During the summer months, we bring out the grills and BBQs. Have you ever thought to use your slow cooker? Huh, say what? I understand that a slow cooker is meant to make stew, soups, pot roasts, etc. However, there are many great recipes that are perfect for the summer by using this versatile appliance.

If you are like me, you have a sweet tooth and act like a cookie monster when you see desserts. Who doesn’t love home baked cookies, cakes, and sweets? Seriously, who doesn’t?

Many of you are avid bakers, while others are just beginning to learn the art of baking. The beauty of our mobile phones is that there are many great apps to give us new ideas, tips, and recipes when it comes to desserts. Check out these drooling apps to satisfy your baking desires.

A wall mount will definitely grant you the versatility you’ve been looking for – allowing you to easily and quickly adjust the viewing angle of your television. A TV stand, on the other hand, lets you set up your home theatre system in a snap, so you can start enjoying media only moments after plugging in your TV. While wall mounts occupy less space, TV stands offer a more traditional visual aesthetic which some may prefer. Whatever choice you're leaning towards, we’ll cover the ins-and-outs of selecting the ideal solution for your ideal home theatre system.

SOL Republic have only just entered the Canadian market, and on top of the Tracks and Tracks HD headphones available at Future Shop, there’s also a Deadmau5-themed set ready to hit the shelves, too. One of Canada’s most famous DJs and producers seems to have loved the brand so much, he helped design a set that carries his look and imprint on them.

Forza Motorsport is one of the best racing and motorsports game franchises running. It quickly rose through the ranks as one of the most successful racing simulations and yet remains accessible to the casual racer. The games always sought to make car fans salivate, and make everyone else into car fans. The latest installment in the Forza franchise will soon be upon us with Forza Horizon. It's a notable departure for the series away from hardcore racing simulation into a more accessible and casual driving experience. Finally pre-order details for this hot title have started to emerge so we can get a glimpse of what to expect.

At E3 this year, Epic Games and Microsoft announced an "early 2013" release window for Gears of War: Judgment, the next big entry in the Xbox 360 exclusive franchise.  A couple months later and now we have a firm date set by the publisher: March 19, 2013. That feels soon, doesn't it?

I was relieved earlier this week when I saw the initial photos from the NASA Mars rover Curiosity showing a very calm, untouched terrestrial planet, alleviating all fears that the red planet which is depicted in Doom 3 -- a sanctuary for grotesque zombies and the demon army from hell - simply isn't true.  It's a good thing too, because that unsightly world is about to get much more vivid with the upcoming release of Doom 3 BFG Edition, a re-mastered version featuring greatly enhanced graphics and vastly improved audio horror effects.

Having grown up playing the Nobunaga's Ambition series of turn-based strategy simulation video games, I spent countless hours as a wee lad unifying the feudal states Japan with my legions of riflemen, cavalry and infantry.  It was the closest I had come to learning about Japan's Sengoku ("Warring States") period, a time during the 16th century marked with tremendous war and the unification of Japan's many fiefdoms. 

Fast forward to present day, and before me is a copy of Pokémon Conquest for Nintendo DS, perhaps the most unlikely crossover title ever created, one that mixes the strategic elements of Nobunaga's Ambition with, you got it, Pokémon.  Suspending my love for Japanese historical simulations, I put the cartridge into my Nintendo DS convinced this wacky crossover idea simply couldn't work.  It took less than thirty minutes before I realized that not only does the concept work, it's quite possibly the most entertaining Pokémon spinoff ever created. 

If there’s one video game series practically bathing in badassery it’s Darksiders.  Commonly regarded as The Legend of Zelda meets God of War, this action-adventure series offers all the exploration and puzzles you could ever imagine, all while immersing you in its dark, dismal atmosphere. 

Darksiders II puts you in the shoes of Death, the most feared of the legendary Four Horsemen.  Set during the events of the last game, Death embarks upon a quest to restore mankind, and redeem his brother War's name. Of course, there's far worse in store, with the Apocalypse being the least of anyone's worries.  

With Darksiders II launching in less than a week, Vigil Games and THQ are hard at work putting together pre-order bonuses and goodies for all of their loyal fans.  Last week we got to talk about the two in-game unlocks available to anyone who played the original and Future Shop Exclusive pre-order bonuses but this week we go even deeper and unveil even more surprises in store. 

There is nothing more unsightly than a tangle of wires, occupying the floor somewhere between your home theatre system and the nearest power outlet. It takes a little bit of planning to make these multi-colored cables seem invisible – but with a few of these easy strategies, you’ll be able to connect all your devices without creating any clutter whatsoever.

If you’re a fan of Hong Kong action films you’ll be at home with Sleeping Dogs. It captures all the gritty environments, over the top stunts, and extreme violence. It's so intense it can verge on silly at times, but all blends together so seamlessly you’ll feel like you’re playing scenes right out of the movies. The game even features voice actors with pretty respectable cinematic pedigrees. 

