In an essay for Time magazine’s October 17th issue, Steve Jobs biographer Walter Isaacson says the reason Jobs agreed to a biography was because he wanted his kids to know him better.
“I wanted my kids to know me. I wasn’t always there for them, and I wanted them to know why and to understand what I did,” Jobs told Isaacson at their final meeting, which he said was “a few weeks ago.”
Walter Isaacson’s biography of notoriously private Jobs, simply titled “Steve Jobs,” has been moved up to an October 24th publishing date. Before the move, the biography was set to be published on November 21, which was another publishing date change from its original March 6, 2012 date. After Jobs’s death on October 5th, the 656-page biography shot up Amazon’s book sales charts and currently holds the #1 (hardcover) and #2 (Kindle) spots on the site.
Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker, Yoda and a cast of other heroes and villains from a galaxy far, far away, will appear on coins issued by the South Pacific island state of Niue.
A set of 40 coins are being produced by the New Zealand Mint. As legal tender, the coins will have a face value of NZ$2 but the silver content in each is worth considerably more than that.
The coins are primarily aimed at collectors and investors around the world. Sets of four coins, each containing 1oz of silver, will sell for NZ$469 ($360US).
Below is the official clip for Batman: Year One. The all-new, PG-13 rated film will arrive on October 18, 2011 from Warner Home Video as a Blu-ray Combo Pack and DVD, On Demand and for Download.
Batman: Year One is based on the landmark 1987 DC Comics titles from 12-time Eisner Award winner Frank Miller and illustrator David Mazzucchelli. The film depicts young Bruce Wayne’s return to Gotham City in his first attempts to fight injustice as a costumed vigilante. The playboy billionaire chooses the guise of a giant bat to combat crime, creates an early bond with a young Lieutenant James Gordon (who is already battling corruption from inside the police department), inadvertently plays a role in the birth of Catwoman, and helps to bring down a crooked political system that infests Gotham.
Primetime television stars Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad), Ben McKenzie (Southland, The O.C.), Eliza Dushku (Dollhouse, Buffy the Vampire Slayer) and Katee Sackhoff (Battlestar Galactica) provide the core voices for Batman: Year One. Three-time Emmy Award winner Cranston gives voice to young Jim Gordon, while McKenzie makes his animated voiceover debut as Bruce Wayne/Batman. Fanboy favorites Dushku and Sackhoff fill the roles of Selina Kyle/Catwoman and Detective Sarah Essen, respectively. Alex Rocco (The Godfather) is the voice of crime lord Carmine Falcone.
Animation master Bruce Timm is executive producer of Batman: Year One. Directors are Lauren Montgomery (Superman/Batman: Apocalypse) and Sam Liu (All-Star Superman) from a script penned by Academy Award nominee Tab Murphy (Gorillas in the Mist, Superman/Batman: Apocalypse).
“The movie poster is dead. Long live the movie poster. Gone are the days of hand-drawn studio posters that possessed a creativity and artistry matching that of the films themselves. Think of “King Kong,” with its harrowing illustrations, or Saul Bass’s Minimalist design for “Vertigo.” The contemporary studio poster is often a literal, less adventurous affair, like the vision of Julia Roberts on the back of Tom Hanks’s scooter in the poster for “Larry Crowne,” a typical example of today’s photography-driven advertisements.
But an outfit far from Hollywood has sought to recapture the vintage hand-drawn spirit while injecting some contemporary flair. The company is Mondo, an offshoot of the Austin, Tex., theater chain Alamo Drafthouse. It commissions artists to design alternative versions of posters for films considered cult or genre pictures.
The styles range from multi-tiered, character-packed collage (like Tyler Stout’s fanboy-friendly work for “The Empire Strikes Back”) to subdued prints that express a movie’s mood more than anything else (like the simple smoking gun forming Clint Eastwood’s profile in Olly Moss’s “Dirty Harry”).
As wild as the company is about movies, Mondo is serious about its posters, and it is not alone in this sentiment. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which has an archive of more than 38,000 movie posters, recently started adding Mondo’s work to its collection. While the archive is diverse, adding a large series of alternative posters from an independent company is a rarity.” (Reprinted from the NY Times)
Read more of the article HERE and check out their slideshow of great posters HERE.
Author Neil Gaiman explains All Hallow’s Read, a tradition that was just waiting to happen. During the week of Halloween or on the night itself, you give someone a scary book.
