Here’s a cute commercial for The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D starring Robin Williams and his daughter Zelda. Considering Zelda Williams was named after a certain princess of Hyrule, the commercial is completely appropriate. Check it out and let me know what you think (please)!
What Do You Think of Mac OS X Lion So Far?
Apple has released Mac OS X Lion today, arguably the most drastic change to the operating system in years. A lot of the features point to Mac OS and iOS converging in the future, but there’s a lot more to it than that. Have any of you downloaded it yet? If so, I’d love to hear your initial thoughts. Please share!
Coffee Talk #376: Comic Con 2011 and You
Deepak Chopra is going to talk about Batman at Comic Con 2011. How awesome is that?!? I suddenly find myself scheduled to attend Comic Con…and I couldn’t be happier! This year’s show looks awesome…
Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, Kona Mountain Coffee’s peaberry dark roast, Samsung finally confirming the Galaxy S II for an August release in America, or Shaq kicking off his NBA TV career by dissing Chris Bosh, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.
Deepak Chopra is going to talk about Batman at Comic Con 2011. How awesome is that?!? I suddenly find myself scheduled to attend Comic Con…and I couldn’t be happier! This year’s show looks awesome. Check out the amazing panel content slated for Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Whether it’s the latest videogames, comic books, movies, or TV shows, Comic Con has it covered.
What Comic Con 2011 content or information are you looking forward to? Are you jazzed for the Halo Universe panel? Psyched for more information on The Avengers, Batman, and Spider-Man movies? Looking forward to George R.R. Martin talking about Game of Thrones season two and what’s next in A Song of Ice and Fire? Let me know what you’re into and I’ll try to dig up more 411 for you while I’m at the show. Please keep in mind that I’m attending a show for another publication (I’ll tell you later) and have to serve them first.
Hey…maybe Deepak Chopra is Batman!
Apple’s Q3 2011 Results Are Ridiculous
Ridiculous. Simply ridiculous. What else can you say about Apple’s Q3 2011 numbers? The company sold more than 20-million iPhones and nine-million iPads. The company posted $28.57-billion in revenue and $7.31-billion in profit. More than ever it’s hilarious to think that Apple once needed cash from Microsoft to stay in business.
Apple is making crazy money across a wide variety of products. From smartphones to tablets to notebook computers to desktop computers to software to music, Apple is kicking ass.
Katee Sackhoff Voicing Black Cat in Spider-Man: Edge of Time
Marvel.com editorial director Ryan Penagos has revealed that Katee Sackhoff will be voicing Black Cat in the upcoming Spider-Man: Edge of Time. Battlestar Galactica fans will remember Sackhoff as Kara ‘Starbuck’ Thrace. Males will notice that she’s a hottie.
Penagos also posted the first screen of Black Cat. The buxom cat burglar is Spider-Man’s sometimes nemesis and sometimes love interest.
While this post is partially an excuse to research photos of Katee Sackhoff, I’d love to hear what you think about her playing Black Cat in the next Spider-Man game.
Spider-Man Reboot Trailer Leaked
Here’s a leaked trailer of the upcoming Spider-Man reboot starring Andrew Garfield. It’s most likely the trailer that was going to be used to dazzle the kids at Comic Con 2011. You can watch it now in all of its filmed-off-a-screen glory! The trailer was originally posted by We Got This Covered.
Please check it out when you have a chance and let me know what you think of that guy from the Facebook movie playing Spider-Man.
Google+ App Available for iOS (iPhone)
The official iOS app for Google+ plus has been approved (finally) and is now available on Apple iTunes. According to the official description it’s, “Compatible with iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS, and iPhone 4. Requires iOS 4.0 or later.” It’s strange that the the iPod Touch isn’t listed as a compatible device, though I’m sure it will work on it as well (bsukenyan, care to give it a try?). I’m going to try it on my iPad 2, but I’m sure the resolution will bother me.
This is a huge step for Google+. Previously iPhone users had to use a really basic web interface to use Google+. The mobile-web interface is bare bones and doesn’t really encourage use. The new app will surely make Google+ on iOS more popular.
If you’ve tried the app, I’d love to hear your initial thoughts on it (please!).
Update: Apparently this version of the app does not work with iPod Touch and iPad. People on those devices will have to stick to the web “optimized” site according to ThisIsMyNext.
Source via Big Daddy Vic
Epic’s Mark Rein Talks Android, iOS, and PlayStation Vita
Epic Games’ vice president Mark Rein recently spoke with Game Network about a wide variety of topics. The section on mobile gaming was particularly interesting. As I noted in December 2009, Unreal Engine 3 on iOS was a huge step for smartphone gaming. Since then, Epic and Chair Entertainment have had one of the biggest iOS hits ever with Infinity Blade. It was interesting to hear what he had to say about iOS, Android, and PlayStation Vita gaming. Check it out:
iOS is certainly part of Epic’s future. Our recent iOS game, Infinity Blade, has already earned us over $10 million in its first six months and hammers home the notion that iOS users are ready for the kind of high-production value games that Unreal Engine 3 is uniquely qualified to produce on iOS. Our engine is also available on Android and one of our licensees — Trendy Entertainment — holds the distinction of having the first-ever game certified for Android’s Honeycomb tablet release with Dungeon Defenders. They were also demoed on Sony Ericsson’s Xperia Play (aka the “PlayStation phone”) and we showed them onstage at the Tokyo reveal event for Sony’s next-gen portable, the PSVita. Epic and Unreal Engine 3 are already big players in the mobile and handheld space.
