Get Your Exercise Shopping for Wii Fit

Nintendo wants you up off your sofa and working it with the new Wii Fit ($89). But it could be awhile before your exercise program begins. As with the Wii console, it's looking like the Fit (Click on images for closer looks.) will be a tough purchase.

A check of several online retail outlets, including Game Stop, Wal-Mart, and Amazon, led us to messages like "not for sale," "temporarily out of stock," and "preorders sold out." If you started shopping extra early, you may have been lucky enough to have bought a coupon for $5 to $10 that guaranteed you a Fit. Those seem to be sold out now, although double-checking with your local retailer may not be a bad idea. Once the product is launched on May 19, check frequently both online and in stores. If Wii sales are any indication, retailers will get shipments and quickly sell out, so you'll need to hit the right store at the right time.

At the very least, sign up with Best Buy, Circuit City, or another store for e-mail notification of availability.

You'll double your challenge if you're pumped for the Fit but don't yet own a Wii console. It's still hit or miss when you walk into most retail stores, and sites like Best Buy don't sell it at all online. You'll have better luck if you don't mind shelling out about an extra $100 for a bundle that includes several games. Retail price for the Wii console alone is $250. Think about grabbing one now if you can, before demand for the Fit diminishes supplies even more.

Meanwhile, in the U.K., where the Fit has already been on sale since April, it looks like demand remains high. We were able to find a few units of the Fit at Amazon's U.K. site and several online stores, while others were sold out. But don't exercise notions of buying from one of these U.K. outlets. They probably won't ship to the U.S., and besides, we saw them selling for almost double the U.S. price at about 95 pounds, or $170.

We'll be testing the Wii Fit for its health benefits in the coming weeks, so keep an eye on Consumer Reports.org and on Consumer Reports Health for our findings. For an early look, check out this Wall Street Journal review.

—Donna Tapellini

Rules on DTV converter coupons might ease, but expiration date stands

As the rollout of digital converter boxes for next year's conversion to all-digital TV continues, the federal government is considering loosening some eligibility requirements for subsidies on the boxes. But other beefs from consumers and consumer groups remain unaddressed.

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration, the agency administering the distribution of $40 coupons to offset the typical $50 to $70 cost of the boxes, is considering allowing nursing home residents and consumers who use post-office boxes to apply for the coupons, as our colleagues at Consumers Union, the publisher of Consumer Reports, are reporting on hearusnow.org.

But the agency isn't budging on the expiration of the coupons after 90 days. CU and other groups complain that this is a potentially bigger issue, because there are still relatively few converter boxes in stores, few have the analog pass-through feature some consumers want, and none are as yet priced at $40 or less, meaning consumers must bear some out-of-pocket cost.

We've reviewed three coupon-eligible boxes without the analog pass-through feature and one, a Philco product, that has it. All did a decent job, but you might have to tinker with your setup to get optimal results.

For more helpful advice and links to other DTV resources on the Web, check out our Digital TV Transition information center on ConsumerReports.org.

Is your Blu-ray player obsolete?

Even though the Blu-ray format has emerged as the de facto standard for high-definition DVD, you might want to hold off on buying a player. We think prices could drop later in the year, but that's not the only reason to wait. Technologically, the Blu-ray format is still maturing.

As a result, many early adopters are finding, to their dismay, that the players they purchased—likely at premium prices—lack features that will be included in newer, lower-priced models.

One thing that HD DVD got right was that it mandated a minimum set of features, including interactivity and online access, which had to be included in every player sold. Blu-ray, by contrast, has continually updated the features on its players. Currently, Blu-ray is on its third player "profile," which describes the specific features included in the player.

The first players—so-called Profile 1.0 models—will play Blu-ray movies (plus DVDs and, generally, CDs), period. An updated profile—dubbed Profile 1.1—added picture-in-picture capability that lets you view a Blu-ray movie while calling up additional content, such as a director's commentary, in a smaller window on the screen.

The latest profile—Profile 2.0, or BD Live—adds an Ethernet port for Internet access capability, enabling you to get the latest movie trailers or interactive games from the web. Unfortunately, earlier players can't be upgraded to the latest profile. The one exception we know of is the latest version of Sony's PlayStation 3 game console, which can be updated via a firmware upgrade to conform to the BD Live specifications. The first standalone Profile 2.0 players are expected to arrive shortly.

