The iPhone has become such a trend that everyone wants to buy it and utilize it’s fantastic features like being able to download iPhone movies, iPhone games, iPhone software and iPhone music. In this article, will discuss some of the best places to get free iPhone downloads.

Before choosing an iPhone downloads site the most important thing to consider is the type of service you want. The two most popular types of iPhone downloads sites are pay per download sites and unlimited free iPhone downloads membership sites.

If you choose a site with pay per download fees, this means you will be charged about $0.90 for each and every one of your movie, music and game downloads. This type of iPhone downloads site can become very costly if you plan on downloading a lot of movies, music and games.

Your other option would be to join an unlimited free iPhone downloads membership site. Once you pay a one time lifetime membership fee of about $30-$35, all the downloads would be free of cost for you forever, which would include unlimited free iPhone movie downloads, unlimited free iPhone game downloads, unlimited free iPhone music downloads, unlimited free iPhone software downloads and much more. So, instead of paying for each and every one of your downloads for your iPhone, all you need to do is pay a one time lifetime membership fee. Most of the good free iPhone download sites also offer a one or two year option. Without question, the unlimited free iPhone downloads membership site seems the best deal by far.

At this moment, the iPhone seems to be the hottest gadget in the world, and as an Internet device, it has soared miles ahead of its competition. So, if movies are your thing, you can now enjoy watching all your favorites by using your iPhone. It goes without question that iPhones are expensive, yet, the amazing features that comes as part of the entire iPhone package make it well worth the extra expense. If you are wise enough to take advantage of the iPhones fantastic features, you’ll join an unlimited free iPhone downloads membership site too.

While having the ability to watch movies or play games on your iPhone is great, its even better if your iPhone’s movie downloads and iPhone game downloads are free. But please don’t trust everything on blind faith. That can get you into deep trouble. Remember to always be careful about your iPhone. There are some iPhone download sites out there that are pure scams. If you want to protect your iPhone from malicious viruses and spy ware then check out the iPhone review sites to find out the best sites to get your unlimited free iPhone downloads from.

The price for a family cell phone plan can be as varied as the plethora of companies offering them. It’s important to look at all the details of the plan and each company closely before signing a contract. It is possible to find one that best suits you and your needs, so don’t settle for the first one you find. Look for the details of each cell phone and provider that are tailor made for you. If there will only be two of you using the plan, it makes more sense to get a plan with minimal minutes. This is especially true if most of the calls will be made between the two phones, and you are confident no extra minutes will be accrued outside the allotment for your plan. Find a company that won’t try to sell extraneous features to you. Phone plans can be as basic or as elaborate as you need them to be. There is no reason to spend extra money on features that will never be used.

Most cell phone providers offer free mobile-to-mobile minutes, (or calls made within the network) so even if you choose a plan with minimal minutes, it won’t necessarily be cost prohibitive if most calls are made in network. For example, if a family has a plan with 5 phones and most of the minutes of the plan are used making calls between family members, find a plan that has free mobile-to-mobile minutes. This way every phone call made within the family network is essentially free, as no minutes will be deducted from the overall minutes of the plan.

The service provider ads overage fees onto your monthly bill if you or anyone in your family adds up enough talk time minutes to go over the maximum allotment of minutes for your plan. If a cell phone customer has a plan allowing 700 minutes/per month, and the customer uses 750 minutes, the additional 50 minutes are considered overage minutes. The charge for overage minutes varies from one cell phone provider to another. For example, the five providers below vary between $.40/minute to $.45/minute per additional minutes.

It’s important to get the right number of minutes for your family’s needs, as overage fees for a customer talking on the phone for an additional 50 minutes can cost up to an extra $22.50 per monthly bill. If you consider that a few teenagers could each very easily tack on several hours of overage minutes, it’s easy to see why it’s critical to find a plan with the right amount of minutes for your family. It’s a good idea to go into a cell phone contract knowing how many minutes you think you might use before you get locked in for the long term. If you aren’t sure how many minutes you think you’ll need, ask a representative from the cell phone company you are considering to help you. Someone who has helped a multitude of people find cell phone plans will likely be helpful in giving you a decent estimate on how many minutes you will need.

