DOA Playstation 3 games

Only little more than a month old and the Playstation 3 already has amassed a list of canceled games. To be fair many of these titles were moved to the Playstation 2 or picked up by the PC and Xbox 360. A trend for many of the supposed exclusive titles for the Playstation 3 where developers have turned to the Xbox 360 exclusively or released for both systems. While this may be good for console owners, it isn’t great for Sony to lose many of their exclusive title-further giving shoppers less reason to pick up the Playstation 3.

Fear & Respect- also canceled for the Xbox 360

WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2007

Theseis'

Endless Saga

Killing Day

Elveon

Condemned: Criminal Origins

Dark RPG

Black Blade

Splinter Cell: Double Agent

It’s not unheard of for a platform to cancel games. Every console has had its fair share of canceled games-however to have as many games canceled only 45 days after the hardware release is not a winning business strategy. To date the Xbox 360 has only had games canceled that were being canceled across the board and not only particular to a single console. While never good to have a game canceled it is even doubly bad if it is an exclusive title working to push the brand forward.

Vaporware 2006

No list of vaporware can be complete with out the granddaddy of them all, Duke Nukem Forever. Now a decade late this long promised in development game is an ongoing joke to everyone but long time fans who may be gumming their food before this title ever hits their next-generation virtual reality couches. Developers still claim it is still a serious title and has not been canceled. The rest of the world has nearly given up on this fantasy. Now we know Duke Nukem Forever referred to how long it would take to release this game. Forever indeed.

Other vaporific technology includes.

--The ever-illusive iPod killer. Since the dawn of the iPod claimers to the throne have come to unseat the mega popular music device to no avail. This year Microsoft boasted the strongest contender, heralded by reviewers and Monopolistic Megalithic Computer Corporation. Unfortunately, the buying public has been remarkably indifferent to the DRM challenged device.

Undoubtedly, the iPod will one day be unseated from its place of power but hopes of this happening in 2006 have vaporized.

-Optimus-103 keyboard. CES and the now toned down E3 have been favorites for technology companies to exaggerate upcoming hardware and software. Notorious for showing off the newest devices that have yet to make it past the design station mockups and advertising pictures are many times the only tangible evidence a given technology is anything more than fantasy on the part of designers and CEO’s looking at a lack of press. This is a long way of explaining many of the vaporware items and most particularly the exciting Optimus Keyboard. This ultimate in configurable input devices with a small screen and a host of features has been delayed nearly since its announcement. Now slated for a 2007 launch though with severely toned down features.

Xbox 360 Wireless Controller

With a search of major online and brick and mortar stores the two lowest prices come from Overstock.com and Buy.com. With a low shipping price from Overstock.com the total comes to 44.35 while Buy.com is 39.99 with free shipping. Both are good deals. Pick them up before the sale is over.

If you own a 360, the wireless controller is the only way to go. Far superior to any branded or off brand Xbox controller of the past, the official Microsoft wireless controller is an all around great product. Simple to use, the 360 has built in controls for up to four wireless controllers. They have no signal issues and connect quickly. The crew from Redmond also allowed the controllers to shut down and power up the console. A much-needed upgrade from the original Xbox.

Sound like I’m a fan.

That’s because I am.

After years of testing nearly every controller on the market for the Xbox it’s nice to see Microsoft finally making a good controller. It's standard $49.99 price tag isn't bad for a good controller unless you’re trying to buy enough for your friends to play as well. If you can't find a deal it makes playing with your friends a couple hundred dollar proposition.

Still by purchasing the additional plug and play rechargeable battery solution, it’ll pay for itself in under 5 years. Just in time for the nex-next generation consoles to hit the market.

Christmas Eve

Time is running out for those still looking for last minute Christmas gifts. For the rest of us, enjoy the evening, have some egg nog, turn on some holiday mp3s, and watch a Christmas Story on your new HDTV. Around here we'll be playing a lot of Gears of War and WOW while waiting for Santa to arrive with our stockings full of coal.
We will return to business after Christmas, December 27th. Until then have a Merry Holiday.

Computer Quotes gathered on the Net

Computer Problems. Arg. Even for a technology writer and experienced computer user like myself, I still have my fair share of computer related SNAFU’s. On this occasion, it is my laptop giving me a pain in my RAM. Inconveniently it periodically freezes up and won’t respond no CTRL-ALT-DELETE, no restart, no slam it into the wall; nothing will alter its self-imposed coma. Eventually it will shut down and restart when it is good and ready. At crucial moments, usually after writing a prize-winning piece of writing, it flashes the BIOS screen and starts a core memory dump. (If you don’t speak computer gibberish its okay, needless to say this is as bad as it sounds.)

Having had enough with this wonderful piece of technology I took it in for servicing at the store where it was purchased. This is the second time it has been in the shop in the last couple of months. The first time was for the exact same problem. Whoops, I guess they didn’t fix the problem, did they? In the next couple of weeks, they will contact me with either the problem solved or a new computer. If my vote counts then this particular laptop won’t be returning. However, I’m not sure the technician on the other side of the counter really cared that much what my opinion was on the subject. The decision seems to be left to the powers that be at the corporate level, and then only once the off-site techs have a chance to tinker with it. If they have as much fun with it as I’ve been having over the last couple of months there is no doubt in my mind they will promptly decide to send me a new laptop. A check compensating me for the emotional distress of dealing with this hell bent sadomasochistic hunk of junk wouldn’t be too out of line either.

Tickle.com - The Super IQ Test


Have a little time on your hands? Your wife, girlfriend, friend, father, mother, husband call you stupid recently? You know you're smarter than you sound, but how do you prove your mental strength? Emode.com has the answer. The IQ test. Tap your intellectual strengths; get a personalized report detailing the inner workings of your mind and a fancy score to boot.

Seriously, this is a great little tool for gauging where you sit on the ladder of human intelligence. PhD's around the world have placed a great deal of stock in the validity of an IQ test. You've met these people at cocktail parties smoothly dropping their IQ score into polite dinner conversation. Now, you too can join the crowd. Or at least learn to avoid the subject all together.

Now, without getting into scores, I'll say I took this test recently and had fun. A few pointers before you sit down to do this exercise. Turn off the TV, put the kids to bed, and don't take it too seriously. The test is straightforward enough. Answer the questions get a score permanently placing you into an intellectual box you'll be straining to get out of for the rest of your life. Argg. No, really, as I said, this is for fun. Take the test. You may just learn something about yourself. Just don't talk about your score at any cocktail parties or I'll have to visit your house with a baseball bat.



(Author's disclaimer: All references to violence and/or physical harm of any kind should be taken in context and not as a factual representation of future acts. Take it from experience, if he plans to clobber the garden gnomes perched on your front porch, you'll never see him coming.)

Five Free Must Have Programs


Spybot Search and Destroy

This is the premier free spyware scanner, tracker and removal utility. Combine it with Adaware
For an added level of protection from protection from known Data-mining, aggressive advertising, Parasites, Scumware, selected traditional Trojans, Dialers, Malware, Browser hijackers, and tracking components.

The most important aspect of any security utility is to remember to update the program regularly. New improvements to their malicious and annoying programs make updates an absolute must if you want to keep out all these pesky invaders to your computing tranquility.


Google Toolbar

For the popup blocker alone this useful tool is the only toolbar you should allow on your browser.


Firefox browser

Tired of popups, popunders, and every other popannoying problem with the Internet Explorer browser, check out Firefox as an alternative browser. This is the test browser for the robust Mozilla browser. Firefox allows you to try out the newest features before they are added to the Mozilla browser without any of the annoyances of IE.

