Crave

(Credit: glidemagazine.com)

Did you like The Beatles: Rock Band? Are you ready for more? It seems like all you'll have to do is wait until next year, according to Roger Daltry, for The Who. "The game, yeah, yeah, they're going to be doing a Who one next year. There is one planned," says Daltry in an interview with The Republican, a most unlikely source for a bombshell of a gaming announcement like this one.

Tommy isn't exactly The Yellow Submarine as far as family appeal goes, but The Who, like the Beatles, are a classic rock band legend with a large (but not nearly as big as The Beatles) catalog of great music. They also have a great relationship with MTV and Harmonix, having released DLC for Rock Band as well as headlining an E3 Rock Band concert in Los Angeles a few years back, which yours truly attended. It seems like a slam-dunk, except in terms of sales. While The Beatles: Rock Band has performed well, this type of thin-slicing of music games by genre and performer will only serve to micro-monetize an already declining music game industry.

Still, The Who have a visual style (including classic rock operas and films) that's arresting, a necessary prerequisite to match the design of The Beatles: Rock Band and set it above games like, oh, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith.

Are all bands eventually destined to get their own music games? Is this the future of the music industry flashing before our eyes?

(Source: Mass Live via Kotaku)

(Credit: The Boy Genius Report)

Ever since Apple launched the new iPhone 3GS, the older iPhone 3G has been going for $99 with a new two-year contract. Well, according to Boy Genius Report, there seem to be some indications that Apple may be about to bring out a new 8GB version of the iPhone 3GS that will take the place of the iPhone 3G and also cost $99.

Interestingly, BGR's source isn't AT&T but Rogers, a Canadian carrier, and a tipster sent the site some screenshots that seem to provide proof of the transition between models. None of this is confirmed, of course, but if AT&T (and other carriers like Rogers) offered an 8GB iPhone 3GS for $99, it would be another aggressive move by Apple in its quest to dominate the smartphone space. I'm not sure it spells doom for the $199 8GB Palm Pre, which is selling well, but it can't help its cause.

Comments? Is the 8GB iPhone 3GS at $99 a big deal?

(Via The Boy Genius Report)

All Things D has posted a mock video ad featuring Palm's executive chairman Jon Rubinstein and major Palm investor Roger McNamee. For those who don't get the gag, McNamee is the guy who famously expressed a little too much enthusiasm for the Pre, forcing Palm to distance itself from his boastful remarks, some of which were deemed inaccurate. In the video, Rubinstein is shown trying to reign Roger in.

Funny stuff. But who will have the last laugh?

Additional reading: Palm shows Pre at D.

After yesterday's downer show, we're back and cheerier than ever. Even Jeff is in good spirits after the New Jersey Devils got stomped all over their home ice. We discover today that Wal-Mart really does rock, and not in a good way.

Who watches the Wal-Mart?

(Credit: Flickr/george@sfindie.com)

The lesson of today's show is DO NOT BUY ELECTRONICS FROM WAL-MART, unless you're a rock collector, in which case you'll be thrilled, because apparently the company is literally selling Nintendo DS boxes filled with sediment.

We need to get THE BONCH, aka Bonnie Cha back on our show to talk about the Palm Pre. Actually, Palm is offering preproduction review units to Average Joes (and Josephines) in hopes of receiving "true life" feedback on the smartphone. Wilson seems to think that most consumers will frown on the smaller screen size, but we all have high hopes for the brand since this is definitely a last ditch effort in the smartphone market.

In exciting movie news, Jeff is superstoked to hear about a "Drop Dead Fred" remake starring Russel Brand, that quirky English dude that played the hippy beauhunk in "Forgetting Sarah Marshall." His brand of piratey humor should do well as a young girl's imaginary friend, right? Oh! We also reveal another popular movie sequel in the works, but you'll have to listen to the show to get the full scoop.

Finally, we touch on the bloated cost of higher education and how NYU students are getting questionable phone calls about their financial aid. Apparently NYU financial advisers are individually calling students receiving significant amounts of financial aid and questioning their decisions to accept the money and attend the university. If I were still in school and someone called me about this, I'd probably just tell them to put the check in the mail and stop telling me what to do all the time.

(Credit: Mr. Maximus, you get the first 404 baby shirt!)

Today's CFTP is rather heartfelt. Thanks to everyone who called in, and we'd like to personally welcome James Christopher Maximus to the world! You were born today, dude! Hopefully you're reading this in the year 2021, when you're old enough to fully grasp our jokes. We love your dad for breeding future listeners of The 404!

Per usual, don't forget to check out our live VIDEOcast (man it feels good to write that) every morning at 11 a.m. ET. We have a ton of fun in the preshow and you get the inside scoop on how we prepare for the show. And please please please call and leave us a voicemail at 1-866-404-CNET (2638)!

This weekend, Justin Yu made an appearance on Tom Merritt's and Roger Chang's podcast, East Meets West. Ostensibly, it sounds like a podcast about technology and Asian and Western cultures, right? Nope. Turns out it's half an hour where Tom and Roger ream Justin and The 404 for our use of "curse words."

(Credit: Mark Licea/CNET)

Also in the news this weekend, "Adventureland" came out. Contrary to its marketing campaign, it's not a film in the vein of "Superbad," but is actually kind of deep. As for way less deep films, "Fast and Furious" topped the charts with a cool 72.5 million bones. Michael McCarthy, ace reporter Caroline McCarthy's little brother, joins the show today to lend us his opinion on movies and provide a laugh track.

