Sony gets official with VAIO P: world's lightest 8-inch netbook

Not that we really needed Sony to tell us something we already knew, but we certainly appreciate the gesture. The hotly anticipated VAIO P is for real, and it's coming in as the world's lightest 8-inch netbook at just 1.4 pounds. The Vista-based device packs an almost unbelievable 1,600 x 768 resolution LED-backlit XBRITE-ECO LCD display, 802.11n WiFi, 3G WWAN, Bluetooth, a battery good for four hours (eight hours with the optional high-capacity cell) and a GPS module for good measure. You'll also find an instant-on mode that launches directly into Sony's Xross Media Bar interface, and the inbuilt webcam will keep the video chats going well into the morning. It'll start shipping in early February (in garnet red, emerald green, onyx black, crystal white and classic black hues) for $900 and up, and you can peek the full release just after the break.

Toshiba adds 500GB external hard drive to their line

Toshiba's added to the ever-expanding offering of 500GB external drives with its newly released HDDR500E03X. The USB 2.0, 2.5-incher is on offer in a totally sweet array of colors, and comes pre-loaded with NTI Shadow backup software. It's available now for somehwere in the vicinity of $140.

Kodak's rugged Zx1 handheld camcorder does 720p in the jungle

Kodak's 720p Zi6 has only been out for six months, but already we're seeing what's likely its beefed-up predecessor. The mighty Zx1 is debuting here at CES, and with it comes a 2-inch LCD monitor, easy upload to YouTube, 720p HD video capture at 60fps, an IP43-certified weather-resistant design and an SD / SDHC card slot that can understand media up to 32GB in size. All told, users can capture up to ten hours of high-def video, and the bundled HDMI cable makes showing off recent grabs as easy as pie. The Zx1 will arrive in five colors (pink, blue, yellow, red and black) and will include pre-charged AA Ni-MH rechargeable batteries alongside a charger. We'll bet Creative and Pure Digital have a little something of their own to show off before this one lands in April for $149.95. Full release is (where else?) after the break.

Ainol serves up 4.3-inch V6000HDB portable media player

Ainol's V6000HDB is about six times better than the V1000 and roughly twice as awesome as the V3000, but we suppose those metrics are really neither here nor there. The Chinese portable media player packs a 4.3-inch 480 x 272 resolution display, 4GB of internal storage space, support for RMVB, AVI and FLV video files and HD (720p) output. Outside of that, the nitty-gritty is lost in translation, but for just 399 yuan ($58), we've heard plenty.