sorry for the lack of post last week. these last few days have been hectic. i had to go ahead and quit the job to pursue my passion (more on that topic in another post), so the brain waves were slowly being fried as i completed a few projects i was working on. but, man…do i have a surprise for you!
ironman preview! woohoo! (shouts to dame and truthandopinion.net)
there has been a lot of underground buzz as the holidays approach, so i figured i’d try and cover as much of the relevant information as possible.
verizon is launching their iphone killer, the voyager. it has two screens (one on the inside and outside of the phone), a 2 megapixel camera, and a micro SD slot for up to 8gb worth of storage. what do you think? will the iphone slowly die this thanksgiving? (pic via engadget)
sony has decided to play nice and debut a 40gb PS3 for under $400 (with blu-ray). will this finally be the answer to consumers actually picking up a ps3? i won’t lie. i’ve seen blu-ray in person on a gigantic sony t.v. and it is simply nothing short of amazing.
we’re almost there! a flying car is still in the works through the geniuses over at MIT, but the concept is pretty simple. they’ve managed to combine the aspect of driving to a short landing strip, wings folding out, and taking off to another small landing strip only to fold your wings up and go! aimed at business travelers and pilots, this may be the next step! (article and image via technology review)
microsoft is shipping a new quiter, cooler xbox 360’s just in time for all of their holiday bundles. the newer units are suppose to house a new 65nm chipset that is superior to the current 90nm chipset in all models. i think the barrage of complaints about the xbox 360’s reliability have finally caused gates and crew to get off their ass and provide a quality product. my 360 hasn’t broken yet, but i’m at least comforted by the fact that if it did, i could send it in for free for a shiny new one!
as noted earlier, we’re still keeping hope alive and extending our prayers for nailah franklin, a ybp who has been missing since tuesday, september 18th. a website has been setup as well as a reward for those who may know something. spread the word, keep her in your prayers, and keep hope alive.
and for a little bit of news…
i did do my ‘fanboy’ thing and waited in line monday night into tuesday morning for the impending halo 3 launch. needless to say ‘the hype machine’ finally got a hold of me and i have yet to look back. for those unfamiliar, halo 3 is the story of a super soldier aimed at saving humanity from (who else) aliens. it is the last installment in a series dating back almost 6 years. halo 3 for xbox 360 has become the most pre-ordered video game and is becoming the highest selling video game of all time. it’s estimated to bring in more than half a billion dollars in sales in the first month! for those game fans out there, be sure to pick up a copy and then find me on xbox live via the gamertag captainsheik. (pic from tech2)
the Smithsonian has unveiled plans to build an african-american history and culture museum by 2015. for those that know, this world-famous museum in the heart of D.C. has some of the most incredible video, pictures, and stories of all cultures, but especially of the middle passage. bringing the museum into the new age, the actual museum won’t be laid, but they have erected a website and are encouraging all to submit to the ‘online museum’ as of way of preserving stories, artifacts, and memorabilia from those who wish to share their experiences about african-american culture. check it out. (full story via chicagotribune)
last, but not least, amazon has opened for public beta release a new online store that allows you to buy mp3’s…wait for it…DRM free!! that’s right. itunes has officially been put on notice now that juggernaut amazon is selling mp3’s for the same price, but without the b.s. of apple encryption. the store is called amazonmp3, but because it is still in beta, a pretty link hasn’t been created and searching ‘amazon mp3′ probably won’t get you there. however, this does mean you can buy your music online and play it any device that can handle mp3’s (which is just about every device) just like you would in the stores with a cd and ripping it to computer. man, its taken this long to finally give the consumers the ability to do something we’ve been craving for quite some time. (actual store link; story via engadget)
yep. you read that right. today, before they are all sold out, you can get a free slurpee at 7-11. thanks to james for the tip on that one.
and to the news…so much to tell, so little space and time to tell it in.
keeping this tidbit brief, sony has slashed its playstation price from a wallet-breaking $599 to a more suitable car payment of $499. get them while they are still on the shelf collecting dust!
e3 is currently going on right now and nintendo has announced a lot of goodies for people with wii’s and those considering selling their right arm for one. i’ll leave the expansive details to engadget, but the essential goodies are as follows:
the wii will now feature a new blaster accessory to play shooting games, the wii zapper, and a new steering wheel for the upcoming, sure-to-be-ridiculous mario kart game.
