Dept.: Geek Guide
Tech: Mac Mini projects
Cost: $500 and up
Time: One hour and up
Dabbler | | | | | Master

One of the strongest points of Media Center Edition 2005 is that you’re not limited to the Microsoft’s built-in functionality, such as photos, music, etc. In fact, dozens of third-party plug-ins for the OS exist and more are being built all the time. Under the Online Spotlight menu, you can find extra downloadable or streaming content from providers such as ESPN and Napster—these come ready to go out of the box, and Microsoft will automatically add more through software updates.