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Did Anne Hathaway Chop Off Her Hair?

8/31/2010 12:45:00 PM kenmouse , Posted in , , 0 Comments

Where hath Anne Hathaway's hair gone?

The actress surfaced in Paris over the weekend with her wavy brown locks shorn to a cropped, boyish new 'do.

Why the dramatic new pixie? Hathaway, 27, debuted the shorter style for her role in the currently-shooting flick One Day. But don't be fooled: "It's a wig," the actress' rep tells UsMagazine.com.

Back in March, the Oscar-nominated actress complained to In Style magazine about her looks. "I think I've got really weird features...I have very large features on a very small head."

"You know, I'm not going to beat myself up," she added. "I look like myself, and I think at the end of the day, as nice as pretty is, authenticity is more important."

Hathaway has been dating actor Adam Shulman since 2008.

Jesse James, Kat von D Step Out Holding Hands

8/31/2010 12:44:00 PM kenmouse , Posted in , , , 0 Comments

I wanna hold your hand!

Jesse James and new love Kat von D were photographed hand-in-hand Sunday in Fredericksburg, Tex.. (James and his three kids recently moved to nearby Austin, where his ex-wife Sandra Bullock keeps a home.)

It's the first PDA shot of the tattooed twosome -- who were seen sharing a "passionate kiss" at a museum exhibit in Las Vegas August 15.

L.A. Ink star von D (real name: Katherine von Drachenberg) confirmed the relationship via Twitter two weeks ago, writing "Yes, Jesse and I are dating" -- and then deleted the post.

In a subsequent radio appearance on the Kevin and Bean radio show on L.A.'s KROQ-FM Thursday, she explained that she and James met when she was 22. "He had his show on Discovery; that's how we met. I was looking for some advice when I first started on Miami Ink," the star, now 28, said.

The tattoo artist added that she has forgiven James' widely publicized infidelity during his marriage to Bullock. "I am a believer that we're all human and we're all capable of making mistakes," she said. "I think if I were to be crucified for my drug addiction three years ago now, it would be hard to live with that. I'm sober now, and it's awesome. But I have made mistakes, too."

"I've got a lot of respect for Jesse and how he handled it," she added of James' conduct during the scandal.

Bullock, 46, has also moved on -- as a single mom to adopted son Louis, seven months. "Everything works out the way the universe wants it to work out," she says in a new TV interview with the Today Show's Matt Lauer, airing Tuesday.

Baby Louis is "my little Cajun cookie," she gushed.

What Will Apple Announce at Their Music-Centric September 1 Event?

8/31/2010 12:43:00 PM kenmouse , Posted in , , 0 Comments

Apple has finally made their September event official, and it's coming sooner than many expected—the "special event" will be held September 1 in San Francisco, and from the look of things it's going to involve music.

Some possible announcements:

• New, Facetime-ready iPod Touches?
• A 1.7" touch screen iPod Shuffle? (And some cases to add gas to the speculation have already started popping up.)
• The feverishly anticipated cloud-enhanced iTunes?
• The long-rumored $99 Apple TV?
• 99 cent TV show rentals through Apple TV?

The Apple-sound-hole-guitar suggests that Apple's music making products might get updates—perhaps new versions of Logic and Garage Band? I certainly wouldn't mind if they were overhauled to take advantage of the Magic Trackpad's multitouch goodness. Or how about Garage Band for the iPad? Hell, I'd just take some news on the iPad's jump to iOS 4.whatever.

And perhaps at this event we'll finally find out the answer to the mystifying question: Why on Earth did Lady Gaga visit the Apple offices? If Gaga and Steve Jobs appeared on stage together, the combined reality distortion would be so great that I'm not sure our planet would ever recover.

We'll see soon—very soon—enough.

