Category Archives: News

Google news: Nexus S, Android 2.3, Maps for Mobile, eBooks

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Today turned out to be an announcement-filled day for the hardworking team at Google.  The next true “Google phone” was formally unveiled, the next version of Android dubbed Gingerbread was detailed, Google Maps Navigation received a major upgrade, and now the search giant is the latest company to offer a vast eBooks store and ecosystem.  Let’s jump right to the facts, shall we?

Nexus S: The Nexus S, a collaborative effort between Google and hardware manufacturer Samsung, is the follow-up device to the Nexus One.  In similar fashion to its predecessor, the Nexus S promotes a “pure Google” experience, meaning that it runs the pure vanilla version of Android; you wouldn’t dare find an inkling of customized UI overlays like HTC’s Sense, Motorola’s Motoblur, or even Samsung’s own TouchWiz.  Unfortunately the specifications do not push conventional boundaries, although there are some new welcome additions that complement the new Android platform: 4-inch WVGA (480×800) Super AMOLED display (Samsung is touting the new “Contour Display” that’s “designed to fit comfortably in the palm of your hand and along the side of your face”), 1GHz Cortex A8 (Hummingbird) processor, 512MB of RAM, 16GB of onboard storage, 5 megapixel rear-facing camera with auto-focus, flash, and HD 720p video recording, front-facing VGA camera (640×480), Wi-Fi 802.11 n/b/g, Bluetooth 2.1, A-GPS, Near Field Communication (NFC), accelerometer, proximity sensor, three-axis gyroscope.  Ports-wise there’s a 3.5mm headphone jack and a microUSB 2.0 port.  The 1500 mAH Lithum Ion battery boasts the following life support: Talk time up to 6.7 hours on 3G (14 hours on 2G), Standby time up to 17.8 days on 3G (29.7 days on 2G).  Interestingly the phone only supports tri-band HSPA, so there’s no 4G support here.  Of all the tech specs listed, you may be pondering about NFC.  Essentially NFC works like QR codes but better; companies can place NFC chips into objects like movie posters and the user can hold up their phone to the tagged object to extract information from it (there’s no need to open an app or bring up the camera).

So the spec sheet isn’t all that impressive, but there are two things that save this phone from being just another Android device: it’s sexy Galaxy S looks (good job Samsung) and it’s the very first device to run Android 2.3, aka Gingerbread (more on that in a bit).  Let’s talk release date and pricing.  The Nexus S ships December 17 for $199 with a new 2-year contract with T-Mobile (or $529 unlocked) and it’ll be available for purchase online and in-store from all Best Buy and Best Buy Mobile stores in the U.S.  It lands in the UK on December 20 at Carphone Warehouse and Best Buy retailers.

Continue reading Google news: Nexus S, Android 2.3, Maps for Mobile, eBooks →

Your Facebook profile page is about to receive yet another facelift

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Another day, another Facebook revamp–am I right?  Though most people love to share their gripes about Facebook’s incessant need to change the way it looks, this particular change to our profile pages is actually (and I can’t believe I’m saying this) a good one.  Read on to find out why.

When you receive the profile page update and head over to your page, the first change you’ll notice is up top where your name is located.  Tabs are gone (they’ve been moved to the left-side pane, but more on that later) and under your name now you’ll find “a quick summary of who you are”, as Facebook so eloquently describes it.  What looks like a jumble of words at first is actually a list of key information pertaining to you.  For example, if you provide info. like your relationship status, where you go to school and what you’re studying, where you live, where you’re originally from, where you work, what languages you speak, and your birthday–all of this will be listed under your name and viewable by friends.  Directly beneath this “about me” section is a collection of recently tagged photos featuring you.  Keep in mind these highlighted photos are static; you cannot change the order of them.  All you can do is tap a small “x” to hide a particular recent photo and it will be replace by the next most recent tagged photo. Pretty cool way to “show what you’ve been up to lately”, I guess. Continue reading Your Facebook profile page is about to receive yet another facelift →

OnLive introduces $10/month flat-rate plan for gamers

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OnLive, the gaming on-demand cloud-based service, scrapped the idea of implementing a required monthly fee back in October, but now they’re bringing it back and this time it’s optional.  OnLive gamers will have three options to play games. (1) Purchase a game in full to keep.  (2) With PlayPass gamers can buy a 3-day or 5-day rental pass to stream a full game.  (3) With PlayPack (and here’s the new addition) gamers can pay $9.99/month to gain access to an entire catalog of games.  Think of it as Netflix but for games; you pay one flat-rate per month and gain access to a bunch of full streaming games.  Nice deal, huh?

