Inside CNET Labs Podcast

Three of my team vs. one Paladin and she still managed to slice through us like a hot knife through butter. Bring on the nerf bat.

(Credit: Eric Franklin/CNET Networks)

If you're excited about the next World of Warcraft expansion, Wrath of the Lich King, then you've probably already downloaded the latest WoW patch--3.0.2, released Tuesday. If for some reason you haven't done so, then I implore you to, as the game sees many positive changes with this latest update.

The World of Warcraft patch 3.0.2: Echoes of Doom brings a number of changes and new features. Among them are:

• New talents and spells for existing classes (all talent points have been refunded!)
• The implementation of barber shops for players
• Two new arenas featuring more dynamic terrain than previous arenas
• Guild calendar
• The Hunter pet skill revamp
• A new profession: inscription
• The new achievement system
• Spellpower consolidation

In addition to these major changes are many, many small ones. Some of my favorites are:

• New animations for all three Warlock drain spells (in addition to many other other new animations)
• Noncombat pets and mounts no longer taking up space in bags
• Battleground tokens and Badges of Justice no longer taking up space in bags
• The new currency tab

OK, this next paragraph will get fairly hard-core and nerdy. if you're interested, have your WoW friends translate for you. You've been warned.

(Credit: Dong Ngo/CNET)

I just got my hands on the Seagate Barracuda 7200.11, which at 1.5TB is the largest consumer hard drive you can get presently, and now I realize just how big it really is.

If you bought a new computer in the last two years, chances are it came with a hard drive somewhere between 250GB and 500GB. This is already a huge amount of storage considering that just four years ago, most hard drives offered 100GB or less.

A 250GB hard drive offers about 16 times more storage space than the 16GB version of the iPhone 3G. For context, my iPhone can hold enough music for me to listen to, literally, for a few days nonstop.

The new 1.5TB hard drive, which started selling in late August, has the same amount of storage as six 250GB hard drives or three 500GB hard drives. On the other hand, it still has virtually the same physical form factor--it's a standard 3.5 inches and supports the popular SATA II interface. This means the drive works the same as well.

I tried the Seagate Barracuda with our test bed, and it did offer about the same throughput speed as other 7200rpm SATA II hard drives. It was also quiet and didn't generate too much heat. It is recommended, though, that you use Seagate's DiscWizard utility, rather than that of the OS, to format the drive.

One thing that's truly different here: you can get the hard drive online for about $190, which translates to about 12 cents per gigabyte. That's about the best deal for a storage device I've seen. As a bonus, the 1.5TB Segate Baracuda 7200.11 also comes with a five-year warranty.

Just a day after Apple showed off its new MacBooks, Other World Computing (OWC) announced on Wednesday its 4GB DDR3 memory upgrade kit for the computers.

(Credit: OWC)

The kit includes two matching 2GB modules of PC3-8500 DDR3 memory designed specifically for Apple's new MacBook 13-inch and MacBook Pro 15-inch models. It costs $140 but you'll get a discount for trading in your current Apple standard memory modules.

The company's trade-in program offers $7.50 cash back per GB of old memory, which is a savings, but not such a good deal considering the new kit costs about $35 per GB. Nonetheless, the memory kit comes with a lifetime warranty and a money-back warranty policy.

Other than the upgrade kit, OWC also offers system memory for all previous Core 2 Duo MacBook and MacBook Pro models, including the still offered MacBook "White" 2.1GHz, in a 4GB DDR2 Memory Upgrade Kit, priced at $69.99.

iOmega announced on Wednesday its StorCenter ix2 NAS server. The new storage device is designed for both homes and businesses and is the company's first to support Bluetooth clients.

(Credit: iOmega)

Unfortunately, the Bluetooth notion only means the NAS server supports certain types of USB Bluetooth dongles that'll cost you another $25 or so. After that, you can send pictures, files, and address book contacts directly from cell phones to the StorCenter ix2 for backup and sharing purposes.

Other than that, the StorCenter ix2 is a two-bay network storage device with its hard drives not intended to be easily replaceable. There's no RAID 0 option, either. The device's hard drive comes in JBODconfiguration, and you can change it into RAID 1 for better data protection.

As with some NAS servers I've reviewed, the StorCenter ix2 is capable of working as a real-time surveillance system by supporting network Axis video surveillance camera. For home users, the NAS server features UPnP, as well as DLNA devices for sharing multimedia contents, EMC Retrospect Express backup software that can automatically back up your computer's hard drive onto the NAS server. The StorCenter ix2 also has two USB ports that support printers, external storage, and Bluetooth adapters.

The new iOmgea StorCenter ix2 is slated to be available immediately, at a price of $300 and $480 for the 1TB and 2TB versions, respectively.

You click OK on a message while surfing the Internet and suddenly your computer is full of malicious software and viruses. That's bad. What could be worse worse, however, is when your brand new computer comes preloaded with malicious software.

Some Asus Eee Box PCs have been recalled in Japan.

(Credit: Asus)

Tuesday, according to ChinaTechNews.com, Asus announced a recall of it's Asus Eee Box PCs that it had sold in Japan because it was shipped with a virus.

