Extreme Gadjets

Sony VAIO's Extreme Looks

What’s the future laptop will look like? The Japanese consumer electronics giant, Sony has introduced its new VAIO Zoom that looks like future concept. It’s a cool, sleek and stylish notebook which features a touch-sensitive keypad, as well as a holographic glass screen that able to go transparent when turned off.

For sure, an innovative and cool holographic glass screen that involved in VAIO Zoom doesn’t really exist in the market yet, it’s just a concept for now. Anyway, it’s pretty sure that many consumers would like to see a high-tech and fantastic laptop like this in the future.

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New Logitech Cordless Vantage Headset And Mediaboard For PS3

the bluetooth wireless technology, aiming to enhance your PS3 gaming experience.

With noise filtering for the headphone and sound-canceling for the microphone, the Vantage wireless headset can deliver/receive good and clear sound which aimed to enhance your chatting experience. Besides, the MediaBoard also allows gamers to fill in some profiles, web addresses and even sending text messages within PlayStation Network. In addition, it also features a dedicated MENU button and convenient media keys, aiming to simplify your gaming experience and make your life easier.

“Logitech is pleased to offer two Bluetooth-enabled products for the PLAYSTATION 3 console platform, making the PS3 experience even better,” said Bruce Lancaster, vice president of Logitech’s interactive entertainment business unit. “The Cordless Vantage Headset for PS3 allows gamers to coordinate with teammates - wirelessly. And the Cordless MediaBoard Pro Bluetooth keyboard significantly improves the PlayStation Network experience, making it easier and faster to manage accounts and text with friends.”

The new Logitech Cordless Vantage Headset and Logitech Cordless MediaBoard Pro Bluetooth Keyboard that cost $79.99 is expected to be available in US and Europe in coming November and December, respectively.

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New Hasselblad H3D II DSLR - An Incredible 39 Megapixel Camera
The manufacturer and developer of high-end camera systems, Hasselblad has launched its new super high-end H3D II DSLR which features an 3-inch high-resolution LCD display, 48×36 mm CCD image sensors - the largest currently available and an integrated GPS (GIL) for automatic geotagging your gigantic digital photos. Besides, the latest Hasselblad H3D-II also improves image quality further with its improved noise and vignetting reduction.

“With the introduction of the Hasselblad H3D-II, we believe that the world’s best high-end DSLR camera has just got better. By further raising the level of integration by improving the controls, functionality and sensor cooling, and adding a new and more intuitive user interface, and a bright, 3-inch display, we continue to address the needs of professional photographers and to reassure them that, by investing in Hasselblad, they’ve made the right choice.” said Christian Poulsen, CEO of Hasselblad. “The Hasselblad H3D-II continues the evolution of the world’s most advanced DSLR camera system and, will set a new standard for digital photographic quality.”

If you feel that $37k is too costly and 39 megapixel is too much for you, there are the options still available for you including 31 megapixel H3D-31II ($30,000) and the 22 megapixel H3D-22II ($25,000).

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Nokia E51 for Businessman
The long awaited and ideal cellphone for businessmen is finally unveiled by the world’s top mobile phone maker, Nokia. This latest model by the Finnish mobile phone maker, Nokia E51, comes with high-speed mobile browsing, email functionality, multimedia features, a multitude of connectivity options, and useful shortcut keys.

Nokia E51 was designed particularly for corporate users. This slim and elegant “candy bar” shaped phone features all necessary functions required by business professionals such as reliability, fast and real-time accessibility to business and people, easy set up and maintenance, time management function and affordable price. Businessmen can browse webs, access email, make lower cost voice calls over the internet with the built-in WLAN, take photo and video with the built-in 2 megapixel camera and have some leisure fun such as listening to the latest hits with FM Visual Radio or playing their favorite tunes on the MP3 music player.

Nokia E51 also inherited one of the Nokia’s best phone features – user friendly navigation and quick access capabilities. High-flying businessmen, especially those who are not IT orientated, will love it.

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3G iPhone Confirmed for 2008
Apple CEO, Steve Jobs, has confirmed that there is a 3G iPhone in the works and it should be ready by 2008. Jobs made the following statement at the “Mum is no longer the word” press conference at the Regent Street Apple store in London this week: 3G iPhone later next year… We are working on the next iPhone already, the one after that and the one after that.”

The news comes as a 2G EDGE-enabled iPhone will be available in the UK on November 9th. When asked why the current model didn’t have 3G, Jobs blamed power issues saying that the 3G chipset would be too much of a drain on the unit’s battery life which promises 8 hours of call time, but said that future models would have the technology.

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Eizo ColorEdge CG241W High-End Monitor

Japanese computer display manufacturer, Eizo (Kabushiki-gaisha Nanao), has brought to users a new model in its ColorEdge series – the CG241W. This new high-end monitor features both 12-bit hardware calibration and 6ms response time. This 24.1-inch wide screen monitor is designed ideally for a wide range of tasks including pre-press, video editing, digital photography, data analysis, and post-production.

The ColorEdge CG241W comes with a native resolution of 1920 x 1200, 850:1 contrast ratio, 300 cd/m2 brightness, 178° viewing angles and Dual DVI-I inputs. With the 1920 x 1200 resolution, the high-end monitor is able to display full 1080p HD video with thin black borders at the top and bottom of the screen. The wide gamut LCD panel reproduces 92 percent of NTSC and 96 percent of the Adobe RGB color.

With the built in EIZO ColorNavigator CE Software for ColorEdge CE models, the colors adjustment within the monitor becomes easier. What you need to do is to key in target values for brightness, white point and gamma. ColorNavigator CE will do the rest by accessing the 12-bit or 10-bit Look-Up Table of the monitors for accurate and reliable calibration within a short time. This hardware calibration capability is designed to ensure accurate on-screen colour results with no color tones lost. Get to know more about Eizo Calibration Software.

This is a summary of other benefits offered by Eizo ColorEdge CG241W:

Wide Color Gamut
The wide gamut LCD panel reproduces 96% of the Adobe RGB color space so it can display most colors in a photograph taken in Adobe RGB mode. It also covers CMYK color spaces used for printing so the monitor can produce a reliable soft proof when calibrated.

Widescreen Format
The wide screen format with its 16:10 aspect ratio offers more horizontal viewing space than conventional monitors. Two applications such as a text document and web browser can be viewed side-by-side, or graphics applications can be opened and work palettes displayed simultaneously without any overlap.

Factory Adjustment of Gamma
To ensure that each ColorEdge CE monitor produces the most accurate and consistent color gradations possible, EIZO carefully measures and sets every shade of R, G, and B from 0 – 255 on the production line with the monitor’s 12-bit Look-Up Table, to produce a monitor gamma value of 2.2. Should the user prefer a different value, ColorNavigator CE software can be used to set the gamma value from a range of 1.0 up to 2.6 in increments of 0.1.

6 ms Midtone Response Time
To enhance moving image playback capabilities, an overdrive circuit is included. An overdrive circuit vastly improves the LCD panel’s response time for changing between midtones or gray levels, which is necessary to display color images without blurring.

Brightness Stabilization Function
Ensures stable brightness - necessary for the proper display of color – with EIZO patented technology*. A drift correction sensor quickly stabilizes the brightness level after startup or coming out of power saving mode. Furthermore, the monitor detects and automatically compensates for brightness changes caused by surrounding temperatures and the passage of time.

