Category Archives: Video

Google names latest Android OS Lollipop, loads it on new Nexus devices

On Wednesday Google finally revealed the name of the next version of its mobile operating system almost four months after teasing “Android L” at the tech company’s I/O developer conference. Android Lollipop and its consistent look called Material Design will make its debut this fall on two new Nexus devices: the tablet Nexus 9 and the phablet Nexus 6. And “in the coming weeks” it will land on Nexus 4, 5, 7, 10 and Google Play edition devices.

The Nexus 9, manufactured in collaboration with HTC, sports a 8.9-inch 2048 x 1536 LCD display with a 4:3 aspect ratio and reinforced with Gorilla Glass 3. It’s powered by the 64-bit NVIDIA Tegra K1 Dual Denver processor at 2.3GHz and 192-core Kepler GPU. It’s got 2GB RAM and offers 16GB and 32GB storage options. 802.11ac WiFi and Bluetooth 4.1 are inside. An 8-megapixel camera sits on the back with auto-focus and LED flash, and around front there’s a 1.6-megapixel shooter. Dual front-facing speakers with HTC BoomSound technology are also included. Sold separately is a keyboard that attaches to the tablet magnetically that allows you to type at different angles. The 9 will be able available for preorder this Friday, October 17. When it releases November 9 it will start at $399 for the 16GB WiFi-only model. A $479 32GB WiFi-only and a $599 32GB WiFi plus LTE model will also be offered. Colors include Indigo Black, Lunar White, and Sand.

The Nexus 6, with hardware by Motorola, has a 5.96-inch 2560 x 1440 QHD AMOLED display with a 16:9 aspect ratio and Gorilla Glass 3. Humming inside is Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 805 SOC at 2.7GHz and the Adreno 420 GPU. The rear cam is a 13MP shooter with optical image stabilization and dual LED ring flash, and it can capture 4K video at 30fps. The front-facing 2MP camera can do HD video conferencing. WiFi, Bluetooth, and NFC inside. 32GB and 64GB storage options are offered. Hardware shades include Midnight Blue and Cloud White. You can preorder the Nexus 6 starting October 29. It will go on sale in November starting at $649 with no contract. AT&T, Verizon Wireless, T-Mobile, Sprint, and US Cellular will sell the handset at an undisclosed discounted price.

In addition to announcing the Android Lollipop powered Nexus 9 and 6, Google also outed a new set-top box called Nexus Player. Made with Asus, the Player runs Android TV and is primed to rival Apple TV and Amazon’s Fire TV as it will provide a one-stop destination for entertainment and gaming needs. The Google Play store is fully integrated to stream movies and TV shows, and apps such as Netflix, Hulu Plus, and YouTube are accessible, too. The box comes with a voice-activated remote to enhance navigation and search, and sold separately is a gamepad for those who wish to play their Android games on the big screen with a video game console-like controller. Also, the Player is Google Cast-ready, meaning it acts very much like Google’s Chromecast dongle allowing you to wirelessly stream media content from your phone or tablet to the big screen. Preordering begins October 17, and the Nexus Player releases on November 3 for $99. The Gamepad will go for $39.

Jump after the break to meet the sleek new Nexus family.

[Via Google 1, 2] Continue reading Google names latest Android OS Lollipop, loads it on new Nexus devices

Celebrate ‘Friends’ coming to Netflix with a new live rendition of the theme song

All 10 seasons (236 episodes) of famed NBC sitcom Friends is coming to Netflix on January 1, 2015! To celebrate the 20-year anniversary of the series (it ran from 1994-2004) and its new streaming home, Netflix has put out a live recording of the show’s theme song. Click play above to hear The Rembrandts perform the forever catchy and hand-clappy “I’ll Be There For You” featuring Central Perk manager Gunther. The music video was recorded at the Central Perk pop up coffee shop in NYC.

‘The Following’ teaser hints at new love for Ryan Hardy, and then darkness

Kevin Bacon’s Ryan Hardy seems to be in a really good place when the third season of The Following picks up. In this first look at the new season he’s seen getting lovey-dovey with new romance Zuleikha Robinson (Lost, Intelligence). But this being a serial killer thriller and all, the quiet moment doesn’t last. “Where there was hurt, there’s comfort. Where there was dark, there’s light,” narrates Hardy. And then BLAM, cut to black and screams and the shadowy title card.

The most depressing bit of this tease is that we see Hardy’s niece Max Hardy with another man as Mike Weston looks on with a tinge of remorse. WHAT HAPPENED THERE?!

The Following returns in January on FOX.

‘Person of Interest’ recapper highlights fan-favorite moments in style

This week at New York Comic Con, Warner Bros. and a panel consisting of executive producer Greg Plageman and stars Jim Caviezel, Michael Emerson, Kevin Chapman, and Amy Acker debuted this Person of Interest series recapper that reminds fans just how freakin’ awesome this show truly is.In a way, this nearly 2-minute clip serves as an extended version of the show’s ever-changing opening title sequence. So sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride that spans three seasons and counting.

Person of Interest airs Tuesdays at 9pm on CBS.

