Generation Star Wars

E-tailer Amazon has sold 1,400 Nintendo Wii consoles in just 10 minutes after it received a delivery of the hard-to-find system yesterday, Cyber Monday!

Following last week's news that HMV sold its stock in 34 minutes, the build-up to Christmas has seen orders increase even more, with Amazon the latest firm to see demand far outstrip supply.

Such is the demand for the console that a report in trade paper MCV suggests Wii consoles have been changing hands for as much as £300 on eBay, with some high street retailers forcing customers to buy any machines they have left as part of an expensive games bundle.

Third-party resellers on Amazon are charging anywhere from £299.99 to £500 for a Wii. And Sony's PS3 60GB model commands £499.99 to £1500 now that the machine is sold out at retail!

I have it on excellent authority that Games for Windows titles should run perfectly under the aegis of Boot Camp!

As discussed previously. Now that Boot Camp has graduated from beta, there's really no need to wait for third-party developers, such as Aspyr or MacSoft, to port AAA titles to our OS platform of choice.

Instant gaming gratification guaranteed!

Canny Cyber Monday shoppers maybe lucky enough to buy an elusive Wii today!

I'm most flattered to learn that my post, Vanquishing Vista, has been republished by USATODAY.com (direct link).

This wouldn't have been made possible without being a BlogBurst member, and I implore readers, who also blog, to at least consider, if they haven't already done so, the opportunities open to them via social networking, at local, national and international level.

Reading Maury McCown's announcement that RailHEAD Design is no more, reminded me that I've neglected my portfolio site (founded June 15th 2001) since February!

The site was originally conceived to promote my skills and support job applications (don't assume that every prospective employer will bother to look at your site, no matter how easy it is to click a hyper link). However, it soon developed its own identity and became a springboard for affiliate marketing, graphic design, editorial, social networking and so on...

Whilst my portfolio site could never hope to garner the, deserved, success of RailHEAD Design, I've been proud to maintain it, exchange links with best-of-class Mac-related sites such as The Iconfactory, and humbled to read every e-mail inquiry. Like Maury, I've now taken the decision to no longer update the site. It won't be deleted.

The saga of Generation Star Wars has only just begun...

A quick, and last minute, post to wish all my US readers a very, very, Happy Thanksgiving, free from the trammels of materialism. Hope you're well-rested for Black Friday!

As with last year, the Nintendo Wii is in short supply on both sides of the Atlantic! Prices are skyrocketing and Link's Crossbow Training (inc. Wii Zapper) is being released in time for the holidays!

The Wii Zapper has Star Wars prop written all over it, and will be many gamers weapon of choice for blasting hapless Imperial Stormtroopers come Christmas!

Happy Birthday Scarlett Johansson!

If it wasn't enough that Exeter, my birthplace, garnered pride of place on Monopoly Here and Now UK Edition! Apple has finally announced that the Apple Store, Princesshay, opens on Saturday November 24th!

Here's the official announcement:

Come to the new Apple Store, Princesshay, and bring your curiosity. It's the place to test-drive any Mac or iPod, experience iPhone, and catch free workshops for all the latest Mac tips and tricks. When you get there, find our Concierge in the blue shirt. They're your guide to everything, from checking in for an appointment to instant checkout. This Saturday, you can enter our Grand Opening Sweepstakes* to win a Mac and loads of accessories to go with it. And if you're one of the first 1,000 visitors, you'll get a free Apple T-shirt.

Discover what makes the Apple Retail Store everyone's favourite neighbour.

Store Address:
24 Princesshay,
Exeter,
Devon
EX1 1GE

Telephone number: 01392 31 66 00

A rare pleasure is receiving a review copy of a new studio album! And it doesn't get much better, in the pop genre, then a new Girls Aloud album!

Chemistry (2005), fronted by Biology (arguably one of the best pop songs ever written), was a tough conceptual act to follow. Tangled Up is pop at its most wittily inventive, feisty and fearless!

