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Turn Yourself into a Pokémon with Nintendo DS Games

Natalie Gomez — Sat, 17 May 2008 01:07:41 -0500

Some great news for Pokémon enthusiasts, now you can become your favorite Pokémon with two new Nintendo DS games. In Pokémon Mystery Dungeon (Explorers of Time and Explorers of Darkness) you are transported to the Pokémon land of your choosing. A personality test will determine what Pokémon best suits you and you are sent off as that Pokémon on a journey to find out why they have been turned into a Pokémon and try to stop the evil Pokémon from stopping time and sending the world into darkness. If you find yourself in trouble you can call for help using the Nintendo Wi-Fi connection. Send your friends rescue notifications mails or straight to their cell phone. With the SOS mail, help is never far away. And for increased excitement and adventure, random dungeons are generated to make each time you play a different experience.

With over 490 Pokémon on the land you’ll have limitless options when choosing your adventure themes. The Pokémon Mystery Dungeon games are only available on Nintendo DS systems. Rated E for everyone. For more information on this product please visit www.PokemonMysteryDungeon.com or www.Pokemon-Games.com.

Guide to Goof-Proof Shopping for a Digital Camera

jessica — Fri, 16 May 2008 01:00:27 -0500

I bought my first digital camera soon after my son was born. I took so many photos that I turned the picture counter back to 0000. Yes, my bundle of joy was the subject of more than 10,000 shots—and why not? That's the beauty of digital: click away, delete the rejects and develop the photos you want. With the vast range of digital cameras on the market, I'm clearly not their sole fan. But like all products digital, the choices are both overwhelming and confusing. Following are the eight most common mistakes made by first-time buyers, plus which digital-camera features really matter.

Megapixel mix-up
Digital photos are made up of tiny dots called pixels. Simply put, the more pixels your camera has, the sharper your pictures will be. But don’t let the higher numbers mislead you. What's considered the minimum nowadays -- 3 megapixels -- will result in crystal-clear photos that can be developed as large as 20 in. x 30 in. without degradation in quality. In fact, a 3-megapixel camera is more than enough if you want to showcase your photos in a traditional photo album and e-mail them to friends and family. So why consider a camera that boasts as much as 7 megapixels? Anytime you crop a photo to hone in on your subject, you are actually reducing the number of pixels and, therefore, losing some picture quality. If you start with more megapixels at the outset, the diminishment is less likely to make a difference in the quality of your photos.

Disregard digital zoom
When shopping around, you're going to read about two kinds of zoom: optical and digital. The former is the one that matters. Optical zoom represents what you'd expect -- the feature brings you closer to your entire subject matter clearly and sharply. (I, for one, don’t want to miss a single freckle on my son's face.) The higher the optical zoom, the closer and more detailed your picture will be; 5x is better than 3x. On the other hand, digital zoom focuses in on only a part of an image and ultimately results in grainy, blurry pictures. Bottom line: digital zoom should not be a factor in your purchasing decision. Also, make yourself a note to manually disable the digital zoom that comes with your camera.

Memory lapse
Digital photos save to a memory card the same way computer files save to a disk. But don't think your camera manufacturer is doing you any favors if it includes an 8- or 16-megabit card with your camera purchase. Same goes for a camera with internal memory, meaning you don’t even need a card. Either way, your cruise will have barely set sail before you need to delete some photos to make room for more. Plain and simple, at the same time you buy your camera, buy a bigger memory card—you can't go wrong with at least 1 gigabyte. Also, make sure you buy the right card format for your camera. The kind you need (i.e., SecureDigital, CompactFlash, Memory Stick, etc.) should be indicated right on your new camera's box.

Connection disconnect
The easiest way to get photos out of your camera and onto a computer is via a USB cable, which should come with your purchase along with software you must install so that all products play nicely. Installation is as simple as it is quick. Now you're ready to upload your first batch to an online photo service or e-mail your favorite shots, but what kind of Internet connection do you have? If it's dial-up, sending your photos and receiving others is going to be a time-consuming process. A high-speed connection is your best option.

