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Angelina Jolie Planning "Revenge Pregnancy"

12/23/2009 02:02:00 PM kenmouse , Posted in , , , , 0 Comments

Angelina Jolie is totally planning a "revenge pregnancy." We have no idea what that means, but In Touch Weekly reported it, so we're pretty sure it's legit.


We take this to mean that she's gotten over her recent suicide attempt and is ready to get down to the business of procreating ... and trapping Brad Pitt!

After all, if we are to believe this In Touch story, Brad and Jennifer Aniston just had their most “heartfelt” meeting ever ... if you know what they mean.

We're not even sure they know what they mean, actually, but Angelina feels she must take drastic action to keep him. That entails ... pulling the goalie?

It remains to be seen how far jealous Angie will go to perpetuate this hilarious, made-up soap opera expand her brood. But she's yearning for baby #7.

She'd just better hope Jen doesn't get knocked up first ...

It may not be real, but in the minds of tabloid editors, Angelina Jolie and Jennifer Aniston's war of words and potential baby-making with Brad is going strong.

Your move, Jen.

'American Idol' first look: Season 9 ad campaign!

12/23/2009 02:02:00 PM kenmouse , Posted in , , 0 Comments

What were you expecting, an image of Simon and Ellen duking it out in a ring? Or maybe a solo shot of Ellen busting a move? Silly you for buying into all the media hype surrounding the big judging panel makeover. American Idol is a singing competition, and judging by the “key art” for the show’s ninth season (debuting January 12), Fox hasn’t lost sight of that.


“The fact that Fox is going with a contestant-focused theme for the show’s season 9 campaign is good news for all us Idoloonies who know that at its heart, the show is about finding the next Kris-Adam-Allison, not a coherent pinch-hitter for Paula Abdul,” raves EW’s great American cheerio, Michael Slezak. “Oh, and those had better be models and not actual contestants they’re showing, or else we’re about to encounter early contestant pimping at new and unprecedented levels.”

Relax, MSlez. Sources confirm to me exclusively that they are, in fact, models. Those same sources also confirm that the other four posters from Idol’s new campaign can be found below. Check ‘em out and let the judging commence in the comments section!

Rumor: Leaked Noriko Sakai Sex Tape

12/23/2009 02:01:00 PM kenmouse , Posted in , , 0 Comments



The sex tape Female lead looks like Noriko Sakai up to 80%. 2 months ago Japan Actress Noriko Sakai Convicted Of Drug Use. The 38-year-old Noriko Sakai is among the first Japanese actresses to gain popularity in Asia. She was born in Fukuoka, Japan and married in 1998, and has one son born in 1999. Noriko Sakai is particularly popular in Hong Kong and Taiwan.

[Via Amystory]

Microsoft loses Word patent appeal, will change code

12/23/2009 02:01:00 PM kenmouse , Posted in , , , 0 Comments

Microsoft has lost an appeal in a patent case that will force it to alter Microsoft Word to avoid an injunction on sales of the product.

Microsoft lost a patent case involving a company called I4i in May, after a jury ruled that Microsoft infringed one of i4i's patents with a custom XML feature found in Word. In August an injunction was placed on sales of Word pending the appeal, which did not go in Microsoft's favor Tuesday.

"We couldn't be more pleased with the ruling (click for PDF) from the appeals court which upheld the lower court's decision in its entirety. This is both a vindication for I4i and a war cry for talented inventors whose patents are infringed," said Loudon Owen, chairman of I4i, in a statement.

The technology in question involves "any Microsoft Word products that have the capability of opening .XML, .DOCX or DOCM files (XML files) containing custom XML," according to a copy of the injunction released in August. I4i's Owen said at the time that his company wasn't out to force a halt in sales of one of Microsoft's most profitable products, and it doesn't appear that will happen.

Microsoft said it planned to remove the feature from all copies of Microsoft Word 2007 that will be sold on or after January 11, 2010. Prior copies of Word 2007 are not affected by the injunction, and Word 2010 is being designed without the infringing technology, the company said.

"While we are moving quickly to address the injunction issue, we are also considering our legal options, which could include a request for a rehearing by the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals en banc or a request for a writ of certiorari from the U.S. Supreme Court," said Kevin Kurtz, director of public affairs for Microsoft, in a statement.

The ruling also means that Microsoft is on the hook for $200 million in damages awarded by the jury as well as additional fees and interest. Reuters reported the total would reach $290 million.

I4i, unlike other high-profile patent plaintiffs of recent memory (what's NTP up to these days?), appears to actually have a business. The company, based in Toronto, helps companies publish and organize documents created with XML, and appears to have carved out a niche in the pharmaceutical and biotech industries.

The patent in this case, No. 5,787,449, was issued in July 1998.

