Cases To Protect Your PSP

I’ve been toting around my PSP since the day I bought it, but the challenge I face on a daily basis is to prevent it from being scratched or damaged. I had to find something more than just the flimsy case it came with. I wanted something that would shield it if it ever fell out of my purse and hit the ground.

I found a few different products that are perfect for PSP protection. Logitech makes two cases that I was impressed with. PlayGear Street keeps your PSP, games, movies and memory sticks organized together in its hands-free case. Since it’s made with a virtually indestructible polycarbonate shell, it definitely protects your PSP from every day bumps and scratches. It also comes with an adjustable strap to allow you to wear it as a shoulder bag, across your chest (messenger style) or attach it to your backpack or bag. Just think of the PlayGear Street as a PSP purse. It will be available soon for $29.99 at www.logitech.com.

The second item from Logitech is the PlayGear Pocket. It’s made out of the same polycarbonate armor as PlayGear Street. I use this case to carry my PSP around in my purse or laptop computer bag. It has a versatile lid that flips up and out of the way so you can still play your beloved without removing it from the case. PlayGear Pocket gives you easy access to jacks, ports and switches without removing it from the case. The lid’s tension hinge allows it to rotate and stay open at any angle so you can stand it up as a tabletop stand for hands-free viewing of videos. It is $19.99 at www.logitech.com.

For you Batman fans, Mad Catz has the Batman Begins PSP Pack. It includes a PSP console case, screen protector, game storage for two UMDs and PSP skin. The console case has a batsuit look and feel, fits like a glove and provides access to essential ports. It is $19.99 at www.madcatz.com.

If you want to give your PSP a high fashion look, then you should check out PSP Fashion’s website (www.psp-fashion.com). These cases are unique and are made by top-class designers such as Burberry and Fendi. The prices have a very wide range from $95 to $2,500. These cases available are certainly nice, but as far as functionality, well, that would be up to you to decide.

Becoming A Golf Hot Shot

If I’m at the doctor’s office waiting to go into the exam room, waiting for a table to open up at a restaurant, or just hanging out at Starbucks, I’ll play my Sony PSP. Although I own many PSP games, the one I enjoy the most for those situations is Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee. It’s so easy to play, and since I’m not a great golfer in real life, I can at least pretend to be a digital Michelle Wie.

Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee was released in May, and I bought it the day it came out on store shelves. I haven’t been able to put it down since! It’s very addictive while giving you the freedom to scratch your golf itch anytime. It also helps the time pass by quickly on a long airplane flight.

Hot Shots features three game modes. The single-player game offers you the chance to unlock characters and items by competing in tournaments. The training mode lets you practice your skills on various courses with no pressure to lose. The wireless multiplayer mode allows up to eight players to hit the links together in various head-to-head matches, real-time tournaments or putting challenge. My personal favorite is the single-player mode so I can collect everything possible to build my golfers up and unlock new characters. I haven’t played the wireless multiplayer mode yet since I haven’t found any available wireless opponents out there.

As you build-up your golfers’ skills and abilities, customize them from head-to-toe with over 250 hairstyles, hats, outfits and accessories obtained from winning tournaments. You can also win upgraded golf clubs and balls for longer shots, control and accuracy. Everything you win is available to all your golfers, including new ones with no experience. In addition, tournament wins can up your skill level and raise your rank.

Once you get really good at Hot Shots, learn how to optimize the ball’s trajectory by mastering all the different spins. You will also learn how to hit the ball farther on your drives. Hot Shots features realistic-looking golf courses and caricatured bobble-headed characters that are influenced by Japanese anime. The golf course scenes are relaxing to look at and enhanced by the PSP’s already excellent graphics. The playful visual style of Hot Shots will most likely appeal more to the non-serious golfers, such as myself.

Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee is rated E for Everyone and is available for $39.99 at Toys n’ Joys, or your nearest CompUSA or GameStop.