In our opinion, that's a compelling reason to continue waiting. While many of us may be happy simply playing movies, why settle for less than a fully featured model, especially since it will likely carry a cheaper price? But it's up to you to make sure that you're getting a player that has all the Blu-ray functionality currently being offered—something the Blu-ray format has unnecessarily complicated.

—James K. Willcox

iTunes movie rentals: A generally strong opening

After years of simply selling movies, iTunes last month added the option to rent them. The service adds a welcome and relatively painless way to view films on your iPod, iPhone, or computer—though the service does have a few minor annoyances. After renting and viewing on a number of computers and players, here’s what we liked and disliked about the new service:

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It's less costly than buying. If you're like me, you’ve resisted movie-watching via iTunes because you don't want to pay $9.99 apiece to own films that you'll likely watch only once, especially given the restricted size of computer and iPod screens. The rental costs—$3.99 for new releases, $2.99 for catalog titles—are in line with those for pay-per-view offerings from satellite or cable companies. Apple says selection will also be comparable by the end of February, when it promises more than 1,000 titles.

Decent picture quality. We viewed movies on a laptop and desktop, two iPods (a Touch and a Nano), and an iPhone. They looked good on all platforms—bright, clear, and surprisingly sharp. Unsurprisingly, it was hardest to appreciate that quality, and the movies themselves, on the tiny Nano screen, though the images were still surprisingly watchable.

Macworld 2008: Some software and audio odds and ends

Some MacWorld miscellany, beginning with four operating-system/software entries:

Improvements to MS Office. I said earlier in the week I'd say something about the new MS Office 2008. The features are more or less in parity with the Office 2007 product that's been out for a year, now. Entourage plays better with Exchange Server, to address concerns about corporate distribution, and I was assured by the lead developer for Word08 that the "Normal" file, a file that holds all of your custom stylesheets translates fully from older versions. The only other thing to note here is that with Office08, virtually every major Mac application suite has made the transition to Universal Binary code base and is Intel-native. That means there's no longer any need for Rosetta, the built-in code translator between G5 Mac processors and Intel Windows processors.

A new Windows on Mac option. Another interesting entry in the "virtualization" competition comes from Codeweavers, who were demoing their "Crossover" product. Crossover allows someone who wants to switch to Mac and still protect their Windows software investment to actually install and run their legacy Windows programs natively in OS X; no virtual disk image or Windows OS is required. The downside is that this capability has to be customized by Codeweavers for each legacy Windows application. Consequently, the company has concentrated on a limited list of only the most used Windows apps to date, like MS Office, Access, Visio, etc. (You'll find the list of supported apps at http://www.codeweavers.com/compatibility/.) The result is very fast and responsive. If you use those apps, this could be of real value.

MacBook Air, super-thin notebook, introduced

What may be the most talked about of Apple's four major product releases Steve Jobs introduced today is a new addition to the MacBook line called the MacBook Air. With a teardrop profile only 0.76 inches at its thickest point, it's the thinnest notebook computer ever. (You can get closer looks at the new MacBook Air by clicking on each of the embedded images.)

Apple didn't compromise much on features. There's a full-size, backlit keyboard, 13.3-inch screen, iSight webcam, large trackpad with multi-touch gesture support (similar to the iPhone's, which lets you use your fingers in more ways than the traditional tapping and sliding), plus a new magnetic latch.

There are only three ports on the right side: USB2, MicroDVI, and a headphone jack. (There's no Ethernet port for wired networking, but that's not really an issue with a notebook designed for extreme portability.) Apple says that the 1.6-GHz Core 2 Duo processor is 60 percent smaller than chips made for other models. The standard MacBook Air comes with an 80GB hard drive—or a 64GB solid-state drive for an additional $999. The standard memory configuration is 2-GB and Apple claims 5 hours of battery life. The built-in wireless capability supports 802.11n and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR.

There's no internal CD/DVD burner; to use discs you need the $99 external MacBook Air SuperDrive which connects to the USB port. Also, a new custom application in Leopard called "Remote Disk" lets you wirelessly "borrow" other users' CD/DVD drives.

In keeping with Apple's environmental initiatives, MacBook Air notebooks have a fully recyclable aluminum case, displays that are mercury and arsenic free, and logic boards that are BFR and PVC free. In addition, the packaging has 56 percent less volume, to save trees.