WinRar

The all around best program for making backups of programs and opening compressed files such as RAR, ZIP, and other file formats.


iTunes

Even if you don’t own an iPod or plan on download music from their online music store, iTunes is a great content manager and player for your music. It’s the best free program I’ve found to keep my catalog managed and play music easily. My advice stay away from programs like Real Networks, Real Player. It’s bad news in a number of ways. Read my article on Real Networks to learn more.

More great sites for getting the most out of your computer


Recently I’ve received a lot of request for information on the sites I use for pricing and performance on video cards. First up, is Tom’s Hardware Guide, a site devoted to providing in-depth information for IT professionals and early adopters. The best information on the site is the benchmarking tests on video cards. While the rest of the site may provide more technical information than the casual user needs, the video card section is top notch and by using graphs, it’s easy for even novice users to see where their card falls.

When buying a new video card I keep an eye on Pricewatch to see just where prices are headed for the cards I’m waiting to buy. They also keep track of a myriad of other devices from DVD burners to Heat Sinks and Processors. Occasionally I find better deals on other equipment from other sources but on video cards, I’ve had great luck with Pricewatch. Remember, this is only a service that scrolls the internet and finds the best deals at a number of online stores. Keep an eye on the company’s rankings and do your homework before you buy from a retailer you don’t know.


I’ll throw this one in just for the fun of it, and because I do get many questions that eventually lead to my suggesting Shields Up. A wonderful service that allows you to scan your system for any security holes and provides lots of information on how to correct the issue. Everyone on the Internet should be using this site, and testing their connection. Even the most security conscious people I know, who claim their computers are secure, are surprised when they run Shields Up and get a real report on how secure their system really is.

XP Process list

NAVAPSVC.EXE what does this mean?

Where to go to learn about the process list
Blue Screen of Death. Windows users know this term all too well. Unfortunately, a lot of information about windows internal processes are difficult to come by. Errors begin to creep up the longer you use a windows platform PC. Windows XP has one nice feature for monitoring system resources that can come in mighty handy, as long as you know how to use it and decipher the information.

Pressing CTRL-ALT-DEL pulls up the Windows Task Manager which monitors all of the important systems and resources XP is uses. Under the Processes tab a list of services running shows along with the amount of resources a particular program is using. The problem is the information is rather cryptic. It’s tough to know which of these running are valid programs or even important.

Ico.exe
Csrss.exe
UPnPFramework
NAVAPSVC.EXE

There is no intuitive guesswork involved with these, no way to tell if they are supposed to be running or not. Six months from now when I have a issue I’ll never be able to tell the useful systems running versus the ones causing my problems.

A compiled list of processes, what they do, if they are necessary and how to remove them can be found at http://www.answersthatwork.com/Tasklist_pages/tasklist.htm . Look up a particular process to determine if it should be shut down or if it may be potentially harmful.

Right out of the box, the Sony Vaio TRV3 had 43 processes running. This website was able to identify 41 of the listings. I crossed checked these with two other sources and found the same information, so I feel confident in recommend this website for its informational content.

Learning more about how your PC operates is one important way to maintain its health. Maintenance is important with PC’s just as it is with your car, don’t wait until it won’t start before you open the hood and check things out.

Vacation

There are those in the publishing world who would consider this unprofessional but I will be on vacation from December 18th-January 2nd and so there will be no new content for Technovations. Instead we will be publishing past highlights for those who are additcted to the internet and have to have their daily dose of blogs.

As always thanks for your continued support and see you in the New Year.

