Click Chick's Top Tech Christmas Picks

It seems as if Christmas comes earlier and earlier each year. We used to see the decorations come up after Thanksgiving, but I saw Christmas decorations up before Halloween this year! Even in Korea, all the big department stores had their Christmas decorations up in early November.

Now that it’s “officially” shopping time, here are my top picks for gift ideas this Christmas (in no particular order, and more to come next week):


* World of Warcraft (WoW) Mouse
For the WoW gamer in your life, SteelSeries released its Massively Multiplayer Online (MMO) Gaming Mouse, which was designed in conjunction with WoW’s developer, Blizzard Entertainment. Additionally, in perfect timing with the mouse, Blizzard just launched its second expansion, Wrath of the Lich King, which sold 2.8 million copies in its first 24 hours.

The WoW Gaming Mouse is designed to be familiar to WoW players, with a look and feel similar to the game’s interface. Illumination is tied to each profile (up to 10 different profiles) with more than 16 million color choices. You can program the mouse with more than 130 in-game WoW commands. The built-in 15 buttons include a four-way Dpadon the left side, a twoway button on each side, real-time profile switching, custom macro creation, independent X/Y axis sensitivity settings and a 2.5 millimeter lift distance.

The mouse itself sells for $99.99, or you can purchase the mouse/limited edition mousepad bundle for $134.99 at www.steelseries.com.


* Sony’s New PSP
The updated PlayStation Portable, PSP-3000, came out a couple months ago, features a new LCD screen with a wider color gamut and anti-reflection technology, and a built-in microphone to help you enjoy your games without the use of a separate microphone, which also allows you to make Skype calls.

The new PSP comes in Piano Black, Pearl White and Mystic Silver and sells for $169.99 for the core pack or $199.99 for the limited edition Ratchet & Clank Entertainment Pack (this pack is probably a better deal since it comes with the game, a National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets UMD movie and a 1 GB Memory Stick Pro Duo for $30 more). Find it at Shirokiya, your nearest Best Buy (www.bestbuy.com) or Amazon (www.amazon.com).


* Game Consoles
Finally, you can actually find Nintendo Wiis on the store shelves! Previously, they’ve been very difficult to come by. The Wii is probably the most sought-after console, and certainly the one I receive the most questions about, but any one of the three would make me happy if I had nothing.

Nintendo Wii sells for $249.99 and comes with one Wii Remote controller, one Nunchuk controller, Wii Sports, sensor bar, standard composite cable and a stand. I don’t see it readily available online much, but I’ve recently seen some around at GameStop, Wal-Mart, Best Buy and the Navy Exchange (if you can shop there).

Sony’s PlayStation 3 comes in 80GB ($399.99) or 160GB (499.99) versions. The 160GB just came out earlier this month and is bundled with the hit game Unchartered: Drake’s Fortune.You can find it at the same places as listed above for the Wii.

Microsoft’s Xbox 360 comes in three versions: Elite (120GB, Black - $399.99), Pro (60GB, Matte White - $299.99), Arcade (256MB - $199.99). Retail venues: same as above.


* Glow Sabers
If your loved one already has a Wii and the game Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, this is the ultimate geek accessory you need to buy. I’m heavily teased because of my iPhone’s Lightsaber Unleashed app when I wave my iPhone around at people and pretend I’m hitting them with the light saber (it’s worse when I have another person with the same app and we “fight” each other).

These Glow Sabers could take my being mocked to the next level, as they allow more realism to the laser battles. The duo pack comes with a pair of Wiimote holders - one red and one blue - made out of plastic with rounded edges.

Each blade is a plastic tube with 17 LED lights bright enough for you to see in a brightly lit room, but much prettier if you use it in the dark.

You’ll need three AAA batteries and there’s an on/off switch for battery conservation. One set of batteries will last you 40 hours of play, and you’ll hopefully satisfy your Darth Vader or Luke Skywalker wannabe fix. Find it for $34.99 at Amazon (www.amazon.com).

Look for Part II of my gift ideas in next week Friday’s MidWeek.

