Update: Reposted by popular demand - I wrote the following how-to used by dozens of Xbox 360 fans to score their consoles online.  This year, I'm updating for the PS3 and Wii, but this could be used for any number of sites with inventory trackers. Thanks to Bensbargains.net for their Xbox tracker service and Sightmax.com for sponsoring hosting for this site.

Here's a fool-proof way to get notified when PS3/Wii/etc  are available for online ordering- no online auctions required.  I've tested it personally- and  received my premium system in time for Christmas.  There may be other tactics, but I hope it works for you. Happy Holidays!

Step One: Bookmark Bensbargains PS3 Finder or Nintendo Wii Tracker
There are lots of sites that purport to track PS3 shipments.  Bensbargains is the best IMO.  They're tracking all the major and a number of minor sites that are carrying the PS3.  The site is legit and updated about every minute. Even better is their history list so you can see who got what in and map out when online inventory databases are updated.

This is great if you want to check every minute.  They also have convenient RSS feeds, but again this requires you to sit there and wait for an update.  There's got to be a better way- something that notifies YOU when status changes?  That's covered in step two.

Step Two: Download URLy Warning
Get notified instantly when a Web page changes, and see exactly what's changed. With URLy Warning, a pop-up window appears when a Web page you're watching changes, and you'll see a visual comparison of what's been added and deleted. The trial allows you to track one site in demo mode.

Once installed, you'll need to launch the app and proceed to step three.

Step Three: Configure URLy Warning
I've tried a number of tactics, but this one works best.  Click on options and set the URL to:

• For Sony PS3:  http://ps3finder.com/  (be sure to visit www.bensbargains.net for cool deals too)
• For Nintendo Wii: http://www.nintendowiipreorders.com/

Configure the rest of the settings you see below or read onfor customizations:

Setting to when at least 3 words are added or deleted will notify you when items go in or out of stock. This can result in a high count, but ensures you don't miss anything.  There are other strategies here such as setting When page contains the phrase "In Stock".

Updated Strategy: Search for changes in history only

Kevin writes, "I added a test range to only ping me on changes to the Tracker History by entering ‘History’ in the first text box and leaving the 2^nd text box blank.  This way, I only get notified when something is in stock and not when a timeout occurs."  Nice addition Kevin- thanks for the tip!  Screenie below.

You can set the app to give you a popup, a chime sound, or even send email to you or a paging device.  I used the popup and chime.  If you use the settings I did above, you'll see when words change.  If the number is in the hundreds, that means multiple deals are popping up or selling out since your last check.

Just hit reset between checks.  Plan on checking multiple times as some bundles are ridiculously priced- I played the waiting game and won.

Step Four: Get up early, check early and often
I've noticed a trend from the east coast- many stores first update their inventory between 5 and 8 am Central time.  I've saw and let go a number of high priced bundles, before getting a reasonable (MSRP) deal at a major retailer last year on my Xbox 360.  Now I'm off to play Gears of War :).

Good luck and happy hunting!

Back when I owned a Honda S2000 in the age of B.K. (before kids), my tweaker friends would do a, "Dyno Day" where they'd rent out a dyno facility and benchmark their supercharged, ultra-flow, boosted, EFI adjusted S2K's. 

Apparently that's already started with Windows Vista.  Using the new Windows Experience Index, overclockers are getting some impressive numbers for their PC "horsepower". Jeff noted in comments on my Vistas PC post, that he was getting a 5.7 index # on his overclocked system.  He included a how-to with details on his equipment - a Core 2 Duo system here. Not sure about the "Take that Microsoft" part (it was a Dell PC), but I felt an urge to go visit Fry's and that's not a good thing (tm) according to my wife.

Instead, after playing Gears of War last night over at my house with ZuneGuy and Zunester, I'm thinking about how I can get a Zune to output display and control to my Prius on-screen display.  Where's Phil Torrone when I need him?

