Kanye West pops into Hot 97 radio show, plays new song “See Me Now” (Featuring Beyoncé & Charlie Wilson), reveals November 16 album drop date

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The Kanye West headlines just won’t stop.  But I’m not complaining.  Today Mr. West stopped by Hot 97’s Angie Martinez Show to play a brand new track that may or may not be off his next yet-to-be-titled album.  It’s called “See Me Now” and features beautiful vocals from the talented Beyoncé and R&B/soul singer “Uncle” Charlie Wilson.  Unknowingly we had heard a preview of this track when Kanye paid a visit to Facebook HQ two weeks ago; he rapped “I’mma need you to kill all the hypocrisy / This is an aristocracy / I’m Socrates, but my skin more chocolatey.”  The track literally is brand new; it was completed this morning at 5am!  Though Wilson’s vocals were recorded about two weeks ago, Kanye met with Beyoncé, Jay-Z, and Consequence this morning and rushed to write Beyonce’s part so that it could be recorded and played for us today on the radio.  The final package is nothing short of excellent.  Big shout-out to Lex Lugar and No I.D. for helping Kanye produce the light-hearted track.  “See Me Now” falls on the other side of the spectrum when compared to “Power.”  It’s got the stylistic drums and synths banging in the background, but it is not nearly as dark and brooding.  It’s more uplifting, very reminiscent of “Through the Wire” and other The College Dropout tracks.  It’s good to see Kanye having some fun in the studio again.  Preview and download the song below.

During his four part interview with Angie Martinez, Kanye mistakingly let loose an expected album release date of November 16.  So mark your calendars and let the anticipation begin continue.  Click here to stream the entire interview.  Kanye is surprisingly candid at the mic.

Update: Kanye just used Twitter to point out that this version of “See Me Now” is not the final mix.  When the mastered version is available I’ll post it here.  Also, a “Power” remix is on the way.

Download: “See Me Now” (Featuring Beyoncé & Charlie Wilson)

[audio: Kanye West – See Me Now (Featuring Beyonce & Charlie Wilson).mp3]

[Via KWBlog; AngieMartinez]

Touch-based interface brings standard DJ setup to a multitouch screen

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Gregory Kaufman, a student at Kansas City Art Institute, imagined and implemented “DJ touch screen interface and gesture interaction concepts” for his senior degree project.  Though it’s not quite as visually stunning as the rear projection setup we spied earlier this week, it does bring a new kind of functionality to the up-and-coming DJ multitouch game–the ability to replicate a standard DJ turntable-mixer setup using a touch-based interface.  Check out the video embedded above to hear all about from Kaufman and see a demonstration of the concept tech.

[Via Behance; Engadget]

Droid 2 drops tomorrow on VZW for $200 (R2-D2 edition coming soon)

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Just when you started noticing age spots on the original Droid, Motorola decided to officially unveil Droid 2.  Though its large 3.7-inch multitouch display cannot out-match Droid X’s enourmous 4.1 inch screen, the Droid 2 does boast great specs.  The improved slideout QWERTY smartphone runs the latest build of Android OS (that’s 2.2 aka Froyo, for those of you counting), has a 5 megapixel camera, and comes preloaded with 8GB of onboard memory and packaged with an 8GB microSD card (expandable up to 32GB).  It supports Flash 10.1 for “access to the full web”, DNLA streaming, and Swype input for the on-screen keyboard.  If you choose to pay an extra $20/month the device becomes a 3G mobile hotspot with support for up to 5 devices over WiFi.  Droid 2 is up for preorder today and will be made available for purchase tomorrow August 12 for $199.99 with an obligatory new two-year contract on Verizon Wireless.  If your current VZW contract ends by December 31, 2010 you are eligible to upgrade to Droid 2 or any other VZW smartphone for that matter.

In the official PR posted after the break, Verizon and Motorola tease a limited edition “R2-D2 DROID 2” inspired by the iconic Star Wars Astromech Droid.  “The special version of the phone will feature exclusive Star Wars content and external hardware designed to look like the trusty Droid from the film saga.”  Expect the R2-D2 Droid to release this September.  It will only be available to purchase online.  View the teaser page here.

