Joe Walsh At Graceland
THE MUPPETS ARE COMING!
Excited about the Muppets / Disney REBOOT! Getting good reviews!
MacBook Air review – Engadget
My laptop of choice! the fully loaded Macbook Air 13″ I personally love it and highly recommend the 13″ inch for those who don’t travel much and the 11″ inch for those who do a lot of traveling! Check out the Engadget review!MacBook Air review (mid 2011)
By Tim Stevens
Review
There comes a time when that giant, corporate-issued laptop stops fitting into your lifestyle. When dragging around a Kensington roller case just won’t do. When you start to hear the siren lilt of something thinner, lighter, and maybe a bit more alluring. For years the MacBook Air has been that svelte temptress hollering your name, but it’s always been a bit too slow — all show and no go. It didn’t have the power and the longevity to make it a serious contender for your serious affections.
No more. With its latest refresh, Apple has taken what was once a manilla-clad curiosity and turned it into a legitimate machine, not just a sultry looker. Good thing, too, because the death of the plastic-clad MacBook means the Air is now Apple’s entry-level portable. Weary traveler looking for a laptop that will lighten your load and, it must be said, your wallet too? This might just be it.
Disney to expand Fantasyland @ WDW
Something They Should Have Done A Long Long Time Ago!!!! 🙂
Disney to expand Fantasyland at Walt Disney World
ANAHEIM, California (Reuters) – Mickey Mouse’s house and his Toon Town world will make way next year for a vastly larger Fantasyland, in the biggest-ever expansion of the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World in Florida, Walt Disney Co said on Saturday.
The Fantasyland expansion, whose price tag was not disclosed, will open in two stages in 2012 and 2013 and builds on the popularity of the Disney Princess and Fairies franchises, which have topped $4 billion in global retail sales.
Disney theme parks Chairman Jay Rasulo said the Fantasyland project, which breaks ground next year, will be paid for from funds designated for the theme park division’s annual capital expenditures.
Plans call for four Disney Princess characters — Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Belle from “Beauty and the Beast” and Ariel from “The Little Mermaid” — to be featured in “fantasy lands” where park visitors engage in dancing, storytelling or a birthday party with costumed characters from the films.
The expansion includes two new dining spots — Gascon’s Tavern and the 552-seat Beast’s Castle. A new underwater ride based on “The Little Mermaid, will be built both in the Florida Fantasyland and at the ongoing expansion of California Adventure in Disneyland.
The second phase of the Fantasyland expansion will be an oversized world based on the fairy world of Pixie Hollow from “Peter Pan,” but no other details were available because the attraction was still in early development stages, Rasulo said.
As part of the Fantasyland expansion, Disney plans to double the size of the popular Dumbo ride to add a covered “three-ring circus” waiting area with interactive games and a play area.
Disney Imagineers, who design rides and attractions, said the Toon Town attraction would be dismantled and its popular Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse houses relocated to another section of Walt Disney World.
Rasulo also announced an upgrade to the Star Tours rides at Disneyland in Anaheim and Disney’s Hollywood Studio in Florida to open in 2011.
Star Tours simulates a ride through space aboard spacecraft like those in the original “Star Wars” film.
The updated version features new digital 3D effects and projectors that let ride operators vary “destinations,” as well as upgrades to the Star Speeder cabins, Rasulo said.
Toy Story 1 And 2 In 3D!
Moviegoers are in for twice the fun and triple the thrills as The Walt Disney Studios prepares to debut the Disney Digital 3D versions of Disney-Pixar’s beloved animated features – Toy Story and Toy Story 2 – during a special limited engagement starting on October 2, 2009.
This extraordinary double feature, taking the latest advances in digital 3D technology “to infinity and beyond,” will play exclusively in 3D. Toy Story, the industry’s first ever computer-animated feature and the first feature released by Pixar Animation Studios in 1995, and Toy Story 2, the critically acclaimed sequel that debuted in 1999, were both directed by Academy Award-winning filmmaker John Lasseter. Both films have been meticulously re-rendered in 3D from the original digital files using the latest state-of-the-art technology.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XnrWes15DdY]
Exclusive: ‘Harry Potter’ Author J.K. Rowling Shares Inspiration
Yes, This Creepy Person Was a Marketing Ploy By Fox
From Deadspin.com
Many emails littered our inbox last night night asking about the weird bald-looking dude who received an uncomfortable level of face-time during the All-Star game. Of course, this is a sneaky Fox promotion for a television show. I guess we’ve fallen for it as well since I’m now writing about it. But here’s the WIkipedia info on “The Observer”:
The Observer is also seen on occasion in other Fox programs. For example, on April 7, 2009, the Observer was seen on American Idol. He was on the front row and blatantly shown near the beginning of the episode. This appearance, along with others at televised sports events, including a close-up appearance at the 2009 Major League Baseball All-Star game, is part of a viral marketing campaign by Fox Television
Bastards.
