NEWS: $100 PS2 Starting April 1st

If you're in the market for a cheap gaming fix, a have good news for you. Those of you who don't already have one can pick up a PS2 for just $99 starting April 1st.

Click the image above for more details.

Personally, I'm kind of amazed that they're still even selling the PS2, but with the economy the way it is, it's probably a good idea to offer low-cost alternatives to the current gen systems.

NEWS: MacBook Mini Leaked Photos?

For you Mac lovers out there who have been waiting to hop onto the netbook wagon, possible shots of a MacBook Mini have hit the net. Gizmodo reports that the shots were spotted in a Russian tech magazine, which puts the MacBook Mini at $899 and a 2009 release.

We'll see if any of this is true. Personally, I would never spend $899 on a Mac netbook when I would get one running Windows for $250. Maybe that's just me. I'm happy with my $300 MSI Wind.

NEWS: Source country of Conficker worm found?

Have you heard about the Conficker worm yet? Regardless, you'd better run a virus scan on your PC as soon as possible. The worm, which has infected an estimated 10 million PCs worldwide, is programmed to take action on April 1st, 2009. Exactly what action the worm will take (i.e. wipe the host's hard drive, steal private data and send it to the worm's creator, etc.) is not yet known.

Microsoft has offered a $250,000 bounty for information leading to the capture of the worm's creator, hoping that he or she can be apprehended before April 1st. The most recent development in this case is that experts now suspect that the worm may have originated in China.

Do yourself a favor -- run a virus scan today and make sure you don't have Conficker. Nobody knows exactly what it will do come April 1st, but you can avoid becoming a victim by being proactive and making sure your PC is clean.

UPDATE: You can scan your PC for Conficker for free on Microsoft's website.

UPDATE 2: Microsoft has renamed the group of computer professionals that are pursuing Conficker's creator the 'Conficker Working Group'. Hopefully the formal title brings with it an increased dedication to catch this guy.

Google Voice gives you visual voicemail, free domestic calls

People are already talking about Google's upcoming "Google Drive" free online storage service. But have you heard about "Google Voice"? Within the next few weeks, Google will launch their new, free call service that will allow free domestic calls and visual voicemail.

You will be able to log in with your existing Gmail username and link your Google Voice account to any of your phone numbers that you wish -- your cell, landline, business line, whatever. If someone calls you, you can have any (or all) or the linked phones ring simultaneously. And if someone leavesd you a message, Google will send you a free text transcription of the voicemail right to your Gmail inbox.

For those of you (myself included) who abandoned Youmail after they started charging for transcriptions, this service will be right up your alley. And as always with Google, it's all free, though likely will be supported by a small number of ads.

The service hasn't launched yet, but you should definitely keep an eye on the Google Voice homepage and check for future developments in the next few weeks.

NEWS: Stream Crysis to your netbook or TV with OnLive

Don't have the best PC? Don't even HAVE a PC? You can still play the latest, most cutting-edge games like Crysis and F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin, at maxed out settings.

Click the image above to learn more at Gizmodo.

A new service from a company called OnLive will allow PC users to download a simple client, and then stream games from a remote server. You don't need to have a great PC, or even have a video card at all. All of the video rendering is done on OnLive's servers, and the result is sent to you. The basic requirement is simply a fast broadband connection. You can play at standard definition with a 1.5mbps line, or at 720p HD with 5mbps.

Click the image above to learn more at Gizmodo.

The big concern here is obviously lag, and it will be interesting to see if OnLive's servers will be able to handle the load. I know I'm intrigued to see where this service can go, and will definitely be keeping my eye on it. Video card upgrades could eventually be a thing of the past.

REVIEW: $99 WD TV HD Media Player

The WD TV HD Media Player. Wow, what a name. Basically, this little $99 gadget from Western Digital (yeah, the hard drive people) lets you hook up an external usb hard drive or usb flash drive full of movies, TV shows, whatever, and play them on your TV. It has composite out (the yellow, red, and white RCA cables) as well as HDMI and optical SPDIF (for surround sound). So far, every file format that I have tried running on this beast has worked (see the list below). It runs a lot of files that my Xbox 360 can't even handle -- for example, Xvid movies with 5.1 ac3 will play on the 360, but the video will skip every 30 seconds or so. The same files also glitch on both of my Philips DVD players that support Divx/Xvid. When I run them on the HD Media Player, playback is flawless.

(the menu)

A few months ago, I was mulling over turning an old PC into a HTPC (home theater PC), but I knew that this type of thing can get VERY expensive. Sound cards that support Dolby Digital pass-through to a receiver are $50-100, basic video cards with HDMI are at least $50-100, etc. This media player (in conjunction with a 1tb internal and a hardrive dock) has all the perks of an expensive HTPC, at less than $100. A gift certificate to Best Buy made the offer all the more enticing.

