Amazon will release a new Kindle version on Oct 19, dubbed “Kindle U.S. & International Wireless”, that is able to wirelessly download content in over 100 countries. Priced at $279, it is the same 6-inch device as the current Kindle other than the new international wireless feature.

The current Kindle is now called “Kindle U.S. Wireless”, with price fell from $299 to $259.

“With this new Kindle, you can get your books, newspapers, and magazines delivered wirelessly while at home or abroad in over 100 countries. Whether you’re in Paris, Mumbai, or Sao Paulo, you can think of a book and be reading it in less than 60 seconds.” - Jeff Bezos

With the new device, international customers can now order Kindle with international wireless. However content and pricing vary for customers living outside of the U.S. Check if Kindle is available in your country.

Pre-order Kindle U.S. & International Wireless

VideoLan has released version 1.0.2 of everyone’s favorite free and open source VLC Media Player. This new release comes with 64-bit support for Snow Leopard and fixes for SSA decoding, ogg/theora, x264 module and other securities issue. This new version supports Kazakh and Croatian two new languages.

Download VLC 1.0.2.

After six years, the wait is over for Dan Brown’s latest work “The Lost Symbol”. Follows in the trail of “The Da Vinci Code” and its prequel “Angels and Demons” that have made the author the best-selling novelist, Brown’s new novel continues the tales of Harvard symbologist Robert Landgon. “The Da Vinci Code” has sold more than 80 million copies since it was published in 2003, and both it and “Angels and Demons” were made into hit films starring Tom Hanks.

In “The Lost Symbol”, Langdon provides a crash course on the number 33, Pythagoras, Genesis, Joseph, Jesus and Islam. The novel in essence is about the freemasons, a group that has faced centuries of persecution for their secrets.

“There’s a point in the book where Langdon makes the point that misinterpreting people’s symbols is often the root of prejudice, and part of what I hoped to do with this book is shed some light, from my perspective, on Masonic symbolism and Masonic ritual,” Brown says.

Order “The Lost Symbol” from Amazon.com.

Via NPR

HP is refreshing its MediaSmart home server lineup with the MediaSmart EX490 and EX495 models. These new file servers for home come with larger hard drives, faster processors and lower price from its predecessor EX485 and EX487 models. And the new servers are much easier to setup with a new user interface, and has better Mac support.

The new MediaSmart servers can now be completely administered on a Mac, though you need a Windows PC for its initial setup. Time Machine is fully supported, allowing you to do bare metal full system restore from the server, using its bundled recovery utility.

HP MediaSmart server can now automatically collect and share photos, videos and photos that are loaded onto a Mac with its HP Media Collector software. And its bundled HP Video Converter can now convert or transcode media to more devices and formats. iPhone and iPod touch users can stream media from the server using the free HP iStream app.

HP MediaSmart runs Microsoft Windows Home Server operating system. The EX490 comes with a 2.2GHz Intel Celeron Processor and an initial 1.0 TB drive. The higher-end EX495 is equipped with a faster 2.5GHz Intel Pentium Dual Core Processor and comes with a single 1.5TB hard drive. Both servers have 2GB of DDR2 RAM, three empty hard drive bays, Gigabit ethernet port, 4 USB ports (1 front, 3 back) and an eSATA port at the back to add even more drives. Preorder has started with $549 for EX490 and $699 for EX495. Expected shipping is this October.

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Bowers & Wilkins (B&W), the high-end audio speaker system manufacturer, is launching a smaller version of its popular awards-winning Zeppelin iPod based audio systems. Called Zeppelin Mini, the new audio system has a new docking arm which can rotate your iPod/iPhone for landslide display. USB connectivity adds the ability to sync your iPod/iPhone and stream music from PC or Mac. Price is $399.

Visit B&W Zeppelin Mini Website.

Via TechDigest

Here’s the footage to an act befitting a fallen star. Is he doing a Sacha Baron Cohen to promote his album and career? Looks more like an insecure loser to us.

Apple has quietly dropped its 40GB model Apple TV, and reduced the price of its 160GB model from $329 to $229. Previously the 40GB model was priced at $229. The 160GB model is now the only Apple TV available.

Apple TV hardware has remained unchanged since its introduction in March 2007. Many has expected Apple to upgrade Apple TV software to support the recently launched iTunes LP. With its lackluster sales, it is interesting to see how Apple plans to turn this product around.

Via MacRumors

ColorWare now offers choices of color for PS3 Slim. It will cost you $149 to send yours in, or you can purchase PS3 Slim direct from ColorWare for $449.

You can customize the PS3 logo, the top of the console, the bottom of your console or even the controller. Once colorized, everything is high-gloss and scratch resistant.

Via ChipChick

Universal Studios has announced the Fast & Furious iPhone app that can be used to control the bonus feature content of Fast & Furious movie Blu-ray disc. The iPhone and iPod touch app will launch on App Store on July 28 as free download, coincide with the release of the 2-Disc Special Edition Blu-ray of the blockbuster Fast & Furious.

The is a ground breaking move from Universal Studios by integrating the two platforms for more enhance home entertainment experience. For this feature to work, your Blu-ray player needs to be BD-Live capable and is connected to the Internet. Playstation 3 and newer Blu-ray players are BD-Live ready.

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Using tweets from Twitter, Billie Tweets pays tribute to Michael Jackson. When you play the Billie Jean video, the site pull in tweets with words to sync to the music. It’s definitely good for a karaoke session.