Apple Rumor: $800 Tablet Due in October
With a 9.7-inch display, this big-screen iPod touch could be just the thing for Christmas 2009.
The rumors may be getting closer to the truth, or vice versa, as a report surfaced from Taiwan today that Apple plans to releases its much discussed tablet computer this October. Guesstimated pricing: $800.
The Taiwanese site InfoTimes reports (in Chinese) that the device will have a 9.7-inch touchscreen, making it a tad smaller than most netbooks but adding touchcreen features and iPod mystique.
October would be a reasonable time for such an announcement, since Apple would be unlikely to announce much before availability in its stores, and such an announcement would be close enough to Christmas for the tablet to become 2009’s hot gift item–at least for Apple fans.
InfoTimes sources its report to various supposed parts and manufacturing partners, which adds some weight to the rumor. As is usual, Apple won’t say anything about new products and its partners also remain officially mum, at least if they want to remain an Apple partner.
The InfoTimes report is in broad agreement with earlier reports of an Apple tablet, then supposedly due in 2010. If the device is due in the next 9 months, October is a good choice for a release date.
Target market? The safe guess is that the tablet would be an oversized iPod touch, aimed primarily at entertainment users. However, for those used to sending email and doing other “work” on their iPhones, the tablet might be a pleasant step up, at least in terms of the size of its virtual keyboard.
While this is still the stuff of rumor, it seems to be circling in on something. The price makes sense, as does what little is heard of the specifications. Apple will want to have a hot new product for the holidays and a big-screen iPod makes a lot of sense as portable video gains in popularity.
This isn’t the MacPad tablet computer that I’d like to see–I want a real keyboard–but the current rumor doesn’t rule it out, either. And it may be that an Apple tablet computer and an iPod on steroids are better as separate devices.
http://www.pcworld.com/article/168299/apple_rumor_800_tablet_due_in_october.html
Toy Story Mania !!!
As I plan my latest trip BACK to Disney! (Hey its been a few years, give me a break) I came across this new AMAZING ride Disney is building called Toy Story Mania!!! I think it is ALREADY my new favorite ride!!! Check it out!
Toy Story Mania concept description :
The new attraction will be placed in the former “Who Wants to be a Millionaire” soundstage along Mickey Avenue at the Disney MGM- Studios.
Currently under construction, with an opening date of 2008.
A next generation “Living Character” audio-animatronics figure will be included as part of the pre-show queue area. The 6ft tall Mr Potato head figure will break new ground for an audio-animatronics figure by participating with the audience (similar to Turtle Talk with Crush), and will have the ability to remove body parts (just like the animated Mr Potato Head).
Each ride vehicle will accommodate 8 guests, with seating in 4 groups of 2.
Instead of physical sets, the majority of the environment will be a video display system, making use of 3D technologies.
The ride vehicles will begin by stopping at a training game, to familiarise the riders with the controls. The vehicles will then pass through a number of games, stopping at each to allow for the game play to take place.
The games are able to automatically adjust the difficulty level to suit the player. This means that beginners and expert players can find the game play rewarding and challenging.
The game play will vary with every ride, and it also has the ability to constantly change. Imagineering are not planning to leave the same games in place for the duration of the attractions lifespan. This should really add to the re-ride-ability.
During the games, the riders will be experiencing 3D imagery, wind effects, vehicle motion, water spray, and smells.
Each rider has their own toy canon. One of the unique features however, is that the canon will not be limited to being just a regular canon, as it is in Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin by being a laser blaster. In some games it will fire pies, and in another it will be eggs and balls, and in another, a ring tosser.
Games include midway style ring-toss, dart throwing, ball throwing. Each game booth will be manned by a Toy Story character, including Woody, Buzz Lightyear, Hamm, Bo Peep and the Little Green Men.
