Two new iPhones surface in AppleTV firmware

One of the places that we often learn about new Apple devices ahead of their launch and unveil is inside of the firmware for other Apple gear. 9to5Mac has posted up a screen grab from the firmware for the new AppleTV that shows three interesting devices.



The current iPhone 4 is known by Apple as the 3,1. The firmware shows two new iPhones with the tags 3,2 and 3,3. What exactly those devices are is unknown, but it would be easy enough to guess they might be the long talked about Verizon and T-Mobile iPhones.

A third device has also been spied in the firmware with the cryptic unknwonHardware tag. Who knows what that is, perhaps the 7-inch iPad?

iSuppli: new iPod nano costs around $45 to manufacture


Analytics company iSuppli has completed their analysis of Apple’s sixth-generation iPod nano. The company concludes that the small, square, touch-screen media player costs the Cupertino company $45.10 to manufacture; $43.73 in materials and $1.37 in manufacturing costs. The most expensive components on the device are the 8GB of NAND Flash memory ($14.40), the display ($11.50), and the Samsung processor ($4.95). Apple sells 8GB model of the device for $149. Not a bad profit margin, eh?

Se7en reveals “I’m Going Crazy” MV


Earlier we reported that Se7en was to act alongside his actress girlfriend Park Han Byul in his upcoming music video. It has just recently been confirmed that the MV was in fact for Se7en’s follow-up track, ‘I’m Going Crazy‘, which was just released on Se7en’s official Youtube channel.

The music video displays Se7en and Park Han Byul constantly arguing over trivial matters, which hopefully is not what their real relationship is like.

Check out the music video below!

Ain't No Stopping TVXQ's Trio In China

Despite setbacks in their activities in Korea and more recently Japan, TVXQ's trio, Xiah Jun-su, Micky Yoo-chun, and Hero Jae-joong, have no plans of stopping their activities in China.


According to news sources in Shanghai, China, the three segregated members of the idol group TVXQ are planning on participating in the 2010 East Asia All Stars Concert. This bit of news comes during a bad time for the trio. It was just announced on the 16th that they were forced to put a halt to their Japanese activities. This left Chinese fans on the edge of their seats in fear that China was next to be affected. Reps of the the three confirmed that because AVEX (the company overseeing their activities in Japan) is not in any way related to their activities in China, Chinese fans can rest at ease.

The last time the three members were able to greet their fans in China was in 2009 for their Asia Tour "Mirotic In Shanghai". This upcoming event will be a long-awaited reunion of the trio and their fans in the country abroad.

2010 acquisitions--Microsoft: 0 Google: 23

A recent blog post from information service provider CB Insights reveals a truly shocking piece of news--that Microsoft has announced zero acquisitions so far in 2010, while Google has acquired 23 companies, 75 percent of which are venture financed or angel-backed.

Somewhat perversely, Twitter, which still can't figure out a sustainable revenue model, made three acquisitions related to social media and analytics, while IBM absorbed much of the enterprise software market. In fact, there were only a few acquisitions--primarily hardware related--that wouldn't have been interesting to Microsoft.



There are no doubt a multitude of reasons why Microsoft hasn't been down the acquisition path this year, perhaps the biggest of which is the sting of the failed acquisition of Yahoo. But, whatever the reasons, Microsoft is losing out not just on the top start-up technologies, but also on the best talent available.

And while I stopped Microsoft bashing a number of years ago, this illustrates the continued existence of the company's myopic view and self-obsessed approach to the software industry. Certainly the company can afford to buy nearly any (and every) start-up, and there have been a wide range of companies that had technologies that could have increased market share in a number of areas--mobile, search, and social networking all come to mind.

Apple Has Already Approved The Official Google Voice App For iPhone, Expect It Soon

The App Store review office at 1 Infinite Loop has officially frozen over: we’ve gotten word that the official Google Voice application is on its way to the iPhone in the next few weeks. In fact, we’ve heard from a source close to Google that it’s already been approved — Google just needs to revamp the application to work with the iPhone 4 and iOS’s multitasking capabilities. If you’re a Google Voice user and you’re on an iPhone, this is great news.