Tripwire Your Space

Those who know me well are quite aware that I am a very particular person. At home, my closet is organized by color and type of clothing, and for the dresser, I fold all the t-shirts and underwear into neat little squares. At work, my desk is always in perfect order, as files are neatly arranged (each labeled with a label maker, never handwritten) and I daily leave the office with a spotless desk. If someone borrows my stapler, a pen or just sits in my chair, I know it right away. I will especially notice if there’s even one Hershey’s Kiss missing from my candy bowl.

For those of you not as meticulous as I am, there’s a product called Lazer Tripwire that will help protect your cubicle, the kitchen or anything else you are trying to guard. Despite its name, it does not actually use lasers, but invisible beams of infrared (IR) light. You can clamp the Lazer units anywhere, as long as you align each sender (IR light) to a receptor (light sensor). If you want to get fancy, you can combine multiple sets to create an entire perimeter. When all the units are properly connected, you will hear a voice announce, “System Armed.” If your perimeter is breached, an alarm will sound and the whole world will know who is in the process of stealing your last cookie. I suppose you could also use this as a way to guard your doorway (at home or at the office) to warn you of approaching intruders.

You don’t have to worry about any eye damage from this product since it uses a low beam of light. It will not burn your retina even if you look directly into it. I think the Lazer Tripwire is an interesting combination of technology that is actually used to protect serious things, such as museums and bank. Now it’s available as an affordable way to make your own Mission Impossible fantasy a reality.

The whole Lazer Tripwire system consists of three units, each with angle-able transmit and receive heads, which creates the invisible barrier. It also includes a mist bottle so you can see the “laser beams,” and requires six AAA batteries to operate (not included). It is made by Wild Planet, and is $29.99 at Think Geek (www.thinkgeek.com). Please keep in mind that this is only a toy, so it doesn’t come with armed guards.

Dynasty Warriors 5 - The Greatest Adventure

I’ve enjoyed playing the Dynasty Warriors games for the past few years since the setting is in ancient China. Its rich history has always fascinated me, yet I have never gone there. Dynasty Warriors takes me there virtually and helps me visualize what adventures took place back then. Dynasty Warriors games are based on Luo Guanzhong’s historic novel, Romance of The Three Kingdoms, and all games in the series take you back in time to an ancient land torn apart by chaos.

The latest in this sequence from KOEI is Dynasty Warriors 5. In this game you are equipped with powerful weapons and your character’s strategic wits. You fight your way through huge battlefields filled with hordes of angry enemy warriors. Walk in the boots of 48 different characters, and experience their individual stories, styles and in-game events. Also added are six new characters, 38 new maps (each 30% larger) and a revamped weapon system. With this system, you earn weapons by defeating enemy officers or finding treasure chests. Sometimes I get carried away with this by looking in every nook and cranny for treasures chests. I have lots of fun riding the horses and elephants around . . . yes if you find one, you can ride it! It sure makes eliminating the enemy forces easier and much more efficient.

I’ve been looking forward to the Xbox version since it features Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound, which makes a huge difference. There’s also a new voice option: choose between the never-before-released Japanese language with English subtitles or just plain English. I think playing it with the Japanese subtitles makes it more interesting because it gives it an anime flavor.

The gameplay is typically in Musou mode (story mode), but you can also pick the Free mode. The PSP version has 42 characters to choose from and you can uncover seven stories from China’s turbulent past. On all versions, you are given a little history lesson by being given facts and information regarding the time period, battles or characters.

KOEI’s Dynasty Warriors series has generated nearly seven million units in sales worldwide since its initial release in 1997. It is rated T for Teen and was released in March 2005 for the PlayStation 2 and PSP, and it just came out last week for the Xbox. Dynasty Warriors 5 is $49.99 for the Playstation 2 and Xbox versions, and $39.99 for the PSP at CompUSA or Toys n’ Joys.

