyte twists truth about exploding power supplies in dangerous way." Gamers Nexus states that for each power supply, it only triggered the OPP once, which shouldn't lead to failure.

The video from Gamers Nexus uses the word "exploding" in its title. The catastrophic failures may be better classified as violent sparks than explosions, but, in either event, the PSUs clearly can have serious issues.

Gigabyte is adjusting the GP-P850GM and GP-P750GM over-power protection (OPP) trigger points. The GP-P850GM now has a maximum of 1050W (down from 1300W), and the GP-P750M has a maximum of 925W (down from 1125W). The OPP trigger point is the line at which a PSU will protect itself when too much power is drawn.

The PSU maker will allow people to return or exchange either of the power supply units in question, even though it claims that "both before & after OPP adjustment versions are reliable for real world usage." Gigabyte outlines the terms and conditions for returns and exchanges in a post about its failing PSUs.

If you're exchanging your PSU or just in the market for a new one, make sure to check out our guide of the best power supplies.

What you need to know

• GIGABYTE announced the AERO 15 OLED and AERO 17 HDR laptops.
• Both laptops are built for image editing, graphic design, and other types of creation.
• The laptops are listed online now but do not appear to be for sale at this time.

GIGABYTE announced two new AERO laptops, the AERO 15 OLED and the AERO 17 HDR. Both laptops run on 11th Gen Intel processors ranging up to the Intel Core i9-11980HK. Those next-gen CPUs are paired with up to an NVIDIA RTX 3080 GPU.

Built for creators, both laptops feature Pantone Color dual-certified displays. The AERO 15 has 100% DCI-P3 coverage, while the AERO 17 covers 100% Adobe RGB. The displays are also both X-Rite color calibrated and have VESA DisplayHDR 400 True Black ultra-high-contrast certification.

To help power the internals and displays, the laptops feature 99 Whr batteries. GIGABYTE says that the laptops will last up to eight hours, though that will vary depending on usage.

The GIGABYTE AERO 15 and 17 are listed now on GIGABYTE's website but don't seem to have pricing or availability details at this time.

What you need to know

• Gigabyte has its AORUS Gen4 7000s Prem. SSD on the way.
• The company says it won't throttle due to overheating.
• Pricing for the SSD hasn't been revealed yet.

Gigabyte has a proposition for those in need of a quality SSD: Grab its SSD and never worry about throttling ever again. As stated in the company's press release for its new solid-state drive, the component is built to worry about heat buildup so that you never have to. Gigabyte announced it as "the latest AORUS Gen4 7000s Prem. SSD with up to 7GB/s read speed while optimizing passive thermal dissipation, which promises no throttling under long-lasting operation."

That's the big hook: The promise of never encountering performance loss due to temps. Is it one you'll be able to hold the company accountable for if it ends up not being true? That remains to be seen. But as it stands, Gigabyte is overtly declaring that even the most intense loads won't result in performance decreases.

The SSD is targeted at gamers, content creators, and anyone else looking for extreme performance with minimal drawbacks. Such performance is achieved via Gigabyte's "M.2 Thermal Guard XTREME with nanocarbon coating," which is claimed to guarantee steady cooling no matter the airflow circumstances. This inclusion also ups the size of the component, so make sure your case can handle the part's unusual girth before you get too excited.

The AORUS Gen4 7000s Prem. SSD also has an "SSD Tool Box" companion app that'll help you keep an eye on its health, which is a nifty feature. The solid-state drive will come in 1TB and 2TB variants, though prices for either version have yet to be disclosed. If you want to learn more about the AORUS Gen4 7000s Prem., you can check it out over on Gigabyte's site.

The Gigabyte Aorus 5 15.6-inch laptop is a great laptop for both work and play. Right now it's down to $1,099 at Newegg compared to its regular price of $1,499. This is one of the best deals we've seen for this laptop, and it's not a price you're going to find in a lot of places. Today's deal is an even better price than other versions of the Aorus 5 that have graphics that aren't nearly as powerful.

If you don't mind doing mail-in rebates, which usually involve a much longer wait period, you can get another $100 off the laptop. This extra savings comes in the form of a prepaid card you'll get by mail after you send the rebate form to Gigabyte.

Not only do you get to save a huge chunk of change, but you also get a great machine that's built for gaming, creative work, and portability. The specs on the Aorus 5 are outstanding. You'll get a 10th-generation Intel Core i7 2.60GHz processor, 16GB DDR4 RAM, and a 512GB solid state drive. It also comes with a Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 graphics card, which is powerful enough for most modern gaming. It's even powerful enough to support Ray Tracing, which reproduces realistic light rays and physics within the game.

The connectivity options on the laptop include a mini DisplayPort, one HDMI 2.0 port, a USB-A 2.0 port, two USB 3.2 Type-A ports, and one USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 port that can also act as a DisplayPort for video output.

