Category Archives: News

NBCU TV Chairman Jeff Gaspin departs as Comcast merger looms

News, Television, , , , , , , , ,

NBC Universal TV Entertainment Chairman Jeff Gaspin will follow ex-NBCU CEO Jeff Zucker out the door as the NBCU-Comcast merger approaches.  Gaspin served as Chairman since July 2009, and before that he was President and COO of NBC Universal TV Group and VP of alternative series.  He helped develop shows like The Apprentice and The Biggest Loser.  Apparently he and newly appointed NBCU CEO Steve Burke “could not agree on an appropriate role” for him post-merger, and he plans to formally leave the company shortly after the merger takes place.  And so the network shakeup continues.  Look after the break to read Gaspin’s exit memo.

[Via Deadline; EW] Continue reading NBCU TV Chairman Jeff Gaspin departs as Comcast merger looms →

Facebook announces “the next generation of Messages”

News, Technology, , , , , ,

You’ve certainly used the direct messaging service from Facebook before, and coming soon is a relaunch that will make it smarter and more intuitive.  Get ready to experience “the next generation of Messages.”

When it releases, the new version version of Messages will bring together Messages, Facebook Chat, IM clients, SMS, and email.  You will be able to send and receive messages over the computer or a mobile phone.  A conversation thread within Messages can be carried on in real time across these various devices and chat services.  It’s as easy as selecting a friend’s name, typing a message, and hitting (or tapping) enter to send.  Speaking of email, Facebook is giving every user the option to create an unique @facebook.com email address.  Boom; your FB friends collection just became your new address book.  “To be clear, Messages is not email,” states Facebook.  In fact, the many staples of email (such as subject lines, cc, bcc) will not be present.  The developer team “modeled [the new Messages] more closely to chat and reduced the number of things you need to do to send a message.”  Note that creating an @facebook.com email address is not required to use the new Messages portal; it is there as an alternative option to send and receive messages (it adds to Chat, IM, and SMS service support).  Next up is the Social Inbox.  Facebook says, “It seems wrong that an email message from your best friend gets sandwiched between a bill and a bank statement.”  True, I guess.  Think of Social Inbox as a beefier, smarter version of Gmail’s Priority Inbox.  Your Messages inbox will scan your friends list and prioritize your messages based on that information.  Messages from friends and their friends will show up front and center, while all other messages (such as those from strangers or junk mail) will end up in folder labeled Other.  And conversations can be easily moved from Other to Inbox (if, for example, a stranger turns out to be a friend or relative you hadn’t friended yet).  Facebook promises you’ll have much control over who can and cannot send you messages via email in account settings.

Here’s an interesting look at the future from Facebook’s perspective: “Relatively soon, we’ll probably all stop using arbitrary ten digit numbers and bizarre sequences of characters to contact each other.  We will just select friends by name and be able to share with them instantly.  We aren’t there yet, but the changes today are a small first step.”

And that’s about it.  The new Messages and email address offers will begin to roll out to users “over the next few months”, so hang tight!

[Via FacebookBlog]

Microsoft sells 1 million Kinect sensors in 10 days

News, Technology, , , , , ,

Today Microsoft is happy to report that it sold one million Kinect for Xbox 360 units worldwide during the product’s first ten days on store shelves.  Before the Kinect launched on November 4, Microsoft raised its worldwide sales forecast from 3 million to 5 million sensors sold by year-end; according to today’s official press release (which is posted after the break for your perusal) the company is still on pace to hit that higher mark before 2010 closes.  President of the Interactive Entertainment Business Don Mattrick shares his excitement and reiterates what I just told you: “We are appreciative of the response we have seen from consumers that has culminated in sales of more than 1 million units in the first 10 days on the market for Kinect for Xbox 360.  This is a great start to the holiday season, and we will continue to work with our retailer partners to keep pace with high demand and deliver against our plan to sell more than 5 million Kinect sensors worldwide by the end of this year.”  I know what you’re thinking.  How does this compare to the PlayStation Move sales recently reported?  Well, it’s hard to say.  And that’s because Sony did not post units sold; rather they publicly announced that they shipped over one million units during the product’s first month on sale.  We’ll definitely have a better look at head-to-head sales figures when the companies decide to share post-holiday data.

