SEB Movie Night

Android vs. Windows Phone Movie Project

Chrome you say? I need one.

I don't even own an iPhone 4.... but I want this just in case I can ever get one. Available from incase for only $35, they are pretty slick, although after a weeks wear and tear of using your iPhone like most people do, it might not be as gleaming anymore, with plenty of scratches. But if you need a nice mirror when you are on the go, extra points for tech vanity!

You can get the white iPhone 4, even though it's been cancelled by Apple.

Fei Lam, who goes by Phil, is a 17 year old kid from New York who has spent the last few months bargaining behind the curtains with Apple suppliers to get the parts needed to turn your iPhone 4 white. Some might not think that is a big deal, but with rumors swirling that have said that Apple has killed the white version, a lot of people want to stand out from the other millions of black iPhone 4 owners. Through months of negotiation and shady business calls, he was able to get connected with people within Foxconn, one of Apple's main parts suppliers, and buy legitimate white iPhone components straight from the factory since Apple had halted production on the white option. He has made over $130,000 since his website has gone live and he hasn't even graduated from high school. Although Apple has made no comment on the teenager and his website, it is well known that Apple does not like people who sell their components without a cut. His website is still up and taking orders so if you want a white iPhone, click here to find out more info.

Verizon Rolling Out LTE (It's 4G network) Starting in December

Verizon's LTE Network will begin to spread throughout the U.S. beginning with San Francisco, Seattle, New York, Chicago, plus 34 other cities and airports by the end of December. Let the 4G Verizon iPhone rumors start up again.

Acer has 4 New Tablets coming in early February 2011!

Over Thanksgiving break Acer unveiled a slew of new portable computing devices including 4 tablets, a convertible laptop, as well as a new Android smartphone. While each one of these devices is remarkable and lust-worthy, nothing outshines their new "Iconia" dual screen netbook that uses two LCD screens. While the top screen is basically your main display for viewing webpages and streaming content, the bottom screen can be used as a keyboard by pressing all ten fingers on the display, bringing up a full-size keyboard. You can also choose to be watching a youtube clip on the top screen while managing your open applications and windows via the lower LCD. This netbook comes with Windows 7 preinstalled and is sure to be quite expensive when it debuts in the first quarter of 2011. More details will be uploaded when they become available.

Instantly stream brand new movies?

An interesting bit of news from Rottentomatoes.com:

A new service called Zediva may have a way of allowing users to access new movies via the internet with streaming. Many other services have problems with DVD licensing agreements, limiting when they can allow their movies to be rented.

BlackBerry Playbook

Engadget was able to get their hands on this 7'' beauty at the web 2.0 summit that has been going on yesterday and today, straight from Jim Balsillie, RIM CEO. Pretty cool looking software under the hood and while it can multi-task, like you can see in the picture above, it also has a front facing VGA camera as well as a 3MP camera on the back for action shots if you like. While the price still hasn't come out yet, you better hope that RIM offers it for under $500 so it can battle a 10'' iPad, because even though 7 inches is easier to hold in your hand, people like Apples price to inch ratio. Check back soon for video of the device and pricing/specs coming soon!

iPod Nano wristwatch!

Ever since the release of Apple's newest iPods, bloggers and reviewers alike had said how funny it would be to add a strap to the new nano and make it a tech-savvy wristwatch. Turns out, a company called HEX created colorific silicone bands that wrap around the nano to make them the perfect stocking stuffer for christmas. They are available for $25 and with the price of a nano, come to under $130 bucks, or a comparable Casio G-SHOCK. I want one!

Verizon iPhone coming in early 2011?