Every cell phone provider features several plans, some without extra features like text messaging and data packages and others where the monthly cell phone fee is all-inclusive. Data and text messaging fees very greatly, even within individual providers. With one popular cell phone provider data plans, or Internet access through your cell phone, starts at about $39.99/per month for a basic package and can go up to $89.99/per month. Text messaging with another provider ranges from $4.99/per month for 400 messages to $14.99/per month for unlimited messaging. If you don’t want to sign up for a text-messaging plan but think you might want to text occasionally, it’s possible to pay per text message. Texts can range from $.15/per message to $.25/per text for text only messages to $.25/per message for pictures and video messages.

If there is a possibility of a lot of text messaging in your future, or the future of anyone in your family plan, a package with unlimited messaging for a flat fee is probably your best option. Text messaging at up to $.25/per message can add up really fast and add a lot to your monthly cell phone bill.

Another very important aspect to buying a cell phone plan is determining the coverage area available with each cell phone provider. Some cell phone companies are more prevalent in specific regions of the country, and will provide better coverage for you if you stay within its outlined geographic region. If your primary cell phone will be used mostly for business and travel outside your home state, ensure the coverage area for your provider before the cell phone is used outside the area and roaming charges are applied. This is true for any of the cell phones under the same family plan.

Be sure to carefully study the available coverage maps before choosing a specific cell phone plan. It is your job as the consumer to be as well informed about your plan as possible; read the fine print concerning the coverage area and if any roaming charges will apply outside of said area. Most cell phone companies have a national network, with wide coverage, ensuring that your cell phone will work when you need it. However, what constitutes “national” coverage to you may not actually be national in the eyes of your cell phone provider. Some cell phone companies consider their regional calling areas to be “national” calling areas. If this is the case, it’s possible that phone calls you make, which you believe to be a part of your coverage area, are actually outside the region of the coverage plan for your cell phone provider. If this is the case, the phone calls made outside the coverage area are eligible for roaming charges, which can add considerable cost to your cell phone bill.

Roaming is a term used in the communications industry to describe what happens when cell phone coverage areas overlap. If a call is placed from your cell phone outside your providers’ coverage area it’s probable you will still be able to place the call, but it will likely be made through the network of a different provider. Cell phone companies contract with one another to ensure there are limited holes or dead spots in network availability. However, even though dropped calls, and a loss of a cell phone signal are a somewhat distant memory, roaming charges are not necessarily so. Although most cell phone providers offer “free”, or no roaming charges, as a part of national cell phone contracts, it’s still critical to determine the exact details of the coverage area before committing to an extended contract. This way there will be no surprises when the monthly cell phone bill arrives, and you have accrued charges by placing calls outside your network.

The vast array of options when choosing a cell phone can be a little overwhelming. The most important place to start is by determining your individual cell phone needs. The cell phone model you choose can be as simple as a phone with no additional features, or as intricate and high-powered as you are. For example, if one of the cell phones in your family plan will be used primarily for business and travel, take into account the variety of options available to you such as: broadband Internet access, Bluetooth, text messaging, picture messaging, Email, GPS, speakerphone, and data packages. This array of features is optimized through a phone such as The BlackBerry phone, which is essentially a laptop that fits in your pocket. If the feature potentially used by you the most is email, choose a phone with a built-in keyboard to facilitate easier typing. The BlackBerry has the capability to use any of its numerous features anywhere you go. The phone can be purchased from an individual cell phone provider, or through a third party such as an online retailer of electronics, or almost all local electronics stores. Then the phone will be activated through the cell phone provider you have chosen. If there will be teenagers or other children on your family phone plan, determine carefully which phones might work best for each individuals’ needs. A teenager doesn’t necessarily need a Blackberry, but you might want them to have some extra features available in order for you to stay in better contact with them.

A feature, which has become almost universal on cell phones, is a built-in digital camera. This is an extremely convenient feature as it ensures that anywhere you go with your cell phone, you have a digital camera at your access. The quality of the camera will vary depending on the model of the phone, as well as details such as number of megapixels and quality of resolution. If this is a feature that is important to you, do your homework and find a phone whose camera has a reputation for producing quality photos. Some newer phones also have the capability of recording digital movies as an extended option of the digital camera.

One important aspect to keep in mind when choosing a cell phone is that it’s almost always possible to get a phone for a discount under a rebate or promotional offer. It is rarely necessary to pay full retail price for a cell phone that meets your needs. Ask the cell phone provider you choose what cell phones they have available with a discount or rebate. If they don’t have a phone that meets your needs, choose an online retailer. They sell new and refurbished phones without contracts, and these phones can be activated under the chosen cell phone provider. As always, if the phone doesn’t meet your needs, upgrading to a newer cell phone is always an option.