Brad Bird and Damon Lindelof tease Disney’s secretive ‘Tomorrowland’

From Brad Bird (The Iron Giant, The Incredibles, Ratatouille, Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol) and Damon Lindelof (LostThe Leftovers) comes a new live-action Disney movie that has been completely shrouded in mystery. Until now.

At New York Comic Con today, director Bird, who co-wrote the screenplay with producer Lindelof based on a story imagined by the Lost alum and Entertainment Weekly TV critic Jeff Jensen, a panel revealed Tomorrowland, “a riveting mystery adventure” starring George Clooney and Britt Robertson (Under the Dome). Though the star-studded panel of actors and movie-makers remained tight-lipped about the film’s plot, a brief teaser trailer (embedded above) helped set the tone. In it, Robertson’s character Casey stumbles upon a magical pin that fleetingly reveals another land to her right before her eyes. Clooney’s character Frank is makes a quick cameo hinting at the story’s central theme: “What if there is a secret place where nothing is impossible, a miraculous place where you could actually change the world. Wanna go?”

The official logline goes like this: Bound by a shared destiny, former boy-genius Frank (Clooney), jaded by disillusionment, and Casey (Britt Robertson), a bright, optimistic teen bursting with scientific curiosity, embark on a danger-filled mission to unearth the secrets of an enigmatic place somewhere in time and space known only as “Tomorrowland.” What they must do there changes the world—and them—forever. “Tomorrowland” promises to take audiences on a thrill ride of nonstop adventures through new dimensions that have only been dreamed of.

The first Tomorrowland tease came in January 2013 when Bird tweeted out an image of a box labeled “1952;” fun fact: that was the original working title of the film. That’s the year Walt Disney launched the Imagineering division, a collection of people whose sole purpose is to come up with the fantastical concepts and designs for the Disney theme parks worldwide. The box contained all sorts of intriguing pictures, a record, and literature. The archived materials provided inspiration for the film’s story. Tomorrowland, after all, is the name of one of the theme lands at Disney parks here and abroad.

For more on Tomorrowland, hop over to EW where you’ll find an informative interview with Bird and Lindelof. Here a couple choice quotes to mull over: “What Hogwarts is to magic, Tomorrowland is to science: They are both easy to find if you are a wizard and very difficult to find if you’re a Muggle,” shares Lindelof. “Walt Disney is not a character in our movie, but he is referenced as having some involvement in this mysterious place called Tomorrowland, as a huge futurist and aficionado of space travel, rocketry, cities of the future, and space travel.” He adds, “There is a piece of technology in this pin, it’s the kind of old-school pin you would wear on your lapel, and when you make physical contact with it, you have the illusion of being physically transported to another world, and that’s how Casey gets her first glimpse of Tomorrowland. She is a Muggle who accidentally wanders across Platform 9 ¾ and sees something she probably shouldn’t have.”

Mischief Managed! Intrigued indeed! Tomorrowland hits theatres May 22, 2015.

Catchy ‘Better Call Saul’ music video teases ‘Breaking Bad’ spinoff sensibilities

Saul, Saul, you better call Saul / He’ll fight for your rights when your back’s to the wall / Stick it the man, justice for all / You better call Saul!

The hype machine for Breaking Bad prequel-spinoff hybrid Better Call Saul is officially up and running now that a music video for it is out. Country musician Junior Brown belts out a catchy tune written by Saul co-creators Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould and series composer Dave Porter. This sure is a unique way to market a new show, and I’ve got to say they pretty much nailed it. Over the course of the song, a couple of fine ladies wheel out televisions featuring Walter White’s lawyer played by Bob Odenkirk and viewers will catch a handful of glimpses from the upcoming series.

Better Call Saul debuts in February on AMC, and it has already been renewed for a second season set to bow later in 2016.

Brilliant ‘Simpsons’ premiere “couch gag” takes Homer to an unsettling future

The Simpsons is the longest-running American sitcom in TV history; last Sunday it entered its 26th season. The premiere featured one of the series’ best “couch gags” and I’ve embedded it above for your viewing pleasure. Directed by animator Don Hertzfeldt, the sequence imagines what the animated series might look like far into the future. It’s spectacularly bizarre and trippy and absurd and at times a bit disturbing and quite unsettling. Take it all in and share your experience in the comments below.

Movie trailer round-up: Pixar’s ‘Inside Out,’ ‘American Sniper,’ ‘Taken 3’, ‘Interstellar’ & ‘Exodus: Gods and Kings’

Pixar’s latest movie, Inside Out, will take audiences inside the mind. Emotions such as Joy, Fear, Anger, Disgust and Sadness serve as the film’s main characters. The first teaser trailer, embedded above, features mostly a look back at Pixar’s greatest hits but it is tagged with the following synopsis that provides more plot detail:

Growing up can be a bumpy road, and it’s no exception for Riley, who is uprooted from her Midwest life when her father starts a new job in San Francisco. Like all of us, Riley is guided by her emotions – Joy (Amy Poehler), Fear (Bill Hader), Anger (Lewis Black), Disgust (Mindy Kaling) and Sadness (Phyllis Smith). The emotions live in Headquarters, the control center inside Riley’s mind, where they help advise her through everyday life. As Riley and her emotions struggle to adjust to a new life in San Francisco, turmoil ensues in Headquarters. Although Joy, Riley’s main and most important emotion, tries to keep things positive, the emotions conflict on how best to navigate a new city, house and school.

