Apple unveiled its next version of the hugely popular iPhone today, confirming the many rumors that have been surrounding the already-legendary phone for months. The iPhone 3G will feature 3G data speeds – far outpacing the current iPhone's Edge network speeds, and very closely rivaling Wi-Fi speeds.

In addition to the faster speeds, the iPhone 3G will have GPS, a flush headphone jack (so you can use your favorite headphones, instead of needing iPhone-specific headphones), a choice of colors (black or white back), and improved audio.

Thanks to the iPhone 2.0 firmware upgrade (also available for original iPhones), the iPhone 3G will have Exchange support and VPN for corporate users, as well as access to third party software and games via the Apps Store.

The iPhone 3G's battery life will actually improve on the previous iPhone, supplying 300 hours of standby, 10 hours of standard talk time, 5 hours of 3G talk time (most of any 3G phone), 5-6 hours of Web browsing, 7 hours of video watching, and 24 hours of audio playback.

The price for the iPhone 3G is drastically lower than the previous iPhone, starting at $199 for the 8GB model (available in black), and $299 for the 16GB model (available in black or white).

The iPhone 3G will be simultaneously released in several countries around the world, including the United States, on July 11, 2008.

In case you didn't know, HD-DVD lost the high-def format war against Blu-ray a couple months ago. HD-DVD players and movie discs will cease to be made shortly this year. If you were an early adopter and find yourself stuck with soon-to-be-obsolete HD-DVD hardware and media, there may be a way to get back some of the money you spent.

If you purchased an HD-DVD player prior to February 23, 2008, you could be eligible for a rebate from the place where you purchased the player. Both Amazon and Best Buy announced plans to provide customers with $50 of store credit, if they purchased an HD-DVD player directly from them before February 23 (the date that Toshiba announced plans to end the HD-DVD format). Both stores are automatically sending these rebates to their customers (Amazon is sending emails with rebate codes, Best Buy is mailing out gift cards).

I had purchased an Xbox 360 HD-DVD player from Amazon back in September of last year and did not receive an email from them. I called customer support today, supplied them with my order info, and within an hour, a credit for $50 showed up in my account (which I promptly used to buy Blu-ray discs).

If you purchased an HD-DVD player from Amazon before 2/23/08 and haven't received an email concerning your $50 rebate, contact them through their website. It's fast and easy.

If you purchased an HD-DVD player from Best Buy and haven't received your $50 gift card by May 1, 2008, you can call 1-888-BEST-BUY to verify your eligibility. Click here for more info on Best Buy's rebate.

Other stores are running similar rebates. I've heard that you can physically trade in your HD-DVD player at Circuit City for either credit or a Blu-ray player, but could not find any info on their website. Check with the store you bought your HD-DVD player at to see if they're offering any similar type of "early adopter tax" refunds.

Now that the writer's strike is over, many of your favorite TV shows are returning to finish off the season. Some shows aren't returning until next season. Below is a list of each show and when it's returning to the airwaves. If you need to catch up on a show, click the show name to shop for the previous seasons on DVD!

Show	Return Date	Channel
Lost	On Now	ABC
Smallville	On Now	The CW
Back to You	On Now	FOX
Two and a Half Men	March 17	CBS
How I Met Your Mother	March 17	CBS
The Big Bang Theory	March 17	CBS
CSI: Miami	March 24	CBS
Samantha Who?	Late March	ABC
Criminal Minds	April 2	CBS
CSI: NY	April 2	CBS
CSI	April 3	CBS
Without a Trace	April 3	CBS
My Name is Earl	April 3	NBC
NUM3ERS	April 4	CBS
NCIS	April 8	CBS
The Office	April 10	NBC
30 Rock	April 10	NBC
ER	April 10	NBC
Bones	April 14	FOX
Law & Order: SVU	April 15	NBC
Gossip Girl	Early April	The CW
Desperate Housewives	Late April	ABC
Grey's Anatomy	Late April	ABC
Ugly Betty	Late April	ABC
Brothers & Sisters	Late April	ABC
House	TBD	FOX
Friday Night Lights	TBD	NBC
Heroes	Fall	NBC
Private Practice	Fall	ABC
24	Early '09	FOX

The new Apple TV allows users to rent/download standard and hi-def movies over the Internet and watch them on their widescreen televisions. No need for a computer. All you need is a free evening and a comfortable chair. Turn on the TV, browse through the Apple TV menu to find the movie you want to watch, and download it. You have 30 days to start watching the movie and 24 hours to finish the movie. Standard definition new releases cost $3.99 and older titles cost $2.99. HD versions of each cost a dollar more.

