Author: Serkadis

  • Week in review: All about Apple’s iPad, how a tweet revived services in Haiti

    Here’s our rundown of the week’s business and tech news. First, the most popular stories VentureBeat published in the last seven days:

    McGraw-Hill axed from iPad launch after CEO leaks on TV — The day before announcing its iPad tablet, Apple appeared to have removed McGraw-Hill from the list of publishers who will sell e-books on the device’s iBookStore. The move followed the appearance of the publisher’s 61-year-old leader, Harold McGraw III on CNBC, where he prattled about the tablet’s iPhone operating system. McGraw-Hill later claimed that it wasn’t removed from the iPad launch, because it had never been part of it.

    Rumored Apple iPad advertisement surfaces — Writer Cody Barbierri thought the ad resembled a real Apple commercial, but didn’t find the featured product all that convincing. At this point, it’s pretty clear that the ad was a fake.

    At last: Real photos of the Apple tablet — On the other hand, these photos, which were leaked to Engadget the night before the iPad launch, turned out to be real. (By now, you’ve probably picked up on the connecting thread between our most popular stories. Sorry, Apple-heaters.)

    No Flash on Apple’s iPad — One of the more contentious features of the iPad was its lack of support for Adobe’s Flash technology. That decision prompted several responses from Adobe, as well as speculation about the presence of Flash in Apple’s iPad commercial, which has since been removed.

    More potential photos of Apple’s iPad — Yep, people sure wanted to catch a glimpse of the insanely-hyped device. This set turned out to be fake.

    And here are five more stories we thought were important, thought-provoking, or fun:

    How a tweet brought makeshift 911 services to life in Haiti — Haiti’s earthquake devastated not only lives. It destroyed whatever emergency services the barely functioning government had to offer. But in less than five days, a makeshift version of 911 sprung to life. Here’s the story of how a few tech-savvy social entrepreneurs, receptive ears in the U.S. government, and hundreds of Haitian Creole-speaking strangers crowdsourced from around the world were able to help people on the ground get food or medical attention.

    Tesla Motors files for $100M public offering — If the darling of the burgeoning electric car market pulls off an IPO, electric vehicles will have taken another big step towards mainstream acceptance.

    Amazon.com mysteriously removes Macmillan book titles — On Friday evening, we noticed that Amazon stopped selling many books from major publisher Macmillan. Initially, there was no explanation for the removal, but a source later told The New York Times that it was caused by a dispute between Macmillan and Amazon over the price of e-books.

    iPad-iFail debate: Paul, you ignorant slut! — Sometimes, VentureBeat writers disagree. In this case,, Dean Takahashi was so appalled by Paul Boutin’s list of five reasons not to buy an iPad that he penned this point-by-point rebuttal (whose headline quotes an old Saturday Night Live skit).

    Inkling lets textbook makers embrace the iPad — Backed by Google investor Ram Shriram and Lotus designer Mitch Kapor (among others), the startup’s chief executive told us, “The book will never die. But the textbook probably will.” Inkling wants to create the experience that will take the textbook’s place.


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  • Jesse James, Sandra Bullock Hire Find Toto Pet Detectives To Search For Missing Dog Cinnabun

    Sandra Bullock’s husband has gotten a new ally in the hunt for his missing pit bull. Biker enthusiast Jesse James has hired pet recovery service Find Toto to canvas Southern California in search of his beloved canine, Cinnabun.

    Jesse – who wed The Blind Side’s Bullock in 2005 – has been distraught since Cinnabun disappeared from his West Coast Choppers bike shop in Long Beach on Monday, Jan. 25. In the days since, the couple have started an online campaign to raise awareness about the missing pup in hopes of bringing her home safely. Jesse has also offered a $2,000 reward to anyone who safely returns Cinnabun.

    “I’m in contact with Sandra and Jesse all day. We’ve been going back and forth checking on tips,” Colleen Busch, with Find Toto, told E! Online on Friday.

    So far, efforts to find the carmel-colored beauty have been unsuccessful.

    “We’ve had a few leads, but all dead ends so far, but the search is still definitely on. She’s a great little dog, and we want to find her as soon as possible,” Jesse wrote in a desperate plea on the company’s website last week. “Please keep your eyes out for our little gal, she’s a light brown and white pit bull, 9 months old, cropped ears, full tail, hazel eyes. Last seen wearing a large pink collar near West Coast Choppers and Cisco Burger on Anaheim St./710 Freeway in Long Beach.”

