Saving The World In Time Crisis 4

I used to spend hours and hours at Dave & Buster’s playing all sorts of games, one of my favorites being good ol’ Time Crisis with its light gun. Namco Bandai’s Time Crisis 4 has been out in arcades since last year, but it was just released for the PlayStation 3 (PS3) for you to enjoy at home.

It’s very much an arcade-style game, and features an upgraded light gun controller called Guncon3 and a new first-person shooter (FPS) mode. For the setup, you place a couple of infrared sensors on your TV for the Guncon3 to read. It takes less than a couple of minutes to calibrate these with your gun, and it reminded me of setting up the controller for my Nintendo Wii. The Guncon3 features six buttons, a trigger, two analog sticks and full-motion sensing capabilities. With it you can do everything from switching your weapons to changeing the camera angles to controlling your character’s movements. As soon as I had it configured, I jumped right into Time Crisis 4 with the point-and-shoot tactics.


The game builds on the previous shooting gameplay of the Time Crisis titles. This time the world is in danger from international terrorists (a group called W.O.L.F.), who threaten to unleash a terrible new biological weapon on an unsuspecting populace. In the world’s moment of need, it’s up to you, as a part of a group of special operatives from around the globe, to take up arms and put an end to this doomsday scenario. In the 10 shooting stages, you play the role of Giorgio Bruno and Evan Bernard. When you encounter the FPS mode in between these stages, you’ll do so as Capt. William Rush in a parallel storyline.

There are a few different modes of play: full mission (through a combination of stages and new FPS stages), arcade, crisis missions (self-contained scenarios with unique objectives and mission parameters) and mini games (15 to choose from). Your arsenal includes the standard assortment ranging from handguns, shotguns and grenade launchers to mounted machine guns (FPS mode only). Going through, the scenarios are not realistic at all, but definitely entertaining. I would-n’t expect it to seem real, since it is meant to be an arcade-type game.


Overall, I think the game intended to revamp the light gun game genre, but I still found it very similar to previous Time Crisis releases. The new Guncon 3 is comfortable to use, but might be a challenge for left-handed players. It seems the calibrations differ for everyone,since I had to recalibrate the gun when someone else played before me. Regardless, I still enjoy the game since it turns my living room into a mini Dave & Buster’s. In addition, I admire the classic Japanese anime arcade style, and the added first-person mode is a nice touch, too.

Time Crisis 4 is rated T for Teen (13+), is compatible for one or two players (cooperative), and retails for $89.99 for the PS3. All copies are bundled with the Guncon3 controller, and you can find it at your nearest GameStop (www.gamestop.com), BestBuy (www.bestbuy.com) or CompUSA (www.compusa.com).

User-Friendly Phones

Cell phones have come a long way since the days of the classic big gray “brick” that only people with loads of money owned. Nowadays just about everyone has a mobile phone, yet most of the phones available on the market are too complex for the average nontechnical person to figure out. For those of you included in that technophobe category, or if you just desire a simple, bare-bones phone, there are two that will make your life easier: the Coupe from Verizon Wireless and the Jitterbug.

The first thing I noticed when I first opened up the Coupe is its extreme simplistic design. There’s no Bluetooth, no camera, no messaging, no Web browsing, just a plain old phone. I know that does-n’t sound too glamorous, but at least it looks good with its shiny black coating, and it’s perfect for emergencies, since there’s a dedicated 911 button, and programmable I, C and E buttons (In Case of Emergency).

Other features include a calculator, alarm clock, calendar, stopwatch, notepad, tip calculator and speakerphone (separate key). It can hold up to 500 names, with the ability to assign each with one of your 25 ringtones or alerts and a caller ID picture. You also can do voice dialing, and there are easy-to-see color codings for volume control (white), the battery charging port cover (red) and the headset port (blue).

The Coupe is compact at all of 3.8 inches small, and has a large font size for the screen. I took it to a few places around the island and the signal was always good with no dropped calls. The big buttons make dialing a breeze, especially if you have trouble seeing the keypad, or if you just have big fingers. In addition, you’ll receive about 3.6 hours of talk time or 9.5 days of standby time.

The Coupe is $19.99 with a two-year Verizon Wireless agreement. If you’re 65 or older, you’ll qualify for one of the America’s Choice 65 Plus calling plans, that include unlimited IN calling to more than 60 million Verizon Wireless customers, domestic long distance and monthly minute night and weekend allowances. Call Verizon Wireless at 1-800-2-JOIN-IN or visit www.verizonwireless.com for more information.