Twitter, for all the problems that it's caused in the world, may have actually saved the life of a suicidal woman. Apparently, if you @reply Demi Moore, you can get saved. There's some more bummer technology stories in there, too.

In happier news, Rick Moranis might make an appearance in "Ghostbusters III." We just hope that Seth Rogan, Michael Cera, Paul Rudd, and Jonah Hill aren't the new Ghostbusters. Also, Queen Elizabeth II gets an iPod from Barack Obama filled with show tunes. And finally, Domino's gives away 11,000 pizzas, accidentally.

Listen to this episode of East Meets West and let us know what you think. We're available via voice mail at 1-866-404-CNET (2638) or via e-mail at the404 [at] cnet [dot] com. Does bad language really bother you? Does it make us juvenile? Or are we just getting lectured by padre?

You might not be able to tell from this picture, but there was lots of excitement in the line to see Thursday night's midnight IMAX showing of "Watchmen."

(Credit: Eric Franklin/CNET)

I've now seen "Watchmen" twice. After my first viewing, I did not know what to think. I've been reading the original graphic novel since about 1990, and I've always wanted to see a movie based on a work that had such a powerful impact on me.

So yes, as I left the theater, I did not know what to think. What had I just seen? There was so much changed from the GN, yet so much that was translated verbatim. There were scenes I felt didn't work as well as they did in the GN; conversely, there were scenes that were executed so well, they put the novel to shame.

I did not know what to think, but I knew what I was feeling--that I'd just had a very powerful experience. A day after that first viewing, I could not wait to see it again. Last night, I finally (after three days) got my chance.

This time everything just clicked. Scenes that felt compressed during my first viewing were pitch perfect the second go-round. The first time the movie felt like a collection of scenes in (mostly) sequential order. On my second viewing I saw, plain as day, the narrative structure of the film.

And it works, on so many levels. Some levels I'm not even aware of. What I am aware of is that as an action movie, as a drama, and as a character study (of many characters) the movie just works.

Rogers Communications, Canada's dominant wireless carrier, has responded to the outcry over its iPhone rate plans with a new option for nearly unlimited data.

The company announced a $30-a-month data plan for the iPhone 3G that subscribers can add to their voice plans. With it, they can consume up to 6 gigabytes of data a month.

Before Wednesday, Rogers drew the ire of many a Canadian with its plan to offer a maximum 2GB voice-data plan at $115 a month. Lots of other carriers are offering unlimited data plans for the iPhone, which generates much more Web traffic on sites like Google than other smartphones.

The new plan doesn't go that far, obviously, but the limit will be extremely difficult for most people to hit. Rogers said 6GBs of data usage a month would enable you to watch 104 hours of YouTube videos every month, or send and receive more than 150,000 e-mails on your iPhone 3G.

Why Rogers still needs to insist on an upper limit for data usage is beyond me, but at least the company is offering an option that will allow most users to avoid overage charges. Still, it's only a limited-time offer: You have to activate an iPhone 3G by the end of August to qualify for the special plan. And you still have to sign a three-year contract.

It will cost you north of the border.

(Credit: Apple)

If you think AT&T's iPhone 3G service plans are expensive, just consider what Rogers is forcing on our Canadian friends.

Friday, the carrier announced its service plans for the iPhone 3G, none of which include unlimited data use. Instead, Rogers will cap data each month at a certain amount, which will range from 400MB for the cheapest service plan ($60 Canadian or $59.23 U.S.) to 2GB for the most expensive plan ($115 Canadian or $113.64 U.S.).

Though 2GB is a lot of data, we're not sure how a customer is supposed to know what 2GB even means in real-world use. True, you can track your data use on the iPhone, but it's not like tracking calling minutes.

In its press release, Rogers does provide a convenient chart to gauge your data usage--apparently, 2G amounts to 16,000 Web pages (who knew?)--but we don't approve of such an arrangement at all. The iPhone's Web browser is one of its top attractions, particularly on a 3G network, and asking users to limit their data certainly isn't putting the "Internet in your pocket." Rogers is offering unlimited Wi-Fi access at all Rogers and Fido hotspots, but that in itself is limiting if you have to be in one place.

What's more, the data restrictions aren't the half of it. While AT&T's cheapest iPhone 3G service plan ($69 per month) includes 450 anytime minutes, the cheapest Rogers plan (the one with 400MB of data) only gets 150 anytime minutes. Ouch. Similarly Rogers' most expensive plan includes only 800 anytime minutes while AT&T's priciest plan ($129 per month) includes unlimited anytime minutes. Double ouch.

Come on, Rogers, you have to give your customers a little more. Especially when your contracts run three years.

(Credit: Apple)

Apple's iPhone is expected to cross the Canadian border later this year, the country's largest wireless provider said Tuesday.

Rogers Communications, which is also Canada's only GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) provider, will serve as the region's iPhone carrier.

"We're thrilled to announce that we have a deal with Apple to bring the iPhone to Canada later this year. We can't tell you any more about it right now, but stay tuned," Chief executive Ted Rogers said in a statement.

The announcement comes 10 months after the Canadian company let it slip out of the bag that it would be the exclusive iPhone provider in Canada. Rogers Communications then had retract its press release, noting it had no definitive arrangement to carry the iPhone.