What You May Have Missed

RIM releases updated BlackBerry WebWorks SDK for PlayBook Tablet OS 
A closer look at the new Verizon Wireless data plans
Updating the Email Setup app? Keep your fingers crossed
BlackBerry Tablet OS v1.0.6 now available
RIM inadvertently announces new BlackBerry devices

Contest Reminders

Win 1 of 50 free copies of Aquilles by Raypho Themes!
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CrackBerry.com‘s feed sponsored by ShopCrackBerry.com. CrackBerry Reminder: What you may have missed this week

CrackBerry.com blogs

Mobile World Congress 2011 is now over, and it helped to deliver a bunch of news and interesting posts to the CrackBerry blogs this week (click here to see MWC related posts). More PlayBooks were announced (I’m still waiting for the WiFi only one!), NFC on upcoming BlackBerry Smartphones got official, and we saw a bunch more demos of apps running on the BlackBerry PlayBook. We dive into all of that and more on this episode, so sit back and listen to Adam, Bla1ze, Craig, Joseph and myself talk about BlackBerry and a bunch of other things too. Disclaimer: In our excitement we may have dropped a few F Bombs on this one that we were too lazy to edit out. Listen at your discretion. All in all, it turned out to be a pretty fun show.

CrackBerry LIVE Podcast: Ok ok… so we’re finally seriously for real thinking about trying to record these podcasts live like our friends at TiPb.com and AndroidCentral.com do. We’d go for audio only, with a chat room on the blogs, so you can chat with us when we record. Vote on the poll above to let us know what you’d prefer to us do… and sound off in the comments if you have anything specific to ad. Enjoy the show! 

CrackBerry.com‘s feed sponsored by ShopCrackBerry.com. CrackBerry Podcast 064: Looking Back on a week of BlackBerry Mobile World Congress 2011 News!

View full post on CrackBerry.com blogs

Take this one with a big grain of salt, but MobileCrunch’s Greg Kumparak is reporting that a Google employee at MWC “casually mentioned” that a Gingerbread OTA for the Nexus One is around the corner. Other sources confirmed to him that the OTA will be on the way later this week or early next week.

I am, in the legendary words of the Great White, once bitten, twice shy about rumors like this, so I’ll believe it when I see it.

Let us know what you think. Excited for a possible OTA? Or have you already taken matters into your own hands?

Rumor: Gingerbread OTA for Nexus One This Week? originally appeared on AndroidGuys.

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In this week’s iPhone 4 case roundup: Hardcore cases that can turn your iPhone into a wall-busting projectile, finely crafted wooden wonders, and a whole lot more.

View full post on Macworld

This weekend brings the Super Bowl and an early teaser level for the upcoming movie tie-in Angry Birds Rio, but you won’t have to wait much longer to get even more new levels to waste away your days on. For Valentine’s Day, Rovio will be offering an update to their Angry Birds Seasons that will bring a whole batch of new, love-themed levels to distract you as you wolf down ice cream and cry about not having a date.

Rovio knows not to mess with a winning formula, so don’t expect any earth-shattering changes in gameplay. If you want to see a bit more skin before you take the plunge, however, here are some sneak peek screens courtesy of AllThingsD.

[via AllThingsD]

View full post on Android Phone Fans

While some hands-on demonstrations of the Motorola XOOM and an extensive walkthrough at Verizon’s CES keynote gave us a good taste of what Android 3.0 Honeycomb will bring in terms of change to the operating system, Google is planning an event to give an even deeper look at the new version of its mobile platform. While Android aficionados are busy picking apart the Honeycomb SDK preview that just came online this week, Andy Rubin and crew are gearing up to give the masses a bit more.

The event, which will take place next Wednesday in Mountain View, CA, will see Rubin first present his take on the new OS followed by plenty of hands-on time with Honeycomb. We are assuming Google has reached a more stable build than the untouchable version featured on the XOOM at CES.

