As suspected previously the Guitar Hero III controller for the Nintendo Wii will be making use of the Wiimote’s functions, cutting down costs and adding flexibility. The only other addition to the Wii version of the Guitar is the addition of an analogue stick. Since the Wiimote will be plugged into the controller itself, you will lose the navigation abilities from it. Instead gamers will be using this new analogue stick to move through the menus and making selections.

Other Nintendo Wii specific things would be that the controller will be making use of the motion sensors to activate Star Power as well as two exclusive additions - The use of Rumble during gameplay and sound effects from the speakers. The rumble will be activated during songs and Star Power to enhance the feeling of the crowd and music. As for sound from the speakers, everytime you miss a note, instead of coming from the TV speakers itself, it will be via the Wiimote. As small a change as it sounds, it adds more fun in multiplayer modes as you know exactly who is making the mistakes for a bit of extra banter. If the sound is turned off on the Wiimote however, the game will recognise this and switch the sound back to the TV. A neat touch.

The game will also be running in widescreen 480p at 60 frames per second which is a nice addition as well as supporting the WiiConnect network. While no specific details have been reported just yet, it is possible that co-op and Vs modes would be supported online of which would add greatly to the longevity to the title. Can’t wait to try this game out!

Here we go again! The largest European club tournament begins and the draw has been made. Last year’s champions AC Milan hope to defend their title amongst the best teams in Europe. The teams in bold are the top 8 seeds for this season and there are some rather tasty ties within the group stages already. Here’s the confirmed draw along with the coaches votes for the best players in last season’s Champions League.

Club Goalkeeper: Petr Cech
Club Defender: Paulo Maldini
Club Midfielder: Clarence Seedorf
Club Striker: Ricardo Kaka

Group A
Liverpool
Porto
Marseille
Besiktas

Group B
Chelsea
Valencia
Schalke 04
Rosenborg

Group C
Real Madrid
Werder Bremen
Lazio
Olympiakos

Group D
AC Milan
Benfica
Celtic
Shakhtar Donetsk

Group E
Barcelona
Lyon
Stuttgart
Rangers

Group F
Manchester Utd
Roma
Sporting Lisbon
Dynamo Kiev

Group G
Inter Milan
PSV Eindhoven
CSKA Moscow
Fenerbahce

Group H
Arsenal
Sevilla/AEK Athens
Steau Bucharest
Slavia Prague

Ford has been in a bit of a slump and is looking to revamp its market by creating a new line of cars to replace the Feista namesake… Currently codenamed “Verve”. Sources from Ford have expressed this about the new concept:

Mr Mulally has expressed the view that Fiesta, which debuted in the UK market in February, 1977, has strong brand equity and credibility and few negatives. Some middle management want a break for the new car, which is radically different from its enduring predecessors and they are excited about Verve.

Click to enlarge

What do you think of the concept design? It looks pretty sleek and has a grill that looks aggressive which would probably attract boy racers who would want it in metallic black.

Sony is at it again cutting the cost of its powerful Playstation3 console but only in the USA thus far. They have confirmed that they will be phasing out the 60gig model to replace it with the 80gig as the main model… Of which will also receive a price cut in the immediate future. As to how much it is anyone’s guess but this will not affect us until things get confirmed in Europe, and things seem to be very slow to filter through.

PC World reports all the 60GB PS3s are out of the house and looking for a home. Sony’s Dave Karraker confirms, “We no longer have any inventory in SCEA warehouses. All inventory has been purchased and shipped to retailers.

If however you haven’t bought a PS3 yet and are thinking about it, getting the 60gig model would be a wise choice, not only would it be cheaper it also retains the PS2’s Emotion Engine chips which boosts backwards compatability with older Playstation videogames - Something that the 80gig model does not have to reduce costs.

Price cuts are all well and good over the pond, but why are we being ignored a bit Sony? Share the love!

The next evolution of the ‘real driving simulator’ might not be out until 2008 at least, but thanks to Sony Europe you can now experience the preview edition to Polyphony’s racing game with Gran Turismo 5 Prologue available this year on Blu-ray and as a PlayStation Network download.

Gran Turismo 5 Prologue will feature 40 cars that are all rendered ever so shiny as if the vehicles have been constantly waxed… As for the tracks, there are three ‘real life’ locations to race on including Eiger Nordwand, London and Suzuka.

Prologue will also feature 16-player online matches, with the game running at true High Definition (1080p) at 60 fps (frames per second), although the replays will only play back at 30fps…

In addition, a dedicated Gran Turismo TV channel is added on the PlayStation Network that gives access to “a world of great motoring TV programming online.”