Original Xbox Titles Backward Compatible on Xbox 360

List updated: December 2006
4x4 EVO 2
AirForce Delta Storm
Aggressive Inline™
Alias™
Aliens versus Predator™ Extinction
All-Star Baseball™ 2003
All-Star Baseball™ 2005
Amped®: Freestyle Snowboarding
Amped® 2
Aquaman: Battle of Atlantis
Army Men®: Sarge's War™
Atari® Anthology™
ATV: Quad Power Racing 2™
Bad Boys 2
Big Mutha Truckers
Baldur's Gate™: Dark Alliance™ II
Barbarian
Barbie™ Horse Adventures™ Wild Horse Rescue™
Batman Begins™
Battle Engine Aquila
Battlestar Galactica™
BLACK™
BMX XXX™
Brute Force™
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Buffy the Vampire Slayer™: Chaos Bleeds
Burnout® 3: Takedown™
Cabela's® Big Game Hunter™ 2005 Adventures
Cabela’s® Dangerous Hunts™
Cabela’s® Outdoor Adventures™ 06
Cabela's® Deer Hunt™ 2005 Season
Cabela's® Deer Hunt™ 2004 Season
Call of Cthulhu®: Dark Corners of the Earth™
Call of Duty™: Finest Hour™
Casino
Catwoman™
Chicago Enforcer
Circus Maximus
Close Combat: First to Fight
Colin McRae Rally 4
Combat Elite: WWII Paratroopers™
Commandos 2: Men of Courage™
Conflict: Desert Storm
Conker: Live and Reloaded
Constantine™
Counter-Strike™
Crash Twinsanity™
Crash Nitro Kart™ 2
Crimson Skies®: High Road to Revenge™
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon™
Dark Angel
Darkwatch™
Dead or Alive® 3
Dead Or Alive Ultimate
Dead to Rights®
Deathrow
Destroy All Humans!
Digimon® Rumble Arena® 2
Dinotopia2
DOOM 3®
Drake™
Dreamfall: The Longest Journey
Dynasty Warriors 4
Egg Mania™: Eggstreme Madness
ESPN Major League Baseball
ESPN MLS ExtraTime 2002
Euro 2004
Evil Dead: A Fistful of Boomstick
F1 2001
Family Guy
Fable®
Fable®: The Lost Chapters™
Fairly Odd Parents: Breakin' da Rules
Far Cry: Instincts
Fatal Frame™
Fatal Frame™ II: Crimson Butterfly DIRECTOR'S CUT
FIFA Soccer 2003
FIFA Soccer 2004
FIFA STREET
Fight Night 2004
FlatOut™
Ford Mustang
Ford vs. Chevy
Forza Motorsport™
Freaky Flyers
Frogger Beyond™
Futurama™
Fuzion Frenzy®
Gauntlet®: Seven Sorrows™
Genma Onimusha
Goblin Commander™: Unleash the Horde
Grabbed by the Ghoulies™
Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas™
Gravity Games Bike: Street. Vert. Dirt.
Grooverider: Slot Car Thunder
Half-Life® 2
Halo®
Halo® 2
Halo® 2 Multiplayer Map Pack
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire™
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone™
He-Man: Defender of Grayskull
Hitman: Contracts™
House of the Dead 3
I-Ninja
IHRA Drag Racing Sportsman Edition
IHRA Professional Drag Racing 2005™
Indigo Prophecy
Incredibles
IndyCar® Series 2005
Intellivision Lives
Jade Empire™3
James Bond 007™: NightFire™
Judge Dredd®: Dredd vs. Death™
Jurassic Park: Operation Genesis
Kabuki™ Warriors
Kelly Slater's Pro Surfer
kill.switch
Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude
LEGO® Star Wars®
LEGO® Star Wars™ II: The Original Trilogy
Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events™
Links® 2004
LOONS—The Fight for Fame
Magatama
Manhunt
Mat Hoffman's Pro BMX™ 2
Max Payne
Max Payne® 2
Maximum Chase
Medal of Honor European Assault™
Medal of Honor™ Frontline
Medal of Honor™ Rising Sun
Mega Man® Anniversary Collection
Metal Arms™: Glitch in the System
MicroMachines
Mike Tyson Heavyweight Boxing
Minority Report
MLB SlugFest 20-04
Monster Garage™
Mortal Kombat: Armageddon
Mortal Kombat® Deception™
MotoGP
MTV Music Generator™ 3
MTX: Mototrax™
Murakumo: Renegade Mech Pursuit
MX Unleashed
MX vs. ATV Unleashed
MX World Tour™: Featuring Jamie Little
Namco Museum™
Namco Museum 50th Anniversary Arcade Collection
NBA LIVE 2004
Need For Speed™ Underground 2
NFL Blitz 2002
NFL Blitz 2003
NFL Blitz 2004
NHL® 2004
NHL Hitz™ 2003
Ninja Gaiden®
Ninja Gaiden® Black
Open Season
Outlaw Golf 2
Outlaw Tennis
Outlaw Volleyball
Over the Hedge™
Pariah
Phantom Crash™
Pinball Hall of Fame™
Pitfall®: The Lost Expedition™
Predator Concrete Jungle™
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time™
Pro Evolution Soccer 5
Pro Race Driver™
Psychonauts
Pump It Up™: Exceed
Pure Pinball
Puyo Pop Fever2
Quantum Redshift®
RalliSport Challenge
Rainbow Six Lockdown
Rapala Pro Fishing
Rayman Arena
Raze's Hell™
Red Dead Revolver
Red Faction® II
RedCard™ 2003
Richard Burns Rally
Robotech: Battlecry
Rocky™ Legends
Rogue Ops
Rogue Trooper™
Samurai Jack
Samurai Warriors™
Scarface
Scooby Doo!™ Night of 100 Frights
Scrapland
SEGA GT™ 2002
Serious Sam
Shadow The Hedgehog™
Shamu's Deep Sea Adventures
Shark Tale
ShellShock: Nam '67™
Shenmue II
Shincho Mahjong
Sid Meier's Pirates!®
Silent Hill® 4: The Room
Smashing Drive
Sneakers™ 5
Sniper Elite
Soccer Slam
Sonic Heroes™
Sonic Mega Collection™ Plus
Soul Calibur 2
Spawn® Armageddon
Speed Kings™
Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy™
Spider-Man™
Splat Magazine Renegade Paintball
Splinter Cell: Double Agent
SpongeBob SquarePants™: Battle for Bikini Bottom
The SpongeBob Square Pants Movie
SpyHunter® 2
SpyHunter:® Nowhere to Run™
Spyro™ A Hero's Tail
SSX 3
Stake™
Star Wars Battlefront™
Star Wars Battlefront™ II
Star Wars®: Episode III Revenge of the Sith™
Star Wars® Jedi Knight®: Jedi Academy™
Star Wars®: Knights of the Old Republic™
Star Wars® Knights of the Old Republic® II: The Sith Lords™
State of Emergency
Street Racing Syndicate™
Stubbs the Zombie™ in Rebel without a Pulse™
Super Bubble Pop
Super Monkey Ball™ Deluxe
SX Superstar™
Taz Wanted
Tecmo Classic Arcade
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles™
Test Drive®: Eve of Destruction
Tetris Worlds™4
The Great Escape
The Hulk™
The Incredible Hulk™: Ultimate Destruction
The Incredibles: Rise of the Underminer
The Legend of Spyro™: A New Beginning
The Lord of the Rings™: The Return of the King™
The Punisher™
The Simpsons™ Hit and Run™
The Simpsons™ Road Rage The Suffering The Terminator™ Dawn of Fate The Thing™ Thief: Deadly Shadows™ Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon™ 2 Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon™: Island Thunder™ Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon® 2 Summit Strike Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six® 3 Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six® 3 Black Arrow™ Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell® Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell® Chaos Theory™ Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell® Pandora Tomorrow™ Tony Hawk's American Wasteland Tony Hawk's Pro Skater™ 4 Tony Hawk's Underground 2 Torino 2006™ Winter Olympics Tork™: Prehistoric Punk™ Toxic Grind Trigger Man™ True Crime: Streets of LA
Ty The Tasmanian Tiger™
Ty the Tasmanian Tiger™ 2: Bush Rescue™
Ty the Tasmanian Tiger™ 3: Night of the Quinkan
Ultimate Spider-Man
Urban Freestyle Soccer
Vexx™
Vietcong™: Purple Haze
Volvo: Drive for Life
Wakeboarding Unleashed: Featuring Sean Murray
Whacked!
Winback 2: Project Poseidon
World Soccer Winning Eleven 9 World Series® Baseball 2K3 Worms 4 Mayhem Worms™ Forts: Under Siege Wrath Unleashed™ WWE™ Raw™ 2 X2 Wolverine's Revenge Xiaolin Showdown XIII Yourself!Fitness™
Zapper™
1This list of titles that have passed hand certification for compatibility with Xbox 360 is provided for informational purposes only and is subject to change without notice. To ensure the highest quality gaming experience, in the event that an unforeseen technical issue is discovered after hand certification is completed, Microsoft® reserves the right to remove any game name from this list. Please check back often to see the most current list of games.
2Currently the North American versions of these games are the only ones supported as backward compatible titles on Xbox 360.
3The December 2005 update includes the Monk Zeng content from the limited edition of Jade Empire.
4Offline version only; versions included with Xbox Live Starter Kits or as a bundled game with other Xbox Live titles do not yet play on Xbox 360.
5Currently the Japanese version of this game is not supported as a backwards compatible title on the Xbox 360.

Speed test service.

At the high cost of broadband service, it’s important to ensure you’re getting what you pay for and the best way to do this is a broadband speed test. Google broadband speed test and a number of sources will pop up. However, it’s important to do you’re homework before you believe what a site has to say about your speed. Avoid any free speed test that is affiliated with anyone trying to sell you broadband service. In informal tests, a number of these connected sites give results 35%-65% lower then my actual broadband speeds. Be careful and don’t switch your ISP merely because of one test. Even with a reputable speed test results will vary from time of day fluctuations on your shared connection-this is only for cable internet companies.

Signing up for service. Companies such as Comcast, Dish Network and Direct TV want business but customer service seems to be lacking. A recent experience trying to upgrade to Dish Networks HD service inspired me to test out service across the board for HD service on both satellite and cable. For those with standard households with only 1 or 2 TV’s there isn’t too much complication. In those instances, the reps did an adequate job. When faced with a multi-room television household there were plenty of snags. The trouble comes in having a DVR or Tivo working with standard and HD TV’s. Finding the correct configuration for the house without breaking the bank was nearly impossible. My guess is because the sales department reps aren’t as knowledgeable about the different set-ups. They know if you upgrade to HD you need an HD receiver, having a combination of sets throws them into a tailspin. The only advice I can give is to do research so you know enough to make your own decisions, or call and speak with a number of different customer service agents to ensure you’re getting the best information.

Can the Zune break out?

No matter how much reviewers can hurt a product with negative reviews they don’t seem to be able to do much with positive reviews for products consumers just aren’t excited. The Zune is the latest entry into the elusive iPod killer category every company has been searching since Apple announced the first generation iPod in 2001. Most reviews have been positive and have declared it the best bet to be an iPod killer. However, adoption of the new device has been less than stellar, as consumers just aren’t buying what Microsoft has to sell. This battle may not be decided for some time as Microsoft is using the same five-year plan Sony has stuck by for it’s less than tech devices. According the Microsoft, they will stick by the Zune no matter what for the next 60 months in order to give it time to develop as a multi-generation music player. While I agree it will take some time for these two to battle it out, unless sales increase it won’t matter how much support Microsoft throws behind the Zune.

