2006 Holiday Gadget Guide

KXL Tech Expert Segment for 20061211
Buying tech gifts for the holidays can be a daunting task. Just knowing where to start can be overwhelming. Never fear, your resident Tech Expert tackled the topic on-air today and is here with a replay for online listening. iPod vs. Zune? Wii vs. Xbox 360 vs. PS3? Extended warranties? All covered in this holiday gadget guide wrap-up... for more "Features on the :40's" with KXL's Tech Expert Brian Westbrook, listen live at KXL.com Mondays @ 6:40am and 8:40am.

Listen to today's report: kxl_techexpert-gadgetguide_20061211.mp3

If you're still looking for gift ideas for me... check out my Amazon Wishlist! ;-) Have a Geeky Holiday!

Did stranded Oregon family use online mapping?

I did an interview today with Newsradio 750 KXL about online mapping sites and how GPS technology may have helped the family stuck in Oregon for a week. (The father remains missing as of this post.) In preparation for the interview, I looked up the route the stranded family took from Grants Pass to Gold Beach. Curiously, Google (shown at left, top) sends travelers on a more direct (albeit closed during the winter months) route while Mapquest (middle) and Yahoo (bottom) send drivers south through California. This must be what they mean when they say "this information is for reference only" ... bet the Google lawyers are glad they insisted on *that* disclaimer today. :)