Showing posts with label Technology. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Technology. Show all posts

HP sells webOS operating system to LG Electronics






SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Hewlett-Packard Co said on Monday it will sell the webOS operating system to South Korea’s LG Electronics Inc, unloading the smartphone software it acquired through a $ 1.2 billion acquisition of Palm in 2010.


LG will use the operating software, used in now-defunct Palm smartphones years ago, for its “smart” or Internet-connected TVs. The Asian electronics company had worked with HP on WebOS before offering to buy it outright.






Under the terms of their agreement, LG acquires the operating software’s source code, associated documentation, engineering talent, various associated websites, and licenses under HP’s intellectual property including patents covering fundamental operating system and user interface technology.


HP will retain the patents and all the technology relating to the cloud service of webOS, HP Chief Operating Officer Bill Veghte said in an interview.


“As we looked at it, we saw a very compelling IP that was very unique in the marketplace,” he said, adding that HP has already had a partnership with LG on webOS before the deal was announced.


“As a result of this collaboration, LG offered to acquire the webOS operating system technology,” Veghte said.


Skott Ahn, President and CTO, LG Electronics, said the company will incorporate the operating system in the Smart TV line-up first “and then hopefully all the other devices in the future.”


Both companies declined to reveal the terms of the deal.


LG will keep the WebOS team in Silicon Valley and, for now, will continue to be based out of HP offices, Ahn said.


HP opened its webOS mobile operating system to developers and companies in 2012 after trying to figure out how to recoup its investment in Palm, one of the pioneers of the smartphone industry.


The company had tried to build products based on webOS with the now-defunct TouchPad tablet its flagship product.


HP launched and discontinued the TouchPad in 2010, a little over a month after it hit store shelves with costly fanfare after it saw poor demand for a tablet priced on par with Apple’s dominant iPad.


WebOS is widely viewed as a strong mobile platform, but has been assailed for its paucity of applications, an important consideration while choosing a mobile device.


(Additional reporting By Paul Sandle and Alistair Barr; Editing by Gerald E. McCormick, Tim Dobbyn and M.D. Golan)


Tech News Headlines – Yahoo! News





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HP sells webOS operating system to LG Electronics






SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Hewlett-Packard Co said on Monday it will sell the webOS operating system to South Korea’s LG Electronics Inc, unloading the smartphone software it acquired through a $ 1.2 billion acquisition of Palm in 2010.


LG will use the operating software, used in now-defunct Palm smartphones years ago, for its “smart” or Internet-connected TVs. The Asian electronics company had worked with HP on WebOS before offering to buy it outright.






Under the terms of their agreement, LG acquires the operating software’s source code, associated documentation, engineering talent, various associated websites, and licenses under HP’s intellectual property including patents covering fundamental operating system and user interface technology.


HP will retain the patents and all the technology relating to the cloud service of webOS, HP Chief Operating Officer Bill Veghte said in an interview.


“As we looked at it, we saw a very compelling IP that was very unique in the marketplace,” he said, adding that HP has already had a partnership with LG on webOS before the deal was announced.


“As a result of this collaboration, LG offered to acquire the webOS operating system technology,” Veghte said.


Skott Ahn, President and CTO, LG Electronics, said the company will incorporate the operating system in the Smart TV line-up first “and then hopefully all the other devices in the future.”


Both companies declined to reveal the terms of the deal.


LG will keep the WebOS team in Silicon Valley and, for now, will continue to be based out of HP offices, Ahn said.


HP opened its webOS mobile operating system to developers and companies in 2012 after trying to figure out how to recoup its investment in Palm, one of the pioneers of the smartphone industry.


The company had tried to build products based on webOS with the now-defunct TouchPad tablet its flagship product.


HP launched and discontinued the TouchPad in 2010, a little over a month after it hit store shelves with costly fanfare after it saw poor demand for a tablet priced on par with Apple’s dominant iPad.


WebOS is widely viewed as a strong mobile platform, but has been assailed for its paucity of applications, an important consideration while choosing a mobile device.


(Additional reporting By Paul Sandle and Alistair Barr; Editing by Gerald E. McCormick, Tim Dobbyn and M.D. Golan)


Tech News Headlines – Yahoo! News





Title Post: HP sells webOS operating system to LG Electronics
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HP sells webOS operating system to LG Electronics






SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Hewlett-Packard Co said on Monday it will sell the webOS operating system to South Korea’s LG Electronics Inc, unloading the smartphone software it acquired through a $ 1.2 billion acquisition of Palm in 2010.


LG will use the operating software, used in now-defunct Palm smartphones years ago, for its “smart” or Internet-connected TVs. The Asian electronics company had worked with HP on WebOS before offering to buy it outright.






Under the terms of their agreement, LG acquires the operating software’s source code, associated documentation, engineering talent, various associated websites, and licenses under HP’s intellectual property including patents covering fundamental operating system and user interface technology.


HP will retain the patents and all the technology relating to the cloud service of webOS, HP Chief Operating Officer Bill Veghte said in an interview.


“As we looked at it, we saw a very compelling IP that was very unique in the marketplace,” he said, adding that HP has already had a partnership with LG on webOS before the deal was announced.


“As a result of this collaboration, LG offered to acquire the webOS operating system technology,” Veghte said.


Skott Ahn, President and CTO, LG Electronics, said the company will incorporate the operating system in the Smart TV line-up first “and then hopefully all the other devices in the future.”


Both companies declined to reveal the terms of the deal.


LG will keep the WebOS team in Silicon Valley and, for now, will continue to be based out of HP offices, Ahn said.


HP opened its webOS mobile operating system to developers and companies in 2012 after trying to figure out how to recoup its investment in Palm, one of the pioneers of the smartphone industry.


The company had tried to build products based on webOS with the now-defunct TouchPad tablet its flagship product.


HP launched and discontinued the TouchPad in 2010, a little over a month after it hit store shelves with costly fanfare after it saw poor demand for a tablet priced on par with Apple’s dominant iPad.


WebOS is widely viewed as a strong mobile platform, but has been assailed for its paucity of applications, an important consideration while choosing a mobile device.


(Additional reporting By Paul Sandle and Alistair Barr; Editing by Gerald E. McCormick, Tim Dobbyn and M.D. Golan)


Tech News Headlines – Yahoo! News





Title Post: HP sells webOS operating system to LG Electronics
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HP sells webOS operating system to LG Electronics






SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Hewlett-Packard Co said on Monday it will sell the webOS operating system to South Korea’s LG Electronics Inc, unloading the smartphone software it acquired through a $ 1.2 billion acquisition of Palm in 2010.


LG will use the operating software, used in now-defunct Palm smartphones years ago, for its “smart” or Internet-connected TVs. The Asian electronics company had worked with HP on WebOS before offering to buy it outright.






Under the terms of their agreement, LG acquires the operating software’s source code, associated documentation, engineering talent, various associated websites, and licenses under HP’s intellectual property including patents covering fundamental operating system and user interface technology.


HP will retain the patents and all the technology relating to the cloud service of webOS, HP Chief Operating Officer Bill Veghte said in an interview.


“As we looked at it, we saw a very compelling IP that was very unique in the marketplace,” he said, adding that HP has already had a partnership with LG on webOS before the deal was announced.