Google Nexus One stands with iPhone and Hero, interface gets a 5-minute walkthrough

12/23/2009 02:01:00 PM kenmouse , Posted in , , , , 0 Comments



The Google Nexus One trickle continues. Today's two menu items include a 5-minute demonstration of the Android 2.1 interface -- shaky, sure, but it's a pretty thorough rundown of all the menus. We're also serving up some low-resolution picture comparisons of the Nexus One laying side-by-side with the iPhone and HTC Hero. It still eludes us how all these leaking parties don't seem to have in their possession a decent DSLR or camcorder (feel free to give us a buzz, we'll gladly help out). Video after the break.




It all looks pretty nice (despite the poor image quality), so bring it on, Google!

Mozilla unveils Windows theme/UI update for Firefox 3.7/4.0

12/23/2009 02:00:00 PM kenmouse , Posted in , , , 0 Comments

Mozilla have unveiled some mockups of the Windows theme/UI updates that is scheduled to hit Firefox users over two stages - 3.7 and 4.0.

Stephen Horlander, a designer and contributor to the Mozilla project unveiled some details of the refresh.



Cornerstone to the revamp is the App Button that appears in the top-left of the mockup. Here’s what Horlander has to say about the origin of this new addition:

The new proposed approach to this problem is an App Button which is similar to the single menu approach taken by Windows 7 native applications (Paint, WordPad) and by MS Office.

According to Horlander, the App Button solves a number of issues:
It is less complex
Takes up less space
Instead of two potentially conflicting locations for menu items, there is now only one unified location
Can be placed in the upper left analogous to the Menubar paradigm it is replacing
Similar to the far more ubiquitous Office 2008/2010 + Windows 7 application menu
Reduces clutter on the Navigation Toolbar
It also creates a more flexible and rich canvas for perhaps doing some decidedly non-menu-esque things

Here’s a side-by-side comparison of Firefox 4.0 and the current 3.5:



Mozilla seems to have managed to reclaim a fair bit of screen real estate with this move, which is a good thing. I like it as it really cleans up the user interface.

Expect to see a public release of Firefox 4.0 mid 2010 and the final release during the final quarter.

iPhone 3G now top cellphone in use in US; “Psychographic” advantage over BlackBerry say Nielsen

12/23/2009 02:00:00 PM kenmouse , Posted in , , , , , 0 Comments

Having pulled ahead of Windows Mobile in US smartphone market share, the iPhone 3G has now been named the most popular single handset in use in the US between January and September 2009. Research firm Nielsen found that the Apple smartphone edged out the BlackBerry 8300 series (at 3.7-percent) with 4-percent of all subscribers; meanwhile a separate Nielsen report found that while RIM’s handsets currently have twice the market penetration of Apple’s (8-percent versus 4-percent), the iPhone has a “psychographic” advantage as the go-to device for users wanting the newest technology.



Nielsen reckon 15-percent of American households have a smartphone, and point to the BlackBerry’s earlier introduction as a key reason for its higher comparative market share. When questioned about being considered “bleeding edge” adopters, iPhone owners were more likely to rank themselves keener on trying new technology than their more cautious RIM-buying counterparts.

Finally, Apple.com was apparently the tenth most-accessed brand on mobile phones between January and September 2009, and in fact the only direct hardware manufacturer to make the top ten. While Google made the list, it was their homepage rather than anything Android-related.


Opera 10.5 pre-alpha goes Chrome hunting

12/23/2009 02:00:00 PM kenmouse , Posted in , , 1 Comment

The latest Opera browser preview version may not be entirely stable, but it's definitely got its jetpack strapped on. Opera 10.5 pre-alpha, for Windows and Mac, is the first browser that's not powered by Webkit to approach JavaScript rendering speeds previously reached only by Chrome and Safari.


Opera 10.5 pre-alpha introduces Windows 7 support and a slight redesign, along with a rocketing new JavaScript engine.

In empirical testing done on an HP desktop running an Intel Core 2 Q6600 at 2.66GHz with 4GB of RAM and Windows 7 32-bit, the pre-alpha scored 435.6 milliseconds in the SunSpider JavaScript benchmark. By contrast, Google Chrome 4.0.266.0, the most recent development build, notched 510.4 ms. The current stable build of Opera was more than 7.5 times slower, at 3284.4 ms.

Opera attributes this dramatic improvement to the new Carakan JavaScript engine, which they have designed from scratch to replace the Futhark engine in the stable build. Opera 10.5 also includes improvements to the Presto layout engine, and a new graphics library called Vega.

Other improvements noticeable in the pre-alpha include changing the URL address bar to include the same style of predictive smart search that Firefox and Chrome have, and the search and address bars now both remember searches, support deleting specific items, and have redesigned layouts.