Gears of War 2

I had a blast (literally) when the first Gears of War came out almost exactly two years ago. That game sold about 4.7 million copies since its release, making it one of the most popular games in Xbox 360 history. Developed by Epic Games and released earlier this month by Microsoft Game Studios, Gears of War 2 has been gracing my Xbox 360 and TV with lots of explosions and crisp graphics.

The gameplay picks up six months after the first Gears of War, and throws you into the battle for survival against the Locust Horde underground creatures. You play as Marcus Fenix, fighting the powerful Locust as the humans are even more desperate because of rust lung disease.

One of the first things I noticed was the game’s awesome graphics. That is probably attributed to the Unreal Engine 3. In the first Gears, I remember much of the gameplay being in black and white. This version has brighter colors and attention to detail as you observe shadows, water flowing or features on the characters. The gameplay is fundamentally the same as the first Gears but more refined.


A nice addition is that your teammates can heal you if you’re injured. When you are injured, crawl toward them more quickly by tapping the “A” button on the controller to receive your healing. Your assault rifle is still the go-to weapon for most of the fighting, but there is a bunch of new weapons that keep it interesting, such as the mulcher. It’s a high-calibur chain gun that can cut through your worst enemy in a simple burst. And those grenades - definite improvement. You can place your grenades on surfaces so they turn into proximity mines. The ink grenade poisons an entire area and makes it hazardous for a short time, but prolonged exposure can kill you.

“As with the first Gears of War, once you get through the single player mode the multiplayer mode of doesn’t have the staying power that Call of Duty or Halo has ... it’s too imprecise for me,” says gamertag “Disastro Slick,” an avid gamer who asked to be identified only by his tag. “It’s the same for Gears 2: It’s too imprecise, too much chaos. If I can’t headshot people from halfway to Idaho, I aint happy. That’s just me. I have lots of friends who love it and the graphics are certainly beautiful!”

I did notice the same impreciseness Disastro Slick did, especial ly when going for those headshots in the heat of battle. The chaos, as well - there seems to be a ton of stuff going on at any given time with too much personal drama from the character and unresolved plot strands.


But I enjoyed the gameplay with the new weapons and upgraded multiplayer modes. You’ll have the most effective use of your new weapons in the multiplayer mode. It’ll take you about 10 to 12 hours to complete Gears of War 2 in campaign mode, and the multi-player mode allows up to 10 players (instead of eight previously). Ten new multiplayer maps are included along with a code to download five remastered maps from the original game - the “Flashback Map pack.” Another nice addition to note is that while you’re playing coop you can choose your own difficulty level (independent from your co-player).

Gears of War 2 is rated M for Mature and is available for $59.99 (standard edition) or $69.99 (limited edition) at your nearest Toys N Joys (www.toysnjoys.com), Best Buy (www.bestbuy.com), GameStop (www.gamestop.com) or Amazon (www.amazon.com). The limited edition comes with Beneath the Surface: An Inside Look at Gears of War 2, a 48-page book filled with character profiles and exclusive concept art, along with a bonus DVD, a photo of Dominic and Maria Santiago, and an Xbox LIVE token to unlock a gold-plated Lancer Assault Rifle for online play.

Click Chick Hits Korea's Tech Town

I’ve been in South Korea for the past couple of weeks on a work trip, and thankfully at the end of the visit I had a chance to venture out into Seoul’s Yongsan - I call it Korea’s version of Japan’s Akihabara (the Tech Mecca). The Yongsan Electronics Market is the largest area in South Korea where you’ll find an assortment of almost anything you need in relation to computers, software, hardware or appliances. The area is comprised of more than 20 buildings with 5,000-plus stores. It’s overwhelming to walk through, and even in an entire day I didn’t have time to see everything.

Finding my way there was very easy. Most of the signage was in Korean and English, so it was simple to navigate. It took about 45 minutes to get there on Subway Line 1 (disembarking at Yongsan Station). Other than seeing Christmas decorations already up, one of the first things that caught my eye was an E-Mart located right outside the train station. I think it is Korea’s version of Wal-Mart. It has everything you can think of for your house, including groceries, yet it didn’t have a very big electronics section (but it did have Nintendo Wiis in stock).


