Isaiah's Tech

It looks like the wait will never end... yes, another delay for StarCraft II. Blizzard has just announced that the beta for StarCraft II (which was supposed to start Summer 2009, then was later delayed to November 2009) has been pushed to early 2010 - possibly Q1. They've also gone on to "confirm" that the release date will be sometime in Q2 2010, which might not stick since they're looking at the beta lasting around 6 months.

[vg 247]

No surprise here, but Blizzard has just announced that StarCraft II has been delayed until 2010. Blizzard is citing that it is because they are upgrading Battle.net for the future Starcraft and Diablo games. The bad news is that Activision is now expecting a lot less money this year, since Starcraft II won't get released and because of the state of the economy.

However, there is good news. Apparently, the StarCraft II delay will not impact Blizzard's launch schedule. This means that they will be launching two games next year. As of right now, it's not known what game it will be, but I'm hoping that it's Diablo III.

[STARFEEDER, Kotaku, 1 UP, Mac World, WoW, G4 TV, Joystiq]

Two weeks ago, I reported that SteelSeries would be selling their StarCraft II mouse pads. Well, here's an even sweeter deal. You can get them for free if you head over to their Facebook page and tell them what you're looking forward to most in StarCraft II. What makes this deal even sweeter is that it will be autographed by Wei Wang who's famous for being the artist to render Arthas and Frostmourne in World of Warcraft - more specifically the box cover of Wrath of the Lich King. Go to their Facebook page now!

[WoW]

Blizzard released a lot of news about StarCraft II today. First, Blizzard's vice president, Rob Pardo, mentioned that StarCraft II has been delayed for so long because they had to work on another game, World of Warcraft. Next up is the lead designer on StarCraft II, Dustin Browder, who mentioned that the StarCraft II beta is expected to run somewhere between "four to six months." They still haven't mentioned when the beta will start, but I hope that it's soon because I want to have StarCraft II in my possession by the end of this year. Going back to Rob Pardo, he also mentioned that they don't have any plans to support LAN at this point, which will certainly leave a few fans upset. And just in case you didn't already know, Blizzard also mentioned that StarCraft II will not be making its way to any consoles - a "zero percent" chance. For more information about StarCraft II, you can click on one of the links below. If you want, you can also check out some hands-on review, courtesy of 1 UP and Kotaku.

[Euro Gamer, Kotaku, Joystiq, Tech Spot]

Apparently, that's what it looks like since the latest rumour mentions that there could be a Kindle with a larger screen by Christmas. I guess it would make a good Christmas present for those Kindle lovers out there. Up to now, I still don't know what the point of an Amazon Kindle is. Wouldn't it be better off to get a tablet PC or a netbook? You can always download books using torrents. Maybe that's just me and my devilish illegal ways. Yes, I downloaded the Starcraft, Warcraft, and Diablo book series, thanks to torrents. I read my first book when I was 17, it was the first Starcraft book. Sad, I know. I'm actually planning to read the 'Da Vinci Code' and 'Angels and Demons' this Summer along with the other books that that author made. We'll see how that works out.

[Gizmodo]

New rumour has it that the Starcraft II beta will be starting on March 31 at 6 p.m. PDT (9 p.m. Eastern). Apparently, this may be the real thing - 3 days from now!! - since there are "no apparent hints that it would be fake." At BlizzCon 2008 last year, a select few of attendees received Starcraft II beta keys and, apparently, some of them received an e-mail recently from Blizzard. March 31 is the original Starcraft I release date, so that would be one hell of an anniversary. I'm so excited, even though I don't have a beta key. If you want to take a look at the supposed e-mail, view the link below. It could be a fake though. I mean if you wanted to show off an authentic e-mail from Blizzard, press the damn Print Screen button on your keyboard, it's not that hard.