Protanopia and Deuteranopia Simulation in Real Time
Simulates* two types of red-green color vision deficiency – protanopia and deuteranopia. The ColorEdge CG241W does all the color conversion processing in real time – even moving images. With the bundled UniColor Pro software (Windows Vista/XP/2000 and Mac OS X 10.3.9 or later only) – also developed by EIZO – the designer can instantly switch from a normal viewing mode to the Protanopia and Deuteranopia viewing modes. Until now, tools available for simulating color vision deficiency have been software based so the color conversion process can be time consuming depending on the size and quantity of images to be converted, making these tools of limited practical use.

Placement Flexibility
The stand is height adjustable through an 82 mm range and provides 40° tilt and 70° swivel so every user can easily set the ideal position. It also pivots 90° for portrait mode viewing. Compatibility with VESA mounting standards allows the monitor to be removed from the stand for mounting on a movable arm or wall bracket.

Customer Assurance
A five-year warranty offers a long service life, and compliance with leading industry standards such as TCO’03 and TÜV Ergonomics ensures a better working environment. The EIZO Eco Products 2006 label indicates these products meet strict internal requirements for design, manufacturing, packaging, and usage, including the introduction of lead-free solder and chrome-free steel plates.

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SuperTalent Unveiled Project X DDR3 Memory
SuperTalent Unveiled Project X DDR3 Memory Modules Can you guess what the item in the picture is? It looks like a high end PC module but you may not find it in current PC architecture in the market. That is true, it is a DDR3 memory module that boost up the PC performance significantly. With current core processor’s number and speed increase, memory module could be the bottleneck that slows down the whole PC performance. And with the introduction of even faster DDR3 replacing older memory architecture of DDR2 and SDRAM modules, SuperTalent hopes to stay on top of the line among its competitors in memory products.

The module, named as Project X, is currently one of the most advance and highest speed DDR3 module available in the market. There are two modules with speed of DDR3-1800 and DDR3-1600 that give consumers better choice for platform integration. The higher speed of DDR3-1800 has a latency specification of 7-6-6-18 whereas DDR3-1600 at 7-6-6-18 specification. Besides the high end technology being deployed, the module itself also comes with impressive aluminium heat sink outlook that helps to dissipate thermal heat effectively. As compared to DDR2 memory specification of 1.8V supply voltage, DDR3 features lower supply voltage of 1.5V that reduce the thermal heat and with such a nice passive cooling mechanism in place, even cooler enviroment the PC can operate in.

Although it may not usable or compatible with all the current platforms that utilize DDR-2, those enthusiasts should be able to find their ways to utilize it in upcoming platform for higher performance applications. Both DDR3-1800 and DDR3-1600 will be available in commercial market by next week at $599 and $549 respectively.
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New CDR-350 Router To Convert Cellular to WiFi Broadband Access

In the wireless world, there are few technologies predominantly keeping the users to be connected everywhere either in the home or outside the building. These technologies are running in different protocols and compatibility among them could be an issue for most of the network devices. In order to create a digital convergence environment to connect them together, there are efforts putting in to develop such a device that could connect the different wireless technologies to emerge as the new market segment. CradlePoint recently unveils a new router device, known as CTR-350 that able to convert the cellular signal into standard WiFi signal for home high speed internet connectivity.

Unlike the current femtocell technology that extends the high speed data transmission for indoor coverage, the CTR-500 does a bit differently by acting as a termination for the cellular signal such as HSDPA or EVDO and then transform it to common wireless LAN 802.11b/g for internet access in the digital home. This is especially useful when there is a need to use the broadband connection wirelessly for your laptop at home through the high speed cellular network infrastructure. The device offers similar security encryption features such as WPA/WPA2 and 128 bit WEP encryption to prevent unauthorized use.

Besides the wireless LAN support, user can also connect a RJ45 Ethernet cable for wired LAN connectivity for those PC that doesn’t have wireless capability. Priced at only $149, I am sure this is a good companion for those travelers that wish to share network access with their counterparts.

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BitMICRO Annouced 416GB SSD (Solid State Drive) Memory Module

BitMICRO recently unveiled a new 2.5 inch SSD (solid state drive) which offers up to 416GB memory capacity to fill up the gap of memory technology constraint. The model known as E-Disk Altima features the IDE interface is the highest capacity SSD memory module available in commercial market today. SSD is on the way to replace conventional hard disk due to its durability, smaller size and less power consumption.The E-Disk Altima SSD is rugged enough with the 2.5-inch casing which supports the extended temperature ranging from -40 to 85 Degree Celsius. It is compliant to the specifications of 133MB/sec burst transfer with average of 100MB/sec Reads and Writes. Some of the transfer modes supported are the standard PIO 0-4, UDMA 0-6 and DMA 0-2. With the solid features, it is targeted not only for commercial market, but also for military and industrial market due to high demand of spacious capacity and reliability memory module for high end applications.

The module will be released to public in March 2008. However, no pricing has been announced yet but don’t expect it to be cheap for the initial launch since the competition has just begun especially for high capacity SSD memory modules’ manufacturers.
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Download Songs from Nokia Music Store
Global mobile phone leader, Nokia, revealed that it will put forward its own digital music service into the market in Q4 2007. It is part of its online mobile services initiative and also a new strategy to regain its market share after facing strong challenge with the emergence of Apple iPhone this year.

Nokia digital music service called Nokia Music Store will allow users to download songs from internet to their PC or directly to mobile phones over wireless networks. This new unique feature goes beyond Apple iPhone as Apple iPhone cannot perform the same feature. Other features available in this music store include dynamic music recommendations and a “Mix Me” feature for creating playlists of recommended songs based on genre preferences. Nokia has suggested that it would price music downloads at 1 euro for one song or 10 euro for the entire album. In addition, customers would have to pay for the use of phone networks for the download, though many operators are starting to offer monthly flat-fee packages.

Besides Nokia Music Store, Nokia also announced that it would revive a game platform called N-Gage, with a number of video game publishers agreeing to supply games for downloading. The company said it would make all of its mobile content and Internet services available under the brand Ovi, which means ‘door’ in Finnish. Nokia is probably hoping that Ovi would be as great a success as Microsoft’s Windows.

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Latest Bose Computer MusicMonitor Speakers

The famous manufacturer of audio equipment, Bose has attempted to grab a market of PC audio by introducing its latest PC speaker system, named as Computer MusicMonitor. It’s a small and stylish two solid-aluminium speaker system designed for desktop PC, notebook or iPod use via mini stereo audio jack, without the need to load drivers.

“I think the demand for smaller and better sound will never stop,” said Santiago Carvajal, a Bose business manager who introduced the product to journalists at the company’s headquarters in Framingham, Mass., a Boston suburb. “And this is our best effort to deliver lifelike sound from something smaller than we’ve ever done before.”

According to Bose, these tiny speakers that come with remote control and “dual internal opposing passover radiators” will deliver a neutral, full range of sound utilzing new technology that produces profound bass without a subwoofer.

The new Bose Computer MusicMonitor speakers which measures at only 12.4 X6.6 centimetres will go on sale in coming October 4 for $399.

