New Trailer for the "Man of Steel" Hits the Web

Warner Bros. released another movie trailer for its upcoming and most anticipated movie of the year Man of Steel starring Henry Cavill. The said trailer is entailed "Fate of Your Planet" according to its Facebook page and YouTube page.

This time, General Zod who is played by Michael Shannon takes most of the clip revealing one of the main plots of this new Superman film. Zod gives Kal-El/Clark Kent 24 hours to surrender or watch the world suffer the consequences. Then we see planet earth being attacked, plus some explosions and Superman trying to fight back and of course, save humanity. While watching this trailer there was nothing I want to do and happen but to see this whole new Superman film by director Zack Snyder. See it for yourself. 

So how was it? The wait is getting closer to its end as June is very very near. I am sure, just like me, you want to be the first one to see the Man of Steel on our favorite movie houses especially if you are a fan of this man from Krypton and grew up with Clark. 

Official synopsis for Man of Steel:

In the pantheon of superheroes, Superman is the most recognized and revered character of all time. Clark Kent/Kal-El (Cavill) is a young twenty something journalist who feels alienated by powers beyond anyone’s imagination. Transported to Earth years ago from Krypton, an advanced alien planet, Clark struggles with the ultimate question – Why am I here? Shaped by the values of his adoptive parents Martha (Lane) and Jonathan Kent (Costner), Clark soon discovers that having super abilities means making very difficult decisions. But when the world needs stability the most, it comes under attack. Will his abilities be used to maintain peace or ultimately used to divide and conquer? Clark must become the hero known as “Superman,” not only to shine as the world’s last beacon of hope but to protect the ones he loves.

The film also stars Amy Adams, Kevin Costner, Diane Lane, Antje Traue, Laurence Fishburne and Russell Crowe. 

Man of Steel according to its website will open in the Philippines on June 12, 2013. That is 2 days ahead of the US release. 

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Microsoft Announces Xbox One, Not Just a Gaming Console

Microsoft announced on Tuesday their next-generation video game console called Xbox One and dubbed as the entertainment hub device that just not offer best gaming experience but far more than that. This is going to be the first gaming console to be released by Microsoft in years since launching the device's predecessor Xbox 360. That's quite long for today's standard of releasing new version, well atleast to tablet and smartphone industry. 

For the past eight years, Xbox 360 has been successful in making sales across the globe selling more than 75 million units of 360. But also we cannot get rid of the fact that alot has happened for that eight years of span

especially with the dawn of smartphones and tablet PCs that up until now is dominating the whole tech and electronics related markets plus the increasing number of gamers who have been jumping to these type of gadgets with their hobbies. I know Microsoft people know that and according to Don Mattrick, president of the Interactive Entertainment Business for Microsoft, it took them four years to make this console and its features into flesh and it was designed to be an all-in-one system to align games, TV and entertainment. The device is more tha just a gaming console and that's because it will sport an ability to interact with our televisions, voice and gesture commands and also capable of doing Skype video calling. One of the demoes that was presented by Microsoft during the announcement is the voice command feature by telling the device to switch from one channel to another, they just simply said the name of the channel they want and the console did not have a problem doing the asked task. So if this reaches our living rooms, we won't be needing to memorize the channel numbers and we won't be needing to have our remote controls around. I hope this works well with our local cable boxes and will one day be able to experience it personally.

Image from: maximumpc.com

Xbox One will be released and available for purchase later this year, most probably the same time as PlayStation 4's release date which is on or before holiday shopping time. But the Xbox One's price tag was not disclosed yet. Technical specifications (as per Geek.com) of the third Xbox console are 8GB of RAM, 8-core AMD processor plus a 500GB of internal hard drive. I am not a gamer so I have no idea if that 500GB of space is enough to cover all games that an average player plays especially for downloads. 

For support, as what I have read from a vast number of posts about this new Xbox online, they said it will not feature backwards support, which means if you still want to play those existing Xbox 360 games you will need to keep your 360 box around.  Part of the event announcement is that One will initially come out with 15 exclusive games with the follow up of other games in the future. Some of the games mentioned are Call of Duty: Ghosts, FIFA Soccer 14, Assassin's Creed 4, Battlefield 4, Quantum Break and others. 

