Blog Posts by Tori Floyd

We told you earlier this month how talk show queen Oprah Winfrey decided to feature the Microsoft Surface tablet as one of her 'Favourite Things' in the latest issue of her magazine. It looks like Oprah is continuing to extol its virtues — but just can't quit her love for Apple technology.

[ Related: Oprah picks the Microsoft Surface tablet as one of her 'Favourite Things' ]

On Sunday night, Oprah was sharing some of her handpicked holiday gift items using the hashtag #FavoriteThings. She included a glowing endorsement for the Microsoft Surface, saying that she'd already snapped up a dozen to hand out to some of her lucky acquaintances:

There was just one problem: it was sent via Oprah's iPad.

As TechCrunch explains, there's likely a very good reason she sent her tweet out from Apple's tablet rather than her new Microsoft Surface. As it stands, there's no

The Voice Communicating Ski Goggles (Hammacher Schlemmer)Some Canadians are already seeing snow on the ground, while others are just hoping for (or dreading) its imminent arrival. If you're a skier, that first layer of powder can't come soon enough.

For those skiers interested in stepping up their tech on the slopes this year, Hammacher Schlemmer has Voice Communicating Ski Goggles that could be just what you're looking for.

Using a Bluetooth transceiver, these goggles let the wearer communicate with up to six other skiers using the same devices within a 1,600-foot range. According to the product description, the bone conduction microphone built into the ski goggles' frame eliminates the problem of trying to shout into a microphone as the wind whooshes by.

The goggles charge through a USB connection, which provides up to 12 hours of talk time, and has a standard 1/8" headphone jack to accommodate whichever headphones you prefer.

While many skiers already use two-way radios to communicate, these goggles do provide one definite advantage: in

While every gamer's mother has probably told him or her at least once to put down the controller and get some exercise, there are plenty of reasons that gamers can give in return for why it isn't so bad that they're engaging in their favourite hobby.

And this isn't just new motion games, either: sure, standing up and moving will always be better than sitting in one position for hours, but traditional games can provide a wealth of health benefits, too.

For a quick list of how playing video games is helping you, check out this short video (and the great music by Desert Planet doesn't hurt, either):

If those ten facts aren't enough for you, consider this: just last week, medical professionals, game designers and business executives gathered for the second annual Games for Health Conference in Europe. Games were proposed as possible solutions for everything from treating Alzheimer's patients to helping people regulate their emotions.

Next time Mom suggests you need to do something good

If you've been looking for a way to get to all the companies trying to reach you through Facebook without all your pesky friends getting in the way, has Facebook got a solution for you!

In actuality, Facebook isn't trying to block your friends. What the social media giant has done is added an option for users to just view posts from the Pages that they follow instead of from both friends and Pages.

For those who aren't familiar, Pages are created by companies, groups and organizations seeking to reach out to a fan base on Facebook. Previously, when someone "liked" something or someone, posts would appear in the user's news feed from whatever they liked. With Pages, companies can reach out to followers through text, photo, videos or promote special offers and events.

[ More Right Click: Jawbone attempts to overcome last year's catastrophe with Up 'lifestyle wristband' ]

This change is simply an added filter; it doesn't seem to add or take away any features from the news feed. Based on

(AP Photo/Ubisoft)The recently released Assassin's Creed III by Ubisoft's Montreal studio seems to have gotten the Globe and Mail editors all in a tizzy. A recent editorial by the national newspaper asks "who's side" Ubisoft Montreal is really on, considering the game is intended to glorify the conquests of a Native American assassin as he participates in fictional events intended to take place during the American Revolutionary War.

The Globe editors take the game's creators to task for making the goal of the game to "hunt down the British redcoats" (their quotations, no citation included), suggesting that it "grotesquely twists the facts" to imply that a Native American assassin would rally to the aid of the colonials in their fight for American independence. The editors close with the suggestion that video games may be "the only place that Canadian young people are learning about the Revolutionary War," and that the heavily-skewed American perspective of the game could hurt their understanding of real

A BlackBerry handset is displayed in Washington, December 15, 2011. (Reuters)RIM is seeking to build excitement ahead of its BlackBerry 10 launch on January 30^th, and this latest announcement that essentially lets BBM users make long distance calls for free might be a good start at getting people excited about the brand again.

In an announcement on Wednesday, RIM revealed that their new BBM Voice feature is available to test in beta, and will allow users to have voice chats through BBM. Currently, it only works on devices operating BlackBerry OS 6 or higher, ZDNet reports, but OS 5 will also be supported "at a later date."

"The new BBM Voice feature is for when you're travelling and you want to call home without worrying about phone charges," said RIM's vice president of BBM and social communities T.A. McCann in a statement.

[ Related: RIM to introduce new BlackBerry 10 devices on January 30 ]

The only catch is users will only be able to take advantage of this feature over a Wi-Fi connection, so don't expect to make long-distance calls for free if you aren't

If you think you've seen the launch of the Jawbone Up wristband before, you'd be right: last year, the manufacturer of iconic Bluetooth headsets released its lifestyle-tracking wristband for the first time, but it ended in a colossal failure.

Today, Jawbone has re-launched Up in the U.S., hoping to win back some of the users that got burned by the initial failed product launch. The concept between the original wristband and the newly-launched one is the same: help to make people 'make smarter choices' in order to help them feel their best by tracking sleep, activity, and food intake.

As Engadget explains, Jawbone's 2011 version of the Up wristband was plagued with problems. Two main issues led to Jawbone being forced to issue no-questions-asked refunds: while the wristbands were water resistant in the pure lab test water, the material proved vulnerable to the warm, soapy water that most users bathe in daily. And while Up looks like a flexible rubber bracelet, its insides aren't as

As the weather gets colder in many parts of the country, many of us are looking to curl up with some warm comfort food — and what's more comforting than pizza?

Before you pick up the phone to order in, though, consider checking out this personal pizza cooker. The Presto Pizzazz Pizza Cooker lets you make pizza at home without having to start up the oven. Instead, the countertop device bakes your pizza using top and bottom heating elements, which the company says will cook your pizza in half the time of a conventional oven. Bonus: you get to watch your pizza cook in full view to ensure you get that perfectly browned cheese.

To use, place a fresh or frozen pizza (measuring 7-12") on the baking tray, turn on the top and bottom elements, and the tray will begin rotating to evenly cook the pizza. Once it reaches the correct temperature or the end of the pre-set time, the pizza cooker automatically shuts off. If you like your crust a little more well done, or want your cheese crispier, you