Staking their claims on the Social Web

Google and Microsoft have long been rivals, especially with Microsoft trying to develop its online divisions more. Microsoft recently took a $240 million stake in the popular social networking platform Facebook. Google on the other hand countered this move by creating a set of APIs through its new OpenSocial platform. Google also signed on some key players such as MySpace and Bebo to the OpenSocial platform.

Personally I think the Google move was vastly over hyped. There are many platforms on the web today that have adopted open APIs with much less of a commotion. I think that Microsoft's investment will win this round of the hotly contested social web space.

World in Conflict Review (PC)

World in Conflict (PC), is a real time strategy game with both single and multi-player elements. The single player campaign is well scripted (Alex Baldwin voiceovers) and is entertaining. At your disposal you have Air, Armor, Infantry, and Support assets. In multi-player mode one player is usually responsible for each asset. Multi-player mode is really where this game excels. It auto matches you to a server and you can begin playing immediately. After that, you can decide if you want to pick from a list of your favorite players to team up with. To really do well at this game, you have to understand Air-Land-Battle doctrine. It is the combination of assets that really will win the game. Although it takes a little while to find your stride, you will be rewarded with some excellent battles. There is an option to ether text chat with your teammates or VOIP them. Both seem to work well. I will say however, that the Infantry asset in Multiplayer mode is not balanced correctly. No one usually wants to play infantry, and mechanized warfare seems to be the order of the day. Anyways, if you are in to RTS gaming on the PC you definitely have to check this game out.

Halo 3 Release

Well, today was the big Halo 3 release. Fans from around North America lined up at their favorite big box retailers to grab a piece of history. Microsoft, hoping to boost Xbox360 sales have generated a fair amount of hype among media outlets over the last week. And to be truthful, the game has largely lived up to the hype, given the number of positive reviews so far. All in all, the Halo 3 release went smoothly.

Xbox 360 Elite

I guess the rumors of a black Xbox 360 were right this time. The new Xbox 360 Elite comes in black with a nicely sized 120GB hard drive and native support for HD DVD. I guess this is Microsoft's response to the worldwide roll out of the PlayStation 3. Not that they really have anything to worry about. I have always thought that the Xbox 360 was the premiere platform for next generation gaming, plus it's Xbox Live service is unmatched by its competitors. The unit will be available at the end of April. I think this one is going to be another shot in the arm for Microsoft.

bigcontacts.com

Had a chance to check out the new online contact manager bigcontacts.com. Although still in beta, this web based app shows promise. Clearly aimed at the business user, the service allows you to store detailed contact info on family, friends, coworkers, leads, and prospects. It is clearly what Web 2.0 is all about. With a little more love bigcontacts.com could be a great product. Also of note, is that there is a free version (500 contacts) for the casual/personal user. Check it out. http://www.bigcontacts.com

Command & Conquer 3

Well, we have been waiting a while for this one. But on March 26, 2007 C&C fans will be able to pick up Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars. For those in the know C&C was at the forefront of the Real Time Strategy (RTS) scene from the beginning. Their games have always been well made with neat themes and single player campaigns. Their latest offering, Tiberium Wars, comes with a new customizable AI that can respond different ways based on the situation. This is really cool, because most AI options only include easy, medium, and hard settings. As usual, their will be a number of cool units in the arsenal of the three different playable factions. So this game will probably be a hit and will satisfy C&C die hards for some time to come.

Google ig Themes

Google has answered my prayers by posting some interesting themes to their personalized homepage service Google ig. No longer do I have to stare at my blazing white screen all the time. Maybe this will be a turning point for Google. Maybe they will realize the web is just not about function but beauty and design as well.

Intel in Trouble

It seems these days there is no end to the troubles at Intel. First it was the massive layoffs, then it was the lawsuit with AMD, and now tales of hiding emails from Federal Prosecutors in the U.S. On a positive note Intel did release some nice 65nm Core Architecture chips in 2006. But how about 2007. Paul Otellini, CEO of Intel is on the hot seat and the board of directors is getting impatient with diminishing profits. Only time will tell how things shake out, but Intel's so called "Leap Ahead" slogan may be one step forward, two steps back. The horizon looks bleak.

Blackberry 8800

At 3GSM Research in Motion (RIM) announced their flagship business product, the Blackberry 8800. There is no denying the similarity between this unit and the Pearl (8100). In fact some are saying that the 8800 is simply a grown-up Pearl with a QWERTY keyboard. I would have to agree. For Canadians expect availability of this product in early March through Rogers Wireless.

Windows Mobile 6.0

Next week at 3GSM in Barcelona, Spain Microsoft is set to unveil it's new version of Windows mobile. The main idea of Windows Mobile 6.0 seems to be a tighter integration with Vista and a UI overhall. In a word, the changes appear to be cosmetic. Windows Mobile users would be well advised to wait until 2008 when the new Windows Mobile version (codename Photon) is released. It appears that with Photon there will be a complete revamping of the OS. Microsoft plans to release a new version of Windows Mobile every year.

Windows Vista Launch

On Jan 30, 2007, Window Vista's release date, public reaction seemed subdued almost weary. Maybe it was the long 7 year development cycle or maybe it were all the features that were pulled from the OS in the last two years. This is not to say that Vista will not be adopted by this masses. It just means that regular consumers and small business will upgrade at a graduated pace over the next three years. Most will probably wait until they have to replace their current systems to upgrade. The OS itself is much more secure than XP ever was and in a recent interview one of Microsoft's execs said that when it came to choosing program compatibility over security, security was chosen in every instance. This is a good thing. So Windows Vista is not dead in the water as some pundits claim, it just quietly advances the OS to the next stage.

