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Weight Watchers PointsPlus Review: To Pre-Track or Not to Pre-Track?

In one of my favorite episodes of the show "The Office" a character is typing at his computer and another character asks him if he's busy. He asks, "Are you working or are you entering Weight Watchers Points?". The character replies ruefully, "You have to track them right away or you forget."

So true! For almost three months I've been typing away the moment anything passes my lips. It's crucial to do it right away or else something might not get tracked.

Of course, I've often been told that the ideal way to keep your PointsPlus values in check and have a well-rounded diet is to pre-track. (To actually plan your day ahead of time and that way you know exactly how many PointsPlus values you're using and for what. Nothing is left to chance.)

I've tried. But, I like the freedom of getting to choose what I am eating the day of. Almost every time I try to pre-track, I end up deleting almost everything I planned, and I change it to something else.

I think pre-tracking puts me in a "diet" mindframe. I don't suppose I like having anybody tell me what to eat even if it's ... me.

I can see its merits, though. Not being caught off guard by running out of PointsPlus values... making sure I get in those two dairy servings ... those elusive multiple veggie servings.

So, should I "force" myself to pre-track and stick to the plan or should I keep "winging it" daily?

If you've tried Weight Watchers, what worked for you? What are the pros and cons or pre-tracking? Share your tips in comments!

Note: Weight Watchers has provided me with free access to the online version of their program, and other tools, for me to complete my review of the new PointsPlus program. I am in no way being compensated by Weight Watchers.

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Weight Watchers Walk-It Challenge

Weight Watchers is challenging Americans to get moving! Its 3rd Annual Walk-It Challenge encourages its members to walk a 5K on National Walk-It Day on May 22, 2011.

Weight Watchers members and online suscribers get a "leg up" with free access to a six-week training plan. You can learn more here.

Check out these great tips for getting started, from Weight Watchers:

The first step is getting up and moving - start slow and increase your speed and distance over time. Be sure to set reasonable goals.

To help motivate you, sign up for a future 5K. Having that date on the calendar is sure to keep you focused.

Be sure to add strength training to your routine. Before you know it, you will have a new you!

Finally, listen to your body. If you need to rest, take a day off. And have fun!

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Weight Loss 101

Easy ways to keep yourself fit, happy, and healthy throughout the year. More

Learn about diabetes symptoms, what can make a management plan, and what tests you should never skip. More

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Water Way to Go!

Tap in to an easy way
to prevent overeating.

A Virginia Tech study showed 48 overweight subjects on a diet who drank a two-cup serving of water 30 minutes before each meal for three months lost four and half pounds more than those who didn't drink the water.

The researchers concluded the water drinkers experienced a sense of fullness that helped them eat less. Allowing between 10 to 30 minutes to pass before you eat is the trick -- the water has time to have its filling effect, but any longer than 30 minutes and it's probably too late to benefit from the fullness-factor.

Related Reading: Water Works

Image: Clipart.com

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Weight Watchers PointsPlus Review: Piling on the Power Foods

I'm hoping chowing
down on carrots will crunch my appetite.

If you read my last post about my Weight Watchers PointsPlus review, then you know I was considering switching to a different approach to the plan, the Simply Filling Technique.

Well, I got some great advice from readers about the pros and cons of making the switch and I have settled on a compromise:

For the next three weeks I'm going to eat as many of the Power Foods as I possibly can and see how many "other" foods I tend to work in to my day on average. That way, I'll know how many PointsPlus values I would theorically spend without officially switching to the plan. That will tell me how comfortable I would be with not tracking Power Foods (Can I make them the main-stay of my diet?) and using PointsPlus values for everything else (Just how many non-Power Foods do I actually eat in a week?).

So far, the main Power Food that I have been relying on is fruit. Most all of them have zero PointsPlus values and when I feel like a snack, I reach for them.

What I haven't been eating enough of is veggies! One or two servings at most and if I'm honest, often it's one. My goal this week is to eat two servings each day and work my way up. My first method will be to eat either baby carrots or a big veggie-filled salad at lunch every day.

Other Power Foods I plan to pile on my plate include reduced-calorie bread, soup, fat-free yogurt (I have gone from "forcing" myself to eat it daily to actually looking forward to it! Hello, two servings a day!), egg whites and beans. I haven't been eating these types of foods regularly and I know it's time to.

I am interested to see how much these foods help me curb my hunger. I still struggle with feeling overly-hungry at night and here's hoping adding these foods I've been missing out on will do the trick! Next week, my next weigh-in results will be posted. Stay tuned!

Note: Weight Watchers has provided me with free access to the online version of their program, and other tools, for me to complete my review of the new PointsPlus program. I am in no way being compensated by Weight Watchers.

Image: Clipart.com

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News: Apple offers Cyber Monday discounts

Apple offers discounts on a selected set of accessories for the iPad, iPhone and iPod in celebration of the "Cyber Monday," the online counterpart to Black Friday. The discounts are $40 off the beats by Dr. Dre Beatbox speakers, $20 off beats by Dr. Dre solo HD headphones, $4 off the twelve South compass portable stand for iPad and $13 off the iPhone-friendly Cole Haan zip wallet. These and other discounts are available only on Apple online Store.

If you have a comment, News tip, advertising request or coverage request, a question about iPods/iPhones/iPad or accessories, or If you sell or market iPod/iPhone/iPad products or services, read iLounge's comments + policy questions before posting, and identify themselves fully if you do we be deleting comments with advertising, astroturfing, trolling, personal attacks, offensive language, or other offensive content, then ban and/or publicly identify hurt.

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News: Apple buys former HP Campus in Cupertino

Apple purchase of a 98-acre site in the vicinity of existing headquarters in Cupertino, California confirmed. The site has been a longtime rival tech company Hewlett Packard Campus and sits acquired across the street from a 50-acre site, Apple in 2006 and previously announced for the location of a planned second campus. "We now occupy 57 buildings in Cupertino and our campus is seams," Apple spokesman Steve Dowling said the San Jose Mercury News. "These offices will give us more space for our employees as we continue to grow." Apple and HP dropped to selling price or can all details of the transaction to give although local real estate experts suggest the asking price $300 million or more have worked.

If you have a comment, News tip, advertising request or coverage request, a question about iPods/iPhones/iPad or accessories, or If you sell or market iPod/iPhone/iPad products or services, read iLounge's comments + policy questions before posting, and identify themselves fully if you do we be deleting comments with advertising, astroturfing, trolling, personal attacks, offensive language, or other offensive content, then ban and/or publicly identify hurt.

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News: Apple gift survey ends, starts new Apple TV poll

With over 2,800 votes from iLounge readers, our latest survey "do you plan to purchase this holiday season an Apple media product as a gift and if so, what?"-stopped. Readers were given a choice between all Apple media products and an option for those who do not plan, gifting an Apple product this year.

The iPod touch and iPad were almost for most popular gift with the iPod touch receiving 19 percent vote total and accounting for 18 percent iPad blocked. The two iOS products followed two more, the Apple TV and iPhone, both of which six percent received the total votes. The iPod Nano was followed next five percent of the iPod shuffle with two percent and the iPod classic, which 1% of readers said she would be as gift. Meanwhile you plan a considerable part of the reader - 43 percent - not to buy an Apple media product as a gift this year. Thank you for all your votes!

Our new survey focuses on the second generation Apple TV. We want to know whether you have purchased a new Apple TV. Our new poll "have a new Apple TV buy?"-can answer this question. As always, you can find the iLounge poll on the left of the main iLounge.com homepage. Give your vote today!

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Timing is Everything

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News: Verizon iPhone 4 case compatibility: a brief round-up

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As noted in our review of the Verizon iPhone 4, the new model’s ring/silent switch has been moved a few millimeters down the side of the device due to antenna changes, and the volume buttons have also moved down a millimeter, resulting in incompatibility with some prior, closely-tailored iPhone 4 cases. As such, a number of companies have released new compatibility information for existing cases, or otherwise made slight revisions to existing designs to accomodate both models. Listed below, in alphabetical order, are all the announcements we’ve seen and/or received thus far on the topic; we will be updating this article with new information as it becomes available.

AG Findings: AG Findings has announced that Vandelay two-piece and Beetle cases are compatible with both the GSM and CDMA/Verizon versions of the iPhone. Both cases are available now and sell for $35 and $17.50, respectively.