The final, and perhaps one of the most critical details to choosing a family cell phone plan is the contract. Contracts vary greatly depending upon several variables including: number of lines per family plan, number of minutes, extra features like data plans, etc. Choose a contract length you are comfortable with as terminating your contract can cost anywhere upward of $175. Some contracts are 1-year in length, others are 2-years. Often choosing a longer-term contract will decrease the monthly payment. However having a higher monthly bill with a shorter contract length might be a more attractive choice for your individual family plan. For example, if a family move is a possibility in the future, a shorter-term contract might be the best option, if you move out of the coverage area of your current cell phone provider.

The real key to choosing a phone, cell phone provider, plan, or contract length, is an upfront approach with all of your questions before you sign a contract. Get all of your concerns taken care of in detail, from all potential providers, before your decide and read the small print in every contract. This will ensure a happy relationship between you and your provider, and you and your family will be thankful for it.

*not responsible for prices quoted as they constantly change over time.

Piles of slides and negatives can be quite costly to convert through an external service provider. Breathe new life into your old 35mm slides and film negatives by converting them into digital images with the Slide/Film Digital Converter, which connects to your Windows XP computer via USB 2.0 cable. One-touch scanning, three LED for backlighting and a 5MP CMOS sensor ensure that you will get aligned output, exposure control and color balance. The result: quality images up to 1800 dpi that you can edit with the included software. Turn negatives into positives, crop and resize as you wish. Your memories have never looked better.

Are your vinyl LPs and cassette tapes gathering dust on your music room shelf? Here are some USB powered solutions for converting your analog music into digital. ionAudio’s USB Cassette Archiver turns your audio tapes into CDs or MP3. It uses Audacity software and EZ Tape Converter, and is PC and Mac compatible. No drivers required. For your vinyl records, ionAudio also has a Vinyl Recording Portable USB Turntable for 11, 45 and 78 rpm records. It utilizes Audacity software and Vinyl Converter by MixMeister, reduces noise for quality sound output, and can be battery-powered on the go. The best part? They’re surprisingly affordable for such quality output.

Did you know that the design of the Olympic torch came from the design team at Lenovo, which worked on it for ten months? The winning “Cloud of Promise” design is not only on the torch, but also on Lenovo laptops and USB drives, as the company is a worldwide sponsor of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. The laptops look more impressive than the storage devices, which are only available in China. Souvenir hunters will be happy to pick these up in Beijing during the Games, but the limited distribution points to one thing: the Olympics may not be so hot elsewhere.

They may not look fancy, but IronKey calls its USB drives the world’s most secure. And they are certainly the most sophisticated ones out in the market today. Read speeds reach up to 30 MBps and write speeds up to 20 MBps. IronKey employs AES hardware encryption and secure online backup for password recovery. It cannot be hacked, rendering other password manager software program on regular USB drives inferior. The drive is tamper-proof, housed in waterproof metal casing, and will self-destruct in case of physical attack. The interior components are sealed in an epoxy-based potting compound. IronKey works on Windows XP and Windows Vista computers without drivers or software. It is designed with business, military and government use in mind. IronKey comes in 1GB, 2GB, 4GB, or 8GB for Basic, Personal or Enterprise use, with prices starting at $79.

If you have enough money to shell out for hardware upgrades, then you can invest in a faster RAM. These days RAM can have a speed of 2 Gigabytes and this can make your computer run very fast. However, you can settle for lesser speed provided that it suits your budget and your preference as to how your fast you want your computer to go. Other hardware upgrades can include getting a faster processor and a larger hard disk. Generally, however, it is the RAM that needs to be upgraded for a better performance.

There are programs available for sale that promises to speed up your computer. Buying one of these programs can greatly help you because it does it job quite well. These programs are very easy to use and will lessen your frustration in figuring out how to speed up your computer on your own. But you have to be very wary in choosing a program that claims to speed up your computer since not all of them do exactly what they claim. Reading online testimonials and getting feedback from friends and family regarding a particular program will shed light on which program you should choose.

But if you really want experts to work on your system to keep it in its tiptop shape, then going to one for consultation and repair will do you the trick. Nevertheless, you have to remember that professionals are working on your system equaling great cost that could reach hundreds of dollars, which could get you to think to just buy a new system instead of habitually upgrading each part of your current system and paying the same amount of money.

