September Video Game Sales Tumble, Microsoft Ascendant, Sony Mum - PC World

It's bad news for everyone but Microsoft this month, with Halo: Reach putting the Xbox 360 over the top, but overall industry sales slumping 8%. Revenue dropped from $1.32 to $1.22 billion year-on-year, bringing the year-to-date total to $9.89 billion, or eight points behind last year's $10.75 billion.

Bear in mind we're talking strict retail data here. As NPD notes, "these numbers reflect the largest channel for hardware, software and accessories sales, but there are content sales happening elsewhere." Meaning digitally, of course.

And that's about all we can report officially, since NPD just moved unit sales figures behind its pay-wall. That's too bad, mostly because it means inaccurate figures from sites known for guesstimating could come to the fore. But you can't blame NPD. They're a for-profit business, and figures based on retail surveying and data collation are services rendered. They've been provided gratis for years.

What we can do, is wait a bit until the numbers appear by proxy from trusted sources, as they already have for September, courtesy after action analyst reports.

September 2010 hardware unit sales, compared to September 2009, August 2010 respectively.

484k - Xbox 360 (+37%, +36%)
312k - PlayStation 3 (-37%, +38%)
254k - Wii (-45%, -4%)

The Xbox 360 soared last month thanks to Halo: Reach, giving Microsoft an impressive year-on-year boost, even more impressive considering Halo 3: ODST was topping the charts this time last year. Microsoft Xbox 360 numbers come from a sales summary report the company released yesterday quoting NPD's (unreleased) unit estimates.

Sony's longstanding year-on-year growth finally reversed, but that's mostly due to a difficult comparison, since the price-reduced slimline PS3 launched last September. We don't have Move sales specific, and Sony declined to release a monthly sales summary, so we're in the dark on motion-control for the moment. I'm pulling PS3 unit numbers from Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter, who issued a market summary paper this morning.

While we don't have DS or PSP unit tallies, Pachter's year-on-year grid shows PSP and DS sales declining 44% and 23% respectively, so it's grim news all around for portables, probably exacerbated by those of us wish-listing a 3DS or PSP2.

And here's September 2010 software, though NPD no longer ranks by platform.

1. Halo: Reach (360)
2. Madden NFL 11 (360, PS3, PS2, Wii, PSP)
3. Dead Rising 2 (360, PS3, PC)
4. NHL 11 (360, PS3)
5. FIFA Soccer 11 (360, PS3, PS2, PSP, NDS)
6. Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep (PSP)
7. Mafia II (360, PS3, PC)
8. Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions (PS3, 360, NDS, Wii)
9. Metroid: Other M (Wii)
10. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (360, PS3, PC)

NPD did provide Halo: Reach sales, which came to 3.3 million units, not including those in hardware bundles, and you'll note that it still topped the list against multi-platform juggernaut Madden NFL 11.

NPD notes that accessory sales were "the only category up in dollar sales for the month, driven by sales of Specialty Controllers and Audio," including "the new Playstation Move Navigation controller and Sports Champions bundle, which contributed to this accessory type's growth."

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Iomega Intros USB 3.0 External SSD drives - PC Magazine

Iomega on Friday introduced a set of USB 3.0 external SSD (Solid State Drives), with capacities from 64GB to 256GB.

Following its spinning USB 3.0 eGo hard drives, these new SSDs can take advantage of the higher transfer rates of USB 3.0 (SuperSpeed), while still remaining fully compatible with older PCs that only have USB 2.0 ports. USB 3.0 SuperSpeed theoretically has up to 10 times the transfer rate of USB 2.0, and the SSD's inherent speed allows the new drives to perform up to twice as fast as spinning 7,200rpm USB 3.0 drives. When connected to USB 2.0, the drives operate at USB 2.0 speeds. Thus, you can buy and use USB 3.0 drives even if you don't have a PC with USB 3.0 yet.

In addition to speed, the SSD drives boast of an unrivaled durability. All spinning drives have moving parts, while SSDs have none. Portable drives get knocked about in commuter bags, so the new SSD Flash drive is more likely to survive careless porters or airline baggage handlers better than a spinning drive.

Since the Iomega SSD Flash drives are meant for demanding users, the drives come with a bunch of bundled software. The software includes Iomega's v.Clone (drive cloning) software, one year of Trend Micro Internet Security software or Smart Surfing software, Iomega QuikProtect (file backup), Roxio Retrospect Express (more customizable file and hard drive backup), and 2GB of Mozy Online Backup service.

