Author: matt buchanan

Hasbro’s flagship Transformer this year is a giant bi-polar Bumblebee, with two modes—Battle and Guardian—that have different personalities. Fair enough. But can somebody explain the samurai Transformer that turns into a tank?

HASBRO’S TRANSFORMERS BRAND EXPANDS “MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE” UNIVERSE
IN 2010 WITH NEW TOYS THAT CAPTURE THE EXCITEMENT AND
EXPAND THE ENTERTAINMENT OF THE ICONIC PROPERTY

New BATTLE OPS BUMBLEBEE Action Figure and POWER CORE COMBINER Expression
Lead New Introductions For The Innovative And Popular Toy Line

PAWTUCKET, R.I. (February 12, 2010) – On the heels of launching 2009’s largest grossing movie and in anticipation of the next installment in 2011, the TRANSFORMERS brand from Hasbro, Inc. (NYSE: HAS) ramps up the play in 2010 with new offerings that build on the energy and excitement from the brand’s history and blockbuster film franchise. Featuring over-the-top action figures, unique role-play items and innovative twists on the TRANSFORMERS brand signature play pattern, the 2010 lineup offers dozens of toys, two exciting promotions and an expansive worldwide licensing program across all major categories to satisfy to satisfy and excite the brand’s ever-expanding fan base.

This spring the AUTOBOTS, the heroic protectors of Earth, need help from their human allies in the N.E.S.T. GLOBAL ALLIANCE as the planet continues to face threats from the evil DECEPTICONS. Hasbro is inviting kids and fans to join the alliance through a special promotion that is currently underway. By collecting three stickers included in specially marked TRANSFORMERS products, kids and fans can join the N.E.S.T. GLOBAL ALLIANCE and mail away for a special edition RAVAGE figure not available anywhere else. The promotion requires a payment of $4.95 for shipping and handling charges to receive the special edition figure and the offer is good while supplies last. Requests must be postmarked by April 30 and received by May 14. Then, in the fall, kids can ‘live’ the TRANSFORMERS adventure as the “Hunt for the DECEPTICONS” promotion begins. Look for exciting details about this interactive promotion later in the year.

If fans can’t wait until 2011 for the next TRANSFORMERS movie they can watch online webisodes of “Cyber Missions,” featuring new TRANSFORMERS adventures. “Cyber Missions” finds the AUTOBOTS working with humans in the N.E.S.T. global alliance to defend Earth against the revenge-seeking DECEPTICONS. There will be 12 webisodes total which began airing online at www.TRANSFORMERS.com in early January and new webisodes will continue to air throughout the year.

BUMBLEBEE continues to be one of the most popular TRANSFORMERS heroes as he acts as both a defender and a warrior for good. The new BATTLE OPS BUMBLEBEE action figure continues to push the boundaries of TRANSFORMERS toy innovation and showcases two sides of BUMBLEBEE with features unique to each of these roles. For example, when serving as a guardian, BUMBLEBEE features more playful phrases along with authentic engine sounds and lights. Then, when converted into battle mode, BATTLE OPS BUMBLEBEE has missile launchers that pop out, a converting plasma cannon that lights up, and phrases that change to reflect his battle personality.

Expanding upon the essence of DEVASTATOR – a robot built by combining multiple construction vehicles – the TRANSFORMERS brand unveils the new POWER CORE COMBINERS expression that redefines the magic of combination play. The toys deliver an interchangeable system of robots, vehicles and weapons that escalates the level of fun and increases the number of robots within a child’s TRANSFORMERS toy universe.
For those wanting to engage in heroic AUTOBOT role play, the TRANSFORMERS line offers new items including the OPTIMUS PRIME CYBER SWORD toy which features lights, battle and conversion sounds, as well as key phrases from OPTIMUS PRIME.
And for the youngest AUTOBOT-in-training, the TRANSFORMERS brand unveils the new ACTIVATORS expression of action figures. Designed with the youngest TRANSFORMERS fans in mind, ACTIVATORS toys feature easier conversion from vehicle to robot modes than traditional TRANSFORMERS figures and are available in popular characters such as OPTIMUS PRIME, BUMBLEBEE and MEGATRON.
For more information about TRANSFORMERS promotions and products, consumers can visit www.TRANSFORMERS.com.
Highlights of new TRANSFORMERS products available in 2010 include:
TRANSFORMERS ACTION FIGURES
(Approximate retail price: DELUXE Scale $12.99; VOYAGER Scale $19.99; Leader Scale $44.99; Ages 5 & up; Available: Spring 2010)
For more than 25 years, TRANSFORMERS action figures have been known as “ROBOTS IN DISGUISE,” providing fans with the enjoyment of converting incredibly detailed, realistically styled vehicles into awesome battling alien robots. In 2010, Hasbro is offering a wide variety of all-new versions of fan-favorite characters, including OPTIMUS PRIME, BUMBLEBEE, MEGATRON and STARSCREAM in an array of scales: DELUXE, VOYAGER (larger scale), and LEADER (largest scale and includes lights and sounds).

