Filed under: Gaming

Continue reading Blazepro ships Wii Classic Controller, Nintendo hints at first-party classic attachment

iTunes 7.7 is available in "software update" for Mac and Windows. Apple's iTunes page also has it. You'll need this version for the new iPhone OS 2.0 version. The new version hasn't changed from the confidential pre-release we tested alongside iPhone OS 2.0. Like we said then, the apps sync tab in iTunes will not show until you have iPhone Firmware 2.0 installed.

Batman Begins, the one HD DVD that we've been waiting to get on Blu-ray, has finally made it. It's Batman. It's Blu-ray. You want it. Buy it now. Get tickets for The Dark Knight. It's Batman! Buy this goddamn movie! BATMAN!! [Amazon]

We first saw Belkin's slick-looking wireless HDMI kit at CES, when it was due in September for about $600. Now dubbed FlyWire (nice and catchy!), they've got two initial entries: FlyWire will shoot full 1080p goodness using the 5GHz band to anywhere in your house, walls be damned, for $999. Plus, it has an IR backchannel for controlling hidden AV devices. Or FlyWire R1 gets you in-room wireless for $699.99. galleryPost('belkinflywire', 3, '');

FlyWire is set for October, though those looking for the mildly cheaper in-room option will have to wait until early next year. Both of them are pricier than Monster's $600 wireless HDMI setup, which is also supposed to hit in October (though it cheats a bit by using UWB-over-Coax to nail whole-home streaming). Check out all the specs below to compare for yourself:
[Belkin]

Filed under: Cellphones, Portable Audio, Portable Video

var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/apple/Jobs_App_Store_launching_with_500_iPhone_apps_25_free'; Steve Jobs told USA Today that the Apple App Store will launch with "more than 500" applications Thursday night for the iPhone and iPod touch. Of these, 25% will be free and 90% (of those for sale) will cost $9.99 or less. "This is the biggest launch of my career," said Jobs. Analyst Tim Bajarin at Creative Strategies said, "When IBM introduced the PC, it was good, but it didn't take off until people started discovering the software." It's these apps then, he adds, that will "dramatically differentiates the iPhone" from Treos and BlackBerrys. Indeed, while consumers are focused on the launch of the iPhone 3G device, it's the App Store which has analysts in such a tizzy.

Update: The New York Times reports that 1/3 of all first-wave applications will be games. We also corrected the Bajarin misquote above.

Filed under: Laptops

Steve Jobs gave the NYT a bunch of details on the upcoming iPhone App Store. It's opening Thursday with "more than 500 software applications," 25% of which will be free, and 90% of which will be $9.99 or less. If we're talking software developers, they get 70% of the revenues while Apple pockets 30%. Jobs compared the split favorably to game development companies, saying that Apple was going to "provide distribution and marketing." Somehow we don't think arrangement of apps on a virtual iTunes shelf with a few web banners on Fark and Digg can compare with, say, the Grand Theft Auto IV ad blitz. [NYT]