The real emphasis on this attraction is taking the hugely successful Buzz Lightyear to the next level, and making an attraction that has huge re-ride capability. You are going to want to ride this over and over again, and the way the attraction can increase difficulty on an individual rider basis, and change game play, will really make this happen.
The New iPods Are Coming!
Well, it’s that time of year again, when the holiday season is almost upon us and everyone is gearing up for the last quarter of the year for holiday shopping and the rumors were starting to fly about a the new iPods being released! Sites were posting wide, stubby looking weird nanos. Apple did go ahead and send out cease and desist letters on posting the images, so it looks like that may be one of the new ones. I think another option that will come out is some sort of wide screen display like the phones. Should be interesting!
Jack Sparrow Joins The Crew
I have been DYING to see the new Pirates Of The Caribbean with Jack Sparrow added to the ride! It sounds pretty damn cool and I can’t wait to see this new figure in action! Here are a few pictures and sites I found with a preview of the new referbed ride! The new movie Dead Man’s Chest looks pretty awesome as well!
Some Cools Sites :
Pirates are Coming
Dead Men… TellNoTales.com!
MiceAge.com
Some Frenchie Site 😉
Howards First Day
What can I say! The first Howard show on sirius Radio was GREAT! No He is not married and YES George Takei IS gay! I also found out the cast’s revolations, messed up!!! Here is the run down:
1. I cheated on my wife and got caught
2. I masturbated in the bathroom closet while my family members (aunt and cousin) were in the bathroom
3. I got a girl pregnant and paid for an abortion
4. I think I’m addicted to porn and prefer masterbating to real sex.
5. I have spent well over $10,000 on internet porn.
6. My buddy and I once ordered massage girls to our hotel room and were ripped off
7. I’ve pleasured myself with meat and vegetables.
8. I have a half sister that I don’t want to meet.
9. I have had cosmetic surgery.
10. I guy once blew his load on my chest.
11. I once had my stomach pumped for alcohol poisoning and woke up to an acquaintance fondling my genitals.
Here is a lil blurb from Engadget, summing up the show:
So how did The King of All Media — now a half billion dollars richer for moving to Sirius — take advantage of his first day on private-air satellite radio this morning? We didn’t listen in ourselves, but apparently Howard’s program weighed in 170 some-odd swear words heavy (though few were attributed to Stern himself), a fake-marriange announcement by Stern and the “confession” that he practices transcendental yoga, George Takei now doing voice-overs full time on the program, and a, um, gassy rendition of the theme from 2001: A Space Odyssey to lead the intro, among other things. New medium is now the new media, ladies and gentlemen, and according to Stern nearly 2 million new customers lined up service to hear him broadcast from space today.
Meet the Robinsons
Why do I torture myself? Just when one wait is over, I discover another new one 🙂 I just stumbled apon Disney’s next new movie, Meet The Robinsons! Looks Killer!
– Disney has given the world its first look at their new animated feature Meet the Robinsons. The picture above shows the animated cast of the film, based on William Joyce’s beloved 1990 book A Day with Wilbur Robinson. In the tale, Wilbur is a boy genius who creates a fantastic Jack Kirby-esque machine which ends up unlocking time, allowing Wilbur to visit with a future whose survival depends on him.
Cinematical: “Meet the Robinsons”
ANOTHER ANOUNCEMENT FROM APPLE!
Geez didnt they JUST announce the nano! God Apple is the king of suspence and making people get excited about a product! 1pm SHARP today they are announcing antoher new product or a bunch of products. It JUST leaked it will be a new IPOD! It DOES look kind of wide-screenish looking 🙂 Video Ipod? Time will tell! I will be reporting what ipodlounge and engadget.com will announce! LATER !
Update :
Ok, so we’re still having issues, but here’s what we’ve got so far. Apparently there’s a Salling Clicker replacement for the Mac—a Mac remote, as it were. It’s called FrontRow. It’s a Bluetooth device, and apparently looks a lot like a shuffle.
We also have word of a new, flatter iMac with built-in iSight. This guy will have a larger drive, FrontRow, and will cost the same as the current 17-inch model—ships today.
The new iMac lineup prices are as follows: $1299 US for the 1.5GHz 17-incher, $1799 US for the 2.1GHz 20-incher.
New iPod announced! The new iPod, as speculated, features video capabilities and the wider display, but it’s still a music-first device.