Traxxas RC vehicles are spreading across Canada, thanks to availability at Future Shop stores and Futureshop.ca.

Just a few days ago Bethesda revealed some new information about Dishonored, the upcoming game by Arkane Studios. This stealth-action game will feature an award-winning voice cast including Academy Award winner, Susan Sarandon, Golden Globe winner, Brad Dourif, Emmy Award nominees Carrie Fisher, John Slattery and many more! 

So many students are getting ready to head back to school, returning to a life of studying often for long hours. It can really help to have a healthy, ergonomic study station set up. Not only can this make long study sessions more comfortable, it can also help you keep at it for longer, and dramatically reduce any joint or muscle strain. You won't get tired as quickly, and won't notice time pass as much if you've got everything set up just right.

Although summer is quickly coming to a close, there's still plenty of time to celebrate all things gaming.  With Microsoft focusing on their yearly Summer of Arcade program and Sony focusing on their yearly summer program PlayStation PLAY, downloadable games are all the buzz.  

Showcasing a diverse lineup of great XBLA and PSN games as well as several special offers, Summer of Arcade and PSN PLAY have tons to offer. Here's a little more information about each of these programs and what they have to offer.  

This year the Nintendo 3DS has built a lot of momentum with a consistent stream of quality games released month-after-month.  Now that we're approaching the busy fall gaming season, I thought it would be important to take a look back at the year to recap some of the best games released for Nintendo's 3D portable handheld.

Digital notes are a fantastic recourse for students to have. They can really help with

review, and studying. They can be easily shared, sorted, and searched. They can
be backed up, duplicated, and organized with ease. Many students get digital notes
by spending all class trying to type out their lessons in real time. The problem is that
you would be better off paying attention to the lessons than worrying about getting
everything typed out at the same time. Luckily there are a few solutions to this problem
for students who find typing to be too much of a distraction.

Boardgames have always been great to socialize over. Some of the more popular
games have been evolving to keep up with the times. Its become really popular to enjoy
some of these games online, or with tablets but while fun, that doesn't quite live up to
the one to one interaction of playing on a real board with real pieces. With that in mind,
Hasbro is releasing new zAPPed editions of some of their more popular boardgames

Password-protecting your smartphone has become pretty important over the last few years, as more and more personal data is packed into these handsets. Keeping your phone safe from prying eyes might be a big deal for you, or you might just want to keep specific pieces of data invisible. Mobile Vault from NQ is an app tailored for those who want some level of control over what they keep under the radar.

Dedicated gamers have different requirements than your traditional home theatre enthusiast. If you’re enjoying a great multiplayer game like Uncharted 3 or Grand Theft Auto 4, the last thing you want to do is recline leisurely while calmly watching the action onscreen. Instead, you’ll be tense and alert – studying your avatar’s environment while a hypnotizing world of sight and sound completely fills your senses. It’s the kind of experience that requires you to remain aware at all times. A few well chosen home theatre components can be the deciding factor between victory... or defeat.

If you like using the YouTube app that has been a staple of iOS devices since the first iPhone, you’ll find it disappearing once you upgrade your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch to iOS 6. Apple announced that it will be cutting the popular video app from its core apps because the license they paid Google has expired, but the real reason probably also includes the growing rivalry between the two giants.

Kinect for Xbox 360 is a great gaming platform for families looking for fun titles that everyone can enjoy.  From Sesame Street to Disney to Star Wars, there are a range of excellent family games available on Kinect for Xbox 360 no matter what age the gamers in your household are.  Let's take a look at four of my favourite out there:

The trickle of Resident Evil 6 news is now becoming a flood as we inch closer to its anticipated October 2 launch, including word from Capcom that the game will feature an Ada Wong campaign and an all-new Agent Hunt mode. This brings the total number of campaigns in the game to four, in what is shaping up to be the most elaborate and interwoven Resident Evil story of all time.

Borderlands was a great game. It was loads of fun with friends and brought some unique gameplay elements to the scene for us to enjoy. It should be no surprise then that 2K games is set to release a sequel later this year called, of course, Borderlands 2. Preorders are available now, and you’ll surely want to get yours in early since there is a very special Deluxe Vault Hunter’s Borderlands 2 Collectors Edition available in every limited supply, as well as a Future Shop exclusive limited edition Steelbook game case. On top of that, you also get access to the Borderlands 2 Premiere club. 

Many of us remember the eighties as a decade of optimism and hope. Nothing quite encapsulates the spirit of these times like the first four Police Academy movies – a series of silly, memorable comedies that can transform your home theatre system into a gateway to the past. The Police Academy franchise might not have won any Academy Awards, but it did capture the light-heartedness of an era when Cyndi Lauper albums, handheld gaming, and big screen TVs had started to attract the public’s imagination.