iCloud set to pick up photo sharing, videos in Photo Stream alongside iOS 6

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Internet, Rumors, Software,

With the 2012 Wordwide Developers Conference so new reports of what Apple is set to reveal to the world are beginning to appear. Today, we get word from The Wall Street Journal that Apple is set to reveal a bunch of new iCloud features alongside iOS 6.

According to WSJ sources, Apple will be revealing a new photo sharing service for iCloud users, which will allow you to share individual pictures, or entire galleries, with other users of the service. Separate from Photo Stream, the sharing service will also allow your friends to comment on your images as well. Speaking of Photo Stream, another forthcoming change will see the inclusion of videos in the service, allowing you to access video shot on your iOS devices in your Photo Stream as well.

Additionally, iCloud.com will begin syncing data from the Reminders and Notes iOS and Mountain Lion apps, making this information available in the browser. We'll bring you all the news from WWDC 2012 as it happens.

Read More | WSJ

Verizon slashes price of Droid RAZR Maxx by $100

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Smartphones, Google, Handhelds, Hot Deals,

Verizon has just cut the price of the Droid RAZR Maxx by a whopping $100, bringing the price of the long-lasting 4G LTE smartphone down to $199.99 with two-year contract. That's a great price for the supercharged Motorola handset. Verizon is also touting its new partnership with Facebook video app Color, which allows you to share 30-second video snippets over 4G LTE. Speaking of the Droid RAZR Maxx, it should be picking up Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich very, very shortly.

Click to continue reading Verizon slashes price of Droid RAZR Maxx by $100

Kamandi #14 by Jack Kirby

Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Editorials, Reviews, DC Comics,

I used to rank Jack Kirby’s Fourth World series as my favorite of all his post-1970s comic book work, with Mister Miracle as my favorite title. Over the years, that shifted.

My favorite Fourth World title became Jimmy Olsen because of two things: (1) it’s such a whacked out, imaginative take on the Olsen universe and (2) it’s the first time anyone thought about Olsen as a character instead of the victimized afterthought he was for years in the Mort Weisinger comics.

But since then, my favorite has shifted once more. It’s Kamandi, The Last Boy On Earth. What began with the basic elements of Planet Of The Apes turned into an epic of post-apocalyptic Earth. Animals are in charge, humans are slaves or playthings, and only Kamandi stands as the last hope for mankind.

It’s been a long time since I read individual issues. I picked up a bunch on sale for $1 each during Free Comic Book Day, and Kamandi #14 was one of them, the earliest in the pack.

Click to continue reading Kamandi #14 by Jack Kirby

Weekend Reading: The Avengers, Stan Lee, Jack Kirby and Dave Berg

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

Now, how many times have you already seen The Avengers? Doesn't it just kick movie butt? And what movie do you think we'll be talking about all summer? Avengers or The Dark Knight Rises?

Avengers Assemble...in line! Former Malibu Comics publisher and co-founder Dave Olbrich (now a manager at Space Goat Productions) and for Malibu Comics Editor-In-Chief Chris Ulm (now the head guy at Appy Entertainment), show up at the :20 mark in this report from AMC theaters in southern California.

Longbox Graveyard goes Marathoning and Assembling for Avengers and other Marvel-based movies. “Five of my favorite superhero movies, in a day-long sitting, followed by a midnight debut of The Avengers! Seventeen hours in a movie theater, ninety minutes in the car each way getting there, a day off work to do it and another day off to recover. Great for a twelve-year-old, not-so-great if you’re half a century old. So I found a couple twelve-year-olds and went anyway.”

Click to continue reading Weekend Reading: The Avengers, Stan Lee, Jack Kirby and Dave Berg

Comic Book Jobs: Marketing Assistant

Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Editorials,

Want to get in on the cutting edge of comics with all the apps, and digital and smarty-smartphones? Of course you do.

Aquafadas is looking for a Marketing Assistant in their New York office. Aquafadas is not a new brand of spring water, though. They’re “an established international company that develops software for tablet and smartphone publishing.” They have a target audience of “Magazine, Book and Comic Book publishers who want to create apps for iPads and Androids.”

It’s a paid parttime internship and you’ll assist the marketing team “in lead generation, calling, setting mailings, database research, writing marketing copy, and office related tasks.” Of course, you’ll need all the usual stuff on your resume: “a bachelor's degree in Marketing, Communications or PR...must know basic Microsoft Office, and knowledge of Adobe InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator, and Premiere is a plus.”

Click to continue reading Comic Book Jobs: Marketing Assistant

Read More | Marketing Assistant

Spotify update 0.8.3 brings radio stations, search improvements, and more

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Music, PC / Laptop, Software,

Spotify has released a new update to its Mac and PC desktop clients, version 0.8.3, that brings with it some hotly anticipated features. Finally, you can now create a radio station on the fly based on playlists and albums simply by clicking on Start Playlist Radio or Start Artist Radio. Embedding is now easier, as the software is happy to give you the HTML needed to let you integrate content into your blog posts, as well as direct Tumblr support. Last, search has been given an overhaul, bringing your results into the main view with the hover of a mouse. The update is rolling out as we speak.

Nintendo killing off Aqua Blue 3DS

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Corporate News, Hardware, Nintendo, Nintendo 3DS,

The Aqua Blue Nintendo 3DS. An odd color choice for the launch of a new gaming handheld, sure. However, we didn't think it was so bad that it was time to kill it. Regardless of what we think, though, Nintendo is set to put the Aqua Blue 3DS out to pasture soon. No specific date has been given, but with all the other 3DS colors that Nintendo's pumping out, we're geussing that the turquiose one has proven to be pretty unpopular in the grand scheme of things. Want one? Better get it while you can!

Read More | Nintendo Japan

iOS 6 to feature new Apple-powered Maps, eliminating Google

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Smartphones, Google, Rumors, Software,

Google Maps has been a mainstay on in iOS since the birth of the original iPhone back in 2007. For us, the Maps app is one of our most used apps on the device, and we'd bet that this is the same for many others. However, Apple need Google Maps anymore. The company has purchased multiple mapping companies in the past couple of years, including C3 Technologies, Poly9, and Placebase. We haven't really seen the fruits of these acquisitions yet, but that may all be changing with iOS 6.

Click to continue reading iOS 6 to feature new Apple-powered Maps, eliminating Google

Read More | 9to5Mac

Kickstarter: Dumbing of Age

Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Editorials, Independent,

David Willis, creator of the popular webcomic Dumbing of Age, is using Kickstarter to raise funds for a collection of his strips.

This Campus Is A Friggin’ Escher Print will be “185 full-color pages with author commentary, character profiles, and behind-the-scenes material” promises Willis.

More than a year’s worth of stuff will be inside, from  September 10, 2010, to October 28, 2011. This includes storylines: “Move-in Day,” “Uphill from Here,” “Men Are from Beck, Women Are from Clark,” “The Bechdel Test,” “Media Rumble,” and “Yesterday Was Thursday.”

Click to continue reading Kickstarter: Dumbing of Age

Read More | Kickstarter

Apple TV 5.0.1 software update now available

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Home Entertainment, Software,

Apple has just released Apple TV software version 5.0.1, which looks to solve a few niggles that we've actually been complaining about lately. Owners of the second and third generation Apple TV can get the updates right away by heading into the software update area under Settings. What's changed? Well, iTunes TV and movie previews are now high definition, AirPlay is fixed for iOS apps, Home Sharing connections should no longer be as fickle as they've been lately, and Netflix integration gets tightened up a bit. You can pick up an Apple TV for $99.