The main browser interface has been redone, too. The tabs are now on top, the menu bar has been minimized behind a drop-down on the left nav, and the browser has better integration with Windows 7 and Snow Leopard. On Windows 7 there's Aero Peek and Jump List support to access Speed Dial and tabs from the Taskbar. For Macs, there's a unified toolbar, native buttons and scrollbars, multitouch gestures, and Growl support. Dialog boxes are now non-modal, which you means you can now switch tabs without a pop-up commanding your browser's focus, for example. This will affect verification and authentication pop-ups, and JavaScript alerts.

There are some known problems, including a lack of printer support in the Mac version and noticeably high memory usage. Users can expect these to get addressed before the stable build of Opera 10.50 is released. The Opera 10.50 official announcement and changes can be read here, while the current stable version of Opera 10.10 is for Windows, Mac, and Linux.

Miley Cyrus Disses Angelina Jolie & Madonna

12/23/2009 01:59:00 PM kenmouse , Posted in , , , , 0 Comments

Can we get a resounding “Chick Please!?” for Miss. Miley Cyrus? The pop tart — who felt the wrath of fans when she uploaded an ass-slapping video of her 9-year-old sister performing the sex-charged single “Smack That” to Interwebs last month — has publicly blasted actress Angelina Jolie and music legend Madonna for subjecting their minor children to the media spotlight.



The 17-year-old spoke on Irish TV show Xpose last week about her views on kids being in the public eye without their consent. Miley “really disagrees with it” because the children have not made the decision for themselves, she told host Lisa Cannon on the celebrity news program Monday.

Angelina and Madonna have both appeared in various magazine photoshoots with their children in the past.

Danny Gokey Album Cover Art: “My Best Days”

12/23/2009 01:59:00 PM kenmouse , Posted in , , 0 Comments

Whaddya think of Danny Gokey’s debut album cover? Has Danny nailed the look of an aspiring country superstar? The bespectacled crooner — third runner-up on the ninth season of American Idol — inked a deal with 19 Recordings/RCA Nashville earlier this year and Danny’s readying his debut album, My Best Days, for release sometime next March. The album features the lead single “My Best Days Are Ahead of Me,” which is now available for digital download.



“There is a message to my music,” the soulful widower told The Tennessean this week. “But it only goes to a point. The rest of the CD is for pure entertainment. Coming from church to here is a hard pill to swallow. People will definitely see emotion come out. I want people to feel what I felt in the studio. Without emotion, music is just intellectual — and music has to go beyond intellect…”

Show Luo begins promotions for new “Rashomon” album

12/23/2009 01:59:00 PM kenmouse , Posted in , , 0 Comments

For the past couple of days, Taiwanese entertainer Show Luo has been conducting a series of promotional activities to prepare for the January 15, 2010 release of his new album titled “Rashomon”.

The album’s title, which takes its name from a psychological effect based on famed Akira Kurosawa film of the same name, will mark the seventh studio album for Show since his “Trendy Man” album almost a year ago. Coincidently, Show will be the second artist to release album lucky number seven, as Singaporean singer JJ Lin did so days earlier with his “100 Days” album.

In addition to CpopAccess correspondent alee’s coverage of Show filming a new MV (article), the Taiwanese entertainer has also released a new CF and a snippet of his album’s debut song on Taiwan’s pop music radio station Hit FM.

“Rashomon” CF:


“Rashomon” Track Preview from Hit FM:

Yoo In Na for Maxim Korea

12/23/2009 01:58:00 PM kenmouse , Posted in , , 0 Comments

Yoo In Na is an actress on the hit drama High Kick Through The Roof. She's also the cover girl of the January edition of Maxim Korea.


She really doesn't look anything like she appears on the show, but I must say she looks beautiful in these shots! The photos capture both her innocence and beauty very well. Thanks to stevey for the tip and photos.


Yahoo shutting down for the holidays

12/23/2009 01:58:00 PM kenmouse , Posted in , , 1 Comment

Most Yahoo employees will be off next week due to mandatory office closings--though they've had since April to figure out what to do.

The Wall Street Journal reported on Monday that Yahoo is shutting down everything except for certain "essential functions" during the week between Friday, December 25, and Friday, January 1.

A Yahoo representative confirmed the Journal report Tuesday--however, according to the representative, Yahoo employees were informed of this plan in April, a detail lacking from several reports about the shutdown, although Reuters had pointed it out at the time.

Yahoo has certainly looked to cut costs this year, its first with CEO Carol Bartz and CFO Tim Morse. Layoffs, a search-outsourcing deal with Microsoft, and a reassessment of business priorities were high on the company's to-do list in 2009.

The shutdown, which requires employees to take unpaid leave or vacation days, would be the first ever in Yahoo's history, though other tech companies, notably Hewlett-Packard and Adobe Systems, also shut down for the holidays.

Yahoo will have customer support people working over the break, and it obviously plans to keep its Web site up and running, the representative said. Outside the United States, employees will either have paid time off or unpaid time, depending on local laws.

Sprint and Microsoft readying a WiMax smartphone for CES 2010?