“As a result of this collaboration, LG offered to acquire the webOS operating system technology,” Veghte said.


Skott Ahn, President and CTO, LG Electronics, said the company will incorporate the operating system in the Smart TV line-up first “and then hopefully all the other devices in the future.”


Both companies declined to reveal the terms of the deal.


LG will keep the WebOS team in Silicon Valley and, for now, will continue to be based out of HP offices, Ahn said.


HP opened its webOS mobile operating system to developers and companies in 2012 after trying to figure out how to recoup its investment in Palm, one of the pioneers of the smartphone industry.


The company had tried to build products based on webOS with the now-defunct TouchPad tablet its flagship product.


HP launched and discontinued the TouchPad in 2010, a little over a month after it hit store shelves with costly fanfare after it saw poor demand for a tablet priced on par with Apple’s dominant iPad.


WebOS is widely viewed as a strong mobile platform, but has been assailed for its paucity of applications, an important consideration while choosing a mobile device.


(Additional reporting By Paul Sandle and Alistair Barr; Editing by Gerald E. McCormick, Tim Dobbyn and M.D. Golan)


Tech News Headlines – Yahoo! News





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Facebook Now Has an Entire Team Devoted to Sandy Hook Scams






When three Connecticut lawmakers asked Mark Zuckerberg in a letter on Monday to do something about the flood of fake Sandy Hook memorial pages, he got back to them quickly. Democratic Senators Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy and Rep. Elizabeth Esty, also a Democrat, pointed out that Facebook is filled countless pages that “have become vehicles for harassment, intimidation and possibly financial fraud.” The lawmakers added that such pages enable fraudsters “to violate the privacy of families as they grieve, or seek financial gain through soliciting donations under false pretenses, or generating Facebook ‘likes’ for marketing purposes, should not be given quarter in the Facebook community.” One teacher named Victoria Soto who was killed in the attack had over 100 pages dedicated to her, and the victim’s mother went to the lawmakers for help pulling them down.


RELATED: Morsi’s Anti-Semitism, Newtown Parents, and ‘The Real Husbands of Hollywood’






Facebook called Sen. Blumenthal’s office within hours of the letter being sent to ensure him that the company had a dedicated team to deal with Sandy Hook-related requests. In a statement, the company said, “For the past few months, our rapid response team has acted swiftly to remove inappropriate materials flagged by the foundation and the families.” Indeed, it’s been nearly two months since we found out about the first Sandy Hook scammer, a New York woman who posed as the aunt of one of the first grade victims of the shootings and solicited money for a “funeral fund.” One would’ve thought that the social network would have cranked up the security dials after that scandal, but apparently it wasn’t enough. If the trouble at Facebook continues, at least we’ll know it wasn’t for lack of trying.


Social Media News Headlines – Yahoo! News





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Hackers circulate tainted version of China cyber security report






BOSTON (Reuters) – Unknown hackers are trying to infect computers by capitalizing on strong interest in a recent report by a security firm that accuses the Chinese military of supporting widespread cyber attacks on U.S. companies.


Tainted digital versions of the report from cyber forensics firm Mandiant infect PCs with computer viruses that allow hackers to gain remote control of computers after users attempt to read those documents, according to security researchers.






Anti-virus software maker Symantec Corp said on its blog that some of those tainted documents were attached to Japanese-language emails purporting to be from someone recommending the report.


Security engineer Brandon Dixon said on his blog that he had identified a similar document on the Internet, which appeared to have originated in India.


“It was only a matter of time,” Mandiant said on its blog, adding that its own network had not been compromised. “Reports downloaded, previously and currently from our website, do not contain exploits.”


The report, which is available from Mandiant at http://intelreport.mandiant.com/ charges that a secretive Chinese military unit is behind a series of hacking attacks. It prompted a strong denial from Beijing and accusations that China was in fact the victim of U.S. hacking.


(Reporting By Jim Finkle; editing by Andrew Hay)


Internet News Headlines – Yahoo! News





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Einhorn scores legal victory vs. Apple in cash scuffle






NEW YORK (Reuters) – A U.S. judge handed outspoken hedge fund manager David Einhorn a victory in his battle with Apple Inc on Friday, blocking the iPhone maker from moving forward with a shareholder vote on a controversial proposal to limit the company’s ability to issue preferred stock.


U.S. District Judge Richard Sullivan in Manhattan granted a motion by Einhorn’s Greenlight Capital for a preliminary injunction stopping a vote on that proposal, scheduled for the company’s February 27 stockholders’ meeting.






The decision could hand Einhorn more leverage as he pursues his pitch for Apple to issue what he has called the “iPref”: preferred stock with a perpetual dividend that he contends would reward investors and help boost the company’s share price.


Greenlight sued Apple on February 7 as part of a broader pitch to unlock more of its $ 137 billion in cash. The hedge fund manager has lobbied Apple to issue preferred stock with a perpetual 4 percent dividend, and on Thursday made a direct appeal to shareholders on a teleconference.


The lawsuit itself challenged a measure called Proposal No. 2 that Apple put forward, which would eliminate its power to issue preferred shares without a shareholder vote.


At issue is Apple’s “bundling” of that measure with two other unrelated matters into a single proxy proposal.


Greenlight said it supported two of the proposed amendments, but not the one on preferred shares.


In his ruling, Sullivan said Greenlight and another investor who also sued Apple “are likely to succeed on the merits and face irreparable harm if the vote on Proposal No. 2 is permitted to proceed.”


“We are disappointed with the court’s ruling. Proposal No.2 is part of our efforts to further enhance corporate governance and serve our shareholders’ best interests,” Apple spokesman Steve Dowling said. “Unfortunately, due to today’s decision, shareholders will not be able to vote on Proposal #2 at our annual meeting next week.”


A spokesman for Greenlight called the ruling a “significant win for all Apple shareholders and for good corporate governance.”


But not all shareholders were happy. California pension fund CalPers, a major Apple investor and public supporter of Apple’s proposal, said implementation of “majority voting and shareholder approval for the issuance of new stock – preferred or otherwise – is worth waiting for.”


“We encourage Apple to reintroduce these measures as soon as is practical so that all investors can be heard,” Anne Simpson, CalPers’ Director of Global Governance, said in a statement.


BUNDLES


The ruling could be a warning for other companies when issuing proxy proposals, said James Cox, a professor at Duke University School of Law.


“It’s going to make managers reluctant to bundle things together, because you’re never going to know when you send them out if there’s an Einhorn out there,” he said.


The lawsuit was centered on a narrow issue of whether Apple violated U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission rules by “bundling” the preferred shares item with two other unrelated matters into one proxy proposal.


Greenlight’s lawyers contended the SEC rules were intended to protect shareholders from being forced to vote for a proxy proposal involving materially different issues that the investors might not entirely support.


Apple had argued Proposal No. 2, which only dealt with amendments to its charter, constitute a single matter and wasn’t bundled. Sullivan called the company’s arguments “unavailing.”


“Given the language and purpose of the rules, it is plain to the Court that Proposal No. 2 impermissibly bundles ‘separate matters’ for shareholder consideration,” Sullivan wrote.


Judge Sullivan also found that Greenlight would be irreparably harmed without the injunction, since it would be forced to vote against its own interests. Denying Greenlight‘s motion would prevent it and other investors for exercising their rights to a fair vote, Sullivan said.