A friend in the Windows Vista team sent me pictures of a cool new PC for Windows Vista they just did with Dell for a promotion. 

This hot-rod took the fastest Dell Media Center PC on the planet, then added a tricked out paint job by mondo paint mod shop Colorware to commemorate Windows Vista release to manufacturing. As the picture hints at, the finished result is top-notch automotive-quality paint that appears lit from within.  That's not surprising when you consider the specs of the system:

• Intel Core 2 Duo E6700 Processor
• 512MB NVidia GeForce 7900 GTX
• 4GB RAM Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM @ 667mhz
• 1Terabyte RAID0 SATA HDDs (2x500MB)
• 48x Combo + 16x DVD+/-RW Double Layer Burner
• Dual TV Tuners (Analog)
• Dell 30" Widescreen Flat Panel Monitor
• Full 5.1 Surround Sound system

My contacts tell me this system has a Windows Experience Index # of this system is a 5.2. For those of you unfamiliar with this feature of Windows Vista, it is a ranking # that represents the capabilities of your PC based on performance of your video, CPU, memory, HD, etc. and can be  used to determine which software will run best by matching the number or below (goodbye trying to deceipher 3 point text on bottom of software boxes to see if you can run the latest/greatest).  

The Vista screamer was conceived as a way to commemorate the RTM of Windows Vista at the ship party.  A few were made, and one contributed to Microsoft's annual, "Giving Campaign" where OEM employees raffled it off, with Microsoft matching the raffled amount going to the United Way. Considering the full version will put you back $3200+tax, that's a healthy donation.  

The only thing it's missing as far as I'm concerned is a Windows Sideshow display on the front and maybe an HD-DVD drive.

More pictures on my Flickr set.

Update: Fixed details on the charity process - it was a raffle.

A certain other company may have been first to mention this shared win, but they neglected to disclose this was a 4-way tie in the same category.  In the order announced by the National Television Academy:

• Microsoft for Windows Media
• Adobe for Flash Video
• Real for Real System
• Apple for QuickTime

Congrats to the Windows Media team (and others) on the win.  The real winners at the end of the day are end-users enjoying audio and video on the Web.

http://www.emmyonline.org/emmy/advmedia_nom_release.html

Whew.  Long week in NYC for partner meetings (very productive).  Sometimes a trip doesn't go as planned due to weather.  But then you also get a chance to meet some interesting people along the way.   Here was my situation

• The AM of departure, all roads into/out of my town were closed due to severe flooding. Thanks to my barista at Starbucks in town, I learned I  could take the Evacuation Road out. A winding, 7 mile gravel road through the woods with no defined curbs or lights at 5am. Adds 2 hours to my trip to airport, but I get there.
• Friday AM, I changed my direct flight was supposed to put me in 2 hours early by flying earlier through Chicago O'Hare
• Seated in last window seat on an MD-80 with only a view of the engine cowling (and the noise)
• 2 hours of delays before takeoff
• 4 holding patterns in the air due to severe weather over Chicago
• Diversion to Detriot due to, "Fuel issues".
• Chemical toilets were full on the plane due to delays
• 1 hour sitting in the plane in Detroit getting refuled
• Pilot noting, "Never seen this in 22 years" - 75 planes on the ground in Detroit and we were among last to get out.
• Wind shear causing pilots to fight to keep airspeed up and plane level while descending into Chicago. I can sensewhat's going on in the cockpit through the engines rising to max thrust and dropping to idle what seems like every 15-30 seconds.
• Worst landing of my life as plane "dropped" last 25 feet. Kudos to pilots for dealing with very harsh conditions.
• Flight attendant notes most flights out tonight are cancelled, other than Seattle, which leaves at 8:55pm.  It was 9:10 pm.
• Called to rebook, no luggage tonight.  The "Rebooking Centers" for American in O'Hare are Red 80's style phones at a counter with no people.  Classy.  Long lines.  Thank god I called on my cell.
• O'Hare staff are breaking out the cots; I got a reservation at a former Holiday Inn 10 miles outside O'Hare. One of the last.
• No jacket, thin shirt. Its 38 degrees and heavy mist, very windy. The Taxi line is almost two blocks long- worse than CES.  Thank god for the Motel shuttle.
• It took 30 minutes to get checked in.  Their computer system isn't integrated and they get all reservations via fax.  Stack of faxes was 3 inches high.
• Restaurant was closed for the night at the motel. Only option was "Hooters"  across the street (I bagged it though the wife told me to go).
• I don't normally hit a hotel bar, but it was 10:30pm, and I did this night after meeting a few guys in the Shuttle bus- one a Food Scientist from ConAgra, the other does cabinetry work for Whole Foods stores. 
• Good conversations, a free round from the bartender.
• Get up at 5am for the first flight to Seattle.

