Gizmo Cafe Blog
December 2006 - Posts
Microsoft Xbox360's popular shooter Gears of War is eating up sales and Xbox Live usage records, spitting them out and looking for more to break. Since it's release only a couple of months ago more people have played Gears of War than any other game at
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What's the buzz on the Internet all about these days? According to a market research firm called BrandIntel, it's Wii! BrandIntel found that between Nov. 17th and Dec 21st Wii was mentioned on the Internet about 10% more than PS3 or Xbox360. At
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Where did the name Skype actually come from? Is it really a Chuvash word that means "talking for free"? Like most brands, a large part of the mobile VoIP software's popularity is in its very name. Skype, like a sacred incantation, garners the attention
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Don't discount the picture tube just yet! Polls like the one at the Home Theater Shack, which asks home theater enthusiasts what display they like the best, are coming up pro-CRT. Even with the myriad of digital and fixed pixel display options available
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The AACS (Advanced Access Content Systems) once said its DRM (Digital Rights Management) was unbreakable. The content protection DRM is designed to prevent movies on HD DVD (and Blu-ray) from being backed up. Well, it only took a hacker named muslix64 on
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A few months ago I blogged on the (then) upcoming release of Burger King's Xbox 360 titles. That statement, in itself, is quite ridiculous, but so is the fact that these games, which can be had for $4 with the purchase of a Value Meal, have
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The Microsoft Zune is in over its head. It's openly challenging a market held, if not completely gripped by, Apple's iPod. And yet, this thing just might work out. Why? Not necessarily because the Zune offers Wi-Fi capabilities (three day transfers
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Remember the Cell Processor that comes stock in your PS3? It's the one that was supposed to be the ultimate gaming CPU that, upon some closer investigation might be a generic chip designed for a variety of video applications. Sony and recent rival in the
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It's not just overprotective parents that are after Nintendo slapping them with another Wii lawsuit. The Japanese game console manufacturer is also taking its share of heat from a company called Interlink Electronics. IE is taking Nintendo to court for
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Terrestrial Digital Media Broadcasting services can help drivers avoid traffic jams even if they don't have a built in navigation system. Samsung's New SPH-B5800 includes the TPEG or Transport Protocol Experts Group, it's a service that provides
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The alarm bells went off on Tuesday about the virus that was stealing passwords from Skype users. But the alarm might be overrated according to Internet security analysts. According to reports earlier this week a worm was spreading across Skype is the
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A funny thing appeared in a review of D-Link's V-Click GSM/VoIP phone. D-Link sent a test unit to Yahoo Tech for review that was configured to connect to D-Link's in-house network. Guess what D-Link's SSID is? Get a closer look at the image to see for
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The recording industry has long been a corrupt, artist unfriendly business model. Tantalizing recording contracts are given to only a chosen few at incredible cost to themselves. Horror stories are told of familiar recording artists actually coming away
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HD DVD is the cheapest route to a high definition video disk and you already knew that. But how do you get HD DVD for as cheap as possible? There are two budget options for the frugal fan of high res video. Xbox360's HD DVD add-on is only $200 if you
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All right, so this big "5 things you don't know about me" blog phenomenon is seriously peaking. Otherwise, I certainly wouldn't be interested, but since I'm willing to try anything once – and that means aaaanything – I'll go ahead and let you in on five
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Without a doubt, the most popular console right now is Nintendo's new Wii. It has inspired a number of exciting things, including injuries, property damage, subsequent legal action...oh, and great gameplay. If you're not sure if the more expensive
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Love it or hate it, the Beatles "Love" is bringing hi-fi values to a new generation of music fans. The rise of digital technologies is creating a hi-fi dark age where audio quality is not just taking a back seat to digital convenience and portability,
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We've been covering the launch of two consoles this holiday season. That means some pretty in-depth analysis of both the Sony PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Wii. And, while we expected the more powerful PS3 to garner most of the attention, the opposite
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If you're still hesitant to call the Nintendo Wii a massive success, then recent reports of the company's cost in producing the console may just change your mind. In contrast to Microsoft and Sony's growing pains, Nintendo is already in the black,
