Author: Serkadis

  • Matthew Doyle Named Photo Director for Playboy Magazine

    Olivia Munn, Photo by Matt DoylePlayboy Enterprises, Inc. (PEI) ( PLA, PLAA) today announced that it named Matthew Doyle Playboy’s photo director.

    Doyle will be responsible for the acquisition of photography for Playboy magazine as well as oversight for acquisition and quality judgment on all still photography for the corporation.

    His position reports to Playboy founder, Editor-in-Chief and Chief Creative Officer Hugh M. Hefner and Playboy magazine’s Art Director Rob Wilson. He will be based at the company’s headquarters in Chicago.

    “In our increasingly visual world, Matt understands the significance of exceptional photography and imagery for print media,” said Wilson.

    “His experience with still life, advertising, celebrity, and documentary photography has developed his keen eye for compelling images.”

    Doyle, 37, joins Playboy from Complex magazine, which he helped launch in 2001 and where he was photo director and chief photographer.

    Prior to that, Doyle was engaged in freelance photography. He has worked creatively with many of the hottest stars of music, film, and fashion, and his photography has been featured in national magazines and advertising campaigns. He has over ten years of experience as a professional photographer.

    “The pages of Playboy bring a modern visual style to readers that expect the highest quality images and editorial content,” said Jimmy Jellinek, editorial director of Playboy magazine and Playboy.com and chief content officer for PEI.

    “Matt’s ardent sense of composition and style will complement Playboy’s aesthetic.”

    “As a photographer and photo director, I have long admired the visual quality of Playboy,” said Doyle. “Under Hef’s guidance and with the creativity of Rob and Jimmy, Playboy has extraordinary visual appeal. I’ve been given a unique and wonderful opportunity to work with them and Playboy’s creative team to continue a long tradition of excellence.”

    Doyle is a graduate of Bernard Baruch College with a degree in journalism.

    About Playboy Enterprises, Inc.

    Playboy is one of the most recognized and popular consumer brands in the world. Playboy Enterprises, Inc. is a media and lifestyle company that markets the brand through a wide range of media properties and licensing initiatives.

    The company publishes Playboy magazine in the United States and abroad and creates content for distribution via television networks, websites, mobile platforms and radio.

    Through licensing agreements, the Playboy brand appears on a wide range of consumer products in more than 150 countries as well as retail stores and entertainment venues.


  • Atlus trademarks "Gungnir"

    Gungnir. Odin’s legendary spear and stuff of so many video games that have anything to do with a spear…or not. That’s exactly the name of the latest trademark spotted, filed by Atlus.
     
     
     

  • Kia UVO details released, like SYNC circa 2008

    Filed under: , ,

    The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas kicks off this week and the first major announcement from the automotive world comes from Kia in the form of its UVO (short for “your voice”) infotainment system.

    Co-developed by Microsoft and based on the Windows Embedded Auto software, UVO is similar to Ford’s beloved SYNC system, offering users the ability to rip music from CDs and integrate an MP3 player, with a heavy focus on voice commands. Utilizing Microsoft’s next generation voice technology, two distinct profiles are stored in the system allowing users to access different elements of the UVO system through voice commands or through the 4.3-inch color touch screen. A back-up camera is also included in the setup, however, it appears that UVO won’t be available without the screen, unlike Ford’s system.

    Although pricing has yet to be announced, UVO is set to launch on the 2011 Kia Sorento this summer and is expected to filter throughout Kia’s line-up over the coming year. Make the jump for the official release.

    Continue reading Kia UVO details released, like SYNC circa 2008

    Kia UVO details released, like SYNC circa 2008 originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 05 Jan 2010 13:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  • Echo Nest Raises $1.3M

    Wade Roush wrote:

    The Echo Nest, a Somerville, MA-based music search and recommendation startup, has raised $1.3 million in new equity financing, according to a regulatory filing today. The investors weren’t disclosed in the filing, but the company’s directors include Eliott Katzmann of Commonwealth Capital Ventures (which led a previous funding round in September 2008). Xconomy profiled The Echo Nest in October 2008.







