Daily Wrap-Up 1.07.07
Posted by Stephen Johnson - Monday, January 07, 2008 6:00 PM
TheFeed loves to keep you updated on everything that happens in the world of technology, videogames and popular cultures. Below are the biggest stories of the day.
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TAGS: Daily Wrap-Up, Videos
Sony BMG Gets A Pass
Posted by Frank Meyer - Monday, January 07, 2008 4:50 PM
Later this month Sony BMG Music Entertainment will introduce a digital album gift cards at Best Buy, Target and Fred's, Trans World and Winn-Dixie.
The Platinum MusicPass series is Sony BMG’s first commercial venture into MP3s in the U.S.
The cards will sell for $12.99, and will be artist-specific with artwork and even bonus material. Each one will have with a scratch-off that will reveal a PIN number that can be redeemed for a download at MusicPass.com.
"We see MusicPass as a great way to bring digital music to the physical retail space," said Sony BMG Music Entertainment global digital business & U.S. sales president Thomas Hesse in a statement. "We believe it will have strong appeal for a broad range of consumers, and that it will ultimately expand both the digital and physical markets for music."
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TAGS: Internets Culture, Music
Napster Goes DRM Free…Sorta
Posted by Frank Meyer - Monday, January 07, 2008 4:25 PM
 Strike up the band, folks, ‘cause Napster announced yesterday it will join most other online retailers by selling music downloads as unprotected MP3 files this spring.
But here’s the hitch: the format change will only apply to single tracks and album purchases. Songs downloaded as part of the company's music subscription service will still have those jerky copyright restrictions.
Poo poo poo!
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TAGS: Internets Culture, Music
CES 2008: DLP Takes On Plasma, LCD
Posted by Jonathan Hunt - Monday, January 07, 2008 3:48 PM
 Over the last couple of years, when it comes to HD televisions, the talk seems to be all about plasma vs. LCD. The third option, DLP has seemingly fallen by the wayside. At CES this year, however, DLP stands to make quite the comeback, with the new 240Hz display mode DLP TVs.
The new products sport a 50% increase in motion reproduction and boast contrast ratios of up to 500,000:1. Word is that Mitsubishi is also preparing to unveil a laser HDTV, working on the same premise as DLP technology.
No official products appear consumer ready yet, but then again, the week just started. What do you guys think? Are you ready for a Laser Television?
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TAGS: CES, Products, Tech
'LEGO Batman' Screenshots
Posted by Ty Colfax - Monday, January 07, 2008 3:30 PM
Check it out: A grip of LEGO Batman screenshots have come out today!
In standard Batman form, a bunch of crazies and classic villains have escaped Arkham Asylum, and its up to LEGO Batman and Robin to save Gotham. The whole LEGO thing is endearing; it’s just a great way to reinvent and update old classics.
It's cute and it gives them a lot of leeway with graphics, but it only has to look as good as you would expect a LEGO videogame to look. Check out the gallery and judge for yourself.
G4 'LEGO Batman' Gallery
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TAGS: Videogames
Dr. Dre Lights Up CES...With Headphones?
Posted by Frank Meyer - Monday, January 07, 2008 2:46 PM
 How much do Beats by Dr. Dre cost?
Half a million?
A million?
More?
Nope, try $399.95.
But sadly, that’s for headphones of the same name, not an actual beat by the legendary hip hop producer/rapper.
Yes, Dre and Interscope Chairman Jimmy Iovine teamed up with Monster Cable to unveil a new line of high-end headphones at CES over the weekend that are said to use a new driver technology to provide “remarkably natural sound, incredible transient response and rich, deep bass.”
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TAGS: CES, Music, Tech
CES 2008: GM Talking Driverless Cars?
Posted by Eugene Morton - Monday, January 07, 2008 2:40 PM
 General Motors is going full force with its initiative to bring the dream of sci-fi nerds everywhere to life, not the one about making love to green women, the other one about cars that don’t require drivers. It’s been rumored that Rick Wagoner, the CEO of GM, will discuss the driverless car program on Tuesday, during the GM press conference.
Expect testing of the new autos to begin in 2015 for a 2018 release. Also, expect geeks with too much time on their hands to draw comparisons to such film classics as Christine, Herbie, The Love Bug and Transformers.
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TAGS: Cars, CES, Tech
'Tamagotchi Connection: Corner Shop 3' Launches This Summer
Posted by Ty Colfax - Monday, January 07, 2008 2:09 PM
 The DS gets even more cute with the upcoming release of the latest Tamagotchi sequel. Well, it was fun to make fun of the people who had the original pocket pet in the 90s while jamming to Pearl Jam’s "Jeremy" on my Walkman, but can a new DS version deliver with more stuff?
And there is more stuff. All new stores for you to manage, the ability to build your own park, more playable characters, and use of Nintendo Wi-Fi so you can trade journals about the business day with buddies.
Might be a good Summer present for your niece to follow-up on the awesomeness that was your DS gift to her over the holidays. Or, if you’re cheap like me, you might never need think of this again.