It’s been a long, long road to get here. Last July, we broke the news that Apple had blocked the official Google Voice application, which eventually sparked an FCC inquiry into the matter. Apple claimed that the application “duplicated existing functionality”, which didn’t do much to convince anyone as it subsequently accepted similar apps. Nothing happened for well over a year, and the odds of Google Voice ever making its way to the iPhone, at least as a native application, seemed bleak.

Everything changed on September 9, when Apple published a set of guidelines telling developers which applications would not be allowed into the App Store — and none of the rules seemed to apply to Google Voice. Rumors started swirling that third-party Google Voice apps might soon make their way to the App Store, and sure enough, a handful of applications have since been approved.

BoA releases MV for ‘Copy & Paste’


Though she’s already finished her round of comeback stages with her new track “Copy & Paste,” the music video wasn’t released till just now.

BoA has done it again. I thought her performances were hot, but her futuristic choreography looks even better in the music video.

Who else can pull off these moves like this?

Check it out below:

5 Reasons the Media Cover Apple So Much

A study published Monday drew on a host of metrics to conclude something we all already knew: The media covers Apple more than any other company.

In the past year, headlines about Apple took up 15.1 percent of tech news coverage, while articles about Google constituted about 11.4 percent, and a meager 3 percent were about software giant Microsoft, according to the Pew Research Center study.

Guilty as charged.

Here at Wired.com we confess that we write about Apple more than any other company. Cuff us. But first, hear our reasons why we opt to cover the big A more than its rivals.

AVG 2011 banks on better performance

The never-ending mantra chanted by security suite vendors sounds a lot like "faster scans, easier to use, better performance," and AVG has released a new version that it says accomplishes all three. AVG Anti-Virus Free 2011, available today exclusively from CNET Download.com, looks and feels like an overall better program.



The new AVG Free has a faster installation process. It's not as zippy as the minute-long installations that some of AVG's competitors offer. I found that the program can go from completed download to ready to use in about five minutes. A big contributing factor to that is that AVG has cut down the number of install screens users see, from 13 in the previous version to 5 in the 2011 version.

Kno single-screen tablet textbook hands-on: all the power in half the size


If you've been following tech news today, you'll know two tablets are coming down the pike -- RIM's BlackBerry Playbook, and a single-screen version of the Kno textbook tablet from the artist formerly known as Kakai. Running across San Francisco to a Kno meet-up, we got to see the new unit for ourselves, and discovered this interesting little tidbit: it's got all the same hardware inside. How? Find out after the break.

Joe Jonas Solo Album

Is it the end of The JoBros as we know them? Unfortunately, we aren’t that lucky.

The purity ring isn’t the only giant “Loser Stick” Joe Jonas is ditching these days. With a tap in his step, a beat in his heart, and inspired by “a sexier, Justin Timberlake” vibe than the family-friendly bubble gum tunes that made him a heartthrob, the middle JoBro is declaring musical independence from his Disney band of brothers to pursue a solo career, squeals in-the-know told E! Online on Monday.

Now 21, Joe is eager to showcase a new “dangerous sound,” and he’ll do just that with the release of a solo album, tentatively set for release early next year. In fact, Joe’s even getting a makeover for the occasion — swapping his trademark suit and tie for a T-shirt and leather jacket.

Insiders at Hollywood Records, label home of The Jonas Brothers, assure fanatics that the curly-topped boy banders won’t be disband anytime in the near future. But with oldest sib Kevin hitched (and presumably catching up on the endless hours of sex he missed out on thanks to that damn chasity vow), the time seemed right for Joe to take on a bit of a side project. (You know, besides writing “Dear John” letters to his girlfriends.)

The youngest Jonas Brother — Nick — released his top-selling solo single “Who I Am” in late 2009.

An Amazon Android Tablet May Follow The Amazon Android App Store

Okay, we know now that Amazon is on the verge of releasing an Android-based app store. But last week, before we knew that, we got an interesting tip that such a move was coming soon — this week, actually. And that tip came with a bonus attached — the tipster also heard that Amazon was going to be releasing an iPad competitor alongside the store.

Now, unlike the app store, we don’t have any further information to verify this tablet. But again, this tipster nailed the app store part of this news — and knew a couple other tidbits that turned out to be true. So it certainly seems possible that they’re right again.

There have been plenty of rumors that Amazon is hard at work on hardware beyond its Kindle device. But the Kindle runs Amazon’s own software — presumably this new tablet would run Android (for the app store to work). Others have speculated about this possibility in the past. No word on what this would mean for the up and coming Kindle apps.

