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On this week's Digital City, we discuss Google's rumored new phone; get to the bottom of the current iMac shipping delays, and go over the best games you can play on a Netbook (all after Dan had to get up at 5am to shoot a local news TV segment on his favorite holiday games).
Then, things take a turn for the weird with a solid gold PlayStation 3, rumored to be under Jay-Z's Xmas tree; and a surprising NYC find -- a Mario-themed pizza place that is calling out for a visit from the ghost of intellectual property lawyers past (see below).
Related links:
>>Is Google making a phone?
>>Top 20 Netbook games
>>Top 5 Holiday Game Picks (CW11 morning News)
>>Watch the Digital City live every Monday at 3pm EST on CNET Live!
>>Subscribe to Digital City on iTunes
>>Join the Digital City Facebook fan page
>>Need more? Follow Dan on Twitter! And Scott!
Spotted on Houston street in NYC.
(Credit: Dan Ackerman)Subscribe now: iTunes (audio) | iTunes (video) | RSS (audio) | RSS (video)
On this week's Digital City, we tackle one of the most contentious issues of our time -- Mac vs. PC -- as Dan offers an enlightened path to peace for both camps. We also hear about some free municipal Wi-Fi for the new Times Square pedestrian mall; a sweet TV/PS3 combo deal at Best Buy; and discuss the fate of the vaporware-like CrunchPad.
Later, Scott laments the lack of Microsoft synergy in the Zune gaming business model; we check out some new game releases, including Zelda: Spirit Tracks and The Saboteur; and debate the ethics of adding adults-only DLC to games.
Quick note: tune in next week for a chance to win a Zune HD!
Related links:
>>A modest proposal: Detente between Mac and PC laptop fans
>>Can Zune gaming compete?
>>Times Square gets free WiFi
>>Watch the Digital City live every Monday at 3pm EST on CNET Live!
>>Subscribe to Digital City on iTunes
>>Join the Digital City Facebook fan page
>>Need more? Follow Dan on Twitter! And Scott!
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Episode 60 of Digital City has arrived, and whereas last week saw Joe, Julie, and Scott out sick, this week Dan and Joe are out. In with Scott and Julie are CNET editors Josh Goldman and 404 co-host Justin Yu, both of whom share thoughts on some of the good, bad, and ugly Cyber Monday shopping deals out there, and whether or not any good point-and-shoot cameras are being offered. Plus, some quick holiday movie reviews, Scott's buyer's remorse over a PSP Go purchase, and one of the largest backpacks we've ever seen. Kick up your feet, it's Digital City!
Related links:
>>CNET's Cyber Monday shopping deals
>>Holiday travel: sometimes it's nice not to have an app for that
>>Pointed, shot: 2009's best compact cams
>>Watch the Digital City live every Monday at 3pm EST on CNET Live!
>>Subscribe to Digital City on iTunes
>>Join the Digital City Facebook fan page
>>Need more? Follow Dan on Twitter!
>>Follow Scott on Twitter.
Subscribe now: iTunes (audio) | iTunes (video) | RSS (audio) | RSS (video)
It's episode 59 of the Digital City, and if our cast looks a little different today, your eyes are not playing tricks on you. Joey, Julie, and Scott all called in sick, so we recruited some of our CNET colleagues to step in and offer their holiday shopping advice.
David Katzmaier, John Falcone, and Matt Fitzgerald weigh in on Black Friday tips for big-screen TVs, home theater equipment, and digital cameras, and we go over some of the best and worst laptop deals around.
Also discussed was the high-concept Tony Hawk: Ride skateboard video game, the surprise popularity of Assassin's Creed 2, and Dan showed off his new Forza-3-branded Pumas.
Added bonus: we've got a handful of beta invites for MAG, the massive 256-person PS3 shooter to give away. Ping me on Twitter , or e-mail us at digitalcity@cnet.com, and we'll hook the first five people up.
Related links:
>>Are these Apple's Black Friday laptop deals?
>>Rating Black Friday laptop doorbuster deals
>>Review: the ColcaSac hemp MacBook sleeve
>>Hands on with 15th-century Italy in Assassin's Creed II
>>Watch the Digital City live every Monday at 3pm EST on CNET Live!
>>Subscribe to Digital City on iTunes
>>Join the Digital City Facebook fan page
>>Need more? Follow Dan on Twitter!
Subscribe now: iTunes (audio) | iTunes (video) | RSS (audio) | RSS (video)
Episode 58 of the Digital City, where we wrangle with the legal arguments over Apple vs. Psystar; show off the latest super-fancy laptop to hit our desks, the $2,000 HP Envy 15; and find the world's best laptop backpack in the Booq Boa.
Both Modern Warfare 2 and New Super Mario Bros. Wii get some praise, while PSP Go sales seem to hit a wall; and we compare the original God of War games to the new polished-up versions in the God of War collection for PS3.
Related links:
>>Booq Boa Squeeze review
>>Spend some time with New Super Mario Bros. Wii
>>Modern Warfare 2 arrives
>>Watch the Digital City live every Monday at 3pm EST on CNET Live!
>>Subscribe to Digital City on iTunes
>>Join the Digital City Facebook fan page
>>Need more? Follow Dan on Twitter!
Subscribe now: iTunes (audio) | iTunes (video) | RSS (audio) | RSS (video)
Digital City Podcast 57: Hands on with PS3 Netflix; luxury laptops; and Modern Warfare 2 drops early
This week on the Digital City, Joey tests the new Netflix/PS3 BD Live disc, with mixed results; we talk about all the cool new luxury laptops you'll never buy, including Sony's Vaio X, Dell's Adamo XPS, and HP's Envy.