On the contrary, if the following options are not options for you due to lack of money. There are several other ways to speed up your computer. One of which is to tweak the settings. Settings such as stopping programs from launching automatically at start-up and visual display setting can be adjusted so that your computer will run faster.

Defragmenting your computer’s hard drive is the easiest way you can keep your computer’s performance at its best. Defragmenting will keep data that are related to each other close together so that it would be easier for the system to pull it up. Defragmenting regularly should be part of the maintenance you do on your computer.

Installing anti-virus software is another way of making your computer run faster because it gets rid of all the viruses, worms, malwares, adwares, and spywares that have infiltrated your computer. The presence of these elements makes your computer slow because they use your computer’s resources to run. You can choose from any of these options to upgrade your computer’s speed because for sure, it will answer your need for speed.

So, you are looking to purchase an iPod? Please take the time to read this brief article which will at best help you get the most out of your new iPod, and at the least, help you avoid mistakes and misconceptions. This article is written out of my personal experience with iPods.

1. What is an iPod?

An iPod is a MP4 player, not a MP3 player. Basically, the MP4 format is a proprietary format only recognized by Apple products, such as iPods and QuickTime™. In order for music to play on an iPod, it must be in MP4 format. Apple’s music download site, iTunes™, offers music only in the MP4 format. The iTunes™ software which comes with an iPod will convert MP3 music files to MP4 format, so they will play on your iPod. An iPod will not play MP3 files, neither will Windows Media Player play MP4 files. Both the Nano and Video iPod will store and display photos, but a video iPod is needed to play video files.

2. What is iTunes?

® Apple hosts the world’s largest music download site called iTunes™. As of March 2006, over 1 billion files have been downloaded for use in iPods. Pretty amazing. This site offers music files for 99 cents each, and you need not download an entire album, but can select only the music files you want and download it into your computer. The iTunes™ software in your computer is the vehicle by which files are loaded into the iPod. Simply place your iPod into its dock (which is attached via USB to your computer), start iTunes™ and your iPod is updated automatically with new music, playlists, Podcasts and so forth. I have tried other music download sites and have not found any which I like as well as iTunes™, even though they may offer music cheaper than iTunes™. A basic search will locate alternative music download sites.

There are a variety of other files available on iTunes™ called Podcasts. These are audio or video files which include news broadcasts, informational programs, comedy programs and many others. The great majority of Podcasts are free, and others are not.

3. What You Get

iPods come with the following:

iPod with battery

Earphones (called “earbuds”)

A generic pouch for the earbuds

A docking station (to transfer files and charge the iPod)

iTunes™ software CD

Instruction manual

That is all.

4. What You will Need

Every iPod user will need a case, and we strongly recommend a screen protector.

Both the iPod Nano and 5th generation (5G) Video iPod are susceptible to scratching, and the black units seem to show scratches worse than the white ones. This is true of both the iPod housing AND the screen. Nothing is worse than having your iPod blemished with unsightly scratches, especially when it is easily avoidable by using a case and screen protector. Having your unprotected iPod floating around inside your purse or in your pocket will absolutely cause your iPod to quickly accumulate scratches both on the housing and on the screen. Be warned! This is not really a defect, but just the way it is.

5. Using iPods in your Car

Most people quickly realize that it would be great to be able to have their iPod play music through their car stereo. No longer would they have to mess with CDs or tapes. How many CDs would you have to carry to have your entire music library with you in the car? You can take it all in the palm of your hand with an iPod. So, how does one play music through their car stereo? There are several options.

First, there are cables available for most car stereos which plug into the iPod and the other end of the cable plugs into a port on the back of the stereo. Removal of the stereo is usually required to accomplish this task. Also, the wire used to connect your iPod is exposed. It does, however, sound great! Some car stereos have a line input on the faceplate. In this case, all one needs to do is use an adaptive cable from the headphone jack of the iPod to the input on the stereo. In both of these scenarios, the iPod will run on its internal battery unless a car charger is used as well.

