holidash
Latest
Angelic child gives his Wii to charity
'Tis the season for giving and so forth, so here's a cockle-warming story regarding one child's altruism.Upon discovering his father was helping to assemble a toy collection for foster children, nine-year-old Brandyn Waterford decided to make his own contribution. However, rather than donating the usual motley collection of tattered cuddly toys, dog-eared comics, and crappy, half-baked games, Brandyn honorably surrendered his Wii, a birthday gift from his parents, to Agape Villages Foster Family Services."I decided to give away something I really like so another kid could have a really good Christmas," said the young benefactor. Awww, bless. Group hug, everyone![Via Go Nintendo]
Massively's gift guide for the Star Wars Galaxies player
They say pet owners look like their pets. There are enough people who put stock in their horoscope to see it put in the daily newspaper. Heck, even which Hogwarts House you identify with probably says something about you. So why not your Massively Multiplayer game of choice? Over the next few weeks we at Massively are going to do our level best to help you make holiday gift giving easy. We'll run down some of the player archetypes you might have among your friends, based on the games they play. We'll give you gift ideas perfect for that type of player and (if it seems right) even some in-game presents that might fit well with their play style.Today I've got a pile of gift ideas for that rare breed: the Star Wars Galaxies player. Playing a much-maligned game can be hard, but the folks still participating in the story of the galaxy far, far away have their reasons. Maybe it's the crafting, maybe it's the twitch combat ... maybe it's the awesome player housing. For that player - be they Jedi or Bounty Hunter, Sith or Savior - we have an idea that'll keep them happily humming John Williams music on December 25th.Read on for our gift ideas, and (please) toss out your own in the comments!
TUAW Buyers Guide: Parents' picks for Apple-loving kids
Here we are in the thick of the holiday shopping season, and no matter your faith or creed you know that the kids, tweens and teens in your life will be expecting something nicely wrapped. What can you give them that will help get them going on the Macintosh Way or enhance their iPod educational options? Read on for a brief and subjective list; for more, you can check out Apple's kid-specific section of the Macintosh Product Guide or check out our Education and Gaming categories.
Engadget's Holiday Gift Guide: for son
Funny how boys are so easy to buy for, yet so hard to please -- so many gadgets and toys, but there's just no accounting for taste, especially when it's something so discerning as that of a young nerd in training. Of course, you don't need us to recommend the ever-obvious DS or PSP, but read on for some other hot picks and off the beaten path gift ideas. Don't forget to leave some of your own in comments, such that other parents, and family members and friends can win the young master's favor.
Second Life holiday shopping guide - December 1st edition
It's Christmas season already, which means Limited Editions, holiday outfits, and freebies! Sifting through all the blogs, ads, and forum posts can be quite tedious. I'm going to be taking care of the work for you every Saturday!In order for you to get the most out of your Second Life shopping experience, I've broken the items down by pricing. They are categorized as freebies, cheapies, group only, sales, and regular priced items. They are listed with the shop name linking to a store SLURL and what they're selling, with a link to their blog or forum post about the item. If you release something in the coming week, let me know and I'll include it in next week's guide. Happy shopping!Freebies: Dawnshop/Dazur - Christmas outfit Ephemeral Creations - Free Holiday Chenille Scarf Essentia - Christmas tree earrings Inspired - Stocking treasure hunt - 12 in all! Ivalde - Freebie gifts under the Christmas tree MANTRA - Free Christmas tree Pixeldolls - Free holiday decorations Second Mirage - Advent calendar - Stop by daily to get a free ornament only available on that day. This event runs until Christmas. Sin Skins - Pearl treasure hunt - 12 items, including skins, manicures, and lashes! Style Your Destiny - 8 Days of Hanukkah freebies, starting December 4th Subtle Submission - Lucky chair Christmas tattoo and shirts Talisman Designs - Free snowman earrings The Body Politik - Snowman necklace and earrings WRONG - Daily freebies until Christmas Eve! Cheapies: Callie Cline - 99L Reindeer antlers Dark Eden - 50L Candy Cane..."prim attachment" (Warning: Website NSFW) She's So Unusual - 25L Googly-eyed Rudolph slippers Subtle Submission - 100L 3-pack Christmas stockings, 50L each for holiday separates, 50L Bettie Page Christmas necklace, and a *cough* 100L Santa's Little Whore costume Talisman Designs - 1L snowman shoulder pet, 40L Frosty snowman choker Read on for group only, sales, and regular priced items ...
