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We've covered Intel Light Peak in the past, and similarly other optical interconnect solutions from the chipmaker. At IDF 2010, Intel was showing off Light Peak once more, but in an increasingly polished state and with many more details about what future shipping products will look like. Previously Q4 2010 was the date, now somewhere inside 2011 is the estimate.

We're still a ways off from seeing Light Peak connections everywhere, but unified connectivity working in the optical domain is the future. Read on for more.

The launch of the first Motorola Droid was a watershed moment for the Android platform and Motorola alike. The original Droid’s masculine and modern industrial design showed the world that the nearly-finished handset maker hadn’t lost the ability to craft sexy hardware, and Android’s 2.0 release brought a host of new features and polish.

The original Droid has weathered its time as Verizon’s flagship Android device rather well, receiving relatively timely updates from Motorola which has brought it to 2.0.1, 2.1, and now 2.2. Though Motorola nailed the industrial design aesthetics, the hardware’s SoC is starting to feel dated, and the device itself has begun to show its age next to competition from HTC. The original Droid’s keyboard also was a subject of intense criticism, with Motorola itself silently updating the keyboard design midway through the Droid’s lifespan.

There isn’t a lot for Motorola to change, but it’s undoubtedly time for a platform update. We’ve been playing around with it for a while now, and here it is – the Droid 2. 

Boutique gaming systems are usually big, fancy, ornate affairs. They're often totally extreme, marketed to the Mountain Dew set, with massive cases and bright lights. So what happens when a manufacturer goes a little off their rocker, gets a wild hair and decides to see just how much power can be crammed into a Mini-ITX case? See how AVADirect crammed an AMD Radeon HD 5870 and an Intel quad-core into a case so small and light it makes other gaming machines seem like candidates for the next season of The Biggest Loser.

I've been out in California for the past week for IDF, followed by some extra meetings with the usual suspects: AMD, Intel and NVIDIA. The information I gained from these meetings will show up in articles over the next few weeks, months and even years. I really enjoyed covering the show this year not only because of the information we had access to but also because of the new team members I was able to cover it with. This was the first IDF for both Brian and Vivek. AMD even made this IDF an awesome experience by giving us great access to Zacate after our initial encounter. I have to say that for the first time in a while I'm actually looking forward to the next tradeshow. 

For those of you who don't know, I don't employ any sales people at AnandTech. The company is strictly editorial. We have an exclusive advertising partner who handles all sales/marketing for the site. We own no share in them, and they own no share in us. While out here I met with our advertising agency who came to me with a request. They have a potential advertiser that wanted to know if we had any success stories from our readers to share with them. They are looking for stories about how reading something on AnandTech impacted you, particularly with regards to enterprise hardware/software decisions. While the request was for enterprise stories, I'm interested to hear them all if you've got one. Again what I'm looking for is a story about how something you read here impacted you or your hardware/software decisions in any way.

The stories will be shared with the potential advertiser so be sure to leave out any information that you don't want public. They are simply looking for more anecdotal evidence of the impact of AnandTech. I don't like asking for favors, but if you do have a story to share I'd appreciate it. 

I'm back in the office next week, have a great weekend!

Prohibitively expensive gaming machines are nice to look at but such a nasty hit to the wallet that they can feel impractical. We thought the recently-reviewed iBuyPower Paladin XLC was fairly reasonable for its price, but that price was still north of two large. The Gamer Xtreme 8500 from CyberPower presents an alternative somewhat friendlier to the pocketbook, boasting a formidable overclock from the factory on the processor and two brand new GeForce GTS 450's in SLI. Is it worth your gaming dollar?

We managed to catch up with Ocosmos, the people behind the OCS1 gaming tablet from Douglas Davis’ keynote this morning, and got some more information regarding the intruiging new tablet. As we noted before, it’s running Windows 7, Intel’s Oak Trail platform, two D-pads, and a screen that slides up to reveal a physical keyboard.

Read on for more about this unique device.

Dell just demonstrated its upcoming 10-inch Inspiron Duo convertible netbook/tablet. Based on the dual core Atom N550 the Inspiron Duo runs Windows 7 Premium. The system can work as a tablet:

The demo seemed quite slow and touch screen was very unresponsive (typical of Atom running Windows 7 on netbook hardware). When you need a full keyboard however the tablet can open up, screen swivel around (the bezel remains in place) and you get a standard netbook:

I actually played with a prototype of the Inspiron Duo earlier this year and the conversion mechanism felt pretty solid. Dell expects it to be shipping by the end of this year.

Check out our full gallery of the Inspiron Duo here.

The Intel Developer Forum kicked off today with a keynote by Intel CEO Paul Otellini in San Francisco. Intel's focus in today's keynote has threefold. First, the change in the chipmaker's focus from being exclusively a chip company, to a much more comprehensive computing solutions provider. Second, the new three pillars of computing that Intel sees for continuing computing growth – including a comprehensive look at WiDi, and finally Sandy Bridge which Anand just covered . 

We just left the keynote floor, read on for more coverage.

Over the years, we've looked at many of ASUS' mobile offerings. From the lowly Eee PC up through gaming powerhouses, ASUS has something for everyone. They're looking to increase market share in the mobile world, and with products like the N82Jv we're looking at today there's no reason they shouldn't succeed. The last time we looked at their multimedia N-series with the N61Jv, we liked the general idea but found the combination of a 16" chassis with a middling display and battery life to be lacking. Can the 14" newcomer change our feeling?

Six months has also brought a lot more competition in the realm of Arrandale laptops as well as laptops equipped with Optimus Technology. Besides packing more power into a smaller form factor, ASUS updated the exterior to help the N82Jv stand out from the crowd. Join us as we investigate this laptop and see where it excels, and where it could still use a bit more TLC.

Last week Apple announced a complete overhaul of its iPod lineup including a new Shuffle, a new Nano (with multitouch screen) and a new iPod Touch. While the nano looks cool, it’s pricey and honestly I haven’t been interested in a dedicated MP3 player in about a decade.

The new iPod Touch however piqued my interest. With many of the same specs as the iPhone 4, I wondered if the new Touch might be a neat way to get most of the functionality of the 4 without the albatross of a contract AT&T hangs around your neck.

It turns out there’s a lot more than a cellular radio that separates the new iPod Touch from the iPhone 4.