Cheers!

Don’t know why I did this. No need to comment on the atrocity!

OneCare Overview

Windows Live OneCare, or Windows OneCare Live as it used to be known, is an all round computer security service for Microsoft XP and their newest operating system, Vista. It includes anti-virus, firewall, backup and malware/spyware protection utilities for the user in one simple to use program. The interface is minimal and provides the user with only the most important data when the program is opened. When not in use, the program sits quietly in the user’s taskbar and the icon changes colour depending on the status of the computer: green for good, orange for some action needed and red for a major problem.

The firewall provided in OneCare is different to that provided in Windows XP in that it is a two-way protection system – it blocks both incoming and outgoing traffic unlike the XP included firewall which only blocks incoming traffic. This provides protection from trojans and viruses that may wish to send data from your computer. Also included in the anti-virus protection. This is just your general anti-virus protection, provided by regularly updated definition files downloaded to your computer. The spyware/malware protection is provided by Windows Defender, another Microsoft product that specifically protects users against spyware and malware (the program that defines Messenger Plus! as a threat). OneCare also provides hard drive clean-up and defragmentation utilities that the user can utilise if he or she wishes to. Finally, it also provides a backup feature – something lacking in Windows XP Home Edition – that would compliment Home, Pro and Vista very well. It allows you to backup to a number of different storage formats including external hard drives, DVDs and CDs. It allows you to backup all or some parts at your whim and also allows you to backup networked computers which are also running Windows Live OneCare – a handy feature for a large network.

First Impressions of OneCare

I downloaded Windows Live OneCare Beta 1.5 because I was looking around for a solution to the small amount of anti-virus and firewall programs for the installation of Vista that I have. I decided to test it on XP as well as Vista to see what all the fuss was about. The installation was relatively painless – for a Microsoft product – and as usual I restarted and logged back on. The first thing I noticed was the time it took for it to settle after logging on. That time was significantly bigger than my previous setup. I stayed with it though. I opened up the program and the splash screen presented itself and then the main interface appeared. It was pretty simplistic.

I went through all the options available to me and was surprised that there wasn’t much I could do. I had the options to change a few settings like when to schedule scans, tune-ups and backups but I didn’t have as much control of what it did. At this point, I also noticed that I couldn’t turn OneCare off when I wanted to. This was a major problem for me as my previous firewall program allowed itself to be paused at my will – something that came in handy during LANs and other times. It stayed on all the time and I started to stare at the icon in the taskbar as if it were my captor. Another option that I seemed to have no control over was the fact it insisted, nay, demanded that I complete a tune-up at least once every month. The icon has remained orange for about one and a half weeks due to the fact I resisted doing another tune-up. I got annoyed, angry even, with OneCare and that is not a good sign.

OneCare on the bench?

OneCare for me was an experience that I don’t want to repeat – OneCare gave me more hassle than a virus or trojan would ever have and it was not worth it. You see what I go through reviewing software for you! Although it does provide some handy features, the way they are implemented is very clumsy in my opinion. Instead of just hiding the more advanced options, they’ve not included them at all and allow Windows Live OneCare to take control of your computer. I don’t like anyone, or anything, else having control of my computer. I suppose as this is coming from a more advanced user, it could be seen as OneCare is taking over but to a less advanced user OneCare is seen to be taking care of the computer, making the user have less to worry about.

But, since I installed OneCare, I noted my computer was slower (slower than it is usually) and I’m an impatient user – if you’ve seen me use the school’s computers, you’ve seen me become speedily annoyed with the dismal speeds they they reach. Also, things started to happen on my computer. Links started to appear in ‘My Network Places’ every now and again and also since installing OneCare, my internet connection seemed to die every once in a while and the only way I could regain connectivity was to renew the DHCP atleast 3 times – something that before the install and since the uninstall hasn’t happened.

Final Thoughts

My final thoughts are pretty simple: don’t use or download Windows Live OneCare. Besides the fact it costs $50 (£27) a year to use the service after the 90-day trial, it’s slow, not as effective as it should be and also hinders network connectivity as well as linking with other computers on the internet. The services it offers are not new and there’s nothing unique about the product other than they’re all provided in one piece of software. You can, and I have, obtain the same protection and the same utilities for free (or at least for a lower price). Although this means installing separate programs for each service, for me it means a faster system and more money in my pocket. My recommendation would be, as my current setup is, AVG Free 7.5 for your anti-virus solution and Sunbelt Kerio Personal Firewall for your firewall solution. There’s also a spyware solution in the form of Windows Defender (free), AVG Anti-Spyware Free 7.1 or Ad-Aware SE Personal. OneCare is really for the most inexperienced user that doesn’t want to play around with settings and just want something that works out of the box and who doesn’t want to touch any settings – at the cost of system functionality.