The base model, which starts at $1,799, pairs a 1.6-GHz processor with an 80-GB Parallel ATA hard drive. A second model that features a 1.8-GHz processor and 64-GB solid-state drive starts at $3,098. Both ship in two to three weeks, but can be pre-ordered starting today.

Compared with Windows-based 13-inch slim-and-light notebooks we've rated (Consumer Reports' Ratings are available to ConsumerReports.org subscribers only), the MacBook Air is pricier and its hard drive is a bit slower and has a smaller capacity, but weighs more than a pound less. When compared with notebooks in the 3-pound range, such as the Sony TZ series 11-inch or Toshiba Portege R500 12-inch, its pricing is very competitive.

Macworld 2008: Preview

Apple goes into Macworld Expo, the annual party, love fest, and religious revival for the Cult of Mac, which opened today in San Francisco, following a year that's had a few fizzles (Apple TV, the first release of OS X Leopard, 10.5), one big hit (the iPhone) and under-the-radar sales growth of 40% for Mac desktops and laptops. The one adjective that no longer describes Apple is "beleaguered."

While analysts don’t see the same kind of explosive growth for Apple this year, they still hope a few compelling new products and services will keep the company on a growth track.

I do believe Apple will deliver. My first clue was this week's pre-event announcement of a new MacPro tower and XServe, powered by 8-core Intel Xeon processors, offering 2.3 times the speed and raw horsepower as the dual, quad-core 3.0 Ghz machines being sold only a month ago. If they couldn't wait one week to announce this, it often indicates they have so many other things to show us, there simply wasn't room in the Keynote program to hold it all.

Below is a distillation of predictions, hopes, and wishes from the amassed Mac pundits and bloggers for Keynote 2008:

Movie rentals in iTunes—Fox and Disney are reported as already signed on and almost everybody wants the "One More Thing" to be—at long last—the entire Beatles collection, made available at the iTunes Music Store (iTMS). (If that happens, no one will be crying over the loss of Universal.)

Improvements to iPhone: A 16GB, 3G model, with no limits on cell service provider—we can certainly dream, can't we? Also rumored is an iPhone SDK (software development kit), which would mean that there would be a market for third-party software. We might even see a demo of 3rd-party apps—something developers were clamoring for most of last year.

Office 2008—slam-dunk #2, as Amazon is already taking pre-orders. I expect someone from Microsoft will make the official announcement during the Keynote. (I'll write more on Office later in the week, when I get to see it for real.)

Leopard 10.5.2—this is almost a slam-dunk, as the Developers Cut is already making the rounds. There are at least 75 fixes and feature additions in the works, and this would be a perfect time to announce their deployment.

New Cinema displays with touch-screen and built-in webcam—possibly 24-, 27- and 30-inch models, an upgrade that is long overdue.

Blu-ray drives in some Macs—a rumor that is growing some legs, now that Blu-Ray seems to be winning the format war, and there is going to be a growing need to handle HD content.

Ultraslim notebook/touch tablet—this is the biggest rumor to make the rounds, and highly likely: Apple fills out its laptop line with an ultra-thin notebook, running on flash memory instead of a hard drive, sporting a 12-13 inch touch screen, which could possibly fold over to become a tablet Mac.

Final Cut Studio update—not likely, but definitely overdue, considering the plethora of new digital camcorders that have hit the market

Apple TV "2.0"—look for a "reboot" of this product, with new features, more storage, and built-in compatibility with iTMS movie-rental.

If you are not attending this year, here is a link to sites offering live blogging of the Keynote (SFW). Stay tuned!

—Thomas A. Olson

Thomas Olson, the Publishing Systems Administrator for Consumer Reports' Editorial, Design, Production and Pre-Press groups, has been a Mac enthusiast since 1984.

 

Toshiba Cuts Prices on All its HD DVD Players

Marketing ploy, or last-ditch effort to stem the tide toward Blu-ray?

Toshiba has cut prices on its three HD DVD players to $150 for its entry-level model to $300 for the top-of-the-line unit. The company says it reduced everyday prices because of success with promotional pricing over the holidays.

However, the timing of the cuts—just two weeks after Warner Bros. announced that it would support Blu-ray exclusively—could just as easily be taken as a last-ditch effort to keep HD DVD alive. Price cuts could boost the installed base of HD DVD players enough to keep the two studios still exclusively backing the format, Paramount/DreamWorks and Universal, in its camp.