Second, (and by far the most popular) method, is to use an FM transmitter to transmit a signal from your iPod to your FM radio and play it as if it were a radio station. There are a variety of FM transmitters from several manufacturers. We recommend using a unit which is a dock and not a plug into the iPod port. The plug-in units consume power from the iPod battery and seem to produce a weak signal resulting in poor audio quality. A docking unit (such as the Griffin RoadTrip™) holds your iPod in place, charges the iPod and produces a strong signal. The RoadTrip™ also features a removable FM module which allows it to plug into your computer. You can therefore listen to FM radio through your computer without having to install software.

6. Using iPods at Home

iPods can easily play through your home stereo. One can simply use an adaptive cable which plugs into the headphone jack of the iPod and into the stereo input of your stereo. In this setup, the iPod is operating on battery power unless the iPod is also plugged into a charger.

Docking your iPod is the preferred method, and there are a variety of docking solutions available. The iPod docks into a base which charges the iPod, and an output jack on the base connects the iPod to your stereo via a cable. Some units offer remote controls for your iPod and others do not, but often these remotes are weak and have very limited range and field of reception. We have found that some television or stereo programmable remote control units can be programmed to work with certain iPod docking systems, while others work partially or not at all. It is worth trying if you have a programmable remote.

Some docking units also have a video output for use with the 5G Video iPod, which allows one to watch videos or photos stored in the iPod on a television. We have found that the picture quality is poor on large screen televisions, but ok on a smaller screen. Using a dock with S-video output will provide a far superior picture than units using an RCA connector. As of now, iPods do not support high definition.

There are speaker systems which contain their own amplifier and operate as a stand-alone unit with an iPod. These are not all created equal. Our testing has found that a high price does not always equal high quality. We have found $150 systems which in our opinion sound significantly superior to $400 units. It is best to listen to the various systems before making your selection; or if buying online, follow the recommendations of the seller IF they have tested the systems and can provide you with recommendations based on testing results.

There are alarm clock radios (such as iHome™) which allow you to go to sleep listening to your iPod and wake up to it as well. We have tested the iHome™ and others, and found iHome™ to be our unit of choice.

7. Loading Movies into Your 5G Video iPod

When the Video iPod first came out, I gave it a high ranking on the “Dumb-O-Meter.” Who wants to watch a movie on a 2.5 inch screen? However, after having used one, I have recanted my original opinion. It is now my iPod of choice. Unfortunately, iTunes™ and other MP4 download sites usually have little to offer in the way of legal movies which are formatted to play on an iPod. ITunes™ does have some short films, music videos and television shows, but not much else.

An easy solution for this is to convert your own DVDs into a format that the iPod can play. This can be accomplished by means of a software product called a DVD to iPod converter, such as Cucusoft, Lenogo and others. It is a simple process. Put a DVD in your computer, start the converter program and let it convert the movie to iPod format. Then, move the converted file into your iTunes™ video list. The next time you dock your iPod to your computer, it will load into your iPod. Some converter programs will also convert AVI, MPEG, MPG, WMV and other computer video formats for use on an iPod. This can allow you to convert your family videos and view them on your ipod. IPod movies are great for entertaining children on the road, for the business traveler stranded at an airport or for long airplane trips.

DVD converters we recommend are available here.

8. iPods and your PC

The music files for your iPod are stored in two places: in your PC in the iTunes™ program, and in your iPod. If your PC crashes and you loose your hard drive or have to reformat, you will loose EVERYTHING contained in your iTunes™ folder, including all of the songs you have purchased from iTunes™. Furthermore, iTunes™ does not offer the means to re-download songs you have purchased for free. You will have to buy them again. Neither does the iPod come with a means to load files into a computer. Fortunately, there are software programs which allow you to copy the contents of your iPod into a PC or from one iPod to another. These programs are usually titled “iPod to PC”, or something similar. If your computer crashes, you will kick yourself for not having this program to restore your music files back into your computer.

IPod to PC programs we recommend are available here.

If you’re still clinging to your 20GB laptop or have just bought that cool ASUS EEE PC with less than 10GB hard disk capacity, you might need to purchase a HDD Player and a hard disk drive to upgrade the storage capacity.

HDD Players are small boxes big enough for one hard disk. Sitting outside the computer or a laptop, it has the capacity to read the hard disk in your computer. Connecting this gadget to the computer or laptop is really easy since it uses USB 2.0. Depending on your budget there are different types of players to choose from. The only common thing about these gadgets is that it connects to computers via USB and it can store files.