Looks like fun! Inside Out hits theatres in 3D on June 19, 2015.

Jump after the break to view more trailers. Continue reading Movie trailer round-up: Pixar’s ‘Inside Out,’ ‘American Sniper,’ ‘Taken 3’, ‘Interstellar’ & ‘Exodus: Gods and Kings’

Turbo T. Double drops ambitious “Atoms,” directed by Kanye collaborator Yemi A.D.

“We are all atoms,” sings Terrell Woodard, better known by his stage name Turbo T. Double. After years of hard work, patience, and pounding the pavement (or what Turbo refers to as “the scramble”), the rising rapper has released his first project “Atoms” to the masses and it shines both lyrically and visually. The track samples M83’s synthpop “Midnight City,” with the electronic band’s blessing. The video, shot in Prague, is directed by Yemi A.D., a well renowned creative in the hip-hop community. A major collaborator of his is Kanye West; Yemi served as director of his recent tours and he’s also the choreographer behind West’s ballerina-clad music video “Runaway.” Turbo’s “Atoms” unequivocally promotes peace and equality as humans of varying shades and sexes emerge from the earth in harmony in the clip embedded above.

Turbo tells [experience-it-all] that his new release was inspired by personal events in his life that made him feel “mistreated for ridiculous reasons.” The track is a response to those who have treated him poorly, and it’s also something that he feels can encourage others to “figuratively open their eyes” and rise above roadblocks and any haters that are in your way of fulfilling your dreams. Soft-spoken and smart, Turbo imagined “Atoms” to be the best and most “peaceful and relatable” way to get those thoughts across.

Working with Yemi was “like a dream come true,” shares Turbo. He “operates at a super high frequency,” says Turbo, and “when he heard “Atoms” he related to the lyrics and came up with the idea for the video and everything flowed from there resulting in a refreshingly challenging and inspirational experience I’ll cherish till death.” He continues, “I’m thankful that Anthony [Gonzalez] of M83 allowed me to loop “Midnight City” in order to deliver the message and Yemi’s vision brought it to life in a major way.”

Enjoy the ethereal experience that is “Atoms” and anticipate Turbo T. Double’s forthcoming EP due out next year.

Feel “Brand New” in music supporting strength and perseverence

Support a great cause today and download “Brand New,” a song written and imagined by Brian Meisner (yes, we’re related: brothers) to inspire those going through tough times to persevere and rise above it. In Brian’s words, “I hope this music reaches your ears and provides you with the strength to push forward and feel brand new.”

Preview the song in the montage embedded above; it follows the journey and recovery of our cousin Matty as he battled pancreatitis. Download “Brand New” at iTunes; 25% of the proceeds will be donated to nail-patella research.

‘Silent Hills’ will scare you (again) in new concept trailer

How many times have you played through Hideo Kojima and Guillermo del Toro’s terrifying Silent Hills demo? Was one run-through enough to satiate your fears? Well, here’s something new to look at. The directing duo behind the latest installment in the Silent Hill video game franchise debuted a concept trailer at this month’s Tokyo Game Show. It will feel familiar to those who have played through the Playable Teaser on PS4; the game’s protagonist, personified by The Walking Dead‘s Norman Reedus, is trapped in a haunted house with creaky doors and creepy crawlers. The trailer, however, adds a boy’s severed head, sentient toys, and a giant monster to the mix. See above.

“The concepts we’re discussing, the ideas that we’re discussing and the tools that are in play to create Silent Hills are going to render an incredibly intense and an incredibly scary game,” said del Toro at TGS.

Silent Hills has an anticipated 2015 release.

[Via IGN]

Tony Almeida returns in ’24’ DVD/Blu-ray exclusive clip

24 fans can’t forget the commercials that aired during episodes of this spring’s Live Another Day. You know, the ones that hinted at the return of good guy/bad buy Tony Almeida, Jack Bauer’s right-hand man at CTU across the first few seasons of the show. Well, it turns out the rumors of his return were true. Though Carlos Bernard never turned up in season 9, his character is making a comeback in the home release exclusive clip “Solitary.” In it we find a disheveled yet enlightened Almeida who’s ready to make a new life for himself outside of his shackling bar cells. He seeks redemption and wants to help the government take down terrorists, and he thinks he can do it by going undercover because the baddies are well aware of his bloody, vengeful past.

Now here’s my logic: is this, perhaps, a setup for a potential season 10? Will Live Another Day Part Duex (title pending) feature Jack reuniting with his former parter to save another day from total destruction? Or, even more compelling, will a new season follow Tony jetting to Russia to help Jack escape his captors? Preview “Solitary” after the break; for the full clip you’ll have to shell out for the LAD DVD or Blu-ray out Sept. 30.

[Via EW] Continue reading Tony Almeida returns in ’24’ DVD/Blu-ray exclusive clip