Entertainment

We're over our iPhones and on to the next big thing, waiting to be told what will catch on, what will cause traffic jams, what will make your friends crazy jealous. Just what is it you're going to have to have this fall? What's going to go on your own credit card, and what's going to wait until Christmas?

The most heavily hyped product this season is Electronic Art's "Spore," by Sims creator Will Wright (released Sept. 7). It's been on gamers' radar since Wright presented a sneak-peek in March 2005 at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco. Wright's taken the evolution of humanity and put it in your hands, the result being a game in which players control life from "tide-pool amoebas to thriving civilizations to intergalactic starships," says the promo text — and you're in charge of the entire galaxy. Scary. Fun.

As with the Sims, which notoriously made Mac people wait and wait and wait for non-PC software, EA has teamed with Hewlett-Packard to install the Spore software on new consumer-oriented desktops and laptops.

The most recent news from Apple is about their revamped iPods — see below — and iTunes new "Genius" feature, that recommends downloads based on what it knows you already like. Apple also has reached peace with NBC, and will begin selling the network's shows again.

We're excited, but there's more, and release dates — as always — are subject to change.

New iPod Nanos (Apple, now shipping): A revamped nano line in purple, blue, green, yellow, orange, red, pink and silver. The 8GB nano sells for $149; the 16GB model sells for $199.

Remodeled iPod Touch (Apple, now shipping): Integrated volume controls, built-in speaker, same tapered back as the iPhone 3G. The 8GB touch costs $229; while the 16GB and 32GB models cost $299 and $399.

"Hulu Premieres": Over the next six weeks, www.hulu.com/fall will offer season premieres of shows such as "The Office" and "30 Rock," before they air. Apparently networks are convinced that there's money to be made on the Web.

"Inspiron Mini 9" (Dell, out now): A 2.3-pound laptop that starts at $349. The largest Mini has just 16 GB of storage — same as an iPhone — so it's not the tool for big jobs, but it's great for small stuff done on the run.

"Chrome" (Google, available in beta now): Google's open-source browser they hope will take down Internet Explorer and Firefox. It's supposed to be faster and safer: Expect tweaks for a while yet.

"Xbox 360" (Microsoft cuts prices): The price cut began Sept. 5, making the Xbox the cheapest console on the market. Prices are as follows: Xbox 360 Arcade, $199; Xbox 360 Premium, $299; Xbox 360 Elite, $399. The lowest-end 360 model is now $50 cheaper than Nintendo's Wii.

"Spore" (Electronic Arts, out now): The long-anticipated mega game from Sims creator Will Wright, in which players control the evolution of humanity. Literally.

Xbox Live — Rock the Vote: Register to vote, participate in polls, sit through public service announcements on the Xbox Live Marketplace, all the result of a partnership Rock the Vote has with Microsoft.

Pwn or Die (Or Die networks): Will Ferrell and Adam McKay's www.funnyordie.com has expanded into Or Die Networks, which has launched Pwn or Die (www.pwnordie.com), described as a one-stop shop for everything related to video games. (Pwn is gamer-slang for great game play.) The site solitics content and interviews from people well-known in the gaming world.

SEPTEMBER

"Active Life Outdoor Challenge" (Namco Wii, Sept. 9): First in a planned Active Life series for Wii — engaging the whole body for fun and challenges.

"Rock Band 2" (MTV Games for X360, Sept. 14): Next step in the game that lets players become vicarious rock stars, jamming with some big-name musicians. The game will be released for different systems throughout the fall: PS3, Oct. 19; Wii, Nov. 16; PS2, Nov. 18.

"Star Wars: The Force Unleashed" (Lucas Arts Entertainment for NDS, PS2, PS3, PSP, Wii, X360, Sept. 16): George himself helped create this game, which explores the era between "Episode II: Revenge of the Sith" and "Episode IV: A New Hope."

"Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning" (Electronic Arts for Windows, Sept. 16): War is the game; Realm vs. Realm gameplay ensures conflict for years to come.

"Lego Batman: The Videogame" (Warner Bros. for NDS, PS2, PS3, PSP, Wii, Win, X360, Sept. 23): Control the Dynamic Duo as they save Gotham City.

OCTOBER

"NBA Live 09" (Electronic Arts, PS2, PS3, PSP, Wii, X360, Oct. 7): Pro basketball. 'Nuff said.

"FIFA 09" (Electronic Arts for NDS, PS2, PS3, PSP, Wii, Windows, X360, Oct. 14): Pro soccer. Take a dive.

"Fable 2" (Microsoft for Xbox 360, Oct. 21): A role-playing game that starts more than 500 years after "Fable." You're still in Albion, facing a whole new set of choices and consequences.

"LittleBigPlanet" (Sony PlayStation 3, Oct. 21): Another you-shape-the-world game of absolute power, this time within a cute glued-and-stitched-together 3D landscape

"Spider-Man: Web of Shadows" (Activision, for NDS, PS2, PS3, PSP, Wii, Windows Vista XP, and X360, Oct. 21): Venom has returned to NYC; S.H.I.E.L.D. has quarantined Manhattan to prevent the invasion from spreading. Spider-Man has to work with both heroes and villains from the Marvel Comics universe to save the world.

"Dancing With the Stars" (Activision for Wii, PS2, Windows, Oct. 23): The mega-popular television show hits the floor — your floor.

"Guitar Hero: World Tour" (Activision, for X360, PS3, PS2, and Wii, Oct. 26): Latest news is that The Smashing Pumpkins' new single will be released via the game, part of a downloadable song pack. Pumpkins' frontman Billy Corgan joins Ozzy Osbourne and Jimi Hendrix as playable in-game characters.

"PlayStation Portable" (PSP-3000, Sony, October): Expect a high-res screen and built-in microphone that allows the thing to be used to make phone calls through the Skype service. it should cost about $200.

NOVEMBER

"PlayStation 3" (Sony, November): A new version of the PS3 console with a 160-gigabyte hard drive, costing about $500.

"Tomb Raider Underworld" (Eidos for NDS, PS2, PS3, Wii, Win, X360, Nov. 3): Lara Croft is on the rampage. Again.

"WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2009" (THQ for Mobile, NDS, PS2, PS3, PSP, Wii, X360, Nov. 11 ): Pro wrestling. Prepare to throw down.