So any half-hearted fan of the Wutang Clan knows how the group successfully blended the Kung-Fu movie genre with their beats and rhymes. It actually led to my College thesis which was asian culture in hip-hop, however, I digress. The truly important bit of information in this post is the fact that one of the leading members of the Clan, a mr.”Rza”, if you may, has successfully teamed up with another fellow by the name of – Quentin Tarantino, to make a Hong-Kong Styled Martial Arts Movie. The title, aptly named, is “The Man with the Iron Fists.” No doubt, you have ignored this whole post and are watching the trailer right now so I’ll shut up. Cast includes the likes of Russel Crowe,Lucy Liu, Pam Grier, Dave Bautista, and Daniel Wu to name a few. Check this, music on the movie will be made by Black Keys, Kanye West, Wiz Khalifa, Wu-Tang Clan, and the Rza himself. I wish they had Yuen Wu Ping as fight choreographer – but looking at the trailer, I think I’ll be alright.
June has turned out to be one of the most exciting months for technology consumers with huge announcements from Apple, Microsoft, and Google. Personally I’m excited about all of the announcements and consider them all good news. When you have Tech Titans like these behemoths fighting for my attention – I win no matter which way I turn. I’ll briefly touch on some of the highlights here.
Apple:
Macbook Pro with Retina Display
iOS 6
To be honest, a lot of people were waiting for the iPhone 5 announcement – but Apple did the right thing in my opinion. I love tuning in to Apple events because if nothing else is true, every time they are ready to make an announcement about a new product or feature, it will be ready for the consumer almost immediately. Not the next year, and most times, not even the coming months. It’s a sure bet that you will be able to get your hands on at least one of the items announced almost immediately. If the next iPhone wasn’t ready, then I’d rather they didn’t announce it. I’ve had a chance to compare strategies and I don’t really like Microsoft’s. They are constantly telling you more and more about the coolest new feature or hardware that you can’t buy yet because it’s due to drop at some unknown time. By the time it’s ready, the excitement has died out and you aren’t as excited about it anymore.
What Apple did announce was what I consider to be yet another game-changer. I am by no means an Apple fan-boy, but they continue to crush the competition in-terms of desirability. The Macbook pro line was already arguably the most coveted power laptop, but they went ahead and went bananas on the display. Even if they didn’t do anything under the hood, it would be tough to hold in check the desire to at least see what 2880×1800 looks like. The other iOs 6 announcements were sort of exciting, but necessities if they were going to continue to stay competitive with Android. Turn by turn navigation was a must in light of Google’s magnificent Maps App. Deeper Siri integration was to be expected, and passbook was a welcome addition to iOS’s functionality.
Microsoft:
Microsoft Surface
Windows 8 / Windows Mobile 8
As I mentioned above – the excitement around Windows 8, in my opinion, was waning a bit due to the fact that it has literally been talked about for around a year or so now. You can download a preview, but I’m not interested in previews. I’m interested in a new product…And Microsoft delivered. Enterstage left: The Microsoft Surface. This product announcement totally took me by surprise. We all know that Microsoft is fully capable of serious hardware, but they’ve been leaving it up to their hardware partners to deliver the goods, and lets just say – some of the products have much to be desired. I suppose Mr. Ballmer had to show’em how it’s done. The Surface is elegant, yet clever, and if it performs, I believe this tablet will be the answer to many people’s desires. It will be for those who want a little higher level of functionality than they can get from the iPad.
Windows Mobile 8 was the next logical step, but it is mildly exciting in the mobile space. What would be more exciting is if they pulled a “Surface” and debuted more hardware, but I doubt Microsoft will ruffle their hardware partner’s feathers too much.
