Hitachi 770G20TVP2.

[right arrow] There has been a whole host of PCs with Microsoft's spanky new Windows XP Media Center Edition 2004 announced recently for Japan. I've put the URLs for some of them at the end of this piece but will focus on the one from Hitachi for now--mostly because our esteemed leader and publisher may well be reading this and feeling generous and well disposed to my humble groveling. Or not. Anyway, Hitachi's 770G20TVP2 is part of the company's "Prius Deck" series, with the stunning eye-catching feature of a HUGE 20-inch, WXGA (1,280 x 768) LCD display (one of the elements that makes this the sexiest Media Center offering of recent memory, I reckon).

[right arrow] This delicious machine is powered by a 4.3Ghz Pentium 4 CPU and 512 MB of PC2700 RAM memory, has a 250GB hard disk and a 64MB GeForce FX Go5200 video card as well as a combo optical drive capable of handling DVDR/RW and DVD-RAM. And there's an integral TV tuner, obviously. Everything, then. Software includes Office Personal Edition 2003 preinstalled. The display alone makes the 770G20TVP2 look like a million bucks, but in case you need extra convincing, it comes with two remote controls: Two remotes! That ought to count for something. You know you're getting some quality merchandise when it needs double-handed controlling.

More info: www.hitachi.co.jp/New/cnews/031015.html The others: From Toshiba in laptop form: www.toshiba.co.jp/about/press/2003_10/pr_j1507.htm A budget one from trusty Sotec: www.sotec.co.jp/news/2003/1015-mce.html A cube version from MCJ: www.mouse-jp.co.jp/ A Dimension model/from Dell: www.dell.com/html/jp/dell/news/031015b.htm NEC's Valuestar U effort: www.nec.co.jp/press/ja/0310/1501.html