But that's not all the Apple TV offers. You can also watch or listen to podcasts from your TV, watch YouTube videos, browse photos, or synch with your computer to enjoy all of your iTunes content (music, movies, television shows, etc.).

Apple TV basically brings all of the downloadable media content formerly restricted to your computer into your living room.

With the addition of downloadable movie rentals, Apple TV makes services like Blockbuster and Netflix obsolete.

Have an Apple TV? Let us know what you think by posting a comment here or by submitting a user review!

Guitar Hero III and Rock Band both rocked store shelves this Christmas, selling out online and in most retail stores. Now that the holidays are over, the games are becoming more readily available. Both cost $100 or more, if you get the hardware along with the game. They both have identical game play, with one major difference... In Guitar Hero III, you can only play guitar, but in Rock Band, you can play guitar, drums, and sing.

Guitar Hero III is the third edition of a highly-successful and highly-entertaining game series, where you can play along with many of your favorite rock songs using a game controller that's shaped like a guitar. The game play is fairly simple and straightforward. You press the buttons on the controller in time with the notes that appear on the screen. It's a music rhythm game, similar to Dance Dance Revolution. As you progress through the game, the button combinations (or "chords") get more difficult. There is definitely skill involved in mashing buttons with the rhythm of the song. Unfortunately, that skill doesn't translate into being able to play a real guitar. You can purchase the new version of Guitar Hero for all the popular game systems (Wii, Xbox 360, PS3, PS2). You can buy the game alone (if you already have guitar controllers), or get the game packaged with a new wireless guitar controller for about $100. The Guitar Hero III controller is the first wireless guitar controller to be made so far.

Rock Band combines the guitar playing of Guitar Hero with karaoke-like singing. The singer will have to do his or her part to stay in tune and sing the right words on time. Likewise, the drummer will have to hit the right color-coded drum pads at the appropriate time, as well. If any player fails, the whole band fails. Rock Band definitely requires a bit more patience with the people you're playing with. Rock Band can be purchased as a bundle for $170, which includes the game, and three controllers (guitar, drums, and microphone). This is great, if you have two other people to play with. The guitar controller is different from the Guitar Hero controller, in that it's in the shape of a full-sized guitar (the Guitar Hero controller is like a small toy guitar), but is similarly wireless. Unfortunately, the Guitar Hero controllers will not work with Rock Band, so if you want to add an additional bass guitar into the Rock Band mix, you'll have to wait for their guitar controllers to be sold separately on January 31, 2008.

All-in-all, Rock Band is clearly the way to go, if you have multiple people who'll play along with you. If you're by yourself, stick with Guitar Hero III. Before choosing Rock Band, make sure you live in a house or townhouse with thick walls. The drum pads are inexplicably noisy and the singing can be loud, as well. Personally, I went with Guitar Hero III, because I live alone in a one-bedroom condo with thin walls. I also don't have space for all the bulky Rock Band instruments/controllers.

But both games are fun. And you'll have a blast rockin' out to either one!

Shop Now for Guitar Hero III...
Guitar Hero III Legends of Rock Bundle for Nintendo Wii >>
Guitar Hero III Legends of Rock Bundle for Xbox 360 >>
Guitar Hero III Legends of Rock Bundle for Playstation 3 >>
Guitar Hero III Legends of Rock Bundle for Playstation 2 >>

Shop Now for Rock Band...
Rock Band: Special Edition for Xbox 360 >>
Rock Band: Special Edition for Playstation 3 >>

Okay, dads. Your daughter's been running around the house wearing a blonde wig, singing songs you don't know, and trying to get you involved in witty verbal banter. You may think she's just being a typical kid, but she's really a Hannah Montana fan.

The bad news is you probably don't know who Hannah Montana is. The good news is that you've just discovered a great way to bond with your daughter.

"Hannah Montana" is a television show on the Disney Channel about a young girl (Miley Stewart) who lives an ordinary life by day, but is secretly a big, huge pop star (Hannah Montana) by night. Kinda like Batman – but instead of doing something cool in the evenings like fighting crime, she lip synchs pop songs to kids who adore her.