NamcoBandaiGames
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TAGS: Nintendo DS, Videogames
CES 2008: Slash Rocks MS Keynote
Posted by Derek Snowden - Monday, January 07, 2008 1:55 PM
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TAGS: CES, Tech, Videos
WHAT'S ON!
Posted by Ty Colfax - Monday, January 07, 2008 1:40 PM
 From TheFeed’s Infotainment Edubranch Programming Departainment comes the first and last installment of WHAT’S ON!
This week, be sure to catch In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto airing at 8am Eastern on C-Span2’s BookTV. And don’t forget to subscribe to the BookTV Alerts Service which will send you weekly emails about what exciting books you can watch TV about.
So, yeah, that writer's strike isn't hurting anyone...
Book TV – For people who like books, but not reading.
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TAGS: TV
Awesome Guitar Hero Turntable Mod
Posted by Robt. Juster - Monday, January 07, 2008 1:36 PM
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TAGS: Videogames
CES 2008: Panasonic Reveals 150" Plasma TV
Posted by Eugene Morton - Monday, January 07, 2008 1:35 PM
 More money than any one person deserves, that’s what we’re guessing you’re going to need in the bank if you’re planning on buying Panasonic’s newly announced, 4x1080p, 150” Plasma screen TV.
The official price hasn’t been announced yet, but it’s likely to cost more than a mortgage payment. Still, if you want to play GTA IV while looking at a life size Niko Belic, is a mortgage payment or two really all that much? We don’t think so.
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TAGS: CES, Tech
CES 2008: Panasonic & Comcast Make DVR Portable
Posted by Jonathan Hunt - Monday, January 07, 2008 12:51 PM
 At CES, Panasonic and Comcast unveiled their new DVR-on-the-go. It's called the Comcast AnyPlay Portable DVR and it allows you to take your media mass storage with you on the road. Now you can catch up on those episodes of Viva Laughlin while making those cross-country flights and back.
They say the machine can also serve as your standard HD DVR while at home, but my question is: What does your DVR-ing if you've got it with you while on the road?
Tell us, could you guys use something like this?
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TAGS: CES, Tech
Warner Bros Plays Blu
Posted by Jonathan Hunt - Monday, January 07, 2008 12:23 PM
 All things must come to an end, and the format wars are no exception. On Friday, Warner Bros. announced it begin releasing it's movies on Blu Ray exclusively, rather than releasing films on both Blu Ray and HD DVD as they had done previously. This blow to the HD DVD market could signal the beginning of the end of the Blu Ray vs. HD DVD battle.
Warner's move leaves only three studios currently sticking with HD DVD: Dreamworks, Paramount, and Universal. In fact, Warner's statement came so late that HD DVD actually cancelled their planned press event on Sunday night. Now, with Blu Ray being the only one with any kind of strong presence at CES, what do you think all this holds in store for the seemingly fragile HD DVD? Have we seen the end of the format wars? Can HD hope to bounce back?
WesleyTech.com: Warner drops HD DVD
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TAGS: CES, Tech
CES: Motorola Press Conference Highlights
Posted by Eugene Morton - Monday, January 07, 2008 12:22 PM
 Motorola’s really going after the kiddies this year with the announcement of two new phones headed for store shelves by the end of the Q1 ’08. For music lovers on the go, there’s Motorola’s Rokr E8, a slick little number with a button-less, glass face, FM radio, 2GB of memory, a crescent moon like navigator wheel, a Micro SD expansion slot and, of course, a 3.5mm headphone jack.
Plus, it’ll be capable of playing music files in almost any format. Being a phone, geared toward music enthusiasts, it will also include Music ID (for identifying any song being played on the device), which Motorola hopes you will use in conjunction with their music service, MotoMusic.
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TAGS: CES, Tech
CES 2008: ROKR E8 Might Rok You in '08
Posted by Ty Colfax - Monday, January 07, 2008 12:16 PM
Motorola officially gets serious about their new ROKR 08 which is a direct stab at the iPhone’s market share. It’s got this fancy touch screen interface, a camera, tons of space for music, a micro USB jack, and an FM radio receiver. Awesome! Wait, the iPhone has all of that and more. Oh, except for the FM receiver. Does it also come with a malt shop and maps to all the local nickelodeons?
Supposedly it sounds great which is good. We just can’t get over how the iPhone did it a year sooner. And stay off deez nuts about comparing everything to the iPhone. If they want iPhone marketshare, they’re going to get compared to comparable items. That’s just techonomics.
So, congrats, but meh.
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TAGS: CES, Products, Tech
Hives, Pilots, Maidens In 'Rock Band'
Posted by Stephen Johnson - Monday, January 07, 2008 12:12 PM
So Rock Band has another trio of new songs available for downloading.
- "Number of the Beast" made famous by Iron Maiden (cover)
- "Die, All Right!" by the Hives
- "Interstate Love Song" by Stone Temple Pilots
The cost 2 bucks worth of M'Soft points.
A brief editorial note: The Stone Temple Pilots are the worst band that has ever existed in all of human history. Science has proved it and it says so in the Bible.