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When rumors of the Zune, even before it was given its current name, first surfaced over a year ago, it was supposed to be a game player first and music player second. In that role it was more of a Microsoft Xboy (once a whispered tag), capable of
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A few weeks ago we reported on the upcoming iPhone, and speculated on what it might include and look like. In that time, the hype over the "ultimate music phone" has reached some scintillating heights. However, although the recently revealed iPhone is
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Enjoy the occasional movie-film? There's nothing quite like popping a rad VHS into the fan-dangled VCR, fast-forwarding through the previews, and watchin' some kick-ass Goonies action! Fast forward from 1988 to December 2006 and you'll find that a lot
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NASA is holding a media briefing today where they'll release details on a major announcement involving Google. In the announcement NASA is to discuss its Space Act Agreement with Google. The Space Act Agreement basically states a formal tie between
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Looks like Sony picked the wrong horse. When the company went forth with its current design for the PlayStation 3, it surely hoped gamers would be willing to pay more for a system with unbelievable graphics potential, a high definition Blu-ray player,
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Just when the Nintendo Wii was settling in as the tech media darling this holiday season, the company has been forced to recall some 3.2 million of the wrist straps that hang from each of the console's controllers. In addition, 200,000 of the Nintendo
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With all of the hoopla surrounding the Nintendo Wii, many of the not-so-new systems are quickly being forgotten. The success of the Wii is to be admired, but what's even more impressive is the fact that Nintendo's handheld DS (or "dual screen") is still
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The Corporate Edition of Windows Vista is already available but it'll go on sale to the general public on Jan 30th 2007 and will come standard on any new PC. So, it's crunch time over at Microsoft – the days before what Douglas Coupland, author of
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We've been fiercely covering the launches of Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii. We've been equally frustrated by the lack of actual consoles reaching store shelves, leaving us and much of the gaming public pretty bewildered. However, after
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Console shortages are certainly no fun. Unless you enjoy waiting in the freezing cold all night, wrapped in a blanket while your friends and family sleep comfortably in their warm, warm beds, there are clearly better things to do with your time.
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The XM / Sirius merger rumor started late last year but it's been resurfacing again lately. Language used in recent speeches by executives from both Sirius and XM include lines like "Consolidation creates value…" and "Significant benefits…". So it looks
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Ever since Samsung released its BlackJack smartphone with Cingular Wireless last month it's caused some confusion with a similar product by RIM. RIM's Blackberry pearl has been out two months now, originally released by T-Mobile. The confusion has lead
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RedOctane's Guitar Hero and Guitar Hero II have become two of the must-have titles for PlayStation 2 this Christmas. They've revitalized an otherwise old and decrepit system, saving Sony from a completely miserable holiday season (in light of the PS3's
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Many movie franchises work well when translated into video games. Sure, there are exceptions (Superman, Batman, Catwoman), but generally the transition from the silver screen to the HD monitor is an easier one than the reverse (name three good
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Friends don't let friends do HTiB - not when there are affordable options for a complete home theater 5.1 speaker system. I recently did a review of the Classic Two speaker system by NHT for Audioholics.com. Based out of California, NHT has become a
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HP, together with Cingular Wireless, just released the HP Compaq nc6400, the first wireless broadband notebook computer available to the US. Ever wished your notebook wasn't tethered to a wi-fi hotspot? HP and Cingular Wireless believe they have your
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With AllofMP3.com under the microscope of late, the immensely popular BitTorrent has been left a bit ignored. The open source community that has taken the internet by storm in recent years has been pretty quiet as of late, but that's all about to
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If game consoles are left as the deciding factor of whether HD DVD or Blu-ray is going to win the next generation high def disc format – HD DVD wins!Any discussion of the next gen format war is controversial at best. But the mood was already established
