But as you may know there have been questions about Zhu Zhu Pets safety.

After recent tests, Zhu Zhu Pets were said to have a chemical called antimony. Too much of this toxic chemical can give people cancer, or problems with their heart and lungs.

After all the commotion of hearing this scary news, the company that makes Zhu Zhu Pets decided to take the test again. The second time the results came back the Zhu Zhu Pets were said to be 100% safe.

So all of you who were asking for a Zhu Zhu Pet for Christmas, but your parents were worried about its safety, don’t worry. Go get a Zhu Zhu Pet for yourself! If you can find one.

After all who doesn’t want a pet you dont have to clean up after?

(Note: Special thanks to “Kidstown Toy Shop” in Alameda for access to product).

by Saba Kinfe, 6th Grade
Associate Editor / THE LION LEDGER

The new Windows is a much better operating system than its predecessors– most notably, Windows Vista. And although you don’t need to rush out and upgrade this week, when it’s time to buy a new PC, Windows 7 will be a welcome change.

Vista was the operating system that sent me screaming from Windows and over to Apple computers years ago. It was slow, didn’t recognize some of my computer’s peripherals and drove me to distraction with its constant security warnings.

Windows 7 fixes these problems and adds goodies, from simple interface improvements that I’ve written about before, to making more complex tasks such as home networking and managing information easier.

I’m not switching back from the Mac, but for those devoted to Windows, here are some of features to look forward to:

• LEANER: Windows 7 doesn’t come bloated with programs for tasks such as e-mail, scheduling and photo editing. These applications can be downloaded for free, but they are no longer bundled in. Admittedly, some users will see this as an inconvenience, but others can rejoice that they don’t have to weed out versions of software they might not use and just install the Microsoft apps they want.

• ORGANIZED: Windows Explorer, which is the browsing system that shows the files, folders and drives on a computer, now includes a feature called “libraries” along the left column that lets users find files by type. Each library subject–such as music–combines all the files of that type no matter which folder or drive they’re in.

• CONNECTED: Networking with Windows 7 is still underwhelming, but better. A new feature that Microsoft has made a big deal about, called HomeGroups, streamlines sharing files and printers among PCs on a home network, but I found the process still more complicated than it needs to be. A setup wizard leads you through each step, but you must enter a long, complicated password to add new computers to the HomeGroup.

• FLEXIBLE: The popular programs from players such as Apple (iTunes), Mozilla (Firefox) run fine in Windows 7, but users of more niche software should be covered thanks to the new “Windows XP mode” included in some versions of Windows 7. XP mode runs a version of the older operating system inside Windows 7, but the feature requires a computer with more memory, hard-drive space and a specific type of processor.

• SWIFT: Windows 7 worked faster for me on a PC that previously ran Windows Vista. Windows 7 booted up faster, opened up programs quicker, and woke up from sleeping swiftly. I’m not going to pretend I can offer you the definitive benchmark tests with metrics on the speed of Windows 7. But I can testify things ran noticeably faster in the world of Windows 7.

There are several editions of the new Windows, but the one that will interest most home users is the Home Premium version, which costs $120.

Vista owners can upgrade and easily keep their files, settings and programs intact. But upgrading from XP is a nuisance because it requires wiping the computer’s hard drive–after backing up all your data–installing Windows 7 and then restoring all the backed up data. Microsoft offers an “easy transfer” wizard to help, but it moves only files and not entire programs.

The XP-to-Windows 7 upgrade is so arduous that Microsoft even recommends on its Web site getting professional help. If you’re not sure whether your computer will run Windows 7 well, visit www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7 to check the minimum and recommended requirements or download and Microsoft’s upgrade adviser program.

Technology reporter Stanley A. Miller II tracks news and trends, from the coolest new gadgets to the latest stuff on the Web on his blog, Gear, Games and Life Online: www.jsonline.com/blogs/entertainment/stanmiller.html

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© 2009, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Visit the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel online at: www.jsonline.com
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.

by Stanley A. Miller II
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / (MCT)

MCT is a joint venture of McClatchy and the Tribune Co.

