At the time of me writing this, there are 5,753 360s for sale on eBay alone and I’m sure the number is only going to grow since Microsoft’s announcement of 600k+ system bans for modding and violations of terms of service. Adjusted numbers according to Daily Tech and CNN/CNET, put the ban at about a million.

The reason for this influx of systems to Craig’s List and eBay is consoles are being banned from Xbox Live but not GamerTags – not yet anyway. So, if your current console gets banned from Xbox Live, you can buy a new console and get back to Xbox Live fun. What this means for you as the deal hunter-gatherer is that some of those consoles on eBay and Craig’s List are probably banned consoles.

Imagine the hilarity that would ensue if you unknowingly bought a banned console off of eBay with every intention of playing on Xbox Live and then you discovered that your console was banned. Fun times.

So, the moral of the story is two-fold: don’t buy a used Xbox 360 from someone you don’t trust if you want on Xbox Live for fear it might be banned and don’t download pirated games on your Xbox 360. Not only is that illegal, but you’ll end up banned and stuck with a console that can’t got on Xbox Live.

Image|Microsoft

Post from: EveryJoe

Buy Your Xbox 360s Somewhere Else

But today, KRAPPS [an apps review site] reviewed an app that literally left me speechless.

No. Seriously.

I sat there and stared at my laptop screen while my 7 month old grabbed at the screen and my two year old played “tea party” in her room.

Baby Shaker [by Sikalsoft] is an app for the iPhone and iPod Touch that allows, NO, encourages the player to shake the baby to quiet it down.

This is the description for the “game”:

On a plane, on the bus, in a theater. Babies are everywhere you don’t want them to be! They’re always distracting you from preparing for that big presentation at work with their incessant crying. Before Baby Shaker there was nothing you could do about it.

Now, Baby Shaker gives you a charming drawing of a baby sure to make those with a less than iron will fawn. True to life, it begins to annoy you immediately. See how long you can endure his or her adorable cries before you just have to find a way to quiet the baby down!

Never, never shake a baby.

OH! “Never, never shake a baby.” Ok. Then how the hell is someone supposed to “win” the game?

I don’t know if they added that last bit as a way to cover their ass against bad press, [See? We said not to shake a baby!] or if they added that last bit in an attempt to be funny. The reason they added it doesn’t really matter.

The facts are that it isn’t funny. KRAPPS, CNET, 9to5Mac and the Twitterverse are talking about. Heck, in the ten minutes since I started writing this, a new Google search of “Baby Shaker” shows TONS of mainstream news outlets have jumped on this story and I can guarantee that they will milk the story for all that it is worth.

The app is disgusting. Plain and simple.

However, a broader and more far reaching question remains.

How did something like this get approved?

As CNET points out:

You are not allowed to develop applications that could potentially harm existing or future Apple businesses.

I have a sneaking suspicion that Baby Shaker falls under the “could potentially harm existing or future Apple business”.

With all of the media attention that this app is just now getting, what is the potential fallout for Apple? Should they issue a statement? Should they issue an apology?

According to CNET, as of 1:21pm today, the app was no longer available. One thing to note. The notice states that it’s no longer available in the US store. That leads me to believe that if you live outside of the US then you can download and shake the ever lovin’ shit out of a virtual baby.

I have a feeling that this won’t be the last that you hear of this story.

*edited at 7:40 pm to add that the game’s page is gone*

Images| KRAPPS

Post from: EveryJoe

Baby Shaker App Pulled:Questions Remain