The case, which hooks up to the back of your SUV, also has a built in CD stereo and Sirius Satellite Radio, a battery charger and a 12-volt power adapter. A locking door ensures that those dickwads at Alpha Gamma Phi won't try to make a grab for your beer while you're gone. Party-A-Cargo offers three different versions of its frat-friendly fun box, ranging in price from $2,895 to $3,795. [Born Rich]

8-11pm

Harlot
46 Minna Street
San Francisco, CA 94105
[Upcoming]

But the best part is, of course, the chip holder. Nyko told us that they were going to re-evaluate the design and increase the size (making it deeper and wider) to accommodate more chips. The amount in there is enough for one person, but as a party tray it's fairly under-stocked. But the idea is great.

There are LCD scoreboards (so you can keep track of which one of the four of you is winning), Wiimote holders, a drawer for Nunchucks, a fan (like the bowling alley) for sweaty gamers, four freezable soda cup holders (with built-in gels to maintain coldness), and a chip and dip holder for, obviously, chips and dip. We didn't eat any of their chips, because they were presumably sitting out all day getting poked at by sweaty journalists.

The soda holders were nice and solid, and has the gels on the inside so it keeps your soda cold for a while longer outside the fridge. The tray holds two Nunchucks, which is usually enough for most four-player games. The LCD scoreboard works by manually adding or subtracting a point depending on whoever won a game (works for every game, obviously). The fan's definitely a great touch for everyone who's throwing the Wiimote thanks to sweaty palm syndrome.

The current version's still just a prototype, but they plan to release a final version in the next couple months. [Wii Party Station]

Question: We'd love to write apps. Will it open up?

Steve Jobs: This is a very important trade-off between security and openness. We want both. We've got good ideas, and sometime later this year, we can open it up to third-party apps... – Jason Chen

Nacho lovers will love the electric Chip and Dip tray [Shiny Shiny]

Step One: TV
There is a lot more that goes into selecting a TV for the Super Bowl than you may think. If you are thinking about going low-def, then close the browser now, because you have lost all of my respect and I would prefer you not reading my guide.

Fortunately, this year CBS has the honors of broadcasting the Super Bowl. It will, of course, be in HD. I like to call this the first year the Super Bowl will truly be in HD. Last year FOX had the rights to the Super Bowl broadcast, and even though they did air it in HD, many markets at the time did not have FOX in HD. Hell, I still don't have FOX in HD on my cable service one year later (Cox, you listening?).

Now, on to the HDTV choices. There are a handful of things to shop for in an HDTV for the Super Bowl and more. If you are watching the Super Bowl I would like to also assume you are a sports fan and if you have never experienced sports in HD, it is one hell of a treat. Picture quality is key—specifically accurate colors, ability to produce deep blacks and adjust primary colors. If money isn't a concern then the Pioneer Elite Pro-FHD1 may be for you. This 1080p 50-inch plasma is the top of the line for picture quality. You will pay for it, though. This plasma carries a list price of $8,000, but in all reality will cost you closer to $6,000 at most places.

Don't worry, there are cheaper options out there. For a party environment you can't go wrong with the Sony XBR2. This is the little brother of the XBR3 that we reviewed back in December, but it is able to get the job done and impress your friends with the nice silver bezel that just makes this 40-inch LCD just plain beautiful. One feature that makes this LCD stand out is that the picture quality is always the same when viewing from off-angles. So at a Super Bowl party not everyone will be able to view the HDTV from a direct angle, but with the XBR2 from Sony, they will not be screwed with poor picture quality. This TV is a little more manageable with a price around $3,000.

Still too expensive? Okay, how about the Panasonic TH-42PX60U. This is a 42-inch plasma from Panasonic that still has pretty good colors with a price of $2,000 so (it was seen as low as $1,350 at some online retailers).

You aren't limited to the choices above, I just tried to help narrow it down to some superb TVs in specific price ranges. Just remember, it is key to find an HDTV with the best picture quality. Often you get what you pay for with HDTVs, so that $800 off-brand may seem appealing but it won't look as good.

Step Two: HD Content
This is an easy one. HD channels don't magically appear on your brand new HDTV—you have to buy (or rent) more gear. First step is to call up your cable provider. Whether it is Time Warner, Comcast, Cox, whatever—they will have HD digital cable tuner boxes that can be rented on a month-to-month basis. Be sure and call now to make sure you get one because Time Warner has supposedly run out of HD DVR boxes for rent, but that may not be true in your area or with a different provider. If your provider is out of HD DVR boxes, there is still another option. and it is the Series 3 TiVo, but that badboy runs a solid $800 or so.