Sullivan separately declined to block a vote from going forward on a separate proxy proposal, Proposal No. 4, which sought an advisory “say on pay” vote on Apple executives’ compensation.


The proposal had been challenged by investor Brian Gralnick of Pennsylvania, who contends Apple did not disclose enough details about how it made its compensation decisions.


Sullivan rejected that argument, saying Apple’s disclosures were “plainly sufficient under SEC rules.”


Arnold Gershon, a lawyer for Gralnick at Barrack, Rodos & Bacine, did not respond to a request for comment.


Apple shares closed up 1.1 percent at $ 450.81 on Friday.


The case is Greenlight Capital LP, et al., v. Apple Inc., U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, 13-900.


(Reporting By Nate Raymond in New York; additional reporting by Poornima Gupta in San Francisco; Editing by Martha Graybow, Gary Hill, Leslie Adler and Carol Bishopric)


Tech News Headlines – Yahoo! News





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Goldman: PlayStation 4 could send Sony into a ‘downward spiral’







Count Goldman Sachs analyst Takashi Watanabe as being pessimistic on the PlayStation 4′s chances for success. Per Business Insider, Watanabe has penned a new research note that casts doubt not only on Sony’s (SNE) new console specifically, but on the gaming console business as a whole. Specifically, Watanabe thinks that smartphones and tablets are poised to erode consoles’ installed base because more people can get their gaming fix through cheap games such as Angry Birds and Cut the Rope rather than spending $ 60 to buy the latest version of Call of Duty. This lower installation base leads to negative reinforcement where developers are less likely to invest in developing top-notch games for the platform, which further erodes consumers’ willingness to shell out cash for the console.


[More from BGR: The insane pricing of the new HTC One]






“We see little reason for developers to produce top titles for platforms with a low installed base,” he writes. “In turn there is a danger the installed base will not grow because the content lineup is weak.”


[More from BGR: Google unveils $ 1,300 touch-enabled Chromebook Pixel [video]]


Just this week, mobile app data firm App Annie released a new report in conjunction with research firm IDC showing that mobile games for the first time ever generated more revenue than console games in the fourth quarter of 2012, so Watanabe certainly has some legitimate reasons to be concerned about the future upside of dedicated gaming consoles. Combine this with the fact that Nintendo (NTDOY) Wii U sales have absolutely tanked in the past few weeks, and it’s easy to see why there’s a lot of anxiety around the console industry at the moment.


This article was originally published on BGR.com


Gaming News Headlines – Yahoo! News





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Sony unveils new PlayStation 4 console






NEW YORK (Reuters) – Sony Corp took the wraps off its next-generation video game console called “PlayStation 4” on Wednesday that will allow users to stream and play video games hosted on servers.


The company revealed the new console, which will succeed the seven-year-old PlayStation 3, in New York.






The controller dubbed “DualShock 4″ will have a touch pad, Mark Cerny, lead system architect on PlayStation 4, said.


Sony purchased U.S. cloud-based gaming company Gaikai for $ 380 million in July. Using that technology, the new console will offer a cloud-gaming service, the company said.


The 8GB PlayStation 4 can also instantly stream game content from the console to Sony’s handheld PlayStation Vita through a feature called “Remote Play,” the company said.


Sony has also revamped the user interface on the new console that keeps tabs on user preferences and added social networking features.


(Reporting By Liana Baker; Editing by Gary Hill, Bernard Orr)


Internet News Headlines – Yahoo! News





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Sony’s “Evolution of PlayStation” Videos Lead Up to Wednesday’s Event






Sony‘s PlayStation brand has been around almost 20 years now, in the United States. And in anticipation of its Wednesday “#PlayStation2013″ event, at which it is widely expected to unveil its next-generation PlayStation console, Sony has published a series of “Evolution of PlayStation” videos on YouTube and its own site. These videos present a (somewhat one-sided) history of the PlayStation brand, and its consoles and major highlights through the years.


Here’s a timeline with links to the videos, for those who could use the recap:






1994 — The First PlayStation


That’s what it was called: Just “PlayStation.” Launching at $ 299, $ 100 less than the competing Sega Saturn, the Sony PlayStation — originally developed as a CD drive add-on to one of Nintendo’s consoles — soon became a major force in the video game industry.


Partway through the PlayStation’s lifecycle, the DualShock controller added twin analog sticks and a built-in vibration feature, echoing similar features found on Nintendo and Sega’s consoles. Meanwhile, the hard-to-find black Net Yaroze PlayStation console let people make their own games.


Sony would continue to sell slim, redesigned “PSone” consoles during the PlayStation 2‘s heyday, until production was finally stopped in 2006.


2000 — The PlayStation 2


Known as the PS2, Sony’s next PlayStation would go on to become the best-selling game console of all time, with more than 150 million sold. Production of new PlayStation 2 consoles just stopped this January, and while some PS2 games have received HD re-releases on the PlayStation 3 the vast majority can’t be played on Sony’s current console.


The PS2 played new games designed for its “Emotion Engine” processor, and could improve the graphics of PSone games played on it. It also played DVD movies, and the original large PS2 had optional network and hard disk add-ons, which let enthusiasts install Linux on it or play online games like Final Fantasy XI. (The “slim” PS2 has built-in networking capability, but can’t be upgraded with a hard disk.)


2006 — The PlayStation 3


The PS3′s disastrous North American launch became a veritable fountain of memes, as Sony showmen’s lines were quoted and remixed endlessly afterwards. Sony exec (now CEO) Kaz Hirai’s announcement of the PS3′s launch price tag — “$ 599 U.S. dollars!” — was met with stunned silence, and the console debuted to mediocre sales numbers.


The PS3 soon rebounded, however, and with a retooled interior design (which now lacked the processor chips necessary to run PlayStation 2 games) it also became much smaller and cheaper than its launch model. The DualShock 3 controller added force-feedback support to the original SixAxis, while the PlayStation Move controller challenged Wii MotionPlus and Kinect.


According to an IDC report, after being on the market about half as long as the PlayStation 2 the PS3 has sold roughly half as many consoles, with “about 77 million” sold.


2013 — The PlayStation 4?


Code-named “Orbis,” Sony’s next-generation PlayStation console is widely expected to be unveiled Wednesday. Dan Graziano of BGR News says that it may use a Move-enabled controller with a PS Vita-style touchpad, and that while it probably won’t be compatible with PS3 games it may be able to stream them online.


Jared Spurbeck is an open-source software enthusiast, who uses an Android phone and an Ubuntu laptop PC. He has been writing about technology and electronics since 2008.


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Sony slashes PS Vita pricing in Japan ahead of PlayStation 4 unveiling






As Sony’s (SNE) struggles continue in the portable gaming market, the consumer electronics giant announced on Monday that it will slash the price of its PlayStation Vita console in Japan. Beginning late next week, both the Wi-Fi-only and 3G-connected versions of the Vita will drop to 19,980 yen including taxes, or $ 215.42 USD at Monday’s exchange rate. The Wi-Fi model currently costs 24,980 yen ($ 269.33 USD) and the 3G model is priced at 29,980 yen ($ 323.24 USD) until February 28th when the price drops take effect. Sony hasn’t said anything about cutting the cost of the portable console outside of Japan, but it may make some announcements during its PlayStation 4 event on Wednesday. The company’s full press release follows below.



