A short YouTube video dubbed "Panic Attack", managed to land a hefty Hollywood deal to its author, Fede Alvarez. Panic Attack was reportedly made on a budget of a couple of hundred dollars, but this will certainly be money well spent for Mr. Alvarez.

Avatar's story is exactly what you expect from the trailers, but the visuals and 3D effects more than make up for the cookie-cutter characters. Sigourney Weaver adds soul to the film, and every dollar spent on this mammoth production is seen on the screen. Our review inside.

YouTube, which is already trying out the movie rental business, wants to get into TV, too.

Google's video site has been trying to convince the TV industry to let it stream individual shows for a fee, multiple sources tell me.

YouTube already lets users watch a smattering of TV shows for free, with advertising. Now it envisions something similar to what Apple and Amazon already offer: First-run shows, without commercials, for $1.99 an episode, available the day after they air on broadcast or cable.

Few terms have been as simultaneously hyped and reviled as "cloud computing," but there's definitely more to the phenomenon than just a buzzword and some vague talk of "efficiencies" and "agility." We've put together this short, simple introduction to cloud computing that you can send to your CIO the next time you catch him abusing "the cloud" at a meeting. There's a kind of supply-and-demand dynamic that applies to technical terms—when a few knowledgeable insiders are hoarding a word, it maintains its meaning, but when the masses get hold of it and abuse it, it's quickly emptied of value.

Microsoft's social hub for all things Halo-related successfully launched yesterday, and the new animated show "Halo Legends" will kick off tomorrow.

Halo Waypoint is being dubbed "the new virtual home for all things Halo." Launched yesterday as part of the Xbox Live service, Waypoint will serve as a social hub for Halo players, as well as a place to go for daily updates of Halo-related content. Microsoft promises "daily updates of fresh, exciting content such as developer interviews, trailers and screenshots, exclusive video footage, community activities and the latest Halo news."

For sale: One slightly-used Terminator. Still works, minor attitude problems, get it cheap now!

Have you ever wanted your own Terminator -- a T1000 perhaps? With enough cash, you could own the rights to future projects bearing the Terminator name. That's right, the blockbuster sci-fi franchise that brought us Arnold's "I'll be back," Linda Hamilton's Sarah Connor, and a grim view of a future in which humans are subject to machines, is for sale. The franchise auction will be a closely-watched barometer of the entertainment market at a time that the broader economy is showing fitful signs of returning to life.

The debut trailer for Disney's game-inspired Prince of Persia film has arrived, offering a glimpse of the Jake Gyllenhaal's antics as the titular (and time-traveling) prince. Partially written by franchise creator Jordan Mechner, directed by Mike Newell (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire) and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer (Pirates of the Caribbean), the film rolls out to theaters in late May. A higher quality version of the trailer is expected tomorrow--for now, uou'll have to make due with this blocky YouTube embed:

Hulu, the free online video site where television shows and movies can be watched in their entirety, will start charging fees at some point, one of its owners said.

Hulu has struggled to make money despite its popularity as an ad-supported site. News Corp., which co-owns the site with NBC Universal, Walt Disney Co. and Providence Equity Partners, said it hasn't decided what form the subscription model would take.

If you didn’t know that Windows 7 was released yesterday, I’m glad to see that you have finally awakened from that coma. The Microsoft marketing machine has been in full gear leading up to the launch date, and the internet was abuzz with all sorts of news surrounding launch events. The Japanese chain of Burger King’s decided to get in on the action as well. The Windows 7 Whopper burger is stacked with 7 beef patties and a sprinkling of vegetation, and puts any other burger offering to shame, towering over them at 5” tall. The heart stopping delight costs 777 yen, which is about R65. A rather contradictory product tie-in, considering that Windows 7 is supposed to be less bloated, and this burger will no doubt induce the meat sweats. Of course, as with all Microsoft related products, one should read the fine print. The burger is only sold at 777 yen to the first 30 customers. After that, it goes for R120. No prizes for guessing how long the promo burger will be available, but suffice to say, you better get to Japan within the next 6 days if you want to wrap your chops around this Whopper.

With the launch of Windows 7 this week, PC makers are trying some new things, including laptops with touch screens. Acer Inc. is going further — introducing a laptop with a 3-D screen.

The abstrusely named Acer Aspire 5738DG-6165 has a 15.6-inch screen that, with the help of special glasses, appears to take on depth if used with the right games or movies.