Masterdon Inc.

at Friday, July 31, 2009

Apple Introduces the iPhone 3GI; The “I” is for Invisible

from Mashable! by Adam Ostrow
Legendary satire site The Onion has been on a roll lately, at least in poking fun at the tech world. They broke news of one of Twitter’s co-founders launching a new mind-numbingly useless service, while also cleverly mocking our tendency to upload unflattering party photos on social networks.

Now, the site is again going after Apple fanboys, reporting on the launch of the iPhone 3GI. The “I,” in case you’re wondering, stands for “invisible.” The highlights, as reported by The Onion:

“In a move expected to revolutionize the mobile device industry, Apple launched its fastest and most powerful iPhone to date Tuesday, an innovative new model that can only be seen by the company’s hippest and most dedicated customers …

… According to Apple, the new iPhone 3GI boasts significant hardware and software upgrades, superior processing speeds, and a multi-touch interface that provides those who are “cool enough” with a rich user experience. The wide-screen display reportedly also features the most brilliant colors and finest resolution ever imagined …
… Retailing for $599, the iPhone 3GI offers only the most special Apple consumers—the ones who believe in the company more than anything else in the world, and who would never, ever dream of questioning it—the ability to open dozens of powerful applications at once.”

at Friday, July 31, 2009

Nintendo admits iPhone threat as devs say Wii is 'less powerful' than Apple handheld

Nintendo has at last admitted the iPhone (and iPod touch ) are direct competitors to its Nintendo DS Lite and DSi handheld gaming consoles - even as a Nintendo games developer admits there’s more processing power packed into an iPhone than you’ll find inside a Wii.

A developer, Yare, from Telltale Games, (who built Tales of Monkey Island, among others) explains: “The Wii is just not a powerful console. An iPhone is much more powerful than a Wii, even... The Wii and DS are extremely underpowered and their popularity doesn't remove the hardware limitations.”

The developer was defending the company against some complaints concerning “frame-rate issues” in the recently released WiiWare version of Tales of Monkey Island.

That Apple now poses stiff competition in the games market has also been confirmed by Nintendo itself. In its latest earnings report this week, Nintendo revealed a 66 per cent decline in operating profit, citing “slowing demand for its Wii console and a stronger Yen,” as cause.

The company also admitted DS sales are slowing down, and pointed the finger directly at Cupertino, saying the slow-down was attributable to, “increased competition in the handheld business from Apple’s iPhone.” (We’d add the iPod touch to your list there, Nintendo).

This doesn’t mean it’s doom and gloom for Nintendo. It still aims to sell 26 million Wii consoles this financial year, along with a total of 30 million DS and DSi handhelds.

We’d speculate that Nintendo may be driven to upgrade its product range in the near future, in order to compete in the long term the company will have to close the processor speed gap its devices have in comparison to Apple.

This could be a much tougher target than most realise. Apple’s invested heavily in chip production talent in recent months, ever since its PA Semi purchase. This means Apple now has the kind of world class expertise it requires to design its own low power yet ultra-high performance processors, based in theory on the ARM processors presently used inside its handheld range.

Apple may, in the future, also pose some threat to Wii. After all, if the premium App Store does emerge to be a shop front for sale of high res versions of existing games and media for use on the much-anticipated 10-inch iTablet; and if these games are also offered for sale to Apple TV owners, then Apple will have some kind of play at Wii’s home market.

Should it be technically possible to link an Apple TV up with an iPod touch or iPhone for use of the handheld devices as motion sensing controllers for gaming on the Apple TV, then Wii - and Nintendo - will have one helluva fight on their hands.

Piper Jaffray’s Gene Munster now anticipates sales of 6.6 million Apple TV’s by the end of this year. Munster also expects launch this year of new Apple TV hardware equipped with a TV input and DVR functionality.