Photosynth gives you wings

As I’ve said, Photosynth takes a collection of photos and arranges them into a three-dimensional model of whatever they show. You can then walk and fly around the model, viewing selected photos from each area of the model. The model allows you to see where photos were taken in relation to where other photos were taken. Even you may not remember where you’ve taken each photo from but the algorithm behind Photosynth can work out where each photo was taken, and what it is of, just by looking at other photographs in the collection – rather clever.

You’ll notice that as a collection is analysed, a bunch of dots start to appear. In a matter of a few seconds you start to recognise features such as buildings, columns, doors and spires. The software analyses each photo and picks out distinctive features like the edges of windows and the edge of buildings and creates a three-dimensional model out of the dots. By comparing photos, Photosynth can also calculate the distance between objects and so create a 3-D view. It’s amazing stuff and it really does work. By flying around the model, you can make out buildings, roofs and even roads just by zooming in and out of the matrix of coloured dots.

Controlling the Seadragon

Photosynth works by incorporating the technology of Seadragon, which Microsoft acquired in February 2006, which means that scrolling, zooming and any other transitions and transformations are extremely smooth and fast. The user interface is rather nice and the ‘leaf buttons’ in the top right of the screen is very easy to use and understand. This technology preview provides 3 areas of user interaction: the ‘leaf buttons’, the 4 movements arrows to the sides, top and bottom and the photo viewer at the bottom of the screen. The ‘leaf buttons’ are understandable by the icons on them. The letter icon allows you to e-mail a particular view to a friends – or even a whole collection of photos – via e-mail, the camera icon lets you see where each picture was taken from in the model, the group icon lets you find pictures that are like the one you’re currently viewing, the orbit icon allows you to ‘swing’ around the model as if you were flying, there’s the obligatory zoom in and zoom out buttons and the home icon lets you view the photo that most incorporates the whole model.

Those are the 7 very simple, very intuitive controls that would probably be most used. The bottom of the screen offers the user a chance to browse photos that are near the current photo they’re viewing. Every time you view a different photo on the model, the horizontal bar shuffles itself to show the current photo’s thumbnail and also the thumbnails of any photos near it. The movements are very smooth and the bar also gives you the option to zoom in on the current photo if there’s a better quality photo of an area within it.

Uses of Photosynth

Photosynth has a world of possible uses ahead of it. On the official site, they say uses could include the obvious revolution in how we view our photos for example. Another use they hope to reach would be to utilise the part of the software that looks for like images in another way. Say you found a picture on the internet of somewhere but didn’t know what the place was called – all you’d do was take a picture of it with a phone or a screenshot and use the software to look for the image and any information provided with it. It’s all very exciting and interesting.

Another use, and one potentially more profitable for Microsoft, would be aiming the software at gaming companies. This software can create an almost complete three-dimensional model from a bunch of pictures – this is much quicker than creating one from scratch and is also much more realistic as it’s literally based on real dimensions and a real environment. With the rise of high definition televisions, games and the demand for more and more realistically graphic games, this software could become invaluable. If adapted correctly, there could be a huge demand from the games industry.

My final thoughts

There are multiple, practical uses of this software even at it’s current stage of development. If the developers behind it see their dream come true, we will change the way we look at our photos. Personally, I don’t think it will make a huge impact but it’s certainly an innovative way of browsing your photos at a particular destination. I like the user interface and smooth controls that the software employs as the transitions are very natural and I encountered no lag what so ever when using it.

I do have some beef though in that Photosynth has been built as an ActiveX control rather than a standalone piece of software. This alienates a lot of people from using the software. Although you really expect Microsoft to use their own proprietary formats, screenshots had suggested that it was going to be an installable piece of software. Overall, I like it a lot and can’t wait until another release is announced where we can provide our own photo collections to be analysed. The preview shows the immense power of the software and would be a great companion to the Windows Vista operating system as well. Go and have a look (Internet Explorer 6 and 7 only at the moment) and try it out. Leave a comment if you would.

Update: I’ve been informed by a developer that they’re going to provide some logos people can use and some cool desktop backgrounds on their site later today. Thanks David Geyde!