It's beginning to look a lot like Warcraft
Know a Blacksmith or Engineer who haven't really been in the holiday mood? Looking for that perfect present for your friend who took up Mining? (Or are you perhaps the person who just has a World of Warcraft fan as a friend and don't have any ideas?) Well, if you've been hunting for a fun WoW gift for that hard-to-shop-for geek on your list, you should check out this nifty holiday item by Paul Pape. That's right, it's a Khorium Ore-nament, hand-made with little sparkly Swarovski crystals! I have to admit, if my tree wasn't already overflowing with geek ornaments, I'd snap one of these up myself. I know how thrilled I am to stumble across a Khorium vein on my Rogue when I'm running around in-game. It seems like a fun thing to just "run across" in your holiday decor as well. Of course, I suppose you will have to watch out for other WoW players who might gank your node when you're off getting some pie![via Wonderland]
PSP Fanboy Holiday Buyer's Guide 2007
December has finally begun. You know what that means: only 25 days left until Christmas. Whether you're a newcomer, or a long time fan, PSP has a lot to offer this holiday season. Read up on what's hot and what's not, and make sure you get the best stocking stuffer for the PSP fan. Hardware PSP Daxter Entertainment Pack - $199.99If you're looking to get a new PSP system, there's one clear choice: the PSP Daxter Entertainment Pack is the best deal of the bunch, giving you almost everything you need for the ultimate PSP experience. Daxter is an accessible game for all ages, and is one of the system's best. Add a great Family Guy UMD movie, a 1GB Memory Stick, and a sleek looking silver PSP, and you have a great gaming value. For $30 less, you'll get a standard black machine which doesn't include all of these goodies.
PS3 Fanboy Holiday Buyer's Guide 2007
December has finally begun. You know what that means: only 25 days left until Christmas. Whether you're a newcomer, or a long time fan, PS3 has a lot to offer this holiday season. Read up on what's hot and what's not, and make sure you get the best stocking stuffer for the PS3 fan. Hardware PS3 40GB Spider-man 3 Movie Pack - $399.99If you're looking to get a new PS3 system, there's one clear choice: the PS3 40GB Spider-man 3 Movie Pack. You'll lose backwards compatibility with PS2 games, but there should more than enough PS3 content to keep you busy in the coming months. At under $400, it's one of the cheapest Blu-ray players around, which is great for the movie buff. With built-in wireless and free access to the PSN, the price-reduced 40GB PS3 has features that some of the competing gaming systems still don't have.
Rock Band and turkey: A Thanksgiving family test, part 2
Add the Sterns to the great family bands of popular culture. Put us on a flashing marquee like the Osmonds, Jacksons, and von Trapps that came before. With a rotating lineup of three generations, a band dog who curls up next to the drummer, and enough hijinks for a Monkees plot, we've toured across the country from San Francisco to Boston. It doesn't matter to us if our fame is virtual and our fans digital; Rock Band was a hit at our annual Thanksgiving gathering.Before I left the West Coast, I loaded up a dedicated carry-on with an Xbox 360, Wii, and the full complement of power supplies, video cables, and controllers. I made it through airport security without any problems. (And on the flight home, I wondered how many Rock Band kits the TSA had been screening.)Like last year, the Wii was still popular. But we mostly stuck with Wii Sports. Even casual gamers have a glut of titles to wade through; we never opened Zack and Wiki and only briefly tried EA Playground and Rayman Rabbids 2.Instead, Rock Band filled most of our game time. While I thought it'd be fun to try with my family, I never expected it to be "this year's Wii" as my sister said. Disguised as a rhythm game, Rock Band is a sleeper family hit. Every day, we joked about "getting the band back together" before assembling that evening's players.
