A few people were curious to hear what happened when I mysteriously stopped writing my column. Rob and I came up with a few new ideas that should be rather exciting and decided that we would give it another shot.

I don't want to give too many details away right now, but here are some of the possible things that may be included in future articles: interview sessions with executives and workers at technology-related companies, mini-reviews, game previews, and, of course, commentary on issues that are happening around the world.

MP3 Confusion?

Yahoo Inc. recently unveiled its plans to launch Yahoo Music Unlimited, a very competitively-priced online music service. Users will be able to either pay $59.88 a year, or can pay a $6.99 monthly fee, which will allow one to browse a catalog with over 1 million songs.

It was certainly no secret that Yahoo was planning on trying to force its way into the music vending business. Although I believe that it'll take some time before Yahoo will be able to steal customers away from iTunes, I think that people will begin to think twice before starting up accounts with other services.

Feel free to let me know what you think on Yahoo Music Unlimited, iTunes, and/or the current MP3 "scene."

Steelpad QcK+ Review

A few people contacted me and wanted to know if I would one day write a review about a cloth gaming mouse pad. The people over at Steelpad are the reason that this mini-review was possible!

Cloth pads add a unique resistance that many of the non-cloth pads simply don't have. The rubber backing of the mouse pad ensures that once a user puts it on a surface, it should stay put.

The first thing that has to be mentioned is that the mouse pad is absolutely monstrous. If you don't have an adequate amount of desk space, I would recommend looking into purchasing the Steelpad QcK, which is the smaller version of the QcK+. The QcK+ measures a whopping 450mm x 400mm.

People often ask me which mouse pad I would recommend using for LAN parties. After playing on the QcK+, this is certainly the pad that I would recommend. It is a cloth pad that can be folded or crumpled and tossed inside of a bag quickly.

The Steelpad QcK+ is the first cloth gaming pad that TechIMO has reviewed. Overall, we were quite pleased with the positive performance we got from the QcK+.

Pros: Cost efficient Big footprint Portable Cons: Hard to clean

Overall Rating: 9.5/10 (higher is better) Manufacturer Info: Company: Steelpad Pricing:    $19.95 MSRP

Final Thoughts

The next few columns should prove to be rather interesting, mainly because I just got back from attending E3 and will have quite a few surprises for you guys! As always, I am very interested to hear what you guys think. Feel free to send an email or private message anytime.