The new HD DVD pricing is already in effect. The entry-level 1080i model, the HD-A3 (click on image above for a closer look.), is now $150, and the step-up 1080p model, the HD-A30, is now $200. The flagship HD-A35 player is now priced at $300. Toshiba is still running its free software promotion, which gives HD DVD buyers a choice of five free HD DVD titles from a list of 15 movies. To help bolster education and satisfaction with HD DVD players, Toshiba recently launched an "HD DVD Concierge" program, which provides a toll-free number where customers can receive answers to general questions or help using a player.

Given the uncertain future of the HD DVD format, it's hard to recommend purchasing an HD DVD player, even at the lower price. However, if you need to replace a standard-def DVD (and weren't really considering a high-def model), an HD DVD player could be an option if you can find one at close to the same price. These players will play—and upconvert—standard DVDs, and a decent library of high-def movies in this format is still available. And if HD DVD loses the format war, there may be some great deals on HD DVD movies as retailers clean out their inventories.

—James K. Willcox

CES 2008: A third high-def DVD format emerges

Just as the DVD format war seems to be ending, with Blu-ray claiming victory over HD DVD, here comes a new format using red lasers—the technology in audio CD players—instead of the blue lasers used by the other high-def DVD formats.

A company called New Media Enterprises (NME) has started shipping its red-laser high-def players in the U.S. The HD VMD players are currently available only from the NMEStore.com and PCRush.com, at a retail price of $199. The players will ship with the films Mother Ghost and Cutting Room. In addition to playing high-def discs, which they can output at 1080p, the VMD players can upconvert standard DVD content. The red-laser discs can hold up to 30GB of content on a single side, more than either Blu-ray or HD DVD discs.

[Jan. 11, 2007 UPDATE: Both Blu-ray and HD DVD discs hold substantially more digital data than red-laser based discs. We regret the error. —Ed.]

It's not clear what additional movies will be available or whether any of the major studios will back the format. Given the confusion resulting from the Blu-ray/HD DVD competition, it's hard to imagine widespread support for yet another format. But NME said it recently signed a deal with SFM Entertainment for rare and classic film and TV titles to be available in the HD VMD format.

Meanwhile, the Blu-ray Disc Association trumpeted its success in its first public statement since Warner announced it would no longer support HD DVD. Last year, Blu-ray players represented 85 percent of sales, compared to 15 percent for HD DVD models. Blu-ray's sales were largely propelled by the inclusion of Sony's PlayStation 3 game console, which accounted for 3 million of the 3.5 million units sold. Blu-ray has a three-to-one edge over HD DVD in the U.S., 10 to one in Europe, and 100 to 1 in Japan.

Danny Kaye, Executive Vice President, Research and Technology for Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment said Blu-ray unit sales will rise to 6 million—4 million PS3 units and 2 million dedicated players—by the end of 2008. Based on historical sales of VCRs and DVD players, Kaye said, 2010-2011 will be the year when high-def player sales begin to overtake sales of standard DVD players.

Movie sales are similarly weighted toward Blu-ray discs. The association reported that its movie titles outsold HD DVD discs in 2007 by a margin of nearly two to one in the U.S. and by nearly three to one in Europe. Citing sales figures from Home Media Research, an independent marketing firm, the Blu-ray group said that Blu-ray titles outsold HD DVD titles every single week of the year.

—James K. Willcox

CES 2008: Life in the third dimension

Though it's a challenge to identify significant trends in the hardware at this year's CES, there's one that has been creeping up on us for a few years and could break through as the "next big thing"—if the industry gets it right. It's 3-D TV.

Digital TVs have gotten big, bright and sharp enough, by anyone's measure. But, though sales have been anything but flat, the picture on the screen still is. Movie and game producers would like to change that, and bring the enveloping visual experience you might have seen in a 3-D IMAX film into your living room.

Presented well, as in a few of the CES demonstrations we've watched, 3-D can be strikingly effective in drawing you closer to the action, adding realism and depth to scenes, especially ones portraying movement towards or away from the viewer. The degree of 3-D's enhancement to video is much like the move from monophonic sound to stereo was in the 1950's, at least in this viewer's experience.