Wandering around Yongsan was a blast, but fuzzy since everything looked the same. Aggressive salespeople popped out everywhere trying to sell me anything from light bulbs to RAM to electrical plugs. Of course, they were all speaking to me in Korean, so I didn’t really know what they were saying, but I took a good guess because of what they were waving at me. If you’re looking to build a PC from scratch, Yongsan is the place for you. On average, everything there cost about 20 percent less than what you’d pay here in the United States.

It amazed me how there could be so much of the same of everything. For example, there are 10-plus cell phone stores squashed next to each other (in multiple places) and they’re competing with each other! This was the same story for many products - dedicated stores for RAM, strobe lights, records with old-style audio equipment, lighting equipment, printer toner cartridges and games, just to name a few.

Each store’s procedures differ. Some allow bartering and others give you a set price. The ones that have the non-negotiable price also tend to offer you brand names with warranties. If you walk into a store with no price tags, you know you’re allowed to barter.


Overall Yongsan didn’t impress me as much as Akihabara did."Aki" has otaku (manga, anime and toys - all those action figures). My other big observation is, although you can find just about anything you need, there wasn’t as much innovation as you would find in Japan.You see mostly straightforward parts or “regular products” (i.e. cell phones, cameras).

Despite the difference between the two cities, you still won’t see anything remotely similar to it in our country, so if you’re ever in South Korea, Yongsan is a place you should definitely visit. A side note not related to Yongsan: The whole time I was near Seoul’s Han River I kept thinking about the movie The Host (2006) and the monster emerging from the river and attacking people. It was neat seeing some of the places along the river where the movie was filmed, and I was half-expecting to see that thing pop up out of the water!

Measuring Your Sleep Patterns

Most of you probably remember the disturbing incident early this year when two go! pilots allegedly fell asleep while flying and overshot Hilo - something I shouldn’t think about right now since I’m sitting on a plane as I type this! Thankfully nothing tragic happened that day, but such an occurrence can obviously be dangerous. Although it happened more than a year ago, an accident still fresh in my memory is when the man in Ewa Beach was killed by the 19-year old that fell asleep at the wheel and veered off the road. That could have easily been any of us as a pedestrian, or a driver. These are just extreme examples of how sleep deprivation/fatigue can affect your mental effectiveness.

Senior scientist John Caldwell, Ph.D., at local company Archioetics, created the SleepBand program, which uses the Sleep Bracelet to measure your sleep patterns. “With the SleepBand, it’s possible to get a completely accurate view of sleep habits,” says Caldwell. “Not only that, but the SleepBand program indicates whether the amount and quality of sleep being obtained is sufficient from a performance and safety standpoint. One of the items on the sleep report is an analysis of ‘fatigue risk’ or the chances that certain sleep patterns might lead to an accident. This is valuable information for almost everyone.”

Thanks to Caldwell and his team, I took the opportunity to have an assessment done on me. I wore around the Sleep Bracelet for seven days, minus my exercise periods and showers. I was really curious as to what my results would be since I feel I don’t sleep enough. The band looks similar to a watch so I didn’t really notice it much.

A little background behind the band. It’s the first scientifically validated tool for fatigue assessment and risk identification. Powered by a little 3V lithium battery, it contains a three-dimensional microelectro-mechanical system accelerometer that the motion data is collected with. The accelerometer measures the wearer’s changes in motion - the method is called actigraphy.

According to the analysis, I’m not as bad as I thought. The first section is the Sleep Analysis. It shows charts with times and the activity from each day I wore the bracelet, pretty straightforward. The second portion of the report is the Sleep Statistics (Distribution in Effectiveness Ranges), and looks at Mean Daily Sleep (total hours per day), Mean Wake Episode (mean length of episode during sleep periods), Wake Episodes (number of wake episodes during sleep), Activity Index (percent of time with activity during sleep) and Sleep Efficiency. All of mine fell within the ideal range except for the Activity Index - I was at 14.2 percent (normal is between 20 - 50 percent).