The device will feature a 2.5-inch display, QVGA resolution (320 x 240), and will MPEG-4 h.264 (natch), and presumably Quicktime.
The new iPod will be 30% thinner than the current 20GB iPod (making it 0.44-inches thick—say wha?), and will feature a 60GB version (which should be thinner than the current 0.63-inch thick 20GB iPod), and editions of both in black.
The 20GB should go for $299, and the 60GB for $399. They’ll be shipping next week.
What’s the device named, you ask? The iPod. That’s it, just The iPod. Well spare you the Prince jokes. The iPod will have TV out.
Stevie has iTunes 6.0 up there—only about a month after introducing iTunes 5.0.
iTunes 6.0 will also feature video and the iTunes Music Store will feature Fairplay DRMed video downloads (big surprise, right?).
At launch over 2,000 music videos will be made available at a cost of $1.99 apiece. You can download iTunes 6.0 starting today.
Oh, and one more thing…
It’s not only music videos you can buy. No, Apple’s set up to allow you to purchase TV shows for $1.99 apiece. Get Desperate Housewives or four other ABC shows premiering on iTunes at two bucks an ep. Videos are native QVGA resolution.
Update 2 :
It does indeed look awesome and it has gotten great reviews and is officially on my Christmas List 🙂
Nick Fuz Today :)
I took a nice shot of the lil guy today 🙂 Check Him Out! 🙂
Nick Fuz @ 3 Months
My boy is better than ever and getting big to boot! He is awesome and was in a great mood today 🙂 Everything is great! Going to the second to last Mets game tomorrow night! Will it be Mike Piazza’s final home series? We will see 🙂 Check out the 2 new sections on robfuz.com. The PHone pic gallery and my dugg stories from digg.com! Have a great weekend! Wake Me Up When September Ends! 😉
Spider-Man 3 Villains: it’s Official
– From Cinematical
Thomas Haden Church, once rumored to be playing Chameleon in Spider-Man 3, will in fact play Sandman, and Topher Grace will be Venom. Since this news comes to us straight from the loose lips of Kirsten Dunst herself (who is wisely riding this money train as long as she can), I think we can put the rumor mill to bed on this one.
For those of you who, like me, are sadly unfamiliar with all of Spidey’s enemies, Sandman is a career criminal whose irradiated body can turn into a sand-like substance. Sand-like, huh? I was hoping he just had, like, a really abrasive personality, or something. Damn. Venon, however, is a bit more complicated. As far as I can tell, he’s (it’s?) some sort of alien thing that takes over bodies. When he moves into the body of Eddie Brock, a guy who really, really hates Spiderman already, Venom makes him stronger and more pissed off, creating a supervillain that looks like a black-and-white version of Spider-Man with a wicked smile. Well that sounds sort of awesome. It will be released in Spring 2007.
The Mets Are Back In Town
While the Mets are out-of-town, Mr. Met always finds ways keep himself entertained… though not always with the best results. Watch now!
New York Mets : Mr Met : Watch now!
– You gotta see these comercials they are the BEST!
Harry Potter 2nd Theatrical trailer up
Trial by ‘Fire’ – In the fourth installment of ‘Harry Potter,’ our young hero competes in the Tri-Wizard tournament and finally has his first encounter with the monumentally vile Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes). Yeah, being a teenager is SO easy. See the brand new ‘Goblet of Fire’ trailer.
Holy Crap ! Even beter than the first trailer! Looks AMAZING!
Moviefone: ‘Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire’ Movie Exclusive
Jurrasic Park 4 !
Further confirmation today of the rumors mentioned here in April, that Jurassic Park IV is really on the way. If nothing else, Michael Crichton is excited, since no matter what happens to them he still gets paid for creating the characters. So far, both Sam Neill and Vince Vaughn are thought to be coming back along, probably, with a dinosaur or two.
– Ok, I even liked a bad Jurrasic Park (#3) I am very excited to see another movie in the series! The Jurrasic Parks really make me feel like a kid watching a great adventure movie! Lets see how they do!
Survivor 11 Starts Tonight!
f you’ve watched any TV lately, you’ve most likely seen CBS promotional spots hyping the big twist in the latest edition of “Survivor” (8 p.m.Thursday, Ch. 2).