Fortune Magazine has reported that Verizon's iPhone will be arriving by the end of the first quarter in 2011. With "many sources cited who are close to the program", big reds Apple device will have a special CDMA chip so it can run on their network. For those who don't know, CDMA is an older communications technology still used by Verizon and Sprint, although Sprint has invested a lot of money into a 4G network. Carriers like T-Mobile and AT&T use GSM networks which is faster and the worldwide standard. For a Verizon iPhone to become a reality, Apple has to insert a special chip to be used on Verizon's network. This means they have to redo the framework of the phone in order for it to use CDMA. The reality is that there are rumors that Apple has been retooling the form factor of the iPhone due to antenna problems and so it is a possibility that while they have been reworking the antenna, they might have made room for a dual GSM-CDMA chipset. We will find out soon enough, but fingers crossed for all Verizonites!

The iPadification of the Mac.

With Apple's introduction of their next operating system, called "Lion", large segments of the iPads functionality will be transitioning onto mainstream apple products, mainly Macbooks and the iMac. With apples App Store for the Mac being introduced in the coming weeks, the latest and greatest applications that were once limited to Apple's mobile devices, will be coming to your desktop and laptop. What does that mean for you and I? Angry Birds on our homescreen and other productivity applications will run rampant, but it will give developers more freedom to create apps that can run on OSX with more functionality and processor speed to create better games and programs that we can only imagine. Stay tuned for the latest and greatest as the new App Store goes live by the end of November.

Pepsi makes an iPhone App

In May of 2010, Pepsi launched an iPhone application named “Pepsi Loot”. The free app allows users to check into various restaurant establishments in their area in order to receive rewards. Once the app is downloaded, a push notification is sent to the phone to target its customers. It gives a list of the closest “Pop Spots” where Pepsi products are sold, along with the address, phone number, description of the types of food sold in the establishment, and a link to the restaurant’s Facebook and Twitter page. Once the user checks in to three locations while they are in the restaurant, they are sent a code for a free music download that can be redeemed on . Individuals who are sent a code can redeem it for either a free exclusive track from a featured artist, or choose one of 250,000 free songs. This application is partnered with Foursquare, a similar app where users "check in" to a place when they're there, tell friends where they are and track the history of where they've been and who they've been there with (www.foursquare.com). This application is an example of how PepsiCo’s new contemporary marketing and advertising is attempting to drive deep, localized engagement with its consumers. It lets users connect, engage with the brand and earn rewards while consuming PepsiCo products at a number of partner food service locations nationwide.

Next Batman Movie gets a title

According to IGN, Christopher Nolan has finally released the title of his third Batman movie: "The Dark Knight Rising".

Nolan also says the villain will not be The Riddler. The Riddler was thought to be the main villain by many in the next Batman movie.

In other news, the movie will not be shot in 3-d. Can anyone else says thank God???

Zemeckis going ahead with Yellow Submarine remake

According to Cinematical Director Robert Zemeckis says his remake of the classic Beatles animated movie Yellow Submarine is "All ahead full".

The original Yellow Submarine was released in 1968 by MGM. The movie is very much a product of its time, with psychedelic designs and, of course, some awesome Beatles songs to back it all up. It certainly doesn't date the movie though, it's a classic. Definitely check it out.

The new film is rumored to use 3d performance capture that Zemeckis has fallen in love with of late. It will star Cary Elwes as George, Peter Serafinowicz as Paul, Dean Lennox Kelly as John, and Adam Campbell as Ringo.

While I don't know how well 3 of the above actors can imitate their Beatle, Peter Serafinowicz has a brilliant Paul McCartney impression (warning: some bad language).

Here's to hoping Zemeckis can pull this remake off.

Newest Version of Mac OSX Available Next Summer

The newest cat member of OSX is named Lion. Coming in the summer of 2011, Lion will add a handful of new features to Apples Operating system. With their slogan "Back to the Mac", Lion is focused on bringing the best parts of iOS, the operating system that runs Apples mobile devices, and bringing them to your desktop and/or laptop. Lion will have an all new App Store, applications specifically tailored for the Mac that will open the doors for developers to create some fantastic desktop programs that can be held on your home screen. Lion introduces the use of "Mission Control", a swipe of your trackpad and you will be able to see all open programs and be able to manage them all from the home screen. OSX Lion is focused on bringing more of the iOS touch capabilities to the Mac, but instead of making touchscreen desktop and laptops, the hints point to a new version of the mouse trackpad for next years refresh of computers that will make touch based computing on a Mac easier than ever. While these are only a few of the new features debuting next summer, the new operating system will be bringing a lot more goodies once it's released. Stay tuned all semester for the latest news and mac rumors!