Yesterday, Sony through their YouTube channel released a teaser video for their next installment of PlayStation console which is name as PlayStation 4 that was originally announced in February this year and one good thing about this Microsoft's announcement is that they showed the actual device during the event unlike what Sony did at their conference. According to the PS4 teaser trailer, we are mostly to see the full flesh of PS4 at the E3 press conference to be held on June 10. 

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Sony Releases Teaser Video For Upcoming PlayStation 4

The Japanese tech firm Sony just today released a teaser trailer about their upcoming gaming console which is the PlayStation 4 or simply PS4. 

For some reason Sony unveiled this new clip a day before Microsoft is set announce their new Xbox version. Sony had a press conference this February when they initially announced the coming of the fourth PlayStation where everyone was left a little bit disappointed as all of the attendees of that event and all of the PS fans around the world were expecting to see the whole physical console itself and other features it will offer once released, but we ended up being shown nothing but the physical PS4 controller plus other games that are built for the PS4.

Before hitting the play button, I was expecting to see the full figure of this new gaming gadget but the teaser trailer is really a teaser where most of the video clip shows blurry images of the console with some close-up shots on PS4's different angles. But at the end of the video it shows a date that says "June 10, 2016 6PM PDT" which is going to be the Sony's PlayStation E3 Press Conference where fans and enthusiasts expect to see the fullness of the PlayStation 4 console with the addition of some new video games announcement for this next-gen PS device and its features. 

See some of the images below that I managed to capture while playing the video clip.

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UPDATED: Yahoo! to Buy Tumblr for $1.1 Billion? Confirmed!

The Wall Street Journal on Sunday reported that Yahoo's board has approved a deal to buy Tumblr, one of the most popular blogging platforms in the webspere. The deal according to Wall Street Journal's sources, would cost around $1.1 billion and the payment is going to be pure cash.

Although neither Yahoo nor Tumblr has commented on the report, Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer scheduled a conference to be held this Monday in New York saying they have "something special" to announce. This seems to be another move by the once-reigning website Yahoo to regain its dominance on the internet race since losing its popularity to Google and Facebook in terms of revenue and user base.

If this rumor is confirmed, then this will be a big payday for its founder David Karp who launched Tumlr in 2007. Currently, as per Tumblr's Wikipedia page, it hosts more than 100 million blogs as of May 2013 and has generated a total of 50 billion blog posts since its appearance online.

I don't use Tumblr for my blogs since for some reason I could not find a way to put Adsense on it. I prefer using Google's Blogger for this type of online hobby where I can still put Adsense in my blog regardless if I am using a .blogspot.com or .com web address and I think that is one of the best features a blogging platform can offer to their users. Wether we think it or not, the main reason for Yahoo's purchase of Tumblr is of course to generate more revenue from its popularity by placing ads on each of the blogs Tumblr hosts and most likely, publishers on Tumblr would not get share on this earnings which I think is not so good news to hear. If I have a Tumblr blog site that has a very good number of readership and posts are originally created by myself, then to me it is reasonable to have Yahoo ask me first if it's okay to post ads on my site or atleast give me an option to  not have ads on my site or maybe give us a way where both the company and the blogger to share profit which is the same case for Blogger.com  users(provided that users are Adsense approved). I still hope that it will remain the same even after the purchase. Well, since it is not confirmed yet, let's take this report with a pinch of salt.

Tumblr just like Twitter, is categorized as a micro-blogging and a social networking platform where a blogger can create posts and make it public or private. Users have the capability of following a certain blog and/or reblog someone's posts. Posts vary from mostly photos, multimedia contents to short posts such as quotes.

UPDATED:

Today in New York city where Yahoo! CEO Marissa Mayer chosed to hold an annoucement about their new "cool" aquisition. Mayer confirmed the report above that they (Yahoo and Tumblr) have reached an agreement to buy the blogging site Tumblr and also promised "not to screw it up". For how much? A wopping $1.1 billion!

"I’m delighted to announce that we’ve reached an agreement to acquire Tumblr! We promise not to

screw it up. Tumblr is incredibly special and has a great thing going. We will operate Tumblr independently. David Karp will remain CEO. The product roadmap, their team, their wit and irreverence will all remain the same as will their mission to empower creators to make their best work and get it in front of the audience they deserve. Yahoo! will help Tumblr get even better, faster." Mayer said as she announced the purchase. 