[Inc Gamers]

Blizzard finally did it. They have unleashed their new Battle.net service. Battle.net will one day rule everything Blizzard does. Having a Battle.net account will control everything Blizzard using only one username and password. Everything from World of Warcraft, Starcraft II, Diablo III, the Blizzard Store, etc. "There's more to come in the future as well, with Blizzard promising to add 'more features, including tools to make it easier for friends to communicate between games and to help bring out community of players closer together.'" It sounds a bit like Blizzard pulled some Steam features, but I could care less. I'm so excited. As of right now, it is not mandatory to combine your WoW accounts to your new Battle.net login credentials, but one day it will be mandatory to continue playing. For Blizzard's older games such as Warcraft III, Diablo II, and Starcraft, they will still use the "old" login credentials utilizing, what Blizzard now calls, Battle.net classic. I am so "hyped up" for the revamped Battle.net service and you will be able to go to Blizzard's Battle.net site below. Make your new accounts now!

[Kotaku, Battle.net]

Blizzard's websites (like the WoW Armory and the official WoW site) are down for maintenance today, but no one really knows why. A couple of people are suggesting that Blizzard is switching to Battle.net accounts. "Portions of the official EU sites are redirecting to this Battle.net login page." This could be in preparation for the upcoming Starcraft II beta that's been rumoured to be available soon. Apparently, the so-called Battle.net accounts are going to hit EU first and then US at a later date. More information about this if Blizzard really decides to finally make the switch. I hope they do because Starcraft II (and Diablo 3) will both be utilizing Battle.net for online purposes. They are both a long time coming and the revamped Battle.net should be ready by now.

[WoW Insider]

Microsoft's Surface Computer is scheduled to release in 2011, but there is a way you can get it this June. If you're looking to spend a couple million dollars, that is. Microsoft's Surface Computer will go on sale this June, but in order to purchase the Surface Computer itself, you will have to purchase a Lazzara Yacht. Microsoft's Surface Computer will be attached to the floor, inside of the yacht. If you want to make quick money, i heard drug dealing is a good way to do so. Keep in mind that it is still illegal, even in California.

Punch Out!! is coming to the Nintendo Wii on May 18. I'm definitely going to tell my cousins to get this, so that i can play this in the summertime. I love Punch Out!! I remember finishing it about 3 years ago on my computer (thank you SNES emulators). It's a fun game and it's actually something i look forward to playing on the Wii (first time i've ever said that).

You now attach multiple attachments at once on Gmail. As you may know, before you were only allowed to attach one file at a time which made things time-consuming if you were going to attach multiple attachments to one e-mail. But, Google has finally implemented. Go and Shift or Ctrl + Click to attachment domination.

The Classic Controller Pro will be available soon. This is the new Nintendo Wii Controller and they decided to keep the word "Classic" in its name. There is no word on the price or availability but it should be available soon. The new Wii controller, as you can see, has the 2 new handles, emulating the PS3 or Xbox 360 controller.

I thought i'd end it this post with a video of Starcraft running on the Playstation 3 just for kicks. With the use of Windows 95 along with Windows 95, that is, via YouTube.



Microsoft Surface Computer (and picture): http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/26/microsoft-surface-on-sale-this-june-on-board-a-lazzara-yacht/
Punch Out!! (and picture): http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3172994
Gmail Attachments: http://gmailblog.blogspot.com/2009/02/updates-to-attachments-multi-select-and.html
New Nintendo Wii Controller (and picture): http://kotaku.com/5160634/nintendo-unveils-new-wii-controller
Playstation 3 Running Starcraft (and video): http://playstation.joystiq.com/2009/02/26/watch-ps3-run-starcraft-with-help-from-linux-and-windows/

As you can see in the above photo, it is a screenshot of Starcraft 2. This is an amazing photo which consists of hundreds of zerglings approaching a Terran base. On a side note, i finally posted on my new blog today. You can go check it out by clicking on 'My Thoughts' in the top right corner of this page.