Google:
Nexus 7
Project Glass
Nexus Q
Google’s most recent I|O Conference has to have been one of the best keynotes in recent memory. Though I wasn’t there, I was totally wrapped up in the parachuting moment, and the scaling the building moment, and the biking moment! You can see the video here. I think the perspective the images and video gleaned from that vantage point, though not new, will be quite fascinating to look at once Project Glass is released. What’s new is the form factor and ease of use. Google has managed to make that kind of imaging equipment almost apart of you. I’m quite excited to get my hands on that technology. What’s also of note is not just the “look at what I did” but the “look at what I’m doing right now” effect this eye-ware will bring about.
Google also debuted the Nexus 7 which I believe will do quite well. When compared to the Kindle Fire, it’s really no competition. Also Amazon doesn’t seem to have much else, tablet-wise, under it’s sleeve. I’m sure a next generation Kindle Fire is under way set to drop sometime soon, but I doubt it will have as much fire-power as the Nexus 7. Google understood that the real desire of many people who found the Kindle Fire intriguing but not enough to purchase, and that was the desire to have a “sleeper”. You know, an all purpose ride that’s affordable and simple enough, but a beast under the hood. The Kindle Fire was all of that, without the “Beast” part. So I bought one for my mom while I patiently waited. The Nexus 7 will probably be my next gadget purchase simply because of just how powerful and inexpensive this little bad boy is.
The Nexus Q is interesting in that it allows you to control and stream content from the cloud through a Nexus device. But I have to say – at $300 bucks, I’ll probably only get one if it’s a birthday gift or something.
Best Announcement:
I have to say the best announcement was Project Glass. This device really has opened doors to wearable computing. Though computers on the body is not a new concept, it has yet to be done in a sexy and practical way. That is until now. This has literally brought the future to the present in a way many people dreamed of. Remember Arnold Schwarzenegger in Terminator? How far away is that now…really? I can imagine tech like that in my lifetime now, and that’s great.
The new cover of NBA 2K13 has been revealed today! The New Cover is three people deep and features the younger cats in the NBA. They are being called the “New Dynasty.” Can’t wait to play to see what improvements the game makes to this new chapter in the 2K franchise. They always have something up their sleeve and the music is always on point. List of artists aren’t known just yet, but will update you guys when that’s available. The Game comes out October 2nd.
As for the cover, what do you think? Personally, I think it’s not too bad, however, I want to know if it should have been a face-off between the “New Dynasty” and the “Old Dynasty” – But I guess that doesn’t sound quite right, but you get what I meant. Some of the OGs like Kareem, Isaiah, Moses, etc… vs the young guns. Just my thought…what are yours’?
Full Press Lease Below:
2K Sports Crowns Kevin Durant, Blake Griffin and Derrick Rose as Cover Athletes for NBA® 2K13
Trio of young superstars represents the “New Dynasty” of NBA legends
New York, NY – June 26, 2012 – 2K Sports today announced that the Oklahoma City Thunder’s Kevin Durant, Los Angeles Clippers’ Blake Griffin and the Chicago Bulls’ Derrick Rose have been crowned the cover athletes for NBA® 2K13, the next installment of the top-selling and top-rated NBA video game simulation franchise*.
”Being crowned as one of the NBA 2K13 cover athletes is a huge honor and something I always dreamt about,” said Durant, who won his third straight scoring title and led the Thunder franchise to their first NBA Finals appearance since 1996. “It’s definitely humbling to grace the cover after the likes of Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, and Larry Bird.”
“There’s so much young talent around the NBA, so it’s very exciting to be chosen for NBA 2K’s ‘New Dynasty’ alongside Kevin and Derrick,” added Griffin, who helped lead the Clippers to their first postseason since 2006. “The NBA 2K series has always been my first choice when I want to get a game in.”
“It’s a dream come true to be one of the cover athletes for NBA 2K13,” commented Rose, the 2010-11 NBA Most Valuable Player, who led the Bulls to a league-best 50-16 record this season. “I’ve worked closely with 2K Sports since NBA 2K10, and I’m honored to follow in the footsteps of Michael Jordan as the latest Chicago Bull to be featured on the cover.”
