iPad on TV: Colbert, Letterman, Fallon, Modern Family

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With the iPad’s release one day away, the little slate of magic is making its rounds not only with tech reviewers but also on TV.

 

Apple fanboy Stephen Colbert chops some vegetables with it.

David Letterman licks it.

Modern Family’s Phil Dunphey really, really wants it.  (And if you have a single funny bone in your body you’ll watch the entire episode right here.)

Tonight Engadget’s Joshua Topolsky handled it with Jimmy Fallon.  And the audience was WOWED by the iBooks app.  Look after the break for part 2.

Oh, and ABC got to spend some time with the iPad and intervied a couple app developers.  Check that out after the break. Continue reading iPad on TV: Colbert, Letterman, Fallon, Modern Family →

YouTube gets a facelift

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YouTube has gone ahead and given itself a makeover, pretty much making everything a whole lot more streamlined.  The overall look is stripped down and clean, making the video player the most prominent part of the screen real estate.  In the past, the user’s video information was placed in an expandable box to the right of the video.  All of that has been move and broken up into two different place.  Directly above the video player you’ll find the username link, more videos from that same user (when clicked it expands down to reveal a horizontal list of all their uploaded videos), and a subscribe button to subscribe to all of their videos.  Directly below the player you’ll find the video description that expands down to show category, tags, and more information about the video.  Next to the video description is the Views total; not only does it tell you the number of view the video has, but it can also be expanded down to share stats, links, and honors associated with the video.  Underneath the video description you’ll find a panel of buttons called the Actions Bar.  First there’s the new ratings system; a thumbs up/thumbs down model replaces the original 5 star rating system.  The Save To button allows you to favorite a video or add it to one of your playlists.  The Share button allows you to share the video via email, Facebook, Twitter, etc.  Lastly there’s the Embed and Flag buttons, to copy the video inside another website and flag a video as inappropriate, respectively.  If you happen to click on any video in a playlist, you will find the Next Up box, located in the top-right of the page.  Next Up makes for a consistent viewing experience; depending on what you search, the Next Up box will queue up videos related to your search.  And, if the auto-play option is turned on, the video player will automatically play the next video in the series as soon as the previous one is finished.  The video player itself hasn’t really changed much.  It includes the full screen and ‘make wider’ buttons, scrubbing controls with real-time time stamps, volume, and video quality options (360p to 1080p HD).  Other neat updates include Closed Captioning (which can be turned on in certain videos where you find the Annotations toggle) and a cleaned up comment section.

Overall, the YouTube facelift really enhances the user experience.  Everything is organized, tidied up, and looking better than ever.  If it weren’t for those pesky ads, the whole thing would be downright perfect.

[Via YouTubeBlog]

Windows Phone 7 Series drops the ‘Series’ from its name

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When Microsoft first announced its mobile reboot as “Windows Phone 7 Series” there was immediate backlash due to its length and, well, it’s quite the mouthful.  After some deliberation, Microsoft decided to listen to its critics and potential customers; the new mobile OS is now branded “Windows Phone 7.”  Ahh, soo much better, isn’t it?

And while we’re still feeling the effects of April Fool’s Day, I’ll let you in a little Windows Phone 7 gag that got me and the rest of the tech community.  On April 1 PocketNow broke news that all WP7 devices would not support replaceable batteries, falling in Apple’s footsteps.  They reported: “The move is intended to promote clean and attractive hardware designs which are sure to impress. Nobody wants to see an ugly battery cover latch on a phone running something as beautiful as the Windows Phone 7 Series OS.”  But it turned out to be a hoax.  So there you go.

[Via Engadget]

Sequel notes: The Hangover 2, Harold & Kumar 3, American Pie 4, Saw VII 3D

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The Hangover 2 is a done deal.  The script is underway and the film will be directed and produced by The Hangover director Todd Phillips.  Warner Bros. recently signed a deal to bring back the three stars: Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, and Zack Galifianakis.  The actors will be getting $5 million each for their roles in the sequel (they received $1 million combined in the first film).  But then again, The Hangover made $467 million dollars worldwide, and became the highest-grossing R-rated movie of all time.  All we know what the plot is this: it will not take place in Las Vegas again.  Rumors swirled that it would be set in Thailand, but Phillips shot that down.  Shooting begins November 1 with an expected release during Memorial Day weekend in 2011.

So where have Harold & Kumar been lately?  John Cho (Harold) has been working hard at Agent Demetri Noh on ABC’s FlashForward and Kal Penn went from playing doctor on FOX’s House to working along President Obama as associate director of the White House Office Of Public Engagement.  Cho and Penn have decided to team up for a third time to make A Very Harold and Kumar Christmas.  It will be a Christmas-themed adventure, with pot of course.  Neil Patrick Harris is expected to reprise his role (didn’t he die in the last one?).  New Line Studios confirmed that Todd Strauss Schulson will direct (creators Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg penned the script but are moving on to direct American Pie 4, see below) and it’s being contemplated whether or not the film will be shot in 3D.  Shooting starts this summer and it’s slated to hit theatres Christmas 2011.

As noted above, Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg have signed on to write and direct American Pie 4, the first Pie movie to hit theatres since American Wedding in 2003.  Though no deals have been made yet, the entire cast from the original trilogy is expected to come aboard for the “reboot.”  They include: Jason Biggs, Alyson Hannigan, Chris Klein, Shannon Elizabeth, Tara Reid, Eddie Kaye Thomas, Seann William Scott, Eugene Levy, Natasha Lyonne, Mena Suvari, Jennifer Coolidge, Thomas Ian Nichols, and Chris Owen.  Pie proved to be a lucrative franchise with its original movies and the four direct-to-DVD films.  The plot is being kept under wraps for now and  release info has not been disclosed.