[Market Watch and Engadget]

Microsoft: Android Hidden Costs Are Expensive

8/31/2010 12:43:00 PM kenmouse , Posted in , , , , 0 Comments

According to Business Insider, Microsoft says that Android's hidden manufacturing costs are much higher than their own $15-per-unit Windows Phone 7 license. They have some very good points, but others are not so good. Here are their arguments:

Good arguments

• Windows Phone 7 manufacturers are protected against IP lawsuits, unlike Android licensees (although one may argue that Google may be helping HTC behind the scenes).
• The Windows Phone 7 architecture allows for easy customization, using a plug-in architecture independent of the underlying OS. Microsoft argues that Android lacks this abstraction layer, which causes manufacturers to be slow in updating their customized Android versions. This, they say, reduces cost for the OEM, who doesn't have to re-tinker the whole thing every time Microsoft updates their mobile OS.
• Windows Phone 7 supports automated testing. Microsoft claims that Android doesn't, so the quality assurance phase is more expensive for Android handset manufacturers.

Not-so-good arguments

• Android manufacturers have to tailor the operating system to their device, creating drivers for various components—therefore incurring in extra development cost. Windows Phone 7 is plug and play, Microsoft says. Google can argue that manufacturers need to differentiate from each other and customization will always be needed.
• Android manufacturers need to pay licenses for must-have features standard in Windows Phone 7. However, the argument is not so strong because you can argue that Microsoft Office integration is not a must-have feature. Audio and video codecs, or location services, however, are must-have features that Microsoft argues that Android handset makers need to license.

Bad arguments

• Android manufacturers need to spend extra money to create "user experiences" comparable to Microsoft's own Metro UI, Zune or Xbox Live. While it's true that Windows Phone 7 has a nice user interface, Android manufacturers don't need to re-create this. They can happily use Google's own or ignore some features, which are not required for a phone to be successful.

If you buy the idea that Windows Phone 7 is going to rock everyone's socks off because of these features, then all of Microsoft's arguments are good. But until that's demonstrated, they would have to convince manufacturers to pay the $15 WP7 license fee based on the good arguments—which seem sound.

[Business Insider]

Google Voice Is A Hot Mess Right Now

8/31/2010 12:42:00 PM kenmouse , Posted in , , , 0 Comments

I think I liked Google Voice better back when it was hard to get an invitation. Back then it worked most of the time, and the infrequent outages were tolerable given how useful the service is overall. But over the last week the service has become spotty at best, and unusable at times. Given that I ported my phone number to Google I don’t have much choice but to soldier on in the short term – but Google needs to figure this out fast or they’ll lose me as a user.

What happened? In June Google Voice opened up for anyone to use, and there was clearly a surge of new people trying out the service. For the most part it weathered that storm. But last week Google launched Google Voice for Gmail, allowing users to make and receive calls right from the browser. It’s awesome. Truly useful. 1 million calls were made from Gmail in 24 hours.

Uh oh. That’s when the trouble started. About 30% of my inbound calls have the caller muted – they can hear me but I can’t hear them. And outbound calls are worse. In the last 24 hours at least 75% of them failed completely. Either it never starts ringing, or it rings a couple of times and then dies. In fact, I called Google PR to give them a heads up on this story and that call failed too. As did a second attempt.

From what I’m hearing this isn’t a short term surge issue, either. There are issues with Google’s core infrastructure conflicting with the type of system Google Voice needs to operate effectively, multiple sources have told me. And Google to date hasn’t made the investment needed to build a proper back end to the service that scales. That doesn’t really work for me as a user. If you wanna be a phone company, you can’t go dead.

Samsung Galaxy Tab is Verizon Wireless’ tablet

8/31/2010 12:42:00 PM kenmouse , Posted in , , 0 Comments

Guess what we have here, folks? Confirmation that the very sexy and very unannounced Samsung tablet device for Verizon Wireless is actually Samsung’s Galaxy Tab tablet. It is currently sitting pretty in Verizon’s internal systems, and a source of ours has sent in proof. Well, now that the mystery surrounding Samsung’s tablet is out, it won’t be long until we get to the bottom of Motorola’s slab device. According to our information, it should up the stakes on Samsung’s unit by running Android 3.0 and offering more screen real estate — 10″ worth.