Your movies and games will look great playing on this display, too. It's a 15.6-inch screen with 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution and an IPS panel for sharp colors and great viewing angles. It has a super thin bezel for immersion and a 144Hz refresh rate, which is great for high-action games and movies.

What you need to know

• AORUS' PCIe 4.0 SSD is now available to preorder.
• This is one of the first SSDs to hit the market for PCIe 4.0.
• A 1TB model is available for $260, while the 2TB model costs $480.

AORUS, Gigabyte's gaming arm, has put its new PCIe 4.0 SSDs up for preorder today. With prices starting at $260, the SSD is available in both 1TB and 2TB models, with the latter running a rather expensive $480.

The new AORUS SSD is one of the first to ship with support for PCIe 4.0. Starting this month, PCIe 4.0 will be available with AMD's Ryzen 3000 processors and on x570 motherboards, which are set to launch on July 7. PC components that support the new standard will feature blazing transfer speeds, and AORUS' new SSD is no exception.

Here's a quick overview of what's on board:

• PCIe 4.0 and NVMe 1.3
• Up to 5,000 MB/s sequential read, 4,400MB/s sequential write
• Toshiba NAND flash memory
• Up to 2TB capacity
• Copper heat spreader
• 5 year warranty

Currently, both capacities for the AORUS M.2 2280 PCIe 4.0 SSD are expected to release on July 26. If you're interested in snagging one for yourself, you can preorder the storage drive at Newegg now.

Our favorite computer speakers for less $100

Team Windows Central wholeheartedly recommends each of these computer speaker setups, because they all bring the NOISE and will not wound your wallet.

Bose Companion 2 Series III speakers ($99 at Dell)

If you want great sound quality and value, then you want Bose. You too can have room-filling, immersive sound, so Bose says in every advertisement.

Logitech Z313 speaker system with subwoofer ($49 at Dell)

The Z313 comes with a powered subwoofer and two satellite speakers to deliver 25 watts of total power. That's enough to fill your room and then some.

GOgroove BassPULSE ($50 at Dell)

These are clearly the coolest-looking speakers recommended here, but they're not all flash and guile – these speakers can produce amazing highs and lows, for just $50.

What you need to know

• AORUS' first PCIe 4.0 SSD.
• Sequential read speeds up to 5,000MB/s.
• Goes alongside AMD's PCIe 4.0 supporting X570 chipset announcement at Computex.

AMD was first out of the gate with the big Computex announcements, with the news its new X570 chipset would support PCIe 4.0. Now, Gigabyte's gaming arm, AORUS, is announcing a big and bad new SSD to go with it.

And the performance we're looking at here is blistering. PCIe 4.0 is set to deliver data transfer speeds far above anything we've been able to buy to this point.

You can check out the full spec sheet over on AORUS' website, but here are some of the most mouthwatering:

• PCIe 4.0 and NVMe 1.3
• Up to 5,000 MB/s sequential read, 4,400MB/s sequential write
• Toshiba NAND flash memory
• 2TB capacity
• Copper heat spreader
• 5 year warranty

As yet there's no hint of a release date or a price, but we can make a couple of educated guesses. Like Corsair, we'd expect to see this SSD from AORUS launch sometime in July to tie in with AMD's 7/7 release of the Ryzen 3000 processors and X570 motherboards to go with them.

As for price, at least for this 2TB model (hopefully there will be smaller capacities available, too) will probably be pretty high. It doesn't make it any less impressive, though.

Affordable accessories that'll pair perfectly with your PC

Every one of these awesome PC accessories will enhance your everyday experience — and none cost more than $30.

KLIM Aim RGB gaming mouse ($30 at Amazon)

Whether you're a gamer or not, this is an absurdly good mouse for the price. It's ambidextrous, has a responsive sensor, a braided cable, tank-like build quality, and, yes, it has RGB lighting, though you can turn it off if that's not your thing.

AmazonBasics USB speakers ($16 at Amazon)

These neat little speakers may only pack 2.4W of total power, but don't let that fool you. For something so small you get a well-rounded sound and a stylish design. And they only cost $16.

Razer mouse bungee ($20 at Amazon)

Use a wired mouse? You need a mouse bungee to keep your cable tidy and free of snags. You get no drag on the cable, and this one has subtle styling, a rust-resistant spring and a weighted base, all for $20.

Most of 2019's early tech launches will be going down in Las Vegas next week at CES, but Gigabyte and its gaming brand, AORUS, are teasing a slightly later launch that will certainly miss out on all the surrounding noise.

AORUS currently produces basically every single piece of a gaming PC, from the motherboard and power supply, through to graphics cards, keyboards, and even gaming laptops. What it doesn't currently offer is a gaming monitor, hence the "last puzzle piece." That and the image is clearly a monitor.

