If you're a lucky, lucky person, someone `ust bought you that shiny new desktop or laptop you've been longing for. Well, try to curb your excitement a little bit longer. On his blog, Forward Thinking, Michael Miller posted a truly useful list of tasks you should do before you start using your new PC that'll save you some trouble and heartache later on.
His first tip? "Make sure you have restore disks. These are disks that will restore your computer to its original state, just in case something bad happens to the configuration. Many computers come with restore disks, others with a "restore partition" on the hard disk, and still others with software that lets you make a restore disk. Don't forget about this--take or make the disks now, and put them in a safe place where you'll know where to find them. Then when and if you need them, you'll know where to find them. I like to do this almost immediately on a new computer, right after plugging everything together, turning it on, and connecting to my home network."
Spore fans: We know you must be attached to your Spore avatar--after all, you've raised it from a single cell. You can now have a physical model of your beloved Spore character.
Maxis, an Electronic Arts studio, and Z Corporation announced today that Spore fans can transform their one-of-a-kind character to the real world with Spore Sculptures, a platform enabling fans to go beyond the game and do even more with their creativity.
"At its heart, Spore is a tool for creativity. Since launch, fans have made more than 40 million Spore creatures, vehicles and buildings," said Patrick Buechner, Vice President of Marketing at Maxis. "We wanted to give players a way to extend their in-game creativity to the real world. The flexibility of the in-game creation tools allows an almost limitless variety of Spore Sculptures."
Still stuck for what to give this holiday season? Or to ask for when a family member or friend asks for hints? Obviously, for many people this is not a year for excessive giving. (Nothing wrong with excessive receiving.) When you give, don't forget the cost of the gift over time: Ten years ago it was the cost of film and processing on top of your non-digital camera; now it's the $25 cost of Blu-ray discs ($10 more than DVDs) on top of the $200 Blu-ray player (at least the players are finally priced right). In the meantime, here are five gadgets, accessories, and gear I've used, liked, and think you will, too, from $5 to $1,000.
The holidays are getting closer and closer. And the more compulsive among us have already finished buying gifts, wrapping them, and stowing them in the closet or the car.
But if you've chosen to procrastinate your holiday shopping, all is not yet lost! Web shopping may save you. We've collected deadlines from some of the biggest online shopping sites, so you'll know exactly how long you can wait to shop and still get your gifts delivered by Christmas Eve.
Wednesday, Dec. 17: Last day for free Super Saver Shipping (free on orders of $25 and over). Also, this is the last day for gift cards to be sent through the mail, but gift cards sent through e-mail at any time.
Thursday, Dec. 18: Last day for standard shipping.
Sunday, Dec. 21: Last full day to order and receive two-day shipping.
Monday, Dec. 22: Last full day to order and get one-day shipping for $3.99 per item with Amazon Prime, and free two-day shipping with Amazon Prime (roder as late as 3 p.m. PST).
Tuesday, Dec. 23: One-day shipping for $3.99 per item with Amazon Prime (order as late as 3 p.m. PST).
Have you heard anyone say "print is dead" lately? Well, it doesn't actually seem to be: In a weird and ironic sort of turnaround, some of the more popular Web sites and blogs this year decided to compound their popularity by compiling the best online content into book form--yep, paper and all.
I've compiled a list of books that are certainly geeky enough to get some recognition on a gadget blog. Surely you or someone you know deserves one of these geeky tomes!
Ask a Ninja Presents the "Ninja Handbook" ($14.95) by Douglas Sarine and Kent Nichols
Ask A Ninja is a series of comedy videos created by Los Angeles improvisational comedians Kent Nichols and Douglas Sarine....
Looking for an iPod nano (fourth generation) case as groovy-looking as the player itself? Agent 18 (love that name) is offering the Nano FlowerVest (G4) case, in hip pink/light pink and yellow/white versions, for $24.99.
The company sent us a sample case. Besides the nifty flower design and colors, I like the silicon FlowerVest's snug fit. It's thin enough to allow for easy access to all the nano's controls, but thick enough to provide bump protection to the player--as well as guarding its colorful finish.
The case also comes with a Cord Wrap (which was too small to help much with my non-Apple headset cord but may be helpful for controlling the nano's included earbuds cord).
It's that time of year--the time when we in the media tend to sum up everything in the world that happened within the year in endless amounts of "Best of..." and "Worst of..." lists. Personally I love those lists--best dressed, worst behaved, best movies, worst slang words, and so on. And it's bonus fun to disagree with them.
To put 2008 into perspective in the tech world, PCMag editors and analysts put our heads together to let you know which of the year's products--including desktops, laptops, cameras, MP3 players, phones, and much more--we consider to be tops: We considered design, price, value, and overall coolness. Head on over and tell us what we left out!
Show off your photos in style this holiday season with quality digital photo frame, like the Sony VAIO Wi-Fi Photo Frame (VGF-CP1). This photo frame delivers everything you'd expect from a Sony product: elegant design, a full feature set, and a hefty price tag.
