Filed under: Gaming

While selling a PS3 soon after launch day probably paid some hefty dividends for those lucky enough to secure one, pistol-whipping someone in order to make it happen probably isn’t worth the trouble. Apparently a cash-strapped (or completely crazed) Massachusetts duo couldn’t quite weigh the consequences before taking action, and are now under arrest for “attempted murder and robbery.” One gunman, William J. Robertson, is already being held under a $1 million (or about 600 to 700 properly eBayed PlayStation 3s, whichever you prefer) bond, while his 17-year old partner in attempted larceny remains “on the loose.” While we knew the PS3 launch would potentially bring out the worst in people, unloading ammunition to get your game (or profiteering) on is just taking things a bit too far — so while camping out weeks in advance for a next generation console may surely pay off in the short-term, we’d say pulling a criminal stunt to get one probably won’t.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time

Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Portable Video

The New York Post came out hard yesterday with a piece about how Wal-Mart is threatening movie studios over the iTunes Movie Store, to which the retail giant quickly responded with a statement denying the claims. The NYP claims that Wal-Mart is telling studios that they’ll start ordering fewer DVD movies if the studios jump aboard the iTMS bandwagon, similar to their temporary reaction when TV shows started being sold by Apple. Wal-Mart quickly disputed the claims, saying “While we recognize there are various current and potential providers of this service, we are not dissuading studios from conducting business with other providers.” According to Reuters, a source “familiar with the situation” says that while Wal-Mart “freaked out” over TV show sales, the online sales haven’t impacted their own, and they’re not too concerned over iTunes movie sales. None of this really confirms or denies rumours of Wal-Mart prepping their own download store, but we’re definitely not giving up hope of a price-slasher moving to the online space.

[Via Slashdot]

Read – New York Post (is)
Read – Reuters (isn’t)

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

SPONSORED BY: BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time.

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Portable Video

We’ve heard rumblings for a while — and Wal-Mart’s purported intense opposition to the iTunes Movie Store might’ve had something to do with it as well — but now the rumors are coming hot and heavy in regards to a movie download store from the retail giant. First off, we have a new job listing from Wal-Mart in regards to a business manager for a digital video division who can sort out “pricing strategies to maximize market share.” And then there’s a report by CNN Money citing “sources” that say Wal-Mart is hoping to launch in the coming months, and is currently debating pricing structures. (If only they had a business manager who could sort out “pricing strategies to maximize market share.”) Wal-Mart is also supposedly considering in-store kiosks, and a deal to allow for a free digital version of a movie with the purchase of a physical DVD, or at least for a few dollars more. Wal-Mart of course wouldn’t confirm or deny these report, but dropped some big juicy hints such as: “Our customers want to watch movies and they want to be able to make the choice when and how they want to view them.” Right now it looks like a natural move for Wal-Mart, and we sure wouldn’t complain if they manage to drive prices down — as seems to be their way — but we’ll let them and that business manager figure things out for now while we head over to iTunes for a bit of The Princess Diaries.

[Via Techcrunch]

Read – Wal-Mart sets stage for digital action
Read – Wal-Mart moves on digital movie downloads

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

SPONSORED BY: BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time.

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Portable Video

In what could turn into a preemptive strike against the further decline of DVD sales in the face of competition from digital downloads as well as Blu-ray and HD-DVD discs, major retailers may soon be installing kiosks in their stores that give customers access to on-demand, feature-length films on DVD or their portable devices. According to Reuters, the major movie studios are reportedly in talks with retail heavyweights like Wal-mart to theoretically offer their complete archives for downloading to in-store terminals with high-speed connections, where they would either be burned onto DVD or transferred to unspecified devices, a la that proposed DVD Station service we saw awhile back (which seemingly never materialized). While the prospect of having immediate access to almost every movie ever made is admittedly appealing, we’re not really sure that we want to drive all the way over to Best Buy just to stand around waiting uncomfortably with our fellow patrons as we all clutch our iPods, nervously tap our feet, and wish we’d all just stayed at home and settled for whatever was on Moviebeam.

[Via Slashdot]

Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Filed under: Portable Audio

In a market already crowded with iBooms, iJams, and Hi-Fis, do we really need yet another iPod boombox to choose from? Memorex thinks so, as evidenced by their recent introduction of a 12-watt 'box -- called, unsurprisingly, the iMove -- which accepts fourth and fifth generation 'Pods along with nanos, the iPod photo, and even the good old Mini, plus anything else you can plug into its auxiliary port. Also sporting a remote, AM/FM tuner, and SRS WOW sound enhancement, the iMove can be powered from your car or boar's cigarette lighter, eight D batteries, or a regular wall outlet  -- and by using the latter option, you can simultaneously charge whatever iPod you have docked as well. No word yet on a release date, but as long as its cheaper than the Hi-Fi (it is, at around $100) and more polished than models like the Toolbox Player or iBoom (which it seems to be), it should probably be able to eke out some decent sales when it finally hits Wal-mart shelves.

[Via fosfor gadgets, thanks Mikael S.]