The "magic" needed for 3-D is simply to have a slightly different view of the content presented to your left and right eyes, just as you see in real life. The technology is actually waiting, in some new TVs from big makers like Samsung and Mitsubishi, labeled "3D-Ready." These DLP or plasma TVs can show successive images fast enough to allow alternating right-eye and left-eye views while keeping the motion smooth. (LCD TVs are currently unable to switch images quickly enough for this kind of 3-D.)

Two more devices need to be added on to a 3D-Ready TV to complete the picture. First, you need special glasses that can rapidly switch each lens from clear to opaque in sync with the TV images. Second, you need a special DVD player—or game console, or PC adapter—that can feed the 3-D content to the TV. We expect to see the home-theater and gaming industries trickle out add-on systems—perhaps later this year—that will enable 3-D viewing.

Of course, you'll need to have the content itself. Some movies already "in the can," both animated ones like Polar Express and live-action ones like Beowulf, were produced in 3-D versions. These movies will probably be released on 3-D-enabled Blu-Ray discs.

And, most games produced today, for either computers or game consoles, are easily adapted for 3-D presentation. In fact, there are already several technologies being applied to computer displays that can present game graphics in 3-D. (Our upcoming tests of displays will include one of these.) Each of these technologies has its limitations, and it remains to be "seen" which ones prove to be practical and effective enough to catch on.

—Dean Gallea, Senior Program Leader

CES 2008: New HD entertainment service coming soon

XStream Looks to the Sky for New HD Service

Look out DirecTV and Dish: A start-up company called XStream HD said yesterday at CES that it will launch a new satellite-based high-def entertainment service by the end of this year. The service, called XStreamHD, will deliver movies, TV, music, games, and other forms of entertainment in high-definition—including some content in Full HD 1080p resolution—and 7.1-channel surround sound.

The system consists of a small outdoor satellite antenna, an in-home media server, and an XStream media receiver. Already-orbiting satellites deliver multiple streams of Full HD content to the antenna. Signals are then routed to a wall-mountable, in-home media server, where they're stored in what the company calls a Virtual Personal Library. The library can gradually learn your preferences and  anticipate and store movies or programs matching your profile. When you want  to view a movie or show, the content is then delivered to the media receiver, which connects to a TV via an HDMI connection. When a title arrives, you have the option of renting or purchasing it.

At the heart of the system is proprietary compression technology that allows massive amounts of data to be delivered to the home. This allows for high-quality picture and sound—full 1080p video and up to 7.1 channels of lossless audio. The media server has three digital ATSC tuners plus DVR functionality, so you can record up to three HDTV broadcasts—in 720p  and 1080i—while watching a fourth program stored on the server. You can watch up to four Full HD streams simultaneously throughout the home using gigabit Ethernet. The base system, with 500MB GB of storage, is expected to be offered at an introductory price of $399.

[JAN. 18, 2007 UPDATE: The XStreamHD media server will have 500-gigabytes of storage, not, 500-megabytes as previously stated. We regret the confusion.—Ed.]

Several questions remain unanswered. It appears that cable programming won't be available via the service, so it won't be a true all-encompassing media hub. Also, pricing for the service itself wasn't  announced, nor were any of the movie studios that will be supporting the service. And at least initially, the system will be sold direct to consumers—no retail stores will carry the system—so installation will have to be handled by third-party installers.

At a press event featuring actor Michael Douglas, an investor in the company, XStream announced that launch partners would include DTS and Seagate Technology. The system will support DTS-HD Master Audio and features Seagate slide-out hard drives with up to 1 terabyte (TB) of storage.

—James K. Willcox

Is Paramount about to jump from HD DVD?

Here at CES, the show is buzzing with the news—based on an article in yesterday's Financial Times—that Paramount and DreamWorks Animation are about to drop their support of HD DVD and instead back Blu-ray.

However, in a later report in Bloomberg news, the company denied it's poised to make the move, which would likely end the stalemate between the two high-def formats and make Blu-ray the winner.

According to the Financial Times' piece, there is a clause in Paramount's deal with the HD DVD group that would allow it to jump ship should Warner Bros. decide to back Blu-ray exclusively. Of course, that's exactly what happened days before the show.

It's not yet clear whether the news is simply a rumor or a harbinger of things to come. We'll be tracking this story as it develops.

—James K. Willcox

CES 2008: Four web sites worth a visit

The Consumer Electronics Show has become a showcase for content as well as hardware, and more exhibitors are featuring electronics-related websites. Here are four intriguing sites I learned about while browsing the exhibit booths last night—two that help you buy gear and two that help you share the content you create on your gear.

