Can Zynga really stand as the cornerstone for Google’s Games operation? Absolutely. The company is projected at $350 million in revenue for the first half of 2010, half of which is actual operating profit. Total profit for 2011 is expected to be over a billion dollars. A billion, people. With a “b.”

Here’s TechCrunch on why Zynga is so important for Google:

Zynga continues to work on high level strategic business development deals. The reason these deals are so attractive to companies like Yahoo and now Google is this – Zynga allows them to rebuild the massive social graph, currently controlled by Facebook. For whatever reason people love to play these games and get passionately addicted to them, coming back day after day. That’s helped Facebook become what it is today. Google, Yahoo and others want some of that magic to rub off on them, too.

Who knew a silly social game could make such a huge impact.

To me, though, this isn’t really news. Allard was involved in some great projects – projects that made Microsoft a ton of money – but none of it has really been incredible. In many cases, the Microsoft products Allard has worked on have succeeded not because of incredible innovation but because it was the only game (or one of very few games) in town.

Consider the original Xbox. We knew about it for years leading up to the launch, and the best thing about it wasn’t the controller or the processor or the original Live experience (which was terrible, by the way). The best thing about Xbox 1.0 was a game called Halo. To me, the Xbox was the natural evolution of consoles, and Live was just the maturation of the console form to keep up with multiplayer standards PC players had enjoyed for decades prior.

The Xbox 360 followed the same path as the original – the natural evolution of console gaming. The Live system is better, but still not great by any means, and I know very few people who use their 360 in the ways the commercials would have you believe every geek has his home connected. There are some neat features, like Netflix streaming for one, but there isn’t anything that is truly innovative about the 360. It didn’t change the way I see the entertainment world any more significantly than, say, an iPod video did when it was announced. It performed virtually the same function as the device before it, just a bit better.

My point in all of this is that the last decade or so of devices coming out of Microsoft have been pretty mundane. Anticipated. Expected. I haven’t seen much in the last decade that has made me say, “wow,” in that breathy, holy-shit-you-just-blew-my-mind kind of way. Allard was at the helm for some good stuff, but it was just that – good. Nothing great. Nothing spectacular. His decision to retire will have about as much impact on the gadgets we see as will his decision to pursue “adventure sports.” All the best to you, J., but I can’t say I’m going to miss you.

According to police, the couple had been on the run for the past five months after it was discovered the child had died. South Korea has been lauded by web penetration advocates for having the highest broadband per capita stats in the world. With that comes the occasional terrifying story of internet addiction like this one. The country had another web related death recently when a young man died in an internet cafe after playing an online game for 86 hours straight.

The report at AOL cites the economy as one possible cause of the obsession. At some point, though, I think we just need to hold people accountable without excuses. Unemployed or not, abandoning a baby isn’t justifiable.

The Internet is an extensive, never ending resource for everything these days. From buying to earning to learning, everything can be done just sitting in front of the computer. So why not use the computer to make the children occupied for at least a few hours a day engaging in learning and fun activities? From coloring to puzzles or learning phonics or doing math there is a wide range of activities waiting for children to explore.

Online games like tic-tac-toe, dino run, free bingo, Tetris and maze games can keep them occupied for hours. Jigsaw puzzles and spot the differences will not only boost their brain but also keep them out of your way. Many online activities provide a safe and fun platform for children helping them to build logic, memory and language.

Another way to engage a child’s mind is to get them enrolled in online libraries. Children as young as three and two can also use the books in digitized form to develop a love of reading. Online libraries cultivate the wonderful habit of reading and borrowing right in the comfort of your home.

Slightly older kids can engage in online language classes and hone their linguistic skills. Whatever the interest a kid shows, activities are in abundance for them to explore and keep themselves busy. But as parents it is your duty to point them in the right direction.

Researchers from the University disassembled the board to have a look at its guts, in part to determine just how useful the thing could be. As it turns out, the strain gauges in the Balance Board are good. So good they could save hospitals hundreds of thousands of dollars and given smaller rehab facilities the tools to help a wider variety of patients. “I was shocked given the price: it was an extremely impressive strain gauge set-up,” lead researcher Ross Clark told New Scientist. Clark and his team published a paper verifying the quality of the Balance Board as a medical device.

Source: New Scientist

The first pair of designer 3D eyewear will be available in Q2 this year, a month or so later for the prescription versions, starting at $90. It’s a big price tag, but they’ll keep you from looking completely ridiculous, and if you’re just buying them for yourself I think it’s a justifiable cost.

In case you need a little more reassurance, here’s Joe Croft, the company’s co-founder: “While typical 3D eyewear is stamped from a flat sheet of plastic, GUNNAR lenses are shaped, formed and cut to provide distortion free optics.”

