Target

It's fun for me to think about a room full of Target executives sitting around and making a decision about whether a video game is too violent for it to sell.

According to ABCNews.com, the giant retailer has decided not to carry the recent Rockstar Games gorefest, Manhunt 2, almost certainly because it has been at the center of the latest kerfuffle over the content of one of the publisher's titles.

"All video games and computer software sold at Target currently carry ratings by the Entertainment Software Ratings Board--from early childhood through mature audiences," ABC … Read more

MySpace.com, a high-profile player in Google's new OpenSocial developer project, isn't willing to let Facebook get away with stealing the week's big advertising headlines.

The News Corp.-owned social-networking site announced Monday morning that it has completed the first phase of a new advertising program it calls "HyperTargeting," which uses the information that members put in their profiles to serve up ads they might actually want to see.

MySpace initially began its HyperTargeting program in July, dividing its users into groups of "enthusiasts" in 10 categories (music, movies, personal finance, gaming, consumer … Read more

A special pink edition has been added to the spectrum of Shuffles announced by Apple earlier this month, though this time it's not just for fashion and marketing. Target is packaging the pastel music players with an iTunes gif card for no additional charge as part of a campaign to combat breast cancer.

AppleInsider says the retail chain will donate up to $25,000 of the proceeds to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. Photos of the special bundle, which is available only at Target's brick-and-mortar stores, can be seen here.

There's still another week to go for Halo 3, but you can enjoy some Spartan combat early with WizKids' Halo ActionClix miniatures game. A lot like WizKids' Heroclix and Horrorclix games, Halo ActionClix (or HaloClix) is a tabletop strategy game that lets you control inch-high characters and units from the Halo universe. Instead of dealing with complicated stat sheets and strange characteristics, every HaloClix character's twistable base and card comes with all the information you need to control them.

Gamers who preorder Halo 3 at Target will get an exclusive two-pack of HaloClix, including an assault rifle-wielding master … Read more

First, Paramount and DreamWorks Animation get bought off to go HD DVD exclusive. Now word is Toshiba's trying to romance Warner into flipping. The only problem is Sony's doing its best to seduce the last dual-format studio into exclusively shacking up with Blu-ray.

This lurid next chapter in our favorite little tech soap opera comes to us by way of The Digital Bits, which links to an L.A. Times story (also printed in Newsday) that suggest serious bucks are being dangled by both Toshiba and Sony to win Warner's affections. Wal-Mart's in the mix, too, … Read more

As expected, Sony is selling exclusive models of its LCD televisions through discount retailer Target right now.

Though not available in stores until mid-September, Target.com shows a 26-inch and 32-inch Bravia 720p LCD on its site right now for $799 and $899, respectively. Both are significantly cheaper (and smaller) than the other Sony TVs Target carries.

Walmart.com is next, followed by availability in Wal-Mart Stores next month, according to a Sony representative.

The electronics maker revealed its discount retailer plan in June. Randy Waynick, senior vice president of marketing, said Sony would supply a unique series of models … Read more

The expected next-generation DVD format war isn't quite the deadlock many expected.

Target's announcement Thursday that it would sell a Sony Blu-ray player in its stores alongside Blu-ray discs in a special feature promotion is important because the second-largest retailer in the U.S. doesn't sell HD DVD players in its stores, outside of the external HD DVD drive made for Microsoft's Xbox 360. It does sell a Toshiba HD DVD player on its Web site, however.

When the battle between the competing optical disc formats--HD DVD and Blu-ray--began brewing last year, analysts predicted protracted trench warfare, … Read more

First Blockbuster, now Target's going Blu-only. Or at least that's what it appears from an AP report that was filed late yesterday. According to the story, "Target Corp., the nation's second-largest retailer, will start selling a Sony Blu-ray high-definition DVD player during the critical holiday shopping period and feature the player along with Blu-ray discs in store displays, dealing a potential blow to the rival HD DVD format."

The story goes on to say that the move will formally be announced Thursday and is designed to help cut through the confusion that's kept consumers … Read more

Heavy, the online video site with a distinct focus on the Jackass demographic, announced Tuesday that it will be using the IP Intelligence technology from Digital Element in order to "geotarget" its advertisements, language, and video content based on where a visitor's IP address is located.

This means a couple of different things. One, by knowing where its visitors come from, Heavy can run locally targeted advertisements, which can make it a more appealing buy for advertisers. This, as we've seen with many of Google's locally-oriented applications, can be very lucrative.

And two, imagine the … Read more