USB Optiwind Mouse: A mouse that really blows
The holidays are coming, and what more lovable folks exist on your gift list than the hardcore PvP players in your life? You know the people I'm talking about, everybody has one. (In my case, I have about fifteen of them in my guild.) They're the ones who blow three, four, six, eight or more hours sitting in PvP arenas and battlegrounds. They're the ones who overdose on Red Bull and sit in their dimly lit computer rooms screaming into their headsets, and white-knuckling their mice.So what do you buy as a stocking stuffer for your favourite PvP enthusiast. They do, as a whole, tend to go through input devices (mice and keyboards) particularly fast. There are lots of good gamer keyboards out there, but what about mice?PvP purists will tell you that wireless is not an option. Anything that requires batteries for power is a weakness that cannot be allowed, so wired is preferred by most. For $22 USD, Brando is offering just such a unit with an innovative twist that is clearly aimed at the hardcore gamer segment. The 800 dpi USB Optiwind mouse has a cooling fan built into it that will keep your hand cool and prevent it from getting sweaty, thus interfering with your "PvP productivity."Bring some tidings of comfort and joy into the world of the PvP gamer in your life.
TUAW Holiday Deals
You love the holidays and TUAW loves bringing you the deals. Here are some deals that have caught our eye recently: Buy any new iMac and get the new Miglia TVMini2 for £1!: This is an amazing price for a great European TV tuner. Save $35 on EyeTV Hybrid or Turbo.264 with free shipping: A good deal--although I bet the price will be even better during MacWorld. I bought my EyeTV hybrid during last MacWorld for $99. I absolutely love mine! Free Online Freeverse Games: Games include 3D Hearts, Chocolatier, Bejeweled 2, Ancient Spider Solitaire, etc. Update D'oh. Not all of these appear to be free! Only 3D Hearts. My bad!
Engadget's Holiday Gift Guide: for her
So you want to get your girl something gadgety for the holidays, but don't quite know what. We've got you covered. In addition to our own thoughtful ideas, we also roped in Engadget-ladyfriends Veronica Belmont and Jill Fehrenbacher to make some suggestions and ensure we're not too far off base. (In other words, if you're looking for a totally trite list of pink gadgets you'll want to look elsewhere.) Of course, unlike buying gadgets for dude-friends, you shouldn't expect to pick something from this list and call it a day -- always be prepared to supplement with dinner, some time in the park with a bottle of wine, that shirt she's been dropping not-so-subtle hints about, etc., and you'll do just fine this season.P.S. -Don't worry about mom though, we'll be covering gift suggestions for her soon enough.
Christmas Rolly rocks to holiday favorites
Most Americans have yet to get a taste of Sony's Rolly speakerbot, and while we may finally see the little critter, um, roll our way sometime next year according to company prez Stan Glasgow, Japan is already getting its first special edition of the lively MP3 player. Christmas Rolly -- on sale immediately for ¥41,800 ($380) and shipping December 19th -- comes preloaded with Japanese takes on traditional holiday favorites such as Santa Claus is Coming to Town and White Christmas, along with the accompanying pre-programmed "dance moves" -- though frankly we're at a loss as to how a two-wheeled robot gets down to Silent Night. Those folks on a budget who can't live without the special six-pack of tunes will also be able to find them on Sony's Christmas edition of the NW-E013 DAP, on sale next month for only ¥10,980 ($99).[Via Impress]
Engadget's Holiday Gift Guide, 2007!
