Sandwiched between four millimeters of foam padding in its zippered carrying case, the Razer Destructor Precision Gaming Surface (or, you know, mouse pad) would likely survive being thrown out of an airplane. That's not the way most of us travel to LAN parties, so I'm not sure why Razer went to such ridiculous lengths to protect its newest mousing surface. Sure, it's rather expensive at $39.99, and it's semi-rigid backing means you'd probably want something to keep it from bending or getting scratched if you just jammed it into a backpack. But the case Razer includes with the mouse pad is just all kinds of wrong. It's about the size and bulk of a large laptop sleeve. And it doesn't even have a handle. That wouldn't be such an issue, but the mouse pad is so large that the extra size added by the case makes the whole thing so big, it won't fit in many medium-sized bags.

Thankfully, the Destructor pad itself is definitely well thought out. Like just about everything else Razer sells, the Destructor was "co-designed, tested and validated" by professional gamers. And the company touts its "Fractal" textured surface, which they claim offers 25-37% better tracing with gaming-grade optical and laser mice. Sure, that's a whole lot of marketing babble, but the fact is the Razer Destructor is a fine piece of mouse pad.

Just because you have a Webcam doesn't mean you have to settle for grainy images at low resolutions. The Hercules Dualpix Chat and Show Webcam, the newest addition to Hercules' lineup of Webcams, proves that there's life after low-quality devices and that it doesn't have to cost a fortune. Say goodbye to your grainy MySpace and blog profile photos, and say hello to a USB camera with a 1.3 megapixel lens capable of taking interpolated photos of up to 1280 x 1024 pixel resolutions in single-shot, self-timed, and burst photo modes. The DualPix Chat and Show is one of the first Webcams to behave and include features that most people would associate with point-and-shoot digital cameras.

Speaking of watching TV on your iPhone, Orb Networks claims to have "the world's first way to stream live TV to the iPhone and iPod Touch." The company designed OrbLive, an app created to work with jailbroken iPhones and iPod Touches.

Users install Orb's streaming app on a PC with a TV tuner and OrbLive on their iPhone or iPod Touch. Set the PC the live TV, and you can stream the content direct to your Wi-Fi enable Apple device. Okay, so it's not the most high-tech of solutions, but at least Orb can happy claim "first," right?

Said Orb's CEO, Joe Costello, "Although the iPhone provides users with a great way to experience the Web, it offers a ridiculously sub-par streaming video experience. When all the carriers' free phones can stream lots of things that my iPhone can't, something's seriously wrong. OrbLive finally brings the iPhone's streaming video experience up to par with other mobile phones."

Dag, Steve, are you gonna take that?

While Verizon and AT&T do battle over mobile TV, and Apple continues to give NBC the cold shoulder, the peacock has taken matters into its own hands by making full episodes of The Office and 30 Rock available for streaming on an iPhone and iPod Touch near you. The comedies will be available as QuickTime files, viewable without those pesky obligatory ads.

According to Gizmodo, however, the files are massive and need to be re-downloaded, should you exit out of Safari, so you're advised to stick to Wi-Fi for these. That is, until that much talked about speed bump up comes through...

Warmer weather means it's time to pack up for vacations, and the one thing us tech-savvy vacationers need is something to pass the time on the way to our destination. I think I have found a gadget to do just that: the Philips DCP951 docking entertainment system.

Good news, movie buffs--now that the dust has settled on the high-def DVD format wars, the first wave of Blu-Ray Criterion Collection discs are finally coming. And in a surprising--if welcome--move, the higher-def versions of the discs won't cost anymore than their standard-definition counterparts.

According to Gizmodo, the following 13 titles are set to be issued first:

The Third Man, Bottle Rocket, Chungking Express, The Man Who Fell to Earth, The Last Emperor, El Norte, The 400 Blows, Gimme Shelter, The Complete Monterey Pop, Contempt, Walkabout, For All Mankind, The Wages of Fear

Don't let the pic confuse you--you haven't wandered into a gardening blog within the last 5 seconds. In spite of the realistic looks, the three elements at the image above are actually loudspeakers by Niles Audio. Part of Niles Audio's GeoRealistic weatherproof rock loudspeaker line, they are as follows: the Niles RS6Si series (at the front), the PB6Si planter loudspeaker (back, left), and the PS6Si planter loudspeaker (back, right). All three were designed to withstand the harshest of weathers, making them perfect for those inclined to spend idle time in their lawns.

If you're wondering whether you can actually use the planter box loudspeakers to house live plants, the answer would be yes. The rock-like RS6Si, on the other hand, comes in numerous colors and textures germane to rocks. It features an injection molded TCC 6-inch woofer and two one-inch Tetron tweeters, and is designed to have three modes to choose from: monaural, traditional two-speaker stereo input, and single speaker stereo input. The PB6Si and PS6Si planter box loudspeakers, however, feature a 6.5-inch dual voice coil woofer and a couple of 1-inch fluid-cooled Tetron tweeters. Personally, I'd really like to see a garden gnome loudspeaker, but I guess these have to do for now. All three models are now available through Niles Audio's authorized dealers.