Tested formats (all played perfectly):
- Xvid with mp3 sound, Xvid with 5.1 ac3 sound, Xvid with DTS sound, and Divx.
- h.264 mkv 720p movie with DTS sound, h.264 mkv 1080p movie with DTS sound
- Full DVDs saved as iso's
- Full DVDs saved as multiple VOBs and ifo's in a VIDEO_TS directory (it recognizes the separate VOBs as one movie, and never skips between VOBS)
- Mpeg-1 files
- Mpeg-2 files
- Wmv

The media player allows you to hook up two USB drives at the same time. It supports music, video, pictures, and the menus are easy to navigate. It has RCA out for basic TVs, and HDMI out for your HDTV. Some people have griped online about this unit, claiming that it doesn't support 5.1 sound, only stereo. THIS IS NOT TRUE. If you hook the HD Media Player up to a dolby receiver with a spdif cable, the receiver will do the decoding, and the result is perfect surround sound. This is no different than any DVD player or an Xbox 360 -- if you want surround sound, you need a receiver that supports it. If your video file has 5.1 ac3 audio, the unit can downsample it to stereo if that is all your TV setup supports. NOTE: One caveat is that if the video file has DTS audio, the HD Media Player can't downsample to stereo. For these files, you are going to need to run the sound through a receiver (or watch your movie with no sound!).

In Short:
- It plays MANY different file formats, even movies in 1080p.
- Future firmware updates will add even more file format compatibility.
- It's only $99, and it has all the functionality of some HTPCs
- You should buy it.

REVIEW: MSI Wind U100-420US Netbook

I've had my Wind for about 3 months now and I use it every day. I have a desktop PC, and I wanted something portable that I could bring to classes and type of my notes, eliminating the need to rewrite them later. A full-featured laptop was out of my budget, so I turned to a new category of computers: the Netbook. I looked at all of the different models on the market, and ultimately settled on the MSI Wind. It met my price goal ($200-$350), and it had very positive reviews online. Now that I have it, I'm happy with my purchase. I have had a couple technical headaches with my Wind (see below), but they don't outweigh the benefits.

So, what can you run on an MSI Wind? It has a 1.6ghz Intel Atom processor, can that really run anything good? Well, that depends. Do you like emulators? Old dos games? They look amazing on the Wind. Movies do too, anything up to 720p plays without a problem. If you want to run CDs, you'll need to learn how to make iso's on another PC and run Daemon Tools or a similar app on your Wind. This netbook won't be able to play newer games, but that's not what it's designed to do.

Pros
- Cost. The Wind U100 cost me $330 from Best Buy

- Size. This netbook is so small that I can put it in my backpack and you hardly know it's there. I bought a $10 case that fits it like a glove and prevents scratches.

- Convenience. If you're a student, and you feel that you can probably type notes faster than you can possible write them, a netbook like this is for you. My class notes have never been more organized (or easy to read!).

- Storage space. This unit sports a 120gb hard drive. I hear all the fuss about solid state hard drives like those found in the Dell Mini 9, but until they are available in larger capacities, I don't see the advantage. I filled up 50+ gigs of my Wind within a week of purchase.

- LED Screen. The LED-lit screen is beautiful, movies look fantastic and text is very easy to read.


Cons
- Defective webcam. Mine had a defective webcam that died after two week's use. The solution? I RMA's the unit to MSI (deal with them over the phone, their website is useless) and the webcam was replaced. Back in my hands in less than two weeks, and video chat through Skype is awesome.

- Mouse issues. Recently, the right and left click buttons have been swapping functions for no apparent reason, or ceasing to work altogether. I have been using a wireless USB mouse until I sum up the nerve to reinstall windows and all of my applications (which may or may not solve the issue).

In Short:
This is a great netbook. The issues that I have had with mine may be a complete fluke. I use this netbook every day, and it is a lifesaver for any college student. The price point is right too, and the new Wind model is just $319 at Best Buy.

Zillion TV instead of cable?

Zillion TV, a product that will hit shelves sometime in the near future, claims to offer a cost-effective alternate option to cable TV. This service will allow consumers to purchase a small receiver which hooks up to your broadband internet connection and your television. It comes with a remote, and it would allow you to choose from thousands of TV shows and movies, all with no subscription fees whatsoever. Sound too good to be true? The content will contain commercials, like on normal cable, but will give you the option of paying a small fee if you want to watch the programming without any advertisements.

In Short:
- You can choose from around 15,000 TV shows and movies
- No subscription fee
- Around $50 for the receiver and remote
- Remote included

We'll see how this one plays out, but if someone were to hook up one of these and a Roku box (which now supports both Amazon Video On Demand and Netflix Streaming), you could have a viable alternative to basic or digital cable. This is definitely worth keeping an eye on.

NEWS: Facebook worm rears it's ugly head

It seems that many Facebook users have been complaining of a malicious worm that is making it's way through the social networking site. Users have been clicking seemingly normal links such as "Joe Smith has posted a photo", and they are prompted to download a new plugin. The catch is that this plugin is in fact the "Koobface" worm, which can take your account over as well as infect your computer.

Screenshots

As promised, here are some screenshots of games running on the Saphhire 4850 1gb. Click any of the images to see them at their full resolution. As I've stated in the past, my CRT monitor more or less restricts me to lowly 4:3 resolutions like 1024x768.

Hitman: Blood Money

Screenshot 1:



Screenshot 2:



Screenshot 3:



Mirror's Edge

Screenshot 1:



Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare

Screenshot 1:



UPDATE! (03/04/09)

Here's a picture of my Rosewill power supply running. If you're in the market for a new PSU, definitely check this one out.

NEWS: Amazon yields on new Kindle 2 feature

A week or so ago, I showcased a legal argument between Amazon and audiobook publishers. The publishers felt that a "text-to-speech" feature in Amazon's new Kindle 2 that would read any ebook aloud infringed on the market of audiobooks.

As I predicted, Amazon has come to a compromise with the publishers, and will now allow the copyright holder of any ebook available on Kindle to disable the speech feature.