Here are some quotes:

Is anyone else on the same boat? I’m most pissed at the mines. The mines totally kill the warthog, which is one of the games major flagships.

Then the shield, takes all skill away from the game, are you -blam!- kidding me? Just a mistake waiting to happen

I agree with the OP. The mines take no skill and the bubble shield is cheap.

Click this link for more goodness.

How about we all wait to try the actual game before we whine about it and critique it. I feel for the Bungie team.

#1 – Play a lot of Halo 2. Play at least 3 hours of Halo 2 multiplayer between Feb. 1, 2007, at 12:01 a.m. EST and Feb. 3, 2007, at 11:59 p.m. EST. You also need to be among the first 13,333 to register at http://www.halo3.com.

#2 – Purchase “Crackdownâ€? when it hits store shelves. Once the Halo 3 multiplayer beta is available, you just need to use your “Crackdown” disc as a key to be able to download Halo 3 and join in the beta.

Official Press Release:

Jan. 3, 2007

Microsoft Announces Two Additional Paths of Entry to “Halo 3� Multiplayer Beta

Gamers are invited to join the fight when the beta goes live this spring with Xbox Live and “Crackdown� providing the final two paths.

Microsoft Game Studios and Bungie Studios are ringing in the year with a proverbial bang, as they announced today two new ways for gamers to receive an invitation to participate in the “Halo® 3� multiplayer beta program coming this spring through Xbox Live® Marketplace.

Specifically, gamers will be able to receive an invitation by doing one of the following:

· Qualifying over Xbox Live and then being one of the first 13,333 “Halo 2� gamers to register for the “Rule of Three� program at http://www.halo3.com in early February

· Purchasing the upcoming game “Crackdown™,� which hits store shelves in the U.S. on Feb. 20

The “Halo 3� multiplayer beta, which is a pre-release version of the multiplayer experience of “Halo 3,� is scheduled for availability in spring 2007 exclusively on Xbox 360™. The beta also represents an opportunity for gamers to participate in the testing and refinement of the multiplayer gameplay of “Halo 3,� the most anticipated game of 2007. Through the resulting feedback, Bungie Studios will be able to further hone the end result of “Halo 3.�

Beginning Thursday, Feb. 1, 2007, at 12:01 a.m. EST, all gamers need to do is participate in at least three hours of “Halo 2� multiplayer sessions, via Xbox Live, before Feb. 3, 2007, at 11:59 p.m. EST and then be among the first 13,333 to register at http://www.halo3.com. The “Rule of Three� program is currently planned for gamers in the 50 United States (includes District of Columbia) age 17 years and older who have access to an Xbox 360 Pro console or an Xbox 360 Core console with hard drive, a valid Xbox Live Gold subscription and the “Halo 2� game. Gamers around the world are encouraged to visit http://www.halo3.com in the coming weeks for more information on the “Rule of Three� program in their region.

As well, when “Crackdown� hits store shelves, gamers eager to take home a copy of the highly anticipated exclusive action title for Xbox 360 will find marked boxes of “Crackdown� that include an invite to participate in the coveted “Halo 3� multiplayer beta program when it becomes available. When the “Halo 3� multiplayer beta surfaces in spring 2007, owners of “Crackdown� with access to an Xbox 360 Pro console or an Xbox 360 Core console with hard drive and a valid Xbox Live Gold subscription simply need to load their copy of “Crackdown� into Xbox 360 and use the disc as a key to download the beta from Xbox Live Marketplace and join the battle in “Halo 3� multiplayer. “Crackdown� will be available in the U.S. on Feb. 20, Asian territories on Feb. 22 and European markets on Feb. 23.

In December, Microsoft Game Studios and Bungie Studios completed the first of three ways for North American gamers to participate in the “Halo 3� multiplayer beta, by registering at http://www.halo3.com. Gamers who were selected from this initial opportunity will be contacted in January.

From Realtime Worlds, “Crackdown� pushes the action-driving hybrid genre into the next generation with a rich and immersive 3-D playground. Gamers level up their Agent’s strength, agility, firearms, explosives and driving skills while scaling the fully vertical world of “Crackdown.� This M-rated game incorporates revolutionary co-op gameplay throughout the entire free-form campaign. Creating a volatile cocktail of judicial oppression, players will clean up the streets of a truly interactive world when “Crackdown� hits store shelves at an estimated retail price of $59.99.

The 60 second Halo 3 teaser/trailer from Bungie which aired tonight on ESPN will be available for download later tonight on the Xbox Live Marketplace.

