Does Sony have a new PlayStation 3 model in the works?

Sony might be working on a new version of the PlayStation 3, according to one report.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has published an exhibit on its Web site of what appears to be a new PlayStation 3. Sony requested that the government organization inspect the device to ensure it was within the FCC's guidelines for wireless support. According to the FCC file, it received the sample device back in March.

Although the "PlayStation" branding is not included in the FCC's inspection, the organization makes clear that Sony Computer Entertainment is the applicant and it examined a "computer entertainment system." U.K.-based gaming site Eurogamer believes that it's a new PlayStation 3 because of its model number, CECH-4001x.

Sony paints PS3 controller gold

There's gold in them there controllers!

(Credit: Sony Computer Entertainment)

Who can deny the charm of gold?

Sony Computer Entertainment today officially unveiled the metallic gold Dualshock 3 controller for the PS3, due for release on October 19.

Launching exclusively through GameStop, the controller carries a hefty $54.99 retail price. However, we doubt that sum would stop the aspiring Auric Goldfingers of the world from getting one. We say this because its insanely easy to find most of the other PS3 controller colors sold online (and often at stores) for $40 or less.

This addition complements the parade of controller hues already available, including black, urban camouflage, metallic blue, deep red, classic white, satin silver, candy pink, jungle green, and several others.

The Dualshock 3 controller design for Sony's PS3 gaming console looks nearly identical to the original that debuted alongside the PlayStation 1 back in 1997. Few products can withstand the technological test of time, but Sony figured it out, and earned big accolades in CNET's Top 5 video game controllers:

Eye Candy from God OUR CREATOR AS AN ARTIST

  Eye Candy from GodOUR CREATOR AS AN ARTIST

Got a deck? Solar panels now a plug-in appliance

Power deck: plug-in solar panel appliances being tested.

(Credit: Screen capture by Martin LaMonica/CNET)

It's a green-energy geek's dream do-it-yourself project: attach a few solar panels to your deck and watch your electric bills go down. Now one company is selling such a product.

SpinRay Energy has developed a system that lets consumers install up to five solar panels on their decks and plug them into an outdoor power outlet. People can install one panel at a time, and get up to 1,000 watts of power with five installed.

The main electrical components of the system have the UL safety certification, including the solar panel and the microinverter, which converts direct current from the panels to household alternating current. If there is a loss of grid power, the panels will stop delivering current because it could be a danger to line workers, according to the company.

SpinRay Energy is selling the DIY kit through a few retailers, including Amazon. There are just a few reviews, but people who installed the panels say they work as advertised. The deck kit, sold for $1,099.95 on Amazon, comes with brackets that attach to a deck or for setting up panels in a yard. The panels should qualify users for a 30 percent federal tax credit for renewable energy.

The idea of making a solar panel "appliance" that a person could install without an electrician has been pursued for years. But there is reason for caution, say solar industry professionals.

Google faces lawsuit over its stock-split plan

Criticism of its recent stock split plan has evolved into a court case against Google. A shareholder filed a class action lawsuit in an attempt to block the plan on the grounds that it gives Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin too much power, according to Reuters.

Brockton Retirement Board brought the suit, alleging that Page and Brin "wish to retain this power, while selling off large amounts of their stockholdings, and reaping billions of dollars in proceeds." Brockton filed the complaint in

Delaware, where Google is incorporated.

Related stories

• Stock split keeps Google's destiny in hands of co-founders
• Google co-founders explain company's first stock split
• Google earnings strong for 1st quarter

Google announced its first stock split -- or, if you will, "non-voting capital stock plan" -- last month. As part of the split, the company plans to issue a new class of stock that won't carry voting rights. Current Google stockholders will receive one share of this new Class C stock for each company share they already hold. But future stock grants to employees and new acquisitions will be of the non-voting variety. The overall effect will be to ensure that Google's existing shareholders -- especially its founders -- retain their current voting power.

According to Reuters, the Brockton complaint says that the plan cements Page and Brin's "iron-clad grip" on Google by maintaining their 56.3 percent voting stake.

In Page and Brin's 2012 Founders' Letter explaining the stock split plan, the co-founders wrote:

We recognize that some people, particularly those who opposed this structure at the start, won't support this change -- and we understand that other companies have been very successful with more traditional governance models. But after careful consideration with our board of directors, we have decided that maintaining this founder-led approach is in the best interests of Google, our shareholders and our users. Having the flexibility to use stock without diluting our structure will help ensure we are set up for success for decades to come.

Windows 8 'release preview' due in early June

Windows 8 "release preview" coming in June          

Microsoft will release a "release preview" version of Windows 8 will be released in the first week of June, the company announced this evening.

Microsoft President Steven Sinofsky made the announcement during an on-stage appearance at Japan's Windows 8 Dev Days and more broadly on the Build Windows 8 Twitter feed.

The release preview follows a beta and is the last stage before a product's final version. The beta, or consumer preview, of Windows 8, came out on February 29. A recent report suggests that the final version of Windows 8 will launch this October.