Amzer: Amzer has announced that a variety of its cases have been updated for compatibility with the Verizon iPhone 4. These include the company’s NuTouch Rubberized Snap On cases ($13), the Hybrid case ($17), the Circle TPU Skin case ($10), the TPU T-Matrix case ($10), the Simple Click On case ($13), the Diamond TPU Skin case ($10), the Injecto Snap On Hard Case ($15), the Silicone Skin Jelly case ($10), and a variety of pouches and sleeves.

Ballistic: Ballistic has announced that its LS Series, SG Series, and HC Series cases have all been or will be updated for compatibility with the Verizon iPhone 4. The updated HC Series case is available now and sells for $50; the updated LS and SG Series cases have yet to receive a shipping date.

Belkin: Belkin has posted a webpage dedicated to its Verizon iPhone 4-compatible products, which include the Grip Vue case ($25), the Grip Groove case ($20), the ProFit ($40) and FastFit ($30) armbands, the Verve Cinema ($30), the Verve Sleeve with Clip ($30), and the Verve Sleeve ($30).

Griffin Technology: Griffin has announced that its new Survivor case for the iPhone 4 is compatible with both the GSM and CDMA/Verizon models. The case is available now from Verizon Wireless and sells for $50.

Hard Candy: Hard Candy Cases has introduced redesigned versions of its Bubble Slider ($35), Chrome ($35), and Street Skin ($30) cases that are compatible with the Verizon iPhone 4. All three are available now.

iChair: iChair has announced that its case for the iPhone 4, which features a built-in stand, is compatible with the Verizon iPhone 4. It is available now and sells for $34.

ID8-Mobile: ID8-Mobile has announced an updated version of its MoGo Talk XD2 iPhone 4 case with an integrated Bluetooth headset that is compatible with the Verizon/CDMA iPhone 4. The MoGo Talk XD2, which includes the MoGo Easy-Grip Case, six different ear buds, the MoGo Talk headset, and a charging cable is available now and sells for $100.

iFrogz: iFrogz has announced that its Luxe Original, Luxe Lean, Swerve, Treadz, Wrapz, and Soft Gloss cases are compatible with both the GSM and Verizon/CDMA versions of the iPhone. iFrogz’ cases for the iPhone 4 range in price from $20-$30 and are available now in a variety of colors.

Incase: Incase has revealed that all varieties of its Slider Case ($35-$50) are compatible with the Verizon iPhone 4, as are its Snap Battery Case ($60), iPhone Pouch ($30), and Sports Armband Pro ($40). In addition, the company has launched a redesigned Snap Case ($35) to offer compatibility with the new model; all of Incase’s Verizon iPhone 4-compatible cases are available now.

LuxMobile: LuxMobile has shared the results of its fit tests, which found that all of its cases will fit the Verizon/CDMA iPhone 4.

Mivizu: Mivizu has announced that its Alien case ($24), Slim Series Version 2 ($24), Slim Series Version 3 ($24), and Sleek Leather Cases ($29) are compatible with the CDMA/Verizon iPhone 4; all four varieties are available now.

Mophie: Mophie is now accepting pre-orders for a redesigned version of its Juice pack air for iPhone 4 that is compatible with both the GSM and CDMA/Verizon models of the iPhone 4. The new dual-compatible Juice pack air is available for pre-order now and is expected to ship on February 28 for $80.
PDP: PDP has announced that its lineup of limited edition, Disney-branded cases are compatible with the CDMA/Verizon iPhone 4. The cases are available for a variety of themes and characters, including Tron, The Muppets, Mickey Mouse, and more, and sell for $30-$40.

Proof Cases: Proof Cases has announced that updated versions of its Cliq polycarbonate case ($15) compatible with the Verizon iPhone 4 will be released “very soon.”

Scosche: Scosche has introduced updated versions of several of its cases that are compatible with the Verizon iPhone 4, including the kickBack g4 ($35), the switchKase g4 ($40), switchBack g4 ($35), beefKase g4 ($30), and the switchBack surge battery case. The switchBack surge will be available this spring; all other styles are available now.

Speck: Speck has announced Verizon iPhone 4 compatibility for a number of its cases, including the Fitted ($30), GeoMetric ($30), PixelSkin HD ($30), PixelSkin ($25), ToughSkin ($40), CandyShell Card ($40), CandyShell View ($40), and ToughShell ($50). All models except for the ToughSkin, CandyShell Card and View, and ToughShell are available now; the latter four are listed as “coming soon.”

Tunewear: Tunewear has announced its ultra-thin Carbon look case for the iPhone 4, made from polycarbonate with a carbon pattern synthetic leather exterior, is compatible with the Verizon/CDMA iPhone 4. It is available in black or white and sells for ($30).

Uncommon: Uncommon has announced that both its Capsule ($40) and Deflector ($35) cases are compatible with the Verizon iPhone 4. In addition, customers can receive an extra 20 percent discount through February 28 by entering the code VERIZONATT at checkout.

XO Skins: XO Skins has announced an updated version of its Full Body Protector film set for the iPhone 4 that is compatible with the Verizon iPhone 4. It is available now and sells for $20.

ZeroChroma: ZeroChroma has announced that its Teatro case for the iPhone 4, which features a rotating stand, an anti-slip rubber edge, side dimples for added grip, and an anti-glare camera guard, is compatible with both the GSM and CDMA/Verizon models of iPhone 4, and is available now for $45.

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News: Verizon iPhone 4 help + apps is the best? Grab our 2011 Buyers Guide + paper!

If you have just purchased or received the first iPhone this week, Congrats! You probably have a lot of questions — including but not limited to, what it can do — so we want to make it easy for you to really large data sources overview.

Our free iPod/iPhone/iPad book will guide you through all sorts of stuff with the new iPhone goodies like — and the biggest part of its capacity to do this. If you need assistance with repairs, accessories, or other significant understanding of the issues, you'll find great Advise. It is a free download, so it here!

We iPod/iPhone/2011, iPad buyers guide lists all the year, Best accessories and apps on the iPhone. If you are looking for all of a sudden, the old Apple device to sell some spare money, getting the right price for your own is in advance of the fishing gear, too, plus the entire history of Apple's digital media product line include the complete guide. Just as our paper buyers guide is completely free to download. Grab it!

Other questions? You only want to Show off the world's new iPhone? Our discussion boards are good to go. Stop by and say Hey, and don't forget to take a picture of yourself to your new phone and post our Google Around The World Gallery!

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News: Verizon iPhone Apps upgrade compatibility

Several iOS developers have begun a new iPhone app updates, in particular, the address of the out-of-the-box compatibility with Verizon. Smule has released several of its applications, Ocarina, including, I Am T-Pain and Glee karaoke, which are simply "optimized for new Verizon iPhone users" in the release notes for updates. Similarly, TomTom has updated many of its GPS navigation apps such as TomTom US & Canada specialized Verizon iPhone 4 release is designed to deal with what it describes as "inaccurate pop-up error messages inside. It is unclear whether these problems that the slightly newer iOS 4.2.6 incompatibilities with the Verizon iPhone enabled, or the differences in hardware or network connection.

If you have a comment, News Tip, , communicating the or the coverage request, the Directory, mobile devices, and the question referred to it by the iPad or accessories or If you sell or your iPod, iPhone and iPad products or services, you read the oranges comments + questions policies prior to posting and precisely identify yourself if you do. We will delete comments containing advertising, astroturfing, trolling boats, personal attacks, objectionable language or other objectionable content, then prohibit or identify publicly lainrikkojat.

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Article: iPhone + iPad gems: Astronut, Gunstar heroes, Mushihimesama bug panic, rage HD, Splatterhouse + more

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Welcome to this week’s first gaming edition of iPhone + iPad Gems! This week, we’re catching up on some titles that were released during our mid-November vacation break, so there’s a lot to cover. This edition focuses on a collection of sci-fi-, fantasy-, and horror-themed action games and shooters, but there are many other titles in these and other genres to discuss in part two.

Our top picks in this collection are Gunstar Heroes, Mushihimesama Bug Panic, and Rage HD. Read on for all the details.

