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This week’s Wii-kly Update (and I swear that is the subject of their emails) for the Virtual Console is unusually slim. Only one new game is being added the instead of the standard three: Romance of the Three Kingdoms IV: Wall of Fire (Super NES, 1-8 players, 800 Wii Points).

In this tactical sim, you try to unite China during the three kingdom era by commanding officers, invading lands and forming alliances. Sounds very Dynasty Warriors (in fact many of he leaders have the same names since it is based on historical figures) without the 3D hack-and-slash action. The only way to win is to control all 43 cities. This is the last game of the series to be released in the US and features upgrades from III including flammable ships, catapults and flaming arrows.

Site [Wii]

In a battle that’s been going on since 2001 (and an idea circulated years before that), the XXX domain was once again defeated by ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) on Friday, March 30, 2007. It was a 9-5 decision and the third rejection in seven years.

The top-level XXX (.xxx) domain would have been used for all porn and adult oriented sites but come with enforcement difficulties, could have been construed as a form of censorship and simply too heated a public topic.

At least two entities have already come out in praise of the decision to reject the .xxx domain.

Family Research Council (FRC) sent a release stating:

“This is a victory for the American public and our supporters who by the thousands contacted the Commerce Department and ICANN to voice opposition to a XXX domain. Instead of relegating porn to a specific domain, the government would have actually been facilitating the adult industry’s growth. In other words, the XXX would have established a virtual red light district, giving pornographers even more opportunities to flood our homes, libraries and communities with illegal, hardcore obscenity.

“The XXX domain would have given false hope to an American public which wants illegal pornographers prosecuted, not rewarded with a cloak of legitimacy. FRC will continue to press the Justice Department to use the tools at its disposal to enforce existing obscenity laws. Now is the time for pornographers to answer for their crimes which violate the dignity of the women and men involved, destroy marital bonds, and pollute the minds of child and adult consumers.”

Focus on the Family also sent out a release stating:

“ICANN’s decisive vote against the .xxx top-level domain is great news for families around the world. From the very beginning this idea held out false hope for parents concerned with filth on the Internet. It’s a strange notion to suggest that we can help kids by sanctioning, endorsing and proliferating the very material that threatens them.

“True and lasting protection will only come from vigorous enforcement of federal obscenity laws. Without the help of federal law enforcement, parents will always be fighting an uphill battle to protect their children.

“Against nearly universal opposition, ICM Registry has pursued this idea and even today it vows to fight on. The truth is that no one will benefit from this idea except the company proposing it. Let’s call this notion what it really is - a shameless attempt to make millions off the endangerment of children and families.”

It seems that creating a designated porn domain would make it even easier for filters to simply screen out .xxx than having to search for site keywords across all the other domains. Policing porn is already an issue regardless of the domain - kids can find porn no matter the domain. The .xxx domain is not so much a mater of censorship as a matter of proper labeling. After all, only the government can use .gov and education entities can use .edu, right?

What do you think?

Read [Nordic Hardware] Also Read [ICANN’s Decision]

Have you seen the mobile phone recharging booths springing up in airports across the US? In case you don’t have your charging cable on you or just can’t find an outlet (since every one is taken by someone with a laptop computer or DVD player), you pay a fee, plug in your phone to the appropriate port and get a quick charge.

What if you could instead use a regular ol’ AAA battery? C’mon ladies, you know you have one or two spares at he bottom of your purse (men - don’t even ask why). Philips Electronics has announced that its upcoming Xenium NRG mobile phone will have an extra battery compartment that will do just that.

When your main battery charge goes dry you can pop in any type of AAA battery - rechargeable or disposable - and get up to three extra hours of talkin’ or textin’ time (and a week of standby time). Philips claims the main Li-ion battery will allow up to a month of standby and 10 hours active use, so chances are pretty good you’ll not often need the AAA backup unless you never get used to charging your phone.

Even cooler, keep a rechargeable AAA battery in the compartment and the the phone will recharge both the main and the backup when plugged in. No word on the price or exact release date for the Xenium NRG but it is expected to be available late 2007. No word on how many other cell phone companies are crying because they didn’t think of this first.

Read [Newsday]

The field of competitors to take advantage of the revamped E3 grows. The latest addition is E for All, short for Entertainment for All, put together by IDG World Expo. Corp. The Expo, which will include video game, game tech and other interactive products, will take place October 18-21, 2007, at the LA Convention Center. Anyone will be allowed to attend E for All - thus the “All” part of the name - although those under 13 should have some type of legal supervision.

So far they’ve not said many specifics about tournaments, except there will be some, but it will have a gamer’s lounge, the Into the Pixel video game art exhibit and the Video Games Live concert.

Advance tickets cost $45 for a Thursday/Friday pass, $65 for Saturday/Sunday and $90 for all four days. Admission at the door will be $50, $75 and $110, respectively.

The exhibitors list is apparently still growing since they haven’t really released one, but the biggest name so far is Nintendo. Let’s hope it grows soon so gamers get to preview more than just Wii and DS games. We’ll certainly post updates about this potentially fun-for-everyone event as we get ‘em.