TRANSFORMERS BATTLE OPS BUMBLEBEE Action Figure
(Approximate retail price: $59.99; Ages 5 & up; Available: Fall 2010)
The all-new BATTLE OPS BUMBLEBEE action figure is ready for battle! This large-scale figure truly shows fans the AUTOBOT hero’s personality, both as a protector of Earth and a warrior against the evil DECEPTICONS. With two distinct modes – Battle and Guardian – BATTLE OPS BUMBLEBEE features a variety of electronic sounds and lights, accompanied by a converting plasma cannon.

TRANSFORMERS POWER CORE COMBINERS
The TRANSFORMERS POWER CORE COMBINERS introduce fans to an all-new assortment of figures that expand on the classic play pattern of the popular “ROBOTS IN DISGUISE.” This new expression of figures combine with one another, in dozens of variations, to create a wide variety of larger COMBINER robots, with each figure serving as various body parts and weapons. Available in 2-packs and 5-packs.

TRANSFORMERS POWER CORE COMBINERS 2-Pack
(Approximate retail price: $9.99; Ages 5 & up; Available: Fall 2010)
The TRANSFORMERS POWER CORE COMBINERS 2-Pack includes one SCOUT scale TRANSFORMERS figure and one MINI-CON scale figure. The SCOUT scale figure features a ‘robot’ mode and a ‘vehicle’ mode. The MINI-CON scale figure has four modes: ‘robot’ mode, robot weapon, vehicle weapon and Power-up Armor for combining with the central SCOUT scale figure in both robot and vehicle mode. 2-Pack figures are interchangeable with 5-Pack figures.
TRANSFORMERS POWER CORE COMBINERS 5-Pack
(Approximate retail price: $19.99; Ages 5 & up; Available: Fall 2010)
The TRANSFORMERS POWER CORE COMBINERS 5-Pack features teams of TRANSFORMERS characters that can combine together to form one large TRANSFORMERS figure. Each team consists of one SCOUT scale figure and four LEGENDS scale vehicles. The SCOUT scale figure features one ‘vehicle’ mode and two ‘robot’ modes and each of the LEGENDS scale vehicles can plug into the specially marked ports on the central SCOUT scale figure to instantaneously convert into an arm or leg using auto-conversion technology. All figures can be swapped out with one another to form multiple different combinations and new figures. 5-Pack figures are interchangeable with 2-Pack figures.

TRANSFORMERS ACTIVATORS
(Approximate retail price: $7.99; Ages 4 & up; Available: Spring 2010)
TRANSFORMERS ACTIVATORS toys, a new expression within the TRANSFOMERS toy line, feature conversion from vehicle to robot modes that’s easier than traditional TRANSFORMERS figures. Designed with the younger child in mind, conversion is triggered by pressing the AUTOBOT or DECEPTICON shield located on the figure and require only a few steps to fully change modes. TRANSFORMERS ACTIVATORS figures feature popular characters including BUMBLEBEE, OPTIMUS PRIME and MEGATRON.

TRANSFORMERS OPTIMUS PRIME CYBER SWORD
(Approximate retail price: $19.99; Ages 4 & up; Available: Fall 2010)
The TRANSFORMERS OPTIMUS PRIME CYBER SWORD allows kids to role play just like the fearless leader of the AUTOBOTS and reenact their favorite battle scenes. Kids will enjoy its electronic lights, battle and conversion sounds, as well as key movie phrases.

ACTION FLEET TRANSFORMERS BUMBLEBEE BATTLE TRACK Set
(Ages 4 & Up; Approximate Retail Price: $19.99; Available: Fall 2010)
Created specifically for the ACTION FLEET TRANSFORMERS line of mini-vehicles, kids can join the adventure and help BUMBLEBEE and OPTIMUS PRIME defeat the evil MEGATRON by racing to victory with the new ACTION FLEET TRANSFORMERS BATTLE TRACK set. The glory of winning depends on your skill; launch the BUMBLEBEE mini-vehicle, exclusive to this track set, at the correct time and send it crashing into MEGATRON who will crumble in defeat. Introduced in 2009, TRANSFORMERS mini-vehicles feature the robot version of characters unique to the TRANSFORMERS universe on the underside of each non-converting vehicle for easy identification.

ACTION FLEET TRANSFORMERS STEALTH FORCE OPTIMUS PRIME Vehicle
(Ages 4 & Up; Approximate Retail Price: $24.99; Available: Fall 2010)
Featuring electronic lights and sounds, motorized conversions and firing projectiles, kids can “bring to life” the epic TRANSFORMERS battle with this new vehicle from the ACTION FLEET TRANSFORMERS line. For covert combat, watch as select parts of this OPTIMUS PRIME semi-truck vehicle convert with the touch of a button to reveal stealth mode weaponry hidden inside to battle the evil DECEPTICONS like no other vehicle available.

Toy Fair is the annual event where we get to completely regress back to childhood and check out all of the awesome toys coming out for the rest of the year. And well, we love toys.

“See this lightsaber? Yeah that’s right. Dog here has my back too.”

Toy Fair is the annual event where we get to completely regress back to childhood and check out all of the awesome toys coming out for the rest of the year. And well, we love toys.