-Serenity lives on. A loyal fan base follows the short-lived sci-fi western and game developers are looking to cash in by developing a MMORPG. Four years later and after only 11 episodes, a significant number of fans are still interested in this property. Something few shows can say after even a full season or two on the air.

Enough profit was made on the DVD box set of the series, creator Joss Whedon got the green light on the feature film Serenity. Now, Multiverse developers are going to take a shot and are looking to work with the original cast for voiceovers and input from Whedon.

And while this is exciting news for fans there is a good chance this online game may never see the light of day. Only a handful of games, especially online multiplayer games actually make it out of development hell. Fox would love to have a franchise work as a MMORPG, and every company would like to be as successful as World of Warcraft. However, reality is something much different.

There are many who think the MMORPG genre is already chockfull of titles and may not support another. Numerous massively multiplayer online games are available and many more are in development. Can Firefly stand up against the current juggernaut of World of Warcraft or even those looking to break into the field such as Star Trek, Lord of the Rings and Marvel superheroes franchises?

Microsoft HD player for the Xbox 360

At $199 the recently released High Definition-DVD player for the Xbox 360 is definitely worth the money. Excluding the price of the Xbox 360 the HD player is the cheapest HD-DVD player on the market. Setup is quick and easy. In less than five minutes you can be enjoying all the HD picture clarity and digital sound this new format can deliver. The biggest surprise is the quick response of the player. Where the stand alone models of the HD system and Blueray have load times of 2 minutes and up, the Microsoft player takes no longer than any standard DVD system.

If you own a 360 and have any interest in HD movies, this is the best $200 you’ll spend. At this price, it’s worth trying out the HD format and it doesn’t really matter who wins the format war. Again, if you’re new to the HD or Blueray formats do your homework before buying the disks. There is no reason to pay $24.99 when there are places selling them for $14.99-$19.99.

The one downside for many HDTV owners is the lack of HDMI output on the 360. For true video neophytes this is a major exclusion. For the rest of us using the high definition output of the component-video adapter does the trick since 1080p HD games aren’t scheduled to hit the scene until late 2007. --Or if your HDTV has a VGA connection using a VGA adapter will give more resolution options important to power users. (If you know what I’m talking about you’ve already decided to you if it matters or not. If HDMI or DVI connections are a major selling point in your gaming console, you’ve already opted for the Playstation.)

Right now, King Kong HD and a 360 media remote is included with the player, a $40 value for those who don’t already own them.

Extra notice to users

-The only complaint and a word to the wise is to mind the brief instructions on the install disk for the HD player. Once installed it instructs how to find the onscreen menu button for starting an HD disk. May seem simple but if you miss this caveat of info you’ll be quite upset the next time you use the player. That first time you put in a disk it kicks right into the HD movie. If you try a new movie, you’ll be looking through the 360 menu screens for the play button for the HD. At least for me, it’s very well hidden. I won’t try to explain it here, but make sure you watch the directions. Simple once you know, but a real hair puller if you don’t pay attention. Even the instruction book keeps this important info well hidden.

Holiday 2006

The holiday season has officially begun. With the coming of turkey and pumpkin pie to our tables and love handles Black Friday began the first of the holiday deals. People came out in droves to check out the loss leaders from the major retailers-some buyers, many shoppers. For my electronics habit, I was out sampling the electronics deals and steals bright and early. Best Buy was a madhouse. Everywhere else was manageable. It was fun watching people drool over the latest HDTV’s and $2.99 DVD’s. Some prices were so low it’ll be hard to pay regular prices. Call of Duty 2 for $19.99 one day and then back up to $39.99 the next. Some people try to avoid the malls and stores on the day after Thanksgiving. I make it an event.

Technovations has all the latest information on Black Friday deals, their successes and failures, and what this means for the rest of the holiday buying season in consumer electronics. With quick reviews on the Xbox 360 peripheral add-on HD-DVD drive and the Yamaha YT-800 single speaker surround sound powerhouse I’ve been busy updating the sites.

I finally got a chance to see Casino Royale. (Anyone with kids knows how much of a challenge it can be to see a movie while it’s still in theaters.) Man was it good. I hate being so brazen about it being so good tending as it does to ramp up peoples expectations. There are certainly things that could’ve been better, but it is clearly the best Bond film of my generation. Well, clearly since 1978 and perhaps even since Sean Connery left the franchise. I’ll leave the rest of my opinions for the review.

In coming weeks I plan on having quite a lot of fun with holiday parties, ads, and preparing for the upcoming January vacation to Orlando. I’m sure I’ll have more to say on this and many other things as the days click by.

Quick Rant

elays of games are as common to P.C. games and the consoles as it is in the rest of the software industry. Games are routinely pushed back leaving legions of gamer fans out in the cold. Any game consumer has to figure on a couple of delays for any game they are excited about. And while this is commonplace and something, many of us know it doesn’t negate the frustration.

The bigger complaint stems from the lack of information out there. With the plethora of gaming sites and magazines information should be just as widespread. However, this is just not the case with release dates. A push back on the release of a game is one thing. When a game is scheduled to ship to stores and no one knows it hasn’t until release day is just plain criminal.

The biggest gaming websites are typically left in the dark. Retailers advertise games with low prices and when you arrive to pick up a copy, no one seems to know anything about the game. Frustrating. Shipping delays and the like should be communicated within the industry. If a game isn’t going to make it onto store shelves by a week or two, websites should do their homework to find out. And retailers should have better informed employees working their game departments.

I won’t go into the specifics but in recent weeks, I’ve had experiences at all the big box and local retail game outlets where the master list of games isn’t even close to being right, let alone the pimple faced kid at the counter who supposedly is a gaming freak.

For this site and the other columns I write I’ve tried contacting a few game companies to find out if I can offer this service to my readers. The three majors I’ve spoken with have all commented on having not had this request from any other gaming source. I have a hard time believing this, but it may go to explain why this information is so rare.

If we are supposed to be living in the Age of Information, they why are so many so ill informed. We need more substance and less fluff from those who provide our information.

Happy Birthday Xbox 360

Happy Birthday Xbox 360, Presents for everyone.

Marking the first anniversary of the Xbox 360, Xbox Live Video will make its debut on the Microsoft online service. This download service for Standard and High Definition movies and television shows is the first HD downloadable service for HD movie content in the U.S. This update allows users to pay for downloaded movies and television shows with their Microsoft points.

The debut offering will include more than 800 hours of SD and 200 hours of HDTV programming from CBS, MTV, Comedy Central, VH1, Turner, and UFC, as well as movies from Warner Bros., Paramount, and a number of others. For an initial launch, there is a good assortment of movies and television shows. The HD movie content is a little on the light side but over coming weeks and months there should be a decent selection.

In an effort to compete with iTunes, Tivo and Netflix services, Microsoft is using a rental model for movies while TV shows are for purchase. While the pricing seems reasonable, costing between 170-400 credits per download, the 600 MB-5 GB range of downloads highlights the space constraints of the 20 GB hard drive of the 360. If successful this video campaign will put more pressure on the 360 team to release a high capacity hard drive or allow downloads to be transferred to external drives.

Panda Porn

Just for the fun of it.