Given the current state of teenage pop stars, it's hard to imagine any young girl (fictional, or not) wanting to become one. But let's assume that childhood fame is not a destructive force in reality and that Hannah Montana is a unique example of a child star gone good.

Hannah Montana is played by Miley Cyrus – real-life daughter to country music star Billy Ray Cyrus, who not-so-coincidently plays her dad on the show (sans his signature super-mullet). Their single-parent family also includes Miley's brother Jackson (not played by a Cyrus family member). The bond that Billy Ray shares with his daughter onscreen is very endearing. He is a strong father figure (which is rare on television these days), who's tough enough to tell his daughter "No" and is humble enough to admit when he's wrong. Pretty much your ideal father.

Instead of being a super-snob, Miley remains humble at school and with her friends. Few know her secret identity, and she's not interested in letting anyone else know. I don't quite understand the reasoning behind this decision, but can appreciate the humility involved. Fame and fortune aren't everything. Personal privacy and an incorruptible family life are more important to Miley.

Other than these life lessons, there is plenty to keep your interest while watching "Hannah Montana" with your daughter (which you should start doing). There are guest stars galore – including The Rock, Heather Locklear, and Dolly Parton (probably appearing because their own kids are fans of the show). And, believe it or not, Miley is actually quite funny. After a couple episodes, you'll grow to love her silly behavior and Tennessee drawl.

Possibly the least enjoyable part of the show is when she's actually on stage as Hannah Montana. You probably won't like the music, and you'll probably think she looks better as the brunette Miley. As Hannah Montana, she looks like every other teenage pop star you've grown weary of. But stick with the show until the end. Your daughter will love you for it.

And that's what it really boils down to. Spending time with your daughter and developing the same kind of loving relationship that appears on the show.

Shop Now for Hannah Montana toys, video games, movies, music, and tickets!

In case you're not one of the two hundred people I stood in line with outside of Target this past Sunday morning (or aren't someone who's done something similar to purchase a Nintendo Wii this year), I'm sure you're dying to get a Wii console for yourself or someone you know this Christmas.

The bad news is that this weekend was the last shipment of Wiis to major retailers before Christmas. My local Target had 177 Nintendo Wiis in stock, and they were all spoken for by the crowd of people waiting in line by 7:30 AM – a half hour before the store even opened. Other stores with less stock were probably "sold out" much earlier than that.

If you haven't found a Wii yet, you can either live without one for now, or pay a fortune for one on eBay. (My suggestion: Wait for it.)

In the meantime, I'm going to let you know a little bit about the Nintendo Wii...

First, let's start with what comes with the console. The Wii console comes with one Wiimote controller and one Nunchuck controller. The Nunchuck attaches to the Wiimote, allowing you to use both of your hands to control games that support this functionality (not all of them do).

A composite video cable is also included, which is the lowest quality connection cable available. If your TV has component video connections, you can purchase a separate Wii component cable from Nintendo or a third party (recommended). There is no HDMI connection cable available for the Wii, which is fine, since the graphics aren't high-definition like the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3.

The Wii console comes with Wii Sports – a collection of five sports games that utilize the Wii's motion controllers (tennis, golf, baseball, bowling and boxing). Only the boxing game makes use of the Nunchuck controller, and only the tennis game allows up to 4-players. Most folks will be content with just playing Wii Sports. The games are fun for casual single-players and large groups.

In order to play in groups, you're going to need additional controllers. When you get a Wii console, you should also pick up an additional Wiimote and Nunchuck. Then, if budget allows, you should also get additional Wiimotes (for a total of 4). I suggest purchasing Wii Play, which includes additional sports games (like ping-pong and billiards) and a Wiimote.

You can expect to pay $250 for the Wii console, $30 for a component video cable, $50 for Wii Play w/ Wiimote, $20 for a second Wii Nunchuck, and $80 for two additional Wiimotes. Total cost will be around $450.

When you get tired of playing Wii Sports, there are plenty of other fun games currently out for the Wii, including Super Mario Galaxy, Guitar Hero III, Mario Party 8, and Metroid Prime 3.

Generally, the Nintendo Wii game play and game selection are geared towards casual or new gamers. The target audience seems to be children/seniors and non-experienced gamers. Its popularity is due to its mass, general audience appeal.