PlayStation ® Vita price revision
February 28, 2013 (Thursday) retail price of 19,980 yen (tax included)






[More from BGR: BlackBerry 10 browser smokes iOS 6 and Windows Phone 8 in comparison test [video]]


February 28, 2013 (Thursday), ¥ 29,980 traditional Sony Computer Entertainment Japan ※ 1 (SCEJ) is, 3G/Wi-Fi model (including tax, the retail price of the PlayStation ® Vita (PS Vita below) to 19,980 yen including tax) (, Wi-Fi model will be revised (including tax) from 19,980 yen (including tax) from 24,980 yen).


By addition to the GPU and the CPU, high-performance display and a beautiful that, with such dual analog stick and the multi-touch pad on the rear panel, PS Vita, which was launched in December 2011, to deliver an immersive experience of the ultimate I will continue to provide the gaming experience. In addition to the expansion of an attractive color variations such as sapphire Cosmic Red and Blue, by the system of free software updates, such as service response to PlayStation ® Plus ※ 2 software and standard flat-rate “PlayStation” first, PS Vita users meet the needs of everyone in, I’m constantly evolving. In addition to the methods existing Wi-Fi, by which supports access to the 3G network a new, PS Vita has realized the connection of new and everyone other users in everyday life. To enjoy the PS Vita to everyone more users, we will begin offering at a price of ¥ 19,980 revision both models. As a result, the user’s everyone, you can feel free to choose the model that is appropriate for the game play style of your choice is available.


In addition, we received strong support from companies like software maker, dedicated software is PS Vita PS Vita interactive content that can be enjoyed by more than 100, you can download from the PlayStation ® Store has reached more than 1,500 ※ 3 at the end of January 2013 You had to. Our company and our future than software manufacturers, “Den 討鬼” (SEGA) “Phantasy Star Online 2″, “SOUL SACRIFICE (Soul Sacrifice)” (TECMO KOEI GAMES CO., LTD.) Sony Corporation (- from hunting action game to enjoy cooperative play, such as Computer Entertainment), the player taking the communication meeting, “Kagura 閃乱 SHINOVI VERSUS – proof of the girls” – “Oboro Muramasa”, Marvelous AQL), ​​”Tales Inc. ( Obuhatsu Pirate Musou 2 R “,” One Piece Baseball Spirits 2013 “(NAMCO BANDAI Games Inc.)” “to work, such as the long-awaited game fans (Konami Digital Entertainment Co., Ltd.), is expected to be released one after another title is scheduled.


(Thursday), the set body and PS Vita special edition with the motif of the peripherals, the same title, and a variety of breaking down the common sense of the multi-Hunting Action “(Soul Sacrifice) SOUL SACRIFICE” March 7, 2013 change (including tax) 24,980 yen, will be released in limited quantities from (tax included) for a suggested retail price of 29,980 yen originally planned, did the “PlayStation ® Vita SOUL SACRIFICE PREMIUM EDITION”.


We will carry out a variety of campaigns to suit this price revision, to everyone in the user’s enjoy PS Vita. Please refer to the following for the campaign details.


So that you can enjoy the world of entertainment unique PS Vita to more customers in the future, SCEJ will continue to strongly promote and expand further spread of the PS Vita platform.



Gaming News Headlines – Yahoo! News





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Justin Bieber Feud With Patrick Carney Heats Up As Black Keys Drummer Imitates Pop Star On Twitter






The Twitter war between Justin Bieber and Black Keys drummer Patrick Carney rages on.


After the pair got into a verbal tussle on the social networking site on Tuesday, thousands of Beliebers have bombarded Patrick’s page with threats and insults.






PLAY IT NOW: Justin Bieber Opens Up On Split From Selena Gomez


The musician initially seemed to have fun with the attack from Justin‘s fans (re-Tweeting their oft-misspelled rants) but took the bizarre feud to a new level when he changed his Twitter name to Justin Bieber, and replaced his own photo with a picture of the “Beauty and the Beat” singer rocking hipster frames (similar to his own).


Patrick also began Tweeting using the 18-year-old singer’s catchphrase, “Swag,” when replying to hundreds of angry pro-Justin Tweets.


VIEW THE PHOTOS: Grammys 2013: The Winners


“In order 2 give u guys full swag I have changed my stage name to Justin Bieber,” the 32-year-old drummer Tweeted on Saturday.


“I luv all u! I need to get my beauty swag. Swag you guyz later! – Justin,” he later added.


Carney even Tweeted a photo of a Justin Bieber toothbrush with the caption, “Bout to swag my teeth.”


VIEW THE PHOTOS: The Boy Who Makes The Tweens Swoon — Justin Bieber


See the photo HERE.


On Sunday, however, Patrick seemed to have abandoned his “swag,” as he reverted back to his own name and Tweeted, “Justin is gone now. DNA recombo unsuccessful. I will try again soon though!”


VIEW THE PHOTOS: Hollywood’s Infamous Celeb Feuds


Justin, who is currently on tour in Ireland, has yet to respond to Patrick’s Twitter name change.


As previously on AccessHollywood.com, the fight began after Justin Tweeted, “The black keys drummer should be slapped around haha,” to his 34 million followers on Tuesday night.


The Canadian pop star was up in arms over comments Patrick made to a TMZ paparazzo on Monday night, who asked if Justin should feel snubbed by the Recording Academy’s lack of Grammy nominations.


“He’s rich, right? Grammys are for like music, not for money … and he’s making a lot of money,” the drummer — whose band took home four awards at Sunday’s Grammys — told TMZ. “He should be happy.”


VOTE: Whose side are you on?


– Erin O’Sullivan


Copyright 2013 by NBC Universal, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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Facebook Is Somehow Getting a $429 Million Tax Refund This Year






February really is the cruelest month because, on top of all this snow, one is forced to start contemplating death, or at least filling out one’s taxes. (The distinction was always lost on us.) You might be left scratching your head, and wishing you had a better accountant, when you hear how Facebook is getting hundreds of millions in a tax refund this year.


RELATED: Zuckerberg Is the Most Reluctant IPO Billionaire






Thanks to a statement from Citizens for Tax Justice, Bloomberg Businessweek’s Peter Coy brought an interesting little nugget of information from Facebook’s public filing to our attention. Because of the way Facebook treats stock options distributed to investors and employees instead of cash compensation on its balance sheets, the company is able to claim paying a tax liability worth hundreds of millions of dollars when the reality is they’re getting paid: 


RELATED: Internet Delights in Facebook IPO Filing’s Juicy Details



You won’t find any $ 429 million tax refund in Facebook’s financial statements. Indeed, the company says it had a $ 559 million federal tax liability in 2012. But that liability isn’t an actual payment. In a footnote, the company also said that it had a $ 1.03 billion “excess tax benefit” last year related to “stock option exercises and other equity awards.” That benefit is what flips the federal tax liability into a refund. (A small portion is applied against state taxes.)



So, y’know, hope your return this year is that big. You can read more about the mechanics behind Facebook’s accounting in Coy’s explanation. 