After developing one of the best games of 2009, The Iconfactory surprisingly stopped updating its skee-ball-inspired Ramp Champ and set to work on a new title called Astronut (Free/$2, version 1.0), which relies upon an extremely simple play mechanic: like Namco’s much earlier Star Trigon, you control an astronaut who orbits planets and other objects in outer space, using a “jump off” button to break orbit and fly in the direction of another object. Unlike Star Trigon, you’re also given a limited-use boost button to help you in situations where you might be in trouble—making a bad jump or flying into a cloud of bad guys—but the key to success is to properly jump from planet to planet until you reach the end of a level. You hold the iPhone or iPod touch vertically and generally move upwards, sometimes falling back if you err in your timing or need to backtrack. Scattered hearts replenish your limited lifebar, and shards can be collected to interrupt the standard levels with rocket bonus missions.

While we’ll commend Iconfactory for using a smart single-app purchasing scheme we’ve seen before, offering the first four levels as a free trial with the remaining 20 levels as a $2 in-app purchase, we didn’t find ourselves wanting to buy the rest of the game after trying the initial levels. Star Trigon’s claustrophobic, bounded stages felt like better puzzles than the ones we tried in Astronut before becoming bored of the onwards-and-upwards, “see how far you can get” action. The game is also sonically threadbare, with fair special effects and no music to speak of. If you’re a fan of this sort of game, Astronut’s fine, but by comparison with the richly detailed and sonically charming Ramp Champ, it’s hard to get excited about. iLounge Rating: B-.

We recall having heard the story behind the development of BulleTrain .22 ($2, version 1.01) some months ago: Downsized Games was founded by former Electronic Arts employees who lost their jobs, then created this first-person shooter as a parting shot at EA’s CEO, who shares the same initials as BulleTrain’s main villain—a character who is repeatedly knocked for corporate doublespeak throughout the game’s narrative. Sadly, BulleTrain is a dismally boring and poorly-paced little title, made vaguely interesting solely because of the insane clip at which you’re supposed to be shooting at cowboy targets on the semi-futuristic train that hovers before you.

To call BulleTrain .22 akin to Time Crisis, Rage, or other forced-movement first-person shooters in the App Store feels truly over-generous, as this game has more in common with late 1980’s and early 1990’s shooting gallery titles than the majority of 3-D shooters released over the past 20 years. Downsized Games merely scrolls a polygonal train left, right, and back again in front of you while you tap at targets. Because of the constant motion of the train or the need to hit targets more than once, you essentially bob back and forth using as many taps as possible to remove enemies from the screen, revisiting past territory that rapidly looks similar to what’s come before. The developer frequently flashes jokey but not-so-funny dialogue from the game’s villain on the screen, and introduces brief blastathon segments with truly out of place verbiage that suggests that the developers really need to let go of the events that inspired the game’s development and move on to greener pastures. A fairly dramatic update, with equal parts snipping, repacing, and new level design, will be needed before this game becomes worthy of even its $2 asking price. Note that the game is incompatible with the iPhone, iPhone 3G, and iPod touch 1G/2G, and upscales with the 1X/2X button on the iPad. A needlessly separate iPad-only version called BulleTrain .45 has been released for the samg asking price. iLounge Rating: C-.

Thanks to their pacing and innovation, some classic games may never feel “old,” and Sega’s side-scrolling run-and-shoot action game Gunstar Heroes ($3, version 1.0) is one of them. Developed by subsequently famous Treasure after its staff fled the overly corporate Japanese developer Konami, Gunstar Heroes is a spiritual sequel to Konami’s Contra franchise, albeit with play mechanics and a cartoony sci-fi theme that wouldn’t have flown in the grittier Contras at the time. Elements of Capcom’s beautiful but brief actioner Strider inform the platforming here, which gives you a joystick and three buttons to run, jump, climb, slide, and shoot your way through intense near-future backgrounds.

Gunstar Heroes diverges from its numerous predecessors—and some successors—by including character interactivity and intensity that just weren’t seen before on Sega’s Genesis, from which this title is ported, or other consoles. Your Gunstar character shoots, switches between two weapons, and jumps, but he also grapples with enemies when necessary, throwing them into the air, and needs to outwit over 25 different bosses and mini-bosses along the way. Screens are filled with explosions, early sprite rotation effects, and other visual tricks that established Treasure as a master of 16-bit hardware; only the chiptune music and low 320x240 resolution make the game feel a little dated. Fans of side-scrolling shooters owe it to themselves to check this game out; a two-player Bluetooth cooperative mode is available for the last three generations of iPod touches and iPhones, as well as the iPad. iLounge Rating: B+.

We weren’t afraid to say that we weren’t impressed with the gameplay behind Cave’s visually amazing “bullet hell” shooters Dodonpachi Resurrection and Espgaluda II, but its new title Mushihimesama Bug Panic ($5, version 1.0) is a completely different story. While Bug Panic’s theme—an anime-styled girl on a quest to eradicate robotic bugs—may initially turn off some potential players, the innovative gameplay combines with some of the company’s signature visual tricks to provide an even better experience. One on-screen joystick controls your character’s movement on an overhead-perspective, scrolling map, while the other serves as an innovative shooting and targeting system for the equivalent of a grenade launcher, releasing one or more projectiles at targets you’ve pointed or locked on to while running. Though the concept sounds similar, the latter controller enables you to feel like you’re doing something different from the mass of dual-stick shooters we’ve tested. So too does the map unlocking system, which lets you backtrack to prior terrain and unlock new areas to explore once you’ve cleared out certain enemies.

Unlike the company’s other shooters, which used only a portion of the iPod touch or iPhone screen, Mushihimesama Bug Panic thankfully fills the entire 3.5” display, scaling with the 2X button for the iPad. While the background artwork isn’t as mind-bendingly detailed as in the prior games, and the music’s a little on the dreamy side for a shooter, the small issues are made up for with plenty of the same overlapping character, projectile, and explosion artwork Cave used before, plus similar opportunities to grab bonus items scattered around the stages. “Bullet hell” moments where projectiles become overwhelming are comparatively few and far between; you survive the numerous levels by avoiding multiple hits, and will have a lot of fun doing so. As with the company’s earlier games, there’s a hardware cutoff—iPhone, iPhone 3G, and iPod touch 1G/2G users need not apply. iLounge Rating: B+.

As the basics of id Software’s first-person shooter Rage HD: Mutant Bash TV ($2, version 1.0) have been discussed in detail already, we won’t rehash them here except to note that the legendary developer has brought some of the graphics and audio from its latest PC and console game into an all-new iOS-optimized experience. In part because of in-game video but also due to its use of huge, detailed textures and polygonal models, Rage HD for the iPhone 4, iPod touch 4G, and iPad has a 743MB footprint versus the $1 540MB version for older iOS devices; each game takes up a lot of space by first-person shooter standards.

That having been said, Rage HD is about as close to incredible-looking as anything has been on Apple’s devices to date—an amazing demonstration of what’s possible when an experienced developer optimizes both a graphics engine and an experience for iOS hardware. As with the company’s earlier Doom Resurrection, you don’t control your character’s feet or movement, instead focusing solely upon moving a targeting reticule, firing projectiles, switching weapons, and dodging enemy attacks with a button. But because id Software knows exactly where you’ll be throughout the game, rather than giving you full freedom of movement, it can use the maximum number of polygons and highest-quality textures possible for every given situation… something it does incredibly well in this title. The mutants you’re killing and the backgrounds you see in the Running Man-esque “Mutant Bash” game show environments look incredibly realistic, putting to absolute shame the artwork in games such as Namco’s Time Crisis games, Capcom’s Resident Evils, and even Gameloft’s several impressive first-person shooters. Rage HD is gritty, more violent, and just plain believable. You don’t see polygonal edges; everything looks smooth.

There’s so much to like about Rage HD—the challenge of trying to hit enemies, money, ammo, and bullseyes as the camera deliberately bobs and weaves through the 3-D levels, the truly menacing-looking enemies, and the trashed apocalyptic scenes—that the game’s issues feel trivial. They are, in short, relatively bland audio with only low-pitched ambient music, action that moves a little too quickly to let you appreciate the scenery, and an iPad button layout that’s not as intuitive as the iPhone/iPod touch one. For $2, it’s hard to complain: Rage HD is unquestionably the most impressive game id Software has released for iOS devices to date, at the best price, and is highly worthy of any shooting fan’s attention. iLounge Rating: A-.

