Part 1: Which emu is right for yu?

I love old games. They’re a part of my history and there are a ton that really do hold up years later. I’m playing through X-COM and Chrono Trigger right now, and regularly test my skills at Kung Fu, Mega Man 2, and Ninja Gaiden. Friends, co-workers, and strangers, when they catch me in the act, are always seized by a strange mix of revulsion and admiration. They then usually have some game they’d like to play, and subsequently squeal in childlike joy as the title screen comes up. Little do they know it’s extremely easy to get on almost any computer, but the world of emulation can be daunting at first. Let’s go over what an emulator is, then check out some of the many that are available.
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Keeping with our Linux theme for the week, I present this week’s Orientation on, well, Linux. Despite a market share of less than 1 percent for the Linux OS compared to 92 percent for Windows and a smidge over 7 percent for Apple’s Mac OS, the seldom used (by the general public) OS is the epitome of open source dev and free software. I mostly dabbled with Linux in college and haven’t really used it much since. I’m a Mac user now but Darwin is different from the Linux kernel. It’s all based on Unix, but different nonetheless.

So for the uninitiated, here’s Linux in a nutshell.
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I won’t say that the technology is simple, but it’s easy to understand with the above description. But why is it important? Well, for starters, it consumes very little power and only needs a bit of juice to flip the spheres and can be used in larger applications that are flexible. Its implementation into watches, e-books and even cell phones is just the start. Color electronic paper is already in the works and LG.Philips has a 14.3-inch model with a resolution of 1280×800.

Where else would you like to see e-paper implemented?

Welcome, friends, to another edition of The Orientation. This week we’re going to be looking at digital TV. The switch is coming soon. Ok, not really. It’s still a year away, but let’s take a look at what it’s all about. What’s the difference between analog and digital? Should you care? Does it really matter? The answer to the last two are a resounding, yes. If anything, you can forward this story on to your parents or grandparents.

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It’s been a while since my last Orientation, but we’ve all been traveling around for various events and such over the last month so it’s been a little hectic. To get things back on track, we’re going to talk about High-Definition Multimedia Interface, better known as HDMI. The Super Bowl is coming up as well as March Madness and some of you just got a brand new HDTV for the holidays so let’s try and get the best out of the whole deal. Sound good?
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It’s come to my attention that not everyone understands the subtle yet significant differences between GSM and CDMA. We’ve received random e-mails from folks asking how they can get XY phone from AT&T to work on Sprint’s network and it makes me scratch my head. My first instinct is to curse and hit the Spam button, but I slowly realize this individual just doesn’t know the difference. It’s not their fault. In our line of work we don’t always remember that everyone is as savvy or immersed in tech on a daily basis. For this we apologize. To make up for our indiscretions here is your Orientation for the week. Read More

Welcome to the first installment of CrunchGear’s The Orientation. This is a new weekly column where we take some of the gadgets, technologies, and concepts of the tech world and make it easily digestible to those who might find some of it to be over their heads.

Most of us surf the Web over Wi-Fi on a DSL network or cable modem, and if you’re really unlucky then you’re still on a dial-up network, but I highly doubt you read CG if you’re in the latter group. Your 9-5 probably has a T1 or T3 connection. I’m usually always in an area where I can pick up a signal on my laptop or BlackBerry. But what if I’m not? What if you want to watch YouTube on your iFones? If you’re in a rural area and don’t have access to broadband then I feel very sorry for you. You have the right to rot your brain by surfing the Interwebs for hours on end only to find porn and LOL cats. This is where WiMAX comes in, and while it’s been in the works for a number of years, it’s been available in Korea since 2006. We’re getting very close to its launch in the US next spring via Sprint, and some operators are already offering WiMAX service, such as Clearwire. In a nutshell, it’s point to multipoint broadband wireless transmission. But what the heck does that mean and how does it work? Well, here’s your orientation so you’re prepared for all its glory, so sit back and relax. Read More