Let me tell you what I won’t do. I will not purchase a digital movie, whether via Xbox 360, Amazon Unbox on TiVo, iTunes, or anything else. I’m hooked on the Netflix paradigm of unlimited rentals not to mention I have no guarantees that the movie I purchase today will work on the device I purchase tomorrow. So If I can’t have unlimited rentals, I will stoop to individual rentals. Heck, I’ll even overpay as I’ve proven with those $6 HD flicks on Moviebeam and Xbox. From where I’m sitting, Apple is leaving money on the table by not renting films and not offering a music subscription service. However… Based on some recent rumblings, including analysis of Thursday’s shareholder meeting, it looks like both still exist as possibilities.

In other Apple news, one teenage researcher believes iPods can interfere with pacemakers. Yowza! Though CrunchGear possibly puts it into perspective:

So what have we learned? It’s not that electronics produce electromagnetic frequencies capable of killing grandpa. No, the moral of the story remains the same as always: Don’t strap electronics to the chests of people with pacemakers. These are things that patients in this situation know.

While a custom Wii Google Reader wouldn’t have been at the top of my list of interface tweaks (how about a new color scheme?), that’s exactly what Google has done. Since I rarely wear my glasses and most feeds I read for ZNF “work” this doesn’t really appeal to me, not to mention there may be more interesting things to do with a Wii - you know, like play games.

Speaking of gaming console enhancements that don’t appeal to me, I installed the spring Xbox 360 Dashboard update this AM… and I’m not sure why I’d want to integrate my Xbox with my Windows Messenger contacts — those folks already have too much access.

Back to the Wii for a second… It looks like supply is catching up with demand: I was at a Best Buy event Sunday night, and they had 30 Wiis in stock but only managed to move 12 of them.

Get your red-hot Xbox 360 Dashboard update.

A tip for new Nintendo Wii owners: when you go to buy a second Wiimote (the controller for the Wii), don’t buy a standalone remote for $40. Instead, buy the Wiiplay bundle — it includes a second Wii controller and 8-9 other games. The games aren’t all great, but there are a couple of fun ones and it’s definitely worth the extra $10.

Rakesh Agrawal is the CEO of Houston-based SnapStream. You can read more from his personal blog at rake.sh/blog.

A periodic roundup of relevant news… from our other blogs.

• Xbox and Apple TV – TV Boxes at Retail: Connected Home 2 Go
• TiVo’s New Ad Blitz Focuses On Personalization: Davis Freeberg
• Time Warner Earnings: Connected Home 2 Go
• To Flash or Not To Flash: Connected Home 2 Go

Yahoo is out with a fantasy baseball widget for that 10′ Media Center interface. Both XP and Vista are supported… AND you can use the Xbox 360 as a media extender if the PC isn’t in the living room. Right now it includes live stats and box scores, but “Smack Talk” and exclusive multimedia are on the way.

Using the remote control, consumers can get real-time updates on their fantasy baseball scores without missing a minute of the live game on their television screen. Key features of the new version include:

• Fantasy Baseball - Follow fantasy leagues and get live updates
• Real Time Game Data - Get all the important information such as player stats, inning information, who’s at bat and more
• Scoreboard - Get a birds eye view of all of the action across the league

Unlike Yahoo’s earlier football offering that required Intel Viiv (boo), access to this one isn’t limited to some sort of marketing arrangement. Hopefully it’ll remain open come fall football season because fantasy baseball just doesn’t do it for me.

(via eHomeUpgrade)

Gamespot spilled the beans on Microsoft’s upcoming May Xbox 360 Dashboard update…

Highlights include integrated chat with Live Messenger (why?), a dedicated Marketplace blade, in-game achievement pop-ups, and a low-power download mode (no fans, yay!).

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