Ah, you gotta love Fridays. What can even make Fridays better, is when you have a great story to share. The story of Tom Cruise has taken a unexpected and crazy turn the past few years. Cruise went from mega-star actor, to internet/media whipping boy in a matter of days. All it took was an outburst on Oprah, some ranting about Scientology, and Cruise began losing love in the public’s eyes.

I Miss The “Top Gun” Days Of Tom Cruise

Tom looks to be making a “Maverick” like comeback, by releasing his very own website. It has been 25 years since Cruise got his leading role in Risky Business. To commemorate this event, Cruise is releasing his legacy through a flash website.

After taking a tour of TomCruise.com, I must say that I’m very impressed. It’s a pretty simple Flash site, but the overall design works very well. There is very little in the way of content so far, as it was launched just recently. In his welcoming message, Cruise talks about his love for movies, and how he hopes to continue making movies for years to come.

It’s pretty transparent that Tom is trying to make amends for going off his rocker the past couple of years. But what’s wrong with doing that, I for one hope to see more Cruise movies in the future. Top Gun, A Few Good Men, Minority Report, Mission Impossible, all rank as some of my favorite movies of all time.

Windows Vista has seen mixed reviews since its’ release, and that’s being generous. People have had a hard time adopting the new hardware requirements. On top of the requirements is a good amount of compatibility issues, specifically with certain graphic cards and drivers. So at the D6 conference, Microsoft’s new OS was demonstrated.

While there were no answers about hardware reqs. or improvement to compatibility, atleast there was touch screen. Ballmer and Gates tag teamed the conference, and gave us a look at Windows 7 and how touch screen will be utilized with it. Windows 7 won’t have touch screen standard, but it will support the drivers necessary to run it. While this is a cool feature, hopefully there will be more to differentiate itself from Vista then fingertip usage. Anyway, here’s the video of Windows 7 in action, enjoy:

(Must Use Internet Explorer To View)

Video: Multi-Touch in Windows 7

“Desperation is a stinky cologne”, I’m not sure where this line originated, but it’s in one of my favorite movies, Super Troopers. If desperation were a cologne, then Microsoft would be the guy at the party no one could stand to be around, for fear of flaming nostrils. The proof of this desperation can be found in Microsoft’s new “cashback” program they are implementing for Live Search.

I don’t have exact numbers, but it’s safe to say that Google is dominating the search engine business at this point. Ok, so I do have numbers, and they are in favor of Google, which holds about 60% of search engine usage. Microsoft doesn’t like to be a loser, so they are trying to fight back and get some of the market share for themselves. They are retaliating by use of their cashback program, which will give users money back for making online purchases using Live Search.

Yes, you heard correctly. Microsoft will be giving money to people for using a service that is already free. I know I’ve already referenced a movie, but this program reminds me of the Joker’s scheme from the 1989 version of Batman. Let’s hope Bill Gates isn’t going to unleash toxic gases upon us.

In all seriousness, this program makes Microsoft look so transparent, and a bit bullish as well. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all about saving a dollar or two, but at the same time, this seems like some kind of “last resort” plan. Instead of improving upon their engine and giving people better search results, they are going to give them back money for online purchases.

As much as I’m complaining, this idea could very well succeed. If there’s one thing that can pull people away from something they are accustomed to, it’s money. Using Google is like a reflex to me when I use the internet. But saving me $15 on a Wii purchase could very well break that reflex.

Those Wii Prices Are Outrageous…Atleast Microsoft Can Save Me Money If I Get That Desperate

Win, Place, and Show is what they call it at the horse races. Unfortunately for gaming consoles, there are only three studs represented, so even if you “Show”, you’re in last place. It has been a hot topic among business analysts, video gamers, and forum visitors alike; “Who’s going to win the current gen console race?”

Some would call it the “next-gen” console race, but now that we’re already a year and some change into it, I think current gen is more fitting. I like to think the video game industry is like politics, you never know what is going to happen. Sometimes you get a candidate like Dukakis = Virtual Boy, and sometimes you have the idealistic up-and-comer Obama = Wii. Just like in politics the winds of fortune can change, and very fast. As the numbers stand right now, the XBOX 360 is the leader in the states with 10 million units sold. The Nintendo Wii is hanging around 9 million, with the PS3 trailing at 4 million units sold.

On the worldwide scale, the numbers tell a different tale. The Wii is actually ahead with 21 million units sold, with the XBOX 360 in second with 19 million units, and the PS3 is still in last with 9.5 million. So what exactly do these numbers mean in terms of a winner? Absolutely nothing. Well, that might be too definitive, but the point is that by the end of this console life cycle, the numbers in 2008 will be ancient history.

So just who is going to come out on top of this marathon? No one truly knows, but there have been all kinds of “experts” giving their opinions. From numerous articles I’ve read, many of these experts look for the PS3 to come out on top.

According to one of Microsoft’s represenatives, Don Mattrick, this prediction is false (but of course he’s going to say that), “History has shown us that the first company to reach 10 million in console sales wins the generation battle. We are uniquely positioned to set a new benchmark for the industry”

While this is correct, there have been only 3 “console wars” to go by. The SNES-Genesis era, the Playstation-Nintendo 64 era, and the PS2-Gamecube-Xbox war. The newest race seems to have a much different feel to it than the previous ones. The largest difference is that with current gen systems, we’re looking at around a 7-10 year life cycle, while before 5 years was along time. With this cycle, it is definitely going to be more of a marathon this go around.

So like I said earlier, there’s no telling who’s going to come out on top. You can make all kinds of predictions, and market charts, but at the end of the day anything can happen, and probably will happen. Since I like to consider myself an expert, I figured I would throw my prediction out there with the rest of them.

Here’s my console “Win, Place, and Show” list:

Win - Nintendo Wii

Place - Sony PS3

Show - XBOX 360

Today begins the crusade for Nintendo, to get everyone off their Cheeto covered couch and working out. Just in case you don’t have a Wii yet, or aren’t watching any news, today is the launch date for Wii Fit. This game, released from Nintendo is a game based around exercising. While an exercising/video game might leave you quite bored, this one comes with a balance board.

The balance board is the epicenter of Wii Fit. The board is peripheral that is used as a scale, exercise utility, gaming peripheral. For the most part, Wii Fit uses to board as a means for exercise. If you take a look at the outside of the box, you’ll notice yoga poses. These poses can be done, using the board, which will show you how to position your body.

Video Games And Excercise…Whudda Thunk It?

On top of the yoga, and exercised based routines there are actual games to play. These games will utilize your balance, and weight shifting on the board. The one most people are a buzz about is the skiing game. There is a skiing game coming out on Wii Fit, along with a third-party “We Ski” game coming out from Namco. There’s also hula hooping, soccerball heading, penguin sliding, and more. So if you have a Wii and have the $90 for the price of Wii Fit, then you’ll have a new excuse to exercise.

Ok, so those weren’t his exact words, but that’s the spirit that Bill Gates is trying to capture. At the CEO summit yesterday, Gates showed off a new prototype designed by Microsoft. The TouchWall was demostrated by Gates, and its’ name pretty much explains it all.

Microsoft has been really touchy lately, mostly with its’ release of the Microsoft Surface computers. These tabletop computers are already available to purchase from Microsoft at $10,000 a piece. The TouchWall is a little more ambitious, as the screen measures in at 4′ 6″. TechCrunch, was able to demostrate the TouchWall, and has released a video showing off what it can do. So please enjoy, and as soon as I become a millionaire, I will definitely be making my TouchWall purchase.