Let’s take a quick look to see what’s arrived in the mail here at the Geek Compound.

Caliber: First Canon Of Justice Written by Sam Sarkar Art by Garrie Gastonny

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The Arthurian legend of Excalibur is reborn in the Old Pacific Northwest – a world in which shamans replace wizards, gunfighters ride without a knight’s armor, and a mystical six-shooter forged from the metal of the fabled sword will change the world. In a land where lawlessness runs rampant, only Arthur can bring balance to the scales of justice, and only Caliber can bring justice to the land.

City of Dust Written by Steve Niles Art by Zid, Brandon Chng, and Garrie Gastonny

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From the dark mind of legendary horror writer Steve Niles (30 Days of Night) comes a story set in the aftermath of our world’s collapse. Records show the Earth once known was consumed by religious wars, spurred by the suppression of free thought and where creative expression is now viewed as the rot and infestation of the mind. This chilling vision of the future unveils a world where the police now patrol for crimes of the imagination, or Mind Crimes as their called. This beliefs, along with any tales of false heroes, idols or gods, are illegal. Special detective Philip Khrome doesn’t enforce Imagination, instead he works in homicide; thats where the action is, and he has seen it all before. But criminals evolve and the world is forever changing. When a killing spree hits his department, Khrome finds himself face-to-face with a perpetrator who has merged reality with superstition, something is not what it seems. This enemy of folklore will require old-fashioned detective techniques to bring to justice, but the only problem is it will take one’s imagination to find the source of this new evil.

Shrapnel: Aristeia Rising Created by Mark Long & Nick Sagan Written by M. Zachary Sherman Art by Bagus Hutomo

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Venus, 2250. After five years of war, the last free colony in the Solar System is about to fall. Unknown to the attacking Marines – or even the colonists themselves – the most infamous heroine of the war has gone into hiding in exile on their planet. Now she must organize a revolt against the very Marines she once fought alongside and lead the colonists to freedom.

Incarnate by Nick Simmons

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From Nick Simmons, son of rock legend Gene Simmons and star of A&E’s top-rated television series Gene Simmons Family Jewels, comes his first breakout American Manga comic book for which he serves as creator, writer, and artist! Mot is a boy who cannot die. Riddle him with bullets, burn him at the stake, douse him with napalm, hang him from the gallows… still, he will walk away. He is a Revenant – an immortal, ageless creature that has existed since time immemorial. Their origins are a mystery – they have been worshipped as gods, feared as monsters, and scorned as devils. But they have always been there living in plain sight in the bright altars and dark corners of every ancient civilization since the beginning of humanity. There has never been a force on this earth that has been able to give them the death that Mot secretly seeks. Until now. Now, something is different. Now they are being hunted! A shadow organization known only as Sanctum has discovered a way to kill the Revenants, and is carrying out a secret genocide that spans the globe. Mot, his protege Connor, and the rest of the Revenants now must decide how to ensure their place at the top of the food chain.

Hercules: The Thracian Wars Written by Steve Moore Art by Admira Wijaya

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Nearly 3,200 years ago, a tormented soul walked the Earth as neither man nor god: Hercules, powerful son of the god-king Zeus, and for this he received nothing but suffering. After 12 arduous labors and the loss of his family, this dark, world-weary soul turned his back on the gods, finding solace only in bloody battle. Over the years, he warmed to the company of six similar souls, bonded by their love of fighting and the presence of death – never questioning where they go or who they fight, just how much they will be paid. Now the King of Thrace has hired these mercenaries to turn his men into the greatest army of all time, which means training them to be as bloodthirsty and ruthless as their own reputation. It is time for this band of lost souls to finally have their eyes opened to how far they have fallen – and the narrow, perilous path to their own redemption.

Hotwire: Requiem For The Dead by Steve Pugh and Warren Ellis

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In the near future, the living and the dead share the same space. Most of the "Blue Lights" are harmless, witless drones, as lost in death as they were in life. Some want revenge. Some want power. Some even want company to join them in the ranks of the departed. Enter Alice Hotwire, Detective Exorcist. She’s the best there is at keeping the peace on the Blue Light beat, and her fellow officers hate her for it. It’s a job she doesn’t want, in a world she doesn’t understand – but when a break-in at the Maximum Security Necropolis sets off a surge of violent, brutal hauntings, Alice Hotwire knows she’s the only one that can pull the city from the brink of chaos.

The KandyLand primer concludes with a tour of key locations. Next week begins the final published KandyLand adventure.