Quick Response Code

The barcode is called a ‘Quick Response Code’, a two-dimensional image that can store up to 450 characters of alphanumerical information – much more than a traditional barcode you see on the back of products you get at Tesco. It works by storing information both horizontally and vertically in the image. The example to the right is one I created to test the service and you can have a go as well at the site – but it’s Internet Explorer only at the moment.

What can it do?

There’s a short tour on the idea over at the site which is rather interesting and explains the concept nicely. It basically shows one use of the idea: that you can put your barcode on business cards and allow those who can and who want to, to add your information quickly and simply without having to manually input the information. This is a time saving idea.

Besides the implementations that the site shows, there are numerous other ways to use the service. The barcodes could be placed on websites, in e-mails, in text messages, on paperwork – on anything that requires your personal details to be there. If it’s on a computer screen, it can be captured odd the screen. If it’s on paper, it can be captured of that easily. It reminds me of my GCSE examinations that I took just a few months ago with which, most noticeably on the science papers, had our personal information printed on them along with a barcode. This is exactly the same thing – the Windows Live Barcode service can hold any information as long as it’s under 450 characters.

Foreseen Problems

There’s always some problems – especially with any Microsoft service – but there are some here that would mean the barcodes would basically be superfluous. To decode the information contained in the barcode, it needs to be captured by a camera within the phone or device. This created a problem. Although the cameras contained within these phones and PDAs are getting better and better every week, the user has to take a picture of the barcode – any movement or any focus issues can cause it to fail decoding and more time is spent scanning it again. Though, the actual barcode itself goes some way to try and avoid this by containing the 3 corner squares as a reference for the decoding software and so it should decode images that are just slightly blurred.

I don’t have a Windows Mobile powered phone, nor the software to try this service out in a real world test so I can’t comment on the usability of this service nor the practicality of it, but the idea is something I like and I think that many businesses will employ, even if just internally. One issue does remain though; will the service be free? I’m going to bet that there will be a charge somewhere, maybe for the software download. Even so, I think that the idea of a digital contact card could be a useful tool for business men and women on the go. Although this will be much more popular in places like America and Japan, it will spread. Give it a go, try it out and leave a comment on what you think. Will the idea go further than the suggestion box at Microsoft and what other uses can you think of?

New Features

Firefox 2 introduces some new features like automatic in-built spell checking, a new default theme and phishing protection. All these things were provided by third-party extensions in previous versions of Firefox but are now built in for ease of use. I’m particularly pleased that a spell checker has been implemented because it will mean less spelling mistakes in my posts! But, this also means that you can install different dictionaries so I can keep learning Spanish. The good thing about the spell checker is that it works with ‘interactive’ text areas such as TinyMCE and other – something it didn’t use to do.

The new default theme is… different from the previous ‘winstripe’ theme that Firefox had before (on Windows). Personally, I’m not a fan because the icons are a little dull for my liking and the go button is something also not to my taste. But, apparently it’s had a very warm reception anyway. The theme introduces an update on the way Firefox handles tabs as well. Tabs now have their own individual close buttons and they’re styled differently and I do have to say it looks pretty nice the way the tabs are styled. At the right end of the tabs bar there’s also a drop-down list of open tabs so selecting one if you’ve a few tabs open is now easier than going through all of them via trial and error.

With the new release, Mozilla have put a lot of emphasis on security by introducing a phishing filter. In previous versions of Firefox this was also provided by a third-party extension such as the Google Toolbar but is now provided by both Mozilla and Google, in-built into Firefox. This is handy and puts the browser in good running with the less experienced web users as well as internet regulars such as myself, ahem . As usual, if you use Google as your phishing filter, every website you visit is sent to them and this may deter some users from using the service (as was discussed in a previous post on Google).

Another feature that’s been introduced, following in the footsteps of Opera is session restoration. Firefox can now restore tabs you’ve lost or if you close the browser accidentally, you can open it again with the sites you were viewing before it closed. This is a very nifty feature for those who underestimate the might of their mouse!

Enhancements

There has been a lot of enhancements applied to Firefox 2. These include thousands of bug fixes and security upgrades. Firefox is one of the, if not the, most safest free web browser available on the internet thanks to thousands of security experts. The enhancements that have been made include upgraded security, more customisation options and improved feed viewing as well as the others I’ve mentioned above.

