Category Archives: News

WWDC ’10: All about iPhone 4

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This year’s World Wide Developers Conference in San Fransisco *officially* introduced the world to the next super phone from Apple dubbed iPhone 4.  Want all the details from the Steve Jobs hosted keynote?  Read on.

Jobs ignited the introduction of the next phone with this choice quote: “It’s the biggest leap since the original iPhone.”  It packs over 100 new features, but per usual, Jobs offers a glimpse into arguably the nine most exciting new features.

(1) All new design

Jobs compares iPhone 4’s design to a “beautiful old Leica camera.”  The phone features a glass surface front and back for optical quality & scratch resistance (plus it’s 30x harder than plastic) and a stainless steel band around the perimeter for strength and antenna integration (plus it provides for extraordinary build quality).  The band is “the primary structural element of the phone.”  It’s used as part of the phone’s antenna system.  Jobs says this is all part of “brilliant engineering.”  There are three slits in the band; one piece is for Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and GPS, and the other piece for UMTS & GSM.  Now here’s what buttons and levers you’ll find on the phone.  Left side: volume +, volume -, mute; Right side: micro SIM tray; Front: home button, receiver, front-facing camera; Back: camera w/ LED flash; Top: 3.5mm headset jack, second mic for noise cancellation, sleep/wake button; Bottom: mic, 30-pin connector, speaker.  iPhone 4 is just 9.3mm thick, that’s 24% thinner than iPhone 3GS.  Jobs is happy to say “it is the thinnest smartphone on the planet.”

(2) Retina display

That’s the name for Apple’s latest display technology.  iPhone 4’s display contains packs four times the number of pixels into the same 3.5-inch screen found on older iPhone models.  At 326 pixels per inch, Jobs claims that 300ppi is the limit of the human retina and so iPhone 4’s display is “comfortably over that limit.”  This results in incredibly sharp and precise text, images, and video.  Jobs compares it to how text looks in a fine-printed book.  He also throws out this stat: “the retina display has got 78% of the pixels on the iPad, right in the palm of your hand.”

iPhone OS 4 (renamed iOS 4) makes it so that your apps automatically run full size on the retina display.  Apps will look even better on an iOS 4 device because the software automatically renders text and controls in the higher resolution.  So in other words, developers do not have to do any work on their apps to make them look better for the new display.  However, Jobs points out, if devs choose to open up the hood of their apps and add higher resolution artwork “then they will look stunning.”

Here’s some hard specs for you.  iPhone 4 features a 3.5 inch display, 940 x 640 resolution (4x more than iPhone 3GS), 800:1 contrast ratio (4x more than 3GS), and IPS technology for “superb color and wide viewing angle.”  Jobs: “The display is your window into the Internet, into your apps, into your media, into your software. .. We’ve got something here that’s the best window in the planet.”

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Continue reading WWDC ’10: All about iPhone 4 →

Classic Dreamcast titles are headed to Xbox 360, Playstation 3 this fall

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What comes to mind when you think back to the Dreamcast, the console that officially marked the end of SEGA’s run as a hardware maker?  For me, it’s two games and an essential accessory (at the time): Sonic Adventure, Crazy Taxi, and the Visual Memory Unit (or VMU).  Though the VMU will never see the light of day again, something entirely different can now be said about the former two games.  Sonic Adventure and Crazy Taxi have been named the first two games (with many classic Dreamcast titles to follow) that will make their way to modern consoles.  Ported Dreamcast games will boast “high resolution visuals and surround sound” and support online leader boards and achievement and trophy integration.  Look for the games to hit Xbox Live Arcade and Playstation Network this fall.  Stills in the gallery below, PR after the break.

[Via Joystiq]

Continue reading Classic Dreamcast titles are headed to Xbox 360, Playstation 3 this fall →

The Cleveland Show gets picked up for a third season

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Well would you look at that?  Following in Glee‘s footsteps, FOX has decided to green light a third season for its hit animated program The Cleveland Show.  Yes, there’s a solid reason why the Family Guy spin-off got renewed for a third season so early in the game: it was the highest rated new scripted half-hour program among the 18-34 demographic.  Voice of Cleveland Brown/co-creator/executive producer Mike Henry on the early pickup: “Thanks to FOX for their continued support.  I’m thrilled to keep my multiracial existence going for another season.”  Renewal news comes as a big relief for Henry and co. since the turnaround time for animation creation is very time intensive.  Henry: “It’s about a ten month process from start to finish.  But we don’t really try to be too topical and…I think it works to our advantage because hopefully in five years the episodes will still be as funny as they are now.”

