'Tis the Season for Electronics: Gifts for Everyone's Budget

by Chris Robertson

The holiday season is upon us, which can only mean one thing: electronics are at the top of everyone's wish list. Even if you can't snag a new PlayStation 3 or Nintendo Wii, there are still many electronics gifts that will delight your recipients. Here are just a few:

Cell Phones: Cell phone technology continues to improve, as do the features available on cell phones. A new cell phone, complete with a high-res camera, video functionality, and wireless adaptability, is certain to be a welcome gift. If that's beyond your budget, opt for any of the number of cool cell phone accessories that are available.

iPods: An Apple iPod makes the perfect gift for anyone who enjoys music or television, even if they're not tech-savvy. Not only can they download tunes, but increasingly, they can download television episodes that they may have missed. Again, if you can't afford an iPod, there are any number of accessories - from earbuds to "socks" that are adorable and affordable.

Home Theaters: This year, why not indulge the whole family with a home theater? Flat screen TVs have come so far down in price that they're more than worth the splurge. While you're at it, get a collection of DVDs that every family member can enjoy!

Car Audio and Video: Entertainment has most definitely moved out of the home and into transportation. High-quality car audio and video equipment make wonderful gifts for family members on the go. Everyone can enjoy the high-quality sound that great car audio produces, while the kids in the family will be entertained on road trips with car DVD players.

Computers: For many people, computers aren't a convenience - they're a necessity. Everyone from adults who bring work home with them to students who have to research school papers (and book some time on one or more of the social networking sites!) will treasure a new computer. Again, prices on electronics have come down so much that either a notebook computer or a desktop PC is affordable.

Games: If you're not able to nab one of the new gaming systems, don't worry about it. There are still great games that are made for the Sony PlayStation 2, the Nintendo GameCube, and the Microsoft Xbox and Xbox 360. Final Fantasy XII, Guitar Hero II, Okami, LEGO Star Wars II, Madden NFL 07, and Viva Pinata, are all highly rated games for a variety of interests and age levels.

The bottom line is that, whatever the gift-giving occasion, you can't go wrong with a gift of personal electronics. Your best bet is to find an online source that has deeply discounted electronics, continually adds new items to their inventory, and provides you with the perfect online shopping experience.

Chris Robertson is an author of Majon International, one of the worlds MOST popular internet marketing companies. For tips/information, click here: electronics

Visit Majon's Electronics directory.

The Sony PS3 Launch Day Madness!

by Andrew Lawrence

6 months late and only 400,000 systems for the US nationwide launch, yep, sounds like another games console launch...

On November 17th Northern America saw the long awaited launch of the Sony PlayStation 3, but how many people got what they wanted?

Well, as expected the number of units available was very low and as usual there were quite a few people ready to pay big money to be the first to own a PS3.

The 60GB PS3 has a retail price of $600 and so far eBay has seen a steady flow of units selling for between $1,500 and $4,000 -

Many people camped out over night on the cold streets for a chance of getting their hands on the highly prized console, some waiting three days to ensure a good place in the queue. Outside one Circuit City store 50 plus people patiently waiting but only 10 PS3 consoles were available for sale... A large bold sign reminding queuing hopefuls of this limited number seemed to make no difference, some waiting in line just for the chance that someone's credit card might be declined or maybe an unexpected stock delivery? It's great to see the never say never attitude alive and well in the streets of the USA!

These die hard PS3 fans are a special breed, keeping one-another encouraged and talking amongst themselves about the impending games releases and online capabilities, you can really feel the excitement in the air.

For others though, the cold long wait was just about the money, they weren't afraid to admit that they intended to sell the console on for a profit, As with the games console releases in the past demand far outweighs supply and there are plenty of gamers prepared to pay top Dollar for a early chance to play. One queue waiter commented "I'd rather take the $2000 profit and wait another three months!"

So that's the folks in the US underway, Japan had their PS3's first on November 11th, but what of the European gamers? Well Sony have put off the Europe wide launch until March 2007 because of reported production problems with the graphics chips, and the difficult to manufacture Sony Cell processor, But will they meet the march deadline? They can't say! Sony are currently refusing to guarantee a Spring European launch at all, so it could be an even longer wait for Europe. Let's wait and see...

To find out more info on the PS3 including availability, games previews and more take a look at hhtp://www.PS3-Guru.com

Andrew Lawrence is also the creator of http://www.wholesale-help.co.uk - an online resource for traders looking for trusted and reliable wholesalers.

Why Is There A Playstation 3 Shortage?

by Gary Ruplinger

Sony has again cut their estimate for the number of Playstation 3 units they'll be shipping to the U.S. by the end of 2006. New estimates are saying only 750,000-1,000,000 systems will be available this holiday season.

Several stores have announced they won't even have enough units to cover the preorders they received. Gamestop has reported they'll only be receiving enough PS3s to cover 60% of their preorders. Amazon recently announced they won't be accepting any preorders for the PS3 and can't guarantee they'll have any before 2007.

So why is there a shortage of the Playstation 3 items anyway?

It all goes back to Sony's decision to include their new high definition video format - Blu-ray. The drive will allow for high definition gaming as well as allow PS3 owners to watch Blu-ray movies. The PS3 will be the cheapest Blu-ray player on the market by far as well due to the fact that Sony is absorbing a few hundred dollar loss on each system sold.