David Karp, the Tumblr CEO has also made the announcement himself through their Tumblr's page and said "We’re not turning purple. Our headquarters isn’t moving. Our team isn’t changing. Our roadmap isn’t changing. And our mission – to empower creators to make their best work and get it in front of the audience they deserve – certainly isn’t changing."

So I guess that's their response to a host of unhappy Tumblers upon knowing the deal. Let's admit it, yes most internet users do not like advertisements blocking their sight, but that's how a service provider earns money to continue operations and provide a better experience to its users. There are just some online companies that do not know how to properly handle displaying of ads on each web pages and there are some who care enough about how their users think and feel and try to meet at least halfway.

How about you? What do you think about this aquisition? Let us know through the comments section below. : )

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Sun Cellular's Unlimited Facebook For Php50 for 7 Days

Most of us (Facebook users) can't just go on a day without accessing our FB account to update ourselves on what's going on with our friends especially when we are out of the house most of the day. That's why with the boom of phones which are capable of connecting the internet, biggest telecommunications providers in the Philippines such as Smart Telecommunications and Globe Telecom have launched numerous types of promos that have to do with accessing the internet, most popularly is the unlimited access to Facebook for a certain amount and a certain number of days. Sun Cellular, one of the leading providers in the country also just launched their unli Facebook offering.

The PLDT-owned network unveiled this promo through their Facebook account. If you are a Sun user, you can avail of the unlimited Facebook access on your phone for only Php50 which is good for 7 days. That's right 7 days for only fifty bucks. To register to the Sun Cellular's unli Facebook promo simply send FB50 to 247. Once registration is confirmed, you can now proceed to your phone's default web browser and go to m.facebook.com website.

I tried to check Sun's website for the mechanics of the promo but I could see any, I even tried seeing other blogs about this promo but still not able to spot one. Now since Sun has now been a sister company of Smart, then I would assume that the mechanics is the same which are listed below.

- Access only content under Facebook.com domain or website.
- Clicking on Ads, Links or Photos that lead to another website other than Facebook.com will cost you additional charge.
- Use of apps such as Facebook for Android or iOS, Facebook for every phone and Operamini is not allowed or else regular browsing fee applies.
- Once promo expires and you are still on Facebook.com, regular browsing will be applied as well. So keep in mind the time you registered.

If you have other questions about this promo you may contact SunCel's customer service team though this link.

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BlackBerry Q5 A New BB10 OS Smartphone

When it comes to handsets with physical QWERTY keyboard, BlackBerry is the most known manufacturer to make it ever since and that is something this Canadian company can't just take off from their new
smartphones. A new addition to the qwerty-keyboarded BB devices? The BlackBerry Q5.

This mid-range phone aims to boost sales target in emerging markets such as South East Asia and Latin America.

These are the specs we can expect from the BlackBerry Q5 which was
announced during the BlackBerry Live 2013 event.

- 3.1-inch display and 720x720 resolution
- 1.2GHz dual-core processor
- 2GB of RAM
- 8GB storage space
- 5MP Rear camera
- 2100mAh battery
- BlackBerry 10.1 OS
- Red, Black, White and Pink
- LTE
- WIFI 802.11 b/g/n

Q5 is the third BB device to sport the latest BB10 os of the Canada-based company. Since the technical specifications have been trimmed down on this one compared to its older brothers Z10 and Q10, we expect a much lower price tag for this new one and that, for some reason is not released yet.

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Samsung Galaxy S4 Google Edition Unveiled

At the Google I/O Developers' Conference in San Francisco California held  from May 15 to 17, 2013, the search giant company has confirmed the rumor about their plan to release a Samsung Galaxy S4 Google Edition.

Image from: crave.cnet.co.uk

The major difference this Google version of Galaxy S4 will have from its original counterpart is that it will sport Google's stock Android version or some call it Vanilla Android. Vanilla Android means the operating

system won't have Samsung's touchwiz in it. It's a pure and naked version of Android Jelly Bean. I am thinking now that if you are a type of person who does not like, if not all, but most of Samsung-only apps and features intalled in the original Galaxy S4 then this variant from Google is the best option for you.

Google said at the event this S4GE will go on sale on play.google.com starting this June 26 for a retail price of $649 and has an unlocked bootloader plus with a 16GB of internal memory space which can be expandable via microSD card. This S4 version was not given a specific name by Google unlike other of its Nexus line, but did not fail to mention that users will have the "Nexus-like experience" that refers to the vanilla Android this device will come with. Another thing the Google-branded Galaxy S4 will offer is the ability to have firmware update notification as soon as the new software is released just like the current Nexus devices are having. At the moment, Google said this one will support AT&T and T-Mobiles' LTE networks. So it tells us that this will initially be available for people in the US and international availability announcement of this Galaxy smartphone may follow soon.

