This day was inevitable, even if unfortunate. Microsoft is finally pulling the plug on XBOX Live support for original XBOX games. Starting April 15th, you'll no longer be able to hop onto XBOX Live for some nostalgic bouts of Halo 2 multiplayer.

I won't drone on here why I believe Microsoft shouldn't cut game support for a paid service (particularly for games they were selling days ago in digital form), but there are two sides to that argument. According to most stats, few gamers out there are playing XBOX original titles on XBOX Live. And, according to Microsoft, continuing legacy support for original XBOX titles is getting in the way of improving the Live service overall.

What does this mean for you, if you want to still play some old favorites with friends?

Fortunately, it doesn't mean you can no longer get your multiplayer on. Since 2006, we've featured an article from TechLore member Yog-Sothoth,

I've mentioned several times in my blog that I'm not a fan of Apple's "controlling" business practices, even going as far as saying Apple treats their customers like "walking ATMs." Apple's clearly continuing this practice with the new oversized iPod Touch they're calling "iPad", which (like its pocket sized siblings) leaves out things like Flash, expandable memory, and all but basic Bluetooth support in order to keep users in Apple Prison.

Typically, I don't have an issue with it. I certainly don't give Apple any of my money, and I don't really care what other people choose to spend their hard earned cash on. That said, I do start to care once Apple is dishonest about their business practices with consumers... like Apple saying their iPhone/Touch/Pad devices lack Flash because it's buggy. That's complete B.S. 

It has nothing to do with being buggy, but it does severely limit the user's web experience. Without Flash, the iPad's browser can't display a wide variety of web content. Not just online video (which is huge IMO), but in other cases entire websites. It can't play flash games, nor can it utilize flash based apps that exist on various sites. In other words, it lacks Flash because Apple doesn't want a means for developers to circumvent their app store. As a result, none of these devices let you experience the web as it actually is today. To me, that means

Over the coming weeks, you'll no doubt hear more about the Apple iPad from industry pundits, bloggers, fanboys, and probably your next door neighbor than you'd ever want to hear. I'm not going to go into too much depth (others will handle that for me), but I'll give an overview and a semi-realistic viewpoint from someone who doesn't live and die by Apple's hardware.

The iPad is Apple's new tablet, which has been rumored for well over a year.  Today, they finally showed it off, and... well...  take a look:

Notice anything? Go ahead, take a long, hard look. Yep, it's an iPod Touch blown up to tablet size. Apple calls it "revolutionary." I call it "obvious." The iPhone and iPod Touch are one of the most profitable things Apple has done. Is it any surprise they'd capitalize on that?

So what do I think? Here's all the random thoughts that went through my head.

I noticed this morning that my Comcast DCT-3416 Dual Tuner HD-DVR wasn't displaying its clock, something I rely on when playing with my daughter in the living room before starting work. Upon further investigation I discovered that none of the advanced functions of the DVR were available - no guide, no DVR menu, not even the menu. I got a picture and could change channels, but that was about it.

I ultimately thought the internal hard drive failed (even though I could hear it spinning), which would explain some of the behavior I was seeing. I unplugged it a few times, let it reboot, and nothing. "Time to call Comcast," I thought... though that's certainly not something I ever look forward to. 

About 20 minutes later I was getting ready to pick up the phone, and then noticed the clock had returned. To my surprise, all of the features had re-appeared: the DVR, the Guide, and everything else, but with new features and enhancements.

Like others, I was highly interested in checking out the latest developments in 3D-TV at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, a topic I'll have much to say about over the coming months, but I also spent a good portion of time on the show floor seeking out new and interesting gadgets coming in 2010. One of the more unique devices I saw was called Zaggbox, a new product from Zagg that can only be described as a Swiss Army knife of digital goodness.

Yep, you heard that right - Zagg, the one and same that makes little plastic screen protectors for cell phones. As unlikely as it may seem, Zagg's first foray into consumer electronics is a big one, in both scope, and as it turns out, price.  