The computers had a file called recycled.exe, residing on the D drive. Once executed, the file would copy itself to other drives, including USB drives, and install malicious software from the Internet. This causes the computer to slow down and exposes it to security threats.

Li Yusheng, an Asus representative, told ChinaTechNews.com that the incident was an accident and affected only the production line of Eee Box PCs sold to Japan. Li also said that apart from the recall, the computer maker will impose stricter measures on production line management and software protection.

While the virus is disturbing, the good news is that only about 300 allegedly infected Eee Box PCs already sold in the Japanese market need to be recalled.

(Credit: PDP)

So you love Rock Band 2, but somehow when you're playing, the reality that you're a normal person with a normal job and not a rich rock star is still able to annoyingly creep in.

Now, you could go out and learn how to play a real musical instrument and start your own band. However, it would probably fail to gather any of that widespread popularity you're yearning for, eventually leading to your untimely, but not surprising drug-induced death. Fret not, though, because there is an alternative.

Stage Kit from Performance Designed Products (PDP), attempts to enhance the immersion of Rock Band and Rock Band 2 for the Xbox 360 by creating a light and smoke effect that is supposedly synchronized to the music.

Stage Kit will be available this month for $99. Watch the video below to see it in action. Please excuse the wince-inducing lameness of the video, though. My guess is that the groupies are not included.

While a smoke and light machine is cool, I think I'd prefer a peripheral that allowed for a mini foam Stonehenge to be lowered from my ceiling, but that's just me, I guess.

(Credit: Blizzard Entertainment)

Wassup StarCraft fans?!! That was my Brian Tong impression. Spot on, no? Anyway, I have good news and bad news. The bad news is that StarCraft II is shaping up to be a much more ambitious product than Blizzard Entertainment had originally conceived, and the company is going to be forced to delay parts of the game.

The good news is that instead of waiting until everything in the game is complete, Blizzard is splitting the game into a trilogy--each focusing on a different StarCraft race.

The first game in the series--Wings of Liberty--will focus on the Terrans. The second game, Heart of the Swarm, will focus on the Zerg, while the final game, Legacy of the Void, will be devoted to the Protoss.

According to Blizzard, each release will be a fully fledged campaign, featuring 26 to 30 missions apiece with a branching storyline that will change depending on players' choices. Each release in the trilogy will also feature the multiplayer portion, with all three races playable and balanced, according to Blizzard.

Although Activision claims the game will be released in 2009, like all Blizzard Entertainment games expect it "when it's done." Which conceivably could be 2010.

Either the Predator's hands get pretty chilly at night or this is an infrared pic of the thermals in the glove in action.

(Credit: Aevex)

If you're reading this while rubbing your hands together and blowing hot breath into them (remember, the wider your mouth when you blow, the warmer the heat), well you should probably turn on the radiator or put on some gloves. If you already have gloves on and are still rubbing your hands together, keep reading.

Aevex announced on Monday that its Intelligent Heat technology can now be found in winter gloves from Mountain Hardwear and Outdoor Research. Not to be confused with the Cooling Glove (not sure why you would be, but I just wanted to get that link in there), both the PrimoVolta ($259) and the Red Savina ($300) gloves are available in stores this week.

The way it works: without forcing you to carry around a battery pack, heating functions have been integrated into a single panel that is sewn into the apparel like an extra layer of fabric.

According to Aevex, these panels are light, ultrathin, and flexible, so supposedly they virtually disappear inside the gloves. The technology works with your body to automatically adjust to its needs, delivering more heat to your cold parts and less to your warm parts.

When a part of your body begins to get cold, so does a unique polymer layer inside the Aevex panel. This polymer automatically increases the heart at that cold spot. As this spot warms to a comfortable temperature, Aevex then turns the heat down, redirecting power to other cold spots. Supposedly this kind of temperature regulates usage, and maintains an even, comfortably toasty temperature.

The technology makes sense, but how well does it really work?

(Credit: Aevex)

When the batteries are spent (Aevex claims the gloves last through 800 recharges) and you're done with the gloves, Aevex will recycle them along with the lithium polymer batteries at no charge. Just send them back to Aevex and, according to the company, Aevex will take care of the rest. Check out the Aevex Web site for more info.

(Credit: Very Cool Software Company)

If you're a fan of retro music instruments, I've got some good news.

The Very Cool Software Company, a U.K.-based Mac OS developer, recently announced its first iPhone application: Dubreq iStylophone.

Dubreq Stylophone is an electronic musical instrument, originally invented by Brian Jarvis in 1968 and manufactured in the U.K. by Dubreq.

The Dubreq Stylophone, also known as "the original pocket electronic organ," was sold by the millions in the early '70s and used by artists including David Bowie, Brett Domino, Erasure, Hexstatic, Krafwerk, Marilyn Manson, Orbital, Pulp, The Raconteurs, and They Might Be Giants.

Now the VDSC is bringing the Stylophone into the 21st century. You'll be able to replicate the instrument's sound as well as other features by using the phone's touch screen. The app costs $5.95 and will be available for download on December 1.