More on this exciting racing title can be read in this official press release:

Start your engines for Gran Turismo™5 Prologue

New prequel an early taste of Gran Turismo 5 for PLAYSTATION®3

- A taste of Gran Turismo 5 for PLAYSTATION®3 is here at the end of this year
- Up to 16-player online racing on PLAYSTATION®Network - a Gran Turismo first!
- Over 40 dream cars, High Definition graphics, new physics engine… and a TV channel

The real driving simulator that’s sold 50 million units is back: Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE) and Polyphony Digital are pleased to announce Gran Turismo™5 Prologue, a prequel title showcasing the forthcoming Gran Turismo™5 for PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3™) – available both on Blu-ray disc and as a download from PLAYSTATION®Network (PSN) at the end of this year. Gran Turismo on PlayStation is one of the most successful global gaming franchises of the last ten years – renowned for its realism, quality of design and in-car physics technology – now, with the power of PS3™ behind it, it’s going to be unstoppable.

Gran Turismo 5 Prologue features over 40 stunning cars – including vehicles by Lotus, Mitsubishi, Nissan and Ferrari for you to race on seriously realistic, real-life tracks: including the Eiger Nordwand, the London City Track and Suzuka – all rendered in incredible High Definition graphics. There’s also all-new driving physics for the most lifelike driving experience ever and new, improved opponent artificial intelligence for the toughest race challenge yet.

But that’s not all – for the first time ever in the history of Gran Turismo, you’ll now be able to race online. Up to 16 players will be able to go head-to-head on some of the world’s best racetracks on PLAYSTATION®Network™ – all you need to get racing is a broadband connection and PS3™. Once you’re up and revving, Global Online Rankings and the My Garage homepage feature will leave the world in no doubt as to just who is the best at Gran Turismo.

And then there’s the Online Dealership, providing a wealth of information on cars and manufacturers and also Gran Turismo™ TV – a dedicated online channel available exclusively from PSN and packed with some of the greatest content that Motorsport, car manufacturers and TV has to offer.

Key Features:
* The first ever Gran Turismo title with online racing: drive online against up to 16 other Gran Turismo aces
* Race a total of over 40 stunning, high-performance cars
* Race on seriously realistic, real life tracks including the Eiger Nordwand, the London City Track and Suzuka – then race them in reverse and with alternative routes
* All-new physics engine means true next-generation vehicle handling
* All-new and improved opponent AI for a nail-biting race experience
* Access to Gran Turismo TV: a world of great motoring TV programming online
* Online Dealership: Access to car manufacturers online
* My Garage - a personalised homepage feature with friends, chat and personal game records
* Quick Tune facility allows you to adjust power, tyres, suspension and more
* All in stunning High Definition at 1080p (race: 1080p-60fps, replay: 1080p-30fps)
* Gran Turismo 5 – the full title – launches in 2008. Until then, there’s enough ultra-realistic, high-speed racing in Gran Turismo 5 Prologue on PS3™ to keep your accelerator firmly to the floor for the rest of the year.

The final version - Gran Turismo 5 – will be out in 2008 but until then, keep you foot down and enjoy the ultra-realistic, high-speed racing in Gran Turismo 5 Prologue on PlayStation 3.

Finally! UK Apple users can now download hit television shows such as Lost, Desperate Housewives and Grey’s Anatomy from the iTunes Music Store – though this move might threaten commercial broadcasters in the process.

Apple is charging £1.89 per episode through iTunes UK after signing deals with American television studios including ABC Studios, Disney, MTV Networks, Nickelodeon and Paramount Comedy.

The shows can be viewed on a PC or Mac, through an iPod or through the Apple TV set-top box.

Programmes available to download include Paramount Comedy’s South Park and That 70s Show; Nickelodeon’s SpongeBob SquarePants and Dora the Explorer; MTV’s Laguna Beach and Pimp My Ride; and ABC’s Ugly Betty and Commander in Chief.

Analysts predict that Apple’s move could threaten the digital download ambitions of a number of UK broadcasters - such as Channel 4’s 4oD.

“This is a massive threat to the commercial broadcasters, especially Channel 4 and Five, who have embarked on a paid download strategy of shows,” said Arash Amel, the senior analyst and head of broadband media at Screen Digest.

“It should also provide a significant challenge to Sky’s attempts to sell downloads via the Sky Anytime platform. The basic concept means that if you miss a show one evening, you can buy it to watch on your iPod on the commute the next day.”

Even though we waited two years for television content to become available on iTunes, it will very difficult for Apple to achieve the same success in the UK with its TV download service than it has found in America.

