DivX EKG

DivX EKG is a multimedia application that allows users to encode movies in the popular file format and is developed by DivX, Inc. DivX EKG is used by 4015 users of Software Informer. The most popular versions of this product among our users are: 5.2, 6.0, 6.1, 6.2 and 6.8. The names of program executable files are bgregister.exe, DivX EKG.exe, DivX Player 2.0 Alpha.exe, DivX Player.exe and DivXBundleUninstall.exe.

DivX EKG.exe - Process Information

This component is part of DivX Create

Component Name: DivX EKG.exe
Description of : DivX Create, from DivX Inc., is a multimedia application that allows users to encode movies in the popular file format.

Recommendation for :
NA

Trusted: Yes

Trojan: No

Chronic: No

Adware: No

Carrier: No

Browser Hijacker: No

Dialer: No

Commercial Keylogger: No

Remote Administration Tool: No

Suspected: No

Company Name: NA

Platforms Affected:

Methods of Distribution: NA

Variants/Versions:

Release Date: NA

2008 Top Wii Games

Here are the 2008 Best Wii games.

1. Super Smash Bros.Brawl
Release Date: Mar 9, 2008
Duke it out with your favorite Nintendo characters in Super Smash Bros. for the Wii







2. Call of Duty: World at War
Release Date: Nov 10, 2008
Using the Call of Duty 4 engine, Treyarch brings the franchise back to World War II, including taking on Imperial Japanese forces in the Pacific.







3. Animal Crossing: City Folk
Release Date: Nov 16, 2008
This unusual game about collecting items, customizing your house, and interacting with cute animal neighbors adds online support for the Wii.







4.Mario Kart Wii
Release Date: Apr 27, 2008
The venerable kart racer heads to the Wii and adds online competition to the mix.







5.The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Release Date: Nov 19, 2006
In Nintendo's latest Zelda game, Link sports his older look from the Nintendo 64 days. The Wii version of The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess makes use of the Wii remote controls.

guitar hero world tour cheats

Guitar Hero World Tour Cheats, Guitar Hero World Tour Cheat Codes, Guitar Hero World Tour Hints, Guitar Hero World Tour Secrets

Well, I know you have looking for those so here it is: (Xbox360)

Guitar Hero World Tour Cheat: Cheat List

Insert the cheats below at the game’s main menu to unlock the corresponding result.
· AT&T Park (Venue) - Yellow, Green, Red, Red, Green, Blue, Red, Yellow
· Aaron (Character) - Blue, Red, Yellow, Yellow, Yellow, Yellow, Yellow, Green
· Always Slide Mode - Green, Green, Red, Red, Yellow, Red, Yellow, Blue
· Automatic Kick Drum - Yellow, Green, Red, Blue, Blue, Blue, Blue, Red
· Best Buy Kid (Character) - Green, Red, Blue, Green, Red, Blue, Blue, Green
· Different Flame Colors - Green, Red, Green, Blue, Red, Red, Yellow, Blue
· Different Gem Colors - Blue, Red, Red, Green, Red, Green, Red, Yellow
· Different Star Colors - Red, Red, Yellow, Red, Blue, Red, Red, Blue
· European Kid (Character) - Blue, Red, Blue, Blue, Yellow, Yellow, Yellow, Green
· Hyperspeed Mode - Green, Blue, Red, Yellow, Yellow, Red, Green, Green
· Invisible Characters - Green, Red, Yellow, Yellow, Yellow, Blue, Blue, Green
· Invisible Instruments - Red, Red, Blue, Yellow, Green, Green, Green, Yellow
· Line Six Notes - Green, Red, Yellow, Blue, Red, Yellow, Blue, Green
· Performance Mode - Yellow, Yellow, Blue, Red, Blue, Green, Red, Red
· Rina (Character) - Blue, Red, Green, Green, Yellow, Yellow, Yellow, Green
· Unlock All Songs (Quick Play) - Blue, Blue, Red, Green, Green, Blue, Blue, Yellow
· Vocalists Breathe Fire - Red, Green, Green, Yellow, Blue, Green, Yellow, Green

Guitar Hero World Tour Unlockable: "Pull Me Under" by Dream Theater

To unlock the Dream Theater song "Pull Me Under", complete Career Mode in its entirety on any instrument on any difficulty setting.



Guitar Hero World Tour Unlockable: Characters

To unlock the characters listed below, fulfill the corresponding requirement listed.

· Billy Corgan - Play the song "Today" in Band Career Mode
· Hayley Williams - Play the song "Misery Business" in Vocals Career Mode
· Ozzy Osbourne - Play the Ozzfest Gig in Vocals Career Mode
· Rockubot - Complete Drum Career Mode
· Skeleton - Complete Vocals Career Mode
· Sting - Play the song "Demolition Man" in Bass Career Mode
· Ted Nugent - Beat him in Guitar Battle Mode
· Travis Barker - Play the song "Dammit" in Drum Career Mode
· Zakk Wylde - Beat him in Guitar Battle Mode

Cheat mode

At the main menu, select "Options", "Cheats", "Enter New Cheat", then enter one of the following codes to unlock the corresponding cheat option:

Performance Mode
Press Yellow(2), Blue, Red, Blue, Green, Red(2).

Hyperspeed
Press Green, Blue, Red, Yellow(2), Red, Green(2).

Auto Kick
Press Yellow, Green, Red, Blue(4), Red. The bass drum pedal will now be played automatically. Note: Enabling this code will disable earning any money after a song has been completed.

Unlock Quickplay
Press Blue, Blue, Red, Green(2), Blue(2), Yellow.

Aaron
Press Blue, Red, Yellow(5), Green.

Nick
Press Green, Red, Blue, Green, Red, Blue, Blue, Green.

Johnny Viper
Press Blue, Red, Blue(2), Yellow(3), Green.

Rina
Press Blue, Red, Green, Green, Yellow(3), Green.

Air Instruments
Press Red(2), Blue, Yellow, Green(3), Yellow.

Invisible Characters
Press Green, Red, Yellow(3), Blue(2), Green.

AT&T Ballpark
Press Yellow, Green, Red(2), Green, Blue, Red, Yellow.

Gem Color
Press Blue, Red(2), Green, Red, Green, Red, Yellow.

Flame Color
Press Green, Red, Green, Blue, Red(2), Yellow, Blue.

Star Color
Press Red(2), Yellow, Red, Blue, Red(2), Blue.

Vocal Fireball
Press Red, Green(2), Yellow, Blue, Green, Yellow, Green.

Always Slide
Press Green(2), Red(2), Yellow, Red, Yellow, Blue.

Extra Line 6 Tones
Press Green, Red, Yellow, Blue, Red, Yellow, Blue, Green.
· "Pull Me Under" song



Successfully complete an entire career with any instrument. "Pull Me Under" can be played during the credits. Once done, it will be unlocked.

· Bonus characters
Successfully complete the indicated task to unlock the corresponding character for purchase:

Billy Corgan: Play "Today" in Band Career mode.

Hayley Williams: Play "Misery Business" in Vocals Career mode.

Ozzy Osbourne : Sing "Mr. Crowley" and the encore song at the "Germany: Ozzfest" gig in Vocals Career mode.

Rockubot: Successfully complete Drum Career mode.

Skeleton: Successfully complete Vocals Career mode.

Sting: Play "Demolition Man" in Bass Career mode.

Ted Nugent: Win Ted Nugent's Guitar Battle in Guitar Career mode.

Travis Barker : Play "Dammit" in Drum Career mode.