The Jitterbug phones are made by GreatCall/Samsung, and are similar, yet slightly different since you have 24/7 operator service and no contracts. There are two types of Jitterbugs: the Dial and OneTouch. The Dial has simple “Yes” and “No” buttons along with a large, backlit keypad, and the OneTouch has three main buttons, “Operator,” “Tow” and “911.”

An interesting thing about the phone is that it has an actual dial tone. Psychologically, that eases the minds of those who are accustomed to hearing that. It makes it mimic a “real” phone. The features are even more basic than the Coupe. It includes voice dialing, speakerphone and a contact list capacity of 50 numbers. You can even have up to 15 numbers pre-programmed in when you order the phone. Of course, you can program your own, but if even doing that yourself is too complicated, you can just dial the operator, and they will edit your contacts list for you. The battery will last about three hours or 8.3 days of standby.

These Jitterbug phones are specifically marketed to our kupuna and are available for $147, along with a monthly fee starting at $10, and no long-term contracts. Visit www.jitter-bug.com to purchase or for more information.

Protecting laptops is in the bag with KINETIK

Along with a good portion of the rest of the modern world, I keep my whole life of data in my laptop.Yes, I keep a backup of my hard drive, but if anything happened to it I would still be heartbroken. I learned the hard way that it is important to have a good bag to protect your computer. A friend of mine gave me a brand knock-off laptop bag from overseas. It was a nice-looking briefcase, but it apparently had no protection.

I remember the day as if it was yesterday ... after using the bag for only a couple of months, when I got out of my car one morning the handle snapped off, the laptop slid out of the bag, and I saw pieces of the computer flying all over the parking garage. It was so traumatic, and it all seemed to happen in slow motion. Thank God the hard drive was still functional, but I had to plug it into a monitor to see and siphon off all the data, since the screen was unreadable from the massive crack. Never again.

Here I am years later and, until now, I never found a good, eye-appealing, protective, yet practical bag that actually does its job. I’m satisfied now that Logitech launched its new line of premium notebook bags, KINETIK. There are two you can choose from. For a more professional look, the KINETIK 15.4 Briefcase, or for a sportier design, the KINETIK 15.4 Backpack.


The Briefcase has a modern, sophisticated, Batman-ish style with its lightweight matte exo-shell casing and padded notebook sleeve. There are three compartments lined with orange-red nylon, with ample room for your power cord, mouse and other accessories, and the middle portion is meant for your precious laptop. The back panel is cushioned, and it’s so sturdy that it makes your Briefcase a free-standing rock. It took me a few moments to figure out what it is, but there’s a trolley sleeve on there too. This is perfect while you’re traveling, since you can slip this sleeve right over the bars on your luggage. I find this much more convenient than trying to fiddle with a strap, hoping it doesn’t fall off your baggage.

The Briefcase fits most 15.4-inch notebooks, hence it’s name, or a 17-inch MacBook Pro.Having similar features to the Briefcase, the Backpack is probably more catered to students. The back portion is heavily padded, and provides extra support with sturdy straps and room for books in addition to your computer, iPod and other accessories. Not that I would actually try it, but I have confidence that I can take a KINETIK case and throw it 10 feet and nothing will break. Not only that, but they are both sleek, yet not overly heavy. Most importantly, I know that the handles or straps will not break off to kill another one of my innocent computers.

To purchase a KINETIK of your own or for more information, log onto www.logitech.com. Both the Briefcase and Backpack go for $99.99, and are available at www.amazon.com, www.pcmall.com or www.cdw.com.

Disney In A Flash

When I first saw Lexar’s new line of Disney SD cards/USB Flash drives, I immediately thought of my friend Joy. She’s the most dedicated Disney freak I know. She has the theme to High School Musical 2 on her phone, goes to Disneyland or Disney World whenever she can, and has Disney paraphernalia all over her desk.

For people like her, Lexar and Disney joined together to create the my*style product line. It includes wearable USB Flash drives, regular Flash drives, and SD cards that showcase High School Musical, Hannah Montana, Pirates of the Caribbean 2 and classic Mickey, 512MB and 1GB capacities.