He ain't heavy
Digital cameras are smaller, thinner and lighter than ever before. Some of today's compact and ultracompact models are less than an inch thick and weigh as little as six or seven ounces. Stick one in your shirt pocket or a compartment in your purse, and you’re good to go. But keep in mind: The smaller the camera, the smaller the buttons. If you have big hands and fingers, a small camera may be awkward to hold and handle. This is why you should test-drive a few models in the store. Look through the viewfinder. Seeing your fingers? Then that camera is too small for you. Accidentally hitting buttons on the camera that mess up your shot? Ditto.

Don't break the bank
My first digital camera cost $600. That bought me 3.2 megapixels and a 3x optical zoom. Guess how much that camera retails for today? One-third of the price, which is what I recently paid for a 7.2-megapixel camera with 4x optical zoom and free 1-gigabyte memory card (watch the Sunday flyers). Your takeaway is clear.

The juice factor
One of the great things about a digital camera is the instant gratification it offers by letting you view your photos right after you've taken them. In addition, you can compose your shots looking through the LCD screen rather than a tiny optical viewfinder (some cameras don't even have the latter anymore). You can even capture video with sound. But these cool factors come with a price: battery drain. Make sure your new camera can run on AA batteries, and always carry backup; lithium last longest. Rechargeable AA batteries today last a long time and will generally pay for themselves after a couple of rechargings. Some cameras come with proprietary rechargeable batteries, but if you're in front of Mt. Rushmore and your battery dies, then what?

Printer money pit
A $100 photo-quality printer may seem reasonable in price, but that's only part of the picture. Factor in the cost of photo paper and color ink, and you'll wind up paying more per picture than you would if you developed them at your local retailer or through an online service. However, it's wise to keep some photo paper on hand for those quick-print jobs that inevitably come up.

By Gayle Kesten, Writer for Digital Landing

DISH Customers Can Now Double HD DVR Recording Hours

jessica — Thu, 15 May 2008 08:35:32 -0500

Western Digital has just doubled the amount of HD DVR recording hours for DISH Network customers with the introduction of its My DVR Expander external hard drive. The 500GB external hard drive simply plugs directly into DISH Network’s ViP Series HD DVR via USB cable (included) to instantly gain an additional 60 hours of HD recording or approximately 300 hours of standard-definition recordings. A low power-consuming hard drive and no-fan passive cooling system reduces energy consumption by 30% and makes it quiet enough for use in living rooms and bedrooms.

This is the second drive in the My DVR Expander series. The first is compatible with TiVo and Scientific Atlanta cable boxes.

The MSRP is $149.99 and consumers can purchase the DVR Expander and other WD products at www.shopwd.com.

For more information read the press release.

Recycling Those Old Home Office Gizmos

Jeff Zbar — Thu, 15 May 2008 01:11:07 -0500

By Jeff Zbar
www.chiefhomeofficer.com

Let’s survey the landscape of my home office’s technology graveyard: I have an old PC — circa Last Century and long since obsolete; a once-coveted, leading-edge Nokia analog cell phone my daughter now uses as a playtoy; two CRT monitors long ago replaced by flat-panel monitors; a few keyboards, mice and other gadgets and hardware that serve no purpose but to keep me from having to dust the shelf-tops on which they rest. They consume my space. There has to be a better solution.

Enter MyBoneYard, an online service designed to help people ditch the old tech.

This is no idle concern. The mercury, chemicals and various elements that exist in PCs and monitors is enough to make your body glow green. Once crushed and in the landfull, these nasties leech into the groundwater, polluting the environment and the water that irrigates our crops, quenches the native fauna — and flows through our taps.

Want to learn more? Visit a past piece on Recycling Home Office Tech.