For someone like me (a life-long gamer), the Nintendo Wii offers a limited experience. It's fun for parties and family gatherings, but the single-player experience is less than satisfying. I'm not a child, and I'm not a casual gamer. I want amazing graphics, intellectual complexity, and adult themes in my games. Nintendo products have always been – and continue to be – safe and kid-friendly.

But there will always be a larger market of non-gamers than gamers. By targeting non-gamers with a simple, fun gaming experience, Nintendo has greatly increased its potential customer base, and sales of the Wii are reflecting this.

Personally, I'll be giving my Wii to my mom for Christmas. She's been asking for one, and I'm sure she'll enjoy it much more than me.

If you're thinking of switching from a PC to a Mac for personal or business use, you should consider a few things first...

After two and a half decades of using PCs exclusively, I recently opted for a MacBook Pro when I needed to upgrade my home laptop. The prevailing reason for this was because I do a lot of personal multimedia work at home (video editing, audio production, etc.), and Macs are ideal for this kind of work.

You've seen the "Mac vs. PC" commercials on television. And what they're saying is true. Apple's hardware is, indeed, superior to PCs; the Mac operating system (OS X) is more streamlined and stable than Windows. But just because the hardware and platform are better, doesn't mean Macs are best for everyone. There are other factors to consider.

In addition to my personal multimedia work, I also needed this laptop to act as my remote machine for work. Unfortunately, the tools I use for work are not supported by the Mac operating system or the Safari web browser. This may be the case for you, as well.

The way I got around this was by installing a Windows partition on my Mac, where I could install all the Windows programs I needed and access them for work. You can either boot your Mac in Windows, or you can access your Windows programs side-by-side with your Mac programs using VMWare Fusion or Parallels software. This gives you the best of both worlds – superior hardware & the operating system/software of your choice.

If you choose to go this route, you'll need to purchase a copy of Windows XP or Vista to install on your Mac, which can be a big additional expense.

One downside to installing a Windows partition on your Mac, is it can take up to 32GB of hard drive space. Since you may only start with 120GB (depending on what model you choose), this really limits the amount of storage you have on your laptop. Since I do a lot of video editing, I need as much free space as possible. I had to remove my digital music collection, in order to free up additional space.

Since you can run both Mac and Windows programs on your MacBook or MacBook Pro, you don't have to spend money on any additional software (other than Windows OS and VMWare Fusion/Parallels). But if you, like me, want to eventually switch over to all-Mac software, you will find that you do, indeed, live in a Windows world – many of the software utilities you use on a daily basis aren't available in Mac versions. And even if they are available on the Mac, they're usually limited in functionality compared to the more robust and fully-developed Windows versions. For instance, the AIM client for Mac is less functional than the Windows version. Other utilities (like FTP clients, bit torrent clients, etc.) rarely come in two versions. You'll have to find completely different Mac products to complete these daily tasks.

If you're a corporate user tied to Windows software, there is a Mac version of Microsoft Office. Or, if you want to save a substantial amount of cash, you can opt for iWork '08, which has comparable programs that can export (or save) in Microsoft file formats.

One thing you won't ever get on a Mac is a version of Internet Explorer. Microsoft stopped making Mac versions of its dominant web browser a while ago. If you have online tools you use for work that aren't supported by the Safari or Firefox browsers, you have to have a Windows partition on your Mac to run Internet Explorer.

The other big difference between buying a Mac laptop and a PC laptop is price. The Mac will cost roughly twice as much as a PC. This, above all else, is the biggest barrier to switching to Mac. Not only is the software selection miniscule compared to Windows, but the cost of the hardware is a show-stopper for most folks.

The Macs are superior products, and if you are financially able to get one, you should. Just know that you're going to have some growing pains on the software side. And be prepared to spend even more money to create a Windows partition for your work programs.

And be aware... Once you switch to a Mac, you'll never go back.

Think back to last January, when you opened up your latest credit card bill and felt overwhelmed by the massive amount you spent on Christmas gifts and other holiday expenses. It was pretty shocking, right? Well, take that feeling and feel it again prior to doing your Christmas shopping this year.

It's easy to walk into a store with one product in mind and end up walking out with multiple bags of spontaneous purchases. Whether it's the effective marketing of the stores you visit, or your own personal craving – you are up against strong forces when you go shopping.