While we don’t want to knock Namco for releasing what amounts to a fine port of a classic arcade game that was once enjoyed by some people, we were never big fans of Splatterhouse ($3, version 1.0), and can’t claim to be especially impressed by the title’s recent debut on the iPhone and iPod touch. Once considered groundbreakingly violent, Splatterhouse places you in control of a side-scrolling character who uses knives, boards, and guns to kill hordes of undead monsters, turning humanoid and slug-like enemies into gooey splashes of green, blood-like fluid. That color’s a concession to the blood-averse censorship mentality of 1988, when the game debuted.

Even back when it was considered to be a big deal title for NEC’s TurboGrafx-16, the issue with Splatterhouse was that its gameplay was extremely shallow; you’re given an on-screen D-pad and buttons for attacking and jumping, but the action consists basically of walking left and right, hitting things with a board or a gun, and then repeating the action. Some stages challenge you to jump over obstacles, squat and kick, or avoid flying enemies, but there’s no getting away from the fact that this game feels like it’s straight out of the late 1980s; only a widescreen but limited “Splatter Rush” mode that talleys your kills for bragging rights is different from the original title; Namco even runs it at sub-iPhone resolution, enabling you to use zoom buttons to make the original art come closer to filling the screen. We’d call Splatterhouse worthy of some players’ consideration on the basis of nostalgia alone, but it’s hard to consider this game as even vaguely worthy of a $3 asking price when titles like Rage HD are doing so much more to push the iOS platform forward for less. iLounge Rating: C+.

Thousands of additional iPhone, iPod, and iPad app and game reviews are available here.

If you have a comment, news tip, advertising inquiry, or coverage request, a question about iPods/iPhones/iPad or accessories, or if you sell or market iPod/iPhone/iPad products or services, read iLounge's Comments + Questions policies before posting, and fully identify yourself if you do. We will delete comments containing advertising, astroturfing, trolling, personal attacks, offensive language, or other objectionable content, then ban and/or publicly identify violators.

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Article: Editorial: in the Apple TV, two months later

The Original Apple TV was almost a debacle for Apple - "almost" only that the hot running and incurable buggy device the foundations for a cool running and less fussy successor, end September's second generation Apple TV put. The original model as a mere "hobby," downplayed after an initial flurry of hype Apple quickly so expectations were not so high for the continuation. It reduces these expectations again explain that a key software feature, AirPlay media streaming of iOS devices run until a month or two after the device would be available. Our review the new Apple TV for what it actually was judged when released, and we just updated it last month to the improvements to reflect effect through its confusing name 4.1 software update.

Short, AirPlay, iOS 4.2 devices on the Apple TV streaming support was a good start - even with its current limitations. There is Apple TV was significantly better with the addition of AirPlay, how could start videos which lasted Apple TV hard disk once forever to synchronize with a play almost immediately from what device you happened to wear at the time no doubt in our minds, and the music and photos on your portable device could be played by the TV on. AirPlay for multi-tasking was even better on iPad allowed currently streaming iPhone or iPod touch. Apple is rewarded Apple TV 4.1 / 4.2 iOS synergy: we have real evidence for improved interest and sales for the new model seen, because AirPlay added. Friends, put the new version on your wish list family members and readers who have dismissed the first model at any price and buy because the price it is much easier to $99, and give as a gift as before. We have endowed several already, ourselves.

The interesting thing is that AirPlay and prices are only half of the story why the new Apple TV have consumers will win. Netflix is the other important part. Six months ago, Netflix's steamy video packages were third or fourth level in quality but have continue to improve at an impressive rate. After the last month, the collection of TV shows movies and documentaries actually impressive had enough to help some people (iLounge's editors including one), cut your cable TV subscriptions will - a conceptual turning point, we think - and Netflix streaming - only monthly rate dropped is a little deeper into the United States, as well. Apple TV is by far not the only device, the streaming Netflix content, but its Netflix interface is one of the best on a TV connected, and offered his secondary library has overshadowed the primary catalog from Apple. Hulu plus would be sauce only at this point. Other apps would be phenomenal.

Apple's original Apple TV won only one of our editors (Jesse) and usually dust collected with everyone else. We respect universally and use the new model. At least one of us has insane not so how would a year ago and we are really looking forward to see three new Apple TV which seems, what additional features will add Apple this year. This is a rare opportunity for Apple to revive a damaged product line - hopefully it will make the most of the second chance given everyone instead "Hobby" default status after the holiday rush. Our guess is that Apple's sales justify increased attention.

If you have a comment, News tip, advertising request or coverage request, a question about iPods/iPhones/iPad or accessories, or If you sell or market iPod/iPhone/iPad products or services, read iLounge's comments + policy questions before posting, and identify themselves fully if you do we be deleting comments with advertising, astroturfing, trolling, personal attacks, offensive language, or other offensive content, then ban and/or publicly identify hurt.

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: Press releases Virgin digital project iPad magazine, early thoughts

Virgin Digital has the project, a new multimedia magazine published specifically for those who iPad. Project promises cover a wide range of issues international culture, entertainment, design, business and travel a free reader app selling individual monthly expenses for $3. Each issue contains content updated daily in this month, as well as videos, photo galleries and music. Previously purchased questions can be kept in the app or later downloaded again at no extra charge. Project requires a iPad with iOS 4.2 or higher and is from the app store available as a free download.

Initial thoughts on project from iLounge's Editor: Despite the hype that has recently about the existence of the project to compete with News Corp.'s upcoming iPad-exclusive publishing daily circulation, it is safe to say that you can easily save $3, by skip this new magazine.Excited by the prospect of a publication, led by Richard Branson's Virgin, we found instead to a prison ship clone iPad magazines before, we saw the many aided of of Adobe project pages fill with weak, laddie write Mag class and very probably the most useless Jeff Bridges interview we merge ever read habe.Abgesehen its back end, which aims to what blog-like Web updates and comments in the application form, is it valuable little novelty.

View the original article here

News: iLounge of weekly newsletter coming later today

The latest edition of the iLounge is weekly, our weekly newsletter about all things iLounge, later today. iLounge weekly is a summary of the week's best news, reviews, and articles we have published and it also features giveaways and iPod accessory discount offers from various companies. There is still much to report time and received this week's issue – just use the form below to submit your e-Mail address if you have done.

Important: Hotmail, Gmail, Yahoo, AOL, EarthLink and others, make sure that we don't end up in your spam box. Please accept emails from iLounge.com. Thank you very much.

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News: iPad in Japan launches in 11 countries, subsidy offered

Apple launched officially today iPad in 11 other countries, while Softbank a steep payout on iPad announced 3 g models in concert with multi-month contracts. Starts in present-day Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Hungary, Malaysia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, the previously announced South Korea, Sweden, and Taiwan are included. As Mac rumors notes, pricing, retail, and mobile vary provider from country to country; interested customers should check with Apple, to find out more about availability. Moreover, SOFTBANK now offers a new pricing plan (translated link) frees the 16 GB 3 g model with a 24 month contract; Customers must agree to pay, 4,725 yen or about $56 per month for 3 g, 32 GB and 64 GB service 3 G models add 400 and 790 Yen monthly costs, respectively. [via Engadget]

View the original article here

The French Paradox Solved?

The French paradox may be a paradox no more: A study that compared the diets of a group of French people and Americans (Parisians and Chicagoans, to be precise) showed important eating cues may be linked to the fact that more than 20% of Americans are overweight compared to just 5% of the French.

The French subjects weighed around 20 pounds less than the Americans in the study, on average.

The big difference in eating habits? The French stopped eating when internal cues told them too, such as feeling the sense of fullness coming on or simply not liking the food they were offered.

Americans were far less likely to respond to these natural stop-signs and were more likely to stop eating when their plate was clean or when their television program went off.

The moral? Start tuning in to your hunger signals and tuning out other cues and you could become effortlessly slimmer.

Related: Identify and Understand Hunger Signals

View the original article here

Weight Watchers PointsPlus Review: Weigh-in 11 Results

Last week was my eleventh weigh-in during my review of the Weight Watchers PointsPlus program and I am happy to report that I have passed a milestone ... I've lost 20 pounds. Technically, 20.1 to be exact; I must admit that little .1 on the end makes my smile a little bigger.

Since folks can expect to lose one to two pounds a week on Weight Watchers, I am right on track!

Next week I will be posting a three-month-review/wrap-up post and tell you about my some of experiences a little more in detail, as well as some pros and cons of the Weight Watchers plan and how it compares to other plans I have tried. Come back and check it out!