The tagline for Retrevo.com is "matching people and electronics." The site offers category overviews and product pricing summaries in real time. But its real distinction lies in capabilities built on computer algorithms. Retrevo crawls the Net to gather features data on products, which it then analyzes against a list of possible features, each assigned an importance level. It rolls those together with price data to assign a value score to each product. You can view a list or a rather complex "value map" reflecting Retrevo's judgment of the best-to-worst values in the product type you're seeking. The site also offers handy content for products you already own, including searchable manufacturers' manuals and tips on using the gear from users and expert sources.

When it comes to finding out how easy it is to use a cellphone, there's no substitute for actually holding the thing in your hand and trying it out, as we recommend in our advice on buying a phone. But tryphone.com offers the next best thing: a virtual, actual-sized version of the phone with menus and buttons you can explore by pressing your computer mouse. For now, there are only 10 phones up on the site, including the iPhone, the Blackberry Pearl, and the Samsung Juke, but tryphone says it will add three more phones a week until the site boasts hundreds. This site might be worth a visit even if you already own one of the listed phones, because there are tips on how to use them.

While there are plenty of sites for sharing and storing your photos, there are few or no such services for home videos. Motionbox.com fills that gap. There's a free service that's limited to 300 MB, a capacity you can quickly exhaust if you're a true camcorder auteur. A premium version, which costs $29.99 a year, offers unlimited capacity and the ability to download your videos in full resolution. Either service allows you to order Motionbooks, 3.5-by-2-inch flip books that animate a 15-second video clip of your choice. They're $8.99 apiece.

Finally, there's eJamming.com, a site for musicians that made a high-profile debut during yesterday's CES keynote address by Paul Otellini, the CEO of semiconductor giant Intel. The popular band Smash Mouth used this site to play together although each musician was at a different location in Las Vegas and the singer was on-stage with Otellini. The performance seemed flawless.

You can view the keynote address and performance via the CES Web site, www.cesweb.org/about_ces/multimedia.asp (scroll through the "playlist" of videos on the right) and via Intel's CES-related Web site, http://www.intel.com/pressroom/kits/events/ces2008/index.htm?iid=pr1_marqmain_ces2008 (scroll to the bottom of the page to find the link to the online video.).

To replicate the way musicians settle into a groove in a room, each adjusting their timing to that of their colleagues, eJamming's software analyzes the time delay, measured in milliseconds, among the players and adjusts it as needed. The site, which is free, allows you to post a recording of your playing and to solicit musical partners. Spokesmen say the site already has over 10,000 users and has been responsible for bringing together musicians from disparate countries to, er, e-jam together.

—Paul Reynolds

CES 2008: Bill Gates's Last Days at Work

William Gates III, founder of the world's largest software company, is quitting. Well, at least he's stepping out of his role as Microsoft's Chief Software Architect. That was news over a year ago, as Gates looked forward to devoting more of his time to philanthropy.

Bill chose to make light of his impending "last day of work" at his final keynote presentation on Sunday, "press day" here at the CES. He showed a video of himself approaching a series of celebrities—from the music, cinema, TV and political world—pretending to be looking for work.

(Click on the image above to see Bill Gates with rock guitarist, Slash, during his CES speech. You can also watch Bill Gates' complete keynote speech at Microsoft's CES-related Web site, www.microsoft.com/ces. But you'll need "Silverlight," Microsoft's free Web-browser "plug-in" to access the online video. You'll find more information and the free Silverlight download at: www.microsoft.com/silverlight.)

In fact, Gates will continue to advise Microsoft on a number of projects started during the past few years, and his main message is that these projects represent the directions he believes consumer computing technology is heading.

Gates declared the "first digital decade" a success, and said there was nothing holding back the second digital decade. He outlined three technology trends that will drive the next ten years:

1. The ubiquity of the "high-definition experience": Gates sees sharp, bright video displays everywhere, not just on PCs and big-screen TV sets. Along with this will be improved ease of connection between devices, and 3-D presentation.


2. Hardware devices of all types will be "service-connected"—an obvious tie-in to Microsoft's "Live" online services. Gates described photographs moving from the digital camera onto the Internet seamlessly without the user having to deal with cables, or memory cards. Users will be able to easily share their own content with others, and organize their memories easily and effectively, accessing them from anywhere in the world. Devices will be smart—aware of the context—to optimize the way they work.