Story by Rick Klaw Art by Newt Manwich

Click on image to enlarge

KandyLand Primer Part One

To learn more about the characters and events mentioned, check out the KandyLand/LemonHead story from the beginning.

Over at SF Site, Mark London Williams and I conclude the annual countdown of our favorite graphic novels/comics/funny books of the year. We each picked the top ten titles that we encountered over the past year or so. Here’s a visual recap of 5-1.

Check out the column for what we said about each selection.

In case you missed it, here’s Part One.

In his Henckels Steak Knives review of King Kong Is Back!, Tim Janson pays special attention to my contribution "Thirty-Three," referring to it as a "great essay."

Janson concludes his review with his overall impression of King Kong Is Back!

Let’s take a quick look to see what’s arrived in the mail here at the Geek Compound.

Catalyst by Anne McCaffrey and Elizabeth Ann Scarborough

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Pilot, navigator, engineer, doctor, scientist—ship’s cat? All are essential to the well-staffed space vessel. Since the early days of interstellar travel, when Tuxedo Thomas, a Maine coon cat, showed what a cat could do for a ship and its crew, the so-called Barque Cats have become highly prized crew members. Thomas’s carefully bred progeny, ably assisted by humans—Cat Persons—with whom they share a deep and loving bond, now travel the galaxy, responsible for keeping spacecraft free of vermin, for alerting human crews to potential environmental hazards, and for acting as morale officers.

Even among Barque Cats, Chessie is something special. Her pedigree, skills, and intelligence, as well as the close rapport she has with her human, Janina, make her the most valuable crew member aboard the Molly Daise. And the litter of kittens in her belly only adds to her value.

Then the unthinkable happens. Chessie is kidnapped—er, catnapped—from Dr. Jared Vlast’s vet clinic at Hood Station by a grizzled spacer named Carl Poindexter. But Chessie’s newborn kittens turn out to be even more extraordinary than their mother. For while Chessie’s connection to Janina is close and intuitive, the bond that the kitten Chester forms with Carl’s son, Jubal, is downright telepathic. And when Chester is sent into space to learn his trade, neither he nor Jubal will rest until they’re reunited.

But the announcement of a widespread epidemic affecting livestock on numerous planets throws their future into doubt. Suddenly the galactic government announces a plan to impound and possibly destroy all exposed animals. Not even the Barque Cats will be spared.

With the clock racing against them, Janina, Jubal, Dr. Vlast, and a handful of very special kittens will join forces with the mysterious Pshaw-Ra—an alien-looking cat with a hidden agenda—to save the Barque Cats, other animals, and quite possibly the universe as they know it from total destruction.

Unholy Ghosts by Stacia Kane

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THE DEPARTED HAVE ARRIVED.

The world is not the way it was. The dead have risen, and the living are under attack. The powerful Church of Real Truth, in charge since the government fell, has sworn to reimburse citizens being harassed by the deceased.

Consequently, there are many false claims of hauntings from those hoping to profit. Enter Chess Putnam, a fully-tattooed witch, freewheeling Debunker, and ghost hunter. She’s got a real talent for nailing human liars and banishing the wicked dead. But she’s keeping a dark secret from the Church: a little drug problem that’s landed her in hot and dangerous water.

Chess owes a lot of money to a murderous drug lord named Bump. And Bump wants immediate payback. All Chess has to do is dispatch a very nasty species of undead from an old airport. But the job involves black magic, human sacrifice, a nefarious demonic creature, and crossing swords with enough wicked energy to wipe out a city of souls. Toss in lust for a rival gang leader and a dangerous attraction to Bump’s ruthless enforcer, and Chess begins to wonder if the rush is really worth it. Hell, yeah.

Spellbent by Lucy A. Snyder

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In the heart of Ohio, Jessie Shimmer is caught up in hot, magic-drenched passion with her roguish lover, Cooper Marron, who is teaching her how to tap her supernatural powers. When they try to break a drought by calling down a rainstorm, a hellish portal opens and Cooper is ripped from this world, leaving Jessie fighting for her life against a vicious demon that’s been unleashed.

In the aftermath, Jessie, who knows so little about her own true nature, is branded an outlaw. She must survive by her wits and with the help of her familiar, a ferret named Palimpsest. Stalked by malevolent enemies, Jessie is determined to find out what happened to Cooper. But when she moves heaven and earth to find her man, she’ll be shocked by what she discovers—and by what she must ultimately do to save them all.