New Macbook Air Released in 11'' and 13'' Models

On Wednesday October 20th, on the Apple campus in Cupertino, California, Steve Jobs introduced 2 amazing new products. The first being a refresh of the 2 year old Macbook Air. The newest model trumps the first generation by using less power, instant-on capabilities, and a new type of storage. The new thin notebook type computer introduced to take on the netbook, the Macbook air is less than an Inch thick and has a 7 hour battery with a 30 day standby time. The new computer has a cheaper price point than it's predecessor and uses flash storage to use less space and gives the user instant on capabilities, meaning once they open the screen, they do not have to wait for the laptop to load its software. Starting at $999 for the 11'' it is $300 less than the previous model. Steve Jobs emphasized that the Macbook Air is for professionals who love the form function of the iPad, but need a full keyboard to make their life easier. Available now at the Apple Store

Police Squad! Review

WSU Street Fighter Club

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- Vince

The New Spokane Apple Store

Btcampbell's Soundslides Assignment

Apple Event October 20th

On Wednesday October 20th, the folks at apple are holding a press conference to introduce a few new Apple products. Rumor is Apple will include a refreshed Macbook Air, possibly a 10'' version besides the 13.3'' version. Also a new version of OS X should be introduced. With the last two titles being linked to big cats, Leopard and Snow Leopard, this glimpse of a lion in the photo gives us a hint of the new OS most likely named Lion? Stay tuned on Wednesday at 9 am Pacific through your favorite websites and feel free to check out the following who will be liveblogging the event.

Engadget

Gizmodo

Internet Explorer Falls Below 50% of Worldwide Market, Google's Chrome Triples

According to StatCounter, Microsoft's Internet Explorer browser has fallen below 50% of the worldwide market. Google’s Chrome has more than tripled from 3.69% in September 2009 to 11.54% in September this year, says reports from StatCounter.

"This is certainly a milestone in the Internet browser wars," commented Aodhan Cullen, CEO of StatCounter. "Just two years ago IE dominated the worldwide market with 67%." 

Google’s Chrome has surpassed the popularity of Safari, a popular browser on Apple’s products, for the first time in June. StatCounter Global Stats are based on data collected by StatCounter on a sample exceeding 15 billion page views per month, collected from across the StatCounter network of more than 3 million websites.

More information and larger graph here: http://gs.statcounter.com/#browser-ww-monthly-200909-201009

WD 3 terabyte Hard Drive

WD has announced a three terabyte hard drive the size of a passport. 500 GB, 750 GB and one TB versions are also available for those who don’t need the massive amount of data storage that three TB has, but it’s always better to be safe than sorry! The hard drive has a USB 2.0 and introduces a USB 3.0, which allows up to three times faster data transfer than the 2.0. The hard drive also has the same sleek black design that has been the staple of many WD products. According to the press release, the new product comes in various colors including black, silver, metallic blue and metallic red. It uses WD SmartWare visual backup software. This will be on my Christmas list.

New Remote app for iPad and iPhone

Finally! To those who have downloaded the Remote application for the iPhone when it first came out will be happy to know that it has updated to 2.0. I have been using the remote app since 2008 on my iPod Touch and it is a great tool to remotely access your media libraries and play your songs or videos through wifi, anywhere in your house or apartment. It turns out an Apple engineer created the application in less than 15 minutes and then was switched to another platform, so no updates have been done since it was first created. Somebody got the hint and has reintroduced the app with some amazing features. My personal favorite has to be the new feature that can tweak and choose what speakers you want to use, as long as they are wireless or are connected to your mac. If you don't have this app I suggest you download it and give it a try! Available on iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad.