[Via Joystiq] Continue reading Microsoft sells 1 million Kinect sensors in 10 days →

LG Quantum lands on AT&T today for $199.99

News, Technology, , , , , , , ,

Just one week ago three Windows Phone 7 powered devices hit the U.S. market–the Samsung Focus and HTC Surround found a home in AT&T and the HTC HD7 teamed with T-Mobile.  Today the LG Quantum rounds out the AT&T trifecta of WP7 launch devices.  Nothing crazy here: 3.5 inch display, 1GHz processor, full slide-out horizontal QWERTY keyboard, 5 megapixel camera with auto-focus, flash, 16GB of built-in storage, and 720p HD video recording, and DLNA streaming support.  Plus 10 free apps will be waiting for you to download; they’re available through the LG app store within the Windows Phone Marketplace.  All this for $199.99 on a new two-year contract.  Shipping today.  Full PR after the break.

[Via Engadget] Continue reading LG Quantum lands on AT&T today for $199.99 →

Samsung Galaxy Tab release date and price roundup

News, Technology, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

About one month ago Samsung and mobile operator partners detailed Galaxy Tab offerings.  Verizon, Sprint, and T-Mobile put their cards on the table, while U.S. Cellular said it it was coming soon and AT&T remained silent.  Today the latter two carriers shared their respective release dates and pricing schemes, so I thought it’d be helpful if I charted out each carrier’s Tab information.  So without further ado:

Verizon: $599.99 (no contract required); optional 3G plan- $20/month for 1GB of data; released 11/11

Sprint: $399.99 (new 2-year contract required); $29.99/month for 2GB or $59.99 for 5GB; releases 11/14

T-Mobile: $399.99 (new 2-year contract required); $24.99/month for 200MB or $39.99/month for 5GB released 11/10

AT&T: $649.99 (no contract required); $14.99/month for 250GB pay-as-you-go plan or $25/month for 2GB pay-as-you-go plan; $50 Media Hub Movie Rental credit with purchase for a limited time; releases 11/21

U.S. Cellular: $599 (no contract required) or $399 (contract required); $14.99/month for 200MB or $54.99/month for 5GB with tethering enabled; releases 11/19

Been looking for an iPad alternative?  This Android (Froyo) based tablet is it.  That is, until iPad 2 comes out.

Apple-1 computer about to be auctioned away

News, Technology, , , , , , , ,

Calling this particular auction item a rarity is a bit of an understatement.  This here Apple-1 computer is 1 of 200 made by original Apple founders Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak.  You’ve heard the tales of Jobs and Woz tinkering inside the walls of Jobs’ garage; this fascinating piece of machinery imagined, designed, and eventually sold in 1976 during those primitive days of early personal computing.  The sale will include all the original contents of the Apple-1: an Apple-1 motherboard (number 82), printed circuit board, three capacitors, a heatsink, cassette board connector, 8kb of RAM, and a keyboard interface.  In addition to the bits and pieces, the item will ship in its original packaging, along with printed manuals and a letter from Jobs himself!  Said letter was a typed response to the original owner of the computer answering some questions.  The item goes on the auction block at Christie’s in London on November 23, with a starting bid set at £100,000 – £150,000 (or $160,300 – $240,450).  Curious to see where it ends up; dontcha think an item as exceptional and rare as this should find a home at a museum?