Yes, Sexy No No No never develops on its initial intoxicating premise and Call The Shots is conservative despite a glorious chorus more suited to a composition rich in daring-do. Can't Speak French and Black Jacks brings brilliance in spades and from there Tangled Up delivers a la Britney's Blackout! Edgy musical standards that the middle and upper classes can enjoy deconstructing without being overly defensive! This is no guilty pleasure.

Love music, love Girls Aloud! I'm not going to say another word!

**** out of *****

It would be most negligent of me not to mention today's European launch of the iPhone! Will I be taking one of these home tonight? No! Its superior, and newer, sibling, the iPod touch, is a far more alluring consumer product and isn't tied to a misguided and expensive O2 contract. And the diminutive charms of the new iPod nano cannot be resisted! A black iPod nano sits on my computer desk craving attention!

The enigmatic Apple Store Exeter, now securely encased in Apple's trademark black fascia, purportedly opens on Saturday November 24th in Exeter's all-new Princesshay shopping centre! Don't quote me. Perhaps I'll see you in the queue!

Looks like my Panasonic TX-32LXD700 HD Ready LCD television has arrived just in the nick of time! Sony has finally lifted the wraps off the feted 2.0 PS3 firmware update!

Latest PLAYSTATION3 System Software Update Allows PSP to Turn PS3 On and Off from Internet Connection for Enhanced Remote Play

Ability to customise XMB™ and add personalised playlists for both music and photos also enabled

London, 8 November 2007 – Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE) announced today the availability of the latest version of the PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3™) system software. Version 2.00 features the ability to turn a PS3 system on and off remotely, using a PSP™ (PlayStation®Portable) system via the Remote Play1 function, allowing for a truly mobile partnership between the two systems.

Building on the success and potential of the Remote Play functionality, Version 2.00 will cement the partnership between PS3 and PSP and create a truly global experience. With the ability to turn your PS3 on and off from Wi-fi connection, there is now the opportunity to listen to the music, look at the photos and watch the videos saved on the PS3 Hard Disk Drive, anywhere in the world.

To further enhance the PS3 offering, Version 2.00 allows for the creation of personalised playlists in both the music and photo sections. This simple to use function gives users an opportunity to create unlimited music playlists for all occasions, as well as sharing favourite photos in glorious high definition.

Continuing with the idea of a personalised PS3, Version 2.00 allows for customisation of the XMB™ (XrossMediaBar) menu screen. Change the colour and brightness with the greatest of ease or have something completely different by setting a custom theme. With the potential for new backgrounds to become available on PLAYSTATION®Network in the future, Version 2.00 truly opens up a whole raft of options.

A host of other enhancements includes the addition of an Information Board on XMB to keep people up to date on the latest PlayStation® news, the inclusion of a new PLAYSTATION Network category and logo for easier navigation and Trend Micro Web Security, a free2, state of the art internet security system, designed to give parents peace of mind.

Of all the features added during this year's firmware updates. DVD upscaling adds the most value! Watching Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace revealed copious amounts of detail, not clearly evident in standard definition, and the patent fact that the CGI has not endured the test of time! Presumably ILM is hard at work retooling all the special effects in Lucas' six-part opus for its Blu-ray debut next year! May I suggest that you use the 'normal' setting for upscaling as this can have an adverse effect on source material! It's not a panacea.

The Eye of Judgement could be this holiday season's ultimate electronic board game, narrowly missing the accolade this Halloween!

The Eye of Judgment sees the dawn of a new way to interact with the PLAYSTATION 3 system as an innovative game for the world of card games. Using the immense power of PLAYSTATION 3, and the ground-breaking technology of the next generation camera, players can now enjoy a totally new genre in gaming.

The Eye of Judgment presents a new style of gameplay where the player brings characters/monsters of fantasy trading cards to life for battle in 3D. Through use of a 3' x 3' board and trading cards - each encrypted with cybercode, players conquer the field by selecting a card and placing the cybercode in front of the next generation camera for their respective character to come to life and battle.

Each character has various skillsets, which will determine the outcome of the battle. Players take turns to place cards as they jostle for control of the board; the winner is the first player to capture five of the nine squares. The Eye of Judgment presents the player with more than 30 cards, as well as unique online and offline gameplay.