We’re digging for more information about this. Stay tuned.

Clamps tightly on Charmaine Sheh while lying down, Raymond Lam is very blessed

Have money and face, after Raymond Lam won the "Asia-Pacific Most Popular Hong Kong Male Singer" award, he has been accepting series and movies becoming very busy. The day before, Raymond appeared with Charmaine Sheh on the streets in West District to shoot on location for TVB new series Colorful World of Sister Fa. That afternoon, the most exciting part was when Raymond gets to enjoy Charmaine in public, as his whole body goes over Charmaine and treated her chest area as his pillow. The pitiful Charmaine had to take it all in and couldn't make a sound at all!

In Sister Fa, Raymond plays a rich and spoiled guy and is very blessed on camera. That day, it was seen that the director requested that the “mentally challenged" Charmaine lie down on the street and let Raymond, who was just passing by, to dive on top of her and check her heartbeat. In the end, Charmaine misunderstood that he was a pervert and attacked him. Even though there were lots of onlookers surrounding the location, Raymond was still fearless and used Charmaine’s chest as a pillow, the scene looked very exciting.

Ultimate Tablet Showdown: iPad vs. PlayBook vs. Galaxy Tab vs. Slate


The iPad's finally got some competition; in the past few weeks, the HP Slate made a brief appearance, the Samsung Galaxy Tab debuted, and just BlackBerry unveiled its business-minded PlayBook today. Here's how they all measure up:

'Breaking Dawn' Casts Maggie Grace As Irina

'Lost' and 'Taken' actress will play a 'vegetarian' vampire who turns on the Cullens.

With production set to begin very soon, "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 1" continues to add members to its already-crowded cast.

Last month we learned that "The Pacific" actor Rami Malek had joined the "Dawn" ranks in the role of Egyptian vampire Benjamin. On Monday (September 27), it was reported that "Lost" and "Taken" actress Maggie Grace has signed on to play "vegetarian" vampire Irina.

A rep from Summit Entertainment confirmed the casting to MTV News, and the original story appeared first on Deadline.com.

So who is Irina? Those familiar with Stephenie Meyer's source material will recall that she is a member of the Denali coven, one of the only other "vegetarian" vampire covens and allies with the Cullens — that is, until Irina blames the family for the death of her former lover, Laurent, and vengefully reveals a Cullen family secret to the Volturi.

The other "Dawn" newbie, Benjamin, is a member of the Egyptian coven who comes to help Bella and the Cullens battle the Volturi. Benjamin is a young vamp blessed with the special ability of controlling the elements (à la Storm from X-Men), though he has yet to fully master his powers.

"I think it's going to be great," Rami told "ET" of his joining the cast last month. "It's going to be super exciting, and I'm thrilled."

Summit announced in June that "Breaking Dawn" would be divided into two parts; the first of the two films is scheduled to hit theaters November 18, 2011, and the second on November 16, 2012.

New HTC, full-QWERTY device destined for Verizon breaks cover


Hi there HTC Android fans, we have another present for you! We’ve just been sent in a handful of images of a new, unseen HTC handset that is destined for Verizon Wireless. This sleek, all-black, full-QWERTY Android 2.2 handset has all the makings of a flagship handset, including a 5 megapixel camera, micro-SD card slot, and SIM card for global roaming capabilities. The device has the model name ADR6325 and looks like it will be keeping the DROID 2 World Edition company in Verizon’s lineup. Kind of like we said back in August. What are you waiting for?! You know the other twelve images are beckoning you.

Yvonne Strahovski Talks 'Chuck,' DeNiro and Pierogis

Yvonne Strahovski plays Sarah Walker, Chuck's love interest in the NBC hit-series 'Chuck.' The 28-year-old Aussie bombshell talked to PopEater about what's new this season, shooting with Bobby D, and about one of our editors who harbors a deep seated crush on her.

What can we expect this season?
We have a lot more guest stars than we've ever had. We have Linda Hamilton as Chuck's mother. We're sort of more into the relationship between Chuck and Sarah now, because they're an item and they're dating. Sarah is adjusting to having a boyfriend, and it's about the mission to find Chuck's mother.