Zakk Wylde: Win Zakk Wylde's Guitar Battle, and play the encore song with him at the "Louisiana: Swamp Shack" gig in Guitar Career mode.
· Chuck Schuldiner (Death) custom character

Use the following customizations:

Head
Nose: Narrow
Mouth: Smallest
Eyes: Little smaller and deeper; Color: Brown
Facial Fair: None
Body
Skin: Tan
Proportions: The tall buff in shoulders one
Presence: Calmer ones
Hair: Curley Cue; Color: 2nd Darkest Brown
Outfit
Torso: Very Casual; Color: Black
Pants: Deez Denims; Default
Shoes: Axel Kickers; Default
Instrument
B.C. Rich Stealth
Style: Manta
Finishes: Custom Color Black
Fret Board: Ebony
Inlays: Dots
Head Stock: Shredder
Finishes: Custom Color: Black
Pickguard: None
Pickups: Supersonic 2 Color Black
Knobs: None
Bridge: No Whammy
Strings: Default
· Dimebag Darell custom character

Use the following customizations:

Head
Face: For the scaling, make his face and jaw bigger, and give him brown eyes.
Facial Hair: Fine Goatee
Body
Skin Tone: Tan
Proportions: The one close to the end, making him heavy in middle
Tattoos: Anything that looks good on left or right arm
Presence: Anything wild or really calm
Hair: Curley Cue; Color: Darkest Orange
Outfit
Torso: No Sleeves Please; Color: Black
Pants: Camo Whamo!; Color: Default
Shoes: These Oh Things?; Color: Default
Accessories: Left Arm: Banded Bracer; Color: Black, Right Arm: Little Banded Bracer; Color: Black
Instrument
Cowboys From Hell Dean ML Guitar
Body: Dearth Fader
Finishes: The Forge
Details: None
Band Logo: None
Fret Board: Ebony
Inlays: Dots silver
Headstock: Veejay
Finish: Solid Black
Details: Truss Cover
Pickguard: None
Pickups: Supersonic Black
Knobs: Bellenders: Black
Bridges: Whammy Bar:Black
Strings: Your choice

Note: If you do not like the "cowboy from hell" look, change the body finish to: Boltz, Bookmatch color orange, Detail: Pinstripe: Black, Firestarter.
· Kurt Cobain (Nirvana) custom character

Use the following customizations:

Head
Nose: Narrow larger at tip
Mouth: Top: Smallest; Bottom: Third smallest
Eyes: Little larger and deeper; Color: Hazel
Facial Fair: 5 o Clock Shadow; Black
Body
Skin: Pale
Proportions: Skinny and tall one
Presence: Calmer ones
Hair: Seattle's Finest; Color: Second lightest brown
Outfit
Torso: Layered T: Color; Default
Pants: Deez Denims; Default
Shoes: Slips Ons; Black
Instrument
Fender Mustang
Style: Treble Maker
Finishes: Custom Color: Second darkest blue row, then second darkest within
Fret Board: Ebony
Inlays: Dots
Head Stock: Style: T-bone; Color: Same as body
Pickguard: Style 1; Color: Third, gray but it looks white
Pickups: Strates Three: Black
Knobs: Speedsters
Bridge: Defender; same color as pick guard
Strings: Default
· Achievements
Accomplish the indicated achievement to get the corresponding number of Gamerscore points:
Learning the Ropes (5 points): Complete a tutorial.
One Time Solo Artist (5 points): Completed a song (Solo).
Stix (5 points): Perform as a Drummer (Band or Solo).
Yodeler (5 points): Perform as a Vocalist (Band or Solo).
Pick and Axe (5 points): Perform as a Guitarist (Band or Solo).
Feeding the Beast (5 points): Upload a song to GHTunes.
Download Junkie (5 points): Download a few songs from GHTunes.
A Pair Beats A Pair (5 points): Complete an Xbox LIVE 2 v 2 Pro Face-Off match (win or lose).
Survival of the Fittest (5 points): Complete an Xbox LIVE Battle Mode match (win or lose).
Mine is Bigger Than Yours (5 points): Complete an Xbox LIVE Band v Band match (win or lose).
First of Many (10 points): Complete a gig (Band or Solo).
One Man Band (10 points): Perform as every instrument at least once (Vocals, Lead, Bass & Drums).
Should We Stick Together? (10 points): Complete a song in a band (4 player band) .
50 Note Posse (15 points): All band members get a 50 note streak at the same time (4 player band).
Easy There (25 points): Complete a Career on easy (Band or Solo).
Solo Artist (25 points): Complete a solo career (any difficulty).
Band on a Mission (25 points): Complete the majority of the gigs (Band or Solo).
Bling, Bling (30 points): Earn $1,000,000 in lifetime earnings.
Top of the Charts (30 points): Complete a band career (any difficulty).
Medium Musician (30 points): Complete a Career on medium (Band or Solo).
Solid Gold Rockstars (30 points): 100% a song as a band (4 player band).
Platinum Rockstars (50 points): 100% a song as a band, hard or expert only (4 player band).
Hardcore (60 points): Complete a Career on hard (Band or Solo).
Hall of Famer (100 points): Complete a Career on expert (Band or Solo).
Jack of All Trades (150 points): Complete all instrument careers - any difficulty (Band or Solo).
Additionally, there are 25 secret achievements:
Stamp Of Approval (5 points): You created your own band logo.
One Of A Kind Axe (5 points): You created your own custom guitar.
Warrior Of Rock (5 points): You created a male band member.
Custom Beats (5 points): You created your own custom drums.
Rock Maiden (5 points): You created a female band member.
Inked (5 points): You created a custom tattoo.
Leading Lady (10 points): You rocked out as Hayley Williams.
The Experience (10 points): You rocked out as Jimi Hendrix.
The Dark Prince (10 points): You rocked out as Ozzy Osbourne.
Pumpkin Smasher (10 points): You rocked out as Billy Corgan.
Bad to the Bone (10 points): You rocked out as the Skeleton.
Wylde Man (10 points): You rocked out as Zack Wylde.
Motorcity Madman (10 points): You rocked out as Ted Nugent.
Don't Blink (10 points): You rocked out as Travis Barker.
Shiny Metal Thingy (10 points): You rocked out as the Rockubot.
Guitarist's Coattails (10 points): Get the highest score in the band as the lead or bass guitar (4 player band).
Vocalist's Coattails (10 points): You got the highest score in a band as the vocalist.
1.21 Jigowatts?!?! (15 points): All band members activated star power at the same time.
Super Group Unite (15 points): You earned an 8x multiplier with the rest of the band at the same time.
Axe Museum (20 points): You unlocked all of the guitars.
Get Your Boogie On (30 points): You scored 222,222 or higher on the song Satch Boogie as the Lead guitarist.
Muse to my Ears (30 points): You scored 222,222 or higher on the song Assassin as a Drummer.
Mike Checka' (30 points): You scored 123,450 or higher on the song Beat It as a Vocalist.
Heavy Metall... (35 points): You scored 444,444 or more on the song Trapped Under Ice.
TOOL of Destruction (35 points): You scored 444,444 or more on the song Schism.

Cheatcodes | Xbox 360 GTA Grand Theft Auto IV gamecheats

Fresh off the boat from Europe, Niko Bellic is hoping that he can escape his past. For his cousin, Roman, it is the vision that together they can find fortune in Liberty City, gateway to the land of opportunity. As they slip into debt and are dragged into a criminal underworld by a series of shysters, thieves and sociopaths, they discover that the reality is very different from the dream in a city that worships money and status, and is heaven for those who have them and a living nightmare for those who don’t.

Beginning with the 1997 release of the original Grand Theft Auto, the GTA series has been one of the most prolific, controversial and down right entertaining franchises in video games history. This pedigree of success guarantees that the highly anticipated eleventh game in the series, Grand Theft Auto IV, will garner at least as much attention if not more.

‘Grand Theft Auto IV’ Return to Liberty City.

Niko’s Dream as it should have been
The dream as Niko expected it.