Apple iPod Nano Tear Down Analysis By iSuppli

Recent analysis done by iSuppli revealed the estimated BOM (Bill of Material) cost on the new iPod Nano which was just launched by Apple Inc. recently. This is the follow on tear down analysis conducted to Apple’s famous iPhone two months ago. However, there are some differences in approach as this time it purely covers the components’ cost only without considering other cost factors.

Obviously, Apple has taken a great step in reducing the BOM cost by changing most of its current vendors to produce the cheaper version of ipod but yet with more functions integrated into the gadget.

Both 4GB and 8GB version were estimated to cost $58.85 and $82.85 respectively. With the selling price of $149 and $199, the margin is more than 100 percent which is impressive and lots higher than its predecessor iPod Nano and even iPhone. The total cost is said to be 18.5 percent lower than previous version which was launched back to 2006. However, it didn’t cater for the manufacturing, development, IP (Intellectual Property) and software but just merely based on components’ costs in mass quantity.

Micron who supplied the NAND flash memory to Apple turns up to be the winner after the product launching. It managed to cover around 50 percent of the whole product BOM cost. Samsung still serves the important role of supplying the main core processor to the new iPod Nano, continuous from its previous version.

iSuppli’s analysts forecast that the sales volume of new iPod nano will able to achieve 23 million units in 2007 and 27.9 million in subsequent year.

New Samsung SyncMaster CX940UX LCD With USB Connectivity

The South-Korean consumer electronics giant, Samsung has just announced its new LCD monitor, named as SyncMaster CX940UX. It’s an innovative 19-inch LCD screen displays that able to hook up to your computer via USB port instead of an usual monitor port. Besides, this amazing LCD display also features a couple of USB ports which allows you to use it as a mini hub and able to connect to more USB devices.

Furthermore, this latest 19 inch LCD monitor will be able to control up to six of similar monitors that linked to your computer, without the need for any additional graphics cards or drivers. Anyway, still have no words on its price and availability yet.

Intel’s Menlow Platform Possibly Targets For Low Cost Laptop Market

Analysts is speculating that the low-cost laptops targeting for developing countries are going to adopt the reference design based on Menlow platform. Menlow platform has recently appeared in the road map for the product category with extremely low power envelope of less than 10 watt range. Some of the low-cost laptop initiatives such as Classmate PC initiated by Intel and OLPC (One laptop per child) by MIT will design in its next generation products based on this low power architecture.

Menlow platform is famous for its low power dissipation and small form factor. Its fan-less design and high performance per watt and cost have made it the best candidate to be used in embedded world for the development of low cost laptops. These laptops were originally targeted with quote of less than $150 but were revised to around $200 due to increase in total BOM (Bill of Material) cost especially on NAND flash memory.

Intel does not respond to this officially and just mentioned that the actual CPU and chipset being used are still yet to be finalized. Meanwhile, OLPC also stated that they are still sourcing among few chip makers such as AMD, Marvell and Intel for its next generation products. It is believed that the products with the new design will be launched by end of next year.

Blaupunkt Melbourne SD27 Car Stereo Receiver With Memory Card Slot

Say goodbye to the car stereo receiver that take CD! The leading German manufacturer for car radios and car audio equipment, Blaupunkt has introduced its latest Melbourne SD27 Car Stereo that only play the musics/songs via an SD/MMC memory card slot. No CD slot at all! Besides, this device can support MP3, WMA files and displays those ID3 tags on its LED display, aiming to enhance your car audio experience.

“For more and more people, compact discs have become obsolete,” comments Blaupunkt USA General Manager Lutz Marschall. “They buy their music from the internet, download it to their hard-drive music server, and take it with them on their iPod. The last holdout for many of these consumers is their car radio, which still requires them to burn CD-R’s with either audio or MP3 files. The Melbourne is a far better solution for these consumers – no CD required: they just plug in a memory card or portable MP3 player and they’re on their way.”

With the use of an optional adapter, the latest car stereo from Blaupunkt also able to integrate with cell phones, iPod, portable MP3 storage devices or GPS devices, and anything suit an analog 3.5mm audio plug. The new Blaupunkt Melbourne SD27 Car Stereo Receiver is now available for about $160.

Samsung Has Partnered With Giorgio Armani To Develop Handset And LCD TV

The famous Italian designer Giorgio Armani has partnered with Samsung to develop a line of high-end electronic products including cell phones and (liquid-crystal-display) LCD TV. According to the company, the Armani-designed handset will be the size of a credit card and 10.5 millimeters thick.

“We make as much of a personal statement with the mobile phones that we carry or the televisions that we have in our living rooms as we do with the shoes and bags we wear or the furnishings we choose,” said Giorgio Armani.

“Today’s increasingly style-conscious consumers demand products that combine modern design with optimum performance and functionality. This powerful partnership will match great design with leading technology to ensure that performance is as impressive as appearance,” said Yun Jong-Yong, Vice Chairman of Samsung. The Armani-Samsung mobile phone will be announced at Giorgio Armani fashion show in Milan, Italy while the Armani/Casa-Samsung luxury LCD TV will be unveiled in coming January 2008.

Asus Unveiled EFU on P5E3 Deluxe/WiFi-AP@n

Asus has just unveiled a new high end platform with integrated 802.11n WiFi access point for PC enthusiasts. Known as P5E3 Deluxe/WiFi-AP@n, the platform combines almost all mainstream components inclusive the world’s first EPU (Energy Processing Unit) from Asus, X38 chipset from Intel and newly released DDR3 dual channel memory controller running at 1800 MHz extreme high speed.


The Asus’s EPU is famous for its excellent energy saving scheme that can monitor and automatically tune the core voltage in respond to the CPU utilization. When the EPU cycle is under utilized, the algorithm is intelligent enough to lower down the power supply voltage to make it more energy efficient. And this will be adjusted dynamically depending on the processing tasks. It is said to be able to save up to 58.6 percent of CPU power for light system loading condition.

To make it more attractive, the platform features the 802.11n WiFi support which could scale up the wireless networking throughput to more than six times as compared to conventional 802.11b/g standard. Another key selling feature is the Asus Express Gate which has the fast booting capability that enables the user to boot the whole system using Linux OS within 5 seconds. It also means that the user will no longer need to wait for long time for system boot up before can start surfing net or using the application software.

Gateway One - Stylish 19 Inch All-In-One PC

The famous manufacturer of Computers, Gateway has announced its 19 inch all-in-one desktop PC, named as Gateway One. It’s a slim and sleek all-in-1 PC that only measures 3.6 inches deep, which looks like the recently introduced aluminium iMac.

The stylish Gateway One comes equipped with an 5-in-1 memory card reader, 1.3 megapixel webcam and there’s also quartet of USB ports,gigabit Ethernet and AV ports that feed an external power adapter to take cable clutter away.

The company will launch the One in three versions in late October, with two retail models and one available only online. The low-end model starts at $1,300 with a 1.5GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 2GB of RAM memory, 320GB hard drive, and Intel X3100 graphics while an $1800 high-end model raise the speed to 2GHz, RAM memory to 3GB, hard disk space to 500GB, and adds Mobility Radeon HD 2600 dedicated video. In addition, the $1500 online version which features a Radeon HD 2600 chipset and 400 GB hard drive is sits between those two retail models.

Halo 3 Sales Smash Records

Microsoft is reporting that sales for its much hyped game, Halo 3, generated $170 million during the first 20 hours of its release. Not only does this top the $125 million sales record set by Halo 2, but it also surpasses the opening-day US box office record of $59.8 million set by Sony’s “Spider-Man 3″ in May.