Didn't you guys almost get canceled?
The fans really rallied and their loyalty amazed us.

Did you notice a difference in the budget? Like less bagels at craft services?
No, but we noticed it with the schedule. We were originally shooting an episode in eight days and now we shoot them in seven days. The days are really long, that's the biggest battle for me everyday, the hours. Most anyone who does a one hour show will tell you that. It really is tough, I can't deny it. It's like anywhere from 12 to 18 hour days. We sometimes see the sunrise.

iPad vs. PlayBook... fight!


Okay, we've got a long way to go before we can do a fair, apples-to-berries comparison between these two titans of industry, but consider this your first sneak preview of the deathmatch to come. As we mentioned in the previous post, the PlayBook is hopelessly locked away in insanely thick Plexiglas -- and the iPad is unactivated, though that doesn't much matter for getting a sense of the size comparison between 'em. Needless to say, the PlayBook looks way easier to lug around... but we just won't know by how much until we've got one resting in our sweaty, eager palms. Hit up more pics!

RIM announces BlackBerry PlayBook tablet & First eyes-on


Today, at the BlackBerry Developer Conference (DevCon), RIM CEO Mike Laziridis announced the BlackBerry Playbook. The PlayBook has a 7-inch hi-res widescreen display, is 9.7 mm thick, supports Flash 10.1 with hardware accelerated video, HTML 5, 1080p video, has non-proprietary HDMI and USB connections, full-HD front and rear-facing camera, support for dual-displays (with use of HDMI cable), will be able to connect with BlackBerry Enterprise Servers out of the box via Bluetooth secure pairing to BlackBerry. The device will have a 1 GHz dual-core processor (with symmetrical multiprocessing capabilities) and 1 GB RAM. The device OS, which is developed by QNX, is POSIX based and will get a native SDK which supports Adobe Air, Flash, and OpenGL 2.0.

Official Specifications
  • 7” LCD, 1024 x 600, WSVGA, capacitive touch screen with full multi-touch and gesture support
  • BlackBerry Tablet OS with support for symmetric multiprocessing
  • 1 GHz dual-core processor
  • 1 GB RAM
  • Dual HD cameras (3 MP front facing, 5 MP rear facing), supports 1080p HD video recording
  • Video playback: 1080p HD Video, H.264, MPEG, DivX, WMV
  • Audio playback: MP3, AAC, WMA
  • HDMI video output
  • Wi-Fi – 802.11 a/b/g/n
  • Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
  • Connectors: microHDMI, microUSB, charging contacts
  • Open, flexible application platform with support for WebKit/HTML-5, Adobe Flash Player 10.1, Adobe Mobile AIR, Adobe Reader, POSIX, OpenGL, Java
  • Ultra thin and portable:
  • Measures 5.1”x7.6”x0.4” (130mm x 193mm x 10mm)
  • Weighs less than a pound (approximately 0.9 lb or 400g)
  • Additional features and specifications of the BlackBerry PlayBook will be shared on or before the date this product is launched in retail outlets.
  • RIM intends to also offer 3G and 4G models in the future.

Park Shin Hye, George Hu, and Tia Li present "Hayate" at television festival

GTV showcased their upcoming idol drama, “Hayate the Combat Butler” (adaptation of the popular manga), at the Television Festival. The main cast: Korean actress Park Shin Hye, the four member boy group Wu Hoo (formerly known as Wu-Hu-Jiang), and Otaku Goddess Tia Li were all there for the showcase. In regards to netizens criticizing that Park Shin Hye is too old for the role and Tia’s chest is too big to be a maid, GTV especially invited the original creator to support the cast; Park Shin Hye and Tia also emphasized that the script has been modified to better suit their characters.

The production team didn’t waste anytime as they brought Park Shin Hye to test out her new drama character’s image styles right after the press conference. As reported earlier, the drama will begin its filming in October. Park Shin Hye expressed that it’ll take her a while to get used to the living styles of Taiwan, but she’s very happy to be filming with the handsome George Hu and beautiful Tia Li. She further commented that it almost feels like she’s filming the sequel of “You Are Beautiful”, especially when she’s surrounded by "all the good looking guys of Wu Hoo."

