Many AMD partners are wondering why they have not gotten AMD Radeon 6970 boards yet - but, it seems to stem from a shortage of a particular component from Texas Instruments, and now the yield issues that people are running around crying about.

This Texas Instruments component is an integrated driver-MOSFET (DrMOS) that was first introduced and used on the AMD Radeon 6800 series. The part is SO new that there is literally no information on the web about it, nor from the manufacturer itself.

Since the supply of this DrMOS is so limited - and since the Radeon 6800 and upcoming 6900 series share the same VRM design, any delay in supply from Texas Instruments is going to affect both ranges of Radeon's. This has lead to an obvious delay in HD 6970 manufacturing - with partners receiving their final boards late as well.

Microsoft's Surface made a big splash when it was announced and shown off, but it's size and price kept it from being your next coffee table. But one of the software developers for the Microsoft Surface is indicating that the next-generation is "imminent" and will supposedly make the platform far more versatile.

Iain McDonald of agency Amnesia Razorfish, owned by Microsoft until late 2009 and now part of the Publicis Groupe are saying that the next-gen Surface will be a flat surface concept, not the entire coffee table system with cameras and projectors underneath.

The next-gen Surface is touted to include high resolution cameras so that special codes will no longer be needed to identify objects - it's also meant to sit around the $8000 mark, whether that's AUD or USD, isn't specified - but with the AUD playing the balancing act on parity, it shouldn't be far off in either country.

For those Firefox that are tired of swimming through all of the tiny sharing links to share articles and other web info via their social networks, Mozilla has heard your cries and may just have the answer to streamlining the webpage sharing experience. Mozilla has released F1, a plugin that turbocharges the page sharing experience. Facebook, Twitter, and Gmail are the first three supported entities due to their popularity, but Mozilla plans to expand this as they keep working on the plugin.

The concept is pretty simple: click on the F1 icon, choose how you want to share the current page, confirm your credentials, and your Gmail, tweet, or Facebook post is away. While there are other sharing toolbars out there, this seems to be a very nice one that doesn't clutter up your browser unless you want to use it which is really nice. As F1 gathers more sites to share with, I an only see it becoming more popular for those who like their browser simple and streamlined. Check out the demo video at the Source Link.

With the release of NVIDIA's new flagship GPU - the GeForce GTX580 - they've been kind enough to release some WHQL drivers to go with it, enter 262.99 Forceware drivers.

The 262.99 release is available for Windows XP, Vista and 7 based systems in both 32 and 64-bit flavors.

Release notes for this set of drivers are:

Of all the online stores where you can find cool tech gear one of my favorites is ThinkGeek. It has all sorts of gadgets and some of the coolest geek toys on the planet. ThinkGeek has a bunch of stuff that is designed to work with Apple products and the latest offering is a new case for the iPad that has a Bluetooth keyboard inside. If you want to use your iPad like a netbook on the go, this is the perfect case for you.

The case is covered in black leather and it has a BT keyboard that is specifically designed to work with the iPad. The keyboard has a number of keys specifically linked to iPad functions like home, volume, search, and iPod functions. The only downside I can think of is that the keys look small. That said, they are sure to be better for lots of typing than the on screen keyboard.

The leather case has a magnetic flap closure and can be used to prop the iPad up in various angles for working or watching video. The case with the iPad inside weighs 2.75 pounds, the keyboard is powered by an internal battery that charges via USB, and the charge cable is included. The battery is good for up to 90 hours of continuous use so you should be able to go a long time on a single charge. You can order the thing for $59.99 right now.

Very few of the people I know wear a watch any more. Most of us just use a mobile phone to tell what time it is when we need to. I do know a few folks that wear a wristwatch, but these guys are the fancy types that like fashion watches to show off. You have probably heard of E-Ink displays before, the tech is huge in the eReader market and other markets as well.

The big benefit of E-ink tech is that the screens are very easy to read in direct sunlight and use very little power. I have had one of the Phosphor E-Ink watches in my hands before and the coolest thing about them is that you can choose the way the screen looks with different arrangements for the time and either black or white backgrounds. The numbers are easy to read the watches are really cool.