Unlike Robert Downey Jr.’s take on Iron Man, this version, remote controlled by a wrist-mounted repulsor gauntlet, apparently does not like cameras. It shot me.

It moves pretty quick across obstacle-free surfaces, but it’s a bit too clunky for a real roller derby. It’s $50, which is pricey, but it does shoot missiles at people.

Toy Fair is the annual event where we get to completely regress back to childhood and check out all of the awesome toys coming out for the rest of the year. And well, we love toys.

This hat is how we roll. And we beat down any fools wearing this Optimus Punkass cap:

Toy Fair is the annual event where we get to completely regress back to childhood and check out all of the awesome toys coming out for the rest of the year. And well, we love toys.

The Star Wars universe is basically infinite, but out of thousands of stories, the original trilogy is still the heart. So I’m really excited Hasbro’s 2010 toys focus on Empire for its 30th anniversary, down to vintage figure packaging.

None are quite as epic as this hulking AT-AT, but the Boba Fett helmet and vintage Vaders are gems.

HASBRO STAR WARS’™ 2010 TOY LINE CAPTURES THE EXCITEMENT AND ADVENTURE OF POPULAR STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS ANIMATED SERIES
Hasbro Also Celebrates 30th Anniversary of THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK
 with Dramatic Re-Imagining of Iconic AT-AT Vehicle

PAWTUCKET, R.I. (February 12, 2010) – The FORCE remains strong at Hasbro, Inc. (NYSE: HAS) which continues to bring all the action, battles and fantasy of STAR WARS to life with a full array of toys and games. In 2010, STAR WARS fans can celebrate the launch of the third season of the highly-rated STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS animated series with toys that replicate the battles between the Galactic Republic and the Confederacy of Independent Systems. This year, Hasbro also commemorates the 30th anniversary of fan-favorite Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back with toys, special packaging and promotions that recreate the excitement fans experienced when the film stormed into theaters “a long time ago.”

2010 is the year of the LIGHTSABER! Kid-favorite villain GENERAL GRIEVOUS, introduced initially in the live-action films and prominently featured as the villain in the STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS animated series, has put his own twist on the noble weapon of the JEDI by spinning multiple LIGHTSABERS simultaneously. Utilizing completely new technology, the new STAR WARS GENERAL GRIEVOUS LIGHTSABER allows kids to have the power of the dark side warrior’s signature move by spinning two LIGHTSABERS in one hand.

Stomping onto the scene in 2010 is the new STAR WARS AT-AT (All Terrain Armored Transport), which captures the size and power of this seemingly impenetrable Imperial vehicle prominently featured in Episode V. Hasbro’s design team packed this vehicle with a mind-blowing array of features! Large enough to hold up to 20 action figures (sold separately) inside, the exceptionally detailed vehicle features LED lights, authentic movie phrases, projectile-firing cannons, a deployable speeder bike, and even a retractable zip-line in its belly to recreate one of LUKE SKYWALKER’s signature scenes from the movie. Despite YODA’s declaration in the movie that “size matters not,” fans will agree that this largest-ever 
AT-AT vehicle is a great way to bring home the action from THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK.

The mysterious Boba Fett played a key role in the original STAR WARS trilogy, firmly establishing him as a favorite villain for generations of fans. For the first time ever, kids can pretend to be this legendary bounty hunter with the new BOBA FETT HELMET, which features key phrases from the STAR WARS trilogy and includes a light-up tracking scope.

STAR WARS BOBA FETT HELMET
(Approximate Retail Price: $34.99; Ages: 4 & up; Available: August 1, 2010)
Show off your bounty hunting skills like Boba Fett, the greatest bounty hunter in the galaxy, with the
STAR WARS BOBA FETT HELMET. Impressively designed and styled, the STAR WARS BOBA FETT HELMET allows children to pretend to be their favorite bounty hunter as featured in both the movie THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK and the new animated series STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS. The helmet also features electronic sounds and phrases and a light-up tracking scope!

STAR WARS R/C MILLENNIUM FALCON
(Approximate Retail Value: $49.99; Ages: 8 & up; Available: Fall 2010)
Han Solo once bragged that the Millennium Falcon made the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs…and now fans can give it their best shot with the all-new STAR WARS R/C MILLENNIUM FALCON!  For the first time ever, the MILLENNIUM FALCON – the most beloved and iconic STAR WARS ship of all-time – is available as an indoor flying remote control vehicle.  Measuring an impressive 11 inches long and 8 inches wide, the largest flying STAR WARS R/C to date is highly detailed, easy to fly and includes a charging controller and vehicle battery for up to five minutes of flying time.
STAR WARS HAILFIRE DROID R/C VEHICLE
(Approximate Retail Price: $59.99; Ages: 8 & up; Available: August 1, 2010)
A Separatist droid’s value in battle is based on two factors: firepower and aggression. And with the
STAR WARS HAILFIRE DROID R/C VEHICLE, you have both! The first STAR WARS R/C vehicle to be offered in the 3 ¾ inch scale, this powerful droid vehicle is armed with 18 projectile-firing cannons that can be fired from the handheld remote to take on opponents from a distance. Sensitive remote-controlled handling makes this droid great for flips, stunts and taking down the 3 ¾ inch clone army. Between its versatile maneuverability and high-fire power, no galactic army should be without it! 3 ¾ inch CLONE TROOPER action figure included.