The basic form of HDD Players allows you to store files only. That’s the most bareback of all products. Although some may come in fancy design, it’s just another storage device. But there are those models that upgrade a hard disk to the next level. Instead of reading the contents of the hard disk, the player comes with complete connectors to your television. The result is, you have a media player that reads hard disks. Last but not the least is your ultimate mobile hard disk players. This type of player comes with a screen that lets you watch movies and even listen to music. Some sell this as a photobank, but it is much, much more.

With hundreds of HDD players on the market, finding the one that meets your needs can be a confusing and daunting experience. So we’re here to help you simplify the process. Here are 5 tips for your buying a HDD Player:

1. Check the capacity of the player. Unfortunately, a HDD Media Player will always have a limit. Don’t just buy something online if they do not indicate its capacity. Usually their capacity could be from 80GB up to 600GB or even more. The higher the price, the bigger its capacity.

2. Check the file format that the player support. Usually, a HDD Player can support VCD, DVD, MPEG1/2/4, DIVX3.X-5.X, AVI, ASF, VOB, DAT, MP4, MPG, PEG, BMP, GIF and MP3.

3. Format your hard disk – visit a computer technician so that he/she could format your hard disk as a storage device. If they are not properly formatted, computer will have trouble reading or transferring the information to your hard disk.

4. If possible, purchase an player with a built-in hard disk - although this is rare, it certainly beats the trouble of inserting the hard disk inside your player. You don’t even have to worry about format since usually they are already formatted to be read.

5. Compare the prices of different suppliers’ offer, then get the HDD Player with multifunction but the lowest price.

Decide which type of game guide you are going to write

There are many different types of guides and the first thing you need to decide is which type you are going to write. There are four different types and the first type is the walk-thru. This is the most common type where you guide the player through a series of steps in the game. This could be a complete guide or just a guide to a certain portion or quest. The second type is the character guide, which explains many of the different skills, options, and abilities of a specific character type. The third type is the beginner’s guide, which helps beginners get familiar with a game, how it works, and how the interface operates. The fourth type is a performance guide, which helps players achieve certain levels and goals within a game.

Once you have decided which type of guide you are going to write you need to embark on the most important step of the process –you need to start a notebook and take notes. You might have a great understanding of the game but your reader doesn’t; and when writing your guide you may leave out small details that are simple for you but are not known by your audience. Take a lot of detailed notes and never make assumptions as to what the reader of your guide knows. If your guide is going to be long and complex you may want to use flowcharting techniques to help you understand the choices and decisions that are made in the game. Flowcharting is a great way to manage complex tasks with lots of decisions.

Get a second opinion

Another critical thing you should do when writing a guide is to get an impartial opinion from somebody else. This can be a friend, colleague, or even an anonymous person that you find on a forum or website. The important thing is that you have the person actually try to use the guide without you giving them any hints or tips. This person will give you feedback and tips about sections that were hard to understand or that didn’t seem to make sense. Consider any feedback to be the most important part of the process. It is easy for you to go through your guide –after all you did write it. But another person going through it doesn’t have the same understanding as you do. So get some feedback and make any changes that would clarify things for other players. An important thing to think about here is that if you have to explain anything at all to the test user of your guide then something needs to be fixed in the guide. It should be completely stand alone and understandable without you explaining anything. You won’t be able to explain things to all your readers right? If your test reader has questions you should write them down and incorporate your answers into the written version of the guide.

Some Final Tips

You should always write spoiler alerts at the beginning of your guide or at different sub-sections. Let the reader know that you are going to solve very specific problems and tasks in the game. Some people like the problems to be solved for them but many players like the challenge of figuring certain things out for themselves. By writing spoiler alerts you give your reader the option and the control over how he or she plays the game.

If you are attempting your first game guide you should consider doing a small one. Take on the challenge of only a small portion of the game or only a certain task or quest. This will help you build some writing skills and will help you avoid the discouragement of not finishing the guide. Writing a large guide can be a daunting task and it can be easy for you to give up on it. Start with a small guide and complete it so you get the satisfaction of having the project done.

Chances are that you are very passionate about a particular video game and you have a lot of knowledge about it. You probably enjoy playing the game a lot and by writing a players guide you can show off your expertise and get even more enjoyment by helping other people play the game. You don’t have to be a great writer to put together a great guide but you do need to follow some simple rules: keep the information organized, communicate clearly to your audience and get somebody to test your guide then pay careful attention to any feedback you are given.