12/23/2009 01:57:00 PM kenmouse , Posted in , , , , 0 Comments

This is obviously not confirmed, but Sprint and Microsoft could unveil a WiMax (4G) Windows Mobile smartphone at CES 2010.


Sprint has sent out invitations for a press conference that will take place on January 6 – one day ahead of CES. Sprint and Microsoft CEOs (Dan Hesse and Steve Ballmer, respectively) will be there. Apparently, Sprint is saying that this event is a “must-attend” and it’s the “hottest spot at CES”.

Eric Zeman at InformationWeek believes that there are pretty good chances for Sprint and Microsoft to announce a WiMax phone (and if we think about the WiMax phones rumors appeared back in October, I’d also say that there are considerable chances for this to happen).

Of course, the two companies may very well announce a netbook or something – since other US carriers have already launched netbooks.

Earlier today, we’ve learned that Sprint will also host a CES 2010 event together with LG (but on January 7) and superstar Br0oke Shields – for unveiling a stylish phone. This is probably not related to the Sprint–Microsoft event, but, if it is, the supposed WiMax WinMo phone may be made by LG.

In case Microsoft and Sprint indeed have a WiMax Windows Mobile handset to show us, this will probably be North America’s first 4G smartphone. Good news for Sprint’s customers, eh?

New Bada UI screens look new-agey yet familiar

12/23/2009 01:57:00 PM kenmouse , Posted in , , , , 0 Comments



Okay, so HTC doesn't own exclusive rights to create a flip-clock displays on phones, but the style is something of a hallmark of Sense UI and now here one is in Samsung's Bada platform -- though seemingly tucked away in the date setting window. That's just one of a set of new screens uncovered at Samsung Hub showing off a media player that loves to show off album art and to truncate artist names, a photo browser full of delicious stock imagery, and that very familiar looking home screen to the left above. Things really don't look bad at all, but we're still having a hard time getting excited about this one.

Firefox for mobile "within the year"

12/23/2009 01:57:00 PM kenmouse , Posted in , , , 0 Comments

The first version of the Firefox browser aimed at the cell phone market is “days away” according to the head of the project.

The browser, codenamed Fennac, will initially be aimed at the Nokia N900 handset, but versions compatible with other handsets will follow.

Speaking to BBC News, Mozilla’s Jay Sullivan said that barring any “show stoppers”, the browser could be made available to download “within the year.”

Fennac, which has been over a year and a half in the making, will be the first mobile browser to support add-ons, a feature that could see it being popular with power users. Like its desktop bigger brother, Fennac supports tabs, and will also feature an Awesome bar address/search bar.

Stay tuned Nokia N900 users!

'Avatar' is part of important discussion about race

12/23/2009 01:56:00 PM kenmouse , Posted in , , 0 Comments

If you thought James Cameron's "Avatar" was just a 3-D fantasy flick about nice cat people vs. mechanized mad men, think again. There's a fourth dimension, a shadowy back story about race that has the sci-fi blogosphere engaged in its own war of the worlds.

Annalee Newitz, writing last week on her science blog io9, criticized "Avatar" for depicting yet another white man as a hero in the liberation struggles of oppressed people of color.

As happens in movies such as "District 9," "Dances With Wolves" and "The Last Samurai," Newitz wrote, "a white guy manages to get himself accepted into a closed society of people of color and eventually becomes its most awesome member."

I came away from "Avatar" with a similar feeling, although not nearly as strong as I had after watching, say, "Mississippi Burning," which portrayed the FBI as heroes of the civil rights movement.

And yet, I'd recommend seeing "Avatar," not only for the sensational special effects but also to participate in an important discussion about race.

As a movie summary, suffice it to say that an ex-Marine named Jake Sully uses futuristic means to transform himself from a human, or Sky Person, into a Na'vi cat person. Then he infiltrates the cat people to gather intelligence for a military invasion but ends up falling in love with a cat woman. A "race traitor" to his fellow humans, Sully leads the cat people in thwarting the military invasion.

"This is the essence of the white guilt fantasy, laid bare," Newitz wrote. "It's not just a wish to be absolved of the crimes whites have committed against people of color; it's not just a wish to join the side of moral justice in battle. It's a wish to lead people of color from the inside rather than from the (oppressive, white) outside. Think of it this way. Avatar is a fantasy about ceasing to be white, giving up the old human meatsack to join the blue people, but never losing white privilege."

The Moving Image blogger picked up that same theme. "Sully has the power to choose between being a dominating Sky Person or a Na'vi victim, which in the end yields greater power -- the audience's empathy. Only white men are privileged enough to have such choices."

Some might wonder how blue cat people become stand-ins for oppressed people of color. It's more obvious than it seems.

You can tell some cat people are Native Americans, for instance, because, as Newitz describes them, they "wear feathers in their hair, worship nature gods, paint their faces for war, use bows and arrows, and live in tribes."