I realize these not very large compared to the biggest ones out there, but it will sure make the Disney fanatic in your life happy. Find these for $24.99 (512MB) or $34.99 (1GB) at www.lexar.com/disney

XShot Extends Camera Options

Now that you’re all squared away with a cute little Disney memory card for your camera, you can think about how to do the important part - taking the pictures. Instead of trying to find a good spot to put your camera down, set the timer and take a self group shot, the XShot gives you on-the-go options, and literally extends the way you shoot your photos and videos.

The XShot is a telescopic rod that attaches to your compact digital camera or hand-held video camera. You connect your camera to the built-in thumb screw and adjust it to your desired angle. Set the self-timer on your camera, extend the XShot, aim and shoot. It gives you more than three feet of reach, which is enough to fit up to five people in your picture. The full extension length is 37 inches, and is only nine inches when closed, easily fitting into one of my bigger purses or in my back pocket. It only weighs 3.9 ounces, is made of stainless steel and has a non-slip rubber grip. Because of its compact size, it is perfect for the traveler or any avid on-the-go photographer.

I have tons of pictures with my friends and family that were taken with my arm extended. XShot will make that a thing of the past. “People no longer have to rely on arm extensions or passing strangers to take their pictures,” says Michael Daoud, co-founder of XShot, LLC. “Photographers and videographers can now be a part of the memory and get a great image without a tripod assembly.”

The idea for the XShot was born when Daoud was vacationing in Paris. He tried to take a picture of himself and his wife in front of the Louvre Museum with his arm extended. Only a small portion of the Louvre was actually in the photo, and he realized if his arm was a little longer he could take better pictures. Here the idea of the telescopic arm popped into his head, and the XShot was born. Log onto www.xshotpix.com and find the XShot for $24.95.

Guitar Hero III

When I received my copy of Guitar Hero III, it somehow evaporated from my hands and magically appeared in my husband’s before we even reached the door to the house. Before I even touched my guitar, much less knew what happened to it, he plugged it into our Xbox 360 at the speed of lightning and completed the entire game on Medium mode in less than three hours - all the while still fully dressed in his work clothes, shoes on, glued to the TV with guitar stuck to his arms/hands, and no bathroom breaks. No comment.

If you’re not familiar with Guitar Hero, a quick rundown: You have a guitar controller with five fret buttons and a strummer. The notes appear on the screen, and you push the colored buttons on your guitar that correspond to the colors that pop up. How well you do in the game depends on how good you are at pushing the notes when they pop up on the screen. It’s basically a good exercise in hand-eye coordination.

Activision/RedOctane’s Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock has been out for about a month now, and it has rocked its way to the top of the charts. By its seventh day out on the market it broke more than $115 million in sales. Now some of the songs featured in the game are helping the artists’ sales too, particularly the unlockable track Through the Fire and Flames by DragonForce. Clearly, this is not only a game, but a great promotion tool for bands as well.


The DragonForce song is one of the more difficult tracks, and it will make your fingers fall off, so it’s a good thing that it is only a bonus. In total, Guitar Hero III features about 70 tracks from a variety of rocks eras. For the classics, you see Santana’s Black Magic Woman, ZZ Top’s La Grange and The Rolling Stones’ Paint it Black. For the modern stuff, you see The Killers’ When You Were Young, or Bloc Party’s Helicopter, and it wouldn’t be complete without the alternative Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Suck My Kiss or Pearl Jam’s Evenflow, to name a few.

The best added feature is the wireless guitar controller. You can still use your old wired guitar, but the wireless gives you the freedom to roam all over the room with it and not worry about getting tangled up as you’re dancing, etc. There are various modes you can choose from to progress through the game. The Career lets you unlock new songs and venues, earn cash to buy songs, characters, guitars and other gear. Co-op Career is almost the same thing, but with your partner. If you just want a quick fix, the Quick Play lets you jump in and play any song that you’ve already earned, unlocked or downloaded.


You can log onto Xbox Live and play against others online, and overload their amps, break their strings or drain their rock meter before they knew what hit them. The only problem with these games is that it can happen so fast that your games with your opponents will not last very long in some instances.

Overall, Guitar Hero III rocks! The gameplay is about the same compared to the previous Guitar Heroes. This version may not be the most user-friendly game to someone who has never played Guitar Hero, as the songs are a little more difficult, especially in the Hard and Expert levels. It still makes an excellent party game, as long as you have two guitars. With the example of my husband, you can see Guitar Hero III is extremely addicting...once you complete the easier levels, then you’ll want to start it all over again on the Expert level.

