PS3 Netflix 1080p Streamin (No Disc)

PS3 Netflix Disc Arrives!

I got the PS3 Streaming Disc from Netflix last night. It's pretty cool. There is no login required, upon inserting the disc, the screen will flash a code where you have to go to Netflix.com/PS3 to register the code. Once completed, Netflix will let you stream 100 movies per category (ie. New Arrival, Action, Comedy, Thriller, Sci/Fi, Children, etc...). I can't find any search function thus limiting the viewing only to the 100 movies per category they selected. One way to work around is to setup a instant viewing queue from your PC and use that category to view the movies you want. The general playback, fast forward, rewind and user ratings are all available in this format. I'm very pleased with this service, kudos to Netflix in a big way!

The really good news is that there are lots of action flicks by Steven Seagal and Dolph Lundgren; sweet 90s style action that went straight to video is streaming into my PS3!

With PS3 Slim Price Cut, XBOX Heats Things Up

Microsoft isn't about to take the video game war lying down. With the PS3 80GB Classic and the hot new PS3 Slim 120GB coming out with a price reduction down to $299, the XBOX camp is throwing you the Elite edition for a price cut of $299. While the good 'ole XBOX can't playback the Blu Ray discs, having Netflix streaming is a very nice plus+

Amazon takes PS3 Slim Pre-Order

If you can't wait much longer, Amazon is now taking pre-orders of the new slim 120GB PS3. According to a highly possible rumor, they will likely to ship these new PS3s a few days earlier on 8/26 than the previously noted 9/11/2009 release date. Happy gaming!

PS3 Call of Duty 4 - $28 Shipped @ Amazon

Deal of the Day, won't last. Call of Duty 4, one of the best game in its franchise is finally dropping its price down to $28.98 as part of today's Deal of the Day. I missed this deal back in Thanksgiving Black Friday sale. Don't miss out your opportunity this time.

Playstation 3 for $299 at Dell (PS3)

[Update: 4/26/2009 11:23PM, looks like the deal is over]

This is easily the best deal you can find on a PS3 w/o opening up a credit card or jumping through hoops. Dell.com is offering my favorite next generation console for a measely $300 shipped free. This is a cool $100 off from the regular price you'd find at Best Buy or GameStop. Buy this and be part of the help towards economic recovery!

Amazon Fallout 3 Sale now $35 Shipped!

In less than 48 hours since I placed my order for Fallout 3 (for PS3) at $46.99 shipped, Amazon dropped the price down even lower to $34.98 with free shipping. Crazy!

Amazon Fallout 3 Sale (PS3) - $46 Free Shipping

Totally not mobile related, but just a little bargain I found on Fallout 3, one of the best games for the next generation console. Amazon has it for $46.99 for PS3 standard version with free shipping. Too good to pass up, so I got a copy...

This game is highly rated by Metacritic.com and has amazing graphics and play-ability.

Video Game Bug - PSP-3000

The world of gadgetry can be quite confusing as new devices are constantly crossing over to a new territory. For instance, the iPod Touch has been shifted from a PMP into a gaming device. Another example is the home gaming consoles such as the Wii and PS3. Both offer WiFi and amazing gaming ability. My PS3 even goes as far as reaching the media-center status with BluRay, MUSIC, PHOTO and VIDEO support, basically far too many features for me to actually absorb, with a new firmware update 2.50 just released, internet browsing would even be better with Flash 9 supported with the system browser. As is, I would say I have barely tapped into either system's full potential (online store, networking, etc...)

Same goes for mobile devices. Short while ago, my attention was hardcore focused on the convergence of smartphones, I bounced between WinMo devices, Nokia N95-3 and Apple iPhones because they are all packed with a whole lot of features (internet, wifi, gps, multimedia and even gaming - iPod touch). Today, Sony brought out their third revision of the PSP called PSP-3000. In this version, Sony even built in a microphone to further enhance its capabilities as a communication device (ie. Skype calls, etc.). Being a hardcore portable gamig device, internet browser, video player (both UMD and on Memory stick) and supposedly amazing improvements over its new LCD calibration, I am being very tempted to pick one up to complete off my PS3-PSP collection. I've always been on the Nintendo camp with my GBA and GBA DS Lite, with GBA DSi on the horizon, I better give this some good thoughts and decide what I would prefer the most. It will be hard choices indeed.

A "HDMI" Cable is A "HDMI" Cable

For a gadget freak and electronics fiend, I am relatively behind in the world of video gaming. My last purchase was a Wii which was acquired back in December 07, prior to that, was a Game Cube sometimes in 2003. The machine I had prior is a SNES back in 1995.

Because of my recent acquisition of a 1080P LCD television, I decided to get a PS3 for its gaming as well as Blu-Ray capabilities. With the recent price drop ($399) and larger hard drive (80GB), I thought it was finally a good time to jump in. Too bad Sony took away the PS2 backwards compatibility...

The biggest complaint I have with the PS3 is Sony not including either Component or HDMI cable. For a device capable of HD 1080P output, not including a HDMI cable is just bad taste. While at GameStop, I noticed my option for a HDMI cable is packaged with some other cords like USB or Optical Audio, which would cost atleast $70. I finally found a Monster Cable HDMI on clearance for $49 at Toy's R Us (MSRP $99, Amazon has it for $82). Figuring the PS3 must have a proprietary connector on the back, I didn't hesitate paying for this Monster Cable labeled "for Playstation3".

When I got home to install the newly purchased cable, I noticed both ends of the cable looked the same. A little more research online revealed that PS3 accepts any standard HDMI cable; therefore, I could have just purchased some generic HDMI cable ranging from $10-$25. Further more, this article verifies that there is no difference in quality between a cheap vs. expensive HDMI cable, since the signal is digital, the cable construction itself doesn't make any difference especially in short distance where shielding is of concern.

For years, I have avoided expensive cables (I used standard AV to subsitute for Component, and gotten free Optical cables from a audio friend of mine). I would not have bought this cable if I didn't assume that PS3 had a proprietary jack design. Next time, I'll know, this Belkin HDMI looks pretty good at $12.

[For a complete timeline and revision information on everything you ever need to know about HDMI, take a look at this site.]

PS3 Update: BD-Live

Sony is expected to release a update for the PS3 later this month. It is said to add Blu-ray Disc Profile 2.0 (BD-Live capability), copy photos and music playlists onto their PSP, and even use it as a remote control for playing music and stream video files. Another special feature is "resume play", which will allow the user to begin playing at the last point of stoppage for Blu-ray discs and DVDs even when the disc is taken out of the drive. Additional Blu-ray players are slated for release with a ethernet port but not BD-Live, which may come in later software update.

O'Reilly Web 2.0 Summit: No Cave of Wonders

There is so much happening in the Web world that I went into this year's annual O'Reilly Web 2.0 event hoping it would be like Aladdin's Cave of Wonders--full of bright shiny new companies that did amazing things, each more enticing than the last.

Instead, the conference was more like a United Nations conference, full of important people talking about important issues, but not a lot of surprise or dazzlement. The name "summit" really does fit. That’s not the fault of the folks at O'Reilly; their conference has just grown in stature so much that it attracts CEOs from huge companies as speakers. By definition those people are very careful about what they say, and don't make major announcement at an industry conference.

So while it was interesting to see people like the CEO of AT&T, we didn't necessarily learn a lot. But there were a couple of highlights worth passing along…

The full article is on the Rubicon Consulting web site, here. There's no registration required. From a mobile perspective, the highlight (or lowlight) is a quote from VC Ram Shriram on what a mobile software company has to do in order to get funded.