Wait and see how this game goes. And don’t forget, Nintendo is one of the companies commentators occasionally cite as a potential takeover target for Apple. With Apple on its current trajectory into the gaming market, such a purchase could make more sense now than ever before - assuming Nintendo has any technologies or patents Infinite Loop may consider worth bringing into the Apple fold.

at Friday, July 31, 2009

'iPhone is much more powerful than Wii', says TellTale programmer

We all know the Wii isn’t the most powerful piece of hardware out there. The PS3 and Xbox 360 are more powerful, but Nintendo’s machine is still putting up a fight. Now Telltale Games has come into the picture and trashed the Wii’s horsepower because of some complaints that the Wii version of Monkey Island has some framerate problems.

A Telltale Games programmer going by the name of Yare on the forums had this to say: “Frame rate issues will probably get sorted out eventually, but keep in mind that the Wii is just not a powerful console. An iPhone is much more powerful than a Wii, even.”

Even after making such a wild statement, Yare still stands by it. He later posted: “And I stand by them. The Wii and DS are extremely underpowered and their popularity doesn't remove the hardware limitations.”

We knew they weren’t powerful, but I think saying it’s not as powerful as an iPhone is a bit extreme.

at Friday, July 31, 2009

http://www.reuters.com/article/newsO...56U4AZ20090731

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc has realized a $1.02 billion paper profit on a 10-month-old investment in BYD Co after shares in the Chinese car and battery maker quintupled.

Berkshire's MidAmerican Energy Holdings Co unit had agreed last September 26 to buy 225 million BYD shares at HK$8 each, a transaction then worth about $230 million.

The China Securities Regulatory Commission on Thursday granted approval for the transaction, which gives Berkshire a 9.89 percent stake. BYD shares closed Friday at HK$42.90, valuing Berkshire's stake at HK$9.65 billion, or about $1.25 billion.

Hong Kong's benchmark Hang Seng index is up 10 percent since Berkshire revealed the BYD investment.

Berkshire agreed to the stake three days after deciding to buy $5 billion of Goldman Sachs Group Inc preferred shares, despite the then-pervasive market turmoil after Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc's bankruptcy.

Warrants attached to the Goldman investment have since generated a $2 billion paper profit for Berkshire.

"Buffett has grown more comfortable investing in foreign companies in recent years," said Andy Kern, who writes the blog Berkshire Ruminations and is a doctoral candidate at the University of Missouri-Columbia.

"Domestically, Buffett is taking advantage of Berkshire's solid capital position," he added, "while internationally, it's more that Buffett is simply finding bargains."

Other non-U.S. investments by Berkshire include the reinsurer Swiss Re and the South Korean steelmaker Posco.

Earlier this decade, Berkshire made a few billion dollars on what had been a $488 million investment in Chinese oil company PetroChina Co.

Buffett is the world's second-richest person, after Microsoft Corp co-founder and Berkshire director Bill Gates, according to Forbes magazine.

Founded in Shenzhen in 1995 as a maker of rechargeable batteries, BYD expanded into mobile phones and automobiles.

It expects to sell 400,000 vehicles this year, and targets the sale of as many as 9 million by 2025, according to Henry Li, general manager of BYD Auto's export arm.

BYD Auto launched its first plug-in hybrid vehicle, the F3 DM sedan, last December.

Berkshire, based in Omaha, Nebraska, is a roughly $150 billion conglomerate that has close to 80 businesses selling such things as car insurance, ice cream and underwear, and which invests in dozens of companies.

at Friday, July 31, 2009

Knicks may take Allen Iverson over Ramon Sessions

The Milwaukee Bucks may be willing to let its young restricted free agent point guard, Ramon Sessions(notes), go in order to have enough cash to afford forward Hakim Warrick(notes). New York Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni apparently is very interested in signing Sessions but there may be a problem: Allen Iverson(notes).

Knicks president Donnie Walsh apparently met with Iverson's agent a few weeks ago and liked what he heard: the former superstar wants to salvage his career and would sign a mid-level deal (only $5.85 million!) for one season. The Knicks are still apparently holding out hope that it can have enough open salary-cap space next summer to lure one of the big-name free agents: LeBron James(notes), Chris Bosh(notes), Dwyane Wade(notes), etc.