While you could say there isn’t much more we could discover about Honeycomb, we are sure Rubin and crew have some surprises up their sleeves. Could this event coincide with a launch of a new web-based Android Market? Google Music? Or will the proceedings be squarely focused on showing off just how awesome Honeycomb really is?

[via AllThingsDigital]

View full post on Android Phone Fans

We have another great show lined up for you this week on AGTN.  Check out what is coming up!

• We are going to be talking with the folks from “Twonky” about their release of their Android DLNA server.
• Gadget Trak is going to show us how to be mesmerized by their real time tracking map and application.
• We have the ForceClose.com Question of the Week with Stacie Daisy.
• Some of the best video game records from the new Guiness release

All that and much more tonight as we come together to talk about our favorite OS in the whole world!  Join Ray, Aaron, Stacie and Benji tonight on the Android Guys Thursday Night Droid-cast FOR THE WIN!!!!!

You can watch the show live at http://www.streamly.tv, or listen live using your computer or Android device at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/androidguys.  See you tonight!

This Week on AGTN originally appeared on AndroidGuys.

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In an effort to appease all the doubters out there, Notion Ink posted some photos of a batch of Adam tablets that are ready to be shipped to the FCC and CE tomorrow. Furthermore, the company is aiming to ship all currently placed orders a week ahead of schedule. For example, if your current ship date reads February, it should be changed to the last week of January.

So, now that the Adam is finally upon us, is anyone excited?

Notion Ink shipping Adam units to FCC, expects customer shipments a week early

View full post on Android News, Rumours, and Updates

It has been said that Google was intent on keeping everyone excited this December, and with their releases of Gingerbread, the Nexus S release, ChromeOS’ debut, and the CR-48 shipments it has become clear that they intended to deliver. It seemed that with the CyanogenMod 6.1 release happening that same week, everyone would be plenty busy enjoying their respective new toys. Apparently I misjudged the determination and drive within the CyanogenMod development team, as they continue to deliver even more this week. What more could they add to CM6.1? Apparently enough to merit the rapid release of CyanogenMod 6.1.1, and that’s not even the stopping point!

Where to even start! I know many are sore about their handset of choice not getting Gingerbread before the Nexus S dropped, but when you take a look at the features in CM 6.1, and the additions found in 6.1.1, I say good riddance. We’ve clearly got more goodies than they do anyway!

6.1.1

Common: Add rotary lockscreen – Kmobs/cvpcs

Common: Updated translations – (everyone)

Common: Push update notificatiosn – Chris Soyars

Common: Fix camera sounds – CAF/Cyanogen/mtwebster

N1/DS/Supersonic: Kernel performance tweaks and fixes (various)

N1: Update build fingerprint

Vision: Fix MMS over WiFi calling – Zinx

Vision: Add console=null to kernel command line – Adam Tygart

Vision: Kernel to 2.6.32.27 and some performance tweaks

Droid: FRG83D fingerprint, translations, camera, torch fixes

The push update notification is the big one that jumps out at me here. Now, when your device has a CM update available, you get a notification on your phone. This is powered by Android’s native C2DM service, which allows for web services to push notifications to your phone. As it stands right now, 6.1.1 is available to the Nexus One, G2, Evo, and Mytouch Slide (note the all HTC-ness of that lineup).

As though that was not enough, we learned earlier today that developer @toastcfh had managed to get the WiMax radio on the Evo to function inside CyanogenMod, giving CM users the speed boost they pay for with owning an Evo. Sprint’s WiMax service has been supposedly “closed source”, so it is great to see the Evo now functioning properly.

It’s clear that the CyanogenMod team shows no sign of slowing down, even after an impressive release like 6.1. This team continues to implement new features, even with Gingerbread  AOSP on the horizon. So, tip your hat to the CM guys, and enjoy their amazing product!