Fun for a slow Friday, Cheese or Font is an online quiz created by Tony Gambone that tests your knowledge of font/cheese names. It’s harder that you think. Play it HERE while I make a ham and avignon sandwich.
Marvel Studios has announced that the trailer for Marvel’s The Avengers will be released online next Tuesday October 11, 2011.
Opening in theaters on May 4, the Joss Whedon action adventure stars Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Tom Hiddleston, Stellan Skarsgård and Samuel L. Jackson.
Marvel’s The Avengers is the superhero team up of a lifetime. When an unexpected enemy emerges that threatens global safety and security, Nick Fury, Director of the international peacekeeping agency known as SHIELD, finds himself in need of a team to pull the world back from the brink of disaster. Spanning the globe, a daring recruitment effort begins.
Walt Disney Studios has now teased a Blu-ray edition of Pixar’s Finding Nemo. This is the final film that has yet to be transferred to that format.
Finding Nemo is the story of a neurotic clownfish (Albert Brooks, Out of Sight) who teams up a blue tang suffering from short-term memory loss (Ellen DeGeneres, Doctor Dolittle) in order to locate his missing son, Finding Nemo is the studio’s second-highest grossing theatrical feature. It earned $339,714,978 domestically, which is just under Toy Story 3′s domestic gross of $415,004,880.
The minute-long teaser has Brooks and DeGeneres’ characters swimming towards a faint blue light which ultimately turns into a “Disney Blu-ray” graphic. At the end of the clip, title cards read, “Finding Nemo: For the First Time Ever on Disney Blu-ray.”
No further details are known about the disc’s eventual release date or its possible technical and supplementary specifications.
Steve Jobs’ death caused Time magazine to literally stop the presses for the first time in 20 years. Editor Richard Stengel tossed out the previous edition and the staff spent three hourscreating the new commemorative issue which will be available tomorrow.
Below, see Time’s last cover of Steve Jobs. See a full gallery of the magazine’s Jobs covers here.
This summer’s movie event becomes the holiday season’s must-own Blu-ray as a lone gunslinger leads an uprising against an alien threat in the explosive, stunningly-imagined film, Cowboys & Aliens. A blazingly original, cross-genre adventure from acclaimed director Jon Favreau (Iron Man, Iron Man 2) and top moviemakers Steven Spielberg, Ron Howard, Brian Grazer, Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci, Cowboys & Aliens features heart-pumping action, spectacular visuals and a first-rate cast. Arriving in stores December 6th from Universal Studios Home Entertainment, the Blu-ray Combo Pack edition of Cowboys & Aliens bring all of the thrills and fun home with perfect hi-def picture and perfect hi-def sound and includes a never-before-seen extended version of the movie, over two hours of exclusive bonus features, and a DVD and digital copy of the film that can be viewed anywhere, anytime on an array of devices including laptops, tablets, Internet-connected TVs and set-top boxes. The Blu-ray also boasts an upgraded version of Universal’s Second Screen—a groundbreaking new technology that enhances the viewing experience by allowing viewers to simultaneously control and interact with the film and bonus material on a WiFi-connected tablet or computer as the movie plays on the television screen. The new Flick View Feature will allow fans to interact even more with the movie and be able to move content from their tablet to their TV screen! Cowboys & Aliens is also available on DVD, digital download and On Demand.
Daniel Craig (Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace) and Harrison Ford (the Indiana Jones and Star Wars franchises) headline as adversaries obliged to join forces against a terrifying enemy, with a supporting cast that includes Olivia Wilde (TRON: Legacy, The Change-Up), Sam Rockwell (Iron Man 2), Ana de la Reguera (Eastbound and Down), Adam Beach (Flags of Our Fathers), Paul Dano (There Will Be Blood), Clancy Brown (The Shawshank Redemption), Keith Carradine (Nashville) and Noah Ringer (The Last Airbender). The script for Cowboys & Aliens is by Star Trek’s Alex Kurtzman & Roberto Orci and Damon Lindelof (television’s Lost), based on Platinum Studios’ graphic novel created by Scott Mitchell Rosenberg.
Steve Jobs, the Apple Inc. chairman and co-founder who pioneered the personal computer industry and changed the way people think about technology, died Wednesday October 5, 2011.
“Steve’s brilliance, passion and energy were the source of countless innovations that enrich and improve all of our lives,” Apple said in a statement. “The world is immeasurably better because of Steve.”