The third section is the Mental Fatigue Analysis. It’s a graph that shows the likely mental fatigue/percent of mental effectiveness during the time I wore the Sleep Bracelet. It’s broken into three categories - Normal (green), Reduced (orange) and High Risk (red). Thankfully I didn’t fall into the red at all, but there were a few times I slipped into the Reduced orange part - not surprisingly the lowest was on a Monday. Overall my average increased accident risk is 6.9 percent.

It’s fair to call it common sense, but remember that inadequate rest impairs your ability to think, handle stress, problem solve and even cause hallucinations. Being fatigued also makes your body react as if you’re intoxicated with alcohol. Keep all that in mind next time you need to drive home, or operate any machinery.

If you’re curious about your sleep habits and how to fine-tune your day-to-day performance, the approximate price of a SleepBand assessment is $400. Anyone interested in the opportunity for an analysis should visit www.sleepperformance.com/web. In addition, for companies requiring multiple assessments, a reasonable discount is available.

Practicing safe social networking online

With social networking becoming more and more popular, and all the online predators on the prowl, we need to be careful of how information about ourselves we reveal.

Just in case you don’t know what social networking is, I’m talking about websites (i.e. MySpace, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter or Bebo) that let you communicate with family, friends and strangers, and build networks of friends linked by common interests, etc.

These websites tend to be most popular among the younger crowd and is door for exposure to cyber-stalking, private information disclosure or access to age-inappropriate content.

The more information that is shared online, the more vulnerable our keiki are. It’s vital to speak with them how about the basic information needs to be protected. “Parents can’t afford to be in the dark about their children’s online activity, or about the safety risks associated with social networking sites,” said Beth Jordan, West Region program director for Microsoft. “If you’re a parent, take the time and educate yourself on guidelines for safe computing and candidly talk with your children about their online activity.”

Note these interesting statistics Jordan provided me with regarding teenagers:

Fifty-five percent have an online profile.

Of those with online profiles: More than eight in 10 include their first names.


Seventy-nine percent have photos of themselves.

Sixty-one percent reveal their hometowns.

Sixty-six percent have photos of friends.

Thirty-two percent of online teens, and 43 percent that participate in social networking have been contacted online by complete strangers.

Seventeen percent of online teens and 31 percent of social networkers have “friends” on their social network (i.e.

MySpace, Facebook) profile who they have never personally met.

Given the stats above, it’s probably a good idea to not publish any identifying information about yourself, particularly your

address, date of birth, address, pictures of your house or your phone number.

Just because other people may have that info published, it doesn’t mean you have to.

It’s probably best if you choose a user name that does not include your name, and pick a strong password that has a combination of upper and lower case letters, numbers and keyboard symbols.

It may also be a good idea to setup a separate e-mail account (without your name) to use for your registration setup - this way if you need to shut down your account, it can easily be done with this alternate e-mail account without compromising your other information. It’s best to use a free service such as Hotmail, Yahoo! or Gmail.


A good thing to remember is that whatever you put online will stay online. So you may not want to publish any embarrassing pictures of yourself, and not use vulgar language. It’s a good idea to learn how to use the site(s) you’re on.

Most of these websites have included privacy features to restrict access to your profile if they’re not your “friend,” and be cautious as to who you let join your network.

The bottom line is that no matter what your age, social networking is fun and can be a great tool to stay in touch with your friends, but could also be dangerous if you’re not careful. Just be cautious about how you setup your account, etc.

For some good tips and resources, check out http://safety.msn.com or http://safesocialnetworking.com.

WowWee! It’s The Rovio Webcam

When I’m away from home, whether at work or traveling on the other side of the world, I often wonder what my parrot is up to. Yes, I know he’s “just a bird,” but since I don’t have a child yet, he’s the closest thing to one.

WowWee’s latest creation, Rovio mobile webcam, is a Wi-Fi-enabled home and office explorer that can be controlled remotely from anywhere in the world. This little robot allows me to see what “the green guy” is up to anytime, and sort of be in two places at once.

