For the tech fanatics, our resolutions for the New Year take on a whole other dimension. This time of year we need to decide which technology to leave behind, forget forever and which technology we'll be plugging in for the New Year. This means considering what is new and what is old, what is cheap and what is expensive and ultimately what performs better.

Seeing as Christmas just went by, we are now all flooded with options as to how we'll spend grandma's money. We need to choose our new Mp3s and make sure the Operating Systems are up to the time. We need to get our hands on the latest Video Games and Systems; for which that new Laptop tops the list. Whether it's desktop or laptop you can't be all you should be without a high performance machine at your fingertips. So here's TEENage's list for the New Year. Feel free to pick, choose and refuse. Just know we wouldn't steer you wrong.

Mp3s: Zune vs iPod
In this category we have the long standing #1 in the mp3 player market, the Apple iPod. Challenging this tried, tested and loved brand is the Zune from Microsoft. Both allow their users to save music, pictures and movies while at the same time providing other useful features. They come in a range of storage capacities and sizes providing affordable prices for convenient packages. What separates the two? Other than the great reputation that the iPod has made for itself the newcomer has done little to make a real name for itself. The Zune has only recently updated to using flash memory, something the iPod has been doing for a while now, to replace its original spinning discs. This year the iPod pushed the bar in the industry by not only releasing its new generation of colourful flash memory-based Mp3 players but also its first touch screen player, the iPod Touch. However, even though the iPod may prove to be a better buy for most, the Zune does provide the novelty of making its buyers unique. iPods are every where and have become so common. If being different is what you like, then the Zune may be just what you need.

OSs: Leopard vs Vista
2007 was full of ups and down as it pertains to the companies Microsoft and Apple. Both companies can be considered to have continued to meet the high expectations that their customers have set for them. However, 2007 saw Microsoft falter several times too many and Apple has soared to the top of the industry like no one expected it would.

Microsoft lost the loyalty of many of its customers this year with the disappointment of its newest OS, Microsoft Vista. As the months go by, more and more difficulties are discovered with the system and users are growing weary. This couldn't have come at a more opportune time for Apple as this year has seen them revolutionize their line of notebooks and all-in-one desktops as well as release their newest and most powerful platform OSX 10 - Leopard. However even though the reviews may be on the side of the Apple OS it can be expected that some will overlook that to stay with what is familiar. Many Microsoft users are opting to stay with the older Windows XP while a few others are giving this Vista thing a chance. After all, it really is quite pretty. So will this year see you sticking with Microsoft and what you know, or are you willing to take a bite at what Apple has to offer?

Laptops: HP vs Dell vs Alienware

The producers HP, Dell and Alienware are three of the most common names in the laptop industry today. Sure there are others like Toshiba and Acer, but it seems that these three have pulled ahead in the realm of popularity. This year HP's new dv-series has been such a tremendous hit that it's hard to go to any office or any computer science class without seeing one. Their new sleek all black design and variety of affordable mid range components have made them quite desirable. Dell's XPS line seems to be tailored towards those with a bit more to spend. While consumers have always worried that they were not getting the performance for their dollar, if they're willing to spend the result is excellent. The XPS line provides high-performance components geared towards intense gaming and resource consuming processes.
Coupled with their highly portable cases and sizes and their attractive and colourful appearances they provide a great sense of power and individuality to their owners. Finally the Mother ship of them all as it were, Alienware has come out with another line that as usual lives up to their powerhouse reputation and doesn't disappoint with the aesthetics either.
The new Alienware Area-51 m15x and Area-51 m17x are the most astonishing pieces of portable hardware this reviewer has seen this season. Memory, processing power, storage and appearance, these machines have it all. The screens are gorgeous, the whole thing lights up with colours you can change and the cases are perfectly crafted. The real treat about this line is the Nvidia 8800M GTX graphics card that's inside. These are the first and currently the laptops with these cards inside. Beautiful package and it holds one of the most powerful graphics components on the market. Definitely something you want in your laptop case.

Games: Wii vs PS3 vs 360
Coming to the close of the holiday season, the rush for video games and consoles has died down slightly and the winners of the so-called console wars have been chosen.

Competing were the Nintendo Wii, the Sony Playstation 3 and Microsfts Xbox360. The PC is not to be forgotten as a gaming machine, however, its role goes without question. These new consoles, however, had something to prove.

Without a doubt the Playstation 3 is the most powerful machine of the three. The graphics are superb, the games are heavily detailed and the interaction with the virtual realities makes real time seem slow. Also Sony's online community is set to provide great competition for its equivalents on the other consoles. But he price tag was daunting when it was released. Sony seems to be correcting that as the price has dropped and future price cuts are expected. The Xbox360 has had some ups and downs.

While being the only console to support the hit title Halo3 it did suffer from several hardware malfunctions with its release. Complaints of overheating and "Red Rings of Death" flooded the internet for months. The system does provide a solid experience, however, and playing over Xbox live is consistently enjoyable no matter what title you may be playing. There's nothing like knowing you beat someone in another country. Now the winner of the console wars by sheer volume of how much it has sold is the Nintendo Wii. If you manage to find one of these on the shelf, grab it, run and thank God when you get home. Judging by the length of all the order lists and the lines of people waiting outside the stores whenever words of a new shipment arises, the Wii won't be under stocked until about Easter 2008. Aiding in its popularity are some of Nintendo's most profitable franchises, Metroid Prime, The legend of Zelda and the new installment of the Super Smash Bros series which is to be released early 2008. The innovative Wii mote and its long list of highly entertaining and creative titles ensures the Wii is and will be a hit for the year to come.

Also for all you gamers, be on the lookout for these titles:

Crisis
Call of Duty 4
Assassin's Creed
Bioshock
Unreal Tournament 3
Expect to see reviews and more for these titles as the year goes on. Happy new year and have fun with the light bill.

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