STAR WARS GALACTIC BATTLE GAME
(Available: August 1, 2010)
STAR WARS fans, prepare to battle your friends in head-to-head action and unlock the hidden powers of your favorite action figures. In 2010, a wide selection of Hasbro’s STAR WARS 3 ¾ inch action figures will include the all-new STAR WARS GALACTIC BATTLE GAME. Each figure is packaged with a competitive gaming base, a unique battle attributes card and a die to play the game, allowing kids to interact with their STAR WARS action figures in a whole new way. Game on!

Fans can collect the GALACTIC BATTLE GAME components with STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS 3 ¾ inch ACTION FIGURES, STAR WARS SAGA LEGENDS 3 ¾ inch ACTION FIGURES, STAR WARS
DELUXE FIGURE AND VEHICLES and STAR WARS BATTLE PACKS.

STAR WARS 3 ¾ INCH VINTAGE ACTION FIGURES
(Approximate Retail Value: $7.99; Ages: 4 & up; Available: August 1, 2010)
In 2010, Hasbro is taking STAR WARS fans back to “a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away” with 28 STAR WARS 3 ¾ inch VINTAGE ACTION FIGURES. The selection includes all-time favorite characters from throughout the six-film Saga, such as LUKE SKYWALKER, 4-LOM, DENGAR and HAN SOLO. Each of the figures in this assortment will feature the exceptionally accurate design and superb articulation customary to Hasbro’s action figures, and they will be offered in packaging reminiscent to that of the original 1978-1984 STAR WARS packaging!

Additionally fans are also encouraged to collect five of the marked figures in the new vintage lineup to send away for their very own “Rocket Firing” BOBA FETT action figure, identically styled after the 1980 mail-away figure.

GALACTIC HEROES AT-AT PLAYSET
(Approximate Retail Price: $39.99; Ages: 3 & up; Available: August 1, 2010)
The youngest STAR WARS fans continue to enjoy action figures inspired by the Republic and Empire thanks to Hasbro’s wildly popular GALACTIC HEROES lineup. And now, children can celebrate the 30th Anniversary of THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK with the GALACTIC HEROES AT-AT PLAYSET! The largest vehicle ever introduced in the GALACTIC HEROES toy line features electronic lights and sounds, poseable legs, a speeder bike and AT-AT DRIVER figure.

STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS R2-D2 IS IN TROUBLE GAME
(Approximate Retail Price: $14.99; Ages: 5 & up; Available: Spring 2010)
Usually C-3PO needs help and R2-D2 comes to the rescue, but this time, the roles have been reversed with the R2-D2 IS IN TROUBLE GAME. This is the classic game of TROUBLE featuring a new fun STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS twist and R2-D2 is in the pop-o-matic bubble. Includes authentic R2-D2 electronic sounds.

Toy Fair is the annual event where we get to completely regress back to childhood and check out all of the awesome toys coming out for the rest of the year. And well, we love toys.

As expected, the tricky question of “How we gonna get paid?” has reportedly become a sticking point in Apple’s negotiations with newspaper and magazine publishers. Put simply, subscriber information is deeply valuable, and Apple doesn’t want to to share it.

Demographics are everything to magazine (and blog) publishers. It’s how you sell ads. Under the iTunes model, content producers receive sales numbers, and the money that goes with them. No credit card numbers, no addresses, no hint whatsoever of who’s buying what. This does not sit well with publishers.

Also, while the 70 percent split makes book publishers giddy that they’re controlling their own destiny since they can set prices (good luck with that, guys) newspaper dudes are understandably less thrilled about giving away a third of the subscription, since it’s an ongoing payment. “Thirty per cent forever changes the economics,” one exec told the Financial Times. Apple won’t move on this point at all, apparently. Magazines are basically like apps to Apple. I’m sure the homogenization of content, conceptually speaking, sits very well with publishers and their precious, glossy pamphlets.

Since both the NYT and Conde Nast’s Wired are both officially on board with launching iPad content, I’m curious if they’ve agreed to the terms that other publications are supposedly balking at, or if they have a different kind of deal—or if their deals are in fact still up in the air. (Update: The New York Times’ is working through the same crisis, Gawker’s discovered. Are they selling an app, for $10 a month, or a newspaper, for $30 a month? These are not merely financial questions, but existential ones, less than easily resolved.)

In the end, it’ll get worked out. The glistening trickle of slobber sliding out of their lips gives the publishers away. They can’t not be on Apple’s glossy slab of the future. And then they’ll privately grumble about how unhappy they are with the crappy deal they were forced into. But whatever, because they’re just one app out of 140,000. [FT]

Even as Windows Phone has emerged from the Dark Ages, there’s still a gaping chasm between BlackBerry and consumers, which RIM CEO Mike Lazaridis makes clear as he warns that people’s phones need to use less of them internets.

“Manufacturers had better start building more efficient applications and more efficient services. There is no real way to get around this.”

“If we don’t start conserving that bandwidth, in the next few years we are going to run into a capacity crunch. You are already experiencing the capacity crunch in the United States.”