Note: Weight Watchers has provided me with free access to the online version of their program, and other tools, for me to complete my review of the new PointsPlus program. I am in no way being compensated by Weight Watchers.

View the original article here

Weight Watchers PointsPlus Review: Week 6

I stepped on my scale anxiously awaiting this week's weigh-in results and I had to do a double-take. Okay, actually I did a triple take. In fact, I got off the scale and back on three times.

Why? Because I had not lost an ounce!

Now, I know a lot about losing weight and that there are ebbs and flows during the process, but somehow I suddenly became that first-time-dieter who couldn't believe her eyes when she saw the scale hadn't budged (Somewhere, deep down, that impatient girl is stamping her foot with her hands on hips going, "But I was so good this week!).

I had to turn up my own voice of reason: The fact is, no matter how effective your diet is, you're going to have a week every now and again that you simply don't lose. Sometimes you may even gain.

There are a lot of reasons this can happen ... water weight gain, water retention due to sodium intake, building muscle due to exercise. The moral of the story is, no matter what method you are using to lose weight, not losing one week (or the next, even), doesn't mean you should give in.

I think about the time I was on Weight Watchers when I was 18. (It was my first attempt.) The first time I didn't lose, I did what I just warned you about: I threw that towel in and threw out my bathroom scale for good measure. I look back now and I regret that.

Losing weight is a process and no matter how much that impatient girl's voice is echoing in my head, "This isn't fair!" I know that I am older and wiser now and that sometimes this just happens. Neither the towel --nor the scale! -- is being thrown anywhere.

Note: Weight Watchers has provided me with free access to the online version of their program, and other tools, for me to complete my review of the new PointsPlus program. I am in no way being compensated by Weight Watchers.

Image: Clipart.com

View the original article here

Review: iHome Portable Rechargeable speaker iD9 iPad, iPhone and iPod

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As the less expensive option, iDM12 benefits both from lower expectations and one extra feature—an integrated Bluetooth 2.1 wireless stereo streaming capability—that takes it out of the league of most $50-$100 speakers we’ve seen for Apple’s devices. iHome has given the 7.17” wide by 2.27” deep by 2.27” high pill-shaped unit both A2DP support and a limited AVRCP capability, enabling it to connect with most iPod touch, iPhone, and iPad devices to stream music and pause audio playback using one of the four buttons on its top. Two others control iDM12’s volume, rather than the wirelessly connected device’s, and the last turns the speaker’s power on and off. In our testing, wireless audio was completely reliable at standard 30-foot Bluetooth broadcasting distances, experiencing similarly standard brief drop-outs at greater distances, and a complete fall-off at roughly 60 feet.

Nestled next to a pop-out plastic stand on the back is a switch that toggles between Bluetooth and auxiliary audio inputs, the latter relying upon a special V-shaped cable iHome includes in the package. This cable has a micro-USB connector on one end, a cord manager in the middle, and separate full-sized USB and 3.5mm audio connectors at the other end. Unlike some speakers, the USB connector can’t be used for computer audio; it’s solely for charging, and since no power adapter is supplied, you’ll need to use a computer or other USB port to recharge iDM12. Only the 3.5mm plug provides a wired path for music to travel on, and flipping between an iPad’s headphone and Bluetooth outputs sounded pretty much the same.

The other interesting part of iDM12 is a novel magnetic faceplate that protects the unit’s plastic front grille and two speakers during travel, popping off to serve as a fixed-position iPad stand. While you can mount an iPad in either horizontal or vertical orientation in the plastic stand’s groove, relying upon two swivel-out metal feet for support, it has no space to accommodate iPad cases or a Dock Connector cable if the tablet is in portrait orientation with its Home Button at the bottom. iHome has tailored the groove solely for the iPad, and though iPod touches can sort of fit, iPhones can’t. It’s obvious that the stand was really designed for only one Apple product, and then, only when it’s bare; a little extra design work could have made it better.

As similar as its features may be on paper, iD9 is actually a substantially different animal. Made mostly from a slightly less shiny silver plastic that could pass for anodized aluminum from a distance, it measures 12.9” wide by 4.06” deep by 2.06” high—almost twice as long and twice as deep as iDM12, though virtually identical in height. Off to its sides are two total diagonally-firing speaker drivers, while its back has a line-in port, a power input port, and a switch that toggles a “remote” feature between auto and on. iD9 notably doesn’t ship with a remote, but it does come with a wall adapter, as well as a larger rechargeable battery than iDM12—2600mAh versus 1800mAh. It’s considerably heavier, too: 3.25 pounds to iDM12’s 0.35 pounds.

These numbers underscore the fundamental differences between iD9 and iDM12: the smaller unit can be taken anywhere, and the larger unit is—despite the battery inside—meant to be moved only around a house or office, though it’s capable of working anywhere you can carry it. Moreover, while the smaller iDM12 is solely for music playback, iD9 has a full iPad-sized glossy black charging dock in the center, complete with a flexible Dock Connector plug and three rubber pads—two left for you to install yourself if you need them. While we’re not huge fans of the DIY rubber pad approach, we love the fact that iD9 is designed to work with iPads regardless of whether they’re encased or not, and actually does so with only one caveat: the default angle of the flexible Dock Connector is just a little off for iPads, so you may need to wiggle the tablet (or an iPod touch) into place, an inconvenience that should really be addressed in a subsequent production run. We had no such problem with the iPhone 4. All Apple devices charge off of the 2.1-Amp dock at full speed. iD9 also features a clear, four-light battery power indicator, which the iDM12 doesn’t have.

Two other significant differences between the models are also worth mentioning. First, iD9’s speakers sound considerably better: even at their peak volume level, they exhibit relatively little distortion and very low amplifier hiss, putting out enough treble- and midrange-focused sound to feel appropriate for the $100 price tag. Though iD9 isn’t as well-equipped in the bass department as some of the other speakers—even iHome clock radios—that we’ve seen in its price range, it’s the best sounding $100 speaker yet released for the iPad, and less quirky than Jensen’s ambitious but ultimately unsteady JiPS-250i.

By contrast, iDM12 offers a slightly lower maximum volume, less treble, and a little more bass, but it’s similarly midrange-focused, and exhibits an audible static hiss regardless of the volume level it’s playing at, or whether your device is connected with a wire or Bluetooth. At higher volume levels, the music sounds moderately distorted in a way the iD9’s audio avoids; unlike the iD9, volume levels have to be separately set on the iOS device and the iDM12, which can contribute to the distortion issues. While these issues might sound discouraging, it needs to be said that none of them is a huge problem for a $70 speaker, particularly one with integrated Bluetooth streaming capabilities. A little extra tuning—particularly in the AVRCP remote volume control department—might have made iDM12 even better.

That brings us to the second difference: iD9 loses the iDM12’s Bluetooth wireless streaming capability in favor of making purely wired connections to your iPod, iPhone, or iPad, either through the integrated Dock Connector or the rear auxiliary audio input port. From our perspective, the sound quality improvements iD9 offers over the wireless iDM12 make this omission a wash, but if you’re looking for a way to stream audio to a speaker, only one of these units is capable of doing that.

For all of their similarities, properly rating these two systems requires an understanding of their separate assets, issues, and usage models that can be summed up in this way. Though it’s not the fanciest $100 audio system we’ve seen for iPods or iPhones, or the most versatile $100 unit available for iPads, iD9 is the best budget speaker dock yet released for Apple’s tablet—a sharp-looking and nice-sounding all-in-one system that can charge even the power-hungry iPad at full speed. Imperfections in its Dock Connector and padding implementation detract from what’s otherwise a highly case-compatible and convenient design that can be used anywhere in a house. If device charging and sonic fidelity aren’t as critical for your needs, but wireless streaming and a more compact size are appealing, iDM12 offers a more aggressively priced alternative. Limited control and stand design issues aside, it’s a more than respectable step up from iHome’s iHM79 and similar $50 wired-only portable options, though with similar limitations on audio quality. Both of these speakers are worthy of our general level recommendation.

A Note From the Editors of iLounge: Though all products and services reviewed by iLounge are "final," many companies now make changes to their offerings after publication of our reviews, which may or may not be reflected above. This iLounge article provides more information on this practice, known as revving.