View larger.

Niko and Roman

There’s always a catch.

View larger.

Niko with gun

But some skills are international.

View larger.

The Plot

Grand Theft Auto IV is a brand new adventure in the GTA universe following the experiences of Nikolai “Niko” Bellic, a new immigrant from an undisclosed eastern European country whose troubled pa st and the persuasion of his cousin Roman have brought him to the fictional Liberty City. Unfortunately, Niko’s search for the American Dream and a much needed fresh start, hits an immediate snag when the rags to riches story Roman spun to pique Niko’s interest is exposed as not only a complete fabrication, but a ploy to enlist Niko’s well-known skills as a tough guy against the ample list of enemies clamoring for Roman’s debt-ridden blood.

Because Roman is the only person Niko knows in Liberty City he begrudgingly accepts his role as Roman’s protector despite the deception. But as time goes on Niko comes into his own, and his experience on the wrong side of the tracks proves more valuable than he could have ever imagined as he fights for survival and later supremacy on the crime ridden streets of Liberty City.

Game Environments

Based on several of the boroughs of New York City and parts of New Jersey, Liberty City, familiar to players of previous games in the series, has been entirely redesigned for GTA IV. Players can expect visible detail down to the weeds growing in the cracks in the sidewalk, cars and buildings of visibly different ages and a much greater level if verticality in the buildings and bridges that they are able to explore as Niko moves through the city streets. In addition, pedestrians in GTA IV are much more realistic. No longer simply moving cardboard cutouts, these NPCs are intelligent, modern, human representations that laugh, cry, eat, drink, use cell phones and ATMs, and talking amongst themselves regardless of Niko’s interaction with them.

Gameplay

Historically GTA games have focused heavily on mission-based play, requiring successful completion of fixed tasks in order for players to progress through the game, but this has changed to a great extent in GTA IV. Players will experience an entirely new and exciting emphasis centered on the blending of on-mission and off-mission play, resulting not only in an increased sense of realism, but more interesting and unrestricted gameplay.

Features

Aside from the car jacking and a detailed city environment here are the new features for GTA IV:

* Improved combat system - Now you can use cover and also a target lock system, which allows you to take out targets with greater ease and accuracy. Plus, you can engage in some hand-to-hand combat if you can’t get your hands on a piece quick enough.

* Cell phone - Not just for basic phone calls anymore. Use your in-game cell phone to receive missions via SMS, snap photos, and ZiT (tag) songs that can be downloaded exclusively on Amazon.com/mp3.

* Free time - In between missions you can take advantage of “me” time. There are gentleman’s clubs, comedy clubs, bowling alleys, and bars, which all house unique activities.

* Take a break from the storyline - A variety of side missions allow you to help run a car service, “borrow” cop cars, assassinate targets, help solve problems for those on the street, or take to the air with stunt jumps that are scattered all over the city.

* Control your own fate - Throughout the game choice moments will arrive causing you to make a decision that will affect relationships and money.

Multiplayer

Give Niko a rest and create your own multiplayer “hero.” GTA has added multiplayer modes allowing you to take your creation out to play online in competitive, co-op, and free form modes. Competitive mode has you fighting against the cops, jacking cars, or racing to finish odd jobs. Co-op challenges you and your friends with various tasks including Hangman’s NOOSE where you are responsible for escorting a wanted kingpin to a safe extraction point. Freeform lets you and 15 others lose on Liberty City. Use this mode to hit up the bar and play virtual darts versus each other or head out to the streets and set up your own drag races. If you can dream it, you can do it in Freeform mode.

Health

Enter 4825550100 on Niko’s phone during gameplay. It should restore Niko’s health.

WARNING: Some of these cheats may prevent achievements. It is recommended that you do not save your game after using these cheats. Please use them at your own risk.

Full Health
Dial 3625550100 into Nikos cellphone cheat codes disable achievements

Spawn Jetmax (Boat)

WET-555-0100

Spawn Police Chopper

FLY-555-0100

Spawn SuperGT

CAR-555-0168

Spawn Turismo

CAR-555-0147

Spawn NRG900

MBK-555-0100

Advanced Weapons

GUN-555-0100

Weapons

GUN-555-0150

Health And Weapons

GTA-555-0100

Armour

Enter 3625550100 on Niko’s phone. It should give Niko armour. WARNING: Some of these cheats may prevent achievements. It is recommended that you do not save your game after using these cheats. Please use them at your own risk.

Spawn Annihilator

Spawn an Annihilator in front of Niko. 3595550100

Strip Club Girls Naked

In the game take out your phone and type in HOT-555- 0100.

Morning

To make the game be early in the morning type in your phone 468-555-0100

Increase Wanted Level

Dial CAR-555-0150 on Niko’s cell phone.

No Cops In The Whole Game

Enter cop-555-5903 on the phone.

Motorbike

At the phone, type mbk-555-0100.

Repairing Your Car Free

When your vehicle is damages instead of going to Pay’N Spray Press Up on the 360 controller go to cheats or dial this Number: GTA-555-0100

Wanted Level Up

Call on your phone cop-555-0150 and you will get one star and you can keep doing it till you have 6 stars.

Change Weather And Brightness

Dial “4685550100″ into the cell phone. Note: This phone number translates to “HOT-555-0100″.

Spawn Formula 1 Car

Dial 227-5589 in Niko’s Phone

after christmas sale 2008

Christmas Day is near and you have just two shopping days until the big day. After Christmas Sale 2008 will be everywhere soon and is a great time to find deals and bargains online.

There are always great deals on offer just after Christmas, but this year there will be even better deals on offer, as online stores will offer after christmas sale 2008 and do all they can to try and get more people through on to their online stores. Most of these online stores need to clear up as much of their Christmas stock as possible.

There are a number of places online that are offering some great after christmas sale 2008 deals; the best 5 are as follows, Slickdeals.net, Amazon.com, Dealnews.com, Dealhack.com and finally Become.com. Why not visit all five just after Christmas, and see what deals you can find.

blackberry internet service

Unlimited prepaid BlackBerry Internet Service in South Africa was launch by Vodacom and RIM.
Vodacom and Research In Motion (RIM) have launched the first prepaid offering for BlackBerry Internet Service in South Africa, affording customers the benefit of being in control of their monthly spend with an unlimited plan while enjoying the flexibility of a prepaid service option.

The prepaid service option enables customers to purchase a BlackBerry smartphone and pay a fixed monthly subscription 30 days in advance by purchasing an electronic Vodacom recharge voucher for BlackBerry Internet Service.

The subscription of R59.00 per month entitles subscribers to send and receive unlimited email, as well as use data applications like Vodafone SatNav, Yahoo! Messenger and Facebook for BlackBerry Smartphones, without incurring any additional data charges.

Subscribers will also enjoy unlimited Internet browsing from their BlackBerry smartphones, as well as direct access to Vodafone live!, opening a world of information and entertainment services.

Shameel Joosub, Managing Director, Vodacom South Africa, says ‘The Vodacom Prepaid service for BlackBerry smartphones will provide customers with the full benefits of a BlackBerry smartphone without being tied into a contract or having to go through a credit vetting process.’

“This is an ideal option for students or small business owners who would like to be able to utilise the unique features of the BlackBerry solution, including unlimited 24/7 access to email, while having complete control over their budgets,” she says.

“The BlackBerry solution is a proven, best-in-class mobility tool that is popular with both business people and consumers around the world,” says Deon Liebenberg, regional director for Sub Sahara Africa at RIM. “We are pleased to be working with Vodacom to extend the reach of the BlackBerry solution to an even wider audience in South Africa.”

xda developers

Newer smartphones comes with modern sensors, but so far there hasn't been a lot of applications that fully utilize the hardware.