This really doesn’t have anything to do with technology but it does provide scientific support for porn. Yes, you heard right. Panda porn is all the rage in China. Not from the internet but in zoos as reproduction experts have found a way to increase successful panda mating. A significant increase according to experts as this year they hit a high water mark for births, 28 this year compared to 12 last year and only 9 in 2000. Panda porn has given pandas the extra needed push in the libido department as males watch, and more importantly, listen to tapes of other panda’s having sex.

Keep your hands to yourself

Looking to shock your latest mugger or just a persistent groping boyfriend the no-contact jacket is the latest in personal protection. Upon activation by the wearer 80,000 volts of low amp electric current is unleashed on the unsuspecting assailant. Having the same effect philological effect as a taser and stun gun technologies. Designed to protect as well as provide women with the means to protect themselves and cast off the shackles of being powerless victims to crime.

Chair fart filter

This one is just plain weird. Either that or else it’s so revolutionary it’s ahead of it’s time. Forget Beano. If passing gas at your desk is a serious problem then this is the product for you. Using activated charcoal to absorb the odor from breaking wind. Of course, it won’t muzzle the Mt. Vesuvius explosions coming from your backside. At least when the social police appear on the scene you’ll pass olfactory investigation and they’ll move on to your co-workers.

If you’re interested in all things fart related check out http://www.farts.com/ or for a good F.A.Q. answering all your gas related questions, including some you’d never think to ask out loud go to http://www.heptune.com/farts.html

Technovations

Wii and Playstation 3 launch

With the launch of the Wii and Playstation 3 this last week the next-gen console wars have officially begun. Outside gamer circles, the Nintendo and Sony platforms have garnered a lot of mainstream press with their cultural event launches.

Sony for the less than successful rollout of the Playstation 3 aiding in some very frustrated consumers and retailers. From riots to robberies, anyone standing in line for their chance to own the first batch of Playstation 3’s risked not only wasted time and money but also a chance to spend the night in the ER or a police station. Sony made Microsoft’s less then stellar worldwide release of the Xbox 360 look tame in comparison.

Nintendo surprised many with the lack of problems facing the Wii launch. Most people looking to get their hands on the Wii were able to and without mobs or threats of violence. And they paid a lot less, try $249 versus then their $599 Sony counterparts.

While Nintendo’s strategy with their next-generation machine is not to compete but rather offer the gaming public something different, a good player experience. Instead of putting all their eggs in one basket with new High Definition technologies, Nintendo hopes to entice more casual gamers into the market with easy to use, fun to play games. A refreshing difference compared to the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 machines that initially only offered games with amazing graphics but little else. A problem 360 developers have overcome in the last year since its launch. Now, the world will have to sit back and wait to see what Sony releases as game developers work out the kinks of working on the Cell based system.

I’m not about to bet on a sure fire winner in this contest. This is only the beginning of what we are going to see from each of these companies. What makes this interesting is how the public is going to respond to the games released in coming months and years. For complacent Sony who once concretely owned the top video console slot the competition Microsoft is giving them can only be good for the consumer. Let’s hope they push for a better standard with their Playstation 3 games then with Playstation 2.

Bits and Bytes- Quick News with no use Intel has announced the end of an era, the Pentium 4 era that is. By Q3 of 2007 Intel expects to end production of the Pentium 4 architecture in favor if it’s new top of the line chip the Core 2 Duo. As Intel looks to clear out inventory after Christmas expect to see chips using the outdated Netburst architecture showing up in the bargain bin. Estimates of price drops of nearly $100 are expected bringing the price into the $70 range. The budget Celeron chip has a little more life left in it as production will continue until early 2008.

Holy Grail or Sexual Satisfaction

Having absolutely nothing to do with technology this one begs to be commented upon. According to Reuters a disproportionate number of Britons are prepared to give up sex in exchange for a long life, specifically to life to a hundred years old. (60%) Not surprisingly was the number of women willing to make the sacrifice far outweighed that of men. (48 percent compared to 31 percent of the men in the survey). Just another survey commissioned by health care providers attempting to get a handle on the complex issues of aging. As people are living longer and many are faced with serious decisions regarding healthcare and retirement, it’s good to know there are still these surveys to shine a light on what we already know. Most men would trade just about anything, even an extra day of life to get just a little more nooky.

Price cut for Playstation 3-

Falling under the weight of outside pressure Sony has dropped the price of its forthcoming Playstation 3 making the 20 GB version $430 (US) when it is released for sale this November 11^th. Now for the bad news. It only applies to their loyal Sony customers in Japan. These price cuts do not apply to the US or the European launches. While American buyers are sure to scream at this price discrimination, European buyers have even more to balk, as they have to wait until next year for their launch. Due to delays in production, Sony has been forced to push the European launch to early 2007.

Crap-Crap-Crap Tech in Spring/Summer 2006

Spring and early summer tends to be bit lackluster in the technology department. Consumers and technology pundits alike tend to have little to inspire them in the second quarter. Everyone is out enjoying their boats and barbeques since there is little to keep them indoors at this time of the year. Other than rehash all the cool stuff we are waiting for in the coming months, let’s review some of the crap from this year so far. Okay, so I don’t have enough room to go over all of the crap instead I’ll concentrate on some of the items that were underwhelming or should’ve been better than it turned out.

-Unexciting Format War

Long gone are the glory days of format wars. When titans of industry fight for consumer dominance with conflicting proprietary products. Sony seems always to be in the center of the arena- this time is no different. Except for the lack of excitement, even with early adopters. There are distinct camps in this war, Blu-ray and HD-DVD. Each is supported by entertainment and technology companies.

There is clearly defined difference between the two. However, at the end of the day consumers don’t care enough to make a difference. Few seem to notice their new HD televisions lacks HD content. So, these releases are only for early adopters who are willing to pay excessively and who care about the quality of what they watch. Something average consumers have again and again shown to the negative. Ease of use will always win out over quality. (MP3’s anyone.) And with the dual format VHS/DVD players on the market most consumers know it is only a matter of time before a 3^rd party vendor releases a machine with both Blu-Ray and HD-DVD. That is if both formats survive long enough to matter. It’s a huge case of hurry up and wait since as HD sets penetrate the market eventually consumers will be wondering where to find HD movies. Until then be prepared to be underwhelmed by this lackluster fight.

There are those detractors who say consumers will be reluctant to convert their DVD libraries to the next gen-HD after already going from VHS to DVD. While this conversion may not come at the brisk pace with which DVD took over the video world, DVD’s will begin to show their age and lack of resolution in years to come. As new releases come readily to the HD world and DVD sales begin to wane, the public will have little choice but adopt High Def. It’s only a matter of speed, availability, and price.

