Entertainment giant Disney is expanding its video offerings for the iTunes platform with the addition of content from its ESPN and ABC Sports outlets as the company pushes further into the mobile-media realm.
Kicking off the latest effort are condensed versions of this year's four college BCS bowl football games from ABC Sports. Later this month, ESPN will provide content from its X Games coverage, "SportsCentury" interviews from ESPN Classic, and the amusing "This Is SportsCenter" show.

Also in the works are ESPN Original Entertainment programs including "Knight School," the forthcoming reality program featuring Texas Tech basketball coach Bobby Knight, which will premiere on iTunes.

Reaching into the Disney Library

"Our mission is to serve fans wherever they are by delivering high-quality content across dozens of multimedia platforms, now including the iTunes Music Store and viewing on the iPod," said George Bodenheimer, ESPN and ABC Sports president and co-chairman of Disney Media Networks.

Besides the sports programming, Disney also is making available content from the ABC Television Group, ranging from the "Wildfire" series to the animated shows "Kim Possible" and "The Proud Family," and selections from the ABC Entertainment and Touchstone Television library product including "America's Funniest Home Videos" and the 1970s Saturday morning show "School House Rock."

Classic animated shorts will be offered via iTunes as well, along with free, ad-supported video podcasts from ABC News. The shows that are not offered for free will cost $1.99 each.

News and Entertainment

Apple changed the way TV programs are distributed last year when it launched the video-capable iPod and began selling video content from Disney's ABC subsidiary. Thus far, customers have downloaded some three million videos from the Apple site.

Adding sports is an interesting choice for the iTunes platform, said Forrester Research analyst Ted Schadler, because such programming typically is only viewed in real time . "Disney is moving beyond entertainment to include more news-related content for iTunes, which is something the other networks and studios may try to do as well," he said.

Schadler also pointed out that ESPN has been aggressive in making its content available online and in the mobile space. "They understand the importance of extending the relationship with their viewers beyond the TV screen," he said.

NBC Universal also has an agreement with Apple to provide television shows for the iTunes store, including classic programs as well as more recent offerings like "Law & Order."

http://www.sci-tech-today.com/news/D...d=0100014701KC ...

Entertainment giant Disney is expanding its video offerings for the iTunes platform with the addition of content from its ESPN and ABC Sports outlets as the company pushes further into the mobile-media realm.
Kicking off the latest effort are condensed versions of this year's four college BCS bowl football games from ABC Sports. Later this month, ESPN will provide content from its X Games coverage, "SportsCentury" interviews from ESPN Classic, and the amusing "This Is SportsCenter" show.

Also in the works are ESPN Original Entertainment programs including "Knight School," the forthcoming reality program featuring Texas Tech basketball coach Bobby Knight, which will premiere on iTunes.

Reaching into the Disney Library

"Our mission is to serve fans wherever they are by delivering high-quality content across dozens of multimedia platforms, now including the iTunes Music Store and viewing on the iPod," said George Bodenheimer, ESPN and ABC Sports president and co-chairman of Disney Media Networks.

Besides the sports programming, Disney also is making available content from the ABC Television Group, ranging from the "Wildfire" series to the animated shows "Kim Possible" and "The Proud Family," and selections from the ABC Entertainment and Touchstone Television library product including "America's Funniest Home Videos" and the 1970s Saturday morning show "School House Rock."

Classic animated shorts will be offered via iTunes as well, along with free, ad-supported video podcasts from ABC News. The shows that are not offered for free will cost $1.99 each.

News and Entertainment

Apple changed the way TV programs are distributed last year when it launched the video-capable iPod and began selling video content from Disney's ABC subsidiary. Thus far, customers have downloaded some three million videos from the Apple site.

Adding sports is an interesting choice for the iTunes platform, said Forrester Research analyst Ted Schadler, because such programming typically is only viewed in real time . "Disney is moving beyond entertainment to include more news-related content for iTunes, which is something the other networks and studios may try to do as well," he said.

Schadler also pointed out that ESPN has been aggressive in making its content available online and in the mobile space. "They understand the importance of extending the relationship with their viewers beyond the TV screen," he said.

NBC Universal also has an agreement with Apple to provide television shows for the iTunes store, including classic programs as well as more recent offerings like "Law & Order."

http://www.sci-tech-today.com/news/D...d=0100014701KC ...

Pete Townshend has warned iPod users they may face hearing problems if they don't turn down the volume.

Townshend, guitarist in '60s rock band The Who, said his hearing has been irreversibly damaged by years of using studio headphones and he must now take 36-hour breaks between recording sessions.