Starfist: Double Jeopardy by David Sherman and Dan Cragg

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The thrilling pace of the Starfist space epic quickens as the explosive series rockets to dazzling new heights, packed with the hell-for-leather action only two battle-hardened and decorated combat vets like David Sherman and Dan Cragg can provide.

The Confederation has finally disclosed the existence of Skinks, fierce aliens bent on wiping out humankind, and announced its plan to find and destroy their home world. While the rest of the universe grapples with the news, the Skink-savvy Marines of the Confederation’s Thirty-fourth Fleet Initial Strike Team (FIST) have their own take on the situation.

Though they’re no longer in danger of being exiled to a ghastly netherworld for spilling the beans about the deadly aliens, the men still can’t transfer out of the unit where they’ve been confined since they first laid eyes on the Skinks. The reason is obvious: Who else but the legendary Thirty-fourth FIST has the skills and experience to spearhead the invasion of the Skinks’ home world?

Morale isn’t improved by a report of Skinks on the uncolonized world of Ishtar near a mercenary force engaged in slave-driven mining operations there—which means that FIST must turn around and head right back into the jaws of hell with no downtime. But none of that matters to Lieutenant Charlie Bass and the third platoon of Company L. They’re Marines, they’re the best, and they’ve got a job to do.

The Marines will find a planet ripped apart by all-out war, with enemies on all sides. The only certainty is that the fighting will rage red-hot and relentless, and Charlie Bass and his men will be right in the thick of the action.

Starfist: Wings of Hell by David Sherman and Dan Cragg

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Planet Haulover has been invaded by Skinks. Until now, the aliens’ existence has been hushed up. But Force Recon’s shocking report leaves the Confederation no choice but to mount a military campaign against these alien predators bent on human destruction. Meanwhile, back home, the Confederation’s president is being denounced as a warmonger out to exterminate "harmless" aliens. If she loses the upcoming elections, the Confederation will have a lot more Skinks to worry about than the ones on Haulover.

Newly promoted Lieutenant Charlie Bass and his third platoon have more pressing concerns, such as staying alive. But what would be a suicide mission for most—whether it’s raiding a hidden Skinks base or destroying the enemy’s most lethal weapons during a desperate firefight—is just another job for the Thirty-fourth FIST.

Let’s take a quick look to see what’s arrived in the mail here at the Geek Compound.

Gardens of the Sun by Paul McAuley

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The Quiet War is over. The city states of the moons of Jupiter and Saturn have fallen to the Three Powers Alliance of Greater Brazil, the European Union and the Pacific Community. A century of enlightenment, rational utopianism and exploration of new ways of being human has fallen dark. Outers are herded into prison camps and forced to collaborate in the systematic plundering of their great archives of scientific and technical knowledge, while Earth’s forces loot their cities, settlements and ships, and plan a final solution to the ‘Outer problem’. But Earth’s victory is fragile, and riven by vicious internal politics. While seeking out and trying to anatomise the strange gardens abandoned in place by Avernus, the Outers’ greatest genius, the gene wizard Sri Hong-Owen is embroiled in the plots and counterplots of the family that employs her. The diplomat Loc Ifrahim soon discovers that profiting from victory isn’t as easy as he thought. And in Greater Brazil, the Outers’ democratic traditions have infected a population eager to escape the tyranny of the great families who rule them. After a conflict fought to contain the expansionist, posthuman ambitions of the Outers, the future is as uncertain as ever. Only one thing is clear. No one can escape the consequences of war – especially the victors.

Empire in Black and Gold (Shadows of the Apt 1) by Adrian Tchaikovsky

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Seventeen years ago Stenwold witnessed the Wasp Empire storming the city of Myna in a brutal war of conquest. Since then he has preached vainly against this threat in his home city of Collegium, but now the Empire is on the march, with its spies and its armies everywhere, and the Lowlands lie directly in its path. All the while, Stenwold has been training youthful agents to fight the Wasp advance, and the latest recruits include his niece, Che, and his mysterious ward, Tynisa. When his home is violently attacked, he is forced to send them ahead of him and, hotly pursued, they fly by airship to Helleron, the first city in line for the latest Wasp invasion.Stenwold and Che are Beetle-kinden, one of many human races that take their powers and inspiration each from a totem insect, but he also has allies of many breeds: Mantis, Spider, Ant, with their own particular skills. Foremost is the deadly Mantis-kinden warrior, Tisamon, but other very unlikely allies also join the cause. As things go from bad to worse amid escalating dangers, Stenwold learns that the Wasps intend to use the newly completed railroad between Helleron and Collegium to launch a lightning strike into the heart of the Lowlands. Then he gathers all of his agents to force a final showdown in the engine yard…

