Tech Olive

This is really no surprise if you think about it. Walmart is one of the world’s largest corporations and they started tapping into the technology world not too long ago by vastly expanding their electronics section. Now the mega giant is preparing to go up against Best Buy’s Geek Squad by offering in-home installation for pretty much everything they offer electronically. The service plans will be sold on prepaid cards ranging from $99 to $399 and each installation includes a “preliminary consultation and a tutorial after installation is completed.”

via [HotHardware]

Microsoft has announced that a Windows-friendly Kindle app for the PC is coming next month and Amazon has said that it will also arrive on the Mac as well within the “next few months.” While the Kindle app is available for the iPhone, Amazon wants to get the Kindle on more platforms to expand their userbase to outdo the Nook, B&N’s eBook reader; quite a clever move on their part.

There’s also been word about a Kindle app for the Blackberry, but details on that are pretty slim at this point.

via [Fast Company, Amazon]

Recently there has been much hype in the gaming world over the integration of social networking giants Facebook and Twitter, as well as the popular music site Last.fm, into Microsoft’s Xbox Live. I took the opportunity to sign up for the beta when I first saw it was available and sure enough,  last night I received an update which included Facebook, Twitter, and Last.fm functionality, as well as a few minor changes. Follow the break for all of the dirty details.

Continue Reading »

Starting in 2010, Hulu said that they will start charging for content. Chase Carey of News Corp (Hulu’s co-parent) had this to say about the situation:

It’s time to start getting paid for broadcast content online. I think a free model is a very difficult way to capture the value of our content. I think what we need to do is deliver that content to consumers in a way where they will appreciate the value. Hulu concurs with that, it needs to evolve to have a meaningful subscription model as part of its business.

At this point we have no idea how all this will play out. Will paid subscribers get content before everyone else? Will they get exclusive content that non-paid members won’t get? Who knows.

via [Gizmodo]

If you’re not using the ever popular portable suite PortableApps.com, this bit of news might steer you in the right direction. The suite now has portable versions of uTorrent, Skype, and Google Chrome. These new portable apps now join the elite team of PortableApps.com favorites like Firefox, OpenOffice, and GIMP. Awesome!

via [PortableApps.com]

In a completely unexpected move, gaming legend Sid Meier has released news of his intentions of bringing the Civilization game to Facebook users. While we’re not quite sure what to expect as far as gameplay and requirements of the game, we can direct you to the fangroup dedicated to the game where you might be lucky enough to get into the upcoming closed beta. Follow the break for a quote from Meier on the subject.

Continue Reading »

Along side the Windows 7 launch, the Today Show decided to have Steve Ballmer as a guest to show us all the cool stuff about the new operating system. In this 5-minute clip, Ballmer discusses many things like hardware diversity, the battle between Apple and Microsoft and even the CEO pay issue. Check out the video after the break.

P.S. That’s a MacBook Pro in the background sporting the Windows 7 logo. Not sure if Steve Ballmer saw that, but daaamn. [Thanks, Josh]

Continue Reading »

As if the recent Modern Warfare 2 special from GTTV wasn’t enough, the gaming TV channel has now released a new episode focusing on Bioshock 2. It offers a lot of insight into singleplayer and the new enemies we should expect. Follow the break for the video or head over to GameTrailers for an HD stream.

Continue Reading »

Listed among Steam’s recent list of updates is the announcement of MW2 coming to Steam. All was normal until I read the date it was proposed to be available; 11/12/2009. Why is Steam getting the game two days later than the retail release? The game can only be played through Steam, so why the move? I’m sure it has something to do with the game’s launch sales looking better if the sales are all through retail outlets. As if all this wasn’t enough, now Infinity Ward aims to piss off any fans they have left that rely on Steam.

UPDATE: A quick look at the game’s product page in Steam’s online store shows the game becoming playable on the 13th of November. This just keeps getting stranger.

It seems that Steve Ballmer made a small hiccup in his interview with Gizmodo that had confirmed Blu-Ray coming to Xbox 360 consoles. Today, Microsoft has announced that the report of Blu-Ray coming to the Xbox 360 was wrong and that Ballmer was actually talking about add-on drives for the PC, not the console. Follow the break for Microsoft’s official statement.

Continue Reading »