Every single day, gamers see our favorite pastime threatened. If it’s not so-called “school shooting experts” who decide that killers train on videogames, it’s a barrage of bills by politicians who don’t understand that gaming is a legitimate type of media, similar to movies or music. Hal Halpin is leading the fight for our right to play the games we want to play, without the crude censorship that doesn’t happen to other forms of art. Halpin explains how the Entertainment Consumers Association is looking out for us, why he needed to speak out after a recent school shooting, and what the industry should work towards in the next decade. (Read the full post about ‘Interview: ECA President Hal Halpin’…)

Apple today held a press conference announcing several important updates to iPhone. From a consumer perspective, the next major firmware update will be available in June. This iPhone 2.0 patch will be distributed free of charge and will support a number of new features.

The most notable updates will arrive on the business side — essentially the iPhone 2.0 firmware makes the device more business friendly. Apple will be expanding the enterprise functionality to support capabilities like Blackberry-esque push email, calendars and contacts.

(Read the full post about ‘Apple announces iPhone 2.0 software, beta SDK availability’…)

Haze was first announced at E3 back in 2006, and it was originally supposed to come out on Xbox 360, PS3, and PC in Summer 2007. Ubisoft’s Haze will now see a release as a PS3 exclusive about a year after it was supposed to, but developer Free Radical says the added time allowed it to add some new effects. Read on to find out why I’m so excited to play this title.

The game will be a first person shooter, and it looks to feature most of the weapons we’ve gotten used to in FPS titles: pistols, assault rifles, miniguns, shotguns, and rocket launchers. Knives and grenades should also be available.

(Read the full post about ‘Preview: Haze for PS3′…)

I’m a person that loves music, so one would assume that I have a massive collection of CDs. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case, even though I have a ton of MP3s. I was fairly smart and started ripping my CDs a very long time ago, which came in handy when case of 300+ CDs turned up missing. There are several people that I’ve tried to talk into ripping their music not only to keep a backup, but to also make it much easier to listen to their music. I always get the same response that it takes too long and it’s a pain. This CD Ripserver is perfect for those who don’t feel like taking the time and effort to do it themselves. CD ripping doesn’t get much easier than this. (Read the full post about ‘Ripfactory rips your CD collection with ease’…)

Posted Mar 6th 2008 12:14PM by Darren MurphFiled under: Digital Cameras While Casio — along with most everyone else — took the time to roll out a gamut of shooters at CES, the EXILIM Zoom EX-Z9 is sashaying in fashionably late. This 8.1-megapixel camera sports a 2.6-inch lcd monitor, face detection technology, anti-shake DSP, a 3x optical zoom, 18.6MB (and not byte more) of built-in storage, an SD / SDHC / MMC expansion slot, a video mode capable of capturing at 848 x 480 pixels and a rechargeable Li-ion for good measure. You’ll also find a USB / AV output socket and 23 “Best Shot” modes for those who just love choices, but the hard part will be deciding which of the four colors (pink, silver, black and orange) is really worth your $159.99. (Read the full post about ‘Casio unveils 8.1-megapixel EXILIM Zoom EX-Z9′…)

Modern statistics show that a majority of people who goes online becomes in some ways addicted to the Internet. Average internet user spends nearly 34 hours per week in the World Wide Web. Easily calculated, it means that majority of people spend almost five hours a day in front of their monitors - five hours that they could have spent exercising, walking or playing sports. Most common problem - internet blogs dependence. It becomes apparent when persons refuse to do something because they do not want to lose connection to their friends in the virtual world. How could you exercise when all your friends are online and you do not want to stop reading? Believe it or not, it is a very common problem. (Read the full post about ‘Exercise right at your PC’…)

Sometimes I have to wonder if there is a limit to eco-friendly gadgets that try to save as much energy as possible. For example, the Benkatine Turbine: a device from Leviathan Energy that allows you to generate electricity when you flush the toilet. The device works using the principles of hydroelectric power. In other words, water flows in (or, in the case of flushing, out) a turbine fan spins, and power is generated. Not only can the Benkatine Turbine generate power from the indoor plumbing, but it can be used outside to generate power from gutter drainage. I have to admit that this is a pretty obvious use for what is essentially wasted energy from our…waste. (Read the full post about ‘Benkatine Turbine Makes Energy While You Flush’…)

Isn’t this a hoot - the British government has now issued an order to wrap their lampposts in padding just because there have been a fair number of cases where texting citizens did not see where they’re going, being too eager to compose a text message about the latest family gossip, only to find themselves seeing stars after walking into one of these numerous public structures. I wonder what kind of padding will be used, and will insurance companies heave a sigh of relief knowing that there will be less claims filed? Tags: DVD, wireless, tech, wi-fi (Read the full post about ‘Lampposts Padded For Injury Prevention’…)

The Asus Eee is so popular that it has become the target of pretty much every PC manufacturer. ECS is the latest company to finally launch a competitor on this low-cost (< $500) new sub-notebook segment. But unlike the Cloudbook from Everex, ECS actually has a good shot at doing some damage. First, it is a nice design. Secondly, it has a 3G access built-in, which can be a benefit (always-on access) and a disadvantage (cost of the subscription). The lack of optical drive might also turn-away customers, but hey, the macbook air doesn’t have one either. Obviously, there is WiFi and Bluetooth should be in too. Related: Why Are PC Manufacturers so Afraid of the Asus Eee? (Read the full post about ‘ECS D10IL Asus Eee Killer Launched’…)

Logitech surprised everyone at CeBIT and unveiled their very first wireless headset. The Logitech ClearChat PC Wireless headset, if I might say so myself, looks good. It’s a 2.4 GHz wireless which allows you use it even if you’re 33 feet away from your computer. The earphones deliver uncompressed, high-quality audio sound, while the microphone uses noise-cancelling technology. All of this is made possible solely through its USB transmitter, with no other pairing or software requirements. The Logitech ClearChat PC Wireless headset will be sold for around 50 in US and Europe on May, 2008. (Read the full post about ‘Logitech ClearChat PC Wireless Headset’…)