Petrodor by Joel Shepherd

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Book Two in the quartet, A Trial of Blood & Steel, picks up the story of the brave and independent heroine, Sasha, now living in the port city of Petrodor. Away from the hills of her Lenayin homeland, Sasha is making a new life in the dark alleys and wealthy houses of Petrodor. An influential trading center, Petrodor holds the key to preventing the coming war between Lenayin and the mighty Bacosh. Together with her old mentor Kessligh, Sasha attempts to navigate the political intrigues of the port city and find a way to stop the war. It is the serrin, the beautiful but dangerous people from beyond the Bacosh, who will be the pivotal point in this struggle. How much can Sasha trust her old serrin friend Errollyn? And how much can she trust herself?

Flagship (Starship, Book 5) by Mike Resnick

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The date is 1970 of the Galactic Era, almost three thousand years from now, and the Republic, created by the human race but not yet dominated by it, finds itself in an all-out war against the Teroni Federation, an alliance of races that resent Man’s growing military and economic power. The rebel starship, the Theodore Roosevelt, under the command of Wilson Cole, is preparing to lead Cole’s ragtag armada into the Republic, even though he is outnumbered thousands to one. Cole is convinced that the government has become an arrogant and unfeeling political entity and must be overthrown. The trick is to avoid armed conflict with the vast array of ships, numbering in the millions, in the Republic’s Navy. For a time Cole’s forces strike from cover and race off to safety, but he soon sees that is no way to conquer the mightiest political and military machine in the history of the galaxy. He realises that he must reach Deluros VIII, the headquarters world of the Republic (and of the race of Man), in order to have any effect on the government at all – but Deluros VIII is the best-protected world in the Republic. But a new threat looms on the horizon. Cole, the Valkyrie, David Copperfield, Sharon Blacksmith, Jacovic, and the rest of the crew of the Teddy R face their greatest challenge yet, and the outcome will determine the fate of the entire galaxy.

Let’s take a quick look to see what’s arrived in the mail here at the Geek Compound.

Collected Stories by Lewis Shiner

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Containing 41 stories and extensive author’s notes, Collected Stories is the definitive compilation of Shiner’s short work. His best known stories are all here, including “The War at Home,” “Twilight Time,” “The Circle,” “Perfidia,” and “Mozart in Mirrorshades,” as well as a brand new story, “The Death of Che Guevara.”

A new Shiner book is always a cause for celebration!

Galileo’s Dream by Kim Stanley Robinson

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The winner of every major science fiction award, Kim Stanley Robinson is a novelist who looks ahead with optimism even while acknowledging the steep challenges facing our planet and species: a clear-eyed realist who has not forgotten how to dream. His new novel offers his most audacious dream yet. At the heart of a brilliant narrative that stretches from Renaissance Italy to the moons of Jupiter is one man, the father of modern science: Galileo Galilei.

To the inhabitants of the Jovian moons, Galileo is a revered figure whose actions will influence the subsequent history of the human race. From the summit of their distant future, a charismatic renegade named Ganymede travels to the past to bring Galileo forward in an attempt to alter history and ensure the ascendancy of science over religion. And if that means Galileo must be burned at the stake, so be it.

Yet between his brief and jarring visitations to this future, Galileo must struggle against the ignorance and superstition of his own time. And it is here that Robinson is at his most brilliant, showing Galileo in all his contradictions and complexity. Robinson’s Galileo is a tour de force of imaginative and historical empathy: the shining center around which the novel revolves.

From Galileo’s heresy trial to the politics of far-future Jupiter, from the canals of Venice to frozen, mysterious Europa, Robinson illuminates the parallels between a distant past and an even more remote future—in the process celebrating the human spirit and calling into question the convenient truths of our own moment in time.

Sexton Blake, Detective Edited by George Mann Introduction by Michael Moorcock

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Created at the tail end of the Victorian era, Sexton Blake rapidly became one of the most popular fictional characters of the 20th Century. He featured in thousands of adventure stories written by more than two hundred authors and published in countless papers, magazines and comics. He also appeared in stage plays, radio dramas, films and television serials. One of the most written about characters in the English language, he was a household name and a publishing phenomenon. This book contains the finest stories from this vast output, edited by leading publisher and author George Mann.

