Digital City Podcast

Oh the irony...

(Credit: Dan Ackerman/CNET)

Although we have to wait until next week's show to hear of Dan's possible escapades with McLovin' and company, along with his (enviable) hands-on experiences, at this year's E3 event in Los Angeles, that doesn't stop us from giving our take on what went down.

Note to Dan: We expect some video footage of actual gameplay, NOT a 15-page slide show...we kid, but, no, really.

Oddly enough, we were all physically suffering from one thing or another before the taping of the show--Joe with his sinuses, Julie with the constant eye twitch, and Scott with...whatever--but we mustered enough strength to push forward 'cause that's how we roll. Based on what we saw of E3, we discuss who won the motion sensor/controller wars, the PSP Go, and which games we were excited to get our hands on in the future.

We also talk about what could, or should, be expected at this week's Apple Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC). Obviously, the iPhone OS 3.0 should be shown off, but what about the new iPhone? We predict what the rumored new iPhone--or what Joe calls the "iDevice"--will have, and what it needs to take back the hype from the Palm Pre.

In the midst of all the serious and informative discussion though, we find ourselves victim to double entendres and innuendos. Also, Julie strikes several poses in front of the404 banner in the podcast room, but you'll (obviously) only catch it on the video version of the show. It's all in fun.

Normally, when you're reading off specs for laptops, an Intel Core i7 quad-core processor isn't listed--for gaming laptops, desktop replacements, or otherwise--and with good reason. We've had a few quad-core systems in the past, like the Toshiba Qosmio X305, but those Q9000 CPUs were made for these notebooks. So, what do you get when you cram a desktop processor into a notebook? A beast.

AVADirect will be the first reseller in the U.S. to offer a notebook using the Intel Core i7 quad-core desktop processor. The Clevo D900F 17-inch gaming notebook can pack up to 12GB of DDR3, 1.5TB (500GB times three) of storage with RAID support, Nvidia GTX 280M graphics with 1GB GDDR3, and a 12-cell battery.

(Credit: AVADirect)

Unfortunately, the spec sheet doesn't say how long you can expect that 12-cell battery to last when you're running this thing. Suffice it to say you'll be plugged in most, if not all, of the time. And at 11.9 pounds of hardware meat--excluding adapter plug--I don't think carrying it around on a regular basis is going to enter the mind, so it works out. If nothing else, at least this will be the most compact Core i7 box on the market.

The D900F is not an entirely new design. It was based on an older model known as the D901C. This model also used a desktop processor and desktop components, but was based on the aging Core 2 technology.

AVADirect started taking preorders as of last week and plans to ship out the notebooks to expecting customers the first week in July. Starting price for the notebook is currently $2,538, with the sky being the limit depending on how high you configure it.

AVADirect's D900F (Core i7) notebook--photos

With all the buzz surrounding the release of the new "Star Trek" movie, here's a little something to remind you of the kinder, gentler, and, yes, cheesier days of the original "Star Trek" series (for those of you old enough to remember)...a replica of Captain Kirk's command chair.

You know you want it.

(Credit: Entertainment Earth)

This life-size replica is a dead-ringer for Captain Kirk's original swivel-throne from the bridge of the starship Enterprise. Designed from actual Paramount Studio drawings, the swivel seat is covered in leather while the majority of the chair is made from wood.

The base of the chair is made of heavy iron and includes left and right armrest controls. The controls enable the red and yellow alerts, hailing frequencies, cool lighting, intercom controls, and more. Sound effects are also included--hail, warp speed, photon torpedoes, phasers--as well as quotes from the show, such as: "This is Captain James T. Kirk of the USS Enterprise" and "Prepare for attack, all hands Battle Stations".

The chair ain't light, small, or cheap. Captain Kirk's chair measures at 41-inches tall by 42-inches wide by 39-inches deep and weighs a little more than 200 pounds. It will be available as a limited edition of only 1,701 pieces over at Entertainment Earth for a whopping $2,200 in June.

As a bonus, a minireplica of the chair with a mini-Captain James T. Kirk is included with each purchase.

Lock phasers on target...

We've already seen Palm and Apple clash when it comes to print advertisements, but now details of what could be the first Pre TV advertisement have leaked. Photographer and film maker Jaime Gonzalez had been tweeting (of which has mysteriously disappeared) about his part in filming the commercial in Los Angeles, and even uploaded a photo of the massive Facebook set involved.

Is this supposed to show how simple uploading photos to Facebook can be on the Pre, and how there will be shiny happy people laughing? Everyone around love them, love them...

(Credit: twitpic - Jamie Gonzalez)

The tweet came from Mr. Gonzalez yesterday evening while at the Warner Bros. film studio, saying the following:

Back at Warner Bros! Palm Pre in the house...It's the iPhone for chicks! LOL

Gonzalez also claims to have held and tried the phone--a big accomplishment for anyone who has tried to pry the Pre away from a rep's grip during a trade show--calling it a "good challenger" to the iPhone but still not a direct replacement.