Take control of your finances this Christmas by planning ahead of time.

Prior to visiting any stores, grab a pen and paper and write out a simple budget. Figure out how much total money you have available for gifts this year. Write down the names of everyone you want to buy gifts for (the most important ones first, like family and close friends). Do a quick calculation on how much, according to your overall spending limit, you can spend on each person. If you're satisfied with that amount, that's great. If the number is too small, then either drop people from the bottom of the list, or stagger the amounts so that you're spending more on some people and less on others.

Once you have a final list of all the people you're buying gifts for and the amount you can spend on each gift, you're ready to go shopping.

On your way to the mall, stop by an ATM and withdraw the total amount of cash allotted for gift shopping. Using cash is key, as you are more careful with each purchase. Using cards – be they credit cards or check cards – makes purchases psychologically less painful, and thus easier to spend more than you planned. (Don't buy into those Visa commercials discouraging you from using cash. THEY JUST WANT YOUR MONEY! Visa is not looking out for your best financial interests.)

As you shop, know your limit. Shop carefully for each person on your list. Go from the top of your list down. And when the cash runs out, STOP! Appreciate the gifts you were able to buy and feel good about the fact that you didn't jump into a financial holiday hole.

Shop smart this Christmas with cash and a budget!

At this time of year, you can't help but crave a bit of frightful fun. No Halloween season is complete without staying up to watch several cheesy horror movies the week leading up to Halloween. But don't waste your precious evenings picking a dud at the video rental store. Here are my picks for the best, most fun horror movies for Halloween.

11. The Others

Overshadowed by the success of a similar ghost film (The Sixth Sense) at the time of its release, The Others didn't receive the positive attention it deserved. It is a smart, scary ghost story that keeps you in suspense all the way up to the satisfyingly twisted end. Nicole Kidman is compelling as the frightened mother, and you find yourself just as confused and terrified as she is throughout the film.

10. The Lost Boys

Boys with fangs. This 80's gem has an all-star cast of vampires and vampire killers, including Keifer Sutherland, Jason Patrick, Corey Feldman, Corey Haim and Alex Winter. There is a perfect mix of horror, comedy, romance and drama in this film. Like the hero (Patrick), you start off thinking the "lost boys" are the coolest guys on the planet. But after the initial seduction, you begin to hate them more and more. Until, finally, you're cheering when the snot-nose little brother (Haim) is unloading a squirt gun filled with holy water on one of the biting biker baddies.

9. The Blair Witch Project

I understand that this is a highly-debatable selection on my list, but I simply could not ignore the genius behind the release of this film. The grassroots marketing for The Blair Witch Project was phenomenal. It was the epitome of viral marketing. I knew about the story of the Blair Witch way before I even knew there was a movie. The producers of the film leaked out rumors of the events portrayed in the film's footage on the Internet and built up a credible "legend" prior to announcing the film's release. When they said the footage of the three lost campers was found and was being released as a film, I was genuinely intrigued. I went to see the film on opening day (before all the hype) and got sucked into it. The footage felt real. The emotion felt real. The terror at the end felt real. The real success of the film was that it showed that you didn't need a huge budget to make a compelling horror film. All you needed was a cheap video camera and a great idea.

8. The Sixth Sense

The movie that rejuvenated the horror movie market. Despite its long-parodied line ("I see dead people"), The Sixth Sense is a truly frightening and intellectually mind-bending masterpiece. It set the stage for a slew of copy-cat trick-ending knock-offs that came afterwards. Bruce Willis plays a weary, empathetic character trying to help a young boy deal with his psychological maladies and delusions. The little boy sees dead people, but no one believes him. Willis' character tries to help the boy--but meanwhile his own relationship with his wife is withering. He eventually finds a way to help the boy and solve his issues with his wife. But not in the way anyone would expect.

7. 28 Days Later

Back in the 80's, there were a multitude of really bad, low-budget zombie films. So much so, that purists of the genre simply looked to the past (1968's original Night of the Living Dead) for their zombie entertainment. That's until Danny Boyle (director of Trainspotting) decided to make a low-budget zombie film of his own in 2002--reinventing the slow-moving, lumbering zombie into a fast, agile rampaging maniac. Boyle's zombies were terrifying, because you couldn't escape from them. They chased their victims with relentless speed and anger. And they never stopped.