Firefox 2, as I’ve mentioned, introduces a phishing filter to help stop identity theft as well as a number of bug fixes but it also introduces a better add-on (themes and extensions) manager as well as a search engine manager and a new options interface. They’re all designed to make things easier, simpler and more aesthetically pleasing but at the same time providing more options for the user. There are hundreds, maybe thousands of available extensions and themes available for everyone to utilise – only Firefox offers that amount of customisation. The new options interface features some new icons as well as the new options for handling web feeds and the new security options. It’s all presented neatly and is actually very inviting. There are loads of options you can edit to your liking and they’re all sub-divided as well; how handy.

The Firefox Following

Firefox has a huge following of almost every type of user you can think of. In just over two years, Firefox has jumped into the mainstream limelight and was pushed into a market that was begging for an alternative to Internet Explorer and Safari. Almost everyone I know uses Firefox and if they don’t, they don’t use Internet Explorer. It’s a testament to the Mozilla folks and everyone who’s contributed to Firefox that the word is now out. Rocket Boom did a piece a while back where they went out into the city and asked random people whether they used Internet Explorer or Firefox. The results were surprising to many – the word of Mozilla Firefox had spread further than many had thought. Look how far it’s come.

Mozilla Firefox is gaining more and more of the market share every month and Microsoft is losing share every month. Community sites like SpreadFirefox are a hub of communication for suggestions, news and experiences between users and it’s free, open and inviting. Mozilla has expanded into Europe and Japan and is selling merchandise to help fund their venture – something worth while in my opinion. For some reason Mozilla fuels it’s community, it empowers them to make their products better. You can put names and faces to the people of Mozilla like Aza Dotzler and Ben Goodger unlike some other browsers which makes it a more personal affair.

The Best Thing

I carried out a small and simple survey over MSN Windows Live Messenger while writing this and asked people what’s the one best thing about Firefox in your opinion?. These were the top 5 answers I received with the top answer being the most popular:

1. Tabbed browsing
2. Easy to use
3. New security features
4. Session restore feature
5. Customisation options

So, Firefox 2. In the words of Cow, is Firefox fixing the wheel or is it just reinventing it? Try it out for your self, download it now and give it a whirl. Check out the add-on site also to extend Firefox’s capabilities.

Getting It Known

I bet that those who are reading this, when you saw the image above, automatically knew what each logo was and which browser it was connected to. This shows how much each of these 3 major browsers have come. I was introduced to Mozilla Firefox by a friend but I can’t remember when and I’ve asked several other people if they could remember when they switched to their current browser of choice and they can’t remember either. The fact is though that all the people I talked to had used or knew about all three browsers – Opera, Firefox and Internet Explorer. The difference is why each browser is known. Internet Explorer is obviously packaged with all Windows operating systems and so is known to all Windows users. But Opera and Mozilla Firefox are a different breed. Their popularity is due to their communities and the amount of freedom they provide the user. Both of them rely on user contribution and the user’s creativity to fuel them. Although Opera not so much, they each use these factors to their advantage.

A Photo Finish?

Before the end of 2006, both Internet Explorer 7 and Mozilla Firefox 2 are to be released – a major milestone for both browsers. But, I pose the question whether both these browsers are losing steam. Microsoft took the route of offering public betas and release candidates of this version of Internet Explorer which generated a lot of attention but Mozilla hasn’t really been in the spotlight. Sure, they let users’ names appear in the credits of version 2 but it’s not even close to what happened with the release of Mozilla Firefox 1. That was an amazing release. If you can remember back to the 9th November 2004, Mozilla held a live webcast and IRC chat for the release – I even got my question asked and answered! That was amazing. I would have thought that version 2 would be an even bigger event. Things seem to suggest it won’t be. But, as always, that’s not to say that it doesn’t have a decent backing. Internet Explorer 7 has caught up with the other major browsers in some respects, but it will always lag behind due to less than regular releases.

Hey Presto! Meet Gecko and Trident

Mozilla has already been developing Firefox 3 and has been planning version 4 but there’s a (not-so) new kid on the block. Opera has been around for a bloody long time – since 1996 but it wasn’t free. This all changed on 20th September 2005 when the Opera browser became totally free; taking a page out of most other browsers’ books. I think this propelled Opera into something they could of never reached by selling their browser. They gave it a new look (with the weird people, I think you all remember) and introduced new features that probably the common user wouldn’t use. On the underground, Opera is known as one of the first browsers to support up and coming web standards and features that other browsers don’t implement for months in official releases – also increasing their popularity within the developer community. This may be well and good but if they’re up and coming features, they won’t be in general use over the web and so the common user most likely isn’t going to bump into them. I’m going off on a tangent here. Cue another paragraph.