    This is not the first time a celebrity has hired a pet detective to find a missing beloved animal. Last year, Jessica Simpson also hired Find Toto after her Maltese Poodle, Daisy, was snatched from her backyard by a coyote. Sadly, she was never found. Let’s hope there’s a happier ending for Cinnabun. If you have any information on her whereabouts, please call (562)-983-6666….


  • CrunchRumor: iPhone OS 3.2 to support video calls, multitasking?

    Looking at the iPad SDK, programmers are starting to say that the new version of the iPhone OS will support video calls, file downloads, and some sort of multitasking. There’s also several other features in the SDK that won’t work with the iPad, but would be applicable to the iPhone in it’s current configuration.


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  • News Corp. to Settle Suit for $500 Million [Voices]

    By Shira Ovide, Reporter, The Wall Street Journal

    News Corp. (NWS) said it agreed to pay $500 million to settle a lawsuit, days before the case was to go to trial.

    The legal dispute started four years ago, when marketing firm Valassis Communications Inc. alleged that News Corp.’s News America Marketing, which sells coupon inserts in Sunday newspapers and in grocery-store displays, unfairly used its power with customers to gain advantages over competitors. News Corp. contested the claims.

    A jury in a Michigan court last year awarded $300 million to Valassis in related litigation, and a similar case has been pending in California.

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  • Top Gear crew dinged for being scruffiest blokes on the telly?

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    Reports like this make us glad the Autoblog Podcast is audio-only. A new survey of British television viewers finds that the UK wants more smartly-dressed personalities and pundits. 1,000 people were asked their thoughts about fashion on the telly, and two-thirds of the Top Gear crew received the dubious honor of being called the scruffiest presenters on televsion. James May and Jeremy Clarkson apparently need to head to Carnaby Street and ditch the open collars and jeans.

    Richard Hammond didn’t get away unscathed, either. He was voted the fifth worst dressed. Most of the people polled want their presenters to wear ties, and nearly half think jeans should be out, too. The personalities deemed the best-dressed were Sir Trevor McDonald, a long-serving veteran, and the wise and dapper Bruce Forsyth. Taking this report to heart, we’ll be speaking with our tailors directly.

    [Source: Telegraph.co.uk | Image: TopGear.com]

    Top Gear crew dinged for being scruffiest blokes on the telly? originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 30 Jan 2010 18:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  • Proto-2 humanoid robot auditions for Thunderbirds 2.0

    While there are some robots like ASIMO still keeping it real with their classic robot looks, it seems that humanoid bots these days are increasingly falling into one of two categories: creepy and more creepy. Making no attempt to alter that trend are the researchers from Advanced Robotic Systems Laboratories (or ARSL), who are now showing off their new Proto-2 robot — and apparently holding it against its will. Designed partly to aid in the study of human-robot interaction, Proto-2 packs an “expressive face” complete with moving, Peter Gallagher-esque eyebrows, and it apparently has a more natural walking gait than many other humanoid bots thanks to a new dynamic toe-joint that ARSL developed. Unfortunately, there’s no video of it in action available just yet, but you can check out plenty more pics, and even an interview with its creator by hitting up the links below.

    Proto-2 humanoid robot auditions for Thunderbirds 2.0 originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 30 Jan 2010 18:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  • Prince & Paris Jackson Will Accept Michael Jackson Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award

    Michael Jackson’s two eldest children — Prince, 12, and Paris, 11 – will accept their late dad’s Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award during a ceremony at L.A.’s Wilshire Ebell Theater this evening, Jackson family sources tell CNN.com. The Recording Academy is honoring Michael with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Special Merit Awards Ceremony in Los Angeles Saturday night.

    Prince and Paris will make their first public appearance since the King of Pop’s emotional memorial service in Los Angeles last summer; seven-year-old Blanket — the youngest member of the Jackson Clan — is not expected to appear. Despite a scoop from E! Online earlier this week, there are no plans for Paris or Prince to perform at tomorrow’s 52nd Annual Grammy Awards, CNN claims.


  • Top Gear crew dinged for being scruffiest blokes on the telly?

    Filed under: , ,

    Reports like this make us glad the Autoblog Podcast is audio-only. A new survey of British television viewers finds that the UK wants more smartly-dressed personalities and pundits. 1,000 people were asked their thoughts about fashion on the telly, and two-thirds of the Top Gear crew received the dubious honor of being called the scruffiest presenters on televsion. James May and Jeremy Clarkson apparently need to head to Carnaby Street and ditch the open collars and jeans.