Guitar Hero III is rated T for Teen and is available for the Nintendo Wii, PlayStation 2/3 and Xbox 360 at your nearest GameStop (www.gamestop.com), CompUSA (www.compusa.com) or Best Buy (www.bestbuy.com). The prices vary from $49.99 to $129.99, depending on what platform and if you purchase the bundle pack with the guitar. Additionally, right on time for Christmas, PC and Mac versions will be released in December. Go to www.guitarherogame.com/gh3 for more information, and the iTunes Store has the Guitar Hero III songs if you’re interested in listening - type in “Guitar Hero III” in the search box to find them.

Easy, Affordable Sansa TakeTV

SanDisk released the Sansa TakeTV recently, a video player that gives you a way to conveniently watch content from your computer on your TV. We’ve seen products that can stream video from computer to TV before, such as Apple TV or Netgear’s Digital Entertainer HD, so the concept is nothing new. The difference with the TakeTV is that it’s easier on the wallet.

I remember seeing TakeTV at the Consumer Electronics Show earlier this year, but it was called USBTV. It was probably named that originally since it’s basically a USB flash drive with a video out. It’s a friend to the challenged user - all you do is drag your video files to the TakeTV player and slip it into its cradle. The cradle plugs into standard AV sockets and you’ll see an on-screen guide to set up and select the content you’ve stored on it (controlled using the included remote).

“Sansa TakeTV is the most easy-to-use, straightforward solution for watching downloaded personal video content and other shows in the comfort of the living room,” said Daniel Schreiber, senior vice president and general manager for SanDisk’s audio/video business unit. “No confusing wireless network setup, no wires running across the living room and no cumbersome burning of DVDs. Just use the Sansa TakeTV device to move your favorite video content over to your TV and enjoy it on the big screen with family and friends.”


TakeTV is small and portable, about the size of the first generation iPod nano. The player is compatible with Windows XP/Vista and the latest versions of Mac OS X and Linux, and video formats DivX, xVid and MPEG-4. It has maximum support of 720x480 pixels (DVD-level resolution), but no High-definition (HD) capability.

If you have no content to watch, you can use Fanfare (www.fanfare.com). It’s a new Web service (still in beta) just for the TakeTV that gives you access to downloadable TV shows and movies. Sorry, Mac folks, Fanfare will not work for you unless you have some sort of Windows running on your machine (i.e. Parallels or Boot Camp). It does not have the selection variety of iTunes, but at least it has CBS, Showtime, Smithsonian Networks, TV Guide and The Weather Channel. Since it’s still a beta, I would guess that more will be added on.

The biggest drawback of TakeTV is the lack of HD capability and limited format support. It’s also too bad you can’t play back any Quicktime or Windows Media-formatted movies. On the plus side, you won’t have to deal with any confusing Wi-Fi setups or wait to burn DVDs. Additionally, it’s cheap for what it can do. It comes in 4GB (five hours of video/$99.99) or 8GB (10 hours/$149.99), and available at www.taketv.com.

Ace Combat 6

Call me a dork - I love airplanes and video games. Putting the two together equals Ace Combat, one of my favorite video game series. About two weeks ago Namco Bandai released Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation, the latest in the string. Since a month before the game’s release, I’ve been using a beautiful game screenshot of three F-16s over snow-capped mountains at sunset as my desktop background at work.

It looks so realistic that several people stopped to do a double take at my screen and asked if it was a real picture. Upon telling them that it’s a screenshot from Ace Combat 6, all had the same reaction: a closer look at my monitor, along with a “wow.”

When I first turned on the game and saw the opening screen, I thought it was a nice touch that the tops of the planes shown were painted orange and black with a pumpkin design and said “Happy Halloween."Following that, watching the opening movie portion I immediately noticed the graphics are amazing as real-world scenery. Yet, while you’re flying around, the game is arcade enough that you know you’re playing a video game.


The storyline takes place in a fictional land called the Republic of Emmeria (your home), after its capitol was invaded by the Federal Republic of Estovakia (inspired by the USSR). The dramatic stories that take place as you go through the single-player campaign throw me off - sometimes they just seem out of place to the mission you’re accomplishing.

The early missions run a bit slow and seem to last forever, but keep going and they become more exciting. If you’re looking for a challenge, go ahead and start off the game on the “Hard"difficulty level. Or if you’re more of a slacker, the “Easy” level is for you. Especially with the superweapons, you’ll be floating on air, literally. My favorite is the weapon that can acquire and fire at up to four targets simultaneously. It’s the lazy woman’s way of shooting down an aircraft (not that I used the “Easy” level).