[Via Engadget]

Continue reading Droid 2 drops tomorrow on VZW for $200 (R2-D2 edition coming soon) →

Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 finally gets release date and priced

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Now THIS has been a long time coming.  Sony Ericsson is finally releasing its first Android-powered smartphone on August 15 for $149 (with a new two-year contract) on AT&T.  The Xperia X10 first made waves last summer when a breif video preview leaked onto the ‘Net.  Codenamed “Rachel” the SE customized user interface evolved over the months to eventually become a skin for Android 1.6.  That’s right, the X10 runs a very old version of the Android OS (version 2.2 is just starting to trickle onto handsets today).  As disappointing as that sounds, it looks like the highly customized UI overlay might hide the cobwebs and make for an inviting experience.  SE offically revaled the X10 back in November, but I’ll refresh your memory with a quick listing of specs.  The X10 packs a 4-inch touch screen, 1GHz Snapdragon processor, 8.1 megapixel camera with LED flash (plus smile detection, face recognition, and autofocus), built-in GPS, and 8GB of on-board memory and 2GB memory card (expandable up to 32GB).  The cornerstone(s) of the refined UI skin are SE’s “signature applications” Mediascape and Timescape:

*Mediascape on the Xperia X10 gathers music, photos, videos and content from your phone’s memory card and online, letting you browse, search, listen and share your media from one unified view. For example, view photos taken on the device as well as your Facebook and Picasa web albums. Or, when listening to a favorite song on your phone, press Sony Ericsson’s infinite button to access related content about the artist pulled from the phone’s memory as well as albums, songs and video content from YouTube and search results from Google.

*Timescape is a unique communication application that automatically organizes social interactions in chronological order, leaving users free to concentrate on keeping in touch on-the-go. From Facebook and Twitter updates to photos, emails and text messages, a scrolling menu offers easy viewing and organization of all communications. Additionally, tap the Timescape infinite button to bring up and view all communications from a single person in a single place.

Like I said, the X10 will be available August 15 in AT&T stores for $149.99.  But if you choose to pick one up at a local Sony Style store you’ll receive an instant $20 rebate.  Look after the break for the official PR and a brief video tour conducted by a Sony rep from this past year’s CES.

[Via Engadget] Continue reading Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 finally gets release date and priced →

Golden Eye 007 gets bundled with gold Wii Classic Controller Pro

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Hey all you GoldenEye 007 junkies!  Ready for your long-awaited fix when the next-gen GoldenEye releases for Wii this holiday season?  Well I’ve got some good news that’ll make your holiday shopping bag a tad bit heavier.  The new GoldenEye game will be released alongside a golden gun-inspired Wii Classic Controller Pro.  Though the Classic Controller Pro is not required for gameplay, it’ll add that extra bit of old school nostalgia to make the experience all the better thanks to a familiar control scheme.  The controller will ship this fall bundled with a “Classic Edition” of the game for $69.99.  It has not been announced if it will be available separately.

[Via Joystiq]

Auto-Tune the News covers a “bed intruder” story

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The Auto-Tune the News crew is back, and this time they use their perfected auto-tune powers to cover a local news report about a suspected “bed intruder.”  Watch the original eyewitness news report featuring Antoine Dodson and then see what happens when it all gets auto-tuned in the video above.  It’s spectacular, and very catchy.  But you didn’t expect anything less now did you?  (There’s an extended “iTunes version” of the song as well, and I’ve posted that one after the break.) Continue reading Auto-Tune the News covers a “bed intruder” story →

Entourage will air final season next summer

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On the final day of the TCA press tour, HBO programming president Michael Lombardo strung together these words in a sentence concerning the premium cable network’s longest running series Entourage: “Next summer will definitely be the final season.”  Yes, tear.  After seven seasons of watching Ari Gold and crew perform their comedic magic creator Doug Ellin is ready to call it quits.  Summer 2011 will be host to a shortened final season that will likely air a six episode story arc that may or may not lead into an Entourage theatrical release sometime in the future.  Lombardo: “[Ellin] wants to write a film, but wants to do it when the story will make sense.”  Hey–at least the idea of a movie was mentioned; better than no news at all.  Apparently Ellin is ready to move on to new projects.  He’s already pitched multiple show ideas to HBO.  Lombardo “expect[s] that within the next couple years” he will have another show up and running on the network.  Entourage fans, it’s been a great run.  (But what am I saying?  We still have this season plus the mini-season next summer, then possibly a movie; it’s not over just yet!)