    Richard Hammond didn’t get away unscathed, either. He was voted the fifth worst dressed. Most of the people polled want their presenters to wear ties, and nearly half think jeans should be out, too. The personalities deemed the best-dressed were Sir Trevor McDonald, a long-serving veteran, and the wise and dapper Bruce Forsyth. Taking this report to heart, we’ll be speaking with our tailors directly.

    [Source: Telegraph.co.uk | Image: TopGear.com]

    Top Gear crew dinged for being scruffiest blokes on the telly? originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 30 Jan 2010 18:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  • E-reader comparison chart: 6 readers, 19 features

    PaidContent.org has put together a thorough, helpful chart that compares the six most popular e-readers: Amazon.com’s Kindle 2 and Kindle DX, Sony’s Daily Edition, Barnes & Noble’s Nook, Plastic Logic’s Que proReader, and of course Apple’s iPad.

    The chart compares 19 features ranging from hardware to software to content.

    Click here for the full-size version of the chart.


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  • Google provides tool for Mac users to upload email to Google Apps

    Google Uploader for Mac

    For some, there is quite a bit of anxiety involved in switching from one email system to another. What will become of all your old emails from family/friends, your precious email attachments containing hundreds of hours of video featuring LOLCats, or the 400 copies of that one chain letter your partially senile grandfather forwards you every two weeks? Well, it looks like — if your a Mac user ready to jump over to Google Apps — there is no need to panic, because the Big G is looking to alleviate this anxiety for you. Recently, Google released a migration tool that will allow users of Apple Mail, Thunderbird, or Eudora to upload all their email to Google Apps and seemlessly make the switch. The tool, which already has a Windows counterpart, will only work with Google Apps and not with the more popular gmail.com or googlemail.com services. Hit up the official press release for all the details.

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  • “The Real Housewives Of New Jersey’s” Ashley Holmes Guilty Of Hair-Pulling Attack On Danielle Staub

    The teen daughter of The Real Housewives of New Jersey star Jacqueline Laurita has been found guilty of simple assault for pulling fellow cast member Danielle Staub’s hair during a fight at a fashion benefit last year.

    On Friday, Wayne Municipal Court Judge Lawrerence Katz fined Ashley Holmes, 19, $189 — that includes $33 is court costs.. Staub claims Holmes threatened her and ripped out a hair extension at the North Jersey Country Club in November.

    Earlier this week, Staub vowed to put her past as a “Prostitution Whore” behind her: The divorcee is now celibate and saving her for marriage. The second season of the docu-soap is scheduled to air later this year on Bravo.


  • Kim Kardashian Charity Clothing Auction For Aid To Haiti

    Socialite reality star Kiim Kardashian is using her love of fashion to help raise money for survivors of the devastating earthquake in Haiti this month. The boutique owner regularly auctions off items from her own show-stopping wardrobe through her popular eBay store. Now she has going into the closets of her famous family members — with the help of Super Bowl-bound BF Reggie Bush’s — to help fund relief in the impoverished Caribbean nation.

    “We’re doing huge eBay charity auctions,” Kim told E! Online Friday. “I have an eBay store called Kim’s Closet. Me, Kourtney, Khloe, my mom, Reggie, and I think Lamar have all put up a whole bunch of auctions that launch next week, and it all goes to Haiti. It’s our shoes and our clothes. Get cute clothes and help out Haiti.”


  • NSFW The Perfect Valentine’s Day Date: 100 Pounds of Silicone Girlfriend Technology

    Every year men and women feel the same anxiety over Valentine’s Day. Will he ask me out on my dream date? Will she like the jewelry I picked out for her? Will I be sitting at home alone? But all any of us really want to do is snuggle and say that we actually have someone to hang out with that day. So why not eliminate the anxiety and buy yourself a girlfriend. No, I’m not talking about a prostitute, and I’m not talking about a blow up doll. I’m talking about 100 pounds of silicone lady love. The idea of a robot companion has long been toyed with, but with new advancements in girlfriend technology, companies like True Companion and Real Doll are offering options that look, feel, and even act like the real thing. Real Doll has long made customizable dolls that are physically on point and are now even offering dolls molded and designed to look like real life porn stars Jessica Drake and Alektra Blue. True Companion is taking that idea one step further with their Roxxxy Sex Robot, a similar looking silicone doll with an internal robotic structure that lets you actually interact with the doll and her many customizable personalities. But does the same pressure exist with these dolls? Will she be fun on your date? Will your friends like her? This Valentine’s Day, we’ll put Real Doll and Roxxxy Robot girlfriend head to head to find out which doll will be the best Valentine’s Day date for you.

