Friday, April 27, 2012

Boehner calls Obama's travel plans 'pathetic' (Los Angeles Times)

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Nintendo posts first annual loss of $460 million, predicts turnaround next year

Nintendo has announced its first annual operating loss following an initially lukewarm response to its new 3DS handheld and an aging Wii console -- set to be replaced later this year. Nintendo made an operating loss of 37.3 billion yen ($459.54 million) from 2011 to 2012, but intends to spin it around to a 35 billion yen operating profit in the forthcoming year. Net sales have dropped by 36.2 percent compared to last year, despite price cuts on its existing hardware like the 3DS and Wii. The Japanese games manufacturer has also seen increased competition from new rivals like Apple and Android manufacturers as mobile gaming continues to go from strength to strength. Nintendo also laid some of the blame at the weakened yen in international markets, but expects the incoming Wii U, cheaper 3DS production and incoming titles like New Super Mario Bros. 2, Brain Training and Animal Crossing will help turn its fortunes around. Nintendo intends the 3DS will start to sell "below cost" by the middle of the next financial year, following strong sales after substantial price cut last year. The company sold 36 million 3DS game titles, compared to 80.2 million on the original DS. The original DS still managed to sell 5.1 million units in the last year. The Wii managed to sell 9.84 million units in the last year, with 102.37 million titles sold.

Developing...

Nintendo posts first annual loss of $460 million, predicts turnaround next year originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Apr 2012 03:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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This Two-Acre Telescope Powers Science's Search for Dark Energy [Monster Machines]

For lack of a better word, the Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope (GBT) is ginorgantic. (That's the evolved form of ginormous). At 17 million pounds, it is both the world's largest, most technologically-advanced single-dish radio telescope—and the single biggest land-based movable structure on the planet. More »


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Thursday, April 26, 2012

ComScore pegs Kindle Fire at more than 50 percent of the US Android tablet market

We've seen some pretty clear indications that the Kindle Fire was rapidly gaining market share among Android tablets, and ComScore is now out with a new report that indicates it recently crossed a big milestone. According to the research firm, the Fire's market share in the US fully doubled from December to February, with it standing at 54.4 percent as of the end of the month. Counted together, the Galaxy Tab family sits in second at 15.4 percent, while the Motorola Xoom and Asus Transformer come in at 7 and 6.3 percent, respectively. Of course, the Kindle Fire isn't quite your ordinary Android tablet, so this is likely better news for Amazon than Google. In addition to that, ComScore also looked at the browsing habits of tablet users, and unsurprisingly found that larger screens tended to lead to more content consumption, with 10-inch tablets boasting a 39 percent higher consumption rate than 7-inch devices. You can find all the numbers at the source link below.

ComScore pegs Kindle Fire at more than 50 percent of the US Android tablet market originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Apr 2012 16:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Watch It: 'The Sound Of My Voice,' 'Veep' And More!

Brit Marling is not necessarily a name you know, but it's a name to keep an eye on all the same. The actress and co-writer of "Another Earth" is back this weekend with another flick that grounds science fiction with reality: "The Sound of My Voice," about a woman who might be from the future, [...]

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Jack Osbourne & Lisa Stelly Have a Baby Girl!

The former reality star and his fiancee are new parents! Plus, see more stars who welcomed new bundles of joy

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Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Zac Efron on Fake Sex with Nicole Kidman: So Awesome!


Zac Efron recently finished filming The Paperboy, a drama based on a novel by Pete Dexter and featuring Efron as a reporter who returned to his hometown in Florida to investigate a case.

The young actor stars opposite Nicole Kidman in the movie and made it very clear in a recent interview that he enjoyed working with the Oscar winner. Especially during certain scenes.

The Paperboy Poster

"Nicole is so gorgeous," Efron said. "It was everything you dreamed of. She was such a lovely person. I pinch myself everyday, especially after doing love scenes with Nicole Kidman. It was the highlight of my life."

Wow. Imagine how Efron would have reacted if he fake banged Kidman before her helpings of plastic surgery!

Zac is coming off an impressive showing at the box office, where The Lucky One came in second this weekend, actually out-earning The Hunger Games.

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Tuesday, April 24, 2012

North Korea Might Blow Up a Nuke Very Soon [Video]

North Korea, not wanting to look like a bunch of inept jerkoffs who can't enter a space race that's already over, is desperate. The putzy new Glorious Leader looks weak. The solution? Blow up a nuclear bomb to scare the world. More »


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Tony Lucca Channels Britney Spears on The Voice


Cheesa's Whitney Houston cover brought the house down, but Tony Lucca's unorthodox song choice also served notice that he's a contender on The Voice:

"Baby One More Time" by Britney Spears.

Lucca, who was famously slammed by Christina Aguilera a few weeks back, came up with a terrific rebuttal against his fellow former Mousketeer.