“That is pretty fundamental to a carrier as that means you can have three paying Blackberry browsing customers for every one other customer.”

“That has a huge advantage for the carriers if you think about the many billions of dollars the carriers have invested over the last five years in spectrum auctions and infrastructure rollouts.”

Worrying more about carriers than people? You sound like AT&T.

Guess what? People want to do stuff with their phone, cool stuff like stream TV, download photos, upload a video of that crazy homeless guy saying crazy things in that crazy part of town. You know, the wonderfully awesome and connected future carriers have promised for years in pretty promos. There is no going back.

Fake Steve pretty much nailed it a few months ago, when AT&T was talking incentivizing people to use less data:

We’ve got people who love this goddamn phone so much that they’re living on it. Yes, that’s crushing your network. Yes, 3% of your users are taking up 40% of your bandwidth. You see this as a bad thing. It’s not. It’s a good thing. It’s a blessing. It’s an indication that people love what we’re doing, which means you now have a reason to go out and double or triple or quadruple your damn network capacity. Jesus! I can’t believe I’m explaining this to you. You’re in the business of selling bandwidth. That pipe is what you sell. Right now what the market is telling you is that you can sell even more! Lots more! Good Lord. The world is changing, and you’re right in the sweet spot.

Why would you even think about giving that up? Because carriers will like you more? RIM’s bread-and-butter is corporate dollars, but you know what, so was Windows Mobile’s. Keep thinking that way, and see how far it gets you. [Economic Times via 9to5Mac]

There’ve been many books documenting the life of Steve Jobs, attempts to worm inside of Steve’s brain. The NYT reports that Walter Isaacson, Time magazine’s former managing editor, will write the first authorized biography, however. Steve’s supposedly invited Isaacson to tour his childhood home, even. I wonder what kind of conditions Isaacson had to agreed to in order for this to happen.

Isaacson’s previous two bestselling biographes were about Ben Franklin and Albert Einstein, if that tells you anything. [NYT]

Multitasking’s been a bugaboo for the iPhone since like forever, which Droid and the Pre have gleefully exploited. But what about Windows Phone 7? Well, it sounds like it multitasks in the same sense that the iPhone does.

We asked Joe Belfiore, the director of Windows Phone, what’s up with multitasking, and here’s what he told us:

“The core operating system is a modern multitasking operating system. If you play music for example, the music will play back as you navigate around the experience…if you’re using email, we have great support for push email and that happens in the background.

For third party applications—we’ll get into a lot more detail on this in MIX—but we have a few ways we’re going to make sure that third parties can bring their value to the user even when the app is not running. Live tiles are an example. Data feeds in the hubs are another example for some apps.”

That sounds to us a lot like how the iPhone multitasks. That is, select processes, like push email, the browser and music can run in the background, but it seems like third-party multitasking in the same sense as Android isn’t part of the program. (Of course, Microsoft could blow us all away at MIX next month with insane multitasking of the running-sixteen-apps-at-a-time sort, but the caginess here is telling.)

Still, the compromise in WP7 sounds like a happier compromise, at any rate: Piping data into its hubs and live tiles, where you can see info from multiple apps, could work really well, since you’re able to get the data marrow out without cracking the bone. That is, you might not need the kind of multitasking people typically ask for with this kind of interface, as Jesus explains here. We’ll see. [Windows Phone 7 @ Giz]

It’s astounding that until this moment, three years after the iPhone, the biggest software company in the world basically didn’t compete in mobile. Windows Phone 7 Series is more than the Microsoft smartphone we’ve been waiting for. Everything’s different now.

Today, at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Microsoft is publicly previewing Windows Phone 7 for the first time. The brand new, totally fresh operating system will appear in phones this year, but not until the holidays. All of the major wireless carriers and every likely hardware maker are backing it, and they’d be stupid not to. It’s awesome. Further details are forthcoming, but here is what you need to know:

The name—Windows Phone 7 Series—is a mouthful, and unfortunately, the epitome of Microsoft’s worst naming instincts, belying the simple fact that it’s the most groundbreaking phone since the iPhone. It’s the phone Microsoft should’ve made three years ago. In the same way that the Windows 7 desktop OS was nearly everything people hoped it would be, Windows Phone 7 is almost everything anyone could’ve dreamed of in a phone, let alone a Microsoft phone. It changes everything. Why? Now that Microsoft has filled in its gaping chasm of suck with a meaningful phone effort, the three most significant companies in desktop computing—Apple, Google and Microsoft—now stand to occupy the same positions in mobile. Phones are officially computers that happen to fit in your pocket.

Windows Phone 7 is also something completely new for Microsoft: A total break from the past. Windows Mobile isn’t just dead, the body’s been dumped, buried and paved over by a rainbow brick road.

The Interface

It’s different. The face of Windows Phone 7 is not a rectangular grid of thumbnail-sized glossy-looking icons, arranged in a pattern of 4×4 or so, like basically every other phone. No, instead, an oversized set of bright, superflat squares fill the screen. The pop of the primary colors and exaggerated flatness produces a kind of cutting-edge crispness that feels both incredibly modern and playful. Text is big, and beautiful. The result is a feat no phone has performed before: Making the iPhone’s interface feel staid.