Motorola XT300 leaks, it’s a portrait slider and runs Android

8/31/2010 12:41:00 PM kenmouse , Posted in , , 0 Comments

We've been wondering about this oddly intriguing mini Motorola portrait slider since we saw it back in July, and a new set of leaked photos today hasn't done anything to diminish our curiosity, since that keyboard looks pretty amazing. The reappearance of the red Droid eye seems to indicate this one's eventually destined for Verizon, but we'll see -- we're curious about the XT300 name being used in this photo set, which ties in with Moto's GSM naming scheme, and Verizon's reserved the Droid name for higher-end sets so far, while this thing looks like a mid-range Blur phone to us. Video after the break.

MySpace finally plugs into Facebook

8/31/2010 12:40:00 PM kenmouse , Posted in , , , 0 Comments

MySpace has finally made a concession of sorts: that rival Facebook has grown so dominant that not syncing up to its web of social connections would be a mistake. The News Corp.-owned social network, as was rumored late last year, has "synced" its service with Facebook (and Twitter) so that members can cross-post their status updates as well as shared content.

It's pretty self-explanatory, taking the recently revamped "stream" design of MySpace profiles and plugging in Twitter and Facebook's application program interfaces (APIs).

The "syncing" applies not only to individual MySpace users, but also bands and celebrities. One of the reasons why this is pretty imperative for MySpace is because it's in serious danger of losing out entirely to Facebook's "fan pages." MySpace gained much of its early traction because it was possible for independent musicians to establish a presence and manage a fan base there, something that lost its luster once Facebook's open-ended fan pages started to take off even more successfully than many had speculated.

"This is particularly exciting for the millions of musicians on MySpace who can now use this tool as a complement to their MySpace Music presence and share their vast library of content, including full album catalogs, to people who've liked their Facebook page," a release from MySpace explained.

Custom Droid X ROMs starting to break loose, eFuse be damned

8/31/2010 12:40:00 PM kenmouse , Posted in , , 0 Comments

Despite Motorola's best intentions to the contrary, the Droid X has been making steady progress toward viable custom ROMs, first with root access, then with a recovery method... and now, at long last, we're starting to get the first few glimpses at legit cooked firmware. The two options we're seeing so far are Sapphire -- originally designed for the Droid of old -- and a so-called "FlyX" ROM from longtime contributor Birdman. In both cases, the benefits of eschewing Motorola's standard builds are pretty obvious: you get Froyo, root, and a host of apps and capabilities preferred by the superuser crowd like surcharge-free mobile hotspot access. The process is a little involved to get these bad boys installed at this point, but with time, we're willing to bet it becomes a pretty painless endeavor. Follow the break for a quick video of Sapphire booting into stock Froyo on the X -- a tantalizing sight, indeed.

Samsung Fascinate launching on September 8?

8/31/2010 12:39:00 PM kenmouse , Posted in , , 0 Comments

We've seen these kinds of Verizon launch decks before, so we tend to believe the September 8 date we're seeing for the Fascinate here is legit -- granted, Wednesday is an odd day to launch a phone, but not a lot weirder than the Thursday, September 9 date we'd had before. Either way, it's looking like a sure thing that we're going to see this on shelves come next week, completing Sammy's impressive four-way coup to get its high-end Galaxy S line launched on all of the US nationals. Like the Droid 2 and Droid X, the Fascinate will feature Blockbuster Mobile to let you download full-length movies on the go -- in other words, that's a feature that won't be a Droid brand exclusive -- and Bing search will be installed out of the box, giving Microsoft a fun little foothold in Google's kingdom. So, who's buying? And while we're on the subject, why isn't this thing called the "Droid Fascinate?"

Samsung Epic 4G on Amazon for $199

8/31/2010 12:39:00 PM kenmouse , Posted in , , , 0 Comments

If you’re moving to Sprint to get yourself the Epic 4G — and have more patience than we do — you can save yourself about $50. Amazon has the Epic 4G listed on its website for $199 for new contract signers. If you’ve been debating whether to get the EVO or the Epic, and the $50 price difference was a factor you were weighing, your decision just got harder. Hit the read link to see Amazon’s deal for yourself. Be aware that you can’t see the $199 pricing on the phone until you add it to your cart.