Site [E For All]

Getting green must be pretty keen since more companies and making nice steps towards being a bit more environmentally friendly. Motorola recently announced that all of its mobile phone chargers and external power supplies will be Energy Star certified.That basically means the products will meet energy efficiency guidelines set by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the US Department of Energy (DOE). Of course that doesn’t mean you can leave it plugged in 24/7 and expect to save energy.

Products that are jivin’ with the Energy Star are allowed to have the logo on certified devices. You might have seen it on refrigerators, stoves and other household appliances (if not, then you really need to update your kitchen).

Here’s a bit of trivia provided on Motorola’s press release that might help convince you to look for the little logo when you shop for cell phone chargers, TVs or anything else you might plug into the wall:

According to EPA, if every phone sold in the U.S. this year used an Energy Star qualified adapter in its charger, the energy saved could light 760,000 homes for a year. In addition, it would prevent well over 1 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions, the equivalent emissions of more than 200,000 cars.

Read [MobileMag] Site [Motorola] Site [Energy Star]

The New Nokia 7088 is a little bit of everything from the wonderful new world of color that Nokia has used to inspire its L’Amour Collection. While it screams fashion this new phone brings sophistication to the table being the first CDMA model to incorporate the sliding.

At first glance you will notice the gem looking pad set around a cool looking metallic frame. When you hold the phone in the palm of your hand you will notice a tough leather feel sort of like the interior of a brand new car. This feel wraps tight around the surface providing comfort and a feel of a no slip grip.

The fashionable phone comes in an egg shell white which has brought its own attention to the game. “...We are pleased to be able to bring this bold expression of style and taste to CDMA customers,’ said Larry Paulson, vp and general manager of Nokia’s CDMA business. With consumers getting locked into service plans and getting stuck with a phone for one or two years, it seems that this is one style I wouldn’t mind to keep for the long haul.

The Nokia 7088 has one key dedicated to activating its video recorder as well as camera with LED flash. With an extra-large 128 x 160 pixel color display you are sure to create stellar videos and memorable photos. Other specs are a; two-way speakerphone, voice recorder, calender, and let not forget the built-in mobile browser.

The Nokia 7088 is expected for release in selected markets during the 2nd quarter of 2007 in Asia/Pacific, Middle East, Africa, China and Latin America.

Read [SlashGear]

Apple UK has dropped pricing on 5th Generation iPods in the UK.

Apple has lowered the price of the 30GB iPod to £179 (from £189) and dropped the price of the 80GB iPod to £239 (from £259). The price remains the same on all other iPod models, including the iPod nano and iPod shuffle. Apple has not posted anything regarding why the 5th generation iPod’s are cheaper, the most possible explanation is exchange rate drops/incrwases, but then again that is not likely due to one one product changing price.

No price drops have been noticed on any other Apple stores worldwide, which is a nice bonus for those living in the United Kingdom.

Cheaper iPod’s? Perfect.

Move over Western Union, get outta here paypal, there’s a new instant money moving venture out there. Obopay uses your cellphone as well as a PrePaid Mastercard to send, receive, and spend all the greenbacks you can. After searching their site I was debating what I could use the program for. It seems pretty simple, just download the program and transfer money via text message. If your friend owes you money he or she can simply text you money straight from their Obopay account.

While all of this seems pretty convenient, the program is not as safe as a bank nor is it a means to save money. If your looking to get rid of not only cash, but your wallet or purse then this program would suit you. Where you’re going to put your PrePaid Mastercard is another question. The problem is if you are the only one with the program it is about as useful as playing catch alone, sure you can throw the ball but who’s going to receive.

This program would work swimmingly with parents who want to keep track of there college kids spending. Obopay uses an example of a daughter needing money for books, her mother simply sends her cash via text to her daughter phone and the cash is instantly transferred on their PrePaid Mastercard. I like this idea the best, and feel it would work in other situations just like this.

Read [Obopay] via [SiliconBeat]

Thats right friends! Sirius, formerly known for its satellite radio is going one up in technology. The service plans to be offered in the 2008 Chrysler Town & Country as well as the 2008 lines of Dodge and Jeeps. Mainly Dodge Grand Caravan Minivans, Charger, Magnum, Jeep Commander, and Jeep Grand Cherokee.

The factory installed option is to include backseat tv receiver plus a one year subscription to both tv and radio for $470 MSRP. After the first year the tv service will run $7 and will only be available with the purchase of a radio subscription.
To stay on the safe side, while TV could be played in the front, it will only work in the back seat while the car is in drive. The Radio works in the front while TV works in the back which makes full use of all of Sirius’ components. If a tv screen is put in the front then it will work when the car is in park if it is equipped with a program called mygig.

Read [Orbitcast]

Skype 3.2 Beta for Windows has added a few new tricks to it;s offering. First up is a new “Send Money” via Paypal feature allowing you to er… pay your friends for giving you the time of day. Next is the ability to import contacts from various sources including web based email applications such as MSN Hotmail, Gmail and Yahoo! Mail. There is and improved version of Video Snapshot. This video calling/conferencing feature has been improved since the original beta by allowing users to instantly capture photos of themselves. This means that users can further express themselves through personalized avatars, and also lets friends and family see a recent photo in users’ profiles.

Skype Beta version 3.2 for Windows is now available for download here.

Read [TMCNET]