Gadzooki

Making Communication Tech Work For You: Professionally And Personally

by

Ah, communication technology – it’s the most amazing thing in the world, keeping everyone connected and webbed together in the tightest of nets. When it works. But that’s one of the things about the advancement of gadgets and gizmos when it comes to communication specifically – it takes some time to adapt to, and there’s always going to be a learning curve involved. And that goes for both professional and personal use.

Think about a few generations of your family, for instance. Grandparents may be completely comfortable with landlines, a bit more hesitant about cell phones, unsure of smartphones, and completely uncomfortable with video chats. But now teenagers don’t even know how to plug landline phones into the wall, and don’t know anyone’s phone numbers anyway. [Read more…]

4 Apps to Make Divorce Easier for You

by

Going through a divorce can be stressful to couples and more so, to those with children. Ending a marriage is never an easy process as it is often associated with the death of a loved one due to the pain it brings to the spouses. Depending on who puts great value on the marital relationship, any spouse can feel devastated.

divorced couple with child

But thanks to technology, people going through a painful process in their lives can get immediate help. Many of you may be unaware that there are now software apps that can lessen the stress of couples who are going through divorce. The best thing about it is you can access them whether on your PC, tablet or mobile phone. [Read more…]

HI-Fi Speakers From a Brand Favorite

by

Computer speakers are usually one of the PC components that are not usually given much attention. It’s a peripheral so as peripherals go, it is set aside for other upgrades the computer owner feels are more essential. But if you use your computer a lot and also use it for entertainment purposes like listening to music or watching videos then a good pair of speakers is essential. [Read more…]

AOL News

by

AOL has a massively long history on the Internet, being one of the firs tcompanies to really get people online (even if you don’t like the service they provide). Back in 1999 there was an acquisition of Netscape Communications Corporation, i.e. Netscape Navigator – one of the leaders in web browsing.

AOL played a massive role in assisting the launch of Netscape 6 – which happened to be Mozilla based (the company behind the Firefox browser) but still Netscape branded. AOL was a major source of support for the Mozilla Foundation and the company continued to develop versions of the Netscape browser based on the work of said Foundation.

Whilst Netscape Navigator was used reasonably widely prior to the overtaking of Internet Explorer (of course, along with many other products developed and pushed by Microsoft), suddenly it had been overtaken by a number of other browsers in terms of use and popularity – including Firefox, Internet Explorer and Opera.

Therefore, it comes with great sadness to myself that no longer is Navigator being supporter, as of February 1st 2008. Why is that? Well the first time I had a chance to browse the net – as far as I can recall anyway – it was on a very old PC with Netscape Navigator running. The joy I had of realising that the information superhighway was available right there. It truly is the end of an era.

In other news concerning AOL and Time Warner, Jeffrey Bewkes (new chief executive officer of Time Warner Inc) may be looking at selling the AOL Web and Time Inc magazine units, stated Gamco Investors Inc. The remaining company would be more akin to Viacom – a media based conglomerate.

Back in 2001, America Online Inc’s $124 billion takeover of Time Warner Inc was of course huge news, and seen as one of the biggest media convergences to ever take place. However, plans to sell all sorts of product (including TV shows) via the AOL network saw record losses and the leaving of CEO Gerald Levin and Chairman Stephen Case.

It is possible that the sale of AOL could fetch as much as $18 billion, which by anyone’s calculations is rather a lot of money. What that will mean to subscribes and the services they receive of course will be completely dependent on the buyer of the company.

Bewkes has a history of success – he was after all the man responsible for bringing us all Tony Soprano via HBO. However, he may ultimately lead a Time Warner that is half the size but much more streamlined and geared toward final margins.

Games to Watch for in 2008

by

Here are list of games which I like that are said to be released by 2008, so better watch up for this games. They may or may not be considered gaming gems, but for me it’s the gold. These are the games that would really prevent me from outside contact to human beings. I prefer inanimate objects to people and yes, I love my laptop more than my girlfriend. So if I have these games, I would never leave my house and I won’t stop playing these games.