If you want to know what it feels like, the Zune HD provides a taste: Interface elements that run off the screen; beautiful, oversized text and graphics; flipping, panning, scrolling, zooming from screen to screen; broken hearts. Some people might think it’s gratuitous, but I think it feels natural and just…fun. There’s an incredible sense of joie de vivre that’s just not in any other phone. It makes you wish that this was aesthetic direction all of Microsoft was going in.

Windows Phone 7 is connected in the same sense as Palm’s webOS and Android, with live, real-time data seamlessly integrated, though it’s even smoother and more natural. Live tiles on the Start screen are updated dynamically with fresh content, like weather, or if you’ve pinned a person to your Start screen, their latest status updates and photos.

The meat of the phone is organized around a set of hubs: People, Pictures, Games, Music + Video, Marketplace, and Office. They’re kind of like uber-applications, in a sense. Massive panoramas with multiple screens that are kind of like individual apps. People, for instance, isn’t just your contacts, but it’s also where social networking happens, with a real-time stream of updates from like Facebook and Windows Live. (No Twitter support announced yet, it appears—a kind of serious deficiency, but one we’re sure will be remedied by ship date.)

As another example, Music + Video is essentially the entirety of Zune HD’s software, tucked inside of Windows Phone 7.

A piece of interface that’s shockingly not there: A desktop syncing app. If anyone would be expected to tie their phone to a desktop, you’d think it’d be Microsoft, but they’re actually moving forward here. All of your contacts and info sync over the air. The only thing you’ll be syncing through your computer is music and videos, which is mercifully done via the Zune client.

Hello, Connected World

The People hub might be the best social networking implementation yet on a phone: It’s a single place to see all of your friends’ status updates from multiple services in a single stream, and to update your own Facebook and Windows Live status. Needs. Twitter support. Badly. But you have neat things going on, like the aforementioned live tiles—if you really like someone or want to stalk them hardcore, you can make them a tile on your Start screen, which will update in realtime with whatever they’re posting, and pull down their photos from whatever service.

All of your contacts are synced and backed up over-the-air, Android and webOS style, and can be pulled from multiple sources, like Windows Live, Exchange, etc. Makes certain other phones seem a little antiquated with their out-of-the-box Contacts situation.

Holy Crap! The Zune Phone!

Microsoft’s vision of Zune is finally clear with Windows Phone 7. It’s an app, just like iPod is on the iPhone, though the Zune Marketplace is integrated with it into the music + video hub, not separated into its own little application. It’s just like the Zune HD, so you can check out our review of that to see what it’s like. But you get third-party stuff like Pandora too built-in here. Oh, and worth mentioning, there will be an FM radio in every phone (more on that in a bit).

Pictures is a little different though, and gets its very own hub. That’s because it’s intensely connected—you can share photos and video with social networks straight from the hub, and via the cloud, they’re kept in sync with your PC and web galleries. The latest photos your friends post also show up here. Of course, you get around with multitouch zoom and scrolling stuff too.

Xbox, on a Phone

I’ll admit, I very nearly needed to change my pants when I saw the Xbox tile on the phone for the first time. Obviously, you’re not going to be playing Halo 3 on your smartphone (at least not this year), but yes, Xbox Live on a phone! It’s tied to your Live profile, and there are achievements and gamer points for the games you can play on your phone, which will be tied to games back on your Xbox 360.

If Microsoft’s got an ace-in-hole with Windows Phone 7, it’s Xbox Live. Gamers have talked about a portable Xbox for years—this is the most logical way to do it. The N-Gage was ahead of its time. (Okay, and it sucked.) The DS and PSP are the past. The iPhone showed us that the future of mobile gaming was going to be on your phone, and now that just got a lot more interesting. The potential’s there, and hopefully the games will be plentiful and awesome enough to meet it.

Browser and Email

Yes, the browser is Internet Exploder. And yes, the rumor’s true: It won’t be as fast as Mobile Safari. Not to start. But it’s not bad! Hey, least it’s got multitouch powers right out of the box. Naturally, you’ve got multiple browser windows, and you can pin web pages to the Start screen, like any other decent mobile browser.

The Outlook email app makes me question how people read email on a BlackBerry. It is stunning. I never thought I’d call a mail app “stunning,” but, well, it kind of is. It’s the best looking mobile mail app around. Text is huge. Gorgeous. Ultrareadable. Of course, it’s got Exchange support too.

Apps, Office and Marketplace

Remember what I said earlier about Windows Mobile being dead? So are all the apps. They won’t work on WP7. Sorry Windows Mobile developers, it’s for the best. Deep down, we all knew a clean break was the only way Windows Phone wasn’t going to suck total balls.

The Marketplace is where you’ll buy apps. Since we’ve got like 6 months ’til Windows Phone 7 launches and people should be excited to develop for it, hopefully there’ll be plenty of stuff to buy there on day one. Apps have some standardized interface elements, like the app bar on the bottom for common commands.