So what is Zaggbox?

Zagg bills it as a "Media Aggregator and Personal Media Server," though If I had to describe it, I'd say it's a

Roku's little boxes have been the hardware staple for those looking for a specific device to stream movies and TV from Netflix, Amazon, and MLB.tv and display it on a TV. With so many other devices integrating the real draw functionality (Netflix) these days winding up in homes everywhere, it looks like Roku is finally opening up their little box to content providers with their new "Roku Channel Store." 

New channels now available for customers to add today to their Roku experience via the Roku Channel Store include: Pandora, Facebook Photos, Revision3, Mediafly, TWiT, blip.tv, Flickr, FrameChannel, Motionbox and MobileTribe. A complete list of free and premium channels can be found here.

The new free channels already are a good addition, but how much more attractive this makes the Roku boxes over a variety of other web to TV streamers really depends on how many content partners they are able to attract and the quality of that content they offer. That said, since all exisiting Roku players are being updated to use the Channel Store (and there's more than a few of them out there), odds are attracting some quality providers shouldn't be all that difficult.

Since the day my child was born, I knew I'd inevitably have to take measures to protect my home theater gear once she was mobile enough to press buttons and turn knobs. My taste in style has always been what I would call "understated contemporary," meaning plain, simple, and functional. I'll also admit I have little desire to spend a fortune on something that holds my A/V components. I'd rather buy new gear. 

My prior solution was the pinnacle of cheap, yet functional. Many of my components are stacked on top of my big 55" CRT rear-pro HDTV, while the others are stacked neatly under my left and right speakers using a stackable desktop wire shelf/organizer system I picked up at an office supply store. It doesn't support the bulk of my larger components, like my 65 pound receiver, but it does handle my light weight devices like my cable box, DVR, DVD player, component width surge protector, and my VCR. On the right side, I've used the same shelving to house several game consoles.

Earlier this evening, word spread that the Federal Communications Commission is investigating Apple and AT&T regarding the recent rejection of Google's Voice application for the iPhone. At the heart of this investigation is the very nature of the exclusivity agreement between AT&T and Apple, and whether or not that agreement is hurting consumers, limiting choice, and hindering innovation.

According to reports, the FCC sent a letter to each of the three involved companies, in which contain all of the tough questions Slingbox owers have been asking since the SlingPlayer app for iPhone was apparently stripped of any ability to use AT&T's 3G network in order to be approved.

Here are just a few of the tough questions being asked:

• Does AT&T play a hand in which apps ultimately get approved?
• Does Apple and AT&T have standing contracts or agreements in regards to what apps can use the AT

A few days ago, Microsoft took the entire Xbox LIVE Service down for around 24 hours to complete scheduled maintenance and perform upgrades. Sounds innocent enough, but for a paid service like LIVE, I'm finding it more and more difficult to accept these scheduled downtimes. Xbox LIVE is no longer a niche service for hardcore gamers to frag each other in HALO 2. Today it's the backbone to an entertainment experience that families, moms, dads, and kids rely on.

Now, I'm a reasonable guy. I understand that systems like LIVE, which are always being pushed to their limit, need maintenance, patches, and expansions. However, Microsoft's approach needs to change; they need to ensure a basic level of service for all their paid customers.

What do they need to do exactly?

1. Tell Users Xbox LIVE is Down for Maintenance on Their Console

I'm not even sure why I have to suggest this. On Tuesday I attempted to connect to the LIVE service, and of course, it failed. My Xbox told me I have a problem with my Internet connection, apparently my router or the gateway has an incorrect MTU setting. I know that's not true, but I did waste 10-15 minutes resetting network extension kits, rebooting my router, rebooting the 360, and various other troubleshooting steps. When nothing worked I finally went to

Spam. It's the e-mail you don't want, but is sent to you anyway. In fact, Spam has been around since before the Internet and e-mail became mainstream. They even celebrated the 30th birthday of the first known Spam message last year.