For the first time in Ace Combat history, you can take your plane online with Xbox Live and compete against others with Battle Royale and Team Battle mode (up to 16 players). Or team up with your friends in Cooperative mode. You can choose play ranked or unranked (if you’re just practicing). A nice addition is the Allied Support System, in which you can call in for reinforcements to help you. In the single-player campaign mode, you can purchase and choose from the world’s most advanced aircraft to upgrade your hangar.

Overall, I love the game! If I had to complain about something, it would be that there are not as many missions or aircraft as with previous Ace Combat titles. However, the online play makes up for that since the gameplay always varies when you’re up against others online. As long as you’re an airplane fan, you’ll still want to play this over and over again in both modes since you can earn achievement points, medals, aircraft and special weapons to put on your record.

Ace Combat 6 is rated T For Teen and is available exclusively for the Xbox 360. You can find it at your nearest GameStop (www.gamestop.com), CompUSA (www.compusa.com) or Best Buy (www.bestbuy.com) for $59.99. The Limited Edition Flightstick Bundle is a bit more with its $149.99 pricetag, but includes the Ace Edge flightstick and throttle along with the game. Log onto www.acecombatsix.com for more information about the game, and have fun comparing real aircraft pictures against Ace Combat 6 screenshots.

Sony’s annual expo and OLED technology

Next week Sony is set to unveil its latest and greatest to Hawaii. From Nov. 6 to 8, the 2008 Sony Expo “HDNA: High Definition. It’s in our DNA” will feature the prototype of its new OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) TV, along with its new lineup of products. With Christmas right around the corner, this expo is a perfect place to start your shopping.


OLED technology is the next generation for displays, as it has many advantages over today’s LCDs (Liquid Crystal Displays). OLEDs are thinner, lighter and self-illuminating (no back-lighting required), and feature a 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio, producing the industry’s clearest images. They are known for vibrant colors, high contrast, excellent grayscale, low power consumption, a wide range of pixel sizes, and a thin and lightweight form factor. OLEDs can also be printed onto just about any appropriate surface with an inkjet printer, making it popular for flexible surfaces, such as a roll-up display.

The typical response time for an OLED is about 0.01 milliseconds, versus 12 milliseconds for a standard LCD. As good as OLEDs are, the biggest drawback is the limited lifetime of about 5,000 hours because of the organic materials. In comparison, a typical LCD receives about 60,000 hours of use.

You currently see OLEDs in cell phones, MP3 players, car radios/navigation systems, digital cameras or medical devices. The tricky part is scaling an OLED up to the popular larger TV sizes. Sony is the first to officially bring such a TV to the consumer market.

At the Consumer Electronics Show earlier this year I had the opportunity to see two OLED TVs in Sony’s exhibit - an 11-inch and 27-inch. Sony is slated to release its 11-inch amazingly thin 3mm XEL-1 OLED TV in Japan next month, with a price tag of about $1,745. Unfortunately, no U.S. version has been officially announced.

In addition to Sony’s OLED, you’ll be able to see the following products at the upcoming expo:

BRAVIA LCD TV - A full line-up of BRAVIA LCD flat panel TVs ranging in size from 26 inches to 70 inches.

Blu-ray Disc Player - The next generation of high definition 1080p resolution player with the broadest selection of HD movies.

Walkman Video Player - Sony’s first video MP3 player that supports audio and video open format files.


Smile Shutter - A new feature on Sony’s Cyber-shot cameras will automatically spot and snap the picture when a person smiles. Never again miss that smile!

Home Entertainment Server (HES-1000) - For the audio/video aficionado, an innovative solution for organizing personal media collections with its built-in 500GB hard drive that can store up to 137 hours of video, 40,000 songs or 20,000 digital photos. It also has a 200-disc Blu-ray Disc changer and a Bluray Disc burner.

HD Handycam Camcorders - Your home movies will never be the same when you experience the true-to-life HD quality on these new HD Handycams.

The 2008 Sony Expo “HDNA: High Definition. It’s in our DNA” is free, open to the public, and will be at the Ala Moana Hotel, Hibiscus Ballroom. Hours will be 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Nov. 6 and 7, and 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Nov. 8.

For additional information, call 834-6611.