The Iomega External SSD Flash Drives will be available in early November, and will be priced at $229.00 for 64GB, $399 for 128GB, and $749.00 for 256GB. All Iomega products come with a three-year limited warranty.

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Chile's rescued miners recover, offers pour in - Reuters

Chile's President Sebastian Pinera (C) shakes hands with rescued miner Omar Reygadas as another rescued miner Luis Urzua (2nd R) watches after a photo session inside Copiapo Hospital, where the 33 rescued miners are undergoing full medical examination October 14, 2010.

Credit: Reuters/Jose Manuel de la Maza/Chilean Presidency/Handout

By Cesar Illiano and Terry Wade

COPIAPO, Chile | Thu Oct 14, 2010 8:03pm EDT

COPIAPO, Chile (Reuters) - Chile's 33 rescued miners recovered from their two-month ordeal on Thursday as the offers and gifts that go along with their new celebrity status started to roll in, including an invitation to Graceland.

A day after their stunning rescue from deep inside a collapsed mine, the men underwent tests and received treatment in hospital, still wearing dark glasses to protect their eyes until they adapt to sunshine and bright lights.

Most of the miners were in surprisingly good health considering that they were stuck in a wet, hot and dark tunnel for 69 days.

The men, who set a world record for survival underground, were finally hoisted to the surface in a rescue operation that was watched by hundreds of millions of people worldwide and triggered celebrations across Chile.

One of the miners had pneumonia and was being treated with antibiotics, and others need dental treatment, but none were suffering from serious health problems and two or three might even be allowed to go home later on Thursday.

Experts said the most lasting damage could be emotional.

Between medical tests, the miners spent time with their families on Thursday and began looking at a flood of offers ranging from financial to musical.

Edison Pena, a fan of Elvis Presley, was invited to visit the Graceland mansion that was his home in Memphis, Tennessee and now serves as a museum to the rock and roll legend.

"We heard on the news that he's a huge Elvis fan," Graceland spokeswoman Alicia Dean told Reuters.

Pena's wife said the couple was very happy with the invitation but had not yet decided when the trip would be.

Real Madrid and Manchester United invited the miners, many of whom are avid soccer fans, to watch them play in Europe.

A flamboyant local singer-turned-businessman has given them $10,000 each, while Apple boss Steve Jobs has sent them all a latest iPod and a Greek firm has offered an islands tour.

The miners were also expected to receive job offers, advertising deals and possibly contracts to sell their stories for book and film projects.

In a complicated but flawless operation under Chile's far northern Atacama desert, the miners were hauled out one-by-one through 2,050 feet of rock in a metal capsule little wider than a man's shoulders.

It took 24 hours to pull out the 33 miners and six rescuers who had gone down the escape shaft to help the men get out.

I can’t believe that after they were rescued, they were flooded with offers from corporations wanting to make a buck from their ordeal.

Wakka Report As Abusive

Please allow them their well deserved 15 minutes of “fame”. I pray the changes now can be endured as well as their 69 day ordeal below.

tommytee Report As Abusive

I am sure they appreciated the offers. Writing memoirs must be easier than mining. Especially, being stuck in the mine.

It was a great rescue and I admire the president of Chile. We need one like him. He did not accuse anyone, but got to work and made sure they got out. They used a PA company and NASA technology, but at the end when the president thanked the countries that had offered help, there was no thank you for the USA. Sad. Our president must not have even called. Too busy campaigning, I guess. No class at all.

annnort Report As Abusive

Really. You can’t believe that? Welcome to the reality of today’s corporate greed.

In any case, this entire episode was a breath of fresh air in an increasingly depressing world. It was so uplifting to watch such a positive story develop and end. These guys deserve all the good things coming their way.

NewsJunkieToo Report As Abusive

The miners want to make a buck from their ordeal too, so don’t be naive or surprised. Wake up to reality.

