Quick Review – WiiFit

WiiFit is the new Nintendo Wii “game” aimed at making you more active.

WiiFit has the same look and feel as other titles including WiiSports, using the Mii characters to be your body on the screen. The included Wii Balance board is sturdy, and easy to set-up.

You start by working out your posture, weight and BMI, then set a weight lose / gain goal. If you can recover from the Wii’s analysis, then it’s onto the first balance exercise, where in my case it added ten years to my age.

Then comes the games, which come in four groups, Yoga, Stretches, Balance and Fitness. Yoga, Stretches and Balance are all stand games, the Fitness includes a run-on-the-spot jog and a step class.

Nintendo aim to keep WiiFit interesting by giving a score and ranking for each exercise, so you can track your improvement. Higher scores and increased playtime unlock further games.

Overall, WiiFit is an interesting attempt to lift us from the sofa and make us more active. However it is not a replacement for the gym / home gym or a substitute for a health lifestyle. A bit of fun and light workout, but nothing serious.

New Asus 900 EEE PC Coming

Later this month, the new Asus 900 EEE PC will hit the shops. The new sub-notebook laptop houses a larger screen (8.9 inches from 7 inches) with improved resolution, double ram memory, larger solid state hard drive and improved web camera.

Whilst the Asus EEE PC is a wonderful device, it is not a main machine replacement. However for €400, it is a great mobile device. With the availability of a pre-installed XP version, anyone looking for a light weight laptop should give this machine a look.

However, hold off buying one until the summer. Online rumours suggest a new model will be coming soon with the new Intel Atom / Diamondville processors – that’s when I’ll be purchasing mine.

Will XP live on and undermine Vista?

Microsoft have announced that XP will continue to be available beyond the June 2008 deadline.

UMPC’s (Ultra Mobile PC’s like the Asus EEE PC) and developing countries will be able to purchase a specially produced Home version of XP for use upon “low powered” devices.

However, this seems to further undermine Vista. Whilst the threat of Linux being deployed by manufactures of UMPC’s may require Microsoft to respond, surely it would be in Vista and Windows 7 long term interest to kill XP in June, and deploy a version of Windows Mobile to these devices?

Dell coming to a Tesco near you

Dell and Tesco have signed an agreement to sell Dell home Pc’s throughout stores in Ireland, UK, Poland, Slovakia and the Czech Republic.

Dell’s home range of Inspiron and XPS desktops and laptops will be sold, creating a direct competition between Dell/Tesco and DSG (Dixon’s, Curry’s & PC World).

A word of caution for business users, the machines will be installed with Home versions of Windows Vista, which will not be suitable for office networks.

Will Tesco be selling off their stock of Icon Pc’s with 30% Clubcard points or will the Dell’s be launched with this offer?