In fact, Halo 3 made more money in 24 hours than Spider-Man 3 made during its three-day opening-weekend ($151 million).

So far, more than 1 million players have logged on the play the networked Xbox Live version of Halo 3.

The game is expected to give a huge boost to the Xbox 360. Lately, the runaway success of the Nintendo Wii has been a thorn in the side of both Microsoft and Sony.

BeSocial: methodshop

Blu-Ray Recorder with One Terabyte Hard Disk Drive from Sharp

Japanese electronics manufacturer, Sharp Corporation,
has unveiled its new plan to launch a Blu-ray high-definition
DVD recorder with a 1-terabyte hard disk drive (HDD) –
the world’s largest storage capacity of any Blu-ray recorder so
far. With 1-terabyte hard disk drive, the recorder is able to
record 127 hours of high-definition digital programming into
a single hard disk drive. Prior to Sharp’s 1TB recorder,
Toshiba has also offered its HD DVD recorder which features
the same amount of storage in June.

This huge storage Blu-ray recorder will go on sale tentatively
in early December in Japan. The selling price for this model will
be fixed around $2,616. Besides this model, Sharp Corp also
highlighted that it will offer another eight new models of
Blu-ray recorder by the end of the year in Japan in a bid
to replace video cassette recorders and conventional DVD
machines.

New Sony NW-A910 Series Walkman With Digital TV Tuner

The Japanese consumer electronics giant, Sony has announced a new Walkman series that features an integrated One Seg Digital TV tuner - the Sony A910 series TV walkman. Apart from watching TV, it still can support wide variety of audio/video formats and offers noise cancellation as well.

In addition, the new TV walkman’s lithium ion battery will provide up to 6 hours of TV viewing with its 2.4 inch screen display and up to 36 hours of music playback. The latest Sony NW-A910 series that available in three capacities including NW-A919 16GB - 45,000 Yen ($ 390), NW-A918 8GB - 35,000 Yen ($ 300) and NW-A916 4GB for 30,000 Yen ($260) will hit Japanese market in coming November.

Apple Releases iPhone Updated Firmware 1.1.1

One of several highly successful international companies, Apple has released its iPhone 1.1.1 software update via iTunes. According to the company, “If you have modified your iPhone’s Software, applying this software update may result in your iPhone becoming permanantly inoperable.”

Key Features of An Updated iPhone Firmware 1.1.1:

• iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store
• Louder speakerphone and receiver volume
• Home Button double-click shortcut to phone favorites of music controls
• Space bar double-tap shortcut to intelligently insert period and space
• Mail attachments are viewable in portrait and landscape
• Stocks and cities in Stocks and Weather can be re-ordered
• Apple Bluetooth Headset battery status in the Status Bar
• Support for TV Out
• Preference to turn off EDGE/GPRS when roaming internationally
• New Passcode lock time intervals
• Adjustable alert volume

Be a good singer

Becoming a singer is hard work. Knowing how to sing is only part of it. It takes confidence and dedication to pursue singing as a career. You need to follow your heart and not let anyone put you down because you have to believe that you have the voice of a true singer.

Steps

1. Learn how to sing. This is the foundation of your career as a singer. While there are some performers making a career out of singing when they don't really sing all that well, it's those people who hone their craft as singers and continually improve their form and ability who command the most respect as singers.
2. Study singers whom you admire. How do they sing? How did they become professional singers? What kind of crowd do they cater to? What is their signature style?
3. Become comfortable as a performer. Get over your stage fright (if you have it) and start gaining some practical experience by singing wherever and whenever you get a chance to do so in front of a group of people (karaoke bars, parties, school talent shows, etc.). Connect with your listeners.
4. Develop your own style. Experiment with different ways of singing and different types of music and find one that fits your personality and makes the most of your voice at the same time. You want people to be able to recognize your voice when they hear it.
5. Get a Singing Job. No matter how well you can sing, you'll never be a successful singer if you don't convince people to pay you to do it. That could mean joining a band, singing at your local cafe, performing on Broadway, or even recording a jingle for a commercial--your goal is to make a living as a singer. Get to it!

Tips

• When picking out karaoke music, know that you need to catch the audience in the first 30 seconds. Don't pick a song that isn't your best in those crucial moments.
• Remember to always be yourself -- it'll help to create an honest performance when it's time to show off your voice.
• Find the joy in singing. There's nothing like watching someone in their "element." If you love singing, then it'll show no matter how well you sing.
• Believe and trust in yourself and don't assume that you know it all. It takes time to develop your sound AND your voice. It takes longer to convince people how great you are.
• Practice your songs at home, in the shower, in your car, anywhere and anytime! You'll never get better if you don't practice. Remember,Practice makes Perfect.
• Relax and just be yourself. If you can't sing and there is absolutely no help for you at all, your audience will let you know in a kind but firm way.

Warnings

• Investing in lessons and books on vocal technique can really help save your voice. You may be able to sing as high as Mariah Carey but if you do it incorrectly, you may damage your voice.

How to sing well

Almost all vocal coaches agree anyone can learn to sing. Singing well is a skill, improved upon with proper breathing coordination. It is an extension of speech. This means the language being sung will have an effect on the position used for easy production of the tone. Style will also affect vocal position---more space (in the back of the throat) is needed in classical singing style than is needed in "popular" styles. To become a "good" singer you must be able to breathe properly, sing with power (resonance) and sing in pitch. To become a "great" singer you'll need to add dynamics and develop a style that's all your own. To become a good singer you need to be able to breathe properly and sing on/in pitch while producing resonance. If you're trying to develop a commercial voice you need to add dynamics, smooth out your break (develop middle voice) and create a unique style/technique that's all your own.

Steps

1. Find out your vocal range. This is essential, as singing pieces written for the wrong range may strain your voice. Here is a basic list of vocal ranges:-
   • Soprano - C4-C6
   • Mezzo-Soprano - A3-A5
   • Alto - F3-F5
   • Tenor - B2-A4
   • Baritone - A2-F4
   • Bass - F2-E4
2. It is also worthy to note that there are such things as male altos (countertenors). If you are a male and are able to sing in the alto range (most likely using falsetto), then you may be better off singing as a countertenor. It is advisable, however, that you ask a singing teacher to train you to sing properly.
3. 

   
   Learn to breathe properly. The voice is best described as a wind instrument and breathing is 80% of singing. Proper singing begins and ends with proper breathing. This is the breathing that we all did as babies, the breathing that we all do subconsciously all day. When you breathe from the diaphragm, your shoulders don't move and your chest barely moves at all. Your stomach, sides and lower back will expand. Your stomach should feel taut, as if you are flexing your abdominal muscles. This creates the pressure to sustain a powerful voice.
4. Stand tall with one foot slightly in front of the other one, feet shoulder width apart. This allows you to breathe easily and to allow maximum lung capacity to allow better notes and phrases.
5. 