Stryke Report As Abusive

I am so impressed with Chile’s President and First Lady as they stood by from beginning to end supporting the miners. I can’t help but to contrast them to our’s, knowing that Obama and his wife would not have done the same thing saying they would just be in the way. I hope the miners get many offers from the corporations!

madampolo Report As Abusive

Does anyone really not realize that the Chilean president did all the “standing by” for political reasons? This is not some kind-hearted old soul. He’s a politician and the former owner of the broadcasting company (which he just sold) that was managing most of the video. And to suggest what our president would or would not do is just juvenile. How do you know that President Obama didn’t call – just because it wasn’t aired? Get off the Republican soapbox for 5 minutes and discuss the miners – this is their ordeal.

maddy1001 Report As Abusive

I think they should read a very interesting book – “Moon Dust” by Andrew Smith, about what became of the men who landed on the moon. Many of the astronauts found the experience of isolation from life on the earth’s surface combined with the fame and scrutiny from the world’s media shaped their lives after they landed back on earth. Their lives were reshaped in unexpected ways, and not necessarily happily or beneficial.
I hope they readjust well and get back to normal without having to appear on “I’m a celebrity – get me out of here!” or any of the other media trappings.

Hhhughhhh Report As Abusive

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Ahmadinejad taunts Israel from border with Lebanon - Christian Science Monitor

Bint Jbiel, Lebanon

Iran's president taunted archenemy Israel on Thursday from just across the tense border in Lebanon, rallying tens of thousands of Hezbollah supporters as Israeli attack helicopters buzzed in the skies nearby.

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"The world should know that the Zionists will perish," declared Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, echoing previous verbal attacks in which he has said Israel should be wiped off the map.

"Occupied Palestine will be liberated from the filth of occupation by the strength of resistance and through the faith of the resistance," the Iranian leader vowed as cheers went up from the crowd, waving a sea of Lebanese, Iranian and Hezbollah flags.

The fiery speech was delivered in the border village of Bint Jbeil, which was nearly destroyed by Israeli bombs in the 2006 war with Hezbollah and rebuilt with the help of Iranian cash. A stronghold of the Shiite militant group, Ahmadinejad's visit to the southern Lebanese area was denounced by Washington and Israel as a provocation.

The Iranian president's first state visit to Lebanon, it was turned into a show of strength by Hezbollah, Iran's close ally in Lebanon, which shares power in a fragile unity government with a Western-backed coalition.

Hezbollah organized a rapturous welcome Wednesday in Beirut's streets, which were bedecked with billboards and signs bearing photos of Ahmadinejad.

By contrast, Lebanon's pro-Western leaders have been pushed to the background, underscoring their eroding position— and suggesting the competition over influence in Lebanon may be tipping in favor of Iran and its ally Syria, away from the United States and its Arab allies, Egypt and Saudi Arabia.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded to Ahmadinejad's border visit by saying Israel knows how to protect itself.

"We heard today the cursing and invectives from the Lebanese border. The best answer to the deriders was given here 62 years ago — the state and all that we've built and created since," Netanyahu said.

"Look what a nation, what a state and what an army the state of Israel has. We will continue building, we will continue to create our state and we will know well how to defend ourselves."

While Ahmadinejad received a hero's welcome from Hezbollah's Shiite supporters, his visit intensified fears among Sunnis and Christians that Iran and Hezbollah are seeking to impose their will on Lebanon and possibly pull it into a conflict with Israel.

Van loads of Shiites organized by Hezbollah made their way Thursday to Bint Jbeil's stadium, traveling along roads lined with Iranian flags. Located just two miles from the Israeli border, the village has a special significance for Shiites.

Dubbed "the capital of resistance" during Israel's two-decade occupation of the south, Hezbollah's leader gave a victory speech here after Israel withdrew in 2000, calling Israel "weaker than a spider's web" — a phrase that adorns a stadium wall along with photographs of weeping Israeli soldiers.

During Hezbollah's 2006 war with Israel, Bint Jbeil was targeted by Israeli troops, who met stiff resistance from dug-in Hezbollah guerrillas. The close-quarter fighting was among the fiercest of the monthlong war and much of the town was destroyed or damaged.

Now, with an influx of Iranian money, it looks brand-new, with freshly built roads and apartment buildings.

Addressing the roaring crowd in Bint Jbeil's stadium, Ahmadinejad said: "You proved that your resistance, your patience, your steadfastness, were stronger than all the tanks and warplanes of the enemy."

"You are the mighty mountain, and I am proud of you," he said.

Ali Daboush, a 35-year-old Shiite who works in Saudi Arabia, said he came home to Lebanon just to see the Iranian leader.