Rovio can be controlled remotely using just about any web-enabled device, including a PC, Mac, cell phone/smart phone (i.e. iPhone), PDA or even your video game console - basically anything with an Internet browser. Through the built-in camera and microphone that streams audio/video, you can view and interact with the Rovio mobile webcam’s environment to survey any dwelling or workplace remotely.


It features the TrueTrack Navigation System, enabling it to locate objects in its environment and navigate from place to place with pinpoint accuracy.

You can store way-points with the Internet browser interface and, with a click, your Rovio can navigate itself to your chosen waypoint. To navigate into multiple rooms, you’ll need the TrueTrack Room Beacons (sold separately - no price available yet).

The mobile webcam has omni-directional, three-wheeled motion for easy and precise navigation. The camera has a more than adequate resolution at 640 x 480, with a wide range of vision that streams video, and can take, store and send photo snapshots of what it sees. The built-in LED headlight helps you guide the device around in low light. The device itself is approximately 11 inches long by 10 inches wide, and about 10 inches tall when its neck is raised.

With only an Internet connection, you can see and hear exactly what your Rovio sees and hears in real time from your office, vacation spot or any location in the world. Additionally, the Rovio’s microphone and speaker system make it possible for you to read a bedtime story to your keiki if you’re away from home. Requiring no subscription fees or professional installation, the Rovio connects to your computer via USB and comes with user-friendly software that automatically detects your computer’s settings and guides you through the easy setup process. It works with both Windows and OS X, and you also can set it up with Skype or Windows Live Messenger (Live) through a video plug-in.


Note that the Rovio runs off your Wi-Fi network and doesn’t require an additional network, but you do need to setup a login/password for secure remote access.

Unfortunately Rovio cannot go up and down stairs, and you can’t use it outside. It’s fun to drive, but is not considered a toy. It’s really a sophisticated mobile webcam that makes telepresence a reality for you to monitor your house, pets, children or office. Your Rovio’s range will be dependent upon the range of your Wi-Fi network.

The Rovio retails for $299 and comes with a charging dock, a built-in TrueTrack Beacon, rechargeable battery pack, setup-CD, Quick-Start Guide, USB Cable and 8V AC adapter. Find it at www.amazon.com, Radio Shack and Wal-Mart. See www.meetrovio.com for more information and video demos.

Sony Hawaii Expo

Last month my plasma TV died on me. I was so upset because I had that thing for only a year - how could this happen?! Since it would cost well over $1,000 to fix, my husband and I decided to use this mishap as a good excuse to buy a new TV. I’d rather put that $1,000-plus toward a new, good TV (I will never buy a Philips again). Since we’re both Sony fans at heart, we decided to go with Sony’s BRAVIA 52-inch - something I know will last. So far we’ve been very satisfied with it.

If you need a new TV or other gadgets, a perfect place to look and kick off your holiday shopping season is at the Sony Hawaii Expo next weekend. The latest high-definition (HD) products will be showcased. Here are a few:


* BRAVIA KDL-52XBR7 LCD TV - This 1080p LCD TV display boasts Sony’s new 240Hz MotionflowTM technology with a high frame rate that provides an unprecedented crisp motion detail in movies, sports and video games. This goes beyond the traditional 120Hz technology by quadrupling the frame rate of a conventional LCD TV, and interpolates three new frames that produce remarkably crisp and natural motion. This will be available for purchase in December.


* BRAVIA KLV-40ZX1M LCD Display - At an amazing 9.9 millimeters thin, this is Sony’s slimmest 40-inch, 1920 x 1080p LCD Display. It features an edge-lit wide color gamut LED backlight that delivers excellent color reproduction and detailed contract with Sony’s MotionflowTM 120Hz technology. Weighing in at only 26 pounds, this also will be available in December.