Source: UDN

First Look: 'Bones' love triangle gets complicated


Bones exec producer Stephen Nathan promised me that the Brennan-Booth-Hannah imbroglio wouldn’t erupt into a “jealous triangle,” and now I know why: Brennan and Hannah are going to become fast friends/drinking buddies! Don’t believe me? Check out the following super-spoilery Fox promo (and please don’t shoot the messenger)!

EVO 4G and Droid Incredible vie for title of best Android hotspot in informal test

Wireless tethering is rapidly becoming a desirable option in top-tier smartphones, but which device delivers the best? Laptop Magazine swore to find out, pitting six Android favorites (two HTC, two Motorola and two Samsung) against one another in a brutal data-sucking showdown in New York City. Unsurprisingly, the HTC EVO 4G came out on top, averaging 5.09 Mbit / sec downloads and a 3.65 second page load time when 4G connectivity was present, but intriguingly enough it's the freshly-upgraded Droid Incredible that pulled the best speeds on 3G. Lest you think Motorola was trounced in this little competition, the Droid 2 actually delivered websites the fastest at 4.425 seconds on average -- besting the Samsung Epic 4G on 4G -- and Droid X owners can find consolation in the fact their handset is really good at loading ESPN for some reason. Sadly, the study failed to include the most important item for comparison across the board: a dedicated MiFi or aircard.

Kno announces single-screen tablet textbook, plans to ship alongside dual-screen by end of 2010

Looks like Kno, whose dual-screen tablet textbook turned heads at D8 this year, is taking a cue from King Solomon himself. The company has announced a single-screen tablet textbook -- apparently the "world's first," if you don't consider the plethora of other tablets as educational in any way. Both devices are apparently on track for a late 2010 release, thanks in no small part, we suspect, to new funding. From the press pics, it really looks to be just one-half the original product: a single 14.1-inch capacitive IPS display with presumably 1440 x 900 resolution.

Kno's taken some pride in its two-screen design, so why introduce a more standard form factor? Looks like price might be the big motivator; it's something CEO Osman Rashid seems to at least tacitly acknowledge: "Even though the Kno pays for itself in 13 months, the smaller up front investment of the single screen version will allow more students to use our learning platform." That said, we still don't know the price of either product. Last we heard, the double-display model would be priced at "under $1,000," but there's no indication as to how far under that might be. We'll keep investigating; in the meantime, don't throw away your army of highlighters just yet.

Brad Pitt, Nicole Kidman, Drew Barrymore Courted For Zsa Zsa Gabor Biopic

Now that a film adaptation of the glamorous life and lengthy list of loves of Hungarian-born Hollywood socialite Zsa Zsa Gabor is bound for the silver screen, Film Buffs are abuzz with their predictions for which of today’s stars will become frontrunners for lead roles in the biopic.

Oscar-nominated actor Brad Pitt is already in talks to play Zsa Zsa Gabor’s ninth husband, Prince Frederic von Anhalt, sources close to the production reveal to TMZ.com. Filmmakers originally offered the role to Von A-Hole himself, but the attention-happy spouse declined in favor of letting Pitt take the reigns.

And for Zsa Zsa’s role, producers want a “golddigger type,” tipsters sneeze. So far, Nicole Kidman and Drew Barrymore are the frontrunners.

Lea Michele: Justin Bieber Would Be "Awesome" on Glee

It's bound to happen—Justin Bieber on Glee, right?

Well, we haven't heard about any plans just yet, but…

Lea Michele admits she wouldn't mind Bieber Fever hitting McKinley High.

"I don't know about Justin Bieber coming on the show, but he would be awesome," she said at PETA's 30th anniversary gala this weekend in Hollywood. "But I will tell you this—breaking news from Lea Michele!—we have an Academy Award winner coming on Glee in the next few episodes that is not Justin Bieber."

Asked if she's confirming the exclusive scoop from our very own Watch With Kristin that Gwyneth Paltrow has signed on for a guest spot, Michele smiled, "I'm not saying anything."

But she will talk another Oscar-winning guest star: Javier Bardem. As of now, there's no duet between the two, but that doesn't mean a girl can't act pyscho dream. "I know the storyline and it's not with me," Michele said, but then laughed, "Maybe I'll be like, 'Don't I look like Penélope Cruz? Hey, it's me—I'm Penélope.' "

Make sure to come back here a little later on for more on the PETA gala and who some of your favorite celebs think should strip down for the animal rights group's iconic "I'd Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur" campaign.