Busy Week for CyanogenMod team; CM6.1.1 and WiMax! originally appeared on AndroidGuys.

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GeekDad Tron Week, images from Disney

Well the big day has finally come and gone, TRON: Legacy is now out there in a theatre near you. Have you seen it yet?

We’ve had a great week here on GeekDad, bringing you lots of lovely Tron-themed posts to help build the excitement. I started off the week with a bunch of links to Tron stuff all over The Grid, and so I thought I’d close it off with a few more. Thanks to all the GeekDads who contributed to the fun and thank you all for reading, we hope you’ve enjoyed it too.

Now, you’d be forgiven for thinking the image above is just another one of Disney’s marketing shots, but it’s not. Designer Fabio Sasso has created it all from scratch using Cinema 4D and Photoshop. He’s written up a full tutorial on his design inspiration and tutorial site, Abduzeedo.com. It’s very well written and simple enough for anyone with a bit of knowledge of Photoshop to follow. You can even download his files for a more in depth look at how it was created.

Master Control Program: 1, by Signalnoise

Sticking with the design theme, @imjustcreative alerted me to this series of posters by James White of Signalnoise.com. James says, “I’m pretty excited about the release of Disney’s Tron Legacy film. So much so that I decided to create a new poster design for every day counting down to the big launch“. See the full set, from 9 to 1, over on behance.net or flickr.com.

James also produced a trilogy of posters earlier in the year, one based on the original movie, the second for Legacy and a third combining the two.

Our colleagues over at Underwire have a great gallery of concept art for the movie, and they also had the fan-tastic idea of getting Jay Maynard, otherwise known as “Tron Guy” to review the movie for them. Guess what, he liked it! io9, on the other hand, wasn’t quite so sure – spoilers, and spoil-sports!

Flynn himself will be hosting this week’s Saturday Night Live on NBC and for more Jeff Bridges action, have a look at his very interesting website, where, amongst other things, he plugs his book of behind the scenes movie photography, Pictures. He also gets the best line in the TRON: Legacy literal trailer.

CRAFT magazine is linking to a great project by ladyada and Becky Stern which shows you how to make your own custom, light up, Tron bag for your laptop using EL-Wire and a bit of sewing and soldering know how. And while you’re in a crafty mood, how about making some Papercraft Bits? (thanks @frankiebit)

A while back threadless.com ran one of their ‘Loves’ competitions for TRON: Legacy and, even though they rejected my two designs, I’ll still link to the winning entry: “2010” by Gavin Rampling. And then there’s also the even better “My Other Ride Is a Light Cycle” by Rolf Nelson.

And to finish up, here’s a list of all the posts we’ve run this week. Right, what’s the next big event movie then?

• TRON Week – Daft Punk’s Soundtrack
• TRON: Legacy Takes Over Disney.com – GeekDad Exclusive!
• TRON Christmas – Off the Grid and Under the Tree
• TRON: Evolution Offers Byte Sized Parkour Fun
• In Search of TRON (1982)
• 10 Things You Should Know About TRON: Legacy (Spoiler-Free)
• TRON Week – More Soundtracks That Are Integral To The Film
• TRON: Legacy Takes Over Disney.com – GeekDad Exclusive!
• TRON: Betrayal Fills In The Blanks Leading To Legacy
• Games, Goodies and The Grid: Marketing TRON: Legacy
• Everything I Know About Parenting I Learned From TRON
• Seeing TRON for the Very First Time
• Gridflix: Movie Clips Get the TRON Treatment
• The Art of TRON: Legacy

View full post on GeekDad

GeekDad Tron Week, images from Disney

Having listening to Daft Punk’s awesome soundtrack for TRON: Legacy pretty much on repeat since I got it, I started thinking about other great movie soundtracks. Not just collections of nice music to go with the pictures (that’s been done a thousand times), but soundtracks that are completely integral to the feel of the movie.
As the blurb on the iTunes store page says, “If Daft Punk didn’t exist then they’d have to be invented to write the soundtrack to TRON: Legacy“. While that might just be more marketing hyperbole, I do think the soundtrack is shaping up to be one of those instances where the synergy between audio and visual is so great that one could not exist without the other, so I thought I’d compile a few more of my favorites. Obviously, this is by no means an exhaustive list, so feel free to add your in the comments.