The 23-year-old Sessions, meanwhile, wants a multiyear deal. So if the Knicks sign Sessions, it could be the first time Walsh publicly shows that LeBron may be out of the team's reach next summer.

Source: ESPN.comNew York Daily News

at Friday, July 31, 2009

By Chris Richburg

The latest news involving Nas’ situation with his ex-wife Kelis was deemed as nothing more than “funny s**t” by the rapper, who seemed to be taken aback by the public’s interest in his personal happenings.

Nas’ reaction comes days after the birth of his Knight and rumors surrounding his divorce from Kelis.

Although she filed for divorce in April, Kelis hinted to infidelity on the part of the Queensbridge lyricist with a June 4 post on Twitter, that blasted husbands who cheated on their wives.

Nas, who maintained he never cheated on Kelis, further touted his good standing in the relationship while admitting to some natural shortcomings as human.

“I heard that I was a cheater,” the rapper told Vancouver, Canada’s Georgia Straight newspaper. “It almost sounds like I was a bad husband. Not to say I was the greatest—I’m not perfect in anything I do—but I think I deserve a f***ing trophy. If I do say so myself, without sounding too cocky, I gotta say I was a hell of a husband and a hell of a dad.”

Despite his claims, Nas’ split from Kelis has turned into a costly affair.

According to the Associated Press, the rapper was ordered last week to pay $30,471 per-month in spousal support and $9,027 per-month in child support as well as $45,000 for Kelis’ attorney’s fees.

“It’s unfortunate when business is out there about your personal s**t, especially when you’re really not the guy to be having his s**t out there,” Nas said. “The sad thing is, you’ve got to get used to it. My skin is so thick that I probably need to write a book for people who are not ready for anything crazy.”

Musically, the rapper is gearing up for the fall release of Distant Relatives, his joint album with reggae superstar Damian Marley.

The duo is currently promoting the project while performing on this year’s Rock the Bells tour.

For Nas, the experience of working with Marley, generated a desire for more children of his own. As for tabloid reports generated by his personal drama, Nas remained upbeat while constantly adjusting to being under the microscope from observers.

“It’s funny that someone would even care about some Nasir Jones s**t,” he said. “I’m still that kid from the block at the end of the day.… So when I watch this s**t, it’s surreal. We get a good laugh off it and say, ‘Hey, they’re talking about me again and it’s some funny s**t.’”

at Friday, July 31, 2009

As expected, the newest update to the BlackBerry (NSDQ: RIMM) App World is now available. The big thing is support for European countries (Italy, France, Spain, Germany, Ireland, Austria, Luxembourg, Belgium, Netherlands, Portugal and the Channel Islands) but some much-needed sorting options (newest, highest rated, price, developer, app name) are also welcome additions in 1.1. You can also filter free and paid apps, as well as peruse a variety of new categories.The last, and most contentious new feature, is SD card archiving for apps, so you can reinstall deleted applications from your memory card, saving on connectivity hassles. It’s not quite as handy as, say, running apps from the microSD card, but it’s certainly a start in that direction. BlackBerry app memory is pretty tight, so this kind of solution will help users relax at least a little bit on that front.Hit up BlackBerry.com/AppWorld on your mobile browser to get updating.UPDATE: Here are a bundle of screenshots showing some of the new features in App World 1.1. Following Inside BlackBerry’s directions it’s a breeze to archive apps (and even self-evident to a lot of hardened users). I did get a fairly ugly error message after the post-archive reboot, but I’m willing to let that slide as a one-off occurrence.Oh, and another significant change is how App World handles trial versions of software. There used to be no category for trials, resulting in multiple entries of the same app or misleading price listings - both gone now. Woo!

at Friday, July 31, 2009

Damn, they got Don Cheadle looking like he's 25 in that one picture! I need that dude's full diet and workout plan. The red head is Scarlett Johansen ... who I never cared about before, but suddenly I want to put it in her