You know the drill: another Halloween, another Saw movie.  Lionsgate and Twisted Pictures confirm Saw VI director Kevin Greutert will reprise his directorial role.  Also, the move will be shot in 3D, hence the title, Saw VII 3D.  No plot details, but come on now, you know what to expect: blood, guts, and more blood–now in mind-boggling 3D!  Saw is being pitted directly against Paranormal Activity 2; they both release on October 22 later this year.

[Via ReelzChannel; EW, here & here; Newsinfilm; THR; IGN]

Need Lost post-finale plans? Here they are.

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On Sunday, May 23 the series finale of Lost called “The End” will air at 9PM on ABC (following a one hour recap special at 8PM).  When it’s over, your local news will air for about half an hour and then at 11:35PM a special edition of Jimmy Kimmel Live will air called Jimmy Kimmel Live: Aloha to Lost.  The one hour special will include an analysis of the finale, with appearences by executive producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse and interviews with a number of casts members.  Jimmy Kimmel is a huge Lost fan, so you can definitely expect him to bring the goods.  I mean, you’re going to need something to do while you’re sobbing all your sorrows away.

[Via EW-AusielloFiles]

Felicia Day fools us all with ‘Lil Guildies’

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On April 1 word got out that Felicia Day’s web series The Guild was to expand its dominance to the television with a children’s program called Lil’ Guildies.  The opening segment for the animated series was put on YouTube and it received a ton of positive buzz.  Greg Aronowitz co-created it with Day, and Paul and Storm came up with the catchy theme song.  The miniature Guild members even included an embryonic version of Bladezz, since he is the youngest of the group on the web series.  That little nuggest of information should have made me roll my eyes and figure that this was an elaborate April Fool’s hoax.  But it didn’t.  And now I’m disappointed that it’s not real.  It all started at Tubefilter and it came to a screetching halt when Day screamed April Fools on Twitter.

[Via Tubefilter]

ThinkGeek’s Dharma Initiative Alarm Clock & iPad Arcade Cabinet available today!

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The dudes at the online shop ThinkGeek bring us the Dharma Initiative Alarm Clock.  Our Dharma Initiative Alarm Clock is conveniently programmable to go off only once every 24 hours, and at a time convenient to you.  But if you don’t get the numbers right before you see the hieroglyphs, there’s no guaranteeing what will happen.  All you gotta do is type in the numbers 4 18 15 16 23 42 to stop an electromagnetic cataclysm…er, turn off the alarm.  It requires 2 x AAA batteries and comes with a 23-year warranty, “or until your house implodes.”  Now that’s some extra motivation to get up in the morning, now ain’t it?  Only $49.99.  Check out the video below to see it in action.

The fellas at ThinkGeek asked themselves, “How cool would it be to slide your iPad into a desktop-sized arcade cabinet and rock it old school with some Pac-Man or Space Invaders?”  Enter the iCade, an iPad arcade cabinet.  It’s simple, really.  Slide your iPad into the built-in docking cradle, plug in the included 10-watt USB power adapter for extra power, and load up a classic arcade game using the iCade app (available in the App Store on iPad launch day).  The handcrafted wooden cabinet somehow stuffs 2.1 Dolby speakers and a subwoofer!  Look in the gallery below for some game screenshots.  Future iPad buyers, get your iCade today for $149.99.

[Via ThinkGeek, here & here]

iPhone-to-iPad converter

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If you’ve already got an iPhone, forget the iPad.  All you have to do is place your iPhone into the the back panel and the Pad-Dock iPhone to Tablet Converter uses a touch-screen magnifier to enlarge your iPhone screen to the exact dimensions of an iPad.  That’s all there is to it!  And unlike the iPad, this converter device will be able to make phone calls since your iPhone powers it.  Available to purchase here for a price of £89.99.

[Via IWantOneOfThose]

Starbucks intros Plenta & Micra cup sizes

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Today Starbucks announced two new cup sizes to debut this fall in the US and Canada.

Plenta™ (128 fl oz) and Micra™ (2 fl oz) cups arrive in Starbucks stores this Fall. Derived from Italian word for plentiful or small, the Plenta™ delivers coffee lovers record amounts of the world’s finest coffee beverages while the Micra™ delivers a quick and satisfying morsel of goodness.

Starbucks recommends “several subsequent uses” for the cups: “…options [for the Plenta] include popcorn receptacle, rain hat, perennial planter, lampshade or yoga block.  The Micra also serves as a convenient milk dish for kittens, soft boiled egg cup or paper clip holder.”

Now there’s a size for everyone!

[Via Starbucks]

Man travels from the future to prevent the Large Hadron Collider from destroying the world

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CNET UK is reports: “Eloi Cole, a strangely dressed young man, said that he had travelled back in time to prevent the LHC from destroying the world.”  If you have been keeping up with the news lately, you should know that the scientists at CERN recently had the Large Hadron Collider successfully collide particles at record force.  Their aim is to smash together atoms, create mini-black holes, and attempt to discover what exactly happed during the birth of our univierse, the Big Bang.  Ever since its inception people are worried that the Switzerland-based LHC experiment might go awry and cause a huge black hole on Earth leading to instant worldwide death.  Time-traveller Cole was at one point captured by Swiss police and explained why he came to stop the LHC from continuing its work: “Countries do not exist where I am from. The discovery of the Higgs boson led to limitless power, the elimination of poverty and Kit-Kats for everyone. It is a communist chocolate hellhole and I’m here to stop it ever happening.”  According to the latest reports, “Mr. Cole was taken to a secure mental health facility in Geneva but later disappeared from his cell. Police are baffled, but not that bothered.”

[Via CNET UK]