Heated debates, Lenovo netbooks, and pricey Macs: The week in laptops

Posted by - 08/08/08 at 02:08:00 pm

It’s been a week of flashbacks, and not just because I went to a concert that featured ’80s bands ABC and The Human League. I also (hypothetically) relived the ’90s as the CNET laptop editors (hypothetically) debated the merits of touch pads versus pointing …

Cheap and wonderful Altec Lansing Orbit-MP3 speaker

Posted by - 08/08/08 at 01:08:00 pm

Altec Lansing has had its fingers in the iPod speaker business for several years now, which may explain why the company has been one of the most innovative when it comes to design–the retro-slick iM7 boombox and the ultrathin iM600 provide some excellent evidence of that. Further …

An all-’Zelda’ weekend, with no guilt involved

Posted by - 08/08/08 at 12:08:00 pm

Five college guys plan to spend their entire weekend playing Zelda–and they don’t even have to apologize to their girlfriends.

That’s because they’ll be playing the Ocarina and wielding swords with a virtuous goal–raising money for Child’s Play, a game industry charity that brings toys …

JamVOX: Karaoke for guitarists

Posted by - 08/08/08 at 12:08:00 pm

Are you a guitarist with just enough talent to shun Guitar Hero, but too little to form your own Kiss cover band? Boy, do we have the product for you.

The JamVOX is a hardware and software combo that outfits your computer with a tiny, badass VOX amp USB sound card and a software package with virtual amplifiers and effects (ala Guitar Rig) that helps you mute or solo the guitar parts from your favorite songs. Basically, this thing lets you surgically remove your guitar heroes from their songs, and replace them with your own ham-fisted shred fest.

The JamVOX system is due out in September, with a suggested retail around $350. Video after the break….

‘Wrath of the Lich King’ looking good, ‘WoW’ fans say

Posted by - 08/08/08 at 12:08:00 pm

Since its launch in the fall of 2004, Blizzard Entertainment’s World of Warcraft has shattered expectations at every turn.

Prior to its release, no American massively multiplayer online game (MMO) had ever reached what was then seen as the magical million subscribers level–even major hits like EverQuest and Ultima Online. Yet almost before anyone could blink, WoW, as it’s known, had surpassed four million paying users and now has more than 10 million worldwide, and at $15 a month for most users, it may well be bringing in more than $1 billion a year.

Then, prior to the January, 2007 release of World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade, no one had ever heard of the kind of nationwide midnight madness lines associated with iPhone and Xbox launches for a game expansion. Sure enough, however, people lined up at game stores everywhere for hours for the right to be among the very first to buy Burning Crusade, and the update went on to sell millions of copies.

And now, with the second major WoW expansion, The Wrath of the Lich King, in beta testing, Blizzard is getting ready to prove yet again that when it comes to American MMOs, it is the undisputed gold standard.

“It’s just beautiful,” said longtime WoW player and Lich King beta player Katrina Glerum. “The game really feels epic in a way that The Burning Crusade didn’t….Burning Crusade felt like an extension of the (original) game. This really feels epic, and that you’re part of something grand.”

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Build a better photoblog this weekend with Pixelpost 1.7.1

Posted by - 08/08/08 at 12:08:00 pm

There are plenty of free ways to build an average photoblog, but if you have dreams of creating one that meets your needs and not just the masses, check out Pixelpost 1.7.1. Updated earlier this year with a bunch of new features including an Install Assistant, …

Burning it up in ‘Far Cry 2′

Posted by - 08/08/08 at 11:08:00 am

We had sly grins on our faces. Not because we were here chatting with Ubisoft at the company’s NYC showcase. Not because we got our hands on one of the most anticipated games this year. We were reveling at the destruction, you see.

We took our flamethrower, lit up a patch of dry brush in the African savanna, and observed as the flames spread to a small bungalow from the prevailing winds. Just as a group of enemy soldiers ran over to investigate the damage, we ambushed and mowed them down with our M16. We’re not in the tropical island jungles anymore.

Far Cry 2 throws you into the swamps and jungles of the African continent this time around with a new cast of characters and a new setting, further drawing players into the open-ended first-person game that the first game pioneered. While Crytek (developer of the original game), is off working on the sequel to Crysis, Ubisoft Montreal came to the helm for this game, developing a brand new engine, dubbed Dunia.

We were first shown a early mission in the game, involving the assassination of “The Jackal,” an arms dealer who has been selling weapons to both sides of the conflict that’s tearing apart a small fictional African country. The way to complete this task is entirely up to the player. There are various fractions involved, where a player can do missions to earn influence. As we were told during the demo, for example, at the beginning of the game your character is infected with malaria. The only way to alleviate the symptoms (as there is no cure) is by receiving medicine from an underground fraction for doing missions and also subsequently earning reputation.

However, if you wreak too much havoc, such as killing innocent civilians, to the countryside and thereby draw attention to the fraction, expect to be shunned and lose your precious supply of drugs.

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Win a PC on YouTube

Posted by - 08/08/08 at 09:08:41 am

iBuyPower announced a new line of PCs for the video enthusiast today, and to celebrate it’s launching a YouTube contest. The winner of the Favorite Gaming Moments YouTube contest gets an iBuypower Video Pro desktop and a $2000 gift card. Upload a video recreating your favorite gaming …

Zen Stone goes big, flammable

Posted by - 08/08/08 at 08:08:00 am

I’m often asked if there are any decent MP3 players out there made for needs of the elderly (i.e. large controls, easy to use, and hard to lose). Well, we finally have a contender with this giant wooden version of the Creative Zen Stone.

Hot on the heels …

Kicker ZK500 Zune speaker review

Posted by - 08/08/08 at 07:08:00 am

Not thrilled with the Zune’s Wi-Fi music-sharing feature? Kicker’s ZK500 Zune speaker dock gets your music social the old fashioned way: by pummeling it at people’s heads. The
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