  • Skype Inks Deals With Panasonic, LG, For Video Chat On The Big Screen


    50s Family Watching TV

    Newly-independent Skype is kicking off the Consumer Electronics Show with details about its newest attempt to become an everyday communication utility—not just a tool the techies use. It has brokered deals with Panasonic and LG (SEO: 066570) that will bring Skype video-chats to the big-screen TV.

    Skype’s software will be embedded into Panasonic and LG’s web-enabled HDTV’s; the models will be available in mid-2010. For the electronics brands, the goal is to make buying a web-enabled TV even more of a draw, as there’s been some consumer resistance to paying extra for them, per the NYT. Still, video chats on the Skype TVs won’t just magically happen, shoppers will also have to buy special web cams (priced in the $100 – $200 range) from the Skype store.

    Related


  • Ke$ha “Tik Tok” LIVE “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” [VIDEO]

    Ke$ha performed “Tik Tok” live on The Ellen DeGeneres Show Tuesday…..Don’t say we didn’t warn you. Since when is slithering around stage and talking through a song considered performing? I’ve heard more talented vocalists in a middle school choir.


  • Tenenbaum’s P2P use: the labels made me do it!




    For journalists, the Joel Tenenbaum P2P case has been the gift that keeps on giving. Case in point: the team’s court filing asking for either a new trial or a vastly reduced damage award. It turns out that the labels were at least partially responsible for Tenenbaum’s years of P2P sharing.

    “Plaintiffs, in August 2004, could reasonably be considered to have been at least partially responsible for the widespread dispersion of their recordings over peer-to-peer networks like Napster and Kazaa,” writes Harvard Law professor Charles Nesson, Tenenbaum’s lawyer.

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  • Brief: Apple acquires its own mobile ad firm to one-up Google

    Not long after Google announced it had acquired mobile advertising firm AdMob, Apple has announced the acquisition of its own mobile advertising firm, Quattro Wireless. The announcement came today just after All Things D broke the rumor that the deal was imminent. Quattro cofounder and CEO Andrew Miller has been named vice president of mobile advertising for Apple as part of the deal.

    Apple paid a reported $275 million for Quattro, a much better deal than Google ended up paying for rival mobile ad firm AdMob. Google ponied up $750 million in an attempt to outbid Apple, which had also reportedly made an offer for the company. That price is approximately 16.7 times AdMob’s sales, “the sort of price rarely seen in takeover deals since the heady days of the dot-com boom,” according to Reuters.

    Google contends that its acquisition of AdMob is meant to compliment its own search- and Web-based advertising, though it’s worth noting that AdMob ads are featured prominently in many free, ad-supported iPhone applications. The FTC is currently investigating the deal between AdMob and Google, and there is an implication that Google CEO Eric Schmidt’s recently vacated position on Apple’s board of directors may have made him privy to Apple’s plans to move into mobile advertising.

    Meanwhile, shortly after Google announced a partnership with streaming music service Lala, Apple announced that it had acquired the company. It is believed that Apple plans to incorporate Lala into iTunes and extend the iTunes Store with streaming-based options in addition to downloads. In the meantime, the deal with Google remains in place.

    Given Apple’s foray into cloud-based services such as MobileMe and iWork.com, and the company’s integration of services with its mobile devices, it’s certain that the acquisition of Quattro will fit into Apple’s growing mobile strategy. The company may be leveraging mobile advertising opportunities for a long-rumored tablet product expected to be announced later this month. It could also be offering a way to advertise on the iPhone. Apple did not respond to a request for comment on its mobile advertising plans.

    With Google’s plan to offer the Nexus One smartphone directly to consumers, its Android smartphone OS, and its array of online services and online advertising, it’s clear that the rivalry between Apple and Google is kicking into high gear.