During his more than three decade-long career, Mr. Jobs transformed Silicon Valley as he helped turn the once sleepy expanse of fruit orchards into the technology industry’s innovation center. In addition to laying the groundwork for the modern high-tech industry alongside other pioneers like Microsoft Corp. co-founder Bill Gates and Oracle Corp. founder Larry Ellison, Mr. Jobs proved the appeal of well-designed intuitive products over the sheer power of technology itself and shifted the way consumers interact with technology in an increasingly digital world.
Unlike those men, however, the most productive chapter in Mr. Jobs’ career occurred near the end of his life, when a nearly unbroken string of innovative and wildly successful products like the iPod, iPhone and iPad fundamentally changed the PC, electronics and digital media industries.
The way he marketed and sold those products through savvy advertising campaigns and its retail stores, in the meanwhile, helped turn the company into a pop culture icon.
At the beginning of that phase, Mr. Jobs once described his philosophy as trying to make products that were at “the intersection of art and technology.” In doing so, he turned Apple into the world’s most valuable company.
Mr. Jobs was 56 years old. After exhibiting significant weight loss in mid-2008, he took a nearly six month medical leave of absence in 2009, during which he received a liver transplant. He took another medical leave of absence in mid-January without explanation before stepping down as chief executive in August. Mr. Jobs is survived by his wife, Laurene, and four children.
Although his achievements in technology alone were immense, Mr. Jobs played an equally groundbreaking role in entertainment. He turned Apple into the largest retailer of music and helped popularize computer-animated films as the financier and CEO of Pixar Animation Studios, which he later sold to Walt Disney Co. He was a key figure in changing the way people used the Internet and how they consumed music, TV shows, movies, books, disrupting industries in the process.
Mr. Jobs also pulled off one of the most remarkable comebacks in modern business history, returning to Apple after an 11-year absence during which he was largely written off as a has-been and then reviving the then-struggling company by introducing products such as the iMac all-in-one computer, iPod music player and iTunes digital music store.
The company produces $65.2 billion a year in revenue compared with $7.1 billion in its business year ending September 1997. Apple has become one of the world’s premier designers of consumer-electronics devices, dropping the “computer” in its name in January 2007 to underscore its expansion beyond PCs.
Mr. Jobs officially handed over the reins of the company to long-time deputy Tim Cook in August 2011.
Steve, you will be missed and the world is immeasurably better because of you. If you would like to share your thoughts, memories and condolences, please email rememberingsteve@apple.com.
Drawing from some of the most pivotal points in his life, Steve Jobs, chief executive officer and co-founder of Apple Computer and of Pixar Animation Studios, urged graduates to pursue their dreams and see the opportunities in life’s setbacks — including death itself — at the university’s 114th Commencement on June 12, 2005.
The inaugural South Bay Food Fest is coming to The Home Depot Center in Carson, CA on Saturday October 15th from 1 -7 PM. The ultimate foodie fan destination, featuring over 30 of the top gourmet food trucks such as Nom Nom, Cool Haus and Fry Smith along with the best restaurants in the South Bay.
There will also be a beer garden, live entertainment and a kids zone.
Tickets are available at The Home Depot Center box office or online HERE – $10 GA presale ($12 day of), $30 Family 4 pack, $40 VIP. Kids 6 and under are free. Call (310) 630-2008 for more information.
Mark your calendars because you will not want to miss the live music and delicious food!
Do you wear youriPod nano ($129) on a watchband? With 18 different clock face designs to choose from, you can have a new watch style whenever the mood strikes you with the new nano. Sport an analog face for a formal event, go digital for a retro feel, or choose a whimsical, animated character like Mickey Mouse or Kermit the Frog. There are also color options so you can match the color of your iPod nano. iPod nano watchbands are available in a range of styles and colors from the Apple Online Store.
Kung Fu Panda 2, DreamWorks Animation SKG, Inc.’s spectacular follow up to the Academy Award-nominated original debuts on Blu-ray and DVD on Panda 2sday, December 13, 2011.
In addition to the smash hit film, the Kung Fu Panda 2 Awesome Packs feature the exclusive debut of the all-new Po adventure Kung Fu Panda: Secrets of the Masters plus two free memberships to the popular online game universe Kung Fu Panda World. Packed with even more panda-rific bonus features, the Kung Fu Panda 2 Awesome Packs will be available with expected pricing as low as $25 on DVD and $30 on Blu-ray. Consumers who purchase this DreamWorks Animation signature entertainment experience on Panda 2sday will get both an awesome and affordable holiday gift – over $75 in value.