Social Media News Headlines – Yahoo! News





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Android, iOS tighten stranglehold on smartphone industry, account for 91% of Q4 shipments






It’s a good thing BlackBerry (BBRY) and Microsoft (MSFT) have finally decided to step up their games, because we’re rapidly headed toward a smartphone OS duopoly. The latest numbers from IDC show that iOS and Android devices accounted for 91% of smartphones shipped in the fourth quarter of 2012, a record combined share for the two largest operating systems in the mobile world. Overall, Android devices accounted for a whopping 70% of all smartphones shipped in the quarter while iOS devices accounted for 21%.


The increased dominance of the top two mobile operating systems came at the expense of BlackBerry, which saw its market share slide from 8% in the fourth quarter of 2011 to just 3% in the Q4 2012. Of course, these numbers came at a low point for BlackBerry since the company hadn’t shipped a new BlackBerry smartphone to the market in more than a year, so it may see its share of smartphone shipments increase in the coming months now that it’s finally released its first BlackBerry 10 smartphone.






IDC’s full press release is posted below.



Android and iOS Combine for 91.1% of the Worldwide Smartphone OS Market in 4Q12 and 87.6% for the Year, According to IDC 


FRAMINGHAM, Mass. February 14, 2013 – Android and iOS, the number one and number two ranked smartphone operating systems (OS) worldwide, combined for 91.1% of all smartphone shipments during the fourth quarter of 2012 (4Q12). According to the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker, Android smartphone vendors and Apple shipped a total of 207.6 million units worldwide during 4Q12, up 70.2% from the 122.0 million units shipped during 4Q11. For calendar year 2012, Android and iOS combined for 87.6% of the 722.4 million smartphones shipped worldwide, up from 68.1% of the 494.5 million units shipped during calendar year 2011.


“The dominance of Android and Apple reached a new watermark in the fourth quarter,” said Ramon Llamas, research manager with IDC’s Mobile Phone team. “Android boasted a broad selection of smartphones, and an equally deep list of smartphone vendor partners. Finding an Android smartphone for nearly any budget, taste, size, and price was all but guaranteed during 2012. As a result, Android was rewarded with market-beating growth.”


“Likewise, demand for Apple’s iPhone 5 kept iOS out in front and in the hands of many smartphone users,” added Llamas. “At the same time, lower prices on the iPhone 4 and the iPhone 4S brought iOS within reach of more users and sustained volume success of older models. Even with the Apple Maps debacle, iPhone owners were not deterred from purchasing new iPhones.”


The two horse race between Android and iOS has collectively accounted for more than 50% share of the smartphone OS market over the past two years. At the same time both BlackBerry and Microsoft have been working on competing platforms that have recently launched and are poised for competition. Microsoft launched Windows Phone 8 in 4Q12, and BlackBerry more recently released BB10 in January, marking the first time two new platforms have been introduced to the smartphone space in the past several years.


“With the recent introductions of two new smartphone platforms we expect some ground to be made by the new entrants over the coming years,” said Ryan Reith, program manager with IDC’s Mobile Device Trackers. “There is no question the road ahead is uphill for both Microsoft and BlackBerry, but history shows us consumers are open to change. Platform diversity is something not only the consumers have asked for, but also the operators.”


Smartphone Operating System Highlights


Android continued its overall upward trajectory, reaching triple-digit growth for the year. Samsung was the biggest contributor to Android’s success, amassing 42.0% of all Android smartphone shipments during the year. Following Samsung was a long list of vendors with single digit market share, and an even longer list of vendors with market share less than one percent. The intra-Android competition has not stifled companies from keeping Android as the cornerstone of their respective smartphone strategies, but has upped the ante to innovate proprietary experiences.


iOS posted yet another quarter and year of double-digit growth with strong demand for the iPhone. But what also stands out is how iOS’s year-over-year growth has slowed compared to the overall market. The smaller volumes during 2Q12 and to a smaller extent 3Q12 underscore the possibility for a mid-year iPhone release in order to maintain market-beating growth. Speculation about the release of possible larger-screen and inexpensive models during the middle of 2013 continues to follow Apple, which would help sustain growth. But until any model is formally announced, speculation remains simply that.


BlackBerry‘s decision to postpone the release of BB10 to 2013 left the platform vulnerable in 2012 and reliant primarily on older smartphones running on BB7. As a result, BlackBerry’s tight grip on enterprise users has loosened and its popularity within emerging markets has been diminished by the competition. Now that BlackBerry has unveiled BB10, the company is faced with migrating current BlackBerry users to upgrade while persuading smartphone users of other platforms, including previous BlackBerry users, to switch.


Windows Phone/Windows Mobile made market-beating progress in 4Q12 and 2012. The addition of Nokia’s strong commitment behind the platform was the key driver in Microsoft’s success. At the same time, the relationship has benefited Nokia, which amassed 76.0% of all Windows Phone/Windows Mobile smartphone shipments. Beyond Nokia, however, is a short list of other vendors who have been experimenting with Windows Phone while also supporting Android.


Linux has remained essentially flat from the previous year, with longtime supporters NEC and Panasonic moving to Android and newcomers K-Touch and Haier making up the difference. Linux will bear close observation in 2013 as new smartphones from SailFish, Tizen, and Ubuntu are all scheduled to launch this year. Still, these new Linux-powered operating systems will require time and investment to gain momentum in the market, making for a slowly growing trajectory.


Top Five Smartphone Operating Systems, Shipments, and Market Share, 4Q12 (Units in Millions) 



















































Operating System



4Q12 Unit Shipments



4Q12 Market Share



4Q11 Unit Shipments



4Q11 Market Share



Year over Year Change


Android

159.8



70.1%



85.0



52.9%



88.0%


iOS

47.8



21.0%



37.0



23.0%



29.2%


BlackBerry

7.4



3.2%



13.0



8.1%



-43.1%


Windows Phone/ Windows Mobile

6.0



2.6%



2.4



1.5%



150.0%


Linux

3.8



1.7%



3.9



2.4%



-2.6%


Others

3.0



1.3%



19.5



12.1%



-84.6%


Total

227.8



100.0%



160.8



100.0%



41.7%


Source: IDC Worldwide Mobile Phone Tracker, February 14, 2013



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Samsung may have accidentally leaked the Galaxy Note 8.0









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Interest in BlackBerry 10 surges while iPhone loyalty slips






The latest YouGov report on smartphone brand perception and purchase intent is out, and this one is a keeper. According to the data, the proportion of BlackBerry owners planning to purchase a new BlackBerry (BBRY) within six months has rocketed from 18% to 43% since the spring of 2012. Over the same time period, the same number for iPhone owners has slipped from 92% to 85% while the number for Samsung (005930) Galaxy owners has ticked up from 46% to 53%. The interesting part here is how close the BlackBerry purchasing intent level is now to Galaxy’s level. One could argue that the iPhone slippage was unavoidable in the period after the iPhone 5 launch and before the rumor mill on the new models kicks into high gear.


[More from BGR: Every 10 years, a cataclysm kills off most phone brands – the next one is almost here]






If the YouGov report is accurate, it implies that consumer attitudes towards smartphone brands are remarkably fluid. Even the past two years of relentlessly negative BlackBerry media coverage may not have done damage that couldn’t be reversed by a hot model or two. It is interesting how easily BlackBerry has nearly closed the gap to the Galaxy brand, which has floated on mostly positive media coverage cloud for two years now. It will be fascinating to see how the YouGov numbers move as the major United States carriers launch BlackBerry devices and kick off their marketing campaigns. It is just possible that the consumer familiarity with the iPhone and Galaxy models has bred enough ennui to give BB a shot at jump starting its U.S. franchise.


