If you missed today’s paper, here’s what happened last night:
+ Halo 3 goes on sale. See photos of Orange County fans.
+ About 100 people waited in line at the Best Buy in Fullerton. Watch the VIDEO
+ The business story: Halo 3 mission: Save Xbox (and the Earth)
+ Halo 3 review by Matt Degen: The ARTICLE (Halo 3 lives up to the hype) and the VIDEO
+ Earlier coverage on The Gadgetress Blog
Toshiba just likes to top itself. Its new projector, the TDP-EW25U, can project a 60-inch image on a screen while a mere 2.4 feet away.
Toshiba’s “extreme short projection” technology must have really caught on with customers because it has shown up in other projectors announced this fall.
And ESP isn’t the only spec showing up as a regular feature in the new fall line of projectors. This projector can be connected to the building’s computer network via Wi-Fi or Ethernet. Plus there’s a USB port to plug in a thumb drive with a presentation. No need to drag along a laptop (this is heavy enough at 9.2 pounds).
New with this model: wide-screen image and compatible with Windows Vista Ultimate’s “Meeting Space,” which lets users share files remotely.
Price: $1,899 and available on Toshiba’s site.
The Toshiba TDP-EW25U projector specifications:
Q: I read somewhere that there is a folder or something or other in my PC that keeps track of all my keystrokes. Is this just an urban myth or is there some truth to this?
Also, when I go into the Windows folder, I see a ton of text documents that date back to around the time I first got my PC. I’m tempted to delete them, but I’m afraid to muck with them, because I don’t want to mess up my computer.
Am I just paranoid or what? ~ Jason Beltran, Garden Grove
Gadgetress: Paranoid is my first response. If Microsoft built something so sneaky into its Windows operating system, the security world would be up in arms. Or at least I hope they would.
You are probably thinking about keylogging software, which can be installed surreptitiously on a computer without the user knowing.
+ OC’s Halo 3 midnight openings
+ Watch Matt Degen’s video review of Halo 3
+ Matt Degen’s Halo 3 review
As of 3 p.m.-ish, there was no one in line at the Best Buy store in Fullerton waiting to be the first to buy Halo 3 at midnight tonight. I haven’t seen other news stories about the lines either.
I know there are hard-core fans out there but maybe they’re pretty confident that Microsoft has supplied enough games to retailers that the game can be had tomorrow. At a decent hour.
Still, there are quite a few stories about retailers who have pre-sold the games and are expecting long lines. And online retailers like Amazon, Costco and others have been taking pre-orders and promising speedy delivery.
I guess we’ll find out tomorrow whether the launch of Halo 3 will outdo Halo 2 or whether it’s been over-hyped. Will gamers show up at Best Buy tonight to get a photo op with Master Chief? If anyone plans to stand in line tonight — or already is in line — let me know. Maybe I’ll send a photographer to the store.
Update at 5ish p.m.: Reader “Royce” let me know that about 20 people are waiting in line outside the Wal-Mart in Foothill Ranch. I wonder if they know that the store won’t start selling the games until 7 a.m. Tuesday?
Midnight OC openings for Halo 3 sales
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Flipping to a video-on-demand channel on your cable box still isn’t common for most consumers. But now, NBC Universal and Cox Communications have teamed up in Orange County to add more incentive.
Cox is adding certain NBC TV shows to its Cox On Demand service, which currently offers downloads of movies, some premium-channel shows and cable channel shows.
But the NBC shows are a trial only available to customers in Orange County and Palos Verdes.
Five shows will be available, including “30 Rock,” “Friday Night Lights,” “Las Vegas,” and new series “Life” and “Bionic Woman.”
This means if you miss the season premiere of 30 Rock on Oct. 4, and forgot to set your TiVo to record it, customers can go to Channel 1 and select the “MyPrimetime” category to and watch shows at their convenience.
Each episode will be available on demand the day after the show is broadcast. Viewers won’t be able to fast forward through the show or commercials, at least during the trial.
The on-demand service is available to customers who subscribe to Cox’s digital cable.
+ OC’s Halo 3 midnight openings
You read Matt Degen’s thoughts on Halo 3, which goes on sale tonight. Now, watch his video review for scenes from the game…
Is Boost Mobile becoming more and more of a traditional cell phone provider?
The Irvine company recently added an unlimited service plan, which offers unlimited calls in the home-calling area for $45 to $55 a month.
That’s a big difference from its pay-as-you-go roots. However, unlike the traditional companies, subscribers to Boost’s unlimited plan don’t have to sign any contracts.
People seem to like it. According to Boost, more than 100,000 customers have signed up for the unlimited plan since it debuted three months ago.
Unlimited plans announced yesterday and today… a sleeker phone with lots of tricks. The Motorola W385 has Bluetooth, GPS, 4x digital-zoom camera, Web access, speaker phone and voice recorder. Available in two colors: Cafe Brown and Black Slate.
Get Boost’s unlimited service plan and the new W385 phone for $130 plus activation. First month of service from the home calling area is free.
Here’s a price comparison of Boost’s pay-as-you-go plan vs. Unlimited (click image below for detailed look):
Less then 24 hours from now, the video game Halo 3 goes on sale (click HERE for midnight openings in OC). But Gadgetress contributor Matt Degen managed to get a copy beforehand and played the game all weekend. Check out his review…
True to Microsoft’s words, my media-review copy of Halo 3 arrived Saturday. I fetched the game from the O.C. Register headquarters, brought it back home and have been playing it for the past two days.
I’ve put in about 4 hours so far on the game, which is releasing Tuesday and is expected to be the biggest entertainment launch in history.
Considering the last version made a then record-breaking $125 million within 24 hours of launch (presales can do wonders) there is little doubt that “Halo 3″ will smash even that record.
So, first thoughts…
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 The North Orange County Computer Club answers your tech questions. Visit the PC Club page and the Stump archives. |
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