In the action-filled companion story Kung Fu Panda: Secrets of the Masters, Po and the Furious Five uncover the legend of three of kung fu’s greatest heroes: Master Thundering Rhino, Master Storming Ox and Master Croc. Kids can then follow in Po’s footsteps to become a kung fu master with Kung Fu Panda World, the virtual online game universe where kids create avatars, play games with their favorite characters, win points towards earning a kung fu black belt, chat with friends and more.
Featuring an all-star cast of voice talent including Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Dustin Hoffman, Gary Oldman, Jackie Chan, Seth Rogen, Lucy Liu, David Cross, Michelle Yeoh, Danny McBride and Jean-Claude Van Damme, KUNG FU PANDA 2 will also be available on a single-disc DVD and in the Kung Fu Panda Collection on either DVD or Blu-ray, which includes both movies, Kung Fu Panda: Secrets of the Masters, two free online game memberships to Kung Fu Panda World, and loads of additional fun.
In his series Abandoned Houses, artist Mike Doyle created these spooky abandoned Victorian houses out of LEGO bricks.
His blog contains quite a bit of information and photos on how he made each of these fantastic pieces. Doyle describes his process,
“Many ask me how I go about planning and building these pieces. Sadly, I tend to be a ‘messy’ planner, so I do not make any blueprints or basic construction drawings. Rather I just get to work. I start by researching photos I find online. Generally, I find a house feel I would like to recreate. I also look for others that have specific moments of deterioration that I find interesting. In this case, I also researched houses that have been smashed by fallen trees. Next, I take a look at other moc’s to see if there are any special techniques I can use based on the subject matter.
Now for the size. I look on the buildings for objects that I would like to recreate with a piece. In this case, the scale was determined by the size of the bricks. One real life brick is almost the same size as a 1 x 2 tile – the 1 x 2 tile being a little bigger, but not by much. From here, I count out the bricks on the building to determine width and height and use rudimentary measuring tools, like a pencil or thumb held up to gauge relative proportions between the real thing and my work. In this way, I can make sure all is on track. I’ve tried plotting everything out on paper and using measurements, but inevitably I mess up somewhere along the line with the numbers and then have to start over again. Thus, I tend to just ‘wing it’.”
The Wake n’ Bacon is an alarm clock that wakes you up with the smell of cooking bacon instead of a buzzer.
Matty Sallin, Daniel Bartolini and Hsiao-huh Hsu designed the pig shaped clock as a prototype.
To operate the device, you stick a strip of frozen bacon into its tray before you go to bed, set the alarm and ten minutes before the alarm is set to go off, the Wake n’ Bacon turns on two halogen bulbs that slowly cook the bacon until it’s crisp.
Apple today announced great new features and more affordable pricing for both iPod touch and iPod nano. iPod touch will be available in new black and white models starting at just $199, including Apple’s new iOS 5 and iCloud services. The new iPod nano is available today starting at just $129 and features a redesigned user interface, 16 new digital clock faces and improved built-in fitness features.
The new iPod touch includes iOS 5, the world’s most advanced mobile operating system, which includes over 200 new features including iMessage, Game Center, Notifications and Wi-Fi Syncing to iTunes. iMessage brings the functionality of iPhone messaging to your iPod touch, so you can easily send text messages, photos, videos and contact information to an individual or group on other iOS 5 devices. It also allows you to easily maintain one conversation across all your iOS devices—for free—with notifications, read receipts and typing indication. Game Center enhancements include the ability to add photos to your profile, purchase new games from within the Game Center app, and even easier ways to find friends and new games.
iPod touch also works with iCloud, Apple’s breakthrough set of free cloud services, including iTunes in the Cloud, Photo Stream and Documents in the Cloud, that work seamlessly with your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac or PC to automatically and wirelessly store your content and push it to your devices. When content changes on one device, all your other devices are updated automatically and wirelessly.
iPod nano now features larger icons for even easier navigation of its intuitive Multi-Touch user interface, and you can choose from 16 new digital clock faces, ranging from classic analog looks to your favorite Disney characters including Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse. iPod nano now tracks your runs and walks right out of the box with no accessory required, making it even easier to get your fitness program up and running. iPod nano can track the time, pace and distance of your run, the calories you burn, and the number of steps you walk. iPod nano encourages you with motivational real-time voice feedback during your run, available in seven languages, while listening to your favorite music or FM radio station. You can also easily upload workouts to the Nike+ website to set goals, track your progress and challenge friends. The ultra portable iPod nano is available in seven colors including silver, graphite, blue, green, orange, pink and (PRODUCT) RED.
