Google has finally brought Writely into the fold, fully integrating it into its other services. Before, Writely existed as a seperate service, still sporting the same interface it had when it was purchased by Google. Writely is a web-based word processor that allows you to create documents that are compatable with Microsoft Word. With the launch of Documents, Google combines Writely and its recent Spreadsheet app into a single site. People have always talked about the possibility of a Google “Office” app
something that could replace the need for Microsoft Office. This could be the first step. Read more »

New outlets everywhere are confirming the purchase of YouTube by Google. The deal is regarded as a largely defensive one that leapfrogs Google into a leading role in a burgeoning Internet marketplace. Moreover, the Google/YouTube deal highlights how Google and other Internet companies are betting heavily on video to attract more customers and generate more advertising revenue. Read more »

Microsoft’s “iPod Killer”, the Zune, will retail for $249.99, while songs for the device will cost about $.99 each. At this price, it sounds like Microsoft could take a loss on each unit sold, similar to what it did with the XBox 360. Microsoft said it needed to put a comparable price on Zune, even if it meant that the company will suffer a loss from the device’s sales this holiday season. Read more »

“Halo Wars” is the next big real-time strategy game from Ensemble Studios, creators of Age of Empires. Designed exclusively for the Xbox 360, “Halo Wars” allows you to take charge of the human UNSC armies and see the Halo universe from a totally new perspective. The time frame for Halo Wars is set before Halo 1, when the UNSC first encounters the Convenant. The game is being developed as an XBox 360 exclusive and no release date has been announced. Read more »

Walt Disney chief executive Robert Iger said on Tuesday the company sold 125,000 movie downloads worth $1 million in revenue through Apple Computer’s iTunes Store during the offering’s first week, Reuters is reporting. Seems to be a pretty good start for the service. With results like this, I would expect to see other studios jumping on board soon. Read more »

Marking the next big milestone for its Connected Entertainment vision, Microsoft Corp. today unveiled details of the first products to be released under its Zune™ brand. Designed around the principles of sharing, discovery and community, Zune will create new ways for consumers to connect and share entertainment experiences. The Zune experience centers around connection — connection to your library, connection to friends, connection to community and connection to other devices. The Zune features a 30GB HDD, 3″ QVGA (320×240) screen, and WiFi. No word on price yet, although some speculate around $300, and it will be available this holiday season. Read more »

With all the Apple goodness going around yesterday, it seems that the release of the Star Wars Trilogy on DVD sort of slipped under the radar. The three disc set with a bonus disc is available for about $50 on Amazon. Each disc includes 2 versions of the original Trilogy: the “enhanced” version with new scenes and special effects, and the original theatrical release. UPDATE: I apparently linked to the wrong product at Amazon. Here are the links to all three episodes. Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi Read more »

Nice little app here. It written in PHP4 with some nice AJAX sprinkled over it for effect. YShout is a lightweight package that allows you to easily add a shoutbox to your website. Shoutboxes are a great tool to receive feedback from your visitors, and YShout allows you to chat with them in real-time! YShout is also: Think of it as a basic version of Campfire written in PHP rather than Ruby. Read more »

Amazon has the Apple Mac Pro for under $2400, offering a $150 rebate on the system. This is only the base system. If you want to configure it further, you probably need to go directly through Apple or one of its resellers. They also have: $200 rebate on 15″ MacBookPro $2299 – $200 = $2099 $200 rebate on 17″ MacBook Pro $2799 – $200 = $2599 $100 off white MacBook $1299 – $100 = $1199 $100 off the black MacBook $1499 – $100 = $1399 All with free Super Saver Shipping! More Apple Deals At Amazon Read more »

Google launched Picasa Web Albums about 2 months ago. Unfortunately, the only way to upload images to the service if you were on a Mac was via the web interface. Today, Google released two tools for Mac users that make it easier to upload photos to Picasa Web Albums. The tools that have been released is a stand-alone uploader application and a full-on iPhoto plugin (think FlickrExport) that lets you send photos directly from iPhoto to Picasa Web Albums. I decided to give them a little test drive and here are my thoughts. The iPhoto plugin works well enough. You select which photo or photos you want upload, chose Export Read more »