Digital Eye Wristwatch Camera

As you have probably noticed, News Corp, owned by Rupert Murdoch, has bought out online gaming network IGN Entertainment in a massive $650 million! acquisition. It's quite hard to tell what will change at IGN. However, I predict that nothing good will come of this merger of mergers of mergers...What's your opinion?

Here's some stuff:

• Solar flare affects communications, disruptions possible - The flare was reported by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Space Environment Center in Boulder, Colorado. Significant solar eruptions are possible in the coming days and there could be disruptions in spacecraft operations, electric power systems, high frequency communications and low-frequency navigation systems, the agency said.
• World's 1st Wireless Digital Surround System - Logitech today announced the world's first THX-certified 5.1 speaker system with digital wireless dual rear speakers. The new Logitech Z-5450 Digital speakers, ideal for use with the living room entertainment center or the office PC, provide flexibility in setting up an instant surround-sound system. Each of the independent rear speakers can be placed anywhere within 8.5 meters (28 feet) of the speaker system control center, requiring only a power outlet; no unsightly speaker wires running around the room, yet no compromise on quality. (thanks Weiliang)
• Sony Walkman NW-A3000 and NW-A1000 - The Sony Walkman NW-A3000 has a 20GB hard-drive and the NW-A1000 features a smaller 6GB HDD. Both new Sony Walkman are made from a translucent material.
• Mobile Phone Charger With 1 AA Battery - Just throw a Pocket Power in your jacket, and you'll never be stranded by a dead cell phone battery. Using any alkaline, lithium or rechargeable AA, Pocket Power weighs next-to-nothing - thanks to rugged but lightweight aluminum construction. (thanks Weiliang)
• Digital Eye Wristwatch Camera - The Digital Eye Wrist-watch Camera is a watch with, you guessed it, a built-in camera. It will supposedly take up to 36 "full color, excellent resolution" photos and even comes with a dock.
• Sony Cybershot DSC-R1 Digital Camera - The Sony Cybershot DSC-R1 is apparently the world's first 10.3MP digital still camera that combines a large 10.3 effective Megapixel CMOS sensor, and a high quality 24mm-120mm (equivalent to 35m format camera) ZEISS zoom lens in the same body, allowing 'live' viewing with the free-angle LCD display.
• Motorola ROKR iTunes Phone - The Motorola ROKR sells for $249.99 with a 2 year contract from Cingular. It can store up to 100 songs and it's music features are comparable to the Apple iPod shuffle. The songs are synced via USB. The Motorola ROKR has also a VGA camera with 4x zoom and flash.
• MMOG crime on the rise in Japan - Police have arrested a 12-year-old boy from the Kanagawa prefecture (Japan) for stealing virtual goods in an unnamed MMOG. The boy had illegally accessed another player’s account in order to transfer goods from that account into his own.
• Playboy unveils second annual Girls of Gaming lineup - While nude video game characters are nothing new for Playboy, the October issue hits stands just as the storm surrounding an unlockable sex scene in "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas" begins to pass. The magazine said it never considered delaying the layout.
• MTV Films to Acquire Film Rights to The Suffering - MTV Films sends along word that they have acquired the film rights to Midway's survival horror title, The Suffering. This film agreement with Midway closely follows a June announcement that MTV and Midway will jointly market three upcoming Midway games. "L.A. RUSH," which will feature MTV branding throughout the game world with the crew from the hit MTV show, "Pimp My Ride," "West Coast Customs," will be the first title shipping under this deal.
• Who's The Man? - For Samuel L. Jackson, who plays Federal Agent Derrick Vann, it allowed him to do more of the car interior schtick that he did so well in movies like Pulp Fiction and Die Hard with a Vengeance, but this time, with a stronger comedic actor.
• Top 11 reasons to keep an obsolete computer - check it out!
   

Reviews: Age of Empires III Demo / Codename: Panzers Phase Two (8.2/10) / Codename: Panzers Phase Two (8.4/10) / Darwinia (A-) / DOOM 3: Resurrection of Evil (8.8/10) / Fable: The Lost Chapters (8.9/10) / Fantastic Four (6/10) / Gothic II / MotoGP: Ultimate Racing Technology 3 (80%) / Nancy Drew: The Secret of the Old Clock (4/5) / VOYAGE: Inspired by Jules Verne (7.9/10)

Previews: Age of Empires III / Auto Assault / F.E.A.R. / Full Spectrum Warrior: Ten Hammers / Myst V: End of Ages / Rome: Total War: Barbarian Invasion / Ultimate Spider-Man / Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War: Winter Assault