Blade Runner

Vangelis‘ score to Ridley Scott’s 1982 sci-fi classic has had almost as turbulent a history as the movie itself. The first version released was just orchestral interpretations of the movie score, it took 12 years for Vangelis’ proper version to be officially available. The tracks are full length versions of the cues used in the film, with snippets of dialogue added in, and you can’t hear the soaring ominous synths without imagining flying over 2019 Los Angeles, explosions erupting below you.
This release however wasn’t enough for many fans and there have been many bootlegs over the years, the “Off-World“, “Gongo” and “Esper” editions – all featuring a mix of extra dialogue, sound effects and background ambiance, the ‘blimp’ ladies, a lot of it taken from different cuts of the film or pulled from the surround sound mixes of the DVD releases.
To accompany the 25th Anniversary ‘Final Cut’ of the movie there was also 3 disc special edition soundtrack. The first disc is a remastered version of the original release, the second disc contains lots of additional music and cues from the film, and the third features new material from Vangelis, ‘inspired’ by the movie, which features samples and interviews woven into the music.

Moon

Duncan Jones’ underground hit from 2009 features a haunting central piano riff, backed up with some even more haunting strings, that are repeated in various versions throughout the film. The soundtrack was composed by Clint Mansell (formally the singer with UK 90s greebo indie band Pop Will Eat Itself – who were one of my faves as a teenager) apparently in complete isolation, perfectly echoing the feelings of loneliness that Sam Rockwell’s character experiences in the first part of the movie.
As the soundtrack progresses it gets more fragmented, much like the mind of Sam Bell, before mellowing out and reaching for that crescendo at the finale.
I enjoyed this soundtrack so much, that I instantly added all the other films Mansell has scored (The Fountain, Requiem for a Dream, Smokin’ Aces etc.) to my DVD rental list to see if they’re as good. He’s also got the job on Duncan Jones’ next film, Source Code, so that’s on my must see list already, as well as the critically acclaimed Black Swan.

Ladyhawke

On paper this really shouldn’t work – a fantasy film set in medieval Europe, staring two Americans and Dutch bloke, with a score blending classical orchestra pieces with Spanish Flamenco guitar, 80s prog rock and Gregorian chanting, but somehow composer Andrew Powell and producer Alan Parsons (he of the ‘Project’ fame) manage it. The various styles perfectly suit the different emotions of the film, from the danger to the romance and everything in between. It’s a tricky one to get hold of now, but there are plenty more clips on YouTube.

Ocean’s Eleven

Steven Soderbergh’s modern-day ratpack remake boasts a fantastic main cast – the Clooney/Pitt/Damon trio surely ensured it’s success, and it spawned two sequels, but I think the soundtrack by Irish DJ/producer David Holmes helped a bit too. It’s a fantastic blend of original, energetic, retro-jazz-funk skits, mixed with some of his own full length tracks and Vegas-style classics from the likes of Perry Como, Percy Faith and Elvis – his ‘A Little Less Conversation‘ was first reintroduced to the world here, before that awful remix hit the charts. Holmes even drops in a real classical opus with DeBussy’s ‘Clair de Lune‘ scoring the final, triumphant scene, a song he cheekily sampled into one of his own compositions earlier in the film, thus bringing everything full circle for end piece. Throw in some uber-cool quotes from Clooney and Pitt, and there you go, instant classic.