Iron Man 2 is an upcoming 2010 superhero film, based on the Marvel Comics fictional character Iron Man. This film is directed by Jon Favreau, with Robert Downey Jr. reprising the title role from the 2008 film Iron Man. The film will be released on May 7, 2010.CastRobert Downey Jr. as Anthony "Tony" Stark / Iron Man: The head of Stark Industries, inventor and the film's eponymous superhero. Gwyneth Paltrow as Virginia "Pepper" Potts: Stark's closest friend, budding love interest, and business partner after Pepper replaced Obadiah Stane as CEO of Stark IndustriesDon Cheadle as Lt. Colonel James "Rhodey" Rhodes / War Machine: Cheadle is replacing Terrence Howard from the first film. Howard said, "There was no explanation [...] apparently the contracts that we write and sign aren't worth the paper that they're printed on, sometimes. Promises aren't kept, and good faith negotiations aren't always held up." Entertainment Weekly stated Favreau had not enjoyed working with Howard, often reshooting and cutting his scenes; Howard's publicist said he had a good experience playing the part, while Marvel chose not to comment. As Favreau and Theroux chose to minimize the role, Marvel came to Howard to discuss lowering his salary – Howard was the first actor hired in Iron Man and earned the largest salary of the cast. The publication stated they were unsure whether Howard's representatives left the project first or if Marvel chose to stop negotiating.Theroux denied the part of the report stating "the role of War Machine was scaled back and then beefed up". Cheadle only had a few hours to accept the role and did not even know what storyline Rhodes would undergo. He commented he is a comic book fan, but felt there are not enough black superheroes. Mickey Rourke as Ivan Vanko / Whiplash: This version of the character also includes elements of Crimson Dynamo from the comics (notably the name, which is the name of the creator of Crimson Dynamo's armor). Downey offered Rourke the part during a roundtable discussion with David Ansen at the 2009 Golden Globes, and Rourke met with Favreau and Theroux to discuss his character's role. Rourke almost dropped out of the role due to Marvel's initial salary offer of $250,000, so the studio chose to increase the deal. Rourke researched for the part by visiting Butyrka prison. He suggested half of the character's dialogue be in Russian. Sam Rockwell as Justin Hammer: Rockwell was considered for the role of Tony Stark in the first film, and he accepted the role of Hammer without reading the script. He had never heard of the character before he was contacted about the part, and was unaware Hammer is an old man in the comics, whereas in the film he will be around Stark's age.Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow: An undercover spy posing as Stark's assistant. Johansson was cast after a scheduling conflict forced Emily Blunt to drop out of the part.Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury: Jackson initially had financial problems with Marvel and was unsure about reprising the part of Fury, until they reached a deal that would entail his appearance in nine films as the character.Jon Favreau as Hogan: Tony Stark's bodyguard and chauffeur. John Slattery as Howard Stark: Tony's father.Garry Shandling appears as a senator who wants Stark to give Iron Man's armor to the government.Paul Bettany will again voice Stark's computer, JARVIS. Clark Gregg will reprise his role as S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Phil Coulson from the first film.Kate Mara will appear in an unspecified role.Stan Lee has been confirmed to have a cameo in Iron Man 2 with a bigger role than the first film as he will portray Larry King in the sequel.It has also been rumored that Edward Norton's Hulk will have a special appearance towards the end of the film as a lead up to The Avengers