The Life Of A Digital Diva

I must say that I embrace my lifestyle as a “girl geek.” I love knowing the latest and greatest of what’s out there in the world of technology. There aren’t many of us digital divas out there though. I once again came to this realization recently while having lunch with some of my girlfriends.

First we were talking about “normal girlie” things, next we started talking about my friend’s husband, and how he’s in the IT (Information Technology) field, and she mentioned some of his help desk stories and experiences. I jumped in and shared some stories of my own, and went and went on and on, and probably got a little carried away. Soon, I just saw blank looks from them, then silence. A burst of laughter from all of us broke the silence as they were teasing me on how much of a geek-dork I am. Well, unfortunately none of my girlfriends share this techie interest with me, so I can hardly talk to them about video games, the latest gadget toys or the cool hacks that I’ve done lately.

About two years ago, on a trip to visit some of my husband’s family, his aunt and two cousins thought it would be nice to take me to the mall on a little shopping trip. As we walked around, they were looking at all the clothes, purses, shoes and other accessories. To my delight, I spotted a Software Etc. store. I told them, “I’ll be over there,” as I pointed in the direction of the store, however, they decided to come with me (probably not knowing that I was pointing to the game store). As I walked in the store, I turned around to see if they were behind me. The three of them were stopped and frozen at the doorway. It was as if they hit an invisible wall and couldn’t go any further. I had a good laugh to myself.

Don’t get me wrong, I do enjoy regular shopping too. In fact I did just buy a purse not too long ago. I just had to make sure it fit my Sony PSP, digital camera and cell phone, in addition to my wallet.

While most women are out getting their hair or nails done, I’d rather spend the money on a new video game or toy. At the magazine rack, while most of the women are looking at the fashion magazines, there I am checking out the latest issue of Wired or PC Gamer. Of course there are many guys out there who can identify with my interest (my husband being one of them), but I’d like to see more of us Click Chick types arise out there. We are few and far between!

Isn't It Iconic

I became bored of looking at the same old icons on my desktop, so I set off on a mission to change them. I went on an Internet hunt to search for the best icons available for free. The initial sites that came up on my search were less than impressive, and only offered those cheesy looking ones you see on an awful PowerPoint presentation. But bleh! I wasn’t going to settle for that.

There are multiple icon websites out there, but the top two that won my attention were Pixelgirl Presents (www.pixelgirlpresents) and Icon Factory (www.iconfactory.com). I applaud Pixelgirl Presents for the availability of its nearly 400 downloadable sets. They’re mostly family-friendly without being tacky. You can choose from foods, animals, robots, anime, retro or cultural iconography (i.e. Japanese good luck charms). Wouldn’t it be fun to change your icons to match the holidays throughout the year, or what mood you’re in? You can also change your desktop picture around with Pixelgirl’s nearly 1,000 desktops available.

Icon Factory’s website is a bit cluttered, but if you look in the right places, you can find just about anything from A-Z, using the convenient search window. It probably has more of a selection than Pixelgirl, you just have to dig a little. It gives you the option of purchasing IconBuilder if you don’t find what you’re looking for. You’ll need Adobe Photoshop or Macromedia Fireworks to use it, as well as a creative streak. You can download it for $79. In addition, IconBuilder offers all sorts of tips, various tools and design services.

Okay, now you have all these cool icons to play with, but how do you change your folders around? It’s really quite simple:

For Mac:
-Highlight the folder you would like to change
-Simultaneously push the Apple (command key) and I keys for the properties
-Copy your selected icon (highlight, and push Apple C)
-Highlight the “old” folder icon inside the properties window and replace it with your new icon by pasting it over (Apple V)

For Windows XP:
-Right click on the folder you would like to change (for the properties window)
-Click on the Customize tab
-Click on Change Icon, select your icon picture

Now you’re all set to spice-up your computer’s desktop.

Gadgets for Disaster Survival

As I’ve been watching the news covering the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and how so many people were unprepared, it made me want to throw my own disaster kit together, but with a high tech twist of course. In order to live through something of that magnitude, you would need ample water, food and perhaps a power source.