"Hearing loss is a terrible thing because it cannot be repaired," he said on his Web site. "If you use an iPod or anything like it, or your child uses one, you MAY be OK. ... But my intuition tells me there is terrible trouble ahead."

The Who were famous for their earsplitting live performances, but Townshend, 60, said his problem was caused by using earphones in the recording studio.

"I have unwittingly helped to invent and refine a type of music that makes its principal components deaf," he said.

Referring to the increasingly popular practice of downloading music from the Internet, Townshend said: "The downside may be that on our computers - for privacy, for respect to family and co-workers, and for convenience - we use earphones at almost every stage of interaction with sound."

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/pop/14...Townshend.html ...

Pete Townshend has warned iPod users they may face hearing problems if they don't turn down the volume.

Townshend, guitarist in '60s rock band The Who, said his hearing has been irreversibly damaged by years of using studio headphones and he must now take 36-hour breaks between recording sessions.

"Hearing loss is a terrible thing because it cannot be repaired," he said on his Web site. "If you use an iPod or anything like it, or your child uses one, you MAY be OK. ... But my intuition tells me there is terrible trouble ahead."

The Who were famous for their earsplitting live performances, but Townshend, 60, said his problem was caused by using earphones in the recording studio.

"I have unwittingly helped to invent and refine a type of music that makes its principal components deaf," he said.

Referring to the increasingly popular practice of downloading music from the Internet, Townshend said: "The downside may be that on our computers - for privacy, for respect to family and co-workers, and for convenience - we use earphones at almost every stage of interaction with sound."

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/pop/14...Townshend.html ...

logann released a new version of the Amiga puzzler remake.

This version features new graphics. A BLU+ Version is also available now.

http://www.gp32x.de/cgi-bin/cfiles.cgi?0,0,0,0,25,981 ...

Kern Corrigan, the senior product manager from console accessories manufacturer MadCatz has talked to IGN about how they plan to tackle perhaps their biggest challenge yet - the Nintendo Revolution.

Bozon: First off, what did you think when you first took a look at the Revolution controller? Was it a welcomed change, or did it simply offer up more challenges for your teams?

Kern: The first glance of the Revolution controller inspired a mixture of apprehension and curiosity. On paper it seems an ordinary remote control. In use, it is a captivating control scheme that connects the gamer to the play in extraordinary ways. The challenges arise when trying to define who will play the new system, how will they play it, and where can Mad Catz improve that experience? Mad Catz views these challenges as opportunities and is excited to offer a broad array of products to support the Revolution.

Is there any fear of difficulty in integrating new accessories for the Revolution? In short, how friendly is the system to work with if you have had the chance? If you haven't had hands-on time, do you foresee any issues with creating new innovative accessories for the controller, specifically in the expansion port at the bottom of the core remote?

Clearly every system has technical issues to address and the Revolution is no different. One key to creating new innovative accessories for the Revolution controller is to maintain close relationships with Nintendo. Mad Catz has established a strong relationship with Nintendo and will work to maintain those relationships in order to support development efforts. A second approach is to employ our expertise gained through past console launches to solve technical issues. The team will employ a blend of the two strategies to overcome engineering challenges, including the expansion port, to provide Mad Catz Revolution peripherals at launch.

What does the future hold for Revolution? Do you see the possibility of creating custom controllers for specific games for Developers/Publishers, or does Revolution's advanced technology tie your hands more than open doors?

The Revolution has great potential for game specific controllers. Anything you swing, point, fling, or flick is fair game. The possibilities are endless. The challenge is to partner with the appropriate Developers/Publishers to create a compelling integration of controller features and game play. With that integration the controller will have the hook needed to gain retail support and consumer interest. Mad Catz anticipates the new technology will open many new avenues of mainstream gaming and looks forward to participating in the development.

Does Nintendo's controller limit what can be done for controller production, specifically with the core remote and the technology inside it? Will you be attempting to create the core remote, or simply look to creating new expansions on Nintendo's core controller?

The release of the Nintendo Revolution will be a major milestone in the video gaming industry and as such Mad Catz will support the system launch with a complete array of quality peripherals. This will include core controllers as well as a variety of supporting products. As a top 3rd party gaming peripheral manufacturer, we owe to the market and consumers a wide range of differentiated product options to choose from. It is our responsibility to fully utilize our technological expertise and resources to make this happen.

Nintendo has given information stating that a shell controller will be used to play mainstream games for Revolution. Any plans on supporting that play-style as well?

Mad Catz is dedicated to providing peripherals that meet the needs of the gamer. The shell controller is an excellent way to link the new system to the mainstream crowd and is thus in the launch plan for the Revolution. With that in mind, we may find the shell controller to simply be a bridging controller that pulls the mainstream gamer to the Revolution which then ultimately leads to mass adoption of the Revolution's innovative control system.