Hologram app for iPhone?

A funny joke with some clever video tricks. will this app ever come to fruition? not with a regular LCD screen that the iPhone uses, but you never know... iPhone 7 anyone?

Nintendo 3DS launch details

Video Games | Nintendo 3DS | NC 10: Japanese System Overview Trailer

XBox 360 | Playstation 3 | Nintendo Wii

Nintendo recently held a Japan-only conference, which finally announced the launch details of their new, 3-D handheld, the Nintendo 3DS.

The headlining feature of the 3DS is being able to play games in 3-D, without the use of any special glasses. The system also has an enhanced "tag mode," which allows players to connect with other 3DSes that happen to be nearby. The system will also have it's own virtual console, which will let players download classic Game Boy, and Game Boy Color games onto their console.

The 3DS will be released on February 26th in Japan, for 25000 yen - roughly $300. Nintendo said they were planning on a March release for the U.S., and Europe.

A bit pricey (it's more than a Wii), but I'm predicting Nintendo will drop that price down a bit. Hopefully around the $250 mark. Either way, I'm definitely excited for this thing to come out.

Favorite Summer Movies

I recently went out and interviewed people about their favorite movies of the summer. Which one was most popular? Find out!

Music by Kevin MacLeod

iPhone 4 Podcast by Ben Campbell

Tablet Podcast

Vincent Duerme - Halo Reach Podcast

Here's my 2-minute audio report on Halo Reach at WSU.
Enjoy.




 If that doesn't work, download HERE.


- Vince

Samsung Galaxy Tab: iPad Killer? I think not.

Samsung has introduced its 7-inch Android tablet months ago and soon will be available in a wifi version as well as on the main networks including Verizon, Sprint, and AT&T. With a 3G data contract the price will be subsidized to around $300 and around $700.
At only 7 inches it is smaller than the iPad and much more expensive. It comes with two cameras, a 1.3 megapixel in the front for video chat and a rear 3 megapixel camera with a flash. It is equipped with a 1 GHz Cortex A8 processor that is capable of as much processing power as the iPad. It is available in 16 GB and 32 GB models and in two colors, although only black will be available at launch.
The main difference between the Galaxy Tab and the iPad is screen size, as well as the OS. The Android OS is still new, and not nearly as polished as Apple's iOS, but it might get better as soon as the newest version, 3.0 (Gingerbread) is released in the 4th Quarter.
Pros: two cameras, against the iPads 0. Full HD playback
Cons: 7-inch screen, Cost (At $700 it's a little pricey) Android 2.2 , which is not optimized for tablets.

Overall, the Galaxy Tab is a good start for Samsung, but it needs work and will need a larger screen at some point.

Alex Proyas directs Paradise Lost?

Alex Proyas (Knowing, I,Robot) is apparently going to be directing an adaption of John Milton's poem Paradise Lost, according to Collider.

It would not be a stretch to tell you to expect some great visuals, however, I definitely have a few reservations about this project. Especially in this particular line: “will be crafted as an action vehicle that will include aerial warfare, possibly shot in 3D.”

While Proyas directed the amazing Dark City back in 1998, he hasn't been able to match that achievement since. Frankly, this is starting to sound like I, Robot all over again. An interesting concept ruined by generic action movie elements.

Proyas is currently working on the project Dracula: Year Zero with Avatar's Sam Worthington. Let's hope Proyas can pull this off again

Guillermo Del Toro progressing on Lovecraft story

In a recent interview with Collider, Director Guillermo Del Toro (Pan's Labyrinth, Hellboy 2) talked about his proposed conversion of H.P. Lovecraft's At the Mountains of Mist. Del Toro said he had turned in the script to producer James Cameron.

While the project hasn't been green lit, it seems as though Del Toro and Cameron are making progress.

Another interesting tidbit is that effects guru Dennis Muren (Star Wars, Terminator 2, and way too many more to name) is doing the special effects. Muren told Del Toro: "You've never seen monsters like this."