Naturally, Bing and Bing Maps are built into the phone as the default search and maps services. They’re nice, smart, and very location-focused. Bing’s also used for universal search on the phone, via a dedicated Bing button. Bing Maps is multitouchable, with pinch-to-zoom. It’s rich, with built-in listings with reviews and clever ways of searching for stuff. And yeah, Office! It’s connected to that cloud thing, for OTA syncing and such. Business people should be happy.

Hardware and Partnahs

Another way the old Windows Mobile is dead is how Microsoft’s handling partners and hardware situation. With Windows Mobile, a phonemaker handed Microsoft their monies, and Microsoft tossed them a software kit, and that was that. Which is why a lot of Windows Mobile phones felt and ran like crap. And why it took HTC like two years to produce the HD2, the most genuinely usable rendition of Windows Mobile ever.

Microsoft’s not building their own phones, but they’re going to be picky, to say the least, with Windows Phone 7. Ballmer phrases it as “taking more accountability” for people’s experiences. There’s a strict set of minimum hardware requirements: a capacitive, multitouchable screen with at least four points of touch; accelerometer; FM radio; and the like. There are serious benchmarks that have to be met. And only chosen OEMs get to build the phones now, not like before, when anybody with $20 could get a license. The OEMs that Microsoft’s announcing they’re working with at launch are: Qualcomm, LG, Samsung, Garmin Asus, HTC, HP, Dell, Sony Ericsson, and Toshiba. AT&T’s their “premiere partner” in the US (dammit).

Every phone will have a Bing (search) button and a Start button. Custom skins, like the minor miracles HTC worked, are now banned. The message to hardware makers is clear: It’s a Windows Phone, you’re just putting it together. Basically, phonemakers get to decide the shape and whether or not there’s a keyboard.

One other word on hardware, in a manner of speaking. Hardware it won’t work with? Macs. Which is kind of stupid to us—a lot of the people Microsoft wants to use Windows Phone 7, like college students, have been going Mac in droves. You wanna lure them back Microsoft? Let them use your phone with any OS.

The Big Picture

Windows Phone 7 Series is, from what we’ve seen, exactly what Microsoft’s phone should be. It’s actually good. It brings together a bunch of different Microsoft services—Zune, Xbox, Bing—in a way that actually makes sense and just works. But there’s a real, lingering question: Are they too late? The first Windows Phone 7 Series…phone—goddamn that is a stupid name—won’t hit until the end of this year. That’s more than three years after the iPhone, two years after Android, hell, even a year after Palm, the industry’s sickly but persistent dwarf.

History is on Microsoft’s side here—we know what happened the last time Apple had a massive head start. Microsoft is, if nothing else, incredibly patient. Remember the first Xbox? Back when it was crazy that Microsoft was getting into videogames? It’s cost them about a billion dollars and taken nearly 10 years, but now, with Xbox Live, Project Natal and their massive software ecosystem, they arguably have the most impressive gaming console you can buy. That was a pet project. Now, mobile is the future of computing. What do you think Microsoft will sink into that?

The mobile picture is now officially a three-way dance: Apple, Google, and Microsoft. The same people who dominate desktop computing. Everybody else is screwed. Former Palm CEO Ed Colligan famously said a few years ago: “PC guys are not going to just figure this out. They’re not going to just walk in.” That’s precisely what’s just happened. Phones are the new PCs. PC guys are the new phone guys.

[Microsoft]

Adobe’s launching AIR, its cross-platform runtime, for smartphones. Why’s that a big deal? It theoretically means developers can write an app once, and it’ll work on tons of OSes—at least any that support AIR. Oh, and the iPhone.

Android’s the first to get AIR, but WebOS, BlackBerrry and Windows Mobile are slated to get it too. And remember Adobe’s initiative to push Flash apps onto the App Store for the iPhone? Apps developed for that will work just fine in AIR on other phones, letting Adobe have their iPhone cake and eat it too.

I saw an early build of it running on a Droid and Nexus One, where we messed with a couple of apps, like one streaming live video from a computer, and it’s pretty impressive stuff, with multitouch and close-to-native performance in some instances. If AIR succeeds the way Adobe hopes, it’ll be what Java once promised to be, a way to write once for tons of platforms. That’s a not-insignificant-sized “if” though. [Adobe]

Well, that was a gimme.

Toy Fair is the annual event where we get to completely regress back to childhood and check out all of the awesome toys coming out for the rest of the year. And well, we love toys.

Iron Mr. Potato Head Man. Yes.

Toy Fair is the annual event where we get to completely regress back to childhood and check out all of the awesome toys coming out for the rest of the year. And well, we love toys.

The new Iron Man helmet is too cool: It opens and closes slowly, just like in the movie, lights up, and JARVIS talks to you.

Not bad, for $35. There’s also a redesigned Replusor glove that does the whole “yeoooowwwBOOOSHH” sound effect when you fire it at tanks, pets or small children, and Arc Lights in the Mark IV or Mark VI variants.

Toy Fair is the annual event where we get to completely regress back to childhood and check out all of the awesome toys coming out for the rest of the year. And well, we love toys.

There’s a badass scene in the Clone Wars cartoon where General Grievous cuts down six Jedi, by himself, using some insane spinning saber techniques. This twirling dual-bladed Grievous lightsaber will let you do that to your friends.

