Morning Xtra: Tucker Carlson Starts Blog, iPods Getting Cameras?
iPods Getting Cameras?
The rumor mill has been buzzing that the next generation of iPods will be sporting cameras. Our colleagues over at TUAW have been keeping track of all the speculation, so feel free to peruse it at your leisure. As for us, we can definitely see this happening in the near future. It makes all kinds of sense to put a camera on iPods -- we're all about convergence and it would give us one less gadget to have to stuff into our jean pockets. [From: TUAW]
Tucker Carlson to Out-Bias Huffington Post With His Very Own Blog
Everyone's favorite bowtie-wearing conservative pundit Tucker Carlson has decided that he's had enough of the Huffington Post's Obama love -- so he's starting his own news blog. It'll be called TheDailyCaller.com and it will use a traffic revenue-sharing model to pay writers that is based on the system at -- you guessed it -- the Huffington Post. The political blog scene is pretty crowded already, and the last time anybody cared about Tucker Carlson was when he was getting thumped by Jon Stewart on 'Crossfire,' so we can't exactly predict big things for the Daily Caller. [From: TechCrunch]
No Cheaper Wii, Says Nintendo
We reported yesterday that GameSpot has been pushing for cheaper Nintendo Wii consoles, but today we are hearing from Nintendo that it's not gonna happen. Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime told the Wall Street Journal that the company is "not considering any type of price change at any point, at this time." Doesn't get much clearer than that, folks. [From: WSJ]
'Citizen Kane of Games' in the Next 10 Years? Director Guillermo Del Toro Thinks So...
It has long been said that the video game industry needs its 'Citizen Kane.' Orson Welles's classic legitimized film as an art form when it was released, and acclaimed director Guillermo del Toro is predicting that we will see a video game released in the next ten years that does the same thing for gaming. Plenty of philosophers have tried to define art and that's a debate for another day, but we think that video games have already made it. Don't believe it? Give Jason Rohrer's 'Passage' a try, and see if it doesn't affect you. [From: Joystiq]
Iran No Longer Banning Facebook
The June 12 presidential election in Iran is quickly approaching, and the main challenger to incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is a fellow by the name of Mir Hossein Mousavi. Mousavi had been using Facebook to reach out to youth voters, but the service was blocked by the Iranian government last Saturday in a blatant attempt to inhibit Mousavi's campaigning. Fortunately, amidst a rash of criticism, the government restored access to the social-networking site on Tuesday. We'll have to wait and see if they keep it open through the elections, as Iran has been known to reimpose blocks on Web sites in the past, according to the AP. [From: AP, via: Silicon Valley]
Samsung Recalling Jitterbug Cell Phones That Don't Connect To 911
When you market a cell phone to senior citizens by touting a "live nurse" option, you'd darn well better make sure that the 911 service works. We've gotten word from The Consumerist that Samsung is recalling a batch of its "Jitterbug" pay-as-you-go phones because the phones apparently cannot reach 911 when outside of a service area. If you bought one of these babies between March 2008 and May 2009, get thee in touch with Samsung at (866) 304-4980. [From: The Consumerist]
Mossberg's Interview With Twitter Founders
Do you love Wall Street Journal tech writer Walt Mossberg and his epic Colonel Sanders facial hair? If so, then you can watch him grill Twitter founders Evan Williams and Biz Stone at the D: All Things Digital conference. There's plenty of cool insider stories about how Twitter got started and its plans for the future, but Mossberg takes the whole 'condescending journalist' thing a bit too far for our tastes. [From: WSJ]
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