* DSLR Alpha Camera A900 - Sony’s full-frame DSLR (digital single lens reflex) camera is aimed at the serious photo enthusiast looking for traditional SLR performance with the convenience of digital. It offers 24.6 megapixel resolution, 35 mm full-frame CMOS (complementary metal oxide semiconductor) sensor, BIONZ processing engines for fast image processing, and a body-integrated image stabilization for a full-frame sensor with Sony’s SteadyShot Inside anti-shake system. This camera hit the market in early September. “At Sony, we want to ensure our customers select the products that work best for them in this high-definition era,” says Naobumi (Ned) Nomura, president of Sony Hawaii Company, “The Sony Expo provides hands-on experience with demos of our latest products without feeling pressured to buy. It’s a great customer experience and a great time to get to know our customers as we celebrate 40 years in Hawaii.”


Additional features include the Take Back Recycling Program Booth and the Youth Xchange Video Competition Booth. For those of you who missed the eWaste Disposal Days a few weeks ago, the recycling booth allows you to drop off your old and unused rechargeable batteries and cell phones for environmentally safe disposal. Better than throwing those in the trash!

The Youth Xchange booth will feature Sony’s partnership with Olelo. Each year the partnership is done to help see Hawaii through keiki eyes. Local public school students are equipped with Sony video cameras and editing equipment to produce news, public-service announcements, mini-documentaries, music videos, animation and short film segments.

Check out this year’s Sony Expo next week at the Ala Moana Hotel, Hibiscus Ballroom Nov. 14 (10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.) and 15 (10 a.m. to 9 p.m.). For more information on the expo, call 834-6611. It’s free and open to all! Visit www.sonystyle.com for additional product information.

Digital Scrapbooking

I was never big into making scrapbooks. I always thought they looked nice, but it was something I didn’t have time to do. But then a good friend of mine started doing digital scrap-booking with Scrapblog and couldn’t stop raving about it. So I finally had to see what it was all about.

Scrapblog, initially launched last year, is a free, user-friendly, web-based application that gives you the ability to share your creations online. The interface provides creative leeway with hundreds of professionally designed layouts and thousands of creative elements you can drag and drop into your project. With that in mind, just over a month ago Scrapblog announced the added offering of its custom printing service, so now your digital scrapbooks can be turned into a “real scrap-book.”


“Scrapblog enhances the experience of creating a book or a card online by giving people full creative freedom,” says Carlos Garcia, CEO and founder of Scrapblog. “Unlike cookie-cutter templates, layouts in Scrapblog can be changed and mixed to create truly personalized keepsakes.”

You don’t need to make any unnecessary downloads and include photos, videos, audio, text, etc. from different sources - they can be seam-lessly pulled from Flickr, Photobucket, Picasa, Smugmug, Webshots, Facebook or YouTube. Your pages are stored online, not on your computer. I find that helpful because I can access the pages from any Internet-connected computer.

Once your pages are created, it’s your decision whether to make your Scrapblog public or private (to be shared with just a few friends). Another nice thing is that it supports direct publishing to Blogger, Typepad, Wordpress, Flickr, MySpace and Facebook.

“As the most requested feature from our users, printing is a natural extension of the boundless creativity made possible with Scrapblog,” says Scrapblog community manager Rebecca Saylor. “With Christmas quickly approaching, Scrapblog books make perfect gifts for those who want to give and receive something personal and unique, while Scrapblog greeting cards and postcards are great for creating custom invitations, greeting and thank-you cards.” Visit http://www.scrapblog.com to start your own scrapbook.

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Postalz
Another partial-digital scrap-booking alternative is Postalz.

This service has been out for awhile, and it generates very customizable digital postcards to play with. Personally, Postalz is my iCard replacement after Apple sadly did away with those.

Postalz allows you to create and send postcards as you would an e-mail. Using Web 2.0 technology, you can customize these postcards with text, art, photos or video. Affix digital stamps or frames to these postcards to reflect your mood or the content of your card. There are a variety of frames and cutouts to choose from. You also can use your pictures from Flickr and embed these postcards on your Facebook, Bebo, MySpace, Orkut, Friendster, hi5, Blogger or Xanga.

Check out http://www.postalz.com to start sending your online postcards. Note: If you’re a fellow Mac user, it seems to be a little flaky in the Safari browser, so I suggest using Firefox.