Quick rundown:

+ New Shuffle
+ Color nanos (precious)
+ Movies
+ iTV (as it’s code-named) looks sweet
+ Better battery life for iPods in general
+ 80GB? Booyah! And it’s pretty cheap at $349
+ Games on the iPod

- Only 4GB nanos have colors. WTF?!
- Disney movies only so far (will soon add more, hopefully)
- iTV may only support iTunes purchased video (heard from a reliable source inside)
- You have to buy games? Oh rly?
- No turtleneck? What happened, Steve?

+/- Movies at 640×480 (Meh… better than 320×240 I guess)

Ok, and now for my real rant. I was so close to being free for the bonds of Fairplay. I was talking about other Mac-compatible players, planning on burning/ripping all my iTunes tracks to destroy the DRM, maybe even going Media Center in the house. But then they brought out those little color nanos, and the Apple fangirl inside of me gave a little gasp of joy, much like that of a hamster seeing a ferris wheel for the first time and thinking it’s the biggest hamster wheel in the world. Uh… yeah, just like that.

However, those dreams were crushed when I learned that only the 4GB nanos would have the colors. But… but… I wanted a 8GB pink nano, AND I WANT IT NOW!! *ahem* Sorry. I get a little hysterical thinking about it.

The final insult came when I installed iTunes 7.0 on my PC at work. I have iTunes on there so I can check the podcast to make sure it’s loading. After the lengthy downloading and installing process, I went into the program to check things out. I liked the new design, but my podcasts were acting funny. And by funny, I mean not loading. Then Explorer crashed. I tried again. Crash. Again. Crash. You get the picture. I gave up, and went to the BOL forums to get more impressions. Let’s just say that apparently the Windows XP version of iTunes enjoys not only crashing, but taking down the iPod with it. What the hell?

I’m installing iTunes now at home on the G5, so hopefully things will go a little smoother. If you want to hear my hysterics in audio form, check out the Buzz Out Loud and MP3 Insider podcasts for today. And if you’ve gotten this far into the post, let me know what you think about the annoucements.

References: News.com, Engadget (nice work Ryan and Paul!), MacRumors

Dean Welsh is working on a new graphic novel called “Half Dead,” and he stuck in a screenshot of the BOL homepage in one of the panels. Go check out this book (in progress, Dean wants to stress!) because it looks very cool.

It’s the tiny picture in the second monitor (see the real version here). Thanks, Dean!

So, last night we finally got to go to the premiere of Snakes on a Plane at the AMC Theatres on Van Ness, here in San Francisco. We got there really early (in fact, there was no one there at 8pm for the 10pm showing), but it was fun to see everyone begin to arrive. Tom, Molly and I talked to people in the line before and after the showing, and we even got to meet a few BOL listeners!

The movie itself was something else. I’m not very good with scary movies, but since everyone was so into it (yelling, shouting, hissing…) it made the whole experience a ton of fun. I handled the gore aspect ok, no panic attacks or anything.

Today was a bit of hell, since I was at work until 4:30am editing the videos with Ariel, our camera guy/editor. But I think the final product was worth it. I’m ready to move on with my life, away from SoaP. Not that it wasn’t fun, but I think I’m pretty spent.

Did you see the movie? Was it everything you hoped and more?

As I’ve said many times before, Buzz Out Loud has the greatest listeners of all time. If you haven’t listened lately (or ever) we’re planning a new convention in the wake of E3 becoming boring. It’s called SpectacleFest, and it’s drawn quite the following among the Buzzers. But as always, there are those who would crush SpectacleFest those who think it has run it’s course. In support, listener Frank L. has re-written one of the greatest poems of all time.

HOW THE GROMEY STOLE SPECTACLEFEST
mostly by the amazing Dr. Suess, with some stuff added in by me, Frank L

Every Buzzer
Down in Buzz-ville
Liked Spectaclefest a lot…

But the Gromey,
Who lived just north in Blogsville,
Did NOT!

