Geek Choice » Entertainment

The next Microsoft Xbox to drop disc drives

Joe — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 09:31:23 +0000

There is has been plenty of rumors and speculation regarding the next new Xbox, one interesting report, is the Microsoft was going to do away with used games. Meaning if you want to own a game you’re going to have to buy it new. Now there was speculation that the disc would have special coding on it that would attach to your profile but now there is a report from the MCV website that Microsoft has been reported the next version of its Xbox will not feature a disc drive at all. Leading many to believe in the video game world that Microsoft will be giving us the ability to digitally download these games, but I feel that to do this they are going to have to gear up on bandwidth. Could you imagine hundreds of thousands of people downloading the newest Halo at 12:01 AM on launch vs. people waiting outside of a video game store for the product? Also then we have to look at the impact this would have on the retail industry. Would they sell the games like they sell the digital content? With code cards that you input into the Xbox? If that be the case why would anyone want to even think of going out to buy these cards when they can easily download it from the comfort of the couch. Outside of people who don’t have a credit card and use cash only, but at this stage that is most likely the minority. There are rumors that the console would be revealed at this year’s E3 which Microsoft did squash. Though the system is rumored for 2013 launch.

Apple TV could be launching this March

Joe — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 13:09:52 +0000

If you are an avid follower of my blog you would have seen last month that I reported a March 7th announcement for the iPad 3 from Apple. Well it looks like the iPad is going to have share some of the spotlight. Some sources that are familiar with the Apple product announcements have also said that they will be launching the Apple TV as well. The Apple TV is suppose to have a very fast processor which most are reporting a variation of the dual core A5 processor which from all accounts be needed for the TB to stream 1080p video but there is also some speculation of a new A5X chip which is similar to the A5 but will have a better graphics engine. Some other fun rumors to play around with is that it will have a Bluetooth 5.0 remote and even Siri support. So it looks like some of the steam is taken out of the iPads sails with the possible announcement of the Apple TV, but will this TV be good? Has Apple finally figured out how to get into this TV business where they have to be able to put a firm grip on like they have with so many other products? Only time will tell.

Twitter your news source before the news

Joe — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 13:57:43 +0000

It has been reported that 27 minutes before the news broke the death of Whitney Houston, it was on Twitter. There was a tweet sent out at 4:57PM PT that was reported by the Associated press that confirmed Whitney’s death by citing her very own publicist retweeting more than 10,000 times, which is according to data from Topsy Labs but the first tweet to actually reveal the news was put out around 4:30PM PT and that was only retweeted once. The police reports have her pronounced dead at 3:55PM PT so within 1 hour the news leaked through twitter before it hit the news. Though this wouldn’t be the first time news had leaked through twitter before major news outlets were able to report. In Pakistan a programmer live tweeted the military attack on Osama bin Landens camp inadvertently. So are we looking at Twitter becoming the next big news outlet?

Louis CK’s digital experiment clears $1M

Joe — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 14:01:08 +0000

First off I would like to wish all my readers a safe and happy holidays. Now I would like to talk about something that I found very interesting. A comedian by the name of Louis CK has done something that in recent memory I haven’t seen anyone do before. He created his own comedy special and instead of getting it done through HBO or Comedy Central, he decided he was going to show it through the internet. Now if you don’t know much about Louis CK, he is a comedian that started right here in the home town of Geek Choice, Boston and has had decent success over the years. Now that success has gone to a new realm, an online comedy special. The comedy special is Live at the Beacon Theater which you can purchase for $5 on his website. In just 12 days of this special being put on his site he has cleared the $1M mark. Which just goes to show you that you always don’t need the brass of high power TV executives to make something happen for yourself. If you have followed anything that Louis CK has done in the past, the great thing about this is that he has a TV show on FX just called Louie. Now that might not seem like it is special, it is more or less just like anything else right? Wrong, he has total and utter creative control of the show with no say from the people at FX. So this is probably the greatest thing for artists who want to make something special for themselves. I salute you Louis CK for making such a bold move that paid off in a big way.

Joe — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 14:10:37 +0000

Google Music has finally launched and there is plenty to talk about for all you Android users out there. You can get it on the Android marketplace.

The store offers more than 13 million tracks from artists on Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, EMI, and the global independent rights agency Merlin as well as over 1,000 prominent independent labels including Merge Records, Warp Records, Matador Records, XL Recordings and Naxos. Google has also partnered with the world’s largest digital distributors of independent music including IODA, INgrooves, The Orchard and Believe Digital.

You can purchase individual songs or entire albums right from your computer or your Android device and they’ll be added instantly to your Google Music library, and accessible anywhere. Google is also giving you the ability to share a free full play of a purchased song with your friends on Google+.
So let’s see what Google Music can do!

Ad-based Apple TV deal with CBS not happening

Joe — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 13:12:36 +0000

CBS CEO Les Moonves is known to occasionally drop pieces of information that he’s not supposed to on his company’s earnings calls, and this quarter was no exception. When asked about CBS’s appetite for striking deals with new streaming providers that might not have the money to pay cash up front to license its content, Moonves said that CBS had decided against joining an Apple TV service because it was based on an ad split. Apple is rumored to be working on a subscription streaming service that would have content from many TV networks and would go up against the typical cable and satellite services. From what has been reported the CBS philosophy of getting paid for upfront licensing fees for syndication of its content online, as opposed to partnering on revenue-sharing agreements. This is also why CBS didn’t join Hulu. Although it looks like that move is paying off as they struck a deal with Netflix and Amazon earlier this year and the CW also licensed its shows to Netflix and Hulu.