Verizon Droid 2 R2-D2 Edition lands September 30 for $249


Just how badly do you want Star Wars branding on your Droid 2, eh? You'd better want it bad, because Verizon has just announced that it'll be charging $249 for the privilege of owning an R2-D2 Limited Edition -- with a $100 mail-in rebate on contract, which means that you'll actually be paying $350 up front. Then again, for that dinero you get not just the funky-looking phone but a Star Wars-themed dock and a box custom-designed to look like carbonite (Harrison Ford not included, we presume). You'll also get a variety of custom live wallpapers, sounds, photos, widgets, and a "binoculars app," which we imagine is some sort of digital zoom tool. Conspicuously missing is any sort of indication that this features the rumored 1.2GHz processor from the also-rumored Droid 2 World Edition, so the wait for that news continues. CTIA next week, perhaps.

On a related note, other Verizon customers with Android 2.1 (and higher) devices will be able to access a special Empire Strikes Back app and related content for a one-time charge of $2.99, which will include a trivia app to test your muster as a George Lucas fangirl or fanboy. Meanwhile, look for the phone to go live on this Thursday, September 30. Follow the break for more pics!

Google Starts Rolling Out Paid Android Apps Support In More Countries

Just before the weekend, Google dropped word to developers that paid Android apps support was on its way to more countries than the 14 currently supported. In the email, the company did not specify a timeframe other than “over the next few weeks” and stopped short of saying which markets would be gaining support for paid apps.

Now app store analytics company Distimo tells us they’ve noticed paid apps targeting previously unsupported countries have started making their way to the Android Market.

So far, the startup has identified 12 ‘new’ countries: Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Finland, Hong Kong, Israel, Mexico, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Singapore and South Africa. Other reports suggest Sweden and Hungary are two other countries that are starting to see paid apps support. Note that we haven’t yet confirmed this is actually the case for these countries at this point, but Distimo’s tracking system was built to pick up things like this.

If all this checks out indeed, Google would be at least (and at last) doubling the amount of countries where users can purchase Android apps, which would in turn be nothing short of terrific news for many a developer. This greatly expands their potential reach and thus money-making opportunities – even if this is only a start – and it would most definitely reduce the gigantic proportion of free-only apps currently in the application store over time.

BEAST’s newest album, “Mastermind” released!


The boys of BEAST / B2ST have been teasing us quite a bit recently as fans patiently wait for their comeback. Last week they revealed their MV teaser and another audio teaser for their upcoming title track “SOOM.”

Well the wait is now over as their latest album, “Mastermind” has been released on the various Korean music portals via digital download!

The physical album is slated for release on the 30th, remember to support them by purchasing the album.

Some select tracks from the album:

Taylor Swift To Replace Lindsay Lohan In Romantic Comedy

Lindsay Lohan’s inability to keep her nose clean — literally — may give Taylor Swift her first leading role in a feature film.

The “Fearless” sweetheart is the new favorite to star in One Night With You, a new film about a former child star finding success ona reality TV dating show. The role, created by writer-producer Richard O’Sullivan, was initially offered to Lindsay, but after the troubled starlet’s most recent relapse and scrape with the law, producers are now eyeing Swift — whose acting credits include the ensemble comedy Valentine’s Day and one episode of TV’s CSI.

“It appears the romantic comedy may finally be off the table for Lindsay Lohan. The producers had actually talked to Taylor Swift’s agent a few months back about replacing Lindsay, but Taylor was in themiddle of her tour. Now that Lindsay can’t conquer her troubles, they’re taking the offer back to Taylor,” says a Hollywood snoop.

Lohan has since served two stints in jail in the past month — the latest a 10-hour stay on Friday– and will reportedly check herself in for a fourth round of rehab last this week.

“It is ready-made for Lindsay… but we’re proceeding with extreme caution while the Lohan family sorts through their issues during a very trying time,” O’Sullivan confided to WENN.com.

Nintendo 3DS Launching November 11th in Japan, German Tabloid Reveals


The speculation around the launch of the Nintendo 3DS is picking up speed. Today’s news, coming from a German tabloid called Bild suggests that the launch date may indeed be sooner than that previously mentioned November 20th, And with Nintendo’s announcement regarding pricing and release dates coming on September 29th, still, the rumor mill is picking up speed with speculation and anticipation fueling the motion.