Water Source
What do you do after you drank all your bottled water and there’s no clean drinkable water left? You can only survive a few days without hydrating, so water is the number one most important survival need. Mountain Safety Research (MSR) makes the MIOX Purifier, and believe it or not, it can turn that foul liquid from the Ala Wai Canal into drinkable water.

The MIOX Purifier is about the size of a magic marker and is extremely portable, weighing-in at only 3.5 ounces. It may be small, but it’s powerful enough to neutralize the nastiest bacteria, pathogens and chemicals, including E. coli, giardia, cryptosporidium, anthrax, plague, nerve gas and many others. Using salt, water and an electrical current, this purifier works by creating a powerful dose of mixed oxidants, which you add to the untreated water, and that kills the viruses and bacteria. Since the MIOX requires just regular batteries and salt to operate, it’s and easy to use and maintenance-free. It definitely represents a revolution in water treatment with its compact size, and no pumping or no iodine requirements. You can either use it for small amounts or larger amounts of water, up to 200+ liters. You’ll know when your water is safe to drink by testing it with indicator strips.

The MIOX Purifier kit includes salt, batteries, safety indicator strips and a storage sack. It is available for $129.95 at REI (www.rei.com), and the replacement kit containing test strips and salt is $17.95. In addition, this could be a good (overseas) travel or hiking companion.

Power Source
In a power outage, there are only so many batteries you can have to run the absolute necessities. Hopefully you were smart enough to buy the rechargeable batteries along with the necessary charger. The problem is if there’s no power, you can’t charge those batteries. But don’t worry, there’s a product that will get those batteries charged and gives you an excellent source of backup power in the event of an outage.



The XPowerpack 400 Plus is powered by a rechargeable battery and provides you with up to 400 watts of portable AC power without the hassle of a big noisy generator. It gives you the power to charge your cell phone or run a small television or radio. It can also juice-up the household appliances you may need such as small power tools, fans, laptops or kitchen accessories (i.e. rice cooker).

XPowerpack 400 can jumpstart your car and comes with jumper cables. It has a built-in 250-psi air compressor (with nozzle adapters) so you can inflate a rubber raft that will float you safety, or fill up your car’s tires. It is rechargeable from an AC wall outlet (before the disaster happens) and comes with a DC charging cable so you can recharge it from your car. It has an illumination light and a three-digit digital display that shows you the percentage of battery capacity available and the watts of power being drawn from its own outlets. It will sound an alarm if it is close to overheating, so you don’t have to worry about overloading it. The XPowerpack 400 Plus is available for $149.99 at www.amazon.com.

A good partner to the Xpowerpack is the World Band Emergency Radio & 6-LED Lantern made by Sharper Image. This worry-free radio doesn’t require any batteries or power source. Three minutes of hand cranking to give it power provides you with 20 minutes of radio play or 18 minutes of light. It comes with a blue backlit digital clock and an alarm clock complete with a snooze alarm. It is $89.95 at the Sharper Image store at Ala Moana or online www.sharperimage.com.

Food
After you’ve eaten your supply of Spam, corned beef and dried saimin, then what? It’s probably also good idea to have an adequate supply of meals ready to eat (MREs). I promise, they’re really not that bad. I lived off them for about a week while going through some military training.

For those of you fortunate to know someone in the military, definitely get those authentic MREs. For those of you who don’t have that connection, you can buy similar civilian MREs from www.majorsurplusnsurvival.com. A case of 12 is about $67. Each meal pack contains an entree, side dish, snack (fruit bar or crackers), water activated flameless heater and an accessory pack (containing salt, pepper, coffee, sweetener, wet wipes, a spoon matches and jelly spread and peanut butter). Bon Appetit!