A couple of weeks ago, i talked about the Philips Cinema 21:9 HDTV (here) and i'm going to talk about it again today. This is a beautiful TV set and is a 56-inch monster. It will have "five HDMI sockets, a Spring release date and an estimated $4,276 [USD] price tag." Now, this TV may be wide, but it has a purpose. My aunt and uncle prefer buying 'Fullscreen' DVDs over 'Widescreen' because in 'Widescreen' you will notice that there are long black bars across the top and the bottom of the screen. This Philips HDTV is looking to get rid of those black bars, due to it's ultra-widescreen. Maybe, i should tell my aunt and uncle about this television set because it truly is gorgeous and it is something i know that they'll love. If you click on the link here, there is a short-clip about this TV.

So, Windows Mobile 6.1 will soon be out the door and we will make way for WinMo 6.5. There is a rumour that WinMo 6.5 will be unveiled at this year's MWC 2009, so it's just around the corner. In the picture that you see, it appears to be a leaked photo of the upcoming WinMo 6.5 Mobile OS. Engadget mentions that the photo is "pretty Zune-ish." I'll have to take their word for it, since i don't know what the Zune's UI looks like at all.

It's Intel vs AMD and we should know by now that Intel's i7 chips are faster than AMD's Phenom. But, it looks like Intel will be separating the Intel vs AMD margin even farther with the release of their new eight-core Xeon processor. It is "likely to be the Nehalem EP processor, an upcoming chip that is designed for dual-socket servers and workstations. This segment of the Xeon line is due for a refresh, and the Nehalem EP processor is scheduled to be released during early 2009." Intel will be revealing Nehalem at this year's ISSCC (International Solid-State Circuits Conference) in San Francisco on February 9. I'll give you more news on the Nehalem when the complete details are announced. Technology does evolve really fast. It seems like just a couple of week ago we were introduced to quad-core and now there will be 8-cores already.

Starcraft 2 Zergling picture: http://www.joystiq.com/2009/01/29/new-starcraft-2-screens-make-it-rain-zerglings/
Philips 56 inch Cinema 21:9 HDTV (and picture): http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/29/philips-56-inch-cinema-21-9-hdtv-gets-showcased-on-video/
WinMo 6.5 Screenshots (and picture): http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/29/seemingly-real-windows-mobile-6-5-screenshots-trickle-out-of-lea/
Intel's 8-Core Xeon Processor: http://blogs.zdnet.com/gadgetreviews/?p=1016

So, i've temporarily fixed the comment problem that my friend, Yang, told me about. I've gone with the boring pop-out comment box window for now. That is, until i find a better solution because i don't really want to use the pop-out box for commenting.

Moving right along to good ol' game of basketball. And yes, you read that title right. A basketball coach has been fired after his girl's basketball team beat another team 100-0. He got fired because he did not apologize for this win. Yes, his team did completely dominate the other team, but it just showed a lack of sportsmanship and it set a bad example. Why would you even want to embarrass a team like that in the first place. Seriously? 100-0. At halftime, the score was already 59-0. You would think he would have told his team to give some mercy to the other team. But, that didn't happen. In another article i read a couple of days ago, the opposing coach mentioned that it was just a lay-up drill for the other team. This team just played full-court pressure all game, showing no mercy at all. I think it was right that they fired him because that's just really inconsiderate.

A couple of days ago, i posted a picture of Windows 7 possibly being in multiple versions (here) . Well, it looks like this pictures is, in fact, real. I think that this move on Microsoft isn't very smart because, first of all, it's confusing to the user. It's confusing to the user because you're not going to know exactly which versions has what capabilities. Although, i'd just go for the Ultimate version because it probably has the most features, though i could be wrong. I was hoping that these multiple Windows 7 versions wouldn't be real, but it looks like they are. Although, Windows 7 will be a major step-up from their last OS (Windows Vista), which was terrible. Windows 7 is running great as a beta and will only get better when the final release comes out.

About a week ago, i talked about the possibility of Megan Fox playing Lara Croft in the upcoming Tomb Raider movie. Well, it looks like that was just a rumour that someone started. Fox's spokesperson crushed our dreams and said that Megan Fox is "not involved in the movie at all." I guess Lara Croft will still be Angelina Jolie, who is still gorgeous, so i guess it will be okay.

