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HDTV Cable Kit For Dummies is really just for suckers
You know, we typically have nothing but respect for the For Dummies line (with one title in particular being our fav), but this is just downright insulting. For those buying a new HDTV on Black Friday or soon after, 4D Global Partners and Cables To Go have linked up schemed to sucker you into buying this pathetic kit for hooking things up. Ironically enough, this supposedly simple package gets confusing right from the get-go by coming in two versions -- as if HDTV newbies will really understand which one to go for. Beyond that, the only difference between the HDTV Cable Kit For Dummies and the HDTV Premium Cable Kit For Dummies is the number of HDMI cables (two and three, respectively). Each box comes bundled with a few basic HDMI connectors, "additional cables required to connect non-HDMI components," reusable cable ties and a booklet that provides vague installation details for a TV you don't actually own. Worst of all, the For Dummies crew somehow got the idea that pricing these at $99.99 and $149.99 (in order of mention) was a bright idea, which makes us awfully suspicious that Noel Lee has his sketchy hands in this somewhere.
Crapgadget: how to ruin a gift-giving experience edition
Especially in North and South Dakota, it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas. Disgustingly, that also means that the onslaught of horrifically crappy gadgets to celebrate the occasion are making their way out in full force. In this episode of the world's lamest excuse for gadgets, we see a smattering of gizmos that you should never -- under any circumstance -- give to anyone you love (or like, or don't loathe). On the other hand, these are all perfect for gifting someone you aren't particularly fond of. Check out the catastrophes below, and toss in your vote for most pathetic in the handy poll down there.Read - USB animal hand warmer / massagerRead - Ornament ball digital photo frameRead - Santa stocking USB driveRead - Dog mat mouse padRead - Banana peeling simulatorRead - Santa / Snowman digiframes %Poll-22095%
Bluetooth headsets to feel the pinch this holiday season
Analysts are abuzz with predictions of which sectors / divisions will be hit hardest this holiday season, but this is one forecast we can definitely agree with. A recent report has found that the "least desirable holiday gift" belongs to the polarizing Bluetooth headset. With people suddenly more mindful of their spending, it's looking altogether unlikely that BT headsets will be selling like gangbusters given how unnecessary (and potentially alienating) they truly are. We'd ask if you disagree, but we're almost certainly sure there's no need.[Image courtesy of eHow]
Ask Engadget: What's the best digital photo frame out there?
Oh sure, the unremitting release cycle of new digital photo frames is growing a bit tired, but that's not to say these things don't make for the perfect holiday gift. Oh, and after you've contributed to the cause here, drop your own question in at ask at engadget dawt com. "I'm looking for the best digital photo frame out there to snag for the holidays. My requirements are pretty simple: good picture quality, WiFi, RSS / Flickr support without any fees. Any help?"Short and sweet there, eh Adam? At any rate, we'll toss in some general screen size requirements (let's say 5-inches and up), and now, we'll let you to it. Light up the comments below!
Nintendo cranking on Wii production for the holidays, still making no promises
Hard to believe, nay, mind-boggling, that two full years after Nintendo launched the Wii in America we're still looking at shortages. In the midst of "economic turmoil," no less. Back in April, Reggie Fils-Aime proclaimed that he was "passionately upset" about the difficulty consumers were having in finding Wii consoles, and now that yet another holiday season is upon us, it's clear that he's made some changes. In a recent interview with the Los Angeles Times, he admitted that Wii production was up from 1.6 million units per month (during this time last year) to 2.4 million units per month (now), though he wouldn't go so far as to say you'd have an easy time finding one. In fact, he stated that "once you see [a Wii console] on the shelf, you ought to buy it." Also of note, those still scouting a Wii Fit may be in luck, as the Big N could decide to ship more units to America rather than Europe now that the greenback is gaining strength versus the euro. Good luck hunting -- we'd recommend you start looking, um, yesterday.Update: Looks like Ninty's already turning up the burners -- that's a heretofore-unbelievable shot of Wii stock at reader Roberto's local Best Buy in West Paterson, New Jersey.[Via GameDaily]Read - Reggie Fils-Aime interviewRead - Analyst's take Wii Fit shipments
WowWee FlyTech slams into Disney, out pops hovering Tinker Bell
It's true -- we're suckers for anything that simultaneously satisfies our lust for robotics and brings back childhood memories of passing the day with Disney films. To that end, we couldn't resist the opportunity to swoon over WowWee's latest stroke of brilliance, the $39.99 FlyTech Tinker Bell. Entirely more rad than that soulless Bladestar, this here fairy promises to posses that same spirited sassiness as the Disney character, and the flower wand remote control really caps things off. She can buzz around and delight guests for 4-minutes on an 18-minute charge, and her "crash-resistant materials prevent her from getting into mischief." Oh wait, it's appropriate for Earthlings ages 6 years and up? Huzzah!