    What is a “Brief” post?”


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  • CEO Shuffle at Opera Comes at a Critical Time

    Jon von Tetzchner

    Opera Software has named Lars Boilesen as the company’s new CEO, replacing Jon S. von Tetzchner, who co-founded the Norwegian company in 1995 and has served as its head ever since. Opera will retain von Tetzchner for strategic help, but the shift to his role marks the end of an era for the company.

    Long-time Opera CEO von Tetzchner announced the change himself:

    “My decision to assume a new role in Opera is based on a lengthy consideration process. As outgoing Chief Executive, I leave confident in the company’s continued leadership in key markets, our strong management team, our ongoing commitment to innovation, and our robust financial foundation.”

    Boilesen has held various management, sales and marketing positions at companies including Alcatel-Lucent, Tandberg Data, and Lego and was previously Opera’s chief commercial officer and a member of Opera’s board. He played a key role in positioning Opera as a cross-platform browser.

    “We provide browser technology not only to nearly 100 million consumers worldwide, but also to the major players in the industry: Vodafone, T-Mobile, Nintendo, KDDI, SKT, Nokia, Samsung, Toshiba and Sony Ericsson to name but a few,” said Boileson, in a statement. He added that Opera will continue to work with OEMs and industry players to continue to push the adoption of Opera and the Opera Mobile and Mini browsers.

    Opera faces more competition than ever in the browser market. Google has recently released beta versions of its Chrome browser for Mac and Linux, solidifying its cross-platform strategy. Mozilla’s Firefox browser is also available for Windows, the Mac and Linux, and many feel that these two open-source browsers are leading browser innovationNet Applications’ most recent browser market share data shows Chrome in third place — ahead of Apple’s Safari — with 4.6 percent global share. Firefox accounts for 24.6 percent of the market, while Microsoft’s Internet Explorer has 62.7 percent. Opera, meanwhile, has only 2.6 percent share.

    Going forward, Mozilla and Google have their eyes squarely set on encouraging healthy ecosystems of extensions for their browsers, and both Opera and Internet Explorer have ground to make up in that area. Opera Mobile is also likely to face competition from Mozilla’s Firefox Mobile browser, now out in a release candidate version. Without a doubt, Opera’s greatest challenges will come from Google’s and Mozilla’s open source competitors.

  • Christina Aguilera “Bionic” Album March 2010

    Christina Aguilera’s eagerly-anticipated fourth studio album, Bionic, is scheduled for release in March, MTV News reports.

    When quizzed in the February issue of Marie Claire, Christina confirmed that the follow-up to her 2006 hit Back To Basics is about the “future” and was inspired by her two-year son Max, who motivated the young mother “to want to play and have fun.”

    Bionic is expected to feature collaborations with Goldfrapp, Ladytron, M.I.A, Linda Perry, Tricky Stewart, and The Neptunes.

    Christina’s first film is also in the pipeline. The movie musical Burlesque, starring Cher, Stanley Tucci, and Kristen Bell, debuts later this year.


  • Another job post by Microsoft speaks of upgraded media player and gaming experience

    We are now pretty used to Microsoft’s  press releases as job posts, and the latest one again confirms Microsoft’s aim to bring the Windows Mobile media and gaming experience up from its current dismal experience.

    The job, which is for a senior software engineer, speaks to cutting edge user experiences in music and video, killer photo capture and sharing experience and a great gaming experience in the next release of Windows Mobile (presumably 7), and also asks for XAML experience, which is usually associated with a Silverlight-based UI.

    The job post is below:

    SENIOR SDE(706388 -External)
    Job Category: Software Engineering: Development
    Location: United States, WA, Redmond
    Job ID: 706388
    Product: Windows Mobile
    Division: Entertainment & Devices Division 
    The Windows Mobile Phone Entertainment team is looking for a Software Development Engineer to help us through our next big release.

