We've already seen it unboxed, but if you've been waiting for a slightly more thorough look at Canon's new Rebel XSi DSLR (otherwise known as the EOS 450D) before you drop $800+ on it, you can now get your fix thanks to a steady stream of reviews that are now pouring in. Among the earliest to get its hands on a unit was Digital Photography Review, which reserved final judgment because it only did a preview but nonetheless provided one of the most exhaustive looks at the camera, complete with comparisons to its predecessor and its nearest competitors. Offering more opinions was Camera Labs, which found the XSi to be a "worthy successor" to the XTi, although it warns that new buyers should consider whether the upgrades are really worth the extra cost. The folks at LetsGoDigital were a bit more enthusiastic, calling the XSi a "perfect camera for everybody," although they were slightly disappointed by the camera's plastic casing. That also proved to be sticking point for Digital Camera Review, which went as far as to call the camera "cheap looking" and "less refined" than those with a lightly textured finish. On the upside, it says that the camera's low-noise sensor "raises the bar for entry-level DSLRs," with its extensive customization options, and Canon's expectedly strong AF system also winning it some high marks. If you're still not swayed one way other the other, you find plenty more details by diving into the links below.

Read - Digital Photography Review (preview)
Read - Camera Labs (88%)
Read - LetsGoDigital (82%)
Read - Digital Camera Review ("a fairly conservative upgrade")

There's not a lot of details on this one just yet, but Activision CEO Mike Griffith has dropped word in an earnings conference call that the company's upcoming Guitar Hero: On Tour game / controller combo will not only be released on its own this June, but in a new Nintendo DS bundle as well. No word on a price, unfortunately, nor is there any indication that the DS itself will be undergoing any Guitar Hero-inspired changes, but it seems like those little details should be making themselves known soon enough.

Toshiba has been touting its Cell-based SpursEngine graphics chip for some time now, but it looks like its finally starting to get a bit more specific about when we can expect to see it in actual products. According to Register Hardware, Toshiba will begin offering the chip in some of its multimedia-oriented notebooks sometime this year, with TVs and DVD players set to get it by the fall of 2009. The chip itself, for those not up to speed, uses its Cell-based technology (specifically, four of the Cell's Synergistic Processing Element cores) to handle some heavy-duty graphics processing, including upscaling standard definition content to high-def levels, something Toshiba has apparently taken to calling "super-resolution." Now word on what sort of premium (if any) we can expect to pay for such wonders, but Toshiba is apparently betting pretty heavily on the technology as part of its post HD DVD strategy.

Modder extraordinaire Ben Heckendorn could easily be resting on his laurels by now but, thankfully for us, he continues to churn out console mods and accessories like nobody's business, and his latest creation easily meets the high standard he's set for himself. Designed for the Games for Health conference, this one continues his line of one-handed controllers, with the pedals in this case replacing the strum and whammy bar from a standard Guitar Hero controller, letting you use a single hand for the chords. As you can see, everything is also obviously done with Ben Heck's usual fit and finish, and even a bit of clever salvaging, with an Atari Jaguar controller cable used with one of the pedals -- Ben just hopes that "doesn't jinx anything."

Uh oh, it looks like we've got a full-fledged robot controversy on our hands. At the heart of it, as you might have guessed, is the recent obliteration of a harmless Pleo by a so-called ComBot known as Vicious Verdict at Maker Faire 2008. According to a UGOBE rep posting on the PleoWorld forum, the company is having none of it, saying that the "stunt" was done without its authorization or approval, and that there was "quite a ruckus" about it in UGOBE's office after they learned of the incident. The rep went on to add that many people, including the UGOBE reps at their Maker Faire booth were "shocked and appalled" by the act, and that they "make emotional bonds with Pleo too." The rep did seemingly confirm that the Pleo in question was in fact provided by the company, however, saying that, "it is perhaps a small consolation to know that the Pleo destroyed was a factory prototype." A cuddly, cuddly factory prototype.

[Via Tech Digest]