According to the German tabloid, in just a couple of days Nintendo is going to announce that the 3DS, the portable gaming system offering glasses-free 3D gaming, will be hitting retail shelves in Japan on November 11th. It goes on to say that the device will launch in Europe some time in the Spring, and feature a price around 200 EUR, or about $270. The tabloid goes on to add that launch titles will include Ocarina of Time 3DS, Mario Kart 3DS, and a brand new Professor Layton title.

Ken Chu vs. Jerry fans, Vic Chou afraid to get involved

As some may have already heard, Ken Chu is embroiled, once again, in a fight against Jerry Yan fans. A few nights ago, Ken decided to provoke Jerry fans on his Weibo*, causing them to retaliate back. When asked about this subject at his Pert shampoo activity, Vic Chou was very hesitant to step into the mess and only hurriedly replied, "I don't even dare to pick up their phone calls. It's best to avoid communication."

However, when he heard from reporters that Ken had described Jerry fans as "Evil Spirits" and even wrote "May the Heart Sutra bring salvation to you," inciting the fans, Vic could not help but laugh out loud. "That would be Ken. If he didn't do that, he wouldn't be Ken Chu. He has always been the most daring speaker out of all of us, his speech is quite extreme, and he is brave enough to accept outside criticism."

Vic stated that he was not a member of Weibo, so he would most likely not go online to look at the comments. However, a friend has sent him things regarding Ken versus Jerry fans, "(I) have only seen an incomplete picture, (I) am not sure under what circumstances he wrote it in." He said that the private relationship between Ken and Jerry wasn't bad before, that for something like this to happen was also in accordance with Ken's personality. Vic also revealed that Ken has scolded him in front of the cameras before, but said, "These things can't hurt me because a friend wouldn't care and will only believe that he is just joking."

Mariah Carey Falls on Stage, Looks Pregnant

While performing at the F1 Singapore Grand Prix, Mariah Carey slipped and fell stage, while looking noticeably pregnant. Yup, that's pretty much all we've got here.



Still, what's more consistently entertaining than watching a celebrity take a spill? Especially if it's not too painful and they're unhurt, we have no issue laughing.

Besides, this is a good look at her sort of confirmed pregnancy. We totally get not wanting to jinx it, and her desire for privacy, but it's getting pretty obvious, no?

Breaking Dawn Birth Scene: "I Love the Way They're Showing It," Says Kellan Lutz

Let the countdown begin. Cameras are pretty close to rolling on Breaking Dawn.

"We start sometime in October and go all the way through to late April," Kellan Lutz says. "I just did a [wardrobe fitting] and a contact lenses test."

As for that much anticipated, hard-to-imagine birthing scene...

Lutz cracked, "I think they should show it and have Emmett in the background laughing."

Joking aside, Lutz says he knows what director Bill Condon has planned for the potentially gory sequence. "I love the way that they're showing it," he said. "I really thought that was going to be really a tough thing to show."

Screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg recently told us the birth of baby Renesmee won't necessarily be gruesome. "I don't think it's about the amount of blood you show," she said. "It's about the intensity of it. It's on their faces. It's all from Bella's point of view when you're seeing what's going. It should feel visceral. I think it's going to be pretty intense."

iPod Touch converter set to reach U.S. this week

The Peel, a third-party device that apparently can transform an Apple iPod Touch into a phone, will arrive in the U.S. this week ready for demonstrations to potential retail partners.

The Peel's U.S. distributor, GoSolarUSA, has set up an agreement with China-based device creator Yosion Technology to make it available in the U.S. The device is already being sold in China. Under the agreement, GoSolarUSA will work with Yosion to file a patent and distribute the "Apple Peel 520" in the United States.

Created by two Chinese brothers who formed Yosion, the Peel wraps around Apple's iPod Touch and includes a battery, dock connector, and SIM card. After installing special software, people apparently can make and receive voice calls and text messages on the iPod Touch, just like on an Apple iPhone.

RIM not announcing BlackBerry tablet at DevCon today?