Whatever you do, don’t ditch, toss or otherwise bury your old tech. Like the solvency of Social Security and the Federal Deficit, these can become problems we simply pass on to the next generation. This is simply unacceptable…

Since the '80s, Jeff Zbar has been a writer, speaker and spokesman on all facets of working from home and entrepreneurship. His columns and blogs have appeared via Entrepreneur, Success Magazine, Home Office Computing and the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, and he has been a small business expert on national television and radio. Learn more at www.chiefhomeofficer.com.

Mario Kart Meets Wii

Natalie Gomez — Wed, 14 May 2008 01:02:39 -0500

Everyone’s favorite Nintendo game is now available on Wii. Since the days of Super Nintendo, Mario Kart has been a game for everyone to enjoy. And now, after much anticipation, Nintendo addicts can release their road rage on their friends, family and Nintendo characters through their Wii consoles. Players can connect to their broadband hookup for Nintendo Wi-Fi and compete with up to 11 drivers anywhere in the world.

Just when you thought you were the Mario Kart champion, Nintendo has surprised veteran players with 16 new courses and 10 battle arenas to keep players busy between races. But not to forget about the favorites, the Wii version will also feature 16 old courses. Now with the option of racing with karts or motorbikes newbie’s will have a fighting chance.

The Wii wheel is also a new attachment that will make racing more fun than ever. With four different control options of Wii remote, Wii remote and nunchuck controller combo, classic controller, and even Nintendo GameCube controller, there is sure to be something for everyone.

For more information on this product visit www.wii.com or www.Mariokart.com.

Eco-Friendly Married with Luxury

Natalie Gomez — Tue, 13 May 2008 01:35:14 -0500

The impending threat of the melting polar ice caps has people questioning, “What can I do for my environment?” What if there was a way to do your part in luxury? Fairmont Hotels and Lexus have joined forces to unveil two “Lexus Hybrid Living Suites,” the Fairmont San Francisco and Fairmont Washington D.C. The suites have found a way to marry the concept of the “Green Movement” with luxury and offer guests a fully sustainable and organic experience. Every room includes eco-friendly bath amenities, mini-bats with local wines, organic farmstead cheeses and much more.

Visitors are offered complimentary use of a Lexus LS 600h L, a low-emission luxury car while staying in their luxury suite comprised of organic and rapidly renewable resources. Eco-friendly comes at no cost to chic style with interior designs by famed eco-designer Kelly LaPlante, whose designs are based on organic fabrics, mattresses, paint, recycled leather from Lexus vehicles, pillows, towels and robes. Guests also receive a Green Guide and audio podcast that recommends environmentally friendly activities that can also be found on the Lexus Hybrid Living website. And now through December 30, 2008 the Eco is the new Chic package includes accommodations in the Lexus Hybrid Living Suite, access to the Lexus LS 600h L, complimentary parking and a bottle of organic wine and is available for $869 plus tax per night.

And if not for the eco-friendly theme, the Fairmont San Francisco is situated in the center of town with bay windows that offer picturesque views of Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, and China town. Lexus Hybrid Living Suites hope to set the example of how eco-friendly doesn’t have to come at the expense of comfort. For more information on Kelly LaPlante’s organic designs please visit kellylaplante.com. For more information on Lexus Hybrid Living Suites please call (415) 772-5147 or visit www.fairmont.com.

Listen to iPod Songs Over Your Home Stereo

Natalie Gomez — Mon, 12 May 2008 01:58:59 -0500

Although pressing heads together and splitting earphones is a resourceful way to share iPod songs with friends, there is a better way. Monster has released the Monster iSoniCast Wireless Audio Bridge. This device will change the way you listen to your iPod –you can now share your music with multiple people over your home stereo system without batteries. The iSoniCast simply connects to your home stereo wirelessly and can be controlled by the familiar functions on the iPod itself.

