Enter Digital World Area

Can Windows 7 change the perception that Windows Firewall is security you use until you install protection that actually does something?

Like Rodney Dangerfield, Windows Firewall gets no respect. Little changed for it between XP and Vista, and, while it does its simple task well, its lack of ambition made it a punching bag for reviews of better personal firewalls. I can't tell you how many times I've written, "Sure, Product X stealths all your ports against hack attack, but heck, even Windows Firewall can do that." Though Windows 7 adds a few new features in the firewall and related network-safety areas, the firewall in Windows 7 doesn't deliver the big changes I had anticipated.

In an interview with the Japanese website Touch-DS (via Kotaku), Nintendo president Satoru Iwata had some interesting things to say about hardware price drops. To date, the Wii is the only console this generation not to receive a single price cut, and judging by Iwata's comment, it may stay that way a little while longer.

"This is my personal thinking, but when the model's price-tag drops over time, manufacturers are telling consumers it's better to wait, and I've always thought that was a mistake," Iwata said. This seems to be an opinion one has the luxury of holding when their console is entering its third holiday season, and they still can't meet demand.

Evidently, Iwata went on to explain that he doesn't want early adopters to feel as if they took a loss for supporting the console before a price drop hit (this coming from the same company that flatly admitted they're holding back the U.S. DSi launch in order to sell more DS Lites). Perhaps Iwata makes a good point, but then again... the Wii can't stay at $250 forever, can it? It does have to get a price drop at some point, doesn't it? Doesn't it?