Daily News Brief: Wal-Mart's One Day Blu-ray Bonanza!

Wal-Mart Giving Away Blu-ray Movies

For those that passed up on the sub-$100 Toshiba HD-DVD player Wal-Mart recented offered as a one day sale, you'll have another chance to jump on the high-definition train, if you're willing to ride the Blu-ray express. This Saturday, Wal-Mart's giving away 10 free Blu-ray movies when you purchase an 80GB Playstation 3. Pile on the 5 additional movies Sony gives away via mail-in-rebate, and that brings the tally to 15 titles. Suddenly, $499 for a console doesn't seem all that nauseating.

Wii Shortage Continues

It's been a year since the Nintendo Wii debuted, and the console is still hard to come by in some regions. Some have speculated it's an intentional shortage to drive up demand, but Nintendo's now throwing 1.8 million units into the market place every month. Even still, Nintendo says to expect shortages this holiday shopping season, with the bulk of the consoles going to Japan and Europe.

Unlock Your DNA Online

Anne Wojcicki, who is married to Google's co-founder Sergey Brin, has co-founded a new site that promises to help surfers learn more about their genetic make-up. For $999, 23andMe.com will analyze a customer's DNA for some 600,000 single nucleotide polymorphisms, which scientists have linked to diseases and certain traits. But at least one researcher warns that "a lot of the genetic results are early, weak and preliminary," in addition to the obvious privacy concerns.

U.S. Entrenched in Costly Internet Gambling Dispute

The U.S. made international waves when it withdrew from a World Trade Organization accord recognizing internet gambling as a legal venture. Unhappy with the U.S.'s stance, Antigua's leading the charge in seeking sanctions that, combined with other countries, could total $100 billion or more. And in a twist, Antigua hinted they could become a harbor for pirated movies and music as a means of collecting their $3.4 billion portion of the sanction pie.

Seen an 80GB Zune?

If so, count yourself in the minority. While Microsoft's second generation 4GB and 8GB Zunes are easy to come by, the 80GB version is next to impossible to find in stock. Microsoft said they prioritized manufacturing the smaller versions first, and that 80GB models should start trickling back into the market within the next two weeks, well before Christmas shopping hits last-minute status.

Will Smith was Right!

Parents just don't understand, especially when it comes to video games. Weekly Reader Reasearch found that 60% of children surveyed expect to either receive a game they did not want, or one for the wrong gaming console. How totally bogus! Of course, this just begs for a counter -survey, in which parents would be asked if they expect good gifts from their kids this Christmas, or another tie to add to the collection.

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Daily News Brief: Wal-Mart's One Day Blu-ray Bonanza!