Although the number of applications for Windows Mobile that combines the GPS and the various sensors like the accelerometer isn't nearly as bountiful as the iPhone, independent developers are starting to showcase their development efforts, which should be commended for since the sensors aren't natively supported yet by Windows Mobile 6.1 and HTC hasn't released the SDKs for those sensors.

There is a complete list of mostly free, downloadable applications on WMPowerUser if you're interested in fun, small applications that exploit the use of the accelerometer.

Navtris, shown in the video below, a Tetris clone that makes use of the sensors, available at XDA-Developers.



In the spirit of the Holidays, XDA developers presents a snow globe adds some winter cheer.


These are all fun little applications that don't require hardware directional pads to navigate.

pentax optio a40 12mp digital camera

If you are looking for a camera with more than 8 megapixels, you have come to the right place. PureGadgets presents the Pentax Optio A40 12MP Digital Camera at a fraction of the price that you would pay for a Panasonic with the same features.

The Pentax Optio A40 12MP Digital Camera has a number of features, all designed to improve the quality of the image that you take. Some of these exciting features include 3X optical zoom lens, Intelligent Zoom function, Shake Reduction technology, Sensor SR, Digital SR, and Movie SR, Enhanced Face Recognition and DivX Recording.

The Pentax Optio A40 12MP Digital Camera has a 2.5 inch LCD screen , which has a Bright mode making it easier to see the screen in low light conditions. You can get the Pentax Optio A40 for $119.99 over at Woot.

microsoft.com ie security patch

Microsoft Corp. quickly released an emergency Microsoft patch for internet explorer Wednesday to fix a major security flaw in its Internet Explorer Web browser that has permitted hackers to infect millions of computers with viruses as well as steal personal information.

Until now, the vulnerability has not led to the widespread infections common a few years ago. But an expert from central florida said it was the most serious computer-security threat in years.

The flaw, which was first discovered in China, enables hackers to infect a Windows user's computer through certain Web sites. So far, more than 10,000 Web pages have been infected, with many of them devoted to pornography and gaming. According to news reports, about 2 million computers have been infected so far.

Unlike with past viruses, the user does not have to download or click on anything, and nothing pops on the screen to announce you've got it. But once the computer is infected, the hacker has total control and access to everything, including tax records, bank passwords and Social Security numbers.

The security flaw has been characterized by microsift.com as a "zero-day vulnerability," which means it was exploited immediately after it was discovered.

Typically, Microsoft has time to respond to security flaws and releases patches on the second Tuesday of the month. This flaw was so serious that Microsoft decided not to wait.

"A zero-day vulnerability is like finding out your house is unlocked and then on the same day thieves are ready to move in and steal your stuff," Miller said.

"In a non-zero-day situation, it's like having your doors unlocked, but nobody can get in yet because you have some things protecting the house, such as dogs, and it buys you some time."

Hackers increasingly have used Web sites to infect computers for a few years. For instance, last year, the Web sites of Dolphin Stadium and the Miami Dolphins were hacked to try to infect the computers of people who visited them.

Miller said Orange County has been tracking the flaw, and so far, none of the county's nearly 6,000 PCs has been infected. When Microsoft releases patches, the county's IT staff usually take about a day or so to test patches before deploying them. But in this case, Miller said they would deploy it after just an hour or two of testing.

Alex Veletsos, chief technology officer at Orlando Health, said he was very concerned when he first heard about the security flaw last week.

"The worst possible scenario could have been that an outsider could have gotten in our network," Veletsos said. "You can cause damage to computers, bring down servers and remove key information without people knowing about it."

This is an urgent update. If you use Windows, apply this patch now.

pure digital flip ultra series f 230 camcorder

Woot just got good news to all gadget lovers out there. Today's deal is certainly an outright winner because (today only) you can get a recertified Pure Digital Flip Video Ultra F230 pocket camcorder for $59.99, plus $5 for two-day shipping. You can even pick the color you want.

In case you are unfamiliar with it, the Flip Video Ultra records VGA-quality video to internal memory, then plugs into your PC via a stowaway USB plug for easy uploading to friends, relatives, YouTube, etc. A simple built-in software makes all this possible.

The F230 model holds only 30 minutes of video, which is good enough for short-burst clips you're likely to shoot with this gadget.

And let's be honest: It's a toy. You wouldn't use this to record, say, a wedding, but it's fantastic for goofing around with friends, sharing cute clips of the kids with faraway relatives, and the like.

But because this is a refurbish item, it carries a 90-day warranty. The Flip Ultra makes for an awesome stocking stuffer, IMHO, and at $59.99 it's quite a bit cheaper than you'll find it elsewhere. These will surely sell out before the day is done.

AOL.com Mail

AOL Mail is currently one of the most searched items in the internet so I decided to discuss deeper on AOL mail. You can get a free email address from AOL now. You no longer need to be an AOL member to take advantage of great AOL Mail features such as industry-leading spam and virus protection, anytime-access on your mobile device, flexibility to work with other email clients using IMAP and more.

Why you need AOL Mail:
· Unlimited Storage - Keep important messages as long as you like.
· Access Your E-mail anywhere - Send and receive messages from your mobile device.
· Integrated Buddy List - Send friends an instant message with just one click.

What Is AOL Certified Mail?

It's the latest technology in AOL's ongoing efforts to combat spam and online 'phishing' scams

AOL Certified Mail is an industry-standard class of trusted email, designed to provide a safe and reliable way for consumers to easily identify authentic messages from legitimate commercial, nonprofit and government email senders. This additional choice in mail authentication offers much-needed uniformity, consistency and security for both AOL users and commercial e-mailers.

Yahoo's free email gets more social

SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) – Yahoo has began weaving trendy social-networking features into its popular free email service as it vies to be the preferred launching point for Internet surfers.

Yahoo says it is providing tools that let people use its email service to build interactive communities based on friends and interests.

"Mail is the largest dormant social graph," Yahoo Mail vice president John Kremer said while outlining enhancements to the service used by 275 million people worldwide every month.

"This is the first time we are exposing that in a significant way."

A "smarter inbox" puts messages from friends or family in a separate, tabbed file so they don't get buried under mountains of spam or work email.

The inbox for the the first time lets people install third-party applications such as movie-recommendation service Flixster and blogging tools from WordPress.

Technology from startup Xoopit (pronounced swoop-it) will fetch all pictures buried in stored emails, even retrieving images from website links found in messages.

"Email is a place where a lot of people live," said Xoopit co-founder Bijan Marashi.

"Yahoo users have years of gems in old emails. There are hundreds of millions of people not on social networks, but with years of data in their email."

Marashi pulled up his three-year-old email account as an example, revealing it held 7,745 pictures.

Yahoo Mail is being infused with a "social dimension" that builds on similar features being added to the California firm's other Internet properties, according to Open Strategy director of product development Cody Simms.

Mirroring a winning move by social-networking star Facebook, Yahoo opened up its platform this year to let third-party developers create fun, hip, or functional applications adapted to its online offerings.

Yahoo wants to enhance the social aspects of its website in order to attract new people to its online services and get existing users to spend more time on its advertising-supported pages.

Yahoo claims more than 500 million users worldwide but has been struggling to cash-in on its popularity.

Yahoo isn't trying to be a MySpace or Facebook, but wants to add "the right bits of social that make sense to our audience," said Yahoo Audience Product Division vice president Ash Patel.

"There are maybe 150 to 250 million users on those networks," Patel said of the top two social-networking services. "With the billion people on the Web, that means some 800 million don't use those services."

Yahoo is aiming to give its half a billion users tools that let them better connect as a community while using its Web pages, according to Patel.

"To be a starting point in this day and age you have to add the best of the Web -- social elements," Patel said, referring to Yahoo's stated goal of being the preferred launch point for Web surfers.