House of the Flying Daggers/Kung Fu Hustle

Yimou Zhang’s fantasy martial arts epic features a very traditional Japanese score by Shigeru Umebayashi, featuring lots of dreamy vocals, pipes, flutes, drums, gongs, and strings all mixed with some moody synths and orchestra. The emotional scenes are full of ethereal vocals and gentle twanging guitars, whereas the battles scenes feature intense drumming rhythms and dramatic strings. My favourite part has to be ‘Echo Game‘ where the wonderful Ziyi Zhang gracefully beats the drums with the sleeves of her kimono. Who cares if it’s possible or not? It looks and sounds amazing.

Sticking with the martial arts theme, the soundtrack to this scene from Stephen Chow’s Kung Fu Hustle by Raymond Wong (I think) is so integral to the film that it actually becomes a weapon. As the Musicians take on the Masters, we hear the slightest twang of their instrument and watch as a decapitated head falls to the floor. After some regular, but impressive, fighting they return to their instrument and send wave after wave of music at the Masters and we see their soundwaves transformed into swords, spears and demons. The Masters fight back in a beautifully choreographed dance, and look set for victory, only to have in snatched from them by a powerful chord that literally stops them in their tracks.

Other Honourable Mentions
Any list like this would be incomplete without mentioning John Williams‘ work on so many of our favorite films, including Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Superman, Jaws and Close Encounters to name a tiny fraction of his amazing body of work. The man is a genius, whenever something evil is happening I hear the Imperial March and whenever a fallen hero finds his courage, Indy’s fanfare echoes through my mind.

Of course, Ennio Morricone is another master of the artform, I bet nobody can walk through a set of saloon door without humming the theme from The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.

The score for Dune by Toto is full of trippy bits of dialogue, strings, choirs and even goes a bit prog rock at times. Michael Kamen and Orbital’s work on the Event Horizon soundtrack is as scary and evil as the movie itself.

Soundtracks can also simply be collections of great songs. The Blues Brothers would be nothing without the classic blues and soul music they sing and listen too. I’m not even going to go into musicals as it’s kind of a given that the music in them has to be superb. Tarantino has a great ear for music to go with his knack for dialogue, as does Cameron Crowe. The soundtrack to Trainspotting was such a fantastic collection of music that a second album was released, featuring tracks that weren’t even in the film! Hang on, that’s not such a good thing is it? Oh well, maybe I should stop there…

I’ve heard good things about the soundtrack to Inception and Monsters but I haven’t seen either of them yet so I can’t really say. What do you think? Any other classics I’ve missed?

View full post on GeekDad

The Book That Started It All

With the release Eclipse on DVD on Saturday, we at GeekMom decided to take a look at the Twilight phenomenon.

The immensely popular series has been incredibly polarizing among fandom.

One side side, teen girls reading the series, which included my own a few years ago, see someone they can identify with in Bella and a fascinating new world where they can escape.  Older female readers love the fantasy and romance of it all.

[To read more of Corrina Lawson's introductory post to this week's Twilight articles, visit GeekMom!]

View full post on GeekDad

If you’re looking for a zany, novel case for a friend, loved one, or yourself, this is the week for you.

View full post on Macworld

If you’re looking for a zany, novel case for a friend, loved one, or yourself, this is the week for you.

View full post on Macworld

While hope continues to be dashed that Sony Ericsson might actually produce a worthwhile Android handset, at least they have finally made good on their word to upgrade the aging Xperia X10 lineup to a newer (but not the latest) version of the operating system. Hey, Android 2.1 is better than nothing, and next in line to get it for the Xperia handsets are users on T-Mobile UK.

A tweet confirmed that those users with the big boy X10 and the Mini Pro should have Android 2.1 sometime next week.

[via Eurodroid]

View full post on Android Phone Fans

T-Mobile UK customers with the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 family of devices rejoice, because T-Mobile is pushing through Android 2.1 to your mobile devices next week! It’s been a long wait, and now you’ll finally be able to enjoy Eclair in all its glory. Sure, it’s no Froyo, but it’s a drastic improvement still! I wouldn’t even want to think about how long it may take to get Froyo out, but be happy you’re not on Virgin Mobile UK, cause they still haven’t gotten any word on an Android 2.1 update yet at all.