"He liberated this land. It was thanks to him," Daboush said. "No Arab leader has done what he has done."

Nearby, two Israeli attack helicopters could be seen hovering above the Israeli border town of Moshav Avivim.

Iran, whose ties to Hezbollah date back nearly 30 years, funds the militant group to the tune of millions of dollars a year and is believed to supply much of its arsenal. Hezbollah boasts widespread support among Shiites and virtually runs a state-within-a-state in Shiite areas of Lebanon.

Ahmadinejad met late Thursday with Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and held talks earlier in the day with Lebanon's pro-Western prime minister Saad Hariri.

Throughout his visit, the Iranian leader has stressed unity among Lebanese, aiming to depict Iran as an ally of the entire nation, not just Hezbollah.

But the strains have been clear.

The Western-backed coalition has warned that Ahmadinejad is seeking to transform Lebanon into "an Iranian base on the Mediterranean." And among Shiites, mentions of Hariri were roundly booed during Ahmadinejad'sspeeches.

Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev slammed the trip.

"Iran's domination of Lebanon through its proxy Hezbollah has destroyed any chance for peace, has turned Lebanon into an Iranian satellite and made Lebanon a hub for regional terror and instability," he said.

Hezbollah has nearly quadrupled its arsenal since the 2006 war to more than 45,000 rockets and missiles, including weapons that are more accurate and more powerful than the past, Israeli ambassador Michael Oren said in Washington.

Washington also came out strongly against the Iranian leader's visit, with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton reiterating American concerns about Iran's nuclear program and its "support of terrorism."

"So when the Iranian president goes to Lebanon, and we know that they are supporting financially and in every other way Hezbollah, which is on the border of Israel and the border of the Palestinian areas, then that is a volatile situation," she said in an interview aired Thursday on ABC.

Still, Israeli residents of Avivim, a farming village that looks across the border at a makeshift stage and replica of the Dome of the Rock built in honor of Ahmadinejad, showed little interest.

"We're not excited about his visit. ... Ahmadinejad is a big coward," said resident Rafi Peretz. "Why does he come only 300 meters from us? Why doesn't he come here?"

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UFO over Chelsea? Experts say its probably not - New York Post

So much for aliens landing in Chelsea.

That unexplained object that hovered mysteriously over the neighborhood Wednesday may be nothing more than errant party balloons, experts said today.

One theory being floated is that the UFO was actually balloons that escaped from an engagement party they held for a Westchester County teacher.

"It was just a freak thing. Frankly I’m shocked by it," Angela Freeman, head of the Milestone School in Mount Vernon, who says her school inadvertently sent a cluster of balloons aloft.

"We didn’t send them up. The kids had an engagement part for a teacher and a mother brought four dozen balloons and she’s coming through the door, it is very windy in Mount Vernon, suddenly 12 of the balloons let loose."

In January 2009, a science teacher and his friend in Morristown, N.J. used fishing line, flares, and three-foot helium balloons to fool people into thinking they witnessed a UFO.

"It had the flavor of a cluster of balloons, in my opinion," said Peter Davenport, director of the National UFO Reporting Center, a private research group based in Washington.

But, he stressed the footage was too funny to make a definitive opinion.

Another theory raging online was the objects were balloons released Wednesday in Times Square for the 100th Anniversary of Madrid's Gran Via, known at the "Spanish Broadway of Europe."

The National Weather Service said the objects whose appearance brought parts of western Manhattan to a standstill were definitely not weather balloons.

"Our weather balloons are launched at 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.," said Brian Ciemnecki, a NWS staff meteorologist. "Sometimes weather balloons are mistaken for UFO, but this was not a weather balloon."

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Justice Department says 'don't ask, don't tell' ruling will harm troops - Los Angeles Times

The Justice Department asked a federal judge Thursday to set aside her decision stopping the "don't ask, don't tell" policy for gays and lesbians in the military until it can appeal the ruling, saying the decision would "irreparably harm our military and the national security of the United States."

Government lawyers told U.S. District Judge Virginia A. Phillips of Riverside that if she did not lift her order by Monday, they would ask the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals to halt it. If the appeals court in San Francisco fails to act, the government probably will ask the Supreme Court to intervene to prevent an abrupt change to the military, which says it is not yet prepared to handle the transition.