In addition to Native Americans, I saw some cat people as black people in disguise. This racial effect is cleverly accomplished by using certain speech patterns and body language. One cat man spoke with a West Indian accent, for instance.

"By the end of the film, you're left wondering why the film needed the Jake Sully character at all," the Moving Image wrote. "The film could have done just as well by focusing on an actual Na'vi native who comes into contact with crazy humans who have no respect for the environment."

Newitz concluded: "Speaking as a white person . . . I'd like to watch some movies about people of color . . . from the perspective of that group, without injecting a random white . . . character to explain everything to me."

Eric Ribellarsi, writing on the anti-imperialist blog Fire Collective, fired back at the critics:

"This is not a story about a white man who goes to lead native peoples as their condescending savior. . . . It's a story about a backward white man who is transformed and takes up armed struggle against imperialism alongside them."

He cited the radical abolitionist John Brown as a possible template for the Sully character. In leading the fateful raid on the federal armory at Harpers Ferry, Brown, in effect, became a black man and gave his life in the fight against slavery.

Sully becomes blue and puts his life on the line for the Na'vi.

Personally, I prefer my sci-fi movies to be mindless escapism. But when it comes to a national discussion about race -- to the extent that there is one at all -- I accept the reality that Hollywood is the moderator and the Internet is the forum.

"Avatar" certainly keeps the discussion going.

The Michael Jackson FBI Files' Greatest Hits

12/23/2009 01:55:00 PM kenmouse , Posted in , , 0 Comments

So, while the Federal Bureau of Investigation wasn't catching Osama Bin Laden, it was piling up the paperwork on Michael Jackson.

The FBI today released seven files it compiled on the late singer from 1992 to 2005—333 pages of evidence-gathering, rambling letters from a guy who thought he was John Gotti's son and has really hard to read handwriting. Highlights include a heretofore undisclosed 1995 child-porn investigation, which went nowhere.

You can read all the files here yourself, or you can peruse the best lines, quotes and other stuff we found in 'em. Let's get started:

• "My interest is that half of Michael's estate is mines."—Faux Gotti Frank Paul Jones, who name-checked Jackson, President George W. Bush and, sure, why not, Earth Wind & Fire, among others, in a series of threatening letters from 1992.

• "I'll commit mass murder at a Michael Jackson concert if necessary, in an to murder Michael."—Same genius, upon becoming frustrated that his letters weren't having their intended effect: to get a meeting with Janet Jackson.

• "My Phone Sex With Star"—British tab article on pop star that FBI dutifully clipped out as part of its in-depth probe of unfounded 1993 Jackson child-molestation allegations.

• "Michael Jackson's Neverland Favorites An All Boy Anthology"—Label on a VHS tape "connected with Jackson," per the FBI's account. In 1995, the agency was called in by U.S. Customs to analyze the tape. Its findings: The tracking was, like, totally super-sucky. No charges were filed.

• "Nothing."—What the FBI found over and over again when it did a forensic search of Jackson's computers for the 2003-05 child-molestation case that resulted in Jackson's acquittal.

• Michael Jackson was a Mac! All the computers probed by the FBI were Apples.

• "A known New Black Panther Party member was observed to be present in the crowd during Jackson's first court appearance and was attired in black BDUs [Battle Dress Uniform]."—A 2004 "urgent" report on a request by local authorities for FBI assistance in policing the Michael Jackson trial, aka a "soft target for terrorism."

• The King of Pop had a driver's license?! Just like a regular, non-King of Pop person?! Yup. For a good time, go to page 8 of this file. The man even smiled for the DMV. (Not a bad picture at all.)

Steven Ma teases Linda Chung of having a "flat chest"

12/23/2009 01:55:00 PM kenmouse , Posted in , , , 0 Comments

Steven Ma and Linda Chung were promoting TVB up coming new series "A Watchdog's Tale" at the Olympian City" yesterday. Steven was worried that viewers may complain about him in the series. He told reporter "I play the role of someone who uses foul language, in particular, I often tease and make fun of Linda Chung's figure. I was worried that it may get censored, but it was not cut." Steven revealed that he had used the phrase like "flat chest" to describe Linda, but it was not meant to put woman down. This is the role he plays and he hopes viewers treat that as a comedy.

Talking about the dispute between TVB and the record companies, Linda said "I am not familiar with the way a company operates. I am not hoping to increase my chance of winning an award because of the dispute. My record sales have been good this year, I have reached "Golden" status last week. My song was top of the chart even before the dispute. I am very confident of winning an award in the future and I hope this dispute will be resolved soon"

HyoYeon, “I thought of leaving So Nyeo Shi Dae because I can’t adapt to the girlgroup image”

12/23/2009 01:55:00 PM kenmouse , Posted in , , , 0 Comments

So Nyeo Shi Dae HyoYeon talks about not being able to adapt to girlgroup image well and thought of leaving the group.