wii fit will be debuting soon allowing people to get their intended exercise on via a wireless balance board that will come with the game. think 2.0 version of the old school nintendo track and field pad.
the wii will also allow users to go online and finally play against each other in upcoming titles like madden 08 and the aforementioned mario kart.
check out more information as well as the full debriefing of the nintendo press announcements over at engadget.
and not to forget the xbox, the 360 has been in a heap of trouble lately. folks have officially filed a class action lawsuit against microsoft claiming the device scratches the dvd’s it plays. it has also been estimated that the frequent overheating issues that plague the 360, which microsoft begrudgingly repairs for free, will cost them at least $1 billion dollars. get it together bill gates and crew. the bright side is that they’ve finally made nice with disney and will release at least 35 disney films through its online downloading service. (via yahoo tech news)
last, but not least, time has unveiled their top 5 worst websites ever. the top five are:
eHarmony
evite
meez
myspace
second life
most of these i have heard of, but i think it’s really funny how they detail their rationalization for each. (via time.com)
taking a break from half-crypt walking in videos, mean-mugging, not-eating, and smoking, snoop has decided to compete in a gaming league superbowl event with johnny damon to raise money for charity. both are commissioners of gaming leagues for their respective demographic, hip hop rap and professional athletes.
the winner gets $7000 for his charity, while the ‘loser’ gets $3000. while i give snoop 1 clap for the effort, i’m wondering if he will continue supporting the snoop youth football league and using it as a tax shelter AFTER his kids grow out of their ‘youth’. time will tell. after all, he did ‘quit’ smoking for .38 days.
happy tech news day ybp’ers! i hope you all voted yesterday. it looks like the balance of power has shifted in the house of representatives and the 6 years of republican monopoly is slowing to an end. i feel bad for not being a part of changing history, but i guess that’s the price you pay for being overseas.
anyways, some noteworthy announcements and news:
gears of war came out yesterday for xbox360 (get look getting one). as many blogs will point out, the average metareviews are 95/100. apparently the game developers, epic, did a great job to ring in the new-era of next generation games.
just like the macbook pros, macbooks get a core 2 duo upgrade. as engadget pointed out, i’m hoping they snuck in the 802.11n standard with the new chipset.
in a move that i think will be big as time goes, microsoft announces that you can officially download and view tv shows and movies in standard and HIGH DEF through the xbox 360. though a hard drive update is likely to come, microsoft singly handedly slapped sony (no download service for ps3), in-demand, netflix. too bad their never get any ABC or Disney shows! here’s a howto.
sprint gets a slvr (finally) and a comment war about it and the katana ensues.
information is good. the web is good. 13 nations still don’t get it.
verizon is launching their iphone killer, the voyager. it has two screens (one on the inside and outside of the phone), a 2 megapixel camera, and a micro SD slot for up to 8gb worth of storage. what do you think? will the iphone slowly die this thanksgiving? (pic via engadget)
we’re almost there! a flying car is still in the works through the geniuses over at MIT, but the concept is pretty simple. they’ve managed to combine the aspect of driving to a short landing strip, wings folding out, and taking off to another small landing strip only to fold your wings up and go! aimed at business travelers and pilots, this may be the next step! (article and image via technology review)
the Smithsonian has unveiled plans to build an african-american history and culture museum by 2015. for those that know, this world-famous museum in the heart of D.C. has some of the most incredible video, pictures, and stories of all cultures, but especially of the middle passage. bringing the museum into the new age, the actual museum won’t be laid, but they have erected a website and are encouraging all to submit to the ‘online museum’ as of way of preserving stories, artifacts, and memorabilia from those who wish to share their experiences about african-american culture. 
yep. you read that right. today, before they are all sold out, you can get a free slurpee at 7-11. thanks to james for the tip on that one.
the wii will now feature a new blaster accessory to play shooting games, the wii zapper, and a new steering wheel for the upcoming, sure-to-be-ridiculous mario kart game.
the wii will also allow users to go online and finally play against each other in upcoming titles like madden 08 and the aforementioned mario kart.