Super Junior’s KyuHyun responds to his antis

8/31/2010 12:38:00 PM kenmouse , Posted in , , , , 0 Comments

On August 29th, Super Junior’s youngest member, KyuHyun, left a short but stern word for his Antis on his twitter account: @GaemGyu. He said, “I can stand it when you say bad things about me. You must have disliked something I did to do so. But don’t point your finger at my innocent family members and hurt them too… Think about what you’re writing before you write it.”

Now we know how mean Antis can get when they set their mind to hate a person. KyuHyun wouldn’t be the first celebrity to encounter this and he certainly won’t be the last, but that doesn’t make it any less serious. Particularly when innocent family members are brought into the mudslinging, which hurts them the most.

His fans showed him support by replying with:

“W.E L.O.V.E Y.O.U”

“Stay Strong”

“oppa, don’t lose it. they are not worth it.”

Will people now be more conscious of the venom in their words before they write any hurtful, negative comments? Hopefully.

Thanks to Mike for the tip.

George Hu is Park Shin Hye's combat butler

8/31/2010 12:37:00 PM kenmouse , Posted in , , , , , 0 Comments

GTV has just announced a new idol drama starring Korean actress Park Shin Hye and Taiwanese actor George Hu from K.O.3an Guo. The drama will be an adaptation of the popular manga/anime series “Hayate the Combat Butler” (旋風管家).


GTV is reportedly going to be paying for all expenses including plane tickets, hotel rooms and meals for the actress as well as her manager and assistant. She will also be bringing her own personal hair and makeup artist along during the two month filming period.

In preparing for the role, George Hu has been put under extensive training such as practicing martial arts, dancing, as well as singing. As the all-purpose combat butler, George is confident in showcasing not only his fighting skills, but also his ability to do house chores, “I’m great at cleaning the house. I’m also okay at cooking.” He even revealed that he once thought of becoming a chef too.

When Park Shin Hye visited Taiwan in the beginning of August, she met with George and had a hot pot dinner together. They didn't interact much due to the language barrier. George described Park Shin Hye as being “very quiet, skinny, and very cute," and looks forward to working with her.

As for GTV's other high profile project, "Extravagant Challenge", they have yet to make an official announcement on when filming will begin. Despite recent casting rumors, there was no mention of the drama's participation in the upcoming Taipei Television Festival. In addition to "Hayate", Meteor Garden producer Angie Chai will also promote her remake of "My Girl" starring Jimmy Lin at the showcase.

Just in case you missed it, here's Park Shin Hye on Super King. By the way, Local King Jacky Wu's daughter is the same age as her....



Part2 - Part3

Source: UDN / Video: sugoideas

Paris Hilton Gets No Special Treatment In Sin City

8/31/2010 12:37:00 PM kenmouse , Posted in , , 0 Comments

Paris Hilton was arrested over the weekend for possession of cocaine and the Las Vegas Police Department says it will give the socialite no special treatment.

"(She) received absolutely no special treatment. We are used to celebrities here. They are treated no differently than anyone else."


Police followed a cloud of marijuana smoke that was coming from Hilton's car, which was being driven by boyfriend Cy Waits. When they pulled the Cadillac Escalade over, Hilton asked to go into the Wynn casino for privacy. Once there she pulled out a tube of chopstick and a vile containing cocaine spilled out of her purse.

Waits was arrested on suspicion of DUI and Hilton was booked for alleged felony drug possession after a police officer found a suspicious-looking white powder in her purse. Hilton was checked into the Clark County Detention Center, but was freed in less than three hours - prompting rumors her celebrity status secured her a quick release. The only special treatment they received, Deputy Chief Jim Dixon says, was the protective isolation they were placed in at the station.

"If you stick somebody in like her or somebody else who's famous, all of a sudden it's disruptive," Dixon said. "We're under obligation to make sure that everybody is kept safe."

