Starting in October, the Peacock will be offering free downloads of some of its biggest shows. 

Heroes, The Office, Life, Bionic Woman, 30 Rock, Friday Night Lights, Late Night with Conan O’Brien and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno will all be available for download from the network’s new service, “NBC Direct”.  Viewers will have a one-week window to watch the show before it’s locked down.  Additional features, such as HD content, usage on portable devices and “expanded platform functionality” (i.e. Macs) will come down the pipe later on.

Vivi Zigler, Executive VP of NBC Digital Entertainment said the following:

“With the creation of this new service, we are acknowledging that now, more than ever, viewers want to be in control of how, when and where they consumer their favorite entertainment.  Not only does this feature give them more control, but it also gives them a higher quality video experience.”

I’m sorry, but how does limiting (a) the length of time I have to watch a show, (b) what device I can watch a show on, and (c) what computer I can watch a show on give me more control?

There are a few shows debuting this season that seem to be targeted to the geek crowd.  One such program is the CBS comedy The Big Bang Theory.  I took a look at the pilot episode (which is available as a free download on iTunes now), and reviewed it over on our sister site TV Jab.

Here’s an excerpt:

Many comedies aim for the lowest common denominator, so many viewers with half a brain find themselves scratching their heads and wondering, “How is this funny?”  So I have to give kudos to Theory…it goes in the opposite direction. 

The problem is, it goes too far.

Click here for the review.

Colin McRae, winner of the Scottish World Ralley Championship and namesake for the widely popular Colin McRae: Rally video game racing series was killed Saturday in a helicopter accident.  His five year old son and two family friends were also killed in the crash.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the McRae family during this hard time.  Head over to his official website to leave your condolences.

I will admit, I was absolutely infuriated about the $200 iPhone price drop last week.  Outraged.  I said words I don’t normally say, even.  So when Steve Jobs announced that everyone who purchased the iPhone for $600 would be getting a $100 credit to the Apple Store, I was quite relieved. 

Anyway, the refund went live today.  I’ve had concerns that the refund process would be trouble-filled…primarily because I couldn’t find my receipt.  But this could be the most ridiculously simple thing I’ve ever done.

Step 1: Click here.

Step 2: Enter your phone number and serial number (found on the back of the iPhone).

Step 3: Enter access code that you receive from text message.  Get money.

This seriously took me less than 90 seconds, including waiting on the text message.  Major kudos to Jobs & Co for this smooth refund.

Don’t forget, you can get your daily fix of Apple info at our sister blog Apple Gazette.

Google and the X-Prize Foundation are teaming up to give a $20 million prize to the first team that can put a rover on the moon.

Once on the lunar surface, the rover has to roam for at least 500 meters, and send a gigabyte of data back to Earth.  Eventually, Google wants to have a virtually live feed from the moon to stream on its site.

In 2012, the prize drops to $15 million, and the offer expires completely in 2014.  A prize of $5 million is in place for the second team to reach their objective.  And assuming the team gets there, an extra $5 million prize is available if they travel further than the required 500 m, take pictures of the Apollo hardware (assuming it’s really there, of course), find ice and survive the harsh night. 

Tell you what…I’m feeling generous.  I’ll throw $25 bucks in the pot…you know, just to sweeten the deal.

(Source: BBC and Dispatch)

I can’t tell you how many times I’m sitting around playing Bioshock or Gears of War or Madden, and think to myself, “You know, I’m just too much of a man.  I need to get in touch with my feminine side.”

Luckily, Microsoft has got me covered.  Sorry, fellas, the manly blue controller you see will only be available in Japan.  You can get your dainty, manicured hands on the pink one on October 2.

Man, those things will go great with an army-green Halo 3 Xbox console.

Adobe dropped a little preview at last week’s Photoshop World of the newest addition to the Photoshop family…Photoshop Express.

There’s not just a ton of info about what to expect, save that it’s free, it’s apparently Flash-based (like the recent Premiere Express), and “it’s a new member of the Photoshop family that’s meant to make Adobe imaging technology immediately accessible to large numbers of people.”

One cool feature that was displayed was the ability to scroll over the images at the top, and have the preview image displayed below in full screen.  No word yet on when this is available.

(Source: Adobe)

Let me start by saying that I was not watching the MTV Music Awards…my wife was, I just happened to be in the same room at the time.

Anywho, Shia LeBouf was on as a presenter, and he said that he was sworn to secrecy about Indy 4 news by Speilberg and Lucas, but what the heck, why not?  Then he revealed the title…

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

The crowd reaction was hilarious…kind of like “So?  Bring back Fall Out Boy.”