Apple Update

Well, it looks like Apple is spinning its wheels a bit. The latest on the OS X Leopard builds is that development is slow and there are still bugs aplenty. I think this new OS will be pushing a late spring release. So much for any announcements at MacWorld 2007. And the iPhone. Rumors of this device have been floating around for more than two years now. The truth of the matter is that Apple has never designed and delivered a cell phone from scratch. Expect lots of bugs. Plus, Sony Ericsson makes a perfectly good cell phone/MP3 player with its W810i product. This device is extremely popular, at least according to CNET, and it doesn't have the DRM restrictions that an Apple iPhone would have. Something for Apple fanboys to consider. I think Apple will have a hard time repeating its stellar financial performance from 2006. Just a thought.

Strategy Gaming on a PC

There are some things that are best left untouched. And one of them is having the PC as platform of choice for Strategy Gaming. Age of Empires III, Civilization IV, and World of Warcraft are some fine examples. These games require a level of precision not offered by consoles, even the next-gen ones with HD. PC gaming is not on life support, as many console fans would like to think. And the Strategy Gaming experience on the PC will keep it that way.

Microsoft Expression Web

Microsoft has launched a limited release of their Microsoft Expression Web this month. The final version is now available through Amazon.com (however Canadian residents are out of luck). Microsoft's web site says that the software will be available online in the second quarter of 2007. It sort of makes me wonder why they can't offer the online version now, since apparently the software is complete. Anyways, Expression Web is supposed to be a good Professsional tool for the Web Designer/Developer crowd. I have been testing the beta version for a couple months now, and look forward to getting my hands on a final copy when it is released to Canada in 2007.

Death of a Desktop OS

For many, the impending release of Vista is a time for contemplation on where the world of OS's are heading. Given that Microsoft, one of the world's largest companies in terms of market cap took more than 5 years to develop their next generation operating system, one would expect things to be more than a little stirred up. (Anyone remember Windows 95?). Instead, there will be no lineups, no anticipation, and perhaps only a handful of pre-orders. I speak from experience. I have been a Vista beta tester since it was first released to the uber-tech community. Vista is not groundbreaking, nor innovative - but the face of a dying giant. So should we be saddened by this? In a way, yes. Microsoft Windows helped launch the PC into the homes and workplaces of many. It's early years were an exciting time. Things seemed so energized. Windows was king. And then one day the US D.O.J. came knocking on Microsoft's door. From that moment on, things were never the same. The life was slowly sucked out of the company. People left the company. No one wanted to work for Microsoft. And today, not much has changed. With the imminent death of Microsoft as a viable, profitable public company, there must be a ray of light for those of us in the tech community. And that ray of light is open source OS's. Linux/Unix fans unite, for that light at the end of the tunnel is bright, very bright.

Remembering James Kim

A member of the tech community is no longer with us today. James Kim, senior editor at CNET was found dead yesterday near Grants Pass, Oregon. I have been following this story on digg.com every since it broke over a week ago. It is a harrowing tale of a family's will for survival. James will be missed by the tech community.

Wii Update

Wow! What a difference 3 days can make. On Sunday I reported that the Wii's were selling for $550 CDN on ebay.ca . Well, checking the prices tonight they appear to have dropped $150 to an average of $400 CDN. And more Wii's have arrived in North America, with retailer's putting them on sale in the latter part of this week. How long before the eBay street price matches retail? Not very.

PS3 and Wii Launches

With the PS3 and Wii launches now behind us, we can begin to regain some normalcy in the world again. No more shootings, robberies, and riots to worry about. It appears that both launches were well attended by their respective fans, with most people in lines admitting that they were going to flip their console on eBay. Checking eBay.ca recently it appears that the PS3's have been going for about $1400 CDN and the Wii's for about $550 CDN. These numbers are only from the respective day after launch, and we can expect that they will decrease in the coming weeks as supply lines are strengthened. Let the next generation console wars begin.

PS3

Well, with the North American launch of the PS3 just days away, it is appropriate to reflect a bit on this new next generation gaming platform. First off, I think the price will drive a lot of users away. Last I checked the PS3 was around $650 CDN at Future Shop. That is a far cry from the Xbox 360 at $500 CDN and the Wii about $300 CDN. Second, reports are that the Cell processor that is the core of the PS3 has a lot of processing power, but most of it in the wrong places (integer calculations). The architecture of the Xbox 360 with its three Power PC chips and ATI graphics engine, is far superior to the PS3, and much more finely tuned. Plus, with initial reports of Call of Duty 3 and Gears of War looking absolutely incredible on the Xbox 360, why would anyone want to pay the premium for the PS3. So the PS3 is not going to win the console wars anytime soon. For those hoping to get their hands on a Wii, the price is right, but apparently the graphics suck. So for now, in my humble opinion the Xbox 360 is king.

.Mac mail updated

Today, the new version of .Mac mail was released. This new version sports drag and drop functionality and a look and feel familiar to mail.app users. Although not as snappy as it's desktop brethren, the new web mail breathes fresh air into the .Mac subscription service. I look forward to seeing more Apple .mac enhancements in the near future.