Micro$oft Speaks to Windows Mobile 5 Upgrade Issues

It's possible that advances in the Windows Mobile OS are somewhat dependent on the gaming community.

We certainly have a few innovations that warrant a robust, stable OS capable of high-level API coding to partake of the best of the Pocket PC gaming realm.

The desktop PC owes a debt of gratitude to gamers. Unless, of course, you think that the user base was doing nothing else but playing with their MS Office apps on a routine basis.

The large drive towards hardware and processing power innovation is driven by folks largely like myself.

Video card manufacturers like ATI and nVidia have been posting record sales of high-end 3D hardware acceleration cards for years, with desktop PC gamers more than willing to pony up over $600 CDN on the next massively multipipelined hardware behemoth.

The Windows Mobile world can hardly be called a parallel gaming universe.

A lot of frustration has been thrown Microsoft's way, largely because of recent developments. The hx4700 is a case in point.

Hewlett Packard's only VGA display handheld was hampered by a revelation: no Windows Mobile 5.0 upgrade could be issued for this device until the following spring.

You'll find more details on the Brighthand.com site regarding this upgrade insight.

Problem is, the mettle of the hardcore Pocket PC game community is lacking. A recent poll off of the IPaqHQ forum site revealed that only just over five percent have opted for a Pocket PC with Windows Mobile 5.

The greater majority is still on WM 2003 Second Edition. The Pocket PC game community has spoken, and by and large they are satisfied with the game power harnessed by devices utilizing this brand of operating system.

The Windows Mobile Team Blog entry was an epiphany of sorts. Mike Calligaro's Windows Mobile article blog spoke to issues concerning disparaging Micro$oft detractors who insist on transposing those dollar signs in the middle of the company name.

His formula is as follows:

(Total cost of doing the upgrade) / (number of people who will use it) = (unreasonable price)

In essence, he attributes our PDA gaming community upgrade woes to diseconomies of scale, not greed.

I agree with Mike's view because the dearth of hardware accelerated Pocket PC games speaks volumes.

The newer accelerated titles like GeoRally EX are less prevalent than new software rendered 3D titles like FFRace - Fast Future Race.

Even more revealing the former is targeted once again towards Axim x50v owners. If that in itself doesn't reek of a lack of PDA hardware compliancy, I don't know what does.

I've dubbed this the PlayStation 2 syndrome: just like the popular gaming console, Pocket PC game developers are catching on to making the most of the programming libraries at hand and producing top-notch games that can be used from Pocket PC 2002 onwards.

With such a broad compatibility demographic, I've already seen it; Pocket PC game production is issuing better games for common operating systems and is possible nearing its zenith for quality.

If things continue like this it will certainly put a crimp on our future Windows Mobile upgrades.

________________________________________________________________

Damian Julien is a Pocket PC gaming authority and long time general gaming hobbyist and reviewer.

He is an IT specialist by trade and has posted numerous articles on Pocket PC emulators, gaming and trends in the industry.

http://www.pdagameguide.com/

AP - A daylong work stoppage during which employees were encouraged to "call in gay" to express support for same-sex marriage drew spotty participation nationwide Wednesday, with some gay rights activists praising the concept but questioning its effect.

Red Lights on Your XBox?

What does it mean when your XBox has Three Flashing Red Lights instead of the normal Green Ones?

Three flashing red lights appear when an Xbox experiences a general hardware failure.These Red Lights are known as the Red Ring of Death to most gamers.

Before this occurs you may have warning signs, like the screen freezing up with strange graphics, or the sound being replaced by a static noise.The console may also say that the disk is unreadable.These signs become more and more frequent, until the hardware failure occurs.

What are Four Red Lights?

Four Red lights are a much more welcome sight, as they appear when the console doesn't detect the AV cable as being plugged in. Simply make sure it is plugged in correctly.

Why did my XBox get the Red Ring of Death?

The XBox was originally designed to be slim. Because of this, there is not enough space for the components to get enough air flow and keep cool. The XBox problem occurs therefore due to overheating.

Can I Prevent this from happening to me?

You may not be able to prevent it from happening, but keeping your XBox cool may help. Make sure it has enough air flow around it when playing, and don't put it on a carpet. If you start seeing any of the warning signs, try not to play for extended periods.

What has Microsoft done about it?

Microsoft claimed in July 2007, to have resolved many issues with the design.Xbox 360 consoles based on the "Falcon" motherboard feature a different CPU which reduces heat and is more reliable than previous models. Failure rates of the "Falcon" motherboard are supposed to be about 10%.

What do I do once my XBox has the Red Ring of Death?

You can either send it in to Microsoft for free (if you are in the 3 year warranty period), or you can fix it yourself. Sending it to Microsoft will take between 3 weeks to 6 weeks including postage time, and you may not get your own console back, but possibly another reconditioned, or repaired console. It also could happen again, which would mean repeating the whole process again.

Should you wish to, you can use the option of repairing it yourself. Have a look at a Repair Guide. Should you repair it yourself, you will probably void your warranty, but at least if it happens again, you will be able to fix it yourself and not have to send it away again.

AP - The scene is difficult to watch, even for viewers inured to the subject of dying by a steady diet of violent Hollywood and television fare. Craig Ewert, a former computer scientist from Chicago, is shown lying in bed with his wife at his side while he takes barbiturates. He asks for a glass of apple juice to mask the bad taste and help him swallow. Then he uses his teeth to turn off his ventilator - and dies on camera.

