The fight for the living room continues with a rumor about Microsoft and its intentions to bring television content into homes through the Xbox 360. Sources tell ZDNet about a new service that is codenamed Orapa. Orapa is said to be an IPTV (Internet Protocol television) service that contains Xbox Live and Microsoft Mediaroom functionalities. If it all turns out to be true, everyone could be seeing Orapa (or whatever its official name will be) by holiday 2011. A test version of Orapa could be released as early as this month.

Electronic Arts is on the lookout for the next big thing in home entertainment. We’re seeing everything going 3D these days and some still question the validity of 3D content. At the same time, we’re seeing more televisions becoming internet enabled. Google TV and Apple TV are just two examples of products that stream internet content to your television. EA thinks there’s an opportunity for profit in IPTV in the gaming industry.

So Bill Gates gave his final CES keynote address yesterday at CES (January 6, 2008). I still contend he’ll be back in some form, likely in 5-10 years with another keynote and charging a hefty speaker fee (a la President Ronald Regan’s $1+ million per appearance). Gaming wasn’t tops on his list of stuff to more »