BlackBerry 9670 Spotted: OS 6 CDMA Flip Phone (?!?)

Boy Genius Report has posted pictures of the BlackBerry 9670 — a CDMA clamshell phone running BlackBerry OS 6.0. Using CDMA tech means it will be headed to Sprint or Verizon in America. Here are more details from the site:

The BlackBerry 9670 is a CDMA device packed to the brim with a full QWERTY keyboard, 5 megapixel camera (a first!), Wi-Fi, a 360×480 internal display, huge external display, trackpad, OS 6.0, microUSB port, microSD internal storage slot, Bluetooth, and a metallic finish casing.

I really have to roll my eyes at RIM on this one. A flip phone? Really?!? I’d quote the Black Eyed Peas and say that the company is “so 2000-and-late”…but it would be more accurate to say that it’s stuck in 2002. The smartphone market is currently dominated by candy-bar and slider phones. I don’t hear anyone clamoring for the return of clamshell phones. Perhaps RIM thinks the Motorola RAZR is still cutting edge. *sigh*

Perhaps I’m wrong about this one. What do you think of the design? Do flip phones have a place in 2010?

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Iron Man 2 Dev Diary: Behind the Music with Lamb of God

The latest Iron Man 2 developer diary tells the story of how Sega and Lamb of God teamed up on the game. Members of the band and the dev team talk about the collaboration between developer/publisher and band. Lamb of God’s single “Hit the Wall” is the game’s official theme song. It’s a cool clip and I hope you check it out!

Coffee Talk #128: Predicting the Rest of This Gen’s Console Wars

In preparation for my interview with EEDAR Jesse Divnich, I wanted you ladies and gents to play analyst for a second. This console generation is roughly halfway over, depending on how long you believe this gen will last. The Nintendo Wii has slaughtered the competition. The Xbox 360 has done very well. The PlayStation 3 had been picking up steam since August 2009. How do you think the rest of this generation will play out?

Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, Big Ben’s suspension, Crystal Bowersox almost quitting American Idol, or RIM being stuck in 2002, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Reminder: please submit your questions for EEDAR’s Jesse Divnich here. He’s cool, smart, and awesome. You should ask him some questions.

In preparation for my interview with EEDAR Jesse Divnich, I wanted you ladies and gents to play analyst for a second. This console generation is roughly halfway over, depending on how long you believe this gen will last. The Nintendo Wii has slaughtered the competition. The Xbox 360 has done very well. The PlayStation 3 had been picking up steam since August 2009. How do you think the rest of this generation will play out?

Will Nintendo be able to sustain its ridiculous momentum? If not, will it still be able to edge out the others? Will Natal give Xbox 360 a boost in the casual market? Will the PlayStation 3 be able to do the same with PS Move? Do you think Sony can catch Microsoft?

Let your opinions fly (please) and predict the rest of this generation’s console wars!

Blizzard Bans Over 320,000 Battle.net Accounts

Blizzard has swung its mighty banhammer to the tune of 320,000 banned accounts. The offenders were apparently up to no good in Diablo II and Warcraft III. It’s also interesting to note that a lot of the bans are a result of the community policing itself. Here’s a quote from Blizzard’s forum post:

Many account closures come as the direct result of tips emailed to our hacks team by legitimate Battle.net users. If you come across a hack, find a site responsible for distributing hacks, or have a replay of a newly available hack, please report this to our hacks team at hacks@blizzard.com or through our Hacks Report Form at http://us.blizzard.com/support/article.xml?locale=en_US&tag=hacksform

It’s great that the community helps sort itself out…but I have to wonder if some players are viewed are narcs.

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Nintendo 3DS Coming in October?

According to CVG, the Nintendo 3DS is coming earlier than expected — October 2010. The site revealed:

UK industry sources have today informed us that the platform holder is readying an October launch for the system — which it will announce at E3.

While Nintendo’s handheld gaming systems have sold well every month of the year, releasing the 3DS in October would allow it to take advantage of the extremely lucrative holiday sales period. As I mentioned during GDC, the developers I spoke with were aiming to finish their games by the end of the year, so October could be a feasible release.

What do you think of CVG’s rumor? Is October too early? Or is it just right?

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BlackBerry 6.0 Screens Unearthed: Too Little, Too Late?

Boy Genius Report has posted a bunch of screens of an early version of RIM’s BlackBerry 6.0 software. The site claims to have seen the OS in action. BlackBerry fans will want to check it out, as the OS looks like a much-needed advancement. While RIM is still king in the business world, its OS is laughably crude compared to modern, consumer-oriented operating systems iPhone OS, Android, and WebOS. Meanwhile, RIM’s competitors have made significant strides in the enterprise space.

BlackBerry 6.0 is expected to launch on a new phone this summer.