[Via Christie’s; Engadget]

Trailer: ‘Winnie the Pooh’

Movies, News, Video, , , , , ,

That’s right, people.  Winnie the Pooh and company are making their way back to the silver screen for the first time in over 35 years.  Disney brought back original animator Burny Mattinson (who will serve as senior story artist) to capture the classic essence that made everything so perfect about the original incarnation of Pooh and all the inhabitants of the Hundred Acre Wood.  The film is co-directed by Stephen Anderson (Meet the Robinsons) and Don Hall (The Princess and the Frog).  Craig Ferguson, Tom Kenny, and Bud Luckey lend their voices to the 2D animated film.  Zooey Deschanel is set to sing the new version of the “Winnie the Pooh” theme song.  You want a synopsis?  You got it:

Walt Disney Animation Studios returns to the Hundred Acre Wood with “Winnie the Pooh,” the first big-screen Pooh adventure from Disney animation in more than 35 years. With the charm, wit and whimsy of the original featurettes, this all-new movie reunites audiences with the philosophical “bear of very little brain” and friends Tigger, Rabbit, Piglet, Kanga, Roo—and last, but certainly not least, Eeyore, who has lost his tail.

Inspired by five stories from A.A. Milne’s books in Disney’s classic, hand-drawn art style, the film reunites audiences with the [honey]-loving, philosophical bear and friends Eeyore, Tigger, Rabbit, Piglet and Owl in a wild quest to save [their friend] Christopher Robin from an imaginary culprit. It turns out to be a very busy day for a bear who simply set out to find some hunny.

If the first trailer sitting above does not make you immediately tingle all over and feel so warm and fuzzy inside, there’s something clearly wrong with you.  Because Disney made the right decision of holding onto the original 2D animation (instead of opting for today’s 3D in-your-face pseudo-standard), this movie will undoubtedly hit all the right notes and shoot a wave of nostalgia goodness across our minds.  I highly anticipate the return of Pooh-bear; do you?

Winnie the Pooh hits theatres July 15, 2011.  Check out some beautifully crafted stills in the gallery below.

[Via CNET; JoBlo; @brianrudlof]

The Muppets are coming back to the big screen in a big way

Image cache, Movies, News, , , , , , , , ,

Here’s your very first glimpse into the first Muppets movie made for the big screen in eleven long years.  Take it all in…

Now let’s talk deets.  James Bobin (of Flight of the Conchords fame) is set to direct and Jason Segel (I Love You, Man, How I Met Your Mother) will executive produce, write (with Nicholas Stoller), and star in the film.  Segel happens to be a big fan of Jim Henson and his furry creations.  “We’ve worked really hard to stay true to the original spirit of the Muppets,” said Segel.  “We’ve missed the same thing everyone else has been missing.”  Here’s a leaked synopsis:

The Greatest Muppet Movie of All Time is about Gary, Mary, and Walter (a man, his girlfriend, and the man’s life-long nondescript, brown puppet best friend) getting the old Muppet gang — now retired entertainers known for the same Muppet show we know them from — together to save the TV studio that the original show was shot in. A villain, Tex Richman (nice name, on par with Doc Hopper), bent on drilling for oil underneath the studio, is due to take over the studio in weeks and the only way to stop him? Putting on a show that draws ten million viewers.

Segel will star as the human lead Gary, Amy Adams is Mary, and Walter–who happens to be a brand new Muppet addition–will be voiced by Paul Rudd.  (FYI, Walter is the iPhone-wielding Muppet in the image above.)  Tex the antagonist will be voiced by Chris Cooper.  Rashida Jones is locked in, too.  Beyond that almost all the other information surrounding this movie is pure speculation.  But let’s add to that conversation!  Other potential guest voices include: Kristen Schaal, Jack Black, Donald Glover, Jane Lynch, Danny Trejo, Zach Galifianakis, and Lady Gaga.  And guess who’s rumored to play Gaga’s entourage?  John Krasinski (The Office), Ed Helms (The Hangover), and Eric Stonestreet (Modern Family).  Yeah.  This might just turn out to be the greatest Muppet movie of all time after all.