[Via THR; M&G]

Kanye West hosts a Ustream chat: album gets a November release, next single drops in 20 days

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Kanye West has been making the rounds on the Internet even since he decided to come out from hiding.  First it was Twitter, then Facebook, now Ustream.  On Friday Kanye hosted a live Ustream video chat from Korea to answer a bunch of fan questions.  The most important news to come out of the twenty-five minute chat session is that the upcoming album is coming out “sometime in November” and that the next single is expected to drop within the next 20 days.  He’s still deciding between “Lost In The World” and “All of the Lights” for the next single.  He gave a 30 second preview of the latter song, and man did it sound great.  Besides spilling that info, he also talked about his influences on the album and the “Power” painting video.  He says that he’s constantly looking at thousands of pictures and a number of artworks and movies for inspiration.  (He name dropped Avatar, late designer Alexander McQueen, Thom Yorke, and Trent Reznor.)  About the “Power” video he said, “I always wanted to recreate the Sistine Chapel.  This is not the full re-creation [though].  I still might want to do that.”  He went on to set the record straight concerning his time on the web; he held up his second laptop to prove he has a hand in updating his blog and Twitter feed.  He also addressed more serious issues about his new (and so far much improved) public attitude: I’m not allowing my attitude to get in the way of my creation anymore.”  He continues, “That’s all I want to do, is give you all the most amazing work I can.”  “All I can do is focus on being a better person,” he adds.  When a commentor asked Kanye why he is a racist, a surprisingly appropriate and light response was given.  “I actually don’t know a rapper before me that liked white people more than me.  I don’t know a rapper that wore tighter jeans.  I don’t know a rapper that collaborated with more white people than me.”  Atta boy, Mr. West.  Watch the recorded Ustream chat here.

DJ gives multitouch a spin

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Check out this crazy amazing homemade DJ setup called Token Concept.  Sure it uses rear projection video on glass for the cool visual effect, but the multitouch implementation is far out.  Into the future.  It’s running off a Traktor Pro controller called Emulator.

[Via Engadget]

Giant robot arm learns how to flip pancakes

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Engineers from the Italian Institute of Technology have taught a robot how to flip pancakes.  There’s nothing more rewarding than laughing at a robot’s failings!

After 50 trials, the robot learns that the first part of the task requires a stiff behavior to throw the pancake in the air, while the second part requires the hand to be compliant in order to catch the pancake without having it bounced off the pan.

[Via Engadget]

New Salvador Dalí mueseum is being constructed; he would have loved it

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Architect companies HOK and Beck Group are currently designing a museum in St. Petersburg, Florida that will house the wonderfully surreal artwork of the great Salvador Dalí.  The mueseum’s director shares that it will “combines elements of the classical and the fantastical”, just as Dalí would have wanted it.  The spiral staircase you see above is described as a “structural tour-de-force, with the reinforced concrete spiral functioning as a tensioned spring held at ground level and at the third floor, with the stair treads cantilevered from the central spiral.”  Its design is influenced by Dalí’s fascination with DNA, the golden rectangle, and the Fibonacci series.  The organic, triangulated glass that houses a part of the museum represents a “contrast between the rational world of the conscious and the more intuitive, surprising natural world”, another one of Dalí’s infatuations.  The entire structure is enclosed in reinforced 18” thick concrete walls designed to protect everything valuable inside from destructive hurricanes.  The walls are so strong that they can resist a 165mph Category 5 hurricane, if one were to fly by.  Here’s quick rundown of archetectual specs: the museum covers 66,000 square feet, contains three floors, and its build budget is $30 million.  It’s expected to open to the public January 2011.

[Via ArchDaily; Gizmodo]