Exclusive “Halo 3� Trailer Makes Broadcast Debut – Viewers to See Master Chief Like He’s Never Been Seen Before

Fans worldwide can experience a thrilling look at the most anticipated game of 2007 with a special 60-second “Halo 3� trailer; Microsoft announces first chance for North American gamers to participate in the Halo 3 Multiplayer Beta by entering at Halo3.com

Humanity is about to experience another exciting look at the world of “Halo 3,� one of the most anticipated entertainment launches for 2007. Airing in North America, Monday, Dec. 4 on ESPN’s Monday Night Football and Xbox.com in Europe, the new 60-second “Halo 3� trailer will offer viewers an exclusive look at the iconic “Halo� universe and provide telling, new hints as to what Bungie Studios has in store for the highly regarded game, which is published by Microsoft Game Studios and exclusive to Xbox 360.

Fans can tune in to ESPN on Monday, Dec. 4 between 5:50 and 6:20 p.m. PST to catch this stunning new look at “Halo 3.� Additionally, the ad will be aired that same evening on Xbox.com at 8 p.m. PST /04.00 GMT/05.00 CET (Tuesday, Dec. 5).

The ad, created by McCann Worldgroup San Francisco, includes a mixture of live action and computer generated animation, will air one time only and will then be made available online worldwide through Xbox Live Marketplace and Xbox.com.

“Halo is a pop culture phenomenon! The Halo franchise has changed the face of interactive entertainment and it’s only fitting that we take an innovative approach to how we market and advertise the brand,” said Jeff Bell, corporate vice president of global marketing for the Interactive Entertainment Business at Microsoft Corp. “This invites a new audience with a rich back story, and continues to galvanize gamers around the world for the launch of Halo 3 in 2007.â€?

In conjunction with the ad, Microsoft today unveiled further details and an official call to entry for the “Halo 3� beta program. Beginning Monday, Dec. 4, by visiting http://www.halo3.com, gamers in North America will be able to register for the opportunity to be one of the select members to join the unprecedented “Halo 3� public beta program, scheduled to kick off in spring 2007. Today’s announcement confirms the first path of entry for gamers to participate in the beta program and be among the first to experience the most anticipated game of 2007.

The Xbox Live multiplayer public beta, which is a pre-release version of the multiplayer experience of “Halo 3,� is scheduled for availability in spring 2007 exclusively on Xbox 360. This beta also represents an opportunity for gamers to participate in the development of “Halo 3.� Through the resulting feedback, Bungie Studios will be able to further refine and hone the end result of “Halo 3.�

Unveiled earlier this year at the Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles, “Halo 3� represents the third chapter in the “Halo� trilogy, an international award-winning action series that grew into a global entertainment phenomenon, selling more than 14.7 million units worldwide, which equals nearly $700 million in sales, and logging in excess of 800 million hours of multiplayer action on Xbox Live.

This move by Sony BMG comes after a huge growth of music videos appearing on sites like YouTube, Google Video, Yahoo! Video and AOL Video.

The Musicbox Video service, just like its rivals, will allow users to share their favotire videos, as well as post them on their website via an embedded flash-based players.

No a big innovation here, it looks like music labels are just now starting to do what should have been done a year or two ago.

Source

The current home of this site is beta.netscape.com and it will eventually become the new Netscape.com, when they beta is over.

The launch of this AOL site comes just days after the news of an upcoming digg expansion, which will expand digg into categories other than technology.

Currently it is only a limited “test” release, and invitations are available from Google. To signup for an invitation, goto http://picasaweb.google.com/ and enter in your Gmail user name. Invitations are sent out on a first-come first-serve basis.

In the near future, Google will enable users to send out their own invites for friends and family.

Picasa Web Albums is Picasa’s newest feature, designed to help users post and share their photos quickly and easily on the web.

• One-click web upload using Picasa’s new “Web Albumâ€? button
• Free storage space to post and share approximately 1000 photos, with the option to upgrade to more space
• High-quality photos, automatically resized and optimized to fill available screen space
• Pre-loaded images enable quick scrolling using arrow keys, and mimic a desktop experience of “flippingâ€? through photos, even on the web
• End-to-end photo management that makes it easy to download uploaded photos back to your computer

Picasa offers 250MB of free storage for your images, but more storage is available for purchase if needed.

Yahoo Photos is the largest online photo site with 30 million unique monthly visitors (compare to Flickr’s 8 million). Flickr is for the early adopters. Yahoo photos used to be for the masses, but a few early adopters may be giving it a try, too.

Read the full preview with lots of screenshots at TechCrunch.

Google Spreadsheets is a limited test. If you fill in your email address below, we’ll send you an invitation – first-come, first-served.