    The Romantic Dinner Date:
    Wine, conversation, and a cocktail dress. With a real life date, this situation promises for awkward conversation and a huge bill. Do you think she’ll appreciate your efforts enough to give you a smooch at the end of the date? Nothing is guaranteed but a huge hole in your wallet. On the other hand, if you decide to swap out the breathing date with a silicone babe you know you’ll save on that restaurant bill, so why not splurge for the steak? Hell, you can even go to the burger joint, because we hear that both girls are completely easy going. Douglas Hines, creator of the Roxxxy robot and president of True Companion explains that Roxxxy will be more like a real life date than you can imagine, “Roxxxy is shipped with her own default personality that is matched to your personality. So this default personality likes what you like, dislikes what you dislike, etc. She also has moods during the day just like a real person. She can be sleepy, conversational, or she can be ‘in the mood.’” So if you’re looking for a great conversationalist, Roxxxy’s your girl. If on the other hand you prefer a trophy date that won’t offer riveting conversation but will certainly look hot sitting at the dinner table, then you may want to go with Real Doll.  With Real Doll, she can look like your ideal woman or well known porn stars. Who else can say they had a date with an adult superstar this Valentine’s Day?


    Romantic Evening at Home with Candles, Chocolate Covered Strawberries, and a Bubble Bath:
    So you are one of those guys that likes to have an intimate Valentine’s Day. Some gals dig that, others prefer that you spend your month’s salary on showing her how much you love her with jewelry, flowers, etc. However, both Roxxxy and Real Doll don’t care and would probably prefer a romantic quite evening. If you prefer to be at home on Valentine’s Day, go ahead and up the romance factor for your doll. But when it comes to getting down and dirty, can these dolls handle whipped cream and bubble baths? Real Doll creator Matt McMullen says go ahead and bust out the whipped cream and jump in the bath, “they can get wet although I don’t recommend completely submerging them above the neck because there are some things going on above the neck where water could get down into the body and possibly rust. But it’s perfectly fine below that point.” Hines says that although Roxxxy “loves whipped cream and will spice up your night with some kinky talk!” he recommends that you do not  submerge her due to her internal robotic structure, stating that “she prefers sponge baths.” So both dolls love whipped cream, but if the tub is really your thing, we recommend you stick with Real Doll. If you’re more into talking dirty and sponge baths, then Roxxxy will fulfill your every fantasy.

    Group Bowling:
    So maybe you’re not ready for the one-on-one date and prefer a group setting. That’s OK! Both Real Doll and Roxxxy are great dates (although it’s doubtful that they will do any bowling), but the question is which one will your friends like more? If you’re more into proving to your friends just how studly you really are and want to bring along the perfect arm candy, then Real Doll may be your match. McMullen says, “We have over 10 different bodies and 16 different faces that are completely interchangeable. People often order extra eyes, different colors, extra wigs, different styles…given that everybody has different tastes [they can] create their doll around those specific tastes.” Roxxxy on the other hand is more of the girl you bring to meet your buddies because you know she will be a good time. Roxxxy’s personalities range from timid to wild, and you can even create your own personality. The best part? You can share these personalities with your friends and they can give your girl a try on their own time. Hines says “Share your girlfriends with your friends by swapping them back and forth online! For example, you lend your custom built girlfriend “Sexy Sally” to one of your friends online – but he can only “use” her until Sunday morning and then she needs to be returned to you! Until Sunday morning.” If your best bud has a Roxxxy of their own, Hines continues on to say that “He can “engage” your girlfriend by using your Sexy Sally personality with his Roxxxy sex robot! You also have the option of sharing your girlfriends with everyone in our forum if you would like. You will also have access to everyone else’s girlfriends, if they allow them to be shared!” Maybe she should be renamed Swinging Sally! See, both are great for bowling and other group activities. In addition, if you want to buy Roxxxy a new outfit for the first time she meets your friends, you can. Her measurements are Bust 38″, Waist 30”, Hips 37″, whereas Real Doll is customizable based on the lady shape you choose from petite to buxom.