at Friday, July 31, 2009

at Friday, July 31, 2009

http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/07/14...erry-are-here/Google Voice, previously called Grand Central, is rolling out the first mobile apps for the service this evening. The main function of the apps is to make it easier to use your Google Voice phone number by automatically routing outbound calls through Google and to the recipient. We first mentioned they were coming last month when we broke the news that Google would start letting users port their phone numbers over to the Voice product sometime this year.Google Voice users get a phone number that should be the only number you give out to people. You route calls to mobile, home and other phones based on who’s calling and when. But there’s always been a nagging problem with the service - when you call out from your phones, people don’t see your Google Voice number on caller ID. They just see whatever phone number you are calling from. That means your friends have to store another phone number for you, or they don’t know who’s calling.Google had the same issue with text messaging, but fixed that problem earlier this year by playing middle-man to those messages. Now they are doing something similar with voice calls via mobile apps. The applications make outbound calls to Google Voice, and those calls are then routed to the recipient, who sees the Google Voice number as the caller.Two apps are being released tomorrow morning, for Blackberry and Android phones. The Android app is the most complete and takes over the native dialer, address book and call log. Users won’t be bothered with accidentally dialing numbers through the device phone number. The Blackberry app is less integrated, accessing only the native address book, and uses its own dialer. Users can’t simply go into the call log and return missed calls. They need to go back to the address book and select Google Voice to make the call. Still, it solves a big problem.The apps also allow users to access the core features of Google Voice. Listen to/read voicemails and text messages (all voicemails are automatically transcribed as well), access call history, send SMS messages and place international calls at low rates.Google Voice cofounder Craig Walker gave me a demo this afternoon of both apps, and told me that an iPhone version is in the works, too.The apps can be downloaded at m.google.com/voice starting tomorrow (Wednesday).

at Monday, July 20, 2009

at Monday, July 20, 2009

at Monday, July 20, 2009

at Monday, July 20, 2009

at Monday, July 20, 2009

__________________

at Monday, July 20, 2009

at Monday, July 20, 2009

at Monday, July 20, 2009

I think that this is a long time coming

at Monday, July 20, 2009

In Favre we trust….sort of..

Voicing their opinions on the Brett Favre soap opera taking siege in Minnesota, Viking Defensive End Jared Allen and Hall of Fame Wide Receiver Jerry Rice made clear their thoughts surrounding the future Hall of Fame Quarterback’s “is he with us or is he not” decision to join the team.

The Viking 2008 sack leader called the news swirling around the former Packer quarterback “annoying” and wants to see a decision sooner rather than later. Jerry Rice took it a step further, stating that he is unconvinced that Brett could play at a high level for an entire season after #4 faded down the stretch last season. History seems to be on Jerry’s side:

Brett Favre’s last five games:

2005: 1167 yards 1 TD 10 Ints 56.7% completion, 54.4 QB rating
2006: 1251 yards 4 TDs 8 Ints 53.8% completion, 70.1 QB rating
2007: 799 yards 6 TD’s 7 Ints 59% completion, 73.2 QB rating
2008: 1011 yards 2 TD’s 8 Ints 56% completion, 57.5 QB rating

Ironically, the combination of Ferrotte (one and a half games) and Jackson (four and a half games) put up better numbers down the stretch last season.

Viking QB’s last five games:

2008: 1012 yards 9 TD’s 4 Ints 64.5% completion, 100.6 QB rating

Not only has the current core of Viking quarterbacks (Jackson being the only one remaining with the addition of Sage Rosenfels) given better production during the final stretch of the all-important December games, the 40 year-old quarterback is coming off an off-season where he needed surgery to repair a torn bicep on his throwing arm.

While we expect to see a heavy dose of Adrian Peterson to protect Brett during the last half of the season if he decides to join the Vikings, what we have seen is the addition of Allen and Rice’s names alongside Kerry Rhodes, Thomas Jones, and Fran Tarkenton who have raised questions about Favre’s decision to return.

One wonders why there isn’t more traction behind the legitimate questioning of these “named” sources than there is around the “unnamed” sources following behind other prominent glory hounds. Oh well. There’s always a Joe Buck around to fawn over the grizzled quarterback to offset their questioning.

Andre is still raising hell…..

That’s not smoke you’re smelling…it’s Andre Rison searing comments about him being the best receiver ever, ahead of Jerry Rice and other greats. In a “Stats don’t always count” frame of mind, the former five-time pro-bowl receiver who compiled over 10,000 receiving yard and 80 touchdowns in a 13-year career, recently told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that he was ahead of the NFL’s all-time leading receiver and coming out with his own hall of fame list.