View the original article here

Review: iHome iDM12 Portable Rechargeable Bluetooth Stereo speaker

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Company: SDI Technologies/iHome

Website: http://www.ihomeaudio.com/

Model: iDM12

Price: $70

Compatible: iPod touch 2G/3G/4G, iPhone 3G/3GS/4, iPad (2010), Other Models*

As the less expensive option, iDM12 benefits both from lower expectations and one extra feature—an integrated Bluetooth 2.1 wireless stereo streaming capability—that takes it out of the league of most $50-$100 speakers we’ve seen for Apple’s devices. iHome has given the 7.17” wide by 2.27” deep by 2.27” high pill-shaped unit both A2DP support and a limited AVRCP capability, enabling it to connect with most iPod touch, iPhone, and iPad devices to stream music and pause audio playback using one of the four buttons on its top. Two others control iDM12’s volume, rather than the wirelessly connected device’s, and the last turns the speaker’s power on and off. In our testing, wireless audio was completely reliable at standard 30-foot Bluetooth broadcasting distances, experiencing similarly standard brief drop-outs at greater distances, and a complete fall-off at roughly 60 feet.

Nestled next to a pop-out plastic stand on the back is a switch that toggles between Bluetooth and auxiliary audio inputs, the latter relying upon a special V-shaped cable iHome includes in the package. This cable has a micro-USB connector on one end, a cord manager in the middle, and separate full-sized USB and 3.5mm audio connectors at the other end. Unlike some speakers, the USB connector can’t be used for computer audio; it’s solely for charging, and since no power adapter is supplied, you’ll need to use a computer or other USB port to recharge iDM12. Only the 3.5mm plug provides a wired path for music to travel on, and flipping between an iPad’s headphone and Bluetooth outputs sounded pretty much the same.

The other interesting part of iDM12 is a novel magnetic faceplate that protects the unit’s plastic front grille and two speakers during travel, popping off to serve as a fixed-position iPad stand. While you can mount an iPad in either horizontal or vertical orientation in the plastic stand’s groove, relying upon two swivel-out metal feet for support, it has no space to accommodate iPad cases or a Dock Connector cable if the tablet is in portrait orientation with its Home Button at the bottom. iHome has tailored the groove solely for the iPad, and though iPod touches can sort of fit, iPhones can’t. It’s obvious that the stand was really designed for only one Apple product, and then, only when it’s bare; a little extra design work could have made it better.

As similar as its features may be on paper, iD9 is actually a substantially different animal. Made mostly from a slightly less shiny silver plastic that could pass for anodized aluminum from a distance, it measures 12.9” wide by 4.06” deep by 2.06” high—almost twice as long and twice as deep as iDM12, though virtually identical in height. Off to its sides are two total diagonally-firing speaker drivers, while its back has a line-in port, a power input port, and a switch that toggles a “remote” feature between auto and on. iD9 notably doesn’t ship with a remote, but it does come with a wall adapter, as well as a larger rechargeable battery than iDM12—2600mAh versus 1800mAh. It’s considerably heavier, too: 3.25 pounds to iDM12’s 0.35 pounds.

These numbers underscore the fundamental differences between iD9 and iDM12: the smaller unit can be taken anywhere, and the larger unit is—despite the battery inside—meant to be moved only around a house or office, though it’s capable of working anywhere you can carry it. Moreover, while the smaller iDM12 is solely for music playback, iD9 has a full iPad-sized glossy black charging dock in the center, complete with a flexible Dock Connector plug and three rubber pads—two left for you to install yourself if you need them. While we’re not huge fans of the DIY rubber pad approach, we love the fact that iD9 is designed to work with iPads regardless of whether they’re encased or not, and actually does so with only one caveat: the default angle of the flexible Dock Connector is just a little off for iPads, so you may need to wiggle the tablet (or an iPod touch) into place, an inconvenience that should really be addressed in a subsequent production run. We had no such problem with the iPhone 4. All Apple devices charge off of the 2.1-Amp dock at full speed. iD9 also features a clear, four-light battery power indicator, which the iDM12 doesn’t have.

Two other significant differences between the models are also worth mentioning. First, iD9’s speakers sound considerably better: even at their peak volume level, they exhibit relatively little distortion and very low amplifier hiss, putting out enough treble- and midrange-focused sound to feel appropriate for the $100 price tag. Though iD9 isn’t as well-equipped in the bass department as some of the other speakers—even iHome clock radios—that we’ve seen in its price range, it’s the best sounding $100 speaker yet released for the iPad, and less quirky than Jensen’s ambitious but ultimately unsteady JiPS-250i.

By contrast, iDM12 offers a slightly lower maximum volume, less treble, and a little more bass, but it’s similarly midrange-focused, and exhibits an audible static hiss regardless of the volume level it’s playing at, or whether your device is connected with a wire or Bluetooth. At higher volume levels, the music sounds moderately distorted in a way the iD9’s audio avoids; unlike the iD9, volume levels have to be separately set on the iOS device and the iDM12, which can contribute to the distortion issues. While these issues might sound discouraging, it needs to be said that none of them is a huge problem for a $70 speaker, particularly one with integrated Bluetooth streaming capabilities. A little extra tuning—particularly in the AVRCP remote volume control department—might have made iDM12 even better.

That brings us to the second difference: iD9 loses the iDM12’s Bluetooth wireless streaming capability in favor of making purely wired connections to your iPod, iPhone, or iPad, either through the integrated Dock Connector or the rear auxiliary audio input port. From our perspective, the sound quality improvements iD9 offers over the wireless iDM12 make this omission a wash, but if you’re looking for a way to stream audio to a speaker, only one of these units is capable of doing that.

For all of their similarities, properly rating these two systems requires an understanding of their separate assets, issues, and usage models that can be summed up in this way. Though it’s not the fanciest $100 audio system we’ve seen for iPods or iPhones, or the most versatile $100 unit available for iPads, iD9 is the best budget speaker dock yet released for Apple’s tablet—a sharp-looking and nice-sounding all-in-one system that can charge even the power-hungry iPad at full speed. Imperfections in its Dock Connector and padding implementation detract from what’s otherwise a highly case-compatible and convenient design that can be used anywhere in a house. If device charging and sonic fidelity aren’t as critical for your needs, but wireless streaming and a more compact size are appealing, iDM12 offers a more aggressively priced alternative. Limited control and stand design issues aside, it’s a more than respectable step up from iHome’s iHM79 and similar $50 wired-only portable options, though with similar limitations on audio quality. Both of these speakers are worthy of our general level recommendation.

A Note From the Editors of iLounge: Though all products and services reviewed by iLounge are "final," many companies now make changes to their offerings after publication of our reviews, which may or may not be reflected above. This iLounge article provides more information on this practice, known as revving.

View the original article here

Weight Watchers Review: Final January Weigh-In

It's 30 days down on my trial of the new Weight Watchers PointsPlus program. The results of my final weigh-in for January? A total of 7.9 pounds lost! I am quite pleased and I am right on target for the 1 to 2 pounds per week that is recommended as a safe weight-loss rate (and that just happens to be exactly what someone on the Weight Watchers program can expect to lose!).

They say it takes 30 days for anything to become a habit, and here are a few habits that are really helping me to stick with the program:

Are you following the new Weight Watchers program? What habits have you found to be helpful? Post your advice in comments or share your own review here.

Note: Weight Watchers has provided me free access to the online version of their program, as well as other tools so that I can review the new PointsPlus program. I am in no way being compensated by Weight Watchers.

Image: Clipart.com

View the original article here

Weight Watchers Review: Weigh-in Results

As I am entering week six of my Weight Watchers PointsPlus program review, my weigh-in results for today are a grand total of 12.2 pounds lost! (People on Weight Watchers can expect to lose 1-2 pounds a week.)

I have been asked a few questions about my review so far that I thought I would address tonight:

Are you going to meetings?
No, I am following the program completely online.

You tried previous versions of Weight Watchers. Which do you prefer?
This version!

You said last week you always measure servings of things like dressing at home. What do you do when you eat out?
Honestly, I don't eat out as much as I used to, but when I do I ask for condiments to be served "on the side" and I sometimes measure them using a shot glass or a "take out" condiment cup that is either one or two tablespoons.

How much weight did you lose previously on Weight Watchers?
I lost 18 in pounds in just over four months when I tried a previous version of the program.

What do you like most about this version?
The ability to eat almost all fruits and vegetables without "spending" PointsPlus values on them has helped me to greatly increase my intake.