   
   Always warm up before you begin singing or doing practice exercises. There are many different types of warm ups which are dependent upon skill level, but a common one is singing do-re-mi-fa-sol-la-ti-do with your mouth closed three times. Hum the same sequence three times, then sing it out loud. Go through each octave up the scale and then back down again until the voice is at a comfortable resting place. Your vocal coach can recommend a warm up that's appropriate for you.
6. Practice taking in deep breaths and exhaling slowly, as long as you can. A very good hint as to whether you are letting out a constant stream of air, required for proper technique, is by lightly touching your lips together and creating a bbbbbbbbbbb sound (while engaging your voice). If your lips stop vibrating together, then the air has stopped flowing freely.
7. Pronounce your vowels. Words are truly nothing but a constant succession of vowels with consonants dropped in occasionally to create meaning. So practice all your vowels at every pitch (high, low and in between). In English - AH EH EE OH OO. When you sing vowels, the jaw should always be dropped, and the tongue forward. EE is not a smiling form, but a dropped jaw vowel. OH should not have any teeth showing. OO is slightly changed form of OH. The vowel sounds are important because when you sustain any note it is a vowel sound that's actually sung. Mar(EE) Had A L(EH)tle L(AH)m
8. If you have pitch problems you can correct this by practicing scales (most coaches will recommend 20-30 minutes a day when starting out). Practicing scales will also strengthen the muscles used for singing and give you better control. To practice scales, identify your range (tenor, baritone, soprano, etc...) and know how to find the notes that cover your range on a keyboard or piano. Then practice the major scale in every key moving up and down using the vowel sounds. At some point you can start working in minor scales as well. Solffegio (Do,Re,Mi,...) is also an effective tool for improving pitch problems.
9. If your voice is weak, this is usually caused by under-developed muscles or improper use of the resonators (the pharynx, the hard pallet, and the nasal cavity). Muscles can be strengthened and with training you can learn how to use your resonators to project a powerful voice.
10. Always be working on a new song. When you start a new song, however, start with the rhythm and conducting. Sing the things you enjoy and while you're practicing, try singing the whole thing 5 times through, once on each vowel sound with no words. Then, when you sing the words, try and make the song sound as smooth and flowing as it did when you only sang the vowels.
11. Try to measure your progress every few weeks by recording yourself singing and being critical of the playback. Pick two or three songs to use as your benchmark: an easy song, and intermediate song and a difficult song. You can judge the difficulty of your song choices by the difficulty you have with singing them, if you don't feel you can sing at all and want some suggestions, here are three that everybody knows: Happy Birthday (easy), Frosty The Snowman (intermediate), The Star Spangled Banner (difficult). If you are just learning to sing, do not begin practicing with your difficult song selection at first; your difficult song selection represents where you want to be and chances are you've got a long journey (many months) to get to that point. Some will be able to phase in their difficult selection after the first month, others may need to spend a few months working on pitch and breathing. If you are just starting out, focus your first month working on scales. It is recommended to use popular songs in a style you desire to eventually be able to sing in. When you listen to the playback of your recordings, keep a notebook and note parts where you messed up and work on these parts during the week in addition to the time spent on scale practice. If possible find acoustic/vocal or piano/vocal only arrangements of your song choices as these type of arrangements generally provide a clear vocal track untainted by multi-effects processors, which are common in multi-track mixes.
12. Be reasonable with your self-expectations, regardless of where you are coming from, if you can devote 20 minutes or more a day to practicing scales and songs you can expect measurable improvement within four weeks. Most pitch problems can be corrected within 3-4 months. Understand that your progress is linked to your ability to practice daily (as with most training). If you only do 15 minutes a day a few days a week, you could spend a year or more. If you devote yourself you could completely transform your voice in three months. Everyone is different. If you don't hear measurable improvement in your self-training within three months then it's probably time to get a one-on-one instructor.
13. Keep in mind all the professionals you hear have spent years developing and perfecting their technique. The more you work on your own voice the more you should gain respect for what your favorite singers have accomplished. The pros make it sound easy and for them it still takes focus, but it comes more naturally because they have trained themselves over many years to make it that way. You can achieve the same thing in time with practice, and practicing can be a lot of fun. But practice is the ONLY way you will get there, and this cannot be underestimated. Most people who have "talent" have actually been practicing singing since they were toddlers without realizing what they were doing. Sing in the shower, sing in the car, sing all the time whenever and whereever you are. You need to make practice your priority in order to become a professional. Just because it's fun doesn't mean it's not work, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise!
14. Remember to adjust your style. The very basic lessons given here are meant for smooth, lyric singing and is based in classical training. This is the best way to learn, but of course, not all of you will be singing opera. So, take this basic information and try to work it into the style of music that you like to sing! A good way to do this is to pick a few artists you really like and try to master their techniques then try to mix them together. Before working on dynamics and unique style you should be able to breathe properly and sing in pitch. If you are just starting out don't put any focus on unique style for the first few months unless instructed by a vocal coach to do so.