She revealed during her appearance on SBS Strong Heart on 22nd Dec about how she had times when she was confused when promoting as part of So Nyeo Shi Dae.

HyoYeon said, “I have performed with BoA on stage together before debut. I had danced behind a screen, playing as a shadow dance. I made a mistake when there was a sign that was not right, and staff scolded me ‘Are you going to be responsible if the performance screw up because of you?’. And I went to the toilet to cry.”

She added, “After 2 years, I went on the stage as part of So Nyeo Shi Dae. It was the time when I danced with confidence and self satisfaction. I also danced high-level dance which is tough for females to pull off, even though the audience may not know. But So Nyeo Shi Dae had debuted with cute dance, and I began to think and got confused that it doesn’t suit me.”

In the end, HyoYeon said, “I thought of giving up So Nyeo Shi Dae and go overseas to study on the dance I like. But such opportunities are hard to get.”

“So I decided that I shall show my dance through a variety of performances.” She performed her dance on the show and received loud applause from the audience.

Verizon Samsung Omnia II impressions

12/23/2009 01:54:00 PM kenmouse , Posted in , , , 0 Comments



When the Omnia II first appeared on our radar, two things caught our attention: TouchWiz 2.0 and Windows Mobile 6.5. To be honest, neither of these items really piqued our interest: we knew what to expect from WinMo and had serious reservations about Samsung's latest and greatest UI. That said, we were more than willing to suspend judgement until we saw her in action. With bullet points that include a 3.7-inch AMOLED display, 800MHz processor, and 8GB storage (before you even get to your microSD card), one could honestly hold out hope for a pretty decent product. Did the handset make for a satisfying, well-rounded smartphone? Or did it just find new ways of repeating the same old errors? You'll have to read on to find out.

Physical build

Opening the product box we're greeted by an uncluttered, some might even say "stylish" (though not us) handset. A little taller than your iPhone 3GS, although a shade thinner and narrower, the plastic is solid (doesn't feel like a toy), the silver running 'round the edges tasteful and understated, and the little bit of texture encompassing the handset buttons stands out and feels pleasant to the touch, unlike a similar (but less obvious) treatment on Sammy's Behold II. Also unlike the Behold II, this guy gets away with three front facing buttons (two handset controls and a center button select) to the Behold II's seven. Along the side lay the camera shutter button, lock / unlock button, and micro-USB port. On the backside we see an understated and easy to ignore red and black checkered finish, 5 megapixel camera, and a camera flash. Also included along the top, as one would expect, is a stylus.



Makin' calls

We can't really fault her here -- neither louder nor quieter than any other phone we've used lately, callers had no complaints about the call quality and neither did we. A couple speakerphone calls found the volume more than adequate. And to our delight, there were no silly missteps with the UI here: we've grown accustomed to having to make an extra step or two when placing calls on the Behold II, so it's a pleasure to actually be able to find contacts and then dial 'em up with a minimal amount of steps.

Interface


True, the Windows Mobile experience varies from phone to phone -- so it's not like we didn't expect TouchWiz to be all over this thing. We've had plenty of opportunities to play with various iterations of Samsung's beloved UI over the course of the year, from the odd dumphone to the Android-powered Behold II, and the implementation has been at best unremarkable, at worst a major inconvenience. With the Samsung Ultra Touch we encountered a more-than-capable phone that did little to excite us, but would be more than suitable for the target demographic. With the Behold II, we were taken aback: a more than capable OS was rendered less-than-useful by pervasive (and at times ill-considered) skinning. Sadly, it seems that the downward spiral has continued apace with the marriage of TouchWiz 2 and WinMo 6.5.


Unlocking the phone is a two step process: when you press the end call key or unlock key, you are again prompted to hit an unlock button on the touchscreen. This reviewer found himself constantly hitting the large center key first -- the way you would on any other phone, and then hitting the unlock key, making this essentially a three step process. Your mileage may vary, but we found it seriously annoying. Once inside the phone, one is easily overwhelmed by the apps and widgets coming at you from all directions -- either on the desktop (many of these widgets are little more than shortcuts to apps), in the redesigned Start menu (better use a stylus here, otherwise it's all too easy to select apps when you're trying to scroll past them), and in that painful Samsung "cube" interface. What's more, this handset -- an 800MHz beauty -- crawls along under the weight of all the excess baggage.

If all that weren't enough, the proximity detector doesn't work while TouchWiz is activated (which I learned after somehow switching the handset into airplane mode -- twice! -- while talking with the phone cradled between my ear and elbow), although it works like a champ when TouchWiz is deactivated.

Swype


As you've no doubt seen on these pages, Swype is a typing interface that uses predictive text software to guess which word you've typed while dragging (or "swiping") your finger back and forth between each letter. Swype does a very good job of predicting the correct word, and since its presence doesn't prevent you from using the keyboard in a traditional manner, we hope to see it on many more phones in the future.

