With fans worldwide looking forward to Episode III: Revenge of the Sith--the latest installment in the celebrated Star Wars movie series--Alienware is trying to cash in on the frenzy by building PCs based on the movie.

Alienware's Star Wars systems are desktop PCs from "a galaxy, far, far, away," according to company literature. They come in two editions, both inspired by the main characters from the movie: The Star Wars Edition--Dark Side and The Star Wars Edition--Light Side. Both systems have similar hardware, but the Dark Side PC comes in a black case with red accents that features images of the saga's villains, including Darth Vader, Palpatine, and Storm Troopers. The Light Side PC comes in a black case with blue accents and images of good guys, including Yoda, Princess Leia, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, and Chewbacca. These PCs also come with Star Wars software themes, graphics, and wallpaper.

One of these systems, with an Advanced Micro Devices Athlon 64 3000+ processor, 512MB of RAM, an 80GB hard drive, a NVidia GeForce 6600 PCI Express video card, and one year of tech support was available for $1499 on Alienware's Web site in early May, but delivery was scheduled for June 13.

Yahoo's DVD Players

Yahoo's brand name now appears on new DVD players made by Diamond Electronics. The Yahoo YDP-700 earns points for its compact size and slick design. Weighing 1.4 pounds and measuring 8.3 by 5.2 by 2.2 inches, this DVD player is easy to move from room to room, an improvement over big players that clog cabinet space.

The YDP-700 lacks the progressive-scan features available in Diamond Electronics' more upscale--but larger--Yahoo DVD player, the YDP-530. This model has a four-in-one flash card reader, DivX video playing capabilities, infrared transmission capabilities to transmit sound to wireless headphones, and a USB port so you can play digital audio and video files stored on USB storage devices.

Both DVD players come with remote controls, cost $100, and are available at Yahoo's Web site.

MP3 Framed

It's a novel idea: Include MP3-playing capabilities in a digital picture frame so that images can meet sound during a slide show. That is what Edge Tech did with its Digital Picture Frame, which can play MP3 audio files and display pictures or video. Edge Tech spokesperson Alisa Curry says the frame reads JPEG images, MP3 audio files, and MPEG-II and AVI video files via its flash card and Microdrive slots. The 5.6-inch LCD frame can sit on a table or hang on a wall, but it requires a power outlet. The frame is available in white only, which should match most decors. Multiple on-frame controls adjust everything from volume to image size and brightness. The $199 device comes with a tiny remote and is available through Edge Tech's Web site.

Toshiba's New Security and Protection Scheme

In the last 20 years, Toshiba has rolled out many highly regarded laptops, but its newly announced family of security technologies for portable PCs could be something to cheer about even more. The company's EasyGuard is being introduced in its redesigned Tecra, Portégé, and Libretto models, which feature water-resistant keyboards, crash- and theft-detection features, and fingerprint readers.

The notebooks include hardware that detects a fall and protects the hard drive, plus cases that protect the LCD panel from impact. The new designs afford easier access to components in order to simplify repairs, Toshiba says.

The water-resistant keyboards can take some spills, but don't plan on using your new Toshiba notebook in the shower. In Toshiba's tests, the EasyGuard keyboard absorbed a 30-milliliter spill of water, said Craig Marking, senior product marketing manager at Toshiba America Information Systems.

The notebooks' coolest feature is EasyGuard's theft-detection system, which sounds alarms if the computer is moved without approval from an authorized user. This is a combined hardware/software feature. Hardware within the laptop can tell when it is being moved; if this occurs and the alarm hasn't been disabled, the software sets off an alarm (the alarm can be disabled by entering a password or pressing a designated key). "If someone touches or moves [this laptop] and you are in the area, you will know immediately," Marking says. Of course, for the alarm system to attract attention, the laptop's speakers need to be set at a high volume.

Toshiba's EasyGuard technologies include multiple user authentication features, Marking said. The most exciting one is a fingerprint reader, much like the one on IBM's ThinkPad T43.

"The fingerprint reader serves two purposes: to replace a password and to encrypt files and folders," Marking said. Instead of a fingerprint reader, users can opt for the SD Token Utility, which requires inserting a Secure Digital Card holding an encrypted ID into a slot for authorization. Yet a third authentication feature is the USB-based HDLock, in which an encrypted hard drive becomes usable only after someone inserts a key with an encryption and decryption engine into the USB port. Once the key is removed, the hard drive can lock up again, Marking said. In a less-stringent usage scenario, the HDLock can be used instead of a password, he said.

EasyGuard's Hard Disk Drive Protection System contains a gravity-detecting device that can tell if a notebook falls from a tabletop. If a powered-up laptop falls, the gravity-detecting device will remove the hard drive head from between the platters to ensure it doesn't get damaged, Marking said. If a laptop falls while powered down, a vibration-dampening dome can save the hard disk it surrounds by passing the impact to the chassis, Marking said. Bumper zones placed around the edge of the case and the LCD panel also absorb impact. Combined, these features provide the redesigned notebooks with exceptional durability, Marking said.

Boot capabilities or file transfers from external devices can be restricted through a utility that shuts down input or output devices, Marking said. An on-board encryption chip based on the Trusted Platform Module (a software and network security specifications from the Trusted Computing Group) enhances a computer's data security by preventing unauthorized access to critical data. For example, the TCG engine allows users to create a personal vault of files that others can't access, Marking said.

The redesigned notebooks also contain software features that simplify connecting to other wireless devices, he said.

EasyGuard was announced on April 20 and has started appearing in Tecra M3 and Tecra M4 series systems, the Portégé S100 and Portégé R200 series, and the Libretto U100, Marking said. "Not every element [of EasyGuard] is available on every system," he said, adding that some EasyGuard features, such as HDLock, are extras that need to be specified when ordering a product.

Laptops with EasyGuard are currently available only in the U.S. and Europe, Marking said.

Agam Shah is an editor with the IDG News Service, based in San Francisco. Questions or comments? Write to Agam Shah.