Sprint unwraps Olive Green and Vibrant Rose Palm Centros
Maybe someone forgot to mention to Sprint that the traditional colors associated with Christmas are red and (darker) green, but it's coming awfully close to getting in the holiday spirit with its pastel-splashed Centros. The two "new" Palms (which were leaked last month) will arrive in Olive Green and Vibrant Rose for $79.99 on a 2-year contract, but that's not all -- they'll also boast a "soft-touch finish that feels smooth and comfortable in the hand," 128MB of RAM (twice that of the original Sprint Centro) and a microSD card slot. Have a look at the new duo as early as October 19th at select retail locations and beginning on November 2nd in Sprint Stores, consumer and business sales channels, and online.%Gallery-34447%
EA, Activision churning out 75% of Q3 console games
When it comes to the titanic struggle between corporate giants Activision Blizzard and EA, it seems there's just enough room in this town for the both of them. According to a Screen Digest report (via Gamasutra), the two publishers are responsible for a whopping 75% of console game releases in the West for the period between July and September. Collectively, they will publish 40% of console games during 2008's second half.In the third quarter specifically, EA is the busiest publisher with "around" 21 games, which Screen Digest's Ed Barton suggests is largely comprised of EA's "extensive range of annual sports games." Actiblizzard, on the other money-grubbing hand, manages to push out 19 games in the same span of time. "While most publishers appear to ramp up release volume in the key Christmas quarter," notes Barton, "EA and Activision Blizzard appear to be ramping up release volumes to similar levels in both calendar Q3 and Q4." We haven't yet decided how to break this news to our wallet. It's still waking up screaming in the middle of the night, haunted by the nightmare of Holiday 2007.
Smartphones most returned holiday gift, iPhones / BlackBerrys notwithstanding
Though we can't say we're entirely shocked -- after all, it's not like some other handset will really satisfy when you've had your eye on that one -- a recent survey conducted by Opinion Research Corporation found that smartphones were the number one returned gadget this holiday season. Granted, the study was one of online nature, and neither Apple's iPhone nor any of RIM's BlackBerrys were included (um, why not?), but we digress. Reportedly, more than one-fifth (21-percent, to be precise) of smartphone recipients surveyed said they hustled back to the store shortly after gift giving was over and promptly returned it, and comically enough, the "inability to understand the product setup process was cited as the primary reason" that consumers did so. 'Tis a shame, really. [Warning: PDF read link][Via textually, image courtesy of LawyersAndSettlements]
December NPD: No wonder you're broke this month
Welcome to the introductory paragraph, where we discuss the NPD's latest US video game sales data and how it reveals 2007 to be a ludicrously lucrative year for the industry. The gaming hobby which once drew empty stares and disappointed glares from your parental units has capped a phenomenal year with December sales amounting to $4.82 billion. With the year's total sales (excluding PC games) enjoying a 43% increase over 2006 to reach $17.94 billion, it seems the industry can outright buy your uninterested mom and dad with nary a second thought.Perhaps you should consider putting your entire family (they're made out of meat, after all) up for sale in order to recoup your part of December's $2.37 billion spent on software. Unsurprisingly, the best-selling game of 2007 was Bungie's Halo 3, followed by a $10 peripheral pack-in and Infinity Ward's world war now shooter, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. You'll find the software chart after the break.Finally, those eager to engage in their regular fanboy squabbles need only look at the hardware sales chart below and adjust their pointless arguments accordingly. Though the Xbox 360 came close to closing the gap between itself and the Wii, Holidaze 2007 undoubtedly belonged to Nintendo, shortages and all. - DS Lite: 2.47m 940K (61%) - Wii: 1.35m 369K (38%) - Xbox 360: 1.26m 490K (64%) - PS2: 1.1m 604K (122%) - PSP: 1.06m 493K (87%) - PS3: 797K 331 (71%)
Your 2007 year-end review
Well, there are less than 11 hours left in 2007, and we're going to be telling you what we thought about the year really soon. But we wanted to take a moment to ask you what your 2007 was like. We want to hear your own personal critique of the year in video games.What were the best titles of the year for you? What were the biggest stories? What games disappointed you or surprised you? And, perhaps most importantly, how will 2007 shape the face of gaming in the years to come? Nothing is off-limits, we just want to know what your 2007 was like and what your hopes are for 2008.
Christmas surprise has kid getting phone book instead of PS3
How was your Christmas? Hopefully, it was better than this kids'. A local FOX News report highlights one kid's unfortunate ordeal. Upon opening his PS3 box, he found a very heavy phone book, no PS3 in sight! Granted, a phone book has tons of replayability. But, it just doesn't play games as well as a real PS3. The family will be going back to the store they bought the system from. But, what possible explanation will the store be able to come up with? [Thanks, Hunter L.!]
Merry Christmas and happy holidays from Massively!
It's Christmas Day, and so from all of us here at Massively, we'd like to wish you a Merry Christmas, a happy holidays, and a very happy New Year. It is a pleasure for us to put this site together for you every day, and so we'd like to thank you for choosing to visit us, and for all the support we've received so far.Posting may be a little thin on the site today, as many of our writers are celebrating with their friends and families, but don't forget that there's lots of fun holiday content to look through from the past few weeks-- nearly every MMO game out there has some form of holiday cheer going on this week. We've also got a few holiday contests going on-- this is the latest sweepstakes, and there's a big postcard contest that you can check out.Thanks again for all your support over the first few months of our existence, and you can definitely expect more great things from Massively in 2008-- there's a lot of terrific MMOs coming out next year, and we're going to be covering every single one. Have a happy and safe holiday season.