Production started in September, and Disney plans to release it wide Christmas 2011.

[Via EW; CinemaBlend; TheFilmStage]

FOX renews ‘The Simpsons’ for Season 23

News, Television, , ,

Shocker, right?  Next September FOX will air the 23rd season of The Simpsons, the longest running comedy in TV history.  During the next season the animated show will hit a major milestone–500 episodes aired.  In fact, the series will reach episode 515 when it closes out its next season in May 2012.  But its still got a ways to go if it wants to become the record holder for most episodes aired; it’ll have to surpass Gunsmoke‘s 635 episodes!

“Like many 22-year-olds, The Simpsons is extremely happy remaining at home, on Fox, and hopes it doesn’t have to go out into the real world for many years to come,” said executive producer Al Jean.

[Via Deadline; IGN]

CoD Black Ops tops Modern Warfare 2 in day one sales to become biggest entertainment launch in history

News, Technology, , , , , ,

The video games industry has done it again.  More specifically, Activition has pushed out another Call of Duty game that has managed to break launch day records and become the biggest entertainment launch in history.  Call of Duty: Black Ops garnered $360 million during its first day on sale in the United States and United Kingdom, according to internal Activision estimates.  This sales figure beats out MW2 which generated $310 million almost exactly one year ago.  5.6 million copes of Black Ops were sold on day one, topping MW2‘s 4.2 million copies sold.

Says Activision CEO Bobby Kotick: “There has never been another entertainment franchise that has set opening day records for two consecutive years and we are on track to outperform last year’s five-day global sales record of $550 million.  The game’s success underscores the pop culture appeal of the brand. Call of Duty: Black Ops is the finest game that Treyarch has ever made and raises the bar for online gameplay by delivering the deepest and most intense Call of Duty experience yet.  The Call of Duty franchise has over 25 million players around the world that are engaged in billions of hours of online gameplay, and we are committed to supporting them with new content and features on a more frequent and regular basis.”

Yes, that feeling of speechlessness is normal.  Wowzers.

[Via Activision; Joystiq]

Oh, it’s on. “It’s on like Donkey Kong.” (trademark pending)

News, Technology, , , ,

In honor of the upcoming Nov. 21 launch of Donkey Kong Country Returns for the Wii console, Nintendo has filed a request with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to trademark the pop-culture phrase “It’s on like Donkey Kong.” For those unfamiliar with the term, “It’s on like Donkey Kong” is an old, popular Nintendo phrase that has a number of possible interpretations depending on how it’s used. In addition to Nintendo’s use, it has been used in popular music, television and film over the years, pointing to Donkey Kong’s status as an enduring pop-culture icon and video game superstar.

I just had to copy that snippet from Ninty’s official press release regarding this hilarious bit of news.  Can you believe it?  In just a matter of time the house that built Mario will own the famous phrase “It’s on like Donkey Kong.” Ridiculous or not so much? Sound off in the comments below.

Update (11/15): Colbert got wind of the news.

[Via Engadget]

Ping welcomes Twitter into its social network for music

News, Technology, , , , , , ,

Social network explosion!  Apple has partnered with Twitter to bring Twitter integration to Ping, the “social network for music” built into iTunes 10.  After linking your Twitter account to your Ping account inside iTunes, all of your Ping activity (whenever you Post, Like, Review, or tell your friends why you purchased a song or album) will show up in a tweet be seen by all your followers.  And if you opted to preview the new Twitter redesign, Ping’d tweets will come complete with playable song previews and links to purchase and download music from iTunes.  If you see a tweet that’s got Ping data in it (either a tweet sent within Ping or a tweet with an iTunes link attached), you can now click a new music button and this will superimpose the tweeted song or album on the right side details pane, allowing you to see album art, preview, and listen to songs.  So watcha waiting for?  Connect up and let the good times roll.

[Via TwitterBlog]