“The situation in the UK will be tougher for Apple than in the US because broadcasters who have rights to hit American shows will be placing a lot of pressure on the studios to make sure download-to-own rights are bundled into the big fees the UK broadcasters have paid for first-run rights,” Amel added.

Apple said the number of programmes it could offer via iTunes would grow. “We are thrilled to bring TV programming to the iTunes store in the UK,” said Eddie Cue, the Apple vice-president of iTunes. “We have got 28 shows and expect to continue to add more great programming.”

We shall wait and see if Apple can challenge the might of the BBC, Channel 4 and Five by offering downloadable TV content.

Ferrari’s Felipe Massa led home his team-mate Kimi Raikkonen with a dominant display in Sunday’s Turkish Grand Prix. The Brazilian led from the start and resisted a race-long pressure from Raikkonen to reignited his and Ferrari’s title challenge.

It was an important win for Massa as the team’s president Luca di Montezemolo had set a target of scoring 1-2 finishes in the remaining six races in order to turn the tables on rival McLaren. Now that we are heading into Ferrari’s home race in a fortnight’s time (Monza), the first stage of this target has been achieved.

It also helps that the championship leader Lewis Hamilton could only finish in fifth after suffering a puncture.

Hamilton was on course to finish in third but with just 15 laps to go, his front-right Bridgestone exploded… Luckily, he managed to get his car back to the pits but the consequent delay dropped him behind his McLaren team-mate Fernando Alonso - who had lost ground with a poor start - and BMW Sauber’s Nick Heidfeld.

And although he salvaged four points with fifth position, his misfortune gifted team-mate Alonso a podium, which allows the Spaniard to close within five points in the race for the drivers’ title.

The double world champion was lucky to inherit third as he made a poor getaway off the grid. In fact, neither McLarens got away well at the start of the race, with Hamilton immediately losing second to Raikkonen and Alonso dropping to sixth behind the two BMW Saubers.

Although the Spaniard managed to re-pass both Robert Kubica and Heidfeld during the first pit sequence, Alonso had already fallen 14 seconds adrift of the leaders by this time. He proceeded to match Hamilton’s pace, but could not gain any ground and would not have bettered fourth place if his team-mate’s race had run trouble-free.

Finishing in sixth went to Renault’s Heikki Kovalainen, who drove a strong race and at one point, actually led the Grand Prix! The Finn even had a opportunity to pass Hamilton’s damaged car in the closing stages of the race, but in the end Kovalainen crossed the line a second adrift behind the McLaren.

Nico Rosberg was another driver who put in a fine performance for Williams. The German finished in seventh, just about holding off the chasing Robert Kubica in the BMW Sauber. Kubica’s strategy of making early pit-stops cost the BMW Sauber driver dear, as he fell behind Alonso, Heidfeld and Kovalainen in the first sequence. And then he lost out another race position to Rosberg at the final stops.

But no such worries for Ferrari, as the team scored an impressive result. This was Massa’s second consecutive Turkish Grand Prix win and the Brazilian has significantly close the points gap between himself and the world championship leader Lewis Hamilton to just 15 points.

In the constructors’ championship, McLaren retain their lead with 148 points to Ferrari’s 137, while BMW Sauber are still a healthy third on 78 as the championship moves to Monza.

Turkish Grand Prix race result - 58 laps

1. MASSA Ferrari 1h26m42.161s
2. RAIKKONEN Ferrari +2.2s
3. ALONSO McLaren +26.1s
4. HEIDFELD BMW +39.6s
5. HAMILTON McLaren +45.0s
6. KOVALAINEN Renault +46.1s
7. ROSBERG Williams +55.7s
8. KUBICA BMW +56.7s
9. FISICHELLA Renault +59.4s
10. COULTHARD Red Bull +1m11.0s
11. WURZ Williams +1m19.6s
12. R SCHUMACHER Toyota +1 lap
13. BUTTON Honda +1 laps
14. DAVIDSON Super Aguri +1 laps
15. LIUZZI Toro Rosso +1 laps
16. TRULLI Toyota +1 lap
17. BARRICHELLO Honda +1 lap
18. SATO Super Aguri +1 lap
19. VETTEL Toro Rosso +1 lap
20. YAMAMOTO Spyker +2 laps
21. SUTIL Spyker +5 laps
R. WEBBER Red Bull +49 laps

Fastest lap: RAIKKONEN 1min. 27.295 secs

Ferrari’s Felipe Massa beats the world championship leader Lewis Hamilton in the final moments of qualifying to take his fifth pole position of the season.