The Choice is Yours

You’ve got an exceptional choice when choosing an internet browser. You want something that works and is on Windows already? Internet Explorer is there. You want something that is customisable, safer, fast and expandable? Mozilla Firefox is your man. Want something that is feature-packed (bloated?), available on your mobile, strictly standards based and actually very fast? I must reluctantly advertise Opera, then. If you want to be different then you have a choice of the ‘rebel’ browsers such as the socially-orientated Mozilla Firefox fork, Flock. You could even go for the bruised reincarnation of Netscape – if you needed to.

As I’m a Windows user (buy me a Mac, I may be persuaded to defect) I’ve only highlighted browsers here that are available for Windows. Firefox and Opera are both available on quite a few other operating systems so I’m not leaving you out. Mac users also have Safari and Camino to look at. The browser market is flooded and the choice for consumers is bigger than ever. More and more browsers are becoming free and gaining a large community behind them, adopting the Mozilla philosophy and fueling their own success.

My Final Thoughts

As I’ve said, I’ve been an avid Mozilla and Mozilla Firefox fan since Khlo introduced me to the browser in February 2004; Firefox 0.8. Blimey, it’s only been just over 2 years. I feel like I’ve been using for more than that. I suppose that with the pace of development and all the releases it would feel longer. I like Mozilla Firefox because it is an image of simplicity yet allows a user to make it personal and enables everyone to extend it through extensions/add-ons and themes. But, my faith has been wavering lately. I’ve been using the release candidates of version 2 since RC1 and I’ve not been impressed. The new default theme and toolbar layout is something that I feel should not have happened. Yes, this is changable via themes but the default theme should be something a user should like because he or she will see and use it atleast once. Plus, I feel that Firefox is lagging behind other browsers like Flock and Opera – tests on Opera’s rendering engine (‘Presto’) and JavaScript support have left Firefox and Internet Explorer eating Opera’s dust. But, don’t worry, I’m sticking with Mozilla Firefox for the meanwhile because Opera is just a bloated monster filled with helium. Well, a browser is like a religion I suppose. What are your comments and experience on the browsers I’ve been discussing? Comment.

Calculator

This post has stemmed from my thoughts on how a simple program that comes with most, maybe all operating systems – the calculator. Windows provides all users with both a standard and scientific calculator to work with. Yet, when I want to calculate something, I open Firefox (if it’s not already open) and enter my calculation into Google. I prefer to write the calculation into Google’s search box rather than into the Windows Calculator interface. This simple act lead me on to think about other ways I employ Google in my everyday life.

You’ve Got Mail Google

Nearly everyone who’s keen on internet technology has a Google Mail account and uses it quite regularly. I use Google Mail as my secondary e-mail account although I use it more because it’s the e-mail I use for my alias around the web. I also use my e-mail address provided by my ISP via Mozilla Thunderbird but that is used only occasionaly for formal communication and to check my parents’ e-mail. Also, as a Mozilla Firefox user, I use the unofficial Gmail Notifier extension to notify me of new mail. Google Mail is now not only a website I visit, but it has a presence on every page I visit in my browser.

One Stop Shop

Google is really the one stop shop for everything anyone needs. Google has created tools for the common internet user, webmasters, corporations, small businesses and everyone else; even tools that no one will probably ever use but looks good. Google Earth, Google Mail, Google Blog Search, Google Code Search, Google Reader, Google Analytics, Google Picasa, Google Talk, Google Writely, Google Trends, Google Calendar, Google Adsence, Google Spreadsheet, Google Video and the list goes on and on…

Google is pretty much the jack of all trades and usually the master of all of them. They’ve taken a presence on many businesses’ websites websites under the ‘Finding Us’ header and they have really been the dominant provider of search results over past years. Google recently took a move into schools by getting British school children to design a Google logo in the theme of Britain for a competition – you don’t have to use a computer to see Google anymore. More often than not, especially on the news, you’ll see a faint Google logo in the bottom right of your screen as they use graphics generated from Google Earth to show you things from around the world. Google is on your TV. In America, Google is trying out radio adverts. Google is everywhere.