With the App Store on iPod touch, users have access to the world’s largest and best collection of over 500,000 apps, including over 100,000 game and entertainment titles. Customers also have the iTunes Store at their fingertips, giving them instant access to the world’s largest catalog of over 20 million songs, 85,000 TV shows and 14,000 movies to purchase and download directly to their iPod touch.
iPod is the world’s most popular family of music players. Apple’s holiday lineup includes iPod shuffle for just $49; iPod nano with Multi-Touch starting at just $129; iPod touch available in black or white, including iOS 5 and iCloud, starting at just $199; and iPod classic in a 160GB model for $249.
Pricing & Availability
iPod nano is available today for a suggested price of $129 (US) for the 8GB model and $149 (US) for the 16GB model. Both models are available in silver, graphite, blue, green, orange and pink through the Apple Store (www.apple.com), Apple’s retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers. The 8GB and 16GB iPod nano (PRODUCT) RED is available through the Apple Store (www.apple.com) and Apple’s retail stores. iPod nano requires a Mac with a USB 2.0 port, Mac OS X v10.5.8 or later and iTunes 10 or later; or a Windows PC with a USB 2.0 port and Windows Vista or Windows XP Home or Professional (Service Pack 3) or later and iTunes 10 or later.
Apple today announced that iCloud, a breakthrough set of free cloud services, including iTunes in the Cloud, Photo Stream and Documents in the Cloud, that work seamlessly with your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac or PC to automatically and wirelessly store your content in iCloud and push it to all your devices, will be available on October 12. iCloud stores your music, photos, apps, contacts, calendars, documents and more, keeping them up to date across all your devices. When content changes on one device, all your other devices are updated automatically and wirelessly.
iTunes in the Cloud lets you automatically download new music purchases to all your devices, so you can buy a song on your iPad and find it waiting for you on your iPhone―no syncing required. iTunes in the Cloud also lets you download your previously purchased iTunes content, including music and TV shows to your devices at no additional cost. Since iCloud stores your previously purchased iTunes history, you can see what you’ve bought no matter which device you bought it on, and since you already own the content, you can play it on your devices or simply tap the iCloud icon to download it to store and play later.
In addition, iTunes Match scans the songs in your music library, including music not purchased on iTunes, and matches them to the more than 20 million songs available on the iTunes Store, offering them in high-quality, DRM-free 256 kbps AAC encoding. Any unmatched songs are uploaded to iCloud so you can play songs, albums or playlists from your music library on your devices.
iCloud’s innovative Photo Stream service lets you take a photo on one device and have it automatically appear on your other devices. A photo you take on your iPhone is sent to iCloud and automatically pushed to your iPad, iPod touch, Mac or PC. You can even view your Photo Stream album on your Apple TV. iCloud also automatically pushes a copy of the photos you’ve imported from your digital camera over Wi-Fi or Ethernet, so you can view them on your other devices. iCloud manages your Photo Stream efficiently, showing your last 1000 photos so you don’t run out of storage space.
iCloud’s Documents in the Cloud keeps your documents up to date across all your devices, automatically, so you don’t have to. For example, if you create a document using Pages on your iPad, that document is automatically sent to iCloud. When you use Pages on another iOS device, you can open the same document with your latest changes and pick up editing or reading right where you left off. Apple’s iWork apps for iOS, Pages, Numbers and Keynote will take advantage of iCloud storage, and Apple is also offering developers the APIs they need to enable their apps to work seamlessly with Documents in the Cloud.
iCloud lets you see your App Store and iBookstore purchase history and download those apps and books to any of your devices at any time. Purchased apps and books can be automatically downloaded to your devices, not just the device they were purchased on. Simply tap the iCloud icon and download your purchased apps and books to any of your iOS devices at no additional cost.