This movie keeps sounding better and better. Del Toro is very well known for his unique visual style and Muren's quote excites me even more about the visuals.

Will this movie be green lit? Let's hope so.

Lord of the Rings Online: Now free to play

 Lord of the Rings: Online, a MMORPG based on the LOTR universe is now free to play.

Since the game was launched in 2007, the game has been primarily a pay-to-play subscription service, similar to World of Warcraft and many other online games. As of September 9th, the game is now completely FREE to anyone who wants to play.

Personally, I haven't played the game at all. My only exposure to MMORPGS has been my short affair with WoW a few years ago. They did happen to have a booth promoting the game at PAX this year, and handed out cards with redeemable codes to gain in-game money. I actually may check this out.

If you're interested in checking it out, find more info and download the client HERE.

New Twitter Layout...Coming Soon!

Twitter has introduced a new web layout for its website! Although they are only letting some people try it, it should be available to everyone by monday. The new layout is quite similar to the much-loved iPad application that they introduced, splitting all your information into two columns. With the original type on the left and all links/photos/videos on the right, it makes it even easier for you to consume lots of data from your followers and friends!

SMB 25th Anniversary

Super Mario Bros. came out 25 years ago today.

September 13th, 1985.

Happy 25th Birthday, Mario.

I'm pretty sure you are the earliest memory I have of playing a video game.









- Vince

iPhone OS 4.1

For all you iPhone 3G users out there (like me), the 4.1 update that was released a few days promises to fix the incredibly slow OS the 3G had after the 4.0 upgrade.

You can see a comparison video below:




As a 3G user who is too broke to afford an iPhone 4, or even a 3GS, it's nice to see Apple still offering some support for their older models. The differences in performance are minor, but they are nice compared to waiting an incredibly long time for my phone to load to send a simple text message.

- Vince

Bieber Fever!

A fun fact from a Twitter Employee is that since the Bieb is/has one or more #1 trending topics every week, it makes sense that he has his own dedicated servers for all his screaming tween fans.

Sweet Website That Will Cause Insomnia (not really)

Over the past weekend, I discovered a website that was perfect for me. I don’t know If you browse various blogs and fan sites across the web like I do on a daily basis but it is nice to find a website that takes me directly to places that interest me.

It’s called: www.stumbleupon.com and I admit that when I was told about it, I was glued to the computer screen for most of the day. When you go to the website and sign up for free, it gives you list of different topics to choose from for customization, and it will direct you to the websites that will interest you.

For instance, I chose such categories as video games, movies, arts and entertainment, photography and gadgets. I then clicked on the "Stumble!" button and it took me to a Photoshop website that gave different tutorials and tips. Clicked it again and I was looking at “Top 35 Gadgets That Geeks Will Love.”

Stumbleupon.com was a super easy to use website that I have been using casually since I was told about it. It was nice to pass some time on the web after I was done with my class work!

iTunes 10

This past Monday Steve Jobs held a music event in San Francisco to debut the new iPod line and to introduce the latest version of iTunes. Simply named iTunes 10, the revamped music application got a refreshed logo as well as some minor face lifts inside the program itself. The newest and most controversial change to iTunes has been the introduction of Ping, a social tool that brings iTunes patrons together to share their favorite artists and songs with other Ping users. Not only does is have the social media attachment, but iTunes and Apple are pushing artists to create their own Facebook-like pages where users can see what their favorite artists and bands are listening to as well as see their upcoming tour dates and other media like photos and videos.

My personal opinion is that Apple pretty much copied last.fm and never looked back.

Another funny note is that Steve Jobs highlighted the fact that there would be Facebook integration with your Ping page, straight from the Live keynote event, yet it was dropped at the last second due to disagreements over user privacy and data sharing.

Yet with over a million profiles set up in two days, Ping seems to be taking hold and will provide Apple with yet another way to take our money.