Google & You

If you use any Google service, you’ve most likely got a Google Account. I know for me, Google has collected a lot of information about me, and as long as it doesn’t do an AOL, I’m pretty fine with that. I seem to trust Google with my data. Whatever you search, any e-mail you send or recieve and any images you look at; Google know. Any Google service you use, Google collects data. What it does with it, I’ve no idea but it must be useful to them in some way. Google is much like Microsoft. Just go with me here for the moment. I mean in terms of Microsoft’s Passport idea. The Google Account is fast becoming a universal login. But, as more services either use the Google Account for logins, or are bought by Google (is YouTube about to become the next family member?), will you still trust Google to gather your data from all the services you use or is Google becoming ‘evil’ at this point? It may be handy to have one account for all the services you use, but is it practical? What happens if someone guesses your password? What happens if all your data is lost? All your services lost.

Google is slowly moving into a bigger chunk of our lives – even our language – but is there a point where Google should stop? A point where Google is going too far? Is Google becoming evil? What do you think and what are your experiences?

Technical Refresh

This update or sorts is compatible with Windows Server 2003, Windows XP (SP2) and Microsoft Windows Vista RC1. The update improves the Office 2007 suite by making the programs faster and there are also some graphical enhancements. The update provides the programs with new splash screens and new program icons which look really nice and are a refreshing modern design. Inside the programs, there are subtle user interface changes as well with the main program menu being revamped. There also seem to be a change in some of the icons used inside the programs itself, especially in Excel 2007. All in all it’s more responsive, aesthetically more pleasing and feels like something you’d like to use. There’s no risk; download it today and update your Office 2007 installation. It’s a mean 500MB download but took me longer to install it that to download it so, just warning you this isn’t dial-up friendly (not like anyone is using dial-up anymore… I hope).

General Thoughts

I’m really pleased with Microsoft’s new Office Suite. Although there’s a great free alternative out there (OpenOffice), you can’t been good old Microsoft Office. You go onto any PC with Windows installed, you’re almost guaranteed to find an installation of Office on it. The new look and feel to Office 2007 is ver nice, very modern and very curvy. It wouldn’t be possible really to have made this version, as it is, without the adoption of even bigger screen sizes – the 17, 19 and 21 inches in screens we see so widely nowadays. It has even more flexibility than the previous versions of Office and it’s much easier to use with toolbars replaced by tabs and sections. It’s much more user friendly and will allow both new adopters and seasoned users to become familiar quickly and be happy to use it. It brings some new features that I welcome with much anticipation like SmartArt and Formulas. I just hope Microsoft take notice of OpenOffice’s gaining popularity and price it competitvely.

Availability

I’m going to start off with the juicy details of when you can get your ugly mits on the Wii. It’s hitting the UK on the 8th of December this year in white and with around 20 games at launch – not including the free copy of Wii Sports included with the console! The box will cost £179.99 and this includes: 1x Wii console, 1x Wii Remote, 1x Wii Nunchuck, 1x Wii Sports, 1x Sensor Bar, 1x Wii Stand, basic cabling and one £20 voucher to download any of the content from the Wii’s Virtual Console. Also, the Wii’s Internet browser, developed by Opera, will be available for free until June 2007 via the Virtual Console as well.

The USA gets the Wii on 19th November, Japan on the 2nd December and Australia on the 7th December – Europe is last as usual.

Main Features

Nintendo have takes an unconventional approach to their newest console by reinventing the hardware used rather than just upgrading it. The Wii has dumped the traditional controller design in favour of a remote. Yes, a remote like the one you use to change channels on your TV. Why? Nintendo has said it appeals to both gamers and non-gamers by providing a new and unconventional way to traditional gamers and a familiar control to those who have never played on a games console before. The Wii Remote (or Wiimote as it’s known) detects your movements in all 3 spacial demensions and also includes accelerometers to judge the speed of the remote – this is used in games like Wii Tennis and Wii Golf.

The Nunchuck attachment plugs into the bottom of the Wii Remote and includes an analogue stick, the same spatial detection capabilites as the Remote and two extra buttons, Z and C. The Wii also boasts 4 Gamecube controller ports to if anyone still has those controllers, they can use them for any Gamecube games they have lying around.

The Wii console itself is the size of 3 stacked DVD cases and features a slot-loading disk bay that will accept both Wii and Gamecube disks. Nintendo recently announced they curbed DVD playback ability to cut costs and speed up production – who needs another DVD player anyway; especially when they’re only around £30. At launch, the console will only be available in white but Nintendo have said that more colours are to be phased in over time. The Wii won’t support High Definition but will support widescreen formats – mind you, the graphics capabilities of the Wii don’t really call for HD output anway.