Season 3 is so far out.  Want some details about what’s planned for season 2?  Will.I.Am, Justin Timberlake, T-Pain, Snoop Dogg, Kanye West (to reprise “Kenny West”), Tony Hawk, Carl Reiner, and the cast members of Glee are planned to lend their voices to the series; a Family Guy crossover episode is planned that’ll land Peter, Joe and Quagmire in LOCALE; and in the finale episode the Browns will journey to Comic Con.  Says Henry: “[In the finale] the whole family goes to Comic-Con for summer vacation.  Co-creator Rich Appel: “I think it’s safe to say that the nerds on our staff will not disappoint the nerds in our viewing public.”  The Cleveland Show is here to stay, folks.

[Via IGN, here & here]

Rock Band 3 keyboard revealed, plus new game mode and partial tracklist

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USA Today got the scoop on the latest peripheral to join the Rock Band party.  In addition to guitar, bass, drums, and mic, Rock Band 3 will support “a 25-key, fully functioning MIDI keyboard.”  RB3 project director Daniel Sussman on the keyboard: “We’re actually utilizing the full two-octave range that the keyboard controller has.  Everything that you are playing, whether you are playing on easy or expert, is accurate musical information.  The track looks like a real keyboard track, and you are playing notes on the keyboard that if you were to step away from the game and were to play on a real piano, they would be the right notes.”  For those of you wondering about the keytar rumors from a while back, it’s been confirmed that the keyboard is designed to use on a lap or strapped over a shoulder.  Watch the video embedded above to learn more about how the keyboard will work in-game.

Also announced was a new Pro Mode which makes the guitar, drums, and keyboard experiences more realistic.  For example, “More realistic music notations replace the standard color-coded notes during gameplay. For guitar, numbers flow down the screen along six guitar strings, telling you where to place your hands on the neck and when to strum.”  In fact, two new guitars are currently being developed that include actual strings where you need to strum.  Game developer Harmonix is working on a six-string Fender Squier Stratocaster and third party peripheral maker Mad Catz is making a Fender Mustang Pro.  Harmonix’s John Drake on the more realistic guitar: “It can tell where your fingers are based on technology in the neck and the bridge of the guitar.  No buttons.  While you’re playing it, it feels exactly like playing a real guitar.”  The drums will get three new cymbals and gameplay forces you to play the correct cymbal at the right time.  Says Harmonix CEO Alex Rigopulos: “If you are someone who is looking for a deeper challenge either because you are an expert player looking for the next level of challenge or because you actually have musical aspirations, there is the Pro game play (mode), which is really going to start to close the gap between simulated music and real musicmaking.”

Rock Band 3 will release for Xbox 360, Playstation 3, and Wii this holiday season.  Look after the break for a partial tracklist organized by decade (the disc will contain 83 new songs in total).

[Via USA Today, here & here] Continue reading Rock Band 3 keyboard revealed, plus new game mode and partial tracklist →

Google makes homepage customizable with background images

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You may have noticed the addition of a new link in the bottom left-hand corner of Google’s homepage.  Last week Google introduced the ability to customize the background of its homepage, “making your search experience more relevant, useful and fun through personalization.”  Put another way, they must have picked up on the success of competitor Bing’s background offerings and decided to give its users a similar option.  You can set your background image from your computer, your own Picasa Web Album, or a public gallery hosted by Picasa after logging into your Google account.  Now that the feature has rolled out internationally, Google feels the need to “inspire” its users to personalize by featuring a selection of well-known artists, sculptors and photographers on all Google homepages for the next 24 hours.  The collection includes works from Dale Chihuly, Jeff Koons, Tom Otterness, Polly Apfelbaum, Kengo Kuma (隈研吾), Kwon, Ki-soo (권기수) and Tord Boontje, and photos from Yann Arthus-Bertrand and National Geographic.  Inspired yet?

Update: Google took down the featured images earlier than expected.  Hello good ol’ minimalism.

[Via GoogleBlog, here & here]

Short film: Mortal Kombat (A MUST WATCH)

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On Tuesday this viral video hit the ‘Net and quickly garnered critical acclaim.  After watching this extremely well produced short film based on the classic video game Mortal Kombat people everywhere began to speculate.  Was this a teaser trailer for a reboot of 1995’s Mortal Kombat film or was it just a fan-made work of art?  Shortly after its arrival it was discovered that the seven-and-a-half minute short was directed by Kevin Tancharoen (director of 2009’s Fame) and it was produced in an attempt to pitch Tancharoen’s vision for a reimagined Mortal Kombat movie to Warner Brothers (as confirmed by actress Jeri Ryan’s Twitter feed).  Mortal Kombat: Rebirth was Tancharoen’s way of saying, “Hey WB, check out this video, see what I can do, and let’s talk about making a new Mortal Kombat flick.”