Tips

• The best way to start singing properly from your diaphragm is to stand up straight, shoulders back but relaxed. As gross as it sounds, pretend your sternum is hooked and hanging from the ceiling. Focusing on projecting from your lower back will help greatly. Relax your jaw, relax your face - especially your eyebrows and forehead when you are concentrating really hard.
• Project sound and notes from your diaphragm and not your throat. Not only does this damage your vocal chords, your voice will sound 'stressed' and not pleasant. Your singing voice is not your talking voice.
• A true test of vocal control is how well you can hold a note - without vibratto. Very steady.
• A good practice technique would be to lay on the floor flat on your back and practice projection and tonal quality.
• Warm tea (warm drinks in general) helps your vocal chords be more flexible - making it easier to hit higher/lower pitches. LEMON keeps mucous from gathering and getting in the way of your singing, so water with some squirts of lemon is good for your voice before singing.
• There are three different kinds of voices. "Chest Voice" "Middle Voice" and "Head Voice". You use your chest voice when you sing in your comfortable range. The better singer you become, the more notes you can sing with your chest voice. You use your middle voice as a bridge between your chest and head voice. Middle voice has a part of chest voice and of head voice. You use your head voice when you sing higher pitches and where the sound is coming from moves higher, seemingly into your head even though the projection is still from your diaphragm. An advanced singer can continually move from chest to middle to head voice and back again without any vocal disturbance.
• Don't be intimidated by pop culture television. Keep in mind that shows such as American Idol are cleverly produced for shock value. Many of the horrible candidates you see trying out are the worst case examples of people who have no control of pitch or volume. They were selected for entertainment; most of them could be trained to sing properly if they would apply themselves and spent time with a qualified vocal coach. That they are held up to ridicule is purposely designed to discourage others from pursuing singing by those who wish to be in control of artists.
• Try to sing without any tension in your throat at all. The more tension you have, the less free your voice will be, and ultimately, the less good you will sound. Imagine your voice as a tangible object in your head, keep the pressure up from your diaphragm, and try to "place" your voice in the front of your face, right behind your top two teeth. Be careful not to go too far with this and shove a lot of air through your nose. This will result in a nasal sounding voice, which can be effective for parodies, but not for proper singing.
• The tone of your voice is much more important than range. People will love or hate your voice based on its sound character, not how many notes you can hit. Never sacrifice tone for range (stay inside your range). There are instances of professional, commercially successful singers with only a single octave range (Johnny Mathis).
• Elvis, Tom Petty, Bob Dylan, Freddie Mercury, Steve Perry, James Taylor, Paul Simon, Jimi Hendrix, Bruce Dikenson, James Hetfield, Brian Jonson, Robert Plant, Sting. Very few of the above would have made it on American Idol, yet they all bring a unique and commercially successful voice. The only standard for what makes a professional, commercially-viable singer is ability to sing in pitch and to be unique. It takes a lot more than voice to make it as a professional recording artist. You have to have a unique style about you and your voice is just one extension of that style.
• Just because you learn to sing properly doesn't mean you know all you need to be the next superstar. The recording industry is a business, and can be extremely tough on the pop vocalist. There is a sound A&R Rep's are looking for in male and female singers and whether it is good or bad, right or wrong is entirely dependent on the project they are doing and trend they are following. If you are a songwriter (or aspiring songwriter) maintaining your personal integrity is what will allow you to be happy with your success in the future. Otherwise all the success in the world will not be satisfying. Your vocal journey should be about developing your voice to its fullest potential and then using that voice to make an artistic expression that communicates your art to your audience. Audiences respond to technical quality first, and the message second. Just because you're not American Idol material, doesn't mean you aren't capable of expressing yourself vocally and gaining a recording contract.
• Very few people are "tone-deaf". It's a term often used (even sometimes by industry professionals that don't understand voice) to identify someone who sings badly off key, off pitch or with too much volume. The reality is less than 2% of the population is tone deaf. People who cannot sing on pitch simply need ear training. This can be done through the help of a qualified vocal coach.
• Not everyone who can sing is capable of teaching you. Most professional singers developed their technique naturally and are not the best teachers. At the same time, a teacher who cannot sing or demonstrate their principles should not be hired to teach you. You should ask to listen to a CD or hear the teacher sing or watch them perform before you choose an instructor. Singing coaches can be found in most major US cities and lessons are generally $60-$80 per hour, depending on the instructor's experience and desired pay. * Any college near you that has a Music/Voice program will have students who already know a lot more than a first-timer. You could probably get weekly lessons with them for cheap. The going rate can be anywhere from $20 - $60 an hour for most small to medium size cities. If you are with a student teacher, make sure the student is monitored by a qualified experienced teacher, but in New York, the rate for qualified professional voice teachers generally runs $100-200 per hour.
• As an alternative (or as a supplement) to lessons you may look at self-study material. There are many books on the market such as Roger Love's - Set Your Voice Free and Dena Murray's - Vocal Technique: A Guide To Finding Your True Voice, that provide a wealth of information from master vocal trainers. Good self-training material will include practice audio CD(s) with scales and demonstrations of proper and improper technique. Such material is especially useful if you don't have a piano or keyboard around the house. Both of the mentioned books also include exercises to help you get into middle voice; which bridges chest and head voice and is essential to helping most overcome their break.
• A big area of concern will be the break in your voice. Women and men both have that. This area usually starts around G above middle C. You'll have to learn how to maneuver around it, over it and through it in order to sound like the same person when you're singing high and low. This is tough to teach, but you basically have to feel what it is like to sing above your break, then try to 'pull' that feeling lower into the voice that you use below the break. You do the same thing in reverse when coming from high to low.
• No matter the style, good singing is meant to be sent forward toward the audience or, in the case of popular amplified singing styles, forward into the microphone. If you "listen" actively to yourself when you sing, you will ALWAYS sing out of tune, since listening to yourself becomes your focus. To sing well, the singer must focus on what must be managed in order to correctly produce a freely vibrating pitch. Active listening to oneself almost always will result in the singer tightening muscles that should not be used, so that the sound is pulled to his/her ear. The alternative to listening to yourself is paying attention to how it feels inside your head, throat and chest.
• Try to breathe in long phrases, not in the middle of phrases and not in the middle of words.
• Use dynamics! Dynamics are variations in how loud you are singing. Even the simplest use of dynamics will make your songs come alive, and the more you practice, the louder and softer you'll be able to sing healthily. When reading music, from quietest to loudest, dynamics marks are as follows: pp (pianissimo, very quiet), p (piano, quiet), mp (mezzo piano, medium quiet), mf (mezzo forte, medium loud), f (forte, loud), ff (fortissimo, very loud). When you start out you will probably only be able to sing from mp to mf, but your range will increase with practice.
• Avoid smoking or drinking alcohol. These things negatively affect your voice.
• Get in shape. You'll be able to breathe better if you are in good physical health.
• If you cannot afford or do not want the dedication that comes with hiring a professional voice coach, consider joining a local choir.
• Work to improve your range. If you think a note is too high you'll never be able to sing it, but if you try the note you are helping your voice. Yes, you'll sound bad and be out of tune. Maybe you'll never perform anything that high, but you still need to warm up properly.
• Always remember to believe that you can do it like the little engine that could.

Warnings

• When you're building the muscles used in singing, you will feel a little bit of movement and the muscles will slightly tense and release. But nothing should ever hurt! If you have a vocal instructor who tells you to do things that bring pain to your vocal cords, get out of there fast. Permanent damage happens very quickly with the voice, and will give you a very rough sound like Phil Collins. A healthy voice has a clean sound.
• Do not push the bottom of your range. If you are trying to sing a low note and produce a raspy sound, you are damaging your voice. Basically, your vocal cords are rubbing against each other. A node is like a callous on your vocal cords, and it wont go away. Don't get one. If your voice ever hurts after singing, you are causing damage.
• Tension in your jaw, shoulders, neck muscles and all surrounding areas can hurt you. Make sure you are completely relaxed before you sing.
• Most importantly, don't stress over not being able to do something. Singing, like many physical pursuits, simply takes time, and you will have more success if you just let go and allow progress to happen through practice, rather than rushing to be the best after your first lesson.
• Get honest advice on your ability. Don't get suckered into spending a lot of money on lessons by someone who'll tell you that you have what it takes just so they can get your money. Anyone can be taught to develop their singing voice to its fullest potential, but make sure that teacher in question CAN actually do it. Ask to hear samples of the worst voices they've fixed, before and after lessons.
• A raised larynx is a leading problem for many aspiring singers. If you put your finger on your Adam's apple and yawn, you will feel it move up and back down. The lower position is where you need it to stay. Try to sing up a scale with your finger lightly touching your Adam's apple; if it rises more than 1/2" then you have some problems. A raised larynx will make it so your throat closes making high notes impossible, it will also make it hard to produce resonance, vibrato, etc. It's something you need to work with a qualified vocal coach to verify and correct.
• A great instructor can increase a person's ability without the use of criticism. This is not to be confused with insistence that one can and does do it right. If you are a beginner, avoid using a teacher who makes negative critical comments about your every mistake. You are learning and most criticism is not only unnecessary, it's the #1 reason a person gives up learning to sing. Positive instruction is the best route to success, no matter what your difficulty may be.
• Avoid a nasal sound-sing from your diaphragm

Nintendo - Wii

Source: Wikipedia

The Wii (pronounced as the pronoun we, IPA: [wiː]) is the fifth home video game console released by Nintendo. The console is the direct successor to the Nintendo GameCube. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3.^[3] It competes with both as part of the seventh generation of gaming systems.