Newly added original Xbox titles for the 360

Original Xbox compatible titles for the Xbox 360---Newly added as of August 2006

Aggressive Inline

All-Star Baseball 2003 updated

All-Star Baseball 2005

Aquaman: Battle of Atlantis

Burnout 3: Takedown

Call of Cthulu: Dark Corners of the Earth Updated

Catwoman

Counter-Strike

Crash Nitro Kart 2 Updated

Dead to Rights

Digimon Rumble Arena 2 Updated

ESPN Major League Baseball

Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly Director’s Cut

Ford vs. Chevy Updated

Freaky Flyers

Gauntlet: Seven Sorrows

Half-Life 2 Updated

IndyCar Series 2005

Kabuki Warriors Updated

LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy

Links 2004

Magatama Updated

Maximum Chase

Mortal Kombat Deception Updated

MTX: Mototrax

MX vs. ATV Unleashed

Namco Museum 50^th Anniversary Arcade Collection

Outlaw Tennis

Over the Hedge

Richard Burns Rally

Rogue Trooper

Serious Sam

Shincho Mahjong

Sid Meier’s Pirates

Smashing Drive

Sneakers 5 Updated

Spy Hunter: Nowhere to Run

Taz Wanted

The Incredibles: Rise of the Underminer Updated

The Legend of Spyro: A New Beginning

The Suffering

Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Island Thunder

Torino 2006 Winter Olympics

Trigger Man

True Crime:Streets of LA

Vietcong: Purple Haze

Wrath Unleashed

X2 Wolverine’s Revenge

For a complete list of titles compatible on the Xbox 360 head to Xbox.com

PC purchase remorse

Regularly I receive phone calls asking, “Did I get a good deal on this computer?”. After hearing the specs they usually ask how much I think it cost them. Only because I follow such things, I usually pick the price within $50 to $100. The disappointment on the other end of the phone is nearly heartbreaking. People don’t like to think they didn’t receive a good deal and there is nothing worse then a person picking the price you paid or thinking it should’ve been lower. Computers, in my estimation require a practical understanding for consumers that used to be needed only for cars, homes, and large appliances.

The minute you drive it off the lot the value drops 10%. The same applies to computers when you crack open that box and power it up. It not only loses value PC’s are outdated the minute it walks out the door. (Actually, they are outdated before they hit the store shelves.) To find value in this purchase, and not feel like a sucker you have to walk into the purchase with a realistic set of expectations. It isn’t about speed of the processor, the size of the hard drive or how many GB of RAM is loaded into it. Those are fun specs for geeks. For the average user it only matters if it runs the programs you need.

Again, for the average buyer computers need to be about whether it fills the need in your household. Can it do all the things you expect of it? And frankly speaking, most people are buying much more computer then they need. Even the aspects of upgrading are ludicrous for most people who will buy a completely new machine before they can gain any benefits from upgrades.

I’ve come up with a handy buyers guide for computers. If you stick to these few principles, you should have the least amount of buyer’s remorse at the end of the day.

At the end of the day the only way to make sure you got a good deal on your recent computer purchase is to do your research, know what you need, and keep realistic expectations. Then once you’ve bought it, quite looking at the ads and don’t tell anyone your specs. If someone asks, say, ‘it’s paid for and it does everything I could ask of it.’ When buying a PC that’s the best anyone can say.

Gadgets

There are more bad products out there than good. My mission to find those products worthwhile and useful in the right hands is tireless. However, once and a while I come across something that really makes me scratch my head. --Because the idea is so stupid or the execution seems like it was completed by monkeys-- there are some so bad I just can’t keep my mouth shut.

Take the Drive Alert Master II. Designed to wake up sleepy drivers as they nod off at the wheel this simple device doesn’t even sound as if it will do the trick. Sure, a loud noise in the ear will wake you up, for a second. No better than loud static on the radio, or rolling the windows down and pumping up the AC. The problem is drivers fall asleep at the wheel because they are tired. No device is going to fix that. Once a person realizes they are too tired to drive, they need to pull over. And again, this thing won’t solve that.

Save your 24.95 and pick up another couple of espressos.

http://www.gadgetuniverse.com/product_detail.asp?SRC=25EM060801&rsource=EMAIL&keywd=25EM060801&SKU=TE+332+S

Here’s one from the Shaper Image with an idea that I love. Reality on the other hand. -Spion™ Orbitor™ Electronic Listening Device. A spy movie listening dish with earphones and the ability to record up to 120 seconds of sound from as far away as 300’. Point it at the neighbors across the street and listen as they argue their way into divorce court. The problem being this thing doesn’t work. You can hear sounds from across the room. However, it has a terrible time distinguishing between ambient sound and someone speaking. The clarity is nowhere what it should be for $60. The distance is nowhere near the 300’, at least not with any true distinguishing of sounds. I wanted to like this thing. It left me disappointed. Best thing to do-Skip it. If you can’t then test one out in a Sharper Image store.

http://www.sharperimage.com/us/en/catalog/product/sku__AR006

¶ 2:40 PM (0) comments links to this post

Circuit City to break the law, for a price. They will convert your DVD’s for use on your IPOD for $10 a pop. For years, low-tech hackers have had access to inexpensive tools for cracking the encryption for DVD burning. What makes this interesting is it is the first time a major company has been willing flagrantly to flout the law. Odds are Circuit City will be discontinuing this service as soon as they receive a cease and desist order from the MPAA or the studios. It would be strange for a big company to risk losing their rights to sell DVD’s because of violating the Digital Millennia Act.

There has been some wiggle room on the legality of this issue with past legislation allowing fair use for owners to make a single copy of a movie. Where it comes to odds is with the DMAA’s forbidding of breaking the copy-protection encryption on any digital media. Of course, all this leads us once again into the gigantic issue at the heart of digital ownership in the 21^st century. (A debate we won’t get into for the sake of this writers sanity.)

While this service by Circuit City isn’t groundbreaking it will make an interesting story to watch unfold. And while many applaud Circuit City’s willingness to break the law to make a buck, most are still left wondering why anyone would spend $10 to do what they could do at home for free.

Tech Blurb

Following the tech blurbs

-New electric car hits 130 MPH-The Tesla Roadster is Silicon Valley’s attempt to make an electric car cool. A sophisticated attempt to challenge Ferrari, Porsche, and Lamborghini with a electric car that goes 0 to 60-mph in four seconds. And it does it silently. The stealthy factor may well save this electric vehicle, if it can find buyers that are looking for speed without the racecar sound. Of course, you could just pump your favorite motor sound though the sound system if you have to hear the power under the hood. Aside from its impressive specs Tesla will still have to succeed where GM and other have failed-popularizing electric automobiles. For now, this is one to watch. It’ll be interesting to see if they can make any headway in an American industry known for its gas guzzling, loud, and large vehicles.

Acer Aspire 9800-quick review

Acer Aspire 9800

The 2.16 GHz Intel Core Duo Processor of the Acer Aspire 9800 gives it healthy amount of power for the laptop category. However, with a 20-inch screen and more than 17 lbs. of heft it sits in the desktop replacement category rather firmly. Add to that the manufacturer’s estimate of 1.5 hours of battery life and you have a laptop that’s screaming for a desktop and an outlet. By desktop replacement standards, the 9800 is a bit underwhelming. While boasting 2 GB of Ram, a PCI Express Chipset and a NVIDIA GeForce Go 7300 graphics card it comes in at a whopping $2650 (average current price on-line). There are a number of other laptops in this price range that can do the job better then the Aspire 9800. Of course its main selling point is the 20-inch screen coupled with it’s HD-DVD drive. (One of only two models currently supporting the new format.) The problem being at its weight and size you won’t be packing it around in any standard laptop bag. If having a portable movie system is your bag then you’re better off either with a smaller laptop or a portable DVD player to hook into a standalone monitor. It’ll cost you less and fit you’re needs better.

What’s good: Big screen, HD-DVD (If you care.), and decent hardware for multimedia use.

What’s bad: Gargantuan size and weight, almost nil-battery life, and a high price tag for a desktop replacement that doesn’t offer many custom configurations from the manufacturer.

Bottom line: If you’re looking at the Acer Aspire 9800 it’s probably because you’ve taken size and the like into mind. As such, it’s a fine desktop replacement if multimedia is your overriding concern and you don’t want to look at cheaper alternatives. Otherwise, there are a lot of other fish in the sea worth spending a few grand on.