Best Games of 2007

by

Here are the list of the best games for 2007, I have some favorites on the list that’s why I’m so excited to share it to you.

  • Best Action Game Nominees

    • Assassin’s Creed (my pick)
    The Orange Box
    Super Mario Galaxy

    Winner
    Super Mario Galaxy

  • Best Shooter Game Nominees

    • Bioshock
    Call of Duty 4
    Halo 3 (my pick)

    Winner
    Bioshock

  • Best Online Multiplayer Game Nominees

    • Call of Duty 4
    Halo 3 (my pick)
    World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade

    Winner
    Halo 3

  • Best Party Game Nominees

    • Guitar Hero III (my pick)
    Rock Band
    Warioware: Smooth Moves

    Winner
    Rock Band

  • Best Racing Game Nominees

    • DiRT
    Forza Motorsport 2
    Project Gotham Racing 4 (my pick)

    Winner
    Forza Motorsport 2

  • Best Role-Playing Game Nominees

    • Mass Effect
    The Witcher
    World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade

    Winner
    Mass Effect

  • Best Strategy Game Nominees

    • Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords
    Supreme Commander
    World in Conflict

    Winner
    Supreme Commander

  • Best Sports Game Nominees

    • FIFA 08
    Madden NFL 08
    skate.

    Winner
    skate.

  • Best Original Game Nominees

    • BioShock
    Mass Effect
    Rock Band

    Winner
    Bioshock

  • Best Overall Game of 2007 Nominees

    • Bioshock
    Rock Band
    Super Mario Galaxy

    Winner
    Super Mario Galaxy

Best Games of 2007 according to Yahoo! Games

PC Gaming Rules!

by

They say that the Death of PC gaming is coming. With the kinds of games that are coming out to the market and into the shelves of retailers, Most which are graphics intensive and need a tons of resources if it’s to be ported to the PC, but what consoles lack is what PC games excel in, and that’s playability and the replay value. Games like Sid Meier’s Civilization, the PC version of Grand Theft Auto.. etc.

I’m a gamer, I own a couple own of consoles (xbox 360, PS2, PS3) it has it advantages and disadvantages, specifically my Xbox 360 has RROD problems even after the repairs has been done, my PS3 didn’t not come into terms with the hype and there’s not enough games. My Ps2 well, it didn’t even gave me problems. ohh I forgot, I trashed about 23 controllers and still My PS2 is working.

Now the Advantages of PC Gaming

  • Controls: A keyboard and mouse combo is the best way to go especially on First Person shooters, try aiming or sniping with a Dual-Stick Controller unlesss you’re used to it, it might take some time to aim or even frag an enemy, remember every seconds count on FPS games.
  • Mods: What I like about PC Gaming is that you can create mods and/or add mods other users created out. Remember the Batman Begins Mod for GTA, I like that, can you do that with the console version, I think not!
  • Tweaks: Tweaking is art, and if you apply that gaming you can push the limits your PC for that added performance boost.
  • HEX Editing: PC games are notorious for cheats done by hex editing either the savegames or the main application by changing the numerical values kinda reminds me of my old-school gaming habits when I used to play Might and Magic 3. I’d fire up my hex editor and search for the hex value for my experience points so that I can boost my stats,skills to near-GOD status, and I still do it (hex editing) when I’m playing Fallout 2.
  • Free Online Multiplayer: Playing online for free! Need I say more, there are lots of free online multiplayer games that I enjoy like Freestyle Online Philippines for example! Although Xbox Live is great and all you still have to choke up added cash. On the PC, you can play against opponents and have a LAN party.