The Wii has taken the U.S.A. by storm and has continuously sold out from any store it has been placed in. People will stand on line in rain, snow or any type of weather to get their hands on the Wii. The Wii sells on eBay for up to three times its selling price of about three hundred and fifty dollars.

When you purchase the Wii gaming console, you get a number of things. You receive the Wii sports disk with several popular sports to play either as a dual player, 4-players or just as an individual. You receive hardware such as the Wii console, remote, nonchuck, sensor bar, console stand and an AV cable.

Everything about the Wii is smartly designed. The Wii console is slim and sleek and will look attractive next to any television set. It is also discrete looking and not bulky or the type of gadget that will take up a lot of space in your living room or family room. The Wii remote control is very intuitive, with buttons being different sizes and also different shapes. You can easily understand just how it works as you are setting up your Wii to play games.

To play Wii you create your own Mii character to represent yourself in the games. This is very much like an avatar that you may have created at Internet websites. The Mii characters are attractive and friendly. While the Mii character will not look exactly like you, it is fun to see this character that looks similar to you interacting within the game or activity you are playing.

This summer Wii has come out with their latest creation: Wii Fit. The Wii Fit is an athletic game of sorts that teaches body sculpting, yoga and aerobics. You can take your BMI (body mass index) and also track your fitness levels. This is ideal for the person that wants to get in shape or who may want to lose some weight. The Wii Fit offers five different sports activities. The activities are easy enough for a beginner to start and will be enjoyable for the advanced exerciser.

The only challenge one could wonder about is if those that use the Wii Fit will get bored with the exercises just the way people get bored with an exercise DVD and they require some type of variety for stimulation. Perhaps Wii is already ahead of us in this respect and is planning even more athletic “games” to be added to Wii Fit.

The Wii is a very creative idea for a video game and certainly has both children and adults getting up off the couch to play with it. This fun game can burn several hundred calories an hour, just like regular exercise. With its popularity, it is clear that many adults and children are enjoying Wii very much and continue to use it far beyond its early popularity. Nintendo is known for bringing us many high-quality video games and the Wii is simply an ingenious answer to the American obesity crisis.

However, even though the XBox 360 is the world’s most popular video game system, that doesn’t mean that you should simply run out to your nearest electronic goods retailer and pick up the first XBox 360 that you see. As with any vital purchase decision, research is the key to making an informed buying choice.

Even though the XBox 360 enjoys unparallel popularity, there are certain things that you should bear in mind before you ultimately purchase your XBox 360:

•IS THE XBox 360 RIGHT FOR ME

There’s the original XBox, the XBox 360, and the Xbox Online too. Each variation of the Xbox or Xbox 360 has different features and functions than the other. And while the new XBox 360 should be easy to locate in a wide range of stores, other versions might be difficult to locate if they are discontinued or sold out. You should definitely research exactly which XBox you want before you purchase it.

•DO I WANT ACCESSORIES

You can easily purchase a simple XBox 360 for your pleasure, but you’ll then have to consider where you will use your XBox 360 and how you’ll use it. Will you just keep it with you at home for playing? Will you take it with you to a friend’s house, or even work and school? For each use of the XBox 360, there are many accessories that you can purchase to store and protect your device. You will have to ask yourself if you are willing to spend the extra money for the wide range of XBox 360 accessories that Microsoft has to offer.

•HOW MUCH IS ENOUGH FOR ME

Are you a video game fanatic, playing everything your eyes can possibly take all the time? Or do you have a limited amount of games that you absolutely love? If you’re the former, then you will want to get an XBox 360 with the greatest memory capacity that you can afford. The larger the memory capacities, the more games you can download, store and play on your Xbox. But, if you are the latter, then you won’t need to spend so much on an XBox 360, as you will not require an exceptionally large memory capacity.

•ASK WHAT YOUR XBox 360 CAN DO FOR YOU

We all know that the XBox 360 is great for playing games and movies. However, XBox 360s can be much more than simple video game system. Your XBox 360 can connect you online to the world if you want. You can shop for Microsoft and Xbox 360 items right from your console if you want. If you want your XBox 360 to be everything you need, then you should expect to shell out extra money for it. However, if you just want your XBox 360 to play games and nothing else, then you won’t have to spend as much money.

No matter what kind of XBox 360 you get or how you plan on using it, you should do a bit of research before you make that purchase. It’s never a good thing when you buy something you don’t really need, or when you purchase something that does not meet your needs and expectations. However, when armed with knowledge, you will be certain to purchase the right XBox 360 for you.

