Quote Of The Day: Dan Mishkin on Amethyst

Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Editorials, DC Comics,

"With the mini-Amethyst boom that’s going on right now, I’ve read something like the following a couple of times this week: 'In the 1980s, DC Comics invented Amethyst to try to tap into a girl audience.' Which manages to make the company sound both more creative and more crass than the reality I remember.

To clarify: DC didn’t invent Amethyst, Gary Cohn and Ernie Colón and I did; and no one at DC was telling writers and artists back then to come up with a way of reaching a girl audience.

But where the folks at DC -- Jenette Kahn and Paul Levitz in particular -- deserve huge credit is in the fact that they supported Amethyst even though they knew it had *very little chance* of selling well in the comics market of the time.

Click to continue reading Quote Of The Day: Dan Mishkin on Amethyst

Weekend Reading: Jack Kirby, Alex Toth, Harlan Ellison & Argo

Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Editorials, Movies, Marvel Comics,

I am shocked - shocked, I tell you - to discover that the movie Argo (about how Jack Kirby’s designs for a screenplay based on a Roger Zelazny novel helped rescue hostages in Iran for the CIA) is playing fast and loose with history.

Michael Sporn has a long post with some nice artwork by Playboy cartoonist Rowland B. Wilson and some rare artwork by Alex Toth.

Down The Tubes interviews Paul Scoones, author of the new Doctor Who book: The Comic Strip Companion: The Unofficial and Unauthorised Guide to Doctor Who in Comics: 1964 — 1979.

Click to continue reading Weekend Reading: Jack Kirby, Alex Toth, Harlan Ellison & Argo

Apple, Nokia, and Google Map security brouhaha: fact or hype?

Posted by Jason Diaz Categories: Apple, Corporate News, Design, Editorial, Features,

In the latest Apple Maps saga, The Verge is reporting some security concerns regarding sensitive military installations that appear on mapping solutions by Apple. as compared to Google Maps and Nokia Maps. The picture being portrayed is that Apple is showing more information than the other companies. While it may appear accurate on the surface, it lacks transparency and fairness. Case in point, we all can agree that Area 51 is one of the most secretive government military installations in the world. Coincidentally, or ironically, The Verge failed to report that Google's map offering shows a much more pristine image of Area 51 than Apple's map of that particular base, nor is it pixelated for security. I went out of my way to tweet the author of the post to get an explanation for the discrepancy. There are definitely more examples of similar discrepancies, this isn't limited to just Area 51.

Read More | The Verge

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ABC News tracks stolen iPad to home of TSA agent

Posted by Jason Diaz Categories: Apple, Corporate News, Handhelds, Videos,

We can't stress enough the countless stories that highlight the benefits of having the Find My iPhone app installed on your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch and enabling Find My Mac on Apple computers, allowing you to track their whereabouts through iCloud. ABC News investigates and finds at least 400 TSA screeners who left, or were fired, after allegations of theft in the workplace. In the video below, ABC tracks down a stolen iPad, sting-operation-style, to a TSA agent's home with the use of Apple's free tracking service. The agent is caught on video and has the audacity to throw his wife under the bus, saying it must have been her that took it. The TSA Agency has come under fire in recent years and continues  to find new ways to be in the news, obviously for the wrong reasons.

Click to continue reading ABC News tracks stolen iPad to home of TSA agent

StoryBundle launches its next e-Book pack focused on crime and thrillers

Posted by Ponzi Black Categories: Hot Deals, Misc. Tech,

We talked about StoryBundle back in August, when their first bundle launched with 7 Sci-Fi indie books. Now they're back with 7 more crime and thriller books.

The concept is still the same as last time. They take the indie game bundle model and bring it to ebooks. You can pay whatever you want for five DRM-free books, but if you pay more than the bonus price of $7, you get two bonus books. You decide how much to give to the authors, how much to give to StoryBundle to keep the business going, and you can choose to donate part of your purchase to one of two charities. That's good enough to make it our Deal of the Day.

Click to continue reading StoryBundle launches its next e-Book pack focused on crime and thrillers

How to unlock your iPhone 5 right now

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Smartphones, Features, Software,

It's been widely reported that the Verizon iPhone 5 ships with an unlocked SIM slot, which means you can insert any 3G nano SIM into its tray and you can use it with any carrier. The AT&T model isn't as forgiving, as all AT&T iPhone 5 (see out iPhone 5 review) models ship locked to that specific carrier. However, there are a few ways of unlocking the AT&T model for use with other carriers, like T-Mobile.

Click to continue reading How to unlock your iPhone 5 right now

Camera+ updated with iPhone 5, iOS 6, iPad, and iCloud support

Posted by Jason Diaz Categories: Photography, App Updates, iPad Apps, New Apps, $0.99,

One of the most popular photo editing apps in the App Store, Camera+, has now been updated to support iOS 6 and iPhone 5, as well as a new version for the iPad. One major new feature is the addition of iCloud Sync for the Lightbox. Go grab the update and if you haven't purchased it we highly recommend it, only 99 cents for all this goodness:

• Camera+ for iPhone
• Camera+ for iPad

iPhone 5 coming to 22 more countries and US regional markets on September 28

Posted by Jason Diaz Categories: Apple, Smartphones, Corporate News, Handhelds,

As many of you know, the iPhone 5 was only released to eight countries on September 21st: US, Canada, Australia, Japan, UK, Hong Kong, Germany and Singapore. Well, here's a bit of good news for those who live outside those areas.  Apple, as promised, is about to set loose the iPhone 5 in your native shores on September 28th.  Here's the list:

"iPhone 5 will roll out worldwide to 22 more countries on September 28, including Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland." - Apple

Also included in the 28th iPhone 5 launch rollout, some local regional markets like, Cricket Communication, GCI, Cellcom, Appalachian Wireless, Bluegrass Cellular and C Spire Wireless.

Be sure to check out Gear Live's iPhone 5 review.

Read More | Apple

Netflix app now iPhone 5 and iOS 6 compatible

Posted by Jason Diaz Categories: Entertainment, App Updates, Free Apps,

The most popular streaming service is now iOS 6 and iPhone 5 compliant. Netflix just rolled out its latest video streaming offering, which includes improved browsing and searching. iOS Netflix subscribers go grab the update and say "no" to letterboxing!

Read More | Netflix App

iPhone 5: White & SIlver or Black & Slate? (gallery)

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Smartphones, Design, Features, Handhelds,

The iPhone 5 is the most beautiful iPhone that Apple has released to date (seriously - check our iPhone 5 review!) Since our review features both the white & silver model and the black & slate model, we've been getting questions about which is "better." The thing is, it's all a matter of opinion, although the black model is a bit more susceptible to scratches and scuffs. Since some people don't have an Apple Store nearby where they can check out the two color options for themselves, we've put together an iPhone 5 White vs. Black photo gallery. Check it out, as we have a bunch of comparison shots for your perousal. Let us know what you decide!

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