Industry first for MI:3 release

On the High Definition news front, Paramount is expect to announce an industry first release of MI: 3 in three formats, traditional DVD, Blue-ray and HD. This is an important milestone in these early days of High Definition disks coming to market. Still, we are a long way from either format declaring a winner. Especially when most analysts are predicting there will be no clear winner rather a merging of these two formats.

What is clear is that those with HD televisions are scrambling for HD content. While the price of these early HD players are astronomical forcing most casual users to wait, many people don’t even realize they aren’t getting the most out of their new set top television. There are a large majority of HD television owners who don’t even realize they are not watching HD unless they are hooked up to an HD signal.

From the sidelines the HD format wars are interesting to watch. Clearly it’s too early to put your money on any of these formats until it matures. Unless you’re an early adopter who can afford instant obsolescence.

No matter how spectacular the MI:3 High Definition picture looks it won’t make up for a lackluster film. MI:3 was clearly not a good enough movie to get most of us excited about HD. Maybe the release of Superman Returns or Aliens, but surly not Mission Impossible 3

Roadwarrior Slingbox--for the rest ---avoid the hype

Sling Media Slingbox

What a great idea. Hook the Slingbox up to your cable or satellite box and watch television while on the road. By using a high-speed broadband connection from your hotel, or wherever, you can watch your Tivo shows or anything stored on your media PC. For those who spend more days of the year on the road then at home this is a great concept. The rest of us?

Try as I might I can’t find a use for this thing, for most people. The use of this technology is conditional on a number of factors. A fast broadband connection being the most important. And you have to have one on both ends, both where the Slingbox is connected and wherever you view it on the road. Something many people will find a challenge unless they are shelling out a lot of money for wireless broadband through the phone or laptop.

Still, I’m left with a problem finding value in this device for most people. Again, it’s a nice idea but one that I believe for most consumers doesn’t have a lot of practical use. Sure, it could be used to bring your recorded content to a spare room or on your back porch. However, there are many other devices specifically made for use in home.

Without reviewing this device by using it, I question the need for it for the average consumer. Don’t let the hype of what this thing can do force you into buying another piece of technology that sounds great but in reality can’t be integrated into your life.

Like I said, I’m excited by the Slingbox as well, and nearly fell into the trap. Make sure you really explore the market before buying one of these or I suspect you’ll be burdened by overwhelming buyer’s remorse.

Upgrade that Cell phone, or else!

Come September more than four million Cingular Wireless subscribers will be forced to pay a $5 surcharge for using older non-GSM phones. While 92% of Cingular’s customers already have a GSM phone those still using one of the two older technologies are being urged to convert to newer handsets. This move, which will bring in an added 23.5 million a month in revenue to the company, is prompted by a FCC provision that cell phone carriers provide analog service until early 2008 so long as a company still has customers using the service.

This adds one more in a long list of added charges wireless customers are seeing on their monthly bills. These charges coupled with an array of government taxes add an estimated 50% to the advertised rate of most wireless companies. While the cost of wireless service continues to climb, so do the number of users. For all the complaints as to the cost there are more than 110 million subscribers to Verizon and Cingular Wireless services, the top two wireless providers.

Clearly its big business for telecommunications companies. So, why does it still cost so much to have a cell phone and a home phone. While the services have increased over the years the cost of having internet service, phone service and wireless have gone up well beyond the cost attributed to inflation.

Burning up in bed- Targus Notebook Chill Mat

Targus Notebook Chill Mat

-As a long time skeptic of these devices, I’ve been reluctant to add anything to the weight of my laptop. After many a night with singed leg hairs from working with the laptop in bed, I thought I’d try it, at least as a buffer between my skin and the volcanic heat emanating from the laptop undercarriage. Much to my surprise, this laptop cooler has worked remarkably well. The laptop has been running considerably cooler. The twin fans are quiet enough to use in bed with only the occasional squeaking.

The model above this one had additional two-usb ports. A nice idea and one that should be included in every one of these devices. I however, was unwilling to pay double the price just for the added convenience. I already own a four port USB hub that I’ve strapped onto the notebook chiller.

The only annoying part is the cord. While most consumer electronics seem to skimp on the length of cords, this one is exceptionally long for a device that is designed to be with the laptop. (My solution was to use electrical tape to attach it to the edge of the coolers frame. And while it is an additional drain on my laptop battery, there hasn’t been any notable difference in the life of the battery charge.

However, unscientific I almost believe the battery charge has been extended by this device rather than shortening it. I’ll have to conduct a test and do some research on if this is at all possible or just my imagination.

Final word: I’m still skeptical of the need for any of the fancier and expensive versions of the notebook chiller. I would say this Targus model is worth the $19.99 price tag if for no other reason than to avoid bedtime burns.

Passwords

Your mother has one. Your sister has one. Your kid has one. The neighbor next door has one. You guessed it, a password. Statistically speaking you’re likely to have at least five different passwords. From bank accounts to Gmail there are passwords for everything these days. Worse yet, most of them have different password requirement. Four to eight alphanumeric characters, pin numbers, mother’s maiden name and so on and on.

The sad part is these passwords are really only keeping out the casual snoop. True hackers and bonafide thieves have enough tools at their disposal to crack nearly any password every day users utilize. Mostly because users don’t pick the most secure passwords. They pick the most convenient.

I’ve been guilty of it. With so many accounts out there that require passwords it’s difficult to keep up with them all. Let alone typing them into the computer every time you use such and such service. Convenience wins out. And truth be known, most of the time it doesn’t really matter. Odds are you aren’t important enough for any one to hack your Gmail account or your Yahoo cribbage scores.

The problem is most people use the same password for their low priority accounts as they do for their wireless router or online bank account. Here, I think we should all agree is the place where convenience cannot win out over the need for security. The damage that can be done on this level by not only thieves but hackers looking to use your computer, ISP and identity is staggering.

A kid parked out in front of your house can hijack your wireless signal and download a few thousand MP3’s in a couple of hours. All the while it’ll be you the MPAA comes after. When their lawyers subpoena your ISP on where all that supposed illegal traffic came from it’s your address that will pop up. You, not the war driver (hacker who drives from wireless to wireless) will be in court ponying up your kid’s college fund.

Now that you’re convinced you need a stronger password, how do you come up with one. There are a number of ways. The best is to come up with something that you’ll remember while still maintaining a high level of security. Password cracking programs work easily with nearly any alphanumeric combination. Anything is crackable. The point is to make yours enough of a pain as to take the hacker’s computer such a long time as to not be worthwhile, so he’ll move on to someone else.

Use the password you currently have but replace the numbers with the symbols corresponding on your keyboard. Hit the shift key and replace 1 with a ! and 2 with a @ and so on and so forth.

For the word portion of your password use the same word but when you type it move 2 places down the ABC’s. So if BOB is your password it becomes DQD. Thus, slowing down those cracks that rely on recognizable words from the dictionary and language databases.

With any luck this should be easy to remember and still foil most casual hackers looking to break into your computers and bank accounts. If you’re still worried, there are even more high level encryption programs you can pick up. They’ll cost you money and ease of use but you’ll be even safer. In the end, it’s up to you.

Deals for students- Check out before they're gone

Being a consumer electronics reviewer can be great fun when you’re playing with innovative and exciting new products. The only problem is not everything that comes across my desk fits the bill. Most are mediocre and more than a few are just plain horrible. There is no end to the number of new products hitting store shelves on any given day. Looking at my e-mail in-box shows a plethora of companies begging for attention and reviews. There is no way I can review it all, but I do make a good show of it. Here are a few pieces sitting in my e-mail box waiting to get a little attention.