Hilton's social status still might help her beat the case though. Since she asked to move to the Wynn to be questioned by police, she can claim that the purse was not hers. A source explained to Radaronline that Paris was taken into the security offices at the Wynn and searched there.

"Cops discovered the cocaine inside the security offices where Paris was taken," the source said. "Because Paris was taken away from the scene where the car was pulled over, this could potentially be an illegal search of a person ... Las Vegas Metro didn't follow standard procedures when Paris was arrested and her lawyer will be talking to the D.A. about this."

Hilton is claiming the purse belongs to a friend, but since it was just her and Waits in the car, it is difficult to see how that can be true.

She tweeted a message to her fans last night.



"I'm so thankful to all my fans for all the love and support you are giving me. Thank you all. Love you so much. Love Paris xoxo"

Waits and his brother Jesse were club promotors at the Wynn. They have since been fired.

Julianne Moore Bulgari Ad Banned In Venice

8/31/2010 12:36:00 PM kenmouse , Posted in , , 0 Comments

Actress Julianne Moore is looking fab at 49 — but try telling that to the censors in Venice!

A saucy jewelry ad featuring the actress/author wearing diamonds and a smile has been booted in the Italian city after officials there deemed the billboard “inappropriate.”

Moore stripped off for a recent shoot for Bulgari handbags and plans were in place to erect a promotional poster in the city’s famous St Mark’s Square. But Venice’s recently elected mayor, Giorgio Orsoni, deemed the picture – which shows Moore posing with two lion cubs and a strategically-placed handbag — too risque for public consumption.



“An advertisement showing a nude woman on a divan is not appropriate for St Mark’s Square,” Orsoni said.

The billboard will be replaced with a less racy one of the actress fully dressed and modeling Bulgari jewelry.

Fergie Goes Back to Blonde!

8/31/2010 12:36:00 PM kenmouse , Posted in , , 0 Comments

It looks like Fergie is having a golden moment. After rocking brunette locks for more than a year, the Black Eyed Peas frontwoman has traded in her raven-colored tresses and reverted back to blonde hair! The singer, who was spotted playing up her lighter side while performing at the Sunset Strip Music Festival with former Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash in Los Angeles on Saturday, made the change for her new role as the spokesperson for Avon’s Advanced Techniques, reports InStyle.com. The 35-year-old songstress, who will also launch her first scent with the beauty giant in September, is never one to shy from switching up her style, telling PEOPLE last year, “I’m not scared of change at all,” when she traded blonde for brunette.

Bradley Cooper, Ryan Reynolds To Star In Buddy Cop Film

8/31/2010 12:35:00 PM kenmouse , Posted in , , , 0 Comments

Duo will reportedly play police officers who are forced to work on a case with their fathers.

Deadpool and the A-Team's Faceman may soon be fighting crime together. It's an odd pairing that will be made even stranger by the fact that each will bring his dad along.

Heartthrob Ryan Reynolds and equally heartthrobby Bradley Cooper are attached to star together in an untitled action comedy, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The duo will star as a pair of San Francisco cops who are forced to work with their former-cop fathers on a case. THR reports that the comedy is "meant to have an updated 'Lethal Weapon' flavor that plays into edgier R-rated territory," so expect profanity and lewd behavior to go along with the high body count.

The script comes from "Up in the Air" scribe Sheldon Turner, who reportedly sold it for a seven-figure sum. The pitch was first developed by producers Neal Moritz and Andrew Panay five years ago with the title "Blowback"; back then, Dwayne Johnson was attached as one of the stars. Moritz and Panay are producing this second crack at the concept, as are J.C. Spink and Chris Bender of the production company Benderspink and Jonathon Komack Martin of Reynolds' Dark Trick Films. No studio is set yet, but Moritz and Panay are set up at Sony.

Reynolds has spent this summer shooting and promoting next summer's "Green Lantern" adaptation. He'll show up next month in Lionsgate's indie thriller "Buried." Reynolds is also supposed to be reprising his 2009 role as the joke-cracking mercenary Deadpool in a reboot of the character that Robert Rodriguez may direct.