iCloud Backup automatically and securely backs up your most important information to iCloud daily over Wi-Fi whenever your iOS device is connected to a power source. Once you plug it in, everything is backed up quickly and efficiently. iCloud already stores your purchased music, TV shows, apps, books and Photo Stream; iCloud Backup takes care of everything else, backing up your photos and video in the Camera Roll, device settings, app data, home screen and app organization, messages and ringtones. iCloud Backup can even help you set up a new iOS device or restore the information on one you already own.
iCloud works seamlessly with your Contacts, Calendar and Mail, so you can share calendars with friends and family, and your ad-free Mail account is hosted at me.com. Your inboxes and folders are kept up to date across your iOS devices and computers, and with icloud.com you have easy web access to your Mail, Contacts, Calendar, Find My iPhone and iWork documents.
The Find My iPhone app can help you if one of your devices is missing. Just use the free Find My iPhone app on another device, or sign in at icloud.com from a computer to see your missing iPhone, iPad or iPod touch on a map, display a message, and remotely lock or wipe your missing device. Find My iPhone now lets you locate a missing Mac running OS X Lion.
Find My Friends is a new app available as a free download from the App Store that lets you easily share your location with people who are important to you. Friends and family appear on a map so you can quickly see where they are. Find My Friends also lets you temporarily share your location with a group of friends, whether it’s for a couple of hours for a dinner or a couple of days on a camping trip; when the time is up, the sharing ends. With Find My Friends, you get a notification every time you get a new friend request and if you give them permission, they can see your location. With a simple tap you can hide your location. Parental controls help you manage how your child uses Find My Friends.
iCloud will be available concurrently with iOS 5, the world’s most advanced mobile operating system, which includes over 200 new features including Notification Center, an innovative way to easily view and manage notifications in one place without interruption; iMessage, a new messaging service that lets you easily send text messages, photos and videos between all iOS 5 users; and Newsstand, a new way to purchase and organize your newspaper and magazine subscriptions.
Pricing & Availability
iCloud will be available on October 12 as a free download to iPhone, iPad or iPod touch users running iOS 5 or a Mac running OS X Lion with a valid Apple ID. iCloud includes 5GB of free cloud storage for Mail, Document Storage and Backup. Purchased music, TV shows, apps, books and Photo Stream do not count against the storage limit. iTunes Match will be available starting in the US later this month for $24.99 a year. Using iCloud with a PC requires Windows Vista or Windows 7; Outlook 2010 or 2007 is recommended for accessing contacts and calendars. Additional iCloud storage upgrades are available to purchase starting at $20 a year for 10GB, $40 a year for 20GB and $100 a year for 50GB.
Apple today announced iPhone 4S, the most amazing iPhone yet, packed with incredible new features including Apple’s dual-core A5 chip for blazing fast performance and stunning graphics; an all new camera with advanced optics; full 1080p HD resolution video recording; and Siri, an intelligent assistant that helps you get things done just by asking. With the launch of iPhone 4S also comes the launch of iOS 5, the world’s most advanced mobile operating system with over 200 new features; and iCloud, a breakthrough set of free cloud services that work with your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac or PC to automatically and wirelessly store your content in iCloud and push it to all your devices.
iPhone 4S comes with iOS 5, the world’s most advanced mobile operating system, which includes over 200 new features including Notification Center, an innovative way to easily view and manage notifications in one place without interruption and iMessage, a new messaging service that lets you easily send text messages, photos and videos between all iOS 5 users. iOS 5 will also be available as a free software update for iPhone 4 and iPhone 3GS customers allowing them to experience these amazing new features.
iPhone 4S also introduces Siri, an intelligent assistant that helps you get things done just by asking. Siri understands context allowing you to speak naturally when you ask it questions, for example, if you ask “Will I need an umbrella this weekend?” it understands you are looking for a weather forecast. Siri is also smart about using the personal information you allow it to access, for example, if you tell Siri “Remind me to call Mom when I get home” it can find “Mom” in your address book, or ask Siri “What’s the traffic like around here?” and it can figure out where “here” is based on your current location. Siri helps you make calls, send text messages or email, schedule meetings and reminders, make notes, search the Internet, find local businesses, get directions and more. You can also get answers, find facts and even perform complex calculations just by asking.
iCloud is a breakthrough set of free cloud services, including iTunes in the Cloud, Photo Stream and Documents in the Cloud, that work seamlessly with your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac or PC to automatically and wirelessly store your content in iCloud and push it to all your devices. When content changes on one device, all your other devices are updated automatically and wirelessly.
iPhone 4S includes an all new camera with the most advanced optics of any phone. The 8 megapixel sensor has 60 percent more pixels so you can take amazing high quality photos with more detail than ever. iPhone 4S includes a new custom lens, a larger f/2.4 aperture and an advanced hybrid IR filter that produce sharper, brighter and more accurate images. The Apple-designed image signal processor in the A5 dual-core chip is built for performance, and coupled with the features built into iOS 5, makes the camera one of the fastest on any phone. With iPhone 4S, the Camera app launches much faster and the shot to shot capability is twice as fast, so you’ll never miss another shot.
