While I get ready too upload the full 27 minute programme recorded at CeBit Australia this week it's time to go through the week that was and find all the technology news that matters to you, no matter what your experience or skills are.

Nintendo gives you Wii to Ware

Microhoo, Round 2

One less reason for Windows

Microsoft paying you to search

Money wasted on antivirus

Microsoft getting ready to spring clean Live Arcade

Industry body losing weight

Monday 19th May 2008 - 23th May 2008

Nintendo gives you Wii to Ware

After launching in Japan back in March, and the US early this month, Nintendo this week launched their WiiWare service offering small independently and small third party games to buy and download for the Nintendo Wii console.

While the games are cheaper to buy than normal games, $AUS5 - $AUS16, they are also shorter in length and features.

6 Games were available at launch with Nintendo saying they will add new games on Fridays.

Source Gamespot

Comment 

While it is good the Nintendo is keeping their promise to have new and exciting feaures always being added to the Wii over it's lifetime, some good cheap, games would be good in the WiiWare library. All the games that have been made available so far on the service have been getting medicore reviews from the gaming press.

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Microhoo, Round 2

This week, after a week of speculation of a push to get rid of the current Yahoo! board, Microsoft have said they have gain some interest in Yahoo! again.

Unlike their previous plans for a lock stock and barrel take over of the search company, on Sunday Microsoft issued a press releasing saying they were interested in purchasing parts of the Yahoo! company.

"Microsoft is not proposing to make a new bid to acquire all of Yahoo at this time, but reserves the right to reconsider that alternative depending on future developments and discussions that may take place with Yahoo or discussions with shareholders of Yahoo or Microsoft or with other third parties,"

Source ZDNet

Comment

This is becoming a worthless news item for the everyday consumer. if Microsoft were to purchase only parts of the Yahoo! business, it would pretty much remain situation normal for all of the people that use Microsoft and Yahoo products.

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One less reason for Windows

Computer motherboard maker Asus has announced it will be installing a version of Linux, an alternative to Windows, on all the motherboards it makes for computers.

Their Splashtop operating system will come with an internet surfing programme as well as a copy of Skype, to allow to people to do simple internet activities as soon as their computer is turned on , with out having to wait for the hard drive to load Windows.

"Consumers want to turn their PCs on and off like any other appliance, and Express Gate has made that possible." Joe Hsieh, general manager of ASUS's motherboard business unit said.

Source ZDNet

Comment

With more people just wanting to turn on their computer, check some sites, read some email and turn it off, this could be a very useful way to not just speed up the computer, but also reduce costs with there being no need to install Windows on most computers.

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Microsoft paying you to search

This week Microsoft in the US announced it was going to refund money to people who buy products after searching fro them with their Live Search website.

Bill Gates at the Advance 08 advertising conference said "This is giving you a reason why you should use a particular search engine,"

The rebates will be given after a 60 day cooling off period and only cover a small percentage of the purchase price.

Source Reuters

Comment

Desperate times call for desperate measures. With Microsoft not gaining any ground in the online search market place, still coming in third behind Google and yahoo! they are trying to do everything they can, and there is nothing they can do better than any other company that splash around some cash.

Currently the service is only available in the US and I can't see it being offered here at all.

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Money wasted on antivirus.

The Cheif Security Officer at Cisco Sytems said business are wasting money on anti virus programmes and patches, at the AusCert 2008 computer security conference this week on the Gold Coast.

John Stewart said "If patching and antivirus is where I spend my money, and I'm still getting infected and I still have to clean up computers and I still need to reload them and still have to recover the user's data and I still have to reinstall it, the entire cost equation of that is a waste."

His comments are due to the speed that viruses and other flaws are produced and evolve.

Source ZDNet

Comment 

If people's behavior online doesn't change and they are not trained in online security, whether it be business or private, no amount of security programmes will be able to keep them safe.

You have to know and understand not everything is going to be worth downloading, opening or checking out. Common sense and prevention is the only way to stay safe in the modern computer world.

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Microsoft getting ready to spring clean Live Arcade.

The XBox 360 Live Arcade is full of small games, many of which are from independent game makers. Some however are not very good games and have only a small amount of people buying them.

Xbox Live general manager, Marc Whitten, this week said that any under performing games on the service will be taken offline.

To appease the game makers the size limit of games will be raised from 150 megabytes to 350 megabytes, allowing for larger and more complex games, plus the ability for people to transfer their games from one console to another. 

Source Gamespot

Comment

A lot of games on XBox Live Arcade are not played in their full version People try the demo and then decide not to purchase the game at all. While most are around the $AUS6 - $AUS20 mark the quality just isn't there. If the game has an average review rating of less than 65% from industry leaders and it is bought by less than 6% of those that play the demo, it will disappear after 3 months notice to the game makers.

This new plan should see the quality of games improve and open the possibilty of major games being released for download instead of through shops. 

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Industry body losing weight

Just a few weeks before they fire off their biggest event of the year, the ESA is losing yet another game maker.

The ESA is the trade body that looks after the interests of game makers, but after deciding to scale back their E3 expo after 2006 has been losing supporters.

This week id games, the makers of Doom, joined Lucus Arts, Vivendi and Activision in passing up their membership.

Source Gamespot

Comment 

If the companies that helped form a trade body don't feel that is is doing the right thing by them, and that same trade body is scaling back its own trade show, it shows a lack of interest the future under that system.

While there are other video game trade shows, E3 was looked on as the leader with details and previews of what to expect 6 months later at Christmas time.

This could lead to the death of the ESA and a more factionised industry lead by the largest companies. 

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