The Brazilian has a good record at the Istanbul Park race circuit. Massa scored his first pole position and race victory last year, so to repeat his qualifying performance this season is a fantastic achievement.

Initially, Lewis Hamilton had the advantage after making the switch to the white stripes Bridgestone tyres during his final run. The Formula One rookie set the benchmark with a time of one minute, 27.373 seconds. But as his McLaren team were celebrating, Felipe Massa had the faster momentum out of the tricky final sequences of corners to cross the line with a time of one minute, 27.329 seconds.

This edge out Hamilton down to second but both drivers out-performed their respective team-mates, who will line up behind in third and fourth.

Kimi Raikkonen blew his chance to take top spot when he made a slight error into the penultimate corner. His time of one minute, 27.546 seconds was sufficient enough to keep McLaren’s Fernando Alonso down in fourth with a lap time of one minute, 27.574 seconds.

The double world champion opted for the harder Bridgestone compound in his bid to set the quickest time, but this gamble didn’t work and will line up on row two.

Behind the Ferrari and McLaren pair, Robert Kubica drove a great lap to record one minute, 27.722 seconds to take fifth for BMW-Sauber. Team-mate Nick Heidfeld is directly behind with one minute, 28.037 seconds, while Renault’s Heikki Kovalainen and Nico Rosberg in the Williams completed row four with one minute, 28.491 seconds and one minute, 28.501 seconds respectively.

Row five comprises Jarno Trulli’s Toyota on one minute, 28.740 seconds, and Giancarlo Fisichella’s Renault on one minute, 29.322 seconds.

Star performance of qualifying goes to Anthony Davidson. He beat his Japanese team-mate Takuma Sato by a long margin (Sato will start in P19), so to qualifying his Super Aguri just outside the top ten is a remarkable achievement for the British driver.

Looking at the times between the Ferraris and McLarens, Sunday’s Turkish Grand Prix will be very tense for the four drivers as the championship moves into the final six races of the year. Felipe Massa is determined to turn his pole position with race victory, while his team-mate Kimi Raikkonen needs to strike back on else the Finn drops out of contention for the 2007 drivers’ title. As for Lewis Hamilton, he has track advantage over Fernando Alonso so another good result at Istanbul will be a huge benefit towards achieving his dream result of winning his first title in only his first season of Formula One racing. Alonso on the other hand, will want to close down the championship points gap by outracing both his team-mate and the Ferrari pair. It should be a thrilling race!

Starting grid for the Turkish Grand Prix

1. MASSA Ferrari 1:27.329
2. HAMILTON McLaren 1:27.373
3. RAIKKONEN Ferrari 1:27.546
4. ALONSO McLaren 1:27.574
5. KUBICA BMW 1:27.722
6. HEIDFELD BMW 1:28.037
7. KOVALAINEN Renault 1:28.491
8. ROSBERG Williams 1:28.501
9. TRULLI Toyota 1:28.740
10. FISICHELLA Renault 1:29.322
11. DAVIDSON Super Aguri 1:28.002
12. WEBBER Red Bull 1:28.013
13. COULTHARD Red Bull 1:28.100
14. BARRICHELLO Honda 1:28.188
15. BUTTON Honda 1:28.220
16. WURZ Williams 1:28.390
17. LIUZZI Toro Rosso 1:28.798
18. R SCHUMACHER Toyota 1:28.809
19. SATO Super Aguri 1:28.953
20. VETTEL Toro Rosso 1:29.408
21. SUTIL Spyker 1:29.861
22. YAMAMOTO Spyker 1:31.479

Click to enlarge. You know you want to

You have to love these adverts for getting attention from the public. I think you will agree with me though that this image would make most males turn to milk to nourish their nutrients… Only to let it explode in various ways after. Hayden Panettiere, from the hit TV Show Heroes poses seductively as ever to promote good health and indeed we can’t argue with that.

“Save the world, save the cheerleader”. Now with milky goodness.

Are you eager to get your hands on the Apple iPhone but you live outside the US region or perhaps you have one, but want to switch away from the AT&T network? Then Engadget has the answer. According to the article, with the help of iPhoneSIMfree.com, the team at the popular blogging website has claimed to have cracked the iPhone’s SIM lock system.

What this means, is the iPhone goes international and can be used on any network of your choice!

To do this, you must have the right tools like iASign or iActivator. But there are limitations with this. No visual voicemail or YouTube support, though you can hack the mobile device to make it work…

So great news for European customers who are still waiting for the highly desirable iPhone (Apple has still yet to announce the launch date or prices). The next stage is to import one and run this application in order to use it.