I reviewed the much-hyped Avatar for Moving Pictures.

Stop by Moving Pictures to check out what else I had to say about Avatar.

Let’s take a quick look to see what’s arrived in the mail here at the Geek Compound.

Gahan Wilson: 50 Years of Playboy Cartoons Introductions by Hugh Hefner and Neil Gaiman

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A three-volume slipcased full-color set: over one thousand cartoons, spanning fifty years of a legendary career. Gahan Wilson is among the most popular, widely-read, and beloved cartoonists in the history of the medium, whose career spans the second half of the 20th century, and all of the 21st. His work has been seen by millions—no, hundreds of millions—in the pages of Playboy, The New Yorker, Punch, The National Lampoon, and many other magazines; there is no telling, really, how many readers he has corrupted or comforted. He is revered for his playfully sinister take on childhood, adulthood, men, women, and monsters. His brand of humor makes you laugh until you cry. And it’s about time that a collection of his cartoons was published that did justice to his vast body of work.

When Gahan Wilson walked into Hugh Hefner’s office in 1957, he sat down as Hefner was on the phone, gently rejecting a submission to his new gentlemen’s magazine: “I think it’s very well-written and I liked it very much,” Hefner reportedly said, “but it’s anti-sin. And I’m afraid we’re pro-sin.” Wilson knew, at that moment, that he had found a kindred spirit and a potential home for his cartoons. And indeed he had; Wilson appeared in every issue of Playboy from the December 1957 issue to today. It has been one of the most fruitful, successful, and long-lived relationships between a contributor and a magazine, ever.

Gahan Wilson: 50 Years of Playboy Cartoons features not only every cartoon Wilson drew for Playboy, but all his prose fiction that has appeared in that magazine as well, from his first story in the June 1962 issue, “Horror Trio,” to such classics as “Dracula Country” (September 1978). It also includes the text-and-art features he drew for Playboy, such as his look at Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum, his take on our country’s “pathology of violence,” and his appreciation of “transplant surgery.”

Wilson’s notoriously black sense of comedy is on display throughout the book, leaving no sacred cow unturned (an image curiously absent in the book), ridiculing everything from state sponsored executions to the sober precincts of the nouveau rich, from teenage dating to police line-ups, with scalding and hilarious satirical jabs. Although Wilson is known as an artist who relishes the creepy side of modern life, this three-volume set truly demonstrates the depth and breadth of his range—from illustrating private angst we never knew we had (when you eat a steak, just whom are you eating?) to the ironic and deadpan take on horrifying public issues (ecological disaster, nuclear destruction anyone?).

Gahan Wilson has been peeling back the troubling layers of modern life with his incongruously playful and unnerving cartoons, assailing our deepest fears and our most inane follies. This three-volume set is a testament to one of the funniest—and wickedly disturbing—cartoonists alive. Full color.

Robert E. Howard Chronicles

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For the first time, Robert E. Howard’s most-celebrated creations are together in one handsome collection! By buying all three of the first volumes of Dark Horse’s Chronicles of Conan, Chronicles of Solomon Kane, and Chronicles of Kull series, you will receive an attractive slipcase only available through this offer and also get to experience all of Howard’s most exciting tales as told by the industry’s finest creators – including Roy Thomas, Barry Windsor-Smith, Howard Chaykin, Mike Mignola, the Severins, and more! Featuring the latest in coloring technology, the remastered comics are a perfect introduction to the Robert E. Howard universe and a refreshing refurbishment of these timeless yarns for the collector who already owns the classic comics from the ’70s and ’80s! The Chronicles of Conan Volume 1 reprints issues #1 through #8 of the original Marvel comic-book series and includes such classic tales as "Tower of the Elephant" and the work of the incomparable Barry Windsor-Smith! The Chronicles of Solomon Kane collects every color appearance of Solomon Kane from his years at Marvel, beginning with Marvel Premiere issues #33 and #34 and bookended with the six-issue miniseries The Sword of Solomon Kane. Not to be outdone, The Chronicles of Kull Volume 1 features the work of Bernie Wrightson and includes Monsters on the Prowl #16, Creatures on the Loose! #10, and the first nine issues of Kull the Conqueror!

