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AOL adds movie downloads to video portal
Dedicated services like Vongo and Movielink are already doing the movie download thing, but now AOL, a major player vying for digital distribution market share (and our parent company, by the way) added this most sought-after of services to their video portal. Ranging in price from $9.99-$19.99, a decent selection of movies both old and new are available, but of course: you need a Windows XP machine and IE6 - not even Firefox is allowed to purchase (bad AOL! Bad!). Now that an actual internet portal has stepped foot on video download ground, how much longer will it take for Apple to debut an iTunes iMovie Store? The CEO of Lions Gate Studios even dropped a hint that it's on its way, so here's hoping the rumors prove their substance sooner than later.Thanks Jon
PodBuffet - an iTunes Kiosk on its way?
How many times have you found yourself out and about somewhere when 'the iTMS itch' strikes? You know, that catchy song playing over the mall speakers, or a kid's headphones at the airport blaring loud enough for you to jam along. But how are you supposed to scratch that itch if your computer and iTMS account are sitting at home?Fortunately, 22Moo, an Australian hardware and software company, hopes to lend you a hand with the PodBuffet, an iTunes Kiosk they're developing that is powered by a Mac mini with a 15" touch-screen LCD and a "customised application for timed access to iTunes". Their press release doesn't reveal much more information, so we're assuming they're working out a method for allowing those itchin' for a fixin' to purchase music and load up their iPod on the go, without having to deal with any of that library-linking silliness. 22Moo's site isn't very forthcoming either, so here's hoping these kiosks don't join the ranks of countless other vaporware.[via MacMinute]
AMD acquires ATI for $5.4 billion
AMD, the #2 CPU maker in the world, has announced a purchase of ATI, a leading graphics card manufacturer, for $5.4 billion. IMG has more details on the buyout and the business end of things, but we're more interested in finding out what exactly this means for the Mac market. ATI currently supplies the graphics hardware in a good portion of Apple's machines, including the MacBook Pro I'm typing this on and my wife's iMac, so here's hoping ATI makes enough money from working with Apple to keep AMD - an arch rival to Intel - happy. Stay tuned for more details as they develop.
Fraser Speirs clears up FlickrExport licensing confusion
It sounds like confusion has arisen over how FlickrExport's licensing terms work; specifically, how many licenses one needs to purchase, and for which machines. To help simplify things, Fraser has adopted terms like The Omni Group uses, which I personally applaud: a user can purchase one license and use it on two machines; for example, a desktop and a notebook (though both licenses can't be in use simultaneously). On the other hand, a business can't purchase ten licenses for twenty employees, even if no more than ten copies of FlickrExport are in use at any given time.Read up on Fraser's blog post for an update and a more in-depth explanation of the simplified terms, and if you're one of the confused users who doesn't need an extra license or two that you purchased, Fraser will be personally contacting you to offer a refund.
$40 XBL Vision camera & UNO bundle detailed by MS source along with prices & dates for other 360 accessories
Our friendly anonymous source at Microsoft has provided us with a few more details concerning the 360 accessories announced back at E3.Perhaps the most important involves the bundling of the Xbox Live Vision camera with a wired headset, the popular Live Arcade title UNO, and a month of Live Gold service for $39.99 when it releases in the States on September 19, 2006.Granted, this is still an unofficial report (based on a leak of "official" info), so understand that you're probably not gonna get much confirmation from MS until they're good and ready to give it. If you'd like information on what other peripherals are coming out "Holiday 2006" (so sometime in the 4th quarter) and at what price, read on for more.
iTMS does storefront customization for radio websites
Two hip-hop radio stations, Power 106 in LA and HOT 97 in NYC, have signed on the dotted line with the iTMS to offer an integrated, customized version of the store right in their own websites. The radio stations can design the store any way they see fit, and feature any artists, recent releases and playlists they want. From some quick browsing, I was able to find the iTMS integration at HOT 97's site, but not at Power 106's.hypebot, the blog where we found this, was quick to point out the vast potential this kind of partnership with the iTMS has for any kind of niche markets, businesses and organizations you can think of: "From skateboard sites selling radical tunes to a museum's site selling period music that matches their exhibitions, this could be a very exciting development for niche and indie music marketers". Indeed, this is a great example of that iPod expansion post Scott had yesterday; it sounds like Apple has plenty of tricks up their sleeve for the iPod and iTMS.
Engineering the DS Lite: 2 Nintendo hardware vets speak
Ever wonder what decisions go into a hardware redesign? Thanks to the latest edition of Nintendo's Japanese online mag, we finally get a portable peek into the DS Lite.Two Nintendo engineers who worked on the cuter DS sibling reveal how they pulled off the svelte new look while maintaining things like usability, battery life, and cost.Who knew that the new stylus was made "longer and wider to accommodate older users" (the Brain Age demographic who'd taken such a shine to the now shinier little system)? Durable, reliable hardware: it's what Nintendo does best. Let's hope they continue that trend with the Lite, as well as whatever other slicker iterations of the handheld that we're tempted to purchase -- or repurchase -- in the future.[Thanks, Princess Zelda; also via DS Fanboy]See also: Nintendo DS proven toilet-safe Playstation 2 goes silver (redux)
You know your tech lust is bad when...
...all monetary amounts translate into Apple/computer/gadget purchases. Let me explain.A friend of mine told me he lost his wallet containing $300 on the bus the other day (he since recovered the wallet, cash and all). I then told a fellow Mac using friend about this unfortunate event, and the first thing he says is "Yikes! That's almost a mini!" (To be fair, this friend is in the market for a Mac mini.) This dialog got me wondering: how bad can tech lust get?I'm not talking about the Apple fanboys who can't resist the urge to bash Windows and blindly proclaim Apple's infallibility and perfect security track record (even though neither exist) on every blog post and forum thread they invade. I'm asking: what lengths or depths have you or a family member/friend gone to for that *one* gadget, or for the Mac you're reading this on now? Feel free to share your stories of obsession and desperation involving Macs and gadgets - we won't hold them against you (much).