In their young but impressive careers, Rose, Durant and Griffin have each taken the NBA by storm. All three are past winners of the NBA Rookie of the Year award, and have also amassed eight All-Star berths, three scoring titles, and one Most Valuable Player award between them.
“There are many young superstars in today’s NBA, but we’ve selected three incredible athletes for the cover of NBA 2K13 that represent the NBA well,” concluded Jason Argent, vice president of marketing for 2K Sports. “It’s clear to us that Blake, Derrick and Kevin are the most deserving guys to inherit the NBA 2K cover from Jordan, Magic and Bird.”
Developed by Visual Concepts, a 2K Sports studio, NBA 2K13 is not yet rated by the ESRB and will be available on October 2, 2012 in North America and October 5, 2012 internationally. The Wii U version of the title will be available during the holiday season. Fans are encouraged to pre-order now at participating retailers in order to receive the downloadable NBA All-Star content package presented by Sprite on day one at no extra cost.
Stop what your doing right now…no, RIGHT NOW! If you’re like me and are looking forward in the Judge Dredd reboot that’s coming out soon then feast your eyes on the below.
Just looking at the style of the movie – it looks to be just as gritty as the original that starred Sylvester Stallone. Thought that movie got a bad rap. It was pretty good for what it was and I watch every now and again when I get nostalgic. Looks like the helmet stays on like the comics though which I think is a good move. It’s really about the symbolism of the Judgeship. Can’t wait to get to check this movie when it comes out. I will say though, that the premise sounds a lot like an Indonesian martial arts flick that came out a few months ago by the name of “The Raid: Redemption”. I’m digressing, but that movie is off the chain if you haven’t seen it yet. You can find the trailer for it here.
Had a little time with the phone and a few things jumped out at me.
First was the screen. It will have a 4.6 inch HD Reality Display (1280×720) which looks awesome. Everything looks crisp and bright. Second was it’s ability to dock with the Sony Smart Dock and display phone content via HD Cable to your High Def TV. If it’s a Sony TV you can even use the remote to control content which was pretty cool though I would have much rathered a wireless connection. Then was the Playstation Certification. This means genuine PlayStation titles can be played through the phone which is pretty cool. Was playing Modern Combat on the big screen and it rocked. Though I had a tough time enjoying the experience because I had to keep looking back to the phone to figure out what the heck I was doing. I think giving the phone the ability to simply become the controller once docked with the TV would be a much more elegant approach. The key Details are as follows:
Playstation Certification
16GB internal memory with the option to expand up to 32GB via microSD.
12MP Camera
4.6″ 720p HD Reality Display
1.5Ghz dual core processor
One serious downer was the fact that this phone will not ship with Ice Cream Sandwhich. It will get the upgrade eventually, but who knows when. If the ION is something that tickles your fancy it will be available on AT&T exclusively on the 24th for $100 bucks on a 2 year contract.
Yesterday, Apple confirmed quite a few things that many people were speculating up to that point. However, not all the rumors were true. There was no iPhone 5 announcement – which I was disappointed to find out. However, there was definitely enough to chew on. Catch the entire thing here as the keynote is now online.
The Major Changes of interest are as follows: -iOS 6
iOS 6 brings a ton of changes and perhaps most notably “Maps”. Maps really does look quite nice and it really needed to happen. Since Google was withholding the goods (i.e. turn by turn navigation) for so long Apple decided to move forward without that partnership. In “Flyover” mode, you see 3D models of all the buildings in a particular city as if you were really looking at the city from the sky. Google unveiled a similar product last Wednesday so there will definitely be company in the 3D mapping space.
Passbook was another goodie that came up – with the ability to have all of your passes at your fingertips digitally. This includes your Starbucks card, plane ticket, and even movie pass. What’s really neat is the fact that your iOS 6 enabled device will know where you are and pull up the correct pass as you near your destination so you won’t have to fumble through your apps to find it.