Drawing Down the Moon: The Art of Charles Vess Foreword by Susanna Clarke

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Verdant fairy forests. Whispering mountains. The fallen towers of ancient kings. Spirit-filled lakes. The distant strains of elven bards. For over thirty years, the fantasy art of Charles Vess has been acclaimed worldwide, his rich palette, striking compositions, and lavish detail second-to-none in the field. Vess has been the illustrator of choice for countless publishers and writers, and is perhaps best known for his collaborations with bestselling author Neil Gaiman, including the illustrated novel Stardust, whose major motion-picture adaptation from Paramount Pictures launched in Summer 2007.

Pictures That Tick by Dave McKean

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Rediscover Dave McKean’s lost masterpiece! Pictures That Tick is a collection of McKean’s groundbreaking short comics stories from the 1990s and early 2000s. A true iconoclast, McKean mixes illustration, painting, photography, sculpture, and digital art for a comics experience unlike any other. Some pieces are poignant, some are silly, but all are beautiful and thought provoking. Each is completely unique, and gathered together they represent a tour-de-force achievement. A perfect companion to McKean’s Cages, Pictures That Tick stretches the boundaries of comics art, and the short-story format in some ways allows him to create an even broader artistic vision.

Every one of these books is as impressive and as beautiful as they sound.

Let’s take a quick look to see what’s arrived in the mail here at the Geek Compound.

Prime 8

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The fastest bi-ped robot with character and attitude. You command Prime-8 using the ergomomic remote control handset. Test your skills and him in turbo mode or try one of his five action games. Launches rubber darts at intruders when guarding your room. Moves around the room and avoids obstacles in automonomous mode. Includes, Prime-8 robot, remote controller, two launchers, two rubber darts. He can be your friend and your protector. He can change from a good gorilla to a mad gorilla that goes bananas. You can also play games with two or more Prime-8’s at once.

This now becomes the centerpiece to my gorilla shrine! To learn more about this incredible robot check out my interview with creator Sarjoun Skaff.

Beyond A Reasonable Doubt

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High profile lawyer, Martin Hunter (Michael Douglas) has an impeccable record putting criminals behind bars and is a shoo-in for governor in the upcoming election. But when ambitious rookie journalist, C.J. Nicholas (Jesse Metcalfe) begins investigating Hunter for tampering with evidence to secure his convictions, the district attorney’s perfect record is up for scrutiny. Commencing a risky game of cat and mouse with Hunter, C.J. frames himself as a murder suspect to catch the corrupt D.A. in the act.

Popcorn Hour C-200

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It’s Time To Unleash Your TV

The ultimate digital media player, the Popcorn Hour C-200 is the most powerful and versatile member of the Networked Media Tank family. Building on the success of the Popcorn Hour A-110, the C-200 combines an upgraded processor, optional Blu-ray capability, and Gigabit Ethernet connectivity for blazing fast file access and transfer.
All Media, One Box

With Popcorn Hour you can stream or playback digital media content from a variety of sources, such as your PC, network-attached storage, digital camera or USB storage (Flash drive, HDD, DVD drive). Popcorn Hour also makes it easy to download and stream content directly from popular Internet sites like SHOUTcast™ Radio, Blip.tv, Revision 3 and dozens of other online content sources*. Popcorn Hour even has a built-in download utility, eliminating the need to rely on your PC to download files from the Internet.
Expand Your Possibilities

* Add a Blu-ray drive** to turn your Popcorn Hour C-200 into a full-featured Blu-ray player.
* Create a central library of all your movie and video files, ready to play on your TV at any time.
* Enable local playback and offloading of media files from other devices.
* Easily share media with friends and family—Popcorn Hour can act as a file server to send files over the local area network and the Internet.

Digital Entertainment Your Way

Popcorn Hour’s interface uses familiar HTML features and navigation prompts, so first-time users can quickly get up to speed on even the most advanced features. The C-200 uses RF remote control technology, which is functional over greater distances so you don’t need to be right in front of the device to control programming. What’s more, the newest Popcorn Hour has a built-in LCD front panel and navigation so you can access, manage and playback your MP3 music without going through the TV interface.
Features

* Organize your media library with the myiHome Media Server streaming video utility.
* Play virtually any digital media files on your TV.
* Supports the most advanced high-def video and audio standards, including Blu-ray and Dolby.

This potentially powerful device has one major flaw: it lacks a built-in wifi nor drivers for any. I’ve had it for nearly two weeks and haven’t had a chance to use it. Until this afternoon, it appeared the best way without running a fifty foot cable to access the Internet was a wifi bridge, which I planned to set up this weekend. Then while writing this up, I learned a wifi became available for the C-200. I’ll wait for the wifi card to set it up. More details (and probably a review) on the C-200 later.