A distinguishing feature of the console is its wireless controller, the Wii Remote, which can be used as a handheld pointing device and can detect acceleration in three dimensions. Another is WiiConnect24, which enables it to receive messages and updates over the Internet while in standby mode.^[4]

Nintendo first spoke of the console at the 2004 E3 press conference and later unveiled the system at the 2005 E3. Satoru Iwata revealed a prototype of the controller at the September 2005 Tokyo Game Show.^[5] At E3 2006, the console won the first of several awards.^[6] By December 8, 2006, it completed its launch in four key markets. During the week of September 12, 2007, the Financial Times declared that the Wii is the current sales leader of its generation.^[7]

The Wii console is Nintendo's smallest home unit to date; it measures 44 mm (1.73 in) wide, 157 mm (6.18 in) tall and 215.4 mm (8.48 in) deep in its vertical orientation, the near-equivalent of three DVD cases stacked together. The included stand measures 55.4 mm (2.18 in) wide, 44 mm (1.73 in) tall and 225.6 mm (8.88 in) deep, The system weighs 1.2 kg (2.7 lb),^[38] which makes it the lightest of the three major seventh generation consoles. The console can be placed either horizontally or vertically. The prefix for the numbering scheme of the system and its parts and accessories is "RVL-" after its project code name of "Revolution".^[39]

The front of the console features an illuminated slot-loading optical media drive that accepts both 12 cm Wii Optical Discs and Nintendo GameCube Game Discs. The blue light in the disc slot illuminates briefly when the console is turned on and pulsates when new data is received through WiiConnect24. After firmware update 3.0, the disc slot light activates whenever a Wii disc is inserted or ejected. When there is no WiiConnect24 information, the light is off. The disc slot light remains off during game play or when using other features. Two USB ports are located at its rear. An SD card slot hides behind the cover on the front of the console. The SD card can be used for uploading photos as well as backing up saved game data and downloaded Virtual Console games. As a presently un-circumvented system of digital rights management, Virtual Console data cannot be restored to any system except the unit of origin.^[40] To use the SD slot for game save transferring, a software update must be downloaded, so a system that has not been connected to the Internet cannot utilize this feature. The SD card can also be used to create customized in-game music from stored MP3 files, as shown in Excite Truck, as well as music for the slideshow feature of the Photo Channel.

Nintendo has shown the console and the Wii Remote in white, black, silver, lime green and red,^[41][42] but it is currently available only in white. Shigeru Miyamoto stated that other colors would be available after the easing of supply limitations.^[43]

The Wii launch package includes the console, a stand to allow the console to be placed vertically, a circular clear stabilizer for the main stand, one Wii Remote, one Nunchuk attachment, one Sensor Bar, a removable stand for the bar, one external main power adapter, two AA batteries, one composite AV cable with RCA connectors (component video and other types of cables are available separately), operation documentation and (in all regions excluding Japan) a copy of Wii Sports.

A Nintendo spokesperson has announced that the company plans to release a version of the console with DVD-Video playback capabilities in 2007.^[44] Even though software will be used to enable DVD-Video functionality, it "requires more than a firmware upgrade" and cannot therefore be implemented through the WiiConnect24 network.^[44]

Wii Remote

The Wii Remote is a controller that uses a combination of accelerometers and infrared detection (from an array of LEDs inside the Sensor Bar) to sense its position in 3D space. This design allows users to control the game using physical gestures as well as traditional button presses. The controller connects to the console using Bluetooth and features rumble as well as an internal speaker. The Wii Remote can connect to other devices through a proprietary port at the base of the controller. The device bundled with the Wii retail package is the Nunchuk unit, which features an accelerometer and a traditional analog stick with two trigger buttons. In addition, an attachable wrist strap can be used to prevent the player from unintentionally dropping or throwing the Wii Remote. In response to incidences of strap failures, Nintendo is offering a free, stronger replacement for all straps.^[45]

Technical specifications

Nintendo has released few technical details regarding the Wii system, but some key facts have leaked from the press. Though none of these reports has been officially confirmed, they generally point to the console as being an extension or advancement of the Nintendo GameCube architecture. More specifically, the reported analyses state that the Wii is roughly 1.5 to 2 times as powerful as its predecessor.

Processors: CPU: PowerPC based "Broadway" processor, made with a 90 nm SOI CMOS process, reportedly† clocked at 729 MHz[47] GPU: ATI "Hollywood" GPU made with a 90 nm CMOS process,[48] reportedly† clocked at 243 MHz[47] Memory: 88 MiB main memory (24 MiB "internal" 1T-SRAM integrated into graphics package, 64 MiB "external" GDDR3 SDRAM)[49] 3 MiB embedded GPU texture memory and framebuffer. Ports and peripheral capabilities: Up to four Wii Remote controllers (connected wirelessly via Bluetooth) Nintendo GameCube controller ports (4) (one can be used in conjunction with four Wii Remote units for five-player multiplayer capability) Nintendo GameCube Memory Card slots (2) SD memory card slot USB 2.0 ports (2) Sensor Bar port Accessory port on bottom of Wii Remote Optional USB keyboard input in message board and Wii Shop Channel (as of 3.0 firmware update)[50] Mitsumi DWM-W004 WiFi 802.11b/g wireless module[51] Compatible with optional USB 2.0 to Ethernet LAN adaptor Multi-output port for component, composite or S-Video Built-in content ratings systems: BBFC, CERO, ESRB, OFLC, OFLC (NZ), PEGI, USK

Storage: 512 MiB built-in NAND flash memory Expanded storage via SD card memory (up to 2 GB) Nintendo GameCube Memory Card (required for GameCube game saves) Slot-loading disc drive compatible with 8 cm Nintendo GameCube Game Disc and 12 cm Wii Optical Disc Mask ROM by Macronix[52] Video: 480p (PAL/NTSC), 480i (NTSC) or 576i (PAL/SECAM), standard 4:3 and 16:9 anamorphic widescreen[53] AV multi-output port for component, composite, or S-video.[54] Audio: Main: Stereo – Dolby Pro Logic II-capable[55] Controller: Built-in speaker

†None of the clock rates have been confirmed by Nintendo, IBM or ATI.

Technical issues

The first firmware update via WiiConnect24 caused a very small portion of units to become completely unusable. This forced users to either send their units to Nintendo for repairs (if they wished to retain their saved data) or exchange it for a free replacement.

Features

The console contains a number of internal features made available from its hardware and firmware components. The hardware allows for extendibility through expansion ports while the firmware can receive periodic updates via the WiiConnect24 service.

Wii Menu

The Wii Menu operating system interface is designed around the concept of television channels. Separate channels are graphically displayed in a grid and are navigated using the pointer capability of the Wii Remote. It is possible to change the arrangement of the channels by holding down the A and B buttons. There are six primary channels: the Disc Channel, Mii Channel, Photo Channel, Wii Shop Channel, Forecast Channel and News Channel. The latter two were initially unavailable at launch, but activated through firmware updates. Additional channels are available for download from the Wii Shop Channel and also appear with each Virtual Console title. These include the Everybody Votes Channel and Internet Channel.

In June 2007 Nintendo announced a new service called WiiWare. The service will allow small and large developers to create their own games that can be bought through the Wii Shop Channel with Wii Points.^[61]

Backward compatibility

The Wii console is backward compatible with all official Nintendo GameCube software, as well as Nintendo GameCube Memory Cards and controllers. Compatibility with software is achieved with the slot-loading drive's ability to accept Nintendo GameCube Game Discs. The console supports progressive-scan output in 480p-enabled Nintendo GameCube titles. Peripherals can be connected via a set of four GameCube controller ports and two Memory Card slots concealed by removable flip-open panels.^[1] The console is therefore compatible with the Game Boy Advance and e-Reader through the Game Boy Advance Cable. A GameCube controller is required to play GameCube titles, as neither the Wii Remote nor the Classic Controller functions in this capacity. A Nintendo GameCube Memory Card is also necessary to save, as the Wii internal flash memory will not save GameCube games.