Step Three: Audio
You can always go the audiophile way and pick up a nice, high-end receiver and a handful of high-end speakers and try to wire it all together, but we only have a few days left to prepare so the best bet right now is a HTIB, or home theatre in a box. These are surround sound systems that come with everything you need from the speakers to a receiver, etc. The audiophiles out there may be cursing my name, but the HTIB is the best bet for the home entertainment center amateur who needs decent surround sound, quick.

For top of the line with sound quality, and ease of setup the Sony DAV-X1V is where it is at. This is a 2.1 channel system that creates a virtual surround sound environment. It is easy to set up and can provide sound for those bone-rattling hits from Brian Urlacher. It does carry a high-end price at $1,000 list price from Sony.

If style is the name of the game, the Pioneer HTS-560DV is one of the best looking HTIBs for your party. The four tower speakers can make your system look damn good, just watch out for knocking them over in a drunken rage after your team loses. These carry a more reasonable price of $550.

If you are looking for a more cheap solution, the Samsung HT-DB600 is it. For a budget HTIB, this is the only option with superb midranges and powerful bass. This HTIB lists for $350, but you may be able to find it cheaper than $300.

Step Four: Be Prepared for the Worst
Power and cable outages are always a potential problem and there is only one solid way to save your Super Bowl party if outages were to happen. First, invest in an HD antenna. If that cable goes out you can still receive HD goodness over the air with this basic HD antenna that can be found at any radio shack. And to prevent power outages from stopping your Super Bowl party, a back-up power generator is the only way to go.

Step Five: Food and Drink
Grilling and food is essential for any Super Bowl party. Unfortunately, I can't help much when choosing a grill. If you happen to be a chef, you probably already have a grill or know what kind you like. Some people swear by charcoal, personally I am a gas grill guy (for ease) or hell, you may even want to bust out a hibachi, smoker, PS3 or USB grill. Regardless of how you do it, here are some accessories that can help.

Wireless thermometers are becoming all of the rage. The best one out there is the AW131 from Oregon Scientific. Stab the meat on the grill and set the wireless monitor with what kind of meat it is and how you like it looked. Go back, enjoy the game and wait for the receiver to give you word that the meat is done.

If going wireless is a bit too high-tech for you, this spatula with built-in meat thermometer may be a bit better. Don't forget about the classic beer-can chicken.

Grilling at night is only inevitable, so a cordless electric knife with LED lights and lighted salt-and-pepper mill could definitely help out.

Whether it is beer, wine, water, soda or juice, there isn't much that can be done to improve drinking. Sure, there are tons of beer drinking gadgets out there, but you have teched the hell out of this Super Bowl party already, and sitting back and cracking open a cold one may be the perfect remedy to wind down and forget about all of the technology involved in making this party happen.

Step Six: Have Fun
Regardless of how much you want to show off the latest and greatest tech at your party, it is important to have fun. The Super Bowl is more than just a football game, it is a time where you can gather with people and have one hell of a time while watching football, entertaining commercials and a half-time show featuring Prince. So gather up the friends, fire up the grill and enjoy yourself—you have earned it. Super Bowl Party image via Roger Mommaerts Jr –Travis Hudson

A few flagship CompUSA stores claim to be hosting a rager at every one of their 230 stores. They'll be closing at 9pm, reopening at 10pm, and rockin' Vista off their shelves until 2am with your local radio station DJs and a variety of unannounced prizes. They are also reporting that there will be local professional football stars at some locations, in case you're weird and want a picture of you, Vista, and Troy Aikman. They'll sleep off the booze and drink the hair of the dog again tomorrow from 7am - 9pm.

Plano, TX - Troy Aikman
Littleton, CO - Ed McCaffrey
Houston, TX - Mario Williams
San Francisco, CA - Alex Smith
San Bruno, CA - Jim Plunkett

Best Buy will be hosting Steve Ballmer, (hopefully sweating, screaming, and skipping) with FoxSports.com and Hewlett Packard at the VIP Ultimate Celebration in the Best Buy at 529 Fifth Avenue in NYC from 10pm - 1am. More sports stars and radio DJs. What's this awkward link between sports and OS loving geeks? Rumor has it there will also be fifteen other Best Buys open.