With back-to-school season ramping up advertisers are putting a lot of products for the high school and college kid front and center.

Logitech X-230 - PC Multimedia Speaker System 2.1

Has decent sound for the price. Logitech is a good company that makes quality products with only a few exceptions.

Buy.com was offering this at 19.95 but has since sold out. A good price for a decent two-speaker system, perfect for the college kid where space is a premium and isn’t worried about paying top dollar for overrated speakers. Most speaker systems for computers aren’t that great. With little difference between those costing $100 and up from their low price competitors. If you don’t know about wattage, decibels, or ohms don’t bother paying more than $40 for a these speaker packages. It’s a waste of money.

Again, sound is important but if you don’t own a top of the line sound card paying a lot for computer speakers is insane.

Lexmark X2350 All-In-One Printer, Scanner, Copier

All in ones have been all the rage for some time now. For those working in cramped quarters an all-in-one is the only option. This Lexmark is currently on sale from Walmart for $39.88 with an added bonus of shipping for less than a buck. With only one printer cartridge to replace the busy student won’t be spending precious studying or partying time walking the aisles of Staples searching for printer ink. The scanner is decent for it’s price class providing all the features students should require. Though at only 15 ppm anyone doing intensive printing, more than a few hundred pages a day should pick up one of the cheap sub-$100 laser printers.

Kingston 1GB USB 2.0 DataTraveler - DTI/1GBKR

Here’s another good deal from Buy.com. As long as you don’t mind rebates, this 1GB USB flash drive is a steal at $17.95. For this price, typically, we have to look at off brand memory but prices have been falling and Kingston is a decent company. Every student needs a flash drive. For college students it’s a non-negotiable.

Xbox 360 controller deals

Xbox 360 Wireless Controller

With a search of major online and brick and mortar stores the two lowest prices come from Overstock.com and Buy.com. With a low shipping price from Overstock.com the total comes to 44.35 while Buy.com is 39.99 with free shipping. Both are good deals. Pick them up before the sale is over.

If you own a 360 the wireless controller is the only way to go. Far superior to any branded or off brand Xbox controller of the past, the official Microsoft wireless controller is an all around great product. Simple to use the 360 has built in controls for up to four wireless controllers. They have no signal issues and connect quickly. The crew from Redmond also allowed the controllers to shut down and power up the console. A much-needed upgrade from the original Xbox.

Sound like I’m a fan. That’s because I am. After years of testing nearly every controller on the market for the Xbox it’s nice to see Microsoft making a good controller. It isn’t a bad price for a good controller unless you’re trying to buy enough for your friends to play as well. At the regular retail price that’s makes playing with your friends a couple hundred dollar proposition.

Still by purchasing the additional plug and play rechargeable battery solution, it’ll pay for itself in just under 5 years. Just in time for the next consoles to hit the market.

HDTV prices continue to fall One particular typical in consumer electronics is-- the moment you buy an item you’ll find it for less right after the price match deadline ends at the particular store from which you purchased.

Right now, for televisions that typical is made all the more potent. High Definition television prices have been dropping like mad. Just when you think they can’t fall any farther, they do. This won’t last forever. Soon, the market will fall in-line with consumers. Prices won’t go up but they won’t keep falling because of new products coming to market. Big innovations will slow. The glut of newcomer TV manufactures will dwindle.

I can’t say this is the time to buy a T.V. There are clearly better TV’s on the horizon. Worth waiting for? I really don’t think so. Once you’ve hit the 1080P HD level- there isn’t much left to improve upon. The next step is more features. Better looking pictures through improved black levels and contrast ratios. Cable-card and satellite built in-hook ups, and so on and so forth.

For the casual buyer, this is the time to buy. Besides these T.V aren’t rated to last forever like the one your family owned when you were a kid. Lamp life is an important factor for a number of these TV’s; a spec savvy customers have begun paying attention of late.

Just don’t be suckers. Do your homework? Know what you want before you shop. Make sure what the correct size T.V is for your viewing area. Pay attention to little things if you plan to put it in a bedroom. Such as does it have a bright blue light on the front of it that stays lit when the T.V is not turned on? (There are a few of these offenders. And you’ll be rightfully pissed when you get home and try to go to bed with these blue-eyed Cyclops staring back at you.)

-Listen to salespeople but never trust they have all the facts. Look up the specs on the T.V. Read reviews from the experts and more importantly from people who actually own the T.V.

Then don’t over think it to death. Remember this is supposed to be a fun purchase. It’s an exciting new world for home entertainment.

Such potential in the Fry's brand

I’m addicted to looking at electronics stores I’ve shopped all the majors and stop in any of the minors that I run across. I’m a regular fixture in Best Buy, Circuit City and Fry’s; not to mention CompUSA, Office Max and Staples. Even Costco electronics department gets a once over from me every couple of weeks. So, why is it I love Fry’s but dislike my local Fry’s ever-so-much.

There seems to be a major difference in which Fry’s you visit. In San Diego California I’ve visited a couple that are pristine works of art. The building is immaculate, the aisle makes sense, and there is great customer service.

The one down the street from my house in Wilsonville, OR is converted from a now defunct electronics warehouse. If it weren’t for the name outside you’d never guess it was at all related to the rest of the Fry’s brand. It is plain. Ordinary. I dare say messy looking. The rhyme and reason to the merchandising is non-existent. (An observation from a long time shopper at this store. Anyone not a regular customer must be at a tremendous disadvantage.) Entire product lines are removed from their home to fill endcap-displays. And if you ask one of the myriad salespeople (who always appear to busy to be bothered with any mere mortal) they haven’t a clue where the product has been moved.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m a fan of Fry’s. They have the most potential as an electronics brand to make good on their promises to consumers shopping for electronics. Best Buy never will. Circuit City doesn’t even try. And so on. However, this eyesore in the company must not be a lone mistake in their chain. So why do they tolerate such a ridiculous abstraction of their company model?

Fry’s is one of the few electronic stores where you can actually find nearly every type of electronics and gadget known. (Okay, not quite but their selection is superior to anything you’ll find in any of the other giants of the industry.) If only they could see how close, they are to becoming the ideal for consumer electronics shoppers. A touch of greatness you’ll see if you visit a couple of the stores I’ve seen in California. If those were, the rule rather than the exception there would be no real competition left for this retail mega-chain.

Lackluster Tech Summer

Spring and early summer tends to be bit lackluster in the technology department. Consumers and technology pundits alike tend to have little to inspire them in the second quarter. Everyone is out enjoying their boats and barbeques since there is little to keep them indoors at this time of the year. Other than rehash all the cool stuff we are waiting for in the coming months, let’s review some of the crap from this year so far. Okay, so I don’t have enough room to go over all of the crap instead I’ll concentrate on some of the items that were underwhelming or should’ve been better than it turned out.

-Worst Video Game Tie-in--- X-men the official Video Game

Any title that claims to be official typically turns out to be a dud. With X-men we have a great franchise that falls so far under the mark with this game release as to beg the question, are monkeys running the company? There are other offenders this year, like Over the Hedge and the Da Vinci Code. Still, they don’t hold a candle to the disappointment with this lousy game. There are pieces that could be successful if not for the overall feeling that it was rushed to release. The controls are sloppy and difficult to use. The game play lacks a cohesive point of view and detracts from a couple of fun moments. Moments that could be more plentiful if not for the horrible camera problems plaguing this game. Stay clear of this game and use your time replaying Halo 2 or watching paint dry. Either way you’ll have more fun.