If you check out the hands-on video that we ran last week (below), you can see a pretty good example of Swype in action.



Multimedia

The one area where the phone does fare well is as a multimedia device. The 3.7-inch touchscreen looks great and the colors are vivid, even if they're a little off (reds seem too strong, which we also noticed in camera / camcorder mode). But that ain't all: 8GB of onboard storage (above and beyond the microSD slot), native DivX/XviD support, FM radio with RDS, a standard 3.5mm audio jack with TV-out functionality, and DNSe and SRS sound are all solid features that should go a long way towards satisfying most anybody's portable media needs.


Samsung's camera interface is generally a winner, and this phone is no exception. It was also here that we noticed AMOLED display's preference for sharp reds: when using the camera, things tend to look considerably worse than when you display them, well, anywhere else. Indeed, this is a 5 megapixel cameraphone, so you can't expect too much from long shots or the digital zoom, but if you keep your subject close, stay in a well-lit area, and don't move around too much you'll get some pretty decent shots.

The same can be said for the video camera mode. We didn't get too much into it, but we do have a sample for you. (A warning for the faint of heart: a low-volume "f-bomb" can be heard at the tail end of the clip.)



Wrap-up

How can so much be right with a phone only to have the whole experience be so... wrong? An overburdened processor and some seriously strange UI choices have taken a device that should be just the thing for taking calls, listening to tunes, and taking the occasional picture or ten and made it a jittery, laggy, $200-on-contract whale. Of course, it's your call, but we think you deserve better than this.






OLPC shows off absurdly thin XO-3 concept tablet for 2012

12/23/2009 01:54:00 PM kenmouse , Posted in , , , 0 Comments



Still have a bit of faith left for the OLPC project? Good, you're gonna need it: designer Yves Behar has unveiled his latest concept design for the now-aiming-for-$75 vision, and it's all screen. Keeping with the newfound trend toward tablets, the XO-3 is an 8.5 x 11 touchscreen, coupled with a little folding ring in the corner for grip and a camera in the back. To keep things minimal the plan is to use Palm Pre-style induction charging, and less than a watt of power to keep an "8 gigaherz [sic]" (800MHz?) processor and a Pixel Qi screen powered. At half the thickness of an iPhone, this vision is obviously banking heavily on presumed technology advances by 2012 (the projected release date), but it's not too hard to see somebody making this form factor happen by then-ish. Nick Neg isn't all hubris, however: "Sure, if I were a commercial entity coming to you for investment, and I'd made the projections I had in the past, you wouldn't invest again, but we're not a commercial operation. If we only achieve half of what we're setting out to do, it could have very big consequences."








Acer (too) to launch Brew phones in 2010?

12/23/2009 01:54:00 PM kenmouse , Posted in , , , , 0 Comments

We know that Acer plans to introduce 8 to 10 new handsets next year, some with Android and others with Windows Mobile on board.

But it looks like the world’s second largest computer maker also wants to enter the featurephone market.

The company is considering “in-house development” of handsets based on Qualcomm’s Brew platform, in order to attract more interest from mobile operators, as well as to compete with HTC (we’ve already seen the Brew-based HTC Touch.B).

Brew aside, Acer has recently added 30 members to its Android R&D team, for strengthening “its handset design capability.” The new employees come from Mitac, which makes the Mio smartphones and Personal Navigation Devices. According to Taiwanese sources, Acer’s smartphone R&D team currently includes 400-500 people and it may be expanded to 750.

Three of Acer’s upcoming entry-level Android smartphones will use ST-Ericsson PNX6719 3G chipsets, being outsourced to Foxconn (the manufacturer of Apple’s 4th generation iPhone), while Acer’s entry-level Windows phones will be outsourced to Inventec.

Could the Vampire Craze Resurrect Moonlight?

12/23/2009 01:53:00 PM kenmouse , Posted in , 0 Comments

Don't know if you've heard, but vampires are all the rage these days.

With the success of Twilight, True Blood and The Vampire Diaries, bloodsuckers have taken over popular culture. It seems like anything involving creatures of the night is guaranteed to bring beaucoup bucks to the company producing it. Too bad, then, for CBS that it canceled cult-hit series Moonlight for low ratings just as the full wave of vampire mania was hitting.

But wait, if Moonlight was canceled way back when, why are rumors flying that it might come back? I've gotten many emails from you fans lately asking about this talk, and here's what I'm hearing from my sources...

Gabrielle Stanton, one of the show's original writers and executive producers, tells me exclusively that rumors about the resurrection of Moonlight have been greatly exaggerated. When I emailed to ask if the fan questions I was getting about a possible return had any basis in fact, Gabrielle replied, "Wow, no. This is the first I've heard about it. Will have to look into it, but I hope they don't get their hopes up too much."