Well, here is what we have confirmed: the keynote today, delivered by Mike Lazaridis, will focus on the next generation tablet OS platform. It won’t focus or really feature any hardware, unfortunately. Our source said it would be unlikely for RIM to announce the mysterious tablet device during a developer event. We agree. Is it possible there will be a shot of hardware on a slide during the presentation, or even a non-working device somewhere? It’s possible, but again, this will be about the platform, the developers, and software. Don’t count on a device announcement/availability.

Separately: we have heard the tablet OS is a pretty long way away from being completed. Also, the QNX-based OS that is rumored to extend to the traditional BlackBerry lineup is barely even started at this point; since internally it’s not confirmed that it will in fact power BlackBerry smartphones. We have also been told porting all of RIMs advancements like battery optimization, email compression, BES integration, etc. is a very tedious process.

Ashley Greene Takes Joe Jonas to Meet the Fam

Things are getting pretty serious between Joe Jonas and Ashley Greene...or so they want you to believe!

The two have been casually dating for almost four months now, but just this weekend Greene finally decided to take her famous other half home to meet her parents in Jacksonville, Florida.

Are these two taking their relaysh to the next level?

Not unless Joe gets rid of that purity ring, but we'll get to that later.

Greene and Jonas were spotted over the weekend shopping at the outdoor mall and eating at the California Pizza Kitchen in Jacksonville Beach, but things got really hot in an obvious PDA way on Saturday night when the two were seen at the local Ritz Bar hanging out and making out.

"They were there with two other couples and at first went unnoticed," says eyewitness and former celebrity publicist, Jonathan Jaxson. "Then they moved to the back corner for more privacy. They were very cute together; she was caressing him, they were making out and holding hands."

Finally. Some Good News for Paris Hilton

Call it a hallmark decision for Paris Hilton.

The celebutante has resolved a lawsuit filed against the folks at Hallmark claiming the greeting-card company violated her privacy and publicity rights by using likeness and "That's Hot" signature line without her permission.

Terms of the settlement were not disclosed but Hilton had asked for at least $500,000 in damages.

Hallmark had contended the card was a parody protected under the First Amendment and fair-use laws, but that argument was shot down by a federal appeals court, paving the way for a December trial.

And on the bright side for Paris, any news not involving her cocaine bust has to be good, right?

Activision CEO: 'Great people' don't want to work at EA

Activision CEO Bobby Kotick believes Electronic Arts, his company's biggest competitor, won't attract people who will help the Madden maker keep up with his firm.

Speaking to Edge Magazine in a recent interview, Kotick said that EA "has been struggling for a really long time." And one of the main problems the company faces, he believes, is attracting talent to help it build high-quality games.

"The most difficult challenge [EA] faces today is great people don't really want to work there," Kotick told Edge Magazine. "It's like, if you have no other option, you might consider them."

But Kotick wasn't done. Although he said that EA's Madden development team is "really great," the megapublisher lacks "enthusiasm." And until it gets that back, "it's going to have a struggle getting really talented people," he reportedly said.

And that, Kotick said, could "translate into less-than-great games" from EA, he added, according to Edge.

Kotick's statements shouldn't come as a surprise. His company is battling it out with EA for control of the industry.

But Kotick's statements become all the more fascinating when one considers that earlier this year, the heads of Call of Duty developer Infinity Ward, Jason West and Vince Zampella, were ousted from Activision. Not long after their controversial departure, they formed a new studio, called Respawn Entertainment, and inked a deal with, of all companies, Electronic Arts to make it the exclusive distributor of the studio's future titles.

EA did not immediately respond to request for comment on Kotick's statements.

An Ungodly 24 GB of RAM in One Desktop-Whipping Notebook


ORIGIN PC spits upon your battery life expectations. EON17 Gaming Notebook boasts an Intel Core i7 980X desktop processor, dual Nvidia Fermi GeForce GTX 480Ms, and most astoundingly, 24 GB of memory. Feel free to keep all those tabs open.

The rest of the notebook's specs are almost as killer: a 17.3" display, up to 2 TB of storage, and Blu-ray playback with HDMI 1.4 output. That being said, beefy desktop replacement laptops are anything but new, and we doubt the EON17 will be able to do anything to shake the concept's hugest inherent flaws: enormous mass and pitiful battery life. But maybe the 24 GB of RAM will be enough for you to overlook this—though keep in mind it'll tack on another $2,831 to the $2,499 starting price.

[ORIGIN PC]

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