The confrontation comes at a politically awkward moment for President Obama. He opposes the "don't ask, don't tell" policy, but now — just weeks before the midterm election — risks alienating his liberal base by seeking to halt the judge's order.

On Thursday at a town hall meeting in Washington, Obama pledged he would end the highly controversial 17-year-old policy for removing homosexuals from the armed forces.

"Anybody should be able to serve, and they should not have to lie about who they are in order to serve. This policy will end. It will end on my watch," Obama said.

But the president acknowledged that he is hamstrung by the fact that the policy is written into law and said "this is not a situation where I can, by the stroke of a pen, end this policy."

In the meantime, the Pentagon said that it would suspend enforcement of "don't ask, don't tell" while Phillips' injunction remains in place.

"The department will abide by the terms in the court's ruling, effective as of the time and date of the ruling," Col. Dave Lapan said Thursday.

Under the law, enacted in 1993 under President Clinton, commanders cannot ask about a service member's sexual orientation, but if a soldier volunteers the information, then he can be removed. About 13,000 have been removed so far.

Despite the ruling issued Tuesday that the law is an unconstitutional violation of due process and 1st Amendment rights, the president signaled that he preferred Congress to repeal the law. The House voted for repeal this year, as did the Senate Armed Services Committee. But the repeal was blocked by Republicans on the Senate floor. Now, some in the Senate hope the matter can be reexamined during the lame-duck session this fall.

Clifford L. Stanley, undersecretary of defense for overall military readiness, cautioned that an abrupt transition would ruin the Pentagon's work surveying military commands around the world to determine how best to create a new policy that allows people who are openly homosexual to serve.

The judge's injunction, Stanley said in a sworn declaration submitted with the government's appeal, "will have adverse effects on both military readiness and the department's ability to effect a smooth and lasting transition to a policy that accommodates the presence of openly gay and lesbian service members."

"The stakes are so high, and the potential harm so great, that caution is in order," he said.

Stanley, a 2009 Obama appointee, said a working group of Pentagon officials was still struggling to figure out the best way to run the military without the "don't ask, don't tell" policy, but their recommendations are not expected until Dec. 1.

Then, he said, there would be command review and final decisions made on how best to run an efficient military operation while also safeguarding soldiers, sailors and Marines who are homosexuals.

He said military leaders would need time to learn the new policy and how it prohibits discrimination against gays and lesbians.

"Without this education and training," he said, "commanders in the field will not have the necessary guidance and will not be able to enforce the new regime in the consistent, even-handed manner that is essential to morale, discipline and good order.

"Equally importantly, service members must know what is expected of them."

Stanley also warned that "a poorly implemented transition will not only cause short-term disruption to military operations, but would also jeopardize the long-term success of the transition. Either outcome would irreparably harm our military and the national security of the United States."

He added that gays who took advantage of the ruling could face expulsion if the decision is later overturned and the military decided to move against them.

Christian Berle, deputy executive director of the Log Cabin Republicans, a conservative organization that initially brought the suit, said the group would "continue to advocate on behalf of American service members," adding that "if this stay is granted, justice will be delayed but it will not be denied."

In the government appeal, Justice Department lawyers said Phillips' order would require "a precipitous change in policy that threatens the public interest in a strong military." They also argued that her ruling was a setback to "the orderly repeal" of the policy that has been discussed in Congress.

They said that such a quick transition could "harm the government's critical interests in military readiness, combat effectiveness, unit cohesion, morale, good order, discipline, and recruiting and retention of the armed forces."

The government also filed a notice of appeal with the 9th Circuit Court, making clear that it intends to challenge the ruling if the judge does not set it aside for now.

Lapan said the Pentagon e-mailed military judges that the Tuesday ruling was to be followed immediately. One e-mail, made public by the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, was sent by Lt. Gen. Richard C. Harding, the Air Force judge advocate general. He ordered military lawyers "to inform your commanders of this injunction and its terms."

Aaron Tax, the network's legal director, said the Pentagon's move "keeps the injunction in place and it gives it effect, and that's good news for lesbian, gay and bisexual service members." For now, he said, "no one will be discharged."

But if the judge or the 9th Circuit temporarily sets aside the ruling, homosexual service members will "remain at risk," Tax said.

richard.serrano@latimes.com

David S. Cloud, Christi Parsons and David G. Savage in the Washington bureau contributed to this report.

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