The company says the new flat-rate plan will comprise more than 40 “high-quality” games when it officially launches January 15, 2011.  Some of these games include Prince of Persia, Unreal Tournament 3, and LEGO Batman. They promise this small batch of initial games will “expand up to and beyond” the launch date.  Now check this: if you purchase the OnLive Game System (which is a $99 controller and MicroConsole bundle) you will receive free access to the PlayPack library of games until the January launch.  After this “introductory beta period” is over, you’ll have to pay the monthly subscription price if you don’t want to part with it.

Happy (video games) streaming.  Full PR after the break.

[Via Engadget] Continue reading OnLive introduces $10/month flat-rate plan for gamers →

Google doodles will now show up on your mobile

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You ever notice that Google’s myriad of doodles almost never port to Google.com when you’re accessing the search site on your cell phone?  Well those days are over people.  This week Google announced that they’re bringing the doodles initially to Android (2.0 and higher) and iOS (3 and higher) devices worldwide.  So now when you see an awesome or interesting Google doodle on your desktop at home, you can expect to see it on your mobile device, too.  Now we can become sleuths on-the-go!

[Via GoogleBlog]

Abrams’ ‘Alcatraz’ finds its leading lady [Update: more cast additions]

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So much for my Evangeline Lilly prediction.  After scooping up Lost‘s Jorge Garcia for his upcoming FOX pilot based on the infamous prison, J.J. Abrams has cast the lead female role for the show.  Sarah Jones has been featured in a number of TV series including House, Justified, and Sons of Anarchy.  This (hopefully) will be her breakout role and cement her as Abrams’ latest leading female powerhouse (she follows Felicity‘s Keri Russell, Alias‘ Jennifer Garner, Lost‘s Evangeline Lilly, Fringe‘s Anna Torv, and we must include Undercovers‘ Gugu Mbatha-Raw.  Jones will play Rebecca Madsen, “a smart, thoughtful and a little obsessive police officer.”  She’s gorgeous–but then again, Abrams’ knows how to pick his leading ladies.

Also joining the show are Jonny Coyne (Undercovers) and Jason Butler Harner (Fringe).  Coyne will play Alcatraz Warden Edwin James and Harner is Associate Warden E.B. Tiller “who enjoys and abuses his power.”

Alcatraz “centers on a group of missing Alcatraz prisoners and guards who reappear in the present day.  It chronicles the efforts of a team of FBI agents to track them down and unravel the mystery behind their disappearance thirty years prior.”  Abrams, Bryan Burk, and Elizabeth Sarnoff are attatched to the Warner Bros. TV/Bad Robot project.  Production begins next month.

Update: More cast additions have been made.  According to Deadline, Sam Neill (Happy Town) will play Emerson Hauser, “the head of a government agency who radiates authority and piercing intelligence”; Parminder Nagra (ER) is Hauser’s lab technician, Lucy; Robert Forster (Heroes) is Ray Archer, “a retired detective who is now owner/bartender of a cop hangout bar.”  Alcatraz characters are getting cast in rapid succession, so exciting!

[Via Deadline, here, here, here & here]

2011 Grammy nominations are in

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Today the 2011 Grammy nominations were announced.  Leading the pack in a big way is rapper Eminem with 10 nominations; his comeback album Recovery and hit singles “Love the Way You Lie” and “Not Afraid” were recognized.  Em shares the coveted Album of the Year nomination with Arcade Fire (The Suburbs), Lady Antebellum (Need You Now), Lady Gaga (The Fame Monster), and Katy Perry (Teenage Dream).  Bruno Mars (7 noms) and Jay-Z, Lady Antebellum, and Lady Gaga (6 noms each) and B.o.B and John Legend (5 noms each) follow Eminem for most nominations.  Cee-Lo Green’s “F–k You” did get nominated for Record and Song of the Year and it better win at least one of those categories!  Other notables nods went to Sara Bareilles, Florence & the Machine, Drake, The Roots, and La Roux.  Jump after the break to see a shortened nomination listing (click here to see all nods) and let the speculation begin.  The 53rd Annual Grammy Awards airs live on February 13, 2011 at 8PM on CBS.

[Via MTV] Continue reading 2011 Grammy nominations are in →

Kanye West’s ‘Twisted Fantasy’ sells 496,000 copies in first week, debuts at #1 on Billboard

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There’s no denying the popularity of Mr. West.  In just one week his latest outing My Beautiful Twisted Dark Fantasy sold nearly half a million copies–496,000 to be exact, according to Nielsen SoundScan–and perched itself atop the Billboard 200 chart at the No. 1 spot.  Ye’s pursuit of perfection, along with rave reviews, certainly contributed to this impressive early sales figure.  Right behind him at the number 2 spot is female rapper Nicki Minaj; her debut album Pink Friday sold 375,000.  Pretty good start, wouldn’t you say?  Rounding out the top ten are Susan Boyle, Taylor Swift, Jackie Evancho (O Holy Night), Rihanna (Loud), Justin Bieber (My Worlds Acoustic), My Chemical Romance (Danger Days: the True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys), Ne-Yo (Libra Scale), and Glee‘s Christmas album.  Look after the break to see the rest of the corresponding sales numbers.