This rocking version of Brit's breakout hit:

"That was really smart," Blake Shelton said of the bold song pick, which got him through until at least tonight. His coach, Adam Levine, added, "You did something different and refreshing and I'm so proud of you for having the courage to do it."

Will America vote Tony through to the semifinals tonight?

If not, do you think Adam (who cut Pip loose on last night's instant elimination episode) will take his protege to the next round? Tell us below.

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Paint Park (for PS Vita)


FourSquare, Netflix, and Twitter represent just a few of the free, fun downloadable programs in the PlayStation Vita's ($299, 4 stars) PS Store?Sony's own Paint Park (free) is now a member of that mix. Paint Park transforms the PS Vita's 5-inch OLED display into a sketchpad that lets you create doodles from scratch, mark up images taken with either of the PS Vita's cameras, and compete in ad-hoc drawing competitions with other Paint Park users that's an entertaining Draw Something alternative. I have a few niggles?such as the marker color selection being limited and the ability for players to vote for themselves in drawing matches, which may result in a high number of ties?but overall, Paint Park is a solid PS Vita app.

Grabbing the Paper and Markers
You can choose to "Paint Alone" or "Paint With Friends" upon launching Paint Park. I selected the former, which caused a dialog box to open that prompted me to "Enter A Room." I did, and encountered an all-white screen that moved me to think that the app froze or crashed. A dog-ear in the lower-right corner of the screen indicated that the blank screen was indeed the "canvas." Paint Park could use a more obvious "Start Drawing!" prompt to welcome users.?

Tapping the downward pointing triangle in the upper-right hand corner of the screen opens a menu containing a numerous options. I could undo strokes, delete a canvas, open a photo album to import images from my PS Vita, select one of four brush sizes, and choose a brush color. There are a dozen colors in total, but the range isn't as wide as I'd like; there's no true purple, but there are two blue and green hues. Also, I would like the ability to assign a color to individual markers to create a Crayola box of sorts; when you change the marker color, the color is change across all the brush sizes.

PlayStation Picaso
A finger is all you need to begin creating artwork. A magnifying glass appears onscreen to help you apply detail, but I had some difficulty coloring within lines and making fine edits due to my large fingers. I made a few quick doodles, including a very rudimentary Batman with the Gotham City skyline in the background (see slideshow).

One of the cooler features is the ability to incorporate real-world photos. Tapping the camera option on the menu lets you snap photos using either the PS Vita's front or rear-facing camera. You can then apply the markers to it as you would with a blank canvas. Flicking the dog-ear brings up a fresh canvas and saves your previous work to your memory card. Note: You'll need Sony's clunky Content Management software to download your creations off the PS Vita.

Take On Me
"Paint With Friends" lets five Paint Park users enter head-to-head competitions (in ad-hoc local wireless play) to see who can create the best art. A player creates a room in which the content is held, and a subject (such as "PCMag.com"?see slideshow), or just let Paint Park choose a topic for the participants. All involved have a limited amount of time to draw the topic or photo. All drawings and photos are displayed on-screen after the timer expires, and everyone has the opportunity to vote for the best image.

Unfortunately, you can vote for yourself, so there may come times when the match ends in a tie should the individual parties think they're truly the best (or just want to troll their friends). Several of my three-person contests ended in ties.

An Artistic Endeavor
Paint Park isn't a "must-have" PS Vita app, but it's one that comes in handy when you want to kill time in a waiting room or during a commute. For some laughs, gather a few PS Vita owning friends together and compete?just don't take the outcomes too seriously.

More Console Games Reviews:
??? Paint Park (for PS Vita)
??? Silent Hill HD Collection
??? Mass Effect 3
??? Journey
??? FIFA Soccer 12
?? more

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Monday, April 23, 2012

Giveaway: A Pair of Weil Sandals (a $90 Value!)

Enter for your chance to win a pair of Dr. Weil's Integrative Restore sandals in our giveaway this week.

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Beats by Dr. Dre Beatbox Portable From Monster


In the space of about a year, Bluetooth and AirPlay wireless speaker docks have begun to replace old-fashioned wired systems. Bluetooth's streaming quality has improved so much that this isn't a bad thing. Now Monster has joined the fray. At $449.95 (direct), the Beats by Dr. Dre Beatbox Portable from Monster is just as expensive as its non-wireless sibling, the Beatbox by Dr. Dre from Monster ($449.95, 4 stars). It's not as powerful as the Beatbox, but it's smaller and portable. Unfortunately, one stipulation of its portability is the need for six D-cell batteries (yes, the big ones), and the Beatbox Portable also suffers from audible hiss when its volume level is high. But it otherwise sounds quite good, with a heavy bass presence and sculpted highs.