So…Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.  I think it’s pretty much impossible to say that you like or dislike an Indiana Jones title.  It is what it is.  I think it’s pulpy enough to fit right in with the first three films.

Despite that nagging little feeling I have that says this movie will fail, it does seem like they’re getting it right…they pulled of the trifecta of Lucas, Speilberg and Ford, they brought back Karen Allen as Marion and they’ve got Hollywood’s next big star in LeBouf.  Could KOTCS succeed?

…Property of a Lady.

That was the title of a short story in the book “Octopussy and the Living Daylights”, and it was also dropped by a “close-friend to the current happenings of James Bond” at a recent lecture.

From AICN:

Under further inspection, it shows the plot revolves around a female British double-agent also working for the KGB and the attempted auctioning off of a Faberge egg to make the double-agent a little money courtesy of her Russian employers. Of course, Bond must interfere. Now, whether or not this will be the authentic plot of the film, just a disembodied title or nothing at all, only time will tell. It should be taken with a grain of salt.

I put Casino Royale above the majority of other Bond films, so I’m really looking forward to this installment.  We’ll keep you updated as more information develops.

See, old | Scar | here was just going about his business, updating his Uno game on Live, when suddenly he got the above message.  Why would the evil empire of Microsoft do this to a poor, unassuming gamer such as himself?

From his post on the Xbox Support Forum:

I think I know why we got banned now

yep i sure do

Do you think they would ban my console because I played halo 3 epsilon yesterday?

Okay, genius, here’s some free advice.  Don’t play games illegally.  If you choose to ignore that nugget of wisdom, here’s another one…don’t connect to Live while you play said illegal game.

But don’t sweat, | Scar |.  That ban expires on 12/31/9999.  Only 7,992 years to go!

(Source: Homicidal Insomniac)

The Egyptian pyramids were constructed as burial monuments for one particular ruler or another.  However, an architect in Germany is planning to create a new pyramid.  Rather than having one dedicated to one individual, it’s being labeled as “a monument for all of us.”

Basically, anyone can reserve a burial spot in the monument for 700 euros, or $960 US.  “Each tomb container will contain an urn with the ashes of a deceased, while memorial stones hold capsules containing other remembrances.”

The proposed project will be more than twice the size of the Great Pyramid of Giza, and will take an estimated 30 years to complete.  What I find interesting about that is that it only took the Egyptians about 20 years to complete their largest pyramids, and they did that by hand.  Apparently, we’re a bunch of slackers today.

(Source: CNET and The Great Pyramid)

It snuck up on everybody and became possibly the best summer movie in theaters this year.  Word comes today that Transformers will come to DVD and HD-DVD on October 16.

I couldn’t decide the best pic to post with this article, so I’ll put up a far better one here:

Simma down, fellas.

Press release after the jump. Read the rest of this entry »

I’m going to try to keep this as un-Apple biased as possible.

Yesterday, the official Zune blog announced that the price of Microsoft’s portable media device would be dropping to $199, effective Wednesday, September 5.

Speculation on the motivation for this price drop ranges everywhere from the likelihood of a new Zune product (which we reported on here) and the even greater likelihood of a new iPod today.  Regardless, if you’ve been holding out hope to pick up one of these for some reason (sorry, had to sneak it in there), now’s the time.

I’m really digging this steampunk artwork that’s been popping up lately.  If you haven’t seen it, google “steampunk star wars”.

Though this isn’t technically steampunk, it’s still got that industrial feel…and I felt like saying steampunk, so there.  Click on over for a look at a Stormtrooper, Boba Fett, and Alien.  Or, as the site puts it (courtesy of Babelfish):

Photographies of a Star Trooper, an Imperial Soldier and a Steampunks Alien. Today same sight in Dubai, The Mall of the Emirates, the gallery To the Jabber.

(Source: HombreLobo)

Microsoft and Fox inked a deal that will bring Fox shows, including the greatest cartoon comedy on television (IMHO, as always) to the Xbox Live Marketplace.

Starting September 2, 360 owners will be able to get episodes from the first two seasons of Family Guy from the Marketplace for 160 Microsoft Points ($2).  More Fox shows will follow later.  Granted, you can pick up the first two seasons on DVD and pay less all around, but if you’re looking to buy one episode at a time, it’s a great option.

To those of you just determined to stay in the pre-generation of gaming, check out the new bundle that Sony is putting out.

For the low, low price of $149, you get all that you see above…a pearly white slim PS2, a pearly white PS2 controller a couple of jet black microphones and the critically acclaimed (um….) SingStar game.

I guess this could make sense for someone on a tight budget…or something. But, seriously, either save your money for the PS3 or 360, or drop an extra $100 for the Wii.

(Source: PR Newswire)