Of all the photo frames we've tested recently Sony's is the most expensive, but the 800-by-480-pixel widescreen Sony VAIO VGF-CP1 also offers the best value. It takes full advantage of its Wi-Fi connectivity, offering Picasa photo feeds, news reports, and even full Web-browsing capabilities. In fact, if it weren't for a few minor bugs we might have even given it the elusive 5-star rating. If you need more convincing to plunk down $299 on this photo frame, check out our in-depth review at PCMag.com.
I can't think of a better way to save than getting a reward in turn every time you keep some money for the future instead of blowing it all off. This piggy bank is perfect for those rearing to go play some old skool arcade games while saving a bit of loose change for the Holidays at the same time.
Over at Strapya World, people figured out how best to keep toy geeks like me from splurging all our money buying new tech toys. How? By coming up with a piggy bank that's also a miniature arcade machine, that's how. The piggy bank you see on the image will let you play either Tetris or Atari Breakout every time you drop in a coin. The real-looking classic arcade gaming rig form is a huge plus for me as well. Perfect as a gift for other people or for yourself this Christmas, it's now on sale at Strapya World for $40.
If you know a little girl who loves to sing, she might just love the iCarly Karaoke System. I tried is out last weekend, and it made me feel like a kid again!
The system includes two microphone inputs, so you can sing alone or with a friend. It also includes a 5-inch black-and-white monitor so little rock stars can see themselves while performing. If the monitor is not big enough for you, you can hook the system up to a TV with the provided cables. Just pop in a CD and sing along while the lyrics are displayed on the screen.
Although this system comes ready to please, it can stand a splash of improvement. One thing I would like to change about this system is the black and white monitor. That makes it seem really outdated to me. I think if the monitor would display color it would bring it up to date. I also think it would be a great idea if there was a way to let the kids record their performance. That way they can show others who weren't able to see it live.
Want a good way to ruin your holidays? How about inadvertently burning down the Christmas tree? Only you can prevent Christmas tree fires, and ezGear's ezSpace UFO in Holiday Green can help. More than just a simple rectangular power strip, according to ezGear, the UFO is "the most versatile power extender in the world."
It has a patented internal and external design that allows you to fit a power transformer on every plug in the most compact configuration. The UFO has an inverse slanted design which allows for more space for plugs with large power transformers. It offers 1050 Joules of surge protection, and has six standard grounded outlets. The UFO even has a built in switch to turn all your lights on and off at one time.
For only $24.99, the ezSpace UFO is a good investment.
Some things do come true! Earlier this year, ThinkGeek April Fooled all of us with its Personal Soundtrack T-shirt. The shirt contained an embedded speaker on the front, and when you pushed the button on the included remote, you could hear music or sound effects for any situation—sort of like a soundtrack to your life.
Well, I'm happy to say that the joke is no longer on us. Due to popular demand, ThinkGeek decided to go ahead and design the Personal Soundtrack Shirt for real. The design remains the same, with a built-in speaker on the front of the shirt, as well as a pocket remote with 20 buttons that let you select one of 10 music themes or one of 10 different sound effects. You can load your own sound effects and music using standard MP3 files. Even more, play your iPod or other portable audio player through the speaker for even more music choices.
Hurry and pick one up today for $40, because this wearable audio system will surely sell out quick!
Kids break stuff. It's a fact. If your son or daughter has ever asked to play with your new digital camera or tried to put a DVD into your $300 player, you've probably been one of the many parents who freeze in terror as you watch your kid destroy your tech toy. Instead of spending time guarding treasured electronics, why not buy your child a Fisher-Price Kid-Tough DVD Player or Digital Camera?
Both toys are made for kids three years old and up, and are very easy to use. To start with, the DVD player is simple and functional. It can act as a DVD player or a CD player. The screen, although small, has a good resolution. The player comes with an AC adapter, but it also has a rechargeable battery. So once you charge the battery, your son or daughter can watch DVDs or listen to CDs in the car.
If you like to move fast on the computer, then the RoadMice Camaro Wireless Mouse is just what you need. Car lovers will be happy to know that RoadMice come in a plethora of models: You can choose from various Chevy, Chrysler, Ford, Dodge, and even highway patrol and police cars. The mice are both PC- and Mac-compatible and cost $44.95.
OK, so it's not really called SpongeBob Speaker Pants, but it should be. The SpongeBob Speakers and Sponge Dock, from Npower, is a fun way to play any of your digital audio players or computer.
SpongeBob comes with two eyeball speakers, which can sit inside the foam dock or taken out to sit on a flat surface. The eyeballs don't just sit though: They can roll around with your music. You have the option to play your music without moving eyeballs, or you can switch the eyeballs to "rock" and watch as they roll around your table. I had to make sure to really push the speaker cable into the speaker to make sure it worked on "rock" mode.
There's a small docking area at the top of SpongeBob's head for you to rest your audio player in. The sound isn't great, but it's a fun toy. The speaker dock goes for $39.99 and can be found at Toys 'R' Us.
Take a look at our exclusive video of rolling SpongeBob eyeballs after the jump.
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Show off your photos in style this holiday season with quality digital photo frame, like the Sony VAIO Wi-Fi Photo Frame (VGF-CP1). This photo frame delivers everything you'd expect from a Sony product: elegant design, a full feature set, and a hefty price tag.
Some things do come true! Earlier this year, ThinkGeek April Fooled all of us with its 