    Both Roxxxy and Real Doll serve the same function: to be your ideal Valentine’s Day date. Whether you’re looking for a trophy girlfriend, a chatty Cathy,the quiet type, blond, brunette, petite, large, (you get the picture) one of these dolls is perfect. Both dolls are designed to look like real ladies but if you’re looking for more of an interactive experience, then maybe Roxxxy’s the girl for you. The perfect Stepford Wife with Multiple Personality Disorder: you can control her personality, moods, and look. If you don’t feel like talking, maybe you would prefer the Real Doll. Whichever you choose, you can guarantee an anxiety free Valentine’s Day. Ladies, there is already a male version of the Real Doll and the male Roxxxy (appropriately named Rocky) is coming this quarter. And yes, he too has an off switch if you prefer the strong silent type. Real Doll retails for about $5,000 to $7,000 while Roxxxy is around $7,000 to $9,000. Hmmm, maybe a real date is cheaper after all.

    For new brand new images of Roxxxy and Real Doll, plus the full interview with Roxxxy creator Douglas Hines and Real Doll visionary Matt McMullen, click through.

    Guest columnist Lydia Leavitt writes about sex and, oddly enough, social media. For more information on the latest intimate technology, check out 69adget.com.


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  • 2010 Detroit Auto Show attendance beats ‘09 by 65k

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    The 2009 edition of the Detroit Auto Show was depressing on a variety of levels, ranging from the number of automakers who either pulled out or didn’t bring anything new, to the industry’s general malaise as a whole. The show was upsetting on a regional level because attendance dropped.

    Luckily, 2009 is in the books and 2010 appears to be better on nearly all fronts. While new introductions at the show seemed down this year again, the bright side is that more automakers participated and, perhaps more importantly for the struggling region, attendance was up in a big way.

    The Detroit News reports that 715,000 men, women and children paid up to $12 to attend the show this year – up 65,000 from 2009’s dismal numbers. Part of the reason for the increase came courtesy of surprisingly good weather (for Detroit), while the overall outlook of the industry isn’t (quite) as dire as it was one year ago. Also, that higher attendance number happened despite the fact that the Audi display caught fire and cleared Cobo for one afternoon.

    [Source: The Detroit News]

    2010 Detroit Auto Show attendance beats ‘09 by 65k originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 30 Jan 2010 17:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  • Switched On: Tabula rasa

    Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology.

    When Apple introduced the iPod in 2001 — some 250 million units ago, as Steve Jobs noted — it began with a laser-like focus on digital music. Swap out a hard drive and FireWire port for a cassette collection, and the product was clearly the reinvention of the Walkman. The first Switched On in 2004 pondered the iPod photo as a stepping stone to video. And by 2007, the iPhone and iPod touch had become capable of playing a broad array of content and would soon be able to extend their capabilities dramatically via apps.

    Nonetheless, while the iPhone and iPod touch were nearly as close cousins as the 3G and non-3G flavors of the iPad, they were each rooted firmly in the existing categories of smartphones and MP3 players and positioned against products in that space. Despite its limited app support, nobody thinks of the Zune HD as a handheld tablet; it’s a digital media player that competes against the iPod touch.

    Continue reading Switched On: Tabula rasa

    Switched On: Tabula rasa originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 30 Jan 2010 17:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  • Do you hate Apple news?

    Do you hate Apple news? Are you so bothered by stories about the Cupertino-based company that you feel the need to comment on each and every story about how bothered by stories about the Cupertino-based company you are? Do you lay awake at night, cold sweat beading down your forehead, dreading the morning when you’ll potentially see your favorite tech site writing about a new Apple product? Do you believe that Apple is 100 percent evil in every way? Well we’re here to help.

    Due to the overwhelming demand of 16 commenters, we present to you the Apple-free Engadget! Yes — read all the hot news happening in the tech world without the upsetting presence of Apple-related stories. Your dream is a reality… so now you’ll have to find something else to complain about!

    Read – Engadget, sans Apple news
    Subscribe – Engadget, minus the Apple

    P.S. – You can change “apple” in the URL to whatever else you hate, too!

    Do you hate Apple news? originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 30 Jan 2010 17:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  • Jessica Sutta Dishes The Dirt On Nicole Scherzinger & The Pussycat Dolls

    Former Pussycat Dolls star Jessica Sutta says she quit the award-winning burlesque troupe because she was left penniless and sleeping on a pal’s sofa after breaking a rib on tour last summer. In a series of interviews this week, Sutta — who was with the “Don’t ‘Cha” hitmakers for 7 years before her injury — describes Dolls frontwoman Nicole Scherzinger as a tyrant in designer shoes, who made life Hell for her calvary of bandmates.