The very large 3D reproduction of the Facebook homepage (they couldn't do it in CGI?) appears to have various protruding ledges that actors could sit on, but Gonzalez hasn't given any hints on the detail of the ad, just the photos. There are also some cutaways that could be used as an "online" friend space, uploaded video, or whatever.

If all of this is what it claims to be, then the timing further supports notions that Sprint could release the Pre on the rumored June 7th date, or, at the very least, a month from when the ad is likely to be finished. And, if you were chosen as a beta tester for the Palm Pre, don't rub it in.

So far we've seen a 3D cutout of Facebook, a soundstage...where do you guys see this supposed first Palm Pre commercial going?

(Credit: Steam)

Update: Left 4 Dead is currently discounted on Steam's website at 40% off (from $39.99 to $23.99), but just for this weekend only.

If you haven't tried playing Left 4 Dead yet because of the price, or aren't sure about the game in general, that's OK. Valve has decided to let you try it out for free.

At 5:01 p.m. PDT Thursday, you'll be able to download and play the game for free via Steam for a whole 24 hours. Better still, to get your full 24-hour allotment of play time Steam allows you to preload it to your account right now.

This isn't a free-forever offer, nor is there going to be a discount available afterward (as with what happened with UT3 in March). Alas, the game will be locked again the following night, but at least it will give you a chance to play and decide for yourself. Obviously, Valve is hoping you'll love it and send some cash their way to keep playing.

Specifically marketed with kids in mind, PeeWee PC is a site that offers not only kid-friendly PCs, but also laptops customized for your ever-growing child.

On Wednesday, PeeWee PC is rolling out the Atom-powered PeeWee Pivot Tablet Laptop. The 3-pound PeeWee Pivot Tablet Laptop--which is more of a tablet Netbook than a laptop--sports a rotating screen that converts between a normal notebook orientation and a touch tablet.

(Credit: PeeWee PC)

Kids can use either a keyboard or an included stylus to interact with their favorite programs or games. The unit features a rugged, spill-resistant case that's designed to endure the bumps and knocks the younger generation has to offer. So, parents, when your child goes into a temper tantrum and flings the machine around, you might be knocked on your a**, but know that your investment has sustained the fall from your head to the floor.

Kidding aside, the PeeWee Pivot Tablet Laptop runs Windows XP on a 10-inch screen, 1.6GHz Atom processor, 1GB of RAM (upgradeable to 2GB) and a 60GB hard drive. In addition, the tablet has two USB 2.0 ports, an SD/MMC media card reader, a VGA port, 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, and a 1.3-megapixel Webcam. Reminiscent of Intel's Classmate PC in 2007, the Pivot Tablet has a carrying handle that's removed by taking out the battery and then removing the four screws that affix the handle.

The PeeWee Tablet Laptop ships with game titles for pre-K, early elementary, or upper elementary students, plus a free Walt Disney Windows XP theme, and a proprietary security suite so parents have complete control of how and when kids use the notebook--parents can also view browsing histories, block sites, take screenshots, and control the system remotely.

WARNING: This was my first attempt at working the sound board, using the software, and editing the podcast, so be forgiving. We tried...

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Episode 29

Here it is. It's the latest trailer for Batman: Arkham Asylum. The trailer is set to air Thursday night on MTV, but fortunately for us, Stephen Totilo, from MTV's Multiplayer, decided to post it early for everyone to drool over.

Eidos and developer Rocksteady Studios set expectations very high when the first trailer for "Batman: Arkham Asylum" debuted in November. The setting of Arkham Asylum combined with the dark tone of the story seemed to embody the feel of Batman's universe.

With Emmy Award-winning "Batman: The Animated Series" producer Paul Dini writing the game's story, and the voice-over stars Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill reprising their roles as Batman and the Joker from the series, respectively, all signs continue to indicate that "Batman: Arkham Asylum" is a game that Batman fans have been waiting a long, long time for.

This particular trailer starts off with a great Joker narration (voiced by Mark Hamill). Adding to Joker's dialogue is a focus on Batman's so-called Invisible Predator stealth combat techniques. After viewing the video, check out some of the screenshots of the game below.

Batman: Arkham Asylum

(Source: Joystiq via MTV Multiplayer)

According to Outdustry, iTunes gift cards have been pirated, and China's biggest C2C online shopping site, Taobao, is the platform used to sell the cards.

(Credit: Taobao)

Chinese hackers have figured out a way to generate iTunes gift card keycode numbers and help themselves to songs from Apple's music store. The hackers have been selling pirated $200 iTunes gift cards on Taobao for as little as 17.9 RMB, or just $2.60--a savings of almost 99 percent!