This mini-movie is nothing short of fantastic.  Though it takes place in the MK universe, the characters’ origins are based in reality.  Instead of attributing their abilities to the supernatural, each villain transforms into their malaligned selves due to psychotic breaks or hereditary disease.  These characters have mental and physical “issues” and they know martial arts.  That’s Tancharoen’s spin on the MK universe.  And obviously he retains the overall plot which revolves around the tournament.  From the intense fight sequence to the stunning camera shots and visuals, Tancharoen’s short deserves WB approval.  As Jackson Briggs was trying to convince Hanzo Hasashi/Scorpion to enter the tournament to kill Baraka, Reptile, and the other villains I was instantly imagining and anticipating how the story would continue.  And then I remembered I was only watching a short clip on YouTube.  I have no doubt this masterpiece of a short will lead to a feature-length MK movie sometime in the near future.

MK: Rebirth stars Michael Jai White as Jackson Briggs, Matt Mullins as Johnny Cage, Ian Anthony Dale as Hanzo Hasashi/Scorpion, Richard Dorton as Reptile, Lateef Crowder as Alan Zane/Baraka, and Jeri Ryan as Sonya Blade.  The fight sequence was choreographed by Larnell Stovall. Continue reading Short film: Mortal Kombat (A MUST WATCH) →

PS3 goes 3D today

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It’s been a long time coming but it’s finally here: 3D gaming on Playstation 3.  Four games will get the stereoscopic 3D treatment and they are WipEout HD, SuperStardust HD, PAIN, and a demo of MotorStorm: Pacific Rift.  Not to far in the distance is The Fight: Lights Out, another 3D-supported game that will take advantage of Playstation Move motion controls.  Thanks to a firmware update in April, your PS3 should be ready to play these 3D offerings.  Besides installing the lastest update, all that’s required to run these games is a 3D TV.  And wouldn’t you know, Sony just announced a slew of 3D-capable BRAVIA sets that come packaged with a Playstation Network voucher to download these four games at no additional cost.

[Via PlaystationBlog]

Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock gets detailed

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This week Activision spilled the beans on details surrounding the next iteration of its coveted Guitar Hero franchise.  Number 6 is called Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock and it will pack  90 “guitar-shredding tracks” and come bundled with a brand new guitar.  The story is dubbed Quest Mode and it will be narrated by Gene Simmons of KISS.  In this story-driven mode, “players will embark on a larger-than-life, epic rock journey from the stage of CBGBs, the infamous punk-rock club in New York City, to the molten lava fields of rock treachery as eight Guitar Hero characters transform into rock warriors that must join together to use their unique, game-changing powers to help the Demi-God of Rock take down “The Beast” and save rock n’ roll.”  A new mode called Quickplay+ will introduce 13 challenges for every track in the game (and for all downloadable content tracks released since Guitar Hero World Tour).  In it, “gamers will complete challenges such as Band Streak, High Score and Power Challenge, which allows players to choose any two warrior powers they have unlocked to try and earn ridiculously high scores, to rank up and unlock more rewards and content than ever before.”  A partial tracklist has been revealed and is sitting after the break.  Avenged Sevenfold, Black Sabbath, Children of Bodom, DragonForce, Foreigner, KISS, Megadeth, and ZZ Top made the cut.  Oh and there’s this: Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” and Muse’s “Uprising” are featured as well!

The guitar features a bold new design.  Since all of the internal circuitry is now located in the neck of the guitar, players can remove the interchangable “wings” and replace them with other custom designs if they so choose.  Noticably absent is the touch-enabled slider bar.  Now located at the bottom of the neck is a battery compartment (or where you’ll store the Wiimote if you’re a Wii user).  Also, the star power button has been slightly raised so reaching it with your palm is an easier task for you non-tilters.  Two guitars will be made available for WoR, the standard controller (above, left) and the GameStop exclusive “axe” controller (above, right).  Look after the break for a closer look at ’em.

Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock will release for Xbox 360, Playstation 3, and Wii this September.  Pre-order your flavor here.  With E3 looming around the corner, more details surrounding gameplay, release date, and pricing will surely be announced soon.

[Via Joystiq, here & here; Activision] Continue reading Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock gets detailed →

Kanye West prepared for a comeback with BET Awards performance

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 Ever since his grave mistake of interrupting Taylor Swift at the 2009 MTV Music Awards and apologizing to her and his fans on The Jay Leno Show, Kanye hid from the public spotlight.  After locking himself up in the studio to work on his upcoming album (check out the phenomenal first single here), ‘Ye is ready to perform on a stage in front of a large audience for the first time in a long time.  It’s been confirmed that he will perform at the BET Awards on June 27.  Kanye West is finally ready to show his face to the world again.  Question is–is the world ready for Mr. West?