We also show off Nokia's new Booklet 3G Netbook, and debate the relative merits of games sequels, from Bioshock 2 to God of War 3. We also note how everyone in New York seems to have gotten their hands on a copy of Modern Warfare 2 early, giving the holiday season's biggest game an unusually sloppy launch.
Related links:
>>Hands on with Nokia's Booklet 3G
>>Say goodbye to sleep: Modern Warfare 2 arrives
>>Hands on with the new Dell Adamo XPS
>>Watch the Digital City live every Monday at 3pm EST on CNET Live!
>>Subscribe to Digital City on iTunes
>>Join the Digital City Facebook fan page
>>Need more? Follow Dan on Twitter; and Scott!
Subscribe now: iTunes (audio) | iTunes (video) | RSS (audio) | RSS (video)
Episode 56 of the Digital City, where we discuss Apple's plans for a monthly iTunes TV subscription service; Joey wonders why everyone puts up with poor iPhone service (hint: it's the social utility of shared experiences); and Scott finds out how much laptop $350 can buy.
It's also a mixed bag for Nintendo, with Wii sales down 50-percent over last year, and a lukewarm reception to the larger screen on the DSi XL handheld -- but at the same time, New Super Mario Bros. Wii and targeted games such as Style Savvy may bring in holiday shoppers. Finally, check out a hands-on look at DJ Hero, and see Scott rock a trucker hat straight out of 2003.
Related links:
>>DJ Hero: Hands-on
>>Laptop bargain-hunting: What can you get for $350?
>>Nintendo's new big-screen DSi XL
>>Watch the Digital City live every Monday at 3pm EST on CNET Live!
>>Subscribe to Digital City on iTunes
>>Join the Digital City Facebook fan page
>>Need more? Follow Dan on Twitter!
Subscribe now: iTunes (audio) | iTunes (video) | RSS (audio) | RSS (video)
Bonus -- Hands-on video with DJ Hero:
This week on the Digital City, we consider the PlayStation 3's awkward Netflix implementation; marvel over the super-thin Sony Vaio X laptop; debate the fate of FireWire in new MacBooks; and review some gamer-friendly Halloween costume ideas.
We also plug the first round of Windows 7 laptop and desktop reviews; mourn the death of Geocities; and find out why Julie and Dan have swapped seats for a week.
Plus -- take an early sneak peek at Dan's Halloween costume -- but it only makes sense if you're over, say, 30 and kind of a geek.
Related links:
>>Netflix streaming coming to PS3
>>Does anyone miss FireWire?
>>Windows 7: the first wave
>>Make your own Bayonetta Halloween costume
>>Watch the Digital City live every Monday at 3pm EST on CNET Live!
>>Subscribe to Digital City on iTunes
>>Join the Digital City Facebook fan page
>>Need more? Follow Dan on Twitter!
Subscribe now: iTunes (audio) | iTunes (video) | RSS (audio) | RSS (video)
Episode 54 of the Digital City, where we discuss NYC's plan to stop taxi drivers from using cell phones and Washington's suddenly high-tech subway system.
Scott talks about his meeting with Shigeru Miyamoto, and Nintendo's big holiday gamble on New Super Mario Bros., while special guest Jeff Bakalar expresses his frustration with Jack Black's Brutal Legend.
And, in a nod to the hottest story of last week, we show off the very best Balloon Boy Web games (ok, the only Balloon Boy Web games we could find), and host the world podcast premiere of the parody song "The Ballad of Balloon Boy."
Related links:
>>Nintendo does Hard-core/casual with new Mario game
>>Will Brutal Legend rock your world?
>>Balloon Boy Takes Flight (For Real) in Two New Games
Show notes:
>>Watch the Digital City live every Monday at 3pm EST on CNET Live!
>>Subscribe to Digital City on iTunes
>>Join the Digital City Facebook fan page
>>Need more? Follow Dan on Twitter; and Scott
Subscribe now: iTunes (audio) | iTunes (video) | RSS (audio) | RSS (video)
Episode 53 of the Digital City, where we explore Netbook gaming, thanks to the Nivida Ion and HP's Mini 311; the thin-is-in designs of the new Dell Adamo and Sony X-series; T-Mobile and Microsoft's Sidekick problems; and Scott's Forza 3 obsession.
Plus, a quick sneak-peek of Rock Band for iPhone and -- just in time for Halloween -- tech celebrity jack-lantern carvings.
Related links:
>>Netbook gaming arrives: HP's Mini 311
>>Dell teases with new Adamo shots
>>Sony's pencil-thin X-series laptop
>>Forza 3 hands-on: Never underestimate the power of a British accent
>>Halloween special! Tech guy jack-o-lanterns!
>>Watch the Digital City live every Monday at 3pm EST on CNET Live!
>>Subscribe to Digital City on iTunes
>>Join the Digital City Facebook fan page
>>Need more? Follow Dan on Twitter!
Subscribe now: iTunes (audio) | iTunes (video) | RSS (audio) | RSS (video)
Former radio DJ turned
journalist Dan Ackerman grew up in the Bronx and now lives in
Manhattan. He’s covered music, technology, and video games for
more than 10 years. His latest album, Tales Out of Night School
is available now. 
Joseph Kaminski,
when not juggling the dual demands of parenthood and HD gaming, is a
life-long Manhattanite and can be found testing the latest tech in
CNET’s Lab. 
Julie Rivera grew up
and currently resides in Brooklyn. When she's not deejaying,
bartending, or fixing gadgets for friends on the outside, you'll find
her testing, troubleshooting and developing benchmarks for laptops in
the "fish bowl" known as CNET Labs. 
Scott Stein, CNET's
newest laptops editor, was born in Queens and grew up a Long Islander -
and is now raising a kid in NYC. In addition to covering games and
tech, writing screenplays, and performing improv in seedy downtown
establishments, he's also a die-hard, season-ticket-holding Jets fan.