3. Powerful, "natural" user-interfaces will become common. The obvious tie-in here is Microsoft's "Surface," a table-like display with a touch-sensitive surface that can also recognize objects like cell phones. "Gestures"—like the two-finger zoom function on the iPhone's screen—will become familiar.

The remainder of Gates's dog-and-pony show showcased existing and new Microsoft technologies. One surprise was an agreement with NBC TV to produce online Olympic Games content for MSN through Microsoft’s "Silverlight" video-authoring platform.

There was also a demonstration of Ford Sync, an integrated, voice-activated in-car communications and entertainment system that will roll out on nearly all Ford, Lincoln and Mercury vehicles later this year. It will include a "911 Assist" feature to help quickly connect vehicle occupants to a 911 emergency operator following an air bag deployment.

As always, Microsoft continues to establish partnerships—with media companies to provide content for its products, and with hardware companies to extend the various Windows platforms. Whether any of these partnerships produces a "must have" product or service remains for you, the consumer, to decide.

—Dean Gallea, Senior Program Leader

Nintendo Wii: How to get one—almost

Nintendo's revolutionary video game system is one of the hottest electronic gifts this holiday season. And despite Nintendo's efforts to increase production, it remains one of the most difficult to find items in stores—much like when it debuted last holiday shopping season.

The company has acknowledged that even increasing production to nearly 2 million units per month won't likely ease the shortage anytime soon. So to not completely disappoint holiday shoppers and Wii wanters, Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime announced on Friday a Wii "rain check" program with video game retailer GameStop. If consumers pay the $250 for a Wii system at a GameStop store by December 21, they'll get a certificate promising a Wii—sometime in January.

[Dec. 20, 2007 UPDATE: On Dec. 18, GameStop released further details about its Wii rain check program. On Friday Dec. 21 (and only on that day ), each GameStop outlet will have a limited number of Wii certificates that will be given to customers who pay the $250 in advance. (Each store is limiting one certificate per household.) The store will then contact rain check customers when the consoles arrive on January 25, 2008. Readers can find complete details about GameStop's Wii rain check program here on GameStop's Web site. —Ed.]

According to Reuters: "We expect this to be a very strong program and... a great way for consumers who desperately want a Wii to be able to have something to put under the tree—a certificate that guarantees their family will be able to get a system in January," said Mr. Fils-Aime in a telephone news conference.

Still, if having an actual Wii console (and not just the promise of one) under the Christmas tree is what you're really after, here are some tips…

Game On: Microsoft, Sony Ready Game Console Updates

In an effort to better accommodate the growing amount of high-definition content that's available, both Microsoft and Sony are readying updated game consoles that boast larger-capacity hard disc drives.

Last week, Microsoft confirmed rumors of a new, HD-friendly console with the announcement that the Xbox 360 “Elite” system will be introduced at the end of April. Price at $480, this black console will include an HDMI output (lacking on current Xbox models), HD cables, a removable 120GB hard drive, and a wireless controller. Like the rest of the Xbox line, the Elite doesn’t include an internal HD DVD drive. You’ll still have to buy the $200 external HD DVD drive Microsoft is selling if you want to play HD DVD movies.

The new system fits with Microsoft’s strategy to promote its Xbox Live online service, which enables users to download games, movies, and TV programs rather than buy them on DVD. Supporters for the service include A&E Network, National Geographic, ADV Films (anime), and TotalVid.com (extreme sports programming). Also, both Warner Bros. and Paramount recently announced they would begin selling downloadable high-def movies though Xbox Live. The sizable hard drive will be better able to accommodate the storage requirements of HD content. The Xbox Elite model also comes with an Xbox Live headset for online game play.

Sony’s plans for a PS3 update aren’t as clear. As part of an FCC filing related to Bluetooth changes in a planned new PS3 model, Sony said the new console would have an 80GB hard drive. Considering that the filing was made prior to Microsoft’s Elite announcement, it’s possible that Sony may increase the size of the hard drive in the new system by the time it ships. The current $500 base PS3 has a 20GB hard drive, while the $600 step-up system comes with a 60GB hard drive. It’s not yet known whether both those models will remain in the line when the new console is introduced. Sony hasn’t said when the new console will be available.

—James K. Willcox