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It was only three weeks ago that I kindly advised four die-hard Nintendo fans that they should "get a 360!" It was the night before the Wii's launch, and these brave (or deluded) souls had set up camp at about 7pm the night before. Oh, Karma. With the
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The Motion Picture Association of America wants you to pay $50 if you own a home theater. Or so a story recently posted on BBSpot News suggested. But the story is a hoax. It's funny. A friend sent it to me and as I read it, it sounded too scary to be
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DRM: Digital Rights Management. A technology that allows owners of digital media files to control how the files are used. Usually to prevent duplication. RIAA: Recording Industry of America. A trade group of brain eating zombies representing the
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Since the arrival of Gears of War I haven't stopped hearing about its awesome graphics, it's become the must see game for the Xbox 360. I have yet to play it, I'm waiting for Brando to let me borrow his for a few days. There has been a secondary,
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The Microsoft Zune sucks. While we don't feel that way (see number 6 on our Top Ten Gifts 2006 list), apparently most consumers do. Despite a whole lot of hype (which we strongly contributed to), the Zune's second week of release saw the device fall
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Nokia throws its keychain into the "Blackberry Killer" fishbowl with its Smartphone, aimed squarely at business application. The form factor is new for Nokia and indeed pretty much the European market. The E61 is another jumping into the Blackberry /
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Still not sure what to get the local techie this holiday season? Gizmocafe.com has things covered with a dual list fulfilling just about anyone's electronic tastes. Not only have we provided an overall "Top Ten Gifts 2006" list, including popular
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In the wake of one of the busiest periods in gaming history (featuring two massive console launches), the term "Wii Elbow" have become a very popular buzzword. Call it a series of ludicrous tales or a conspiracy by Sony to bad-mouth the competition,
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"Thank God for the Internet," Director Richard Donner says of the grass roots movement that made this film possible. According to the featurette Superman II: Restoring the Vision, they had to sift through several tons of film that arrived by truck from
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Over the past year, Microsoft has made a pretty penny via its Xbox Live Arcade, an online database of older games available for download. Each costs anywhere from a couple bucks to ten or so, with the price largely depending on the popularity of the
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What do you go for? The system that's been out for a year and easily has the best games at this very moment? Or do you go for the newcomer, light on credentials but full of potential? Check out GizmoCafe.com's own head to head comparison between two of
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Sony may be hurting more than we think. It's not because of a flawed Playstation 3 launch or even the $200+ American dollars the company loses on each console sale, but instead stems from Microsoft's current stance in the market, which is stronger than
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The Nissan Sentra is one of the coolest, most affordable rides on the road (count me biased, I own a 2004 SE-R). For a few years now, car audio manufacturer Rockford Fosgate has contributed to the Sentra's success with its exclusive agreement to
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HP announced today that it's buying 25 million kilowatt-hours of green power. This doubles HPs commitment to renewable energy sources - the company is currently ranked 16th on the EPA's Fortune 500 list of Green Power Partners. The EPA's Green Power
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It was only a couple days ago, on that glorious Saturday (how I hate these manic Mondays) that we reported on Wii's outselling of the Playstation 3 via eBay. Considering the number of units available for both, that isn't particularly surprising.
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Napster once allowed millions of listeners the ability to share their music. Although a utopian kind of idea, it didn't sit particularly well with the music industry, and the RIAA eventually shut down the party. Now, Napster's founder, Shawn Fanning,
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Here are the PS3 and Wii sales numbers on eBay from GameFreaks365.com over the weekend. It shows Wii with an unexpected lead in total sales. eBay sales since Nov 17th Nintendo Wii – 26,708, average cost of $412 Sony PlayStation3 – 14,675, average cost of
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For a long time, pirates have taken asylum in Russia. No, we're not talking about some twisted Treasure Island fantasy, but instead music piracy. With the Record Industry Association of America (RIAA) picking off Napster, Kazaa, and Limewire
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The American government, although actively seeking the destruction of file-sharing site AllofMP3, is getting soft on other patent matters. It was recently revealed that the U.S. Copyright Office has OK'd the "unlocking" of cell phones and the use of
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