Brandon Dimmel

If you've been visiting the site often, you'll have read something about the plethora of Sony notebook batteries being reluctantly recalled by computer giants Dell and Apple. And although it has been Dell and Apple who have thrown their names into ... the fire by officially announcing the recalls, Sony batteries came into an infamous limelight in recent months with actual video of their wares causing laptop fires. Of the handful of flaming machines, the most memorable was the one caught on film in Japan. (Source: betanews.com ) Rick Clancy, spokesman for Sony, has assured the public that there ... (view more)

The most significant problem with Microsoft's Xbox 360 console was not the alleged disc-reading hiccups or the reportedly faulty systems. No, the real issue with the Xbox 360 when it launched was that very few people, even some with preorders, could ... actually get their hands on the console. The limited number of 360s in North America created a mass outcry over Microsoft's handling of the launch, and seriously hurt the Big M's console reputation. Having witnessed that little November 2005 debacle, Sony is assuring the media that the Playstation 3 (PS3) will not have such issues. Despite the ... (view more)

I'm so proud to be Canadian. ;-) Months before its highly anticipated release, Microsoft Canada has -- accidentally it seems -- given the media an inside glance at Vista's pricing. Although the list was quickly ripped down, Ed Bott of ZDNet was able ... to take down many of the upcoming packages, and we'll share some of them with you here. (Source: microsoft-watch.com ) As we've discussed a bit in the past, there are two different schemes for installing (and paying for) Microsoft's new operating system. Those who have an OS upgradeable to Vista will save some significant moolah. For instance, an ... (view more)

So, you want to buy a notebook? Well, I've been thinking of doing so myself. And, although my cheap arse hasn't yet decided on whether to go with a less expensive, bulky desktop or a sleek laptop, we can look over some of the important details to ... consider when purchasing the latter in today's market. There sure are a lot of things to consider, so let's get started. First, what kind of processor do you want? Better yet -- what exactly is a processor? A processor is the engine of your computer (in this case: the laptop). Although other components, like memory, will help determine overall speed ... (view more)

As the major release of Vista approaches, Microsoft has officially announced that it will be buying back $16.2 billion worth of its stock by June of 2011. The move comes just hours after the close of its first tender, which included 155 million ... shares at a rate of $3.6 billion. All of these moves are said to be for the sole purpose of stimulating a rather dormant stock in the quiet moments before the release of Microsoft's anxiously awaited Vista. By officially adding the $16.2 billion buyback to its stock plans, Microsoft has now grown its total future expenditure to $36 billion. The move ... (view more)

Next to Apple, Creative is one of the most recognizable names in the Mp3 player industry. As a result of a patent dispute between Apple and Creative over a music player interface, the two companies have settled with a number of conditions. Today, ... thanks to their competitor, Creative is $100 million richer. During August of 2005, Creative was awarded a patent for a unique digital music setup. According to a press release at the time, Creative described the patent as a tool that "enables selection of at least one track in a portable media player as a user sequentially navigates through a ... (view more)

Despite their competition with one another in the world of web browsers, Microsoft has reportedly invited the folks from Mozilla to its headquarters in Redmond, Washington for an information session designed to make Firefox (and other software ... products) more compatible with Vista. Like any operating system (OS), Vista will be successful or unsuccessful depending on the software it can run problem-free. Although Mozilla and Microsoft provide a fierce rivalry for one another with Firefox and Internet Explorer, respectively, the Redmond-based company clearly realizes that more people will ... (view more)

It's getting to be an expensive day for Apple. Hours after the announcement of its $100 million settlement with digital music competitor Creative, the Cupertino, California company has also made public that it will be recalling 1.8 million batteries ... once installed in its laptop line. The recall is on the same Sony batteries found in the 4.1 million Dell systems cited as faulty by that company earlier this month. For those consumers who own a Macintosh iBook G4 or Powerbook G4, the recall affects those models sold between October 2003 and August 2006, a time window larger than that outlined by ... (view more)

Yesterday we reported on America Online's recent termination of three employees, including its Chief Technology Officer, for leaked customer web-search information. Today, the trend appears to be continuing, with a group of Apple employees being ... fired over their illegal downloading of the company's unreleased Macintosh operating system (OS) "Leopord" -- the upgrade to the curren version, "Tiger" (10.4.x). Although certainly not as popularly anticipated as Microsoft's Vista, Apple's Leopard OS uses true 64-bit technology, while still maintaining 32-bit compatibility. One of Leopard's most ... (view more)

You can't get much more mainstream than the Guinness Book of World Records! And now the publication known for fat twins on motorcycles, really long fingernails and -- well, lots to do with obesity and bad hygiene -- has added a video gamer to its ... amazingly inane list of feats. Guinness recently recognized gamer Cody Miller for his "speed run" through the immensely popular Xbox title Halo 2 on "Legendary," the game's hardest difficulty. (Source: gamespot.com ) Many of you might know the Guinness Book of World Records, a text designed originally to settle bar bets in Britain that has spawned ... (view more)