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:
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
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 It not only loses value PC’s are outdated the minute it walks out the door. (Actually, they are outdated before they hit the store shelves.)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.
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
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 21st century. (A debate we won’t get into for the sake of this writers sanity.)
While this service by
Following the tech blurbs
-New electric car hits 130 MPH-The Tesla Roadster is
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.
On the High Definition news front,
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
