Microsoft

Bill Gates Hates DRM: Not Quite Enough

In a recent interview, Bill Gates said these fine things about DRM: – “DRM is not where it should be” – “causes too much pain for legitmate buyers” – “huge problems” – “People should just buy a cd and rip it. You are legal then.” Well…then…uhh…sure wish someone with power and influence would do something…

Tech News Mark Wilson

HD DVD vs. Xbox Live Marketplace: Why There’s No Big Difference

How can an Xbox Live WMV encoded video which has 720p/1080i and only 6.5 Megabits per second (VBR) compare to an HD DVD, which has the potential to go up to 1080p and 36.55 Megabits per second? It can, and it turns out there’s not as much difference between the two as you might think.…

Tech News Jason Chen

The Best HD DVD: Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift?

The XBox HD DVD drives are flying off the shelves. Obviously, watching your fave movies is what you really care about. But if you’re looking for a disc that shows off the HD DVD format’s interactive capabilities, Tokyo Drift is the best example out there. It’s that or Miami Vice. Seriously. While we can’t vouch…

Tech News Brian Lam

The VCR Media Center PC

If you thought the Super NinTiVo was cool, reader Jeff has something even better. He frankensteined together a “ViVo”, which is a Vista Media Center PC on a Celeron D 3.0 with a 250GB hard drive all running inside, you guessed it, a Panasonic VCR. https://gizmodo.com/snes-tivo-the-super-nintivo-220985 The only thing visibly different from the outside is…

Tech News Jason Chen

Vista Q&A: What’s the Deal With Vista?

Since not all of us are lucky enough to get to directly ask Microsoft engineers questions about Windows Vista, Gina from Lifehacker will have to be our surrogate. And what a fine surrogate she is. She pelted Microsoft with questions like “why should I upgrade to Vista”, “how long will XP be supported”, “why did…

Tech News Jason Chen

Boxtease: Microsoft 360 Backward Compatibility Update

Something must be fishy with the Xbox 360 December backward compatibility update for Microsoft to update their list online and quickly take it off again. However, in that short period of time people got these old games working: * 31 NEW titles: New Games: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Dead Or Alive Ultimate, Destroy All Humans!,…

Tech News Jason Chen

PS3 a Better DVD Player Than Xbox 360?

The folks at Ars Technica have made an interesting discovery. Apparently, Sony’s PS3 does a better job of playing scratched up DVDs than the Xbox 360, which spits them out the minute it notices any imperfections. I rarely use my console as my DVD player, but I have experienced the “OMG the disc won’t play”…

Tech News Louis Ramirez

Twenty-Two Mice Benchmarked: Which Frags Best?

By using a cheap Ikea lamp, a turntable, and random things they found around their house, ESReality turned unscientific reviews of gaming mice into something benchmarkable. Taking 22 different mice and graphing out their performance in terms of response, movement speed, DPI and other factors, they came up with a way to rank which mouse…

Tech News Jason Chen

Make Your Own 360 Games With XNA Game Studio Express

After a few months of beta testing, the release version of XNA Game Studio Express is finally available for download. Prospective game designers anywhere can get a year’s subscription for $99, which allows them to make games on their Windows PCs and play them on their Xbox 360s. https://gizmodo.com/microsoft-xna-home-game-developer-kit-available-for-dow-197742 The subscription also allows gamers to…

Tech News Jason Chen

CNET Finds Only One Person To Be Zune Social With in San Fran.

Welcome to the social. That’s Microsoft’s slogan to describe the kind of social interaction you can expect when fooling around with your Zune. Too bad CNET found all of one person to squirt at in its travels in San Francisco. Yes, one person. https://gizmodo.com/steve-jobs-on-zune-wifi-getting-you-laid-207754 It’s a similar story here in New York as a friend…

Tech News Nicholas Deleon

Dealzmodo: $90 Zune

With 55% of the vote, it looks like a $90 Zune will be Amazon’s deal of the week. And for those who haven’t kept up, the system has been changed to a lottery to avoid people bitching/crying/committing suicide over crappy servers. So in other words, this potential bargain is worth your time. Now that Amazon…

Tech News Mark Wilson

The Zune Fund: Buy a Fair Review

We’ve had a lot of accusations that we are Zune fanboys, cast with far more venom than the former iPod fanboy finger pointing. Why do I believe in our Zune coverage? Because the Zune is approaching the market with a unique perspective, and Microsoft will spend whatever it takes to make the Zune a force…

Tech News Mark Wilson

Dealzmodo: $350 Xbox 360 Premium

Ok, technically the 360 will still run you $399. But if you buy one at Wal-Mart in-store only, they will give you a $50 giftcard on the spot. Instead of a bundle with some game you have no interest in anyway, you can put the $50 to Gears of War or Viva Pinata. Both are…

Tech News Mark Wilson

Vista Causing Laptop Batteries To Drain Faster?