Right now it's only a tease, but the full reveal is set for January 16. We're quietly optimistic that it's going to impress.

Gigabyte looks set to launch a new addition to its BRIX line of small PCs, with this entry in the Gaming GT series leaking out ahead of a likely CES 2017 unveil.

Spotted by Guru3D, the BRIX GT will be a small form factor PC with the highest of high-end components. We're looking at an Intel Core i7 6700K processor, up to 32GB of DDR4 RAM, m.2 SSD and HDD storage combinations, USB-C Thunderbolt 3 and either a GTX 1070 or GTX 1080 from NVIDIA. Holy smokes.

This PC box that's a similar size to a console is then going to be capable of not only 4K gaming but fully VR ready. Its design also seems to incorporate an interesting cooling system, with air being sucked in from the bottom.

All-in-all this is a pretty tasty looking small-form PC, and while there's no word on pricing or availability just yet, it's not going to come particularly cheap given the components inside. But if you've been looking for a living room games PC instead of a console, this looks like it'll be worth a shout. We'll be keeping an eye out for more on this when CES comes around next week!

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 is a stellar gaming card in its own right, but AIB (add-in board) partners are starting to unveil variants of the card with custom cooling solutions and PCBs. First off the gate is Gigabyte with its GeForce GTX 1080 Xtreme Gaming, which offers RGB lighting and a new WindForce cooler.

Gigabyte's offering is built on a custom PCB, with a reinforced backplate for added stability. The WindForce cooler configuration sees three 100mm fans with angular blades, designed to effectively dissipate heat. The fans are off when the card is idling or if it's under a set temperature threshold, allowing for 0dB operation for low-intensive workloads.

When it comes to the numbers, the GTX 1080 Xtreme Gaming offers 8GB of GDDR5X video memory on a 256-bit wide memory bus, with a memory clock of 10010MHz. Display connectors include two HDMI 2.0b ports, one dual-link DVI-D, and three DisplayPort 1.4 ports. Power delivery is taken care of by two two 8-pin PCIe power connectors.

A unique feature with the card is Xtreme VR Link, which includes a front panel with two HDMI and USB 3.0 ports that can be slotted in a 5.25-inch drive bay. The accessory allows you to connect your VR headset to the front of your enclosure, instead of having to reach behind to find the HDMI connectors located at the back of the card.

The GTX 1080 Xtreme Gaming also features six composite heat-pipes that come in contact with the GPU, increasing cooling efficiency by 29%. Gigabyte is also offering a four-year warranty on the card.

No word as yet on pricing or availability, but we'll let you know once we hear more. Who's interested?

Gigabyte took the wraps off a new ultra-slim gaming laptop at Computex this year. The Aero 14 is at most 19.9 mm thick and weighs under 2 kg. It's powered by a 6th. gen Intel Core i7 Skylake processor, up to 32 GB of DDR4 RAM, and either a GeForce GTX 970M or 965M GPU. The 14-inch QHD IPS display can be extended out to two 4K monitors with HDMI 2.0 and mini DisplayPort with a 60 Hz refresh rate. You can get two PCIe 3.0 SSDs in there for storage, plus Gigabyte claims up to 10 hours of usage out of the 92.24 Wh battery.

There's a refreshing lack of red LEDs at play here. Color options vary from vibrant to subdued, while a carbon fiber accent gives it just enough rakish modernity. So much of the gaming laptop space has been dominated by impractically huge products, so it's nice to see another manufacturer hopping in and following the lead of Razer in the slim gaming PC space. Obviously there's going to be a tradeoff with portability and horsepower, minimizing that tradeoff is a great dream to chase.

Pricing and availability hasn't been announced yet. Is the the Gigabyte Aero 14 for you? Let us know in the comments!

When it comes to PC gaming, laptops tend to be chunky and heavy machines that are nothing near portable. While we have seen competitors try to battle Dell’s Alienware subsidy with thinner machines, such as Razer’s Blade notebook, nothing can seem to hit the right balance of power, portability, and price. Gigabyte intends to help change that with their latest gaming machine, the Aorus X7.

Gigabyte is a company known for its interior gaming desktop hardware, but the Aorus X 7 is aimed to change that perception. The unit itself has a 17 inch 1080p Full HD matte display and is backed by two NVIDIA GeForce GTX 765M graphic cards. On the processing end, the unit houses Intel’s latest Haswell CPU and your game data will live safely across multiple Solid State Drive and Hard Disk Drive solutions.

The unit itself measures in at less than an inch thick, 0.9 inches to be exact, and weighs 6.4 pounds. While the weight might sound heavy, a 17 inch gaming laptop at less than 6 and a half pounds is win for the serious gamer on the go.