Top 5 Things (Re)Learned

1. Always carry your cell phone on your person when on a plane. Minutes may count if your flight is cancelled- start the process as soon as you touch down and can use your phone.
2. If your cell phone supports web browsing, save a favorite to the flight information page for your airline/flight #. You'll get more up to date/detailed status on your current flight or connections this way than the agents on the plane.
3. If you're going to be stuck, book your hotel ASAP.  If you're going to be stranded overnight, there are more plane seats than hotel rooms. 
4. Be frustrated, yet appreciative of help.  It's okay to be worn down (and it can help).  Just be sure to remind the agent/CSR you understand it's not their fault.
5. Talk to strangers, kill some time.  I tend to go into, "The Zone" when traveling where I don't talk to strangers.  In situations like this, it can help when you connect with others dealing with the same situation- hear their stories, learn about their lives.  Get outside your comfort zone and get distracted for a time.

Bellevue Best Buy had a limited # of copies of "Gears of War" in inventory yesterday (locked up by the registers). I picked it up. 5 words describe it:

• Adult
• Violent
• Cinematic
• Gripping
• Addicting

I've only been able to play about an hour- small kid in the house means playtime is only after his bedtime, but I'm hooked.  The Bungie team has their work cut out for them to make Halo 3 look this good.

This one was sent to me by a friend.

"Suburban Auto Group is an auto dealership located about 20 miles east of Portland , Oregon , but they came up with a series of world-class commercials when they invented the trunk monkey."

Click on EACH one of the links below…

Trunk Monkey 1

Trunk Monkey 2

Trunk Monkey 3

Trunk Monkey 4

Trunk Monkey 5

Trunk Monkey 6

Michael Gartenberg has a good analysis on the Xbox HD TV and Movie service announced earlier today:

Net? A good move for Microsoft and XBox to add functionality without compromising anything related to game play. Don't be fooled by the limited content (although current content maps to the gamer demographic well). Like iTunes, we'll see more stuff coming to Live pretty quickly.

Engadget has details here. VC-1 will be the codec used for delivery of HD content.  The HD trailers were just an appetizer. IPTV just became a mainstream reality overnight. 

About four weeks ago, a debate was raging in my household.  My wife, being of sound mind and body, was pleased with HDTV, primarily for its ability to fill our screen (a nearly 4yo Samsung HLM-507W 720p unit), delivering a level of clarity and screen-filling that sated her desire for such classics as, "CSI", "ER" and er... "Dancing with the Stars".

But never mind that.

We had a Comcast Motorola 6419 STB.  It was a marvel... for 2003. I had conversations with folks who talked about the challenges of writing to this box, the things they had done to get around hardware issues and I was (and continue to be) amazed by the abilities of the box.  But, it was suffering me.  Or rather, I was suffering IT in our household. 

There's a not-so-subtle metric among those of us who have battle scars in digital media.  It's called the "WAF" or "SAF".  It's the dreaded "Wife Acceptance Factor" or "Spousal Acceptance Factor".  I fell victim.