The Gromey hated Specfest! The whole Spectacle season!
Now, please don’t ask why. No one quite knows the reason.
It could be that his motherboard wasn’t screwed on quite right.
It could be, perhaps, that his hearts DRM was a little too tight.

But I think that the most likely reason of all
May have been that his BOL shirt size was two sizes too small.
But, Whatever the reason, His ROM or his DRM,
He stood there on Spectacle Eve, hating all of them,

Lashing out from his blog with a sour, Gromey tone
At the warmly lit monitors in all of their homes.
For he knew every Buzzer down in Buzz-ville beneath
Was listening now, their downloads complete.

“And they’re making their pledges!” he snarled with a sneer.
“Tomorrow is Spectaclefest! It’s practically here!”
Then he growled, with his Gromey fingers angrily keying,
“I MUST find a way to keep this Spectacle ever from being!”

For, tomorrow, he knew…All the Buzz girls and guys
Would wake up bright and early, And look to the skies!

That opening song! Oh, the noise! Oh, the noise! Noise! Noise! Noise!
Followed by fireworks he hated The NOISE! NOISE! NOISE! NOISE!

Then the Buzzers, with no cause at all, would gather in scores.
For speeches by Jobs, Gates and Chuck Norris!

F&*^ Chuck Norris! NORRIS! NORRIS! NORRIS! NORRIS!

They would inflate the space station, and fuel up the starship
Brought by Bob Z, and piloted by Trip.

And THEN They’d do something he liked least of all!
Every Buzzer down in Buzzville, those who email and call,
Would stand close together, with Spectacle bells Clanging.
They’d stand hand-in-hand. And they would all start their spectating.!

They’ll Spectate! And they’ll Spectate!
AND they’ll SPECTATE! SPECTATE! SPECTATE! SPECTATE!

And the more the Gromey thought of the Buzzer Spectation
The more the Gromey thought, “I must stop this Spectacled Sensation!

“Why for 300 episodes I’ve put up with it now!
I MUST stop Spectaclefest from coming!… But HOW?”

Then he got an idea! An awful idea!
THE GROMEY GOT A WONDERFUL, AWFUL IDEA!

“I know just what to do!” The Gromey typed on the net.
And he made a quick Veronica wig and a hat.
And he chuckled, and clucked, “What a great Gromey scheme!
“With this coat and this hat, I’ll look the part of the BOL team!”

“All I need is an ID…” The Gromey looked around.
But since Fake ID is scarce, there was none to be found.

Did that stop the old Gromey…? No! The Gromey simply said,
“If I can’t find an ID, I’ll make one instead!”

So he called up Verizon, AT&T, and Yahoo and to each he said,
“I need some of that info you’ve been collecting, and a picture of V’s head”

THEN He loaded up the pics, and using a template he had
Printed up a 100% official looking Veronica Belmont Badge!

Then the Gromey said, “Hot Diggity!” and he quickly started down
Toward the homes where the Buzzers lay a-snooze in their town.

All their monitors were dark, or a screensaver there.
Buzzers all dreaming of Techy things never to appear
When he came to the house of Molly and her newly cut hair,

“Here it begins” The Veroni-gromey hissed
And he climbed through the window, empty bags in his fist.

Sliding under the plasma. The space was a bit cozy,
But if the cats could both do it, then so could the Gromey.

He got stuck for but moments, and not very many,
sneaking around Molly’s life size cut-out of Remy.

He saw the little Buzzer pledges all next to the door.
“These pledges” he grinned, “shall soon be pledges no more!”

Then he slithered and slunk, with a smile most unpleasant,
Around the whole room, and he took every present!

Pirates! And Ninjas! Wyoming! And a Coffee Mug!
Butlers! Islands! Lasagna! The Chelsea Football Club!
He stuffed them in bags. Then the Gromey threw them away,
Out of the door and on to his Gromey-ful Sleigh!