Guided Access is fairly intriguing though I doubt I would have much use for it – though many people with kids – especially those with special needs – may find it handy. It gives you the ability to restrict certain areas of the phone so that the user stays focused on the task at hand.
New Macbook Pro
The newest computer in the MacBook family is now the MacBook Pro with Retina Display. This puppy is on sale right now (though you’ll have to wait between 2-3 weeks for it to be shipped since demand is so high). The display has literally 5.1 million pixels.
It’s almost as thin as the Mac Air. I’ts .71 inches thin and weighs 4.45lbs. To achieve this they did get rid of the disc drive and flattened the Magsafe port.
Macbook Pro Refresh
Apple has also refreshed their entire MacBook lineup with a slew of new features like a new HD Facetime Camera and all new Thunderbolt ports. The processors of each line has been upgraded with i5 or i7 processors. You can check out comparisons here.
The 17 inch MacBook Pro has been axed. Apple always tries to keep it fresh so I suppose it was bound to happen.
For a cool $2,199 smackers the new retina display MacBook Pro can be yours. The regular MacBook Pro of similar size starts at $1799. Do you think the new Mac is worth the extra $400?
July 20th is the big day for Batman fans everywhere. The next and final installment of Christopher Nolan’s version of the Batman Universe will be unveiled in theaters all across North America. Somehow Nolan has managed to captivate audiences for three straight films with his breathtaking scenes, gritty story lines, and keen attention to realism. I think that fans of Batman, myself included, appreciate the gadgets and the fact that they play a larger role than normal in my opinion. In many other Batman movies, Batman’s gadgets just seem to work – but they rarely have any background story to them. Lucius Fox, played by Morgan Freeman, sort of provides an added dynamic on screen for Batman’s wonderful toys. They have a beginning, a functionality in Nolan’s Movies that I absolutely enjoy.
Now you can read up on all the secrets of Bruce Wayne’s gadgetry in the new book The Dark Knight Manual. In it you will find all of the Bat Suit upgrades, gadgets, weapons and the like with original concept art. All this for a cool $40 bucks doesn’t sound to bad for the true die-hard fan.
Samsung is eager to show off their impressive line of Smart TVs and they’ve chosen a very catchy way to do it. Enlisting Victoria’s Secret model Angela Bellotte, the company comically demonstrates the TV’s voice and motion controls. Besides the human beauty, the TV is quite sexy as well with it’s thin profile as well as wireless controls. When I was thinking about making my TV purchase, voice and motion control weren’t available yet and though I’m happy with my purchase, I think I might have gone the other way with these new offerings! How about you guys – like what you see?
The Pebble E-ink Watch is kinda cool once you give it a chance. I was skeptical at first, but watching their video has changed my mind. Still need one to play around with to make my final decision of course, but that won’t happen too soon seeing as they’ve already sold out. Let’s just say their kick-starter bid went very, very, well – raising more than Ten Million smackers where they only sought one-hundred thousand.
The long and short is this – you can view the watch in direct sunlight because it’s e-ink. This also means you can change it’s appearance as well. Anyone can program apps for it and it works with both your iOS devices as well as your Android devices. You can control your phone with the watch and it has Bluetooth. You can get text messages, Facebook updates, and caller ID info which, if your like me and checks the phone every other second, is quite useful. Has tons of other stuff as well. Can’t wait till I can buy one!
Here’s one for the fan-boys out there. If you pre-order the upcoming Amazing Spiderman game you will get the Stan Lee Adventure pack.
Stan Lee will have all the powers of your favorite “Web-Head” and you can fight crime with Stan Lee’s character. Stan Lee actually voices the character entirely as well so it’s not just a cheap model-swap out. If you complete the Adventure Pack there will be some type of reward or something.
Personally, I think it’s worth it as the game looks like it’s shaping up to be something cool. You can check our initial opinions here.
You can also get the Rhino challenge as well which will allow you to play as the Rhino himself causing mayhem through the streets of Manhattan. That might be some fun…sign me up!