I've been able to watch the evolution of Spam fighting techniques over the years, and while I understand the need for inbox protection from nefarious spammers, I'm fed up with the laziness of e-mail users. 

More and more I find myself being challenged to send someone an e-mail. I fire off an e-mail, and you send be back something automated that makes click through to a website and pass a Captcha (the box with a picture of letters, words or numbers that look scrambled where you have to recognize it and enter it into a box), fill out a form, or reply to some automated e-mail by sending you another e-mail.

Yep. You read that right. I know, everywhere else you're reading that Firefox is soooo much better, and that people are switching to it in droves. For me that was three years ago, but now I'm going back.

I'll admit that I don't rag on Microsoft anywhere near as much as other people do. I just don't hate them merely because they're big and control the majority marketshare of desktop and notebooks PCs worldwide, nor do I despise them because Mac people say I should.

That doesn't mean I "love" everything Microsoft does or every product they make. For example, one thing I idn't like was Internet Explorer, which (at the time I originally switched to Firefox) had stagnated at version 6 for quite some time. And I didn't look back... even when Microsoft (finally) added things like tabbed browsing in IE 7. I was happy with Firefox, and though I've used IE for various things over

Apple finally responded to Microsoft's latest ad campaign for Windows, which shows various fake shoppers walk through the computer buying process, and finally settling on Windows PCs made by HP. I don't want to get too off topic here, but while the MS ads are obviously scripted and fake, I do think they are accurately highlighting the computer shopping experience for many consumers. Macs are expensive, and if the OS isn't what you're shopping for, you'll definitely get a much wider variety of hardware and price points to choose from on the PC side.

Apple's comment took me back a bit. "A PC is no bargain when it doesn't do what you want."

It's a pretty stupid comment if you ask me. Other than run OS X, name one thing a Mac can do that a PC can't. 

Go ahead. Hit me in the comments area...

Those who know me or follow my blog here at TechLore.com will attest, I have a fair amount of older gadgets and gizmos I've collected over the years. Some sit on shelves behind a glass door museum-style, but most would be surprised by the sheer number of old devices I've found new uses for. So, when the need arose to put together a nursery for my up-and-coming newborn, I went to work putting a few of my older gadgets back into service.

One of our goals was to have the option to monitor the baby visually, and after pricing out some $200+ baby video monitors, I decided to slap something together from several devices I already own that are no longer in use.

I actually came up with two different solutions, but ended up settling on using an old Slingbox Classic I had tucked away in a closet. I've posted instructions on how to set this up over at the

Since digital TV broadcasting began back in the late 1990s, the path to analog's inevitable extinction has been a long and rocky one. Did I say inevitable? Perhaps the word "impossible" may be more accurate.

After several delays in the announced date for the end of analog broadcasting, Congress eventually settled on February 17th, 2009 as the "firm" deadline for turning off analog broadcasts in the United States. Now, about 12 days before that date, Congress has passed a bill to delay the DTV transition yet again, this time to June 12, 2009.

The problem, though, is Congress has gone soft on the date, meaning that broadcasters are now allowed to transition to all digital broadcasts anytime they choose between now and June 12th. It is believed this new "phased" approach be better for those not prepared for the DTV switch, since some, if not all of their analog stations will be available for another four months. However, I believe this will inevitably cause greater consumer confusion and, most likely, additional delays in the future.

Since Microsoft introduced four different SKUs of Windows Vista into the marketplace, would be Windows buyers have been... confused. Home Basic, Home Premium, Business, and Ultimate offered different features at each level, taking away some and putting some back depending on which edition you bought.

There are actually six different flavors of Vista (excluding the 32-bit vs. 64-bit variants of all but Starter) all together. The fifth was Windows Vista Starter, an edition limited in functionality for emerging markets with basic needs. The sixth, and less known version is Vista Enterprise, a business specific edition only available through Microsoft's Software Assurance program.

With the beta of Windows 7 going extremely well for Microsoft, soon-to-be buyers have been holding out hope there would be fewer flavors of Windows 7 to choose from. 

