In an effort to cash in on the Wii video game craze, Sesame Street will ship a cover for the Wii controller with copies of their new game for pre-schoolers. The cover is designed to hide unnecessary buttons and keep young children from getting to confused as to what to do. The covers will look like favorite Sesame Street characters.

Nokia and Opera, a cell phone producer and internet browser company, respectively, have publicly stated support for Adobe’s Flash software. Adobe and Flash have gotten into a heated spat through the media concerning Adobe’s Flash software. Apple CEO Steve Jobs has called the program a buggy battery hog while Adobe has lashed out at Apple over its refusal to support Flash on the iPhone and iPad. The reason this is such an issue is that a lot of casual gaming on the internet uses Flash for its gameplay.  Second, since people like to have these mobile devices for casual gaming in addition to other functions, they can’t play on the internet because of Apple’s lack of support. This to me seems real simple. If Jobs is correct that the software is buggy and sucks a lot of energy from the battery, prove it. Put your results where your mouth is. Find a way to test the battery drain from using the Flash software. To say something without proof to back it up is unethical and is sometimes a diversion from a larger problem. On the other hand, Adobe can stamp its foot in the ground and pout all it wants to, but Apple has the right to support or not support various software for their devices.

In the area of melding products you wouldn’t think would go together, Lysandre Follet has designed a wristwatch that could make time (at work) stand still. What’s so great about this time piece you ask, well, not only does it give you the time but also the opportunity to play Tetris. That’s right, Tetris, the most popular casual video game out there is a part of this watch. If a whole division in a company had these wristwatches, that department would surely lose the productivity contest.

Apparently, there is a new training practice for McDonald’s employees in Japan.  The revolutionary new method? The NintendoDS and I am not kidding.  The DS is very popular in Japan, obviously, and the Golden Arches are hoping to make the training process more efficient, delivering it in a way that is more readily received for the current generation.  Would you still want to work there, even if the trainer was Mario?

the PS3.

That’s right. Ten years after the panic that was Y2K, when computer programmers were tying themselves in knots making sure society would continue after the clock struck midnight, the Y2K bug has claimed its first victim, Sony’s latest generation gaming console. Apparently, a bug associated with the built in clock on the console was causing problems for gamers. Some couldn’t log in to Sony’s Playstation network while others had trouble loading newer games. Sony announced this yesterday and hoped to have it resolved by today.

Adobe announced today that plans are still on track to release Flash 10.1 for smart phones later this year.  Flash is used to play videos and games on Blackberries, Androids and other smart phones.  Unfortunately, Apple’s iPad and iPhone will not be on the list of compatible gadgets. So if you’re looking to get spruced up videos or play the latest games on your mobile device, Flash 10.1 will be out later this year.

Randy Sarafan is releasing a book titled “62 Projects to Make With a Dead Computer (and Other Discarded Electronics).” In it, he details how to turn old technology into something completely different and useful. While my favorite is not the most practical use of old tech, I love the idea of the 8-bit Nintendo controller as a belt buckle. I grew up in the heyday of the original NES, so that’s why it’s my favorite, but some of the other ideas are more ingenious. Check some of them out at MSNBC.com.

This may not fit the mold of a regular IT story, but there’s a Canadian company which built a prototype interactive board game. It’s a board game that you play like a traditional Monopoly or Risk, but there are tiles that, when connected, will trigger interactive events. I’m a bit of a board game geek as well as an IT geek, so this concept has me very intrigued.

In a story from MSNBC.com, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata dismissed the recently unveiled iPad as nothing but a bigger iPod touch. Now, while I’m not inclined to disagree with that, what makes me wonder if Iwata is really hip to current trends in technology is his similar attitude toward 3D technology and high definition for video games. As a video game enthusiast, I can attest to the enhanced experience from playing games with high definition. It’s AWESOME! And concerning 3D, while movies still require the glasses, at least they look like regular sunglasses. And more and more movies are coming out in 3D, so there is an audience. So, if Iwata has this attitude toward 3D and gaming, it makes me wonder if his appraisal of the iPad is off too.

Well, if imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, Nintendo’s Wii should feel real good right about now.  The Microsoft is planning to release something called “Project Natal” which looks eerily similar to the Wii’s motion sensor bar.  How effective it is won’t be known until its release later this year.  Don’t believe me? Take a look.

See the rest of the most anticipated gadgets for the year here.