Holidays of the MMOG universes, past and present
Christmas. Everyone chooses to celebrate it in a different way. The majority of us will be spending the time with our immediate family, some of us will actually get the chance to play these MMOs we've been visiting all year, and one or two of you will be writing on a laptop older than Chuck Norris jokes, trying to avoid being force-fed eggnog.96.4% of MMOs commemorate the holidays in their own special way, too, so you might want to read the latest Warcry editorial that covers most of the major MMOG winter holidays, past and present -- even Anarchy Online is there. A bit of lore, some background, and Emperor Palpatine's boxer shorts (!!!).Don't forget to check out the Guild Wars event if you get a spare minute. Snowball for great justice!
Merry Christmas and happy holidays from WoW Insider!
It's Christmas Day, and so from all of us here at WoW Insider, we wish you and yours a happy holidays! Here's hoping that however you're celebrating (or have celebrated) the holidays, you had more fun than a Mechanical Yeti running around Gadgetzan (and hopefully your relatives didn't run away from you asking why?! why you torment them so). It may be a slow day here on the site -- many of our writers and their families are also celebrating the holiday and taking some much deserved time off. So if you don't see too many articles this afternoon, don't worry too much -- head into Azeroth, go get your gifts underneath the trees in the capital cities, and we'll see you tomorrow with all the WoW news and commentary that you expect from us every day.And as always, thanks for reading, visiting, and commenting here as much as you do. Letting us have the chance to keep putting this site together for you every day is one of the best gifts we could find under the tree this year. Right next to the Wii and the shiny new Bulwark of Azzinoth, of course.
Guild Wars Wintersday 2007 Gallery
It's Christmas Eve, and if you've got nothing better to do there are two warring factions in the world of Guild Wars that would probably like your help with the Festival of Wintersday! Of course, there's all those family obligations to see to on days like this, and you can hardly be blamed for being busy. As such, why not sit back and check out our own gallery of Wintersday imagery? Or go browsing on Flickr for the innumerable beautiful pictures of Arena.net's holiday finery in Kamadan, Lion's Arch, Ascalon City and beyond?We've previous featured Arena.net's Wintersday finery in our One Shots series; why not submit a Wintersday shot from this year? There's still plenty of time before the end of the event to get a shot in the door! Whether you're a follower of the crotchety Grentch or beautiful Dwayna, make sure to have a Happy Wintersday ... at least until January 1st. Then the gloves come off and it's time for a battle royale!%Gallery-12215%
Samwise's holiday wallpaper available now
As usual, Blizzard artist Samwise has presented us with a holiday-themed wallpaper, and here it is on Blizzard's site (you can use the links at the bottom to choose different sizes obviously). Just like the art in years past, the pic tends a little more cutesy than most Warcraft-themed creations, but hey, it's the holidays-- drink some cocoa and melt that frozen, war-torn heart of yours.And this also tells us what we originally suspected about the Blood Elves joining the Horde-- not only did players enjoy playing a "good-looking race," but it looks like the little Horde ladies did as well.
Jingle Bells played with graphics card, Santa wonders why
As if an office full of guitar-controlled lights weren't enough to get you in the holiday spirit, along comes a self-proclaimed geek to play Jingle Bells on his graphics card. We know, it's hard to really grasp what we mean, so jump on past the break to catch a video that will undoubtedly do our explaining for us.[Via TheInquirer]
Christmas lights synced with Guitar Hero axe
While we already knew Sony's mysterious Rolly got down to holiday tunes, this installation managed to capture our attention just a wee bit more. Rivaled only by the famed TSO project from 2005, this guitar-controlled setup transforms a traditional office into a holiday funhouse by enabling rockers to control the light patterns within the building. Open source software, dubbed Frets on Fire, was modified to generate controls for dozens of light strings around the cubicles, with the corner plant being used to "keep the beat" and the trash can fittingly being lit only when someone missed a note. Click on through to catch this madness in action -- and yeah, it's pretty evident the boss left weeks ago to enjoy the rest of '07 from afar.
Last-minute PS3 shopping deals
Uh-oh. You didn't do your holiday shopping yet? Well, you better hurry because there's only two days left until Christmas. We scourged the CAG forums and picked out the best PS3 deals for you.Target Need for Speed: ProStreet, Madden NFL 08, Call of Duty4 and WWE Smackdown vs RAW 2008 are all on sale for $38 each. Circuit City SEGA Rally Revo, Motorstorm, Nascar 08, DiRT, Kane & Lynch: Dead Men, Stranglehold, and Resistance are all on sale for $50 each. Oblivion is on sale for $24. Best Buy Stranglehold, Conan, and Ghost Recon 2: Advanced Warfighter are on sale for $40 each. The Simpsons Game and Assassin's Creed are on sale for $38 each. Happy shopping! Enjoy your holidays, folks.