Backward compatibility is limited in some areas. Online and LAN-enabled features for Nintendo GameCube titles are unavailable on the Wii, as the console lacks serial ports for the Broadband Adapter and Modem Adapter. The console uses a proprietary port for video output and is therefore incompatible with Nintendo GameCube composite video, S-Video and component video cables. The console also lacks Game Boy Player support. The Wii was initially compatible with the GameCube Action Replay, which would work with GameCube titles. The firmware update to 3.0 has caused restrictions to this device along with various unlicensed freeloaders, however.^[62]

UFO: Unidentified Flying Objects

Source: Space.com

A UFO is a general term used for any “unidentified flying object” in the sky which cannot be discerned by an observer . Most UFOs remain classified as so even after they have been investigated. The UFO phenomenon dates back as far as the beginning of recorded history, but UFO sightings have significantly increased since the mid 1940s.

From UFO videos to UFO pictures, stories and other real life accounts, thousands of people from all walks of life claim to have seen these mysterious aerial phantoms. Many UFO sightings turn out to be nothing at all, mere airplanes, meteors or comets; however, many sightings have gone unsolved for decades or even centuries.

The term “flying saucer” came into popular use after American Kenneth Arnold claimed a UFO sighting on June 24, 1947 near Mount Rainier, Washington. Arnold claimed to have seen as many as nine brightly lit objects soaring across the sky at speeds he estimated as up to 1200 miles per hour. Arnold also reported that the objects appeared to have a disc or “saucer” appearance. No final conclusion has ever been reached in the case.

One of the most famous UFO incidents to date also occurred in 1947 in Roswell, New Mexico. After unidentified debris was recovered from the property of a Roswell ranch, the Roswell Army Airfield issued a statement saying that a “flying disk” had been discovered. The airfield retracted the statement just hours later, claiming it was just a weather balloon. This sparked local and nation-wide rumors of an alleged government cover-up of an alien UFO that had crashed in the New Mexico desert. No definitive proof has been produced to this day to support that theory.

For decades now, eyes and sky have met to witness the buzzing of our world by Unidentified Flying Objects, termed UFOs or simply flying saucers. Extraterrestrials have come a long way to purportedly share the friendly skies with us.

UFOs and alien visitors are part of our culture-a far-out phenomenon when judged against those "low life" wonders Bigfoot and the Loch Ness monster.

And after all those years, as the saying goes, UFOs remain a riddle inside a mystery wrapped in an enigma. Why so? For one, the field is fraught with hucksterism. It's also replete with blurry photos and awful video. But then there are also well-intentioned and puzzled witnesses [See Top 10 Alien Encounters Debunked].

Scientifically speaking, are UFOs worth keeping an eye on?

Paradigm shifting

NARCAP has made the case that some of these phenomena have unusual electromagnetic properties. Therefore, they could disrupt microprocessors and adversely effect avionic systems, Roe explained, and that for those reasons and others UAP should be considered a hazard to safe aviation.

"It is likely that either conclusion will fly in the face of the general assertion that UAP are not real and that there are no undocumented phenomena in our atmosphere," Roe continued. That should open the door, he said, to the realization that there's no good reason to discard outright the possibility that extraterrestrial visitation has occurred and may be occurring.

"Physics is leading to new and potentially paradigm shifting understandings about the nature of our universe and its physical properties," Roe said. "These understandings may point the way towards an acceptance of the probability of interstellar travel and communication by spacefaring races."

Sacred cows to the slaughter

As UFO debunker Robert Sheaffer's web site proclaims, he's "skeptical to the max." He is a fellow of the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal and a well-known writer on the UFO scene.

Being an equal-opportunity debunker, Sheaffer notes that he refutes whatever nonsense, in his judgment, "stands in the greatest need of refuting, no matter from what source it may come, no matter how privileged, esteemed, or sacrosanct ... sacred cows, after all, make the best hamburger."

Sheaffer told SPACE.com, in regard to the cottage industry of UFO promoters, there's a reason there are still so many snake-oil sellers.

"It's because nobody, anywhere, has any actual facts concerning alleged UFOs, just claims. That allows con-men to thrive peddling their yarns," Sheaffer said. "UFO believers are convinced that the existence of UFOs will be revealed 'any day now'. But it's like Charlie Brown and the football: No matter how many times Lucy pulls the football away-or the promised 'disclosure' fails to happen-they're dead-certain that the next time will be their moment of glory."

Trash from the past

"I would have to say that we're stuck in neutral," said Kevin Randle, a leading expert and writer on UFOs and is known as a dogged researcher of the phenomena. There's no real new research, he said, and that's "because we have to revisit the trash of the past."

Randle points to yesteryear stories, one stretching back in time to a supposed 1897 airship crash in Aurora, Texas, long proven to be a hoax by two con men-yet continues to surface in UFO circles.

Then there's the celebrated Thomas Mantell saga, a pilot that lost his life chasing a UFO in 1948. There are those that contend he was killed by a blue beam from a UFO, Randle said "even though we have known for years that the UFO was a balloon and he violated regulations by climbing above 14,000 feet without oxygen equipment. I mean, we know this, and yet there are those who believe that Mantell was killed by aliens."

Randle's advice is to the point: "We need to begin to apply rigorous standards of research ... stop accepting what we wish to believe even when the evidence is poor, and begin thinking ahead."

Paucity of physical evidence

"I've no doubt that UFOs are here to stay," said Seth Shostak, Senior Astronomer at the SETI Institute in Mountain View, California. "I'm just not convinced that alien craft are here to stay ... or for that matter, even here for brief visits.

"First, despite a torrent of sightings for more than a half-century, I can't think of a single, major science museum that has alien artifacts on display," Shostak said. "Contrast this paucity of physical evidence with what the American Indians could have shown you fifty years after Christopher Columbus first violated their sea-space. They could have shown you all sorts of stuff-including lots of smallpox-infested brethren-as proof that they were being 'visited,'" he said.

When it comes to extraterrestrial visitors in the 21st century, the evidence is anecdotal, ambiguous, or, in some cases, artifice, Shostak suggested.

Calling it "argument from ignorance", Shostak pointed to the claim that aliens must have careened out of control above the New Mexico desert simply because some classified government documents sport a bunch of blacked-out text. "How does the latter prove the former?"

Sure, the missing verbiage is consistent with a government cover-up of an alien crash landing, Shostak said. "But it's also consistent with an infinitude of other scenarios...not all of them involving sloppy alien pilots," he added.

Shostak said that it is not impossible that we could be visited. It doesn't violate physics to travel between the stars, although that's not easy to do.

"But really, if you're going to claim-or for that matter, believe-that extraterrestrials are strafing the cities, or occasionally assaulting the neighbors with an aggression inappropriate for a first date, then I urge you to find evidence that leaves little doubt among the professionally skeptical community known as the world of science."

Residue of sightings

Why is there precious little to show that world of science that UFOs merit attention?

"Obviously there is not a simple answer, but part of it is reluctance of the scientific community to support such research," explained Bruce Maccabee, regarded as a meticulous researcher and an optical physicist using those talents to study photographs and video of unexplained phenomena.