In other toy lightsaber news, with the next releases, the blades will actually screw off, meaning when you’re not deflecting Nerf darts, you can hang the lightsaber on your belt. Screwing the blade on does kind of kill the magic though—at least Luke coulda used the Force to do it.

STAR WARS GENERAL GRIEVOUS LIGHTSABER
(Approximate Retail Price: $34.99; Ages: 6 & up; Available: August 1, 2010)
JEDI warriors have long recognized the prowess of GENERAL GRIEVOUS as a highly skilled, elusive and often multiple-LIGHTSABER-wielding adversary. Now, kids can engage in LIGHTSABER battles just like this powerful cyborg with the new STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS GENERAL GRIEVOUS LIGHTSABER. Battle with the power of GENERAL GRIEVOUS by spinning the two LIGHTSABERS simultaneously in one hand, take out the spinner and connect the two LIGHTSABERS for double-bladed LIGHTSABER action, or use the two separately to ward off an opponent. Both LIGHTSABERS include electronic lights and battle sounds!

STAR WARS LIGHTSABERS
(Approximate Retail Price: $9.99 to $19.99 to $34.00 up to $119.99; Available: August 1, 2010)
2010 is the year of the LIGHTSABER! Hasbro is offering its widest range ever of
STAR WARS LIGHTSABERS – the quintessential battle weapon for JEDI and SITH across the galaxy. From the BASIC and ELECTRONIC LIGHTSABERS, to the all-new spinning GENERAL GRIEVOUS LIGHTSABER, to the line of authentic high-end replica FORCE FX LIGHTSABERS, Hasbro offers STAR WARS fans of all ages a variety of ways to engage with the noble weapon of the JEDI. The new ELECTRONIC LIGHTSABERS even offer a DVD featuring the greatest lightsaber battles ever, including epic duels from the animated television series and the live action battles between the most famous JEDI and SITH. (Each sold separately.)

Toy Fair is the annual event where we get to completely regress back to childhood and check out all of the awesome toys coming out for the rest of the year. And well, we love toys.

This two-foot tall AT-AT Walker is very possibly the most ridiculous boys’ dollhouse ever constructed. It is goddamn enormous. It holds over 20 figures; Luke Skywalker even dangles between its legs. You have to see this thing up close:

It’s the largest toy AT-AT Hasbro’s ever produced, and amazingly, it’s only $100.

STAR WARS AT-AT
(Approximate Retail Value: $99,99; Ages: 5 & up; Available: August 1, 2010)
In space, size does matter, and Hasbro certainly kept that in mind when creating its all-new, highly detailed STAR WARS AT-AT. The AT-AT (All Terrain Armored Transport) played a significant role in the Empire’s military assault in THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK, and it will play an equally important role in every fan’s toy collection this year! Measuring more than 24 inches tall, nearly 28 inches long, and 12 inches wide, this colossal vehicle holds up to 20 STAR WARS figures – 6 of which can fit in its head alone! – and includes so many play and electronic features true to its on-screen counterpart that it’s hard to believe! From the zip-line in its body and articulated legs for superb poseability, to its LED lights and authentic movie sounds and phrases, this is the must-have addition for STAR WARS fans of all ages. Includes a 3 ¾ inch AT-AT driver action figure and a pop-out speeder bike.

Toy Fair is the annual event where we get to completely regress back to childhood and check out all of the awesome toys coming out for the rest of the year. And well, we love toys.

Analog means more than digital. It’s real, for one thing. Something real is maimed in the process of recording. And it’s slow. Pulp doesn’t teleport, like bits. If you write somebody a letter, you mean it.

Bits are circumspect, at best. They’re alterable. Transient. Intangible. Destructible.

A letter that’s typed is smashed onto paper, one character at a time. The ink left behind by each key is its own tiny little memory, a record of the process as it happened. There is no going back, no forgetting at the command of another key, there is only progress and memory. Holding a typed letter isn’t simply grasping whatever it’s reporting, it’s possessing a record of the act of reporting itself.

Handwriting is for pussies. Anyone can write. Free-form and free-wheeling, instruments in unsteady hands spill ink or smear graphite in jots of uneven loops and crooked lines. The paper bears no scars, simply stains. Stains can be washed or smudged away.

A typewriter is a machine, it requires a connection. An intimacy of operation. Lines and margins and ribbons need require care. I do not know how to love them. So I do not type. Perfection is a minor miracle, or a lot of care.

It’s much easier to tell a lie with a typewriter. The truth of the paper and the ink make it easy to hide lies behind it. Everything digital is already a lie.

You can burn a letter, but it leaves behind ashes.

Bad Valentine is our own special take on the beauty—and awkwardness—of geek love.

Given the populist sentiment about the way it launched Buzz, by merging it with Gmail, resulting in a million-and-one privacy kerfluffles, Google’s now thinking about going beyond the tweaks it made the other day by cutting the cord between Buzz and Gmail entirely. People might get to claim completely different usernames for Buzz too. A fresh start might be for the best, though the damage is already done. Update: Or maybe it’s just getting a separate app. Hahaha. [Search Engine Land]