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User manuals and spec rundowns are great, but how does the device look and function in person? Our answer comes from a quick video of Keith Nowak, Public Relations for HTC, taken by Nerdstalker at the 99% conference in New York.

No big surprises here and a lot of the video centers around how awesome Sense UI is, but it is nice to see that beautiful AMOLED screen and watch the Snapdragon processor pushing everything along at breakneck speeds.

With less than two weeks to go before launch I’m sure this is just the tip of the Incredible sightings iceberg; so stay tuned and we’ll keep up-to-date on the newest addition to the Droid family.

Related Posts

• The Droid Incredible has internal storage to spare and video out
• The next chapter in the Droid saga begins April 29th
• It’s a Droid, It’s Incredible, It goes on pre-order April 19th
• Some Incredible renders of Verizon’s next Android phone
• Verizon HTC Incredible manual leaks out, full specs included

The new HTC Incredible is the best smartphone currently available on Verizon Wireless, and it’s the best Android phone for sale right now in America. Now then, on to the details … 

UPDATE: Hey, look, it’s an unboxing video!

What’s up with delivering a much anticipated new smart – I mean, SUPER – phone on a Friday and lifting the embargo that Sunday night? I’ve got mad love for you, HTC, but making me work on the weekend is flat out wrong. Still, what could I do? You sent me Incredible and people want to know about Incredible and it’s not actually out for another two weeks ($199 on contract, after rebate, on April 29), so I had to oblige. But still, it’s messed up making me work on the weekend, HTC.

Complaining aside, as you read on bear in mind that I’ve only had a few days with Incredible (weekend days at that), so this can’t really be considered a final review. I’ll be using, testing, and posting more about this beast over the coming days and weeks, believe you me.

The HTC Verizon Incredible is fast. Really fast. It’s also more plasticky feeling than I thought it’d be after having used its spiritual forefathers, the Desire and Legend. But still it’s fast and has a very vivid 3.7″ multitouch-capable, capacitive touch AMOLED display. And it also has an 8MP camera and runs on Verizon, all of which makes it the best Android phone in America – on paper, anyway.

Incredible runs the newest versions of Android OS and HTC’s Sense, both currently tabbed Version 2.1. Android 2.1 backed by the Qulacomm Snapdragon chip that powers Incredible is fast, and Sense 2.1 is smoother and marginally more useful than the last version. Leap – aka “Thumbnail View” – provides a nifty, visual way to hop between each of the seven homescreen panels in Sense, and Sense itself is bolstered by Friendstream, HTC’s social aggregator app that provides easy access to an overview of your Flickr, Facebook and Twitter feeds displayed via your choice of two widgets.

When I first took it out of the box, I was surprised by how relatively lightweight and plasticky Incredible felt. Many of HTC’s recent devices, including Nexus One and Legend, have a solid heft to them that Incredible lacks. That’s not to say that Incredible is a flyweight by any standards, but rather that it feels more like a commodity than a luxury item as its brethren do. Still, there’s something to be said for a light, pocketable device, and over the course of the weekend I often found myself holding Incredible up to Legend or Apple’s iPhone to confirm that this new Verizon HTC actually had a larger, 3.7″ display – there’s something about Incredible that makes it feel smaller and lighter than it really is, which all in all is a good thing. Think of it more as a lightweight sports sedan that “drives smaller than it really is,” as opposed to Nexus One’s Mercedes S-Class heavyweight vibe.

Voice quality using Incredible on Verizon’s network in the San Francisco Bay Area has been quite good, and the phone is really uber-responsive in all computer-type tasks – apps, Web browsing, messaging/Email, social network updates, and so forth. Actually, at times I found the device a bit over-eager, as I often scrolled well past where I thought a single thumb flick would take me, and the touchscreen seemed a bit twitchy – especially during typing on the virtual QWERTY board. The virtual QWERTY is totally usable – it’s just not as smooth out of the box as I wanted it to be.

The 8 megapixel camera is quite good for a cell phone camera, but it’s still a cell phone camera. And it doesn’t do 720p video capture – only WVGA (800 x 480). But the auto-focus mechanism is pretty quick, the dual-LED flash system is more useful than the average cameraphone flash, and the software adds some useful image property adjustments to help you line up your shot before capturing.