"Yahoo started off linking people to the rest of the Web. It is part of our culture. It is part of our heritage."

Yahoo's move is the latest salvo in an escalating war to become the preferred base of operations for people's increasingly immersive and diverse online activities, according to Flixster co-founder Joe Greenstein.

Facebook Connect lets people link profiles to outside websites so they can flit about the Internet without straying from the social networking website.

Internet search firms treasure their slots as "default" pages set to automatically open in Web browsers.

"It is going to be a really interesting war to see where the user bases end up," Greenstein said. "My guess is we will see multiple winners by demographics. Yahoo has one of the clearest visions as a starting point."

--------------------------
Source: Yahoo Technology News

The New Benz

The new Mercedes Benz



You can have it, you can buy it cheap but...

Can you drive it?

Videogame sales shine despite economic gloom: report

US videogame sales were a bright spot on November's bleak economic landscape, climbing to nearly three billion dollars, according to market research firm NPD Thursday.

Videogame sales so far in 2008 topped 16 billion dollars at the end of November and are on pace to crest 22 billion dollars for all of 2008, according to the industry tracking group.

Sales in November were 10 percent higher than the same month last year, before a financial storm slammed the economy.

"The video games industry continues to set a blistering sales pace," NPD analyst Anita Frazier said, citing research that showed videogames were "the category consumers are least likely to cut back on this holiday."

Videogame sales are up 31 percent for the year, driven by demand for titles such as "Gears of War 2" and "Call of Duty: World at War," according to NPD.

Videogames crafted for Nintendo's coveted Wii consoles made up half the top 10 best selling titles.

Wii sales in November were more than double those of Microsoft Xbox 360 consoles and more than five times those of Sony's PlayStation 3 systems.

Still, each of the rival videogame console makers "had something to brag about" in the robust sales figures, Frazier said.

Videogame sales are being bolstered by an industry trend of expanding the audience beyond "hardcore gamers" by designing offerings for families, girls, seniors, and others aside from young-male fans of shooter titles.

"Economic factors are also at play given that a video game is a relatively inexpensive form of entertainment for the hours of value it provides," said Frazier.

A freshly released "Fallout 3" videogame from Bethesda Softworks lets people immerse themselves in the roles of heroes or outlaws in a vivid post-apocalyptic Washington for scores of hours.

At a price of 60 dollars for a copy of the videogame, the cost breaks down to less than a dollar an hour for entertainment as compared with five or so dollars an hour to go to a film.

"It's clear there can be more multiple victors this generation (of consoles)," Frazier said.

"While price is certainly a strong factor, particularly as the current economic situation continues to prevail, the most important factor that will drive success in 2009 will be the line-up of compelling games that will keep consumers involved in the industry."


-------------------------------
Source: Yahoo News

spybot search and destroy

Spybot - Search & Destroy is a very powerful tool that searches your hard drive for so-called spy- or adbots; that is, little modules that are responsible for the ads many programs display. Many of these modules also transmit information, including your surfing behavior on the Internet. If it finds such modules, it can remove them. In most cases the host still runs fine after removing the spyware/adware.

Another important feature of Spybot – Search & Destroy is the removal of usage tracks, which makes it more complicated for unknown spybots to transmit useful data. The list of last visited websites, opened files, started programs, cookies, all that and more can be cleaned. Supported are the three major browsers Internet Explorer, Netscape Communicator, and Opera.

Download your copy of Spybot - Search & Destroy here.

Chrome

Google chrome just released an update after the recent updates from Firefox and Opera in the form of Firefox 3.1 Beta and Opera 9.6. Mozilla has concentrated on speed with the latest Firefox update according to most users. Opera, on the other hand, now has even more features under its belt, retaining its position as one of the most feature packed browsers available now off the shelf plus support for three Indian languages in Opera too has been a welcome addition.

Chrome, in the meantime, is now an official browser according to Google. Its beta stage is now over and they are releasing the browser as a full-fledged product.

"In just 100 days, we have reached more than 10 million active users around the world (on all seven continents, no less) and released 14 updates to the product," vice president of product management Sundar Pichai and Linus Upson wrote.

The update will be automatically rolled out in the next few days, Google said.

PlayStation Home Open Beta

PlayStation Home is finally entering open beta tomorrow, allowing those gamers who weren't invited to the closed beta to figure out what all of the avatar-centric excitement is about.

PlayStation Home is an ambitious idea -- a sort of console-based Second Life, unlike those on Nintendo and Xbox 360, where players can create avatars that can walk around and do stuff.

Although access to Home will be free of charge, prepare to swept up in a sea of advertising and micro transactions. Players will get their own apartment, and activities will include socializing with strangers in themed locales, playing social games, buying your digital self designer clothing, or picking out fancy furniture you couldn't hope to afford in meat space.

PlayStation Home will also be a place to ravine on all sorts of media, with content providers like Hexus TV, Eurogamer, and Paramount providing exclusive programming to watch, with trailers and merchandise from the upcoming film The Watchmen kicking everything off.

But it's still all about the games, right? A Far Cry 2 space will be one of the first available, where you can chat with other players about all things Far Cry.

Uncharted, Warhawk, and Motorstorm spaces are set to follow shortly, and Sony is reportedly working with the likes of EA, Ubisoft, Sega and others to create even more environments for us to frolic in.

Another Yahoo investor seeks Microsoft search deal

A large Yahoo Inc. shareholder has joined a growing chorus urging the beleaguered Internet company to set aside its past differences with Microsoft Corp. and renew negotiations to sell its search operations to the spurned suitor.

In a letter sent Wednesday to Yahoo's board, Ivory Investment Management called upon the directors to make amends for "acting unreasonably" in their earlier talks with Microsoft by quickly closing a deal with the software maker now.

Ivory Investment, which owns a 1.5 percent stake in Yahoo, reasoned the Sunnyvale, Calif.-based company could persuade Microsoft to pay $15 billion for its search operations and still emerge with more earning power than it currently has.

The net result: Yahoo could nearly double its current stock price to at least $24, based on the financial assumptions made in Ivory's analysis.

Some of Ivory's math is debatable, but there is little doubt left on Wall Street that a search deal with Microsoft now appears to be Yahoo's best bet, said Stanford Group analyst Clayton Moran.

"It's a very reasonable question for Yahoo shareholders be asking right now: why the company isn't talking to Microsoft right now," Moran said. "The pressure should be mounting for them to talk because there is no good explanation for them not to be doing so at this point."

Investors reacted as if Ivory's cajoling will help bring Yahoo and Microsoft back to the bargaining table. Yahoo shares surged $1.21, or 10 percent, to close at $13.40 while Microsoft shares rose 1 cent to $20.61.

Yahoo spokesman Brad Williams declined to comment on Ivory's letter.

Redmond, Wash.-based Microsoft didn't immediately respond to a request for comment, but Chief Executive Steve Ballmer reiterated last week that he remains interested in exploring a search deal with Yahoo as he tries to come up with a way to undercut Google Inc.'s dominance of the online advertising market.

Although it trails Google by a wide margin, Yahoo's search engine is the Internet's second most popular, with a U.S. market share of about 20 percent, according to comScore Inc. Microsoft's search engine ranks third at 8.5 percent.

Ballmer has maintained that Microsoft no longer is willing to buy Yahoo in its entirety — an option that was pulled off the table seven months ago when Ballmer withdrew a takeover offer of $47.5 billion, or $33 per share. Yahoo CEO Jerry Yang was holding out for $37 per share.

With Yahoo's stock in the doldrums, other shareholders besides Ivory Investment already have been lobbying for the company to reconcile with Microsoft.

Yahoo director Carl Icahn, who owns 5.5 percent of the company, has been leading the charge, and others, like Mithras Capital, also have thrown their support behind a Microsoft deal.