The iSoniCast Wireless Audio Bridge features powerful 2.4 Ghz wireless technology for extended control range and superior sound quality. Intelligent frequency hopping minimizes interference while high-bandwidth 4Mbps streaming eliminates compression artifacts. A two-meter mini-to-RCA cable is included for hassle-free integration into a home audio system. It’s a great way to fill your home with the music you love and share it with more friends than one. It comes at a price of $99.95. For more information visit www.monstercable.com.

Game Power: Welcome to My World Sucka!

jessica — Mon, 12 May 2008 01:52:45 -0500

“Either we’re moving real fast or not at all” – Johnny Storm (Chris Evans) – Fantastic Four (2005)

Parents and critics around the globe complained vigorously about the lack of any redeeming qualities when GTA (Grand Theft Auto) IV would damage our kids psyche or open the door to them to unleash more violence in the real world.

Figure 1 - Pointless Violence – There weren’t a lot of good vs evil plots in GTA IV but that didn’t seem to bother the 10s of thousands of people who ran to stores and shopped online to grab their copy of the long-awaited sequel. Reviewers said they wouldn’t be disappointed. Shareholders certainly weren’t – Photo Source – IGN

We watched over our kid’s shoulder as he played the game on his PS3 and seemed pretty similar to what he’d run into in a week of watching TV – sex, drugs, mayhem, rock ‘n roll – yep pretty normal.

We sorta think after a period of game play he’s going to agree with Ben…“You know, living through something like this you really appreciate having the right woman in your life.”

Things have changed a lot from the “good old days” before the game industry crash in the mid ‘80’s when JT (Jack Tramiel) kicked off the first 7800 System and a little later the hand-held Lynx to take on the audacious Nintendo.

Figure 2 - Good Ol Reliable – Sure you can play your fancy PS3 or aging Xbox but don’t forget it was the Atari 7800 (and 2600) that set the stage. Actually a lot of those early players have graduated up to today’s power games.

Sure the graphics are light years better but then programs are bloated compared to epics like Ms. Pac-Man or Gates of Zendocon. Heck if programmers back then had more to work with than 128 – 640K they would have produced blockbusters too.

Maybe not.

Rockstar dropped about $100M on GTA IV and had 150 developers working for a couple of years creating their sandbox (follow the plot or not).

And in less than a week they racked up $500 M in sales? SHEESS!

JT told a couple of guys in the back they had a few weeks to knock out the game and he’d give them all the Twinkies and Ho-Hos they could eat.

Don’t even ask what he’d do for sales numbers like that…for the year!

Maybe the lack of financial support “hurt” the development and marketing a little but JT figured anyone who wanted to make/play video games didn’t need much anyway. Except for the infamous Custer’s Revenge there wasn’t much to those early games.

Who Is Out There?
Who knew those kids would grow up and still play games?

Who knew there were as many girls as guys playing?

No one realized that early exposure to video games would carry over into adulthood. Or as Reed said, “The cloud has fundamentally altered our DNA.”

Must have because today online/console/mobile gaming is a multi-billion dollar business. And it’s the strongest segment of the online commerce arena.

Figure 3 - Number 1 Sport – The biggest sport for men/women, young/old are video games. Online or casual the video game industry is a big profit center for a lot of software producers, retailers and online sites. Source – Parks Assoc

Online games are more popular than watching videos online or cruising social networking sites. As they say, online no one knows if you’re a dog (or a boomer+ player).

Figure 4 - Online Entertainment -- There are thousands of VC funded business models around the globe that will make room for indie developed video content and provide a place online where folks can meet, chat, have fun. But even more of the folks go online every evening to play videogames. Source – Parks Assoc

Like many “casual” gamers we’re more inclined to PC games than consoles.