Most of what you’ll see here you’ve seen before on HTC Sense Android phones, save for a few tweaks … and, oh yeah, that new “Optical Joystick,” which is really more like a virtual trackball than a joystick. I like it quite a bit, though to be fair I had the chance to get used to it on the unlocked Legend that HTC sent us a few weeks back.

Again, I’ve only had Incredible for a few days, but I’m pretty confident in saying that it’s the most satisfying smartphone experience to be had on Verizon right now. I have been finding the touchscreen a bit overeager, and I think a keyboard replacement is in order to alleviate the accuracy issues I’ve been having in both landscape and portrait modes on Incredible, but all in all this is one fast, smooth machine. If you read my posts here on the site, you know I didn’t really like Droid all that much, mainly because I hated the hard QWERTY board (Aaron – and many of you – disagreed with me there). Incredible gives a few pixels away to Droid, screen resolution-wise, but otherwise outperforms it in every way while also ditching the bulk of the sliding keyboard for a sleeker all-touch form factor. To me, that’s a big win. And while I am a bit disappointed that it doesn’t pack the luxe feel of its European cousins in HTC’s Android lineup, I do like that Incredible feels deceptively small and light for a phone with one of the largest displays currently available on a US carrier.

More to come in the coming days.

1937 Delage D8-120S.

A portfolio of work is a curated experience. It’s an applicant’s chance to shape the way that I’m viewing his or her approach, methods, process, and best thinking; but oftentimes, a portfolio only contains final pieces, as applicants are overly concerned about presenting perfection. Polish doesn’t communicate process though, and therefore I’m left with only part of the story. Messy problems — and how applicants work through them — can show a great deal more in a portfolio than one finished, airtight solution. It’s then the applicant’s job to curate those into an experience for the portfolio viewer.

—Liz Danzico with great advice for job applicants.

Last week’s New York Times story painted a scathing picture of Richard Blumenthal’s senate  campaign. The attorney general’s rambling answer to the most basic of questions — why do you want to be a Senator? — brought to mind the famous 1979 Roger Mudd interview with Ted Kennedy, when Kennedy was completely unable to articulate why he wanted to be president.

“He is polling at more than 80% but there are some Republicans in the state so he isn’t at 100%,” writes Pat Scully on his blog, The Hanging Shad. 

The scary thing about Ubaldo Jimenez’s no-hitter Saturday is that it doesn’t represent the best he can pitch. He’s got three nasty pitches and he’s clearly developed into one of the Top 10 starters in the majors, no matter that he spends half of his time toiling in Coors Field. Whatever you paid for him on Draft Day, you’re probably in line to make a significant profit in 2010. 

Jimenez struggled with his control in the early innings at Atlanta, collecting six walks over the first five frames. But he found his best stride in the later innings and was dialing the fastball in the 98 mph range for the ninth. When he’s at his best, you’ll see a lot fewer walks and more than the seven strikeouts he collected here. But fantasy owners certainly aren’t going to complain about the surprise gift Jimenez presented to them.

Jimenez needed 128 pitches to complete the gem, the highest total anyone’s thrown this year. It will be interesting to see if there’s any sort of carryover effect when he toes the rubber at Washington Thursday.

Say you were drafting from scratch tomorrow – what would your pitching draft board look like and how would Jimenez fit into the mix? Here’s a quick glance at the big names as I currently see them. As always, offer your respectful disagreement in the comments.

$33 Tim Lincecum(notes)
$33 Roy Halladay(notes)
$31 Felix Hernandez(notes)
$28 Zack Greinke(notes)
$28 CC Sabathia(notes)
$28 Dan Haren(notes)
$27 Adam Wainwright(notes)
$27 Ubaldo Jimenez(notes)
$26 Justin Verlander(notes)
$25 Josh Johnson(notes)
$24 Ricky Nolasco(notes)
$24 Chris Carpenter(notes)
$23 Jon Lester(notes)
$22 Matt Cain(notes)
$21 Yovani Gallardo(notes)
$21 Josh Beckett(notes)

–Forbes Magazine lists the “World’s Richest Fictional Characters.” Chuck Bass made this year’s Forbes 15 and Disney’s Scrooge McDuck is still hanging tough!