Last month, Yang said he is ready to talk if Microsoft wants. He made the comments shortly after Google scrapped a planned advertising partnership that Yang had been counting on to boost Yahoo's revenue by as much as $800 million annually.

Yahoo is now searching for a new CEO to replace Yang, who co-founded the company 13 years ago.

As his 18-month stint as CEO winds down, Yang is overseeing layoffs of about 1,500 employees as part of an effort to lower Yahoo's annual expenses by $400 million. Yahoo handed out pink slips to most of the affected U.S. employees Wednesday. The company also might close some of its unprofitable products during the next few weeks and shift other, less popular services into "maintenance mode," Williams said.

Yahoo also has been talking to Time Warner Inc. about a possible purchase of AOL — an idea that Ivory Investment adamantly opposed in its letter.

Ivory Investment, a hedge fund run by Curtis Macnguyen, devoted most of its letter to a detailed breakdown attempting to justify why a $15 billion sale of Yahoo's search engine to Microsoft would pay off for both sides.

The firm estimates Yahoo would lose more than $2 billion of annual revenue from the sale but would gain about $1.6 billion a year in commissions. The analysis assumes Microsoft would be able to leverage the additional search market share it would pick up from Yahoo to boost its Internet revenue by about $1 billion annually.

------------------------------
Source: Yahoo Technology

PlayStation Home Arriving as Open Beta From Thursday

Sony Computer Entertainment will open up its Home online virtual environment to all PlayStation 3 users from Thursday, it said Wednesday.

Home allows users to create their own avatars and participate in a real-time virtual world, something like a cross between the Mii avatars on Nintendo's Wii and the Second Life community. Users can interact with others through voice and text chat and the service also offers mini-games, videos and special events.

The opening up of the beta test, which has been anticipated for sometime, follows several delays for the service. It was first unveiled in July 2007 and initially promised for a global release later that year but was pushed back once to early this year. It was again delayed due to Sony's desire to "refine" the service and rescheduled as a "fall" launch as an open beta.

From Thursday Home will be available to any PlayStation 3 user that has their console hooked-up to a broadband Internet connection. Users will be able to download the software from the PlayStation Network section of the menu.

"We are committed to providing PS3 users with exciting gaming experiences with PlayStation Home and together with our partners and users, expand the new world of interactive entertainment as we move forward," said Kaz Hirai, president and CEO of Sony's gaming unit in a statement.

Some content will vary by region.

In North America virtual environments will be launched for the "Uncharted: Drake's Fortune," "Far Cry 2," "Warhawk Resistance" and "Guitar Hero" games in which users can talk strategy, discuss games and get additional content and clues. Sony said it is working with Activision, Disney Eidos, Electronic Arts, Lucas Arts, THQ and Ubisoft, to develop virtual environments among other content for PlayStation Home.

Commercial tie-ups with companies including drinks-company Red Bull, fashion-house Diesel and furniture-designer Ligne Roset will also bring content to the service.

In Europe and other PAL territories the environments will start with "Far Cry 2" and be joined soon by those for "Uncharted: Drake's Fortune," "Warhawk Resistance," "Motorstorm" and "SOCOM." European tie-ups include Atari, Electronic Arts, Midway, Sega and Ubisoft on the games side. Video content will also be available from Hexus TV and Eurogamer.

In Japan content includes "Namco Museum" and lounges for the "Siren" and "Everybody's Golf" games. Sony also plans special events including a Christmas event and New Year countdown through the service.

Plenio VXA 2100

7-inch Touch Screen! The Plenio VXA-2100 GPS, with its generous 7-inch wide, touch-screen navigation offers a broad, clear view to guide you to your destination. All the key functions are but a single touch away! And you can even use the expansive screen as an in-car display for DVD players and gaming devices!

The Plenio VXA-2100 offers turn-by-turn voice guidance available in several languages. Plus, you get automatic route navigation to an address or point of interest with turn-by-turn directions and easy-to-follow guidance in a clear voice. The entire US map is included in the provided SD card and there is no need to download mapping information from your computer.

The integrated flip up GPS antenna provides a very clean easy setup and installation. Includes Built-in Media Player. The slim, lightweight Plenio VXA-2100 boasts a built-in media player that provides a powerful entrée to a number of multimedia functions such as picture viewing, playing videos, games and music.

Couple this with the wireless FM transmitter, and you can enjoy video and music files stored on your SD card over your vehicle stereo speakers. Just set your FM radio to a predetermined frequency.

Other outstanding features that make the Plenio VXA-2100 GPS one of the best personal navigation values in the industry include, excellent response speed, accurate and responsive GPS receiver coupled with real-time rendered maps (there is virtually no delay between the actual and displayed position!) and 2D and 3D maps support with day and night-view settings.

Product Features

* Large 7" Wide Touch Screen
* Turn-by-Turn Voice Guidance Available in Multiple Languages
* Outstanding response spped with SIRF 3 GPS receiver
* Automatic Re-routing, Zoom feature & Smart detour
* Built-in Media Player, MP3, Viewing Pictures, Playing Videos, Game

Motorola Aura Cell Phone

Motorola has released a new look for the old V70 which is the Motorola Aura. The V70 was always a striking-looking handset that didn’t sell as well as it deserved.

The newly announced Aura – due to hit shops by the end of the year – updates it with fancy craftsmanship and the world’s first circular display, covered in scratch-resistant sapphire crystal and packing 16 million colours for photo-perfect pics.

Like many swanky handsets from the likes of Vertu and Mobiado, the Aura borrows from fine watch design. The back of the phone has a window into its innards, where hardened steel gears and 150 precision ball bearings slave away just to make its circular motion extra smooth for owners who are too posh to push.

PS3 update 2.53

The new PlayStation 3 firmware scheduled for today unlocks full-screen Adobe Flash support for the console's integrated Web browser. The latest development is a great addition when it comes to sites built entirely in Flash, such as most of Hollywood's official movie webpages.

Alternatively, there have been reports about the PS3 getting more affordable PS3 in 2009. Hopefully, Sony can make this a reality and deliver a slimmer design at the same time. Should we make this our X'mas wish for 2008?

Download ps3 Firmware update 2.53,
Download ps3 update 2.53 and also
Upgrate your System firmware with new updates of ps3 2.53.

Main features in system software update version 2.35, PS3 2.35 Firmware link for PC Users, UK Playstation Website link.

Bamboo Laptop by Asustek to Debut Saturday (PC World)

Asustek Computer plans to debut a nature-friendly laptop PC with a casing made of bamboo on Saturday at Taiwan's IT Month exhibition.

The laptop, first announced last year, is part of Asus's efforts to use renewable materials in products. The shell of the laptop is made of real bamboo, which grows fast and is used widely throughout Asia in furniture, as well as construction scaffolding, food for pandas, and in artworks.

The company on Thursday displayed the first bamboo laptop that's ready for the market. The device is part of Asus's U6V series of notebook PCs and sports a 12.1-inch screen, Intel Core 2 Duo microprocessor, and Microsoft's Windows Vista OS.

Asus plans to sell them at the Taipei IT show for NT$59,900 (US$1,802) each.

The company will launch the bamboo laptops in the U.S. and Europe at a later date, but has not decided exactly when, an Asustek representative said.

IT Month in Taiwan is a time for companies to display products and normally ends up with bargains on IT gear for consumers. The exhibition is hosted in four major cities on the island, including at the Taipei World Trade Center exhibition halls from Nov. 29 to Dec. 7.

Nokia seen outlining smartphone, services push

World mobile phone leader Nokia is expected to strengthen its offering of high-end phones at a media and industry event in Barcelona on Tuesday, where it is also due to outline a push into Internet services.