Cooper showed up earlier this summer as Faceman in "The A-Team." He's got a sequel to the smash 2009 comedy "The Hangover" lined up for a May release. He also recently finished shooting for Neil Burger's sci-fi thriller "The Dark Fields" with Robert De Niro and Abbie Cornish.

Sprint stores open at 8 am tomorrow for Samsung Epic 4G launch. HTC Evo 4G is back, but stocks are low

8/31/2010 12:35:00 PM kenmouse , Posted in , , , , 0 Comments

It’s been a very long time coming, but the Samsung Epic 4G, Sprint’s version of the ubiquitous Galaxy S, will be available starting tomorrow. Sprint is busy preparing for the big launch of its second “4G” capable smartphone, and those of you who just can’t wait to get it have got some good news to chew on till morning.



Sprint stores will open at 8 am tomorrow to be able to cope with the demand for this Android-powered beast. So, perhaps you should get up early to pick one up. It will cost you $249.99 with a new 2-year contract, which, arguably, is a bit steep. If you’d rather save $50, Amazon still has it for $199.99. Buying from them will let you avoid the queues inside Sprint stores, though you may have to wait a couple of days longer to get your hands on the device. The choice is yours.

Sprint’s first “4G” smartphone, the HTC Evo 4G, has, as expected, become available again, after a big shortage. Get yours soon though, as stocks are low. The official word from Sprint is “limited quantities available for a limited time”, so it won’t hurt to hurry if you crave the Evo.



There’s no more info on when the supply of Evo 4Gs will catch up with the demand. For Sprint’s and HTC’s sake, let’s just hope it will be soon.

New test build of Windows 7 SP1 goes to select Microsoft partners

8/31/2010 12:34:00 PM kenmouse , Posted in , , , 0 Comments

Microsoft has released a beta refresh of its Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 Service Pack (SP) 1 to selected PC and Technology Adoption Program (TAP) partners, company officials confirmed on August 30.

Microsoft made the refresh build — the build number of which is said to be Build No. 7601.17077 — available to a select group of testers on August 27. There’s no word (so far) on whether there is anything new in that refresh.

“A private interim release went out Friday as part of our normal feedback loop with a small group of our testers – our TAP and OEMs,” a company spokesperson told me via e-mail when I asked about the refresh.

The spokesperson said Microsoft would not comment on whether the company will release to the public another interim SP1 build before the first service pack is released to manufacturing. Microsoft officials said earlier this summer that the company is planning to deliver the final SP1 code in the first half of 2011, and the spokesperson said on August 30 that Microsoft is still on track with that stated release date.

Many Microsoft watchers, partners and customers had been expecting Microsoft to deliver the final SP1 bits before the end of calendar 2010. Microsoft officials have stressed that the client version of SP1 does not include any new features or funcitonality. (Windows 7 SP1 includes a few pieces of functionality that Microsoft hasn’t made available via Windows Update or through various security patches. Company officials said these are “enhancements,” rather than new features.These “enhancements” include things such as support for more third-party federation services; improved HDMI audio device support; and XPS printing fixes.)

The server version of SP1 includes two new virtualization-focused features: RemoteFX and a dynamic-memory adjustor for Hyper-V. I’ve heard speculation that the server version of SP1 is what’s holding back the delivery of the client version, but have not heard this from any Microsoft officials.

Microsoft released a public beta of SP1 in mid-July.

Microsoft officials have been adamant that consumers and business customers don’t need to wait for SP1 to deploy Windows 7 and/or Windows Server 2008 R2. Still, a number of business customers use the release of SP1 as a milestone in terms of planning their deployments of a new operating system.

