The James Logan Courier

By Eric Benderoff
Chicago Tribune (MCT)

This week's column is a collection of odds and ends from a tech reporter's inbox. Let's start with the odd:

EVERYTHING iPOD: The iPod continues to push our culture forward in significant ways. No longer is bringing reading material to the bathroom enough; now you can have a soundtrack.

Just pop your iPod into this dock built in to the toilet-paper holder. It comes with moisture-free speakers but is powered by batteries. So don't spend too much time lost in reverie.

Game Informer Magazine (MCT)

IPTV on Xbox 360
Manufacturer: Microsoft
Web site: www.xbox.com
List price: TBD

At January's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Microsoft's Bill Gates unveiled a new functionality for the Xbox 360. The company is planning to debut an IPTV (Internet Protocol TV) service before the end of the year that will allow the platform to act as a digital video recorder similar to TiVo, so users can record and watch TV programs. This new functionality works seamlessly with the 360. For instance, users can play 360 games while recording a favorite TV show or watch TV while talking with someone on their 360 friends list. Users will also have access to Xbox Live Marketplace, and the service would enable picture-in-picture channel browsing, movies and TV on demand, and searches for specific actors or directors.

By Billy O'Keefe
McClatchy-Tribune News Service (MCT)

MLB 07: THE SHOW
For: Playstation 2 and PSP (coming April for PS3)
From: Sony
ESRB Rating: Everyone

It was always a little disappointing that the coolest part of Sony's so-so basketball game — the rags-to-riches career mode — wasn't instead instilled into its endlessly-better-than-so-so baseball franchise. The career mode in "MLB 06" was terrific, but it lacked the lone-wolf mentality that could really set it apart.