Figure 5 - PC vs Console – While industry analysts closely watch the sales and market share shift of the key console firms – Nintendo, Sony, Microsoft – the market for online games from your computer continues to grow. After all you already have a high def screen with the monitor so you’re ahead of the game (pardon the pun). Source – NPD

Interactive Online
The robust expansion of the Internet has made it possible for more interactive games, more exciting games and more international participation:

Broadband penetration in the twenty leading online game countries is expected to increase 48% from 2006 to 2012
The total overall number of online gamers in the twenty leading online game countries is expected to increase 51% from 2006 to 2012
East Asia, which includes the leading markets of China and South Korea, is currently the leading region for online games, accounting for nearly half of revenue in 2006. However, Europe and Japan are showing strong market share growth
Worldwide online game revenue is expected to increase from $4.5 billion in 2006 to $13.1 billion in 2012, a 192% increase. The PC is the leading platform for online game revenue, but revenue from console online games is expected to show significant growth between now and 2012
In 2006, subscriptions were the leading revenue source for online games. However, the fastest growing segment of the market was digital distribution and virtual item sales
By 2012, revenue from advertising and digital distribution/virtual items are expected to equal revenue from subscriptions
The two leading categories for online games are MMOGs and casual games. On a worldwide basis, MMOGs accounted for over half of online game revenue in 2006. However, in terms of market share growth between 2006 and 2012 the fastest growing game segments are expected to be First Person-Shooters (FPS/Action) and Sports/Racing
North America is the largest market for online game advertising. By 2012, video game console systems are expected to account for 35% of online game advertising revenue in North America
Japan is the fastest growing market for online game subscription revenue
East Asia is the leading market for virtual item sales and is expected to continue to be the leading market for digital distribution in 2012. However, between 2006 and 2012, Europe is expected to be the fastest growing market for digital distribution and virtual item models

While games like GTA IV grab the headlines, the most popular games according to research by Ipsos and others are thinking games:

casual - card/board games – 29%
strategy – 17%
action – driving, fighting – 16%
sports – 13%
adventure, role-playing 12%
shooters – 7%
simulation – 4%
other – 2%

Gaming Leaders
Games like GTA IV have helped the console folks - especially Sony’s PS3.

Figure 6 - Console to TV – The one thing all of the console manufacturers are now working on (in addition to more adrenalin pumping games is to devise ways where their devices can also end up being the key component in the video content to the TV. Don’t kid yourself. Each wants to own the living room screen. Source – Ipsos

They also get people together to get together and compete (ok in the virtual world) rather than sit in dimly lit rooms like the good old Atari 7800 days.

GTA IV is the first console multiplayer game. The number of participants is still miniscule compared to MMOGs (massively multiplayer online games) like World of Warcraft (WoW) that has millions of subscribers around the globe.

Of course the top 10 titles can give you a hint as to the age category of the players:

Mario and Sonic: Olympic
COD4 (Call of Duty): Modern Warfare
Brain Training
FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) ’08
Wii Play
Rainbow Six: Vegas 2
Burnout Paradise
Pro Evolution Soccer 2008
The Simpsons Game
Guitar Hero III

Video games obviously to a major part of the PC/CE industry are no game! Hardware and software sales are significant and growing steadily.

Figure 7 - Soft Growth – While intelligent, non-violent games produce long-term, consistent sales results, blockbusters like GTA IV certainly make people throughout the industry sit up and take notice. The $500 M in week one sales didn’t go unnoticed by software developers but the console manufacturers also felt the ripple effect as PS3s flew off the shelves. Source – DFC Intelligence

The prerelease investment of today is equal to the total market in the mid-80s that companies like Nintendo, Sega, Electronic Arts thought was huge!

Rather than wildcatting with their own money, game developers have found that for the right amount of cash they can design in marketing messages (some call them ads) that gamers don’t mind.

Figure 8 - Marketing Opportunities – When the promotion fits in with the game play and plot, players don’t seem to mind the addition of marketing messages. That’s good news for the software firms and they are extremely careful not to alienate their core market. Photo Source – IGN

As Johnny said, “Hey! Look what the marketing guys gave us! Look, check it out, listen, listen.”

