Google Announces Samsung Nexus S (With Videos!)

Google has officially announced the Samsung Nexus S, which will be available online and in Best Buy stores on December 16, 2010. This unlocked phone will be the champion product for Google Android 2.3 (Gingerbread). Unlike the previous Google flagship phone — the HTC Nexus One — the Nexus S doesn’t blow the competition away in terms of specs. The Nexus S features:

  • 1GHz Hummingbird processor
  • 16GB of internal storage
  • 4-inch Super AMOLED WVGA touchscreen with curved Contour Display tech
  • 5-megapixel camera
  • Front-facing VGA camera for video chat
  • Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n
  • Bluetooth 2.1
  • Software-based noise cancellation
  • NFC support
  • Anti-fingerprint coating on the display

It looks like a great phone, but it’s not much better than what’s already available. While I’m envious of the front-facing camera and larger screen, the Nexus S doesn’t bring enough to the table to make me want to give up my HTC G2 (especially with T-Mobile’s WiFi calling and HSPA+ network speed).

Check out the additional video and let me know what you think of the Nexus S (please)!

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Lara Croft’s Origin Revealed in New Tomb Raider: Do You Care?

Tomb Raider’s Lara Croft will grace the cover of Game Informer’s January 2011 issue. The new Tomb Raider game will reveal the earliest tales of Miss Croft (the adventuring tales, not her discovery of womanhood). In a recent press release, Crystal Dynamics studio head Darrell Gallagher said:

Forget everything you knew about Tomb Raider, we are exploring things that have never been done before in this game. This is an origins story that creates Lara Croft and takes her on a character defining journey like no other.

Tomb Raider was one of the most influential franchises in modern gaming, but the series has hit several bumps on the road. I wanted to see if you still care about Tomb Raider and Lara Croft. Do you think younger gamers even know who she is? Are you interested in learning about her origins? Speak now or forever hold your piece peace!

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Today’s Poll: The Best Lord of the Rings Movie

Right before Thanksgiving, I took advantage of Amazon’s sale on The Lord of the Rings Blu-rays. Yeah, I know I’ll probably buy them again when the extended editions are out, but for $7.99 they were a good deal. Instead of eating yummy food with friends and family on Thanksgiving, I subjected myself to a Lord of the Rings marathon. Naturally, I started thinking about you guys and wanted to see which movie you liked best.

For me, the answer is easy: The Two Towers. The pacing and action just work better for me. The Fellowship of the Ring takes too long to get going and The Return of the King takes too long to end. (Also, it’s hard to watch these movies without thinking of Randall’s NSFW rant in Clerks II...so I’ll post it below.) Now it’s your turn! Kindly vote and discuss.

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White iPhone 4 Coming Spring 2011: Better Late Than Never?

After a comical string of delays, it looks like the white iPhone 4 is finally coming…in Spring 2011. *snicker* CrunchGear spotted an Apple Store sign that shows a release date for the white model. Of course when that date rolls around, the iPhone 5 will be months away. Do you think anyone (aside from fashionistas) will give a damn about the white iPhone 4 in Spring 2011?

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ESPN Sportsguy WWE Podcast Madness: The Miz vs. Bill Simmons

While it wasn’t as epic (to me, anyway) as when Shawn Michaels appeared on ESPN Bill Simmons’ podcast, WWE Champion The Miz recently appeared on the show. It’s cool (and a little weird) when my worlds collide. As many of you know, I love WWE wrestling and Bill Simmons is my favorite sports columnist. When those two things come together, it’s better than a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup. Download the podcast when you have a moment and let me know what you think (please)!

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Wikileaks Loses Amazon and PayPal, Gains Ron Paul

Last week was a rough one for Wikileaks. After shaking up the world with U.S. diplomatic cable leaks, the site got booted off of Amazon’s servers and is no longer able to accept donations through PayPal. Some are applauding the companies for playing by the rules, while others feel that they’re behaving like cowards afraid government pressure. What do you think?

On the plus side, Wikileaks found an unlikely supporter in Texas republican (and likely presidential candidate) Ron Paul. A longtime critic of the Federal Reserve, Paul told Fox Business:

What we need is more WikiLeaks about the Federal Reserve. Can you imagine what it’d be like if we had every conversation in the last 10 years with our Federal Reserve people, the Federal Reserve chairman, with all the central bankers of the world and every agreement or quid-pro-quo they have? It would be massive. People would be so outraged.

In a free society we’re supposed to know the truth. In a society where truth becomes treason, then we’re in big trouble. And now, people who are revealing the truth are getting into trouble for it.

This whole notion that Assange, who’s an Australian, that we want to prosecute him for treason — I mean, aren’t they jumping to a wild conclusion? I mean, why don’t we prosecute The New York Times or anybody that releases this?

Despite losing Amazon and PayPal, I believe that Wikileaks will become more powerful in the near future. When thinking about the situation, I hear The Carpenter’s “We’ve Only Just Begun” in my head. I’m sure the site will reveal bigger and more damaging info soon. Don’t you agree?

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This Week’s Videogame Releases

The holiday rush has slowed down, but there are still some big games left in 2010. I usually don’t include PC games in the mix, but World of Warcraft: Cataclysm is too huge to ignore. Tying into the movie, TRON: Evolution hits every platform known to man…and robot. Technically, this game comes out next week, but Super Mario All-Stars hits Sunday with all sorts of excellent bonus goodies.

Any of you guys and dolls picking up new games this week?

Coffee Talk #260: Why Does This Happen in Games in 2010?

When I first started playing Splatterhouse, I was amused by the game’s load times. “Really? How quaint,” I thought. As I started playing more of the game and the fights got harder, I went from amused to…

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, Jayson Werth going to the Washington Nationals, your favorite deli meat, or skipping videogame Christmas parties because you’re feeling antisocial (sorry guys!), Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

When I first started playing Splatterhouse, I was amused by the game’s load times. “Really? How quaint,” I thought. As I started playing more of the game and the fights got harder, I went from amused to pissed off. In addition to the expected level load times, you have to wait 15 to 20 seconds each time you die. This seems like a small amount of time, but when you keep dying in a particularly challenging fight…well, it completely sucks.

I’m amazed that things like this still happen in 2010. This was understandable 15 years ago when disc-based console-gaming first became the norm. These days? It’s more than a little ridiculous. You shouldn’t have to install a game on your hard drive so that playing conditions are acceptable. You should be able to play off of a disc and have a reasonably smooth experience. It’s…confounding.

Even though technology has grown by leaps and bounds, there are still some glitches and annoyances that plague the gaming world. What are some things that bug you about gaming that shouldn’t be happening in 2010?

Sony Ericcson Z1 (PSP Android Phone) Video Shows Controls

Here’s a nice “spy” video of the Sony Ericcson Z1 — the PlayStation Portable phone powered by Google Android. This video is much better than the one I posted earlier in the week. The user slides out the controls, revealing a d-pad and face buttons. You can also spot a PlayStation app in the menus. Check it out and let me know what you think (please)!