Welcome to the Engadget Holiday Gift Guide! We know as well as anyone what a ridiculous mess it is shopping for tech gifts for your family and friends, especially when you tack on the crowds, the traffic, and hearing Jingle Bell Rock 80,000 times. Sure, it seems like you've got an infinite number of options to comb through, but with our Holiday Gift Guide we're aiming to simplify that gadget gift giving experience and pinpoint a most excellent present for just about anyone.Here's how we do our thing: the HGG is actually a series of smaller guides broken down first by whom you'll be buying gifts, and then by price range. (Today we're starting with him, easily the most discerning gadget giftee; in a few days we'll go to her, then son, daughter, dad, mom, and so on.) We'll publish a new guide every few days through Christmas, so you'll have plenty of time to shop around online and in stores, and we do suggest you check out all the guides -- especially since you never know when you'll find something you want for yourself.Enjoy, and happy holidays!P.S. -It kind of goes without saying, but shopping online can produce pretty wild fluctuations in price, so know that many listed prices can be approximations.P.P.S. -If you have any hot suggestions we may have missed, please don't hesitate to let us know in the comments!
Rock Band and turkey: a Thanksgiving family test
"Did you bring that Mario game? Your father really wants to try it ... what is that?""A plastic drum set, mom," I reply. "We're going to pretend to be rock and roll stars as a family and then I'm going to write about it for work." She stares intrigued for two, maybe three nanoseconds before uttering, "Cool ... How about Wii Bowling? Can we play that?"Inspired by last year's Nintendo Wii family tests (and just hopeful to get more playtime in), I decided to pack up my copy of Rock Band for Xbox 360 (a daunting task, rest assured) and take it to my parent's house for Thanksgiving.
Black Friday: Last minute loot-n-scoot roundup for slackers that prefer online buys
I am lazy. I like being lazy. When Black Friday was niche and relatively unknown compared to today the experience was fun for bargain hunting... Now, everyone and their grandmother get in on the wheeling and dealing. It's crowded, too crowded. I do not want to spend my Thanksgiving encroached by of slack-jawed mouth breathers in a line that lasts for an eternity. Ditching friends and football for a 50 dollar hard drive deal just isn't worth the hassle, oh, and I guess spending time with the family during commercials is important too. That doesn't mean those that don't participate in this consumer activism are left to fend for the scraps after the animals are done pillaging the brick and mortar stores. Some big chains are offering online Black Friday deals before "Cyber Monday" launches, another gimmick to rob poor blokes such as myself blind. I went ahead and compiled a list primarily of online deals that are suited towards MMOG players, and the necessary trappings and innards that connect our gaming contraptions to these fantasy worlds to make all that fanciful magic happen.
Joystiq Holidaze: Gaming Hots and Nots
On The O.C. the characters celebrated Chrismukkah. Virgin Mobile dubbed it Christmahanakwanzakah. We here at the 'stiq, because of our extreme desire to be politically correct, and at the same time share our pessimism, know it as the "Holidaze." That's right, with Black Friday (a holiday in its own right to certain groups) officially here, and soccer moms, Boy Scouts, and career shoppers getting ready to fall back on their most basic animal instincts -- fighting over doorbuster deals as if it was Prostitute v. Prostitute for custody of a baby as presided over by King Solomon -- we can't help feeling that we needed to do something. And here we are -- Joystiq's Holidaze: Gaming Hots and Nots 2007. By no means do we consider this guide a definitive source for your holiday shopping. Some people still need boxers, pencils, dress shirts, and notepads this holiday. This guide, unfortunately for those individuals, focuses solely on the games we think, after some heated discussions in our email thread, should make even the Ebenezers on your list as giddy as Tiny Tim. Well, what are you waiting for, friends? Hit the break, and know our list better, man! (And woman.)
