TechFodder

Nothing satisfies us more than "big dope" stories. This week's edition comes courtesy of Swann Security.

The company says that during this month's Consumer Electronic Show, some dummy tried to make off with the company's sign-in book. Well, he don't know them very well, do he?

Being that the company does, you know... security... they had a lot of cameras set up around the booth. A lot of times, you can watch yourself walking by, checking out products, or just having a bad hair day. Apparently, you can also get caught stealing company client names.

The story almost seems too good to be true, but it was covered by the Las Vegas Now news team. Check out the story below.

VIZIO made the announcement that they've inked a deal with Beyoncé Knowles-Carter. Not sure what the bigger news is here: The endorsement, the fact that VIZIO has that kind of cash, or that Beyoncé goes by Jay-Z's real last name.

Either way, we can expect to see three years of Beyoncé shaking her groove thing in print, web and other ads, as well as on the actual packaging. The singer will also get to don an engineer's cap, contributing her two cents to design and performance characteristics of new products.

"What I love about VIZIO is how committed they have been to customers and their focus on delivering tremendous performance at a great value," said the actress and singer. "As a performer, I can relate to that, because my fans spend their hard-earned money to see me perform, and I give everything I can to make sure I exceed their expectations. I'm excited to be associated with such a successful company."

Best Buy is showing off laptops from Toshiba, Dell, and Sony. Why? Not just because they carry them in stores, but because they are now part of the company's Blue Label 2.0 line.

What makes the Blue Label red-hot is that users can stream video and photos from the laptop to a flat-panel TV. Each model boasts Intel Wireless Display technology, as well as the new Intel i5 processor, 4GB of memory and a 500GB hard drive. New users will also get 30 days of Geek Squad support to help start the streaming process.

Toshiba will have a 14-inch model, Dell has 15.6 inches, and Sony will launch a 13-inch laptop -- all exclusive to Best Buy. The models will start selling in stores and online on January 17. Pricing will start at $899.99.

VIZIO is keeping the CE industry on its toes, launching even more products for the budget-conscious consumer. The company will soon start selling two universal remote controls, the XRT100 and the VUR9M.

If you're looking for a nice digital touchscreen, the XRT100 is designed to work with VIA-enabled TVs, as well as any legacy A/V component. It looks like the company is taking a page out of the Harmony playbook, offering one-touch access to multiple devices on its 3.5-inch LCD.

The VUR9M isn't as touchable, but it does have backlit volume and number keys so you don't fumble in the dark. It also comes pre-loaded with tons of IR codes for different devices.

The XRT100 has no release date, but the VUR9M should be available in March. VIZIO hasn't said a peep about pricing.

We can't wait to see what this will go for on eBay. Kingston Digital just announced plans to distribute Michael Jackson's THIS IS IT on a USB Flash drive.

Like all things related to MJ (post-demise, that is), this will be a limited-edition product. It will be timed with the Blu-ray and DVD release, but will come on a special Kingston DataTraveler USB Flash drive.

The product will be compatible with Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7. Once you've got it, you can back the film up to three PCs.

Michael Jackson's THIS IS IT will be released on January 26, 2010.

Years ago, we purchased noise-cancelling headphones from a very well known manufacturer. They were (and still are) a few hundred bucks. Now, we really can't put a price on blocking out plane chatter. However, Audio-Technica sure can -- and we like the price they're quoting us.

The company just announced the new ATH-ANC25 QuietPoint noise-cancelling on-ear headphones. The company says it should block 80 percent of crying babies, as well as the sounds of planes, trains and automobiles. Each earpiece has tiny microphones to sense the sounds -- and then block 'em.

While we love the whole Fantastic Voyage thing for our headset, what we truly can't resist is the $99.95 price tag. Expect the Audio-Technica ATH-ANC25 headphones to start selling next month.

Nothing says technologically advanced like a smudgy laptop. HP wants you to get up close and personal with some of its newly announced portable hardware.

The new HP TouchSmart tm2 is a nifty touch-enabled notebook. As an update to the tx2, this model has a sleek look and can morph into whatever you find most comfortable. Unfortunately, it does not have a "La-Z-Boy" mode, but it does do a sketchpad with digital pen and offers one-touch access to Netflix. Other features include a 12.1-inch screen, the latest low-voltage Intel Core 2 Duo processors ATI Mobility Radeon graphics, and 9 hours of battery life.

Wipe your sweaty fingers; the HP TouchSmart tm2 won't be available until January 17. It should come in a plethora of colors, with a price starting at $949.

If you want to make the touchable PC experience mini, the company will also unleash the HP Mini 5102 sometime this month. Weighing in at just 2.6 pounds, you can choose between standard and touchable units (duh!) as well as black, red or blue brushed finishes.

Other features include a 10.1-inch display (in WSVGA or HD resolutions), an Intel Atom N450 processor, and up to 10 hours of battery time. When it does come, it will pack a much a lower starting price of $399.

I was thinking about switching to FiOS, but here's some news that makes me think otherwise: DirecTV is planning an all-HD 3D channel. Wow wee.

Gary Merson, the HD Guru, says that the channel will include movies, sports and other programming, all in HD. Expect to wear those goofy 3D glasses. We'd also recommend a cold compress in case your cornea tries to explode.

DirecTV will show off some of the content at CES next month. DirecTV's current HDTV subscribers will get a firmware update to get the channel, which is expected to launch early 2010. The content will also be compatible with new 3D HDTVs from Panasonic, Sony, Samsung, LG, as well as Mitsubishi's current DLP models.

You're in town for CES... wanna date? Well, Intelius is offering up one that you won't have to pay for.

The company says it will host a Dating Game-styled contest right on the showfloor. The melee will be a promotion to pump up the company's Date Check, a mobile application that allows users to instantly scan for skeevy critters posing as a potential mate.

For the Dream Date contest, Intelius is looking for nine bachelors to vie for one of three dates with a lucky bachelorette (aka a hired booth babe). You'll get a background check via Date Check and get to participate in the contest live on stage. Winners get lunch with the babe, as well as a pair of Vegas show tickets. It's just what your boss sent you there for!

If you're at the show in January, look for the contest in the Living in Digital Times exhibitor area located in the North Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center.