You may wanna think twice before buying a Vista-equipped laptop next year. Chances are if you connect to a hotspot from your notebook while running Vista, your notebook’s battery is gonna die faster than usual. The reason? Rather than leave the default power setting for 802.11 wireless adapters in “power save” mode, Microsoft switched it…

Tech News Louis Ramirez

All Giz Wants: Zune Done Right

We may have given high marks to the Zune, but in the end we still chose the iPod as the player of choice for the holidays. But what we’d really like is the Zune to be done right. https://gizmodo.com/zune-vs-ipod-the-final-word-on-who-should-get-your-mo-215107 Here’s what we’re thinking… •Full iTunes importing. Right now the Zune does play nicely with iTunes…

Tech News Jason Chen

Microsoft Marketplace Points Converter

With the recent release of both the Xbox 360 Video store and the Zune—which use Microsoft Marketplace instead of cash—we thought it’d be useful to have a converter to show you exactly how much that 320 point Nacho Libre rental would cost in real money. For the above case, it’s $4.00, or £2.72, or €3.72.…

Tech News Jason Chen

Adwatch: Zune Endless Cookie

Here’s an ad that symbolizes the Zune’s song sharing with a cookie that is split for sharing with strangers, only to grow back, over and over again. No one understands that after 3 days, the cookie DRM activates in your stomach, giving you a bleeding ulcer and diarrhea. Just kidding…about the cookie, not the DRM.…

Tech News Brian Lam

Which Vista is Right For You

When you upgrade your computer early next year, there are going to be six versions of Vista for you to choose from. Even ignoring Vista Starter, which is for developing countries, and Vista Enterprise, which your office IT guy will shove down your throat, that’s still a lot of choices. To decide which one is…

Tech News Jason Chen

DVD Wars: Amazon Puts HD-DVD Ahead

Home theater buffs still undecided about which next-gen DVD they should buy should visit thedvdwars.com, where they use Amazon as a data source to determine which format is “winning” the dvd wars right now. However, data by itself only gives part of the picture. But it’s an important part. As of today, HD DVD is…

Tech News Jason Chen

Dummies’ Guide to DivX On Your 360

Did you have to ask your daughter’s nerdy—and honestly, kinda creepy—friend to come over and set up your TiVo? Then you’ve no doubt had trouble getting your Xbox 360 to play media other than standard DVDs. Good news for you, as Tweaktown’s got a huge guide on setting up a PC and a 360 to…

Tech News Jason Chen

Bill Gates Hates DRM: Not Quite Enough

HD DVD vs. Xbox Live Marketplace: Why There’s No Big Difference

The Best HD DVD: Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift?

The VCR Media Center PC

Vista Q&A: What’s the Deal With Vista?

Boxtease: Microsoft 360 Backward Compatibility Update

PS3 a Better DVD Player Than Xbox 360?

Twenty-Two Mice Benchmarked: Which Frags Best?

Make Your Own 360 Games With XNA Game Studio Express

CNET Finds Only One Person To Be Zune Social With in San Fran.

Dealzmodo: $90 Zune

The Zune Fund: Buy a Fair Review

Dealzmodo: $350 Xbox 360 Premium

Vista Causing Laptop Batteries To Drain Faster?

All Giz Wants: Zune Done Right

Microsoft Marketplace Points Converter

Adwatch: Zune Endless Cookie

Which Vista is Right For You

DVD Wars: Amazon Puts HD-DVD Ahead

Dummies’ Guide to DivX On Your 360

Utah Is Giving Dr. AI the Power to Renew Drug Prescriptions

Here’s the Perfect Excuse to See ‘Project Hail Mary’ Again

US Airlines Are Hiking Bag Fees Amid Iran War Oil Crisis

This Ridiculously Simple Trick Might Stop Gulls From Nabbing Your Lunch

‘Starfleet Academy’ Season 3 Could Have Done the ‘Voyager’ Sequel Episode of Robert Picardo’s Dreams

Judge Kills Lawsuit Against Infamous Study That Might Have Increased Teen Suicides

Artemis 2: Follow the Mission With Our Live Updates 🔴

Researchers Discover How to Add Psilocybin, DMT, and Other Psychedelics to Tobacco

AirPods Max 2 vs. Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen): Which ANC Headphones Win?

The Best Gadgets of March 2026

AirPods Max 2 Review: Still Ridiculously Expensive and Ridiculously Nice

DJI Osmo 360 Review: The Best 360 Camera for the DJI-Pilled

Aqara Smart Lock U400 Review: Hands-free Unlocking at Its Best

MSI Prestige 14 Flip AI+ Review: A Solid 2-in-1 Laptop With Some Glaring Flaws

Sonos Play Review: Call It a Comeback

Sonos Era 100 SL Review: The Cheapest Way Into Wired Sonos Sound

Let us help find what you are looking for...