Can you give us some examples of types of Revolution peripherals that you might be interested in making? How might they work?

Mad Catz is excited to offer a full line of Revolution peripherals. We are particularly interested in leveraging unique Mad Catz styling with wireless and motion sensing technology to further strengthen our core controllers for the console. Beyond those core controllers, we are evaluating wheel, arcade stick, dance pad, and other unique input solutions. The challenge is to maintain close relationships with Nintendo to seamlessly integrate these solutions into the Revolution platform.

Which Mad Catz peripherals have done the best on previous systems? Are you adapting any existing product lines (such as Micro Con for example) for the Revolution?

As a leading third party peripheral company, Mad Catz has had excellent success with its controllers for previous systems. Clearly Nintendo wishes the Revolution to span all demographics and become a mass market solution ...

yopyop has updated his rather great Nintendo DS Emulator for Windows, heres whats new:

Change :
- partial CARD_REG implementation allow new demos to be playable.

(Indication : black and white tiles)

Download via comments ...

Famitsu reports earlier today stirred rumours of a redesigned DS console hitting the shelves of Tokyo's Akihabara gaming district as early as Spring 2006. A report in the latest edition of the Japanese magazine has revealed that some new but unspecified Nintendo hardware will appear. Famitsu clarifies that it won't be a next-gen system, but instead a revision of an existing machine and retailers are strongly hinting at a redesigned DS, possibly with improved functionality. SPOnG thinks it’s a fair bet that it will be an aesthetically upgraded, less clunky-looking DS.

In other words, we may soon see the Nintendo DS SP. SPOnG is of the opinion that a more compact and stylish looking DS cannot come soon enough. Mainly because we’ve ripped most of our trouser pockets trying to wedge the cumbersome current model into them. (Cue all those obvious jokes – is that a DS in your pocket or are you just glad to see me? Etc.)

Outside of the Nintendo Rumour Mill and in other actually really, definitely happening news, Wi-Fi provider and official Nintendo partner The Cloud is planning to roll out city-wide Wi-Fi services across the UK this spring, installing hundreds of wireless broadband hotspots across Edinburgh, Leeds, Manchester, Birmingham, Nottingham, Oxford, Cambridge and three London boroughs, Islington, Kensington and Camden.

Each installation will consist of hundreds of 'hotzones' rolled out across each city, promising virtually blanket coverage in the above areas and giving access to the internet for anyone using a Wi-Fi enabled Nintendo DS, computer or mobile phone.

"Providing ubiquitous wireless broadband access over a network available to millions of Wi-Fi devices, and to the new generation of Wi-Fi phones, gaming devices and other applications, will have a major impact on the way people communicate, work and play in city centres," said George Polk, chief executive at The Cloud.

The company are claiming that four million people will have daily access to a city-wide service by the end of 2006. Perhaps as a stealth marketing exercise by Nintendo, these four million people could be given free trial DS consoles with copies of Mario Kart, which should pretty much ensure that they will all be hooked on Nintendo handheld wi-fi gaming for the rest of their lives. ...

Source Gamespot

Tapwave's Zodiac, Tiger's Gizmondo, and Nokia's N-Gage have all recently tried to break into the lucrative portable-gaming sector. However, with little brand recognition and lukewarm software support, the first system has gone the way of Betamax--and the futures of the others are uncertain. While these handhelds were part of the new wave of multimedia portable gaming devices, it was Sony's PSP that was the Big Kahuna.

But even Sony's "must-have" PSP plays second fiddle to Nintendo's two portables, the Game Boy Advance and the DS, which account for roughly 78 percent of the handheld market. With two handheld giants to contend with and history stacking the odds against new entries into the portable market, it would seem that Nintendo and Sony will be going tête-à-tête, at least for a while.

Enter iRiver. The Korean company best known for portable digital music players is reportedly unveiling the iRiver G10, its first dip into mobile gaming, at the Consumer Electronics Show taking place now in Las Vegas.

According to various reports around the Web, the unit will run on the Windows Mobile 5.0 operating system, have multiple storage options of 4GB or 8GB, and feature WiBro wireless Internet functionality. Its 4-inch 800x480-pixel color display (the PSP's screen, by comparison, is a 4.3-inch 480x272-pixel screen) and takes up much of the unit's face. However, in a move similar to T-Mobile's Sidekick phones, the front slides up, revealing two D pads, and select, start, and on/off buttons.

However, none of the aforementioned details for the G10 have been confirmed by iRiver, and inquires to representatives for the company had not been answered as of press time.

GameSpot will have more information from CES soon. ...