This being the age of the Internet scoop, however, anyone with access to the Web should be able to find out what the “surprise” of “Survivor: Guatemala” is in under 10 seconds.
It wouldn’t be fair to give the twist away here, but go to the end of this article if you want a few clues.
What we do know, via CBS press releases, is that “two additional surprises” will greet the 16 announced “Survivor” contestants at some point during their Guatemalan sojourn. We also know that former NFL quarterback Gary Hogeboom will be one of the competitors.
And rather than unfolding on a beach, this edition of the program will take place in the Guatemalan jungle. Contestants will live and plot among “the ancient Mayan ruins and ceremonial sites (some as many as 2,000 years old),” according to CBS.
Given the change of scenery and the fact that “Survivor,” the network granddaddy of reality television, has proved adept at reinventing itself as the years go by, this 11th edition of the show likely will prove just as addictive as the rest.
Now — Spoiler alert! Don’t read this if you don’t want to know! — here are a few clues as to the big “Survivor” secret: It’s interesting that CBS’ own press release lists 16 contestants for “Survivor: Guatemala.” In recent seasons, there have been up to 18 or 20 competitors.
As for the “two additional surprises,” could they be, as several reality-TV Web sites have speculated and CBS’ own promos indicate, a couple of folks familiar to “Survivor” fans? We’ll just have to watch to find out.
– CBS alreay spilled the beans and said they are having two x survivor contestants!
DreamWorks Announces Madagascar 2
With Madagascar producing $500 million-dollar wet dreams for Jeffrey Katzenberg, the DreamWorks Animation CEO announced today – get ready for a shocker – that the studio will indeed produce a sequel to what’s become its most successful original movie ever. EVER!
Returning to their roles as a lion, a zebra and a hippo (what, no wardrobe?) will be Ben Stiller, Chris Rock and Jada Pinkett Smith. Along with what’s expected to be a plethora of sequels, DreamWorks will give the Madagascar penguins their own direct-to-video release as well as a ten-minute short to be shown before the upcoming Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were Rabbit. Though there’s still no word on whether or not the penguins will see any profits off the DVD, Stiller and gang were officially spotted on the street today high-fiving imaginary dollar signs floating above their heads.
Mighty Mouse Cave In
Yea, ok it happened! I DID NOT get the new ipod nano YET, but I did cave in and buy the Apple Mighty Mouse, the first time I finally saw it in stock! I have to admit, I went in to take a peek at the nano, which is truly amazing and is now on the top of my list for Santa 🙂 The mouse is pretty amazing! So amazing I am using it on my G5 as well as my PC. The lil ball on the mouse is killer! I love scrolling with it and it is by far the mouse’s best feature! Sure it is NOT wireless, but with all my equipment, I have been having some issues with my wireless mice, so its not bothering me too bad! The right mouse sensors on it took a lil getting used to, but its easy to adapt to. The only problem is my pack or mice now! I must have at least 10 mice around my office 🙁 O well 🙂
Pino Makes It To The Latest US Weekly
My brother-in-law Pino made it to page 10 of the latest US Weekly! He lost 168 pounds and I am VERY PROUD OF HIM! He did a kick ass job and he is very committed to his goal! Great Job Pino! The first picture was taken in Italy last summer.
Click Here For Full Size Article
Superman Returns Bogus Trailer
I had heard about the new trailer for the new Superman movie that comes out next summer and wanted to check it out. It looked ok, not really showing much and was like. I then heard that some fan made it, too funny! I is still worth checking out! Also check out the Blue Tights official Blog site for the movie, they have added a lot of cool stuff to the site including a Blog from Brian Singer the director from the first X Men movie.
Superman Returns Teaser Trailer online
Blue Tights Adventure Network!
Superman Returns (in the form of a teaser)
Rob Fuz Podcast 9/9/05
Hey Everyone! Well I finally did it! I teamed up with Craig for an awesome 40 minute Podcast! We are kicking around domain names and a show name and will hopefully put out a new tech based, computer, gadget and just all around fun Podcast on a daily basis! I think the show is actually pretty cool and we did it using Goggle Talk, which is an amazing talk program! I also recorded directly in Sony’s Vegas Video and rendered the file right from there. We covered all the news from Apple this week and how we created this first test run show! Enjoy! Please leave some suggestions and some feedback!
Rob Fuz Podcast 9/9/05 (40 min 19 meg MP3) Click Here To Download!
