Strikeforce will air, for free, an MMA fight on the EA Sports MMA Web site this Saturday. It’s Jay Hieron vs. Joe Riggs, which is just one fight that’s part of a much larger card, one headlined by Nick Diaz vs. Marius Žaromskis. Presumably Mr. Diaz has put down his pipe long enough to pass the required tests.

The move is being done, as if I even need to mention this, to promote the upcoming video game, scheduled for release sometime this year.

The show, Strikeforce: Miami, also features former WWE pro wrestler (and current TNA pro wrestler, but he’s barely there anymore) Bobby Lashely. It airs on live on the cable channel Showtime.

Hey, it’s not Apple news, right?

via Wrestling Observer

(Credit: Vizio)

As Internet-connected TVs become more popular, set makers are looking for ways to stand out from each other. Vizio, which made its name by undercutting much larger names in electronics on LCD sets, is no longer just looking to attract buyers at Costco. It’s now trying to compete directly on the number of bells and whistles with the likes of Samsung, Panasonic, and Sony.

Announced in late June, Vizio’s Via HDTV has some things going for it that its competitors’ sets do not: integrated 802.11(n) Wi-Fi–which means no separate dongle for connecting to the Web–2GB of flash memory, and a well thought-out remote control.

The remote design is almost a no-brainer in retrospect, and makes you wonder why it hasn’t been done before. It looks like a standard model, but with this one, Vizio took into account what the user would be doing with it: interacting with Web applications like Twitter, Facebook, Yahoo Sports, and Flickr. The TV maker put a slideout QWERTY keyboard on the back of the Bluetooth remote, so users can type as they would on some smartphones, instead of keying in letters one at a time. And, it doesn’t seem to add much to the price of the Via HDTV: the 42-inch version will begin at $999 when it starts selling in stores in November.

Vizio is also looking to differentiate itself with developers who will create more applications for the TV. Yahoo developed its TV widget engine last year, which brings a range of preselected applications like Twitter, eBay, Flickr, Yahoo Sports, Showtime, and many others right onto the TV screen. Samsung, Sony, Panasonic, and Vizio each offer it. But Vizio says it wants to appeal to application developers, so it integrated Adobe Flash directly into its Via HDTV. …

Twitter widget for Yahoo TV Widgets

(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)

As Netflix and other broadband media content integration has become the new “it” thing for TVs, it was time to revisit Yahoo TV Widgets. Since we last reviewed the platform’s offerings, Yahoo has rolled out a number of new widgets and promises even more to come, including widgets for Netflix, Showtime, and other video services. For now, however, the official Twitter client is one of the most compelling widgets, so it will be the first we review as part of an ongoing series.

Overall we found the Twitter widget well-designed and we appreciated that, unlike Verizon’s upcoming Twitter application for Fios, it actually lets you post tweets from your TV. Next time your Twitter craving kicks in right in the middle of “30 Rock” and you’re too glued to the TV to search for your phone or laptop, this widget can save you the trip. You can now proudly tap out those 140 characters that will display on your feed above a timestamp that reads “from Yahoo! TV Widgets.”

Anytime you load Yahoo Widgets with Twitter enabled, the Twitter “snippet” in the dock along the bottom of the screen displays the most recent tweet, whether it’s from you or someone you follow. These are updated in nearly real time without having to hit a refresh button or take any other actions. It’s unfortunate, though, that you’re limited to just the most recent update in the snippet. The Samsung and LG TVs organize some other snippets, namely Yahoo Weather and Finance, into scrollable tabs that show multiple weather or finance updates right in the dock, without having to expand the widget.

When expanded, the clearly laid out and clean-looking main window presents three tabs that will take you to a stream of tweets, messages, or replies. There’s also an option to post a new tweet.

Using the TV remote to tweet can be a frustrating experience since you have to use the directional pad to select letters on a virtual keyboard. …

I have to be honest. I didn’t think much of the TV Everywhere plans laid out by Comcast and Time Warner last month, but the service sure has my attention now. Soon – like in a few weeks – 5,000 beta testers will be able to watch TBS, TNT, Stars, HBO, and Cinemax content on Fancast.com or Comcast.net along with the content already available from ABC, NBC, FX, and more. Eventually, the plan is to open the service up to all subscribers of Comcast and Time Warner for “no additional cost.”

We still have questions about the authentication system and if the service will have an open API that will allow developers to build it into streaming software PlayOn or Boxee. Those details will probably drop later, but if Comcast can continue to add premium content online from the big names, they might be onto something. Now, how about Showtime for some Californication and Weeds action.

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By Chris Scott Barr

One of the biggest pieces of news that came out of Sony’s press conference today was the announcement of the PSP Go, otherwise known as “the worst-kept secret of E3.” So what’s so different about this new portable system? Practically everything it seems. Obviously the slide-out control system is a big change, but also the lack of UMD compatibility is new. It is also 50% smaller and 40% lighter than the current PSP-3000.

Sony is targeting this device at people living the “digital lifestyle.” They’re looking at people that want their content delivered digitally, without the need to go to the store and buy a physical product. The lack of a UMD slot means that you will instead download new titles to your PSP directly. As such, all new titles will be sold in both UMD and digital formats. Both versions will contain the exact same features and functionality, as they aren’t actually aiming to replace the current PSP-3000 with the Go.

Storage is obviously important with the PSP Go, so they’ve added in 16GB of internal Flash memory. A Memory Stick Micro slot is included so that you can easily expand the storage. Bluetooth and WiFi are both included to keep you connected wirelessly.

Sony also announced a new desktop application called PC Media Go which will replace the current Media Manager and allow you to access the PlayStation store directly from your PC. A new video delivery service application will also be included natively on the PSP so that you can download content directly to the Go. Finally, Sony announced that they had signed on several new video content providers like Showtime, G4, E!, Stars and TNA to provide movies and TV shows to the PlayStation network.

The PSP Go is set to hit stores on October 1st at a price of $249.