The unit appears to be a matte finish, so no worry about greasy fingerprints while eating Cheetos and trying to “pwn” some noobs in Counter Strike: Global Offense. The built in keyboard is a full sized keyboard that also has five programmable macro keys on the left hand side.

The aluminum body has room for all of the ports one can desire, the sides include two HDMI outputs, two USB 3.0 ports, one Ethernet port, and even a VGA port. Ports aren’t the only items living on the exterior of unit, the Aorus X7 also features two subwoofers and two tweeters for the ultimate multimedia experience.

The X7 will be available this February and will start at $2,099 ($2,799 maxed out). While the price sounds high (and technically it is), it is a great deal in comparison to other competitor’s units such as the Razer Blade.

How intense of a gamer are you – would pick up the Aorus X7?

Source: Aorus

Windows Mobile is alive and well at the Computex Show on Taipei. In fact, it's Windows Mobile 6.5 that's making a strong appearance.

After the break, a flurry of phones (brought to us by ePrice.com with an assist from Pocket PC Thoughts) from the likes of GSmart, Mio, Acer, Garmin-Asus and Mobinnova. You might not find them available in the states anytime soon, but that's not stopping anybody here.

Gigabyte GSmart S1200

This phone (previously teased here) isn't too bad a looker, especially with Windows Mobile 6.5 on it. And that's important to note. Because though you can't see it in this picture, the S1200 is only sporting call and end buttons. No Windows Flag, so it looks like that requirement indeed has been lifted.

Here's what's under the hood:

•  Qualcomm 7200A processor running at 528 MHz
• 106 mm x 52 mm x 11.4 mm
• EDGE, UTMS and HSPA
• 3.1-inch 480x800 WVGA touchscreen
• 3MP rear-facing camera with autofocus
• 512MB ROM, 288MB RAM
• Windows Mobile 6.5 Pro
• 1010 mAh battery

Mio Explora K70/K75

Nothing too extraordinary here, at least spec-wise.

• Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional
• 115.3 mmx 61.5 mm x 11.9 mm
• Qualcomm MSM7201A processor running at 528 MHz
• EDGE/HSPA
• MicroSD
• 256MB ROM/256MB RAM
• WiFi

Mio Explora K85

Now this is more like it. A 3.6-inch, 480x800 touchscreen. A 5MP camera. That's all we know, but that's something we can get behind.

Garmin-Asus Nuvifone M20

Here's one we got a hands-on with back at Mobile World Congress. The specs appear to be unchanged.

• Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional
• Dual Band HSPA, Tri-Band GSM
• WiFi, Bluetooth, Accelerometer
• GPS
• 2.8" 640x480 Touchscreen
• 3MP camera
• 4 or 8 GB of internal storage
• 95.3 x 52.5 12.8 mm
• 99g (including battery)
• 528MHz Qualcomm 7200A
• 920 mAh battery (yes, that is still small)

Mobinnova QWERTY

We weren't too terribly impressed with the Mobinnova ICE when we saw it at CES in January, but this little slider at least has curb appeal, especially with Windows Mobile 6.5. That's a 480x800 touchscreen there with a four-row QWERTY keuboard. And that's about all we know. But it's good to see the manufacturer that brought us the Sony Xperia X1 back for more.

The specs:

• WinMo 6.1 Pro
• Qualcomm MSM 7201A Processor, 528MHz
• 128 RAM, 256 ROM
• Around 4 Hours talk-time
• 240x400 screen
• GPS, WiFi, Bluetooth
• 3MP camera, FM Radio
• TV-Out

Acer F1

Here's the Acer F1 running WM6.5, which we first got wind of a couple months ago. And it's a bit of a monster.

• 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor (QSD8250).
• A 3.8-inch (!) touchscreen at 480x800.
• An honest-to-goodness 3.5mm headset jack (!!).
• 5MP camera with autofocus.
• ~300MB ROM/200MB RAM.

And now for something completely different ... (Or at least not the Treo Pro)

Dieter got a quick look at the GSmart t600 back at CTIA, and now we're getting an in-depth review of the Gigabyte device, thanks to the folks at PhoneArena.

While it's hardly a looker by today's standards - and it almost appears to be begging for a lawsuit as an iPod lookalike - the T600 has one thing going for it that no one else does - the ability to watch digital television over the air.

What else do you get?

• 520 MHz Intel XScale processor
• 256 megs ROM/64 megs RAM
• 480x640 display
• Windows Mobile 6.1 pro
• WiFi
• 2-MP camera with flash

And that's really about it. No 3G bands. Other than the antenna and TV capability, nothing to write hope about.

Also, Digital Video Broadcasting - Terrestrial isn't even available in the United States, Canada, or anywhere in North or South America, for that matter, so we wouldn't recommend losing too much sleep over this one yet.

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