Were you trying to lose weight before starting the new program?
I wasn't following a certain diet. I was focusing on maintaining the weight I had previously lost (by controlling portions, mainly). I would lose a few pounds here and there, but not consistently.

Note: Weight Watchers has provided me with free access to the online version of their program, and other tools, for me to complete my review of the new PointsPlus program. I am in no way being compensated by Weight Watchers.

View the original article here

Welcome, New Visitors!

Is this your first visit to our site? If so, I'd like to take a moment to welcome you and tell you a little bit about the types of information you'll find here.

You'll find a lot of helpful information here if you're just getting started with weight loss, like our Weight Loss 101 feature. If you're already losing, resources like our Quick Guides and Snack Guides will help keep you on track. And, if you're looking for lifestyle changes to keep the weight coming off (and keep it from coming back!) then Changes that Lead to Long-Term Success are right at your fingertips.

No matter where you are along your weight-loss journey, I hope you will find information here that will help you stay the course!

View the original article here

Slim Down Your Post-Turkey Day Sandwiches

Small changes can help you whip up a lower-calorie sandwich: Swap old-fashioned white bread for two slices of light wheat bread to save 150 calories.

Swap 4 ounces light and dark turkey with skin for 4 ounces skinless breast meat to save 41 calories

Swap mayo, 2 Tbsp., for light mayo, 1 Tbsp. (My pick? Hellman's Light -- you won't notice the difference!) and save 169 calories.

A fridge full of leftovers can spell dieting disaster, but a few tweaks can make all the difference: How do you cut calories? Post your ideas in comments!

View the original article here

Saturday "Smart Swap!": Roll Up a Calorie-Cut

Love to get takeout on the weekends? Why not plan a few calorie-cutting switches that will allow you to enjoy your faves while keeping the number on the scale in check?

Here's a favorite of mine: Swap fried spring rolls for summer rolls at your favorite Thai restaurant and you can save 60 calories per roll!

You can find more calorie-smart ethnic restaurant choices with our Restaurant Quick Guides!

View the original article here

Slim-Down Super Bowl Sunday

The spread at Super Bowl Sunday may be daunting, but make a point to have a game plan of your own when it comes to controlling calories. Try to pick three healthier items and enjoy those whole passing on wings or nachos. Consider making a preferable dish such as chili with lean ground beef or baked tortilla chips and guac so you're guaranteed a healthier choice.

Stock your fridge right if you are hosting the game. Instead of beer, choose light beer, seltzer, diet soda, and flavored waters. Enjoy light beer but alternate each serving with water to cut calories.

Instead of serving the snacks in front of the television, have them in the kitchen and allow guests to make their plates in the kitchen instead. Chances are you will all get so caught up in the game you'll forget about all those extra servings you'd normally help yourself to if the food were in easy reach.

More: Smart Super Bowl Switches

View the original article here

Slim-Down Your Salad Dressing

We all know that eating veggie-filled salads is a way to curb the appetite, prevent overeating and add nutrients into our diets. But, when it comes to what you put on top of that salad, things can get complicated: The wrong salad dressing choice can turn that healthful salad into a diet disaster!

If, like me, you have had a hard time finding a diet-friendly salad dressing that you actually look forward to eating, why not consider making your own?

Take a look at this great article from the About.com Guide to low carb diets. She provides lots of advice on what makes a healthy salad dressing and tells you how to make your own healthy variety (It's much easier than you might think!) using several recipes. Check it out!

Related Reading: How to Make Healthy Salads

Image: Clipart.com

View the original article here

News: Yelp Adds integrated OpenTable reservations

Yelp has released its popular social location app adding the iOS, the ability to make reservations to Opentable. Yelp allows users to search for and Find detailed information for businesses such as restaurants, close to bars, cafes and more. Users can filter by studies of the neighbourhood, distance, price and hours of work, browse the reviews from other users and add your own quick tips, photos and reviews inside. Version 5.1 Yelp users can now search for their favorite restaurant and make a reservation through the OpenTable service directly by tapping the "booking" button. Yelp universal app, and it is also available in the App store available for download free of charge.

If you have a comment, News Tip, , communicating the or the coverage request, the Directory, mobile devices, and the question referred to it by the iPad or accessories or If you sell or your iPod, iPhone and iPad products or services, you read the oranges comments + questions policies prior to posting and precisely identify yourself if you do. We will delete comments containing advertising, astroturfing, trolling boats, personal attacks, objectionable language or other objectionable content, then prohibit or identify publicly lainrikkojat.

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News: WSJ: less iPhone, MobileMe revamp coming this summer?

Wall Street Journal new report has been story support than late last week that Apple is smaller, cheaper version of the iPhone, adding details of Apple's MobileMe online revamp service series, which could include streaming media cloud-based service. Of course, a person who saw a prototype phone late last year, the report concludes that the new model is codenamed "N97," allegedly "around half the size of the iPhone 4" and "the edge of the edge of the screen" is the "voice-based navigation, as well as it is". "for sale alongside Apple's current iPhone track and should be approximately half the price of a traditional iPhone models available to carriers. The new phone is expected to be released this summer, even though those plans could change the report sources.

Also mentioned in the report is Apple's MobileMe online service suite revamp. A person who is familiar with the matter said that Apple is considering making a MobileMe free service to serve the online "locker" personally identifiable information, such as photos, music and videos. In addition, MobileMe could be part of a new online music service for Apple, which give the users of their iTunes libraries on a mobile device, such as the iPhone and iPad, without that it with the computer equipment can be synched cable, or the physical components of the actual files. The report that the new service could debut early in June, dependent on the progress of the discussions, which the licensing system is said to be the preliminary stage; According to the report, Apple had planned for the last year of laajakaistapalveluita service.

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News: Apple gift query ends, the new Apple TV the query begins

The sounds of more than eating oranges readers, our latest poll — "do not you plan to buy an Apple product as a gift this holiday season, the media and, if so, which one?"— has ended. Readers were given to select all the Apple products, as well as the media option for those who do not plan to gifting Apple product this year.

IPod touch and iPad were almost hanging for the most popular gift for the iPod touch, the vote of the company receiving 19% and 18% with iPad conventionally. These products are IOS after two more Apple TV and the iPhone, which both received 6% of the overall votes. IPod Nano was next 5%, 2%, and the iPod shuffle, iPod classic, followed by what one percent of readers said, they give as a gift. In the meantime, the 1999-2000, 43% of the share of readers — — does not design the Apple media product purchasing as a gift this year. All sounds thanks!

Our new query will focus on the development of the second generation Apple TV. We simply do not know whether the new Apple TV you've purchased. Our new query — "you buy the new Apple TV?"— You can answer the question. As always you will find the main ilounge.com oranges query on the left column of the home page. Cast a vote today!

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News: Apple Cupertino campus of the former HP buy

Apple has confirmed 98-acre site to buy there near the headquarters of the Cupertino, CA. [1] [2] the site has served as the company's long-term on the campus of competing tech Hewlett-Packard and more than 50-acre site, which Apple acquired in 2006 and announced the location of the previously planned for the second to the campus is located in the street. "We are now occupy the Cupertino campus buildings and our 57 is bursting the seams," Apple spokesman Steve Dowling told the San Jose Mercury News. "This gives us more space for our employees as we continue to grow." Apple and HP fell of the specific characteristics of the sales price or transaction, even if the local real estate experts suggest asking price is perhaps $ or more than EUR 300 million.

If you have a comment, News Tip, advertising inquiry or coverage at the time of the request, question todir, help and iPad or accessories, or If you sell or your iPod, iPhone and iPad products or services, read oranges: n comments + opportunities policies prior to posting and to identify themselves fully, if you can do.We are in the future, we will delete comments that contain advertising, astroturfing, trolling boats, personal attacks, offensive language, or other objectionable content then prohibit or identify publicly lainrikkojat.

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Winter Wonderland Walking

If the weather outside is frightful, and you're thinking of staying in instead of working out, consider this motivational advice from site visitor, Donna:

"I walk everyday, no matter the temp. I dress warm, put on hiking boots, a jacket on my dog and off we go, to nordic walk or just walk through the snow. I walk in temps as low as -20C from 20 to 45 mins. At 68 years of age, I find it is the best and least expensive way to get exercise."

Way to go, Donna! You've inspired me to dust the frost off my walking shoes and put one foot in front of the other despite the chill!

Share Your Advice: How do You Stay Active in Winter?