E3 Hardware Breakdown Part 2

Joe — Sun, 12 Jun 2011 13:46:22 +0000

Today I am focusing on the Playstation Vita which is the new handheld console of the Sony family. Looks like an original PSP with a touch screen to me. But is that all it really offers is a wonderful touch screen? So the cost of this will be $249 with wi-fi and $299 with 3G. 3G is going to be exclusive to AT&T it looks like so if want to use 3G you will have to hook up with their data plans like the iPad. So here are the main differences between the PSP and the new PS Vita:
• Advanced portable entertainment system
A high performance CPU / GPU combined with OLED enables rich, visually striking graphics never seen before on a portable entertainment system. PS Vita also adopts the Super Oval Design form factor, which fits comfortably in users’ hands.
• Revolutionary User Interface
A unique multi-touch pad on the rear, with the front touch display. Two cameras on it’s front and rear, as well as three motion sensors, gyroscope, accelerometer, and electronic compass.
• LiveArea™
Every game title for PS Vita will be provided with a space called “LiveArea™” where users can share the fun and excitement with other players.
• Location-based services
SCE will provide location-based services on PS Vita as part of the basic features utilizing PlayStation Network. The new application called “Near,” developed specifically for this service and the network, will be pre-installed in the system.
• Wi-Fi and 3G network connectivity
PS Vita is equipped with 3G in addition to Wi-Fi.
• Closely coordinated with PlayStation Suite
The newly developed and released game content for Android based portable devices can also be enjoyed on PS Vita.

Many sources say new Nintendo HD console coming

Joe — Sun, 17 Apr 2011 12:55:05 +0000

Gamers have been waiting years for Nintendo to finally release its Wii successor, and Game Informer has heard from multiple sources that the company will unveil it at E3 this summer if not sooner. There has been talk about an HD Wii for some time now, and the time is perfect – almost necessary – for Nintendo to jump start itself with this new system. The company has been feeling the bite since Wili sales have declined from the previous years, and this week’s news that Nintendo could be dropping the price on May 15th of the Wii and an attempt to move as many Wii units as possible out of the retail channel before the new system hits. There is no confirmation if this new system will be backward compatible with the Wii or if it will even carry the Wii branding as has often been rumored. It is our understanding that Nintendo is trying to embrace the western gamer and will likely launch a new brand with this console. Around the office we have dubbed the system Nintendo HD. However, this information at this point is conjecture.

Google to change YouTube around

Joe — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 13:00:57 +0000

Google is looking to make an overhaul of YouTube as it is trying to position itself for what is going to be the rise of televisions that let people watch online videos in their living rooms. Google wants YouTube to compete against broadcasts and cable television. This is a goal to get people to stay on YouTube longer. I don’t know about you but I could watch a Pug singing the Batman theme a hundred times and it still wouldn’t get old. The site is going change the homepage to highlight sets of channels around topics of arts, news, and sports. About 20 channels with have hours of professionally produced original programming per week and there is a possibility they will have channels for content currently on the site. It is said that $100 million to commission low cost content specifically for the web. The reason this could be happening is because Google bought YouTube for $1.6 billion back in 2006 and is pressured to make YouTube a cash cow. The main idea would be to get people to stay on YouTube longer there increasing ad revenues for the website and if any of the shows they plan to produce get big, I am sure they will make tons of money on the ad revenue for that time slot and channel. These new idea should be interesting and maybe I will be watching.

Amazon facing possible legal backlash over Cloud

Joe — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 13:29:09 +0000

Amazon yesterday announced a new service in which you can store all of your music in one place and then be able to stream it through your phone and other devices. Well once again the music industry is crying foul. Stating that Amazon needs to get streaming licensing agreements for people to access their own music that they most likely already bought from a source like iTunes. Apparently Amazon is in the works of obtaining such licenses but not before launching the Cloud service. Of course the first thing I read about this is from Sony music having issues with the fact this streaming deal hasn’t been put into place but they are in high hopes that this happens.
This is not the first time a company has been taken to court over this back in 2007 EMI sued MP3tunes, which was a company that offered a service similar to the Cloud. It is unclear whether customers who own the music are allowed to remotely access the storage services offered by cloud computing. I am against the whole litigation against companies that are offering a service to stream music you already own to your private devices. If the music companies want to get paid for stuff they didn’t invent, why they don’t start working on these technologies. I feel like this is a bit of double dipping. The customer pays for the song but yet can’t access it from their computers via their phone. Well the funny thing s if you have an iPod and put music on that, you still have the music on your PC and iPod. So should the music industry put a tax on companies who make MP3 devices, full knowing the music could go on an iPad, iPod and still be on someone’s computer? But since it is not being streamed over the internet it’s ok to do that? This is a convenience service that a company created and people will love it and it is free for the first 5GB but the starving music industry must need a bail out from the government with all the litigation they do. I hope that if this goes to court the judge rules in the favor of Amazon. I am always angry to read these types of things, we can all understand the music industries battle against piracy because that is illegal but this cloud computing seems like a gray area to me. By ruling in the favor of the music industry this could open problems for other cloud computing ideas everywhere.