Thank you Steve Jobs, but I still will be getting my music elsewhere.

Movie Review: The Expendables

Opinion: Don't Go!

I walked into "The Expendables" with low expectations. While there had been some early buzz among critics about the all-star cast (Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Mickey Rourke, and more all in one movie!) but the movie has been pretty widely panned. While I must say that I actually kinda enjoyed the movie, bad writing and bad action scenes do not a good movie make.

The plot involves a group of mercenaries known as the Expendables (Stallone and his buddies) who are hired to go into a tropical island dictatorship to bring down its leader General Garza (David Zayas) and drug lord James Munroe (Eric Roberts). Helping them is Garza's daughter (Giselle Itié), who Stallone falls in love with.

It's a pretty simple plot and one that doesn't necessarily need a quality script to be good. I didn't expect any great writing out of "The Expendables" (again, action movie), but there were some moments of bad writing that simply astounded me in their stupidity and pointlessness. Thankfully, it's the kind of bad writing that is absolutely hilarious.

A great example of this comes when Eric Roberts' character discovers Itié has been helping the Expendables. He finds her paintings in a ramshackle building and walks out to her father, painting in hand. "She paints...This is how it starts!" he yells, as he throws the painting to the ground and walks off. End scene. That's it. No more explanation than that. Seriously.

But come on! Who goes to an action movie for writing or plot? What about all the explosions and fights? The all-star cast of action heroes? This movie is all about grabbing practically every big actor from the past thirty years of action films and watching them beat the crap out of everyone who gets in their way. Surely this movie can't mess up its one big selling point, right?

Well... yes and no. There is plenty of action in "The Expendables". Unfortunately, Stallone is directing this movie and decided to fill it to the brim with shaky cam and quick cuts. I went to this movie to see Stallone and Co. rip through a ton of bad guys, not a bunch of blurs colliding with other blurs. This approach is especially annoying during Jet Li's action scenes. Seriously, the man can pull off all sorts of crazy martial arts moves and we need to make it more intense? I could barely even see what he was doing most of the time!

The shakiness and cutting get really bad as all hell breaks loose near the end of the movie and it's impossible to tell who is doing what. At one point someone started brawling with Steve Austin and I had no clue who it was. Stallone had fought him in another scene, so I assumed it was him at first. I quickly found out I was wrong when the movie cut to Stallone taking cover behind a truck. Ok, so it wasn't him, then who was fighting Austin? Was it Statham? Couture? Li? I still don't know. It's not good when a movie says it will show you big-name action heroes beating the crap out of each other, then makes every scene so incoherent you can barely recognize anyone.

While I did enjoy the stupidity of "The Expendables", I can't say I'd recommend it. The movie does deliver on its promise. It shows you several action heroes duking it out against a ton of faceless enemies. The problem is that the movie really screws up its most important element: the action scenes. They're just too confusing and incoherent most of the time to be any good. A bad script in an action movie I can take (especially one as unintentionally funny as this one), but bad action scenes in an action movie? I'm sorry, but that's a failure in my book.

PAX 2010

This weekend, I'll be attending the Penny-Arcade Expo in Seattle. 

I've been going since 2007, and I'm really looking forward to going again this year. What is PAX? According to the website:

"PAX is a three-day game festival for tabletop, videogame, and PC gamers. We call it a festival because in addition to dedicated tournaments and freeplay areas we've got nerdcore concerts, panel discussions, the weekend-long Omegathon event, and an exhibitor hall filled with booths displaying the latest from top game publishers and developers. Even with all this amazing content the best part of PAX is hanging out with other people who know their shit when it comes to games."

I'll be doing my best to keep you all updated on the goings-on at PAX this year. 

- Vince 

Apple Music Event Today (9/1/2010)

New Ipod Rumors, Apple TV? Cloud Based iTunes coming today? tune in at 10 am Pacific time on Apple's website: www.apple.com

or tune in on:

http://www.engadget.com/

http://www.gizmodo.com/

for more information about todays events!