    In an exclusive interview with the Feb. 7 issue of Life & Style Magazine, Sutta says:

    L&S: When did things begin to go wrong?

    Jessica: It all started when I was injured on tour [in May 2009]. They decided to send me home, and when I got to LA, I was left to fend for myself. I didn’t have a place to stay because I was on tour. Luckily, a girlfriend let me stay with her. I’m lying there, thinking, wow, I’m an international pop star, and I just left this extravagant life, and here I am sleeping on someone’s couch.

    L&S: Were there other reasons you left?

    Jessica: Honestly, I felt like it was time to not live in the shadow of Nicole [Scherzinger, the group’s lead singer] anymore. It wasn’t a joyful experience. I wasn’t feeling like I was growing in the situation. As hard as the decision was, it was something I had to do. Breaking my rib is what sent me over the edge.

    L&S: What was it like working with Nicole?

    Jessica: Nicole is a star, and she wanted to be treated like one. The Pussycat Dolls were Nicole’s world, and everything that Nicole says goes. If you liked a certain top and Nicole liked it too, she would take the top. She’s the star. We had to support her in every way. It was Nicole’s world, and we were just living in it.


  • “Jersey Shore” Renewed For Second Season On MTV

    Aye! Oh! The kids from Jersey Shore have signed on for a second season of drunken outbursts at the beach, MTV president of programming, Tony DiSanto, said Friday. MTV has renewed Jersey Shore for 12 episodes that will begin airing this summer.

    All six housemates — including fan favorites Paul “DJ Pauly D” DelVecchio, Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi, Michael “The Situation” Sorrentino — have signed on for second season of the controversial reality smash that has become a phenomenon. The show followed the over-the-top cast of twenty-somethings as they spent a summer in Seaside Heights, New Jersey’s famous beachside getaway as they fought and flirted with one another — and everyone else in a 30 mile vicinity.

    “Our audience has fallen in love with ‘Jersey Shore’ and its amazing cast who have really grown together as a family,” DiSanto said in a statement. “That bond gives the show its heart, and we’re thrilled to reunite these friends.”

    The next season of the Shore won’t follow the gang back to their old beach house in Seaside Heights, DiSanto said. According to a statement from MTV, the group will “escape the cold northeast and find themselves in a new destination.”

    Earlier this week, a New York Post report claimed the cast banded together — after earning earning just a few hundred dollars per episode during the first season — and requested $10,000 per episode for the second Jersey Shore season.

    MTV didn’t disclose the financial terms of the agreement.


  • Apple yanks Flash from iPad demo video

    PC World reports that the iPad demo video which showed working Flash components in a New York Times webpage has been replaced. In the new video, the embedded Flash player generates the little blue Lego that means “I don’t have a working plug-in for this content.”

    Why is Apple deliberately breaking Flash content? No one knows for sure. But the iPad will certainly be throwing lots of blue legos onscreen, especially in ads as shown in this page of mockups.

    Flash is used for in-page video, animation, and game content. The technology, which doesn’t use open Internet standards and encourages a lack of consistency in website user interfaces, was considered anathema by many Web technologists until 2005, when YouTube used Flash to deliver its easy-play videos. YouTube drove many Internet users to update their Flash plugins, suddenly rendering all sorts of other Flash content playable. Since then, Flash has been the embedded-video-player technology of choice.

    Online reaction to the iPad’s deliberate lack of Flash is split into two camps: Those who consider it self-serving of Apple to leave it out, and those who consider it a favor.


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  • Tata Nano becoming a status symbol in India

    Around ten months after the Tata Nano’s launch, Tata has booked 206,703 sales and has delivered some 17,000 units. According to some research done by Christian Science Motor, some 70 percent of bookings came from nonmetro areas.

    The publication gives an example of Satish Kumar, a rural farmer who doesn’t really need a car but uses it for family occasions. “I’m mainly concentrating on using it socially – taking my whole family to weddings and other family functions,” Kumar says.

    But it isn’t only folks like Kumar who are buying the $2,000 Nano. Even the wealthy are looking for a car for their kids or for a chance to own the latest “status symbol.”

    “We were expecting people to come who were … on two-wheelers, or in lower-model cars. It was a total surprise – people were coming … who have two or three cars, but wanted the Nano just for the sake of having it,” Resham Singh, showroom manager at a Tata dealership said.

    As for Kumar’s mother, who is really proud of her son for purchasing a car, she says: “We can’t go anywhere because it’s expensive.”

    – By: Kap Shah

    Source: CSM (via Straightline)