What you are about to read is all real and i'm not making this up. "Students in UC - Berkeley can take up StarCraft studies for college credits." This is amazing and makes me want to go to this college, where ever it is. Under the 'Course Description' it says, "The course will go in-depth in the theory of how war is conducted within the confines of the game Starcraft." I wonder if you'll get to brainstorm tips about defeating other races and certain strategies that you can use in online play. This is amazing and is making me so excited for the next Starcraft game to come out. It'll be 'off-the-hizzle.'

Basketball Coach Fired After 100-0 Win (and picture): http://cbs11tv.com/sports/micah.grimes.the.2.917557.html
Windows 7 Will Be in Multiple Versions: http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/01/27/2312258&from=rss
Windows 7 picture: http://ijcopon925.blogspot.com/2009/01/google-earth-update-windows-7-versions.html
Megan Fox Will Not Be Tomb Raider: http://www.joystiq.com/2009/01/28/report-warner-bros-rebooting-tomb-raider-film-sans-megan-fox/
Starcraft for a College Course (and picture): http://www.starcraftwire.net/blog/comments/study-starcraft-for-college/

I'd really love to live in Japan right now because this upcoming news just is not fair. "The Final Fantasy XIII demo is hitting Japan on April 16 packaged with the Blu-ray Final Fantasy flick, Advent Children Complete." They go on saying, "Sony will commemorate the release with a new 160GB Playstation 3 bundle for $550 USD that includes the movie, demo and specially marked console." Talk about long quotations and juicy news. Oh yeah, i forgot to mention that there are no plans for the Final Fantasy XIII demo for consumers overseas. Great news, Square Enix. Way to go. Crush all of our damned souls, why don't you? Well, looks like we'll have to wait until 2010 to get our first hands on the next Final Fantasy. I don't really know what the art on the Playstation 3 is right now, so if anyone knows what it is, get back to me please. I could probably figure it out with some research, but i'm in a rush right now, since i have to study for exams.

Acer will be releasing a couple of new products. I'll start with their new 23-inch LCD monitor (see left picture). It will support 1080p picture and will have an overwhelming 40,000:1 contrast ratio. It will have "both HDMI input and a 3W stereo speaker array to take in video from Blu-ray players and consoles." This new monitor also has a mere 5ms response time and is on sale today for around $300 USD. This is pretty cheap, after taking a good look at the specifications. Next up is the new Acer X1700 desktop computer. It will have a 2.4GHz dual-core Pentium chip, 4GB of RAM, a 640GB hard drive and a DVD burner for only $410 USD. That's also really cheap, considering that it also has HDMI output. This will also be available today. "Acer has also provided a minor but significant upgrade to its Predator gaming PC, the G7710 switches to Core i7 and comes with a 2.93GHz Core i7 four-core processor as well as 6GB or DDR3 memory." This will go for $2,300 USD. I only have 2GB of RAM in my PC, but right now i don't feel that i need too much more, since i haven't played games on it in a while. Anyways, 6GB in a PC is just downright insane. It's incredible to see how fast technology evolves though, i love it.

Last, but definitely not least, some Starcraft 2 news. Blizzard has a "fixed date" for the beta, but they are going to keep it secret. Damn you Blizzard! I hope it's in the summertime and that it'll be an open beta. This is probably wishful thinking, but it would be nice to play the game that everyone has been waiting for.

Playstation 3 Bundle (and picture): http://www.joystiq.com/2009/01/19/ffxiii-demo-special-edition-160gb-ps3-coming-april-16-to-japan/
New Acer Products (and picture): http://www.electronista.com/articles/09/01/19/acer.h233h.and.x1700/
Starcraft II Beta: http://www.starcraftwire.net/n/1792/starcraft-ii-beta-release-date

So, i finished my Religion review and i never got to take my nap. But i will after Nikki's, my girlfriend, laptop dies. It'll die soon, and in the mean time i will do a quick little blog to pass some time.

First off, just wanted to say that i probably need to start thinking of some new, original titles.