-Kim Kardashian sat down with Forbes for a chat about amassing her multimillion dollar fortune.…

–Ugly Betty: The Movie? It could happen!

-HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher has been renewed….

-Emmy-nominated actress Christina Applegate is engaged to Porn For Pyros rocker Martyn Lenoble‎. The marriage will be the second for both stars…

–Desperate Housewives season finale spoilers!

-MTV is making the cast of its biggest hit buy its own drinks!

-Taylor Momsen’s band shoots a video for their song on the Kick-Ass soundtrack….

-Michael Lohan is in trouble with Uncle Sam…..

–That ’70s Show’s Danny Masterson has signed on for a new pilot on Spike TV….

-Rick Ross and Nicki Minaj are about to join Loon, Danity Kane, and Dream as one of the hundreds of “Ghost of Bad Boy Affiliates Past:” Both are now being managed by Diddy….

-Speaking of broke Bad Boy castaways: Que, formerly of Day26, is naked!

-The Obama administration has mandated legislation allowing same sex couples visitation rights in the event of a medical emergency….

-Kellan Lutz covers VMAN Style….

-Did you know that literary legend Stephen King has a son, who also writes horror stories?

A flag is a symbol of a common identity. Almost every type of actor in the international system has a flag: States have flags: international organizations have flags– everything from the UN to NATO to the EU to the WHO to the ICRC; subdivisions of States– like Provinces, Länder, Counties, etc.– have flags; trans-state religious organizations have flags.  And we could go on.

My great friend and Georgetown colleague, James Raymond Vreeland,  is now proposing that North America have a flag. Over at The Vreelander, he writes:

In a multi-polar world, regionalism may become the key to global governance and prosperity. For all of its current troubles, the European Union and the Euro are here to stay. The Chiang Mai Initiative is the latest in overlapping institutions in East Asia. South America already has a customs union in Mercosur, and there is talk of their own new Banco del Sur. For the United States, our best hope for a regional future is making NAFTA better and building fair cooperation with our neighbors to the north and south.

I like the idea of closer ties to Mexico and Canada. As improbable as unity may seem for us three today, our prospects are certainly brighter than one would have imagined for France and Germany in the first half of the last century. War torn and bitter for decades, look at them now – united under one flag of Europe. A united North America is our future – perhaps distant – and it’s never too early to start dreaming of greater unity and prosperity together under one North American flag.

So that’s where I decided to Google-image “NAFTA flag”… YIKES! The image I found – a blending of the US, Mexican, and Canadian flags – looks like somebody’s nightmare. I am, of course, teasing – I appreciate the effort. And it is perhaps reflective of the fact that NAFTA has a long way to go before it brings about any unity to our region. But to forge a new North American regional identity, we need a new flag, not a blending of our current national flags.

If we are going to dream of a future together, we need a new symbol of North American unity – one that reflects our past, present, and future as a new unified region. We can all keep our old national flags, of course, but for the region, we need an original design.

So, I’ve decided to try my hand at a flag for all of North America. Here’s my proposal:

The triangle symbolizes:

1. The greatness of the pyramids built by the native people of the Americas in Mexico long before the days of colonization
2. The three sides represent the three core members of our regional cooperation, beginning with NAFTA: Canada, Mexico, and the United States
3. Most importantly, a resemblance to the North American geographical territory, which is narrow in the southern tip of Mexico, and wide across north of Alaska and Canada

The color recalls the gold of the past and the prosperity of the region’s future

The blue background:

1. Complements the map interpretation of the triangle: recalls the Atlantic and Pacific oceans which surround and unify us
2. Blue signifies trust, unity, and loyalty

Some final thoughts – while I justify the blue and gold in terms of our own North American past, present, and future, any similarity to the European flag is not a coincidence. I think that Europe has led the way on regional integration and serves as a model for the world. Personally, I do think 12 stars is overdoing it a bit. I like the simplicity of design on a flag. The one I propose here reminds me of the minimalism of the Japanese flag. This simple design is still distinctively ours: the use of the triangle is original and fitting for our three countries and for our North American land mass. Using a symbol that represents our geography is inspired by the flag of the Gambia. Note that there’s room for Central America and the Caribbean to join some day – but we’re not adding more sides or more stars – let’s keep the design simple: the triangle represents North American unity.