Xbox Live Gold price increasing November 1 in US, UK, Canada, and Mexico

8/31/2010 12:33:00 PM kenmouse , Posted in , , , , 0 Comments

Well, this is sad and unexpected: Microsoft's Major Nelson just announced that Xbox Live Gold will be getting more expensive in the US, UK, Canada, and Mexico starting November 1. A single month will go from $7.99 to $9.99, three months will go from $19.99 to $24.99, and the yearly sub will now be $59.99, up from $49.99. Yes, it's super lame, but to make up for it Microsoft's running a quickie "lock in" promo for a discounted $40 one-year Gold sub starting November 1 -- a nice deal if your subscription is set to expire around then, we suppose. We're definitely wondering why Microsoft is jacking Live prices right before launching Kinect and the gaming-focused Windows Phone 7, though -- we've heard theories ranging from an attempt to increase Entertainment and Devices revenue to a simple inflation adjustment. We'll poke around -- and we're guessing there's about to be a run on Gold upgrade cards.

Apple To Reignite The iPod Fire With Hot New Models This Week? Yep.

8/31/2010 12:32:00 PM kenmouse , Posted in , , , 0 Comments

Apple has an event on the books for this coming Wednesday and it’s widely expected that Steve-O will announce new iDevices, specifically an iOS-version of the Apple TV and new iPods. Most of the pre-iTV news is purely speculative as we really don’t know much about it, although it should hit at a lower price point and a new cloud-based iTunes should debut alongside the device. Forget about the cable TV assault for a quick minute though. Let’s talk about these new iPods. If things go down as the leaks seem to say, you might actually want a dedicated PMP device again. The iPod is set to have a second coming.

There’s been more than a few leaks concerning the upcoming iPods as of late. The next iPod touch incarnation is said to have at least a front-facing cam, which if true, seems to scream Facetime integration. Suddenly the iPod touch turns into more than a media player. It would be a pre-iPhone. If you will, a device where timid consumers can taste what the iPhone is all about free of a contract while enjoying Facetime with all their iPhone buddies. Housewives, BlackBerry-addicted business types, even kids tied to their parent’s cell phone contracts might wanna jump on the Apple Fanboy train just for the WiFi video calling fun.

Apple could pop-out this thing for the holiday season and then turn around in 2011 with a Verizon iPhone to a substantially more educated consumer base. No doubt a good chunk of the iPod touch Facetime owners would feel better about renewing with a Verizon (or T-Mobile) iPhone 4 now that they’re more familiar with the platform and already have a Facetime device.

But if the rumors are true, even the updated iPod nano might be a must-have. The rumor mill states that the sixth-generation device nano (wow, 6th) is to be significantly smaller than the current crop. So small that it will be shuffle-sized with the entire front face featuring a touchscreen. Another set of cases leaked today which seem to confirm that notion, although the same thing happened last year when the iPod touch was supposed to get a camera. (that didn’t happen)

These cases seem to indicate that the new Nano, while tiny, will feature the ubiquitous 30-pin Apple dock connector. Something that the iPod shuffle can’t say. But the nano must have a dock connector if it’s to be considered a serious PMP. Without the dock connector, it will not work with the thousands of docks and speaker sets currently available, therefore cutting out a huge owner base.



The small screen, however, might not be ideal for watching feature films, but should be good enough to provide Cover Flow eye candy along with a pretty UI. Of course it could be for iOS, but that doesn’t seem likely. The resolution and screen format is different from any other iDevice, therefore likely killing most of the available apps and uses. No, it’s more likely that Apple will opt for a clever, but limited user interface that takes advantage of the button-less screen.

Apple doesn’t do boring and these upcoming iDevices — the iTV and new iPods — seem anything but. Of course we really don’t know anything about these items besides what unverified rumors and random silicon cases state. But if anything, Apple is slightly predictable nowadays. The company follows a the same strict release policy and Apple’s products are rarely revolutionary, but rather confident evolutionary strides. Fine by me. Building upon successful products seems like a solid business practice.

Google Chrome Shows Off What HTML5 Can Do With Arcade Fire Video

8/31/2010 12:32:00 PM kenmouse , Posted in , , , , 0 Comments

Google is a big proponent of HTML5, especially for video and rich graphics in the browser. To show off what HTML5 can do, Google Chrome teamed up with the Arcade Fire and director Chris Milk to create a custom interactive video for their song, “We Used To Wait.” The experience is called The Wilderness Downtown and is best viewed in Chrome or other HTML5-compliant browser.