Logitech’s Cordless Media Remote

When I’m using my computer, I enjoy the convenience of a wireless keyboard and mouse. I don’t like cords in my way, especially with the mouse when trying to accurately and quickly acquire my target on whatever video game I’m playing. You can just call me the wireless queen.

Companies that make peripherals seemingly come out with a new wireless keyboard/mouse combo every day, but I was intrigued to discover Logitech’s latest creation since it comes with a remote control. The Logitech Cordless Desktop S 510 Media Remote is the first desktop combo to come with a remote control. Each component of it is designed to match the sleek look of your LCD flat screen monitor. Using the remote control, and sitting up to 16 feet away, you can navigate through your computer’s photos, listen to your music or perform other common tasks such as software navigation. It also includes a battery level indicator, programmable preset buttons and a shuffle key for your music. Using it is as familiar as your television’s remote.

The whole keyboard/mouse/remote control trio runs best with Logitech’s MediaLife software, which provides quick access to all your photos, music and videos in a single intuitive interface. The Zero-Degree Tilt keyboard gives your wrists comfort with its built-in palm rest. The integrated one-touch keyboard controls incorporate random music play, quick image zooming and image rotation. You can also program the F-keys to quick launch applications with a single touch. The LX5 cordless optical mouse responds quickly to your touch, and you can scroll vertically or horizontally.

Battery power in your keyboard and mouse will last you an average of six months, perhaps longer if you conserve its power. The keyboard and mouse both have LED battery level indicators, and the flashing display gives you about 10 days notice before the batteries need to be replaced. Four AAA and two AA batteries total are needed to power the trio. The S 510 talks to your computer via a USB mini-receiver and comes with a five-year limited warranty. It is only available for PC/Windows XP.

Unfortunately, you won’t find the S 510 on store shelves yet, but when it does come out, the retail price will be $99.99. Since there is no official release date yet, go to www.logitech.com, and you can submit your name and e-mail for a product launch notification.

Exercise Gaming

If I happen to be at the gym on a cardio day, and don’t feel up to running on the treadmill, I will reluctantly jump on the exercise bike. I usually don’t like the bike because it’s so boring to just sit there, stare at the wall and pedal. I’ll look over my shoulder and see people reading magazines or books wishing I had something to read too.

There’s a new exercise bike that I hope my gym will acquire. NeXfit makes fitness equipment that allows you to enjoy your exercise workout and favorite game at the same time. You can play your games complete with Internet chat and the ability to link with other NeXfit users. During your workout, you can also continuously access your health condition using the bike’s fitness software. You can also setup the coach feature, which helps you achieve the goals you set.

NeXfit has two fitness bikes available, the BK-A6 and the BK-R3. They are both made with a super light aluminum frame and resemble an average fitness bike while combining the benefits of a traditional cardio workout and computer gaming. This whole concept essentially turns fitness equipment into a game simulator. You can play just about any PC game you want, but the racing games probably function the best. Both bikes hook up to a PC using a USB connection and the pedals can be mapped to the joystick’s X- and Y-axis to perform left-to-right and throttle control. On the right handle, a small thumb stick provides mouse control to get you through the game’s menus, and four buttons let you access common game functions.

The BK-A6 features force feedback sensors built into the bike to simulate crashes, changes in terrain or whatever the game’s situation is. The feed back sensors are located in the pedals and seat. In addition an air compressor is used to simulate the uphill and downhill changes in terrain. The handlebars serve as the steering mechanism and swivel left to right. The BK-R3 uses a magnetic field resistance system for the flywheel versus the air compression on the BK-A6.

The whole fitness-game system works fairly well and certainly turns a boring bike workout into fun interactive entertainment. Your workouts will whiz by, as the majority of your attention will be shifted to the video game instead of the workout. NeXfit fit will soon release more versions of its bikes to be compatible with Xbox and PlayStation 2, which should improve game variety and will be easier to hook up to a television.

NeXfit’s bikes are available at www.nexfit.com. The BK-A6 is about $2500 and the BK-R3 is around $1900.