So there it is. Let me know what you think. And if you like it, please forward this to others who might be interested…

What do you think?

Beyonce made a surprise appearance at the Coachella Music & Arts Festival in Indio, California last night, joining her husband Jay-Z on stage during his headlining set at the annual musical event.

The superstar singer — dressed in a graphic tee and cut-off denim shorts — joined her other half for a performance of “Young Forever,” a song off his platinum-selling album The Blueprint 3.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I wanna introduce y’all to someone super-duper special,” Jay-Z said in introducing the “Sweet Dreams” singer to crowd cheers. “I’m not even gonna say the name. I’m gonna let her speak for herself.”

The special-edition Mini that talks to you: It isn’t annoying, but it also isn’t cheap.

What Is It?

It’s a special-edition Mini. While that in and of itself isn’t particularly noteworthy—Mini churns out a new variant, like, every ten minutes—the Mini Camden talks to you in reaction to driver inputs. But more on that in a second.

Available solely on 2010 Mini Cooper and Cooper S three-doors and named for a tony North London neighborhood, the $5000 Camden pack consists of one of three metallic paint colors, sport seats covered in special leather and cloth upholstery, dynamic traction control (DTC), hood graphics and a rally-style grille badge, a rear spoiler, xenon headlights, an upgraded Harman/Kardon audio system, floor mats, special interior trim, 17-inch wheels, and fog lights. Oh, plus the talking thing, which Mini calls Mission Control.

Keep Reading: 2010 Mini Cooper 50 Camden Edition – Quick Spin

Related posts:

1. 2010 Mini Cooper 50 Camden Edition – Video
2. 2010 Mini Cooper Camden and Mayfair Debut, New Concept Generates Music to Match Driving Style
3. 2009 Mini Cooper John Cooper Works Convertible – Auto Shows

When you look at most of the two dozen or so people in this photograph, which belongs to a Canadian museum, there’s no doubt that they’re from 1940, the year in which it was taken. But what about that guy? More »

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Videos, Chevrolet, Luxury

Although the Corvette Grand Sport isn’t exactly brand new, there could be a few things you’ve yet to learn about it and see it do. Who better to fill in those gaps in your yellow-Corvette education than Ron Fellows, multiple ALMS champion and Le Mans, Sebring and Daytona winner. Even if you’re not crazy about the GS, there’s that whole fast car doing fast things aspect, probably a lesson none of us mind repeating. Follow the jump to watch the vid. Hat tip to Aamir!

[Source: Chevrolet]

Continue reading Video: Ron Fellows flogs the Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport

Video: Ron Fellows flogs the Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 17 Apr 2010 19:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Known as the Sacagawea of fantasy primers, the Weekly Rundown guides head-to-head owners through a forest of obscure stats and exploitable matchups in an attempt to help solve lineup conundrums. While reading, keep in mind matchups are subject to change due to managerial moves, unforeseen injuries and Mother Nature’s influences.

LEADING OFF

On Friday, an 86-MPH Vicente Padilla(notes) fastball grew arms and punched Aaron Rowand(notes) smack in the face (gruesome video here). The result wasn’t pleasant. After remaining knee bent in the batter’s circle for several moments, the Giants centerfielder, who is no stranger to facial disfigurement, groggily walked off the field. The injuries suffered: two fractures in his left cheekbone and a mild concussion.

With Rowand presumably headed to the DL – he is attempting to avoid a prolonged absence – Eugenio Velez(notes) takes over everyday duties in center and in the leadoff spot.

Expect the one percent-owned commodity to take flight.

Though occasional impatience has plagued him (career 0.33 BB/K), Velez has always possessed a slightly above average skill set. Blessed with plus athleticism and blazing speed – he swiped 121 bases from 2006-2007 – the versatile 27-year-old has only been one opportunity away from becoming a lighter-hitting Denard Span(notes).