Exciting PSP Wallpapers and Themes

Because of the historic rise in the popularity of the PlayStation Portable handheld gaming console, various software developers continue to design and create special wallpapers and themes that can enhance its overall appearance. Today, there are countless beautiful and attractive designs available that can make handheld gaming a better and more exciting experience. Console owners can choose from a wide selection of great designs, ranging from anime, sports, and even cartoons.

The PlayStation Portable, or PSP for short, are in high demand these days, especially during a time when people are searching for better forms of quality entertainment. PSP wallpapers and themes can instantly improve the way game consoles look, depending on the personal preferences of their owners. For some, putting Hollywood-inspired designs can be very appealing, while others may prefer displaying their favorite sport icons in front of their PSPs. No matter what they choose for their PSPs, the owners do really have the power of choice with all these super-cool designs.

For animated cartoon lovers, they may find the 'Legend of Heroes' PSP wallpapers and themes very attractive. This set of designs features famous characters from Nihon Falcom Corporation's popular role-playing game series. Aside from this one, there are other exciting anime-inspired PSP wallpapers and themes available out there, including famous animated cartoons such as 'One Piece,' 'Final Fantasy,' and 'Spongebob.'

For all the film buffs out there, they may find super cool motion picture-inspired wallpapers very fascinating. From old movies down to the very latest films in Hollywood, these PSP wallpapers and themes cover it all. Popular designs include 'Underworld,' 'Starwars,' and 'Spawn.' At the same time, there are designs that concentrate more on recent films such as 'Ironman,' 'Batman,' and 'Spiderman.' Additionally, there are also cute wallpapers from films like 'Dance in Rain,' 'Hot Fuzz,' and 'Step Up.'

For car enthusiasts, they will surely appreciate any of these cool PSP wallpapers and themes that feature some of the best-looking car models from different parts of the world. Among the top models downloaded most by Internet users are the Mazda RX-7, McLaren F1 2008, and Chevy Camaro. In the meantime, many PSP owners also like the Ford Mustang, Mercedes Benz Brabus SLR, and BMW E36 M3. Lastly, there are classy automobiles like the Lamborghini Murcielago RGT, Ferrari F430, and Dodge Viper GTS R wallpapers for the PSP as well.

Aside from all the exciting designs described above, there are still other great PSP wallpapers and themes out there. Other popular categories include sports, music, and fashion, while TV, gaming, and sexy designs are also popular among young adults. For kids, PSP wallpapers and themes of their favorite cartoon characters like Dora the Explorer, Barney, and other Walt Disney characters are very much appropriate for their age bracket.

John Grant is a the author for a PSP news site where he is writing articles about PSP themes.

AP - Cancer will overtake heart disease as the world's top killer by 2010, part of a trend that should more than double global cancer cases and deaths by 2030, international health experts said in a report released Tuesday. Rising tobacco use in developing countries is believed to be a huge reason for the shift, particularly in China and India, where 40 percent of the world's smokers now live.

Playing Video Games Using a Wireless Headset

The wireless headset allows video gamers the ability to chat with other players while playing their video games on-line without ever having to worry with another troublesome wire getting in their way of play. This makes the interactive video gaming experience take on a much more extreme level for gamers all over the world.

Purchasing a wireless headset for any video gaming system will add to your gaming experience and give you the ability to chat with other players all over the world. It also keeps your hands free to concentrate solely on the video game itself. Be sure to choose a wireless headset that will be comfortable, because as any serious gamer knows once they start playing a video game it is truly hard to stop.

Many wireless headsets that are being manufactured for the market today have an ergonomic design so that the headset can easily be switched from one ear to the other. This is highly important during long periods of play so that one ear does not start bother the gamer during game play. Most of these wireless headsets also come with at least two sizes of ear grips, which will assist the wireless headset in fitting much more securely.

Another wonderful aspect about these wireless headsets are that they can be used during game play over long periods of time before having to be recharged. In fact, some wireless headsets will allow gamers to play for up to eight hours straight before having to be recharged and then it will only take four hours to completely recharge it. So far designers have not created a wireless headset that can be charged while being used, so that is a down side to these. These wireless headsets will also loose their charge when they are not in use, so it is important to keep them plug up when not using them.

The video gaming industry is constantly growing and manufactures, developers, and designers are constantly trying to discover what will make the video gaming experience more entertaining to video gamers. The wireless headset has become one of the most popular accessories on the market for any video gaming system thanks to the wonderful quality of these wireless headsets that are being produced. Many of the wireless headsets being manufactured for the market today have superior audio quality so video gamers to not have to worry about static when communicating with other gamers.

Wireless headsets give video gamers the ability to interact with other players with wonderful advancements in technology. Some video gaming systems have the capability to handle up to four wireless headsets connected to their console at any given time, which is important when friends get together to play each other in hand to hand combat in some type of war game or go toe to toe in against one another on the track. What ever the passion of the gamer is the wireless headset makes playing video games more exciting by far.

Victor Epand is an expert consultant about kids toys, dolls, and video games. You will find the best marketplace for kids toys, dolls, and used video games at these sites for kids toys, dolls.

AP - Michael Jackson's glittery glove is going on the auction block.