Phosphor has unveiled a new watch for geeks that need to know what time it is all around the world. The watch is called the World Time and it has a curved E-ink display. The display of the watch is only 9.3mm thick and the thing can keep time in all 24 time zones. It can also show two of those zones on the face at one time. You can get the thing with black or white plastic bands for $150, a black leather band is $165, and a version with a stainless band is $195.

When it comes to gaming, some genres simply aren't good for use with game pads and controllers like the Xbox 360 uses from the perspective of PC gamers. Sure console gamers will argue that the gamepad on their Xbox 360 rocks for Call of Duty and some will even claim they will pwn PC gamers using a mouse and keyboard. The PC gamers out there know the score though.

That said there are some games that many PC gamers like to play that plain suck on the keyboard and mouse control system. Games like racing sims and flying games are perfect examples. If you have one of the new Xbox 360 wireless controllers and you have a hankering to play a game on your Windows 7 PC that needs a controller you can use the Xbox wireless controller on your rig.

The new controller is dubbed the Xbox 360 Wireless Controller with Transforming D-Pad. It comes only with the new play and charge kit for $64.99 and will be in the same old stores other Xbox 360 gear is sold in. You will need an Xbox 360 wireless receiver to plug into your PC and then you can use the new one for PC gaming action. The new controller appears to be silver and it looks pretty cool.

Each year there are a number of tech shows that go on all around the world to highlight specific types of gear. We all tend to focus on CES mostly here in the states, but over in Japan, one of the more interesting shows is usually FPD and this year's show is going now. The FPD show focuses on display tech and Samsung had some interesting displays inside its booth as the show.

The Samsung booth had a 7-inch AMOLED screen that is expected to land in a table next year. The thing has a 1024 x 600 resolution with 16.7M colors and lots more. A dual screen clamshell device was spied in the booth that looks interesting with a couple 4.5-inch AMOLED screens inside with high contrast at 100K:1 and 300CD/m2 brightness. One of the coolest screens was the foldable display measuring 5.3-inches that folds in the middle and still packs nice specs.

Samsung also showed off a couple color screens that were flexible allowing for some out there designs. The flexible screens measured 4.3-inches. Samsung also has a transparent AMOLED screen that you could see though. It was on a 14-inch netbook and had a resolution of 960 x 540. Lots more stuff was shown off in the booth and you can hit up the source for more details and check out the video below.

Not all keyboards are up to the rigors of gaming. If you have ever tried to play a FPS or other game with a junk keyboard that shipped with a cheap PC you have seen more ghosting than most haunted houses and know exactly what I mean. When it comes to gaming keyboards, not all of them are created equal either. Many gamers lust after a gaming keyboard with mechanical keys more than one packed with macros and other features many won't use.

A company called Zowie Gear has unveiled a new gaming keyboard with mechanical keys called the Celeritas. The company says that the keyboard is the perfect weapon for competition where response time and the ability to move freely are essential. The Celeritas is designed specifically for competitive gamers. The keyboard has 18K gold plated brown mechanical switched for increased durability and better feel.

The key caps are nylon, the keyboard has a simple black design, and the keys are not backlit like many gaming keyboards. The keyboard also has a Zowie RTR technology built-in that lets the user define a repeat response of a key press for 1x to 8x when connected via a PS/2 connector. The response time of the keyboard is 0.2 seconds, which is the fastest of any mechanical keyboard on the market and it has anti-ghosting tech. The keyboard will ship in Europe this December for 119,90 euros.

TRENDnet, a best-in-class wired and wireless networking hardware brand, today announces the availability of the world's smallest 150Mbps Micro Wireless N USB Adapter, model TEW-648UBM. The ultra compact form factor measures a remarkable 0.59 x 0.74 x 0.28 inches (1.5 x 1.9 x 0.7 cm).

When plugged into a USB port, the adapter extends a scant 0.3 inches (0.8 cm) from the edge of the computer. The adapter is so small that users can stow a laptop with the adapter plugged in, without worrying about damaging the laptop or the adapter.

This adapter is also the only product in its class that features a convenient WPS button. One-touch Wi-Fi Protected Setup, or WPS technology, eliminates the hassle of entering complicated codes in order to connect to a wireless network. Simply press the WPS button on a compatible router (most TRENDnet routers feature a WPS button), then press the WPS button on TRENDnet's 150Mbps Micro Wireless N USB Adapter, confirm that you want to connect, and you're connected.