Nokia still dominates the market for smartphones -- handsets with computer-like features such as e-mail -- but sales dropped in the third quarter from a year earlier and it lost share to Apple and Blackberry maker Research In Motion (RIM).

"I'm sure there will be a few new phones shown on Tuesday and Wednesday, something in the smartphone and touchscreen area," said Handelsbanken analyst Jan Dworsky.
The smartphone business battle has heated up since Apple introduced the iPhone last year, with all vendors trying to grab a bigger share of a market that is seen growing despite the backdrop of economic gloom.

"Smartphones should be a better-performing segment than others in 2009, even though growth will slow down versus 2008," Dworsky said.

While growth in the total mobile phone market slowed to just 3 percent in the third quarter, the smartphone market grew 28 percent from a year earlier to 40 million phones, according to research firm Canalys.

Surging demand for the latest iPhone and Blackberry models helped Apple and RIM to win a larger share of the smartphone market in the third quarter.

"Apple has redefined the whole category," said Sean Dalton, general partner at Highland Capital Partners, stressing the easy functionality of Internet use on the iPhone.

"I think the smartphone market really is two markets: In one there are two players: Apple and RIM. The other market is everybody else. No one of them has materially differentiated," Dalton said.

Nokia has led the smartphone market by a large margin for several years, but its sales fell on an annual basis for the first time in the third quarter as it was only ramping up production of new top-end models.

The drop has worried investors and analysts as it is expected to weigh on the Finnish group's profit margins.

Nokia's share of the market for smartphones fell to 38.9 percent from 51.4 percent a year before, Canalys said. Apple's market share jumped to 17.3 percent and RIM's to 15.2 percent.

To battle new rivals, Nokia said in June it would buy out other shareholders of UK-based smartphone software maker Symbian for $410 million and make its software royalty-free for other phone makers to counter new rivals.

Since then, 59 companies have said they plan to join the Symbian Foundation, including major mobile phone makers, making it larger than the alliance behind Google's Android.

Nokia would contribute Symbian's assets to the not-for-profit organization, the Symbian Foundation, uniting with handset makers, network operators and communications chipmakers to create an open-source platform.

Nokia has said it sees the Symbian Foundation as a faster way to bring new products to the markets. It expects to release the first unified Symbian Foundation software next year and introduce a new platform by June 2010.

Nokia's Symbian acquisition is still pending regulatory approvals, which Nokia expects by the end of the year.

Halo 3 Beta

The pursuit to enter the Halo 3 public beta starts next Monday. The previously announced Halo 3 Beta will, in fact, be available to every eager Xbox 360 gamer when it launches in spring 2007. In a press release teasing the December 4 Halo 3 trailer, Microsoft revealed that gamers will "register for the opportunity to be one of the select members" of the public beta. There will be other ways to enter the beta, which will be revealed soon. In essence, if you want to play the Halo 3 beta, you will have multiple opportunities.



On December 4, the millions of hopefuls in North America and Europe can go to halo3.com to sign up for the beta. You thought the Internet hit a crawl as consumers tried frantically to purchase a PS3? This could be worse. If you don't get it, again, don't fret. There will be other ways to get in on the beta, which we'll learn about before the spring '07 launch.

The 60-second trailer airs in North America during ESPN's Monday Night Football on December 4. The trailer, which will be available online and on the Xbox Live Marketplace following its television debut, features live action and CG footage. It promises to offer "telling new hints" about the upcoming first-person shooter.

"Halo is a pop culture phenomenon! The Halo franchise has changed the face of interactive entertainment and it's only fitting that we take an innovative approach to how we market and advertise the brand," said Jeff Bell, corporate vice president of global marketing for the Interactive Entertainment Business at Microsoft Corp. "This invites a new audience with a rich back story, and continues to galvanize gamers around the world for the launch of Halo 3 in 2007."

The Blockbuster Set-top Box Has Arrived

Blockbuster has officially entered the "battle of the boxes" with the launch of its new set-top box yesterday. The box will serve movies to TVs over the Internet and is going against Netflix's set-top box solutions (Xbox, Roku, and Tivo). Blockbuster's MediaPoint box allows users to watch thousands of movies without the need of a monthly subscription.

To get the MediaPoint player, made by 2Wire, Blockbuster subscribers will have to pay a one-off $99 fee, which also includes 25 pre-paid movies. After that, users pay between $1.99 and $3.99 for each DVD rented, without a monthly subscription fee. Netflix's box also costs $99, besides your chosen monthly subscription. But unlike Blockbuster's 2500 "of the best, biggest and most current movies available", Netflix offers its whole 10,000 DVD collection for rental through its box.

The major difference between the MediaPoint box and Netflix's is that Blockbuster does "progressive playback" in comparison to Netflix's streaming, meaning that the video quality is independent of you broadband's connection speed. By progressively downloading the movie on the box (up to five movies storage capacity), Blockbuster's solution can offer a much more consistent video quality. In comparison, Netflix's service which can reduce the movie's quality if your Internet connection slows down.

Spec-wise, Blockbuster's MediaPoint can store up to five full length feature films (rented films must be viewed within 24 hours of downloading) and can connect to both SD and HD television sets. For the SD crowd, you can connect the MediaPoint to your TV with Composite A/V cables and if you have an HD TV you can use an HDMI cable. If none of the above matches you television set, you can use the box's Component Video and Line Audio connections.

In terms of Internet connectivity, the MediaPoint box can use both wireless and an Ethernet cable from your router. For the full specs, check out MediaPoint's user manual (PDF link).

Cyber Monday Sales 2008

Circuit City Cyber Monday Sale starts on Sunday

Circuit City starts their Cyber Monday Saleon Sunday. Circuit City opened their Cyber Monday Sale also already Sunday.

The Circuit City Cyber Monday deals feature the usual: TVs, GPS, cameras, notebooks and mp3 players.

Check the Circuit City homepage if the Cyber Monday Sale is already live.

GameStop Cyber Monday Sale starts at Midnight

GameStop , a video game retailer will launch their Cyber Monday sale at 12:01am December 1st.
The Cyber Monday deals on GameStop will include $10 to $20 off selected games, up to 50% off selected downloadable games and more.
Shipping is free on all orders above $25.

GameStop does not list specific Cyber Monday video game deals yet. GameStop will have to compete hard with Amazon's Cyber Monday and Walmart's Cyber Monday offers. It will get interesting.

See also this Cyber Monday Sale announcement on GameStop.

Best Buy Cyber Monday Sale

The Best Buy Cyber Monday Sale will go live on December 1, 2008. Until then here are the current coupons and deals at Best Buy:
· Best Buy - Cyber Monday 2-Day Sale Posted on 11/30/08 and Expires on 12/1/08
· Best Buy - $4.99 DVD Sale Posted on 11/29/08 and Expires on 12/6/08
· Best Buy - 2 Day Early-bird Thanksgiving Sale Posted on 11/14/08 and Expires on 11/15/09
· Best Buy - Nintendo Wiis at Best Buy Posted on 10/7/08 and Expires on 12/31/09
· Best Buy - Outlet Center Posted on 6/20/08 and Expires on 12/31/08

Hate traffic and holiday rush? Here’s a solution for you.

Point, Click, Save at Kmart.com on 'Cyber Monday'

With Easy-to-Use Web Site, Free Shipping Deals and Interactive Discounts, Kmart.com Offers Savvy Shoppers A Smart Solution To Online Shopping

Kmart.com makes buying gifts at the top of the whole family's wish list, as easy as point, click and save on "Cyber Monday," Dec. 1. From the comfort of home, shoppers can find Kmart's best deals on a wide selection of merchandise through special savings and shipping incentives available online only for a limited time.

Visitors to Kmart.com can navigate through easy-to-use tabs with unique gift ideas on each page, and even find extra savings with Kmart's hidden ornaments. Hidden animated ornaments can be found throughout the Web site. One click on the holiday ornament and shoppers get an instant coupon worth an extra 10 percent off.