6. The Descent

This sleeper hit from 2006 features a group of female friends with a clearly distinguished (and disturbing) history venturing off on a caving exposition in order to renew and heal their social bonds. The horror they find within the caves is secondary to the sociological horrors they face between themselves in reaction to their cave-dwelling adversaries. The Descent is a seriously engrossing, realistic look at how people react to adversity.

5. Dawn of the Dead (2004)

Riding on the heels of 28 Days Later's success, this remake of George Romero's classic zombie film Dawn of the Dead succeeds in the impressive task of besting the original. The new version of Dawn of the Dead replaces Romero's slow zombies with Danny Boyle's swift zombies. Mix in some quality B-list actors like Sarah Polley, Ving Rhames, Mekhi Phifer and Ty Burrell, update the special effects, and you have the best modern zombie film of the bunch. The classic story of zombie holocaust survivors in a mall is still unmatched.

4. A Nightmare on Elm Street

The original nightmare featured a serious and mysterious Freddy Kruger. There were no comedic one-liners, over-the-top death scenes, or outlandish character histories. There was just a very scary boogey man and four unlucky, sleep-deprived teenagers. The original Nightmare on Elm Street had the best cast of all the Freddy films, including Johnny Depp and the original Nancy--Heather Langenkamp. What happens when something as unavoidable as sleep becomes the harbinger of your own death?

3. Evil Dead 2

The funniest horror film ever. Before Sam Raimi (director of the Spider-Man films) became a household Hollywood name, he and his buddies (Bruce Campbell, Rob Tapert, and brother Ted Raimi) made low-budget movies for fun. After the success of their very serious horror film Evil Dead, they made a follow-up film that took the premise of Evil Dead, but added lots of visual gags and a comedic performance by lead actor Bruce Campbell. This genius mixture produced a cult classic horror film and an iconic character in the form of chainsaw-wielding Ash.

2. Night of the Living Dead

In 1968, a low-budget horror movie was made that started a new sub-genre of horror--zombie films. Night of the Living Dead shocked audiences in the late 60's because there was nothing like it ever created. George Romero introduced the world to undead, reanimated zombies that craved human flesh and could not be stopped (save for a shot to the head). Even though Romero's zombies were slow-moving, mostly-lifeless creatures, he captured the sheer horror of seeing a dead body walking around on film. For audiences, the horror was in the disbelief of it all. His later films accepted zombies as a given and were, thus, less horrifying. Night of the Living Dead is an absolute classic.

1. The Exorcist

The Exorcist truly scared me to the bone, when I saw it as a child (don't ask me how I got my hands on it at that age). And The Exorcist still scares me to the bone, when I watch it as an adult. Based on a documented case of demon-possession in the United States, The Exorcist depicts the horror of watching something terrible happen to your child and not being able to do anything about it. As despicable as the child in the story becomes due to the demons inside her, her mother is still by her side. The movie is shot in a realistic way, showing a normal household dealing with frightening occurrences. The demonic voices coming from the little girl will give you nightmares for weeks.

Just in time for the holiday season, AOL Shopping is coming to your phone! Ever wish you could purchase an item right when you think of it, but weren't near a store or computer? Ever wish you could find out what retailer near you had a particular product in stock?

AOL Shopping's Mobile experience will help busy shoppers this Holiday season by bringing the convenience of online shopping to the handset. Search AOL Shopping's broad assortment of retailers and products to compare prices, find where products are sold nearby, or click-to-call the retailer -- all while you shop! Shoppers can save time and money and add convenience to their Holiday shopping.

Go to wap.aol.com/shopping on your mobile device and bookmark it for future use. Bring the quality & convenient experience of AOL Shopping with you wherever you go!

The Washington Post reported today that Microsoft demonstrated their upcoming, highly-anticipated Xbox 360 game Halo 3 to Washington Redskins wide receiver Brandon Lloyd at his home in Leesburg, Virginia. Joining Lloyd were fellow Redskins players Ryan Boschetti, Mike Sellers and Nehemiah "Nemo" Broughton. Using private servers, the 'Skins took on players from the Bengals and the 49ers, who were simultaneously playing online in Cincinnati and San Francisco.

...Oh, and by the way, the Redskins won 6-to-nothing.

