Iwata-san, you're Wii has pwned me!

Santa dropped by the "Den" and left a little gift. I don't know why it took me so long to get on board, but now that I have one lets talk about the Wii.
First off I was surprised at how small the console actually is. I dont know why that is (maybe because there's no HD capability) but its not much bigger than the old portable CD players!

To the eye the console might be small but it packs alot in the small 6in x 8in x 2in size. On top (hidden by a small door) is a multi media card slot (on board in the Wii's OS is photo album software so you can add/organize your favorite photogs) usb and Gamecube connectors.

Yes the outside is stylish but then you turn the thing on and "Wow". No "blade menus" here but the menu screen works. I dont know how to put my finger on it but it just "feels" Japanese. Rather a menu, Nintendo calls them "channels". Why is there a channel for the world's weather (with the day`s high and lows and the 5 day forecast) on a globe you can grab and spin? I have no idea and i don't care because I love it! There's also a news channel to see headlines (now that's making you're console a multimedia AND information station!) We've all heard that consoles will become the center of our lives but it looks like only Nintendo gets it. Oh yeah, and how do you get that updated information? Why through the on board wireless antennae! Thank you Nintendo for including wireless rather than sticking me with having to buy another accessory to unlock the capability of my console!

I know what you're saying "dude, theres no HD and you love HD". True, but you can set the Wii to 16x9 to play on your big tv. To be honest, it doesn't look that bad. I never thought I'd hear myself say this but "who cares about HD?" the console's look and feel works. The games are engaging without the 1080 resolution look. Isn't good gaming what we want afterall? There are plenty of us that love to play out of date old school games because they're still fun to play (e.g. Doom on Xbox live).

The Wii comes with games too (another novel concept). The game disk included has tennis/baseball/bowling/boxing! Yes, the people you play against in the games look like "weeble-woobles" but who cares? I actually hurt my arm throwing pitches in baseball and my butt hurt from bowling! Now I see why people are accidentally throwing their Wii-motes through the TV.

So, let's review; you get a gaming console, multimedia support, wireless, controllers (the Wii-mote and Nunchaku) and games for under $300. We should all run out and buy one immediately!!

Merriest of Christmas and Happiest of New Year's to all!!

Hi guys,

I'll be doing the Holiday thing (aren't we all this time of year) so I won't be able to post like I want. I hope to give a rundown of some cool Christmas presents I get (or at least I hope I get) and gave as soon as I get back.
Happy Holidays,
Dutch

Bigger is better, but when its smaller.....its even better!

As we get ready for Christmas and look forward to getting the latest tech gadgets from our wish list there's something new coming out next year (isn't that always the case?).

With our iPods, Zunes, laptops, PDAs and other assorted portable devices the issue has always been storage capacity. Since we are living more and more off of digital content (I mean who prints out their pictures anymore) we need devices that can carry our entire music/video/picture collections. Well fear not, now we can. Toshiba has unveiled its MK1011GAH, a 1.8-inch drive that offers a storage capacity of 100GB.
That ain't no typo kids, 100GBs!

Toshiba plans to start mass producing the drives in January '07. Now we as consumers won't get them directly but Toshiba will sell the drives to manufacturers to integrate into their products. So I can now have my music collection, my complete seasons of all my favorite shows, my favorite movies and my scrap book in hand and on-the-go? Now that's a Christmas miracle.

UMD movies might be dead but you're still gonna get cinema on your PSP.

In what can only be yet another shining example of a going nowhere proprietary format dreamed up by Sony (what were we gonna do with those little disks anyway?)
Sony is now in talks with movie studios so that we PSP owners and download movies directly to our PSPs (take that iTunes store!!).

Articles have been floating around the web that Sony is chatting with Amazon.com, MovieLink and CinemaNow to investigate the feasability of distributing movies to PSP owners through direct downloads. Let me get this straight...Sony is gonna do something that makes sense for their consumer? This MUST be one result of the shake up in leadership at the MegaCorp! Sony's even looking at launching this service early next year.

Seems that in order to get movies to our PSP we'll first have to download them to our computer and then to a memory stick. Which sounds great but leave it up to the big guys to find a way to put the media in some proprietary format or have some restrictions that limits play.

Is this yet another "shot across the bow" that Sony wants to get into the Xbox live business? With the luke warm reception of the PS3 and Microsoft's chokehold on the downloadable game/media marketplace (let's not forget that Microsoft has deals with Paramount Pictures, CBS, MTV and Warner Bros and are already offering content) it may be less of a warning shot and more of a death knell.

All I want for Christmas is the ability to fly!

It is that time of year when we're all making our wish lists for the holiday season. So, what do I want? Why the Gryphon flying wings of course!!
Wanna be a super-hero? Wanna SpecOps assault into the country of your choice? Then this is a must have!

This pair of personal Gryphon flying wings is the way to go. You're now able to jump out of a plane miles from your target, glide to your landing area while staying under said country's radar and then pull the rip cord on your 'chute for a soft landing. The designer (a German engineer of course, those damn inventive Germans and their flying machines) is looking to not only mass produce the wing but eventually install a small jet engine that would enable we budding assault pilots the ability to drop from a lower altitude from further away.

This is just badass all the way around. Hey, even if the military doesn't go for it we might just get our hands on this thing sooner then later. Hell, at the very least it'll get in the next "Bond" film.

5 mega-pixel camera for cellphones? We are the new paparazzi!

With music and video capability, our phones really are becoming the multimedia devices we've dreamed. One of the biggest stumbling blocks has been that the cameras on our phones have always sucked. Not any more.
Sharp Japan has just unveiled it's new 5-megapixel CCD camera module for mobile phones. Oh yeah, 5 megapixels! But wait, it gets better. Samsung has debuted its camera for phones and its a whopping 10-megapixels. The LZ0P3770 isn't just 10 megapixels, it also has the world's first 3X optical linear zoom with auto focus!

At just under an inch these little powerhouses will see production in January '07. The camera won't come cheap. Initial estimates show a price point of $172 per unit. But if our cellphones can ring up our pals and take great photos of them (while giving me one less gadget to carry), it'll be worth it.

Rollertoaster, cool name and a cool gadget.

There are advances in technology everyday. And there are tons of things you think just can't be improved upon.......like toast. Oh fear not my friends even toasting your morning slice of white just got brought into the 21st century. I give you the Rollertoaster.
Living in a dorm room, that cramped apartment in the city or just want to show off a cool gadget? Then this is for you. It looks like a paper shredder, and is a fraction of the size of the 40's era technology silver toaster you used growing up. It's a snap to use too, just slip your standard slice in one side and it pops out the other lightly toasted (or whatever your preference). This is the ultimate stocking stuffer! Unfortunately we won't see it for the holiday season but maybe 1st QTR next year with a price point between $25-$50.