New features in the Camera and Photos apps give you instant access to the camera right from the lock screen, and you can also use the volume-up button to quickly snap a photo. Optional grid lines help line up your shot and a simple tap locks focus and exposure on one subject; and the new Photos app lets you crop, rotate, enhance and remove red-eye, and organize your photos into albums right on your device to share them on the go. New iOS 5 features include built-in Twitter integration and iMessage, so you can instantly share your photos via Twitter directly from the Photos app and send photos via iMessage to individuals or groups. And with iCloud’s innovative new Photo Stream service, a photo you take on your iPhone is sent to iCloud and automatically pushed to your iPad, iPod touch, Mac or PC. You can even view your Photo Stream album on your Apple TV.
iPhone 4S can also now record video in full 1080p HD resolution and with the new video image stabilization feature, you can take richer, smoother videos. Other iPhone 4S video camera improvements include increased sensitivity, sharpness and an increased ability to capture video in low light conditions. With the new iMessage service in iOS 5, you can now instantly share videos with family and friends.
iPhone 4S has the same beautifully thin glass and stainless steel design that millions of customers around the world love, while being completely redesigned on the inside. Apple’s dual-core A5 chip delivers up to twice the processing power and up to seven times faster graphics than iPhone 4, all while maintaining incredible battery life—now up to 8 hours of 3G talk time.
Improving on the innovative stainless steel external, dual-antenna design of iPhone 4, iPhone 4S is the first phone to intelligently switch between two antennas to send and receive. iPhone 4S now supports twice the download speed with HSDPA of up to 14.4 Mbps and iPhone 4S is a world phone, so both CDMA and GSM customers can now roam internationally on GSM networks.
Pricing & Availability
iPhone 4S comes in either black or white and will be available in the US for a suggested retail price of $199 (US) for the 16GB model and $299 (US) for the 32GB model and $399 (US) for the new 64GB model. iPhone 4S will be available from the Apple Online Store, Apple’s retail stores and through AT&T, Sprint, Verizon Wireless and select Apple Authorized Resellers. iPhone 4S will be available in the US, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan and the UK on Friday, October 14 and customers can pre-order their iPhone 4S beginning Friday, October 7. iPhone 4 will also be available for just $99 (US) and iPhone 3GS will be available for free with a two year contract. Siri will be available in beta on iPhone 4S in English (localized for US, UK and Australia), French and German. iOS 5 software will be available on October 12 as a free software update via iTunes 10.5 for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch customers.
On November 21, Epic Records in conjunction with the Estate of Michael Jackson, will release Immortal – the highly anticipated musical tapestry for Cirque du Soleil’s Michael Jackson The Immortal World Tour. Immortal will be released as both a deluxe double disc version and single disc. The visually stunning show — in the tradition of previous Cirque musicals featuring the music of Elvis and the Beatles — kicked off in Montreal on Sunday and is slated to travel throughout North America and the rest of the world. It will hit 60 North American cities before wrapping up in June in Chicago and taking up a residency at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas.
Led by esteemed musical designer, Kevin Antunes (Justin Timberlake, Rihanna, Madonna) Immortal takes a fresh, creative approach in redesigning and reimagining more than 40 of Michael Jackson’s greatest original recordings into a compilation that allows listeners to experience his music in an entirely new way. After spending a year in the studio working with Michael’s original multi-track master recordings, Kevin created Immortal which offers listeners a new soundscape to Michael’s artistry while preserving the power and familiarity of his unparalleled voice and his legendary tracks.
Immortal is sure to touch the hearts of passionate Michael fans as the album unfolds his musical legacy with redesigned versions of his hits, electrifying mashups and newly discovered outtakes fans have never heard before including an alternate take on the Jackson 5’s “ABC” and a choir that Michael recorded for “They Don’t Really Care About Us.”