The Nintendo Wii came out in 2004, but was being created back in the year 2000. It was out in Japan first, and finally released in the United States in 2006. When it did, it was in high demand.

Some people paid thousands of dollars to get it on eBay because they didn’t stay in stock at stores very long. Target, Best Buy, Gamestop, Toys ‘R Us, etc. all had a hard time keeping it on the stores shelves. Yeah, you could get it for regular price at Wal-Mart, but good luck finding one. That’s why people would pay a lot of money to get it on eBay. Plus you had to get in line early in the morning whenever a store did get some in stock.

Believe it or not, it was very hard to get the Wii to where it is today. People had doubts about if it would would sell or not. Nintendo had a lot of things to think about before they released it to the public. They wanted to make sure that all of the little details were figured out, they wanted for it to be cool and have a unique shape, they wanted it to be affordable for the average family. Of course, all of these things were worked out in the end.

The first week the Wii came out? It sold over 340,000 consoles!

Here’s an interesting fact for you, that not many people know. Did you know that the Wii was going to be originally called the “Nintendo Revolution”? For whatever reason, Nintendo decided to get rid of that idea and call it the “Wii.”

You can probably say that Nintendo started a revolution in the gaming world with the release of the Wii console!

by Zyhir Brown, 6th grade
Associate Editor / THE LION LEDGER

Somewhere – perhaps in Chicago, maybe in Paris, possibly in Tokyo – the 100 millionth system in the Nintendo DS™ franchise has been shipped to a distributor or a retailer as of March 6, 2009. The combined total sales of 100 million Nintendo DS systems, Nintendo DS Lite systems and Nintendo DSi™ systems represent a significant milestone in the life of this franchise, which is still going strong.

Below is a related press release this month, directly from the Nintendo PressRoom.

*NOTE: Make sure to take our “Speak Out!” Survey and tell us which video game system(s) you have at home!

from Staff Reports
News Team / THE LION LEDGER

NINTENDO SYSTEMS ACCOUNT FOR 58.4% OF VIDEO GAME HARDWARE SOLD IN MARCH

April 16, 2009– Nintendo’s Wii™ home console and the Nintendo DS™ portable video game system comfortably led U.S. sales in March, according to data from the independent NPD Group, which tracks video game sales in the United States. Pokémon™ Platinum Version for Nintendo DS emerged as the No. 2 video game of the month, with nearly 805,000 units sold.



Wii tallied sales of nearly 601,000 in March, while Nintendo DS sold more than half a million, even in advance of the April 5 launch of the new Nintendo DSi™ system. Both Wii and Nintendo DS extended their lead as the best-selling video game systems of this generation.



”Nintendo systems accounted for 58.4 percent of the video game hardware sold in March, more than all other systems combined,” said Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. “Consumers continue to be attracted to the wide range of software available and the great value of Nintendo systems.”



Four games published by Nintendo finished in the top 10 best-sellers of March. These include Pokémon Platinum Version at No. 2, Wii Fit™ at No. 3 with more than 541,000 sold, Wii Play™ at No. 8 with more than 281,000 sold and Mario Kart™ Wii at No. 9 with more than 278,000 sold.



Early U.S. sales of the new Nintendo DSi hand-held system are ahead of those for Nintendo DS Lite, according to Nintendo’s internal tracking numbers. In its first week, Nintendo DSi sold 435,000 in the United States. After the same amount of time on the U.S. market after its launch, Nintendo DS Lite had sold 226,300 systems. These numbers demonstrate that the Nintendo DS brand remains strong, and that consumers continue to look for the best new experiences on their portable video game systems.



So far this year, video game industry revenues are on par with 2008, but Nintendo remains a key driver. Without Nintendo products, the industry would be down 14 percent for the year, according to the NPD Group.



For more information about Nintendo, please visit: www.Nintendo.com