Never short on confidence, the former Falcon receiver said that he could still suit today and play in the NFL at the age of 42, if only he was cut a Brett Favre-like situation.

Andre….while you’ve been out of the game for several years, you still have tons of game.

Read the article here....

at Monday, July 20, 2009

at Sunday, July 19, 2009

at Sunday, July 19, 2009

at Friday, July 17, 2009

THIS SHIT IS SO FUNNY TO ME, NOT THE THINGS THAT HAPPENED AFTER JD LEFT, BUT TO HEAR THE LADY ON ESPN SAY MAKE IT RAIN LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!

at Friday, July 17, 2009

Miami Heats’ Dwayne Wade will now be joining the ranks of some of NBA’s greatest players such as Kobe and LeBron in Nike Basketball roster. More precisely, a new member to Nike’s Jordan Brand. Commenting on his signing with Jordan Brand, Wade said , “For me, the move to Jordan Brand is a dream come true. As a kid, I grew up on the south side of Chicago idolizing Michael Jordan and have worked hard to achieve the same success that he’s had on the court. I have enormous respect for this brand and all that it stands for. I’m humbled to be a part of the Team Jordan family and I’m looking forward to a great future.”

While having Wade leave the Converse team is sad news for the brand, Converse made a well-wishing statement for this switch, “CONVERSE has enjoyed being a part of Dwyane’s meteoric rise to the top of the basketball world. We have had an amazing professional and personal relationship with him and we thank Dwyane for his commitment to our brand. As he joins Jordan Brand, we know his Chicago roots and his on-and off-court style will be a great fit.”

Though there are no news yet on specially designed Jordans for Wade, but we will definitely be watching out for the possibility.via: solecollector

at Friday, July 17, 2009

at Friday, July 17, 2009

at Wednesday, July 15, 2009

at Wednesday, July 15, 2009

at Wednesday, July 15, 2009

at Wednesday, July 15, 2009

J. Cole freestyle on "Toca Tuesday" with Tony Touch.

at Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Wale stops by Kiis Fm studios to hang out with his old friend DJ Skee and talk about how he made it, his connection with Jay Z, what DMV is and what GQ magazine said about him.

at Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Architect: 57 STUDIO - Maurizio Angelini / Benjamín Oportot
Location: Santiago, Chile
Collaborator: Felipe Zamora
Project year: 2006–2007
Construction year: 2007–2008
Structural Engineer: Claudio Hinojosa
Construction: Jorge Carrasco
Materials: Concrete / Steel / Travertine Marble
Photographs: 57 STUDIO

at Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Swiss Watch maker Zenith introduced several very nice watches in their DEFY XTREME 2009 collection. The Defy Xtreme Tourbillon ZERO-G is a mean looking master piece that actually defies gravity. ZENITH has devised a Zero-G (zero gravity) system. The gyroscope cage Tourbillon comprises an escapement mounted on cardan joints rather like marine chronometers. The instrument, which is sensitive to changes of position, is kept in a constant horizontal position, thereby ensuring optimal amplitude for the spiral balance-wheel.

at Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Drake sat down at the Sirius studios with DJ Whoo Kid to discuss his new deal with Lil Wayne’s Young Money, the story behind the concept for his “Best I Ever Had” video, the importance of uplifting his hometown of Toronto, his upcoming album and work with Jay-Z, Jeezy, Mary J. Blige and more.

at Wednesday, July 15, 2009

at Wednesday, July 15, 2009

at Wednesday, July 15, 2009

at Wednesday, July 15, 2009

at Wednesday, July 15, 2009

at Wednesday, July 15, 2009

at Wednesday, July 15, 2009

at Wednesday, July 15, 2009

at Wednesday, July 15, 2009

at Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Friday, July 31, 2009

Monday, July 20, 2009

Sunday, July 19, 2009

Friday, July 17, 2009

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Facebook Badge

Followers

global14

Subscribe To Masterdon Inc

Blog Archive

Contributors