Lastly, there will be a few Circuit City locations open. For a specific list of locations, check out the list below. – Todd Haselton

Los Angeles CompUSA 745 W Huntington Dr. Monrovia, Calif. 91016 Microsoft Spokesperson: Michael Dix

Chicago Circuit City 1420 E Golf Rd. Schaumburg, Ill.60173 Microsoft Spokesperson: Greg Sullivan

Philadelphia Circuit City 4130 Concord Pike Wilmington, Del. 19803 Microsoft Spokesperson: Barry Goffe

San Francisco CompUSA 750 Market St San Francisco, Calif. 94102 Microsoft Spokesperson: Dave Wascha

Dallas - Fort Worth CompUSA 721 N Central Expy. Plano, Texas 75075 Microsoft Spokesperson: Gary Schare

Boston Circuit City 1450 Worcester Rd Natick, Mass. 01760 Microsoft Spokesperson: Pete McKiernan

Atlanta Best Buy 975 N. Point Dr. Alpharetta, Ga. 30005 Microsoft Spokesperson: Chris Flores

Seattle Best Buy 457 120th Ave NE Bellevue, Wash. 98005 Microsoft Spokesperson: Kevin Kutz/Brian Marr

Additional Retail Events will be held at:

San Francisco CompUSA 1250 El Camino Real #M3 San Bruno, Calif. 94066

Houston CompUSA 11687 Westheimer Rd. Houston, Tex 77077

Detroit Best Buy 45520 Utica Park Blvd. Utica, Mich. 48316

Tampa Circuit City 18061 Highwoods Preserve Tampa, Fla. 33647

Phoenix Best Buy 8290 W Bell Rd. Glendale, Ariz. 85308

Minneapolis - St. Paul Best Buy 1000 W 78th St. Richfield, Minn. 55423

Ft Lauderdale Miami 6001 West Sample Rd Coral Springs, Fla. 33067

Cleveland Best Buy 7400 Brookpark Rd. Cleveland, Ohio 44129

Denver CompUSA 8691 S Park Meadows Center Dr. Littleton, Colo. 80124

St. Louis Best Buy 178 THF Blvd Chesterfield, Mo. 63005

Indianapolis Best Buy 5820 E 82nd St Indianapolis, Ind. 46250

Charlotte Best Buy 8813 Carley Blvd. Charlotte, N.C. 28262

San Diego Best Buy 2110 Vista Way Oceanside, Calif. 92054

Nashville Circtuit City 545 Cool Springs Blvd. Franklin, Tenn. 37067

Kansas CityBest Buy 9301 Quivera Rd. Overland Park, Kan. 66214

Cincinnati Best Buy 865 E. Kemper Rd. Springdale Ohio 45246

Milwaukee Best Buy 2855 Mayfair Wauwatosa, Wisc. 53226

Buffalo Best Buy 1585 Nagara Falls Blvd Amherst, N.Y. 14228

New Orleans Circuit City 61119 Airport Rd. Slidell, La. 70460

Baltimore Circuit City 17766 Garland Groh Blvd. Hagerstown, Md. 21740

Richmond Circuit City 11732 W Broad St Glen Allen, Va. 23233

Washington D.C. Circuit City 8520 C Leesburg Pike Vienna, Va. 23233

Copyright The Associated Press 2006. All Rights Reserved

Microsoft Sets Vista Launch Parties [audiovideoproducer]
Microsoft Vista Launch Parties [CircuitCity]
Midnight Madness Planned for Vista [Crave]
Microsoft to Celebrate the Worldwide Availability of Windows Vista and the 2007 Microsoft Office System at Retail [Forbes]

If you're in SF, you're in luck as The Executive Vice President, Senior Vice President, and an Onlympic Gold Medalist show u...wait, is that right? NY gets Ludacris and Charlie Murphy, and SF gets the COO of Marketing? At least there's a "highly anticipated musical performance", which means "we don't know who's going to be there yet because he hasn't confirmed, so we're scrambling. Please come anyway!" Party starts at 8:30PM and lasts 'til 10:00PM on the barricaded 4th Street, and you can buy your PS3 at midnight.

Bonus points: send a picture of yourself with the newly bought PS3 in your pants. – Jason Chen