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Angry Birds the Movie Release Date Announced

Are you a fan of the addicting birds vs pigs game from Rovio Angry Birds? You may have already heard about a plan to have it adapted for the big screens. And you maybe already waiting for the confirmation of this rumor. Well, the wait is somehow almost over as Sony Pictures Entertainment just confirmed that they are going to make a movie adaptation of the famous mobile games from the Finnish company.

But with that announcement, we still have to keep on waiting before we see our favorite flying upset birds crushing pig houses in our local cinemas a little longer. Sony said they target release date for the animated movie is on July 1, 2016. Wow, that's years from now and we may already have a new president by then.

See, we still have to wait for it, but at least we have heard an update on this one and it is a positive update. So let us keep an eye on this project as days, months and years come for future updates on the film. This Angry Birds movie is being produced and financed by its creator Rovio Entertainment and it was Sony Pictures Entertainment which won the rights to distribute it globally in 2016.

We have experienced and enjoyed movie crossovers before with this game like Rio and Star Wars, now it's the other way around. Angry Birds goes to cinema theaters. Are you excited?

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BlackBerry's BBM Coming to Android and iOS Soon

I just heard a good news for those Blackberry Messenger or BBM users that the Canadian smartphone company just announced at the Blackberry Live event held in Florida USA that its popular messaging service called the BBM is coming to Android and iOS devices this coming summer time in the US which would be around June or July.

Image from TechnoBuffalo.com

This absolutely means that BBM will no longer be limited or exclusive to BlackBerry devices and will soon be available to a wider user base which are Google's Android and Apple's iOS-powered smartphones and tablets. Once this BBM app version is released by Blackberry, it will officially be competing directly with the current and dominating messaging apps such as WhatsApp, WeChat, Viber and even Facebook Messenger that available on multiple platforms. 

Every tech and business analyst said that it is a very good move by Blackberry making the BBM app usuable for non-Blackberry devices but it is a little bit late move. They said that BBM should have been made available to other platforms years ago, before other mentioned apps above have made their way to this messaging space. 

"For BlackBerry, messaging and collaboration are inseparable from the mobile experience, and the time is definitely right for BBM to become a multi-platform mobile service. BBM has always been one of the most engaging services for BlackBerry's customers, enabling them to easily connect while maintaining a valued level of personal privacy. We're excited to offer iOS and Android users the capability to join the BBM community," said Andrew Bocking, Executive Vice President, Software Product Management and Ecosystem at BlackBerry.

"It's time to bring BBM to a greater audience," CEO Thorstein Heins said in announcing the expansion.

BlackBerry also cites that the BBM service has currently 60 million monthly active users. Additionally, BBM will be a free app when released and will initially expected to have the following features as per blog post on their website. 

- BBM Chats

- Multi-person chats

- Voice note sharing

- BlackBerry Groups with calendar, photos and other files sharing 

Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and iOS 6 or higher versions will be supported by BBM. 

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It's Official! Cherry Mobile Skyfire 2.0

The Pinoy tech brand Cherry Mobile just announced and made official its fourth quad-core Android smartphone recently. Cherry Mobile Skyfire 2.0 has just been unveiled. Yes, this is a follow up to the previous Skyfire handset only this time its bigger and better.

Skyfire 2.0 now sports a Qualcomm's Snapdragon S4 chipset, a quad-core processor clocked at 1.2GHz. Its RAM was also upgraded from 512GB to 1GB plus the screen now boasts a 5-inch qHD 960x540 scratch resistant display. However the internal memory remained at 4GB and supports MicroSD card up to 32GB capacity. Cameras are 8PM and 2MP back and front respectively. 

And oh, of course it is an Android Jelly Bean phone. Dual-SIM and the battery is 2000mAh. The specs are very impressive and can race with other famous and internatioanlly branded phones such as Samsung and LG but the price of this Pinoy Android phone is very "Maka Pinoy", this will be retailed for only Php7,999 nationwide starting this week. 

Some of our techy friends out there might have guessed that this phone is the equivalent of Karbonn Titanium S5 that was released in India. 

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