Tons O’ New Apple News!
HOLY CRAP! That new ipod looks SO AMAZING! My trigger finger was on my mouse and ready to order, but I held out! I have been waiting and pondering getting a new ipod for some time now! I do have a Second Generation ipod as well as the Shuffle and needed to upgrade to a newer one! So tempting is this new Ipod Nano, but wait as I must, I will hold out till possibly Christmas or mill over getting the 20 or 60 gig color version! Jos just got a Mini for her birthday, but it is a 6 gigger and I think she will still enjoy it for sometime! It was pretty funny how the info came down on Engadget! The site was POUNDED by traffic and I hit refresh a lot to get the info down like every 10 mins! Classic! I never saw that site go down like that, but they were AWESOME on brining the news to the world almost live! As for the Rokr I do use Cingular, but I am not a huge fan of Motorola phones and 100 songs seems kind of weak! The Harry Potter Ipod is funny and I think that will be huge as well! Installing itunes 5 now! Be Back Later 🙂
Live from SF: Apple’s announcement on Engadget
Gotta Love Live Blogging! Ok so far they announced ITunes 5 and A Harry Potter ipod and are talking to Madonna, who is in the new ads for whatever they didn’t anounce yet! Check the link! Back Soon!
Live from SF: Apple and Motorola’s iTunes phone announcement – Engadget – www.engadget.com
Their surver must be CRUSHED! It keeps going down! Here’s whats announced so far!
1:00pm – The lights are going down. Al Gore is reportedly sitting in the front row. Steve is on stage.
1:01pm – “Apple is leading the digital music revolution, but to us, at it’s core, it’s all about the music.” Steve introduces “16 time grammy award winner, the incomparable Yo Yo Ma” in the audience. “He’s mad at me now, probably.”
1:02pm – “let’s start today, i’d love to give you an update on itunes…” over half a billion songs sold. 1.8 million songs a day. “iTunes has an 80% market share here in the US.” 85% of global music market.
1:04pm – “Let me give you an update on podcasts.” 7 million subscriptiosn to podcats. 15,000 podcasts in directory. 21 languages including Finnish, Serbian, and Thai. House Democrats and Senate Republicans are among podcasters. Top 9: iTunes new music tuesday, al franken, adam curry… 2 million songs now in itunes library
1:06pm – “This next statistic we’ve never shared with anyone before: we have just crossed 10 million accounts on itunes”. Average account has purchased 60 songs(mathematically that’s just # sold / # accts). “iTunes may be the second largest internet store behind only Amazon.” New exclusive content: Harry Potter. All 6 audio books only on iTunes.
1:07pm – New Harry Potter iPod – has the crest engraved on the back.
1:08pm – 1-click purchase of entire Harry Potter collection. Other exclusive: Madonna. All 15 albums available by album and by song. Steve is calling Madonna on iChat AV.
1:09pm – Madonna to Steve: “I got tired of not being able to download my own music.” Steve: “Do you have an ipod?” Madonna: “of course I do! that’s so dumb! Every time I get one a new one comes out the next week.”
1:11pm – iTunes 5! Pretty much same display, but cleaned up. Can organize folders of playlists.
1:12pm – Search bar – can search just podcasts, just albums, etc. Search bar is also in music store. iTunes 5 autosyncs contacts and calendars from MS Outlook.
1:14pm – Smart Shuffle feature. “We’ve had a lot of people say our shuffle’s not random” (laughter) “We’ve actually added Smart Shuffle to make it less random. But it seems more random.” From the UI: “Smart shuffle allows you to control how likely you are to hear multiple songs by the same artist.” Reviews added to iTunes.
1:17pm – iTunes 5 demo. Steve is searching for some musician named “Dylan” in the store. Results layout is more GUI, layout of album covers by artist.
1:20pm – Here it is: “There’s One More Thing about iTunes that we’re announcing today … Today we are introducing the iTunes phone: Motorola ROKR. 100 songs or other downloads.”
1:21pm – You load it via USB cable. “It’s basically an iPod shuffle for you phone.” No click wheel. It has auto-shuffle.
1:22pm – Steve is playing “Let’s Get it Started” on the phone. Sounds good – lots of bass. The ringtone is still cheezy, which makes a nice contrast of how much better the music audio quality is than you’d expect.
1:23pm – Ron Garriques – President of Motorola’s mobile phone division, is onstage.