Virtual Console

As I’ve said, there will be around 20 new titles for the Wii available to buy (including the new Zelda title and the much advertised Red Steel) but Wii owners will be able to purchase 20 years of gaming history for around £5 – £10 for games from classic consoles like NES, SNES, Nintendo 64 and even the Sega Mega Drive! This is a great idea and Nintendo hope that it’s version of the Xbox Live Marketplace does just as well as the original has.

Games purchased via the Virtual Console can either be stored on the Wii’s internal 512MB storage or onto an optional SD memory card that can be inserted into the SD card slot on the Wii. The use of SD cards to expand the Wii’s memory capability is a genius idea because SD cards are relatively cheap and it means the consumers don’t pay stacks of cash for branded memory cards. It also means that you can take your games and play them on another Wii as well.

The Virtual Console, like the Xbox Live Marketplace, will have it’s own virtual currency. I’m going to call them Wii Points and you can buy 2000 Wii Points for around £14 apparantly – although this amounts seems a little too exact so maybe they’ll make it a bit more logical and make it £10 for 2000 points. Like Microsoft, this is where Nintendo hope to make most of their money.

The Channels

The Wii’s interface, like the Xbox 360 and the PS3, features a dashboard like feature. For the Wii, it offers different ‘channels’. These include the Mii Channel, News Channel, Weather Channel, Photo Channel and an Internet Channel (when you’ve downloaded the Opera browser for Wii). Although the channels like the Weather and Photo channel seem useless – who really checks the weather every day? With the power of the Wii, is photo editing really an efficient process when it can be done quicker and better on a PC? But, for first time users, they may seem pretty neet such as parents drawing devil horns on their children’s heads while they’re at school.

The Mii channel allows you to create your own 3D avatar that you can place in games like the Wii Sports games. The avatar is sent to the remote and assigned to that remote so you can take the remote with you and add your avatar to a game over your friend’s house – pretty neat and fun. During E3, Miyamoto appeared in the demo of Wii Tennis and recieved an applause of claps and laughter and that’s when the first signs of the Mii channel originated from. You can view the different channels and how they work on the official site.

Pre-Ordering

So, now I’ve got all the amazing details out the way, you’re probably wondering where you can pre-order the damn thing! It looks like there is going to be a shortage, like the Xbox 360 in December last year, but not as big a one. These retailers are currently accepting pre-orders of the console in bundle form and/or on-its-own form: PC World, GAME (console on its own only available in stores; bundles online), Gamestation (in store only), Play.com and HMV.

Main Features

It’s been revealed that the Zune’s main selling point is the ability to send songs and photos to other Zune owners using the built in Wi-Fi. But, it was also revealed that those songs sent over Wi-Fi will basically be adverts – the recipient will only be able to play the sent song 3 times in as many days. You decide whether Microsoft are shooting themselves in the foot. On the subject of DRM, don’t forget to contribute to anti-DRM day on the 3^rd October over at DefectiveByDesign. So, even if you’ve made the song yourself, the Zune will apply ‘viral’ DRM to that song so the recipient can only listen to it 3 times.

The Zune will host your music, photos and video and will sport a 30GB harddrive to store this on. Although this is no way near the new 80GB iPods storage capacity, Microsoft hopes that the Wi-Fi fad and it’s larger 16:9 aspect LCD screen will make up for the storage shotcomings. I don’t know anyone who’s used all their space on their iPod so maybe it’s not that bad. There’s been no word on the codecs that the Zune will support but you can expect the usual support for Microsoft’s own formats like .wma, .wmv and the obvious .mp3 and .jpg – but will Microsoft drop a blow and make us convert most of our songs, videos and photos and waste valuable hours? We’ll just have to wait for the official announcement.

The Zune also has a built-in FM tuner so you can listen to your favourite radio station when your 3 plays of that song your friend sent you runs out. In my opinion, this is something that all portable media players should have because it’s the small things that count.

And, the final point in this section, there’s the obligatory software to compliment the Zune. It looks like an iTunes-like program for Zune owners will allow them to purchase songs in two different ways: pay-per-song or unlimited downloads for a monthly fee. This software, dubbed ‘Zune Marketplace‘ will basically allow you to purchase tracks, maybe even albums and hopefully video. Of course, just like iTunes it won’t be a full market straight off. Artists and labels will be added over time, as with video – hopefully even branching into video (I do hope the vidoes available on iTunes will be available for Zune, especially with it’s 16:9 aspect ration screen.

