Bare-bones cube fancies itself as media center

Let's get small: Computer makers are pursuing a bloated form of minimalism. Stripped-down, shrunken machines such as the Asus Eee PC subnotebooks are the great new trend. Less is more and small is the new big.

Shuttle Inc. D10

Taiwan-based computer maker Shuttle Inc. has taken this concept up a notch (or down, depending on how you look at it) with its minimalist D10. The device is a simple black cube that shuns some essential computer assets, including a keyboard and a mouse. Instead, the 7-inch screen on its front face is a touch-screen. The interface is suited to the machine's prime purpose as a media center, with its ability to play music, movies and videos, as well as surfing the Internet. Augmenting the screen is a remote control.

What it also lacks is a hard drive, although the user can install one of their own choice, or an optical drive, for which there is an empty bay and an eject button above the touch-screen.

Prioritizing a small size was a natural choice, but it also imposes an obvious limitation. Without connecting an external monitor, watching media of any sort on such a small screen is tedious.

The D10 is available in a variety of configurations, including a choice of Core 2 Duo E4000, Dual Core E2000 or Celeron 400 processors with 2 gigabytes of DDR2 memory, expandable up to 4 GB. It also sports RealTek 5.1 Channel Audio Support, four USB ports and Ethernet and FireWire connections.

The bare-bones package — ¥49,800 — comes in a small black rectangular box. The shape is reminiscent of the too short-lived Apple Cube. Looks aside, the D10 is the start of a cool idea. Making full use of its abilities will require further purchases of the likes of optical drives and a hard disk. In truth, you shouldn't need an extra mouse or keyboard. Viewed as a multimedia device rather than as a genuine computer, the D10 is tempting. www.shuttle-japan.jp/Product/D10/d10.html

Flexibility is king: Electronic books and the emerging class of devices built to read them suffer from the number of different formats in which they are available. Typically an e-book device will read one major e-book format and a few others, but will still be incapable of deciphering most of the digital books on offer. The ability to feast on a wide menu is one of the great selling points of the Cowon O2 portable media player. The much-anticipated device, which finally makes it to Japanese stores on Nov. 13, is compatible with DivX, XviD, MPEG4, AVI, MKV, WM9 and H.264 video files and WMA, MP3, AC3, AAC, FLAC and OGG audio files. The gadget features a 4.3-inch screen, a touch version of course, with a choice of 8, 16 or 32 GB of memory, an electronic dictionary and SD-card slot with the option of a TV tuner thrown in. It can play videos at a resolution of up to 1,280x720 at 30 frames per second.

Cowan O2 media player

While the Cowon, in its color choices of black, white or pink, is a flashy package, the GUI is a bit dull, albeit functional. The battery life is more problematic, lasting a lengthy eight hours for watching videos but only 18 hours for listening to music. The 8-GB model will sell for ¥29,800, the 16-GB will cost ¥34,800 and the 32-GB model will cost ¥44,800. Both can be bought directly from Cowon's Web site.

Cowon devices are highly rated for sound quality, so while they might not have the cachet of an iPod, at least Apple has some competition in terms of substance. www.cowonjapan.com/zeroboard/

A pocketful of memory: Just as people insist on carrying their computing power with them, memory is increasingly expected to be portable. USB memory sticks fulfill some of this craving with capacities approaching that of desktop hard disks from not so many years ago.

Transcend StoreJet portable hard drive

Now hard disks themselves are hitting the road. Transcend is keeping up with the trend with a new pair of portable 2.5-inch hard drives, the StoreJet 25C and StoreJet 25M. Both offer 500-GB capacities, a sizable allocation that is becoming a new standard for such devices, and USB 2.0 interfaces.

Beyond their copious storage the pair also boast sleek looks and compact forms that allow them to be easily transported, such as in a briefcase. The devices include such software as backup, file compression and encryption systems.

The 25M sells for ¥24,000, while the more stylish 25C, which comes in a zippered carrying case, is priced at ¥25,500. shop.transcend.co.jp/