Epic’s Unreal Engine is already dominant in the console gaming world. It looks like the company is on its way to having similar success on numerous mobile platforms. While that’s nice for Epic, it also mean better looking games for you and me. I have no doubt that Unreal Engine will succeed on iOS and PS Vita. Android developers have a bunch of other problems to worry about, but I’m sure Unreal Engine will help a few of them make great games too. While Gears of War is still the company’s prime franchise, it’s clear that Epic sees how important the mobile market will be in the near future.
ThunderCats (Cartoon Network) First Looks Preview
Over the weekend I watched the first two episodes of the new ThunderCats cartoon. It debuts on Cartoon Network on Friday July 29. I loved the original Rankin/Bass cartoon as a kid and was really happy with the new show. It’s a nice blend of classic ThunderCats elements with modern twists. I’ll have a full review of the show next week. For now, here are some random thoughts and factoids on the premiere.
– In the original show, the ThunderCats left their dying planet to begin life anew on Third Earth. This time around it looks like the planet is set. The ThunderCats are the most powerful race on the planet and rule from their kingdom of Thundera. In the original it was clear that the ThunderCats were the good guys and the mutants were the bad guys. Things are a bit cloudier in the modernization. These ThunderCats seem elitist and snobbish, while the other races seem oppressed by and fearful of them.
– The voice acting is solid so far, with some cool highlights. I immediately recognized Clancy Brown as Grune. Brown totally owned as Kurgan in Highlander and Lex Luthor in Superman the Animated Series. It’s going to take me a few episodes to get used to Emmanuelle Chriqui as Cheetara. She did a good job in the episodes I saw, but I kept hearing Sloan from Entourage in my head. Part of me was looking for E and Johnny Drama whenever she was in a scene.
– Here are two minor changes for you. First, Tygra and Lion-O are brothers. Lion-O is the true son of King Claudus and heir to the throne. Tygra is adopted, but starts off the series as better equipped to ruile. The second change is that Cheetara belongs to the cleric class. I’m not sure what religious purpose they serve, but all the clerics shown possess super speed. Perhaps they’re a warrior clan?
– Here are two major change for you. Snarf doesn’t talk. This makes him five-billion percent better than the original, annoying-as-hell Snarf. Secondly, Jaga kicks all sorts of ass. In the original, he was an old warrior that spouted fortune cookie wisdom (also a total Obi-Wan Kenobi rip-off). The new Jaga is leader of the clerics and still spouts the fortune cookie stuff, but kicks ass with super speed! Considering his namesake (jaguar, for any stupid kids reading this), it makes total sense that he’s a speedster.
– The classic chants and battle cries are in the show. Of course they are. The fanboys would have rioted without, “ThunderCats ho!!!” and, “Ancient spirits of evil, transform this decayed form…”
– WilyKit and WilyKat look to be much improved too. I hated both of them in the original (though not as much as I hated Snarf). Either I’ve gotten softer in my advanced age or the new WilyKit and WilyKat are much more endearing than their forerunners. (Both are probably true.) The re-imagined siblings are poor thieves that steal to survive. They appear to be orphans or runaways. Think of them as twin Artful Dodgers…but with tails…and cat ears…and, oh never mind.
– Panthro is old. I haven’t seen the “real” Panthro yet, but his shots in the press materials make him look considerably older than the other ThunderCats. Since he hasn’t appeared yet, I don’t know too much about him. What I do know is that he’s a general, he uses nunchuks, and he needs to join Hair Club for ThunderCats.
– Jaga referenced a prophecy that said that the greatest lord of the ThunderCats will possess sight beyond sight. Make what you will of that.
Anyway, let me know what you think of the new ThunderCats when you have a chance. Are you intrigued? Or are you afraid of one of your childhood memories being tarnished? As for me, I’m definitely going to keep watching the show. I wish I could say more, but I’m muzzled like a good ThunderDog at the moment. Stay tuned for the full review next week!
The Dark Knight Rises Teaser Trailer: Batman vs. Bane!
The Dark Knight Rises teaser trailer debuted with the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 and high quality versions are finally available online! It’s short and it’s subtle, but the ending is killer. I love how it closes with a seemingly unsure-of-himself Batman facing off against Bane. While he doesn’t exactly look like the Bane that dazzled me in the Knightfall storyline, he appears to be much closer to the real thing than that crap Bane from 1997’s Batman & Robin.
Any thoughts on the teaser trailer for The Dark Knight Rises?