[Via EW-MusicMix]

Les Grossman film is a-go

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Those of us who watched this year’s MTV Movie Awards were treated to a surprise appearence by none other than Les Grossman, the raunchy foul-mouthed producer from 2008’s Tropic Thunder.  Played to perfection by Tom Cruise, Grossman started the awards show off with one of his infamous rants and later interuppted a comedy sketch when he came on stage with Jennifer Lopez for a dance number.  Anyway, it appears as if the stint was done to reintroduce the audience to the character of Les Grossman and build hype for an entire movie based on him.  Cruise will star and produce in the upcoming Grossman flick.  He’s partnered with Tropic Thunder co-star and director Ben Stiller and producer Stuart Cornfeld of Red Hours Films to make this movie happen.  Michael Bacall (Scott Pilgrim vs. the World) has been selected to write the screenplay.  Take a look at these choice quotes from the unorthodox press release that comes from Paramount:

Tom Cruise, along with Ben Stiller and Stuart Cornfeld of Red Hour Films will produce and have secured the life rights to Grossman.

Grossman, best known as a mega producer, has most recently mentored talents such as Rob Pattinson and Taylor Lautner.

Said Ben Stiller: “Les Grossman’s life story is an inspiring tale of the classic human struggle to achieve greatness against all odds. He has assured me he plans to quote, ‘F**king  kill the sh*t out of this movie and make Citizen f**king Kane look like a piece of crap home movie by the time we are done.’ I am honored to be working with him.”

When asked what the screenplay was about Grossman responded: “To quote my great friend Kirk Lazarus, ‘I don’t read the script, the script reads me.””

Adam Goodman, Paramount Film Group President said, “Everything I learned in this business, I’ve learned from Les. I started out as his assistant, and from the first day he threw his desk at me when I got his lunch order wrong, I have loved him like a father.

Yeah, this is really happening.  Look after the break for the full PR.

[Via Deadline] Continue reading Les Grossman film is a-go →

FlashForward fans plan local “blackouts” in attempt to revive the series

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FlashForward fans never say die!  In a last resort effort to save the show from the dark and gloomy death by cancellation it received back in mid-May, FlashForward fans around the world are rallying together to show their support for the short-lived sci-fi drama.  The fight to encourage ABC to bring back the show began when fans mailed over 20,000 friendship bracelets to ABC head Steve McPherson.  (The bracelet was a significant item on the show; it was given to protagonist Mark Benford by his daughter Charlie…but if you’re reading this you know that already.)  Also since April, fans have been signing online petitions and mailing handwritten letters to ABC studios to “save FlashFoward” from its (no longer pending, really) demise.  All of these efforts to force ABC to open their hearts to fans and bring the show back culminate in what is about to happen later today: a staged “global blackout” in front of ABC studios.

On June 10, 2010 (that’s today people!) FlashForward super fans around the world will congregate in front of their local ABC affiliates and lay (as unconscious as possible) on the ground for two minutes and seventeen seconds at a designated time.  A majority of the meetups will last about two hours; for the rest of the time fans will carry signs, wear FlashForward t-shirts, and raise awareness about the cause to bystanders.  The following US cities will take part in the blackout today: Los Angeles, New York, Detroit, Seattle, and Chicago.  North Carolina also has groups at the ready.  And this will truly be a “global” blackout; fans from Toronto, Canada, London, England, Hanover, Germany, Endinburgh, Scottland, Italy, Brazil and many others are also anticipating blackout day.  More details are available at www.preventtheblackout.com, a neat fan-made site that collates contact and RSVP information for the day’s events.

If you’re a fan of the show and happen to live near a participating location, go out and support FlashForward!  Though all signs point to this show being a goner (the show has been cancelled and both Joseph Fiennes (Benford) and Christine Woods (Janis Hawk) have been cast to new series), there’s no reason not to give the show a glimmer of hope for potential survival by joining this exciting grassroots movement.  And when you make it there and wake up from the blackout don’t forget to ask your fellow supports, “What did you see?”

[Via SaveFlashForward]

“Make it sir”

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Back in December a committee within the British Cabinet Office decided to honor actor Patrick Stewart by bestowing him with the highest accolade of adding “Sir” to his name.  Last Wednesday the Queen made it so.  Star Trek: The Next Generation‘s Captain Jean-Luc Picard was officially knighted by Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace.

[Via TheGlobeAndMail]