You see, where I live, OTA HD (ATSC) isn't even a remote option.  Between two hills, I believe the technical term is SOL. And after getting a taste of HD, my wife was hooked.  The Moto box did well enough.  But the gateway drug of "On Demand" never took hold.  Forget HBO and their on-demand, who appears to split up their seasons to extract more $$$ on DVD sales.  I'd go to Media Center if it were an option, but it's not right now until Vista ships.  Instead, I have my Comcast box. A marvel given the hardware, this thing freezes up, has IR reception far shorter than anything I've seen resulting in this exchange:

"Fast forward!"

"I'm trying"

"It's a commercial!"

"Did you hear me? It's frozen up"

"The angle's all wrong, try holding it up by your ear"

"Ok, I think that's working"

"You've overshot it.  Rewind!"

"I am rewinding"

"You went too far!"

"I'm trying to get it back but it won't respond!"

"Put it up by your ear"

"For the sake of ..."

This is the "WAF" or "SAF" I speak of.  What is family harmony worth to me?  Priceless.

Enter the TiVo Series 3. After serious negotiation, my wife agreed that it made sense to get a TiVo.  This was after trying convince the kind folks at TiVo to send me an evaluation unit.  Then, all hell broke loose (tm?).

Hell?  I had one CableCard and picked up another at the local Comcast store.  I tried to auth both on my TiVo via the phone to no avail.  Long story short, Comcast was "Cold initing" both cards, resulting in a 10 minute delay, yet the Technical Support Rep (TSR) knew to wait only about 4 minutes before trying a truck roll.  Major kudos go to those TSR's I spoke to, because they held in there and were sending a truck the same day. Yes, you heard that right- 11am and they're saying they can send someone out by 4pm the same day.  Major, major kudos to Comcast on that one.

This made me want to stop the poor Comcast "Truck Roll" guy from having to come out the same day. So, I started researching and came across the following article.  My gosh, I've never seen such an articulate description of the workings of the Cablecard process.

Ten minutes after I hung up with Comcast, I checked the TiVo again.  Bingo- the 1 (of 2) cards was now initialized. I was getting HD.

Then I went for #2.  I called Comcast and explained the situation.  I told them what I had read and the TSR asked me to send them a link to the article.  I did, and he was mighty appreciative.  His supervisor was over his shoulder and they were impressed when the second card was correctly initialized.  They thanked me profusely for helping them, and I know they get scored on # of truck rolls so they were happy to see that get cancelled.

I felt good.  I was up and going, and I had given back to my cable provider.  It gave me a warm fuzzy feeling actually.  Not sure why, but I guess I figured others wouldn't have to go through what I did.

Since then, my wife has taken to the new TiVo Series 3 like [insert saying here].  She loves it.  She doesn't need on-demand.  She records those educational programs for our son, and we've practically negated our Netflix subscription (what is it about crappy movies these days anyway).  So I digress.  The TiVo has rebooted a couple of times and of course, I'm pissed about lack of KidZone, or Multi-Room Viewing (MRV), or TiVo To Go (TTG), but it works as (relatively) advertised.   My wife hasn't complained about it more than once (the first reboot).  My son doesn't even miss on-demand.

So what do I miss about the Comcast box?  Nothing, except the additional $$ in my pocket. Heck, I could have bought a full-fledged PC with ATSC tuning in my area for that amount!  But there is a dollar amount on SAF and WAF so for that reason, despite the fact TiVo rebuffed any request to contact them, I will say I like my TiVo Series 3.

I've used Media Center in Vista, and it will give TiVo a real run for it's money for those customers with Cablecard-enabled PC's.  Will I ebay my TiVo for Vista Media Center? Probably at some point. Even then, I have little buyer's remorse over the TiVo Series 3, other than the ridiculous price.  Once set up, it works as advertised.

Disclaimer: I don't work for Windows, Windows Media Center, Media Player or anything that starts with Media or ends with Media.  Though Media might be somewhere in the name. But more on that at a later date. ;)

https://www.zune-arts.net/