This is one sick-looking puppy. The USB Smart Dog Hub is a 4-port USB hub that literally loses its rectangular-shaped head. Detach its head from the hub, and you've got a portable radio with auto scan 88Mhz to 108MHz. And if you're a good dog owner, you'll return the head so that you can use it as a computer speaker.

Head on over to LatestBuy.com to buy this smart pup for $19.15.

The Apple iPhone continues its attempt to take over the world one step at a time by rolling out in more than a dozen Latin American countries, beginning later this year. The company inked a deal with Carlos Slim's America Movil SAB, the top mobile service provider in Latin America, which operates in 16 countries, including Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, and Mexico.

"We're excited to be working with America Movil to bring the iPhone to Latin America later this year, and we can't wait to get this revolutionary phone in the hands of even more people around the world," Apple spokeswoman Natalie Kerris told the Associated Press.

Specific details of the plan, including carrier exclusivity, have yet to be announced. Apple recently signed a deal with a second carrier in Italy, raising some questions about the company's commitment to one carrier per country.

Among the array of phones presented by Samsung during Mobile World Congress 2008 is the Samsung i200 candybar smartphone. More than a couple of months later, the company announced the official launch of the i200 and I was considerably...underwhelmed. Based on the official press release, it seems that Samsung is banking on the smartphone's slim form--after all, an 11.8mm thickness is rarely seen on its peers. Another notable feature would be its HSDPA 3.6 Mbps connection.

For its display, the Samsung i200 has a 2.3-inch QVGA TFT screen with glossy finish (a characteristic observed on most of Samsung's handsets presented during MWC). It runs on Windows Mobile 6.1 OS and can operate MS Office programs. Other specs include Bluetooth and USB connectivity, music player, 25MB internal memory, and a micro SD card slot. Aside from its mundane aesthetics, camera specs also disappoint at only 2-megapixels. The Samsung i200 will first be released in Europe on June, and will roll out in other markets a month afterwards.

How's this for a promotion: Sign up for a broadband package and get a free computer. Scottish carrier and IT retailer powerupmobile.com is giving user exactly that. When customers use the Edinburgh-based company to sign up for T-Mobile's Web 'n Walk mobile broadband service, they'll get a free Asus Eee PC.

Says powerupmobile.com's CEO of the portable notebook, which has recently become his company's best-selling item: "The best thing is you can connect it to the internet from anywhere using the USB modem and T-Mobile Web n Walk service. You don't need Wifi or a hot spot or anything, plug in the USB modem anywhere and you get internet access."

The package, which also includes a T-Mobile USB modem is £35 a month, for 24 months.

Best Buy is heading across the pond to form a new company with British consumer electronics leader, Carphone Warehouse. Best Buy will purchase 50 percent of Carphone Warehouse's retail business for $2.1 billion, and the two companies will launch a completely new venture. (The U.K.-based company operates more than 2,400 stores in nine European countries, but those of us in the U.S. might know Carphone Warehouse from HBO's "Extras" as the place of employment for Andy's inept agent, Darren.)

Panasonic has introduced the latest version of its home theater in a box (HTiB) system, the first such unit to include an integrated Blu-ray player. The unit is set to be released in late spring, for around $999.95.

The new SC-BT100 is also iPod-friendly, boasting a charging dock and the ability to play both music and video from the device, displaying audio tracks and menus on a TV screen. iPods can also be controlled via the included remote. An included SD card slot also allows for digital image and video playback via memory cards.

It looks like the creative types in Dubai have taken a break from building islands long enough to invent a car that takes horsepower to a whole new level. The Naturmobil, invented by Abdolhadi Mirhejazi, uses a treadmill which both propels the vehicle and charges a battery while the horse walks. When the animal gets tired, the car can then be driven off the accumulated battery power. There's apparently also enough extra left to then run a pair of LCD screens.

"Bearing in mind the originality and uniqueness of the idea, Naturmobil was designed and built to achieve the maximum level of attention from its audiences," said F. Minooeifar, Mirhejazi's marketing manager.

That's right--the horse-car inventor has a marketing manager. The biggest problem I have with the the Naturmobil is its greenhouse-like enclosure, which would tend to get pretty hot for the animal, especially in Dubai, or even California, where the inventor plans to exhibit his masterpiece in June.

For more pictures of the contraption, head over to Geekologie.

Our PC Mag Network sister site, ExtremeTech just got a major facelift, one which, as the site's editor, Lloyd Case eagerly points out at PCMag.com, is far more than simple aesthetics. Says Lloyd:

We wanted the changes to be deep and far reaching. We also realized that part of this would come from sharpening our focus. To that end, the new ExtremeTech will offer more DIY (Do It Yourself) stories, tips, how-tos, and reviews--everything you need to help you take control of your tech. With this in mind, let's now take a quick tour of the new ExtremeTech.

There's more intuitive navigation; a new How To section, which features Built-Its, tips, and tricks; and Lab Notes, which offers "quick-and-dirty pieces" of information. And of course that's all just for starters. If you're a regular ExtremeTech reader, we think you'll find the beta site to be a lot cleaner and more intuitive. If you've never checked it out, this is the perfect excuse.