This article was originally published on BGR.com


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Google Now widget could soon grace Android smartphone home screens









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Digital gap: why aren’t moviemakers learning narrative from videogames and the web?






LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) – From killing off film prints to designing fantastical CGI worlds, movies are going digital in every way except one – storytelling.


Unlike the eras when the advent of photography inspired the fine arts to embrace abstraction, or when the rise of mass-media pushed writers into modernist and eventually post-modern terrain, movies remain largely impervious to the narrative techniques employed across the internet.






Hollywood views videogames and the web as an existential threat, but instead of radically altering its approach, most movies unfold over the course of two hours in a linear fashion, just as they have done for a century. Over the course of its history the medium has had no problem embracing change in film as long as its technologically driven, hence the shift from silent movies to talkies, or black and white to color. It has remained more precious, however, about how it spins its celluloid fantasies.


Today’s top directors are more interested in aping classical cinema than forging a new filmmaking vernacular. That’s in contrast to 10 years ago when movies like “The Matrix,” “Memento,” or “Being John Malkovich” turned cinematic storytelling on its head, gleefully experimenting with an inter-textuality that mirrored our hyperlinked world.


With a few exceptions like Joe Wright’s “Anna Karenina,” which re-imagined Leo Tolstoy’s tragedy as a series of intersecting operas, or Martin McDonagh’s “Seven Psychopaths,” a bloody crime movie that is also a comment on the art of screenwriting, that flowering of experimentation is over.


“The films of early aughts engaged with virtuality in a way they don’t today,” Alissa Quart, a cultural critic and the author of the forthcoming “Republic of Outsiders,” told TheWrap. “You had people like Steven Spielberg working on ‘Minority Report,’ now you have ‘Lincoln.’ Or Paul Thomas Anderson going from ‘Magnolia’ to ‘The Master.’


“Those movies engaged with multiplicity and technology and surveillance, and now those same filmmakers are looking at these huge commanding triumphal figures in stories set in the past that look antique.”


Films like “The Master” or “Zero Dark Thirty” or “Django Unchained” are referential, but their influences lie in film’s history, mimicking the wide vistas favored by John Ford or the atmosphere of exquisite paranoia in 1970s thrillers like “All the President’s Men.” The directors gaze lingers in the past and rarely looks toward the future.


“A way to get serious as a filmmaker is to be very clearly dealing with your influences,” Kurt Anderson, host of the arts and culture program “Studio 360,” told TheWrap. “Now, I have no doubt that ‘Pulp Fiction’ was full of Quentin Tarantino’s influences, but at the time it seemed like a new way of telling stories. When you get to ‘Django,’ it becomes all about his cinematic influences.”


Even the methods that Hollywood has kicked up to convince teenagers to give up their game consoles and hit the multiplex are bizarrely retro.


Souped-up theatrical exhibition offerings like 3D are a throwback to the 1950s, when Hollywood was facing a different, though no less grave incursion from television. Likewise, what is IMAX and its mammoth projections but a reincarnation of Cinerama, the colossal wide-screen format the flourished in the Eisenhower era?


In contrast, television shows like “Lost” or “Once Upon a Time,” which are set in fantasy worlds and tease out mysteries in episodic fashion, are more akin to what players expect from videogames.


That’s not to say there isn’t some cross-pollination. Flint Dille is a game designer on the likes of “Dead to Rights” and the screenwriter of movies like “An American Tail: Fievel Goes West.” He says that both mediums steal from one another, claiming that the plot of 99 percent of videogames is derived from ‘80s action movies starring Arnold Schwarzenegger.


In turn, today’s action movies design their set pieces to appeal to audiences who grew up with “Mass Effect” and “World of Warcraft.”


“When you look at ‘The Hobbit’ – that escape from the goblins’ lair is a Nintendo game,” Dille said. “It’s like a videogame in its velocity. Or a movie like ‘Jack Reacher’ is like a game in that the main character arrives with no back story, and that’s something we’ve been conditioned to accept from playing games where the protagonist is a cipher.”


To be sure, studios have shown an appetite for persistent experimentation when it comes to using apps and viral marketing to generate excitement for tent pole films like “The Dark Knight” or “Star Trek Into Darkness.” Yet the emphasis is on promotion, not narrative.


So why is it that, while computer technology has opened up brave new worlds in terms of special effects and advertising, it has not altered storytelling?


The culprit is a hodgepodge of commercial realities and artistic preferences.


“I’ve been spending a lot of time pondering the question what is a modern film?” Howard Suber, professor of film history at UCLA, told TheWrap. “I’ve come to the conclusion that it is basically everything that was made after the 1960s — but that’s 50 years. The reason why that’s still modern is that not a hell of a lot has changed.”


Suber said that when he shows a movie in his class from earlier eras, his students are unable to deal with the slower pacing and editing, but they have a less difficult time adjusting to anything made after that date.


“The entire field of modern film is 50 years long, which is staggering when you compare it to any earlier age films,” he said. “The films of the ‘20s looked antique to audiences in the ‘30s, and the same was true with the way audiences in the ‘50s viewed films from 10 years earlier.”


Quart thinks that the kind of cultural permanence that Suber describes may be a conscious choice by artists who are looking to create spaces that are distinct from the fragmented world wrought by social media.


In a recent piece in the New York Times, Quart argued that “Mad Men” and “Breaking Bad” are popular in part because they allow viewers to take a break from Twitter, texts and other technologically enabled forms of multi-tasking.


She argues the same appeal underlies movies.


“My gut tells me that filmmakers are trying to give viewers respite from what the virtual world is offering,” Quart said. “It’s motivated by an esthetic defensiveness because we are inundated with all these modes of communication.”


It hasn’t helped that films that have exploded conventional approaches to storytelling sunk at the box office.


Sure, “The Matrix” was a worldwide blockbuster, grossing $ 463 million and spawning two sequels, but “Magnolia” ($ 48.4 million) and “Adaptation” ($ 32.8 million) were lucky to break even. More recent mind-bending films like “Anna Karenina” ($ 49 million globally), and “Synecdoche, New York” ($ 4.3 million globally) continued the trend of hardly making a ripple at ticket counters. Studios’ obsession with tentpole films that can cross language and cultural barriers to appeal to global audiences have likely made them less receptive to films that revel in narrative complexity.


That could change. If filmmakers like J.J. Abrams get their way, blockbuster films will seep off the screen and into other platforms, rivaling the sprawling nature of the web.


The big shake up could come with Transmedia – the notion that stories should be told over various mediums ranging from comic books to videogames. This approach to popular culture has been a buzz word for over a decade, but its adherents believe the film industry is poised to take a dramatic leap forward.


“They’re are a lot of film purists who believe their job is to get the script shot and make it beautiful,” Jeff Gomez, president of Starlight Runner Entertainment and a trans media consultant on films like “Avatar,” said. “But there’s also a growing number of young people, who were weaned on videogames and immersed in multiple media platforms, for whom these new kinds of storytelling are intuitive.”


Gomez notes that Joss Whedon’s decision to set his upcoming ABC show “S.H.I.E.L.D.” in the world of “The Avengers” films is a perfect example of a platform-agnostic approach.