Immortal Deluxe Album Tracklisting:
1. Working Day & Night (Immortal Version)
2. The Immortal Intro (Immortal Version)
3. Childhood (Immortal Version)
4. Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’ (Immortal Version)
5. Shake Your Body Down to the Ground (Immortal Version)
6. Dancing Machine/Blame It On the Boogie (Immortal Version)
7. Ben (Immortal Version)
8. This Place Hotel/Smooth Criminal/Dangerous (Immortal Version)
9. The Mime Segment: I Like the Way/Speed Demon/Another Part of Me (Immortal Version)
10. J5 Medley: I Want You Back/ABC/The Love You Save (Immortal Version)
11. Human Nature/Speechless (Immortal Version)
12. Is It Scary/Thriller/Ghost/Somebody’s Watching Me/Threatened (Immortal Version)
13. You Are Not Alone/I Just Can’t Stop Loving You (Immortal Version)
14. Beat It/Jam/State of Shock (Immortal Version)
15. Earth Song/Planet Earth (Immortal Version)
16. Scream/Little Susie (Immortal Version)
17. Gone Too Soon (Immortal Version)
18. They Don’t Care About Us (Immortal Version)
19. I’ll Be There (Immortal Version)
20. Immortal Megamix: Can You Feel It/Don’t Stop Til You Get Enough/Billie Jean/Black Or White (Immortal Version)
21. Man In the Mirror (Immortal Version)
22. Remember the Time/Bad (Immortal Version)
Immortal Single Album Tracklisting:
1. Working Day & Night (Immortal Version)
2. The Immortal Intro (Immortal Version)
3. Childhood (Immortal Version)
4. Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’ (Immortal Version)
5. Dancing Machine/Blame It On the Boogie (Immortal Version)
6. This Place Hotel/Smooth Criminal/Dangerous (Immortal Version)
7. J5 Medley: I Want You Back/ABC/The Love You Save (Immortal Version)
8. Human Nature/Speechless (Immortal Version)
9. Is It Scary/Thriller/Ghost/Somebody’s Watching Me/Threatened (Immortal Version)
10. You Are Not Alone/I Just Can’t Stop Loving You (Immortal Version)
11. Beat It/Jam/State of Shock (Immortal Version)
12. Earth Song/Planet Earth (Immortal Version)
13. They Don’t Care About Us (Immortal Version)
14. Immortal Megamix: Can You Feel It/Don’t Stop Til You Get Enough/Billie Jean/Black or White (Immortal Version)
15. Man In the Mirror (Immortal Version)
Sesame Street is set to unveil a new impoverished puppet named Lily, whose family faces an ongoing struggle with hunger issues. Lily will be revealed in a one-hour Sesame Street primetime special, Growing Hope Against Hunger, which is being sponsored by Walmart. The special will star country singer Brad Paisley and his wife Kimberly Williams Paisley, as well as the Sesame Street Muppets.
“Food insecurity is a growing and difficult issue for adults to discuss, much less children,” said the Paisleys in a statement. “We are honored that Sesame Street, with its long history of tackling difficult issues with sensitivity, caring and warmth asked us to be a part of this important project.
The special will share the stories of real-life families to raise awareness of hunger issues in the United States, as well as strategies that have helped these families find food. The United States Department of Agriculture estimates that 17 million American children — nearly 1 in 4 — have limited or uncertain access to affordable and nutritious food. Walmart is sponsoring the show as part of a $1.5 million grant toward the initiative and holding screenings in select communities.
Below are new images from, the upcoming Avengers film. Check out the new photo of Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and Captain America (Chris Evans) as well as a behind-the-scenes photo of Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow with writer/director Joss Whedon. Also starring Robert Downey Jr., Mark Ruffalo, Jeremy Renner, Tom Hiddleston, Stellan Skarsgård and Samuel L. Jackson, the anticipated film hits theaters on May 4.
Continuing the epic big-screen adventures started in Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 2, Thor and Captain America: The First Avenger, Marvel’s The Avengers is the superhero team up of a lifetime. When an unexpected enemy emerges that threatens global safety and security, Nick Fury, Director of the international peacekeeping agency known as SHIELD, finds himself in need of a team to pull the world back from the brink of disaster. Spanning the globe, a daring recruitment effort begins.
Posted by Larry Fire 