Including Saturday’s 3-for-5 (2B, BB, R, RBI) effort against archrival Los Angeles, the switch-hitter has amassed surprisingly useful numbers since late July ’09. Over 290 at-bats, he’s posted a .278 BA with five homers, 32 RBI 39 runs and 10 steals. His multi-position eligibility (2B and OF) labels him very serviceable for owners forced to field middle infielders. During his expected extended audition, he could generate appreciable numbers in runs and steals. He could also produce sneaky power totals. Twice already this season he’s belted three-run homers.

If Velez left Fantasyland tomorrow, would you still remember him?

For those struggling to unearth dependable MI options in very deep mixed and NL-only leagues (The Noise is looking at you Brian Roberts(notes) owners), the answer is unequivocally yes.

Won’t you fly highhh freeee bird ya!

QUICK HITTERS (Tidbits from Saturday’s slate): Livan Hernandez(notes), apparently motivated by Whoppers, induced 15 groundball outs en route to a masterful four-hit, complete game shutout of San Diego. He walked two and struck three. The seemingly ancient journeyman has not allowed an earned run in 16 straight innings. Knowing Livan’s past, an eruption is coming. Soon…For those searching for pop, Rick Ankiel(notes) could be your Muscle Milk. The converted pitcher spanked the Twins, reaching Souvenir City twice off Nick Blackburn(notes). He’s now batting .308 on the season with nine RBI…Nelson Cruz(notes) crushed his seventh homer of the season. It’s possible the ’09 All-Star could flirt with 50 bombs if he remains healthy. If that happens, a Casper-white fantasy writer may streak past your living room window. Don’t look directly into the bright reflecting light…Alfonso Soriano(notes) logged his third multi-hit game in his past five. However, he butchered a routine line-drive for his third error of the season. The rapidly rotting corpse may soon yield starts to Tyler Colvin(notes) unless he suddenly channels Gary Matthews…Juan Rivera(notes) cranked his third bomb of the season. The 59 percent-owned outfielder continues to produce steady results with little fanfare…More unrest in the Baltimore bullpen as stopgap Jim Johnson(notes) failed to defend a one-run lead against Oakland. It was his second consecutive blown save. Cla Meredith(notes) or former start Mark Hendrickson(notes) could be given the ball next. Maybe Dave Trembley should consider dragging Lee Smith out of retirement…Discussed in this space last week, Cardinals rookie Jaime Garcia(notes) had his second straight spotless performance, allowing just one hit (2 BB) with five strikeouts over seven shutout innings against the Mets (RE: Johan Santana(notes). The Law of Fantasy Expert Prognostication once again proved true.). The Cards’ No. 5 is still just eight percent-owned. He’s earned a roster spot in 12-team mixed leagues.

PULLS, STRAINS AND REHAB GAINS (Injury updates/notes):  Manny Ramirez(notes) was unavailable (calf) for Saturday’s matchup with hated rival San Francisco. He’s currently listed day-to-day…Brandon Webb(notes) was officially transferred to the 60-day DL pushing his estimated return date back to May 25…Alex Gordon(notes) was activated from the 15-day DL. He pinch-hit and drew a walk against Minnesota. Finally, Willie Bloomquist(notes) can be rocketed into space…Chris Getz(notes) was placed on the 15-day DL with an oblique injury. With Gordon back at full strength, Funston snake charmer Alberto Callaspo(notes) will slide over to second to fill the void…Joe Blanton(notes) had a successful bullpen session Friday. He is expected to make his first rehab appearance on Tuesday, targeting a May 1 return…Miguel Tejada(notes) blew out a tire attempting to run out a bunt single. He left the field in pain. A 15-day siesta could be imminent…In more combustible hamstring news Mark DeRosa(notes) exited Saturday’s game with a strained right hamstring. Similar to Tejada, a DL stint is possible for the versatile asset…Kerry Wood(notes) could reclaim his closer’s role within a week. The adventurous stopper is slated to face live batters by the weekend, possibly returning to the Indians ‘pen next Monday.

DOUBLE DIPPERS

For stream conscious owners who want to push the innings-pitched envelope this is the list for you. Run support, ballpark factors, historical and recent trends, opposing offenses, opposing SPs, managerial tendencies and meteorological influences are painstakingly taken into account to give you the top double dippers of each week.

