Xbox 360 Wiimote Coming This Year, Code Name: Newton

Well it looks like Microsoft is jumping on the Wii bandwagon with their own version of the Wiimote. Microsoft confirmed that they're in development of a Xbox 360 motion sensitive controller similar to the Wii controller, with a code name of Newton. The 360mote will have a LED sensor bar (like the Wii), but will one up the Wii by having a built in microphone. Jesus Diaz from Gizmodo did a great mock up job, base on MTV's sketch.

No release date has been announced, but it's rumored for late '08.

[8bitjoystick via Gizmodo]

iphone 16GB And ipod touch 32GB Now Available

Well if you didn’t think that your iphone or ipod touch had enough space for all of the music, movies, and non authorized applications that you have, well Apple is about to do you a solid. The iphone with 16GB and the ipod touch is now available for order with 32GB of storage from the Apple store. While there is still no 3G for the iphone, the memory bump will run you $499 for both iphone and ipod touch.

How HD DVD Was The Better Format

I don't usually care for long posts, but this subject just needs to be talked about. Brian Lam of Gizmodo just says it all about the HD format war. Just read below:

"Before winning the majority of Hollywood studio support, those partial to the Blu-ray format have primarily relied on a few points to make their case: more storage and rocketing sales at the ratio of 2:1 to HD DVD. Those are bullshit arguments. As consumers, we should have only been looking at what each format delivered and in that case, HD DVD was a more stable platform with more features on almost every disc that was offered in both. It's a moot point now, because the platform with more content deserves to win, but here's why I wish HD DVD wasn't on its knees:
When Wilson compared the same discs in each format, Harry Potter and 300, HD DVD had many, many more features. Proof is in the pudding:

The difference is still less subtle when comparing the two editions of 300:

Blu-ray could technically support a lot of that functionality, according to the spec, but the trick here is that most of the spec is not and still isn't mandatory. And even when all the Blu-ray players on the market are up to the final spec, whenever that may be, the majority of the original players will still not support extras, so why would anyone develop those extras? They won't. A stair-stepped rollout of what each player must have to be spec compliant has severely limited the Blu format, despite all that great storage capacity. And this might take a very long time to fix, if it ever does.
HD DVD, you were the people's format: R.I.P.

Why I Wished HD DVD Had Won: The Format That Loved Me [Gizmodo]

Why Warner Bros. REALLY Went To Blu-Ray

So as I had suspected all along, the real reason that Warner Bros. defected to Blu-Ray has come out. And it turns out that it's the reason I thought it might be, money.

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette columnist Don Lindich uncovered the WB's dirty little secret, and the numbers that are involve are staggering. Aparently Warner wanted to stay with HD DVD, and gave Toshiba some time to bring in another studio into the camp before they turned Blu-Ray. Toshiba had Fox lined up to go HD DVD exclusive, which would have also made Warner HD DVD exclusive, but Fox nixed the deal in the last minutes.

The reason why Fox canceled the deal? Well Fox received a reported $120 million payout from Sony to stay with Blu-Ray. Warner Bros. then switched to Blu-Ray and received between $400 and $500 million to go Blu-Ray exclusive. Warner Bros. Kevin Tsujihara said that it wasn't a bidding war that brought them to Blu-Ray, which is true considering that HD DVD didn't get a bid in.

So it's not that the consumer made the decision to go with Blu-Ray, or the line that "Blu-Ray is the more advanced format, so that's why we went with them" crap. It's just Sony flat out paid more than Toshiba was willing to do, and the consumer suffers for their greed.

Money certainly does talk.

[Post-Gazette via Gizmodo]

Concept iphone Ordering Screen For Starbucks

Apple has talked about how they will have a ordering and paying patent for iphone, and it looking like that might be coming to light. These concept designs were created by Phil Lu, and they look pretty real. Turns out that Apple didn't go with this design, choosing to go with a credit card payment system instead of Lu's Semacode to confirm payment. Lu's answer to this:

"This concept was designed before the Apple patent is widely publicized. Similar to ordering song through the web via iTune account, Semacode works like a digital "receipt," allowing the user to use their iTunes account for the transaction (which will bypass credit card transaction/identification, and speed up the pick-up process)."

Although these designs look so good, we'll have to wait until MacWorld to find out what it will truly look like.

[Genoco via Gizmodo]

Universal Ends Exclusivity With HD DVD

The end is nie…

This sounds to be the case for HD DVD as Variety has confirmed that Universal will no longer support HD DVD exclusively. Universal and Paramount were the last two movie homes to support HD DVD exclusively, but that has changed since the announcement of Warner Bros. Blu-Ray only support. Paramount has a clause that will allow them to also push both formats, but some speculate that they will leave HD DVD completely.

Universal did say that they’re still committed to HD DVD, and in fact plan HD DVD promotions in the future. But Jesus Diaz from Gizmodo brings up an interesting point stating that retailers are not going to commit "premium shelf space to a dying format.”

If HD DVD starts to lose shelve space and begins to be pushed to the side, Universal might as well not make another HD DVD!

[Variety via Gizmodo]

Apple Mac Pro Hit’s The Street With 8 Cores, Hide Women And Children

Apple came out swinging today with the release of a new Mac Pro that has two, count em, two Intel 45nm Quad-Core Xeons at 3.2GHz each standard. That’s right, 8 core standard for this beast with an ATI HD 2600 XT graphics with 256MB. It also can support up to 4 graphics cards, which would allow up to eight 30-inch cinema displays at once. All of this is yours for $2799, which is not back at all for what you get.

[Mac Pro via Gizmodo]

Paramount Rumored To Go Blu-Ray Exclusively

Another devastating blow is rumored to be looming for HD DVD, as Financial Times is reporting Paramount has a clause in their HD DVD exclusivity that allows them to abandon ship if HD DVD tanks and Warner goes to Blu-Ray. Paramount is said to be ready to invoke that clause, in light of Warner’s defection.

In less than a week, HD DVD has gone from spunky underdog to heart attack victim on life support waiting to have the plug kicked out. If Paramount makes this switch, it would leave Universal and Dreamworks in the HD DVD camp. And with Dreamworks being a branch of Paramount, one would think that the change to Blu-Ray wouldn’t be to far behind.

Nite nite HD DVD. We hardly knew ye.

[Financial Times]

Warner Bros. Goes 100% Blu-Ray: HD DVD On The Ropes?

In what is sure to be a huge blow to the HD DVD camp, Warner Brothers has gone exclusively to Blu-Ray. Where once they were producing for both HD formats with movies like Harry Potter and 300, the WB will produce only for Blu-Ray. Check the quote from WB chairman Barry Meyer:

"The window of opportunity for high-definition DVD could be missed if format confusion continues to linger,"

Meyer seems to think that this will end the format war, but with movie homes like Paramount, DreamWorks and Universal still in the HD DVD camp, I don't think this thing is over. But it is disappointing because HD DVD titles seemed to have more features than their Blu-Ray counter parts. And this move would suggest that most movie homes are moving towards Blu-Ray. With the thought of Batman: The Dark Knight and the remaining Harry Potter movies only in Blu-Ray format, they might have made up my mind for me.

A big blow for sure!

Check the press release after the jump.

[Gizmodo]