Watchmen Teaser From The Scream Awards Show

Purell You Are What You Touch Ads

Apple Is Third Largest Handset Supplier

Though he typically shies away from company earnings calls, Steve Jobs took the mic on Tuesday to announce that Apple is now the third-largest mobile phone supplier in the world.

 

Jobs stated that the company’s $4.6 billion in iPhone revenues this quarter place it right behind mobile phone giants Nokia ($12.7 billion for the quarter) and Samsung ($5.9 billion). This puts Apple ahead of Sony Ericsson ($4.2 billion), LG ($3.4 billion), Motorola ($3.2 billion) and RIM ($2.1 billion).

 

Calling the revolutionary handset “stunning,” Jobs was also excited to share that Apple sold more handsets in the fourth quarter than Research In Motion.   

 

“This is a milestone for us,” Jobs said. “RIM is a company that makes good products, and it’s surprising after only 15 months in the market we could outsell them in any quarters. If this isn’t stunning, I don’t know what it is. All due to the incredible performance of the iPhone 3G.”

 

Additionally, the company said it has already surpassed its goal of selling 10 million iPhones within the 2008 calendar year. The iPhone saw tremendous growth during the fourth quarter of 2008 alone, selling about 7 million units of the new iPhone 3G compared to 1 million units of the first-generation iPhone sold in the same quarter of 2007.   

 

Complementing the handset’s success, Apple’s iPods also saw positive results, selling about 11 million units over the quarter.

 

Altogether, Apple posted $11.68 billion in revenue for the quarter; iPhone sales accounted for 39 percent of that total. Using GAAP figures, Apple posted $7.9 billion in revenue for the quarter.

Star Trek Side By Side Photo Comparisons

By now you’ve probably already been blown away by the amazing, first images released by Paramount from their new Star Trek movie several hours ago here. HERE are a few side by side comparisons, facing off characters and items revealed in the new pictures with their classic Trek interpretations. How does Chris Pine’s Captain Kirk stack up against Shatner’s?

 

Win A Tea Party With J.K. Rowling

Pick up your pencils, young Potter-philes. Scholastic announced today that they are sponsoring a national essay contest for kids in conjunction with the Dec. 4 release of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter companion book, The Tales of Beedle the Bard. The grand prize? An all-expense paid trip to Edinburgh, Scotland, where five winners, each accompanied by an adult, will have tea with Rowling as she conducts a reading of Tales at the National Library of Scotland. (Apparently, 250 other lucky kids will be in attendance as well.)

According to Scholastic, “Fans are asked to write an essay of 200 words or less describing how they have helped others. Because so many kids today are taking interest in helping others in their schools, communities and around the world, the Scholastic contest gives them the opportunity to write about causes they care about and what they’ve done to make a difference.”

The whole thing sounds rather Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory-esque, sans chocolate. But the message behind the contest is very un-Veruca Salt—since Tales‘ proceeds are going to charity, Scholastic is trying to spread the word of goodwill with the contest. Some of you hardcore Potter fans might not be eligible—you can only submit an essay if you’re between the ages of 8 and 17.

 

 

Motorola Introduces The $2,000 AURA Mobile Phone

Motorola just introduced AURA, a phone that possesses 700+ individual components, a stainless steel housing including a front plate that takes a day to create. The admittedly gorgeous AURA (previously coined V70) is the world’s first handset with a 16-million color circular display, and aside from making and receiving calls with the utmost clarity, it also boasts a Swiss-made main bearing, 62-carat sapphire crystal lens, a 2-megapixel camera, stereo Bluetooth, microUSB port, quad-band GSM connectivity, a microSD card slot, multimedia player and up to 7.3-hours of talk time (400-hours in standby). The 4.97-ounce handset is available exclusively from the MOTO STORE for a mere $1,999, yes that was not a typo. You can read the press release HERE which is pitching the phone like a Rolex watch.

 

Rob Reiner to Direct Book of Shadows

Castle Rock has picked up Book of Shadows, an action-adventure pitch from Zoe Green that will act as a directing vehicle for Rob Reiner, says The Hollywood Reporter. The story follows a young man who must embark on the perilous journey of first love and face many trials of maturity while on the dangerous quest to close a mythical book called “Book of Shadows” in order to restore balance to the world. Reiner will produce with Alan Greisman and Ron Casdan.

 

Limited Edition Ultimate Collector’s Box: Beatles iPod Set

Introducing the Limited Edition Ultimate Collector’s Box: Beatles iPod Set ($795). This is the ultimate Beatles collector’s gift. The set includes a numbered 120G iPod in classic black etched with the Beatles’ logo on the front and Abbey Road on the back. Also included are 13 original Beatles’ CDs, plus two masters and the “Love” CD, all with an engraved guitar pick. The collectable set is packaged in a box designed by Psycho Bunny. There are only 2500 available.

 

The Spirit Featurette