Meanwhile, a CBS rep debunked reports that CBS had reopened an online comments forum asking fans to weigh in about the future of the show. Sad face.

It's not looking so good after all for a Moonlight miracle, but then again, CBS has pulled the plug on Alex O'Loughlin's Three Rivers, which means he's at least available to play Mick St. John again, should the opportunity arise.

T.I. Released From Prison

12/23/2009 01:52:00 PM kenmouse , Posted in , , 0 Comments

And you thought The King of the South was supposed to be sprung on March 10, 2010. Christmas arrived a few days early for one of the best-selling rappers of the decade. On Tuesday morning, 7 months into his scheduled 366 day stay behind bars, T.I. was released from Forrest City penitentiary.

T.I. Out of Jail – The 29-year-old rapper now must spend 3 months in a halfway house – where residents are allowed to leave for work and contact with family – and then another 23 days under house arrest. T.I. must also put in over 500 hours of community service to fulfill his obligations to society following his 2007 arrest and conviction for illegal possession of firearms. And no, time logged in front of the camera for his MTV reality series 'T.I.'s Road to Redemption' does not count towards that total.

His Crime – Clifford "T.I." Harris Jr. was arrested for illegally purchasing several machine guns and silencers from undercover cops just hours before a scheduled performance at the BET Hip-Hop Awards in October 2007. Additional illegal firearms were found in the rapper's College Park home during the sting, which was aided by one of T.I.'s busted bodyguards. Formerly convicted of a drug offense in 1998, T.I. is barred from owning or buying firearms of any kind. The possession of several unregistered weapons could have put the platinum-selling rapper in jail for a decade. But under the terms of his plea deal, in which T.I. agreed to use his celebrity to educate at-risk youth about the dangers of violence and gangs, the rapper received a reduced sentence.

His Accomplishments – T.I. has sold nearly 10 million records in the United States, landing his last 3 albums at the top of the Billboard 200, and appearing in 3 No. 1 singles: "My Love" (Justin Timberlake feat. T.I.), "Whatever You Like," and "Live Your Life." He's got 14 Top 40 hits to his name, appeared as a guest in several dozen charting singles, and he's the CEO of his own label Grand Hustle Records. He's also an actor, appearing in 'The O.C.,' 'ATL,' 'American Gangster,' and the upcoming thriller 'Takers,' which he is also executive producing.

Check it out “The Karate Kid”, “Valentine’s Day” “Knight & Day” Trailers

12/23/2009 01:52:00 PM kenmouse , Posted in , , 0 Comments

Sony Pictures has released the first trailer from The Karate Kid. Will and Jada’s 11-year-old son Jaden Smith replaces baby-faced Ralph Macchio in the title role, while Jackie Chan (taking over the role inspired by Pat Morita’s mentor) and Academy Award-nominated actress Taraji P. Henson come along for the ride in supporting roles.

In this remake — a revamped version of the 1984 motion picture of the same name — work pressures cause a single mother (Henson) moves to China with her young son (Smith); in his new home, the boy embraces karate, taught to him by a master of the self-defense form (Chan).

The Karate Kid hits theaters June 11, 2010.

Synopsis: “The Karate Kid, directed by Harald Zwart (The Pink Panther 2), stars Jaden Smith, Jackie Chan, and Taraji P. Henson. Smith plays Dre, a skateboarding video game buff who moves to China after his single mother is forced to go there for work. Unable to speak Chinese, Dre finds it hard to settle in, and gets beat up by the local bully. Chan plays Mr. Han, a maintenance man who spots his black-eye and offers to teach him both martial arts and Chinese, so he can defend against all the kung-fu students.”



“Valentine’s Day” Movie Trailer


Sweethearts Taylor Lautner and Taylor Swift share a smooch among an all-star cast in the eagerly-awaited romantic comedy Valentine’s Day.

The movie is about the much-debate — and sometimes hated — St. Valentine’s Day.

Take a look at the stars rubbing elbows as part of Valentine’s Day all-star ensemble: Taylor Lautner, Bradley Cooper, Anne Hathaway, Taylor Swift, Jessica Biel, Jamie Foxx, Ashton Kutcher, Julia Roberts, Jennifer Gardner, Emma Roberts, Topher Grace, Patrick Dempsey, Joe Jonas, Eric Dane, George Lopez, Queen Latifah, Shirley MacLaine, Christine Lakin, Carter Jenkins, Hector Elizondo, and more.

Valentine’s Day opens Feb. 12, 2010.



“Knight & Day” Trailer

Fox is bringing Knight & Day to theaters everywhere July 2, 2010.


Knight & Day centers on a lonely single (Cameron Diaz) whose blind date suddenly turns her life upside-down when super spy (Tom Cruise) takes her on a violent worldwide journey to protect a powerful battery that holds the key to an infinite power source.

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