So what can come out of a situation like this? The Zeebo console, of course! The console looks retro, with an equally ugly game-pad to match, but it’s not aiming to be the next PS3 or even PS2 for the matter. No, the console packs about as much power as a PSP, with OpenGL compatibility. The most interesting point of the console is their 3G connectivity, which falls back to EDGE or GSM if no 3G is available.

The console represents the next wave of console gaming, which is wireless streaming games, where all media is downloaded directly from a Zeebo network. The reason is that this will keep costs low as well as solve the distribution problems for traditional shrink-wrapped games in Brazil.

The main problem is that downloading content will incur data costs, which can be quite expensive even for the average Brazilian and this cost have to be factored in as well. But the idea is solid, the console has all the necessities (joysticks, SD card for data storage, stereo audio and composite video output) and the games are beginning to mature.

However, the fact of the matter is, it would be more appealing to go out and buy one of the 7th generation consoles out there right now, continue to support mafia-operated pirated games outlets and let the cycle continue. It takes a lot of willpower to break this habit, and a wireless console with the power of the PSP running unknown games is not, I believe, capable of doing it.

More info on Zeebo.

For one thing, this smartphone will be powered by Windows Mobile 6.1 (WM6.1) and run on 3.5G, which is nice but many people have had bad experience with WM6.1, as it is generally slow and sluggish. Well, ASUS plans to remedy this situation in the most basic way possible: throw more processing power at it.

The processor will be a horrendously powerful 800MHz, which according to ASUS scores twice the performance marks of Vsbenchmark score than the nearest competitor, although they did not reveal who it was.

Other goodies noteworthy is the 2.8-in VGA screen, WiFi, Bluetooth and true SiRFIII GPS technology, which means this phone has got it’s connectivity options covered. ASUS got rid of the traditional QWERTY keyboard input format and in its place is their own touch-screen system called the Glide. To sweeten the deal, a 3MP camera means imaging will be decent, but not terribly great.

The P565, I suspect, will be priced at an affordable rate and with the powerful platform, it will finally make WM6.1 a more enjoyable experience…hopefully. But before I end, I would like to point out that once upon a time, one could run Windows XP at the specs of this phone. Maybe you would want to ponder that while waiting for the phone’s release.

For more info on this upcoming phone, check out Asus.com website.

Unfortunately, up until now Google Chrome, still doesn’t support plugins. So, as much as I love Chrome, when I need to check a website’s PageRank and Alexa rank, I still need to switch to Firefox. Not very time saving of course.

However, big thanks to the boys at chromefans.org, they made available a Javascript Plug-in that allows Google Chrome user to check the PageRank and Alexa rank of websites, effortlessly!

Good thing is, this javascript bookmarklet can be used in any browser, even FireFox, Safari and Internet Explorer. Simply drag and drop the bookmarklet (go to chromefans.org to get it) to your bookmark toolbar and click on it when you want to check the rankings. Really easy to install and use… go get it, Chrome users!

Guess what, USB 3.0 is expected to be 10 times the speed of USB 2.0 or roughly 5 gigabits per second.

Looks like this will be good for a lot of applications, such as transferring and backing up huge files! Can’t wait for products supporting USB 3.0 to hit the market.

Read more on Cnet.com.

Sony has a history of porting over their other series phones into the W-series, slap on some Walkman software on it and sell it to you at a higher price. It all began back during the days of the successful K750i model, upon which they made the W800i which is based exactly on the same internal structure as the K750i, albeit with a different outer casing. Most people hated the orange styling and went for a K750i instead and then flashed the firmware to the Walkman series. And today you can do exactly the same and avoid paying a hefty premium for the Walkman series altogether.

But since then, the Walkman series have toned down on the aggressive styling a little bit. The W705 is a looker though, with the brushed metal look and hints of gold chrome around its side, displaying its generous 2.4-inch screen to the world in a slim profile that fits snugly into your pocket. As this is a music device, there is plenty of features such as PlayNow, SenseMe, and the shaking control, in additional the usual goodies such as WiFi, 3.2MP camera, Google Maps and of course, FM radio. It’s pretty much the standard stuff you’d expect in a slightly upscale phone these days.

But wait, that’s not all. Sony Ericsson is also launching their Home Audio System which is wireless and looks a lot like a beach ball. The stereo speakers (that’s what they are, not that great right?) are wonderful in that you can stream your music wirelessly using Bluetooth, all 2.1 channels of it to have it played by the ‘Home Audio System’. Music quality is still suspicious, but I’m sure for regular folks without great expectations of their stereo equipment, the wireless feature will be a great draw.

Expect to see both of these available in stores early next year.

Of course, this real Photoshop thingy which I came across on Digg.com could be real, but it’s not very likely. I think it should have been a work of Photoshop, by a creative fella.

Anyway, it’s so genius that it deserved more than 2,000 diggs in a really short period of time. Kudos to the creator!

The website’s homepage features a quote from Obama: “Today we begin in earnest the work of making sure that the world we leave our children is just a little bit better than the one we inhabit today.”

Also featured on the website is a blog posting which has a YouTube video of Obama’s victory speech in Chicago on Tuesday.

Do check out Change.gov, and share your ideas of what you think of this change!

Note: I wanted to find out more about the domain name Change.gov, but seems like nothing much is revealed other than some IP addresses and name servers. Check for whois at Gov Whois.

Most of the key functionality worked, however, the system was unable to get online, and various other Windows 7 features, such as the mouseover preview, were not available - perhaps due to some driver problems.

Anyway, remember this is a beta. Check out the video by GearLog:-

• HP Pavilion a6500 Series: A6545D, A6550D, A6465D, A6650D, A6645D
• HP Pavilion G Series: G3460D, G3560D
• HP Pavilion s3500 Series: S3481D, S3581D
• HP Pavilion m9000 Series: M9292D MCPC, Elite M9291D PC

Act quick, this offer expires on the 31st December 2008. Perhaps it’s wise to wait a while for the year end PC Fair also, as the price should drop and on top of that you get a further 3 years free parts, labour and on-site warranty from HP.

For more info, visit HP website.

The content which is rigorously filtered for suitability and appropriateness has also found their ways into the schools of first-world countries where it is being used for the same purposes. The DVD, which weighs in at 2.9GB is available for download on Bit Torrent. The decision to use P2P technology to distribute the content was purely a logistical one, as it would have crushed servers if the content is offered for direct download.

However, I find it a little surprising that they didn’t fill up the whole DVD with content… as there are still empty room for articles. As it stands though, the content contains some 34,000 images and 20 million words span what would require traditional encyclopedias 21 volumes to contain, and now it fits into the palm of your hand.

The decision to use Bit Torrent was met with some criticisms though, as many users who are not computer savvy enough find it hard to use. However, during test runs with direct download, the server was unable to deliver the sufficient bandwidth anyway. So for those who are interested, the torrent is the only way to get it right now. So head on over to the link and download it to share with your librarian at school.

However altruistic the goal is… I am a little bit skeptical as to the viability of the whole scenario, given how unlikely the school will be to be able to afford computers if they can’t even afford Internet access. I’m sure there are SOME school out there who would benefit from having this sort of content, and the creators have, I am sure, sacrificed a lot of time to compile these.