Then he slunk to the cashbox and stole all the cash!
In euros and dollars, (the pesos he took last)
He cleaned out the animal cages, you’d think him insane
That Gromey let out the goats, and lions, and the Snakes on a Plane!

He laughed and he chortled, and said the Gromey with a Grin.
“This paper clip, ha ha, it’s the very last thing!”

But just as the Gromey was leaving that house
He heard the sound of a tongue snapping the roof of its mouth!

He turned around fast, and there, witness to his Tort
Was that darn Molly Wood, host of the Buzz Report!

The Gromey had been caught by this CNET Reporter
Who’d got out of bed for a cup of cold water.

She stared at the Gromey and said, “Veronica, why,
“Why aren’t you home playing WOW? WHY?”

But, you know, that old Gromey was so smart and so slick
He thought up a rumorish lie, and he thought it up quick!

“Why, my sweet dear Molly,” that fake ‘Roni lied,
“Tom and I are here to set up your surprise.”

“It’s amazing, and great, and Apple’s Top of the Line!
“It’s Jobs’ new ihidden! And it’s yours to go find!”

And his fib fooled our Molly-A CNET Senior Ed
(Who are easier to trick than you may have been led.)

And when Molly Wood went searching for what couldn’t be found,
That awful old Gromey took one last look around

And the last thing he took was the Spectaclefest crown.

As he went out the door, he snatched up the table.
Leaving just busted up modem, and chewed Ethernet cable.

And the one speck of tech that the Gromey let be
Was a perfectly perfect copy of Windows ME

Then He did the same thing To the other Buzz houses!

Robbing their Buzz Brothers, Buzz Sisters and Spouses!

It was quarter past dawn, PST, with the buzzers still-a-bed
Hitting the snooze on the alarm, When he packed up his sled
Packed it up with their firecrackers! Their celebrities! The Glasses!
The DVDs! The Ballparks! The zombies and Programming classes!

Three thousand feet up! Up the side of Mount Bloggy,
He rode to the tiptop to let the rain turn it soggy!
“Pooh-pooh to the Buzzers” he was Gromey-ish-ly humming.
“They’re finding out now that no Spectacles are coming!
“They’re just waking up! I know just what they’ll do!
“Their mouths will hang open a minute or two
“Then all the Buzzers down in Buzzville will all cry BOO-HOO!”

“That’s a V-mail,” grinned the Gromey, “That I simply must hear!”
So he paused. And the Gromey put ear-buds into ear.

And he did hear a sound that was starting to grow.
A very soft cue that started to grow

But the sound wasn’t sad!
No, this sound didn’t stink!
How could Tom still say

“This Festival is brought to you by Earthlink?!!?”

He stared down at Buzzville!
The Gromey popped out his ‘phones!
“Those Buzzers are smiling
Coming out of their homes!”

Every Buzzer down in Buzzville, the tall and the small,
Was jumping for joy! Without any Spectacles at all!
He HADN’T stopped Spectacle fest from coming! IT CAME!
Somehow or other, it came just the same!

And the Gromey, with his keyboard ablaze,
Stood puzzling and puzzling, entirely amazed!

It came without explosions! It came without kites!
It came without HD or Blue Ray, or Life Size Rock-em-Sockem Fights!
And he blogged three hours, `till his blogger was sore.
Then the Gromey thought of something he hadn’t before!
“Maybe Spectaclefest,” he thought, “isn’t about all the tech.
“Maybe Spectaclefest…perhaps…awww what the heck!”

And what happened then…? Well…in Buzzville they say
That the Gromey’s BOL shirt grew three sizes that day!

And the minute his DheartM didn’t squeeze him so tight,
He whizzed back to Buzzville through the bright morning light
And he brought back the spectacles! The space station, and British Royal Chorus

And he

…HE HIMSELF…!
The Gromey

Introduced Chuck Norris.

-Fin-