Design
The Beatbox Portable is sort of wedge-shaped, like a triangle missing one of its points. It comes in two colors: Black and red, or white and gray (our sample's color scheme). Both models feature the indented Beats logo on the front panel's metallic speaker grille. The top panel houses an iPhone and iPod dock, though you can also stream via Bluetooth from just about any modern mobile device or computer. Overall, it's a stylish-looking system, and its portability is at least aided by sturdy handles built into either side for easy carrying.

The system ships with eight adapter trays for various models of iPods and iPhones, a simple remote control for docked devices, and a power adapter, which connects on the back panel, near the 3.5mm Aux input. The remote doesn't navigate menus and only controls playback, but since this is primarily a wireless system that turns your mobile device into its own remote, we can let it slide.

As mentioned earlier, the system requires a whopping six D-cell batteries to power it on-the-go. That's going to make it a bit heavier, and it's not exactly environmentally-sound, either. It's the second portable system in recent memory to rely on six D-cell batteries?the significantly less expensive House of Marley Bag of Rhythm ($349.99, 3 stars) does as well. The Beatbox's battery compartment is on the bottom panel, and can be unscrewed with a coin or even a fingernail.

Performance
While the Beatbox Portable is without a doubt a powerful speaker dock, it's far from flawless. Like most Beats products, the bass?as well as the treble?is seriously tweaked, so audiophiles seeking flat response systems should steer clear. If you're looking for a great party system, however, the Beatbox Portable is an appropriate choice. Even so, it suffers from a minor hint of distortion at maximum volume on deep bass tracks like The Knife's "Silent Shout," so little that many people won't notice. At maximum volume on deep bass tracks, the system vibrates slightly, not unlike the aforementioned Bag of Rhythm , but not nearly as dramatically. This vibration can be easily mistaken for speaker distortion, but it's really a case of the speakers rattling the enclosure a bit.

Other issues are more obvious. Speaker hiss is a problem that a wireless speaker in this price range shouldn't have. At maximum volume, it's audible even when music plays?regardless of what volume level your mobile Bluetooth device is set to. Compared with the JBL OnBeat Extreme ($499.95, 4.5 stars), our Editors' Choice for wireless docks?which has no audible hiss?the Beatbox is quite noisy. If you lower the system's volume, the hiss becomes less of a nuisance, but it's still there. It's especially noticeable on quieter tracks, such as with classical music. Your best bet is to max out the volume from your streaming device and keep the volume on the system itself lower.

All hiss aside, John Adams' "The Chairman Dances" can sound a tad harsh at top volumes?the higher register instruments get quite a bit of boost, so the brassy highs and mids can be intense. It sounds better at moderate volumes, where the low frequencies are present but not overwhelming and the sculpted highs seem less exaggerated.

The Knife's "Silent Shout" has a deep bass thud that sounds extremely powerful on the Beatbox Portable. At top volume, there is the tiniest hint of distortion?not nearly as prevalent as it is on another recent wireless speaker dock, the Logitech UE Air Speaker ($399.99, 3.5 stars). Here, the bass barely distorts, and adjusting the volume just a hair solves the minor issue. Can it blast deep bass music at top volume and still sound good? Yes, but if occasional distortion is going to bother you?and at this price, that's a fair issue to have?you might be better off with the JBL OnBeat Xtreme .

If portability is a must and the six battery requirement seems like a drag, Bose's SoundLink Wireless Mobile Speaker ($299.95, 4 stars) is rechargeable and also streams via Bluetooth. It's smaller and slightly less powerful, but suffers no distortion issues at all. The Beatbox Portable is no slouch, but at a much lower price, Bose manages avoid the hiss and provide strong audio performance without the six battery arsenal.

More Speaker Reviews:
??? Beats by Dr. Dre Beatbox Portable From Monster
??? M-Audio AV 40
??? SMK-Link PadDock 10v2 (for New iPad and iPad 2)
??? Klipsch Gallery G-17 Air
??? iHome iD50
?? more

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Samsung Mocks Apple, Hypes ?Next Galaxy? in New Teaser Video

Samsung's marketing push for the Galaxy S III smartphone has begun with a video depicting iPhone owners as sheep.

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Sunday, April 22, 2012

Hydraulic Drilling or What The Frack?

Happy Earth Day! After seeing many campaigns promoting Earth Day and how we can try to improve the longevity of our beloved earth I came across many helpful and thought provoking articles. Topics like recycling, planting trees, carpooling, electric/hybrid cars and more. It seems that there are many possible ways we can make Earth Day [...]

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You Don't Need To Be an Origami Master To Assemble This Flat-Pack Lamp, But It Wouldn't Hurt [Lighting]

It might look like it claimed the lives of an entire drawer full of barbecuing tools, but Tom Dixon's simple Stamp Lamp actually starts life as a boring flat sheet of zinc-coated steel. More »


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