Daily News Brief: Nintendo Tech Support Says 'Smack It!'

Candidate for Funniest Tech Support Advice of 2007

The Nintendo Wii was the hottest selling console this holiday shopping season, but for one recipient, an uncooperative remote marred the experience. After performing his own troubleshooting, Russ Neumeier of Wired called Nintendo's tech support as a last resort, and sure enough, they walked him through the process of getting the remote working again. The fix? "Take the remote, button side down and smack it into the palm of your hand two or three times[...]Do it hard enough that I can hear it across the phone line but not hard enough to damage the remote."

Penryn Notebook Vendors Not Tight Lipped

Intel's Penryn refresh made a splash in the desktop market, with notebook variants expected to launch in January. Intel's planning on making an official announcement at CES, but several OEM partners have already leaked details on a handful of models, which range from 2.1GHz to 2.8GHz. You can read more here, which includes models from Acer, Fujitsu, and Sony.

Virtual Call of the Wild

For those of you that spent many-a-night dreaming for an opportunity to play as a virtual wolf, your time has come. A new video game called WolfQuest has you wandering four square kilometers of alpine wilderness where you'll need to hunt, defend your territory, find a mate, and establish your own pack. The free episodic download includes both single and multiplayer.

Happy Ending for Vonage, Nortel Lawsuit

In a welcome change for Vonage, the latest patent lawsuit brought against them won't cost Vonage a cent in damages. Instead, Vonage and Nortel have agreed to cross-license three of each other's patents and forfeit any past damages that may have been owed. News of the settlement boosted Vonage shares 11 cents to $2.11, representing a 5.5 percent increase. Nortel shares also climbed 11 cents, to $15.35.

Free Online College Resources

Thanks to an MIT initiative called OpenCourseWare, those putting off college can still access resources typically reserved for students. Nearly all of MIT's courses are available online for free, which includes lecture notes, readings, tests, and even video lectures. MIT leads the way in offering a free online education, but the concept's spreading, with more than 100 universities worldwide offering at least some form of open courseware.

Warner Joins DRM-Free Revolution

Joining Universal and EMI, fans of artists such as Led Zeppelin and Aretha Franklin will be able to download DRM-free music at Amazon from these and other artists signed under Warner Music Group. The deal boosts Amazon's MP3 offerings from 2.3 million to 2.9 million songs. Sony BMG now remains the last major player yet to cave in to offering music downloads without copy protection.