TECHNOLOGIES - gadgets, pc news

Nintendo is the first of the big three games console
manufacturers to confirm it will attend the smaller E3 show in Los
Angeles in 2007.

The Electronic Entertainment Expo has been the world’s
biggest games show for many years but will be scaled back for next
year’s conference.
It follows concerns from games publishers over the cost of attending the event and manning giant booths.
Microsoft and Sony have not indicated their plans for E3 for next year.

Smaller, more regional games shows have increased in
importance in recent years with many of the bigger publishers running
their own showcase events.

Discrete events

The console manufacturers have also developed more
discrete events, with Microsoft running annual Xbox days for media,
developers and retailers in different territories.The biggest announcements at E3 also typically took
place at invite-only sessions held before the conference got underway
officially.
A spokeswoman for Nintendo told BBC News: “Nintendo will
be at E3 in 2007 but we have no details about our presence there as
yet.”
Games publisher Electronic Arts also backed the smaller show and said it would be attending.
Tiffany Steckler, head of European PR for Electronic
Arts, said: “The new event will be less disruptive to development
schedules and a smaller more intimate show in LA is likely to result in
further support for regional events such as Leipzig, China Joy, Tokyo
and other events around the world.
“EA is supportive of the alternative event and plans to participate.”
A Microsoft statement said the company supported the decision taken to reduce the size of E3.
It said: “We are very supportive of the Entertainment Software Association’s decision in providing a new vision for E3.
“Over the past 12 years, the industry has grown and
matured and it’s great to see the show evolving to meet the needs of
the industry.”
The show will no longer be hosted at the LA Convention Center, which attracted 60,000 delegates every year.Instead it will be based around a number of hotels to provide a more “intimate” event.

by John Abraham 

Let’s face the fact. iPods are the hottest things to have these days. Just about everybody has one or wants to get one. It’s an all in one gadget that seems to do wonders. iPods are capable of playing music while you are on the move, organizing your personal and business commitments, storing photos which you can proudly display to your friends at the touch of a button. Since May 2005, Mecedes-Benz, announced that they were integrating the Apple iPod Interface Kit in their passenger vehicles. How cool is that? Very! Just when you thought that things could not get better, the iPod mini was released complete with cool accessories like:

* Apple remote - Universal Docks support this. You can connect it to a stereo or television, plug it in the Dock and control everything from there.

* USB power adapter- Easily charge your iPod while you are surfing the internet.

* AV connection kit- Play your favourite tunes, movies or photos on the television with a simple connection.

* Radio remote- Changing radio stations is a breeze with the remote. It is a wired remote.

* Universal dock - Basically this allows you to connect your iPod to the television or home entertainment system to view movies or display photos,etc. * USB cable- You need this to connect your iPod to your computer.

* Camera connector- Tranfer your pretty pictures from your camera directly to your iPod

* In-ear headphones- Makes listening to music even better with its good bas response and quality audio. You have some variety too. Since iPods come in models with 512MB or 1G. The prices are also very reasonable considering the tons of cool stuff you could do with an iPod. For about $100, you could pick up an iPod and be listening to Shakira’s latest hit in minutes. There are several points you need to consider so that you’ll be able to make a wise decision when buying an iPod.

1.) iPod Nano The iPod Nano is the most common model now. You have a coice of music,data and photos with this model and the colors are great. It is a slim model that will easily slide into your pocket.            

2.) Battery life The 4G model battery lasts about 8 hours roughly. Not too good. However, the latest 5G models have a battery life of about 14 hours.That’s much better and the battery lasts much longer too.

3.) Color Pretty standard color here.

4.)Video In the past, video was not an option. Thankfully, things have improved and now with the iPod Video, you can have data, music, photo and video…all in one model. Just fantastic!

5.)iPod Shuffle The iPod Shuffle is a slightly cheaper iPod model and suitable for those with a lower budget. It only supports music which you can listen to in a sequence or shufled. There is no screen or other features. If you only need an iPod to play music and don’t really need the fancy features, this model would be a good pick. You should be able to purchase an iPod from most good electronics stores. You could even buy one online. Some websites are even giving away iPods free. Basically, you’ll need to fill up some affiliate form and refer 5 friends to the site to do the same. It’s a simple idea but you may face some difficulty getting friends to sign up. You could give it a try. There are many people who have received a free iPod in this manner. The rewards are good since the effort you put into it is minimal.