    We are looking for an experienced UI developer to work on the next-generation of Windows Phone products.
    Responsibilities will include (but are not limited to) developing features for the phone that drive the joy and fun of using the device. This role will work on cutting edge User Experiences – touching everything from music and video experiences to killer photo capture and sharing experiences to great mobile gaming experiences. Feature development includes designing, coding and unit testing for one of the technical areas as well as ensuing that the end to end solution is complete and fantastic.

    If you feel that mobile computing is the future for our industry – come help us win!!
    Qualifications: Strong analytical, design and C++ programming/debugging, Win32 UI, and COM required, Mobile (CE) development skills are desired as well as XAML experience.

    At least unlike other posts, this one speaks of existing projects rather than initiating new ones, which gives hope that this important work is already underway.

    See the job listing here.

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  • Chicago Cubs, Outfielder Marlon Byrd Agree to Three-Year Contract

    The Chicago Cubs and outfielder Marlon Byrd today agreed to terms on a three-year contract.

    Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

    Byrd, who reunites with hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo in Chicago, batted .283 (155-for-547) and established career highs with 155 hits, 43 doubles, 20 home runs and 89 RBI in 146 games last season with the Texas Rangers.

    The right-handed batter and thrower tied for eighth in the American League in doubles, tied for first in the league with 10 sacrifice flies and led the Rangers in RBI, game-winning RBI (12) and games played.

    He made 100 starts in center field, 35 in left field and six in right field.

    In 2009, Byrd, 32, was one of only 14 players in baseball with at least 20 home runs and 40 doubles and one of only three outfielders to accomplish the feat, joining Colorado’s Brad Hawpe and Los Angeles’ Andre Ethier.

    During the last three seasons under the tutelage of Jaramillo in Texas, Byrd batted .295 (402-for-1364) with 88 doubles, 40 home runs, 212 RBI, a .352 on-base percentage, a .468 slugging percentage and an .820 OPS in 377 games.

    He has averaged 29 doubles and 71 RBI per season during that stretch.

    Following his first season in Texas, Byrd was voted the winner of the 2007 Harold McKinney Good Guy Award by members of the Dallas-Fort Worth chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America.

    Byrd is a career .279 hitter (744-for-2666) with 154 doubles, 60 home runs and 335 RBI in 785 major league games with Philadelphia (2002-05), Washington (2005-06) and Texas (2007-09).

    He has batted .273 (208-for-762) in his career vs. left-handed pitching and .282 (536-for-1904) vs. right-handed pitching. Last season Byrd was particularly strong with runners in scoring position, turning in a .333 batting average (45-for-135).

    The five-foot-11, 235-pound Byrd has seen considerable action at all three outfield positions, including 528 games (472 starts) in center field, 142 games (119 starts) in left field and 109 games (86 starts) in right field.

    Last season, Byrd turned in a .991 fielding percentage (three errors in 341 total chances), the 12th-best mark among American League outfielders. He recorded a 72-game errorless streak from September 19, 2008-June 29, 2009.

    A native of Boynton Beach, FL, Byrd was originally selected by Philadelphia in the 10th round of the 1999 June Draft. Marlon, his wife, Andrea, and their two children reside in Swedesboro, NJ.


  • Dark Void demo filling online stores this week

    Take to the skies a la Rocketeer this week with Dark Void to fill that void of jetpacks and mid-air action. The demo for Capcom’s high-flying new title is well on its way so you can try

  • Google Nexus One Live Coverage

    Google1

    We’re on the ground at Google’s campus in Mountain View waiting for that not-so-secretive Nexus One event to start. We’ll be updating this page live with coverage of the event.

    Google2

    09:47AM: We’re seated and ready to go.

    09:49AM: Andy Rubin, king of the Android bots is here.

    Google3

    09:52AM: The small venue is filling up and everyone is getting seated. It’s supposed to start in around 7 minutes.