Modchip installation is not however for everyone. And I would urge anyone, that has not yet purchased their Playstation 2 system but plans to purchase it and immediately add a mod chip, to check out the various Pre Modded PS2 systems available for sale online. There are several online stores that have pre modded ps2 systems for sale and often times you’re paying just a nominal fee for the pre installation of the mod chip, when you consider that you would have to purchase the mod chip, ps2 system as well as the soldering tools and supplies, if you don’t have them already. The added bonus is that you won’t have to solder at all, and you can also rest a bit easier because most web sites will actually offer a lifetime warranty on the installation itself, and replace the 30 - 90 day manufacturer warranty and cover the unit if it is defective or not working in any way.

Alright, now let’s move on to the tips and suggestions to ensure you have a successfull PS2 Mod Chip Installation.

You need the right soldering iron: You don’t want to get a soldering iron with a tip the size of your pinky finger, or one that heats up to the point of melting the ps2 main board. You want a soldering iron that has a small, fine tip, making it easy to install the ps2 mod chip when you have to solder to the smaller sections of the motherboard. You can get a fine tip soldering iron for less than $15.00 at most Radio Shack stores. Make sure to get one that is rated at 15 Watts, this will provide enough heat for the soldering job, without actually hurting your console.

Use thin, 15 AWG Wrapping Wire: You can also get this wire at almost every single Radio Shack Store. Far too often, an ps2 mod chip installation is bothced simply because of the wiring that is used. If the wire is too thick, you’ll have a hard time attaching it to the right places, without the wire touching another part of the main board. It also helps that wrapping wire is insulated, because this ensures you won’t short out your main board.

Use Solder with Flux in it: For those of you that don’t know, flux helps solder melt and attach itself to both the wires you’re using as well as the solder points. Far too often people are using solder without flux, and buying flux seperately. Don’t! Doing it that way will mean that you could potentially use too much flux, and corrode / eat away at the solder point as time goes on, forcing you to re-solder at a later date.

Keep your wires as short as possible: Because you’re actually sending data / information FROM the modchip, to your Playstation 2 motherboard, the less of a distance that the data / information has to travel, the better. Many customers that initially thought they had done an incorrect ps2 mod chip installation were simply wiring up their mod chips with wires that were far too long. The Playstation 2 is a bit picky, make sure to keep your power and ground wires as short as possible.

Probably the most important tip is simply to take your time. We all like to rush, and getting that ps2 mod chip in the mail means sitting down and wanting to install it right away, as fast as you can. Some of the solder points are small, requiring precision. While you don’t have to be an expert a soldering, you DO have to take your time, making sure and double checking every single connection. Make sure that the wires ARE actually attached, and more importantly, that they’re attached to ONLY the soldering points they should be, without touching any other wires.

Get the RIGHT chip for YOUR Playstation 2 console model number. There are 16 different versions of the Playstation 2 Main Board, and you have one of them. The question is which one do YOU have. Before you buy your ps2 mod chip, make sure to check which version you have. You can do this by going to Google.com and searching for PS2 MODEL IDENTIFICATION and you’ll see results from numerous web sites offering a listing of all PS2 Model numbers. You can of course opt for a Universal PS2 Modchip, this will do away with having to find out your model number in advance, because the universal ps2 mod chips like the Modbo 4.0, will work in every single Playstation 2 console on the market today.

There is absolutely no need to be intimidated by a ps2 mod chip installation. I myself am not very good at soldering, but was able to complete the installation from start to finish within 50 minutes. I am including taking apart and putting back together the Playstation 2 as well. Soldering time and wiring was about 30 minutes of the 50 minute job. Now mind you, I do have steady hands, and I did buy all the right equipment for the job.

What is also important to note is that the total of all the items you’ll need to do the installation (soldering iron, wires, etc..) will not cost more than $20-$30 at your local Radio Shack store, certainly not a kings ransom considering you now have access to thousands of games. If you’re still uncertain after looking at the installation directions at the online stores, then opt to go for the pre modded ps2 systems. They’re not expensive, and they are truly a plug in and play solution. But be careful that the online store you’re buying from is selling you a BRAND NEW Playstation 2 and that they will actually replace the original Sony Warranty, as you don’t want to be in a position where you end up with a brand new PS2, without a warranty in place.