Other AL Double Dippers: Brian Bannister(notes), KC (at Tor, Min), Brad Bergesen(notes), Bal (at Sea, at Bos), Dontrelle Willis(notes), Det (at LAA, at Tex)

Other NL Double Dippers: Kyle Kendrick(notes), Phi (at Atl, at Ari), Dave Bush(notes), Mil (at Pit, ChC), Scott Olsen(notes), Was (Col, LAD), Charlie Morton(notes), Pit (Mil, at Hou), Craig Stammen(notes), Was (Col, LAD)

FEAST OR FAMINE?  

Torn between two stat-similar infielders this week? Use the pitching and hitting staff sorters below to help you decide whether or not Adam LaRoche(notes) or Carl Pavano(notes) is fantasy feast or famine. Stats are for games played through April 16:

“I’d just prefer to work with someone who is more original and someone who is not copying me, actually,” was the curt reply from Grace Jones when the “Pull Up To The Bumper” crooner was asked her thoughts on pop sensation Lady Gaga in an interview with England’s The Guardian this week.

The “Love Game” star has a legion of “Little Monsters” marching to the beat of her drum, but avant garde goddess and fashion icon Jones isn’t among them. Grace, now in her sixties, told the newspaper that Gaga once approached her about a possible collaboration between the pair — but the singer/model/and View To Kill actress turned Gaga down, branding the pop star an annoying copycat.

Grace, who has been hitting the stage in eye-catching, outlandish outfits for close to four decades, minced no words when asked if she thinks Gaga borrowed her own nightmarish style ideas from the legend.

“Well, you know, I’ve seen some things she’s worn that I’ve worn, and that does kind of piss me off,” the former Andy Warhol muse told The Guardian. “I wouldn’t go to see her,” she added.

Do you think Lady Gaga hijacked Grace Jones’ style?

by Kevin Jon Heller

It’s been 18 days since I asked NGO Monitor to provide the same detailed accounting of their funding that they demand of the human-rights groups they so regularly malign and demonize.  Readers will be shocked — shocked! — to know that the organization has ignored my request, in keeping with its profoundly hypocritical approach to funding.

In the meantime, of course, Gerald Steinberg continues to criticize others for doing precisely what NGO Monitor does:

European democracies are spending tens of millions of euros, pounds and krona to manipulate Israeli society and politics. This largely hidden European money that funds so-called “civil society” organizations, like B’Tselem, Yesh Din, Ir Amim, the Public Committee Against Torture, Peace Now and dozens more, is undermining Jewish sovereignty and the right to determine our own future.

The hypocrisy would be pathetic if it wasn’t so dangerous.  What is NGO Monitor hiding?  All we can do is speculate.

Meanwhile, the clock continues to tick.

“Infographic”. See also full version below.

Do you know what he means?

Filed under: SUV, Recalls, Safety, Lexus, Toyota

Toyota engineers in Japan have apparently replicated the lift-throttle oversteer problem recently found by Consumer Reports on the new 2010 Lexus GX460 and are working on a fix. Toyota spokesman Bill Kwong has confirmed the existence of the handling problem to The New York Times.

According to the NYT, as soon as CR discovered the problem, they contacted Toyota and worked with the automaker to make sure it understood the organization’s test conditions. The engineers in Japan are currently trying to understand the root cause and come up with a robust solution.

For now, Toyota has stopped selling the GX globally until a corrective action is identified, and owners in the field can get loaner vehicles from their dealers until their SUVs are repaired. The solution could end up being either hardware changes or software updates to the stability control, or a combination thereof. For more on the testing and what might be causing the oversteer problem, check out our in-depth analysis.

[Source: The New York Times]

Report: Toyota confirms Lexus GX handling issue, hoping to isolate issue soon originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 17 Apr 2010 19:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Empire State Building is in the middle of a green makeover. It is aiming to reduce energy usage by about 38%. Next on the makeover list is a change to its 6,500 windows. This improvement is predicted to not only protect the environment from tons of CO2 emissions, but also save $400,000 a year.

(more…)

Victor Uribe Portfolio

The Festo researchers who built this prototype robotic arm claim that they were inspired by the form and function of an elephant’s trunk. But anyone familiar with Spider-Man’s nemesis, Dr. Otto Octavius, knows what they really had in mind. More »