Zune Peripherals

The Zune apparantly has a number of peripherals lined up for it. On the official Microsoft press release, there are details of the first party accessories that are lined up. You can take a peek at them here and also oggle at the lovely press photos of the Zune iteself. There are also a handful of third party peripherals apparantly lined up as well.

Zune Not Coming Zune

Although I’m going on about the Zune, It’s a sad fact that Microsoft has decided to release the Zune this year only in the USA. Unlike the Xbox 360, which recieved a world wide launch (although with severe shortages), the Zune is apparantly going to be phased into other countries during 2007. This could be problematic. The consensus is that the Zune is to be released around the 14^th November in the USA – do you want to get outdated hardware after waiting months to get your hands on it? I wouldn’t. And certainly giving Europe a ‘special’ colour Zune won’t make up for the lost time and hardware update. The Zune, in the USA anyway, is to be priced less than the current iPod pricing. This would put the Zune, here in the UK and Europe, at around £170 and €240 (I’m not very good at currency conversions). I mean, if the Zune came out here in the UK in time for Christmas, I would get it to accompany my Wii.

Conclusion

So, it’s both better and worse than the iPod in it’s own rights. Microsoft are entering an already flooded market and I think should’ve tested the Zune on a smaller population (such as here in the UK ) before trying to crack iPod country a.k.a the USA. Microsoft have already started to get the brand out, giving away free Zunes to middle-aged women on chat shows and getting it reviewed by some well known and respected bloggers. Will the Zune take a chunk out of the iPod dominated market? Probably not. But, it’s got some nifty features and if Microsoft want to really break into the market, they need to rethink a lot of the features as well. They should take the viral DRM away – say no to DRM – and also make sure they support as many popular codecs as they can (OGG, DivX etc.) to appeal to both the general public and those tech savy enough to use other formats. Microsoft, hear our cries (atleast hear them before the European launch)!

Direct Link: http://ms.nintendo-europe.com/wii/wii_video_001.swf

Nintendo Wii

Earlier today, Nintendo announced the price and date that we can get our mittens on the Wii, and it’s not a pleasant deal. If what happened with the Xbox 360 here in the UK is anything to go by, I do hope Nintendo have thought this through – I only got my Xbox 360 in January after phoning round all the GAME, Gamestation, Argos and Tesco stores in my county!

The price will be £179.99 (€249.99). This annoys me. If we convert this to dollars, it comes out as about $337 dollars – $80 more than their paying. We’re paying an extra £43 and we’re getting it as close to Christmas as they could get it. We’re also paying about £5 more for games than the Americans are. Damn economies.

The date will be 8^th December in Europe – after Australia get it. I’ve commented on some of the Engadget posts that a company needs to do a worldwide simultaneous launch, just for once. Even if people have to wait, the response would be amazing and they wouldn’t have people like me whining like I am right now. So, mark it in your diaries and start looking for pre-order links. I’m signed up to recieve updates from most major retailers and PC World is going to annouce their pre-order date soon (although I’d trust Argos because they have a very good reputation during the Xbox 360 fiasco in December/January last year).

The European console bundle will include a white Wii console, one Wii remote, one Nunchuck and Wii Sports. The browser will be at extra cost, hopefully at around £5.

Other Wii News

The other day it was announced that the Wii has lost its support for DVD playback. To be honest, I’m pleased. In my bedroom I have 5 DVD players and feel that the drop in price that has occured due to this loss is worth it. I mean, if you haven’t got a DVD player, go down to your local Argos and pick up one for less than £30! Also, it seems that the Wii will accept USB sticks as a storage media which looks good. This as well as SD cards.

Also, news that Wii games are region-free is joyus news. Personally, I’d rather import some games from America and get them cheaper. This is one of the only good things Nintendo have told us this week.

Check Out

• Official UK Wii Site
• Engagdet post
• Opera for devices

I’ve been watching a lot of Family Guy and American Dad lately and I have to say that they’re the funniest shows on television. Family Guy especially has had me in tears a number of times and I suggest you go around YouTube and MetaCafe looking for clips – it’s well worth it.

So, I’ve now applied to Tesco, BP, Robert Dyas, Woolworths, Argos and the local corner shop – but all to no avail. I’ve been told whether I’ve actually got a job by just 3 or the six places, which I feel is just slightly rude. But there you go. I also got confirmation today of my speculative application to RM. I phoned a person in charge after they sent me an e-mail and they took my current details and confirmed they’ll keep me on record until after I finish 6^th Form. So, my future is starting to maybe take shape.

There, that’s your update.