On Cyber Monday, Kmart is offering great prices on an extensive range of merchandise available online only.

UK Bans Apple 3G IPhone Advertisement (PC World)

A video advertisement for Apple's 3G iPhone was banned by the U.K.’s advertising regulator saying that the ad exaggerates the phone's speed and is misleading.

ASA ( Advertising Standards Authority) received 17 complaints about the advertisement, showing a person whizzing through tasks such as opening a news page in a browser, using Google Maps and downloading a file.

All of the tasks "had waiting times of only a fraction of a second," the ASA said in a statement. A voice over says no less than five times that the 3G iPhone is "really fast."

Apple on the other hand told the ASA that the claim is a comparison between the 3G and 2G iPhone models, and that users would understand that performance could vary. The ad did include a text disclaimer that read "Network performance will vary by location."

However, Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) found that the snappy visuals combined with the repetition of "really fast" would "lead viewers to conclude that the device actually operated at or near to the speeds shown in the ad."

Also, not all mobile phone users may be aware of the differences between 2G and 3G technology, ASA said.

Apple did not have an immediate comment on the ruling.

nocall.wisconsin.gov

Consumers have until Sunday to get on the next do-not-call list that's supposed to minimize the number of telemarketing phone calls received at home or on a cell phone in Wisconsin.

If you wait until Monday, your number won't be on the list until next April.
Registration for the free list, sponsored by the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection, is required every two years if you want to be included.

To sign up, call toll-free (866) 966-2255 seven days a week, 24 hours a day. You can also go online at this Web site: nocall.Wisconsin.gov.
Currently, 1.4 million phone numbers are on the list, including more than 92,000 cell phone numbers.

Residents can sign up a cell phone from any area code - even one from out of state - but must provide a Wisconsin ZIP code.

=====================================================
Wisconsin's No Call List FAQ

Wisconsin's No Call List became effective January 1, 2003. Signing up identifies you as someone who does not wish to receive telemarketing calls. It's free and available for residential telephone customers in Wisconsin. Your number will remain on the List for two years. Adding your phone number to the List will help reduce (but not eliminate) telemarketing calls. Effective June 6, 2008, Wisconsin residents can add their mobile telephone numbers to the List.

The updated No Call List is given to registered telemarketers quarterly. Therefore, it may take 30 to 120 days for your number to get to telemarketers.

KOHLS

Kohls is offering 40 to 50 percent off its most expensive labels like Vera Wang and Elle, something it didn't do last year.

It’s also offering 300 early bird specials, that’s 20 percent more than last year.
Even high-end stores like Nordstrom are playing the price game. It’s had a policy to beat the price on any like item for years, but the chain has put up signs this year reminding shoppers of that policy.

But buyers should beware not all Black Friday prices are really sales.
A comparison between sale flyers from the past month and Black Friday ads posted online turned up some interesting numbers.

TheKohls Black Friday ad shows a 7-cup Cuisinart food processor for $149.99, that's the same price the food processor was advertised for in a Kohls ad from the week of Nov. 12.
Even more interesting, it was cheaper last year. A look at Kohls Black Friday ad from 2007 shows the same Cuisinart on sale for $99.99.

Best Buys online Black Friday ad features a Sony Blu Ray disc player for $249, that’s $50 cheaper than Best Buy was selling it for in a sale in late October. As usual, Wal-Mart offers some of the deepest Black Friday discounts.

It is offering a 50 inch Samsung plasma HD TV for $798, a Magnavox Blu Ray player for $128 and a Garmin GPS for $97 .

There is a catch though; prices are only good while supplies last.


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Tanger Outlets

The Friday after Thanksgiving is usually one of the biggest shopping days of the year, with people often lining up at 5 a.m. to get the best sales.

In line with this, Tanger Outlets is getting a leap on the busiest shopping day of the year.General manager, Nancy Gray announced earlier this week that the mall will host its third-annual "Midnight Madness" event starting at 12:00 a.m. Nov. 28.

Participating stores are offering sales of 20 to 50 percent off to get people out to Tanger for holiday shopping. The first 300 shoppers will receive free stuff from Tanger.

The mall begins its "Early Bird" sale at 7 a.m. until 11 a.m. and then at 5 p.m. it will begin a "Night Owl" sale until closing. The "Early Bird" and "Night Owl" offers will also be available Saturday during the same times. All day Sunday is a "Big Outlet" sale.

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Xbox 360 Exceeded Original Xbox Install Base

The more things change, the more they actually change. Microsoft's original Xbox never had legs like Sony's fleet-footed PlayStation 2, only managing to sell around 25 million units worldwide -- a bite compared to Sony's 140 million.

What a difference getting your system out first can make. Microsoft said recently that the Xbox 360
would finally muscle past the original Xbox's sell totals by the end of November, but it's happened a week earlier than expected. Also: Two years faster. The first Xbox took five years to hit 25 million, while the Xbox 360
which debuted in November 2005 made it in just three.

HP Pavilion G50 112 NR Notebook

HP Pavilion G50 112 NR Notebook - HP Pavilion G50 112 NR Notebook
is the latest and hottest notebook laptop oh HP (Hewlett Packard).This is the coolest laptop notebook ever made by HP.

Unfortunately, there's no review nor an image yet for this latest notebook from HP.

Ipod Touch faster Than iPhone 3G

Apple seems to improve the processing speed of the iPod Touchin order to help it go after the portable-game market.

The applications processor inside the second-generation iPod Touchunveiled in September is actually running faster than the processor inside the iPhone 3G, which runs at the same speed that the original iPhone and iPod Touchused. The new iPod Touch's ARM-based processor is running at 532MHz, while the iPhone 3G's processor runs at 412MHz.

A game developer also noticed a huge difference in 3D-rendering speed as a result of the speed bump. As we remember fondly from our "megahertz madness" days of the Intel-AMD competition in the PC, processor speed is not the only measure of performance, but it is an important one.

With the arrival of the App Store, Apple has been marketing the latest iPod Touchas a gaming device in its latest round of commercials, almost completely ignoring the fact that it's a music and video player as well.

It looks like Apple has room to boost the clock speed of the processor to 620MHz, according to ARM's specifications, but that requires striking a balance between performance and battery life.

Hundreds wait at Verizon stores for BlackBerry Storm

A lot of people lined up on Friday to buy the Blackberry Stormat some Verizon Wireless stores, the first touch-screen phone from Research In Motion that is intended to compete with Apple's iPhone.

More than 200 people had waited in mid-town Manhattan at a Verizon store early in the morning, many of whom were turned away after it ran out of the new phones less than an hour after opening at 8 a.m. The angry customers caused a commotion and police came to restore order.

Verizon said hundreds of others were in lines outside its stores up and down the U.S. east coast, but added that it had "plenty of phones" and would keep getting more shipments. It declined to give specifics on inventory levels.

Anthony Lewis, who was at a Verizon store near New York's Bryant Park, at first tried to get the Stormat electronics stores nearby. But he was disappointed, despite putting his name on a list ahead of the Friday debut.

"I had two pre-orders at Best Buy and Circuit City. Now I'm here and I'm hearing it's sold out," said Lewis, 28, of Brooklyn, New York. "I guess 8 a.m. in the morning is too late."

A Verizon employee at the store told customers that if they ordered the phone online or in the store, they would get the gadget in five to seven days.

Vodafone Group Plc, part owner of Verizon Wireless, a venture of Verizon Communications Inc and Vodafone, had said on Thursday that it was struggling to meet demand for the Storm, which it launched on November 14.

Vodafone, which is giving away the phone to UK customers who sign a contract, had said it had thousands of pre-orders.