There are a lot of good reasons:

demographics are well defined and broad
even decent games have a long chance for visibility compared to placement in a TV show or bad movie
online creativity enables game developers and marketers to increasingly do a better job of tracking visibility
developers and marketers are concerned about placing the ad messages in appropriate, “natural” settings

Contrary to what critics say we don’t believe that games like GTA IV with “absolutely no redeeming social value,” are really detrimental to our kids.

Actually game play could be good for them by releasing some of their frustrations, help them improve their eye/hand coordination, stimulate creative (out of the box) thinking, and simply take a break from reality.

Hey it works for us.

Game Drugs
While there are detractors like Dr. Tanya Bryon, a child psychologist, who did a show on BBC comparing game play on MMOGs like Warcraft (GTA IV hadn’t been released yet) were as addictive to kids as drugs like heroin, coke, pot.

Can people become addicted to their gaming activities?

Sure.

Those who do will justify their activities repeating Reed Richards, “Exposure to a high energy cosmic storm could advance our knowledge of planetary life.”

Of course Dr. Bryon will cite one of his other comments, “Even the slightest miscalculation could cause our symptoms to increase exponentially... or perhaps even kill us.”

Young and old, male or female there’s always some self-restraint involved and common sense.

When that fails read the warning.

Figure 9 - Time Out Or… While parental and watchdog groups like to say that death and mayhem in games like GTA IV only contribute to violence carrying over into the real world all folks have to do is turn the system off, unplug the console/computer, kick in the screen. Or … simply use a little common sense!

That doesn’t work? Take Ben’s advice…“Uh, don't do drugs!”

But $500 M sales in the first week GTA IV for a game with no redeeming values?

Hey…works for us!

Peace of Mind in an External Hard Drive

Natalie Gomez — Mon, 12 May 2008 01:11:49 -0500

The biggest threat that faces every student, business person, family, company, anyone you can think of, is a computer meltdown. Stop keeping a constant eye out for the warning signs and protect your files, free your memory space and speed up your computer by investing in an external hard drive. Buffalo Technology offers the best in file protection with their newest external hard drive the 1 TB DriveStation Combo 4.

If universal connectivity is what you’re looking for this device is the leader in versatility with four interface- eSATA, FireWire 400/800 and USB 2.0 and connects to either Mac or PCs. File transfer has never been faster with a 20% increase in transfer rates with TurboUSB software that incorporates 7200-RPM SATA drive. Noisy fans are no problem here, with whisper- quiet operation of the unique Heat Sink Chassis for internal cooling. For file security you can trust the product comes with a full version of Memeo AutoBackup software and Buffalo’s SecureLockWare that offers file and folder encryption for Windows users through 256-bit AES encryption technology.

Ready to use right out of the box the product measures 1.42 x 5 x 8.94 inches and weighs 3.09 pounds and comes with a limited one-year warranty and toll free 24/7 technical support. The 320GB (HD-HS320Q) is estimated to be $149. The 500GB (HD-HS500Q) is estimated at $189. The 1TB DriveStation Combo 4 (HD-HS1.0TQ) is available for $349. www.buffalotech.com.

Surround Sound Mic for Under $100

Natalie Gomez — Sun, 11 May 2008 01:12:12 -0500

Amateur home videos are a thing of the past with the increasing popularity of home editing software and high-tech cameras. Now, even little Jimmy’s first birthday video comes with background music and transitions. To satisfy the needs of the closet Spielberg in your family is the Vive from Cascade Audio.

Vive is a surround sound microphone that is compatible with any stereo video camera with a mic input jack. This device offers multi-channel listening and Dolby Pro Logic and Dolby Digital 5.1 compatible surround sound. The full sound also transfers directly onto any standard media like DV, DVD, CD, wav or mp3 with high performance audio recording with 20Hz to 20 KHz frequency response greater than 60dB signal noise ratio. And this amazing at-home technology is available for only $99, plus shipping. This price doesn’t even compare to its competitors that have been priced at over $1500.

For more information visit www.cascade-audio.com