Media: Battlefield 2: Special Forces movie / Ground Zero: Genesis of a New World movie / Heroes of Might and Magic V movie #1 / Heroes of the Pacific movie / Land of the Dead: Road to Fiddler's Green shots / Pirates of the Burning Sea shots

Mods/Tools: DOOM Chronicles: Chapter One (Beta 2) / FavUT 1.3 for mIRC / Ryan's DOOM 3 Modification Pak File (1.06f)

Other gaming news:

• Gen Con 2005 coverage - @ PC.IGN (Dark Age of Camelot: Darkness Rising, D&D Online, City of Villains...)
• Guild Wars: Sorrow's Furnace Released - The official Guild Wars website announce the release of the Sorrow's Furnace update for Guild Wars
• UFO: Aftershock on October 21st - According to the official product page for UFO: Aftershock, the game's projected release date has been pushed back two weeks to 21st October 2005.
• Half-Life 2 GotY tomorrow - EBGames has an updated release date, now showing the Bundle of Half-Life 2, the original Half-Life, Half-Life 2 DM, and Counter-Strike: Source with a 09/09/05 release date!
• Civilization IV Pre-Order Program - 2K Games sends along word that gamers who pre-order Sid Meier's Civilization IV through select retailers will get automatically upgraded to a Collector's Edition of the game.
• City of Villians Collector's Edition Announced  - NCsoft North America has revealed the contents for the City of Villains Collector's Edition retail game pack that will be released to stores in North America when the game launches later this fall. Highlighting the City of Villains Collector's Edition package is a set of seven limited-edition HeroClix figures from WizKids, composed of three hero figures and four villain figures, including an exclusive Lord Recluse HeroClix. The City of Villains Collector's Edition will also contain a DVD version of the game, giving players access to an exclusive in-game cape and chest emblem from Arachnos, the game's top villain group. Also included in the package is a map of The Rogue Isles, the chain of islands that makes up City of Villains.
• WoW expansion to be shown @ BlizzCon - I've just received this email: "BlizzCon is quickly approaching, and we're preparing the lineup of programs, dev chats, and the concert to be held at our inaugural event. I'm very happy to announce that we'll have the first public showing of the expansion for World of Warcraft at BlizzCon. Attendees will be able to view the work that is going into the project and hear some of the eagerly awaited details."
• Universal Combat: A World Apart and the Original Universal Combat patch - 3000AD releases new patches for Universal Combat: A World Apart and the Original Universal Combat.
• NFS Makes Xbox 360 Launch, PGR 3 Launches 2nd Wave - In a recent visit with Electronic Arts, TalkXbox spoke directly with EA developers about the launch of PGR3 vs. the Launch of NFS: Most Wanted. The developers at EA do not expect PGR3 to make the Xbox 360 launch. This leaves the window open for NFS: MW. So far Microsoft has not confirmed PGR 3 as a launch title. One would think they would want to space NFS and the PGR titles apart.
• Microsoft Confirms Xbox 360 Live Pricing - Microsoft has confirmed its pricing for its Xbox Live service for the forthcoming Xbox 360 next-gen console, revealing a basic yearly fee of $49.99 to use the Xbox Live Gold service, the flagship online service for Microsoft's next-gen console.
• RYL $1 Million Tournament Suspended - Buried in Planetwide Games' forums is this announcement that states that the $1 million tournament for their MMORPG RYL: Path Of The Emperor has been suspended. According to the announcement the developers found that there was "unfair tournament activity" going on in the game although they do not name individuals
• Lumines and Meteos head to mobile phones - Two of this year's most popular puzzle games have come from a single source, Q! Entertainment. Now those games, Lumines and Meteos, published for the Sony PSP and Nintendo DS respectively, are going to share the platform of mobile phones.
• CNET Top 10 video games 1995 to 2005 - CNET picks the top 10 games of the past 10 years: 1.Half-Life (1998) 2.Starcraft (1998) 3.The Sims (2000) 4.Quake (1996)

Buy goodies: Half-Life 2: Game of the Year Edition // The Sims 2: Nightlife Expansion Pack PC / Creative Zen 20 GB Portable Media Center ($259.99 - you save $200) / Samsung ML-2010 Monochrome Laser Printer (you save $72) / Robots (Widescreen Edition) ($15.98)

Pre-order: Everybody Loves Raymond and Da Ali G Show DVD (ships on September 13) / Battlestar Galactica - Season One (2004) DVD (ships on September 20th) and Stargate SG-1 - Season 8 DVD Boxed Set (ships on October 4th)