1:27pm – Garriques on the Rokr: “It’s a great ARPU story.” That’s Average Revenue Per User.
1:28pm – Sneak preview of TV ad. Madonna and a bunch of other people. Hey, there’s Iggy Pop w/o a shirt!
1:29pm – Steve onstage again: “The #1 wireless carrier in North America, Cingular, is going to be the exclusive carrier…”
1:30pm – Ralph de la Vega, COO of Cingular is onstage. “Today, the talk ends, and the music begins.”
1:34pm – Ralph says he knows we’re worried about battery life. He says he flew crosscountry with it yesterday, made some phone calls at his hotel, then left it on the table overnight. The battery gauge still showed full in the morning.
1:35pm – Previews of outdoor ads (billboards): “Now you can KISS and tell”, “smashblabbermouth”, and pb4splunk: “Matthew Sweet talk”.
1:37pm – Magazine ads. “Elvis may have left the building, but now you can get him on the phone.“
1:41pm – “Now, I’d like to give you an update on iPod. Almost 22 million sold as of June. New automotive Made for iPod products: Honda, Acura, Audi, VW adding iPod capability.
1:42pm – 30% of all cars in 2006 sold in US will offer iPod option.
1:43pm – “Today, we’re gonna focus on the iPod mini.” Most popular mp3 player in the world. “Today, we’re going to do something pretty bold… we’re going to replace it.”
1:44pm – The iPod nano. 1000 songs.
1:45pm – It has a color display and a click wheel. Looks like a shrunken iPod photo.
1:46pm – 1/5 size of original iPod. 62% smaller by volume than mini. 1/3 size of mini.
1:47pm – Steve is comparing the nano to other players and cellphones. 30-pin dock connector same as other iPods. Color screen.
1:48 – New clock, can add multiple time zones. They show inverse mode at night. Games, calendars, stopwatch, and lap timer. Screen lock with password. “If you have your contacts and calendars on, you might want to lock your screen”. “Some people are going to forget everything, so they’re going to forge they’re combination.” When you redock your mac opens the lock. 1.5 ounces, 42 grams. Less than 8 quarters. It fits in watch pocket of jeans. USB 2.0.
1:49pm – 14 hour battery life, both PC and Mac.
1:50pm – “One other thing…” Second color – black. 4GB – 1000 songs – $249, 2GB – 500 songs – $199.
1:51pm – Shipping today. “They will be in some stores as early as tomorrow afternoon or Friday.” Accessories: $29 dock, $39 lanyard headphone. 5 armband colors $29.
1:52pm – New accessory: “nanotubes”. Colored skins – box of 5 colors $29. Rolling out to stores over next 4 weeks. “Again, the key messages here are 1000 songs in your pocket, impossibly small”
1:54pm – “My prediction is this is instantly going to become the highest-volume most popular iPod in the world. At events like this, we always like to remind ourselves that the most important thing is the music.” So who’s the guest star? Kanye West, that’s who.
1:55pm – Kanye West: “I’d like to thank Steve Jobs for still letting me perform.”
1:58pm – Kanye just dissed Bush again.
2:04pm – Peace out from Kanye. Steve is back on stage. “Thank you all for coming, and we’ll see you soon. Buh-bye.” That’s it!
Well Its in the store and I already added it to my cart 🙂 I think I will hold back and wait till christmas though 🙁 Damn It! hehe BLACK BABY!
Apple’s Big Announcement – Nano Nano
What I found out on KevinRose.com 🙂 The Nano sounds real cool for my Podcasts and when i record Howard Stern 🙂 With my Ipod newly refurbished with a 24 hour battery, its getting flaky in its old age I am in the market for a new Ipod and will be ready to run out to the store Wednesday 🙂 And to be honest, I have zero interest in a Ipod phone at this time with hearing it will only hold like 25 or possibly 100 songs 🙁 – Happy Birthday (Saturday) to Jos and Happy Labor Day All!
Apple has sent out invitations to a “Special Music Event” to be held at 10:00AM in the Moscone Center West in San Fransisco on September 7th..
Why wait till Wed? New Products:
– Cingular will announce an iTunes compatible phone – the “Rocker”
– New 2GB ipod called the “Nano” – it will sport a color screen and will be much smaller and thinner than a mini. Price = $199
No video ipod.. You heard it here first.