Joystiq Holidaze: explaining the PS3 SKUs
We'd love to say picking up PlayStation 3 is as easy as going to the store and grabbing the first box with the console's name on it. For better and worse, this generation of consoles gives consumers many choices at the (potential) expense of causing confusion at the store.So it's with this in mind that we present you this handy guide for discerning the difference between the various PlayStation 3 versions (aka SKUs) out there. Please note that the red and green coloring is not only festive decor for the holiday season but also a subjective highlight of what each version excels in (or subsequently lacks). #comparechart { border: 2px solid #333; border-collapse: collapse; } #comparechart td { padding: 3px; border: 1px solid #ccc; vertical-align: top; margin: 0; line-height: 1.3em; font-size: 80%} #comparechart th { font-size: 80%; font-weight: bold; text-align: left; padding: 4px; background: #eee; } #comparechart th.mainth { font-size: 100%; border-bottom: 1px solid #333; } #comparechart td.red { background-color: #f08c85; } #comparechart td.green { background-color: #b3e2c4; } #comparechart td.yellow { background-color: #ffffcc;} 80GB 60GB 40GB 20GB Hardware Model # CECHE01 CECHA01 CECHG01 CECHB01 Price $499.99 $499.99* $399.99 $499.99* Chrome trim Yes Yes Yes No USB 2.0 slots 4 4 2 4 802.11 b/g Yes Yes Yes No Flash cardreader Yes Yes No No Bundled Accessories Ethernet cable Yes Yes Yes Yes Video cables Composite Composite Composite Composite Backwards Compatibility PlayStation 2 Software** Yes (NTSC),Software** (PAL) No Yes PS One Yes Yes Yes Yes Notes:* This model is discontinued. The price on the chart represents the listed price before Sony axed it.** See explanation in F.A.Q. below.Alright, Joystiq, time to answer your own questions.Let's do this.
Joystiq Holidaze: explaining the Xbox 360 SKUs
We'd love to say picking up Xbox 360 is as easy as going to the store and grabbing the first box with the console's name on it. For better and worse, this generation of consoles gives consumers many choices at the (potential) expense of causing confusion at the store. So it's with this in mind that we present you this handy guide for discerning the difference between the various Xbox 360 versions (aka SKUs) out there. Please note that the red and green coloring is not only festive decor for the holiday season but also a subjective highlight of what each version excels in (or subsequently lacks). #comparechart { border: 2px solid #333; border-collapse: collapse; } #comparechart td { padding: 3px; border: 1px solid #ccc; vertical-align: top; margin: 0; line-height: 1.3em; font-size: 80%} #comparechart th { font-size: 80%; font-weight: bold; text-align: left; padding: 4px; background: #eee; } #comparechart th.mainth { font-size: 100%; border-bottom: 1px solid #333; } #comparechart td.red { background-color: #f08c85; } #comparechart td.green { background-color: #b3e2c4; } Elite HaloEdition Pro Arcade Core Hardware Price $449.99 $399.99 $349.99 $279.99 $199.99* Storage 120GB HDD 20GB HDD 20GB HDD 256MBmemory card none Color Black Green/Orange White White White HDMI port Yes Yes Certain models** Yes Certain models** Bundled Accessories Ethernet cable Yes Yes Yes No No Headset Wired Wired Wired No No Play &Charge Kit No Yes No No No Video cables HDMI 1.2,Component,Composite Component,Composite Component,Composite Composite Composite Controller Wireless Wireless Wireless Wireless Wired Other Xbox Live Silver,1 Month Gold Silver,1 Month Gold Silver,1 Month Gold Silver,1 Month Gold Silver BackwardsCompatibility Yes Yes Yes No*** No*** Notes:* The Core model has been discontinued. The $199.99 price tag is based on the GameStop refurbished price.** See explanation below*** Hard Drive requiredAnd just in case you still have questions, we've gone ahead and written up a F.A.Q. after the break.
Joystiq Holidaze: The $500 budget
Derived from the French word, "budgette," the term "budget" rose out of the stale and hardened bread loaves used to beat errant children over the head whenever they begged for money to spend at the candy store. Indeed, the adherence to a budget often feels like a sudden blow when surrounded by the objects of your desire, and it is this article's duty to keep you in check when finances are less than fortuitous. When it comes to purchasing a new console, let us hover the bread over your head. In other, less interesting words, this is how we think you should spend your precious $500 (pre-tax for simplicity's sake) on the trio of current consoles. You know, the ones that are still expensive. In conjunction with our Black Friday deal round-up, you might just be left with some change.