You start by typing in the address of the house you grew up in, then it loads a video of a guy in a hoodie running through the streets. Different windows pop open on your screen, some with graphics, some with videos. Google Maps and Street View images of your old neighborhood are incorporated into the video. All the video is in HTML5, different windows open up triggered by the music, and you even see a fly-over of your neighborhood based on Google Maps’ routing API.

The graphics are pretty impressive too. Shadows of birds are superimposed over the Google Maps birds-eye view of your neighborhood, and animated trees are plopped into the street using the Street View image and some boundary detection software. You can also write a note to your former self in a beautiful tree-root font or draw a picture, all using HTML5 font and drawing tools. These notes and drawing will be used in future Arcade Fire concerts.

The video is almost as cool as playing Quake in your browser. Except that it is very processor-intensive, and it suggests that you close all other tabs and quit other programs before starting. But that’s why it’s called an experiment.

Nintendo slashes price of DSi, DSi XL: $150, $170

8/31/2010 12:32:00 PM kenmouse , Posted in , , , , 0 Comments

Nintendo on Monday announced that it will drop the retail price of its Nintendo DSi and DSi XL video game systems to $149.99 and $169.99, respectively.

The prices go into effect Sept. 12, just in time for the very beginning of the fourth quarter and its holiday sales.


The company said its Nintendo DS Lite model will remain at a retail price of $129.99.

Both systems feature two built-in cameras and photo- and sound-manipulation software, as well as the ability to wirelessly upload photos to Facebook via wireless broadband Internet connectivity.

According to the NPD Group, sales of its DS family of portable video game systems surpassed 42.3 million in the U.S. through the end of July.

BlackBerry Curve 3G 9300 for T-Mobile USA available September 8 for $79.99

8/31/2010 12:31:00 PM kenmouse , Posted in , , 0 Comments

T-Mobile USA has unveiled the launch date of the BlackBerry Curve 3G 9300: September 8.

The new Curve (the first to feature 3G connectivity) will cost $79.99 with a new 2-yr contract agreement, coming in two color versions: silver and lavender.

The smartphone will run BlackBerry OS 5 at launch, but RIM promised an update to OS 6 would come later this year.

BlackBerry Curve 3G is already available in Canada and the UK, and it will be launched in Australia and Malaysia next month.

Kara reveals “2Me” MV

8/31/2010 12:31:00 PM kenmouse , Posted in , , , 0 Comments

A few days ago Kara revealed a teaser for the videogame soundtrack ‘WE ONLINE‘. Fortunately for us, the girls released the full MV and audio for ‘2ME’, the title of their catchy song.



The upbeat vibe of the song goes perfectly with their cute images. I can see the song becoming a hit already!







Twins recalls old memories of lip syncing

8/31/2010 12:30:00 PM kenmouse , Posted in , , , 0 Comments

Alan tam, hacken Lee and Twins arrived at Macau the night before a concert. Twins members Gillian Chung (Ah Gil) was performing and the microphones suddenly failed on her, and even when she switched to another one, it still did not help. In the end, Charlene Choi continued to show off the spirit of Twins, by sharing a microphone with Ah Gil. Twins expressed that it is not the first time that these little accidents happened, but there are only memories through experiences. They also revealed that this is the first time they are performing in Macau, when the two girls weren't famous yet, Ah Sa said: "We only depended on lip syncing that time. At the time we didn't even have a group name yet, the MC used "Hong Kong Newest Duo" to introduce us into the stage, couldn't help but laugh a little."

Also, Alan and Hacken teased the MC Fala Chen on stage, Hacken said: "I asked about Fala's limit before, she's really ok with anything. (Next time talk about Marge Zhuge?) No, who is that? I don't know this thing!"

Source: Oriental Daily
Translator: aZnangel@asianuniverse

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