Microsoft has decided to make some of the XNA games available for download to non-developers. This is a FREE preview to ALL Xbox LIVE members.

GameTap-gold is not available in Europe any more. Somewhere in January 2008 I opted to temporarily become a non-paying subscriber to Gametap with plans to reactivate the gold status somewhere later down the line - just to save a little money I thought.

Live messenger or MSN as most people know it is filtering the transmission of possible dangerous files. This has been a known fact for quite some time, but recently the MSN filtering practices have lead to some more upheaval because it has been proven that the popular communication software is filtering text messages.

Microsoft is going to include a Messenger compatible IM client in the Spring X360 dashboard update. It will be controlled by this interesting looking device, a modified controller with added keyboard. It seems to be some sort of click-on keyboard to fit a standard X360 controller.

For anybody interested in the up and coming websurfing capabilities of the Nintendo DS-Lite take a look at the YouTube video below. The European version should be available somewhere in August/September I've read in numerous places. Caution the Opera software comes with a memory expansion unit that will only fit inside a DS-Lite machine!

I am browsing the Internet right now from an Internet Cafe in Japan and I have to say that the way they do Net Cafes over here is excellent.

I have sampled about 5 different Net Cafes, but the one I am in now is far and away the best: Manboo.

Despite its unfortunate name, for 200 Yen an hour you get a private cubicle, a nice leather chair, headphones, a high speed internet connection, and a big screen TV. You can check out mangas and DVDs to browse in your cubicle just like in a library.