It’s a boundary that could keep eroding when Abrams gets hold of the “Star Wars” franchise. The director already has experimented with transmedia in television shows like “Lost,” but the saga of the Skywalkers and new owner Disney’s consumer products heft could open up whole new galaxies in terms of storytelling – ones that jet from games to toys to movies, creating a vast universe of narrative possibilities.


In 1977, “Star Wars” gave birth to the modern blockbuster. Nearly 40 years later when “Star Wars Episode 7″ is scheduled to hit theaters, will it change the face of film again?From killing off film prints to designing fantastical CGI worlds, movies are going digital in every way except one – storytelling.


Unlike the eras when the advent of photography inspired the fine arts to embrace abstraction, or when the rise of mass-media pushed writers into modernist and eventually post-modern terrain, movies remain largely impervious to the narrative techniques employed across the internet.


Hollywood views videogames and the web as an existential threat, but instead of radically altering its approach, most movies unfold over the course of two hours in a linear fashion, just as they have done for a century. Over the course of its history the medium has had no problem embracing change in film as long as its technologically driven, hence the shift from silent movies to talkies, or black and white to color. It has remained more precious, however, about how it spins its celluloid fantasies.


Today’s top directors are more interested in aping classical cinema than forging a new filmmaking vernacular. That’s in contrast to 10 years ago when movies like “The Matrix,” “Memento,” or “Being John Malkovich” turned cinematic storytelling on its head, gleefully experimenting with an inter-textuality that mirrored our hyperlinked world.


With a few exceptions like Joe Wright’s “Anna Karenina,” which re-imagined Leo Tolstoy’s tragedy as a series of intersecting operas, or Martin McDonagh’s “Seven Psychopaths,” a bloody crime movie that is also a comment on the art of screenwriting, that flowering of experimentation is over.


“The films of early aughts engaged with virtuality in a way they don’t today,” Alissa Quart, a cultural critic and the author of the forthcoming “Republic of Outsiders,” told TheWrap. “You had people like Steven Spielberg working on ‘Minority Report,’ now you have ‘Lincoln.’ Or Paul Thomas Anderson going from ‘Magnolia’ to ‘The Master.’


“Those movies engaged with multiplicity and technology and surveillance, and now those same filmmakers are looking at these huge commanding triumphal figures in stories set in the past that look antique.”


Films like “The Master” or “Zero Dark Thirty” or “Django Unchained” are referential, but their influences lie in film’s history, mimicking the wide vistas favored by John Ford or the atmosphere of exquisite paranoia in 1970s thrillers like “All the President’s Men.” The directors gaze lingers in the past and rarely looks toward the future.


“A way to get serious as a filmmaker is to be very clearly dealing with your influences,” Kurt Anderson, host of the arts and culture program “Studio 360,” told TheWrap. “Now, I have no doubt that ‘Pulp Fiction’ was full of Quentin Tarantino’s influences, but at the time it seemed like a new way of telling stories. When you get to ‘Django,’ it becomes all about his cinematic influences.”


Even the methods that Hollywood has kicked up to convince teenagers to give up their game consoles and hit the multiplex are bizarrely retro.


Souped-up theatrical exhibition offerings like 3D are a throwback to the 1950s, when Hollywood was facing a different, though no less grave incursion from television. Likewise, what is IMAX and its mammoth projections but a reincarnation of Cinerama, the colossal wide-screen format the flourished in the Eisenhower era?


In contrast, television shows like “Lost” or “Once Upon a Time,” which are set in fantasy worlds and tease out mysteries in episodic fashion, are more akin to what players expect from videogames.


That’s not to say there isn’t some cross-pollination. Flint Dille is a game designer on the likes of “Dead to Rights” and the screenwriter of movies like “An American Tail: Fievel Goes West.” He says that both mediums steal from one another, claiming that the plot of 99 percent of videogames is derived from ‘80s action movies starring Arnold Schwarzenegger.


In turn, today’s action movies design their set pieces to appeal to audiences who grew up with “Mass Effect” and “World of Warcraft.”


“When you look at ‘The Hobbit’ – that escape from the goblins’ lair is a Nintendo game,” Dille said. “It’s like a videogame in its velocity. Or a movie like ‘Jack Reacher’ is like a game in that the main character arrives with no back story, and that’s something we’ve been conditioned to accept from playing games where the protagonist is a cipher.”


To be sure, studios have shown an appetite for persistent experimentation when it comes to using apps and viral marketing to generate excitement for tent pole films like “The Dark Knight” or “Star Trek Into Darkness.” Yet the emphasis is on promotion, not narrative.


So why is it that, while computer technology has opened up brave new worlds in terms of special effects and advertising, it has not altered storytelling?


The culprit is a hodgepodge of commercial realities and artistic preferences.


“I’ve been spending a lot of time pondering the question what is a modern film?” Howard Suber, professor of film history at UCLA, told TheWrap. “I’ve come to the conclusion that it is basically everything that was made after the 1960s — but that’s 50 years. The reason why that’s still modern is that not a hell of a lot has changed.”


Suber said that when he shows a movie in his class from earlier eras, his students are unable to deal with the slower pacing and editing, but they have a less difficult time adjusting to anything made after that date.


“The entire field of modern film is 50 years long, which is staggering when you compare it to any earlier age films,” he said. “The films of the ‘20s looked antique to audiences in the ‘30s, and the same was true with the way audiences in the ‘50s viewed films from 10 years earlier.”


Quart thinks that the kind of cultural permanence that Suber describes may be a conscious choice by artists who are looking to create spaces that are distinct from the fragmented world wrought by social media.


In a recent piece in the New York Times, Quart argued that “Mad Men” and “Breaking Bad” are popular in part because they allow viewers to take a break from Twitter, texts and other technologically enabled forms of multi-tasking.


She argues the same appeal underlies movies.


“My gut tells me that filmmakers are trying to give viewers respite from what the virtual world is offering,” Quart said. “It’s motivated by an esthetic defensiveness because we are inundated with all these modes of communication.”


It hasn’t helped that films that have exploded conventional approaches to storytelling sunk at the box office.


Sure, “The Matrix” was a worldwide blockbuster, grossing $ 463 million and spawning two sequels, but “Magnolia” ($ 48.4 million) and “Adaptation” ($ 32.8 million) were lucky to break even. More recent mind-bending films like “Anna Karenina” ($ 49 million globally), and “Synecdoche, New York” ($ 4.3 million globally) continued the trend of hardly making a ripple at ticket counters. Studios’ obsession with tentpole films that can cross language and cultural barriers to appeal to global audiences have likely made them less receptive to films that revel in narrative complexity.


That could change. If filmmakers like J.J. Abrams get their way, blockbuster films will seep off the screen and into other platforms, rivaling the sprawling nature of the web.


The big shake up could come with Transmedia – the notion that stories should be told over various mediums ranging from comic books to videogames. This approach to popular culture has been a buzz word for over a decade, but its adherents believe the film industry is poised to take a dramatic leap forward.


“They’re are a lot of film purists who believe their job is to get the script shot and make it beautiful,” Jeff Gomez, president of Starlight Runner Entertainment and a trans media consultant on films like “Avatar,” said. “But there’s also a growing number of young people, who were weaned on videogames and immersed in multiple media platforms, for whom these new kinds of storytelling are intuitive.”


