Nintendo: No regrets on ‘Wii’ name

Nintendo Co.’s president says he has no regrets about the widely criticized “Wii” name for the company’s upcoming game console.

Satoru Iwata, who was among those who had come up with the name, said Nintendo’s handheld Game Boy was first criticized, too, and had even prompted questions about whether girls could play.

But once a product catches on, he said, so does the name. Since its release in the late 1980s, Game Boy has become one of the world’s most popular and enduring line of portable game systems.

“I have never thought the name was a mistake,” Iwata said of Wii. “Some people seem to have a problem with it now, but I think they’ll grow to like it.”

Wii — pronounced “we” and meant to conjure the idea of fun for everyone — offers easy-playing games, regardless of sex, age or skills.

AOL offers free security

AOL is releasing free software to automatically check whether you have the latest security protection on your Windows computer.

The Active Security Monitor software is part of AOL’s expansion into security services. The company is expected to soon announce its own for-pay security suite, competing with the products from Microsoft Corp., Symantec Corp., McAfee Inc. and others.

The monitor, which launched Thursday, checks for the presence of firewall, anti-virus and anti-spyware programs. It makes sure you have the latest security updates for those programs and for the Windows operating system. The monitor also tells you if your Internet Explorer browser isn’t properly configured.

Networks battle ad-subbing

The major broadcast and cable networks are challenging the use of technology to substitute commercials shown during regular television programs at truck stops across the nation.

Flying J Inc. can get more than $30,000 a month for 30-second substitute spots, according to court papers. The substitute advertising often targets the demographic frequenting Flying J establishments, where truck drivers rest and refuel. For instance, there are promotions for the American Truckers Legal Association.

Flying J is able to insert the commercials using a device that can detect changes in the television feeds the company gets through EchoStar Communications Corp.’s Dish Network. Visitors watch the programming in televisions in the truck stops’ restaurants and lounges.

ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox and CNN are among the networks that sued Flying J earlier this year, accusing it of violating copyright law and promoting unfair competition.