    09:53AM: Black Eyed Peas are playing. Save. Us.

    09:57AM: We’ve spotted HTC CEO Peter Chou. Why oh why would HTC be here?

    09:58AM: The dude next to us just said, “BGR kicks ass.” Thanks, guy.

    Google4

    10:00AM: Said guy who likes BGR is John Siracusa from Ars Technica.

    10:01AM: Looks like the event might be running a tad bit late but almost everyone is seated.

    Google5

    10:06AM: Music is down, about to start!

    Google6

    10:07AM: Google VP Mario Carlos is on stage talking about the Open Handset Alliance. Members like NEC, China Telekom and Freescale. He’s also going into the history of the T-Mobile G1.

    10:08AM: The myTouch 3G was released a little while after, furthering innovation.

    Google7

    10:09AM: There’s now 20 Android devices on 59 carriers in 48 countries in 19 languages.

    10:10AM: Four major software releases from Android in 2009.

    10:11AM: “Android is contributing to more and more users getting to the web through their mobile phones. We all know this is happening, we’re doing it ourselves. We see Android users searching the web up to 30x more than they do on a featurephone.” Also, Google has has seen an increase in mobile searches 5x.

    10:13AM: From the beginning, they’ve been developer-friendly and have had an open source license, giving the freedom to innovate. He said it enables lower manufacturing costs, and it’s faster to market. “Android architecture allows ‘always on’ applications to run in the background.” Open and free.

    10:15AM: The next step in the Android evolution… uh oh, here we go.

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  • What is GFR ?

    I’m just looking at the referral letter for my endo and it says my GFR is 99.89. That looks bad. The doc didn’t even mention it to me. Is this due to diabetes itself or the meds I’m on ? Why didn’t she say anything ? 😡

    I need to read these papers cover to cover…

  • Boxes and Cranes

    Construction site, Paris (near bibliothèque François Mitterand)

    Late entry to competition…appreciate the feedback
    D40, 10mm Sigma, F11, 1/500
    Light HDR

  • Best Buy Mac optimization includes create a user account. Mmm-hmm.

    gs

    Part Two of the ongoing Best Buy Optimization scandal. Yesterday I highlighted the Geek Squad’s PC optimization, which was silly to say the least. Today we look at their Mac optimization: it consists of creating a username. Cough.

    There’s no way around this, so let’s just blockquote this The Big Money post from several months ago, before this optimization business was on our radar:

    As even a computer novice might expect, “Mac optimization” is useless. One supposed benefit is putting the user’s name on the computer, according to Best Buy representatives I spoke to. Presumably, anyone who is buying a computer knows how to type in his or her own name, or follow the prompts to do it. Another supposed benefit: checking the Mac’s network connection. This has no value because it is done in the store, while the buyer will use the Mac with a different network at home. Yet a third step involves loading the Geek Squad’s own proprietary software on the computer to scan drives—drives that have never been used and so don’t need to be scanned for trouble. An anti-virus program is also part of the mix, which is an insult to the virus resistance of Macs. “There’s nothing of that sort that any brand-new PC needs, and Macs less so,” Gottheil [a Technology Business Research analyst] said. “Apple requires far less configuration.” Best Buy’s hard sell on “optimization” is like peddling mythic unicorns based on the value of their horsepower.

    So, $40 to create a user account and scan a brand new hard drive? I cannot think of a bigger waste of money.

    Again, I think the actual Geek Squad guys aren’t to blame, they’re just doing what they’re told. It’s the guys above them looking to squeeze out a few more pennies.

    via GIZMODO~!


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  • TechCrunch is live from the Nexus One Event

    While it’s technically called the “Android Press Gathering,” we all know what’s coming. Today, Google is expected to formally unveil the Nexus One (the device which some have been referring to as the “Google Phone”). The long event taking place today is expected to have both a presentation as well as demonstrations. Follow our coverage below, live.


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