Today Microsoft confirmed that they're pushing forward with six editions of Windows 7. Users around the net are screaming. However, it only looks bad on the surface. Once you dive down a bit, you'll see Microsoft has done a lot to improve the SKU madness.

In just the past few months:

Netflix has struck more deals with more and more CE partners, now offering on-demand movie streaming capabilities through both the XBOX 360 and TiVo set-top DVRs.

Blockbuster has teamed up with 2-Wire to create their own set-top receiver, where customers can stream rented movies instead of getting them on disc by mail or in one of their stores.

Sling Media, creator of the Slingbox, let loose the SlingCatcher and Sling.com web portal. SlingCatcher lets Slingbox owners watch their home cable or satellite box on other TVs around the house, or over the web at a remote location. Sling.com is a lot like Hulu, poised to offer on-demand TV and movies to a PC web browser and (eventually) their SlingCatcher set-top. Uniquely Sling, it also offers an online SlingPlayer app that let's Slingbox owners watch their own TV right on the site.

Speaking of Hulu, they

We're but mere days away from our turkey feasts, and that can only mean one thing - Black Friday, the kickoff of the holiday buying season and craziest retail shopping day of the year, is almost upon us.

Given the current economy, it couldn't come quicker. If your budget for Christmas gifts has shrunk along with your 401k, then it may be a good idea to take advantage of the deep discounts and great in-store sales while you can. 

If you're looking to shop the door busters on Black Friday, do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of your local newspaper tomorrow and Thursday to get all the store fliers. Start circling the products you're interested in and planning your strategy.

If you're an online junky, like me, there are a number of resources available online to see all the good deals. Our friends at Retrevo have put together a pretty nifty

Over the last year, I've watched several friends develop severe cases of what I'm calling 'iSyndrome.' Not sure what that is? It's a disease... a terrible, awful illness with the horrible side-effect of making everyone you know hate you. Sounds serious doesn't it?

iSyndrome targets a small, but rapidly growing segment of the population - iPhone owners. If you or someone you know owns an iPhone, listen up.

The iPhone is cool. It does a lot of neat things like let you check your e-mail, catch up on news, post to twitter, play games, surf the web, and even just mess around with. The problem is that iPhone usage can become addictive, eventually leading to iSyndrome, which is a severe case of iPhone addiction that leads to several physical, mental, and social problems. 

How to tell if you or an iPhone user you know has iSyndrome

iPhone user:

• experiences pain or soreness in neck from constantly looking down at their iPhone.

Apple's business model is built on strict control of their products, both hardware and software based. It's the reason why the iPod is so tightly integrated to iTunes, and why you can't install their OS on whatever computer platform you wish (though there's a company called Psystar that's pushing those limits right now).

However, Apple's rediculous, unfair actions against Podcaster is making me wonder why they bothered opening up the iPhone to developers in the first place. 

The short story is that not long ago, a developer came up with an application called Podcaster that let the iPhone pull down podcasts directly over the air. Apple rejected the application from hitting the AppStore, claiming that encroached something that Apple's iTunes software already did (which it didn't). Today, screenshots of Apple's next iPhone firmware hit the scene, and Apple's version of Podcaster is present.

In my opinion, that's complete BS.

I understand the reasoning behind the Feds decision to breakup the AT&T monopoly, and on January 1st of 1984, AT&T's local operations split into seven independent Regional Bell Operating Companies (you've heard the term 'baby bell' right?).

Since then, the telecom industry has slowly been playing a game of renaming, mergers, partnerships, and takeovers. In fact, what was left of AT&T after the breakup and a failed business segway into computer systems, ended up getting purchased by one of their own spin-offs.

For a fascinating look at what's happened to the telecom industry since the big break up, check out this Family Tree of Telecommunications Companies over at neatorama.com. You may be surprised who owns who, and if you're like me, chuckle after seeing some old logos that you used to pay bills to.

Any surprises there? Anything missing? Post your thoughts in the comments.