Gomez notes that Joss Whedon’s decision to set his upcoming ABC show “S.H.I.E.L.D.” in the world of “The Avengers” films is a perfect example of a platform-agnostic approach.


It’s a boundary that could keep eroding when Abrams gets hold of the “Star Wars” franchise. The director already has experimented with transmedia in television shows like “Lost,” but the saga of the Skywalkers and new owner Disney’s consumer products heft could open up whole new galaxies in terms of storytelling – ones that jet from games to toys to movies, creating a vast universe of narrative possibilities.


In 1977, “Star Wars” gave birth to the modern blockbuster. Nearly 40 years later when “Star Wars Episode 7″ is scheduled to hit theaters, will it change the face of film again?


Internet News Headlines – Yahoo! News




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The strangely amazing Twitter poetry of Sen. Charles Grassley






Some people just have a way with words. A poetic retrospective of the haiku-like 140-character musings of Iowa‘s senior Republican


On Nov. 26, 2007, Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) joined the still-young Twitter revolution, tweeting the simple-yet-direct message “Attending events in Iowa.” Since then he has racked up more than 2,400 tweets, 65,500 followers, and a strangely loyal fan base. “If you’re on Twitter and not following Sen. Chuck Grassley, you’re not using Twitter correctly,” says Elahe Izadi at National Journal. “Twitter just speaks to some people,” says Virginia Heffernan at Yahoo News, and Grassley is definitely one of them. Iowa’s senior senator says he took to Twitter to bypass the “liberal” media filter, but he’s turned mundane musings into a sort of minimalist poetry. So here, some of the haiku-like 140-character (or less) musings of the Bard of New Hartford, starting with his greatest hit:







Fred and I hit a deer on hiway 136 south of Dyersville. After I pulled fender rubbing on tire we continued to farm. Assume deer dead



SEE ALSO: A long-lost pet


— ChuckGrassley (@ChuckGrassley) October 26, 2012



U hv herad saying:”deer in headlight look”. It is a frightening xperience when a real deer is there



— ChuckGrassley (@ChuckGrassley) December 1, 2012



I was doing morning run at farm. Deer killed by car in ditch. He was dead. I didn’t have to”assume” anything about his condition



SEE ALSO: The church of veganism


— ChuckGrassley (@ChuckGrassley) December 1, 2012



Seen dead deer on way church. They didn’t hit my car Unsafe if u drive in area where deer congregateIowa needs longerseason to kill more



— ChuckGrassley (@ChuckGrassley) November 19, 2012



My local steak house serves nothing but vegetarian bc cows are vegetarian



SEE ALSO: Don’t blame gerrymandering for our political paralysis


— ChuckGrassley (@ChuckGrassley) July 26, 2012



Michele Obama in DsMoines to fight obesity Good Tell the Pres to bk off stupid child farm labor rules Farm children workin at home is good



— ChuckGrassley (@ChuckGrassley) February 9, 2012



The govt food police came around to local school said”no catchup” so kids bring their own catchup. What’s accomplished? Too much govt?



SEE ALSO: Eau de bébé


— ChuckGrassley (@ChuckGrassley) February 26, 2012



Iowa legislators and staff drink lots soft drink but are too carefree what they do w empty cans. Always recycle Deposit 5cents. Inflation?



— ChuckGrassley (@ChuckGrassley) February 1, 2012



2of us new Hartford lions wanted to be ambassadors Reinbeck lions. Found out Reinbeck not meeting So we ended up eating w AmLegion Auxiliary



SEE ALSO: Call me, maybe


— ChuckGrassley (@ChuckGrassley) February 21, 2012



Mother nature certified Hamburg levee last summer. Corps shld leave Hamburg alone. save $ and use common sense.



— ChuckGrassley (@ChuckGrassley) July 19, 2012



There will b weather in Iowa todaySo I’m flying bk to DC early



SEE ALSO: No kids for you!


— ChuckGrassley (@ChuckGrassley) January 27, 2013



A team that is punting all the time isn’t scoring.The senate dem teams been punting all yr: No budget/No approps/ no tax reform/All timeouts



— ChuckGrassley (@ChuckGrassley) September 22, 2012



Evrybody asking how Romney”relates”to avg person Me thinks”no problem” but if so I hv answer “just lv starch out of shirt”



SEE ALSO: The cost of commuting


— ChuckGrassley (@ChuckGrassley) February 4, 2012



Pres Obama while u sightseeing in Paris u said ‘time to delivr on healthcare’ When you are a “hammer” u think evrything is NAIL I’m no NAIL



— ChuckGrassley (@ChuckGrassley) June 7, 2009



C me intrvud by greta van sunshine on FOX tonite at 9pm central. Fast and furious and white house stonewall my investigation



SEE ALSO: Will Congress force the USPS to deliver mail on Saturdays?


— ChuckGrassley (@ChuckGrassley) March 29, 2012



Just turned to history channel.No history. I used to get history. Why do we h v such a channelwhen it doesntdo history



— ChuckGrassley (@ChuckGrassley) February 20, 2012



History. No history. Axe manTimberNothing historical.Back to FOX.Sigh. Suggest name to change channel name



SEE ALSO: Ahmadinejad is a monkey, and 6 other examples of John McCain’s peculiar sense of humor [Updated]


— ChuckGrassley (@ChuckGrassley) March 19, 2012



Turned to history channel.No.HIstory again



— ChuckGrassley (@ChuckGrassley) March 11, 2012



Since History channel doesnt hv history anymore i advise National Geographic channel. At least that channel has some history



SEE ALSO: Just dessert


— ChuckGrassley (@ChuckGrassley) March 25, 2012



Wondering if No History Channel would be interest in covering my axe and chain saw work at my farm for Axeman. At least it would b new



— ChuckGrassley (@ChuckGrassley) April 1, 2012



I can’t blieve itThere is actually history on history channelAbout ex presidents



SEE ALSO: Gunning for love


— ChuckGrassley (@ChuckGrassley) October 6, 2012



If



— ChuckGrassley (@ChuckGrassley) November 16, 2012



U



SEE ALSO: Sweet revenge


— ChuckGrassley (@ChuckGrassley) January 30, 2013



Test



— ChuckGrassley (@ChuckGrassley) November 3, 2012



A



SEE ALSO: Why are Millennials so optimistic about the future?


— ChuckGrassley (@ChuckGrassley) January 20, 2012



#



— ChuckGrassley (@ChuckGrassley) November 9, 2012



Test



SEE ALSO: No mail on Saturday: Will five-day-a-week delivery save the U.S. Postal Service?


— ChuckGrassley (@ChuckGrassley) November 3, 2012



#9



— ChuckGrassley (@ChuckGrassley) October 16, 2012



P



SEE ALSO: A winning loser


— ChuckGrassley (@ChuckGrassley) April 7, 2012



@



— ChuckGrassley (@ChuckGrassley) March 3, 2012



3



— ChuckGrassley (@ChuckGrassley) March 3, 2012



I now h vaniphone



— ChuckGrassley (@ChuckGrassley) February 13, 2012



Welcome to Twitter Pope Benedict. U will find it useful and interesting



— ChuckGrassley (@ChuckGrassley) December 3, 2012


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