Livio Radio for Pandora/NPR
The Livio Radio is a great choice for any audio lover you know. The original debuted with built-in Pandora support, allowing users to listen to Pandora in any room of the house. The little screen makes it easy to browse through your favorite stations and you still get your thumbs-up/thumbs-down buttons for encouraging/discouraging specific tracks.

Livio also added an NPR specific radio to its lineup this year, providing access to some 800 NPR stations over a wireless connection. The NPR radio just started shipping this week. You can get either model for $199.99 from the Livio website.

Also Consider: Logitech Squeezebox Radio

Able Planet Clear Harmony Noise-Canceling Headphones
I reviewed Able Planet’s Clear Harmony noise-canceling headphones earlier this year and fell in love. I’d even pick them over the Bose QuietComforts because you can play music even if your batteries die (no active noise-canceling if that happens, though). These things sound excellent, last forever on a pair of AAA batteries, and tuck away nicely into a hardshell case.

The only thing that may scare you off would be price, but for this kind of quality you should expect to spend a little cash. Get a deal at Tiger Direct for $249.99.

Also Consider: Bose Quiet Comfort

Playstation 3 Slim
Personally, I’m not a Playstation guy. Never have been. Never will be. But I can’t think up a good reason you should follow suit. With the recent size reduction and price drop, the PS3 is looking as good as it’s ever likely to. With the recent release of Modern Warfare 2 and Uncharted 2 Sony’s lineup got a nice facelift as well.

Be sure you shop around for the bundles, though. Some of them are region specific, but Sony is so far behind in the console race that it’s offering crazy deals to get this system into your home. Most everything will run you $299 for the 120GB model.

Also Consider: Xbox 360 Elite Bundle

Samsung BD-P1600
This Blu-ray player is a nice little mashup for all your media needs. You obviously get BD Live support, but you can stream HD movies from Netflix and hook this thing up to your audio system for Pandora, too. And though price may have held Blu-ray back in times gone by, the P1600 is going for $149.99 as a part of Samsung’s Black Friday deals. Check the Samsung website for a list of retailers and other Samsung deals.

Also Consider: Roku Player

Wii Motion Plus
So you’re staying away from Blu-ray this year and you don’t want the PS3 Slim? I’d call you crazy, but Wii Sports Resort and New Super Mario Bros. Wii are plenty to keep you busy through the holidays. Just don’t forget to pick up enough Wii Motion Plus dongles for everyone to play along (with the first title, anyway). The tiny attachment dramatically improves the Wii’s motion-sensing abilities, so your jumper from the elbow can be just as bad as your game in real life.

Get a single WMP from Amazon for $16.99 or pickup the Wii Sports Resort Bundle (WMP included) for $46.99.

Also Consider: Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2010 Bundle

That does it for this year’s holiday gift guide. Check back later in the week for a Black Friday Roundup including my favorite deals from the major retailers’ holiday ads. Happy Holidays from everyone at Gadget Teaser and Bullz-Eye to all of our readers and fans.

As TUAW points out, Apple currently has first-gen iPods and iPod Shuffles up for sale. Granted, they’re refurbed, but I still think it’s kinda cool. In case you’re wondering, that is indeed the iPod model with the physical scrollwheel and individual buttons surrounding the wheel. They’re claiming it’s 5GB iPod for $129 while the original Shuffle will run you a jaw-dropping $99.

Now I’m all for getting a little cutesy with old products, but $99 for the Shuffle that came with a lanyard? Come on, now. That’s just absurd.

The new mouse is a revamp of the current G5, an industry standard for hardcore gamers. The new mouse, dubbed the G500, has most of the updates you would expect with a new mouse. They’ve reshaped the body for more support, added on-the-fly dpi adjustment, and given the mouse a “battle-worn” makeover so your disheveled appearance will look marginally less like you crawled out of your basement for the first time and more like you crawled out of Castle Wolfenstein’s basement…where there was a computer…with a really neat mouse. The coolest part of the mouse is that it comes with 27 grams of weight that you can add or remove from the body to fine tune the feel of your mouse. That’s actually one of my pet peeves in finding a new mouse – most are just way too light.

Logitech claims to be releasing an industry first with the new adjustable, behind-the-head headset, the G330. The band behind your ears can be adjusted for a custom fit and the new phones feature a silicone headband and pivoting ear pads for improved comfort. At the core of the headband is a steel spring design to “withstand the wear and tear of furious battle,” better known as a trip across the room when that 14-year-old wipes your raid again. You’ll also get inline volume control and microphone muting.

The new gear has separate release dates. You can get the headphones later this month for $50 and the G500 in September for $70.

Source: Business Wire

While I am glad to see someone taking legal action on the matter, it’s a little absurd that it was a 17-year-old who had to do the deed. I would hardly call losing your summer reading notes a serious injunction, but then, what really could be in this situation? The most serious part is simply that Amazon did it, and they shouldn’t have. Now it’s up to the courts to decide if that has any reasonable legal implications. My guess is they’ll simply say, “no.”