Halo 3 will be hitting store shelves on Tuesday, September 25, and is anticipated to be the biggest video game launch ever. Stay tuned to AOL Shopping for some great launch day deals on Halo 3!

This morning, during his monthly keynote address, Apple CEO Steve Jobs announced a slew of new iPods--including a touch-screen version--for the upcoming holiday season.

Jobs first announced the launch of iPhone ringtones available in iTunes for $0.99 starting tonight.

He then announced new colors for the iPod Shuffle (which will remain at 1GB). He unveiled the redesigned iPod Nano, which features a new color (red) and video playback. The Nano will hold the same amount of data (4GB and 8GB), but will be cheaper ($149 and $199 respectively). The current iPod Video is being re-branded as the iPod Classic and will now be available in 80GB ($250) and 160GB ($350).

And now for the exciting news... The new iPod Touch is exactly like the iPhone--just without the phone features (and email, as far as I can tell). It is shaped just like an iPhone and features the exact same glass touch-screen. It does not have a speaker and does not have some of the icon widgets that the iPhone does, but it does have Wi-Fi and the Safari web browser. No integrated email client (like AOL Mail, Yahoo! Mail, Gmail, etc.) was mentioned, but you would still be able to access your webmail through the Safari browser. The iPod Touch comes in two sizes: 8GB ($299) and 16GB ($399).

Jobs unveiled a new icon for the iPod Touch (which will also be added to Apple iPhones)--the iTunes Store widget. Now, you'll be able to browse the iTunes store remotely and download any songs you want to the iPod Touch or iPhone. These songs will then sync with your computer when re-connected.

There will also be some integration with Starbucks coffee houses, so when you're in or near a Starbucks, a special button will appear in iTunes that will allow you to download the song that's playing in the store. Not a huge deal, but a nice to have.

Finally, the biggest news to me was the fact that Apple will be discontinuing the 4GB iPhone and will just have the 8GB iPhone. The 8GB one (which I paid $599 for back in June) will now be sold for $399 effective immediately. Yikes!

So, being an early adopter has cost me $200. Was it worth it?

Hmm... Yes.

Because I *heart* my iPhone!!!

I'm trying to decide whether or not to throw in with either high-def DVD format. Everything I've seen suggests that Blu-ray is winning the format war, but right now there are lots of reasons to go with HD DVD.

The first thing to consider is content. I made a list of currently available movies in both formats that I would actually purchase. Some movies are available on one platform and not the other, while some movies are available on both. Here is the list I compiled...

Blu-Ray Movies
300
Blackhawk Down
Bridge to Terabithia
The Descent
Planet Earth
TMNT

HD DVD
300
Batman Begins
Bourne Identity
Children of Men
Christmas Vacation
Constantine
Dawn of the Dead
The Last Starfighter
Mallrats
The Matrix
Planet Earth
Serenity
TMNT

So far, HD DVD has the edge.

Now it's time to consider the hardware. I personally wouldn't buy a stand-alone player for either format, but would rather choose between the XBox 360 (which plays HD DVD movies with an optional add-on device) and the PlayStation 3 (which inherently plays Blu-ray movies). Both are roughly the same price, so it's kind of a wash. However, the XBox 360 has had a huge defective rate (nearly a third of the consoles have died), and it will be a while before the defective generation of XBox 360 machines will be off the shelves. Plus, there is a rumored price-drop coming in mid-August. The PlayStation 3, on the other hand, just had a price-drop and is a solid piece of hardware (I haven't heard any complaints so far).

So, the hardware edge goes to Blu-ray.

At this point, it's hard to decide which one to go with. I have to look towards a third factor, that on the surface has nothing to do with the format war at all--the games. Deciding which hardware to buy is going to depend on what games are available on each next-gen gaming console. There are five games I would like to play on the XBox 360 (Gears of War, Dead Rising, Halo 3, Grand Theft Auto 4, Call of Duty 4), all of which are already out, or will be out soon. There are absolutely NO games currently out for the PlayStation 3 that I want to play. The only cool games on the horizon (Metal Gear Solid 4, Grand Theft Auto 4, Call of Duty 4) won't be out until late this year and early 2008.

Score another for HD DVD.

So... It looks like I've made my decision.

I'm going to save my money for now and play my Nintendo Wii this weekend!

Woot woot!