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TAGS: Music, Videogames
CES 2008: Gateway To Gaming PC
Posted by Frank Meyer - Monday, January 07, 2008 12:02 PM
At CES today, the fine folks at Gateway announced the launch a new member of the FX Series PC with the aforementioned CPU, the FX7020.
The FX7020 comes complete with an AMD Phenom 9600 Processor, 3GB of RAM, a 512MB NVIDIA GeForce 8800GT, 7.1-channel audio output, a 15-in-1 multicard reader, 500GB 7,200RPM SATA drive, an 18x DVD±R/RW SuperMulti drive and a gaggle of software goodies.
It also comes with a wacky case sure to prevent you from getting laid.
The price tag?
Only $1,099 cheap, bro!
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TAGS: CES, PC Gaming, Tech
CES 2008: U.S. Getting DivX Connected
Posted by Frank Meyer - Monday, January 07, 2008 11:54 AM
Well, kiddies, it looks like seamless media streaming in America is about to go from dream to reality…
…’cause another cool CES announcement today came in the form of the unveiling of the D-Link DSM-330, America’s its first official DivX Connected device
Available sometime in the first half of 2008, the formerGejBox will support Stage6 as an open platform that should be able to handle any codec or package that comes its way.
(For the record though, I seriously doubt it could handle my "package"...just sayin'.....)
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TAGS: CES, Tech, TV
CES 2008: Prototype Curved Monitor from Alienware
Posted by Ty Colfax - Monday, January 07, 2008 11:50 AM
 Alienware is about to make those dreams of yours come true. What’s the next logical innovation after HD and widescreen take over your desktop monitors? Curving the giant letterbox lightbox so that the edges are just as close to your eyeballs as the center.
Now in prototype form, you’ll soon have the DLP OLED illuminated Alienware monitor which should be available some time in the last half of 2008. The resolution is a ridiculous and bunker-window-similar 2880 X 900. But while it may be ridiculous, it creates a sweet peripheral vision effect which works something awesome for 1st person shootemups.
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TAGS: CES, PC Gaming, Products
CES 2008: Electronics Giants Say: Recycle!
Posted by Stephen Johnson - Monday, January 07, 2008 11:49 AM
Panasonic, Sharp and Toshiba announced at CES that they've formed an organization to collect and recycle their products. Damn hippies!
The electronic giants' new baby is called the Electronics Manufacturers Recycling Management Company and was formed in response to new laws sprouting all over the country that govern the disposal of electronics.
"We believe that forming an independent company to manage collective electronic recycling programs is the best way to achieve the economies of scale and efficiencies necessary to create a sustainable recycling system for used electronics products." said David Thompson, MRM President. "MRM has already entered into collection and recycling agreements with Hitachi Electronics, JVC, Mitsubishi, Philips, Pioneer, Sanyo and Olevia brand maker Syntax-Brillian, and looks forward to working with other manufacturers going forward."
You could also go to G-Cycle.com to find out where to drop off your old monitors and the like.
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TAGS: CES, Tech
Verbatim Upping The HD Ante
Posted by Frank Meyer - Monday, January 07, 2008 11:47 AM
 According to their CES rantings, Verbatim is getting ready to ship 2x-speed HD DVD-R/RW discs this quarter.
No word on the price yet though…
Ahhhh, remember waaaaay back in ‘06 when we learned that 1x HD DVD-R media was getting set to ship?
Memories….
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TAGS: CES, Tech, TV
CES 2008: Panasonic Intros BIG Plasma TV
Posted by Frank Meyer - Monday, January 07, 2008 11:39 AM
The big highlight from this morning’s Panasonic's CES keynote speech with President and CEO of the CEA Gary Shapiro was the unveling of their new 150-inch plasma TV. (Pictured is last year's tiny, little 103" Panasonic.)
Calling it the "Life Panel," the resolution is at 4 x 1080p, 4k by 2k, making it “the world's largest flat panel TV.”
Shapiro also revealed that Panasonic is building a new plant to crank these sweet babies.
Plus, Panasonic will be introducing HomeBase, wireless HD, next year. HomeBase employs "Beam Steering Technology," which is only disrupted by placing your hand directly on the antenna. They previewed the technology during the speech by cutting the cables to their HD screen.
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TAGS: CES, Tech, TV
Nugget From The Net
Posted by Stephen Johnson - Monday, January 07, 2008 11:38 AM
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TAGS: Nuggets From The Nets
CES 2008: Control the Car With the Phone
Posted by Ty Colfax - Monday, January 07, 2008 11:28 AM
 Auto Page has a fancy new service and hardware that allows you to control your car from your friggin' cell phone. So, from anywhere in the world with cell service, not only can you start her up, roll the windows up or down, and kill the starter, but you can set it up to send you a message if it’s broken into or if your friend speeds while going to FancyBurger at 3am cuz you are "too jacked up to drive."
Ya know, we’re always tip-toeing the line between cool, useful technology and scary big-brotheresque monitoring. And the C3 from Auto Page is definitely all over that line. But, it looks like it might be affordable at subscription levels of $150 and $250 a year. Worth it if you wanna impress your date by starting the car from the restaurant and turning on the heater for her. Peemp!
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