[Via EW-MusicMix] Continue reading Kanye West’s ‘Twisted Fantasy’ sells 496,000 copies in first week, debuts at #1 on Billboard →

Black Eyed Peas’ ‘The Beginning’ out now

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Support the Peas a pick up a copy of their latest album The Beginning.  iTunes offers three versions: the standard CD, a deluxe version that includes three bonus tracks, and that same deluxe version with five popular songs from The E.N.D. You can purchase a physical copy of the deluxe version at Amazon.  I can’t get over how cool that album art is!  All pixelated like that, the Peas never looked better.

Xbox Live Rewards program gives you Microsoft Points for things you do already

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Now this is what I can a steal!  Today Microsoft pushed out the Xbox Live Rewards program and essentially it doles out Microsoft Points to Xbox Live users (in the US and UK only for now) to reward them for actions they periodically perform.  Once you sign up for the free program at this website you will become eligible to receive MSP for renewing Gold memberships, Gold Family Packs, purchasing select Marketplace content, taking quick monthly surveys, and participating in promotions.  You’ll even get 20 MSP for activating Netflix on your Xbox.  Prizes range from 10 to 400 MSP depending on the performed action (again, many of which you do anyway). There really is no reason to ignore this opportunity to receive some Points.

[Via Joystiq]

Sony & Microsoft release new sales figures for their motion peripherals

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Last we heard out of the video game giants Sony had shipped 1 million Move controllers in one month, and Microsoft had sold 1 million Kinect sensors in ten days.  Post-Black Friday, the companies were eager to share the latest sales figures for these products.  As of November 2010 Sony has shipped over 4.1 million units worldwide, and Microsoft has sold over 2.5 million Kinect sensors globally in 25 days.  Now bear in mind that there’s a notable difference between units shipped and units sold.  Unlike Microsoft, Sony is not reporting actual sales results; instead they are reporting the number of units shipped to retailers.  A Sony rep says that the company won’t “disclose [their] exact sell-through number”, and that kind of chips away at their impressive and somewhat misleading stat.  Nevertheless, there’s no denying that the new motion peripherals are happily riding the Wii’s coattails this holiday season.

[Via Engadget, here & here]

You can get Avatar in 3D on Blu-ray …if you buy a Panasonic 3DTV

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There have been so many versions of Avatar released into the market it’s hard to count them all.  But this latest edition is especially sweet.  Why?  Because it includes the 3D version of the highest grossing flick!  The only way to get it (for now) is to purchase a Panasonic VIERA 3DTV.  When you pick up a Panny set you can also get the “Panasonic 3D Full HD Ultimate Pack” which includes Avatar in 3D on Blu-ray and two pairs of rechargeable Panasonic 3D glasses.  If you happen to have purchased a VIERA 3DTV between between March 10 and November 30 you are eligible to receive a copy of Avatar in 3D via a mail-in request program (hope you saved the receipt!).  So if you’re in the market for a new HDTV, you should definitely consider a VIERA 3D set because you will be able to watch Avatar on it the way it was meant to be seen.  Expect the Panasonic-Avatar in 3D exclusivity to end and a standalone release in 2011.  Full PR after the break.

[Thanks, Kristen Sweeney] Continue reading You can get Avatar in 3D on Blu-ray …if you buy a Panasonic 3DTV →

Dell Venue Pro hits T-Mobile on December 9 for $99

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And that makes 5.  Dell’s Venue Pro is now for sale on its website and now Microsoft can safely say that all five of its Windows Phone 7 US launch devices are now available for purchase.  Specs are nothing to call home about: 4.1 inch display, 1GHz processor, 5 megapixel camera with auto-focus and flash, 720p HD video recording, 8GB or 16GB of built-in storage.  It’s that full slide-out QWERTY keyboard and its handsome looks that make this one a charmer.  If you’re willing to start a new 2-year contract with T-Mobile you can pick up the phone for $99 (8GB) or $149 (16GB).  Or you can pay $449 or $499, respectively, if you decide to opt out of signing a contract. Purchase here; it ships December 9.

Interested in looking at the other WP7 devices?  Samsung Focus/HTC Surround/HTC HD7 / LG Quantum

[Via Engadget]