Play WoW using your Xbox 360 Controller

by

I’ve been using my Xbox 360 Controller to play every game installed on my Vista Laptop, starting from Doom3, Civ3, Oblivion, Half-life 2, Halo, Marvel Ultimate Alliance, Battle for Middle Earth 2, Etc.. Even Using it on a few MMO’s like Freestyle Online, and World of Warcraft.

And the experience is great, better than the feeling of messing up my laptop keyboard, because of frustrated keypresses that leads to smashing your keyboard. Plus the neck strain because you have to be close to the monitor and keyboard at the same time.

Now for Other games I used the Pinnacle Game Profiler Software,which is free to download but costs you if you want to upgrade it. For the game, World Of Warcraft I specifically use Switchblade which is fully configured to use your Xbox 360 Controller wired or wireless to play World of Warcraft. Yippeee, its free to download, but you also have to register for xfire gaming service. But it’s still cool, what a little bit of typing mean if you can comfortably play WoW, with a great Controller right. Now the only thing that is missing are the free chips and dips.

Bungie Leaving Microsoft

by

There’s been rumors flying around, that Bungie makers of the Game Halo, is leaving Microsoft and is going to set out, to stake a claim in the gaming world to become independent company. An issued press release from Microsoft states that Bungie is about to to “embark on a path to become an independent company.”

Bungie, a company owned by Microsoft has been making loads of money and with the recent success of Halo 3, in my opinion they’re well-equipped to be independent, Good for us gamers, we should expect the same kind of commitment and focus on the Xbox Platform and as well as opening up to other gaming platforms too. As Harold Ryan, studio head for Bungie said, “This exciting evolution of our relationship with Microsoft will enable us to expand both creatively and organizationally in our mission to create world-class games,”. “We will continue to develop with our primary focus on Microsoft platforms; we greatly value our mutually prosperous relationship with our publisher, Microsoft Game Studios; and we look forward to continuing that affiliation through Halo and beyond.”

If my memory serves me correct Bungie still has several projects up their sleeves such as Halo Wars, the Peter Jackson project, new Halo 3 downloadable content, and maybe Halo 3 for PC.

Now let see what happens, and hope for the best, and may there lot’s more Halo games to follow.

Vista Performance Improvement with these Updates

by

While waiting for SP1 or the Tuesday Patch on October 9, though I’m waiting for the SP1 for quite some time, I’m starting to think if it would do me any good to wait for it. Microsoft has wordlessly release four updates for Windows Vista which will improve the performance and reliability. Although these “hotfixes” are not yet available on Windows Update. But You can download them and install them on your own.

Here’s the Detailed List of the Windows Vista(KB941649) update improvements:

  • It extends the battery life for mobile devices.
  • It improves the stability of portable computers and of desktop computers that use an uninterruptable power supply (UPS).
  • It improves the reliability of Windows Vista when you open the menu of a startup application.
  • It improves the stability of Internet Explorer when you open a Web page.
  • It improves the stability of wireless network services.
  • It shortens the startup time of Windows Vista by using a better timing structure.
  • It shortens the recovery time after Windows Vista experiences a period of inactivity.
  • It shortens the recovery time when you try to exit the Photos screen saver.
  • It improves the stability of Windows PowerShell.
  • A compatibility issue that affects some third-party antivirus software applications.
  • A reliability issue that occurs when a Windows Vista-based computer uses certain network driver configurations.

And While Your at it, I downloaded this Hotfoxes, better check it out too:
1. Update for Windows Vista (KB941651)

  • This is a reliability update. Install this update to improve the reliability of Windows Media Player 11 for Windows Vista in certain scenarios.

2. KB941600

  • Cumulative update rollup for USB core components in Windows Vista

3. KB941229

  • Several issues that are related to the Media Center Extensibility Platform.
  • An issue that affects digital cable card components when you use Scientific Atlanta cable cards.
  • Interaction issues that occur between Media Center PC and Microsoft Xbox 360 when Xbox 360 is used as a Media Center Extender.
  • Autolaunch issues that occur with video CD (VCD) media.