If you get a chance to check out the screens, I’d love to know what you think. Will BlackBerry 6.0 be enough for RIM to stay competitive in the consumer space? Or will the company continue to get trounced in the consumer market while slowly losing ground in the business space?

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Nintendo Classic Controller Pro Now Available for $19.99

Nintendo has announced that the Classic Controller Pro for Wii is now available for an MSRP of $19.99. The controller is available in black and white colors. Here’s a snippet from the press release:

Featuring two rows of shoulder buttons and ergonomically designed grips, the Classic Controller Pro is compatible with more than 460 Wii, WiiWare and Virtual Console games. It plugs directly into the Wii Remote controller to provide a unique control option for veteran gamers and newcomers alike.

Are any of you planning on buying one? If so, are you going black or white?

The Ethics of Gizmodo’s iPhone 4G Scoop

First off, I want to make it clear that I really enjoyed Gizmodo’s coverage of the next Apple iPhone. For those of you not familiar with how it went down, the site acquired an iPhone prototype that was lost at a Bay Area bar. It pounced on the opportunity to write a story and produce videos on the biggest Apple scoop of the year. That all seems normal, right? Where it gets murky is the fact that Gizmodo paid money for the iPhone prototype.

According to Edible Apple:

Gawker editor Nick Denton said that the company paid $5,000 for the device, with some reports claiming that additional fees were to be paid if certain traffic goals were met.

That’s a pretty hefty sum, but considering the tremendous amount of traffic the story has generated, it’s probably worth it…until California law is considered. The Guardian noted this tidbit of California civil code that can be applied to the situation (the iPhone situation, not Jersey Shore‘s The Situation):

Any person or any public or private entity that finds and takes possession of any money, goods, things in action, or other personal property, or saves any domestic animal from harm, neglect, drowning, or starvation, shall, within a reasonable time, inform the owner, if known, and make restitution without compensation, except a reasonable charge for saving and taking care of the property.

Obviously the person that “found” the iPhone prototype is in the wrong, but is Gizmodo also in the wrong for buying the device? The Guardian cited California Penal Code 496 PC:

This means that even if you weren’t aware at the time that you received the property that it was stolen (but later learned or suspected that fact), you must immediately contact the owner of the property or the police to avoid prosecution.

The bad news (for Gizmodo) is that the law seems to be against them. The good news is that Apple has had a tough time suing bloggers in the past.

I want to know what you think about the whole deal. Was Gizmodo merely doing its job? Or did the site cross a line?

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Coffee Talk #127: What Magazines Do You Read?

To be completely honest, this edition of Coffee Talk is 30% self serving. As I mentioned a few weeks ago, Amazon currently has some great deals on magazines — including some “buy-one-year-get-two-years deals. If there’s anything there that interests you, a subscription would really help out the site. That said, I’m also genuinely curious to learn what kind of magazines you ladies and gents read.

Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, Mosley/Mayweather 24/7, your batting average being higher than Mark Teixeira’s, or losing iPhone prototypes at a bar, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

To be completely honest, this edition of Coffee Talk is 30% self serving. As I mentioned a few weeks ago, Amazon currently has some great deals on magazines — including some “buy-one-year-get-two-years deals. If there’s anything there that interests you, a subscription would really help out the site. That said, I’m also genuinely curious to learn what kind of magazines you ladies and gents read.

I subscribe to a bunch of magazines…but don’t read most of them since the Internet keeps me filled with info. I have ESPN: The Magazine, mainly for “Insider” access. I read Entertainment Weekly to keep up with pop culture. The books I receive, but usually don’t get to include Tennis, Interview, GQ, and The Atlantic. All of those subs are Internet specials that cost a few dollars. The sole gaming magazine I receive is Game Informer; EIC Andy was nice enough to put me on the comp list and I’m friends with a bunch of those guys, so it’s nice to read their work.

Now it’s your turn! What magazines do you read regularly?

Happy 420! And Also, Props to WWE!

For some reason, April 20 always reminds me of Rob Van Dam. I can’t think of another pro-wrestler that was on the cover of High Times. Ha! Anyway, if you’re into that particular herbal remedy, enjoy your day!

I was impressed with last night’s episode of Monday Night Raw. WWE had to call an audible (several really) since most of the Raw roster is currently stuck in Ireland due to Bjork throwing a tantrum and exploding a volcano in Iceland (or something like that). It wasn’t the greatest show, but it was good considering the circumstances. I enjoyed MacGruber (he managed to put Kozlov over) and thought Jack Swagger did well despite losing his match. CM Punk and Jericho were entertaining, but that shouldn’t surprise anyone.

With the annual WWE draft taking place next week, what are some of the big roster shakeups you’re expecting or hoping for? Any chance Cena will be assigned to NXT?!? (Only in my dreams, I know.)