The problem with the Blu-ray drive is that making the blue laser diode needed for manufacturing the drive is proving notoriously difficult to manufacture. The two plants producing the diode, one owned by Sony, are both reporting lower than expected yields on their diodes. The low yields have forced Sony to cut estimates of having 4 million units ready this year in the U.S. to just 1 million. Sony has also postponed the release of its own standalone Blu-ray player and is using all the blue laser diodes that it does produce in its Playstation 3.

Although blue laser diode yield rates will certainly be improved over time, in the short term the problem isn't going to go away. Don't expect to see the PS3 sitting on shelves in a store just waiting for you to buy it until well into 2007.

That's not to say it will be impossible to get. For those willing to pay a premium price on aftermarket sites like eBay, there will be plenty of Playstation 3's available.

About the Author

Gary Ruplinger is the editor of PS3ASAP.com. To learn where to buy a PS3, visit his site. He'll explain where you can go to find the item in stock for some of the lowest prices you can find short of being one of the lucky ones that get their preorder.

sony ps4: sooner than you think

People have been raving about the PlayStation 3, the stunning graphics, the cell chip processor, the blue ray and it's amazing capabilities.

Flashback 15 years ago. Capcom released Street Fighter II for arcades. Tecmo released Tecmo Super Bowl for NES, and Sega released Sonic the Hedgehog.
Nintendo releases the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES).

The release of the 16 bit Sega Genesis in '89 created competition with Nintendo who was previously dominating the home console internet gaming market. However, in '91 SNES brought Nintendo ahead once again.

At this time Sony was nowhere to be found in the gaming industry. However, at this time Sony had seen the power of the video game consoles, and began quietly working on a console that would rival Nintendo and Sega as the best game console on the market at the time. The Sony PlayStation became the first ever game console to sell over 100 million game units in March of 2005. The Sony also had the capability to play audio CDs, as Sony refused to say it was strictly a game console. This trend continued as it released the PlayStation 2, and it became the fastest selling console, selling over 105 million copies between October 26th, 2000 and March 31, 2006. The PS2 had the capability to not only be backward compatible in playing PlayStation 1 games, but it also played music, as well as DVD movies.

Flash back to the present time and Microsoft has now entered as a major player introducing their 2nd game console the Xbox360, which followed the Xbox. And even though Nintendo didn't have outside revenue from things such as stereos, computer software, home appliance and entertainment systems, they refused to be held back from being a major player in the game console market. They released the Nintendo Wii that will compete not only with the Xbox360, but was released in time for the Holidays to compete with the new PlayStation 3.

The PlayStation 3 is nothing short of amazing. The blu-ray drive makes it possible tor play ultra high density optical discs capable of storing digital media, including high definition video, allowing for some of the most stunning graphics you have ever seen. It also, comes with bluetooth wireless controller and most importantly the cell processing chip, the same chip used in some supercomputers.

According to wikipedia, during the Japan release on Novemeber 11th, 2006, the PlayStation3 sold 81,639 copies within the first 24 hours. It remains sold out and was found selling for as high as $15,000 on Ebay. If the 20 GB built in hard drive isn't enough, the PS3 also comes in a premium version containing not only a 60 GB hard drive, but multiple flash card readers.

Will we see a PlayStation 4? Not only is the answer sooner then many people think, but according to Sony's Ken Kutaragi, they plan on releasing it within the next decade.

"My dream, and the dream of all my team, hasn't finished," Kutaragi told the BBC recently. "In fact we haven't achieved even half of what we're going to do."

"We want to lead with the PlayStation 3, and beyond that to the PlayStation 4 within the next decade."

One can only speculate on what the future of PlayStation is going to bring. It's hard to imagine it getting much better, but yet, every single release manages to innovate and exceed expectations.
But one thing is for certain, they will always look to provide more for their hungry consumers, and they will continue to look for ways to improve technology beyond current capabilities.

Mike Summers

Featured Author

Playstation 4 Within Next Decade?

PS4 Within the Next Decade

Pffft. Forget about the PlayStation 3 (well, not really) - Sony is already looking ahead to its successor.

Never afraid to speak his mind, sony's Ken Kutaragi, the man behind the PlayStation division, is looking to the future - the far future. While Kutaragi and the rest of Sony's engineers are hard at work hammering out the kinks in the PlayStation 3, the so-called father of the PlayStation is letting his mind wander to its successor.

"My dream, and the dream of all my team, hasn't finished," Kutaragi told the BBC recently. "In fact we haven't achieved even half of what we're going to do."

"We want to lead with the PlayStation 3, and beyond that to the PlayStation 4 within the next decade."

Of course, with the PlayStation 3 not even here yet, it's much too early for any concrete talk about the potential of the hardware that follows it. But it may just be something wholly new.

Earlier this year, at the International Games Summit in London, Sony's David Reeves spoke of Sony's vision for the future, where games are a small part of the content that flows through Sony's "games" machines - a term the company insists it has never used about the PlayStation 3.

S P O N S O R A D S:

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As it stands now, Sony's supporters are anxiously waiting to see what the PlayStation 3 will be able to do, and whether the millions of pounds spent developing its Cell chip has been worth it.

There is currently no firm release date for the PlayStation 3, but it's expected to launch in Japan within the first half of 2006 followed by North America and Europe.

Alex Wollenschlaeger
Editor, Kikizo Games