We don’t have an official date, but when we know, we’ll spread the word!

T-Mobile UK sending out Android 2.1 to Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 line Next Week

View full post on Android News, Rumours, and Updates

Image: Warner Brothers

Harry Potter Week is coming to a close over at GeekMom, but that doesn’t mean we’re short on posts. As we prepare for the midnight showing of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the posts are just heading up.

First up, Jenn T. shares a Harry Potter inspired dueling game of her own invention:

I own a channel-changing wand (courtesy my paycheck devouring fave site, ThinkGeek), I regularly don a Professor McGonagall costume, and have taken every blessed Which Harry Potter Character Are You quiz ever written on the internet.  I draw the line at writing fan literature although that can’t be far behind with the book and movie franchise drawing to a close.  I have however created my own version of Wizard’s Dueling to be used by my geekiest of friends.  My three-year-old daughter even plays it.   With the movie premier nearly here I thought I would share my abbreviated version with GeekMoms to use in the theater as you wait for the midnight showing.  The beauty of this version is that it can be played from memory, much like Rock Paper Scissors. If you can remember three spells you can duel your fellow wizards.  It is easy for kids to learn and you get to yell out Harry Potter spells as loud as you can.

Next, Rebecca Angel talks about how the Harry Potter phenomenon has changed the way geeks grow up in “Before Geeks Were Cool“:

Being a geek is no longer geeky. Role-playing games are being used in classrooms, “graphic novels” are considered literature, conferences about geek pop culture are in major cities with thousands of attendees, and every cool kid is going to see the latest Harry Potter in the theaters. After this movie about magic and monsters, what’s the next most popular thing around? Vampire love. Yeah, times have changed.

Back in my day (creak of my ergonomic office chair) fantasy and science fiction were lumped into one genre: nerd. And that wasn’t a good thing. It was a lonely thing. Years ago there was no Harry Potter phenomenon, The Lord of the Rings had yet to come to theaters, and Star Wars consisted of three movies from the last decade. I would bring novels I was reading into school, and kids would peer at the cover with some fiery demon being fought by a sword-wielding warrior.

And lastly, I talk a bit about my attempts to ignore the Harry Potter phenomenon and subsequent failure. Let’s just say it’s kind of a geeky girl meets book love story.

I had every reason in the world not to read Harry Potter. I just wasn’t going to do it. Oh, people told me I ought to. “You like hobbits! You like magic! You like elves!” But I didn’t see the point. I had my beloved books. And by the time the craze was really hitting, I was in college. College kids have no need for silly books about schools of magic, for goodness’ sake. I was an English major. I had literature to read.

Right?

So how was it that I ended up walking to the library one afternoon and, instead of getting books and journals to study, I picked up Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone? I’m not sure. I was fully prepared to hate it. To loathe it. To laugh and point and mock. To call up my Harry Potter fan friends and ask them why exactly they thought I, a serious student of the English Language, would ever stoop to read such drivel.

View full post on GeekDad

A ton of stuff happened on Android Market this week so sit tight and hopefully you’re entertained as I cover 20 apps that were either launched, updated or are upcoming on Android Market. From holiday wallpaper to holiday shopping to skeeball to me dancing… we pretty much cover it all in the week the last week that was Android Market.

Another huge update is a currently in-progress update to Android Market itself. Developers were warned about market downtime and we already know that it will bring additional screenshots, sample videos, and larger resolution images that we’re assuming will be for tablets and the new market website we’ve heard so much about.

For more information on the apps discussed today, see (and click) below!

SkeeHoops
http://hairymonsterstudios.com/skeehoops.html

FleeAway
http://www.fleeaway.com/

View full post on Android Phone Fans