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News: Yelp Add check-in offers

Yelp has released it by adding a new Check-in-special offers-feature on the iPhone and iPod touch app-for social location update. Yelp allows users to search for nearby businesses, such as other users browse restaurants, bars and the location of the Services by using the iOS, cafes and add your own tips, photos, and will be reviewed in the light of their iPhone directly. Yelp 4.5 offers a new feature to Add check-in, which allows users to take advantage of the discounts offered by the undertakings concerned and their locations, yelp for quotes. Users tap the within contract award procedure to indicate that they are available to the company and are presented in the context of the item and offers shall be adjusted in line with the app "check in" button. Undertakings providing offers highlights the search results, and users can see all the offers near their location directly in the nearby tab. yelp list is available in the app store as a free download.

If you have a comment, News Tip, advertising inquiry or coverage at the time of the request, question todir, help and iPad or accessories, or If you sell or your iPod, iPhone and iPad products or services, read oranges: n comments + opportunities policies prior to posting and to identify themselves fully, if you can do.We are in the future, we will delete comments that contain advertising, astroturfing, trolling boats, personal attacks, offensive language, or other objectionable content then prohibit or identify publicly lainrikkojat.

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News: win the people's Republic of China, Apple Cybermart distribution deal

Retail trade, the main Chinese Cybermart supply chain has won the distribution deal with Apple to sell their products in China, a new report. Steve Chang, Chairman, citing Cybermart, DigiTimes reports that the retailer plans to establish a retail shops throughout the s & p 500 Apple licensed in the people's Republic of China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. The report concluded that the first store opened Tianjin April 1; the company has currently 34 outlets in the country. In particular, the group is governed by the laws of the State-of-the-art Cybermart, one of Apple's Main manufacturing partners.

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Review: Altec Lansing inMotion Air Universal wireless speaker

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Altec’s strategy with inMotion Air turns out to be markedly different from the ones that rivals have pursued—at least, in some ways. As has been the case with the last two or three years of Altec speakers, inMotion Air uses an unusually shaped cabinet that deliberately aims for extra angularity wherever possible. The twin-driver speaker is angled to appear as if it’s leaning back, has an extra facet where its silver top button controls appear, and adds matching slants to its included Infrared remote and USB-to-computer wireless dongle. While the soft touch black rubber used in the cabinet design feels nice to the touch, the shape of the system may or may not be as soft on your eyes. From our perspective, it’s a decided improvement on the garish gold and faux metallic designs that Altec released in recent cycles, but still not beautiful in any absolute sense of the word. Creative’s ZiiSound D5 is still the high water mark for iPod/iPhone Bluetooth speaker system designs, though it’s more expensive than inMotion Air, too.

In the absence of similarly gorgeous design, Altec has relied on sound quality and features as selling points for its speakers, and it’s here that inMotion Air becomes most appealing as an alternative to the aforementioned rivals. Unlike the similarly-sized ZiiSound D5 and Tango TRX, inMotion Air completely leaves out an iPod/iPhone dock in favor of a more powerful Bluetooth wireless chip—one that is theoretically capable of working from 333-foot distances rather than the more common 33-foot range of typical Bluetooth systems. In our testing with an iPhone 4, Altec’s wireless streaming worked from actual distances in excess of 100 feet away, maneuvering around walls and a staircase, before the signal began to break up. In elegant fashion, the signal loss sounded like split-second drop outs rather than buzzing or distorting. Different Bluetooth broadcasting devices will vary in performance with inMotion Air—Altec includes the aforementioned USB dongle to guarantee maximum performance with computers—but even the level of performance we saw with the unassisted iPhone 4 is impressive by typical Bluetooth speaker standards. Most systems stop working right around the 33-foot mark promised by basic Bluetooth chips; some reach to 60-foot distances before losing signals.

A couple of Altec’s other assets are also worth mentioning at this point. There’s a scoop-styled handle on the back, and Air is light enough to be easily carried around inside a house or office so that you can really take advantage of its battery-powered portability. Seven hours of play time between charges are promised from the built-in cell, which is right between the five- to eight-hour run times promised by foxL v2.2 and Jawbone Jambox; notably, inMotion Air has much bigger speakers to power, and puts out a lot more volume than these smaller units. Altec manages its power using a switch hidden inside a remote control storage nook next to the carrying handle. Flip the switch on and the system works in portable mode; flip it off and it will only turn on when connected to wall power. Since Tango TRX and ZiiSound D5 only work when they’re connected to outlets, inMotion Air has a decided advantage over peer-sized audio systems in this regard.

Altec’s sound quality is in the “good” rather than “great” category overall, though how impressed you’ll be by the audio depends on what you’re using as a comparative reference. On paper, comparing inMotion Air’s only two speakers—3” “full-range long throw drivers”—to the five speakers in XtremeMac’s Tango TRX might make you think that Altec had shown up with a knife to a gunfight. But due to less than optimal tuning of TRX’s drivers and some impressive work on Altec’s side, including aptX optimized Bluetooth audio, Air actually offers only a little less bass and peak volume than Tango, while besting it in treble performance and clarity—at least, when both are in Bluetooth mode. (Tango TRX cleans up somewhat when its dock is used.) Put inMotion Air next to either foxL v2.2 or Jawbone Jambox and, not surprisingly, you’ll find Altec’s speakers to be in another league entirely: they’re louder, clearer, and with superior dynamic range that makes the pocket-sized systems sound like FM radios.

While the sonic differences between the foxL, Jambox, and Air might seem obvious enough given the difference in their sizes, the fact that Altec is offering superior functionality and performance for the same price tag has not been lost on us. inMotion Air delivers pretty much what we’d have expected from a $200 Bluetooth wireless speaker, while the smaller systems have continued to strike us as overly expensive given what they actually deliver. Only their “take them anywhere” sizes and integrated iPhone-ready microphones enable them to co-exist alongside an option like inMotion Air.

Altec also has some advantages in the control department relative to its rivals. Air’s top-mounted buttons are actually capable of controlling track play/pause/forward/reverse functions on iPods, iPhones, and iPads running the latest versions of iOS, which means that you can change, stop, and start tracks even when your device is on the other side of the house. This will be common enough in AirPlay speakers later this year, but it’s rare in Bluetooth speakers these days; the pocket systems barely make room for their own power and volume buttons. Control is further augmented by inMotion Air’s packed-in Infrared remote, which includes the same track, volume, and play/pause buttons alongside an ESS sound enhancer that changes the sound of tracks, seemingly with strategic treble and mid-treble boosts. Both Air and the remote can also switch to a wired auxiliary audio input if you want to connect a non-Bluetooth device that way, and control it on its own.

While we’ve praised quite a few of inMotion Air’s features, there are some issues that detracted somewhat from our otherwise positive impressions. First, though it’s sonically on par with Tango TRX and superior to the same-priced Aliph and SoundMatters speakers, Air isn’t quite as full-bodied or powerful as the ZiiSound D5, which also looks better, includes a device charging dock, and has a dongle that allows iPod nano and classic models to play music wirelessly, too. ZiiSound D5 used to be $100 more expensive than Air, but today, the price difference is only $50, and it’s generally justified by Creative’s assets. Additionally, we occasionally had small re-pairing issues with Air that might have been traceable to the number of Bluetooth devices in our testing area, but required a little more manual assistance to resolve than with competing devices. Most users won’t experience issues, particularly with the latest Bluetooth-friendly versions of iOS, but others might.

All in all, Altec Lansing’s inMotion Air is one of the better Bluetooth wireless speaker systems we’ve seen for iPod touch, iPhone, and iPad users: its lack of a charging and audio dock is offset by atypically strong wireless performance, while its integrated rechargeable battery pack and rear carrying handle make it considerably easier to carry around than similarly-sized rivals; similarly, it offers much better sound quality and horsepower than same-priced, smaller Bluetooth speakers that have recently been attracting more attention. While its ultra-angular looks won’t thrill everyone, the overall value delivered by inMotion Air’s combination of large, clear-sounding speakers, wireless remote controls, and dual power options are all worthy of our strong general recommendation; the same or better audio technology inside of a sleeker package would thrill even more people.

A Note From the Editors of iLounge: Though all products and services reviewed by iLounge are "final," many companies now make changes to their offerings after publication of our reviews, which may or may not be reflected above. This iLounge article provides more information on this practice, known as revving.

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